"Director Meng, we checked and it's safe around here."
Meng Shaoyuan did not speak.
Old pickles.
Most of the people living here are from the lowest strata of Shanghai's public concessions.
Poverty and backwardness can be seen at any time.
In the alley, there were two prostitutes who were scantily clad and had thick powder on their faces, but it looked like they were already quite old. They were soliciting business there.
Their asking prices are very cheap, and they are specifically targeted at single men who live alone in Shanghai and do coolies and other jobs.
No one looks down upon their status, everyone just wants to make a living and survive.
No. 307 is in the alley.
This is a two-story building. The upstairs and downstairs are rented out, and a total of three families live there.
The first floor is larger, and two families live there.
The second floor is actually a small pavilion.
Few Japanese agents would notice this.
There is no information to be gained from this.
And there is a strange smell as soon as you come in, which makes people feel particularly uncomfortable.
Going up to the pavilion room on the second floor, there is another staircase at the back door of this room, which allows people living on the second floor to enter and exit without disturbing the people on the first floor.
The stairs are made of wood and are very narrow.
When Meng Shaoyuan climbed up, he was really worried.
Knocked on the door.
Someone got up, walked to the door, and then instead of asking "who" as usual, the question was:
"Which boss?"
"Is there any old furniture here?"
"Yes, it's 80% new. What's your price?"
"It's hard to say. I have to see it with my own eyes."
The door is open.
A strong smell of alcohol came out.
The person who opened the door looked like he had drunk a lot, and his face was red.
Meng Shaoyuan only took one look and was basically sure that this person was Mr. Gong.
"Come in." Mr. Gong turned around silently.
Meng Shaoyuan closed the door smoothly.
The light in the room is very dim, making people feel particularly uncomfortable in broad daylight.
There is no way, the conditions in the pavilions in Shanghai are like this.
A bed, a table, a chair.
This is all the furniture inside.
Mr. Gong sat on the bed and pointed to the only chair in the house: "Please sit down."
Meng Shaoyuan sat down and started the second round of signals.
No deviation.
The food to go with the wine was a pack of pig ears and a pack of peanuts, and the drink was cheap bulk wine.
Mr. Gong seemed to have no intention of inviting Meng Shaoyuan to drink together: "You are?"
"Meng Shaoyuan, director of the Military Reunification Shanghai Special Office."
"Oh, you are Meng Shaoyuan." Mr. Gong said calmly: "Since you can find here, you also know who I am. I am Mr. Gong. From now on, until I leave Shanghai, I will be Mr. Gong."
"yes."
Who could imagine that an inspector with great power would live in such a small and run-down place, drinking alone here.
"You came at just the right time."
Mr. Gong took a sip of wine: "Stay here for another hour. If no one comes yet, I will evacuate. The next time you want to find me, you will have to go to a new contact point the day after tomorrow."
"Mr. Gong." Meng Shaoyuan asked, "When is the first day of June?"
This is a secret that only Mr. Gong and Dai Li know.
Mr. Gong was silent for a moment: "Dai Yunong asked you to ask that, right? My correct answer should be, the sixth day of August, which is the birthday on my file. The first day of June? Today is June 28th, the sixth day of the lunar calendar On the first day of the month, why am I drinking alone? Because today is my birthday, and I am celebrating my birthday."
"Mr. Gong, happy birthday." Meng Shaoyuan said.
"There is no happiness." Mr. Gong sighed deeply: "Every birthday, I will drink a few drinks. I am not a good drinker, but I always have to drink because I don't know whether I will be there on my next birthday. Will be alive."
Meng Shaoyuan could completely understand his mood.
Who in this business is not doing things with their heads up? Who doesn’t know if he will still be alive tomorrow?
Meng Shaoyuan cheered up: "Mr. Gong, we have just received intelligence. The news of your coming to Shanghai has been leaked. The Japanese have sent killers to kill you in Shanghai."
"Deal with me in Shanghai?" Mr. Gong smiled coldly: "This is Chinese land, and they actually want to kill me on my own land? In Shanghai, you, the strongest agent on the surface, Meng Shaoyuan, are guarding you, so I'm not worried. "
Just these few words made Meng Shaoyuan excited: "Mr. Gong, don't worry, I will do my best to protect you and prevent the Japanese from succeeding."
"Thank you." Mr. Gong finished a cup of wine and poured another cup for himself: "Who is responsible for chasing me?"
"Tahara Kouta."
"An old 'friend'." Mr. Gong sneered: "When this man was in Hong Kong and Macau, he was known as the strongest killer in Japan. He did successfully carry out several assassinations. However, calling him the strongest killer is an exaggeration. He has always wanted to kill me, but he has never succeeded. What qualifications does he have to be called the strongest? "
There was clear contempt in his words.
