Spy Wars: Return of the Red Luan

Chapter 151 Chen Jiehua's First Meeting with the Young Marshal (Part 1)
After speaking with the landlady, Zhu Huiwu, Chen Jiehua quietly went to the opposite room, checked the room, and then lay down to rest.

It was already June, and the situation was unstable. The Nationalist government in Guangzhou in the south was making connections everywhere and inciting many anti-bald-head forces in the north. Shi Yousan, Yan Xishan, and Feng Yuxiang were all making moves. Zhang Xiaoliu was not actually very safe in Beiping either, as his main force of the Northeast Army was still outside the Great Wall at this time.

Chiang Kai-shek of the Nanjing Nationalist Government was so eager to see him late at night that he probably wanted to take advantage of the situation.

According to existing intelligence, the Northeast Army had over 400,000 regular troops outside the Great Wall, in addition to police and military police. How many were in the Kwantung Army? Even if you include civilian personnel, it wouldn't exceed 20,000.

I wonder how Zhang Xiaoliu fought in history? Did he make the wrong choice?
Let's talk about it when we meet. It's a real waste that a time traveler doesn't know history.

But at least he had shown goodwill through Liu Junze in the Zhang Zuolin incident. Later, Liu Junze also recounted the emergency rescue of the Manchurian Provincial Committee comrades. Zhang Xiaoliu remained curious about the person behind the unseen Liu Junze, which was a good start.

In that rescue operation, although Zhang Xiaoliu couldn't openly confront the Japanese, he at least helped Lao Liu transfer the man to the Northeast Army prison. Later, he turned a blind eye to Lao Liu's further rescue efforts, which was a signal of goodwill from the other side, indicating that there was a basis for negotiation.

Considering the direction of the talks and his own plans, Chen Jiehua decided to contact Liu Junze by telegram to ask who in the Northeast Army could be trusted and who was upright, since he couldn't just back down without even fighting.

Liu Junze replied: Guan Yuheng, the commander of the artillery division of the Northeast Army, was my former superior. He was a very upright and trustworthy man. Gao Shuguang, the bodyguard of the Young Marshal, was an upright man who hated evil and especially disliked the Japanese.

Two names are enough. And then there are the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces leaders I know, Yang Jingyu and Ma Zhanshan. Even if I can't change history, I can still do my part, right?
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Dividing line —
On the morning of June 6, Chen Jiehua got up, changed into casual clothes, and returned to the room opposite. Comrade Zhu Huiwu had already put on the cheongsam and jewelry she had bought the day before. The two of them went out and hailed a rickshaw to Zengshengkui on Dafosi East Street for breakfast.

Around 8 o'clock, after the guests at table number 2 finished eating and left, the waiter indeed put up a "Reserved Seat" sign. Zeng Sheng Kui was very busy at this time, but it seemed that the regular customers all knew who table number 2 was reserved for, and no one had any objections even if they had to wait in line for a seat.

When it was their turn, Chen Jiehua and Zhu Huiwu waited until the guests at table number 3, which was against the wall, left before sitting down.

Soon, the waiter brought over the tofu pudding, beef buns, and double-layered sugar-coated fried dough that Chen Jiehua had ordered, and the two ate while waiting.

Just as the two were finishing their meal, a tall military officer came in from outside and shouted into the shop, "Boss, our commander is not feeling well today and won't be having breakfast. Take the sign down."

"Alright! Table number two, time to move in!"

Chen Jiehua and Zhu Huiwu exchanged a glance, nodded, quickly finished their meal, paid the bill, and left.

"You're already unwell after just returning from Nanjing?" Chen Jiehua connected this to the recent unusual events in Shanxi and Shandong and concluded that the young marshal was plotting something. Others would hide their illnesses, afraid that others would find out, but you're doing this by having an officer announce it loudly. This tactic is a bit low-level.

"What's next?"

"Let's go directly to the Prince Shuncheng's residence for a visit. I don't have much time left in North China."

Chen Jiehua and Zhu Huiwu took a rickshaw to the gate of the Shuncheng Prince's Mansion. As expected, since they were both in plain clothes and had no warrants or appointment letters, the guards at the gate refused to let them in.

Chen Jiehua took out a bottle of original penicillin and handed it to the guard, saying, "Young man, please show this to your young marshal. If he still doesn't want to see you after seeing it, I will leave and not bother you two any longer."

The guard took the penicillin, looked it over from all angles, and even shook it. Hmm, it didn't seem dangerous. He greeted the other guard, "You stay here and watch them. I'll go in and report." The guard certainly couldn't report directly to the young marshal; his target was the head of the guards. Fortunately, the head of the guards was one of the people in the room during the Liu Junze incident and recognized the bottle!
Seeing that Pingzi hadn't gone to find Zhang Xiaoliu, the head guard rushed to the door ahead of the guards and welcomed Chen Jiehua and Zhu Huiwu into the reception room. He made tea and poured water, saying, "Please wait a moment, gentlemen, I'll go and invite our young marshal."

Soon, Zhang Xiaoliu led Miss Zhao Si to the reception room, with the head guard Tan Hai following behind. Taking advantage of the moment when the two men were sizing each other up, the lively Miss Zhao Si spoke first to break the awkwardness, "Old Tan's eye is finally on point this time. She really is a beautiful and elegant lady."

"Little sister, please take this Sister Zhu outside for a stroll and don't disturb us. This gentleman and I need to have a proper talk."

"Please!" After waiting for Miss Zhao Si and Zhu Huiwu to leave, Zhang Xiaoliu looked at Chen Jiehua, stretched out his hand, and pointed to the side door of the reception room. Tan Hai stepped forward, opened the side door, entered the inner room, and then opened the secret room inside the inner room. Zhang Xiaoliu led Chen Jiehua into the secret room together.

"Old Tan, make the arrangements so that no outside guests are seen today. Keep their visit as a secret as possible."

From getting up in the reception room to following him into the inner room and then into the secret room, Chen Jiehua didn't say a word, but he was still a little shocked and surprised. He thought he had done a good job of being discreet, but it seemed that Zhang Xiaoliu was not completely unaware of his identity.

His earlier comment to Miss Zhao, "Take this Sister Zhu out for a stroll," whether said intentionally or accidentally, at least indicates that he knew Zhu Huiwu's public identity.

It seems that today's communication will either go very smoothly or very poorly.

"Come, please!" Zhang Xiaoliu personally brewed and poured the tea.

Chen Jiehua calmly picked up the teacup, smelled it, blew on it, took a small sip, drank it all in one gulp, and put the teacup down.

"How should I address you, Major General Aoki? Commander Aoki? Or do you have some other identity behind you?"

“Young Marshal, we are about the same age and can be friends as equals. There is no need for honorifics. As for how you address me, it is just a code name. You can call me whatever you want. Young Marshal, please call me Mr. Ye, Ye Fei.”

“The honorific is a way of expressing gratitude for what happened three years ago. If it were Mr. Ye, we could indeed treat each other as equals and have a heart-to-heart talk.”

"What if it's in Commander Aoki's capacity?"

"Finish this cup of tea, then see the guest out!"

"Hahaha~, the young marshal is truly a man of character! So forthright!"

"Alright, since we are on equal footing, I won't address you as 'you,' and Mr. Ye, you can also stop calling me 'Young Marshal.' Xue Liang's courtesy name is Hanqing, and he is the sixth child in his family. His aunts call him 'Little Six.' You can call him Hanqing, Little Six."

"Good, that's great, Brother Hanqing."

"Brother Ye Fei."

(End of this chapter)