Agency chief?
Zuo Zhong was slightly startled when he heard Hase Ryosuke's words. On the Japs side, agencies originally referred to departments in the army that were engaged in tasks other than combat, such as propaganda and education, and did not specifically refer to intelligence work.
Later, during the Russo-Japanese War, Akashi Genjiro, as the military attache of the Japanese Embassy in Sweden, organized a group of people to go to Belarus to support the opposition. This organization was called the Akashi Organization in Japan.
Probably because it was easier to pronounce, many of the Japanese special intelligence organizations later began to be called agencies. For example, the Jinmen Aoki Agency was a temporary intelligence dispatch agency.
Most of the heads of these agencies are held by members of the departments that formulate plans. Personnel are transferred from other departments based on actual conditions and are not necessarily limited to personnel from the intelligence system.
For example, agencies engaged in instigating rebellion may have diplomats or doctors, or even social butterflies. After all, people like Xu Enzeng are not an exception.
Once the task is completed or fails, such organizations will automatically disband, and the personnel will return to their original departments to continue serving. So what are the tasks of the agency Hase Ryosuke works for?
Zuo Zhong picked up the whiskey brought by the waiter and took a few sips. When the other party walked away, he asked the question softly.
"What is your scope of work?"
"Due to the failure of the intelligence work in Shanghai some time ago, the cooperating personnel were eliminated by you. The Ministry of War, the Ministry of Navy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held consultations in an attempt to integrate the intelligence forces of the three parties."
Hase Ryosuke stared at the woman on the dance floor, a look of pride flashed on his face, and he covered his mouth with a wine glass and replied softly.
"Tokyo finally decided to establish the Hase Agency, with me as the head of the agency to lead the unified leadership of intelligence work on China. It consists of three sections: politics, economics, and culture, and special work classes are established by region.
The staff come from the military, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Interior. In addition to the above work, they are also responsible for part of the counter-intelligence business. They have the power to conduct loyalty reviews of all institutions in China, including the gendarmerie.
However, the military is not at ease with us. Military intelligence is still the responsibility of itself. Kato-kun, actually I don’t want to take this position, but my partners in the Navy have recommended it many times, so I can only reluctantly do it. "
This guy said you were fat and had asthma.
Zuo Zhong listened to Hase Ryosuke's explanation and roughly understood the Japanese plan. The Japanese Army and Navy were preparing to divest unimportant businesses and concentrate on military intelligence.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs took the opportunity to gain the power of supervision. This may be a game between Japan's top leaders. After the February 26 incident, many people are very worried about the military, which has a tradition of conquering the superior.
There are people from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs keeping an eye on the Japanese troops in Shanghai. This is something that everyone wants to see, including the Japanese military.
After thinking quietly for a while, he asked another question: "Have you heard about this person, Kusumoto Shitaka? What is his purpose in coming to Shanghai?"
"I know that the other party is the head of the North China Intelligence Agency. He was born in mainland China. He almost joined the saber team when he was in school, with the rank of Dazuo.
This time I came to Shanghai to serve as the general affairs squad leader of the Secret Service Department attached to the Expeditionary Forces Headquarters. He is not an easy opponent to deal with. You should pay attention.
I met this man at the Marine Special Marine Corps Headquarters two days ago, as well as a young man named Yamamoto from the Intelligence Department of the Naval Command Department. The two of them seemed to be planning something.
These brainless lunatics always want to destroy the world. It’s better to enjoy life while we have this time. Well, it’s time for me to leave. "
Hase Ryosuke reported a new situation, looked at the woman walking over, turned around and picked up the coat placed on the back of the chair, and said one last thing.
"The Changgu Agency has received a group of Chinese informants who cooperate with other agencies, which is what you call traitors. There are about 100 people in total.
I will put the personnel file into the dead mailbox later. It is best to clear it after a while, otherwise Tokyo will definitely be suspicious of me.
