Cicada Moving

  November 1938.

The day after the incident, the Huangshan official residence Caoting was urgently requisitioned by the military commander. After a security inspection, it was turned into a temporary headquarters for the investigation operation. Spies came and went from time to time.

Like Yunxiu Tower and Songting, this is a building with a mixture of Chinese and Western styles. It faces south and is three rooms wide. The roof is also covered with imported thatch, which is insulated and warm in winter and cool in summer, so it is named Caoting.

Of course, Zuo Zhong had no time to care about these things now. He called Wu Chunyang and Gu Qi here to prepare for a meeting to summarize the known information.

After coming down the mountain, he took off his wet raincoat, wiped the mud on the soles of his shoes with the mat at the door of the thatched pavilion, went to the study and sat down, and first looked at Gu Qi.

“Lao Gu, tell me what’s going on at the third bonfire in the north, and whether there are any results from the footprints and police dog tracking at the other two sites.

 Japanese spies cannot fall from the sky, and it is very important to understand their movement trajectory, which can help us find their starting point.

 Speaking of which, this rain really came at the wrong time. When it rains heavily, the temperature and traces are destroyed. God won’t help us. "

With a sigh, Zuo Zhong seemed to have thought of something. He stood up and took out a lighter to raise the fireplace in the room, which instantly made the room warm.

Gu Qi stood by the fireplace, warmed his hands by the flames, and replied with a grimace: "These Japanese spies were very cautious, and their footprints disappeared after going down the mountain.

Moreover, the other party also scattered a lot of dog secretions on the way back. Our police dogs smelled the smell and stopped leaving, making it impossible to follow. "

 Do dogs divide (separate) secretions?

Niang Xipi!

Zuo Zhong's face darkened. Little Japan liked to engage in this kind of sneaky business, but it was indeed easier to obtain than the chemicals used by the original secret service.

  Gu Qi was also helpless. It is the nature of animals to reproduce (separately). He could not "beat the two ducks". He paused for a moment and continued to report.

“As for the third bonfire, it is located on the beach of a creek 300 meters due south of the air defense force and due north of the official residence. A preliminary survey has been done.

  Similar to the previous two places, there are footprints and traces of cutting down shrubs, but nothing else is left. By the way, gasoline was used here.

The direction where the footprints last disappeared is the air defense force. Your judgment is correct. The person who set the fire is very likely to be lurking in the army.

 What a pity, the fog was too heavy that night, and the military personnel were poisoned. They could not determine the direction and distance of the bonfire, let alone who had gone out. "

His expression was a little annoyed. Logically speaking, the military camp is the place with the strictest management. This kind of thing is easy to investigate, but who would have thought that the Japanese would poison him.

Listening to Gu Qi's story, Zuo Zhong added a few pieces of firewood to the fireplace, poked the red-hot charcoal fire with a pair of tongs, and turned around to ask a question.

"Who says there is no gain? Knowing that one of the spies may be from the air defense force is not a gain. There is also gasoline, which is not something ordinary people can get."

Since the founding of the Republic of China, the Republic of China has not had the technical ability to mine oil, let alone the production of oil derivatives. It relies on imports of gasoline, kerosene, and diesel.

From Beiping to Shanghai, and from Jinmen to Yangcheng, the oil sold in all cities is of foreign brands. Even the mechanized troops of the Guo Army have to look at the foreigners' opinions.

Energy giants like Mobil use ships to transport oil from foreign countries and then package it in lead barrels and sell it by kilograms or gallons.

They first formed a monopoly by dumping at low prices, and defeated ethnic oil companies by distributing high-end glass-shaded kerosene lamps for free, and then began to raise prices aggressively.

Ordinary people in many places cannot afford to light a lamp. This routine of selling machines at low prices, giving away machines, and then asking people to buy consumables seems a bit familiar.

 After the July 7 Incident, the Sino-Japanese War began, and fuel that could be used both industrially and for military purposes became a strategic material in short supply.

Kerosene is okay, it is a civilian fuel. The Japanese still have to give some face to European and American businessmen, and they have not completely cut off the use of kerosene.

 But firewood and gasoline are different. Japanese warships have strictly sealed (separated) the coast and not a drop can get in.

There is no publicly sold gasoline or diesel in mountain cities now. The prices in the black (separated) market are getting higher and higher day by day. The officials can hardly afford to drive their high-end cars.

Faced with such a predicament, the Ministry of Economic Affairs is preparing to set up a plant to refine light oil from vegetable oil to meet the urgent need. In this case, the people who can still get gasoline will not be ordinary people.

 Gu Qi nodded in agreement and immediately understood what the deputy director meant. Not many air defense troops have the ability to access oil. Maybe they can find something by following the fuel line.

Without waiting for him to speak, Zuo Zhong lay down comfortably on the chair, twisted his body and found the most comfortable position (separation), closed his eyes and spoke again.

"The person who set the first bonfire should be a nearby resident or a woodcutter, who at least frequented the mountainous areas around Huangshan Mountain without arousing suspicion from others."

 Gu Qi didn't understand this sentence. At the scene they went to see together, the Japanese spy left no clues except footprints. How did the deputy director know the identity of the other party.

