Espionage codename: Shen Gongbao

"Director Ding?"

"Sister, tell me more." Wang Xuesen feigned curiosity and continued to steal glances at her chest.

"Ding Mocun studied in France and is a proper graduate of the CC Department. He is also a fellow townsman of Zhou Fohai. He has high standards and may not look up to you or me."

"Since Mr. Wang intends to entrust No. 76 to Director Li."

"You need to be clear about who's family and who's family, or you'll get confused."

Yu Aizhen's smile grew even brighter, even carrying a hint of ambiguity.

She liked the infatuated, greedy look in a man's eyes.

In the past, when Wang Ershao was pursuing Wanjia in Shanghai, he had privately begged her for a one-night stand.

Yu Aizhen didn't fancy the young man; she only gave him a handkerchief to ease her longing and dismissed him casually.

Now that he has a beauty like Wanjia by his side, he still hasn't lost his feelings for me. He really is still that lecherous fool.

"sister."

"Mr. Wang and his group know my own worth perfectly well. Aren't they all just trying to win over my old man?"

"I'm here to enjoy life."

"If you really want me to listen to someone, I'll listen to my sister, and I'll listen to my husband."

Wang Xuesen stared at her half-exposed snow-white skin, his Adam's apple bobbing, and he swallowed hard.

"clever!"

"Brother, listening to women guarantees a promotion and a fortune."

"Look at me, when I used to run errands for Master Ji, none of those big bosses or officials would even give me a second glance."

"Now, heh heh, the captain of the 76th Guard Unit."

"When those rich people see me, they're like mice seeing a cat. They all obediently call me Master Wu or Captain Wu."

Wu Sibao grinned widely, turned his head and chuckled a few times.

"Brother-in-law has finally figured it out!" Wang Xuesen laughed.

If I remember correctly, this fool was later instigated by Yu Aizhen to become so arrogant that he openly robbed the Japanese military police of their property, and ultimately met a violent end.

Yu Aizhen then went to Japan and got together with Hu Lancheng.

That's ridiculous! "If you hear the truth in the morning, you'll die in the evening!"

"Haha, that's right, that's right." Wu Sibao laughed triumphantly.

"You men, you say one thing and mean another. If you had listened to me, you wouldn't have run off to Chongqing in the first place," Su Wanjia said gently, brushing away Wang Xuesen's stinky hand.

"See? My steward is angry."

"Okay, from now on, whatever you say goes."

Wang Xuesen took Su Wanjia's hand and gently kissed it.

The two flirted and teased each other, thus defusing Yu Aizhen's probing.

Are you kidding me?

If you take sides as soon as you arrive, aren't you just asking for trouble?

He's like Shen Gongbao, always finding a way to take sides and maneuver between different factions while stirring up trouble.

……

Richard Hotel.

Since it was taken over by the Japanese, this place has become the "headquarters" for meetings between the Japanese and the Wang Jingwei regime.

At the entrance, there were Japanese military guards stationed everywhere.

Wu Sibao's car was stopped and searched as soon as it arrived at the entrance, and another specialist went to report the incident.

Soon, a man with a sallow complexion, a sinister look, sparse stubble, and wearing overalls walked over with his hands in his pockets. He arrogantly raised his chin and ordered, "Old Wu, thanks for your hard work. Leave the man to us."

After he finished speaking, he waved his hand, and several agents from the 76th Special Agent Unit surrounded him with unfriendly expressions, reaching out to snatch Wang Xuesen's luggage.

"Who is this?" Wang Xuesen asked, pushing aside the agent carrying the box, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Oh, this one."

"He is none other than Lin Zhijiang, the famous chief of operations at No. 76."

"She used to be a veteran of the Military Intelligence Bureau, and she was very favored when she worked for Dai Li. Now she is still highly regarded by Director Ding," Yu Aizhen said with a charming smile.

"He's the one who turned Chen Mingchu to defect. Captain Lin is a very capable person."

She was seemingly introducing the area, but in reality, she was worried that Wang Xuesen wouldn't be able to distinguish the different factions.

"Mrs. Wu is too kind. I'm just sharing Mr. Wang's burdens." Lin Zhijiang raised his chin, showing great disdain for Yu Aizhen's sarcastic remarks.

