A Lonely Hero's Journey Episode 32 Recap
> A Lonely Hero's Journey Recap
Lu Junnuo, held captive, was initially cared for by a woman she identified as Aunt Liu. Lu deduced that Lyuzhu had previously lived in the same location based on the presence of opera costumes. Lu inquired about Lyuzhu's whereabouts, but Aunt Liu claimed ignorance, stating her sole duty was to attend to Lu.
During this time, Lu realized that "Aunt Liu" was actually Liu Xiujuan, a 76 agent serving as her guard, likely on Mr. Li's orders, having recognized her from a newspaper photo. The woman posing as Lu Junnuo also explicitly revealed her true name was Xiao Ruotong to Liu Xiujuan. Simultaneously, Mr. Li contacted Luo Wuqiang, informing him that Lu Junnuo had been found safe in Suzhou.
Luo demanded Lu's immediate return to Changshu for his children, expressing reluctance to revisit Suzhou due to the Japanese having killed sixty-seven of his men there. Mr. Li made counter-offers, including meeting in Shanghai or Nanjing and mentioning approval from Chairman Wang for Luo's previous requests regarding funds and weapons. Luo dismissed these, proposing an exchange: Mr. Li safely return Lyuzhu to Suzhou in exchange for Luo safely returning Lu Junnuo to Changshu.
Mr. Li dismissed Lyuzhu's importance compared to Lu and warned Luo against trusting the Communist Party, promising to return Lu unharmed at their next meeting and urging Luo to consider his position. After the call, Luo Wuqiang told Director Lin that Mr. Li was a contemptible individual. He insisted that the safe return of Lu Junnuo was a non-negotiable condition for his forces to change allegiance, even while acknowledging that it was the optimal time for an uprising.
Director Lin reported on the scouting efforts regarding Xiao Ruotong, revealing she was held under strict guard by No. 76 personnel, including Zhou Zhifei, in Villa No. 3. Director Lin decided they would focus on rescuing Xiao Ruotong as quickly as possible while continuing efforts to persuade Luo Wuqiang towards an uprising.
Ms. Wu visited Gu Yizhong to inform him that Xiao Ruotong had been captured by No. 76 and was imprisoned in Villa No. 3, the former residence of Lyuzhu. She mentioned their squad was in Suzhou and prepared to launch a forceful attack if necessary.
Gu Yizhong explained the extreme difficulty and high cost of such an attack, detailing the heavy security around Villa No. 3, its proximity to the Suzhou Head Office of the Pacification Operation Committee and the notorious collaborator Wang Manyun's guarded residence, as well as surrounding sentries and nearby Japanese Military Police. Acknowledging the urgency, especially with Commander Luo's planned uprising imminent and Mr. Li holding Xiao hostage, Gu assured Ms. Wu he would find a way to rescue her.
Gu Yizhong presented urgent intelligence to Kondo Masao, proposing a strategy to gain control over Luo Wuqiang's forces by leveraging Luo's apparent relationship with his governess, Lu Junnuo. Gu revealed Lu Junnuo was secretly held by Mr. Li and guarded by Zhou Zhifei, noting Zhou had concealed this fact from Kondo. Gu portrayed Mr. Li as aiming to build his own army against Japan, hindering the Pacification Operation and maintaining contact with Chongqing.
Gu then exposed Zhou Zhifei's illicit activities, detailing how Zhou, using his brother-in-law Ji Yuping's Shengyoulong Trading Co., had repeatedly resold military provisions like rice, cotton, and medicine, profiting substantially and causing severe price inflation detrimental to Japan's reputation. Gu argued that attempting to retrieve Lu Junnuo directly from Mr. Li was risky and could result in her death, referencing the 1941 Jiang Boxian case.
He urged Kondo to act decisively to take Lu from Mr. Li and asked for Sergeant Iwai's immediate assistance, stating he had an informant who knew where Lu was held. Kondo agreed to the plan but issued a grave warning: if Gu's information proved false, Kondo would retaliate against Gu's wife Haimo, their child, and burn Gu's Garden. Gu confirmed his understanding. Accompanied by Japanese soldiers led by Sergeant Iwai, Gu Yizhong went to Villa No. 3.
Ignoring the guards' attempts to impede him, Gu asserted his authority, stating he was acting under Kondo's direct orders and was there to retrieve someone. He encountered the woman held captive, who had been posing as Lu Junnuo and had already revealed her true identity as Xiao Ruotong to Liu Xiujuan, the 76 agent guarding her. Liu Xiujuan attempted to prevent them from leaving, citing Mr. Li's instructions, but Gu disregarded her.
Zhou Zhifei confronted Gu, who stated he was acting under Kondo's direct orders. As Gu and the soldiers escorted Xiao Ruotong out, Zhou Zhifei again tried to intervene, asking Gu to turn Xiao over to him, but Gu cited Kondo's explicit command as preventing him from doing so. Zhou warned Gu against overconfidence. As Gu Yizhong and the escort party moved outside and approached a vehicle, a shot rang out. Xiao Ruotong was struck by a sniper's bullet.
