Eat without talking and sleep without talking.
This sentence comes from the "Analects of Confucius Xiangdang" chapter, which means that people are required to hold themselves to the standards of a gentleman at all times and to make their behavior within the bounds of propriety.
The Republic of China and Japan, which also belonged to the Chinese cultural circle, had similar requirements on this point, especially those with higher education.
Wu Xiwen was obviously one of them. Even if he was arrested by the military commander and his life was in danger at any time, he did not speak and quietly enjoyed his breakfast.
Even the constant gunfire and begging for mercy on the river beach failed to make this man hesitate for a moment, as if the dead brothers had nothing to do with him.
He didn't speak, and Zuo Zhong couldn't. This was a silent contest. The entire Japanese espionage intelligence network was destroyed, and it was the other party who should be worried.
There was only the sound of the collision of spoons and dishes on the table. The two of them slowly wiped out the dishes and rice on the table. Wu Xiwen clasped his hands in satisfaction and thanked them.
"Thank you Mr. Zuo for your warm hospitality. These Japanese dishes are indeed very authentic. If I guessed correctly, they should be cooked by a famous chef from Osaka. Please take the trouble."
He said thank you and made no secret of his understanding of Japanese culture. This was equivalent to admitting his identity as a Japanese spy, and the truth seemed to have been broken.
As a result, Zuo Zhong took out his handkerchief and wiped the corners of his mouth elegantly, avoiding talking about the incident: "Mr. Wu, you guessed wrong, this was prepared by a Chinese chef.
As the saying goes, only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you win every battle. Studying your opponent's eating habits and tastes is one of the most important tasks.
As far as I know, there are also many chefs who are good at Chinese cuisine in the small towns of the Republic of China in your country's spy school. I'm right. "
Wu Xiwen suppressed a smile. The Chinese even knew about these things, which was a bit beyond his expectation. In shock, he once again expressed his cooperative attitude.
"Deputy Director Zuo, I am willing to cooperate with the military commander and provide you with all intelligence, provided that you guarantee my life safety.
You don’t have to doubt that to show my sincerity, I can hand over the people who set up bonfires around the Huangshan official residence and conduct ground guidance for the bombers. "
Zuo Zhong still didn't respond directly to this. He casually waved his hand to ask the little agent to remove the plates on the table, and then turned to look at Wu Xiwen.
"Mr. Wu, since we have nothing to do, how about we play a few games of bamboo bone poker to relieve our appetite. Let's play sand crab. Chongli Society has opened so many gambling houses, you should know the rules.
As for the bet, if you want something exciting, just use the lives of your men. If you win, I can let them go and let them go to prison to serve their sentences. If you lose..."
】
He smiled and pointed at Brother Pao on the river beach without finishing his words. His meaning was very clear. If the other party lost, none of the suspects present would be able to leave alive.
While talking, Gui Youguang shot another seriously injured person. Some of the remaining suspects had pale faces, some collapsed on the ground, and some were cursing loudly and looking crazy.
The corners of Wu Xiwen's eyes twitched slightly. Of course he knew how to use sand crabs, but this was the first time he encountered using human life as a bargaining chip. The smiling tiger really lived up to his reputation.
It was obvious that the other party did not believe his surrender and did not want to hear his confession. He tried to exert pressure by executing the captives and break through his psychological defense.
In this case, he had no choice but to accept the challenge, otherwise he would lose in terms of momentum. The focus of the interrogation and counter-interrogation was to see who could dominate the conversation.
In this case, let's just make a bet with Zuo Chong and see who has better methods. Even if he loses, it won't be a big deal.
Anyway, most of the robe brothers by the river are Chinese, and it is their supreme honor to sacrifice for His Majesty Tian Locust. Thinking of this, Wu Xiwen nodded.
"Okay, happily, Chunyang, deal the cards."
Zuo Zhong, who was on the opposite side, saw Wu Xiwen agreeing to his proposal, and smiled and ordered Wu Chunyang to become the river official (not a typo). Sand Crab needed someone to deal the cards.
