cicada

Chapter 1342 The Old General on the Stage (Happy New Year)

Mountain city, Chaotianmen Wharf.

Peng Tianjue got off the ferry and climbed up the stairs that seemed to have no end. He and two other men in the crowd formed a triangle formation, and the three of them soon reached the end of the stairs.

Suddenly, a patrolman wearing black dog leather jacket raised his baton and stopped one of them. Peng Tianjue did not stop, but quickened his pace and disappeared into the street after a turn.

This is not that Peng Tianjue abandoned his comrades, but that he believed in the companions behind him. As old comrades on the hidden front, they would definitely be able to pass the interrogation of the Kuomintang police.

While walking and stopping in the crowded crowd, Peng Tianjue was pushed away from behind. He immediately leaned to the side of the road and lowered his head, only secretly glancing at the person who pushed him with his peripheral vision.

This time when he came to the mountain city, he disguised himself as a farmer, which required his every move to be consistent with the timid and fearful behavioral characteristics of a farmer. Otherwise, no matter how well he disguised himself, there would still be flaws.

In Peng Tianjue's sight, a group of men in black with malicious expressions were rampaging on the street. The leader glared at him fiercely, pushed passers-by away arrogantly and walked away.

These men in black looked tired, all carrying luggage, with dusty shoes on their feet, and it seemed that they had just arrived in the mountain city.

Peng Tianjue avoided the leader's gaze and carefully hid behind the crowd. He looked frightened, but he was secretly alert in his heart.

The other party walked with his head held high and his steps in unison, his movements were quite military-like, but his behavior also had a gangster vibe, much like those gangsters who defected to the Japanese and became detectives and puppet soldiers.

He had dealt with many such people in the Border Region Social Department and would never make a mistake. Looking at the man in black turning into the fork in the road, Peng Tianjue hesitated for a few seconds, turned around and headed for the meeting place, choosing not to follow him.

After several rounds of counter-tracking, Peng Tianjue walked into a hotel, which was the transportation station of the Ministry of Social Affairs in the mountain city and also the gathering point for the personnel of this operation.

The hotel is located on the top of a hill, much higher than the surrounding buildings. With the cover of the wall, its location is very hidden.

After exchanging secret signals, the hotel owner hung up a sign saying "The hotel is fully booked" and personally led Peng Tianjue to the backyard. At this time, there were already more than twenty "guests" in different costumes in the yard, including the man who was stopped by the patrolman.

"Everything went smoothly on the way?" Peng Tianjue looked around and lowered his voice to remind them seriously, "If there are any suspicious signs, report them immediately. Do you understand?"

The others nodded silently without saying anything in response. When operating in the white area, one must remain vigilant at all times, even at a transportation station.

Peng Tianjue nodded slightly. They were indeed elite investigators drawn from the Ministry of Social Affairs and the main force. There was no need for him to say anything more, so he turned to introduce the details of the mission.

"Our mission this time is to rescue captured comrades and eliminate traitors. According to the order of our superiors, I will be the commander of this operation. If I die, these comrades will take over my position in turn."

As he spoke, he called out a few names. The people whose names were called stood up one by one and turned their bodies towards the crowd to make it easier for others to see their faces.

Immediately afterwards, Peng Tianjue reported many details including the address of the safe house, the preparation of weapons and fake documents, the transfer route, etc.

At the end of his speech, he looked at everyone and said solemnly: "Comrades, everyone wait for orders at the traffic station first. No one can leave without my permission. This is an iron rule!"

The operatives nodded again. They were all veterans of the covert front and naturally knew the importance of discipline. It was related to everyone's life safety and the success or failure of the mission, so they could not be careless.
-

In a business five kilometers away from the hotel, Wu Sibao, the captain of Operation No. 76 who passed by Peng Tianjue, was also emphasizing discipline. The difference was that his face looked a little ugly, as if his mother had died.

"Behave yourself! The Military Control Commission is very powerful, I don't need to tell you, if you want to live, just stay in the cell!"

Hearing this, the traitors all responded with nonsense like "I understand" and "Don't worry". Wu Sibao looked at his grinning subordinates and cursed Ji Dawei in his heart.

