What a beautiful white lotus

The next morning, Ye Rongqiu set off.

The chief of staff sent two squads of people to escort him, and at the same time arranged two squads of people to go in the other two directions, because before arriving in Wuchang, he had to pass through the raided area by the Japanese army.After several years of sweeping and anti-sweeping, the Communist Army has accumulated experience, knowing which places and terrains are the focus of the Japanese army's sweeping, which places are relatively neglected, and also know some trails that the Japanese devils don't know. , so they can avoid raids with minimal casualties.Send a few more teams to confuse the Japanese army, so that the devils do not know where their real destination is.

Xiao Zhao is also in the escort team, but this time, he can't follow Ye Rongqiu into the city.

Before dark, they successfully passed through the mopping up area and arrived near Wuchang City.

Send it here, and the guards can't send it anymore.

The headed squad leader handed over the prepared "identity" and other things to Ye Rongqiu: "There will be someone to meet you in the city, you go in by yourself. Be careful. We will not leave, we will hide in the nearby village. After the mission is over, we will I'll find a way to get you."

Xiao Zhao held Ye Rongqiu's hand very reluctantly: "Commissioner, can I really not go with you, the city is so dangerous, I don't feel at ease if you are alone."

Ye Rongqiu was helpless: "If I can get in, I wish the whole New Fourth Army would enter the city with me. Xiao Zhao, don't worry, I will try my best to protect myself."

Under the urging of others, Xiao Zhao let go of Ye Rongqiu reluctantly, and watched him leave.

As Xu Shaofang said, Wuchang City is very strictly guarded. Ye Rongqiu was interrogated for a long time before entering the city, and everything he was carrying was searched out. "White skin and red heart" are more advanced people.If it is unsuccessful, not only Ye Rongqiu will be arrested, but the chess piece they put in the puppet army will also be lost. It must be said that they have taken a great risk.

Fortunately, Ye Rongqiu finally entered the city smoothly.

"White Skin and Red Heart" led Ye Rongqiu out of two streets, and said softly, "Do you know where they live?"

Ye Rongqiu nodded: "I came here half a year ago."

"White skin and red heart" said: "That's good, I can't send you there, you go by yourself, be careful in everything."

Ye Rongqiu nodded.

The last time he came to Wuchang, Ye Rongqiu tried his best to memorize the terrain of Wuchang in order to find the black dog.In the past six months, many buildings in Wuchang City were destroyed and houses collapsed, but he still found a place to go to Zhou Shujuan and the others' residence.

It was almost dark at this time. In the Japanese-occupied areas, in order to prevent the Communists from carrying out secret anti-Japanese operations under the cover of night, all towns had curfews. The puppet soldiers have begun to slowly gather on the streets.

Ye Rongqiu anxiously walked towards his destination, he had to find Zhou Shujuan and the others before the curfew.

Suddenly there was a black shadow swaying in the alley on the right, Ye Rongqiu stopped and took a look there.The alley was so dark that he couldn't see anything.He hesitated for a moment, then quickened his pace even more.

After walking for a while, Ye Rongqiu suddenly stopped again.He vaguely heard footsteps nearby, and he was worried that someone was following him, but the sound was so soft that he couldn't tell whether it was real or he was too sensitive.

After a while, Ye Rongqiu opened his legs again, this time he began to trot.

A few minutes later, Ye Rongqiu ran to the alley where Zhou Shujuan and the others lived.He quickly ducked into the alley.

A few seconds later, Ye Rongqiu suddenly rushed out from the alley again, and rushed towards a black figure who was tiptoeing to the wall to peek.

The man was startled when he saw Ye Rongqiu jumping out, but he reacted quickly and retreated quickly, but Ye Rongqiu still grabbed the corner of his clothes.

Ye Rongqiu was holding the hem of his clothes in his hands, and wanted to climb up the pole, and pulled the man towards him with all his strength. The man was not bad at it, he clamped Ye Rongqiu's wrist, and turned his hand outward.

Ye Rongqiu felt that the person holding her was very strong, and as soon as the person grabbed the meridians in her hand, her hand became weak, and was easily swung away by the person.

