cicada

Chapter 1534 He was using all my words! (Happy New Year!)

Half an hour after Dai Chunfeng and Zuo Zhong arrived at Jinmen Station, a special meeting was held in the station's conference room, attended by all the station's colonel-level officers.

At the rectangular conference table, Dai Chunfeng was seated at the head of the table, Zuo Zhong sat on his left, Wu Jingzhong sat on his right opposite, and the rest of the attendees were seated according to their rank and military position.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Dai Chunfeng didn't beat around the bush and directly stated the purpose of his trip with Zuo Chongjin.

"Shenzhong and I have two missions for coming to Tianjin this time. One is to crack down on the corrupt practices of using the anti-traitor campaign to embezzle. As you have probably heard, there are people in Shanghai who have stolen and sold Japanese and puppet regime materials, worth as much as 42 billion yuan in legal tender."

"This matter has caused a great uproar. People jokingly refer to this behavior as 'Three Yangs Bring Prosperity' or 'Five Sons Pass the Imperial Examination,' saying that our cadres fawn over the West, fear the East, and love to show off to foreigners, and that they want positions, gold, houses, cars, and women. This is utter nonsense!"

"The Chairman is very dissatisfied with this and has specifically ordered the Military Intelligence Bureau to assist in the investigation and conduct a self-examination and rectification. If any of you have violated the family rules, I hope that you will take the initiative to stand up so as not to make the same mistake again."

At this point, Lao Dai turned his gaze to Wu Jingzhong, who had no expression on his face. Everyone present had different thoughts upon seeing this, and Wu Jingzhong himself felt extremely uncomfortable.

Then, Dai Chunfeng's gaze fell on the spy surnamed Yu: "Secondly, we need to investigate the matter of military generals taking concubines."

"Some of our cadres have abandoned their wives who shared joys and sorrows during the War of Resistance, their wives who shared their hardships, and instead have been indulging in the affairs of victorious wives. This is a clear case of moral depravity."

The head of the intelligence section of the Tianjin station and Mr. Zhuoli chuckled inwardly. It was no secret within the station that Wu Jingzhong had repeatedly forced a spy surnamed Yu to take the traitor's niece as a concubine in order to extort money from a traitorous capitalist.

When things were still in Ping, taking a concubine wouldn't have been a big deal, but with Director Dai's arrival, Wu Jingzhong's behavior seemed very inappropriate.

Wu Jingzhong and the spy surnamed Yu swallowed hard, feeling both fear and regret, especially the latter, who felt deeply wronged.

He had no intention of taking a concubine; it was Wu Jingzhong who kept persuading him. Now that headquarters is investigating the matter, neither of them can escape responsibility.

After Dai Chunfeng finished speaking, he picked up his teacup and drank the tea. The meeting room was silent. Just as the atmosphere was becoming tense, Zuo Zhong laughed and started playing the good cop.

"Director, please don't be angry. The brothers have suffered a lot fighting the Japanese. It's not a big deal for them to want to enjoy themselves now."

"As long as they can recognize and admit their mistakes in time, I think they can still get along well. Besides, the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS) is making even more money, so why isn't there any public criticism about it?"

"In the end, it's just that some people see our Military Intelligence Bureau in power and want to take the opportunity to cause trouble. Director, let the student handle this matter."

Zuo Zhong took the responsibility for the internal investigation upon himself. As a disciple, if he didn't share his teacher's burdens now, when would he?

Wu Jingzhong secretly gave Zuo Zhong a grateful look, thinking to himself that it was good to have a powerful backer. If it weren't for the deputy sergeant's intercession, he might have been court-martialed.

He glanced at the intelligence chief and the action team leader again. He had seen what they had just done. Hmph, I'll deal with you sooner or later.

On the other side, Dai Chunfeng hesitated slightly, but finally nodded in agreement. After all, an internal investigation was not a good job and could easily cause discord among his subordinates. Since Shen Zhong wanted to help him deal with it, he would let him go.

