Fang Yuan
Espionage: The System Makes Me the Chosen Worker
Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Fang Yuan (方远) |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | Approximately 27–28 at his introduction 30 |
| Affiliation | Underground Communist Party; Special Operations Squad of the puppet police; formerly the 19th Route Army 30 |
| Occupation/Role | Police officer; Shen Yan’s aide, driver, protector, and underground liaison; selected for training as an assistant instructor 30 36 38 |
| Former Rank | Platoon leader, 19th Route Army 30 |
| Education | Puppet police academy graduate 30 |
| Cover Background | Police academy records identify him as a former Northwestern Army soldier 32 |
| Good and Evil Points | +38 when assessed by Shen Yan’s Heavenly Eye 30 |
| Status | Alive; still accompanying Shen Yan 50 |
| First Appearance | Chapter 30 |
Background / History
Fang Yuan served as a platoon leader in the 19th Route Army and fought at Luodian during the Battle of Shanghai. He was wounded and separated from his unit, after which Qian Bin recruited him into the underground Party 30.
Qian Bin arranged for Fang Yuan to enter the police academy in advance of his placement beside Shen Yan. He reported for duty when Shen Yan took command of the Special Operations Squad. His secret assignment was to protect Shen Yan and maintain communications with the organization 30.
Fang Yuan was told that Shen Yan was an important organizational contact, but not that he was the Scavenger. Shen Yan approved this restriction, believing that knowing less would keep Fang Yuan safer 30.
His military bearing attracted Lu Tinghui’s attention. Shen Yan explained that Fang Yuan’s academy file recorded service in the Northwestern Army—a cover distinct from his actual 19th Route Army background. Lu Tinghui accepted his service history provided he followed police rules 32.
Appearance
- Face: Square-faced, with thick eyebrows, tightly pressed lips, and a firm jawline 30.
- Build: Broad shoulders and a narrow waist; his police uniform fits him closely 30.
- Military bearing: Stands rigidly with his hands at his sides and fingertips held together, making his army background apparent even in police uniform 30.
- Harbin clothing: Wears a thick padded overcoat with his cap pulled low during the northern assignment 47.
Personality
Fang Yuan is steady, meticulous, and discreet. Qian Bin recommends him as reliable, capable in a fight, intelligent, and—most importantly—able to keep secrets. Shen Yan also approves of his restraint: on his first day, Fang Yuan neither seeks favor nor conspicuously distances himself from his new captain 30.
He generally follows orders without pressing for explanations. During the weapons transfer to Qian Bin, he visibly considers asking questions but remains silent. He shows the same restraint while accompanying Shen Yan to unfamiliar Northeast China 41 47.
His obedience does not prevent concern for Shen Yan’s safety. He questions the risk posed by Li Bingkun’s armed visitors and has reservations about Shen Yan confronting a heavily guarded military train alone, but carries out his instructions 42 46.
Fang Yuan also has a dry sense of humor. Asked to find a multilingual listener who can tolerate overhearing intimate conversations at the hot springs, he proposes a Japanese-speaking eunuch or a Japanese monk, prompting Shen Yan to call him a potential comedian 45.
Abilities & Skills
Military Training and Combat
A battlefield veteran, Fang Yuan is explicitly skilled in close combat and sand-table exercises 30.
- Cleans, loads, and tests his gun in a smooth, practiced sequence that draws Old Chen’s attention 31.
- Leads the quiet capture of two surveillance agents; his team hoods them and removes them by car in less than three minutes without raising an alarm 42.
- Leads two men in restraining, binding, and transporting Ma Yao after the ambush 44.
Covert Communications
Fang Yuan serves as an intermediary between Shen Yan, Qian Bin, and resistance contacts 30 41.
- Arranges meetings with Qian Bin and delivers sensitive messages 37 48.
- Receives Shen Yan’s instruction to warn the Military Statistics Bureau that its wharf post has been exposed, then reports its successful evacuation 42 43.
- Delivers an invisible-ink intelligence note during the cholera operation and relays orders to the participating resistance groups 46.
