Chapter 163 Investigation Begins
When Bai Yuan came up with the results of the interrogation, Shen Hanwen was not at the Shanghai station.
After capturing two Japanese spies, the other two teams returned to Nanjing. He stayed in Shanghai to continue monitoring Yan Kuian to see if he could find any new Japanese spies around him.
Shen Hanwen is now full of energy. Yan Kuian is surrounded by his spies. He does not stare at Yan Kuian, but only at the surroundings, preparing to stage a good show of a mantis stalking a cicada while the oriole is behind.
The next morning, Loach hurried back to the office to report on his work.
"Team Leader, after checking all day yesterday, we found that thirteen of Zhang Bai's customers had purchased newspapers. Additionally, two of Zhang Bai's regular customers were among the companies and organizations that ordered newspapers, bringing the total number of people to fifteen."
"I've arranged for someone to verify whether the other customers I didn't see bought newspapers. Yesterday, it was confirmed that 47 of Zhang Bai's regular customers don't have the habit of buying newspapers. These people can basically be ruled out."
"Okay, let's investigate these fifteen people first. Don't rule out any of them for now."
Chu Lingyun nodded and said that there was a Chinese among Zhang Bai's subordinates. The investigation method used on Japanese spies would not work on him. Everything about his past and present could be true.
In this case, it is indeed impossible to rule out all suspects.
"Yes, Team Leader."
Loach was a little confused, but didn't ask too many questions. He just did what he was told to do. Loach did a good job of being obedient.
For two consecutive days, the entire Loach team was busy. Chu Lingyun also transferred ten people from Shen Hanwen's team to him to help him verify the matter as soon as possible.
It wasn't until the evening that Niu Qiu dragged his exhausted body to Chu Lingyun to report: "Team Leader, I've verified that the actual number of people who bought newspapers is seventeen, and two of them didn't buy them at the newsstand we were monitoring."
"Where did these two people buy the newspapers?" Chu Lingyun asked immediately.
Most people buy newspapers from nearby places. The fact that they travel far away to buy newspapers is itself suspicious.
"One bought it at work, and the other bought it at the park. I had someone secretly search their homes and found that only one of them had more newspapers."
If there are many newspapers, it means that they buy them frequently, which makes them more suspicious, but if there are few newspapers, it does not rule out suspicion either.
Maybe he sold it, or threw it away.
In short, no one will be excluded until Zhang Bai's four offline players are confirmed.
"This is the detailed information of seventeen people. I have arranged for someone to investigate them, including their past, hometown, and everything about their present."
Loach knew how to find Japanese spies. After getting the list, he immediately started the investigation and has now checked the current situation of several people.
"Well done, go back and rest early. Leave the list with me."
Chu Lingyun nodded. Seventeen suspects was not a large number, but not a small number either.
And those four people are most likely hiding among these seventeen people. If you calculate it this way, the proportion is actually very high, and it is not difficult for them to find the Japanese spies.
The difficulty lies in how to find all the Japanese spies.
Early in the morning of the third day, Chu Lingyun came to Niuqiu's temporary office, which was still behind Deyuanchi. The monitoring had stopped, but the investigation of Zhang Bai's customers had to continue. This was the central location for Zhang Bai's customers, so Niuqiu simply set up his office here.
"Team leader."
As soon as Chu Lingyun came in, the people inside hurriedly stood up.
The house, which was originally full, now has only four people left. They have to answer the phone and record and organize the information collected from the outside investigation.
Including the loach, none of them are here now.
"Show me the information you've already researched."
The information soon reached Chu Lingyun's hands. Although it was not a long time, it had already become a thick book. All the information obtained from the investigation was first summarized here, and Niu Qiu would finally organize and archive it and then hand it over to Chu Lingyun.
The first piece of information is about the customer at Zhang Bai Theater.
His name is Zhao Pinsong. He mainly sings Hongshan Opera and is the mainstay of Hongshan Opera in their theater.
Hongshan Opera originated in the eastern part of AH, very close to Nanjing.
Hongshan Opera is very popular in Nanjing. Zhao Pinsong is forty years old and has been performing opera for more than thirty years. Just looking at his information, he is innocent and does not look like a spy at all.
Zhao Pinsong's family was poor, and he was sold to a theater when he was three years old. He lived in the theater ever since until he learned skills and became the leading actor. Only then did his life improve.
It is difficult for the Japanese to disguise such a background. If Kawai Jiro had not suddenly revealed that there were Chinese people among Zhang Bai's subordinates, Zhao Pinsong could have been directly ruled out.
The fact that there was a Chinese among the Japanese spies really gave Chu Lingyun a headache.
Actors did not have a high status in this era, but many dignitaries liked to listen to operas and sometimes invited opera troupes to their homes to perform, which gave actors the opportunity to gather intelligence.
As long as there is a little suspicion, Chu Lingyun will not give up the investigation.
Zhao Pinsong's information was very simple. He had always been in the theater, and his past could be easily found out to confirm that it was him.
Not finding any problems, Chu Lingyun continued to look at the next document.
These two documents belong to a teacher who works at Sanjiang Normal University.
In this era, university teachers have high incomes and good conditions. In this era of widespread illiteracy, being a university teacher is very respected.
His name is Si Lihua, he is 32 years old, his hometown is Peking, and he is a city dweller.
Si Lihua has been in Nanjing for six years. In addition to teaching, he also takes on some private tutoring work, giving extra lessons to children from privileged families.
There is a precedent of Japanese agents lurking as teachers. When in Wuhan, Du Juan was a middle school teacher.
The third one is Du Fang, a local, 30 years old.
Generally, local people have the least suspicion, but he bought newspapers outside yesterday and has a lot of newspapers stored at home.
Du Fang works in a bank. Among the more than 100 pieces of intelligence, there are nearly 20 pieces about Nanjing's financial system. Du Fang is also highly suspected.
After reading through them one by one and finishing all the information he had found, Chu Lingyun immediately found out Si Lihua's information.
Among the seventeen people, Chu Lingyun is the most suspicious of him.
Kawamoto Jiro confessed that he arrived in Nanjing five years ago. There was only one intelligence officer who came later than him, and two of them arrived in Nanjing six years ago.
Gu Cheng is one of them, and his identity has been confirmed. Among these seventeen people, only Si Lihua came to Nanjing six years ago.
"Team leader, you're here."
Loach got the news of Chu Lingyun's arrival from his subordinates and hurried back.
"How far has Si Lihua's investigation progressed?"
Loach immediately replied, "I've already sent two people to monitor Si Lihua. Since his hometown is Peking, I sent someone there yesterday to investigate. They haven't arrived yet, but I estimate we'll have news back tomorrow at the latest."
To investigate suspects, especially those who are not local, Loach will send people to their local area to verify. This is the basic direction of the investigation.