Courtyard House: Home Alone

He paused, then turned his gaze to the middle-aged man beside him and introduced him, "Young master, this is Zhao Gang, also one of my apprentices. He's been active around Beiping for years and is familiar with the situation in the city. He might be able to lend you a hand with what you're about to do."

Zhao Gang stood up, extended his hand to Lin Yifan, and said in a loud voice, "Young master, I've heard so much about you! My master often talks about you, saying you're a brave and resourceful young talent. You handled the matter with Okamura Yasuji and the 20th Division brilliantly!"

Lin Yifan stood up and shook hands with him, noticing that the other man's hands were rough and strong, clearly the result of years of handling weapons. He smiled slightly and said, "Brother Zhao, you're too kind. We're all just fighting the Japanese, nothing special. I'll have to rely on you a lot in the future."

"Sure, sure!" Zhao Gang laughed heartily.

Lin Yi turned to Tang Baolin and continued, "Old man, the weapons and ammunition I promised you are in the yard where we stored the supplies last time. There are two hundred rifles, twenty light machine guns, fifty submachine guns, and two hundred pistols. Please have Brother Shi go and get them; he knows where the yard is!"

Upon hearing this, Old Master Tang's eyes flashed with satisfaction, and he nodded: "Alright, I understand. Shi Tou is a reliable lad; I'll send someone to tell him right away. With these tools, we can stand even taller."

He then changed the subject, his expression becoming serious, "Xiao Fan, regarding your plan to deal with Wang Defa and Li Sangou, I've already sent Zhao Gang to investigate their background."

These two traitors, one is the deputy director of the puppet police station, who has some real power and usually acts arrogantly and has caused a lot of harm to the people;

The other was the commander of the puppet 7th Division. Relying on his father-in-law's high position in the puppet government and the influence of the Japanese, he abused his power to plunder the people, and his hands were stained with the blood of many of our compatriots.

Zhao Gang chimed in, "Young master, I've been observing these two for a while now. To be honest, I've also wanted to take a few brothers and take them down. But..."

Li Sangou is a greedy and lecherous fellow who spends most of his nights at the "Yihongyuan" brothel in the south of the city, not venturing out until late at night. He lives in a hutong in the west of the city, and is usually accompanied by two bodyguards and a squad of police officers, but they aren't particularly vigilant.

Wang Defa was relatively cautious. He usually stayed at his division headquarters and rarely went out unless there were special circumstances. His division headquarters was located in Tieshizi Hutong, not far from the Japanese military court.

The courtyard was a four-section siheyuan (traditional courtyard house), with high walls and two puppet soldiers standing guard at the entrance. There were about three hundred guards inside, so it wouldn't be easy to force your way in.

Lin Yifan tapped his fingers lightly on the table and pondered, "Okay! I understand. As long as I have the addresses of these two guys, that's fine. I've thought about it. Killing these traitors is to deter those petty villains."

Therefore, I've decided to kill them all in a high-profile manner. I'll kill Li Sangou in the puppet police station, and as for Wang Defa, I'll deal with him at his division headquarters. But, Brother Zhao, could you do me a favor?

"Speak up, young master! As long as these two traitors can be eliminated, I, Zhao Gang, won't even flinch, even if it means going through fire and water!" Zhao Gang patted his chest, his tone resolute.

A hint of approval flashed in Lin Yifan's eyes as he continued, "Brother Zhao, it's not that serious. It's just that while I'm taking action, you'll need to lead some men to guard Li Sangou's house. After I've dealt with him, we'll ransack his house."

Also, could you take another look at Wang Defa's division headquarters? Besides the main gate, are there any secluded side gates or back walls that are easy to climb?

I need to know all this by tomorrow morning. Just be prepared with your men. I might take action during the day tomorrow.

"Oh, and tell me more about the Japanese military law office. There are practically no Japanese soldiers out in the open now, but I almost forgot about that awful place, the military law office."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gang's expression immediately turned serious. He knew that Lin Yifan's inquiry about the Japanese military law department was not unfounded.

"The Japanese military law office..." Zhao Gang pondered for a moment, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table. "That place is not easy to deal with. It is heavily guarded, even more so than Wang Defa's division headquarters."

It was located in Tieshizi Hutong, a detached courtyard with high, thick walls topped with barbed wire. Two squads of Japanese soldiers stood guard at the entrance year-round, fully armed, with wolf-like eyes. They patrolled frequently, with a sentry every five steps and a sentry every ten.

He paused, seemingly trying to recall more detailed information: "I heard from one of my brothers who used to run a small business in that area that the layout of the military law office is quite complicated."

It seemed to be a group of single-story houses surrounding a courtyard. We didn't know exactly how many people were imprisoned or how many Japanese soldiers were guarding it, because it was difficult to sneak in and find out.

Moreover, it's said that there are several fierce wolfhounds kept there, whose barking can be heard far and wide at night. Brother Fan, you're asking this because you're thinking of…”

As Zhao Gang finished speaking, he suddenly raised his head, a hint of surprise and uncertainty flashing in his eyes.

"Brother Zhao! Actually, this is all I need. You can talk to your brothers and first compile a list of the places where you already know of Japanese soldiers and traitors."

In particular, I've wanted to eliminate the Japanese Special Higher Police in Beiping for a long time, but unfortunately I never knew the address.

If we can eliminate this malignant tumor, the number of Japanese spies and lackeys operating in Beiping will be reduced by more than half, and our lives will be much easier.

Think about it, how many patriots have fallen at their hands over the years, how many secrets and intelligence have been stolen by them. If we don't uproot them completely, our operations in Beiping will always be like running naked under their noses, which is too frustrating!

So, Brother Zhao, you must make sure the brothers pay close attention and don't let any clue slip by.

Once we have concrete information, we'll find an opportunity to wipe them out in one fell swoop, letting those Japanese devils know that we Chinese are not to be trifled with!

Zhao Gang was thrilled and slapped his thigh: "Great! Young master, you've hit the nail on the head! Those bastards from the Special Higher Police are indeed our biggest threat!"

"Don't worry, I'll give the order right away. Let the brothers cast a wide net and search every inch of the place to find their hideout!" His eyes burned with rage, clearly showing that he had long harbored resentment towards the Special Higher Police.

Looking at the two young men before him, one calm and resourceful, the other brave and decisive, Old Master Tang smiled with satisfaction. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly said, "Xiao Fan, Zhao Gang, I am very pleased that you have such a kind heart."

However, the Special Higher Police and the Japanese military law department are not ordinary places; we must act with utmost caution and avoid alerting them. Our goal is a decisive strike, not to alert them and make them more vigilant.