Li Shiqun and Ding Mocun were summoned to Nanjing by the furious Wang Jingwei, and Shanghai was able to regain peace. However, the only thing that made Shanghai people dissatisfied was that Wu Sibao still did not die. He struggled in the hospital for ten days and was still out of danger. This can't help but make ordinary people who have lingering fears about him feel a little disappointed.

The uproar after Ding Shijun's death seemed to have settled with the departure of Ding and Li, but Lin Xiaotang knew clearly that this was just the beginning of a new round of fighting.

The war in Europe intensified. After Germany occupied Denmark and Norway, it had direct contact with the British and French forces. After successively conquering the Netherlands and Belgium, the German army bypassed the iron-walled Maginot Line and directly invaded northern France. , the "lightning tactics" and mechanized combat strategies it adopted caught the British and French coalition forces off guard and were split into two sections by the German steel torrent. Its main force of more than 300,000 elite troops was trapped in the port city of northeastern France. Dunkirk.

As the German army advanced in Europe, Japan, as its Asian ally, suddenly became excited. After a period of rest, the Japanese army began to launch attacks frequently, and the war between the two lakes resumed.

The Public Concession and the French Concession were facing formidable enemies. News of the defeat of the British and French armies in Europe had reached Shanghai. The Public Concession Industry Bureau and the French Concession Public Security Bureau ordered the patrol houses to strengthen daily patrols and inspections, and began to strictly investigate Japanese and Despite the comings and goings of puppet government officials, they still tried their best to avoid conflicts with the Japanese, and Shili Foreign Market fell into a strange balance.

At this time, Feng Yunxiu and Wan Quan, who had gone to Chongqing, returned to Shanghai, but did not bring back the answers Lin Xiaotang needed.

After Feng Yunxiu and Wan Quan traveled all the way to Chongqing, Wan Quan met with the recipient of the goods through the arranged contact method. It was at a foot shop at Chaotianmen Pier in Chongqing, because it was Pei Zhongyan and others through Zhou Sijing and the Kwantung Army. It was the first transaction, so the person Pei Zhongyan arranged to receive the goods was also very careful.

Previously, the news of Zhou Sijing's "accidental" death had been reported in the newspapers in Peiping, and Chongqing had also received the news. Pei Zhongyan's failure to show up was as expected by Lin Xiaotang.

After the handover of the goods was completed, he used the prepared vehicle to deliver the goods to a hidden location. Feng Yunxiu followed Lin Xiaotang's order and arranged for Chongqing lurking personnel to closely monitor all of this.

Wan Quan, on the other hand, only saw the hard-working boss and no other higher-level figures. In view of Zhou Sijing's death, the Peking contact point and transportation routes needed to be redesigned, so Wan Quan smoothly pushed Feng Yunxiu to the front desk. , and explained that Feng Yunxiu took over Zhou Sijing's position, which was also the Kwantung Army's choice.

The boss of Jilixing didn't say anything, he just said that he would report it as soon as possible.

Not long after, the boss of Ji Lixing replied. After investigating and verifying Feng Yunxiu, he was agreed to replace Zhou Sijing as Peiping's liaison. Of course, Chongqing would pay him certain benefits.

After Takashima came out of the customs, he sent a telegram to Lin Xiaotang, saying that the industrial and commercial economies of the three northeastern provinces are based on military management. Although materials are abundant and the land is fertile, in order to support the expanding scale of the war, the economy and production capacity of the three northeastern provinces are still Somewhat stretched.

Therefore, he hoped that Lin Xiaotang could join the material control plan planned by the Kwantung Army as soon as possible. If necessary, materials from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions could be transported outside the Kwantung. This made Lin Xiaotang very surprised, but he thought that the Japanese would use this method to carry out internal affairs. Fighting, I still feel very comfortable in my heart.

In response to Takashimasuke's suggestion, Lin Xiaotang responded quickly and would send personnel to Northeast China as soon as possible for on-the-spot inspections to determine the cooperation plan. If necessary, he could make the trip in person.

…

At noon, news suddenly came from the secret contact point responsible for contacting Todazu that Tachibana Riku had urgent matters and wanted to meet with Lin Xiaotang.

…

Riku Tachibana placed a plate of sliced ​​pufferfish sashimi in front of Lin Xiaotang, "The pufferfish is the most plump season, try it. I promised you to eat it last time."

Lin Xiaotang picked up a piece of snow-white fish meat and slowly put it into his mouth. While chewing, he showed an intoxicated expression, but he clearly said one sentence in his mouth, "You came to see me for something."

Tachibana Riku pretended to clean the table and approached Lin Xiaotang, "Mr. Pan returned to the base some time ago. Before leaving, he repeatedly told me to come to you if there is something urgent."

Lin Xiaotang smiled and said, "Mr. Pan told me last time, but I didn't expect you to come to the door so soon."

Tachibana Riku revealed a sense of helplessness, "To be honest, Mr. Pan has no choice. Our line of communication is a single line and we are short of manpower. In addition, someone has been arrested recently. We don't know the specific situation yet, so I have to ask you for help." .”

