1932: Playing with the Japanese Communist Party with a doll

He had to admit that under the rule of Fujiwara no Kanezane, this "new country" that had been established for less than a year was much stronger than the national government in every aspect.

What should we, the government spies, do in the future? "Junfu!"

"Ah! Brother Kenong, you're here?" "Yes."

The visitor was Li Kenong, one of the "Three Heroes of Longtan" (crossed out) and one of the "Four Heroes of Manchuria". Like Yang Dengying, he also worked in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

However, although both were initially recruited by Wang Yaqiao, unlike Yang Dengying, who was responsible for "doing the dirty work," Li Kenong was mainly in the radio department and had only recently infiltrated the "Disciplinary Inspection Committee" to be responsible for political security work.

Incidentally, Hu Di also left Wang Yaqiao's department. Because of his good looks, he was transferred to the marketing department of Queen's Company, where he became intimately involved with a guy named Shen Zui.

As for Qian Zhuangfei, Zhao Ziqi transferred him to the National Highway Bureau because of his calm personality, worldly wisdom, and literary talent. Judging from his performance, he will be of great use in the future and may even become the future "Secretary to the Prime Minister"!

Back to the point.

Inside the safe house, Li Kenong and Yang Dengying (Bao Junfu) exchanged a few pleasantries, and the latter asked:

"What are you, the disciplinary committee, doing in Beijing? Do you need political protection here too?"

"It's because what you did to Hu Shi was so disgusting!" Li Kenong glared at Yang Dengying.

"If you want to kill someone, just kill them. Why do you have to do it in such a disgusting way?" "Uh..."

Yang Dengying laughed awkwardly:

"The higher-ups only said Hu Shi should die a miserable death, but they didn't say how he would die. Besides, it's not my fault. It wasn't my decision, nor was it my doing..."

"Yes! Thankfully, Commissioner Wang took the initiative to shoulder the responsibility. Otherwise, I would have taken you all back for questioning during this visit!"

"We're the department that does the dirty work, so sometimes we have to cross the line a little bit..."

Seeing that Li Kenong was still going to teach him a lesson, Yang Dengying quickly changed the subject and said:

"Alright, alright. I'll write a report to you later. I promise there were no violations... Anyway, what are you doing here? It can't be because of this little thing of ours, right?"

"The radio is now ready for squad-level use. I've been ordered to deliver one to your squad and place it there... You can send someone to pick it up when the time comes."

Equipping a squad-level intelligence team with a radio, perhaps only His Highness would be so extravagant, right?

I really hope that the Chinese Communist Party can reach this level one day. "Also, I have an order for you."

"Order?"

"Well, there are orders from above to investigate the current situation of the handover between the Northeastern Army and the Nationalist Army in North China and along the Great Wall, and to prepare a detailed report. This task must be completed before the beginning of next year."

"Um?"

Yang Dengying's eyes flashed:

"What do you mean? Are you preparing to launch a new round of attack?"

"I don't know, but I suspect it won't happen that quickly. Rehe hasn't even stabilized yet, and there are still anti-Japanese forces like Su Bingwen, Ma Zhanshan, and Wang Delin in Northeast China. It's unsafe to continue advancing southward."

"That's hard to say. First, I think you overestimate Su Bingwen, Ma Zhanshan, and the others. Secondly, when I came here, I heard that Rehe is already distributing land, suppressing landlords, and suppressing bandits. I think things will stabilize soon."

Yang Dengying shook his head and gave a rough idea of ​​the situation in Peking:

"...the common people had heard about what was happening in the Northeast, especially after hearing that Tang Yulin and his men would be dragged to those villages and hanged. They all thought Fujiwara no Kanezane was a good emperor and hoped he would come to Peking. I'm afraid the same was true within the Northeast Army."

"Has the situation become so serious?"

Li Kenong was shocked.

Although he also felt that the "Returning Home Corps" deserved to die, and knew that what Manchukuo did was very popular among the people of Northeast China, he did not expect that even Beijing would be affected so greatly.

"Yes, I guess the higher-ups have heard something vaguely, so let's confirm whether the news is true. Once confirmed, maybe..."

Li and Yang looked at each other and felt a chill in their hearts.

As Chinese people, they naturally do not want the Japanese to gain such a great advantage and continue to invade southward, but the problem is that this possibility is now becoming more and more likely.