Critically wounded, she clutched a letter and urged Gu to deliver it to Commander Luo, stressing its importance. Despite Gu's attempts to seek medical help, Xiao Ruotong died moments later. Upon returning home, Gu Yizhong was asked by Haimo about Xiao Ruotong. Gu informed her of Xiao's death. Saddened, Haimo went outside, looking at the sky and weeping silently. Inside, Gu withdrew to his room, visibly grieving as he looked at a photograph of Xiao Ruotong and remembered her.
Luo Wuqiang anxiously awaited news. Director Lin arrived, informing him that "Teacher Lu" (Lu Junnuo) had perished. Director Lin then revealed that Lu Junnuo's real name was Xiao Ruotong and that she was a comrade of the New Fourth Army. Luo reacted with shock but said he had suspected something, mentioning another comrade named Xiao who had saved him and confirming they were siblings. Luo expressed profound distress, feeling responsible for their deaths.
Director Lin presented Luo with a letter Xiao Ruotong had written specifically for him. Reading the letter, Luo learned Xiao's identity was indeed Xiao Ruotong, and her dying wish was to sacrifice for the anti-Japanese cause. She thanked him for his care but stated her heart belonged irrevocably to another. She appealed to his sense of duty as a soldier, urging him to recognize the greater cause of defending the nation against the invaders rather than fighting his own people.
Deeply affected by the letter's message, Luo Wuqiang immediately issued an order for his entire 33rd Independent Division to join the New Fourth Army and the Anti-Japanese National United Front to resist Japan definitively. News of the division's defection spread rapidly. Amidst these developments, Gao Hu decided to enlist in the New Fourth Army. Lyuzhu inquired about her own fate.
Gao Hu gave her a note from Gu Yizhong, instructing her to find Lu Hantian, the general manager of the Gu family's Shanghai Trade House, in Shanghai, who would arrange her future. Luo Wuqiang confirmed Lyuzhu's intention to return to Suzhou and arranged for a driver to transport her safely back, also giving her ten thousand legal tender as a personal thank you for saving his life.
Returning to Suzhou, Lyuzhu went to her home, only to find Mrs. Li present. Mrs. Li recognized her, confirming she was from Shanghai and married to Mr. Li. Lyuzhu was unable to escape and was quickly apprehended by Mrs. Li's people. Meanwhile, Zhou Zhifei and his brother-in-law, Ji Yuping, discussed the military rice situation. Ji Yuping was panicked after Gu Yizhong and a Japanese sergeant visited their Shengyoulong Trading Co. and asked questions, suspecting they knew something.
Zhou was initially dismissive but became furious when Ji revealed they still had over one thousand dan of military rice stored in a Suzhou warehouse, kept back hoping for a price increase. Zhou angrily ordered Ji to dispose of the rice immediately. Ji suggested bribing Gu Yizhong, but Zhou stated it was futile as Gu hated him for the death of Xiao Ruotong. Soon after, Japanese soldiers arrived and arrested Ji Yuping.
A subordinate reported to Zhou Zhifei about Ji's arrest concerning the military rice case and that Sergeant Iwai and Military Police had gone to Zhou's office, suspecting Ji had confessed. Zhou went to investigate. Sergeant Iwai reported to Kondo Masao that Ji Yuping had easily confessed to reselling military supplies including rice, cotton, and medicine. Enraged, Kondo ordered Zhou Zhifei's secret arrest. Sensing his capture was imminent, Zhou Zhifei frantically told his wife, Yuqing, to gather valuables for an escape.
Their attempt was cut short when Sergeant Iwai and Japanese Military Police broke into their residence and arrested Zhou Zhifei, taking him for interrogation. In the interrogation room, Zhou Zhifei, trying to save himself and his wife, offered to trade information about a high-level communist agent codenamed "Lonely Boat" operating within the Suzhou Agent Station.
Admitting to the military rice sales but claiming he was tricked by Gu Yizhong, Zhou offered to identify and deliver "Lonely Boat" in exchange for freedom for him and Yuqing to live in the countryside. Kondo agreed. Zhou identified Gu Yizhong as his suspect. He claimed Wang Mingzhong, the communist liaison who had died at No. 90 after being sought by Luo Wuqiang, was "Lonely Boat's" superior, and a book of poems found on Wang was a liaison token.
Zhou proposed a plan: stage a contact call to Gu Yizhong, claiming a communist contact with a poem collection was seeking him, to verify if Gu possessed the matching book, thereby confirming his identity as "Lonely Boat." Zhou instructed Sergeant Iwai where to find the book of poems in his office. Kondo found Zhou's plan clever.
