Espionage: I became sworn brothers with Zheng Yaoxian at the beginning, and became the Seventh Broth

Chapter 306 The Newly Formed Seventh Army

The newly formed 7th Army consisted of three divisions, with a total strength of over 15,000 men.

Their base was located on the outskirts of Jiangcheng.

The main patrol area included two wharves, one ferry crossing, three iron mines near the Yangtze River, and the towns and villages within a radius of over a hundred miles.

In terms of jurisdiction, the newly formed 7th Army controlled a small area.

But the position he occupied was extremely clever.

Thanks to the profits from the docks, ferry crossings, and iron mines, the newly formed 7th Army was not short of money.

This is precisely why, although the newly formed 7th Army was nominally under the National Government and subordinate to the Military Commission, in reality, they were able to obey orders but not proclamations.

They belonged to the ranks of local warlords.

Of course.

He wasn't some major warlord.

At most, they can only wreak havoc and do some despicable things within the sphere of influence they control.

"Deputy Army Commander Chen Xinghuai, Chief of the General Staff Wang Pengju, Commander of the 236th Division Liu Rui, Commander of the 329th Division Liu Xinghui, Commander of the 378th Division Zhao Yuanxun..."

"These people are all powerful figures in the newly formed Seventh Army."

"According to their information, Chen Xinghuai, Wang Pengju, Liu Xinghui, and Zhao Yuanxun are all core members of Sun Yihui's team."

"They had already joined Sun Yihui's company before he made his fortune."

"In terms of time, they have been following Sun Yihui for more than ten years, so it is unlikely that they are Japanese infiltrators planted in the newly formed 7th Army."

"As for whether they secretly collaborated with Japanese spies, that cannot be confirmed at the moment."

"On the contrary, Liu Rui, the commander of the 236th Division, is a newcomer who was promoted by Sun Yihui in the past two years. His background and experience are somewhat similar to Zheng Tianhua's, so he needs to be paid special attention to."

On the road from Jiangcheng to the dock, Ye Shaohong sat in the back row, flipping through the documents in his hand while muttering to himself.

Zhuang Yifan was driving in front.

Hearing the voice coming from the back seat, he immediately raised his eyebrows.

"Station chief, are we just going to arrest them as soon as we go in?"

Zhuang Yifan almost blindly worshipped Ye Shaohong's judgment.

Even though this was just Ye Shaohong's initial guess, without any actual evidence or investigation, Zhuang Yifan still had the idea of ​​taking action.

"No hurries."

"Our trip to the newly formed 7th Army is just a preliminary reconnaissance."

"We can't let the guest overshadow the host."

Ye Shaohong casually closed the documents in his hand, a cold glint flashing in his narrowed eyes, and then he smiled.

"Arresting Liu Rui directly would cause too much of a commotion."

"Let's start with the ordinary people. I think Zheng Tianhua, the deputy director of the logistics department of the Seventh Army, is quite suitable."

"Whether he's innocent or not, let's arrest him and interrogate him first. Maybe we'll find something out?"

To be honest, Ye Shaohong wasn't sure if Zheng Tianhua, the deputy director of the logistics department of the newly formed 7th Army, was definitely problematic; it's just that his current status and position are different.

He was no longer a low-level investigator. He had access to a wider range of methods.

In addition, having just received approval from Director Dai Yunong and been granted the right to act first and report later, Ye Shaohong's style of doing things has also changed somewhat.

They became more direct and more ruthless.

"Okay!"

"Stationmaster, just say the word, I'll go arrest them."

Ye Shaohong and Zhuang Yifan talked for a while, and their convoy gradually arrived at the gate of a military compound.

He was stopped by the soldiers on duty in front of the military camp.

Through the window, Zhuang Yifan saw a soldier holding a Type 24 rifle raise his hand in salute. He reached out and rolled down the car window, took out his newly obtained official identification from his pocket, and handed it out through the crack in the window.