Administration and Field Support
Old Chen praises Fang Yuan for being quick-witted, nimble, and effective at handling the squad’s miscellaneous work during Shen Yan’s absence 36.
- Selected by Shen Yan to become an assistant instructor under Old Chen, with the intention of eventually taking independent responsibility 36.
- Handles documents, duty rosters, transport, and hospital assistance 32 35 36 41.
- Keeps watch during the clandestine weapons handover at the abandoned cotton mill 41.
- Assists with the concealed listening system at Cherry Blossom Hot Springs and tests a receiver that clearly carries conversation from a private room 45.
Story Role / Major Arcs
| Arc | Chapters | Fang Yuan’s involvement |
|---|---|---|
| First assignment and hospital duty | 31 32 35 36 | Joins the newcomers receiving Old Chen’s blockade instructions before the Avenue Joffre raid. Afterward, stays with Shen Yan in hospital, keeps watch during a private visit, conveys messages to the wounded Japanese squad members, and escorts Shen Yan to meetings and back to work. |
| Scavenger investigation | 37 38 39 40 | Connects Shen Yan with Qian Bin before the Xihengjing operation and accompanies him during the subsequent investigation. On Shen Yan’s orders, posts the forged Kato letter in a remote mailbox; the unstamped letter is initially marked for return. |
| Weapons transfer | 41 | Guards the cotton mill entrance while Shen Yan transfers rifles, heavy machine guns, grenades, and ammunition to Qian Bin. Shen Yan designates Fang Yuan as the communication channel rather than agreeing to direct meetings with other contacts. |
| Conflict with No. 76 | 42 43 | Captures Zhou Guoliang and Wu Dabiao, blocks Li Bingkun’s armed party at the police station, and supports Shen Yan’s cover story about the arrests. Later confirms that the threatened Military Statistics Bureau supply point has evacuated safely. |
| Ma Yao bounty plot | 44 | Secures Ma Yao after the ambush and summons Yamada’s group for interrogation. When Li Bingkun pays him to obtain an immediate audience, Fang Yuan places the dollars on Shen Yan’s desk; Shen Yan tells him to keep them. |
| Hot springs intelligence post | 45 | Helps inspect the premises and arrange concealed copper listening pipes. After testing the receivers, receives orders to ask Qian Bin for a Japanese- and English-speaking listener. |
| Cholera train operation | 46 | Delivers intelligence, relays orders for blocking Japanese reinforcements, and withdraws with Shen Yan after the train operation. |
| Harbin assignment and return | 47 48 | Accompanies Shen Yan to Harbin and later insists he never slept while guarding the lodging door, despite Shen Yan having slipped out. Both pass infection checks and return to Shanghai. Fang Yuan then receives a warning to relay about an intensified Kwantung Army campaign against the Anti-Japanese United Army. |
| No. 76 headquarters summons | 50 | Drives Shen Yan to No. 76 headquarters when he is urgently summoned. |
Relationships
- Shen Yan — Captain and protected organizational contact. Fang Yuan serves as his aide and liaison; Shen Yan trusts his discretion while initially withholding his Scavenger identity 30 41.
- Qian Bin — Party recruiter and underground contact. Arranges Fang Yuan’s placement beside Shen Yan and uses him to maintain communications 30 37 45.
- Old Chen — Senior colleague and designated mentor. Praises Fang Yuan’s work and is instructed to train him as an assistant instructor 36.
- Li Bingkun — Hostile No. 76 officer. Fang Yuan repeatedly denies him immediate access to Shen Yan and stands his ground against his armed entourage 42 44.
- Yamada Tarō and the Japanese assault-team members — Squad colleagues to whom Fang Yuan conveys recovery instructions and summons for interrogations 32 42 44.
Notable Quotes
“But Team Leader Li, this is a police station. Isn’t it against the rules for you to barge in with armed men like this?” 42
“Understood. I’ll have Shopkeeper Qian find a eunuch who speaks Japanese or a Japanese monk.” 45
“Impossible. I sat by the door the whole time. I didn’t fall asleep.” 47