This time I will give you a discount. Each person only charges 100 oceans. Buy one and get one free. The total price is 5,000 oceans or the equivalent in French currency, US dollars, and pounds. "
After saying that, he hugged the woman and walked out gracefully. He kept saying hello to acquaintances on the way, without any intention of concealing his whereabouts.
If celebrities at the Shanghai Shangfeng (Harmony) Moon Market were secretive when they went out to play, it would be suspicious. Who would suspect a generous and heroic agency chief?
Zuo Zhong continued to sit in his seat, thinking about what Chang Gu had just said. This name was mentioned in the confessions of Military Commander Zuo Yamamoto, Ji Yunqing and Chang Yuqing.
According to them, the trap against him was planned and implemented by Yamamoto. Is the other party involved with Kusumoto Shitaka unwilling to give up and want to attack him?
Then let’s see who has the better skills. After being dormant for so long, it’s time for the Secret Service to show up. Zuo Zhong raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp, and left the ballroom without looking back.
Not far away from him, Public Concession Inspector Kuang Fuan was holding his dance partner on the dance floor, and the two of them moved slowly to a dimly lit corner with skilled dance steps.
"The superiors want to know about the situation in Ji Mansion."
"It should have been done by the Secret Service. I asked the refugees and Jifu servants who were at the scene at the time. The attackers arrested the two traitors without alerting any bodyguards.
The whole process took less than ten minutes. Except for the Secret Service, no agency in the government could achieve this kind of action. What's wrong? Is there someone in the Ji Mansion? "
"Through special channels, the organization learned that a batch of files from the Shanghai Special Municipal Intelligence Office were missing. Some of the information in them was related to Shanghai Municipal Wei. According to the investigation, it is likely that it is at Ji Yunqing's home."
After hearing what his dance partner said, Kuang Fu'an recalled carefully for a while and shook his head: "The Ji Mansion was completely burned, and no one saw the attackers taking away anything, but I will find an opportunity to verify it again."
"Okay, City Wei Xin's intelligence chief, Boatman, has arrived in Shanghai. From now on, you will be responsible for the liaison between the Red Team and City Wei. He is an old comrade who has been lurking within the enemy for a long time.
This is your contact method and code. If there is an accident and you cannot contact me, you can go to the old place to find me. Be careful. The Japanese intelligence agency is about to conduct a large-scale inspection of the Shanghai area. "
The dance partner made an announcement softly, slowly moved closer to Kuang Fuan, and quickly put a pack of cigarettes into the opponent's pocket.
"I see."
Kuang Fuan was secretly relieved to hear that his future contact was an old underground worker, as long as he wasn't the group of people who came back from Red Russia.
This is not exclusive. Those people have no work experience at all and are easily exposed in an increasingly severe environment of struggle.
After the two finished talking about work, Kuang Fuan's eyes were full of tenderness when facing his wife, whom he had not seen for a long time, and he hesitated to ask.
"Xiaobao has been disobedient recently. The tuition fees at the concession school are getting more and more expensive. I will send you some money in a few days. Don't worry, I will report to the organization."
"No, the child is very obedient. I heard that the Secret Service Headquarters is going to expand. I may be the chief of the General Affairs Section of Shanghai Station. The salary will be enough to live on. Please pay attention to your own safety." The dance partner looked up at Kuang Fuan.
"kindness."
Kuang Fuan's eyes were slightly red and he hugged the other party tightly.
The two hugged each other silently for a while, and then walked into the darkness. The love of revolutionaries is not only small love, but also mutual support and life and death.
Their romance has nothing to do with flowers and superior living conditions, but with war and gunpowder smoke. They are not only close friends, but also comrades in arms through thick and thin.
After a long time, raindrops began to fall on the cold streets, and the first winter rain in Shanghai arrived.
Shanghai Special Marine Corps Headquarters.
Kusumoto Minoru tightened his tight-fitting military coat and looked through the window at the soldiers cleaning up the ruins of the war, frowning.
To be honest, he didn't like this cold city. If it weren't for General Doihara's order, he would rather stay in North China, where there was too much work to be done, such as guiding the establishment of the North China Provisional Government.