Most importantly, the previous success fully proves that Fujiwara no Kanezane's strategy of "treating the people well and gradually nibbling away at them" is the right choice for the Japanese, so Japan will definitely continue to do so unwaveringly!

By then, China...

Yang Dengying took a deep breath and asked:

"Well, how about I try to send some false information back?"

"No, such a big thing cannot be concealed. There are definitely more than just your team responsible for the investigation. If you spread false information, it will easily expose yourself. Don't forget, you may be the only spy left in the government."

"Well..."

Speaking of this, Yang Dengying couldn't hold it in anymore.

Yes, most of the Kuomintang agents who came with him were exposed.

The reasons for being exposed are all inexplicable. Some are caught suddenly;

Some accidentally revealed their identities after getting drunk;

Some were intercepted on the spot while passing intelligence to the Nationalist government;

The most speechless thing is that someone was reaching for a pen in a meeting and pulled out a blue sky, white sun emblem...

God knows what he's doing with this thing!

What Li and Yang didn't realize was that the exposure of these Kuomintang spies was not only due to their own incompetence, but also had a lot to do with the infighting among the Communist Party spies.

Today I report you, tomorrow you report me. Under the protection of Fujiwara no Kanezane, Zhao Ziqi, Chen Fei, Wang Yong and others, the Communist spies were generally fine, but the Kuomintang spies who were implicated were in big trouble.

You can't expect these Kuomintang spies to be as honest, capable, and law-abiding as the Communist Party spies, right?

Apart from the useless people in the original Northeast system, they are the ones who have been reported the most for corruption, oppression of the people, and improper work styles.

Even Yang Dengying was reported several times for being too "playboyish", which scared him so much that he quickly put away his behavior and returned to his "communist state".

"In short, be careful and suspend sending intelligence to Nanjing. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Manchukuo is truly formidable. Everyone is diligent and law-abiding. If you're not careful, you could be easily exposed. Don't get yourself into trouble."

This wasn't an exaggeration on the part of Li Kenong; he even felt that these "comrades" in the Ministry of Internal Affairs were comparable in their work attitude, ability to handle affairs, and level of integrity to those of the Communist Party after the "Ruijin Rectification Movement."

No, in terms of ability to get things done, because many of Manchukuo's systems were more mature and many of its methods were more advanced, even surpassing the CCP!

Alas, I really don’t know where that “King of the Northeast” managed to pick out so many Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, and even Russians who are both virtuous and capable.

Regardless, I will study hard and learn everything I can. When I have the opportunity to return in the future, I will use these methods to make the Party and the government even stronger!

"Um..."

The two exchanged information again and then went their separate ways.

But Li Kenong did not tell Yang Dengying that he was not just here to deliver a radio or convey an order. His most important mission was:

He went to Shanghai to rescue people.

"...Mr. Zhou, if all else fails, you can hide in our American Embassy! I'll secretly arrange a place for you under Helen's name..."

Snow suggested to Lu Xun who was standing by the window looking out:

"Also, please don't get too close to the window. I'm worried those people might take advantage of you."

"Don't worry, at least in this place, they don't dare to act openly."

Lu Xun glanced at the suspicious people in the corner downstairs, snorted coldly, and then rejected Snow's kindness:

"Also, thank you, but I won't go to the US Embassy. It would cause you unnecessary trouble. Besides, Ms. Helen and Mr. Paul have already returned to the US, so it wouldn't be convenient for you."

"But.."

"It doesn't matter. As long as I don't leave home and Shanghai, it's fine."

Seeing that Lu Xun was so persistent, Snow had no choice but to give him a few words of advice and then say goodbye, intending to think of other ways to eliminate the danger to the other party.

What's the danger?

He was targeted by the Kuomintang spies.

Lu Xun and his colleagues first spoke out for the victims of the Northeast Massacre, but were denounced by the Nationalist government and Hu Shih as "traitors," "disregarding the general situation," and "lacking a sense of national identity."

Then, they tried to publish "Northeast Travels", but were blocked by the government. A large number of secret agents threatened all newspapers, forbidding anyone from helping to publish or promote the book, otherwise it would be banned.

Not only that, after Helen and Paul left Shanghai for urgent matters, the Kuomintang even sent spies to monitor Lu Xun's residence!

Of course, Lu Xun knew very well the reason for this - this incident completely touched Chiang Kai-shek's sore spot and shook the rule of the Chiang dynasty.

In the past, Chiang Kai-shek could tolerate some veiled sarcasm and well-chosen insults because of their hometown relationship and Lu Xun's strong support for him before 1927.

