cicada

Chapter 1375 FIRC

One day in September 1942, Dai Chunfeng had just returned to his office at No. 9 Luojia Bay when the British Ambassador to the Republic of China, Robert White, came to him.

When the other party saw him, he immediately stated his purpose, and his words sounded quite anxious.

"Mr. Dai, London hopes that your agency can provide intelligence support for the British Empire's military operations in Africa."

Dai Chunfeng just felt puzzled. The Military Control Commission had very little intelligence cooperation with Britain, and had nothing to do with Africa. What on earth did the British want to do?

Seeing that he was confused, Bai Longdu moved his buttocks to adjust his sitting position and explained what had happened in detail.

A few days ago, British and American newspapers published the news that the Japanese used British and American prisoners of war to conduct human experiments, and European and American public opinion was immediately in an uproar.

In this matter, British and American societies are still so hypocritical. When the Nationalist government exposed the Kwantung Army's water supply unit, they only expressed their protest verbally and continued to supply various supplies to the Japanese in secret.

But this time, Western society felt as if its tail was stepped on. From top to bottom, from left to right, everyone demanded the most severe retaliation against the Japanese.

However, compared with the public's "indignation", the British and American governments secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Because of the existence of the 9400 troops, some capitulationists and appeasers lost their market, and the war mobilization work was no longer constrained.

Especially in Britain, the Prime Minister's political opponents shut up and never dared to mention peace with Japan and Germany again.

The Prime Minister was overjoyed, and at the same time he discovered that the capabilities of the National Government's intelligence agencies seemed to be even stronger than he had imagined, so a plan emerged in his mind.

Last month, the German Afrika Korps and the British Eighth Army fought a battle at El Alamein, Egypt, with both sides winning and losing.

From a strategic perspective, Britain successfully curbed the German offensive momentum in this battle and greatly consumed the German army's resources.

To this end, the British Cabinet decided to pursue the victory and sent Montgomery to replace Auchinleck as commander of the Eighth Army, preparing to completely reverse the situation on the North African battlefield.

This is also the strategic arrangement of the entire Allied Forces.

In the summer, Red Russia put pressure on Britain and the United States, demanding that they launch military operations in Europe as soon as possible and open up a second front to relieve the German military pressure on Red Russia.

The Americans were interested in landing in Europe, but the British believed that this would lead to disaster and suggested an attack on North Africa instead.

London reasoned that doing so would eliminate Axis forces in North Africa, improve naval control in the Mediterranean, and prepare for the liberation of southern Europe in 1943.

After much wrangling, the Allies finally decided that the British would first launch the Second Battle of El Alamein in eastern North Africa, and then Britain and the United States would land in western North Africa.

In order to ensure the smooth implementation of these two campaigns, Britain needs to carry out a lot of intelligence preparation work, and the Prime Minister wants the National Government to be involved.

There are two reasons.

One is the political factor. The cooperation between the National Government and the United States has been very successful, and Britain does not want to fall too far behind.

Second, Asians look more like locals after putting on makeup. Apparently, in the eyes of the Prime Minister, all natives look the same.

But there are some mistakes in this regard. There are many ethnic groups in North Africa, and some of the indigenous people have darker skin, such as wheat or light brown, and their eye color and facial features are similar to those of people in the Republic of China.

In short, the British targeted the Military Intelligence Bureau, or Zuo Zhong, the actual person in charge of the Military Intelligence Bureau's intelligence work.

The British Special Operations Executive had a high opinion of Zuo Zhong, believing that he had sufficient leadership capabilities to be responsible for intelligence and reconnaissance operations in the North African battlefield.

After listening to Bai Longdu's request, Dai Chunfeng frowned and began to ponder.

Were the British demands excessive? No, they were not. As an ally, the National Government did have an obligation to provide intelligence support to the Allied forces.

However, the work of the Military Control Commission is complicated and he still needs Zuo Zhong's assistance. Thinking of this, Dai Chunfeng is ready to reject Bai Longdu's proposal.

But just as he was about to speak, Bai Longdu added the weight, saying that Britain could persuade the United States to increase the amount of financial aid to the national government.

Dai Chunfeng remained silent. He understood that even if he rejected the British proposal, the official residence would agree.

After a long while, he stretched out his right hand towards Bai Longdu and said, "You win, Mr. Ambassador, but I still need to listen to Shen Zhong's opinion on this matter."

Bai Longdu shook hands with Dai Chunfeng and nodded slightly: "Of course, I am looking forward to meeting Mr. Zuo."
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A few days later.

Zuo Chong returned to the Military Control Commission headquarters to report on his work. When he heard Lao Dai talk about the British plan, a lot of thoughts suddenly came to his mind.

The British used American aid to exchange him for a mission. What is this? Labor export?

Dai Chunfeng thought his favorite disciple had other ideas, so he immediately comforted him: "Shen Zhong, if you don't want to go to North Africa, I will personally ask the leader for a favor, so don't worry too much."

Regardless of whether it was a true expression of emotion or just an act, Zuo Chong was still somewhat moved when he heard these words, but not much.

He shook his head and expressed his thoughts.

"Teacher, I am just wondering whether we should take this opportunity to set up the Foreign Intelligence Bureau. Now that the Military Control Commission is on the right track, you can take charge of the overall situation. It doesn't matter whether I am here or not."

During his mission in the Northwest, Zuo Chong planned to set up the Foreign Intelligence Bureau of the National Government, abbreviated as FIRC, to be responsible for the National Government's overseas intelligence work.

The establishment of this organization was not only to make plans for the post-war period, but also to find a way out for the old brothers in the Military Control Commission.

However, due to the seriousness of the matter, FIRC has remained on paper and has not been put into actual operation. This request for help from the British is indeed a good opportunity.

