Canteen System Assistance Notes

In such a long and trivial, busy and happy daily life, their identities seem to never be activated, and the functions of the intelligence station and safe house seem to be rarely needed - but this is also a kind of contribution, a contribution that will not be remembered by others, not even by themselves. Zhou Jingu will continue to live silently, silently waiting until the day when he is needed to play a role.

Perhaps we will wait until the day when the Anti-Japanese War is won and the whole country is liberated.

But Zhou Jingu's idea would never come true. After the hustle and bustle of the morning market, everyone in the store collapsed in exhaustion. There were not many people in the store anymore, only a few regular customers were still chatting and drinking milk tea from large cups.

A man, wearing a towel wrapped around his head, sun sleeves on his hands, and a crew-neck T-shirt, hummed a tune as he entered the store's front yard. He parked the dump truck he was pushing, said a few words to the doorman, and then walked in: "Boss Zhou, Boss Zhou! Long time no see! We're running out of material here, and we're looking for you to restock!"

Oh! It's Mr. Qi, please come in! "Zhou Jingu knew this man. He was the owner of a tea stall on Jianchaping, a hilltop north of the city. He often came here to buy some ingredients for making cheap tea, such as syrup and tea powder. He also often looked for help with manual labor. "Quick, bring Mr. Qi a cup of tea - what do you want this time?"

"The weather is getting hot, and everyone wants to eat something good - this time we need a box of sesame salt and a box of osmanthus syrup." The "Mr. Seven" said slowly, "Not more, not less, and the payment will be in full!" "Oh - I see, we have to go to the backyard to get this." Zhou Jingu nodded at Xiuhua behind the counter, and walked into the backyard with the man.

Soon, the noise in the front hall gradually faded away. He took a deep breath and waved to "Mr. Seven": "We're out of sesame salt. We only have rose salt." "Rose salt is fine too."

"You are actually number 14?"

"Well, you're Shopkeeper Xiao Zhou." Their hands clasped tightly together, and Agent No. 14 laughed. "What's yours? We're both small businesses, so we're in the same business. I was previously in contact with Shopkeeper Lao Zhou, but now I'm Shopkeeper Xiao Zhou."

"Not much more to say. What does the organization need me to do?"

"You don't need to do much. Just keep going about your daily business," the agent asked. "Your relay antenna is up, so you haven't aroused suspicion, have you? Have you installed the camera equipment?"

"That's no problem," Zhou Jingu replied. "We often have a bunch of concubines come to the shop for tea, and they like to listen to the radio. The generator here was purchased with permission from the Lizhou Security Command—the relay antenna is attached to the radio. The camera equipment has been working normally too. I checked it a few days ago."

"Okay then—recently, we've lost a confidential document at our northern site." Number 14 nodded. "These next few days, keep an eye out for anyone entering the store with a bag. If you see one, take a photo and keep it as proof. After midnight every night, send the combined data to 610011."

"that's all?"

"that's it."

Chapter 448: Spy Shadow (15) Secrets within Secrets

Run! Run! Run!

Long after Agent 4587 had escaped from the life-threatening situation, his hands were still shaking.

How could he not be afraid?

cannot!

Who the hell knew that he could be shot right next to the Military Control Commission's training school?

4587 tried hard to stop his panting, break the bellows-like breathing cycle, and force himself to calm down - at least on the surface - otherwise, it would be too suspicious for a middle-aged man who looked capable to be sweating profusely on the Chencang transportation line in May and June.

He grabbed a thin porcelain bottle tucked between his thighs and poured the contents into his mouth.

Soon, the burnt-smelling liquid rolled from the tip of his tongue into his throat. The softness of milk, the aroma of black tea, and the uniquely caffeinated euphoria surged from his stomach. The slight rise in blood sugar sent 873's brain into a fleeting bliss. But then, the wind from the roof made him shiver, and his open mouth choked on dirt, sending him into a violent cough.

"Damn it!"

4587 cursed, feeling very unhappy about such bad luck. But the despair and fear he had just felt were finally gone. He raised his head and aimed at the fine porcelain bottle.

But there is no "sweet and smooth sweet milk tea (without pearls)" in it.

He stuffed the bottle, which had accompanied him all the way from Hanzhong, between his legs, took out a match and started smoking.

No. 4587 was a special agent of the Military Control Commission, a peripheral and most ordinary one, who didn't even have a Chinese code name.