The meeting room was now peaceful again. Dai Chunfeng chatted with everyone for a few minutes, then excused himself, saying he was tired, and left.

After seeing Lao Dai off, Zuo Zhong sat down in the main seat and checked his watch: "Alright, go back and prepare. Wait for notification to come here for a talk in an hour."

After saying that, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest, ignoring even his old subordinate Wu Jingzhong. The members of the Tianjin station exchanged glances and quietly left the room.

As the footsteps faded away, Zuo Zhong knew that Lao Wu was definitely going to have a private conversation with the Yu-surname spy, and phrases like "To be loyal to the Party and the country, one must first be loyal to one's superior" and "Then I'll leave it to you, brother" were bound to be used.

An hour passed quickly. Zuo Zhong first had someone summon the spy surnamed Yu. The news spread rapidly throughout Tianjin Station. Some people were worried, some didn't care, and some hoped that Wu and Yu would be in trouble.

In the spacious conference room, the spy surnamed Yu stood ramrod straight, looked straight ahead, and shouted loudly, "Greetings, Vice-Sir!"

Zuo Chong waved his hand to tell him not to be nervous: "Alright, relax. I just asked you to come here for a casual chat. How are you doing in Tianjin with Madam?"

Although that's what he said, the spy surnamed Yu didn't dare to believe that the other party was just chatting casually, so he immediately straightened his chest and sent Ma P out.

"Thank you for your concern, Vice-Prime Minister. My wife and I really enjoy life here. It's simple and cozy. We also thank you for agreeing to let me stay in the country."

Zuo Zhong laughed heartily and said meaningfully, "You, you're quite the smooth talker. No wonder Old Wu values ​​you so much. I heard that Miss Wanqiu is very beautiful. Why didn't you agree?"

The spy surnamed Yu felt a jolt of fear, realizing that Wu Jingzhong's plan for him to take a concubine had been exposed. But upon hearing the name "Old Wu," he instantly regained his composure.

If the co-pilot was really angry, he wouldn't address Wu Jingzhong as "Old Wu," so he made an embarrassed face and explained on behalf of the other party.

"Vice-sir, the stationmaster cares about the students, but I have always been afraid of my wife, so I have no choice but to refuse the stationmaster's kindness."

The words were well-intentioned, but Zuo Zhong's expression gradually turned cold. The spy surnamed Yu didn't know what he had said wrong, and his voice gradually became softer.

After he finished speaking, Zuo Zhong said seriously, "It's good to be smart, but you have to be careful in what you do. Do you think the dirty tricks you did for Wu Jingzhong are secrets? Let me tell you, they're not!" "Every move you make is being watched. What you do, what you say, and who you meet will be sent to the Director and my desk the next day."

"When you first met that girl in late autumn, she was playing Chopin's Nocturne in E-flat major, right? You said her piano playing was very melancholic, am I right?"

The spy surnamed Yu felt a chill run down his spine. He knew that the Military Intelligence Bureau had very strict internal surveillance, but he never expected that even such a small matter was known to headquarters.

Seeing his reaction, Zuo Chong breathed a slight sigh of relief. It was good that the other party knew the consequences; it wasn't a waste of his special trip to Tianjin to remind him.

To be honest, some of the actions of the spy surnamed Yu were reckless, or at least not cautious enough. This is related to his background in the telecommunications system. After all, he is not a professional intelligence officer, so it is inevitable that he will make some oversights in his actions.

But the most important thing in this line of work is the details. Zuo Zhong hopes that his reminders can prevent some tragedies from happening and allow more comrades to live to see victory.

The conversation with the spy surnamed Yu came to an end, and Wu Jingzhong, the old fox, entered next. He was already covered in sweat.

Seeing the other party's expression, Zuo Zhong laughed out loud: "Old Wu, we're old brothers, why do you look at me like I'm a Japanese? Come on, come with me for a stroll in the garden."

Under the watchful eyes of everyone at Tianjin Station, Zuo Zhong walked with his hands behind his back in the garden, with Wu Jingzhong following closely behind. After a while, he asked about the recent situation of Gu Qi and the others.