And here, although it is the front line of the war against China, there is no place for me to show my abilities. I can only waste my time. I don't know what Commander Doihara plans.
"Kusumoto Daizuo, please have a cup of hot tea."
At this time, Yamamoto walked to him and handed him a teacup, looked outside and said quietly: "It seems that the aviation force will not be able to take off tomorrow, and the Chinese will have a chance to breathe again."
Kusumoto Shitaka held the teacup in both hands, blew the hot air and said nonchalantly: "The overall situation in Songhu has been decided. It is only a matter of time to defeat the Chinese. Soon we will be able to wash our military boots in the Qinhuai River."
Yamamoto didn't answer. He didn't know why. Ever since he saw the fire in Ji Mansion, he became less and less confident in this war, especially after receiving intelligence from the front line.
Thinking of this, he took out a telegram: "In the past 20 days from the occupation of Shanghai to today, we have fought many battles with the Chinese around their defense lines, and the combat area covered most of the north and south of Taihu Lake.
The enemy fought very tenaciously and relied on crude fortifications to hold back the locust army. Countless warriors fell in front of the enemy's positions every minute.
In some places, our soldiers even have to rely on meat (harmony) bomb offensives to break through. So far, our army has suffered nearly 20,000 casualties.
If the bunkers, fortresses, and trenches on the opposite side were made of reinforced concrete, I really doubt how many people in the Locust Army would be alive after they hit Jinling.
In addition, the number of casualties announced by the dispatched troops during the Songhu Battle was more than 40,000. According to statistics from the Military Medical Department, at least 90,000 imperial soldiers were unable to continue serving, not counting those with minor injuries. "
Yamamoto sneered. There was only one reason why the military concealed the true numbers. The casualties were too great.
In today's context of growing nationalist arrogance, once the people know that the mighty imperial army will pay such huge casualties in conquering Shanghai, it will definitely trigger anti-war rhetoric in the country.
Moreover, it was difficult to explain such a huge number of casualties to the Locusts. In order to protect the face of the imperial army and certain people, the dispatched army had to falsify casualty data in large numbers. This was an open secret.
"Nani?"
Kusumoto Sanitaka was shocked. He quickly grabbed the telegram and read it. His expression changed again and again. As a professional intelligence officer, he understood what this number represented.
As of this year, the total population of the empire is 70.63 million, of which 16.93 million are men of military age. The number of men available for recruitment accounts for about 56.2% of the men of military age, which is almost 10 million.
The problem is that the number of people available for recruitment does not mean that so many people are actually put into the battlefield. In that case, domestic agricultural and industrial production will be completely paralyzed, so now the empire's army only has more than 1 million troops.
Including the losses in the Songhu Battle and the 20,000 casualties on the defense line, the Locust Army lost 100,000 people in one go, nearly one-tenth of its total strength. This is an appalling figure.
China is so big that there will be many wars in the future. How many hundred thousand people can be lost in the empire? Do we really want all the people to be soldiers? What will they gain even if they defeat the Chinese?
"Your Excellency Da Zuo, I know you are not happy to come to Shanghai, but the work we have to do next is related to whether the empire can win quickly. You and I must work together, please."
Yamamoto bowed vigorously and spoke his mind. He understood how great his contribution was in establishing a puppet government, and it was only human nature that the other party would not come.
But in the intelligence war with the Chinese, the empire was defeated again and again. If the two of them did not unite, the consequences would be very serious.
After hearing this, Shitaka Kusumoto looked serious and responded solemnly: "I'm taught, Yamamoto-kun, your reminder is very timely. Let's talk about the mission. When will the plan start?"
"Don't worry, this matter still needs the help of an expert. The other party will arrive in Shanghai tomorrow. Please, Mr. Zuo, come with me to greet him.
Before that, we need to thoroughly clean up Shanghai and find out all the fruit party intelligence personnel and underground parties hidden in the corners to ensure the smooth implementation of the plan. "
Yamamoto got the answer he wanted, smiled slightly, stretched out his right hand and shook it tightly, as if he had the enemy firmly in his hand.
