Jiro Sakai walked in excitedly, bowed with both feet and saluted, and said: "Report to Major, according to the information provided by Qiao Jiancheng, we have just taken down the underground printing station of the Communist Party and arrested seven people on the spot."
Hattori Hikoo nodded and said: "Very good. Are all seven of them Communists?"
"They all cried out that they were wronged, saying that they were hired workers and didn't know anything."
Hattori Hikoo sneered: "You don't know anything? That's nonsense! You printed the leaflet yourself and you don't even know what's written on it?"
Jiro Sakai: "Then what do you think we should do with these people?"
"I'll put you in jail first, and you'll have to go through torture!"
"But... there are already hundreds of people detained in the gendarmerie prison. Shouldn't we deal with a batch of them and free up some cells?"
"You are responsible for this matter. Submit the list in the next two days and I will arrange a centralized processing."
"Understood!" Jiro Sakai turned to leave.
Hattori Hikoo stopped him and said, "Go and bring Qiao Jiancheng."
"yes!"
A few minutes later, Qiao Jiancheng, who had changed into clean clothes, was brought in. He was twenty-six or seventeen years old, with regular features, thick eyebrows and big eyes, but his body looked very thin.
Hattori Hikoo waved his hand to signal Sakai to go out, and then said kindly to Qiao Jiancheng: "Mr. Qiao, please sit down."
Qiao Jiancheng smiled bitterly and said, "Thank you, Major. I can just stand and talk."
Hattori Hikoo knew that Qiao Jiancheng's injuries from the torture had not yet healed, and the chair hurt like needles and he couldn't sit down at all, so he could only lie down or stand.
Hattori Hikoo was not polite to him and said, "I read your confession. You said you were Lao Qiu's traffic officer, but why don't you even know his appearance?"
Qiao Jiancheng said: "Every time he knocks on the door a few times, he writes down what he needs me to do on paper and stuffs it into the crack of the door. When I go out, the person is gone."
"A very cautious person...Does Lao Qiu not believe you?" Hattori Hikoo said after thinking for a while.
"I only joined the organization last month, and he may have to examine me for some time..." Qiao Jiancheng lowered his head in shame. Facts have proved that he has indeed failed to withstand the test.
"Who was your introducer?"
"Captain Cao Shangfei of the Dawang Township guerrillas... Oh, his real name is Cao Yunfei. Cao Shangfei was his nickname when he was a bandit."
"How did you and Cao Yunfei meet?"
"We are fellow villagers. Our hometowns are in Chahar. We got to know each other when we went back and forth. Originally, I wanted to join the guerrillas. He said that I was too weak and wanted me to work as a traffic officer for Lao Qiu...Major, these things...
I said it all in the interrogation room."
Hattori Hikoo said calmly: "I will feel more organized if I hear you say it yourself. I'm sorry, but don't think it's troublesome for me."
Qiao Jiancheng said repeatedly: "I don't dare, I don't dare."
"After you receive Lao Qiu's order, go and convey it to the traffic officer at the next stop. His name is... Li Dalong, right?"
"Yes. However, I heard that on the night of the Qingxiang Movement, he was killed by ghosts...oh, no, by the imperial army."
Hattori Hikoo ignored Qiao Jiancheng's slip of the tongue and sighed: "If Dawang Township hadn't opened fire in advance, we could have captured that Li Dalong alive. He must have known more information! How disgusting!"
Qiao Jiancheng didn't say anything. He knew the deceased Li Dalong very well. He was a revolutionary warrior with a firm will. Even if he was arrested, it was unlikely that he would raise his hands and surrender as soon as he was halfway on the tiger bench.
"How did you know about the underground printing point?" Hattori Hikoo felt regretful for a while and then continued to ask.
"One time Wang Dalong had dysentery and was unable to send information to the printing office, so he asked me to go."
Hattori Hikoo smiled and said: "Mr. Qiao, you are very lucky. Without this information, you might not have the chance to stand here and talk to me!"
Qiao Jiancheng broke out in a cold sweat. He understood the meaning of Hattori Hikoo's words. Even if he rebelled, he would not be able to provide any valuable information and would still be dead in the end. It was impossible for the Japanese to keep a communist who could not prove whether he sincerely surrendered.
Party member.
Hattori Hikoo personally poured a cup of tea and handed it to Qiao Jiancheng and said: "Second Lieutenant Sakai just destroyed the underground printing station of the Communist Party and arrested seven Communists. I will give you a credit for this."
Qiao Jiancheng took the tea bowl with both hands, but he was still worried. He destroyed the printing office and arrested seven people. The underground party would definitely not let him off lightly.
Hattori Hikoo saw his worry and said comfortingly: "Don't worry, the military police will provide you with protection. A few Communist Party members dare to openly commit murder in Yanjin."
"Thank you, Major." Qiao Jiancheng now understood that if he wanted to save his life, he had to cling to the Japanese wholeheartedly.
"Now let's talk about all the details of your connection with Lao Qiu."
"Major, Lao Qiu knows me, but I don't know him. Details... Where do we start talking about this?"
Hattori Hikoo smiled and shook his head and said: "No, no, no, even if we don't meet, there will definitely be details."
Qiao Jiancheng was confused and said, "I still don't understand what you mean."
Hattori Hikoo was further inspired and said: "For example, when does Lao Qiu usually show up, or whether there are any obvious characteristics on the letter he leaves you, seemingly inconspicuous little things are all details."
Qiao Jiancheng scratched his head and thought hard for a long time. Suddenly his eyes lit up and he said, "I remembered it!"
"What?"
"Disinfectant! There is always a faint smell of disinfectant on the letter paper."
"Are you sure it smells like disinfectant?"
"Sure! I've been to a nearby clinic to see a doctor. I couldn't stand the smell in the clinic. I asked the nurse and she told me it was the smell of disinfectant."
"Oh...what letter paper does Lao Qiu use?"
"Plain letter paper without any markings."
Hattori Hikoo walked to the window, looked at the cloudy sky and pondered for a long time, and said to himself: "That means that the letter paper is contaminated by the smell of disinfectant on Lao Qiu's body. If you calculate this, he should be in the hospital.
Only those who work in a clinic or pharmacy for a long time will still smell of disinfectant!"
"Your analysis is so right, this must be what happened!" Qiao Jiancheng said with a thumbs up. He had already begun to learn to flatter his new master. There is no need to learn this kind of thing, it is something he is born with.
Hattori Hikoo suddenly turned around and said, "Did you find your own place to live?"
"No, it was arranged by the organization."
"Where do you live?"
"In the alley behind the Qiaoxi Road tram station."
"I understand... Lao Qiu must live near Qiaoxi Road!"
Seeing that Hattori Hikoo was so sure, Qiao Jiancheng couldn't help but ask: "Why?"
"Normally, he would not let the traffic officer be too far away from him, because it would be inconvenient to convey the order..."