My spy diary

Chapter 647 Mission (asking for monthly ticket)

Downstairs, Zhang Yi and Zheng Huhe walked and talked in hushed tones. With the arrival of midsummer, the air in the mountain city became scorching, oppressive, and heavy; only when it rained could one breathe freely.

"How did you come?"

"The situation is urgent, and it's inconvenient to make a phone call." Zheng Huhe answered seriously, even somewhat anxiously, as he faced the torrential rain.

"What happened?"

"Last time, thanks to the intelligence you provided, the Social Affairs Department and the Border Region Security Bureau cracked down on a large number of Kuomintang agents who were infiltrating key departments such as the Second Bureau of the Military Commission, the Joint Defense Command, the SX Provincial Committee, the Border Region Security Bureau, the Suide Special Commissioner's Office, and the Longdong Special Commissioner's Office. We thought they would be quiet for a while, but just a few days ago, according to the confession of a Kuomintang agent named Wu Nanshan who had turned over a new leaf, there are still many Kuomintang agents lurking in the Border Region Government Office and middle schools."

"It's resurfaced!" Zhang Yi's expression turned serious. "Have you caught them?"

The so-called Hanzhong Special Training Class was proposed by Hua Guangqi, a core traitor of the Red Party, and was established in Hanzhong in 39 by the Military Intelligence Bureau as a "Special Technical Training Class". Dai Chunfeng served as the head of the class, and Cheng Muyi, the former head of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Shanghai Action Group, served as the deputy head.

When this person was in the action group in Shanghai, he sent people to infiltrate the secret agency of the Red Party's JS Province in Shanghai, and successfully cracked the agency, which earned him the appreciation of Dai Chunfeng.

He served as deputy director in charge of specific affairs. Red Party traitors and top spies who had infiltrated Baotashan were specially taught about the "Red Party problem." A group of "highly skilled" Military Intelligence Bureau experts served as technical instructors to train spies to infiltrate Baotashan and the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region.

The students in this class study professional courses including political reconnaissance, shooting, grappling, makeup, and stealth techniques. They also receive training in skills such as demolition, assassination, and poisoning. They learn to write with rice water, alum water, saliva, and paste, and to reveal information using methods such as iodine, fire, and water immersion. They master the formula for universal developing solution and intelligence encryption skills, as well as methods for compiling and interpreting telegrams.

These trainees had only one fate after graduation: "entering alive and leaving dead"—infiltrating the border region base as "suicide spies."

They applied to schools in the Baotashan base area under the guise of "progressive" educated youth, and then tried to infiltrate key departments such as government agencies and military units to engage in intelligence gathering and sabotage activities.

The Hanzhong Special Training Class was established in September 1939 and ceased operation in March of this year. It enrolled nine classes of students and trained 631 spies.

These people first formed a special investigation team, which was later expanded into a special investigation station, under which there were 19 special investigation teams in Yan'an, Fugu, Huanxian, Hancheng and other places. Their program was "to infiltrate key areas, lie in wait for a long time, collect intelligence and act when the opportunity arises", and "act" was naturally a euphemism for "assassination".

These need not be elaborated upon.

Zheng Huhe sighed: "Things were going smoothly at first. Following Wu Nanshan's identification, the Border Region Security Department quickly arrested a man named Qi Sanyi, who was the deputy leader of the liaison group. But an accident happened during the interrogation."

"Accident?"

"Yes, one of the staff members who came with the head of the border region's security department was actually a spy infiltrated by the Military Intelligence Bureau's Chinese training class. He suddenly opened fire and killed Qi Sanyi."

"How could this be?" Zhang Yi was even more surprised.

"We underestimated them; these people are everywhere."

"What's this person's name? And how did he get into the border region security office? Didn't they check his identity beforehand? Isn't this a serious dereliction of duty? Negligence can kill!" Zhang Yi said angrily, but as soon as he said it, he realized something was off and added, "What I mean is, no matter how flawless a person's resume is, to pass identity verification and background checks like an ordinary person, they need a fake identity: name, family background, identity, resume, household registration, and letters of introduction. If any one of these is missing, it won't stand up to scrutiny. Such a long list of information can't be without flaws. Didn't they verify it over there?"

"Of course it has been verified!" Zheng Huhe said irritably. "Although we have established a strict review mechanism, the devil is always one step ahead. No matter how meticulous we are, there will always be a loophole. We still cannot stop some people from deliberately looking for loopholes and engaging in opportunistic schemes."

During the War of Resistance against Japan, a strict identity verification mechanism was in place for progressive young people heading to Pagoda Hill. This was a necessary measure to ensure the safety of the revolutionary base areas.

The investigation is mainly conducted through methods such as investigating place of origin, verifying social relationships, obtaining corroboration from fellow travelers, organizing interviews, and observing and testing for a period of time.

