Hu Tong Episode 2 Recap
> Hu Tong Recap
Despite her injuries, Tian Zao insisted on going out to witness the grand entry of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) into the city. Tie Dan, worried about her, urged her to recuperate, asking, "You're hurt like this, you don't recuperate, why do you have to go out?" Tian Zao retorted, "Today, the army is coming into the city, so lively, is it appropriate for me not to go?"
She then asked Tie Dan to fetch Xiulan to change her medicine, promising they would go together afterward. Tie Dan made her promise to be careful, to which Tian Zao confidently replied, "I won't get hurt with you around." After Tie Dan called Xiulan, who assured him she would be gentle, Li Aunt and Uncle Gui were preparing for the day. Tong Xiaoting brought up the "crackling gunfire" they heard last night.
Li Aunt dismissed it as nothing new, given the ongoing conflict outside the city. However, Tong Xiaoting noted the gunshots were "quite close" and found it unusual given the PLA's impending arrival. Uncle Gui speculated it was "Kuomintang skirmishers fighting against each other," a sentiment Tie Dan did not dispute. As Xiulan changed Tian Zao's medicine, she remarked on how quickly Tian Zao's wounds were healing, which Tian Zao attributed to her wrestling background.
Meihe innocently noted that Tie Dan had stayed with Tian Zao all night, showing his affection. Tian Zao then excitedly recounted how Tie Dan bravely confronted Han Qingkui despite a gun to his head, rushing to beat Han when he saw Tian Zao was hurt. Xiulan was surprised, calling Han Qingkui a local bully and finding it "quite new" that Tie Dan returned unharmed after beating him.
Tian Zao wondered why Han Qingkui had "coward back" and was afraid of Tie Dan, but Tie Dan hadn't explained. Xiulan warned Tian Zao to be careful, as Han Qingkui was not a good person. Ignoring Li Aunt's concerns about her injuries, Tian Zao, dressed in new clothes, insisted on seeing the army, declaring, "How can I not join in the fun?" Tie Dan promised to protect her, while Xiulan and Meihe also decided to join.
Tong Xiaoting invited Li Aunt to come along, despite Uncle Gui's decision to go to his stall due to the expected crowds and good business. Li Aunt, after seeing Uncle Gui off, agreed to join Tong Xiaoting. The streets of Beiping erupted in joyous celebration as the People's Liberation Army triumphantly marched into the city. Tian Zao, along with Xiulan and Meihe, returned home, still reeling from the magnificent spectacle.
Tian Zao animatedly described the "mighty and magnificent" tanks and cavalry, but Xiulan, who mostly saw the backs of people's heads, commented that Tian Zao was only able to see it all because Tie Dan had protected her through the crowds. Suddenly, Suo Qian, a co-resident, appeared. He had returned from Tianjin, where intense fighting forced him to flee.
He recounted how he was stranded outside Beiping for half a month due to the city's closure before finally slipping back in with the army. Famished, he immediately asked Li Aunt for food. Li Aunt promised to cook for him and asked Tian Zao and Xiulan to clean his dusty room.
As they were about to tend to Suo Qian's room, Da Yong rushed in with electrifying news for Tian Zao: "As soon as the army entered the city, they arrested Han Qingkui!" Tian Zao reacted with disbelief and then profound joy. A meeting of cadres was held where a leader announced that Beiping was officially liberated and the new regime had taken over. He detailed the severe situation in Beiping, citing intelligence that over two million armed bandits and 1.
2 million secret agents and counter-revolutionaries had infiltrated the city as the Kuomintang retreated. He emphasized the unprecedented complexity of the spy system and the grave challenges faced by the new administration. The assembled cadres, all frontline combat elites, were assigned to take over the old police system, a "heavy burden" crucial for the smooth establishment of the new regime, with Lin Zheng appointed as the new bureau chief.
In another meeting, a district head outlined the main task: assisting the Municipal Military Management Committee in conducting a city-wide household registration check, resuming work, reopening schools, and stabilizing the public to restore normal order swiftly. Lin Zheng then reported to the Political Commissar about his operations the previous night. During an advance scouting mission into the city, his team encountered a suspicious group led by Erbao, Han Qingkui's bodyguard leader.
