An hour later, the steamer slowly stopped beside a wooden plank road. Everyone disembarked and walked to the shore, got into the military vehicles that had been contacted earlier, and drove towards the predetermined location.
The car was very bumpy while driving on the gravel-paved war road. Zuo Zhong was sitting in the passenger seat and holding on to the handle. Dai Chunfeng and Zhu Liuxian in the back seat were also holding the handle tightly, and their bodies kept shaking.
The person driving the car was the director of the Political Training Department of the local garrison, who was also a surveillance officer assigned to the army by the military command. This person was very excited to see the director and deputy director this time.
Just as he was thinking about how to say hello to the two directors and report on his "effective" work, Zuo Zhong next to him looked outside and turned to ask something.
"I heard that there is only one road left from Wanxian County to the Japanese-occupied area, and the other passages have been blocked. Is that true?"
"Yes."
When the director of the Political Training Department heard the deputy director's question, he turned the steering wheel vigorously and gave an affirmative answer, and then introduced the reasons.
"In the past six months, the Japanese have repeatedly sent plainclothes teams into our defense areas to collect intelligence and carry out sabotage activities. All parties were so annoyed that they blocked other roads, leaving only one for easy investigation.
Except for the war-prepared road at our feet, the remaining mountain trails and dirt roads were all cut off and no one or vehicle was allowed to pass. Once this move came out, the Japanese did stop a lot.
Deputy, please rest assured that the Political Training Department has inspected this matter many times and there will definitely be no mistakes. Those black market traders and smuggling caravans are also willing to pay money to pass through the main road. After all, it is safer this way. "
Dai Chunfeng and Zhu Liuxian in the back row nodded slightly. The garrison's defense work was doing well. If Shen Zhong's guess was accurate, it would be easy to intercept Mou Zhiye in advance.
Zuo Zhong also nodded and expressed satisfaction. He had known about these situations for a long time, otherwise he would not have decided to take action in Wanxian County. The questioning was just to determine the execution strength of the local military. It didn't sound like there was any problem now.
Of course, you can't believe all these words. Seeing the vehicle reach a fork in the road, he signaled the director of the Political Training Department to stop, and called Gu Qi and Song Minghao from the car behind him to introduce the situation and give a few words of advice.
"Lao Gu, Lao Song, please lead people to inspect other roads entering the occupied areas. If there are insufficient manpower, ask the local garrison to cooperate and ensure that there are at least two of our people at each level.
During the operation, everyone should put on military uniforms, and you should not show your face. Mou Zhiye has seen you, and when you find him, you must pretend not to know him and detain him immediately, and report to me. "
Gu Qi and Song Minghao knew that the deputy director was worried about the garrison, and that these military leaders were always unreliable, so they raised their hands and saluted, turned around and took their men in a car to drive on a side road.
"Let's go to Wanxian to the last checkpoint in the occupied area."
Zuo Zhong watched the people from the second office go away, said something to the director of the political training department, then leaned on his seat and stopped talking, silently perfecting the next action plan in his mind.
The convoy continued to set off and drove for more than an hour, arriving near the checkpoint at around 6 a.m. It was the darkest time before dawn, but there were already some pedestrians and vehicles on the road.
A few hundred meters away, at the end of a large isolation zone, the lights and sounds of Japanese military drills could be vaguely seen. From time to time, people came from the opposite side supporting the elderly and the young, walking quickly.
A war is a war, and ordinary people still have to live their lives. For various reasons, some people need to return to the Kuomintang-controlled areas from the occupied areas, and some need to go from the Kuomintang-controlled areas to the occupied areas.
Most of the people who moved from the occupied areas to the Kuomintang-controlled areas did so to avoid exploitation and massacre by the Japanese. After handing over all their belongings, the Japanese did not stop them because the larger the population, the greater the pressure on food and security on the government.
Moreover, in addition to prohibited materials, the Japanese and puppets also need to communicate with Shancheng. Otherwise, where will the gray income of the army commanders come from? Let alone the military department, not even the locusts can control this matter.
We all put our heads in our belts and fight against the Guo army. Are we really fighting for the great cause of the locust country and jointly building a greater East Asia? Don't be kidding, all you want is profit.
The people from the Kuomintang-controlled areas to the occupied areas were basically black marketeers and smugglers. They sold various materials within the Kuomintang territory to the Japanese in order to make huge profits.
Ordinarily, this kind of thing should not happen, but it is similar to the situation in Japan. The various officials need money to maintain their luxurious life and control the army, so how can they let this way of wealth go.
This resulted in a result. Although small-scale conflicts broke out from time to time on the front line, China and Japan reached a certain unexplainable tacit understanding, and the trade routes were never completely cut off.
Zuo Zhong looked outside, then turned around and asked the two teachers to wait in the car. He, one of the staff, Gui Youguang, and Xing Hanliang found a secluded place and began to arrange the specific division of labor.
"Wu Chunyang and Wu Jingzhong will take people to the checkpoints later, conduct interrogations of people and vehicles, and post Xing Hanliang's arrest warrant. Make as much noise as possible.
Just like Lao Gu and Lao Song, you should not come forward in public. By the way, let the outside world know that someone has seen Xing Hanliang around Wanxian County. The more vague the content of the news, the better. "
"Yes, deputy seat."
