My spy diary

Chapter 573 The Secret (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Eighty years ago today, Japan surrendered unconditionally.

Remember history, never forget national humiliation, and strive for a stronger nation!
-
Zhang Yi had just returned to his office when two uninvited guests arrived.

Intelligence Director Yang Rong and Operations Director He Zhiyuan arrived together.

Zhang Yi found it strange. The two older brothers were always at odds with each other, with the older brother disrespecting the younger brother. Why were they together today?

As he took out his keys to open the door, he asked:

"Two senior section chiefs wouldn't come to the temple without a reason, surely there must be something you need?"

The two exchanged a glance, and Yang Rong spoke first: "We'd like to ask you for a favor, brother."

"Go ahead and say it." Zhang Yi invited the two inside, sat down on the sofa, and brewed some tea that he had just gotten from Boss Dai.

However, after a long while, neither of them spoke. Zhang Yi put down his teacup, glanced at the two, and saw that Yang Rong looked hesitant to speak, while He Zhiyuan had a furrowed brow. He somewhat understood what was going on. He looked at Yang Rong with interest and asked:
"Troublesome matters?"

Yang Rong nodded.

"Personal matters?"

"Business."

"Your men have violated military discipline and family rules? I haven't heard anything about that!"

Yang Rong looked up at him, let out a long breath, and said directly:
"I want you to help us find someone."

Zhang Yi was taken aback: "Looking for someone? Who?"

"A traitor."

Zhang Yi feigned interest and asked, "What's your name?"

"Lin Jingyi".

"Never heard of it?"

“The head of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS) in Wuhan was a teacher,” Yang Rong said helplessly. “But don’t underestimate him. This pale-faced scholar not only wiped out all of the CBIS’s hidden forces in Wuhan, but also caused heavy losses to our Military Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (JBI). Boss Dai hinted that we should impose sanctions, but as soon as he returned to Chongqing, he simply vanished into thin air.”

"Could it be that Xu Zeng'en has been hiding him?"

"We also had our suspicions, but we lacked evidence. The intelligence department mobilized many undercover agents planted there, but we didn't find a single useful lead."

"Even the undercover agents can't find out anything, what can I do?"

Yang Rong pulled out a few sheets of paper from his pocket: "These are Lin Jingyi's relevant information. Take a look at them first."

Zhang Yi kept his eyes straight ahead: "I won't look at this. After all, I'm not in charge of intelligence or operations."

"Boss Dai instructed you to take a look, so you absolutely have to."

"I'm only in charge of the judiciary, so I wouldn't need to see this. Besides, it involves confidentiality issues, so it's better not to know. It'll make things easier for me."

Yang Rong shoved the documents into his hands: "Old He and I have already come knocking on your door, and you still want to shirk your responsibilities? The boss just said on the phone that he not only wants to see them, but also wants to help us find this bastard, punish him publicly, and make an example of him to teach the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics a lesson. Those are his exact words! Hurry up and give us some ideas."

"Isn't this just forced buying and selling?" Zhang Yi grumbled as he flipped through the documents, asking as he read, "Even if this person betrayed us and defected to the enemy, he would have disrupted the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics's (Zhongtong) undercover organization. How did he get involved with our Military Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Juntong)?"

After Wuhan fell to the Japanese in October 1938, the Military Intelligence Bureau's Wuhan branch went underground. However, in late 1939, the undercover team was destroyed by the Japanese military police, and the branch chief, Li Guochen, was arrested and defected, leading to the arrest and capture of many people from the station.

From then on, the Wuhan station never recovered and was never established. The Military Intelligence Bureau's organization in Wuhan was reduced to only a few scattered groups or radio stations that continued to operate intermittently.

"It's a long story," Yang Rong sighed, and began to recount the tale.

After the fall of Wuhan, Xu Zeng'en had four main leaders in the infiltrated organization in the Wuhan area: Lin Jingyi, Xian Daqi, Ding Jin, and Shi Xixia.

Because the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS) had always been opposed by the Communist Party, they had basically not received rigorous training in undercover operations, psychological, life, and operational aspects.

