Courtyard House: Home Alone

Lin Yifan said decisively, "In addition, I recently seized a lot of weapons and ammunition, and I can give you a portion of them."

You have a reputation and a strong foundation in Beiping, with many protégés and former subordinates. You could easily form an armed force like the "Beiping People's Self-Defense Force," nominally to protect your neighbors and maintain public order.

In reality, the goal is to purge these traitors and scoundrels, find out everyone who has colluded with the Japanese, and take control of order in Beiping (Beijing) in our own hands.

With this team, and my covert cooperation, those fake police and traitors no longer dared to act recklessly.

Where is their stronghold? Who is their leader? What kind of shady dealings do they usually engage in? It shouldn't be difficult for you to gather this information by having your apprentices and familiar neighbors collect it.

Once I have accurate intelligence, I will take action at night and eliminate them one by one.

As for those puppet troops, I will make them disarm and get out of Beiping.

As for government affairs, you should organize a few respected local gentry and upright scholars to temporarily establish a "Beiping Temporary Maintenance Committee" to take charge of the allocation of food and supplies, maintaining public order, and pacifying the people in the city.

Rest assured, regarding weapons, I will first send you a batch of rifles, grenades, and several light machine guns, enough to assemble a well-trained team of 100 to 200 men.

As for the candidates, you should choose young people whose families have been harmed by the Japanese or who hate the Japanese and traitors to the bone. Such people are reliable and have more energy when fighting.

You don't need to worry about the training; I'll come over when I have time to give you some guidance on basic shooting and tactical coordination.

In addition, regarding intelligence gathering, besides your people, I will also try to contact some reliable forces, such as... the underground organizations of the Red Party.

They've been operating undercover in Beiping for years and are familiar with the city's situation; they might be able to offer considerable assistance. However, it's up to you to actually come forward; I don't want to attract too much attention.

The most urgent task is to take down a few of the most vocal traitors and ringleaders, making an example of them to warn others and let those petty scoundrels know who's in charge in Beiping now! Which one of these fools should we target first?

Upon hearing this, a fierce glint flashed in Old Master Tang's eyes. He pondered for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "After Wang Kuian died, if we're talking about the one who jumped the highest, Li Sangou, who took his place, is one of them!"

This bastard used to be a local thug. After he defected to the Japanese, he committed all sorts of evil deeds. Extortion was a daily occurrence for him, and his hands were stained with the blood of many anti-Japanese heroes! The common people secretly called him "Living Yama"!

There was also Wang Defa, the commander of the puppet 7th Division in the east of the city, who was also a staunch traitor with more than 8,000 men under his command. He was tyrannical and bullied merchants, and abducted men and women, which aroused great public resentment!

Those currently loitering in the city, including those conducting inspections at the city gates, are all his subordinates.

These two are the two most dangerous spies in Beiping right now! As for the rest, just give the order.

Lin Yifan nodded and memorized the two names: "Okay, I'll let you know once I've contacted the Red Party."

Let's start with these two! Mr. Tang, please gather detailed information about them as soon as possible, including their addresses, daily schedules, and guard arrangements—the more detailed the better.

Within three days, I will hang their heads on the city gate tower!

"Good! Good!" Old Master Tang nodded excitedly. "Don't worry, young master, leave this to me! I'll give the order right away, and have my apprentices find out everything about these two traitors at all costs!"

"Also," Lin Yifan added, "you need to expedite the formation of your self-defense force. The selection of personnel must be rigorous; it's better to have none than to have unqualified ones."

"I'll send you some weapons tonight. Find a secluded place to hide them first, and distribute them after the team is assembled."

"Understood! Understood!" The worry on Old Master Tang's face vanished, replaced by a long-lost sense of excitement and hope. "With your words, young master, I feel reassured! With you here, Beiping is saved!"

Lin Yifan stood up: "Grandpa Tang, there's no time to lose, so I won't stay any longer. Also, please tell Shi Tou and the others to be careful and to come to me at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang if they have any difficulties."

Grandpa Tang quickly stood up to see him off, saying, "Young master, please take care!"

Lin Yifan waved his hand, opened the door, and turned to walk out of the courtyard.

Half an hour later, Lin Yifan appeared at the "Xilai Teahouse." Upon entering, he didn't follow the waiter but went straight to the counter and said to Manager Zhou, who was inside doing the accounts, "Hello! Manager, my surname is Lin, and my name is Lin Yifan. I don't know if you've heard of me?"

Shopkeeper Zhou's fingers, which were fiddling with the abacus, suddenly stopped. He looked up and scrutinized Lin Yifan for a moment with sharp eyes, a hint of vigilance flashing deep in his eyes.

He put down his abacus, glanced at the tea drinkers in the lobby, and deliberately raised his voice: "Young man, I need to check the back to see what kind of tea your employer wants. Why don't you come with me to the back storage room?"

After saying that, he lowered his voice and said softly, "It's not convenient to talk here. Come with me to the back to talk."

Lin Yifan understood immediately, nodded, and followed Manager Zhou through the noisy lobby, turning into an inconspicuous side door.

Behind the door was a small courtyard, with some miscellaneous items piled up in the corner, and a faint aroma of tea and mildew permeating the air.

Manager Zhou led him into a warehouse where tea was stored, closed the door, and then turned around, looking at Lin Yifan with a serious expression: "Xiao Fan, what trouble have you encountered this time?" His tone was tinged with a hint of probing and wariness.

Lin Yifan smiled slightly and got straight to the point: "Manager Zhou, there's no need to be nervous. I've come today to ask you a few questions. If it's inconvenient for you to answer later, I can wait a few days, but I still hope you can give me an answer as soon as possible."

"I don't know what you're asking about...?"

"Manager Zhou, first of all, I want to know where my parents are now, and why they left me alone in Beiping? Or to put it another way, where can I find them?"

Upon hearing this, Manager Zhou's body stiffened abruptly, and the expression on his face instantly became complex, showing surprise, hesitation, and a hint of barely perceptible pain.

He remained silent for a moment, his eyes flickering as he avoided Lin Yifan's gaze. He slowly walked to a pile of tea boxes, his back to Lin Yifan, and said in a low voice, "Your parents... they have their own difficulties, and they have things they have to do."

Lin Yifan stared intently at Manager Zhou's retreating figure and pressed him for an answer: "Difficulties? What difficulties? What could be more important than their son?"

Shopkeeper Zhou, I grew up in Beiping. My parents loved me dearly, and they would never abandon me without a reason.

They left so hastily before the New Year, without even leaving a letter or a message. It wasn't until the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month that they sent me a message saying they could come to you if they had any difficulties. Tell me, where did they go?