My spy diary

Chapter 648 Mission (Part 2)

Zheng Huhe asked, "Where do you plan to start?"

Zhang Yi pondered and said, "Since they are undercover agents from the Hanzhong training class, Cheng Muyi must have a complete list, but he is far away in Hanzhong and cannot reach them. We can only start from the other two places."

Zheng Huhe asked thoughtfully, "You mean Wang Xinheng and Dai Chunfeng?"

"Well, since it's a matter of infiltration, it's impossible to avoid the Party and government intelligence department. Wang Xinheng is a new official and may not know about this, but Dai Chunfeng definitely has a backup list."

Zheng Huhe looked worried:

"Although you have temporarily dispelled Dai Chunfeng's suspicions about you and have been promoted to deputy director's secretary, seemingly enjoying great popularity, this old fox is cunning and suspicious. He probably intends to keep an eye on you. Normally, I believe you can handle it, but as soon as you gather intelligence and take action, he will become suspicious. If you are not careful, you will be crushed to pieces."

Zhang Yi listened intently, knowing the power of Zheng Huhe's words, and pretended to be relaxed as he said:

"It's nothing more than skillful maneuvering and a battle of wits."

The core security of a covert agent is "stealth," maintaining only an ordinary identity while undercover and not engaging in any unusual behavior.

But once they start actively acquiring intelligence and breaking the "silent disguise," whether it's actively contacting targets or transmitting intelligence, every step creates a traceable "chain of traces."

Once suspicion is aroused or a certain link in the chain is identified, exposure is not far off.

However, for Zhang Yi, walking on the edge of a cliff is his way of surviving, and he has long been used to it.

It remains to be seen who will emerge victorious in this contest of "doubt, clarification, and renewed doubt."

"Although Qi Sanyi is dead, we have now ascertained his identity. He was not only the deputy head of the liaison group, but also an expert in demolition techniques, known as the so-called 'King of Demolition.' According to the confessions of the arrested agents who were temporarily infiltrating the school, it was Qi Sanyi who kept urging them to infiltrate Baota Mountain as soon as possible, saying that 'if we are late, things will be delayed.' That's why they risked breaking the 'no horizontal contact' rule and contacting Wu Nanshan, which led to their exposure. Obviously, the Military Intelligence Bureau is plotting some conspiracy. There are only half a month left until the 'July 1st' Party Founding Day. Time is of the essence. If we can't get the list, we have to think of another way."

"Half a month." Zhang Yi nodded and repeated, "Leave it to me."

While Zheng Huhe was still pondering, Zhang Yi changed the subject, shifting the conversation:
"I was just about to look for you. Something went wrong."

"What's wrong?" Zheng Huhe suddenly became nervous.

"It wasn't me, it was Qian Xiaosan. Mao Qiwu's suspicions about me hadn't ended last time. While Dai Chunfeng and I were out of town, he secretly arrested Qian Xiaosan and Monkey. Qian Xiaosan didn't pass the test."

"He confessed?"

"Yes. But he has limited knowledge of my true situation, and what he said is probably just some trivial, unfounded stuff. He won't pose a threat to me for the time being."

Zheng Huhe's mood was like a rollercoaster ride, his brows furrowed:

"As a result, the enemy's blockade of you is becoming increasingly tight."

“Yes. I have another watcher around me. Just now, he was instructed by Mao Qiwu to come here and put on a show of loyalty.” Zhang Yi’s expression was complicated.

How do you plan to deal with this?

"Let's play along. Logically speaking, Mao Qiwu's identification of him and the monkey should be kept secret from me. Now that he said it, I can go with the flow and continue the charade, and question Dai Chunfeng."

Although Zhang Yi spoke casually and confidently, he still felt somewhat heavy-hearted when he thought about his current situation. He knew that he would have to be "cautious and cautious, as if facing an abyss or walking on thin ice" in both his work and life in the future.

"To use offense as defense?" Zheng Huhe pondered for a moment, then hesitated.

Zhang Yi noticed his hesitation and said in a casual tone:
"What, do you want me to take you back?"

Zheng Huhe shrugged helplessly, and after a moment of silence, he said:
"Actually, there are some things I've always wanted to say."

Zhang Yi was completely bewildered: "What?"

"Do you know what the biggest difference is between you and everyone else? I mean, compared to the heads of other departments in the Military Intelligence Bureau."

Zhang Yi was even more puzzled. Seeing Zheng Huhe keeping him in suspense, he playfully teased him:

"The biggest difference? He's been too good to you, Lao Zheng! In the middle of the night, he's still 'meeting' with you here!"

Zheng Huhe, however, did not laugh, and said with a serious expression:
"Kind, or rather, too upright."

"Oh." Zhang Yi looked at him suspiciously, carefully putting away his joke, and asked seriously:

"How do you say this?"