"Is it impersonation?" Zhang Yi pondered these unusual events, his thoughts drifting back to a dinner party he attended with various department heads who accompanied Dai Chunfeng.

In order to find out as much as possible about the situation at Baotashan, Dai Chunfeng specially hosted a banquet for Cheng Muyi and Xu Foguan, the liaison officer stationed at the Eighth Route Army headquarters.

During the meal, when Dai Chunfeng asked Xu Foguan how he planned to arrange for spies to operate at Pagoda Hill, Xu smugly offered a response that was both difficult and easy.
The difficulty lies in the fact that the inspection is not strict while the history is thoroughly investigated, making it difficult to gain a foothold. The ease lies in the fact that as long as one is not impatient for quick success, is prepared to lie low for a long time, has proof to gain the trust of others, and goes there to disguise oneself as someone who is pursuing progress without immediately gathering intelligence, it is still easy to gain their trust.

Dai Chunfeng hurriedly asked what kind of proof could gain the trust of others, but Xu Foguan smiled and remained silent, keeping her in suspense.

Dai Chunfeng didn't press the matter further, and after the meal, he took the man to his home for a detailed discussion.

This is one thing.

Zhang Yi then thought of something else.

He had a student named Ma Liang from the Linli training class who was assigned to the action department after graduation.

This person mysteriously disappeared for a period of time, but returned a few months later.

Zhang Yi then asked him where he had gone.

Ma Liang proudly said that he had gone to Pagoda Mountain and successfully entered the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University.

Zhang Yi then asked him how he got in.

Ma Liang boasted that he had entered the prison under a false name, and then shamelessly boasted about his experience at Pagoda Mountain, saying that if he hadn't been sick, he would have stayed in hiding for a long time (in reality, he couldn't endure the hardship and secretly ran away). He even took out a small notebook with some fabricated black material that slandered and mocked the Red Party.

At that time, the Military Intelligence Bureau also set up unified checkpoints for water and land transportation in the Northwest, specifically to intercept and detain patriotic and progressive young people going to Pagoda Hill, numbering as many as tens of thousands over several years.

When these people went to Pagoda Hill, they all brought letters of introduction or various certificates from their previous studies or work at some college.

After they were detained, the Military Intelligence Bureau confiscated these "proofs that could convince others" and handed them over to disguised agents to impersonate them and enter the prison.

The Military Intelligence Bureau used this method to send over a hundred people to Baota Mountain. Zheng Huhe said in a deep voice, "Many of the undercover agents arrested before were indeed impersonators, but some of them were not. They were actually young students from the 'Northwest King' Hu Zongbei's defense zone."

Speaking of which, I have to mention something.

After arriving in the Northwest, Hu Zongbei became ambitious and prepared to create a Hu family army completely loyal to him. He thought of Chang's experience of starting his career at the Whampoa Military Academy, so he wanted to establish a "Whampoa Military Academy" in Chang'an as well.

The idea was good, but unfortunately, Chang just wouldn't agree.

After a period of persistent persuasion, Chang finally agreed, which is how the Seventh Branch of the Central Military Academy came to be.

Chang served concurrently as the principal of the branch school, while Hu himself served concurrently as the director of the branch school. It was equipped with various classes, including an infantry brigade, a special forces brigade, a political training team, a border language training team, an officer brigade, and a sergeant training regiment. At its peak, the school had more than 20,000 members, and its scale even exceeded that of the Chengdu Central Military Academy.

After the branch school was established, Hu Zongbei even instructed people to shout the slogan "Unifying China depends on Huangpu, defeating Japan depends on the Seventh Branch School". He attached great importance to the recruitment of students and required that only educated young people with primary school education or above could join.

To this end, he specifically sent people to set up the seventh branch school's enrollment points in various places to recruit young students on a large scale.

As a result, a fashionable slogan emerged among young people across the country at that time:
Let's go to the Great Northwest!
There are two places in the Northwest: one is Pagoda Hill, and the other is Chang'an.

The reasons for going to Pagoda Hill are self-evident, but the reasons for going to Chang'an were mostly due to the propaganda of Hu Zongbei's recruiters or some Whampoa Military Academy students, who touted Hu Zongbei as a "young general," Chang's "prized student," with a large army, good equipment, good treatment, and promising prospects for promotion and wealth. As a result, some young people went to Chang'an with this idea in mind.

Speaking of which, let me add a little anecdote.

While recruiting people on a large scale, Hu Zongbei also planned and organized the Hunan Youth Battlefield Service Corps, which recruited more than 50 exiled college students and senior intellectuals from society.

Among this group of highly educated intellectuals, he "as expected" selected a secretary who satisfied him greatly, and made him a confidant, cultivating him further.

However, many years later, he discovered that his confidant was actually a Communist Party mole who had been tailor-made for him by Director Zhou, his teacher at the Whampoa Military Academy, and had been systematically planted around him.