"The team members are so enthusiastic."

"Captain Lin, I can carry my own luggage, no need to trouble yourself."

Wang Xuesen didn't want to offend him, so he got up and went inside.

"Why!"

"We have to take it."

"Brother, you're from Chongqing. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Let us do our part as hosts."

"Sibao, you agree, right?"

Lin Zhijiang raised his hand again to stop Wang Xuesen.

"Yes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do." Wu Sibao didn't dare to break the rules, so he could only nod in agreement.

"it is good."

"Then I'll have to trouble Captain Lin."

Wang Xuesen knew this was a routine procedure; he could just pretend to be annoyed and let it go. To really argue with it would be foolish.

"Sibao, Mr. Zhou and the others have arrived. Director Ding asked you to urge Director Li to hurry up." Lin Zhijiang spoke casually, as if ordering a subordinate.

Wu Sibao's face, covered in acne scars, trembled slightly: "I understand."

Lin Zhijiang led Wang Xuesen up to the second floor and to the door of a suite where security personnel were stationed.

As for Wanjia, she was taken away for a "chat" by someone sent by Yang Shuhui in the stairwell.

It's obvious that from the moment Wu Sibao picked him up at the station, this group of people were preventing Wang Xuesen from having any contact with the outside world or any opportunity to exchange information.

Tonight's banquet is going to be a nightmare.

"Young Master Wang, please rest here for a while. I'll have someone put your luggage in the car for you later," Lin Zhijiang said, pointing inside.

"Thanks, Captain Lin."

Wang Xuesen gave a meaningless reply and slammed the door shut.

……

inside the room.

Lin Zhijiang strode in and handed an envelope to the slick-back-haired, broad-faced man at the head of the table: "Mr. Zhou, this was found in Wang Xuesen's suitcase."

A hint of wariness flashed in Zhou Fohai's eyes, and he nodded.

Ding Mocun, who was standing to the side, understood and took the document to examine it. "It does look like Madam Wang's handwriting. Brother Fohai, can you take a look?"

Zhou Fohai swirled his wine glass: "No need, it should be true."

"Li Shiqun sent Wu Sibao to pick him up at the station, it seems he wants to win him over."

"After all, he was a student highly regarded by Mr. Wang."

Ding Mocun chuckled.

"Does he value her?"

"If they really valued you, the Wang couple wouldn't have asked me to come and welcome you," Zhou Fohai said with a cold laugh, lighting a cigarette and taking a drag.

"Brother Fohai, what should we do with this person?" Ding Mocun glanced at Lin Zhijiang, who tactfully withdrew.

"Mr. Doihara once had a list of people he wanted to befriend, and the old man of the Wang family was a key target for him. This kid is a playboy, and I guess Mr. Wang invited him here because he wanted to win over the Wang family."

"Moreover, Wang Xuesen's father was my colleague."

"His elder brother, Wang Xuewen, was one of Dai Li's old cronies."

"This family has deep roots in the Party headquarters and the Military Intelligence Bureau, and they came directly from Chongqing, so their identities are very complicated."

"Mr. Wang probably isn't sure if he's going to refuse to see him."

Zhou Fohai tapped his fingers lightly on the sofa armrest, pondered for a moment, then relaxed his brow and said:

"In this way, I neither give them important positions nor offend them."

"He was given two positions: deputy director of the confidential office and deputy director of the accounting office."

"The confidential office is Huimin's territory, it's like our own land, so I can understand why he's keeping an eye on this kid."

"Ye Yaoxian in the accounting office is Li Shiqun's brother-in-law."

"Isn't this pushing people towards him?"

Ding Mocun leaned back on the sofa, looking puzzled.

"Didn't you always say that Li Shiqun controls the finances and treats No. 76 like his own home? Well, here comes a perfect spies."

"Wang Xuesen might just be the key to turning things around for you."

"For future financial needs, you can also go through Wang Xuesen as an intermediary to avoid dealing directly with Ye Yaoxian and Li Shiqun, so as to avoid having to deal with their attitudes and causing unpleasantness."

"I reckon Li Shiqun might not really use him, so don't worry about it."

Zhou Fohai's gaze swept subtly over Ding Mochun's crossed legs, which were higher than his own, and the smile on his face gradually turned cold.