But Ye Rongqiu persisted, he felt that the man wanted to run away, so he rushed over without hesitation, fell heavily on the ground, but hugged the man's right leg.The man wanted to pull out his leg, but he seemed a little hesitant, and he didn't try to kick Ye Rongqiu away.

In this way, the two were entangled in a strange posture.

Ye Rongqiu said bitterly: "Run away, I'll take off your pants if you run away!"

It was almost dark, and in the darkness, Ye Rongqiu could only vaguely see the outline of the person in front of him, but couldn't see his face clearly.But you don't need to look clearly, from the moment the man grabbed his wrist, Ye Rongqiu knew that he had made the right bet - it was a black dog!

After a while, the black dog bent down, patted his head lightly, and said in a helpless tone, "Fang-head (fool), let go."

Ye Rongqiu is still struggling: "I won't let you go, but if you let me go, you will run away again!"

Ye Rongqiu only hoped to see Heigou again before completing his mission in the city this time. He himself did not expect that things would go so smoothly, and he caught Heigou just after entering the city.

The black dog's tone became even more helpless: "I'm not running away. Get up quickly, and wait until the devils are coming to patrol."

Ye Rongqiu still couldn't believe him, but kneeling like this was not a problem. He hugged the black dog's legs and moved up slowly, from the calf to the thigh, and then hugged the black dog's waist, like a sloth Also clinging to the black dog firmly, for fear that this guy would run away without a trace if he didn't pay attention.

The black dog lowered his head to look at the black head on his chest, and sighed again and again: "What do you want to do when you catch me. You want to hand me over to the red bandits?"

Ye Rongqiu remained silent.He is also thinking about what to do next.This opportunity is once in a thousand years. Now that the black dog has been let go, I don't know when I will catch this slippery guy next time.This guy is hard-spoken and soft-hearted. He probably heard that he was going to the city today, so he secretly followed behind to protect himself.But it might not be appropriate to take him back to meet Zhou Shujuan and Tang Changtian, and it would be even more inappropriate to just stand and talk on the street. How can this huge Wuchang allow the two of them to talk quietly for a while?

At this moment, the black dog suddenly hissed: "Someone is coming!"

Ye Rongqiu heard light footsteps, and another light source was approaching. It was someone from the alley who came out with a lantern.

The black dog immediately went to break Ye Rongqiu's hand, and whispered: "Quickly let go!"

Ye Rongqiu gritted his teeth and did not let go.

When the two were in a stalemate, it was too late, and the people in the alley came out.

The lantern illuminated the faces of Ye Rongqiu and the black dog, and at the same time, they also saw Zhou Shujuan with a surprised face.

Ye Rongqiu and the black dog were still hugging each other in an awkward posture. Zhou Shujuan stared at them, his expression changed a lot in an instant.Shocked at first, then a little angry, followed by deep helplessness: "Did you tell him?"

This sentence was not addressed to Ye Rongqiu, but to the black dog.

The moment Zhou Shujuan finished speaking, the black dog also gave up struggling.

His tone was more helpless than Zhou Shujuan's: "No." After a pause, he added, "Now you are the one to tell him."

Zhou Shujuan was startled, and the expression on her face changed several times.

All three of them didn't speak for a while, and the scene was extremely awkward.Everyone was shocked by what happened before them, but within reason.The person who was most impacted was undoubtedly Ye Rongqiu.

He has always had doubts about the identity of the black dog. He has long guessed that the black dog is the most hidden communist, but after hearing Zhou Shujuan's words, he seems to be dreaming.The dream was so beautiful that he dreaded the waking moment.

The matter has been like this, and there is no way to continue the stalemate, Zhou Shujuan lowered the lantern, and said to the black dog: "You go, don't stay here, it will be bad if someone comes later."

The black dog patted Ye Rongqiu's arm that was holding him.This time, Ye Rongqiu didn't insist anymore, he let go quickly.

The black dog hesitated for a moment, reached out and touched Ye Rongqiu's head, then turned around and plunged into the darkness.

Zhou Shujuan stepped forward and took Ye Rongqiu's hand: "Let's talk when we go back."

Ye Rongqiu seemed extremely obedient.

Zhou Shujuan led Ye Rongqiu back to the courtyard where they lived, and Tang Changtian greeted them: "It's finally here, is it clean outside?" This sentence meant to ask if they were being followed.

