Courtyard House: Reborn in the 1940s, Starting with Killing Japanese Devils

Wu Zuolin was tall and strong, with a resolute face and a conspicuous scar on his face. He exuded a terrifying aura.

His gaze was as sharp as a hawk's as he saluted Zhao Heng, his voice deep and firm: "Director Zhao, I've long admired your name!"

"Captain Wu, judging from your appearance, you must have been on the front lines," Zhao Heng said slowly, his tone resolute.

Dai Li nodded in confirmation: "Wu Zuolin participated in the Battle of Shanghai and was originally a soldier in the 88th Division."

Zhao Heng's expression instantly turned solemn. He gave Wu Zuolin a respectful military salute and said in a deep voice, "The soldiers who survived the bloodbath of the Battle of Shanghai are true heroes."

Upon seeing this, Wu Zuolin's eyes flickered slightly. From this gesture, he truly felt the other party's respect and recognition for soldiers.

He immediately returned the greeting, his eyes filled with gratitude: "Director Zhao, you are also a hero in our hearts."

Dai Li then raised his hand and gestured: "Heads of each department, please introduce yourselves in turn."

"Head of the Intelligence Section, Luan Wenjie."

"Chief of the Interrogation Section, Han Tianqi."

"Xie Junpeng, head of the Archives Section."

"Hua Zifeng, head of the field operations section."

……

Following Dai Li's instructions, the heads of each department stepped forward one by one, concisely and clearly announcing their names and positions.

Luan Wenjie, the head of the intelligence section, is thin and has sharp, intelligent eyes that seem to see through all pretense and falsehood at a glance.

Han Tianqi, the head of the interrogation section, had a cold expression and a steady voice. Every move he made revealed the meticulousness and rigor of an intelligence worker.

Xie Junpeng, the head of the archives department, wore glasses and was gentle and refined, exuding an air of scholarly elegance.

Hua Zifeng, the head of the field operations section, is tall and strong, with a brisk pace and an air of unwavering courage.

Zhao Heng memorized the names and physical characteristics of these people, secretly pondering how to work with them in the future and how to win their hearts.

To gain a foothold in a place like the Military Intelligence Bureau, one must have trustworthy confidants by one's side.

Just like Zheng Yaoxian, who was able to persist as an undercover agent until after the founding of the country, wasn't he relying on a group of brothers who were loyal to him through thick and thin?

Just then, Luo Lizhong took the lead in clapping and said loudly, "Next, let's give a warm round of applause to welcome Director Zhao to say a few words to us brothers!"

In an instant, thunderous applause erupted in the room, deafeningly loud.

Zhao Heng remained calm, raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet: "First of all, I sincerely thank Boss Dai for his support and appreciation, which has given me the opportunity to serve the Military Intelligence Bureau."

Upon hearing this, Dai Li nodded slightly, his face showing approval.

"From now on, we are all comrades-in-arms, sharing meals from the same pot. Gathered here, we are one family."

"I am new here, so please feel free to speak frankly if I have acted inappropriately or considered things too carefully."

"If any of you encounter difficulties, whether it be personal family matters or troubles in life, please feel free to tell me."

"Even if you're short on cash and need to borrow money from me, just let me know!"

Zhao Heng's laughter echoed in the conference room, instantly easing the previously solemn atmosphere.

Dai Li glanced at the atmosphere and said calmly, "Zhao Heng, you go ahead and handle your business. I have official duties to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."

"Boss Dai, let me see you off."

Zhao Heng immediately came to his senses, quickly walked to the conference room door, personally opened the door, and respectfully gestured for him to enter.

Dai Li nodded slightly, walked steadily out of the conference room, and his figure quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Zhao Heng watched Dai Li leave, then turned and walked back to the conference room, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

With a firm tone: "Brothers, we bear the heavy responsibility of the Military Intelligence Bureau. From now on, we must be of one mind and one heart and overcome difficulties together."

Everyone nodded, and their gazes toward Zhao Heng held a newfound respect.

Zhao Heng's expression darkened, and he continued, "Our First Division is a core intelligence department, and intelligence work is of paramount importance."

"Chief Luan of the Intelligence Section, come to my office."

Luan Wenjie nodded slightly and immediately followed Zhao Heng into the director's office.

The two took their seats, Zhao Heng looked directly at Luan Wenjie, and spoke in a serious tone:

"Section Chief Luan, intelligence is the foundation of all operations. Is your intelligence section's current budget sufficient to sustain operations?"

After a moment's thought, Luan Wenjie sat up straight and replied respectfully, "Director Zhao, the current funding is barely enough to maintain the basic operation of the department."

The intelligence section is divided into five working groups, each with ten members, each responsible for intelligence gathering in a different area.

"What is the exact annual budget for the intelligence section? I need the precise figure."

Zhao Heng stared intently at Luan Wenjie with sharp eyes, his tone resolute and leaving no room for argument.

Luan Wenjie hesitated for a moment, then replied, "The total budget for last year was 2 yuan."

Zhao Heng seemed thoughtful, then asked, "How much funding does the bureau allocate to the division each year?"

Luan Wenjie pondered for a moment and replied truthfully: "The bureau allocates 150,000 yuan to one division every year, but the funds have to go through layers of review and approval before they are actually received, and often less than 80% of them actually arrive in the account."

Zhao Heng frowned instantly and said in a deep voice, "With insufficient funding, intelligence work will definitely be hampered at every turn."