Ding Mocun has always been arrogant and conceited.

Although they belonged to the same CC faction as him, they were by no means his confidants like Luo Junqiang and Yang Xinghua.

Moreover, this person is ambitious and has recently been frequently interacting privately with Shimizu Tozo of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, clearly intending to bypass me and establish his own independent faction.

Zhou Fohaile's impartiality allowed Li Shiqun to keep Ding Mocun in check, while Zhou sat back and watched the two tigers fight.

This is the signature technique of Chiang Kai-shek from Chongqing.

As for Wang Xuesen...

Hehe, playboy, keep an eye on him secretly. If he's got potential, you can recruit him as a confidant later.

Ding Mocun knew that Zhou Laogou was shrewd and unwilling to offend Li Shiqun, so he had no choice but to give up.

"Alright, I'll do as Brother Fohai suggests at the banquet later."

……

P.S.: In case readers are not familiar with the 76th Division's factions and history, here's a brief overview of the early personnel and factions within the 76th Division. (The author said there wasn't enough space, so it's only in the main text.)

No. 76 was nominally under the Special Committee headed by Zhou Fohai, the second most powerful figure in the Wang Jingwei regime (some say that Zhou Fohai had real power and was mainly responsible for liaising with Japan, and was actually more influential than Wang Jingwei).

The actual organizers of Project No. 76 were Li Shiqun and Tang Huimin.

Because Li lacked sufficient qualifications, and Zhou Fohai also wanted to control No. 76, Ding Mocun, a fellow townsman and member of the CC Clique, was appointed as the director, while Li Shiqun and Tang Huimin were appointed as deputy directors.

Although Li Shiqun had access to intelligence and finances and wielded considerable power in the early stages, Ding Mocun actually had the assistance of Tang Huimin, Lin Zhijiang (a traitor in the Military Intelligence Bureau), the head of operations, and Wang Tianmu, among others. In the early stages, Ding Mocun was qualified to challenge Li Shiqun.

Of course, the protagonist arrived in August of 1939, precisely when Ding Mocun's faction collapsed and the internal strife had reached its climax.

The following is the personnel structure and factions of the No. 76 organization in its early days.

Director: Ding Mocun.

Deputy Directors: Li Shiqun, Tang Huimin

The overall commander of the action team (a total of six brigades): Lin Zhijiang (Ding faction), Chen Mingchu (ostensibly Ding faction, but actually Li faction) of the first brigade, Yang Jie (Li Shiqun's wife Ye Jiqing's younger brother) of the second brigade, and the remaining three brigades were directly under Lin Zhijiang's command and were the main force for Ding Mocun to resist Li Shiqun in the early days (it is said that there was another Yang Jie with the same name, who was also a brigade commander, but this book will omit him).

Commander of the Guard Corps: Wu Sibao (Iron Rod Li faction) is responsible for internal defense, security and field duties (most of whom are thugs and thugs recruited by the Green Gang).

Head of Accounting Office: Ye Yaoxian (Li Shiqun's wife Ye Jiqing's younger brother (or nephew))

Head of General Affairs: Xiao Yicheng (Ding Pai)

Chief of the Investigation Department: Su Chengde (a swing voter, early Ding-Lai faction)

Chief of the Intelligence Department: Li Shiqun (in the early period), Hu Junhe (Li faction).

Zhou Fohai, as the head of the Special Affairs Committee, has a very interesting stance on No. 76.

In the early days, Li Shiqun remotely controlled No. 76, watching the tigers fight from the sidelines. He gained the trust of the Japanese and his power expanded rapidly after ousting Ding Mocun, threatening Zhou Fohai's position.

Zhou then united various forces to oppose and kill Li.

Explanation of the sources and verification of historical materials.

Core evidence: "The Headquarters of Wang Jingwei's Secret Service - No. 76" (oral accounts by Ma Xiaotian and Wang Manyun), "The Devil's Den No. 76" (declassified Military Intelligence Bureau archives), and "Gazettes of the Wang Jingwei Regime" (1939-1941).

Supplementary evidence: Li Shiqun, Biographies of Republican Era Figures (Zhonghua Book Company, 1981); Selected Historical and Cultural Materials of Shanghai, Vol. 23 (1980).