Wu Chunyang and Wu Jingzhong whispered back. They knew that what they had to do was to put on a play for Mou Zhiye to confuse the other party's sight. The task was not important.
The most important part of this operation fell on Xing Hanliang and Gui Youguang. After Zuo Zhong finished speaking, he turned his eyes and looked at his old classmates.
"Han Liang, wait in cover in front of the checkpoint later. When you see the signal, go out and approach the target immediately. Remember, stay calm and don't forget what the training staff told you.
When answering the other party's questions, your behavior must be natural. As long as there are no problems in the conversation, the target will not become suspicious. In addition, I have also prepared an insurance to ensure your safety. "
Insurance?
Everyone present was a little confused, what did this mean? During the preparation stage of the operation, the deputy director did not say anything about this. Could it be that the plan had changed?
But before they could ask, Zuo Zhong ended the conversation with Xing Hanliang, looked at Gui Youguang seriously, and spoke slowly.
"Youguang, your mission is the most important. Whether you can make the target and the Japanese trust Hanliang, and whether the insurance can work, it all depends on you."
"Don't worry, deputy seat. I'll use my brain...and my life to guarantee that nothing will go wrong."
The bald man originally wanted to use his own head as a guarantee, but after thinking about the fate of Wang Aofu who often said this before, he decisively changed his words and changed his guarantee method. Some things are so weird that people have to believe it.
Seeing that everyone had clearly understood their tasks, Zuo Zhong walked up to Xing Hanliang and was silent for a moment. He raised his hand and gave the other person a hug while whispering instructions in his ear.
"Pay attention to safety. Once the Japanese are driven away, we will not return until we are drunk."
Xing Hanliang smiled brightly when he heard this, patted Zuo Zhong on the back, and nodded vigorously after letting go: "Okay! I won't come back until you're drunk, I'll wait for your drink."
Having said that, he walked towards the checkpoint under the cover of a circle of spies around him. This was how separation was during the war years. It was too late to say goodbye, and maybe he would say goodbye once he turned around.
Zuo Zhong watched the other party's back disappear, adjusted his mood, and ordered everyone to act according to the predetermined plan. Wu Chunyang, Wu Jingzhong and Gui Youguang immediately took the order and left.
Everything is ready now, just waiting for Mou Zhiye to appear.
The land transportation from Shancheng to Wanxian is nearly 300 kilometers. In addition, the roads are seriously damaged, so even by car, the whole journey will take at least 15 hours.
In other words, if Mou Zhiye took the car and set off directly at 5 o'clock last night, without going around in circles or following him, he would reach Wanxian at 8 o'clock in the morning at the earliest.
There were only two hours before 8 o'clock. Under the leadership and cooperation of the director of the Political Training Department, the military command personnel successfully took over the defense of the checkpoint and posted wanted notices everywhere.
Zuo Zhong took Dai Chunfeng and Zhu Li first to the hillside of a hill. This position allowed him to overlook the surrounding area from a high position, making it easier to command operations.
In order to prevent the Japanese from making sudden attacks or attacks, the two directors put on the clothes of mountain people, squatted in the woods with two thin old cows, and played the role of old farmers.
I don’t know how long I waited, but gradually, a bright light appeared in the black sky, and the sun came out.
Dai Chunfeng took advantage of the dim light of the morning light to glance at the Japanese military post a few hundred meters away and the people lining up in front of the post waiting to cross the border. He lowered his voice and asked Zuo Zhong, who was feeding cattle.
"Shen Zhi, have you sent someone to keep an eye on Chang'an? If Mou Zhiye does the opposite, you must be prepared for contingency."
"Yes, Mou Zhiye is a professional agent and is familiar with our case handling procedures, so we have to guard against this matter."
Zhu Liuxian also expressed his concerns. If the target's whereabouts were misjudged, not only would the plan fail to succeed, but the target and the list would also be let go, which would really be a waste of money.
Zuo Zhong touched the cow's ears, looked around and replied softly: "Teacher and sir, please rest assured that the students have notified Chang'an Station to pay close attention to suspicious people looking for the ferry to cross the river.
Since the Japanese army arrived on the other side of the Yellow River, the garrison has taken control of all the ships. Once Mou Zhiye looks for the ship, he will definitely be discovered. As long as we can hold him back, it will not be too late for us to fly over. "
Intelligence operations must have backup plans and cannot make hasty decisions when the situation comes to a close. Zuo Zhong naturally knew this. Even if he was very sure that Wanxian County was Mou Zhiye's escape route, he had made two preparations.
Lao Dai and Zhu Liu received a satisfactory answer first, and then said no more. They led the cattle and patiently looked at the war preparation road. Unknowingly, there were more and more pedestrians and vehicles on the road.
At the same time, on a country road a few kilometers away, Mou Zhiye drove a carriage towards the checkpoint. An old lady with a tired look sat in the carriage and several wooden boxes were placed there.
When passing by a group of passers-by, Mou Zhiye heard someone mention the words Xing Hanliang, defection, and checkpoint. He frowned slightly, shook the reins in his hand and shouted, "Go!"