In the past, they could only fight the Red Party to a standstill, or even gain the upper hand, by relying on the KMT regime, displaying its "signature," and waving its big flag as a shield.

But in the occupied areas, they lost the protection of the regime almost overnight. The environment changed, the opponents changed, and the balance of power changed. Their arrogant and ostentatious mentality and habits had already been formed and could not be changed in a short time, so trouble was inevitable.

Furthermore, most of the top secret agents of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS) were used to a life of ease and comfort, and were accustomed to acting as accomplices to evil. How could they adapt to the perilous and arduous underground work that was suddenly put into operation?

Secondly, most of their current opponents are former members of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS), and they are extremely familiar with the CBIS agents' activities, habits, personnel relationships, and internal characteristics, making it particularly convenient for them to sabotage the CBIS organization.

Against this backdrop, Lin Jingyi, Xian Daqi, Ding Jin, and Shi Xixia were bewildered and terrified, and dared not go out to conduct any investigation into the Japanese puppet regime. With nothing to do at home all day, they got together to play mahjong, gambling all night long, euphemistically calling it—a cover for a meeting.

As the saying goes, "When people are well-fed and clothed, they think of lustful desires." Amidst this chaotic atmosphere, the action team leader, Ding Jin, took the lead in having an affair with his beautiful female agent and liaison, Ding Meizhen, and they openly lived together, also under the guise of "work cover."

Subsequently, Xian Daqi, the director of the investigation office, not to be outdone, also developed an ambiguous relationship with Ding Meizhen.

For a time, the relationship between the two, Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong, became extremely tense. Due to jealousy and rivalry, their "literary battle" quickly escalated into a "physical battle," and they ended up fighting.

The Director-General, Shi Xixia, was bald and extremely intelligent. He saw the value in the conflict between Xian and Ding, and, not wanting to be idle, secretly went to the countryside and bought a rather attractive girl for ten silver dollars. The two then quickly married. Afterward, he had his wife mediate between Xian and Ding, handling the situation from all sides.

Surprisingly, his trick worked. By having his wife use her body, he became an important figure that several parties were vying to win over and rely on.

Therefore, through Shi Dacong's skillful manipulation, the power of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Zhongtong) Wuhan District Investigation Office gradually came into his hands.

By the time Lin Jingyi, who was in charge of all party affairs, realized something was wrong, it was too late. After several battles of wits with Shi Dacong, he was at a disadvantage. So he simply gave up and fled back to his hometown of Wenzhou alone.

Not long after, Xian Daqi, the director of the investigation office, was followed by Wang Jingwei's agents because he was seen with a beautiful female spy and was swaggering around town. Without thinking twice, he fled Wuhan with his valuables.

As a result, the power center of the CCP's secret service in the Wuhan area was temporarily in a vacuum. Shi Dacong was not only extremely clever, but also shameless. Without waiting for Xu Zeng'en's appointment, he used the pretext of "not shirking responsibility in a time of crisis" to appoint himself as the deputy director of the Wuhan Investigation Office, acting as the director.

When Xian Daqi returned after the storm had passed, Shi Xixia had already taken over all the power.

Enraged, Xian Daqi broke into the secret agency's finance office that very night and emptied the remaining three thousand silver dollars of organizational funds. He then ostentatiously opened a cigarette shop on Hankou Main Street. To prevent his old colleagues from buying on credit, he even posted a notice on the door saying "No Credit."

As he expected, soon Zhu Jiading, an officer from the investigation office, came to Xian Daqi's door to ask for a loan, but was sternly refused. Zhu Jiading became furious and started publicly cursing.

This scene fell into the eyes of Zhou Jingwu, the head of the Kuomintang's secret service. While watching the spectacle unfold, Zhou, with the intention of "beating a drowning dog," began to secretly win over Zhu Jiading and stir up trouble, hoping to humiliate the Kuomintang's Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Zhongtong) so that he could claim credit and rewards from Chongqing.