He didn't know who his superiors were, nor did he know his mission or goals. But he knew the methods of the Military Control Commission and knew that if he wanted to achieve wealth and glory in the future, he had to work hard and strive to make meritorious contributions. He had previously been assigned to the vicinity of the Eight Offices in Haojing City, content to be a thief in the city.

In terms of the Communist Party, except for a mission to "kidnap a cat and send it somewhere", he would only be activated after an unknown contact left a specific code. Logically speaking, No. 4587 was the kind of spy who would never be exposed to the Communist Party's intelligence system.

He continued to live his life in this way. One day in February 40, after the Eighth Route Army's "2-inch heavy artillery" blasted through the walls of Haojing City, 4587 even thought that his spy career was over. After all, his superiors were either captured or dead, and no one would come to activate him.

But just over ten days ago, a man wearing a long gown, a flat cap, and a mask arrived at his residence in the middle of the night. He knocked rhythmically on the door and left a token and a package—a note and a wax-sealed envelope inside. 4587 didn't dare open the envelope, but the note instructed him to take the package immediately and hand it over to the Military Control Commission's liaison officer at the "Han Training Class" in Puzhen, Hanzhong.

At this point, No. 4587 realized that he had been activated and his previous peaceful life was over.

Leaving Haojing and boarding a truck bed, the first half of 4587's package delivery journey went smoothly. He soon arrived at Puzhen, outside Hanzhong City, and found the "Han Training Class" located within the compound of a large landowner. After paying a small bribe to the gatekeeper, as per customary customs, he smoothly entered the reception room and met a superior he didn't even recognize. Then, the customary process of handing over a token, confirming his identity, and taking out the package for inspection followed.

The superiors of the Chinese training class took this incident very seriously, believing it to be a rare victory for the Red Heads. Because their rank didn't allow them to identify the mysterious undercover agent, the class didn't break the wax seal. Instead, they immediately dispatched agents to Hanzhong City to arrange for a vehicle to "deliver" 4587 and the package south.

At the same time, in order to ensure that the package would not be intercepted by the Eighth Route Army, who were trying to make up for their losses, the people in the Chinese training class came up with a clever trick. They told Special Agent No. 4587 that he should not go to the mountain city that was under close surveillance by the Communist Party in the short term, but should go to the Military Control Commission station in Chengdu to deliver the package.

But just as they were on their way from Pu Town to Hanzhong, something strange happened!

Several skilled men armed with machine guns intercepted their group, and a hail of bullets felled several Military Intelligence Bureau agents. The men shouted, "Catch the one with the box" and "Release the one who escaped alive!" The fire continued. 4587, using the skills and agility he had honed during his life in the market, fled the scene in a tumbling manner.

Bullets were flying around him, and the crops and branches around him were splashing and shooting everywhere, but it seemed that God had blessed him, and not a single bullet hit him! He rolled over desperately.

Turning and fleeing, until the shouts behind him became "The Military Control Commission is coming,

"Let's retreat quickly" and "Go to the back and catch him!" Only then did they give up. And in this situation, how could No. 4587 dare to stay any longer?

He immediately spent twice the price to buy a "rooftop seat" on a long-distance bus, and left Hanzhong at a rapid speed with a briefcase and a bottle.

———----

Now, finally, finally, finally!

The car bumped along, fortunately avoiding disasters and bandits. As the sun gradually set below the horizon, 4587 finally saw the stars and lights in the night sky ahead; that was Chengdu, and only there was enough electricity to light up so many light bulbs!

I'm finally safe... He cheered himself up. The most urgent thing now was to find the contact and deliver this very precious package - and then, and then... and then this would be none of his business! This is bullshit intelligence work, whoever wants to do it can do it! I can make a good living just by relying on my skills!

4587 thought angrily as he walked towards Chunxi Road. His Military Control Commission superiors hadn't actually given him an exact meeting place in Chengdu, but he was observant and had heard some information during the Chinese training class. He also knew the code for this second meeting, so he wasn't completely in the dark.

"Let's go sit in a teahouse first. In this big city, if you want to find someone to do something, you can always find a way to get things done by contacting the Pao Brothers in a teahouse." An idea struck him, and he held the Military Control Commission's ID card loosely in his hand, revealing a corner. "Anyway, in this city controlled by the Communist Party, no matter how many Communists there are, they probably won't dare to be too blatant."

So, Special Agent No. 4587 walked around Chunxi Road, picked a teahouse that he liked the most, and walked in. "Hey, sir! What would you like?"