"Vice-Sir, how are Deputy Director Gu and Chunyang doing? I really miss the days when we followed you on missions."

Zuo Zhong replied slowly, "Lao Gu and Lao Song are in charge of local intelligence work overseas, Chunyang stayed in Beiping to investigate the corruption of Ma Hansan, the head of the Beiping station, and Youguang went to the Northeast Headquarters Inspection Office for inspection."

Wu Jingzhong was terrified. He had business dealings with Ma Hansan, and if Ma Hansan was arrested, he would be in trouble too.

Zuo Zhong continued, "Old Wu, these are turbulent times. The Chairman is increasingly dissatisfied with our Military Intelligence Bureau and has repeatedly ordered the Director to reduce the number of personnel and eliminate unnecessary agencies."

"This can both quell the resentment of the public and various factions within the party towards the Military Intelligence Bureau, and prevent the Military Intelligence Bureau from having too much power and affecting the country's democratic development."

He didn't want to directly say that someone wanted to restrict Lao Dai, so he changed his words, but the smile at the corner of his mouth looked more like a sneer.

When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked; when the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away; the ancients were truly wise.

Without the Japanese, the existence of the Military Intelligence Bureau became a thorn in the side of many, a common fate for all its lackeys, such as the American OSS.

Zuo Zhong continued forward along the vine-covered wall without stopping, while Wu Jingzhong was in a state of confusion due to the shocking news. Not long after, he heard Zuo Zhong's voice again.

"Therefore, you old-timers in the Military Intelligence Bureau must be even more careful in your actions. You must carefully consider what you should and should not do, and you must never act on your own."

"But then again, after this incident, I've come to understand that the so-called unity of will and defense of the leader are just slogans; the real truth is that everyone looks out for themselves."

Wu Jingzhong's mouth dropped open. How could his deputy be saying what he really thought? If he hadn't seen through that, he wouldn't have sought a position at the local station.

As they were talking, Zuo Zhong suddenly turned around and said some "truths" to Wu Jingzhong in a desolate tone.

“Old Wu, that Buddhist shrine under your command recently surrendered to the Northwest Social Affairs Department and is now working as a teacher at a nursery. Don’t even think about punishing it.”

"I have a piece of advice for you: sometimes playing dumb is a skill, and knowing when to back down is a wise move. Just turn a blind eye to everything."

"Don't worry about the Director. I'll put in a good word for you. They're all heroes of the War of Resistance Against Japan. We can't just kill them all over a little money."

"If the situation gets out of control, remember to tell me. I will send someone to bring you and your wife abroad. We are old brothers who have been through thick and thin together, so please don't be shy."

Wu Jingzhong was moved to tears and whispered, "Yes." With the deputy's words, he had no worries and could indulge in corruption without worry.

Fortunately, Zuo Zhong was unaware of his thoughts, otherwise he would have been so angry he would have vomited blood. Wu Jingzhong, grateful, asked Zuo Zhong about his next plans, such as whether he would meet with others or have dinner together.

Zuo Zhong, too lazy to waste any more words, stopped the meeting on the grounds that there was leprosy in Tianjin, which greatly disappointed some people who were practicing their salutes and choosing ties.

That evening, Zuo Chong returned to the hotel where he was staying and found that Lao Dai was not in his room. It was said that Lao Dai had gone to Tianjin Port to meet with the US Navy liaison officer.

Just as Zuo Zhong was speculating about the purpose of Lao Dai's meeting with the Americans, someone knocked on his door.

When the door opened, Gui Youguang, who should have been in the Northeast, strode into the room. After entering, the bald man placed a piece of paper on the table with two intelligence reports written on it.

The food and medical supplies that landed at Tianjin Port were weapons and equipment that had been repackaged in Japan, enough to equip two full divisions.

U.S. Navy Seventh Fleet Commander Kirk will meet with people in Shanghai in four days.

Zuo Zhong looked at the two intelligence reports, his expression shifting. War was about to break out, and his cheap teacher should be sent to Mount Kadai.