But now, seeing that Lu Xun, who was famous all over the world and had great influence in the literary world and among the people, had begun to attack the legitimacy of his government and praise his enemies, how could Chiang Kai-shek still tolerate it?

If nothing unexpected happens, Lu Xun will definitely not be able to stay in Shanghai, and even the areas that Chiang Kai-shek can influence and control will be in danger.

But Lu Xun did not regret it.

After witnessing the conditions in the three northeastern provinces and the numerous tragedies, if he still doesn't speak out, is he still Lu Xun?

A writer with inner demons cannot write good works!

Just when Lu Xun was pondering his future, Uchiyama Kanzo came to visit him with a look of joy on his face:

"The reinforcements I called for are here!"

Late at night, Li Kenong entered Lu Xun's apartment.

"Mr. Zhou Shuren, I am a staff member of the Internal Affairs Review Committee of the Great Manchukuo Empire. I have been ordered by His Highness to take you away from Shanghai to escape persecution by the Kuomintang reactionaries."

"How do you prove your identity?"

"Uh... Mr. Uchiyama and I have already discussed the code - 'What does your arrest of Lu Xun have to do with me, Lu Shuren?' Is that right?"

Okay, it must be that one.

Lu Xun looked helplessly at Uchiyama Kanzo who had made the decision without authorization:

"Is this the reinforcement you called?"

"To leave Shanghai quietly, without being discovered, and with the utmost protection, I believe that seeking His Highness's help is the best way."

"But..."

"Before, Li Lisan asked you to go to the Soviet Union, but you refused, saying that if you left China, you would no longer understand the situation in China and would not be able to write about China. What about now? Do you still think so?"

Lu Xun remained silent.

After such a long and in-depth research in Northeast China, he felt for the first time in his life that the world he had paid attention to before was too small.

In the past, Lu Xun always encouraged himself by saying, "I want to understand China and change China with my pen." But how much did he actually understand and how much did he change?

Studying medicine is not good for Chinese people, and now it seems that studying literature is not good for Chinese people either!

Before the "Northeast Village Massacre", Lu Xun had never imagined that the army of the same country and the same nation could be so brutal to its own people, even worse than the invaders' army!

Just as Fujiwara no Kanezane mocked him when they quarreled - "After all, you are still the eldest son of a Zhejiang bureaucratic family who has developed a tragic barrier with Runtu."

As Li Desheng later commented on him: "Lu Xun's portrayal of the peasants focused on their dark, feudal side, ignoring their heroic struggles against the landlords. This was because he had never experienced the peasants' struggles..."

But after this trip to Northeast China, Lu Xun became a more complete person and began to seriously reflect on his past shortcomings and "mistakes".

In the Northeast, he saw an advanced national management system, a comprehensive social governance program, and the will, determination, and means to combat crime with ruthless intensity.

He saw law-abiding, diligent officials who loved the people; he saw the 386th Brigade of the "puppet army" that blended in with the people; he saw the Chinese people's sincere cheers for the "invaders";

He saw how the lower-class citizens lived, how the farmers worked, and many other things that he had never seen before, or at least never seen carefully.

Is the current Manchukuo perfect? ​​Of course not.

The phenomena of oppressing the people, corruption, and injustice still continued to occur, and he and Fujiwara no Kanezane were still often so angry that they wanted to pick up knives and chop people.

However, on the whole, Manchukuo demonstrated an ability and determination for sustained change that was not found in other parts of China, at least the places that Lu Xun had visited.

Before going there, who could have imagined that Wanrong, a canary who depended on men and was raised in a cage since childhood, could achieve such great achievements?

I can earn money that many low-income Chinese people cannot earn in their entire lives just by writing. Isn't that a bit too easy?

Should I put down my pen and devote myself to real practical work? He admired the transcendent courage behind the "Three Represents", which is "only by keeping a gun pointed at yourself can the running water remain stable and the door hinges remain rotten."

The only problem is that, after all, it was "Manchukuo".

Seeing that Lu Xun was silent, neither agreeing nor refusing, Li Kenong took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to him:

"My superior gave this to me and asked me to pass it on to you. He said that after you read it, you will definitely agree to leave with us."

"Um?"

Lu Xun took the envelope, checked the seal and the stamp, opened it, and the first line of words he saw nearly made him cringe:

"Zhou Xun'er..."

There is only one person in this world who would call him that.