Espionage: Mastering the Ten Cruelest Tortures of the Military Intelligence Bureau from the Start

But this matter cannot be rushed. Even if someone is extremely anxious, they cannot take action in such a short time.

Even if we take a step back and assume that he really wants to mobilize his subordinate brigades, he still needs the approval of the North China Command.

At the same time, he also needed to consider the transfer of military equipment, the allocation of provisions, logistical support, marching routes, and whether personnel would suffer from acclimatization issues during long-distance troop movements.

Real battlefields are nothing like writing novels or making short dramas, where a single sentence can depict divine intervention; they are far more complicated.

"Xu Feng, send a telegram to Boss Dai, requesting the activation of the intelligence network in North China to closely monitor large-scale troop movements. This matter is of great importance, and we hope the boss will approve it."

"Yes, sir, I'll take care of it right away."

Upon hearing Su Mingzhe's words, Xu Feng knew that he had another plan.

As for what the Director intends to do, that's not his concern, and he won't ask.

If the section chief wants to tell him, he will; if he doesn't, asking will be pointless. Xu Feng only needs to complete every task assigned by the section chief.

In this respect, he is quite similar to Luo Dayou.

......

Boss Dai, Su Mingzhe's personal telegraph operator, has been very busy lately.

While busy doing dirty work for the principal, he was also busy accumulating wealth, fighting against the Japanese, licking his wounds and restoring the vitality of the Loyal and Brave National Salvation Army, and coordinating internal affairs of the Military Intelligence Bureau, especially Su Mingzhe's request for cooperation from other departments.

On the other hand, they were busy fighting with the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS), but now it was the Anti-Japanese War period, and the two sides had shifted from armed struggle to verbal struggle.

But the essence is still the same; they are all manifestations of the struggle for power and profit.

However, this was not entirely out of selfishness.

During Dai Lijun's tenure, the Military Intelligence Bureau was able to enjoy such good treatment, which motivated so many people to be willing to die for him. Dai Lijun played a significant role in this.

When the "Smiling Tiger" came to power, in order to adapt to the so-called "constitutional" needs and to reorganize the massive intelligence agency, the Military Intelligence Bureau was reorganized into the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics.

It was at this moment that the glory of the Military Intelligence Bureau finally came to an end.

Staff were laid off, funding was drastically reduced, and compensation plummeted.

It was at this time that the rule set by Boss Dai was broken: the Military Intelligence Bureau was allowed to enter but not leave.

"Dong dong dong."

"Come in."

Boss Dai's deep and somewhat authoritative voice came from behind the large desk.

As soon as he finished speaking, Secretary Tong, dressed in a smart Zhongshan suit, walked in, holding a telegram in her hands.

"Boss, it's another top-secret telegram from Shanghai."

Secretary Tong bowed slightly and said respectfully.

"Put the telegram down, you can go out now."

Boss Dai didn't even look up, his pen continuously annotating the document, his tone calm yet unquestionable.

Just as Secretary Tong turned around and was about to step out of the office, Boss Dai suddenly stopped writing and called out to him:

"and many more."

"Xiao Tong, notify the finance department that starting this month, the minimum salary increase for field agents of the Military Intelligence Bureau will be twelve silver dollars, and the minimum salary increase for logistics personnel such as those in the General Affairs Department and the Telecommunications Department will be five silver dollars."

Have the finance department draft a specific plan and submit it to me by 5 PM tomorrow.

Secretary Tong stood upright, her expression respectful, and replied softly:

"Okay, boss, I'll go right away."

After saying this, he stood with his feet together, bowed slightly, and then began to walk backwards towards the door.

He took each step with extreme care, making sure there was no sound at all.

His eyes remained fixed on Boss Dai, who was sitting behind his desk, until he stepped back to the door, then turned slightly to the side and reached out his right hand to find the doorknob.

With a soft "click" from the lock, the door slowly opened.

He stepped out of the office, his body pressed against the door frame, while his left hand reached to the other side, grabbing the edge of the door and closing it.

Although Boss Dai said it would be 5 pm tomorrow, Secretary Tong said it would be no earlier than noon tomorrow.

When it got to the head of the finance department, the timeframe had to be pushed back even further.

After being subcontracted layer by layer, the task is for the frontline staff to finish the work before they leave work tonight, and they are given a lot of pressure.

This is also a way for leaders at each level to leave themselves some leeway, but it's tough on the working class below.

Similar pay raises were not uncommon in the Military Intelligence Bureau, but such a significant pay raise was unprecedented.

Firstly, the influence of the Military Intelligence Bureau was at its zenith, and Boss Dai took advantage of this influence to do business and made a fortune.

Secondly, the stark contrast between the incompetence of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Zhongtong) and the outstanding achievements of the Military Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Juntong) led the Military Bureau of Investigation and Statistics to obtain a large sum of operating funds from the principal.

Of course, as is customary, Boss Dai first withheld a portion of the money, and the remainder was used by Boss Dai to secure benefits for his subordinates.

The Military Intelligence Bureau used legal tender to pay salaries, but in those days, the purchasing power of legal tender was declining day by day, so extra allowances were paid directly in silver dollars.

Boss Dai was willing to spend this much money; he was never a stingy person, and he understood the principle that a scholar would die for one who understands him.

Now, Boss Dai has memorized all the contents of the codebook used to contact Su Mingzhe.

Therefore, he didn't need to take out a codebook to translate; he could read the telegram directly just by holding it in his hands.

After reading it, Boss Dai fell into deep thought.

Su Mingzhe's statement, "It involves a great deal of people," is a double entendre.

Firstly, it highlights the importance of the entire task.

Secondly, if the Kuomintang agents infiltrated in North China were indeed awakened as Su Mingzhe requested, such losses would be foreseeable.

Once this order is given, the intelligence network throughout North China will be hit to varying degrees, or even severely damaged, and completely lose its intelligence capabilities.

Pulling up a radish brings out the mud; catching one is equivalent to catching a whole group—this is a common problem in the espionage battlefield.

In short, the lives of hundreds of outstanding agents are at stake, which forces Boss Dai to consider this matter carefully.

At the same time, since Su Mingzhe's predictions about the next move by the mountain were merely speculations and he could not provide an expected outcome, it was just empty talk.

What Boss Dai had to do was use the lives of Kuomintang agents in North China to verify this possibility, and the price was too high, so high that he couldn't accept it.

That's only because of Su Mingzhe; if it were anyone else, Boss Dai would have started cursing.

After weighing the two options, Boss Dai decided to compromise.

They activated independent liaison points in North China and spared no expense in gathering intelligence on this matter.

With fewer participants, efficiency will inevitably decrease.

Despite the claim of sparing no expense, these people became pawns the moment the order was issued.

Because of their independent nature, even if they were captured by the Japanese, the intelligence they could provide would be limited and would not have much impact on other Military Intelligence Bureau stations.

"Su Mingzhe, I'm putting all my eggs in one basket this time. Don't let me down."