"For an undercover agent, short-term infiltration is easy, but long-term infiltration is the most difficult."

It's difficult to integrate, even more difficult to become one with them, and it's even more difficult to collude with them and do the same thing.

Many of our comrades who infiltrated the enemy did so because they couldn't let go of their principles and bottom lines, and were unwilling to collude with the enemy to do heinous things, ultimately revealing their weaknesses and being exposed by the enemy.

Infiltrating is not just a change of identity, but more importantly, a shift in mindset. Many people are trapped by principles and bottom lines, caught in self-blame, unable to escape their psychological predicament, ultimately leading to their exposure. After all, for a normal person, this goes against human nature, but that's the job we do.

To give an inappropriate example, when we watch TV, especially police and gangster dramas, we often feel that the criminals are too powerful and unscrupulous, while the police seem particularly stupid and cute, which makes us very angry.

But have you all seriously considered this? The reason why bad people are "unscrupulous" is that they abandon principles and cross the line to commit evil without restraint.

The police, on the other hand, are subject to "limitations everywhere" and need to adhere to principles and respect the rules to "enforce the law within boundaries."

One party's goal is to satisfy their own selfish interests (murder for profit), they have no moral bottom line or legal constraints, disregard the rights of others and trample on public order and good customs, so they are naturally unscrupulous and reckless; while the other party needs to adhere to principles and bottom lines at all times, so sometimes they will be at a disadvantage or in a weak position.

But in the end, good triumphed over evil.

If the side of justice loses its principles and bottom line, wouldn't it be more dangerous and more terrifying than those people?
Simply put, it comes down to this: if you don't convincingly portray a villain, the villains will see you as an enemy and take you down. But conversely, if you portray a villain too convincingly, your own people will become suspicious.

Zheng Huhe seemed to guess what he was thinking: "Of course, this doesn't mean you can't do anything. Infiltration can selectively cross boundaries, but it must be explained to the organization. As the German philosopher Nietzsche famously said: 'He who fights with monsters should be careful not to become a monster himself.' And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into you."

Zhang Yi knew this quote from Nietzsche's "Beyond Goodness," which warns people that when fighting against darkness, they may be assimilated by it, and to avoid losing themselves in the process of confronting negative forces.

As Zhang Yi was pondering, Zheng Huhe continued:
"In light of the current situation, Director Zhou assessed the situation and gave further instructions on the work of the covert front."

It was explicitly required that our comrades who were going undercover for a long time should not take the initiative to contact the Party organization, but should be "willing to be idle pieces" and endure loneliness.

Second, conceal your true identity, do not recruit party members, and maintain secrecy. Understand the central propaganda that "Mr. Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People are essential for China today," and use this as your political identity to continuously encourage the enemy to continue resisting Japan.

For you, if Dai Chunfeng opposes the Communist Party, you must outwardly align yourself with him. In Director Zhou's words, it's like "a Tianjin radish, white on the outside but red on the inside"—even if you are misunderstood, hated, or cursed by others, don't feel ashamed or rush to express your loyalty. Be patient and resilient.

Third, and most importantly, within the KMT camp, one can be arrogant, but it's better to be haughty than humble. Humility invites contempt and hinders achievement, but excessive arrogance is also unwise. The KMT situation is complex; one must adapt to the environment, going with the flow without being corrupted, remaining untainted by the mire.

Zhang Yi understood: as the saying goes, one's position determines one's perspective, and one's class determines one's stance. The Kuomintang, after all, represented the interests of the large landowners and capitalists, considering themselves the "ruling class," looking down on the workers and peasants, and possessing an inherent sense of superiority. Furthermore, the current bureaucratic system was corrupt, power was unchecked, and privileged thinking was rampant, naturally making their arrogance and overbearing attitude difficult to conceal.

"Tianjin radishes are white-skinned and red-hearted? 'Be more arrogant than humble'? Looks like I'll have to be more domineering from now on." Zhang Yi smiled helplessly, saying with a mocking expression, "Being a person who is outwardly flexible but inwardly principled, neither arrogant nor humble, isn't working. Old Zheng, are you teaching me to be bad?"

As he spoke, he coughed twice. "Some things just don't go as planned. Although our comrades who sacrificed their lives were certain to die, I was involved in every one of them. It's a mess. Dai Chunfeng and I are all dog spies that the entire Red Party wants to get rid of as soon as possible. Now, you're telling me to be arrogant rather than humble? Maybe soon I'll become the most hated person in the Military Intelligence Bureau. I'll be caught in the middle."

"It's better to be arrogant than humble, but also not overly arrogant. I understand your pain, but there's no other choice but to endure it to survive in this special environment." Zheng Huhe suddenly couldn't help but laugh, "Director Zhang, no, Deputy Director Zhang, you seem a little...dejected."