When challenged, they opened fire, prompting Lin Zheng's team to retaliate and encircle them. An underground party contact identified Han Qingkui as a notorious local bully. Acting on this, Lin Zheng immediately surrounded Han Qingkui's house, where they seized a "large number of guns and weapons." Han Qingkui, however, proved "very stubborn" and "refused to confess" during interrogation. Besides his bodyguards, Han Qingkui's butler was also arrested.
The Political Commissar suspected Han Qingkui was an undercover Kuomintang spy, given the cache of weapons. He instructed Lin Zheng to re-interrogate, focusing on the butler to "open the gap." Tian Zao expressed her apprehension to Tie Dan, asking if the Communist Party would, like the Kuomintang before, collude with Han Qingkui and release him. Tie Dan dismissed the idea, stating that the Communist Party was for the common people and would decide for the poor.
He wanted to see if this claim held true. Meanwhile, Lin Zheng interrogated Han Qingkui, who remained defiant. Lin Zheng pressed him about the "large number of guns" found in his house, which Han claimed he bought for security in a chaotic world, but couldn't recall where or from whom. Lin Zheng warned him of the "dead end" if he continued to withhold information, reminding him of his countless crimes against the people of Beiping.
Han Qingkui, however, resigned to his fate, asked for a quick execution rather than more "nonsense." Lin Zheng then turned to Han Qingkui's butler, who, after being prompted, agreed to "tell you everything." Later, Suo Qian visited the tea house where his lover, Chunxi, worked. The boss lady, recognizing him, demanded payment for tea before allowing him to see Chunxi.
Having no cash, Suo Qian proudly offered a "Jiaqing's Eight-treasure mosaic snuff bottle," claiming it was an heirloom worth enough to redeem Chunxi. When he finally met Chunxi, she chided him for his long absence, accusing him of forgetting her. Suo Qian swore his unwavering love for her and explained his struggles in Tianjin: he had tried to deal in antiques to earn money for her freedom, but was outsmarted by local dealers.
He then attempted to become a gangster but found the local thugs too extreme, engaging in self-harm tactics he couldn't stomach. Eventually, he resorted to working as a comprador for foreigners. Chunxi, weary of her life, admitted her only comfort was her younger brother Meihe, whose welfare was her main concern. Suo Qian reassured her, describing how Meihe had grown "chubby" and was well-cared for by Tian Zao, Li Aunt, Uncle Gui, and Tong Xiaoting in their courtyard.
Chunxi expressed gratitude for their kindness, acknowledging that without Tian Zao and good neighbors, she and Meihe, both orphans, would struggle to survive. Lin Zheng reported the butler's confession to the Political Commissar, revealing Han Qingkui to be a spy appointed by the Kuomintang Secrecy Bureau, lurking in Beiping. The weapons found were supplied by a high-ranking spy chief named Zheng, whose full name the butler didn't know.
Zheng had recruited Han Qingkui and given him orders to carry out a major sabotage, but the specific details were always discussed in secret, away from the butler. Lin Zheng noted Han Qingkui's continued stubbornness, believing he had accepted his fate and thus had nothing to lose by refusing to confess. The Political Commissar decided that such a "reactionary spy who fought to the end" must be dealt with "severely and quickly."
He instructed Lin Zheng to contact the street government immediately to hold a public trial for Han Qingkui, executing him to "stabilize the people" and "raise weight for the new regime." The Political Commissar also stated he would publicly announce Lin Zheng's appointment and instructed Lin Zheng to issue a bulletin ordering all lurking enemy agents and stragglers to surrender their weapons and register, promising leniency for voluntary confessions.
Lin Zheng voiced concerns about manpower shortages, but the Political Commissar advised him to screen and utilize members of the old police organization, acknowledging the complex composition but emphasizing the urgency of the work and believing most police were fundamentally poor and could be reformed. Meanwhile, Li Hongying, now the director of the Fifth District's Sixth Street government, addressed the local Baojia personnel.
