Cicada Moving

 Chapter 520 The Situation in Shanghai

Shanghai, the largest modern city in the Republic of China and even in Asia, gives people a very complicated impression of money, conspiracy, friendship, love and hate, gangs, gunfire, neon, hope and despair.

This place is full of terrible evil, barbaric crime and insidious politics, and there are gold diggers from countless countries. No place in the world is more suitable for launching intelligence wars than here.

　　The open-door policy started by the previous dynasty made it extremely prosperous and extremely dangerous. Wealth was accumulated and scattered in all directions, and it became a theater of economic struggles, conflicts of faith and wars.

White Russia and Red Russia brought their hatred together, and they still remembered it even in exile in a foreign country. Rich German businessmen would always celebrate the birthday of a certain big shot in the German Garden to show their loyalty.

The upper-class British people had to rub shoulders with the rich indigenous people, Korean gangsters, Filipino entertainers, down-and-out pickpockets, and swindlers, each going his own way and doing all kinds of things.

The young lady and wife who lost their support lost their glory and started a business of attracting tourists in gardens, capitals, and in front of the Chinachem Hotel, and even hooked up with sailors and soldiers from various countries in broad daylight.

Even in seemingly high-end areas, there is a coexistence of wealth and poverty. The Paramount Ballroom is bustling with life, and British bosses and gangsters spend money like water with their mistresses.

Outside the door, the noble "generals" who claimed to be from the Tsarist era wore a dozen medals bought from the Hongkou market and acted as guards, struggling to deal with the hordes of ragged beggars.

In the smoky dance halls, bars and dirty places, rows of Belarusian dancers and Republican singers are waiting for customers to pay attention. Some even say that one out of every 13 women here is a virtuoso.

Zuo Zhong looked out the car window and recalled countless old movies in his mind. He couldn't help but feel the heavy pressure. The first two times he went to Shanghai were just a quick tour, but this trip had to be truly integrated.

With millions of people and countless forces, large and small, each party has its own interests and demands. It is a difficult challenge for him to drive away Xu Enzeng and protect the underground party at the same time.

“Deputy Director, I brought two pocket radios this time. The keys and vacuum tubes are kept by the operators sent by the bureau headquarters. We need to accept the supervision of the other party when using them. Do you want to think of a way?”

At this time, He Yijun, who was sitting next to her, reported in a low voice that as the communications person in charge of this operation, she could not accept the communication tools being controlled by others, as this was related to everyone's lives.

Wu Chunyang, who was in the co-pilot, turned around when he heard this, with a dissatisfied look on his face: "Yes, deputy director, does the director not trust us? This has never happened in so many important missions before."

 Zuo Zhong turned to look at them both and shook his head: "The old rule is, don't ask, don't tell. When it's time for you to know, I will explain the situation. By the way, why didn't I see Gui Youguang and them?"

This time he was ordered to come to Shanghai. He ordered Wu Chunyang, Gui Youguang, Shen Dongxin, He Yijun, Tongsuo and some personnel from the Operations Department. Gu Qi and the patient Song Minghao stayed in Jinling to maintain the situation.

There is a reason for choosing to bring these people. Lao Gu and Lao Song are unlikely to be promoted in the near future. Even if they make great achievements, it will only be an extra record in the file, which has no practical significance.

It would be better to take advantage of the fact that the Quanxu system has not yet been fully implemented and raise the military ranks of his confidants to facilitate promotion during the war. Zuo Zhong was worried about their future.

As for the agents who lead the Operations Section, you must know that he is now the deputy director in charge of all-round work. Of course, he must keep a bowl of water on the surface and create opportunities for those who want to join him.

Finally, with the stable Gucci and the old oil man Song Minghao looking after the house, Zheng Tingbing and Zhang Yifu can't make any big noise. They have been trained as foxes for thousands of years, and no one can even think of playing tricks secretly.

Hearing Zuo Zhong’s question, Wu Chunyang replied with a smile: “They are setting up and inspecting the temporary residence. The hotel arranged by East China District has some minor security loopholes, which must be resolved as soon as possible.”

"Yea, very good."

Zuo Zhong understood what he meant. He had to be careful when acting in other people's places. Although Yu Xingle was one of his own, he had to be wary of others. Who knew whether the East China District personnel could do it cleanly.

In Jinling, the first thing people pursue is power, and the second thing is wealth. In Shanghai, it is just the opposite. As long as you give enough money, you can sell anything and buy anything, including intelligence.

After speaking, Wu Chunyang took out a document bag and handed it over: "Deputy Director, this is the introduction and architectural blueprint of the temporary residence. If you are not satisfied, then we will make a new selection ourselves."

 “No need, just read it.”

Zuo Zhong leaned on the car seat, basking in the rare warm sunshine in winter, and replied lazily that the station was just a small matter, and they might not even have time to sleep after the mission started.

"yes."

Wu Chunyang opened the document and introduced: “Because the underground party is used to evading arrest in the concession, East China District rented a house in the public concession, the address is No. 75 Jisi Feier Road.

The place is very spacious, with a western-style building, a new-style bungalow, a large garden and several closed garages. The people we brought can all live there without having to separate them. "

Zuo Zhong, who was closing his eyes and concentrating, heard the words Jisi Feier Road, and his ears twitched slightly. A certain building in this place will become notorious in the future, and many patriots died there.

