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

"Dai Yunong once sent agents to the sacred land of northern Shaanxi. Most of these agents later disappeared, and only a few successfully infiltrated. A list recording the identities of these seventy-three agents is now in Dai Yunong's hands."

Zhao Heng's expression was solemn as he slowly revealed the truth—he had informed Zheng Yaoxian of this matter in advance, based on his understanding of the plot from his previous life.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Yaoxian was greatly shocked, his expression changing drastically: "What did you say? There are actually seventy-three Kuomintang agents infiltrating the sacred land of northern Shaanxi?"

"Absolutely true. In addition to these seventy-three people, there is an even more deeply hidden agent, codenamed Shadow."

Zhao Heng deliberately lowered his voice and said slowly, "Comrade Zheng Yaoxian, Minister Ke Gong also mentioned this matter to me, but he doesn't know the true identity of the Shadow either."

Zhao Heng's gaze was sharp, and he said in a heavy tone, "We must find this list as soon as possible, expose the true face of the Shadows, and do everything we can to protect the Holy Land."

"I understand. I will investigate this matter secretly." Zheng Yaoxian nodded, secretly vowing to shoulder this heavy responsibility.

The two stood side by side, the lights of the mountain town twinkling in the night, illuminating their path.

In 1938, the Investigation and Statistics Bureau of the Military Commission of the National Government (referred to as the Military Intelligence Bureau) was officially established. Its predecessor was the core organization of the Fuxing Society, namely the Lixing Society.

The Military Intelligence Bureau (MIB) had a clear hierarchical structure, consisting of five levels from top to bottom: bureau, district, station, group, and team. The "group" was the basic unit for agents to carry out their missions.

Based on the nature of the mission and the differences in combat objectives, the groups are further subdivided into categories such as general groups, infiltration groups, action groups, and defection groups.

Each group usually consists of about ten people, but there is no fixed standard for the number of people in the infiltration team. Sometimes, a three-person action team may also appear.

The Military Intelligence Bureau headquarters consisted of eight departments, six offices, and one institute. Its internal workings were complete and its structure was rigorous, and its influence extended to almost every industry and field in society.

Inside the Dai Mansion in Shenxian Cave, the atmosphere was extremely heavy. Dai Yunong's face was gloomy, and his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's as he looked at Zheng Yaoxian and Zhao Heng in front of him.

He looked at Zheng Yaoxian and asked, "Sixth Brother, are you saying that this young man risked his life to save you?"

Zheng Yaoxian nodded in response: "Reporting to the Director, that is indeed the case. This time, my fourth brother and I were ordered to go to Beiping to assassinate Terauchi Hisaichi, the Commander-in-Chief of the North China Area Army. Unexpectedly, the mission failed, and we were betrayed by the Beiping station chief."

My fourth brother sacrificed himself to cover my retreat. While evading the enemy's pursuit, I unintentionally escaped to the home of the Zhao brothers and hid in their cellar.

For seven days and seven nights, the Zhao brothers brought me food every day and risked their lives to gather intelligence on the enemy, ultimately helping me escape danger. I will never forget this kindness.

Zheng Yaoxian slowly recounted this carefully fabricated experience, every word clearly reaching Dai Yunong's ears.

Dai Yunong's eyes flickered slightly, and after a moment of contemplation, he said, "Brother Zhao Heng's chivalrous act is truly rare. Now that you two have formed a bond of life and death, you should help and support each other even more in the future."

After saying that, he scrutinized Zhao Heng with a complex look, as if secretly trying to figure out his background and details.

Then, Dai Yunong tentatively asked Zhao Heng, "Brother Zhao Heng, are you willing to do your part to defend the country?"

Zhao Heng's eyes were firm, and he answered without hesitation, revealing the sincere heart of a passionate young man: "I am willing to serve the country, to devote myself to the cause until my dying breath."

Dai Yunong turned to Zheng Yaoxian and slowly asked, "Sixth Brother, you just said that someone at Beiping Station betrayed you?"

Zheng Yaoxian nodded, his gaze sharp as he replied, "Yes, Director, the Beiping station is no longer reliable."