"First, give me a cup of your... mint lemon iced black tea today! And then an order of 'Italian meatballs in tomato sauce' and a 'fruit-style pizza'!" "Sure! One order each of mint lemon iced black tea, Italian meatballs in tomato sauce, and a fruit-style pizza!"

On the second floor of the luxurious, flickering lights of the "Taurus Snow City," he settled down in a chair. With his mission nearing completion and his release imminent, No. 4587 decided to give himself a good workout.

"4587! Your contribution is enormous!"

Sure enough, half an hour later, the well-fed special agent was invited to a compartment at the back of the teahouse. There was a tall and thin superior and a tall

The tall and fat superior took out the token and the certificate and exchanged the password with him.

After confirming his identity, the tall and fat superior nodded and praised him.

"This is a confidential document of the Communist bandits. You are able to deliver it at the risk of your life. The Party and the country will never forget your contribution!" "Thank you, sir!"

"You haven't opened this envelope yet, have you?" the tall, thin superior asked. "Have you ever seen the secrets inside?" "No, no! I wouldn't even dare to look at such important military and national affairs, such confidential information!"

4587 shook his head anxiously, denying it flatly. After all, having been an intelligence officer for so long, he knew full well that the more secrets he knew, the faster he'd die.

"That's great—but 4587, aren't you curious?" The tall, thin boss smiled. He suddenly tore open the envelope, shook it, and unfolded the documents inside. "Ah! Boss! This, this, this! I don't see it, I don't see anything!"

4587 was horrified and closed his eyes and stepped back. But in that instant, he still saw clearly what was written on the paper:

The paper had a red header with the words "Confidential" and the document's abbreviation written in large letters. Below that, in the content area, was a black and white box filled with densely packed black and white squares. Surrounding the box were three larger squares, one black and one white, nested in layers. It was completely unclear what they were for. Besides the word "Confidential," there was nothing else on the entire document.

)#Huh? What kind of secret is this?

The tall, portly superior pulled out a strange box, swiped it at the squares, and replied, "Fish-XA0316, there's a traitor on Intelligence Line 16 in Haojing City, at least with Level 3 clearance or above: Notify the north."

"Okay." A low male voice came from behind No. 4587. When did someone start standing here?

He turned around hurriedly, but found that the world was spinning around him. He was instantly restrained by someone, and a pair of iron bracelets snapped and handcuffed his arms behind his back.

"Zhang San, a special agent of the Military Control Commission, codenamed 4587. Previously a habitual thief in Gaojing City, a member of a street gang, he once joined the Anti-Communist Corps and later joined a peripheral organization of the Military Control Commission..."

The low voice continued slowly, "In 1940, due to soaring grain prices in the Guanzhong region, following orders from Zhu Dinan, relayed by the Military Control Commission, An Han, director of the KMT Liping Reclamation Area Administration, a Shaanxi Provincial Senator, and director of the Ningxia Provincial Construction Department, was shot and executed. The reason was that Director An Han refused to hand over his stockpile of seed grain for your speculation."

The tall and thin superior took out two photos and waved them in front of him. One of them was black and white, with many people on it, and himself was circled in red.

The other one was taken recently, and the picture above shows me pointing

Order and have a waiter pour the milk tea into a porcelain bottle.

"You...you are the Central Bureau of Investigation? No, no!" 4587 trembled and struggled violently, but was firmly pinned down, unable to move. "He is the Kuomintang, but you are...the Communist Party! Redheads!"

"Yes, Director An Han is a member of the Kuomintang. But we also know that Mr. An Han is an agricultural reclamation expert in the Guanzhong region. He took in disaster victims in the Liping reclamation area and cultivated the land. The seeds and grain in his hands are not just chips and futures, but human lives, human lives!"

The tall, thin superior's tone was normal, but 4587 could hear the turmoil beneath it. He pulled a pistol from its holster, slowly screwed a long sheath onto the muzzle, and then slowly pulled the bolt, making a clicking sound. "Just for this reason, secretly shooting a capable, skilled, and loyal member of our own? Isn't that despicable?"

"No... no! I didn't! I'm not! I serve the Party-State... Party! State... This is the Party-State's territory. Even if you kill me, you won't be able to escape!" "Party-State? During the 40 years of spring famine, the Communist Party at least gave my family a bite to eat."

