vncnus Chapter 143 The Right to Execute First and Report Later
Chapter 143 The Right to Execute First and Report Later
His contact was Zhou Kai, the deputy head of the intelligence section of the Secret Service. This man had been working undercover in the Kuomintang HZ City Party Headquarters, using the cover of being a "pro-Japanese neutral" agent. He had been working undercover for more than two years, never getting involved in any military operations, and was only responsible for transmitting telegrams and arranging meetings.
Yan Shuo recalled the scene when the intelligence section was wiped out. All three officers were killed, but Zhou Kai was nowhere to be seen. He figured that Zhou Kai must have been out scouting and making contact at the time and had slipped through the net.
He copied Lu Mingyuan and Zhou Kai's information onto a separate piece of paper and continued to review the ledger.
When Yan Shuo saw the sign of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Shanghai station, his eyes suddenly sharpened.
Records show that Zhao Yawen, a key technical staff member in the communications room and a second lieutenant, was coerced into defecting by the MIT (Military Special Forces). Her brother was captured by the Japanese army, and the other side forced her to defect by offering to release her brother and promote her to the head of the communications section of the MIT.
Zhao Yawen has already leaked three commonly used communication frequencies of the Military Intelligence Bureau and has also agreed to meet at the foreign company dock outside the concession, carrying a "Code Name Comparison Table of Military Intelligence Bureau Infiltrators".
Originally, Wang Wanqing was in charge of Zhao Yawen's affairs, but now Wang Wanqing has been disposed of. In the blank space of the ledger, there is a hasty note from Zhang Cheng, the head of the Secret Service: "Yawen's affairs are temporarily handed over to Su Qing."
It's only been a few minutes and it's already fixed? Zhang Cheng's hands are that fast? Amazing!
Or is Zhao Yawen's connection so important that he's personally overseeing it?
Yan Shuo followed the annotations and found Su Qing's information in another document fragment: a covert agent of the Secret Service's Telecommunications Section, whose external identity was a telegraph clerk for the Donghe Trading Company in the concession. She was proficient in multiple languages and telegraph decryption, and her appearance and work were extremely secretive.
After the bombing of the MIT headquarters, this person must have already evacuated, hiding with the rendezvous signal and the telegram draft, becoming a key clue in tracking Zhao Yawen.
The last page of the ledger records the name of Chen Tiejun, deputy commander of the 7406th Regiment of the Kuomintang 74th Army.
Yan Shuo paused, recognizing the man. He had previously worked with Li Zhixing, stationed on the southern Jiangsu defense line, and possessed a regimental-level troop deployment map and fire point data.
Due to his growing ambition and dissatisfaction with his superiors' promotion, Chen Tiejun was promised the rank of major general in the Wang Jingwei regime and command of an independent brigade by the MIT. They agreed that five days later, at dawn, he would lead two battalions to defect under the pretext of "troop rotation" and join the Japanese army stationed in southern Jiangsu, where he would be received by the MIT's operations section.
Besides these three individuals awaiting defection, the documents also concealed an even more deadly name—Gao Bin.
This person was a key informant planted by the Secret Service in the Shanghai station of the Military Intelligence Bureau. He had been working undercover as a logistics personnel for three years, coordinating the coordination and dispatch of all defectors and directly transmitting Zhang Cheng's instructions.
The three previous groups of Kuomintang agents who infiltrated the Secret Service were all killed because Gao Bin leaked the operation plan.
During Yan Shuo's raid on the rooftop office, Gao Bin managed to escape because he was out delivering defection orders, and he also took with him a complete list of rendezvous times and locations.
Yan Shuo spent the entire night studying documents in the attic.
He sorted through all the clues, categorized them, and compiled them into a booklet, noting the identities of the individuals, details of their defection/infiltration, their contact relationships, and the level of threat, thus creating a complete intelligence report.
The Military Intelligence Bureau (MIB) was strictly disciplined. Such operations involving high-ranking officials of the Kuomintang and internal informants could not be decided by him on his own. He had to report to Dai Li and obtain clear permission before the operation could be carried out.
As dawn broke, Yan Shuo immediately handed the compiled intelligence report to Telegraph Doll, which was then sent directly to Chongqing.
Lu Mingyuan's supply plan, Zhao Yawen's code name comparison table, Chen Tiejun's defection, and the escaped Zhou Kai, Su Qing, and Gao Bin—each of these matters is crucial to the course of the battle and cannot tolerate the slightest mistake.
In the Chongqing Military Intelligence Bureau headquarters office, Dai Li held a telegram, his face grim.