If it weren't for the other party's bad idea, he wouldn't have to risk losing his head to come to the mountain city and snatch the prisoner from the Military Control Commission. This didn't sound reliable.

Sighing, Wu Sibao said again: "Don't waste your time! Our mission is to snatch the underground party prisoners. If there is a chance, we will also capture Dai Chunfeng and Zuo Chong!

The key point is Zuo Zhong. He was very polite to Madam back then (Section 396). Before he left, Madam called and told him to chop the guy named Zuo into pieces! As for Dai Chunfeng, it doesn’t matter whether he kills him or not.

The traitors all had strange expressions on their faces. They were the only ones who wanted to get rid of Dai Chunfeng and Zuo Chong. Was this a joke too big? But facing Wu Sibao's serious face, they could only respond in a noisy manner.

An order is an order, whether to carry it out or not is another matter. As the opera says, a general is not bound by the orders of the king when he is away from the court. I believe the two directors will understand them.

It was the first time that Wu Sibao led a team to the Kuomintang-controlled area to execute orders. He did not notice anything unusual about his subordinates. After arranging the task, he sneaked to the dead mailbox and passed a message to the mole lurking in the Central Bureau of Investigation.

It’s not that he doesn’t want to collect intelligence on the Military Control Commission. The problem is that the mole rate of No. 76 in the Military Control Commission is too high. Basically, one will die if he goes there. He can’t go to the underworld to contact them.

In the dark night, Wu Sibao looked around and walked out of the alley where the dead mailbox was. Zuo Chong and Wu Chunyang appeared at the corner of the street, and the two watched each other's figures gradually disappear into the distance.
-

In the suburbs, Miaokong Temple.

Miaokong Temple, whose name means "wonderful Dharma" and "emptiness", is said to be very effective in drawing divinations and praying to Buddha. It is quite famous in the mountain city, and high-ranking officials and wealthy people often come to burn incense.

Unlike other large temples, there are only five monks in Miaokong Temple, including the abbot. The believers therefore say that this is a place for meditation, and the temple becomes more and more popular.

Gradually, this place became a famous temple in the mountain city. Occasionally, wandering monks from other places would stay here, and the people around were no longer surprised.

Late that night, the abbot of the Miaokong Temple and several monks stood guard outside the gates, their eyes alert, and the rosary in their sleeves replaced with American-made pistols. Inside the main hall, the Buddha statue on high had his eyes lowered, and the tactical instructor of the Nakano School, Kujo Wataru, spread out a map of the mountain city on the incense table and explained the mission content to the Japanese spies surrounding him.

"Gentlemen, this time we are going to raid targets number one, two, and three, so it is best to act when the three targets meet."

"I remind everyone that target number one is Xu Enzeng, deputy director of the Central Bureau of Investigation. This person is despicable and extremely hateful. He must be killed immediately."

There were fifteen or sixteen Japanese spies present, all dressed as monks. Upon hearing this, they all shouted "Hai" and murderous intent filled their bodies.

These Japanese spies are instructors of various subjects in the Nakano School. They have rich practical experience and are very fanatical about the Greater East Asia ┴Co-Emperor Theory. They are the last trump card of the General Staff Headquarters.

Xu Enzeng, who was sleeping with his sister-in-law in his arms, suddenly felt cold. He sneezed in his sleep and subconsciously wrapped himself tightly in the quilt.

Jiu Tiao Shu in Miaokong Temple rubbed his temple and said in a hoarse voice: "Military Control Bureau Director Dai Chunfeng and Deputy Director Zuo Chong are the second and third targets."

A Japanese spy raised his hand and asked a question: "Mr. Jiujo, Zuo Zhong is the most dangerous enemy of the Empire in the intelligence battlefield. Why don't we kill him first, but target Xu Enzeng and Dai Chunfeng?"

This question was also what other Japanese spies wanted to ask. The questioned Kujo Shigeki did not take it as a coroner and patiently explained the reason.

“Zuo Zhong did bring great losses to the empire, but whether in terms of military rank, qualifications, or political influence, Zuo Zhong is weaker than Xu Enzeng and Dai Chunfeng.

