Chapter 57: Yu Ping’an
Chapter 57: Yu Ping’an
Yu Ping’an had fair skin and handsome features.
His voice was not loud, and he appeared refined and scholarly.
“Reporting to Deputy Director Yu, I was in the Tenth Infantry Class of the Central Military Academy.”
Cheng Qianfan replied loudly.
Yu Ping’an rubbed his temples and pressed the bell on his desk.
“Bring me the roster for the Tenth Infantry Class of the Military Academy.”
“Deputy Director Yu.”
The young man inspecting the items on the tray handed the tray to Yu Ping’an.
Yu Ping’an dumped the contents of the tray onto the desk and examined them himself.
A note written in Japanese, from Kawada Eikichi to a Mr. Miyazaki.
A business card, Director of the Manzhou Kyomaru Trading Association, Kawada Eikichi.
A wallet containing more than one hundred French francs.
“Go ahead, tell me. What’s going on?”
Yu Ping’an asked while idly twirling the business card between his fingers.
Cheng Qianfan did not immediately speak.
Instead, he glanced at the other two young men.
Realizing what Cheng Qianfan meant, the face of the man who had been inspecting the tray darkened.
The other man, who had been standing respectfully beside Yu Ping’an all this time, remained expressionless.
“Huang Wei is an elite servant of the Party and the nation. I trust his loyalty to the Party, the nation, and the Leader.”
Yu Ping’an said calmly.
Huang Wei was the man who had inspected the tray.
Hearing this, he looked energized.
His face flushed slightly from excitement, and he even cast a provocative glance at Cheng Qianfan.
Cheng Qianfan admired Yu Ping’an’s methods.
However, he secretly speculated that Huang Wei was probably not the person Yu Ping’an truly trusted.
The one he genuinely trusted was likely the expressionless man.
A true confidant did not require verbal encouragement and reassurance.
At this point Cheng Qianfan also relaxed somewhat.
He had expected a severe scolding and an initial show of authority.
He truly had not expected Yu Ping’an’s attitude to be this mild.
“I had no intention of questioning Lieutenant Huang Wei.”
Cheng Qianfan nodded apologetically toward Huang Wei.
“It is simply that this matter is of great importance and involves confidential information. I had no choice but to be cautious.”
Huang Wei snorted coldly, but said nothing further.
“That’s much better.”
Yu Ping’an nodded.
“You are all colleagues working for the Party and the nation. Everything is for the sake of the work.”
He was fairly satisfied that Cheng Qianfan had immediately apologized to Huang Wei.
Nag’s secret report had claimed that the new trainee, Cheng Wufang, was suspected of privately contacting Japanese individuals.
Or rather, Yu Ping’an had indeed harbored a small amount of suspicion toward Cheng Qianfan beforehand.
However, after seeing the items Cheng Qianfan carried, that suspicion had largely vanished.
What Japanese collaborator would report to a Special Service Office training class carrying such items on his person?
Since he had dared to bring them, he naturally must have an explanation for them.
“Go on. Explain what happened.”
Yu Ping’an said.
“Yes, sir!”
Cheng Qianfan then calmly recounted in detail the entire process of encountering Kawada Eikichi’s group on the train.
From his initial suspicions, to his probing, to his contact with Kawada Eikichi, and finally to the measures he took afterward, he described everything in detail.
“So you’re saying that merely by recognizing the flavor of the liquor, you became suspicious that Kawada Eikichi was Japanese?”
Yu Ping’an was astonished.
“Yes. I am relatively sensitive to smells. This liquor, Daiginjo from Fukushima, has a unique flavor that left a deep impression on me.”
Cheng Qianfan nodded.
“The world truly is full of strange things.”
Yu Ping’an clicked his tongue in amazement.
“Kawada Eikichi could never have dreamed that a bottle of liquor would expose his Japanese identity.”
“I only had a slight suspicion at the time. To confirm it further, I had no choice but to take the risk and approach him, testing him in Japanese.”
Cheng Qianfan said.
“Looking back, it was somewhat reckless.”
“No.”
Yu Ping’an shook his head, revealing an approving expression.
“Very good. Young people should possess precisely this kind of decisiveness, acting when action is required. Had you not acted decisively, none of these gains would have been possible.”
As he spoke, he pointed at the business card, note, and other items on the desk and smiled.
“As a soldier of the Party and the nation, this was my duty.”
Cheng Qianfan immediately replied.
“Moreover, before I came to Hangzhou, Mr. Song repeatedly instructed me to place the interests of the Party and the nation above all else and to act boldly when necessary.”
“Good. Very good.”
Yu Ping’an nodded happily.
He seemed quite appreciative that Cheng Qianfan still remembered to share some of the credit with his superior back in Shanghai.
“You act decisively, cautiously, and with both courage and intelligence. Very good indeed.”
As he spoke, he pointed at the business card and asked,
“What do you make of Kawada Eikichi’s identity?”
