cicada

Chapter 1280 Old Friends

In the sunset, Zuo Chong said goodbye to the "lumberjacks", returned to the starting point along the same road, got in the car and prepared to return to the Zuo family's old house.

On the way back, since the driver was present, Gucci and the others did not mention anything about the camp. They just talked about some interesting things in the mountains, as if they had just taken a walk in the mountains.

After dinner, everyone gathered in Zuo Zhong’s study to continue the unfinished conversation in the afternoon and hold a meeting to discuss the task.

Regarding the former, Zuo Zhong did not spend too much time explaining. He just said that the time had not come yet and skipped the topic, and went straight to the second thing.

He first took out a large-scale map of Melbourne, a coastal city in southern Australia, and placed a factory diagram on the table. He motioned for others to come forward and began the mission briefing by pointing to the map of Melbourne.

Australia has a short history, and its pharmaceutical industry has an even shorter history. Most medicines are imported, especially from the UK and other European countries.

In the early 20th century, due to geographical reasons and the impact of the last European war, the supply of imported medicines became unstable, which prompted Australia to consider local production of medicines.

As the capital at the time, Melbourne had a large population and naturally attracted a large number of small pharmaceutical factories. This place gradually evolved into the center of Australia's pharmaceutical industry.

In order to obtain raw materials nearby, the Zuo family's penicillin factory was set up near these pharmaceutical factories, and the most important technical research center was also located there, which would be the primary target of Japanese and German intelligence personnel.

Although the other party can obtain the desired information through the production workshop, such as culture medium composition, fermentation conditions, strains and production processes, the process is too complicated.

The extraction and purification of penicillin involves techniques such as organic solvents, filtration and precipitation. Even with the help of spectrophotometry and crystallization analysis, analyzing the structure of all raw materials is a huge project.

It is also difficult to start with the workers in the production workshop. These people are all the Zuo family’s assistants and tenants when they were in Ningbo. They have reliable backgrounds, usually live and eat in the factory, and basically or rarely go out.

Considering the above two reasons, starting from the technical center is the fastest and most efficient way. If Zuo Zhong is the enemy, he will definitely spend time on this.

After listening to the briefing, Gu Qi felt that he should first determine the general direction of this mission, whether it should be passive defense or active offense.

Passive defense is simple. All the spies need to do is to station in the factory. He is sure that no one can steal the pharmaceutical information under the strict protection of the Military Control Commission, not even the Japanese or the Germans.

The only drawback of this method is that it is time-consuming, and the Military Intelligence Bureau cannot devote all its intelligence forces to this matter for a long time.

An active attack is more difficult. The key lies in whether you can lock onto the enemy's whereabouts. Once you lock onto the target, you can launch a thundering raid with superior forces.

However, doing so is bound to anger the Australian government. After all, Melbourne is one of the largest cities in Australia, and with a large number of casualties, the other side will definitely conduct a thorough investigation.

Apart from anything else, by 1940, the Melbourne Police Department alone had more than 70 police cars equipped with two-way radios, and their speed of action and response was extremely fast, and their professionalism was by no means comparable to that of Bai Wenzhi and his ilk.

After Gu Qi finished speaking, he looked at Zuo Zhong, and Wu Chunyang and others also looked over. This matter involved relations with officials of other countries, and only Zuo Zhong could decide.

Zuo Zhong raised his hand and slapped it on the map with a bang. "Why should I choose? Defense and offense, I want them all!"

The national government cannot afford to offend the Jews, but can it afford to offend the kangaroos? Deputy Director Zuo has mastered the method of self-victory.

After a pause, Zuo Zhong continued, "According to reliable intelligence, there are many people from the puppet government among the Japanese operatives this time."

"A fake government?"

Wu Chunyang was very confused as to why the Japanese gave such an important task to that bunch of useless people. Before he could ask any questions, Zuo Chong gave an explanation.

It turned out that the Japanese cabinet believed that it was not appropriate to have a head-on conflict with the white people at this stage. In addition, the operation was extremely risky and there was a high possibility that the operators would be arrested. Therefore, except for a small number of command personnel, the rest were transferred from No. 76 and other puppet government agencies.

Zuo Ju briefly introduced the situation and reminded everyone in a strong tone: "Don't take it lightly. There are capable people among the traitors. Don't underestimate the enemy."

Gu Qi and others looked serious. Even if the deputy director didn't say it, they wouldn't think so.

After Ji surrendered to the enemy, a large group of wavering elements followed him and defected to the Japanese. Among them were many senior members of the Kuomintang’s military and police systems, and a small number of them had received systematic intelligence training.

These people are very familiar with the behavior and activities of the Kuomintang’s intelligence agencies. They may not be able to deal with the underground party, but they can exert 200% of their combat effectiveness against the Kuomintang.

"Bah! Traitor dog!"

Gui Youguang cursed and swore, saying that those traitors took the salaries given by the people and the government and enjoyed a life better than that of ordinary people. Instead of thinking about how to serve the country, they recognized the enemy as their father. They deserved to be killed!

Seeing that his old subordinates realized how difficult their opponent was, Zuo Chong stopped talking and assigned them specific tasks and itinerary arrangements.

"Lao Gu, you go with Lao Song. After arriving in Melbourne, lead the personnel from the Second Division to enter the factory as guards. Check all personnel in the production workshop and research center, and improve internal confidentiality measures."

"Chun Yang, You Guang, follow me to find the Japanese and German agents in Melbourne. The whereabouts of the Japanese are easy to track down, but the real trouble is the German agents."

Everyone understood that, combined with the intelligence related to the traitor, there must be their own people among the Japanese operatives. If they still couldn't locate the enemy's position, then all their intelligence work for so many years would have been in vain.