After hearing the order, Wu Chunyang walked to the table expressionlessly, opened a box of bamboo bone pokers, pushed them in front of the two of them, and showed them to show fairness.
After both Zuo Zhong and Wu Xiwen confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the poker itself, he turned all the cards upside down on the table and started shuffling them with very skillful movements.
"Mr. Zuo, this officer must be your right-hand man and most trusted subordinate, Director Wu, the first director of the Military Command Division. I have long admired his name."
Wu Xiwen stared closely at Wu Chunyang's hand to prevent the other party from making mistakes during the shuffling process, and at the same time he did not forget to test him with words.
Zuo Zhong chuckled softly, neither admitting nor denying it. He took the first secret card from Wu Chunyang and knocked on the edge of the table.
Song Minghao immediately jumped over and handed over a cigarette. The old youtiao was the old youtiao, taking out the cigarette and lighting it in one go.
Breathing out a puff of smoke, Zuo Zhong picked up the second bright card and took a look at it. He glanced at the poker in front of Wu Xiwen and said.
"I'm sorry, Zuo's card is bigger than Mr. Wu's. I'll bet first. Let's play smaller at the beginning. How about we bet ten first."
Before he finished speaking, Wu Chunyang shouted to the shore, and then ten suspected Japanese espionage suspects were pushed out by the secret agents. Gui Youguang pointed his gun at the prisoners, with an indifferent expression and was ready to fire at any time.
Wu Xiwen looked at the hidden cards and then the bright cards without squinting, and smiled. He seemed to be very confident in his cards and answered happily.
"Deputy Director Zuo is so interested. I risk my life to accompany this gentleman and follow. I just hope that you can keep your word. If you lose, you must not regret it."
Zuo Zhong reached out and took back the third bamboo bone playing card. He was not upset when he saw that it was a small card. He casually put it aside and spoke calmly.
"Don't worry, Zuo Mou has always been a nail in the mouth. By the way, the ground guidance personnel you just mentioned are referring to Xin Lisheng and the other two people.
One of them was about 1.58 to 1.62 meters tall. He was strong, had a military background, and knew about soil work. The fire prevention ditch was dug very beautifully.
Another person should be a resident or woodcutter near the Huangshan official residence, who brought the firewood to the bonfire multiple times and did not collect combustible materials on site.
Wu Zhangqi, your men are very professional. If it weren't for your tea servers who were hiding in Wenrentang, we might not have been able to find you and Chongli Society. "
What is killing people and killing people's hearts? This is killing people and killing people's hearts. Zuo Zhong told Wu Xiwen clearly that we all know your so-called secrets and it doesn't make any sense.
If you want to survive or prove your sincerity in surrender, you must tell some more valuable information, some high-level information that the military commander does not have.
"Sir Zuo is awesome."
Wu Xiwen showed admiration, raised his thumb and praised. The next moment, he shook his third card with a little pride and proposed to increase the chips.
"Cheng Rang, it seems that I am lucky today, so I will add ten more. Deputy Director Zuo, will you follow? If not, Wu will open the cards."
"and."
Zuo Zhong simply replied with one word, he was not a member of the military command, and the other party was not afraid, so what was he afraid of? Besides, if any of these suspects were not guilty of many evil deeds, it would be easier for them to be shot.
Soon the fourth and fifth cards were dealt out by Wu Chunyang. The cards Wu Xiwen received were both bigger than the left-heavy one, so he added two more bets in a row, and the chips increased from 20 to 40 people.
There were so many people kneeling on the ground in the darkness, and the scene was spectacular. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the two to reveal their first hidden card.
"same color!"
Wu Xiwen turned over the hidden card with all his strength, and it turned out to be five poker cards of the same suit. This was considered a big card among sand crabs. No wonder he was so confident.
But before he could be happy for long, Zuo Zhong also revealed his secret card. His smile immediately froze on his face, and his eyes were full of disbelief.
"The house is full of fans, I promise."