Ye Rongqiu and Zhou Shujuan looked at each other, Zhou Shujuan shook her head, and handed the lantern to Tang Changtian: "You go in first, and help him warm up the meal."

Tang Changtian let out a hey, turned around and went into the kitchen with the lantern in hand.

Zhou Shujuan led Ye Rongqiu into the room he prepared.Then sit at the table in silence.

Ye Rongqiu spoke first: "From the very beginning, you knew everything, right?"

Zhou Shujuan pursed her lips.

"Actually, you know Heigou. You have known him since that time in Wuhan? You know that I am looking for Heigou, you know that he is Shansi Xing, and you know that he has another identity. But you refuse to tell me anything."

Zhou Shujuan sighed.

"Did you read Bai?" Ye Rongqiu asked.

Zhou Shujuan nodded: "I am."

"The black dog... Where is Zhong Wuha? Who is he?"

Zhou Shujuan pondered, as if thinking about how much to tell Ye Rongqiu.

Ye Rongqiu's breathing became a little short: "I know, I know it's not easy for you! I know that information must be kept secret! I know it all! But what do you tell me to do? I'm going crazy!"

Zhou Shujuan raised her head and looked at Ye Rongqiu with compassion in her eyes.

"You are my relative, he is me...he is someone I am not willing to give up no matter what! Five years, how do you think I have lived these five years? I can't betray any of you, I even I am willing to die for you! I just want to know what kind of difficulties the black dog is facing and what I can do for him. Isn’t it better to have more people than to fight alone? Why do you have to hide it from me? Or You suspect me?"

"No!" Zhou Shujuan immediately denied, "I don't doubt you, it's just..."

Ye Rongqiu's chest was still heaving up and down due to excitement, but he calmed down, waiting for Zhou Shujuan's "just".

Zhou Shujuan sighed, got up and walked to the window, looked out, and then closed the window.

"Chang Tian doesn't know about these things. Only four people in Wuchang City know about Zhong Wuha's identity." Zhou Shujuan said, "I am Nian Bai, and he is Nian Bai. People outside think that Nian Bai is a person. But no, we are an organization. Zhong Wuha was the first person in Nian Baili. At the beginning, there were three of us in total, and later there were ten at the most. Later, a few were killed by devils and enemy agents. There are four left. The four of us have different identities and lurk in Wuchang City, leading other comrades to weave the entire intelligence network."

Ye Rongqiu felt his hands trembling.Finally, he was finally close to the truth.

"The black dog is the most important point in the entire intelligence network, and it is also the center of our entire intelligence network. We must not reveal his identity under any circumstances. In special times, even if we pay the price of blood, we must keep him .Once the Japanese discover his identity and use this as a breakthrough to contain and search us, it is very likely that our entire underground intelligence network in Wuchang and even in southern Hubei will be wiped out." Speaking of this, Zhou Shujuan deeply took a deep breath. "It's not that we don't trust you, but we can't take any risks. He is too important. If we want to deceive the Japanese devils, we must also deceive our own people. Two years ago, there was a leader of the Japanese puppet who secretly Contacted our comrade, he said that he could not bear the torment of his conscience, he was unwilling to help the tyrant, and hoped to surrender to us. But soon after, he was known by the Japanese. It was not that there were spies among us, it was just passed on one by one. , someone told his family the news, and the family passed the news to the neighbors, and finally people who shouldn't know knew it. He was brutally killed by the Japanese, and even all the people related to him were captured by the devils , is still missing.”

Ye Rongqiu clenched his fists: "Are you afraid that I will speak out?"

Zhou Shujuan said: "No. But we would rather not take even one ten-thousandth risk, do you understand?"

Ye Rongqiu was silent.

Zhou Shujuan said: "This is only one of the reasons, and there is another reason that is more important than this. Neither he nor I want to involve you. I hope you can go back to Chongqing."

Ye Rongqiu froze for a moment: "So you told me that my brother is waiting for me in Chongqing?"

Zhou Shujuan nodded: "I lied to you. In fact, I have never been to Chongqing. Zhong Wuha has been there before. When he came to your door, he saw your father's tablet and saw that Brother Ye is still alive. I made up all the other words Lied to you. We want you to go somewhere a little safer."

