Today we received new intelligence: during the day, two powerful departments of the puppet government, the 76th Special Agent Headquarters and the police department, openly engaged in a large-scale shootout in downtown Shanghai, resulting in extremely heavy losses on both sides. Naturally, the Director was extremely excited.
The bureau chief asked Bian Ze, "Didn't he explain the reason clearly?"
Bian Ze shook his head and replied, "No, he just arrived in Shanghai and doesn't have any intelligence channels or access to this level. So he asked us to send intelligence personnel to assist him, otherwise their information is limited and it will be difficult for them to do anything. He also urged our operatives to get in as soon as possible, otherwise he will not be able to carry out his work."
The bureau chief nodded and said, "His request is reasonable, but establishing another intelligence network in Shanghai is by no means an easy task. Although I have already found suitable candidates, this work will still take some time. The operatives are still not in place. Xiang Nan, has this problem not been resolved yet?"
The first batch of operatives sent out earlier inadvertently revealed their weakness when entering the Japanese-occupied area, and engaged in a firefight with the local collaborators, suffering considerable losses. They were forced to hide on the spot and were in a difficult situation. The Director had previously instructed Bian Ze to arrange a rescue.
Bian Ze quickly replied, "We spent a lot of money to clear the channels and rescued the people, but the losses were too heavy. I have already sent out a second batch of people. This time they will go through Jiangxi to enter Zhejiang and then sneak into Shanghai. It will be safer, but it will take longer."
"That's good. We can't afford any more problems. In Shanghai, we only have Huo Yueze's intelligence department, which is too weak."
The bureau chief frowned and continued, "By the way, the intelligence department should have some information coming back about such a major event. Why haven't we heard anything from them yet?"
The Shanghai Intelligence Section's information is always the most timely and accurate. However, the telegrams are all sent to the headquarters of the Second Operations Division and delivered by Wei Liangbi. But Wei Liangbi has not reported to headquarters in the past two days.
Bian Ze explained, "They wouldn't miss such an important situation. Huo Yueze's intelligence department has accurate intelligence channels and will definitely find out the truth of the matter."
At this point, he suddenly looked at the director and asked with some doubt, "The Second Operations Division has been moving much slower lately. Zhiheng has been busy executing prisoners these days. I heard that all the prisoners in the Second Operations Division have been executed, but the cleanup operation seems to have made no progress. That Silver Fox has also completely disappeared. Director, is there something going on?"
Since Ning Zhiheng left Chongqing, Tan Jinhui has taken over the role again. Apart from the work arranged by Ning Zhiheng, Tan Jinhui can no longer show his face in Chongqing. This change quickly alerted Bian Ze and others that something was wrong.
The director smiled slightly and explained, "I know about this matter, but I haven't had time to inform you yet. Zhiheng's important task was not completed, and now a new problem has arisen. Since it happened so suddenly, Deputy Director Huang and I have decided to let him go back to continue in charge of the work. This work is of a special nature and is at the highest level of confidentiality, so you should not disturb him."
Upon hearing this, Bian Ze suddenly realized that Ning Zhiheng had always been elusive, rarely showing himself, and now he was doing the same thing again.
"What about the internal purge?"
The bureau chief waved his hand and said, "We can discuss this issue later..."
Just then, Secretary Liu knocked on the door and entered, reporting, "Director, Director Gu requests an audience!"
"Let him in!"
Soon, Gu Zhengqi strode in, took a few steps to the front, and urgently reported, "Director, the latest news from Shanghai!"
The bureau chief laughed and said, "Even you've heard the news. It seems this is quite a commotion!"
Gu Zhengqi looked at the telegram on the director's desk and immediately understood what the director had learned. He smiled and said, "It's more than just a big commotion. The police department and the 76th Division have openly clashed, turning the whole of Shanghai upside down. I heard that the western part of the city is in ruins, and the southern part has also suffered heavy losses. This time, the puppet government has lost all face. But I don't know what the specific reasons are!"
It turns out that the Chongqing government in Shanghai not only had the Military Intelligence Bureau's influence, but also a dedicated department under the Ministry of Finance.
After the fall of Shanghai, the four major banks of the Chongqing government—the Central Bank, the Bank of China, the Bank of Communications, and the Farmers Bank—did not evacuate Shanghai. Instead, they all chose to relocate to the International Settlement and hold out.
The reasons are multifaceted, of course. This also takes into account the overall financial security of the country. Once these four major banks withdraw, not only will the legal tender and foreign exchange markets undergo drastic changes, but it will also disrupt the financial stability of the rear. In this way, the economic power of several southeastern provinces will fall entirely into the hands of the Japanese invaders, who will seize it at will. This will be extremely detrimental to Japan and will also have a significant impact on international relations.
These four major banks were all under the Ministry of Finance. They had an office in the Shanghai International Settlement, known as the Four-in-One Branch. They had their own staff and commercial radio stations, but they only engaged in economic activities and had no ability to interfere in intelligence work.
The news of the large-scale unrest in Shanghai, with a large number of citizens flocking to the Shanghai International Settlement, finally reached the Fourth Branch Office. The Fourth Branch Office then reported the situation to the Ministry of Finance via radio. Meanwhile, Gu Zhengqi's Second Intelligence Division had its own informants in key departments of the Chongqing government and quickly obtained the information from the Ministry of Finance.
Shanghai is now the focus of all forces across the country, and any developments there are important intelligence. Gu Zhengqi took the information very seriously and immediately came to report to the Director.
Gu Zhengqi continued, "The Ministry of Finance has also reported this news to the Chairman. The Chairman is very pleased, saying that this has dismantled the puppet government. Wang Tianhai is currently in North China, making connections and actively engaging in various activities. The Chairman is having a headache because of this. Now that his backyard is on fire, let's see how that old rascal deals with it!"
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