Dai Chunfeng was stunned when he heard this, and his heart was quite complicated. Zuo Zhong's words just now had another meaning, that the other party was going to gradually leave the Military Control Commission. Since ancient times, the struggle for power has been extremely cruel, and it is not uncommon for fathers and sons to turn against each other, let alone masters and apprentices.

But for his own sake, Shen Zhong actually took the initiative to ask to leave, which moved Dai Chunfeng and made him happy. After all, he was still the spy king of the Republic of China who would do anything for power.

Zuo Zhong keenly noticed the change in Lao Dai's mood, but he didn't take it to heart. He knew very well who the other person was.

On the surface, the master was kind and the disciple was filial, but in fact, the master and disciple, who each had their own ulterior motives, quickly reached an agreement.

First of all, FIRC was positioned as a subsidiary agency of the Military Intelligence Bureau. Its main person in charge was concurrently a cadre from the Military Intelligence Bureau’s intelligence system, and grassroots agents were also drawn from the Military Intelligence Bureau.

Although Dai Chunfeng loves power, he also understands that the Military Control Commission cannot do without Zuo Zhong at the moment, so this arrangement is the most appropriate.

In terms of organizational structure, FIRC has one director and four deputy directors, who are in charge of personnel, intelligence, operations and logistics.

The director is naturally Zuo Zhong, and the other four deputy directors are appointed as follows:

Deputy Director of Personnel: Gu Qi, Deputy Director of Intelligence: Wu Chunyang, Deputy Director of Operations: Gui Youguang, and Deputy Director of Logistics: Song Minghao.

In addition, Ho Yijun also took on two additional positions, Chief Secretary of FIRC and Director of FIRC Communications Department.

Originally, Zuo Chong wanted Wu Jingzhong to be the chief secretary, but Lao Dai did not agree.

Everyone knew who Wu Jingzhong was, and he himself had proposed to take up a position at a local district station after the war, so the matter had to be dropped.

Zuo Zhong can't stop others from getting rich. The golden Buddha on the jade throne and the Studebaker car are still very valuable. Tianjin Station needs talents like Lao Wu.

From then on, Zuo Zhong's power within the Military Control Commission began to shift to FIRC, and FIRC would gradually take over the Military Control Commission's overseas intelligence system.

After Master Zuo Zhong and his disciple finished their discussion, they immediately went to the official residence to report and request someone's approval.

Someone was also very happy when he received the report. The size of the Military Control Commission was getting bigger and bigger, and it was a good thing to separate a part of it, at least for those in power.

When necessary, the National Government could upgrade the Foreign Intelligence Bureau to a higher level to check and balance the Military Control Commission.

So no matter from which aspect, no one had any reason to oppose this matter, so FIRC was successfully established and received its first task.

That afternoon, Zuo Chong read out the appointment letter in the Military Control Commission meeting room, and Gu Qi and others who were attending the meeting were ecstatic.

"Deputy Commander, no, Commander, congratulations."

When it comes to flattery, Song Minghao is the best, who used a slip of the tongue to emphasize Zuo Zhong's identity change.

The others quickly agreed. Zuo Zhong couldn't help but smile, but then he immediately became serious and gave everyone a hypocritical warning.

"Hey, we are all comrades, don't do this, and there can only be one director in the bureau, do you understand clearly?"

"Yes, yes, you reminded me."

The spies all agreed that there could only be one chief in the bureau, but outside they could call him whatever they wanted.

Zuo Zhong couldn't care less about so many things. He just had to do what he had to do. He pressed his hands to ask his men to keep quiet, and then made a few arrangements.

"The leader and the director mean that FIRC must make a good start in its cooperation with the British. After all, there will be many people who oppose the establishment of a new agency."

"Since it's a good start, I, as the director, need to go there. Chunyang and Youguang, as the deputy directors of intelligence and operations, you must also lead by example."

"For this North Africa mission, priority will be given to those who can speak French and Arabic. I only want elite personnel with more than five years of work experience."

“The rest of the people will stay in the country and sort out the structure of FIRC in addition to their main duties.”

The conditions in North Africa are harsh, and the older Gu Qi and Song Minghao are not suitable to go there. As a woman, it is not convenient for He Yijun to show up in public.

So the three of them did not object. The mountain city did need someone to keep an eye on it. The Military Control Commission was the foundation of their group, and now was not the time to let go completely.

Afterwards, Zuo Chong assigned two tasks to Wu Chunyang, Gui Youguang and their entourage: to make good use of their time to bask in the sun and to grow a beard.

The weather in North Africa is hot and windy, and the locals have dark and rough skin, which cannot be perfectly camouflaged by makeup alone.

The reason for growing a beard is even simpler. Most North African men keep beards because of their religious beliefs.

After completing the preparations, Zuo Zhong went to the British Embassy to meet with Bai Longdu.

Upon hearing that Zuo Zhong agreed to participate in the North African mission, Bai Longdu was overjoyed and revealed more information, such as the British intelligence force responsible for this operation.

Long Range Desert Reconnaissance Group (LRDG), Special Air Service (SAS), Special Operations Executive (SOE).

Zuo Chong sucked in a breath of cold air. The British were really willing to spend a lot of money. Not to mention SOE, the Military Control Commission had just cooperated with them not long ago.

SAS became even more famous in later generations. In the weather station attack case, the murderer was suspected to be a SAS member, and the Military Intelligence Bureau once fought against it with the help of the Japanese.

As for LRDG, although it is not well-known, it was established a few months earlier than SAS.

This is an elite force that specializes in long-range reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, infiltration and counter-infiltration in desert areas, and directly participates in combat when appropriate.

The British had played all their cards in order to defeat Rommel's Afrika Korps, and Zuo Chong also wanted to see how these famous troops would perform.