Hu Tong Episode 12 Recap
> Hu Tong Recap
As Wu Feng displayed the radio antenna before Zhai, Zhai realized his predicament and confessed. He revealed that the courtyard was a secret liaison station established by the Kuomintang Secrecy Bureau, and he had been tasked with remaining there in case of emergency. Zhai explained that Zheng Qiang, San, and a young scholar had arrived a month prior with a radio station and had not left the house since.
However, earlier that evening, Zheng Qiang suddenly received a message, prompting the three of them to hastily evacuate via the rooftop with their radio station. Wu Feng and Tie Dan confirmed the rooftop escape route, validating Zhai's account. Following the failed arrest, Chief Gao summoned Lin Zheng, Wu Feng, and Tie Dan to analyze how the information might have leaked. Further interrogation of Zhai and his servant yielded no new information; their accounts remained consistent.
Zhai emphasized that Zheng Qiang had received a message before his sudden departure, but he also stated that Zheng Qiang had not left the yard, nor had anyone visited. Wu Feng confirmed they found no homing pigeons. Additionally, the telecommunications team reported no radio signals detected in the area at the time of the tip-off. Chief Gao concluded that a lurking spy within their ranks must have leaked the information, as there was no other explanation.
Tie Dan questioned how such a spy would have known about the operation and argued that their core team couldn't be involved. Chief Gao stated that everyone who knew about and participated in the mission was under suspicion. He outlined their future focus: continue the pursuit of Zheng Qiang and covertly investigate the internal spy. Meanwhile, Tian Zao felt responsible for the escape.
Li Hongying comforted her, reminding her that spies were cunning, especially in the dark of night, and that she had done well. Chief Gao later learned that the city bureau's new Soviet-made radio direction-finding vehicle, despite its citywide search and detection of several other enemy stations, had not yet located Zheng Qiang's radio. The complex city environment and outdated equipment made it difficult.
It was reported that all police officers from the city bureau involved in the operation had been thoroughly vetted and cleared of suspicion. However, Lin Zheng noted that the situation was more complex on his end, as a large number of district office personnel, street activists, neighbors, and household registration staff, including Lao Qin, were aware of the mission, making the internal spy investigation challenging and time-consuming.
Tie Dan expressed frustration over the extensive list of individuals privy to the operation details. Chief Gao acknowledged the difficulty but insisted that uncovering the internal agent was crucial. He reaffirmed that the primary objective remained to locate Zheng Qiang's radio station, which was vital for the Kuomintang's communications with Taiwan. In a more personal development, Uncle Gui celebrated his new position as head chef at Dongfenglou Restaurant with a celebratory meal for his family.
Dapeng came to congratulate him, and Suo Qian encouraged Dapeng to marry Xiulan. Dapeng, in response, affectionately addressed Li Aunt and Uncle Gui as "Mom and Dad," much to Suo Qian's delight and Xiulan's obvious joy. Separately, Tie Dan proposed to Tian Zao. However, Tian Zao wished to postpone their marriage until she officially became a Communist Party member, a goal she was actively pursuing with Li Hongying as her introducer. Tie Dan, though disappointed, agreed.
Later, while collecting his monthly subsidy from the finance office, Tie Dan had a sudden realization. He immediately reported a new investigative lead to Chief Gao and Wu Feng: the spies' operational funds. He reasoned that after years of liberation, any initial funds the spies possessed must be nearly depleted, and new funds for weapons, recruitment, and daily expenses would be substantial.
Chief Gao agreed with this insight and instructed Tie Dan and Wu Feng to investigate banks with exchange business to Hong Kong and overseas, particularly focusing on Hong Kong connections. They divided their efforts. Suo Qian later treated Chunxi and Meihe to a meal at Dongfenglou, where Uncle Gui, after making an arrangement with the boss, only charged him for the ingredients.
Wu Feng and Tie Dan diligently checked all banks with exchange operations in both urban and suburban Beijing, but found no suspicious remittances. Chief Gao then directed them, along with Li from the telecommunications group, to re-examine all previously intercepted enemy radio telegrams, specifically looking for any references to money. After a late night of reviewing documents, Wu Feng and Tie Dan discovered a telegram addressed to "Shangguan Xiaolan" that used the codeword "egg."
Wu Feng inferred that "egg" was likely code for money. Chief Gao promptly ordered a check for Shangguan Xiaolan's bank accounts, but no such account was registered in Beijing. Speculating that the account might be in Tianjin, Tie Dan volunteered to go there overnight to investigate. Upon arriving in Tianjin, Tie Dan met with Chief Wan of the Tianjin Municipal Bureau's Public Security Section, who had already compiled a list of clients with overseas and Hong Kong exchange businesses.
Collaborating with Chief Wan's team, Tie Dan quickly located a significant remittance from Hong Kong, specifically HK$1,500, to "Beijing Changlan Trading Co., Ltd.," with Shangguan Xiaolan as the payee, confirmed by the company's seal and her name badge. Shortly after, Chief Gao received a call from Tianjin reporting another remittance of HK$2,500 from Hong Kong to the same company and payee.
Concurrently, Li intercepted a telegram from the Taiwan authorities to Zheng Qiang's radio station (0299), instructing them to collect operational funds. With this converging evidence, Chief Gao definitively concluded that Shangguan Xiaolan was a lurking Kuomintang spy with a direct connection to Zheng Qiang. He immediately assigned Wu Feng and Tie Dan to monitor Shangguan Xiaolan to uncover Zheng Qiang's whereabouts.
Tie Dan staked out the Changlan Trading Company, then followed Shangguan Xiaolan to a Tianjin bank where she retrieved the newly arrived funds. He then tracked her all the way back to Beijing, ensuring she remained unaware of his surveillance. Tie Dan reported his findings to Chief Gao, who reiterated the importance of closely monitoring Shangguan Xiaolan to lead them to Zheng Qiang.
Disguised as a rickshaw puller, Tie Dan continued to shadow Shangguan Xiaolan, observing her meeting a white-faced young man (scholar-like) at a restaurant. Wu Feng, suspecting the man's description matched the scholar Zhai had mentioned, decided to get a photograph for Zhai to identify. Unbeknownst to them, the young man was Shangguan Xiaolong, Shangguan Xiaolan's brother, who had been dispatched by Zheng Qiang to collect the funds but had not yet returned.
Feeling confined in his hideout, Zheng Qiang, despite San's objections, secretly left to meet a contact. They agreed to meet at a casino on the same day each month. After Shangguan Xiaolong's meal with his sister, Wu Feng secretly photographed him. Zhai later identified the man in the photograph as the scholar who had been with Zheng Qiang. Tie Dan then transported Shangguan Xiaolong home, with Wu Feng discreetly following. They arranged for surveillance of the courtyard where Shangguan Xiaolong resided and returned to report their findings to Chief Gao.