"Section Chief Luan, I'll personally contribute 500 silver dollars to replenish your intelligence section."

Upon hearing this, Luan Wenjie's eyes flashed with genuine gratitude, and he quickly stood up to decline, saying, "Chief, this is absolutely unacceptable! It mustn't be!"

It should be noted that at that time, the legal tender was depreciating rapidly. In Chongqing, a pound of pork had risen to 1000 yuan, and a mere 10 yuan couldn't even buy a bowl of plain noodles.

In times of chaos, only silver dollars, gold bars, and US dollars are the most valuable and secure hard currencies.

At the exchange rate at the time, 16 silver dollars were needed to exchange for 1 US dollar, and 1 silver dollar was approximately equal to 10000 legal tender.

During the War of Resistance against Japan, the monthly salary of an ordinary soldier in the Kuomintang was only 10 yuan in legal tender.

Even generals only received a monthly salary of 800 yuan.

Even the military intelligence agents who died in the line of duty received a pension of only 20 silver dollars, specially approved by Dai Li.

A gentle smile appeared on Zhao Heng's face as he raised his hand and waved it: "In chaotic times, those who achieve great things must be willing to invest heavily, and intelligence work is of paramount importance, allowing no room for negligence."

This money must be spent wisely to ensure the intelligence team can work efficiently.

As he spoke, he opened his desk drawer, pretended to rummage through it for two minutes, but actually took out 500 silver dollars from his system space and neatly stacked them on the table.

The silver dollar gleamed with a cool, metallic luster under the lamplight.

Luan Wenjie's expression was solemn as he solemnly accepted the silver coins with both hands. He said in a deep voice, "Rest assured, Chief. All the brothers in the Intelligence Section will follow your lead."

"No matter what happens in the future, I will report to you immediately."

He firmly believed this, after all, at the awarding ceremony, the Chairman personally announced that Zhao Heng would be awarded three thousand US dollars and ten gold bars.

It is likely that these silver dollars were obtained by the section chief from a portion of this award.

At the celebration banquet, everyone chatted about Zhao Heng's marriage.

After the banquet, Zhao Heng summoned Wu Zuolin, the captain of the Military Intelligence Bureau's action team, to his office.

"Director Zhao, you wanted to see me?" Wu Zuolin took off his military cap, sat down with only half of his buttocks touching the edge of the chair, and looked extremely reserved.

Zhao Heng looked him up and down carefully before saying, "Captain Wu, I've only been here a short time and I'm not very familiar with the situation of the action team yet."

Tell me about the actual situation in the team. If there are any difficulties, please speak frankly.

Wu Zuolin took a deep breath and slowly said, "Director Zhao, the action team is currently facing a severe shortage of manpower, but the workload is enormous, and the brothers are under great pressure."

Especially for members transferred from other Kuomintang military intelligence stations, adapting to the work pace here is extremely difficult.

Zhao Heng asked directly, "How many people are there in the action team now?"

"The organization is supposed to have thirty people, but in reality, less than twenty are actually able to go out and carry out missions."

Wu Zuolin hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Director Zhao, the team is losing too many people. Most of them were injured or killed while on missions, and it is extremely difficult to replenish manpower."

Moreover, the team members' training period is not short, and it is difficult for new members to quickly get up to speed and start working.

Zhao Heng remained calm and said indifferently, "I understand."

As soon as he finished speaking, he pulled open the desk drawer with his left hand, pretending to rummage through something, but actually took out 20,000 legal tender from the system space.

"Come on, Captain Wu, take me to meet all the brothers in the action team."

Zhao Heng slowly stood up, holding up a bundle of legal tender in his hand. "As the newly appointed director, I want to personally distribute some bonuses to the brothers on the front lines."

A flicker of surprise crossed Wu Zuolin's eyes, then he nodded solemnly: "Yes, Director Zhao!"

The two walked out of the office together, crossed the corridor, and arrived at a training ground for the action team.

When the team members saw Zhao Heng arrive, they all stopped training and focused their attention on the legal tender in his hand, their faces showing anticipation.

Ultimately, they joined the action team simply to earn more money to support their families.

"Brothers, let me introduce you. This is Zhao Heng, a hero of the Party and the nation who was personally awarded a medal by the Chairman!" Wu Zuolin raised his voice and solemnly pointed to Zhao Heng.

Zhao Heng nodded with a smile, his gaze sweeping over everyone present: "Brothers, you've all worked hard."

On this day, on behalf of the Party and the State, I personally funded a reward for everyone's hard work. Everyone received a share, and each brother received one thousand yuan.

The team members were filled with gratitude and stood at attention to salute.

Zhao Heng distributed bonuses to everyone one by one, with a very friendly attitude. He even inquired about the family situations of several team members and whether they were married.

Ultimately, Zhao Heng wanted to use money to win over the hearts of these low-level members of the Military Intelligence Bureau.

The team members felt unprecedented care and developed a good impression of the newly appointed Director Zhao.

Zhao Heng's actions not only alleviated everyone's financial difficulties but also brought them closer together.

The most stable relationship in this world is one based on mutual benefit. In this chaotic world, having money, people, and guns is the greatest reliance, and Zhao Heng knows this better than anyone else.

He showed all his team members through his actions that working with him meant not only having enough to eat, but also living with dignity.

The team members received their prize money, their faces beaming with smiles they hadn't seen in a long time, and they shouted in unison, "Thank you, Chief!"