Lin Xiaotang nodded, "No problem, there's nothing you need me to do."

"In a few days, we will have a local intelligence officer come to Shanghai. Mr. Pan's people will contact him. He has a piece of valuable intelligence in his hands. I hope you can secretly protect their safety and ensure that the intelligence leaves Shanghai safely. , this matter is top secret, so we hope you can dispatch the most capable and reliable personnel to participate in this mission."

"This is absolutely no problem." Lin Xiaotang replied simply, "I can bring in a group of fresh faces to make things easier."

Riku Tachibana took out a photo from his shirt pocket and handed it to Lin Xiaotang. Lin Xiaotang took it and looked at the photo. It showed a man in his thirties, with broad eyebrows and elegant temperament, like a university professor.

"He is the leader of a sleeper team here. He is the best among us and has outstanding achievements. You can call him An Yiming. From today on, he will be one of your protection targets."

After saying that, Tachibana Riku pushed over a box of matches, which are special matches for Huizhong Hotel Bar, "Here, you can find him, I'll take care of everything."

Tachibana Riku stood up and bowed solemnly to Lin Xiaotang.

…

The bar of Huizhong Hotel was very lively. As a frequent visitor, Lin Xiaotang had come there before when discussing business, but this time it was to find someone.

In the crowd, Huoyan and Guo Zhuichong shook their heads at Lin Xiaotang. It had been half an hour since they came in, but they still couldn't find the man named An Yiming.

Suddenly, a soft piano sound sounded, and Lin Xiaotang followed the sound. A man was sitting in front of the piano on the stage in the venue, his fingers tapping the keys as fast as flowing water. Lin Xiaotang listened carefully, and it turned out to be Debussy's. "moonlight".

Lin Xiaotang quietly listened to the music passing through the venue, but it seemed that not many people really appreciated the music. Many people regarded it as just accompaniment, and the venue was still full of the noise of whispers.

Lin Xiaotang frowned, picked up the wine glass, quietly walked to the edge of the stage, and began to listen to this music that he had not heard for a long time. The performer seemed not to expect that anyone would like his performance, and looked up in surprise at Lin Xiaotang not far away. .

Lin Xiaotang raised his glass to him, nodded and smiled. The performer also gave Lin Xiaotang a knowing smile. He was a very charming middle-aged man. When he smiled, he showed some neat, white teeth and his eyes were not very big. But his eyes were very bright, and there seemed to be a sense of warmth.

Yes, exactly the same as in the photo, he is An Yiming.

Lin Xiaotang closed his eyes, and the music penetrated into his mind from his ears, and poured into his heart like a clear spring, which was particularly cool and warm.

In an instant, Lin Xiaotang remembered many things. The first time he heard this song "Moonlight" was when his sister-in-law played it to him. That was when his elder brother was transferred back to Nanjing from the army. Every time after dinner, his sister-in-law would play it for the two brothers. The last song, "Moonlight" was my eldest brother's favorite, so it was also deeply remembered by Lin Xiaotang.

It's been a long time since I heard this familiar piece of music. Although he closed his eyes, Lin Xiaotang still felt the moisture in the corners of his eyes. He couldn't help but call softly in his heart: "Brother, sister-in-law, are you okay?"

Unknowingly, the song ended, but Lin Xiaotang still couldn't get rid of the shock and emotion the music brought to her, until a slightly magnetic voice sounded, "Hello".

Lin Xiaotang opened his eyes. An Yiming was standing in front of Lin Xiaotang at some point. He smiled and said to Lin Xiaotang, "Sir, are you okay?"

Lin Xiaotang shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, you played so well that I couldn't help but immerse myself in it."

An Yiming stretched out his hand politely, "Thank you very much for enjoying my performance. Let's get to know each other. Hello, I, An Yiming."

"Lin Xiaotang, from Nanjing, hello."

An Yiming looked at the cup in Lin Xiaotang's hand, "Whiskey is not suitable for drinking while listening to music. Let me buy you a drink."

He called the waiter over, "Please bring over the wine I saved."

The waiter obviously knew him, and after a while he brought out a bottle of foreign wine. An Yiming poured a glass for Lin Xiaotang, "Here, try it, the fifteen-year-old Mulantan."

Lin Xiaotang's eyes lit up, "Cuban rum is still fifteen years old. It's very rare. Mr. An is a wine lover."

An Yiming was very surprised, "Mr. Lin is very knowledgeable, which is rare. I thought I had met a music lover, but I didn't expect that you also know how to drink."

Lin Xiaotang sighed, looked at An Yiming, and said with a pun: "In today's world, music can heal trauma, and alcohol can make people temporarily forget their worries. I don't know which one Mr. An prefers."

An Yiming smiled and said, "If it were me, I would rather choose the third option." As he said this, he quietly pulled out a pistol with his hand.

An Yiming lowered his voice, "Thank you sir for your help. My superiors have informed me, but for now, all our work is still normal. If there is really a need, I will definitely ask sir for help."
Chapter completed!