Chapter 181: Liu Bo Studies the Red Cause

Cheng Qianfan immediately made his decision.

He had to attend this so-called Sino-Japanese Friendship Symposium under the identity of Miyazaki Kentaro.

Miyazaki Kentaro had come to attend the symposium under the instructions of his teacher, Taniguchi Hiroyuki.

He had to attend. Otherwise, it would inevitably arouse Taniguchi Hiroyuki’s suspicions.

After careful analysis, Cheng Qianfan concluded that attending the symposium under Miyazaki Kentaro’s identity was, on the whole, relatively safe.

The pro-Japanese intellectuals in Shanghai did not know Miyazaki Kentaro.

Even the Japanese side’s “men of letters and poets” were unfamiliar with Miyazaki Kentaro. Most likely, many of them had never even met him.

According to Miyazaki Kentaro’s diary, he had spent the past several years traveling throughout China. Aside from his two assistants, he had no one else around him.

The introverted Miyazaki Kentaro was poor at socializing and relatively taciturn. He would not be difficult to impersonate. As long as his luck was not exceptionally bad and he did not encounter an acquaintance, there was little risk of exposure.

Miyazaki Kentaro was not a genuine intelligence operative and had never joined any Japanese spy organization. In essence, he was a wandering poet, and this provided Cheng Qianfan with the greatest possible conditions for assuming his identity.

National Tongji University.

Dressed in a blue cotton long gown and wearing black-rimmed glasses, Ma Xiwen carried a stack of lecture notes under his arm and gently pushed open the door of Mathematics Class Three.

The students looked at the unfamiliar middle-aged man.

“Hello, students.”

Ma Xiwen adjusted his glasses and spoke calmly. Turning around, he wrote his name on the blackboard:

Feng Zhiqian.

“I am your new mathematics teacher, Feng Zhiqian.”

Feng Zhiqian, holder of a doctoral degree from the École Polytechnique in Paris, France. This was his real name and his genuine academic qualification, more than sufficient for the position of mathematics professor at National Tongji University.

Longhua Garrison Command Headquarters, the office of Wu Shanyue, Chief of the Operations Section of the Party Affairs Investigation Department’s Shanghai Special District.

Wu Shanyue held a photograph in his hand.

The photograph showed a somewhat blurry piece of paper that appeared to be a clipping cut from a newspaper.

“This scrap of paper was discovered in the home of the Communist ‘Minister Wang.’ My men gathered a large number of newspapers and finally found the original.” Wang Kangnian handed a newspaper to Wu Shanyue and pointed at a section circled in red ink.

“Mr. Hu of Yuyao has recently arrived in Shanghai and is seeking his cousin Feng Weicai in the city.”

“And your assessment?” Wu Shanyue asked in a deep voice.

“My analysis is that this Feng Weicai is probably this Minister Wang. As for this Mr. Hu of Yuyao, he is likely an important Communist figure who has just arrived in Shanghai. This is a contact code.”

“In that case, this Minister Wang must be an extremely important figure within the Shanghai Communists.” Wu Shanyue snorted coldly.

“It was my incompetence that allowed Minister Wang to escape.” Wang Kangnian lowered his head and apologized. After observing Wu Shanyue’s expression, he continued, “However, I discovered some clues in Minister Wang’s residence. I arranged for men to keep watch and uncovered a big fish.”

“Liu Bo, an officer of the French Concession’s Central Police Station.”

Wang Kangnian pulled out a photograph and handed it to Wu Shanyue.

“A policeman?” Wu Shanyue became interested.

He glanced at the photograph. It showed a man in his thirties wearing a police uniform.

“That’s right. This man arrived in Shanghai eleven years ago. He first opened a medicinal-herb shop. Later, he closed the business and, through connections unknown, entered the police station as a constable. Starting as a third-class Chinese constable, he has now become a senior police officer.”

“Is it confirmed that this man is a Communist?”

