On the evening of December 12, 1937.
On the street near Houde Middle School, a newsboy waved his newspaper and shouted:
"Out of the gate, out of the gate, Commander Tang, the commander of the Jinling garrison, announced his retreat. The Guo army had no boats to ride on, so they built rafts to cross the river. Many people drowned. The Jinling war is about to end."
The people around him had numb expressions as they listened to this message. There was really too much bad news in the past few days, and everyone understood that it was only a matter of time before Jinling fell.
It only took them less than four months to go from uniting to resist the Japanese invasion to calmly facing the repeated defeats of the government. No wonder the human heart is the most complicated thing.
In a noodle shop, Zuo Zhong and Wu Chunyang, who had changed their appearance, were sitting in the corner, turning a deaf ear to the shouts outside and continuing to eat noodles with their heads down.
As members of the Secret Service, they had already received more detailed intelligence, and the situation in Jinling was more severe than what was written in the newspapers, but what could they do.
Wu Chunyang ate the noodles in two bites, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, quickly scanned the deserted store with his eyes, and asked Zuo in a low voice about the relocation of the Secret Service and the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics.
During this period, he was busy looking for clues about the counterfeit banknote factory every day. He didn't know much about the evacuation of Jinling, nor did he know how Shangfeng had arranged for them.
Zuo Zhong took a sip of noodle soup, glanced at him and replied: "As early as January 28, the twenty-first year of the Republic of China, the leader had set the policy of moving the capital to Luoyang and Chang'an.
Luoyang, in particular, is located in the hinterland of China and has relatively convenient connections with all parties across the country. It has complex mountains and hills and has a natural barrier for defense.
And unlike Chang'an, which is surrounded by the Qinling Mountains stretching from east to west, we can seize the opportunity to rush out and attack the Japanese army. Preparatory work has already begun at that time.
However, with the resolution of the 128 Incident, the matter of moving the capital was abandoned. In addition, after the Chang'an Incident last year, the leader felt that Luoyang was too close to the underground party, so this time he decided to retreat to the Jiangcheng and Mountain City lines.
A few days ago, the national government moved to Jiangcheng first, and the bureau headquarters, secret service headquarters, and secret service branch went to the mountain city. Don't worry, the brothers' families and all documents were transported by freighter, and the road was very safe. "
Zuo Zhong put it simply. In fact, if he hadn't persuaded Dai Chunfeng through telegrams many times, the other party would still want to stay with someone and perform "the work of dogs and horses" and would not want to go to the mountain city at all.
But unlike other agencies, moving the intelligence agency is a big deal. Losing any document may cause the frontline intelligence personnel to lose their heads, so in the end Lao Dai agreed with his opinion.
Putting down the bowl and chopsticks, Zuo Zhong took out a cigarette and handed it over, then put another cigarette in his mouth. Instead of using a lighter, he lit it with a match produced in the concession, and then revealed some inside information.
"Judging from the current situation, sooner or later the national government will have to move to a mountain city, which is bordered by the Yangtze River to the south and the Jialing River to the north, making it easier to transport supplies and transmit information through waterways when land routes are blocked.
Geographically, it borders Shaanxi Province, Hunan Province, Guizhou Province, EZ Province and other places, so it will not be completely blocked and lose contact with the outside world.
At the same time, the terrain of the mountain city is rugged and foggy. The former is not conducive to Japanese bombing and is highly tolerant, while the latter is extremely concealable and is a good place for both offense and defense.
We are helping Shangfeng to set up a front station. There are many bandits and bandits there. We must clean up these monsters before we can welcome the chairman of the committee, other officials and important institutions to Sichuan. "
Wu Chunyang nodded, so it turned out that this was the case. Using the Secret Service to deal with those gangsters would be easy. After thinking about it, he lowered his voice and asked another question.
"What about the prisoners we captured before? Those spies and men are familiar with our case handling methods, our style of action, and they even saw our true appearance. Did they take them with them when we retreated?"
"Take it away? Why take it away."
After hearing this, Zuo Zhong asked in reply, exhaling smoke from his mouth: "There are so many people, what should we do if there is a problem with transportation over such a long distance? If they escape, no one can bear the responsibility.
After the Battle of Songhu, I sent Lao Gu to the prison and detention center. Except for those spies who surrendered and wrote letters of allegiance, all the other spies and Han women were executed.
Nowadays, the government and the bureau are in financial difficulty. One less prisoner in the rear can support one more soldier in the front. This account is still easy to calculate. It is just a waste of bullets. "
He knocked the cigarette ashes nonchalantly, but cast his eyes in the direction of Jinling, with a glimmer of light in his eyes, and he furrowed his brows as if he was thinking about something.
Wu Chunyang did not notice this scene and focused on the conversation just now. You must know that hundreds of people related to Japanese espionage are imprisoned in detention facilities including Laohuqiao Prison.
According to the deputy director, these people were all shot. Once this incident came out, the "prestige" of the Secret Service would probably become even louder, and the deputy director's nickname of Smiling Tiger should also stop the crying.
The two stayed together for a while, then Zuo Zhong looked at his watch and dropped some money. He quietly pinched out the cigarette butt and put it in his pocket. He stood up, called Wu Chunyang and walked out of the noodle shop, heading away from Houde Middle School.
Outside the door, the hot water seller Laohu Zao boss slowly raised his head and stared at their backs with a pair of triangular eyes until they disappeared. Then he lowered his head and added a handful of firewood to the stove.
In the distance, Zuo Zhong and Wu Chunyang were walking in the dark alley, communicating softly.
"Chunyang, how are you?"
"The other party is not following."
"Well, once it's confirmed that the counterfeit banknote factory is inside the school, all suspicious people outside will be cleared."
"Understood."
