cicada

Chapter 1517 Public Opinion War

As the sun rises in the east, the citizens of the mountain city welcome a new day. Apart from the poor people struggling to make a living, the first people to appear on the streets are newspaper boys carrying cloth bags.

After the Nationalist government moved west, many cultural elites and lower-level bureaucrats followed the government to the mountain city, which led to a surge in local newspaper sales.

Therefore, every morning a large number of newsboys would shuttle through the complex streets and alleys, responsible for delivering newspapers from different newspapers to various parts of the city. The people of the mountain city had long been accustomed to this, but today's situation was different.

An elderly man with a long beard was holding a teapot in one hand and picking up his subscribed copy of the "Civilization Daily" with the other. After just one glance, he spat out the tea in his mouth with a "pfft".

"How dare you!"

He stammered out a sentence, rubbed his eyes, and looked at the newspaper again, thinking he had just misread it, but the headline on the front page was still the same.

On the Secret Service Rule and Empty Talk of Democracy by the Mountain City Government

The old man's arm trembled slightly as his gaze swept over the text, the contents of which were even more astonishing, even sensational.

"The Nationalist government's implementation of white terror, suppression of press freedom, and use of secret agents and violence were acts that abhorred both heaven and earth."

This article, which ran for thousands of words, thoroughly denounced the Nationalist government, especially the Kuomintang's secret service agencies, such as the Military Intelligence Bureau and the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, which were portrayed by the reporter as a group of unforgivable thugs and villains.

While this is true, it is unprecedented for someone to insult public officials like this on Nationalist government territory, in the wartime capital.

It took the old man a long time to recover from his shock. He quickly looked around, hurriedly turned around, went into his yard, and closed the gate. Something terrible was about to happen!
He didn't know if the Nationalist government's agents were that bad, but if the newspaper openly criticized the Nationalist government like this, the entire military and police force of the mountain city would come out to arrest people in less than half an hour.

The elderly were not the only ones frightened, and the Civilization Daily was not the only publication to publish similar news.

On this morning, dozens of local newspapers, as if by prior arrangement, published articles criticizing the Nationalist government and a certain individual, each with a more sensational headline than the last.

The so-called oversight by the Kuomintang is actually a suppression of progress.

The Complete Story of the Violent Sabotage of a Certain Newspaper Office by Kuomintang Secret Agents

The united resistance against Japan is on the verge of collapse.

A Deputy Director of the Military Intelligence Bureau Was Incredibly Lustful

These reports were like cold water dropped into hot oil, instantly creating a huge wave of public opinion. Some people with ulterior motives mingled among the progressive students and stirred up trouble, and the situation was escalating rapidly.

Adams used the newspapers and journalists he controlled to wage a brilliant propaganda war, which severely undermined the morale and will of the military and civilians in the Nationalist-controlled areas.

An hour after the incident, Zuo Zhong and Dai Chunfeng entered the Huangshan official residence, where the master and apprentice were quickly subjected to a verbal assault.

"Damn it! Such a big thing happened, why didn't the Military Intelligence Bureau discover it in advance! You are all incompetent!"

A man flew into a rage, pacing back and forth in the office with his bald head on his head. Due to his extreme agitation, an unusual blush appeared on his cheekbones.

Dai Chunfeng was so frightened that he didn't dare to breathe. He explained in a trembling voice, "Reporting to the principal, these saboteurs are very cunning. The newspapers they actually distributed were completely different from the ones that the printing plant had approved."

"This must be a conspiracy by the Japanese puppet regime or controlled by the Northwest. Before coming to the official residence, I had already ordered the confiscation of newspapers that published false statements throughout the city, the destruction of the newspaper offices involved, and the arrest of the relevant personnel."

Old Dai used the same old tactics: arrest people, silence them, secretly punish them, and make an example of them to warn others. But these methods obviously did not satisfy someone.

After hearing the report, someone slammed his fist on the table and said angrily, "That's not enough. This is a political Pearl Harbor attack, a shameless frame-up against me and millions of others who share my fate. We must find out who the culprit is."

Zuo Zhong rolled his eyes inwardly. Although some of the reports were inaccurate, such as the claim that he, Zuo, had slept with ten women in one night, which was pure nonsense, as he was still a virgin, the rest of the reports were well-founded and could not be considered fabricated.

However, he couldn't say this outright, so he quickly put on an expression of righteous indignation and empathy, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

Upon receiving instructions from someone, Dai Chunfeng immediately nodded and said, "Understood, I will make the arrangements immediately and make sure to find out who is behind this."

Still not satisfied, the man slammed his fist on the table again. Just then, the phone rang. He picked up the receiver and put it to his ear, but after listening for a while, his face turned pale and then green.

"Clang~"

The microphone slammed back onto the receiver, and the person who hung up shouted angrily, "Outrageous! Shameless! The Americans are going too far!"

Dai Chunfeng secretly gave him a wink, and Zuo Zhong, forcing a smile, asked, "Leader, what has happened?"

Silence, a deathly silence. Someone stood in front of the desk without saying a word. After a long while, he changed the order he had just given in a hoarse voice.

"The newspapers will continue to be confiscated, but the people and newspapers should not be touched, so as not to cause any trouble internationally."

At this point, he sneered, "The American ambassador called and demanded that we not interfere with press freedom. Chunfeng, Shenzhong, what do you think the Americans really want to do?" No wonder someone went back on their word. Faced with the demands of their benefactor, even if he wanted to kill someone to vent his anger, he had to swallow his pride. Making money is nothing to be ashamed of.

