THE REBEL Episode 40 Recap
> THE REBEL Recap
Concerned that Lin Nansheng's knowledge of her true identity could compromise future intelligence operations, Zhu Yizhen spoke with Ji Zhongyuan. She also asked if Meng Annan had noticed Lin Nansheng's visit. Ji Zhongyuan reassured her that Meng Annan hadn't, and moving her embroidery shop now would only draw unwanted attention, while the embroidery shop itself couldn't be directly linked back to her. Zhu Yizhen still worried that her personal connection to Lin Nansheng would affect their intelligence line.
Ji Zhongyuan assuaged her fears, explaining that if Lin Nansheng had intended to arrest her, they would have been surrounded by special agents already. Later, Lin Nansheng relayed to Ji Zhongyuan that the Ministry of Defense had merged the investigations of the embroidery shop case and his case, with the Shanghai division taking overall charge. He advised Ji Zhongyuan to reduce operations and be more careful.
Ji Zhongyuan criticized Lin Nansheng's previous hasty action concerning the embroidery shop, noting the danger of losing two intelligence threads if the escaped agent knew Zhu Yizhen and decided to defect. He emphasized the urgent need to stop any intelligence being passed through that method. Lin Nansheng then reflected on his encounter with Zhu Yizhen, confiding in Ji Zhongyuan that Zhu Yizhen's eyes were filled with anger and wariness, believing he was there to arrest her.
He had to deliver his warning using hurtful words and now feared that harm might befall her before she could learn of his true allegiance. Ji Zhongyuan understood his pain, assuring him that such suffering would end once the war was over. Back at the State Secrecy Bureau, Undersecretary Lin from the Ministry of Defense arrived from Nanjing, furious with Wang Shi'an. He accused Wang Shi'an of possessing top-secret information about the 2nd Army's relocation to Dangshan.
Wang Shi'an vehemently denied the accusation, presenting intelligence he claimed was seized from a busted Communist liaison station, including a map showing the 2nd Corps' Dangshan defenses. Director Yu, from the War Office's Intelligence Department, pointed out a blurry spot in the top-left corner of the photo of the map. He recognized this unique blur from a previous top-secret deployment photo intercepted last year, which was also linked to "Fisherman," confirming a leak within the Ministry of Defense.
Undersecretary Lin warned Wang Shi'an that if any further information leaked, the investigation would begin with him and his key subordinates: Lin Nansheng, Fu Zhaowen, Zhao Jinglong, and his secretary. Undersecretary Lin, who had even brought an empty car to take Wang Shi'an back to Nanjing for questioning, ordered him to take overall charge of the "Fisherman" investigation, merging it with the embroidery shop case.
Lin Nansheng later relayed this information to Ji Zhongyuan, stating that the Shanghai division was now in charge of the merged investigations, advising Ji Zhongyuan to reduce operations and be more careful. Under immense pressure, Wang Shi'an convened a meeting to discuss how to capture Fisherman, the central figure in the Communist's East China underground intelligence network. He noted that over five Communist radios were active in Shanghai, but their short and irregular transmission times made them difficult to locate.
He highlighted one high-power radio that was unusually active and demanded results within a month, emphasizing this was an opportunity given the intensifying war. Wang Shi'an also asked his subordinates about "Kuang Hui Dong" (Meng Annan's birth name), but they reported no success from the months-long search notices. He expressed his frustration about the lack of leads and the constant pressure from higher authorities.
Ji Zhongyuan met with Zhu Yizhen, informing her about news from the yarn factory: several tons of medical gauze had been transported towards Xuzhou, purchased by the Nationalist 5th Army's field hospital, which had doubled in size. Zhu Yizhen confirmed that she would relay this crucial intelligence to their base promptly. Ji Zhongyuan mentioned the upcoming Huaihai Campaign, expressing hope that Shanghai's liberation was imminent.
He told Zhu Yizhen that intelligence from all sides would continue to flow, and they would meet every three days, confirming their meeting location by phone, as these "uncommon times" required breaking protocol. Meanwhile, Meng Annan, feigning a severe toothache, observed Zhu Yizhen's movements over several days, noting her phone calls. After she made a phone call and then left, he followed her. Later, he used a public telephone directory to trace the number to an address on Yongjia Road.