“I can only make a rough guess that they came from Manchukuo. Beyond that, I cannot tell.”
Cheng Qianfan revealed a somewhat embarrassed expression.
“Manchukuo...”
Yu Ping’an nodded.
“Quite possible.”
“Report!”
A voice sounded from outside the door.
“Enter.”
The young officer who had previously escorted Cheng Qianfan inside brought in the roster for the Tenth Infantry Class of the Central Military Academy.
Yu Ping’an did not immediately examine it.
Instead, he said to Huang Wei, who had been listening on the side,
“Adjutant Huang, notify Instructor Xue. There will be a meeting in the conference room in half an hour.”
“Yes, sir.”
Watching Huang Wei turn and leave, Yu Ping’an glanced at the young officer.
The latter gave an almost imperceptible nod and followed Huang Wei out.
“How reliable is this identity of Miyazaki Kentaro?”
Yu Ping’an immediately asked.
“It is difficult to say that it is reliable.”
Cheng Qianfan did not answer immediately.
He thought for a moment before responding.
“Oh?”
Yu Ping’an glanced at Cheng Qianfan, seeming somewhat disappointed.
“Tell me your reasoning.”
“Judging from Kawada Eikichi’s repeated tests, this man is extremely cunning, cautious, and suspicious by nature.”
Cheng Qianfan spoke while thinking.
“Had I not happened to know the matter he referred to during that test on the platform, I would likely have been exposed.”
“Indeed. Who could have guessed that Mr. Uu was actually a raccoon dog?”
Yu Ping’an sighed.
“You are very quick-witted. Very good.”
“This time I passed by sheer luck. However, considering Kawada Eikichi’s suspicious nature, it is difficult to guarantee that he will not continue testing me in the future.”
Cheng Qianfan frowned.
“My knowledge of Fukushima comes entirely from what Imai Futoshi told me. Anything he never mentioned, I know nothing about. Under such circumstances, I fear I would not withstand another test from Kawada Eikichi.”
Yu Ping’an did not immediately respond.
He paced a couple of steps beside the desk before sighing.
“Yes. One wrong answer, and exposure becomes inevitable. What a pity.”
Cheng Qianfan knew exactly what Yu Ping’an meant by “what a pity.”
He regretted the lost opportunity to place an agent inside a Japanese intelligence operation.
For the Special Service Office, opportunities like that were exceedingly rare.
Cheng Qianfan also found it regrettable.
At first he had felt rather pleased with himself.
He thought his choice to use Miyazaki Kentaro’s identity had been a stroke of genius that might prove highly useful.
However, Kawada Eikichi’s sudden test on the station platform, the incident involving Mr. Uu of Erimatsu Shrine, had left Cheng Qianfan drenched in cold sweat.
Just as Yu Ping’an had said, who would have guessed that Mr. Uu was a raccoon dog?
Had it been anyone else, exposure would have been inevitable.
As a result, Cheng Qianfan became more alert.
He realized he had underestimated this enemy and had become somewhat overconfident.
He reflected on himself.
An agent could be confident.
But excessive confidence often led directly to death.
“What a pity. If we had known this would happen, we should have equipped you with a camera.”
Yu Ping’an said.
Had they secretly photographed Kawada Eikichi and his associates, then no matter how large Hangzhou was, tracking them down would have been much easier.
Without photographs, locating them in such a large city would be far more difficult.
Based on Cheng Qianfan’s account, Yu Ping’an immediately concluded that these people were indeed carrying out a secret mission.
Quite possibly, they were a very large catch.
If they could be captured, it might even expose an entire Japanese espionage network.
The Special Service Office had suffered one setback after another recently.
The Qingdao branch had even been completely uprooted by the Japanese.
At meetings, the Chairman had repeatedly flown into a rage, expressing considerable dissatisfaction with the office’s results.
If they could expose a Japanese spy network at this moment and prove the Special Service Office’s effectiveness to the Chairman, the old man would certainly be pleased, and rewards would undoubtedly follow.
“Cheng Qianfan, do you possess the spirit of sacrifice for the Party and the nation...”
Yu Ping’an looked at Cheng Qianfan, who was deep in thought, and suddenly asked,
“...the spirit to sacrifice yourself?”
“Deputy Director Yu, I’ve thought of a method that may allow us to capture Kawada Eikichi.”
Just as Yu Ping’an reached the words “do you possess the spirit of,” Cheng Qianfan, who had been thinking intensely, suddenly spoke excitedly and rapidly.
The two men looked at each other simultaneously.
“I carry the Party and the nation in my heart and maintain at all times a fearless spirit of sacrifice.”
Cheng Qianfan immediately said with an extremely serious expression.
“What did you say? What method?”
Yu Ping’an simultaneously asked.
The two men once again stared at one another.
For a moment, the atmosphere became rather awkward.
Cheng Qianfan’s face flushed red.
Apparently not expecting such a situation, he seemed somewhat at a loss.