Ye Rongqiu bit his lip.Heigou has been to Chongqing, that is to say, after Heigou survived, he never gave up looking for himself.He asked: "I'm not the Ye Rongqiu you knew at the beginning. Shujuan, it's like you are not the same as you used to be. Why do you want me to escape alone?"

Zhou Shujuan whispered: "You have to believe that in this world, the person I am least willing to deceive is you. It is the same for Zhong Wuha. I know you are also very important to him."

Ye Rongqiu sighed: "Let's not talk about this. I want to know, how did the black dog become Shansi Xing and Nianbai? Why did everyone tell me that he killed many Chinese people?"

Speaking of this, Zhou Shujuan didn't answer right away, she was silent for a moment, looked up at the ceiling, Ye Rongqiu saw tears in her eyes.

"You know about Lao Lin, right?" Zhou Shujuan asked.

Ye Rongqiu nodded.Tang Changtian told him that Lao Lin was the leader of the underground party in Wuchang City before Nianbai.Tang Changtian told him that Lao Lin was killed by Shansi Xing, the black dog.

Zhou Shujuan said: "At that time, Wuchang City was not like it is now. We had very few comrades, and there were very few people who understood and supported. Lao Lin was shot by the Japanese puppets. We had no medicine and could not save him. At that time, his injuries had already passed. The deterioration was very severe, and he could not live for three to five days. He said that he did not want to sacrifice in vain, and hoped that his sacrifice would be rewarded. At that time, there were only three people with Lao Lin, and the three of us were the earliest Nianbai. The number of traitors is very large, but we are weak and have no way to penetrate the enemy. Zhong Wuha can speak Japanese, and he speaks like a devil. Several times he pretended to be a devil and helped us resolve the crisis. Lao Lin That is to say, ask Zhong Wuha to come forward, hand him over to the devils, deceive the devils into their trust, and sneak into the ranks of the puppet Japanese."

Ye Rongqiu listened quietly.Every time Zhou Shujuan said a word, he was thinking, what was the mood of the black dog at that time?

Zhou Shujuan smiled wryly: "We didn't know what it meant at the time. We opposed it because we were reluctant to hand over Lao Lin to the devil, and we hoped that he could survive the difficulties. Only Zhong Wuha didn't say anything. One person hides and thinks all day. Maybe only he himself realizes how heavy a price he has to pay for doing so."

Hearing this, Ye Rongqiu's heart twitched.

"Later, Zhong Wuha still did this. Before leaving, he told Lao Lin that he would rather be the one who died, because all the costs were borne by the living. At that time, another of our comrades We scolded him a few words because we thought he was scared. Later, Zhong Wuha succeeded. He was even more successful than Lao Lin expected. They collected a lot of useful information, which is not only related to this Wuchang City, but the situation in southern Hubei. Nianbai became an organization to confuse the devils and enemy agents. They gritted their teeth at Nianbai. Relax your vigilance, and then there will be a new Nianbai to continue leading the anti-Japanese cause..."

Ye Rongqiu's eye sockets were moist.He knows how great the black dog is.And he also knew how much the black dog had suffered in the past few years.

Zhou Shujuan took a deep breath: "He is the most important person, but relatively, he has suffered the most. What he has experienced in the past few years, if it were me—or anyone else, I believe maybe... No, we must have collapsed long ago. Before the end of the war, he had to be spurned by his compatriots, and sometimes he had to point swords and guns at his compatriots in order to gain the trust of the Japanese. If he unfortunately died during this period, he could only If he dies as a traitor who has been infamous for thousands of years, no one can justify his name before the victory of the revolution. And if a few insiders die, I am afraid that after a hundred years, his tomb will still be trampled and reviled, but no one Know that he is actually a real hero. On the way to becoming a hero, he will be betrayed by his relatives, and he will be forced to betray his relatives."

Ye Rongqiu knew that the last sentence was for him.So the black dog couldn't recognize him, and pushed him away again and again.

He shook his head slowly and slowly: "I will never turn my back on him."

The room was so quiet that there was only the sound of breathing, and no one spoke for a long time.

After an unknown amount of time, there was a knock on the door, and Tang Changtian's voice came in: "The meal is ready, come out and have some."