"Go and inform your deputy commander and chief of staff that Ye Shaohong, deputy station chief of the Jiangcheng station of the Special Service Department, has come to pay a visit!" The Special Service Department's fearsome reputation was known even to ordinary soldiers.

Upon hearing that the person sitting in the car was the deputy station chief of the Jiangcheng Station of the Special Service Department, the soldiers who had come to stop and question them immediately tensed up.

He quickly checked Zhuang Yifan's documents, glanced into the car through the open window, and then turned and ran back to the wooden pavilion at the entrance of the military camp.

I dialed the phone number of the military command.

They reported the identities of Ye Shaohong and his group, as well as the number of people they brought.

After receiving orders from the military command, the gatekeeper quickly ran back and respectfully handed the identification back to Zhuang Yifan.

"Everyone, please wait a moment."

"Our deputy commander isn't here. The chief of staff answered the phone and said he would come to pick you up in person." "Okay, thank you for your trouble, brother."

Zhuang Yifan nodded, first glancing at Ye Shaohong through the rearview mirror. Seeing Ye Shaohong nod in acknowledgment, he opened the car door and got out.

He took out a cigarette from his pocket, pulled one out, and tossed it into the soldier's arms.

"Smoke one?"

"Hey, foreign cigarettes, thanks, sir."

The young soldier was also a cheerful person. He took the cigarette, turned it over and looked at it for a moment, and then carefully put it in his mouth.

He took out a match from his pocket, lit it for Zhuang Yifan first, and then turned the match around to light the cigarette in his own mouth.

Zhuang Yifan watched with a smile, never uttering a word to stop him.

After the young soldier took a satisfying drag on his cigarette, Zhuang Yifan finally spoke, asking, "Brother, judging from your accent, are you from Shandong Province?"

"Why did you end up in Jiangcheng?"

This is Zhuang Yifan's strength. He came from a bandit background, and although he doesn't have Li Yunlong's smooth-talking skills, he has his own ways of befriending people from the lower rungs of society.

With his robust physique and imposing appearance, he is more likely to gain the trust of others when talking about everyday matters.

"Sir, you noticed?"

"Yes."

“I’m from Zibo City, Shandong Province. A few years ago, there was a severe drought in the north. In order to survive, I begged my way to Jiangcheng.”

Ye Shaohong also knew about what the young soldier had mentioned.

From 1928 to 1932, northern China experienced a severe drought that lasted for five consecutive years, with the Shaanxi and Shaanxi provinces suffering the most. It is said that many people starved to death in several northern provinces during those five years.

However, he did not expect that even Shandong Province would be affected by the disaster. Judging from the young man's age, he was at most in his early twenties. If we calculate based on the time, he was at most fourteen or fifteen years old when he left home to escape the famine.

How did a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy manage to travel thousands of miles to get there?

can not imagine.

What amazed Ye Shaohong the most was that this young man, despite having experienced the hardships of life, was still able to maintain a pure and optimistic heart, which made Ye Shaohong admire him even more.

Outside the car, Zhuang Yifan and the young soldier had a deep conversation about this.

Then Zhuang Yifan started a conversation, asking about the young soldier's recent situation and how his life was in the newly formed Seventh Army.

Were there any instances of military pay being withheld?

The young soldier responded with a smile, but he was also clever enough to know Zhuang Yifan's identity and didn't say anything taboo. However, when their commander, Sun Yihui, was mentioned, the young soldier shook his head and sighed.

He seemed quite disappointed.

This piqued Ye Shaohong's interest.

Could it be that Sun Yihui, this traitor who defected to the enemy, still had some kindness in his treatment of his subordinates?

is it possible?

Just as doubt arose, before Zhuang Yifan could ask for details, the wooden gate of the military camp was opened from the inside.

Then a middle-aged man in his early forties with a neat short haircut came out with seven or eight officers.

"Which one of you is Station Master Ye?"