The man behind him sneered, "Captain, it's not a good idea to use a gun here. In my opinion, wouldn't it be better if a drunkard got drunk one night and fell into the river and drowned? Thanks to you insects, there are so many rivers in Chengdu, and there are always unidentified corpses floating in the water every few days."

Chapter 449: "Just a bunch of business people seeking investment"

(Update)

If we go back a little bit in time, in April 1941, when a fishing operation using "confidential documents" was approved and started, a Lockheed 118 with the words "China Northern Airlines" painted on it landed at the Wujiaba Airport in Chuncheng.

This large twin-engine passenger aircraft is an advanced civil aviation model in China and even in the world, but its twin-engine characteristics allow it to be hidden in the fleet of other twin-engine passenger aircraft from a distance, and it is not as impressive as the four-engine giant passenger aircraft "Boeing 307" under Northern Airlines that is currently operating the Gulf of Aden-Haojing route.

However, considering the purpose of carrying 12 people on one plane, they don't need to be so high-profile.

When L18 was parked neatly at the gate, people wearing two-way shirts and polyester trousers filed down from the plane. At the bottom of the boarding stairs, a man wearing glasses and a Mao suit walked out of the welcoming crowd and shook hands with the leading passenger.

"Oh! Welcome, Duke Zhou! Welcome, Duke Zhou! I, Yun, am sorry for not welcoming you from afar! I am sorry for not welcoming you from afar!"

"That's not true, Chairman Yun. We're here for friendly cooperation. Since we both sincerely want to cooperate, why should we be so bound by the formalities of a meeting?"

—-----—-

The Communist Party's visit to Yunnan Province was not a secret. Although their passenger plane did not stop in Shancheng, it did stop in Chengdu for refueling. This was not difficult to find out for the dense intelligence spies in the Kuomintang-controlled areas.

Whether in the original time and space or in this adapted historical line, Yunnan Province has a special position in the course of the War of Resistance.

Located in the rear areas of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Burma Road to Burma became a crucial route for the Nationalist government to obtain supplies after the Japanese blockade of China's coastal areas. During this period, although the Communist Party meticulously maintained an overseas transportation route connecting Xinjiang, the Soviet Union, and the Middle East to the Indian Ocean, the Burma Road, located in the Nationalist-controlled areas, remained the primary means of importing and exporting preserved fruits.

Alas, there is no other way. We can't ask the red-headed people to transport the raw paper for printing French currency, right?

The Central Bureau of Investigation and the Military Bureau of Investigation quickly concluded that the Communists were definitely trying to smuggle supplies from Yunnan Province, build up their own forces, and fight against the Party and the country!

The delegation, led by Zhou Gong, was immediately followed by numerous spies. Long Dengyun and his security personnel were helpless against these spies, disguised as the "two unifications" (Dongtong) spies. They couldn't chase them away, nor could they arrest them. However, Zhou Gong did reassure Zhang Yunpeng, a former Yunnan Army general who was in charge of the reception and negotiations, that he shouldn't be too concerned.

"What we're discussing is a perfectly normal cooperation that will benefit the nation's war of resistance. We might as well show it to them openly—it's here anyway."

That's right. Anyway, those people slandered us as collaborators with the Communist Party and rioters—Oh! That's right! The people I'm negotiating with this time are not the Communist Party, but representatives of the "Four Major Trading Companies" and the sales manager of China Resources Company? Haha!"

So, under the leadership of Zhang Yunpeng, everyone began to visit the factories, mines and workshops around Chuncheng according to the originally agreed itinerary.

Among them are the first electric furnace steel plant in the Kuomintang-controlled area, the China Electric Steel Plant, which can produce 200 tons of high-quality weapons steel per month; the Central Electrical Equipment Plant, which can produce telephone lines and wires; the Central Machinery Plant, which has five branches and hundreds of pieces of equipment and can manufacture simple machine tools and tools; and the 22nd Arsenal, which can manufacture telescopes. In addition, Zhou Gong also visited the 51st Arsenal, which had stopped production due to the destruction of equipment in the original history, but had recovered the equipment in this time and space and was able to produce "Madsen machine guns". He went to the front line of production to express his condolences to the workers.

Then, the Communist Party's entourage held a public trade fair at Mansion No. 65, near Cuihu Lake, also known as the Eighth Office of New Spring City. They generously invited representatives from Yunnan factories, the Yunnan Army, and even preserved fruit vendors to attend. At the fair, Zhou Bin, the former CEO of China Resources Group and current Minister of Border Region Economy and General Manager of the Transportation Trading Company, dressed in a cotton shirt and jeans, took the podium and spoke eloquently.

