Courtyard House: Home Alone

After saying that, he turned to Chen Dashan and said, "Dashan, go there right away and find someone named Shitou or Zhao Gang. Explain the situation to them and tell them that it was me who said this. Ask them to find a way to help you disperse and leave this place. All the spoils must also be transported away."

"Yes!" Chen Dashan patted his chest forcefully, "I guarantee to complete the mission!" He knew this carried weight; it represented "Ghost's" trust.

After saying that, he turned around and shouted to his brothers behind him, "Did you all hear that? Get to work! Hurry up!" Then he turned and left the military law office, running towards the address Lin Yifan had given him.

A dozen or so men immediately sprang into action. Some began moving weapons and ammunition, others carefully collected scattered documents, and still others stood guard in the courtyard. Their movements were swift and orderly, clearly indicating that they were all men with military experience.

Watching their busy figures, Lin Yifan felt somewhat relieved. He once again unleashed his spiritual power, carefully surveying the entire military law department to ensure that no corner was missed.

About an hour later, as it grew dark, Shi Tou and Zhao Gang followed Chen Dashan into the courtyard. Seeing Lin Yifan standing in the middle of the yard, they quickly ran to him, bowed respectfully, and greeted him, "Young Master!"

This was genuine respect; Lin Yifan's accomplishments that day had earned their utmost admiration. From intercepting and killing Li Sangou in the street that morning to killing Wang Defa, and incidentally taking down the Japanese military court.

All of these things were things they wanted to do but couldn't. But Lin Yifan, whom the Japanese called "the ghost," single-handedly accomplished them all during the day.

In their hearts, Lin Yifan is now a god-like figure. Although he only told them to bring one person, the two insisted on coming together, both wanting to see their young master's brilliance for themselves.

Grandpa Tang smiled and waved in agreement, because he knew that as long as Xiao Fan was around, the order in Beiping would become easier to manage.

Seeing the two people standing respectfully in front of him, Lin Yifan smiled and said, "Alright, Brother Shitou, Brother Zhao, we're all on the same side, there's no need for this."

Since you're all here, let me tell you something:

You should immediately arrange for people to take over this place, as well as the headquarters of Wang Defa's pseudo-Seventh Division and Li Sangou's house, and make good use of these places.

Furthermore, as you can see, Chen Dashan and his dozen or so men were all originally from the 29th Army, so they had a good foundation and also had a deep-seated hatred for the Japanese.

You can arrange things for them properly. They can be incorporated into our newly formed guard team to be responsible for the safety of Grandpa Tang and some important strongholds. They are all tough guys who have come from the battlefield, so you can trust them.

You must properly safeguard these captured weapons, ammunition, and supplies, especially the documents and materials. Have someone organize them carefully, as they may contain useful intelligence.

With Wang Defa dead, the Seventh Division is leaderless. You should send someone to take over as soon as possible, gather the troops, and screen those who are genuinely committed to resisting Japan.

If there are any traitors or scoundrels stained with the blood of ordinary people, they should be thoroughly eliminated without any leniency.

The valuables confiscated from Li Sangou's house will be used partly to improve the brothers' lives and partly as your activity funds.

Remember, although Beiping is temporarily peaceful now, there are definitely many enemies lurking in the shadows. Be careful in your actions and consult with Grandpa Tang on everything.

Also, you'd better accompany the old man tomorrow to take over the puppet government as well, and screen and clean up all the personnel there.

Those ordinary staff members who haven't committed any serious misconduct can continue to be employed. The goal is to get those offices up and running as quickly as possible.

If you have any information or special circumstances, you can come to my house. Just say you're a relative from the countryside. I'll wait for you there for three days. I'll clean up again for you then, and you can handle the remaining small scraps yourselves.

I'll be leaving in three days. I need to cut off that supply line to the Japanese in Fengtai. Otherwise, if they come again, I'm afraid I won't be able to handle it."

Stone Brother and Zhao Brother nodded repeatedly, their faces beaming with excitement. Stone Brother spoke first, his voice tinged with emotion: "Young Master, don't worry! We two brothers will handle everything perfectly for you! Taking over the stronghold, reorganizing the troops, eliminating traitors, and screening personnel—we won't miss a single step!"

Brother Zhao chimed in, "That's right! Just you wait and see! We'll interrogate those fake Seventh Division members thoroughly, and we won't tolerate anyone with blood on their hands!"

We will also protect Grandpa Tang closely, staying by his side at all times. We will definitely sort things out in Beiping as quickly as possible and will absolutely not cause you any trouble!

Lin Yifan nodded in satisfaction: "Good, I'm relieved to hear that. Remember, the most important thing right now is stability; we can't afford any trouble."

We need to be both fast and steady. All supplies and documents must be kept safe, especially the documents; you never know, we might uncover something big.

"Understood!" the two replied in unison.

Lin Yifan thought for a moment and then added, "Also, when taking over the puppet government, we need to be firm in our attitude, but we also need to be careful with our strategy."

Those who are willing to work for us and genuinely repent can be given a chance. We are currently short-staffed, especially in the field. But anyone who dares to outwardly comply but inwardly defy us, or secretly sabotage us, will be executed without exception!

Stone's eyes sharpened: "Don't worry, young master, we know what's important!"

Brother Zhao added, "We'll try diplomacy first, then take a step back and give them a choice. Those who understand the times are wise; those who don't, don't blame us for being impolite!"

Lin Yifan patted the two on the shoulders: "Okay, that's settled then. You two hurry up and make the arrangements, try to have an operation first thing tomorrow morning. I'll wait for your news at home. Remember, be careful in everything, safety first."

"Okay!" Brother Stone and Brother Zhao replied again, then turned around and left quickly with a decisive air, clearly eager to carry out the various matters that Lin Yifan had assigned.

Watching their retreating figures, Lin Yifan's smile gradually faded, and his eyes grew deep. The situation in Beiping City had only just begun; the real battle was yet to come.

The Fengtai line, in particular, must be cut off as soon as possible. It is a vital passage for the Japanese to advance south, and we must not allow them to open it up easily.

Unfortunately, these places are currently lacking manpower to guard them, so we still need to urge Stone and his team to recruit people as soon as possible, at least a few intelligence personnel in each direction.

Thinking of this, I remembered Manager Zhou. I should have news from him tomorrow. I should hurry home before it gets completely dark.