Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

Chapter 1178 You're 7 hours late!

Inside Rongbaozhai, the charcoal brazier was burning brightly, with red flames leaping on the silvery charcoal, making the air inside slightly humid.

Several landscape and flower-and-bird paintings hang on the wall, all in the style of the Four Masters of the Ming Dynasty, but the signatures are very blurry, clearly indicating that they are recent imitations.

The display cabinet was filled with exquisite blue and white porcelain, jade carvings of auspicious beasts, and bronze incense burners, but none of them were genuine. This was Zhao Guangyuan's cleverness.

It's safest to keep genuine products hidden while counterfeit ones attract attention.

A faint scent of ink mingled with a wisp of sandalwood fragrance, emanating from the Buddhist shrine in the inner room.

Behind the counter sat an elderly man in his fifties.

Zhao Guangyuan was wearing a dark blue silk cotton robe and a pair of cloth shoes with multi-layered soles. He had reading glasses perched on his nose and was carefully examining a painting with a magnifying glass.

Hearing the bell, he looked up, his face immediately plastered with a friendly smile, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes spread out like a fan: "Sir, you've arrived. What would you like to see?"

Calligraphy and paintings? Ancient books? Or... perhaps a decorative item to ward off evil spirits and bring good fortune to your home?

Chen Gongshu approached the counter with light and steady steps, each step landing on the same spot on the floor to avoid making any unnecessary noise.

He lowered his voice, his tone calm, yet each word clear: "Do you have Emperor Huizong's eagle and Zhao Mengfu's horse?"

Zhao Guangyuan's fingers paused slightly, and the magnifying glass was slowly lowered.

He smiled, the same smile as Chen Gongshu remembered.

"The good thing is that it's all fake," he said softly, his voice so low that only the two of them could hear it.

Zhao Guangyuan put down the magnifying glass and gestured "please" towards the inner room, his movements natural, as if he were simply inviting a customer to come in and look at the goods: "Sir, please come in and take a look. There are even better items inside, all newly acquired and not yet on the shelves."

Chen Gongshu nodded, picked up his suitcase, and went inside.

The inner room was a small study with bookshelves on all four walls, filled with ancient books such as the Siku Quanshu, Zizhi Tongjian, and Lidai Minghua Ji. The spines of the books were yellowed and the pages were brittle, all of them genuine.

A large rosewood desk sits in the center, complete with the Four Treasures of the Study. The ink in the Duan inkstone is still wet, as if someone has just finished writing.

Zhao Guangyuan gently closed the door, then turned a small, inconspicuous brass ornament on the door frame—with a soft "click," the door was locked.

He turned around, his back straightening instantly, his eyes sharp as a hawk's. The image of the amiable shopkeeper who brought him wealth vanished, replaced by that of a seasoned special agent leader.

"Station Chief Chen, we haven't seen each other since you went to Tianjin. I never expected we'd be working together again." He said in a low voice, "I've been waiting for you for two days, and you're seven hours late."

Chen Gongshu took off his hat, revealing a face with sharp features, eyebrows like those of a knife, and a taut jawline: "The Jinpu Railway was inspected by the Japanese army. We had to change trains three times to shake them off. I wasn't exposed."

Walking to the large desk, Chen Gongshu gently brushed his fingertips across the cool inkstone, his gaze sweeping over the ancient books on the bookshelf, his voice low and direct: "How is the situation?"

Have you found out what's going on with Wang Kemin, and what the arrangements are for the puppet government's founding ceremony?

Zhao Guangyuan's expression instantly turned serious, his brows furrowed slightly, and his tone carried a hint of helplessness: "This is not good. Beiping is now like a tightly sealed prison. The Japanese army is defending it extremely well, and our movements are restricted in every way."

He strode to the bookshelf on the west side, stretched out his withered fingers, and carefully moved aside the top few volumes of "The Analects" and "Mencius." A small hidden compartment, about the size of a palm, was revealed behind the bookshelf. The edges of the compartment were polished extremely smooth, indicating that it was frequently opened.

Zhao Guangyuan took out a yellowed roll of blueprints from a hidden compartment, carefully unfolded it, and continued, "The Japanese set up two sets of guard posts in Beiping, one inside and one outside, and the defense was watertight."

Chen Gongshu leaned closer, his gaze falling on the blueprints.

This is a hand-drawn map of Beiping's defenses. The lines are delicate and the markings are clear. Different areas are outlined with red and blue pencils. Red dots represent Japanese strongholds, and blue lines represent the warning range. Even the width of the streets and the location of the buildings are clearly marked. It is obvious that a great deal of effort was put into drawing this map.

"The inner circle mainly consisted of Dongjiaomin Lane and the area around Tieshizi Hutong. This area was the core control zone of the Japanese army and was patrolled and guarded by the Japanese military police and special service."

Zhao Guangyuan pointed to the area marked with a solid red line on the map and said in a serious tone: "Those military police are all armed and have sharp eyes. They check passersby very strictly and detain anyone who is even slightly suspicious."

Two of our brothers were captured while exploring this area... I'll arrange for someone to go and ransom them with silver dollars later...

His finger moved slowly, pointing to the blue dotted line around the edge of the drawing: "The outer ring covers all the city gates, major intersections and traffic arteries, which are guarded by the Japanese troops stationed in Beiping and the detective team."

Now, anyone entering or leaving Beiping (Beijing) must present a pass issued by the Japanese army. The pass must not only state the person's identity and purpose, but also bear the seal of the North China Area Army Headquarters. Missing any of these elements is unacceptable.

Furthermore, a curfew is imposed promptly at 8 p.m. every night, and no one is allowed to move around on the streets after the curfew. If anyone is found out, they will be detained at the very least, or directly treated as traitors.

In fact, being caught by outsiders was even more dangerous than being caught by the Japanese military police. After the Japanese military police arrested someone, as long as they gritted their teeth and endured a series of interrogations, they could be released after paying a large bail without any direct evidence.

But if they fell into the hands of the Japanese army stationed in Beiping or the secret service, they would almost certainly lose their lives.

Chen Gongshu nodded slowly, silently noting Zhao Guangyuan's words. Then, he lightly tapped the location of Dongjiaomin Lane with his fingertip, his eyes sharp: "Where is Wang Kemin's whereabouts? That cunning old fox is always cautious, so I'm sure his guards won't be lax."

Wang Kemin, as a key figure in the puppet North China Provisional Government, was the primary puppet supported by the Japanese army and the core target of this assassination mission. His whereabouts and the situation of his guards directly determined the success or failure of the mission.

"Wang Kemin's movements are very regular, but the security is outrageously tight."

Zhao Guangyuan sighed, his tone tinged with a hint of unease: "He is currently living in the old Belgian embassy in Dongjiaomin Lane. That area was originally a foreign embassy district. After the Japanese took over, they reinforced it, raising the walls by three feet and putting up barbed wire on top. Guard towers were also set up at the corners, and military police were on duty 24 hours a day."

He paused, then added more details: "Every morning at eight o'clock sharp, he would leave the embassy and take a car to the puppet government's office. In the afternoon, he would either meet with various people in the office, including officials of the puppet government, representatives of the chamber of commerce, and some sycophantic former Qing dynasty officials."

Alternatively, they could visit the Japanese military headquarters in Beiping and try to curry favor with the high-ranking Japanese officers.

His motorcade always consists of three cars, with him riding in the middle black Buick sedan. The car has been specially modified, with bulletproof windows and reinforced body.

Two Ford sedans followed, one in front and one behind, each carrying four bodyguards, all armed with Mauser pistols, highly skilled marksmen, and long-time loyal followers of Wang Kemin.