He talked about the "B2B" business model, explained the reconstruction and re-creation of business prospects and sales models, and how to promote the circulation of goods, enhance corporate vitality, achieve a sustainable business model, and enter the vast blue ocean in a wartime economic environment.

This futuristic "press conference" stunned the audience, who all felt that, while the general manager's words were difficult to understand, they nonetheless sounded impressive. Afterward, the invited representatives moved into the auditorium and began examining the various samples brought by the delegations.

The Communist Party delegation consisted of only 12 people, and the samples they brought with them were no more than a few rolling suitcases. But even this small number of samples made many factory directors, managers, and bureaucrats present breathe faster and their hearts beat faster.

These included micrometers and vernier calipers manufactured by the "Border Region Third Mechanical Equipment Factory," as well as samples of gears and bearings. The invited factory directors and engineers were practically glued to these items. They donned their glasses, rubbed the smooth coatings and surfaces, and discussed in low voices how these could replace key imports from India, Britain, and the United States, thereby increasing factory operating rates and boosting production.

Here are the antibacterial drug "sulfamicodine" and the burn medicine "sulfamicodine" jointly produced by "Celta Health" and "Northern Pharmaceutical", which can treat puerperal fever, pneumonia and burn infections. The eyes of the Yunnan Army representatives who saw it all lit up: they knew that this kind of thing that can treat acute illnesses and "bring people back to life" is not only a must-have for marching and fighting, but is almost in short supply in the rear, and contains unlimited business opportunities.

Consumer goods such as colorful blended fabric samples, imported canned goods, imported cosmetics, imported small household appliances, and even the imported beer served at the venue excited several representatives from the preserved fruit party. In their view, the main consumer groups, mainly high-income groups who had migrated inland and dignitaries, naturally had a strong demand for imported luxury goods in the rear areas far away from the ocean. Currently, the Burma Road was running low on cargo and the supply was interrupted. If there were an alternative channel, their business could continue.

The atmosphere in the meeting hall quickly became heated. Some factory representatives asked the Eighth Route Army's business representatives whether they could supply raw materials and tools for production; representatives from the preserved fruits and Yunnan Army surrounded the general manager Quan Bin and competed for the distribution rights of these new products in Yunnan Province, Sichuan Province and other places. During the competition, they even exposed each other's secrets and lowered their prices, without any concern for each other's Communist identity.

After all, we are doing business with the "Big Four" trading companies and China Resources. It's a normal business practice. What's the problem?

"......So, sir, that's all the information for the past few days."

A secretary wearing glasses and a round hat walked into an office and reported to the middle-aged man in front of her, "They're holding a large-scale sales conference and entertaining guests in the office. I guess they have no good intentions." "Yes, I understand."

The middle-aged man took the report, glanced at it casually, and threw it on the pile of documents beside the table. "You can go back." "Hey."

The secretary nodded and bowed, but did not leave immediately. "Sir, that..." "That what?" The man raised his eyebrows and asked, "What do you want to say?"

"Well...well...the secretary trembled. He thought for a moment, gritted his teeth, and mustered up the courage to speak, 'Commander Song, the Chairman has asked...how should we deal with this group of people...the Communists?'" "Deal with the Communists?"

"It's... the group that held a meeting in Office 8..."

"Oh, the old man asked for it, right?" The man suddenly realized. "Tell me, when did the Communists come there?"

"Hmm?" the secretary looked up in disbelief. The officer picked up the report again and flipped through a few pages. "Aren't there just a group of Chinese businessmen from friendly countries who are dedicated to China's war of resistance? We have to maintain normal commercial activities. Aren't those people just a group of businessmen trying to attract business? I don't see any Communists."

"Ah, this..."

Facing his now-dumb secretary, Director Song of the Southwest Transportation Department tossed the report behind him and said casually, "It's not like the old man doesn't know about this... Well, he probably doesn't know anyway."

Chapter 450: "Just a Weather Forecaster"

(Update)

From Bozhou in Guizhou Province, we go south to Lincheng, the "land without clear skies", and then turn southwest. We walk, ride horses, and hitchhike on the bumpy, steep, long and winding mountain roads, roads, trails and bridges, enduring the sun, rain and darkness, and enduring a long journey of fourteen or fifteen days, before we can cross thousands of kilometers and reach Chuncheng in Yunnan Province.