After careful consideration, Dai Yunong said in a deep voice, "How about this, Brother Zhao Heng, you will serve as Lao Liu's adjutant, with the rank of major."

Upon hearing the appointment, Zhao Heng was greatly shocked, but remained calm on the surface. He solemnly saluted and said, "Thank you for your trust, Director. I will live up to your expectations and complete all tasks successfully."

The Dai mansion was brightly lit. Watching Zheng Yaoxian and Zhao Heng's departing figures, Dai Yunong's expression was unpredictable.

In fact, the shrewd and calculating Zhao Heng did not truly trust him. Instead, he suspected that Zhao Heng was an informant planted by the Communist Party with the aim of infiltrating the Military Intelligence Bureau.

It should be noted that Zheng Yaoxian was a top agent of the Military Intelligence Bureau, with the blood of the Communist Party on his hands. He was ruthless and vicious, and his nickname "Devil Six" was already well-known in the industry.

Dai Yunong dialed the phone: "Hello, Mao Renfeng. Help me investigate someone named Zhao Heng, from Beiping."

Mao Renfeng on the other end of the phone looked troubled: "Director, I will do my best to investigate. But as you know, Beiping is now an occupied area, and the Japanese army has been carrying out large-scale mopping-up operations and massacres there for a long time, making the investigation extremely difficult."

Dai Yunong, expressionless, ordered, "Then send capable agents to Beiping to conduct an on-site investigation." After a brief pause, he added, "By the way, arrange for personnel to carry out an assassination mission; the target is Tan Qiong, the station chief of Beiping Station."

In the dead of night, all was quiet.

Inside a small villa in Yuzhong District, Chongqing, the lights were still on. Several important officials of the Military Intelligence Bureau were gathered there: Guan Yongshan, director of the Second Division of the Military Intelligence Bureau; Fei Zhengpeng, director of the Second Division; Qi Gongzi, captain of the First Division Action Team; Zhou Haichao, captain of the Second Division Action Team; Xu Zhongyi, head of the General Affairs Section; and Chen Ming, station chief of Shenyang Station, and his wife Yu Xiuning.

Meanwhile, at Zheng Yaoxian's home in the mountain city, Zhao Heng was deep in thought, holding a stack of files.

He discovered that in this world, Zheng Yaoxian had not gone to the sacred site in northern Shaanxi as a journalist, and his girlfriend Cheng Zhen'er was still alive.

This world, which blends storylines from multiple films and television series, has a somewhat chaotic timeline.

Seeing Zhao Heng's unusual expression, Zheng Yaoxian asked in a low, suspicious voice, "Is there something wrong with these documents, Comrade Zhao Heng? Could it be... that one of our own comrades is among them?"

Having infiltrated the Kuomintang's intelligence agency for years, he endured immense mental pressure. Being targeted for assassination by his own people and guerrillas was nothing new to him.

After careful consideration, Zhao Heng slowly spoke: "Comrade Zheng Yaoxian, I am not on the same contact line as the underground party organization in Shancheng."

As you know, our organization operates on a single-line contact system, with very few instances of dual-line contact. This system is designed to prevent traitors from implicating all those involved after someone is arrested.

However, I once saw a top-secret intelligence document in the sacred land of northern Shaanxi. Minister Ke Gong told me that the person who passed on this intelligence was a Kuomintang lieutenant general who held an important position in the Ministry of National Defense.

Zhao Heng said this half-jokingly, deliberately omitting Guo Rugui's name.

Zheng Yaoxian's eyes narrowed, his heart deeply shaken, his face filled with disbelief: "A lieutenant general in the Ministry of National Defense? He is actually... one of our comrades?" He could hardly imagine that a lieutenant general in the Ministry of National Defense could be a Red Party agent. The depth of his infiltration was truly astonishing.

Zhao Heng nodded, his expression serious, and said, "Absolutely true. Minister Kegong was the founder of the Special Branch, and for years he has been dedicated to infiltrating forces into the Kuomintang. In addition, Chiang Kai-shek also has a stenographer by his side, who is in charge of the stenography of major military conferences. She... is also one of our comrades."

Zheng Yaoxian was so shocked that he couldn't speak, and it took him a long time to recover.