There are so many places in the British and American Public Settlement and the French Concession. Why don’t you rent a house there in East China? Will there be any problems? After all, in a sense, Shanghai is behind enemy lines. He slowly opened his eyes: "No. 75 Jisi Feier Road, what is the background of the owner of the house? Does he know our true identity? If there is a risk of leaking the information, we will move him immediately."

Wu Chunyang rummaged through the information and immediately started reading: "The house was rented in East China District in the name of opening an English school. The landlord is British and has been in Europe all year round, not in the Republic of China.

At that time, he was a housekeeper who went to sign the contract. The background information of these two people was very clear. They were ordinary people. They had no contact with the Japanese or underground parties, and they had not made any relevant remarks. "

 The reason for choosing the location here is that, compared to the strict security of the French Concession, people can move more freely in the public concession. At the same time, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce has a friendly attitude towards government officials.

Second, most of the houses in the concession are small and medium-sized commercial buildings. There are not many houses that can accommodate so many of us. In addition, the people living on Jisi Feier Road are Chinese, so it is not easy to arouse suspicion. "

Zuo Zhong's face was expressionless, and the background information was so detailed and complete. Yu Xingle probably put a lot of thought into this matter. If they moved out directly, they would be slapping each other in the face.

　　Leave a thin line in your life so that we can meet each other easily in the future.

He thought for a while and smiled: "Since it is the good intention of District Chief Yu, I will not move for now. He is a local snake. Our mission depends on the relationship between East China District and the concession.

In addition to the situation of the houses, is there any latest information on the various forces in Shanghai, especially about the French, British and American people? This is not Jinling City. If you want to do this, you must first feel how deep the water is. "

Wu Chunyang nodded in agreement. There is a complete military and police system in Jinling as the backing, and the Cao Gang Ma Tianchang is cooperating. Their news channels can penetrate into all aspects of the entire city.

As for Shanghai, although the Huajie, which is the largest and most populous area, is branded as a special city of the Republic of China, warlords, gangs, and politicians are vying with each other and competing with Jinling for power.

Let alone order these people, the Secret Service, even if you ask for help, it still depends on whether they will give you face. He poured out all the documents in the document bag, picked out one of them and held it in his hand.

“The French Concession has a small area of ​​about 15,000 acres. It is mainly a residential area and is adjacent to a river beach. It has a population of 500,000, of which foreigners account for a small part, of which there are only more than 2,000 French people.

 The largest number were Russian expatriates, numbering more than 10,000, most of whom were White Russians who fled to the Republic of China at the end of the Russian Civil War. The British also slightly outnumbered the French, with almost 2,000 people.

Military and political affairs are almost under the dictatorship of the French Consul General. The Public Security Bureau is the nominal governing body. The patrol room under it currently has 4,000 police officers, most of whom are Chinese and Vietnamese arrests, and there are very few French people.

 The Political and Public Security Department, which is responsible for intelligence work, is an agency affiliated with the French Security Service. The person in charge is named Joshua. His background is unknown and his experience is unknown. He is only known to be in his fifties. That's all. "

Listening to the rough situation in the French Concession, Zuo Zhong raised his hand and touched his chin. The French rule was still very strong. It seemed that they should avoid this place as much as possible during the mission to avoid complications.

It's just that the work in the East China District was somewhat incompetent. He couldn't even find out the details of his opponent for such a long time. Even if Joshua was more vigilant, he should have found clues through other channels.

　　Obviously, after Yu Xingle became the district chief, he became a standard bureaucrat. He didn't seek merit in doing things, but sought no faults. His vigor had long since disappeared. Zuo Zhong couldn't help but frown and looked at Wu Chunyang.

 “Let’s talk about the public concession.”

“Yes, the Public Settlement is the industrial and commercial center of Shanghai, with hundreds of factories, docks, warehouses, and buildings stretching for several kilometers, as well as many parks, entertainment venues, restaurants, and consulates of various countries.

The total population is about 1.2 million, of which 40,000 are foreigners, who hold all the power. The directors of the so-called Ministry of Industry and Commerce take orders from the chief executives of British commercial houses and banks, such as the two brothers of the Kaiziwei family. "

When Wu Chunyang said this, he showed a photo of two middle-aged white men standing next to horses. It seemed to be from a news report in a certain newspaper. He pointed to the two people in the photo.

“They are not only the chief executive of Jardine Matheson, they are also the intelligence agency of the British MI2 in the Republic of China and the heads of the Special Department of the Public Settlement Police Department. They have very powerful influence in Shanghai.

 The elder brother Tony Kaiziwei became the political leader of the public settlement after serving as the general director of the Ministry of Industry Bureau. The younger brother John Kaiziwei graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge, and is fluent in Chinese and Shanghainese dialect. "

Good guy, force, power, wealth and governing institutions are all in the hands of a few people. The people of the Republic of China and foreigners all live under the control of a small group of people. This is not capitalist at all.

If the French Concession is the overseas microcosm of France before the Great Separation, then the Public Concession is the Far East replica of the United Kingdom before the Reform Act. Zuo Zhong rubbed his head, the situation in Shanghai was really chaotic.

 “Deputy Director, we have arrived at the station.”

 Wu Chunyang in the front row reminded.

 (End of this chapter)