Courtyard House: Home Alone

The atmosphere in the study immediately became quiet. Lin Yifan looked at Yang Weimin and saw that he looked serious, with a hint of weariness from his journey. He then asked directly, "Uncle Yang, what happened? Why did you call me so urgently?"

Yang Weimin took off one shoe, tore open the sole, took out a slip of paper, and handed it to Lin Yifan with both hands: "Xiao Fan, this is a letter from 'The Fisherman' to you. It's...it's intelligence about the soon-to-be-appointed new commander of the North China Expeditionary Army."

Lin Yifan took the note, unfolded it, and saw a few lines of small characters written in pencil: "Prince Asaka Yasuhiko, the new commander of the North China Expeditionary Army, is a member of the Imperial Family, a radical, and participated in the Battle of Shanghai and the Nanjing Incident. He is ruthless."

They are expected to arrive in Tianjin within three days. The headquarters is located at the former site of the British Concession Navy Club on Gordon Road, which is heavily guarded. The entourage includes a full-strength division, a battalion of military police, and personnel from the Special Higher Police.

The division is numbered 118, and it is also equipped with four royal ninja. Please make preparations as soon as possible. After reading this, Lin Yifan tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, his brows slightly furrowed.

Prince Asaka Yasuhiko was a name he was familiar with. In history books about the Nanjing Massacre, he was an indispensable figure who issued the orders and one of the main war criminals.

However, in order to maintain so-called stability, the U.S. military pardoned all war criminals with royal backgrounds, allowing them to die peacefully and live to be 81 years old, which is 41 years away from now.

Now this guy has actually become the commander of the North China Expeditionary Army and even set up his headquarters in Tianjin. He obviously wants to rely on the navy's firepower to back him up, thinking that he can rest easy.

"Tianjin Gordon Road Naval Club..."

Lin Yifan repeated the address in a low voice, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "It seems that His Highness's 'welcoming ceremony' will need to be properly prepared in Tianjin."

He held the note close to the candlelight, watching it turn to ashes, then looked up at Yang Weimin and said, "Uncle Yang, thank you for your hard work. This intelligence is very important. You should go back now. Things might be a bit turbulent around Tianjin Gate these days. Tell 'Fisherman' and his men not to make any rash moves for now, and wait for my news."

Yang Weimin nodded: "Okay, I understand. I'll take my leave now. Xiao Fan, please be careful."

Lin Yifan hummed in agreement and watched Yang Weimin leave. Silence returned to the study, broken only by the crackling of the flickering candlelight.

He walked to the window, gazing at the cold sunlight outside, his fingers unconsciously tracing the windowsill. Prince Asaka Yasuhiko, the naval club, heavily guarded… These thoughts raced through his mind, rapidly combining and analyzing.

In his previous life, he had some impression of the former site of the Naval Club. It was a typical European-style building located on the banks of the Haihe River, with a wide view and easy to defend.

The Japanese set up their headquarters here, clearly attracted by its geographical location and existing sturdy structure. Coupled with the long-range support of naval guns, it was indeed a tough nut to crack.

"However, even the strongest fortress cannot stop him with his system." Lin Yifan's lips curled into a confident smile.

He turned back to his desk, took out a map of Tianjin's urban area from the drawer, spread it out, and placed his finger on Gordon Road, beginning to carefully study the surrounding streets, buildings, and possible evacuation routes.

A plan to assassinate the newly appointed commander of the Japanese North China Expeditionary Army was quietly brewing in his mind.

This time, we will not only kill that damned prince to avenge the 300,000 innocent souls, but also teach the Japanese devils a profound lesson.

Let them know that as long as they set foot on Chinese soil and their hands are stained with the blood of Chinese people, no matter who they are, how noble their status is, or how heavily guarded they are, they will pay the most painful price!

He picked up a pencil and drew a heavy circle around the location of the naval club on the map, his eyes resolute and cold, as if he could already see the scene of the blood-stained prince falling in despair.

Next, he needed more detailed intelligence: the club's internal layout, the guards' shift changes, the distribution of firing positions... He couldn't overlook any detail.

Of course, there were also detailed information about the concessions, the garrison, and the docks. He decided to personally go to Tianjin to conduct an on-site inspection and make thorough preparations for this "welcoming ceremony."

Suddenly, he noticed that Grandpa Zhang was leading a middle-aged man in his thirties into the backyard, and the two went directly to Mrs. Long's door.

Lin Yifan looked at the somewhat familiar face and suddenly remembered that this was the person in the photo in Grandma Long's box.

Grandpa Zhang knocked on the door: "Mrs. Long, someone is looking for you."

There was a moment of silence inside the door, followed by soft footsteps. The door creaked open a crack. A slightly haggard but still undeniably beautiful face appeared behind the door—it was Mrs. Long.

Her gaze first fell on Grandpa Zhang, then she turned warily to the middle-aged man behind him. When she saw the man's face clearly, her narrowed eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light, and she quickly covered her mouth with one hand.

Then he thanked Grandpa Zhang repeatedly. Grandpa Zhang, seeing that they knew each other, said goodbye and walked towards the front yard.

Seeing Grandpa Zhang leave, the deaf old woman grabbed the middle-aged man's arm and pulled him into the house.

His voice was slightly hoarse as he asked, "Child, why have you come to Beiping at this time?"

The middle-aged man was pulled into the house by Mrs. Long. He stumbled for a moment, but after regaining his balance, he gently closed the door behind him. He turned around and looked at the woman in front of him, whose face was haggard but whose former charm was still faintly visible. His eyes instantly reddened.

His lips moved a few times, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement and a slight sob: "Mom... I missed you! I came back to see you!"

"Jiaxing... my son!" Mrs. Long could no longer hold back her tears, and she hugged the middle-aged man tightly, bursting into tears.

She had longed for and waited for this "Mom" for so many years. Countless nights she thought she would never see her son again.

Huang Jiaxing hugged his mother tightly, feeling her trembling body and warm tears, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He gently patted his mother's back and choked out, "Mom, I'm sorry, your son is unfilial, it's been so many years since I came back to see you. I've made you suffer."

Mrs. Long cried for a long time before she gradually calmed down. She let go of her son and looked at him carefully, as if she wanted to fill in the void of the past few years.

Huang Jiaxing was dressed in a well-fitting suit, his face showing signs of hardship, and fine wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes, but his eyes still exuded the same determination and composure as when he was young.

"You've lost weight and gotten darker," Mrs. Long said, stroking her son's cheek with concern. "Is the road still safe? Why didn't you send a message beforehand so I could be prepared?"

Huang Jiaxing gave a wry smile and sat down at the table. Mrs. Long quickly poured him a cup of hot water.

"Mom, these days, with war and chaos, communication is difficult and unsafe. My return this time was a last-minute decision; I have important business to attend to."