Zuo Zhong pushed three cards of the same value and a pair of cards of other values to the middle of the table. This deck of cards was just bigger than Wu Xiwen's flush.
"The deputy seat won!"
Song Minghao, who was waiting for the card game, shouted excitedly when he saw this. A burst of gunfire rang out, and forty suspects fell to the river beach one by one.
The blood slowly flowed into the Yangtze River along the ditch and spread out, quickly dyeing the surface of the river red. A gust of wind blew by, and the red waves gently lapped on the shore.
"Come again!"
Wu Xiwen's eyes were red and a little excited. He was discovered and arrested by the military commander and admitted it. After all, this was a lurking, and the government itself was the dominant party. There was no shame in their failure.
However, when it comes to poker skills, he considers himself to be more experienced than Zuo Zhong. After playing in Lizitang for so many years, he still has this confidence. However, he still lost and he was not convinced.
Zuo Zhong looked at his opponent who was already on top, and shook his head secretly. He was indeed not very good at playing cards, but he had room, and he couldn't lose even if he wanted to.
As the saying goes, good words can't persuade a damn ghost. If you want to gamble, just gamble. He spread his hands to show that he was willing to do whatever he wanted. Even if the God of Gamblers came today, it would be useless.
"I'll take fifty people into custody!"
At this moment, Wu Xiwen was like a gambler who had completely lost his money. He took a big gamble, hoping to make a profit at once, completely forgetting that he was gambling with his life.
As a professional agent, this person is so impulsive, which is a bit unexpected. However, if you think about it carefully, the other party's reaction is quite normal.
The unique geographical location and lack of resources have led the Japanese to display gambling habits that are different from those in other regions. For example, they frequently bet on the fate of the country.
It can be said that the modern history and geopolitics of East Asia in the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century were closely related to Japan’s gambling on national affairs.
The problem is that nine times out of ten you lose, not to mention that your opponent has a cheat. So half an hour later, Wu Xiwen looked at the densely packed corpses on the river beach and fell completely into a daze.
After sitting there for a while, he still refused to give up and said in a hoarse voice: "I'll hold on..."
"Remand? You have no leverage."
Zuo Zhong kindly reminded the other party that the four low-level robe brothers who were suspected of being Japanese spies were all here, and one of them was lying there.
Wu Xiwen seemed to be stimulated by these words. He jumped up, completely gave up his disguise, and threatened with a ferocious face.
"Zuo Zhong, what can I do if you win? The Japanese Empire will definitely defeat the Republic of China, and victory will eventually belong to us. The hell is on the black card!
"
"Haha, can't you afford to lose?"
Facing the hysterical Japanese spy, Zuo Zhongdan stood up with a smile, looked at the rolling river with his hands behind his back, and narrated the history of Chinese civilization in a leisurely manner.
“Five thousand years ago, we faced the monstrous floods like the Egyptians, and four thousand years ago we cast bronze vessels like the ancient Babylonians.
Three thousand years ago, we were thinking about the philosophy of the universe just like the Greeks. Two thousand years ago, we were conquering all directions like the Romans.
A thousand years ago we were as rich as the cannibals who were proficient in trade, and now we are competing with you and the West.
For five thousand years, we have been at the poker table of history and have never left, while our opponents have changed several rounds! "
When he said the last sentence, Zuo Zhong suddenly turned around, his sharp eyes piercing Wu Xiwen's soul like a sharp sword, and asked at the same time.
"So, why do you think victory belongs to you?"
Wu Xiwen, who was shouted at, was speechless, his face turned green and white, and he couldn't help but wonder in his heart that the empire had really found the wrong opponent in this war.
When Gu Qi, Wu Chunyang and others next to him heard these words, they were so excited that tears came to their eyes, and a surge of pride surged into their hearts, which was uncontrollable.
Yes, many ancient nations that once competed with the Chinese nation have either disappeared in the long history, or been completely tamed.
Only we are still standing here, waiting for the next glorious revival. This is the glory that countless ancestors have sacrificed their lives for, and no one can stop it!
