Chapter 19: New Mission
Zhou Lin ordered a double pepper fish head, wax steamed wax meat, and also a hot and sour shredded potato.
With a bottle of wine, Zhou Lin began to eat slowly.
The owner of this restaurant hasn't been in Shanghai for long, preserving authenticity in his Hunan cuisine.
Zhou Lin enjoyed the meal thoroughly.
Just halfway through, the wine was already finished.
As Zhou Lin was about to order another bottle, the squad leader rushed in.
"You, enjoying a feast on your own. The whole team is looking for you," the squad leader exclaimed.
Zhou Lin was puzzled, "Looking for me? Isn't today a day off?"
"Not us looking for you, it's the chief who wants to see you."
Upon hearing that the chief wanted to meet him, Zhou Lin quickly called the owner, paid the bill, and left with the squad leader.
The squad leader had come by car, and they soon reached the military camp.
The chief was still in the camp, accompanied by the battalion commander.
Zhou Lin reported, "Reporting to the chief, Zhou Lin reporting as ordered."
Dai Su stood up, "Since you're here, let's have a meal."
Zhou Lin then realized that the chief had invited him to dinner.
At the table, Zhou Lin saw a variety of dishes, eight dishes and one soup, all from Zhejiang: "West Lake Vinegar Fish," "Dongpo Pork," "Hometown Southern Meat," "Fried Crispy Bell," "West Lake Water Shield Soup," "Hangzhou Braised Chicken," "Tiger Run Vegetarian Stir-Fry," "Dried Vegetable Braised Pork," "Crispy Braised Meat."
Although Zhou Lin had just eaten, the sight of these dishes made his mouth water again.
Dai Su pointed to a seat, "Sit down. I heard you had Hunan cuisine earlier?"
Zhou Lin replied, "I just walked by and saw a restaurant, so I went in."
"Drinking any alcohol?"
"Yes."
"How much?"
Zhou Lin confessed, "A bottle of white wine."
"What white wine? Is it light?" the battalion commander asked.
Zhou Lin replied, "Old Shanghai."
The battalion commander looked surprised, "Old Shanghai? You drank a whole bottle?"
Old Shanghai is a strong liquor, favored by soldiers. Most heavy drinkers can handle up to a catty, but drinking a whole bottle without staggering is impressive.
Zhou Lin proudly declared, "Yes! Two nights ago at Oshima's house. He tried to get me drunk to leave and forced me to drink two catties of Old Shanghai. In the end, I pretended to be drunk, and only then did he leave. He didn't expect I would follow him to the grove and see the person he was meeting."
The battalion commander praised, "You're a liquor wizard."
Dai Su asked, "Is that person the spy?"
"Yes."
"Did you see him?"
"I did, but it's as if I didn't. When he came, he wore a large hat covering half his face and a big scarf hiding the lower part. He was dressed in a black robe with no loopholes."
Dai Su remarked, "This is a very cunning person."
Zhou Lin reported, "Chief is wise. This is the second time I've seen him. The first time was the same."
"Tell me about the first encounter."
"Sure! The first time was in a courtyard. At that time, Da Dao stood at the courtyard gate. The guy came out, walking along the dark areas. He stood in the last dark spot. That time, too, I couldn't see his appearance."
The battalion commander took a sharp breath, "Chief, this person is a master. Stronger than me."
Dai Su reached for a cigarette from the battalion commander.
Normally, Dai Su didn't smoke much. He preferred cigars.
The battalion commander offered a cigarette and lit it for Dai Su.
Dai Su took a puff and asked Zhou Lin, "If you encounter him again, can you recognize him?"
Zhou Lin thought for a moment and said, "I can't recognize him, but I remember the smell of him."
"What smell? A body odor, somewhat like body odor. But not exactly. If I meet him again, I can recognize him by his smell."
"Good!"
Dai Su banged the table, "Let's eat first! This is our hometown's famous dish. Eat more."
The battalion commander was also from Zhejiang, from Jinhua.
Zhou Lin's father, Zhou Yongqiang, was from Zhejiang, born in Fenghua, and a resident of Xikou. He was a distant cousin of Dai Su's aunt. Dai Su's aunt was five years older than Zhou Lin's father.
When Zhou Yongqiang was twenty, Dai Su brought him to his side. Due to conflicts with Guangdong military leaders, Dai Su often quit his job and stayed in Shanghai.
At that time, he sent Zhou Yongqiang to study in Japan, enrolling him in Tokyo's Jinbu School, the same school Dai Su attended.
In June 1922, when Guangdong military commander Chen Jiongming rebelled, Sun Yat-sen took refuge on the ship Yongfeng. Dai Su went to Guangzhou to guard the ship for more than 40 days, gaining Sun's trust and favor. In October of the same year, he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Second Army of the Eastern Route Anti-Banditry Army by Sun Yat-sen.
At that time, Dai Su recalled Zhou Yongqiang and appointed him as the commander of the Second Army.
In February 1923, Dai Su was appointed Chief of Staff of the Headquarters of the Grand Marshal's Mansion. Zhou Yongqiang was promoted to battalion commander. Over the next decade, he rose to regimental commander, divisional commander, and army commander.
Until 1937, Zhou Yongqiang served as Deputy Minister of National Defense in the National Revolutionary Army, holding the rank of major general.
Because of this connection, Dai Su took special care of Zhou Lin.
He didn't want to take in Zhou Lin, telling Zhou Yongqiang, "There's no future as a spy. At most, you'll be a lieutenant general."
But Zhou Yongqiang insisted, "I have many sons in the family, all in the military. Let Zhou Lin join the military intelligence."
Zhou Lin's two older brothers were in the military. One was a lieutenant colonel and the other a major, but their units were not in Shanghai; they were in Wuhan and Jiujiang.
Zhou Lin also had a sister who didn't join the military; she became a teacher at Nanjing University.
Neither Zhou Lin nor Dai Su knew that it was Dai Su's orders that made Zhou Lin join military intelligence.
Dai Su was afraid that Zhou Lin would face danger, so he sent a small security team, officially named the Twenty Squad.
As a result, the Twenty Squad was completely wiped out. Fortunately, Zhou Lin was saved.
When Dai Su heard about the complete loss of the Twenty Squad, he was shocked. He vowed never to send Zhou Lin to the front lines again.
In this regard, Dai Su admired Zhou Yongqiang. Being a spy had a bad reputation, but without real danger on the front lines, the chances of survival were much higher.
The three of them continued eating and chatting.
Dai Su said to Zhou Lin, "The film you confiscated came in handy."
Zhou Lin hadn't seen it, unaware of its contents.
The battalion commander had seen it and said, "It's our army's artillery positions map, our army's deployment map. Additionally, it mentioned the situation of the troops the Ministry of National Defense is preparing to deploy."
Zhou Lin wasn't surprised, "These are what the Japanese need most. Otherwise, they wouldn't pay 45,000 francs for intelligence."
Speaking of money, the battalion commander spoke up, "Chief, can you give us some money as a reward for the Twenty Squad?"
Dai Su said, "This 45,000 francs will stay in Shanghai, used for the expenses of the suicide squad. So, I'll give you 1,000 francs. You can arrange it."
"Thank you, Chief!"