A Lonely Hero’s Journey 孤舟 Episode 26

In order to completely win the trust of the Japanese, Gu Yizhong carefully planned a wedding. He not only invited Zhou Zhifei, but also specially invited Kondo Masao as a witness. At the wedding, he followed Western customs and walked into the church hand in hand with Haimo to complete the sacred ceremony. However, this scene deeply hurt Xiao Ruotong's heart. She sat in the guest seat, her eyes fixed on the familiar pen on Gu Yizhong's chest, which was their shared memory. Tears welled up in her eyes. She could no longer bear the suffering and rushed out of the church in tears before the wedding was over.

Outside the church, snowflakes were falling and the cold wind was biting, as if they were also crying for Xiao Ruotong's heartbreak. Back at the residence, Brother Six noticed something was wrong with his sister. He tried to comfort Xiao Ruotong, telling her that the wedding between Gu Yizhong and Haimo was just a temporary arrangement and a fake marriage. But the confusion and pain in Xiao Ruotong's heart did not dissipate. She didn't understand why Gu Yizhong was unwilling to explain all this to her in person, and could only silently endure the pain of not being understood. Seeing this, Sixth Brother could only repeatedly persuade Xiao Ruotong to believe in Gu Yizhong's difficulties and helplessness.

Gu Yizhong and Haimo entered the bridal chamber, the atmosphere was slightly awkward. Haimo alertly reminded Gu Yizhong that leaving at this moment might arouse the suspicion of the Japanese, so he suggested that they spend at least one night together in the room to hide their eyes from others. She offered to sleep on the sofa and let Gu Yizhong sleep on the bed, but Gu Yizhong insisted and did not want Haimo to be wronged, so the two of them lay on the bed together, separated by the quilt, with countless thoughts in their minds.

Early the next morning, Gu Yizhong and Haimo went to the temple together to offer incense to Mr. Gu's tomb. In the solemn atmosphere, Haimo still habitually called Mr. Gu "Uncle Gu". Gu Yizhong gently corrected her and asked her to change her name to "Dad" and encouraged her to gradually adapt to this new identity. Haimo obediently called "Dad" and promised to act according to Yi Zhong's instructions. However, when Gu Yizhong tried to ask if his father had left any last words for Haimo, Haimo cleverly changed the subject and asked about Gu Yizhong's next mission arrangements.

Gu Yi Zhong recalled the last conversation with Lao Huang. Lao Huang not only announced the cancellation of the contact point, but also gave Gu Yizhong a new codename of "Gu Zhou" and gave him new contact information and passwords. At that moment, the two of them called each other by code names. Gu Yizhong excitedly held Lao Huang's hand and called him "comrade outside the Yuan Dynasty". This scene was deeply imprinted in his mind.

With this new mission and responsibility, Gu Yizhong took Haimo to conduct surveys near the new contact point. At the same time, Xiao Ruotong has returned to the New Fourth Army base area. Despite the difficult living conditions, she is full of enthusiasm and expectations for daily training. However, the longing for Gu Yizhong in his heart was hard to let go. A few months later, Xiao Ruotong was given a new task - to instigate Luo Wuqiang of the 33rd Division of the Peace Army. In order to perform the task better, she had to put on a cheongsam and play the role of a rich lady. Faced with her slightly dark complexion, Xiao Ruotong decided to rest in the house for a few days in order to better suit the character setting.

Mr. Li urgently summoned Zhou Zhifei and revealed Chiang Kai-shek's major decision to declare war on Japan. This was seen as Chiang's move to demonstrate his strength and value to the United States. At the same time, Wang Jingwei's attempt to declare war on the United States was ridiculed by the Japanese because of his lack of substantial military power. In view of this, Mr. Li gave Zhou Zhifei a difficult task - to win over the 33rd Division of the Peace Army to enhance his own voice and strength.

In the blink of an eye, in 1943, the international situation was changing. The victory of the Soviet Red Army put the Japanese army under great pressure. Kondo Masao was ordered to adjust its strategy and transfer southern troops to the north to deal with the threat. In this context, he ordered Gu Yizhong to formulate a liquidation plan with the intention of wiping out the New Fourth Army forces in Suzhou before the troops were mobilized.

Gu Yizhong came to Kondo Masao's place, met an old man from the telecommunications department, and received a secret letter. After returning home, he cleverly used chemical means to reveal the secret text on the letter, and learned that the member of the Communist Party of China (ie Lao Huang) had an urgent appointment at Shanghai Yong'an Department Store and emphasized that the situation was urgent.

On the other side, Gu Yizhong's son Junsheng has grown up vigorously. His reminder suddenly made Gu Yizhong remember that today is Haimo's birthday. Gu Yizhong immediately asked Zhou Zhifei for leave and planned to take Haimo to Shanghai for shopping to celebrate. However, Zhou Zhifei agreed on the surface, but secretly instructed Agent No. 76 Wan Lilang to keep an eye on Gu Yizhong's whereabouts, and an undercurrent of competition quietly unfolded.

After arriving in Shanghai, Gu Yizhong used his wit to get rid of the spy's tracking, and used the opportunity of fitting clothes to meet Lao Huang secretly. He urgently conveyed the information that the Japanese army was about to launch a raid, and accepted the new mission given by Lao Huang - to find out the specific content of the "military work" operation of the commander of the Japanese 60th Army Corps, Nobuo Kobayashi.

At the same time, Gu Yizhong discovered that a new neighbor had moved into his home and he had frequent visitors, which aroused his vigilance. Haimo took the initiative and used the piano playing at home as bait, successfully attracting the attention of the Japanese. This move not only allowed Gu Yizhong to confirm the abnormality of his neighbor, but also provided valuable intelligence and room for strategic adjustments for their next actions.