Hearing Zheng Huhe say this, Zhang Yi seemed to understand something, and then asked:
"Who is this Wu Nanshan? Is he trustworthy? Could it be that he only reported Qi Sanyi?"

"Don't worry about that. This person has been vetted by the organization, and from what we've seen so far, he can be trusted," Zheng Huhe gave a positive answer, and then explained.

Wu Nanshan was a primary school teacher in Qingyang County, Gansu Province. He was wanted by the police and lost his job because he had participated in anti-Japanese propaganda activities led by the Communist Party. After the start of the War of Resistance Against Japan, he began to operate openly and made a living by teaching in a private school in a landlord's house.

Last spring, a former colleague of his suddenly appeared at his door in a mysterious manner, wanting to drag him along to fight against the Japanese.

Wu Nanshan was a passionate young man, and he was successfully persuaded by this person's impassioned speech, so he immediately went to attend the "Anti-Japanese War Training Class".

It wasn't until he went inside that he realized he had been deceived. This so-called training course was not for the anti-Japanese cause at all, but rather for training spies to "counter-red" and "infiltrate" the enemy, which disgusted him deeply.

Here, getting a haircut, shaving, and taking a bath are all strictly forbidden, and even eating and using the toilet are under strict surveillance. Not only does he learn murder techniques every day, but his classmates also mysteriously disappear at will, all of which sends chills down Wu Nanshan's spine.

Therefore, after graduating from the training course and being reassigned back to Qingyang County, Wu Nanshan immediately went to the local open office of the Red Party to report his experiences and encounters. In order to prove that what he said was true, he also handed over the "universal developing solution", "communication code" and written materials from the training course that he had brought back.

To verify the authenticity of Wu Nanshan's defection, the local organization had someone give him a piece of intelligence and asked him to pass it on to someone. They then sent people to follow and monitor him, but they found no spies secretly tailing him, and the intelligence was never opened, thus proving his reliability.

Because the Border Region Security Department had previously arrested many spies from the Han Training Class who were secretly lurking, the local office realized the seriousness of the situation and immediately reported it to its superiors.

After learning of the enemy's plot, the Border Region Security Department remained outwardly calm, but in reality, it had secretly recruited Wu Nanshan as a secret field agent for the local security section. In order to cover up his work, he was given a new public identity as a teacher. While continuing to maintain contact with the Military Intelligence Bureau, he secretly carried out investigations, hoping to catch all the lurking spies in one fell swoop by peeling back the layers of the clues.

Wu Nanshan lived up to expectations. With the cooperation of the local organization, he used three methods—"fishing," "luring," and "investigating"—to lure the spies out of their holes and uncover one after another of the spies who had infiltrated the base area.

Fishing—by reporting to higher authorities that they had intelligence to provide, the Military Intelligence Bureau immediately sent someone to make contact. In this way, the spies named He Zhu and Liu Chengzhi came into view one after another.

The so-called intelligence was naturally prepared in advance by the local Red Party organization, a mixture of truth and falsehood.

Luring – Using a public identity to lure the enemy to defect.

The Military Intelligence Bureau (MIB) attempted to establish a secret intelligence group in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region. The few people they sent were struggling to find suitable identities to infiltrate the area, so they had to ask their old classmate Wu Nanshan for help. Wu Nanshan readily agreed and, through his "connections," arranged for all of them to teach at a school, bringing them all under his control.

Cha—naturally, used his public identity to participate in social activities under the guise of intelligence gathering, searching for secret agents of the Military Intelligence Bureau.

Soon, Wu Nanshan discovered his classmate in the local prefectural government office; this person had infiltrated the secretariat as a clerk. Thus, this person's identity was also discovered.

Through covert observation and surveillance of these individuals, the Red Party Security Section discovered Qi Sanyi, the deputy head of the liaison group, who was issuing orders from behind the scenes.

Given the man's crucial identity, the Border Region Security Department immediately rushed to Qingyang to arrest him.

However, to everyone's surprise, there were also spies from the Han training class among the personnel accompanying the Border Region Security Department, causing the plan to fail at the last minute.

After listening quietly to Zheng Huhe's account, Zhang Yi thought for a moment and said, "In other words, the most urgent task is to dig out the remaining hidden spies."

"Yes." Zheng Huhe nodded, looking worried. "Through the organization's efforts, the few Kuomintang agents we've captured have agreed to cooperate and help us uncover other hidden agents. But some of them aren't even in the same class. Even if they were classmates, they used aliases during training, so we don't know their real names now. We can only try to identify them secretly, but that's like looking for a needle in a haystack."

Furthermore, the attitudes of higher-level leaders and superiors are consistent: this matter cannot be carried out openly; it must be investigated quietly. Otherwise, even a slight misstep in the degree of suspicion could cause unnecessary panic and distrust, putting the organization's work at a disadvantage.

"Understood, I'll think of a way."

(End of this chapter)