As intelligence personnel, we must have a strategic vision and not limit our focus to intelligence operations. Only in this way can we become chess players. "

Kujo Wataru's words made the Japanese spies suddenly realize what was going on. There were constant sounds of "yo" in the hall. Kujo Wataru looked relieved and spoke again in a low voice.

"There is another insignificant reason. The intelligence officer who instigated Xu Enzeng to rebel and was reported has close ties with the royal family. It's fine for everyone to know about this. There's no need to make it public."

Now the voices became louder. Strategic vision was not important. If Xu Enzeng dared to offend a member of the royal family, he would surely die.

Kujo Wataru smiled and assigned tasks to each Japanese spy. The tasks involved preparing transportation, searching for targets, surveillance, receiving weapons, etc.

These tasks should have been completed by local undercover personnel, but the General Staff did not trust their loyalty and instead handed them over to the action personnel to complete independently, trying to ensure that the information was not leaked.

Facts proved that the General Staff was not worried on the groundless grounds. Hase Ryosuke knew nothing about the operation, which led to Zuo Zhong being kept in the dark as well. Otherwise, Kujo Wataru would have been whipped in the interrogation room of the Military Control Commission by now.

What is more serious is that if the action of Kujo Wataru and others is successful this time, it will indirectly prove that there is a mole in the high-level of Japan's intelligence system in China, and Hase Ryosuke may be exposed.

The particularity of the intelligence front is reflected here. If a problem occurs in one place, the whole will be affected, and any decision needs to be considered comprehensively.
-

The General Staff kept their eye on Xu Enzeng, and the Japanese spies of the Special Committee on China in Yamashiro also took action. After receiving orders from Hase Ryosuke, the Japanese spy chief met secretly with "Fujiwara".

The last time the British and American fleets in Chongqing were attacked, "Fujiwara" performed very well. The Japanese spy chief wanted to hear the other party's opinion on the sabotage mission proposed by the chief.

"Fujiwara" or Jiang Baochun thought for a moment and gave the answer he had already thought of: attack where the enemy must rescue.

The most important task of the Kuomintang intelligence system at present is undoubtedly the captured underground party members and traitors, who can be taken action against.

The Japanese spy chief agreed deeply and immediately ordered to fully monitor the police dormitories where the underground party prisoners were held and look for the right opportunity to launch a sneak attack.

Jiang Baochun replied yes, but he couldn't understand why Zuo Zhong asked him to say that, and what this big spy wanted to do.

In comparison, Wu Chunyang was much smarter. When he learned that the deputy director had "mobilized" No. 76 and the Special Committee on China to target the underground party prisoners, he guessed Zuo Zhong's purpose.

In the Military Control Commission headquarters in Luojiawan, Wu Chunyang asked tentatively: "Deputy Commander, are you going to borrow the Japanese's knife to destroy Xu Enzeng's prestige? As long as No. 76 and Hase's men take the prisoners away, we can find an opportunity to take them back. In this way, the credit will go to you and the Commander, and Xu Enzeng will bear the blame."

"Not bad."

Zuo Chong nodded with a smile. Chunyang was really amazing. He had learned how to answer questions quickly. He immediately showed a standard villain face and smiled.

"The dissidents were first captured by the Party Investigation Office. This matter has little to do with us, but if the captives escape and are later recovered, the situation will be different, and the initiative will return to the hands of the Military Control Commission."

This reason is very sufficient. Wu Chunyang firmly believes it anyway. It is very normal that if I am not good, you can't expect good things either. This is especially serious in the government.

Seeing that Wu Chunyang believed his statement, Zuo Zhong was very satisfied. This gave a reasonable explanation for the Military Control Commission's withdrawal from the police dormitory, because they wanted to trick people.

At the same time, with the cover of No. 76 and the Japanese spies, the underground party will definitely be able to successfully rescue the prisoners and eliminate the traitors without implicating him.

If someone wants to be held accountable, then go find the Japanese and the man named Ji. Zuo's mistake was just an unintentional mistake, and the most he can be held accountable is "leadership responsibility", that's for sure.

The complacent Zuo Chong is like an old general on the stage, with flags all over his body but unaware of it. The participation of various forces makes this drama colorful before it even begins.