That night, piercing sirens were heard all over Shanghai, and Japanese troops stationed in Shanghai and patrols from the two concessions were dispatched on a large scale to conduct searches in all residential areas.
The agent headquarters Shanghai Station was destroyed, more than 30 people were killed on the spot, and more than 50 people were arrested. Xu Enzeng was so frightened that he ran back to Jinling overnight.
Not only the Guo Party, but also the Cao Gang suffered a huge blow. Hundreds of gang members were arrested and taken back to the patrol room, and more than a dozen elders were invited to drink tea.
Everyone knew that the Japanese were serious about this. The originally chaotic Shanghai quickly restored order, and for a while it seemed to have a sense of political purity and harmony.
A few days later, Yunke from the French Concession came to the hotel.
Zuo Zhong in the secret room was deep in thought while holding a telegram. This was urgent information sent by Hayashi Fuichiro, and the content was only one line.
——The head of the technical section of the Osaka Mint went to Shanghai secretly.
What was the business backbone of the mint doing in Shanghai? Could it be that the Japanese wanted to forge legal tenders? He couldn't think of any other explanation other than this reason.
The Japanese have done this kind of thing in history. The most direct and simple way to disrupt the enemy's economy is to print the enemy's banknotes.
Moreover, the anti-counterfeiting measures of legal currency are very simple. They only have watermarks and secret marks, which can be easily copied with Japanese technology.
The printing problem was easier to solve. Since the government's printing level was too low to print banknotes in large quantities, it was outsourced to British and American companies.
For the sake of safety, the Americans did this part of the work on their own soil. After printing a batch, they shipped a batch to the Republic of China, which was quite particular.
The British were a bit indifferent. In order to reduce freight costs, they directly set up factories in colonial port cities and Southeast Asia.
There were only a few red-headed Asan guards at the door, and the government was not allowed to send anyone to protect them. The reason was that they were afraid that the government would steal their printing technology.
With John Bull's level of confidentiality, it would not be difficult for the Japanese to obtain the withered version. There was no need to re-engrav it, and they might have already obtained it.
Unfortunately, this information was too simple. There was no name, appearance, or specific itinerary of the technical section chief. The Secret Service could not check everyone who came from Osaka to Shanghai.
Zuo Zhong stared at the telegram, trying to find some clues from the dozen or so words. As he watched, an idea suddenly came to his mind.
It should not be the Ministry of Finance that is leading this project. The other party is only providing technical assistance and does not know the details.
Otherwise, Hayashi Fuichiro, as the head of the Secretarial Section of the Ministry of Finance of Japan, should not only know this bit of information.
So except for the high-ranking Locust, who in the Japanese cabinet can make these Gods of Wealth work?
There is only one, and that is the military.
After all, they have guns in their hands. If they don't agree, a few soldiers will "accidentally" enter the Ministry of Finance and kill a few officials to add to the fun.
More importantly, as the Konoe Cabinet came to power and the war of aggression against China began, all actions taken by the Japanese government were based on the opinions of the military.
After synthesizing the information from Fuichiro Hayashi and Ryosuke Hase, Zuo Shige took out a pen and notebook and quickly listed a few known clues.
First, the Japanese military (doubtfully) brought money-printing experts to Shanghai through the Ministry of Finance.
Second, Shitaka Kusumoto traveled from North China to Shanghai for an unknown purpose.
Third, Yamamoto did not complete his mission, but he did not return to Japan.
Fourth, Shitaka Kusumoto and Yamamoto appeared together at the Marine Corps headquarters.
"Winter...dong..."
Gently tapping the armrest of the chair, Zuo Shige came up with a reasonable guess - Kusumoto Shitaka and Yamamoto were the persons in charge of the counterfeit banknote plan.
If this is the case, a lot of information is revealed behind this matter.
First of all, there is a high probability that the Japanese government's economy is in trouble. Its military expenditures are unsustainable and it cannot support the front line to continue launching large-scale battles.