During this time, Lin Nansheng frequented Director Tang's office, subtly gathering information. Director Tang conveyed the grim situation, noting the Nationalist retreat to Guangzhou and Taiwan, with Shanghai also preparing for evacuation. Lin Nansheng received their exit plan and passed it to Ji Zhongyuan. He expressed regret that he would have to wait another six months to meet his comrades, unlike Zhu Yizhen, who Ji Zhongyuan assured him he would see again on the day of victory.
Lin Nansheng told Ji Zhongyuan that his call sign, "Sailor 08," would remain the same, and a comrade in Guangzhou would contact him there. Separately, Lan Xinjie confided in Lin Nansheng that she didn't want to evacuate to Taiwan with other officers' wives, who often gossiped about her. She preferred to stay with him.
Lin Nansheng agreed, asking her to accompany him to Guangzhou, but cautioned her to keep it confidential, only informing close acquaintances like Director Tang or his wife. Meng Annan continued his surveillance. On a predetermined day, he faked a toothache, closing his tobacco and grocery shop, and discreetly followed Zhu Yizhen as she went to meet Ji Zhongyuan at a park. Unaware of being tailed, Ji Zhongyuan then led Meng Annan back to his residence.
Meng Annan then approached a nearby shopkeeper under the guise of looking for a relative, subtly confirming that only one man, who rarely left his house, lived there. Seeking to capitalize on this information for his own career advancement, Meng Annan later contacted Wang Shi'an. Wang Shi'an, dining with Director Yu, lamented the difficulties of evacuating to Taiwan and the influx of northern officials.
Director Yu advised Wang Shi'an to prioritize the Fisherman case, emphasizing that a major achievement in this investigation would secure his political standing in Guangzhou or Taiwan, preventing him from becoming a titular figure among the many relocated station chiefs. Director Yu highlighted Lin Nansheng's strong ties with Commissioner Mao Renfeng, illustrating his influence by recounting how Lin Nansheng once casually "robbed" tea leaves from Mao's office.
Frustrated by his subordinates' lack of progress on the Fisherman case, Wang Shi'an received a call. Meng Annan, identifying himself as "Kuang Hui Dong," revealed the whereabouts of Ji Zhongyuan at No. 151 Taixing Road, describing him as a 50-year-old man with a long face and thick eyebrows, identifying him as "the core leader of the East China Bureau's Urban Work Bureau who has been undercover in Shanghai."
Wang Shi'an, recalling Meng Annan's previous failure to appear in 1945, questioned his trustworthiness. Meng Annan explained that his handler, Chen Mo Qun, had been killed during the traitor purging campaign, making it unsafe to contact them. He now came forward because the busting of the Wu Yue Embroidery shop signaled that Wang Shi'an's investigation was closing in, and he wished to avoid becoming a "Communist martyr," admitting that he was the one who escaped the embroidery shop.
Immediately, Wang Shi'an dispatched agents to Ji Zhongyuan's residence. Ji Zhongyuan, who was preparing to relay vital intelligence about the Huaihai Campaign to Zhu Yizhen, was surrounded and arrested. In the interrogation room, Ji Zhongyuan maintained his cover as "Tan Zhaoyi," a cotton yarn futures trader observing the market. Lin Nansheng, having been unable to contact Ji Zhongyuan, grew increasingly anxious. He heard rumors that Wang Shi'an had captured a high-ranking Communist, a "core personnel of the East China Bureau."
Feigning curiosity, Lin Nansheng went to the interrogation room, where he saw Ji Zhongyuan calmly facing Wang Shi'an. Wang Shi'an, hoping to persuade Ji Zhongyuan to defect, urged Lin Nansheng to join him. Ji Zhongyuan, maintaining his alias, insisted he was merely a businessman and couldn't understand why he was arrested, claiming he had a gun for personal protection due to the volatile market. Wang Shi'an dismissed his claims, pressing for his real position or code name.
Ji Zhongyuan, seeing Lin Nansheng, subtly conveyed a message, arguing that although the Communists had won in the Northeast, the Nationalists still commanded millions of troops in Beiping and northern Jiangsu, implying that any victory his captors anticipated would no longer involve him, a subtle reference to the Communist advance while not directly admitting his identity.