“It has been verified. My men saw Liu Bo at the surveillance point and overheard him speaking. Every sentence revolved around the organization. Judging from his words and actions, he occupies no low position within the Communist Party.” Wang Kangnian spoke excitedly.

“Excellent!” Wu Shanyue was overjoyed. He paced back and forth. “He came to Shanghai eleven years ago and deliberately obtained a concealed identity as a policeman. He must be a veteran Communist!”

“That is my judgment as well,” Wang Kangnian said. “It was precisely because of his police identity that he was able to survive the April 12 Incident.”

“Your assessment is correct.” Wu Shanyue nodded. “Over the years, we have worked together with the French Concession authorities to hunt down the Communists, achieving remarkable results. However, there have inevitably been flaws. On multiple occasions, the Communists learned of our operations in advance, causing them to fail. It appears now that the problem lay with this Liu Bo.”

“What do you mean, Chief? Arrest him or continue surveillance?”

“Watch him.” Wu Shanyue said gravely. “This is a super-sized catch. By following him, we may very well wipe out the entire upper leadership of the Shanghai Communists.”

“Wise judgment, Chief.” Wang Kangnian said with a smile.

No. 22 Rue Vallon.

Central Police Station.

Liu Bo yawned.

Holding Fang Muheng’s letter containing intelligence, he had sought out Yingzuo Eiichi. The two had studied it for quite some time without reaching any conclusions.

The envelope was an ordinary one that could be purchased anywhere.

The paper was plain white stock cut to size, offering no useful clues.

The handwriting looked like chicken scratch. Their conclusion was that the writer had deliberately used his non-dominant hand to imitate a primary school student’s handwriting.

Although they had uncovered nothing, Liu Bo’s ability to make contact with Shanghai’s underground Communist organization was itself a promising development.

To move even closer to the Red organization, Liu Bo had specifically asked Yingzuo Eiichi to help him obtain confiscated Communist publications, including the Manifesto of Red Ideology and Red Flag Newspaper.

He took them home and spent the entire night reading them carefully.

At first, Liu Bo approached the material with resistance.

But after calming himself and continuing to read, he unexpectedly gained considerable insight.

“Workers of the world, unite.”

Liu Bo thought of his parents back in Japan.

He had been born into a poor fishing family and had lived a difficult childhood.

Later, he entered military school and was selected for special training by the Empire’s intelligence service.

Liu Bo’s thoughts drifted.

In Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, after descending Kudan Slope from Yasukuni Shrine and passing the Military Hall, there stood a weathered two-story building deeper within the district. A small wooden sign hung outside:

“Army Ministry Annex.”

It was here that he had grown from a military cadet of the Empire into one of its outstanding intelligence operatives.

Twelve years earlier, he had come from the Japanese mainland to China, arriving in Shanghai.

He first spent a year studying secretly at the East Asia Common Culture Academy.

After his speech and behavior had become virtually indistinguishable from those of a Chinese person, he began his eleven-year undercover career in Shanghai.

Yes, Liu Bo had also been a student of the East Asia Common Culture Academy.

As a result, he had always felt a natural affinity toward Cheng Qianfan, who had likewise studied there.

Eleven years.

He had almost unconsciously come to believe that he truly was Chinese.

Having witnessed firsthand the lives of ordinary Chinese people and thinking of his aging parents back in Japan, Liu Bo projected himself into their circumstances.

To his surprise, he found himself developing a degree of sympathy for these Red ideas.

The feeling made him extremely uncomfortable.

He repeatedly reminded himself that he was Setouchigawa, an outstanding operative of the Empire.

“Seeking neither fame, status, nor wealth; regarding oneself as a discarded stone, quietly dying for one’s homeland and nation.”

The motto of the Army Nakano School echoed in his heart.

His mind gradually calmed, and his resolve grew even firmer.

Liu Bo remained vigilant.

These Red ideas truly were deeply intoxicating.

They were poisonous!