Zhang Yi smiled, composed himself, and looked at him for a moment:

"Shouldn't you go back?"

Zheng Huhe joked, "You're kicking me out already? You've got quite the airs. I haven't even given you a gift yet." Then, he changed the subject, "By the way, who was that woman just now?"

“Shen Ruzhu.” Then, Zhang Yi gave Zheng Huhe a detailed report on all of her circumstances.

"So, you're saying we can try to win this person over?"

Zhang Yi shook his head: "It's not the right time yet. First, she's still under observation; second, people's hearts are fickle. Soldiers are forged in fire, and her current condition needs further observation." He hesitated for a moment, then added, "Also, there's something else I need you to report to the organization."

His expression was ambiguous, a mixture of seriousness, worry, and a hint of admiration.

This left Zheng Huhe somewhat confused.

"what's up?"

"I just learned that Mao Qiwu and his nephew Mao Zhongxin had tried to coerce and bribe Zhu Hua, the driver of the office, but Zhu Hua refused firmly."

Zheng Huhe was initially surprised, then became serious: "It seems their methods are becoming increasingly despicable. I will report to my superiors immediately and have my comrades be on high alert, on guard, and absolutely not let their conspiracy succeed. I'm leaving now, take care!"

"Take care." Zhang Yi extended his right hand to him.

Instead of responding to his handshake, Zheng Huhe gave him a deep hug.

"Take care of yourself."

Late at night, at Dai Mansion, No. 85 Zhongshan Fourth Road.

Dai Chunfeng was sleeping with Hu Die in his arms when a sudden, muffled knocking sounded on the door. He abruptly sat up. He had a bad feeling about this arrival of the final destination.

Fearing he would wake his female companion, he lifted a corner of the blanket, tiptoed out of bed, and opened the door with a dark expression.

Outside stood the travel-worn Deputy Officer Jia, who solemnly handed a telegram to Dai Chunfeng:
"Secret telegram from Hanzhong. Top secret!"

Dai Chunfeng didn't answer, but led his adjutant Jia into the study, plopped down, and said in a gloomy tone, "Read it."

"Yes."

Deputy Jia opened the telegram and read it aloud:
"To Mr. Dai, your humble servant Cheng Muyi respectfully reports:"

"Just received 'Crow's' final telegram: The Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region Special Reconnaissance Station has been betrayed by the traitor Wu Nanshan, and thirteen people, including Qi Sanyi, the deputy leader of the liaison group, have been arrested."

"Stop reading it, just give it to me!" Dai Chunfeng snorted coldly, and Deputy Jia handed over the telegram with a sigh of relief.

“I’ve repeatedly warned them that information sharing between intelligence groups is strictly prohibited, and there must be no lateral communication. But these people just won’t listen. It seems I have no choice but to reiterate the family rules and clean house.” Dai Chunfeng crumpled the telegram into a ball, his face ashen, and said through gritted teeth, “If they continue to be so undisciplined, the people I sent will be wiped out by the enemy.” He looked grave, even worried. “Do you believe it? There are definitely more than one traitor like Wu Nanshan, or someone who has been secretly recruited by the Red Party but is still keeping us in the dark.”

For a moment, Deputy Jia was at a loss for words. As far as he knew, this so-called Hanzhong Special Training Class, because it could not openly recruit students, had a mixed bag of good and bad students. Some were recruited by secret agents, while others were tricked and deceived. It was also stipulated that students could recommend other students to increase the number of students. With such a mixed bag of people and varying quality, how could a few months of training really solve the problem?

Just as I was pondering this, Dai Chunfeng's voice rang out again:
"Are the ninth cohort of trainees graduating soon?"

"Next month." Deputy Jia understood. The Hanzhong Special Technical Training Class was established in September 1939 and enrolled nine classes of students. It was discontinued after the eighth class graduated in March of this year. However, most people within the Military Intelligence Bureau did not know that the ninth class of students had all been transferred to the Bai Mansion Special Training Class in Chongqing for training. Dai Chunfeng himself would occasionally go there to instruct and teach, placing high hopes on this class of students.

In his words, "The special training class is a furnace, used to temper your souls. I demand that you get rid of all your bad habits and lax work style. You people are like scrap iron. I want to throw you into this furnace and forge you into steel!"

Seeing that Dai Chunfeng remained silent, Deputy Officer Jia cautiously asked:

"Mr. Dai, are you going to inspect the Bai Mansion tomorrow?"

Dai Chunfeng waved his hand, and after a long silence, he seemed to have made up his mind: "Call Wang Xinheng immediately. Tomorrow. I want to see him in the office as soon as it's light today."

"Yes."

(End of this chapter)