"Yes." Meng Shaoyuan said, "But your status is special. Mr. Dai has repeatedly promised to protect your safety. Mr. Gong, I will arrange a place with better accommodation for you."
"No need." Mr. Gong refused flatly: "I am the inspector personally appointed by Dai Yunong. In Shanghai, you are not only the only one, Meng Shaoyuan, but also Zhou Weilong and Cheng Yiming. If I accept your arrangement, it will be equivalent to accepting your bribe. , how can I still exercise my responsibilities as an inspector fairly and impartially? Do you think so, Director Meng? "
Meng Shaoyuan was in awe.
Not many people can be so clean.
"There are funds allocated to me from above. The place I came here today is also the property of the military commander." Mr. Gong looked at the pavilion: "There are some properties of the military commander that even you, Director Meng, don't know about. I have a place to live, and I have Money is enough for food. Besides, I also want to take this opportunity to get rid of Tahara Kouta in Shanghai!"
Meng Shaoyuan immediately paid attention: "Mr. Gong, I only have a photo of Tahara Kouta in my hand, and there are no other clues for the time being."
"Tahara Kota and I have fought against each other for so many years, and we are very familiar with each other." Mr. Gong is confident: "Killing Tahara Kota can deal a heavy blow to the Japanese spy organization and avenge the comrades who died at his hands in the past. No matter from It is beneficial to us from every angle. But to accomplish this, you alone are not enough."
Meng Shaoyuan understood the meaning of Mr. Gong's words in an instant.
With Mr. Gong's cooperation, Meng Shaoyuan's strength in Shanghai is certain to kill Tahara Kouta, but by doing so, Mr. Gong will help Meng Shaoyuan make another contribution.
This is unfair to Zhou Weilong and Cheng Yiming.
Mr. Gong would not even accept a request to change to a more comfortable environment, let alone show any favoritism in the matter of meritorious service.
Dai Li chose him to come to Shanghai, an important city, after careful consideration.
Meng Shaoyuan admired in his heart: "That's right, Mr. Gong. Let's do this. Tonight, I will greet you at the International Hotel. I will also invite Zhou Weilong, the director of the Shanghai latent zone of the military command, and Cheng Yiming, the secretary. You will personally deploy the work."
"I can't arrange work for you." Mr. Gong specifically corrected him: "My responsibility is to inspect the work, correct problems in a timely manner, and make a unified report on everything I saw in Shanghai, not to interfere with your work. Today In the evening? Okay, it’s a meeting with everyone and telling them that I, the inspector, have arrived, not just meeting you, Director Meng, alone."
"Then I will arrange contact immediately." Meng Shaoyuan stood up.
The pavilion is so narrow that your head can almost touch the roof: "At 5 o'clock in the evening, I will send someone to pick you up."
"No, I'll go by myself." Mr. Gong refused again: "Director Meng, you know, I was drinking when you came in, why don't you invite you to drink with me?"
"Please give me some advice, Mr. Gong."
"It's not because the food and wine are bad, but there should be no separate interest relationship between you and me. If you send a car to pick me up, then you are telling Zhou Weilong and Cheng Yiming that we have met alone and that our relationship is unusual. .”
Mr. Gong smiled and said: "I can go to the International Hotel by myself."
Meng Shaoyuan didn't even know what to say.
"Director Meng, since you are here and we have gotten to know each other, I would like to send you a few words." Mr. Gong had no intention of letting Meng Shaoyuan sit down again: "Why did we fail on the frontal battlefield? In such a big country, Why is it like this? In addition to military and political reasons, another big factor is that we like to form cliques internally.
Guangxi, Hunan, Central, and so on. Even the central department is divided into CC department and civil engineering department. This is a joke. A good country and a good government are always fighting each other, but they have to wait until foreign enemies invade. Only then will they feel like facing a powerful enemy and understand the importance of unity. "
This matter was so big that Meng Shaoyuan did not dare to speak. He just listened to Mr. Gong’s words honestly:
"We talk about uniting and fighting the war together, but we still have grudges and can't be honest with each other. Japan is only so big, but it dares to invade our country, China. What's wrong with this?"
"Mr. Gong, Shao Yuan doesn't dare to say anything."
"Yeah, you don't dare to say it, no one dares to say it." Mr. Gong suddenly sighed softly: "I don't dare to say it, I just drank some wine and talked nonsense. Director Meng, I made a mistake, I made a mistake . But please remember, I don’t care about other people. There will be no cliques in me. What I have to do is to do my part well.”
This is actually a disguised warning to Meng Shaoyuan not to apply the tactics he used to use on himself.
Young Master Meng, who has always been successful, has now encountered a tough problem.
However, Meng Shaoyuan still admired this inspector from the bottom of his heart. If everyone could be like him, this country would really be in a great situation!