Tang Zong stood by his side, holding a blank instruction sheet, waiting for instructions.
The intelligence sent by Yan Shuo hit the nail on the head regarding the Military Intelligence Bureau's weaknesses.
Dai Li's voice was as cold as ice: "Yan Shuo's destruction of the MIT was a great achievement, but exposing this string of traitors is what truly crippled the Wang Jingwei regime. Lu Mingyuan sold military supplies, Chen Tiejun betrayed the defense line, and Gao Bin harbored an internal traitor—they all deserve to die!"
Tang Zong added at the opportune moment: "Director, the intelligence mentioned that Zhou Kai is hiding in the HZ City Party Headquarters, which is too far from Shanghai, and Yan Shuo is unable to deal with him. Also, Li Zhixing only commands the Fifth War Zone Communications Battalion and has no authority to mobilize troops, so he cannot cooperate in intercepting Chen Tiejun. We need to coordinate with people who have military authority."
"Nonsense." Dai Li stubbed out his cigar, his tone decisive. "Hand Zhou Kai over to the Hanzhong Station. I'll send a telegram to Wei Linfeng, the station chief of Hanzhong Station, ordering him to immediately set up surveillance, find out Zhou Kai's whereabouts, and secretly eliminate him. He can report back afterwards. There's no need to trouble Yan Shuo to make a fuss."
He paced to the window, his gaze serious: "Chen Tiejun's matter concerns the defense line of southern Jiangsu. Li Zhixing is in charge of the communications battalion and has no troops under his command, so naturally he can't stop him. You must immediately draft two telegrams. One is to Li Zongren's adjutant, explaining Chen Tiejun's defection plan and requesting that officers of regimental rank or above with military authority within the war zone be temporarily placed under Li Zhixing's command and authorized to cooperate in the interception. The other is to Li Zhixing, informing him of the military authority coordination and instructing him to contact the receiving officers in advance."
When Gao Bin was mentioned, Dai Li's eyes flashed with even more murderous intent: "Gao Bin has been lying low for three years, causing the deaths of three groups of brothers. He must be brought to justice. Yan Shuo is in charge of the Shanghai Station and has no obligation to deal with the trivial matters of screening at the Shanghai Station. I plan to send a telegram to Feng Yaodong, informing him of Gao Bin's identity and his infiltration route, and ordering him to immediately take the lead in thoroughly investigating the logistics system of the Shanghai Station. Anyone who has any connection with Gao Bin must be isolated and investigated, and must report to me throughout the process. No perfunctory work is allowed."
Tang Zong quickly took notes and nodded in response, "Understood. Also, will the commendation and punishment of Yan Shuo proceed as originally planned?"
"Of course." Dai Li turned around, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Yan Shuo is commended for his meritorious service in the night raid on the Secret Service and the capture of core intelligence. He is awarded a major merit and a reward of 20,000 silver dollars. After the mission in Shanghai is completed, he will be transferred back to Chongqing to receive the award. He is granted temporary full authority to deal with Lu Mingyuan, Zhao Yawen, Su Qing, and Chen Tiejun. He can act first and report later. Before making contact, he must eliminate any potential threats."
He paused, then emphasized: "Lu Mingyuan will hand over the supply plan at the Jing'an Temple Café in three days. Have Yan Shuo set up a perimeter in advance to retrieve the plan and kill Lu Mingyuan. Zhao Yawen is being coerced; the priority is to persuade her to surrender and retrieve the code name table. If she resists or hands over intelligence, kill her. Su Qing is hiding in a foreign firm in the concession; have Yan Shuo conduct a thorough search to retrieve the original telegram and erase it completely. As for Chen Tiejun, once the military command is coordinated, have the officers in charge set up an ambush. We must not allow him to lead his troops to surrender to the enemy."
"Furthermore," Dai Li added, "make it clear to Yan Shuo in the telegram that the screening at the Shanghai station will be handled by Feng Yaodong. He doesn't need to get involved; he can focus on dealing with the defectors and lurking enemy agents in front of him. If Feng Yaodong doesn't cooperate well, he can report it to me directly."
"Yes." Tang Zong finished organizing the instructions. "I will immediately draft a telegram, encrypt it, and send it separately to Shanghai, Hanzhong, and the Fifth War Zone to ensure that all parties act in unison."
Dai Li waved his hand, and Tang Zong bowed and withdrew.
Inside the safe house in Shanghai, Yan Shuo received a encrypted telegram from Dai Li. After quickly reading it, he lit the telegram.