Instigated by Zhou Jingwu, Zhu Jiading, filled with hatred and malice, went directly to Zhang Mengqing, the head of the Wang Jingwei regime in Wuhan and the director of the Wuhan Political Security Bureau, to surrender and betray the regime.

Then, Zhu Jiading led Wang Jingwei's secret agents to raid Xian Daqi's tobacco shop. They not only destroyed the CCP's hidden radio station and stronghold in the French Concession of Hankou, but also destroyed all of them. Except for a few escapees, such as Huang Shi, director of the Hanyang office, Ding Jin, the action team leader, and Yuan Liusha, the radio station director, more than 20 people, including Shi Xixia, were arrested.

After this "contest," Zhu Jiading finally felt he had won a round and vented his anger.

Because of Xu Zeng'en's implication that "anyone in the occupied areas who is in danger and cannot survive can surrender to the Wang Jingwei regime to avoid being killed by the Japanese invaders; if they encounter specific targets such as the Red Party or the New Fourth Army and there is no time to act, they can be arrested by the Wang Jingwei regime," Shi Xixia and more than ten other agents of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS) simply defected to the enemy and became intelligence agents for the Wang Jingwei regime in Wuhan, and became "comrades" with Zhu Jiading.

Upon hearing the news, Lin Jingyi fled to Chongqing, Xian Daqi fled to Huanggang, and Ding Jin fled to Hanyang. The four "Sleeping Dragon and Phoenix Chick" from Hankou either went into hiding or fled, and the CCP's secret service and undercover organizations in Wuhan were paralyzed.

"A bunch of rabble, stray dogs, traitors who collude with the enemy and sell out their country for personal gain, do they even deserve to be called intelligence agents?"

Zhang Yi frowned as he listened, his eyes flashing with a cold light.

"Who says otherwise?" Yang Rong gave a bitter smile. Some things are better left unsaid. The pot calling the kettle black. The Military Intelligence Bureau wasn't much better. Many agents arrested by the Japanese and their collaborators, under coercion, enticement, or torture, turned into traitors and openly became collaborators.

"Didn't Lin Jingyi return to Shancheng? How was the Military Intelligence Bureau's undercover organization destroyed?"

“Brother, you don’t know this,” Yang Rong shook his head and said, “After Lin Jingyi returned to Shancheng, he was imprisoned by the man surnamed Xu, and then he managed to contact Xian Daqi.”

Several months ago, Xu Zengen contacted Xian Daqi and forced him to bring the radio back to Wuhan to clean up the mess.

With his mind still reeling from the shock, how could he possibly have the courage to venture into the tiger's den again?
However, he dared not disobey Xu Zeng'en's orders, so he went to Huanggang to set up a radio station and do some peripheral activities, fabricating some true and false intelligence to deceive the mountain city.

Xu Zengen was furious but helpless, so he could only place his hopes on Lin Jingyi again.

A few days later, Lin Jingyi was also forced back to Wuhan by Xu Enzeng. On Xu's orders, he reorganized the original Hankou City Investigation Office. Xu appointed Zhou Wenhua, the former member of the Hankou Special Municipal Party Committee and the magistrate of Xiaogan County, as the secretary-general of the municipal party committee and the director of the Hankou Investigation Office, so as to rely on Zhou to rebuild the Kuomintang's underground organization in the Hankou area.

Little did he know that Zhou Wenhua had already defected to the enemy.

A few months ago, when Zhou Wenhua was serving as the county magistrate of Xiaogan, he got into a conflict with someone due to gambling. After being arrested by the police, he could not withstand the torture and truthfully confessed his identity and defected to the enemy. After signing a "confession", he was quickly released. The Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Zhongtong) was completely unaware of all this.

Because Zhou Wenhua was Lin Jingyi's student when he taught at Wuhan University, Lin trusted him a lot, so as soon as he took office, he promoted him to the position of general secretary in charge of party affairs.

The first thing Zhou Wenhua did upon taking office was to appoint his mistress, Ye Meilin, as a liaison for the investigation office. They were always seen together, making a big show of it.

All of this was observed by the Wang Jingwei regime's secret agents, who were secretly watching him and planning to "catch a big fish with a long line." Soon, Zhou Wenhua and his mistress were arrested again.