The Japanese are eager to use counterfeit banknotes to defraud resources from the Kuomintang-controlled areas or bribe traitors and lackeys to support war with war and reduce financial pressure.
Also, if there is no great benefit, the Japanese navy and army, which have deep grievances, can shake hands and make peace, unless the sun rises from the west.
Secondly, the losses suffered by the Japanese army in the Battle of Songhu must have been considerable. The Japanese could no longer fight and attempted to use economic means to destroy the national economy and quickly win the war.
If there is other circumstantial evidence, these two speculations can be sent to Jinling as a reference for military and diplomatic decision-making. Intelligence analysis is a means of obtaining intelligence.
But these are all things for later. Zuo Zhong walked around the room, and after thinking about it, he determined one thing. It was necessary to find out whether the technical experts had arrived in Shanghai. This matter cannot be delayed.
Hayashi Fuichiro's information cannot be guaranteed to be timely. Technical experts may have arrived and started printing counterfeit banknotes. Once these banknotes flow into the market, the government will be in trouble.
The credibility of legal currency is bankrupt, inflation (harmonious) is inevitable, and food prices are rising rapidly. No matter how patriotic the soldiers on the front line are, they cannot fight on an empty stomach.
Thinking of this, he immediately asked He Yijun to inform Song Minghao to go to the contact point, and then hurriedly left the Yunke Lai Hotel.
That night, Zuo Zhong and Song Minghao met at a warehouse at the North Bund Pier. As soon as they met, he introduced the general situation.
Song Minghao's cover identity was the warehouse owner, and he knew many people on the dock. After hearing this, he immediately guessed the purpose of Zuo Zhong calling him over, so he tried out.
"Deputy Director, do you think the technical expert may have come to Shanghai by boat and want to use this clue to investigate the other party's whereabouts?"
"It's not a possibility, it's a certainty."
Zuo Zhong's tone was affirmative: "Shanghai's railway network was cut off due to the war, and the cars were slow and unsafe. This ruled out the possibility of this person coming to Shanghai by land.
The air route is also unrealistic. It has been raining in Shanghai recently. It is easy to cause accidents when flying in this kind of weather. In addition, it is too ostentatious and does not meet the characteristics of secret operations.
Therefore, the target can only disembark from Shanghai by boat. You and Lao Wu have a wide range of contacts. Find out if the Japanese military has gone to the dock to pick up people in the past few days.
Do not limit the departure point. Whether you are coming from Japan or from other places, check to prevent Japanese people from changing trains midway. "
"Understood."
Song Minghao nodded. Although Shanghai was not an isolated city now, it was not much better. Then he asked another question.
"What if the Japanese hide their identities or wear civilian clothes to pick up people? There are people coming and going at the Shanghai Passenger Terminal every day. It is not easy to find the target among so many people."
Zuo Zhong patted his shoulder: "
Then check the cars. The identity of the target is important. The Japanese army in Shanghai will definitely send cars to greet them. There will always be fewer cars than people. "
It's really impossible to catch all the habitual thieves on the dock. Rich people are their targets, and drivers are naturally among them. Be careful not to make too much noise. "
In the era without surveillance, if you want to return to the time and space location of a target, you can only rely on touch platooning. Those who have been fishing for a long time are like humanoid cameras.
At this time, someone was passing by outside the warehouse. Song Minghao looked outside warily. After the other person walked away, he turned his head and said.
"I understand. I will arrange for people to investigate when I get back. The war has just ended and there are not many ships coming to Shanghai from other places. We should be able to find something."
"Well, be careful of the enemy's trap."
Zuo Zhong warned that if Hayashi Fuichiro was arrested or rebelled, that message would be a bait to lure the Secret Service out.
This is also the reason why he did not contact Ryosuke Hase. The safety of the other party cannot be compromised, and they can only rely on themselves for this operation.
After assigning the task, he quickly walked out of the warehouse towards the Bund. When passing by a smoky wonton stall, he passed by a familiar figure.
82 Chinese website