Zuo Zhong did not hide the existence of the insider and directly expressed his concerns: "German agents have a racial advantage in white society. We are at a disadvantage in this regard. Although there is an insider to cooperate, the tracking process is not expected to be smooth."

Wu Chunyang and Gui Youguang replied in unison, "Don't worry, Deputy Commander." They were not worried at all about whether the mission could be completed. This was not the first time they had carried out a difficult operation, and it was not the first time that the Military Control Commission had clashed with the German intelligence agencies.

"That's it, have a good rest tonight, and tomorrow morning everyone will leave by ship in batches, and proceed according to the plan after arriving in Melbourne." Zuo Zhong said as he took out a few envelopes and handed them to the people. "Inside are the boarding location, ship name, and radio frequency for emergency contact. Destroy them immediately after reading."

Gu Qi and others opened the envelope and unfolded the letter, quickly memorized the relevant information, then lit the letter and began preparations before the action. Zuo Chong enjoyed a brief reunion with his family.

Knowing that Zuo Chong would be leaving the next day and his return date was uncertain, although Zuo's mother was reluctant, she still forced a smile and told Zuo Chong to be careful and finish his work as soon as possible and return to New Zealand.

Zuo Chong gently patted his mother's hand. Who doesn't want to live happily in a peaceful environment? But the Japanese won't let them live a peaceful life, so he can only be loyal to his country first and then be filial to his mother.

In order to make Zuo's mother feel better, Zuo Chong kept He Yijun in New Zealand. He could also teach Zuo Jun and Zuo Duo fighting and shooting skills, just like they did in Ningbo.

That night, in Zuo Chong’s bedroom.

He Yijun closed the door and walked to the bed in the night light. Zuo Zhong's voice, without any emotion, sounded from behind the curtain.

"Yijun, no one is breaking the rules, right?"

"Reporting to the deputy commander, Deputy Director Gu and his team have not had any contact with any suspicious individuals, nor have they sent any letters to the outside world."

"Well, keep observing."

  Trust cannot replace supervision. Only iron discipline can create an invincible team. This has nothing to do with personal feelings.
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The moon fell, the golden crow rose, and a new day came. Except for He Yajun, the army organized everyone to evacuate the Zuo family's old house and use different means of transportation to go to the boarding point.

To cooperate with this operation, the Zuo family fleet dispatched three thousand-ton bulk carriers and made arrangements with the New Zealand and Australian maritime patrols in advance to ensure that no one would board the ship for inspection during the journey.

The original crew members on the ship were also warned not to be curious and to keep their mouths shut, otherwise the Zuo family would not mind sending thugs to have a talk with their families.

With ample logistical support, the agents' journey was very smooth and comfortable. Apart from daily physical and technical training, the rest of the time was either sleeping or eating, and time passed quickly.

On this day, a large cargo ship slowly stopped at a freight terminal in Melbourne. The dock workers rushed to unload the ship. It was late at night when the cargo was unloaded. The dock became silent, without the hustle and bustle of the day.

Suddenly, a group of dark shadows walked down from the cargo ship and quickly disappeared into the night. The dock watchman was unaware of this.

One evening a few days later, Ryosuke Hase adjusted his top hat and strode into a bar. The neon sign on the door had conspicuous English words on it, and all the passers-by were white faces. This place was obviously not Shanghai or the Republic of China.

Hase walked around the dim bar for a few times and finally sat down near a white man who ordered a beer and asked in a low voice in English while drinking it.

"Do you know where I can buy genuine Blue Bird cigarettes?"

"Bluebird is not a good choice. I suggest you try Tabak cigarettes from Bielefeld."

The man replied calmly with a standard London accent, and then put a pack of cigarettes on the table. There was a pattern drawn on the surface of the cigarette box with a red pen.

There was no problem with the code or the token. Hase was sure that this was the person he wanted to meet, and he immediately expressed his dissatisfaction to the other party.

"You're a day late."

"Sorry, the British are keeping a tight rein on the Middle East, and the boys and I are having some trouble."

"Do you need help?"

"Thank you, no need, the problem has been solved, we'd better go somewhere else and have a good chat."

Faced with the white man's proposal, Ryosuke Hase put down his glass and tip, and left the bar with the other party one after another and came to an alley.

The moment he walked into the alley, Hase glanced at the corner of the street. A bald head was vaguely visible under the street light. He breathed a sigh of relief and followed the German, exchanging the information they had.

The white man provided a clue, and the German mole lurking in the Republic of China discovered that the pharmaceutical factory that produced penicillin had close ties with the Kuomintang government, because only the Kuomintang government could obtain drugs in large quantities.

This situation is extremely unusual, but when tracing the source of the goods further, nothing can be found. The Fruit Party officials who used to be very tight-lipped suddenly became very tight-lipped and even threatened the mole not to meddle in other people's business.

After listening to the other party, Hase Ryosuke said a few perfunctorily that the Japanese investigation was also the same and no valuable intelligence was found.

The two men, each with their own ulterior motives, stopped talking. The white man left a phone number and left without mentioning any cooperation, making it clear that he did not trust the Japanese.

At the same time, in the home of a Japanese businessman in Melbourne, Tongsuo was talking casually to Wu Sibao, but his eyes were secretly glancing at another person in the room.

Wu Sibao happened to see the man at this time and asked mysteriously, "Dawei, do you know who this guy is?"

"Brother Sibao knows?"

"Of course I know. He is a classmate and good friend of Zuo Zhong of the Military Control Commission. His name is Xing Hanliang, and he is the nephew of the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of the Interior of Jinling. He is a big shot!"

Wu Sibao touched Tongsuo's shoulder and deliberately made an exaggerated expression. His slightly sarcastic voice sounded extremely harsh in the small room. Xing Hanliang glanced at the two dog spies and continued to close his eyes to rest.