Li Zhiqun's words were unmistakably threatening. However, he had a powerful backer, so he spoke with great confidence. If he really occupied the French Concession and wanted to make things difficult for Luo Zidong, what could Luo Zidong's little gang power do against the threat of guns and cannons?
Moreover, as the Japanese occupation of Shanghai has continued for longer and their base has become more and more solid, the anti-Japanese atmosphere in the French Concession has gradually declined, and it is far from what it was two years ago.
Luo Zidong was cornered by the imposing Li Zhiqun. Seeing Li Zhiqun threatening his life, he dared not refute. After much deliberation, he decided to leave himself a way out and asked, "Brother Zhiqun, what do you intend to do with me? Let me make it clear first, my power is limited. If you want me to cooperate with you openly, that won't work. Otherwise, I'm afraid I won't even make it through this year, let alone wait until the end of next year."
Upon hearing this, Li Zhiqun and Li Yunqing were immediately delighted. The reason they chose Luo Zidong was because Luo Zidong had previously cooperated with the Japanese, making it easy to persuade him on the issue of stance. Moreover, Luo Zidong inherited most of Lu Tianqiao's power and was very influential in the concession. In particular, his abilities were outstanding and he could be of great help to them.
Li Zhiqun didn't hesitate any longer and said directly, "Zidong is so straightforward! Don't worry, what I asked you to do is very simple: find the Chongqing agents in the French Concession and the International Settlement. As you know, the Chongqing agents and our No. 76 Special Agent Headquarters are locked in a bloody battle in Shanghai. In just one month, more than 20 officials of the new government have been assassinated, and our headquarters has suffered heavy losses. Of course, the Chongqing agents have also lost a lot of their own. But they use the concessions as their base and are constantly replenished by the National Salvation Army in southern Jiangsu. No matter how many we kill, they replenish just as many. They are like cockroaches that can't be killed. If this continues, it will be a never-ending struggle. Therefore, we have decided to completely eliminate this agent's lair and nip it in the bud to prevent future troubles. Otherwise, we don't know when this agent war will end."
Upon hearing this, Luo Zidong was taken aback. He spread his hands, looking surprised, and said, "Brother Zhiqun, do you know how many people are in the concession? This isolated island has a million people. In such a vast sea of people, how am I supposed to find those Chongqing agents?"
Although Luo Zidong's words were somewhat of an excuse, they were indeed the truth. The International Settlement and the French Concession were extremely densely populated due to their thriving commerce and the need to avoid Japanese rule. Their population was increasing every year. Under such circumstances, it was indeed quite difficult to find Chongqing elements who were deliberately hiding.
Li Zhiqun was already prepared. He waved his hand to stop Luo Zidong and said again, "We know it is indeed very difficult, but it's not without a way. In the past few months, we have captured many prisoners in our battles with Chongqing agents. Under the influence of the new government, these people are willing to abandon the darkness and work for us, and identify Chongqing elements for us. I have brought a few capable people with me this time. I will hand them over to you to help you find these Chongqing elements."
In this unprecedentedly fierce espionage battle, the No. 76 Special Agent Headquarters, taking advantage of its home ground, dealt a heavy blow to the Shanghai intelligence station. In numerous clashes, it captured a large number of Kuomintang agents and obtained information about the Shanghai intelligence station from them on multiple occasions.
However, Wang Hanmin was extremely cautious and quickly took corresponding measures to completely separate the intelligence station's headquarters and its personnel. The personnel were all hiding in various temporary rental locations. After each operation, as soon as someone was arrested, they would immediately change locations. Although this measure was very troublesome, it effectively evaded the pursuit of the No. 76 Special Agent Headquarters. Therefore, Li Zhiqun had never been able to completely eliminate the No. 76 Special Agent Headquarters in Shanghai. He still didn't have a good solution, so he decided to bring Luo Zidong over to find the Shanghai intelligence station and then solve this problem completely.
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