The Wang Jingwei regime's agents said that as long as Zhou Wenhua implicated Lin Jingyi, he could be released again.

For Zhou Wenhua, who was "returning to the palace" for the second time, he had already betrayed the regime once and didn't care about the second time at all.

Therefore, he handed over Lin Jingyi's residence without hesitation.

Soon, Lin Jingyi was arrested.

This guy was a spineless coward. Without even being tortured, he revealed the entire list of Kuomintang secret agents in Wuhan. Worried that his pledge of allegiance wasn't enough, he thought of his former subordinate Zhu Jiading. The two of them conspired to trick Zhou Jingwu, the head of the Kuomintang's undercover organization, into coming out as well.

Unable to withstand the torture, Zhou Jingwu also betrayed the regime and surrendered to the enemy, revealing the list of Kuomintang secret agents. As a result, the Kuomintang's secret organization in Wuhan was once again wiped out by Japanese and Wang Jingwei agents.

Zhang Yi remained silent, unsure of what to say.

At this moment, He Zhiyuan, who had been silent until now, took over the conversation:
"After all, Lin Jingyi was a high-ranking official of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS). After he confessed, he was sent to Nanjing. I don't know what deal he made with Ding Mocun, a traitor in the CBIS, but Ding Mocun actually arranged for a special plane to escort him to Hong Kong, and then back to Chongqing, where he returned to Xu Zeng'en's side. If you say there was no secret involved, I don't believe it even if you beat me to death."

It's funny to think about, but whether they were agents of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics or the Military Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, after they defected, apart from a few who went all the way down the wrong path, most of them adopted the method of having two boats in order to leave themselves a way out.

On the one hand, they actively worked for the Japanese puppet regime's secret service, and on the other hand, they secretly sought opportunities to pledge allegiance to the mountain city.

Working for the Japanese puppet regime's secret service was genuine, and surrendering to the mountain city was also a genuine act of surrender; both were a "double insurance" for their immediate interests and future political prospects.

Perhaps in their view, no matter who is in power in China's future political landscape, they will always be able to "enjoy the benefits from both ends of the sugarcane."

Is sugarcane really sweet at both ends?

But whether it was betraying the country and becoming a traitor, serving the Japanese puppet regime, or secretly surrendering to the mountain city, no one has ever been like Lin Jingyi, who was arrested and betrayed, yet was able to return to the mountain city unharmed. This is the first case of its kind.

So, what secret deal did he make with Ding Mocun?

Zhang Yi seemed to be deep in thought. After thinking for a moment, he said, "The mountain city has a population of nearly one million, and refugees are pouring in every day. We've been doing city-wide household registration statistics and household registration checks for several years, but we still haven't figured it out. If Xu Zeng is intentionally protecting him, in this vast sea of ​​people, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. Where are we supposed to find him?"

"What else can we do? Some tough nuts to crack, even if it breaks your teeth, you can't just give up and keep gnawing on them. We have to find the person, we absolutely must find him. Brother, you've found so many hidden Japanese spies, what are you afraid of, a mere Kuomintang traitor? Please."

Yang Rong's gaze made Zhang Yi suddenly realize that he valued this person highly. In the past, shouldn't they have been discussing how to rebuild the Wuhan district and purge traitors and collaborators? There was absolutely no need to be so concerned about a traitor from the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics.

Furthermore, since last year, Lu Bin, a high-ranking agent of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS) and commissioner of the Shandong Provincial Government, was shot dead due to a conflict with Li Wenli's army, which was controlled by the Military Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (JBI). Subsequently, Lu Cheng, an administrative inspector of the CC Clique, was also falsely accused of being a member of the Communist Party by JBI agents and executed. The conflict between the two bureaus has become even more acute, to the point of irreconcilable differences. Even if it is necessary to make an example of someone, it is not Lin Jingyi's place to do so.

So what secrets does this person hold?

Could it be related to the Communist Party?
Thinking about this, a dark cloud instantly settled over Zhang Yi's heart.

(End of this chapter)