Dai Chunfeng frantically winked again, watching the cheap teacher making faces at him. Zuo Zhong sighed inwardly and stepped forward to offer his suggestion.

“Leader, according to our investigation, the Americans have long since planted a large number of moles in the Nationalist-controlled areas. The so-called freedom of the press is nothing more than a means for them to check and balance the Nationalist government.”

"If I am not mistaken, the mastermind behind this incident is the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS), who want to force you to bow down to Washington through this incident."

"If you don't back down, the newspaper's report is just the first step. The Americans might cut off US aid or even support local warlords to counterbalance the Nationalist government, and the situation will be even worse then."

The man nodded slightly. It was precisely because of this that he hadn't turned against the American ambassador. As long as he had men and guns, what did it matter if he was scolded a few times?

But before he could mentally prepare himself, he heard Zuo Zhong continue, "This humble servant has no good feelings towards the Northwest, but I agree with what that person once said: Peace is achieved through struggle, while peace is lost through compromise."

"The Americans were able to interfere in the government's internal affairs this time by using freedom of the press. Will they use other reasons to blackmail you and the government next time? I think this possibility not only exists, but is very high."

"As the 'Six States Treatise' says, if you cede five cities today and ten cities tomorrow, you can have a night's rest. But how long can such rest last? I am worried that the Americans will eventually turn against you!"

These words, like a morning bell and evening drum, completely shattered the man's hopes. He was only thinking about getting American aid, but forgot the principle of taking an inch and then a mile.

After a moment of rapid thought, the person turned to Zuo Zhong and asked, "Shen Zhong, do you already have a plan?"

He knew his fellow villager's abilities well; he never did anything without certainty, nor did he talk nonsense. Since the other party opposed his orders, he must have made thorough preparations.

Zuo Chong smiled modestly and bowed, replying, "Your Excellency is wise. I have no plans, but these Japanese spies are slandering the government and must be severely punished."

"A Japanese spy?" The person blinked, then their eyes grew brighter and brighter, and finally a smile appeared on their lips.

"Indeed, such traitors who sell out their country for personal gain should be dealt with severely. However, you must be careful in your actions and never let outsiders find fault with you."

Zuo Zhong's voice followed: "Please rest assured, leader. Under the personal command of the Director, the Military Intelligence Bureau has fully grasped the evidence of these traitors colluding with the Japanese invaders to spread rumors and cause trouble, and can launch an arrest operation at any time."

It's just evidence, isn't it? He can make as much as Americans and "enthusiasts" want.

The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) made a mistake: the Republic of China was not the United States. In the face of major national issues of principle, any disputes should be put aside first.

Americans also overestimated the bottom line of those shameless intellectuals. Don't be fooled by their current swagger; when faced with a life-or-death threat, they'll be more compliant than anyone else.

On the way back to the Military Intelligence Bureau headquarters from the official residence, Dai Chunfeng said with great concern, "Shenzhong, this task must be done well. If the Chairman finds out that we noticed the Americans' actions but did not stop them, you and I will both be subject to military law."

Zuo Chong bowed and replied, "Yes, teacher. I know it's a bit risky to do this, but if we don't, we'll be handing over the intelligence network we've worked so hard to build to the Americans. I'm not willing to do that!"

Upon hearing this, Dai Chunfeng's face darkened. Previously, the First Intelligence Division had discovered Fang Zhanbo and Schneider's conspiracy, and he had planned to secretly punish the two of them and extinguish the flames in advance.

However, Zuo Zhong's words dispelled his idea. At that time, the other party suggested that instead of passively extinguishing the fire, it would be better to let the fire burn and sweep away all the weeds.

That's why newspapers would publicly publish reports opposing someone; otherwise, without the tacit approval and indulgence of the Military Intelligence Bureau, even with American support, Fang Zhanbo and others' actions wouldn't have been so easy to succeed.

Old Dai tapped his knee lightly with his fingers, and after a few taps, he looked up at Zuo Zhong: "After arresting people, don't go to the special court. It should be a public trial. The Americans talk about democracy, so let's put on a show for the public and our allies."

"The teacher is wise."

Zuo Zhongyuan handed over the horse paddle. The cheap teacher is quite something, even coming up with the idea of ​​a public trial. He truly deserves to be called the King of Spies of the Republic of China.

While the master and apprentice were plotting their schemes, a special meeting was also being held at the Xin Hua Bao newspaper office. The topic of the meeting was whether or not to follow other newspapers in exposing the reactionary actions of the Nationalist government.

Someone said excitedly, "Sir, this is a great opportunity. We can use this to gain more support."

"Yes, sir."

"Once they gain the upper hand in public opinion, the comrades in the Urban Affairs Department and the Student Affairs Department will be able to seize the opportunity to make a breakthrough."

As the first person spoke, a chorus of agreement immediately followed. They insisted on conducting propaganda deep within the enemy's heartland in order to defeat the reactionaries ideologically.

But the leader sitting at the head of the table kept his head down, smoking without saying a word, his brows furrowed tightly. Under the expectant gazes of everyone, he stubbed out his cigarette and gave instructions.

"This trend is not normal. We should refrain from publishing any critical articles for the time being, but we should not abandon our work either. Just be truthful and objective."

Years of underground work experience made the leader realize something was amiss. Propaganda should not be based on hearsay, nor should it be led by the nose.

(End of this chapter)