She declared the abolition of the Baojia system, calling it a "reactionary tool to oppress the people," and stated that its personnel, who had "committed a crime against the people," would be examined. However, she reassured them with the Communist Party's policy: "The first evil must be done, associates don't ask, award for meritorious service," and called upon them to uphold the "Eight Chapters of the Covenant."
Their new duties included assisting the Military Management Committee in checking for stragglers, surrendering weapons, reporting spies, and protecting public property. The Baojia members, relieved by the lenient policy, enthusiastically pledged their support and promised to perform their duties diligently to atone for past actions. Li Hongying urged them to actively identify and report Kuomintang officials, party members, military personnel, police, and spies in their jurisdictions, and to mobilize such individuals to register with the new government.
Lin Zheng later visited his fiancée Li Hongying, and they shared an emotional reunion, having not seen each other since Shijiazhuang. He confessed his struggles with the overwhelming tasks in his new role, feeling "completely blind" about where to begin. Li Hongying encouraged him to be patient, assuring him that although "everything is difficult at the start," they would eventually "take root" in the city. She added that their shared jurisdiction would make future meetings easier.
Back at the courtyard, Suo Qian told Meihe that Chunxi missed him. Tian Zao promised to take Meihe to visit his sister in a couple of days. Suo Qian informed Meihe that a government notice announced Han Qingkui's public trial for the next day, which Meihe received with excitement. The public trial proceeded as scheduled, attended by Tian Zao, Tie Dan, and others.
Li Hongying presided, declaring the investigation concluded that Han Qingkui was a Kuomintang Secrecy Bureau spy who had engaged in "long-term bullying, adultery and plunder," committed "all evil," and was responsible for "killing more than 20 innocent people such as Tian Qingchun." Describing him as a "bandit and bully through and through" and a "counter-revolutionary spy," she announced the Beiping Military Control Commission's ruling: "The death penalty is executed immediately."
The jubilant crowd erupted in cheers, repeatedly shouting, "Long live the Communist Party! Long live Chairman Mao!" After the execution, Tian Zao, accompanied by Meihe and others, knelt before Li Hongying, tearfully thanking the government and the Communist Party for avenging her father. She recounted how her father was murdered at Tianqiao for refusing to pay Han Qingkui protection money, and her mother subsequently died of grief, leaving her an orphan.
She had previously sought justice but was beaten and dismissed by the old government and police, who were complicit with Han. She admitted she had initially doubted the new government, fearing they too would release Han Qingkui, but seeing him executed made her a believer. Li Hongying gently helped her up, explaining that the Communist Party was the party of the poor, working to liberate them and make them masters of New China.
Deeply moved, Tian Zao vowed to follow the Communist Party's every command and promised her unwavering support. Li Hongying introduced herself as Li Hongying, the head of the street government, and told Tian Zao to approach her with any future needs. Tian Zao, finding the name "really nice," then proposed that Li Hongying become their older sister, a sentiment echoed by Meihe and the other children.
Lin Zheng met with Qin Defu, a retained officer from the old police system, to discuss the next phase of work: dispatching police officers in batches for household checks. Lin Zheng stressed the importance of thorough investigation during these checks to capture "many hidden spies" still active in Beiping.
He reiterated the Party's policy of accepting and integrating former police officers who sincerely supported the government, urging them to discard "bad habits of the old society" and contribute to New China. Qin Defu assured Lin Zheng that he and his colleagues were grateful for the opportunity to "turn over a new leaf" and would "do [their] best" for the new government, but Lin Zheng reminded him that "practical actions" were necessary.
Meanwhile, Li Hongying and her team conducted door-to-door household registrations. Citizens cooperatively welcomed the PLA cadres into their homes. Li Hongying later noted that after Beiping's liberation, significant public security issues remained, with numerous spies, robbers, stragglers, and thieves frequently engaging in "subversive and sabotage activities" like planting mines and firing "cold guns."
