Spy Wars: Return of the Red Luan

Chapter 170 Communication with Sorge

On June 30, while the Kwantung Army Headquarters was studying the theft of naval silver coins, Chen Jiehua met with Sorge and Smedley again at Sorge's home in Shanghai.

“I think I should first congratulate our CCP Special Branch friend, Mr. Chen Jiehua, for you have accomplished another impossible task.”

“Since it can be accomplished, it is not an impossible task, Mr. Alexander. Your logic is flawed.”

"It was originally impossible to complete."

"There is no original purpose. In my eyes, there is only the goal, not the task."

"Oh, you've always been someone I can't figure out."

"Alright, Brother Zuo Liu, I'm here to ask for help, not to argue."

"You want more people? No more! There really aren't any more!"

“Brother Zuo Liu, you see, isn’t Ozaki better off than working for you? With the position I arranged for him, there’s no Japanese intelligence he can’t get, and as long as he doesn’t cause any problems, no one will suspect him. The key is that I didn’t stop him from passing information to you, did I?”

"Who have you taken a fancy to this time? Tell me."

"You".

“Mi?”

“Yes, it’s you, Mr. Sorge.”

"I'm defeated by you. Your thinking is no longer just wildly imaginative."

"Beautiful and intelligent Ms. Smedley, do you understand what I mean?"

"I think Mr. Chen wants core Soviet intelligence."

“Mr. Sorge, you see, Ms. Smedley is smarter than you.”

"According to the current plans of the Japanese Army, the planning of the Kwantung Army has entered the final stage. The arrow is on the bowstring and must be released. The arrival of the new commander, Honjo Shigeru, is a signal."

Why do you interpret it that way?

"The previous commander of the Kwantung Army, Hishikari Takashi, was too old and lacked the courage to resonate with the core younger generation of the Kwantung Army. The Army Ministry of the Imperial General Headquarters needed the Kwantung Army to take risks and test the waters, so the senior brother of the core younger generation of the Kwantung Army, Lieutenant General Honjo Shigeru, was appointed instead."

"Honjo Shigeru has the power and the connections. If he wins the bet, it will be a victory for the Ministry of the Army. If he loses, someone will help him get off the hook, and the Ministry of the Army will suffer no loss."

"This is also very valuable strategic intelligence. Would you mind if we transmitted it back to our country?"

“I don’t mind telling you this, just to gain your trust and let the people behind you know that the Japanese Kwantung Army is really preparing to take action.”

"What does this have to do with your desire to obtain core intelligence about the Soviet Union? Are you trying to use the Far East forces to contain the Kwantung Army?"

“Look at you, Mr. Sorge, are you still not an international communist fighter? What is the role of an international fighter? It is to be a vanguard of global communism! It is to serve global communists, not just your Berzin.”

"Don't try to fool me. I know what you're trying to do. You can't."

"Hey, Mr. Sorge has learned a lot in China, even the word 'deceive'."

"Don't worry, I won't use the Soviet Far East forces like I did last time. I only need Soviet intelligence, such as information on heavy weapons production and Far East deployments."

"Your thinking isn't that of a secret agent, so I can't reason about or guess your thoughts and purposes using conventional methods. Can you put it more bluntly?"

"First, I need intelligence on Soviet and German tanks, including but not limited to production dates, models, armor plate thickness, range, and speed." "Second, I need the number and location of Soviet large-caliber heavy artillery deployed in the Far East."

"third,..."

"Don't even think about getting third place yet. I can't achieve your first place. I know about tanks, but we haven't found any country mass-producing and deploying them. Where did you get the information that the Soviet Union and Germany would mass-produce them?"

This is a bit hard to explain. Tanks were the key firepower that determined the outcome of World War II, but it was only 1931, and countries were probably still developing and improving them, but none of them were in mass production, which was a miscalculation.

"I'm not in a hurry for this information. I just need your European team to keep an eye on it. I'm just preparing in advance."

"Is this another large-scale strategic deployment?"

"Don't make it sound so grand. I'm just being prepared, you know? It hasn't rained yet, but I'm going to buy an umbrella and bring it with me so that I can use it immediately when it rains and won't have to go to the store to buy one in the rain."

"You are underestimating the language skills of an international agent."

"That's not what I meant. The Chinese language is profound and complex, and I'm afraid you might misunderstand. Since you're so confident, I'll just speak normally."

"Let's talk about your second request. Are you sure you're serving the Chinese Red Party?"

"I understand, and I get what you mean. Logically, the Red Party doesn't need intelligence on the deployment of heavy artillery in the Soviet Far East right now. This is the intelligence my group needs. My group needs to deal with the Japanese Kwantung Army, and in special circumstances, I need the support of these heavy artillery pieces. Do you understand?"

“I understand. But intelligence on the deployment of such important weapons is kept secret even within the Soviet Red Army. Your request cannot be fulfilled.”

"Then I'll compromise. When I need it, could you provide heavy artillery support for a specific area? Or do I only need information on heavy artillery in a particular location, and not all of them?"

"I understand, you want to bomb specific buildings and areas?"

Sigh, Chen Jiehua was also in a bind. He thought that using the Soviet Red Army's heavy artillery to deal with the soon-to-appear "epidemic prevention and water supply troops" base was not so simple. He had to think long-term and reorganize his strategy.

If all else fails, they'll have to resort to their old tricks: using their own space to transport C4 and a large quantity of explosives to detonate the bomb directly. But that would introduce a lot of unpredictability.

"Forget it, we can talk about the second one later. Can we talk about the third one now? You can definitely do the third one."

"I need you to strengthen the intelligence presence in Germany, with a focus on German naval intelligence."

Why the German Navy?

"I can't say for sure, I'll tell you at a more appropriate time later."

"Okay, I can grant you that request."

"Looks like today's trip wasn't a complete waste."

"Here's some valuable intelligence for you: the Japanese Navy is building a super battleship with a displacement of over 70,000 tons and 24 450mm main guns. The design drawings are already complete."

"Wow, how is that possible! Such a large displacement, 24 450mm main guns, how thick must the deck be? How big must the engine room be?"

"Nothing is impossible. I personally promoted the design, and I raised all the funds."

"What is your purpose in helping the Japanese Navy build such large battleships? This far exceeds the stipulations of the London Naval Treaty! Are you trying to get us to leak the information and cause trouble for Japan among the signatory states?"

"You can think about it slowly, I'm leaving."

(End of this chapter)