After saying that, the two of them silently followed the Sucheng River to a small river bend. Looking around, they saw a dozen wooden boats with canopies docked here scatteredly, and occasionally people came ashore from the boats through the springboard.
The shouts and punches coming from these wooden boats can be heard from a long distance away. This is the "boat dish" popular in Shanghai and Jiangnan areas, specializing in river fresh food and home-cooked dishes.
Zuo Zhong and Wu Chunyang walked to the outermost boat and carefully boarded the boat. Then the lanterns on the mast were lit to tell the guests that the boat was full.
The two of them bent down and came to the middle of the cabin. They saw two middle-aged people, a man and a woman, preparing meals in front of the stove in the back cabin. There was also a person sitting on the ground wearing a water support and a glass goggle.
"Are you ready?"
Wu Chunyang looked around the cabin and asked casually.
The little agent wearing a water jacket stuffed a dagger into the scabbard on his leg, stood up and saluted: "Report, ready to go at any time."
Feeling the biting cold wind blowing from the river, Zuo Zhong patted the other party's shoulder: "Be safe, I will personally ask for credit for you when you come back."
"Thank you, Deputy Director."
The little agent's face flushed with excitement. After speaking, he came to the side of the boat and opened a corner of the awning. He put his right foot into the water with the help of the cover of the boat's hull. He immediately shivered when the cold river water aroused him.
However, thinking that the deputy director was behind him, he gritted his teeth and held the edge of the boat with both hands, submerging his body little by little into the water. Without causing any splash or movement, he quietly swam away into the distance.
Watching his men go away, Zuo Zhong frowned and sat cross-legged, waiting quietly for the other party to come back, his heart filled with worry.
Although this task is not as close to death as fighting, it will also face various risks, the most dangerous of which is hypothermia.
It is winter now, and the average daily minimum temperature in Shanghai is only 3 degrees Celsius. Due to the specific heat capacity, the water temperature is almost 2 degrees higher than the air temperature.
Humans can survive for up to 20 to 30 minutes in water at 5 degrees Celsius above zero. Agents may be able to survive longer after training, but they cannot break through human limits.
Once the blood flows from the periphery to the center of the body, it will cause muscle atrophy, causing the person to lose control of the body, and it is easy for people to drown.
Logically speaking, the other party should launch the water closer to Houde Middle School. The problem is that the Japanese are not stupid, and they may have deployed observation posts and eyeliners in the direction of the Sucheng River.
And this is a black operation. In order to keep it secret, if he is unfortunately caught by the concession patrol, the national government and the Secret Service will not admit it.
These two reasons require the operators to start from a place far away from the target. Fortunately, the opponent is the best water-resistant among the agents. As long as he acts quickly enough, his life should not be in danger.
ten minutes……
twenty minutes……
The food in the back cabin has been prepared and placed on the table, rice wine is soaking in the steaming basin, and the atmosphere becomes more and more solemn.
Half an hour later, the little agent still had not returned. Wu Chunyang, who was squatting beside the boat, turned back to Zuo Zhong and said solemnly: "Deputy Director, something may have happened. You go first, and I will wait here for another five minutes."
Zuo Zhong understood what the other party meant. If the operators were discovered and controlled by the enemy, they might reveal their whereabouts.
Looking out at the quiet streets, he rejected Wu Chunyang's kindness: "No, it's very quiet over there at the target. It doesn't look like someone has sneaked in. Be patient and let's wait together."
"Deputy Director……"
"Shh, don't talk, there's something going on."
Wu Chunyang still wanted to persuade Zuo Zhong, so he put his fingers in front of his mouth to make a silent gesture, then raised his ears and listened carefully to the sounds outside.
Not sure if it was an illusion, but he seemed to hear a strange noise in the waves. After listening for a while, he simply stepped forward and opened the awning.
"Whoa, whoa, whoosh~"
A vague sound of paddling sounded, Wu Chunyang perked up, and immediately knocked on the hull of the boat rhythmically, sending out the agreed-upon code signal.
Soon, a pale hand trembled and grabbed the edge of the boat. Through the dim lights from both sides of the river bank, the two saw the little spy with black lips slowly emerging from the water.
The other party looked exhausted, swaying weakly with the water. He drank several mouthfuls of river water in just a while, and his eyes were distracted.
Upon seeing this, Zuo Zhong and Wu Chunyang quickly pulled the man up, grabbed a blanket and covered him, and then took a few sips of hot rice wine to the other man.
"Deputy...director, section chief."
With the help of alcohol and temperature, the little agent gradually came back to his senses, and while trembling, he opened his mouth to report the report.
"Under the water surface on the back wall of Houde Middle School, there are two 20-centimeter-thick hidden pipes. When I went there, sewage was being discharged, and the water flow was very strong.
There were sharp blades and rope warning devices next to the water pipes. I made a cut without paying attention. This was definitely a method used by the intelligence agency. "
As he said that, he pointed to a not-too-deep wound on the outside of his thigh. Fortunately, it wasn't deep, otherwise even 007 wouldn't be able to come back alive due to blood loss and hypothermia.
Zuo Zhong was certain that based on the intelligence and investigation collected in advance, he could basically conclude that the Japanese counterfeit banknote factory was in the school, and he finally found these bastards.
Now all they need to know is the preparedness inside the factory, which is not difficult. Under the weak oil lamp, Zuo Zhong pointed at the little spy and looked at Wu Chunyang.
"Immediately send him to the hospital in the concession, find the best doctor, use the best medicine, no matter how much money is spent, we will definitely save his life.
In addition, inform Gui Youguang to arrest Kyouichi Oyama immediately. We must not let the patrol room and neighbors find out. We only have one chance. "
"yes."
Wu Chunyang replied seriously.