As if he knew his doubts, Zuo Zhong, who was drowsy in the gradually rising temperature, patted the armrest gently and gave an explanation in a lazy tone. “The reason is very simple. Because we found no traces of tree felling at the site, the other party either transported the firewood from another place at once, or collected the combustion accelerator bit by bit in multiple times.

Considering the need for concealment of the operation, I think the first possibility is unlikely. Lao Gu, hurry up and find out. There will not be too many households and woodcutters around Huangshan. If you check one by one, you will always gain something.

　　When asking, you must be willing to spend money. Don't just scare people. There must be brave men under the heavy rewards. I don't believe that no one has seen Japanese spies entering the mountains. Don't forget to control the nearby traffic arteries to prevent the other party from escaping. "

Gu Qi suddenly realized that yes, the bonfire was to guide the Japanese bombers in the direction. The Japanese spies had to ensure that the bonfire could burn stably for a long time, and the firewood used was inevitable.

No intelligence officer would be stupid enough to carry dozens or even hundreds of kilograms of firewood up a mountain. Besides, only those who carry firewood from the mountain are the only ones carrying firewood. There is no reason to do the other way around.

If you can't find a clue, then there is a clue. He learned a lesson from the deputy seat again. Gu Qi thought quickly in his mind, and an expression of admiration automatically appeared on his old face.

Zuo Zhong, who had half-squinted his eyes, saw this scene and secretly shook his head. Such acting skills were superficial and a bit exaggerated. He still needed to practice. Then he talked about the last scene.

“The characteristics of the suspect who appeared in the second bonfire, as we have discussed before, are between 1.58 and 1.62 meters tall, strong and powerful, with a military background, and know how to do soil work.

 Let’s trace down from these lines, paying special attention to those who have been to Huangshan and Nan’an areas. People leave their names and geese leave their voices. It is impossible for people to live in a vacuum.

 Okay, let’s leave it to that regarding the bonfire. The investigation of the poisoning incident of the air defense force and the determination of the type of toxin must also be carried out simultaneously. The conclusion must be told to me in three days at the latest.

Your second office must carry forward the spirit of continuous fighting that dared to fight hard and was not afraid of death or fatigue during the Secret Service period, and give a satisfactory answer to the committee members and bureau leaders as soon as possible. "

Zuo Zhong ended the conversation with an official (separation) cliché, signaling Gucci to hurry up and take action. No matter how good the relationship is with his subordinates, he still has to give them a beating from time to time.

 “Yes, deputy seat.”

Gu Qi raised his chest and raised his hands to salute, then said hello to Wu Chunyang who was waiting silently, turned around and left the Caoting quickly.

The detection of intelligence cases is actually very boring. It just depends on who has fewer flaws or who can catch the opponent's flaws. The winner lives and the loser dies. It's that simple.

 “Chunyang, come and sit.”

Zuo Zhong unbuttoned his dry coat, moved the chair to face the fireplace, looked at the red hearth, and expressed his intention of asking the other party to come over.

“Originally, I gave the Second Office three days, so I shouldn’t be so anxious to inquire about your progress, but now the situation has changed and we need to meet.

I have an idea. Since we know that the third bonfire is related to members of the air defense force, will the possible Japanese spies in the mansion have any contact with each other?

Of course, this is just a personal guess on my part, without any evidence to support it. You need to check whether it is true or not. It is always a direction.

Alas, today is different from the past. In Jinling, we have the Cao Gang, Bai Wenzhi's police department and other forces to mobilize, but when we arrive in the mountain city, we have to start all over again. "

Speaking of this, he couldn't help but feel a headache for collecting basic intelligence. If they were still in Jinling and had many eyes and ears, it would not take three days to investigate these matters.

After hearing this, Wu Chunyang thought for a while, looked outside the door and said in a low voice: "Deputy Chairman, although the entry and exit records and the outings of the official residence are still under investigation, we have still made some discoveries."

“Discovered so soon? Just wait.”

Zuo Zhong looked surprised and raised his hand to stop his report. He stood up and went to the door and asked a few spies to monitor the area before letting Wu Chunyang continue.

“Yes, through preliminary investigation of the family members of the official residence, I found one thing in common. These people are all related to the Brotherhood.”

Wu Chunyang’s expression became more and more serious as he spoke: “If the Japanese have anything to do with those people, our subsequent investigation activities will be very passive.

This organization has penetrated into all aspects of the mountain city, and all strata, including officials (separate) members, are proud to join the Ge Laohui.

For the sake of safety, Beizhong believes that all investigators who are native to the middle and upper reaches of Changjiang will stop working and will be resumed after internal screening.

Moreover, if you want to open a breakthrough in the case within three days, you can only do it in one place. Even adding two more places is unrealistic. You must find someone to help.

I suggest that some relocated police officers from Jinling and Northern China be used to collect intelligence on the outer (separated) encirclement. Bai Wenzhi still has a few available people. "

 In intelligence work, confidentiality is a top priority. He wants to minimize the possibility of leaking secrets. The case is serious and the military commander cannot bear the consequences of failure.

 “Brother will...”

On the other side, Zuo Zhong muttered a few words softly, his brows slowly furrowed, and suddenly his eyes lit up and he stood up. Just now, he was worried about the lack of eyeliner, but now the eyeliner is coming!