Chapter 19: The Lecture

Zhang Anping never used lesson plans; he usually arrived empty-handed, speaking on whatever came to mind.

Today was no exception.

"Today’s lecture covers intelligence gathering, analysis, and counter-intelligence."

Zhang Anping wrote the six characters for "Gathering, Analysis, and Counter-Intelligence" on the blackboard, then turned around and began. "First, let's talk about gathering. There are many ways to acquire intelligence. Xu Zhongyi, tell us, how many methods can you think of?"

Xu Zhongyi stood up, thought for a moment, and said, "Theft, observation, and... I can't think of any more."

"Then stay standing until I finish."

Zhang Anping was not satisfied with his protégé. After ordering him to stand, he continued, "Theft is one method—for instance, stealing confidential documents from a safe or picking them from a target's pocket—but I do not recommend it."

"Intelligence gathering is a technical craft. In non-emergency situations, I advise against such amateurish behavior, because an intelligence officer’s first priority is safety. The risk factor of theft is simply too high; it’s not cost-effective."

"I prefer observation, solicitation, and bribery. For example, suppose Xu Zhongyi now possesses a piece of vital intelligence: that Qi Siyuan stole Gong Shu’s socks last night. How would one extract this information from him? Chen Peng, you tell us!"

Chen Peng stood up and replied, "I think we could send Gu Yufei. As long as she’s the one asking, Xu Zhongyi would be so spellbound he’d spill the beans immediately."

The students burst into laughter. Gu Yufei blushed with embarrassment, but Xu Zhongyi retorted shamelessly, "Even the King of Heaven couldn't get a secret out of me!"

Zhang Anping chuckled. If it really were Gu Yufei, you’d sell yourself out in a heartbeat! You’d probably even pay her for the privilege.

"Stop!" He silenced the laughter. "Chen Peng’s suggestion is excellent. I believe there is a 98% chance of getting the information out of Xu Zhongyi—that is the 'honey trap' method of solicitation. However, this intelligence is of too little value; using such a method is not worth the effort."

"Let me demonstrate another way. Xu Zhongyi, what do you think of Qi Siyuan? Be honest!"

"Young Master Qi is a fine person. He is kind to his classmates, never holds a grudge, never yells at anyone, is always willing to help, and is a pillar of student unity..." Xu Zhongyi praised him to the skies, ignoring his own conscience.

Young Master Qi felt embarrassed by the excessive praise. Am I really that good?

"Did everyone hear that? That is the 'honest opinion' of student Xu Zhongyi. Remember, this is what an intelligence officer’s 'honest opinion' looks like!" Zhang Anping smiled in approval, then continued:

"Student Xu, do you know of any bad habits Young Master Qi might have? I know you two don't get along. If he has any unsavory habits, you could quietly spread the word. Doesn't he often bully you? Spread the rumors discreetly so everyone sees his true colors, shuns him, and isolates him."

Xu Zhongyi immediately said, "Unsavory habits? Does stealing people's socks count? I saw with my own eyes that Young Master Qi stole Gong Shu's socks last night. He was so afraid of being caught he hid them in his crotch. Oh, and student Ming Cheng saw it too."

Young Master Qi’s face turned black. "Bullshit! I never did such a thing!"

Xu Zhongyi quickly added, "I knew you wouldn't admit it... I'm just making it up! I'm just making it up!"

Young Master Qi hurriedly pleaded, "You all heard him, right? He’s making it up! I didn't—"

The crowd erupted into hysterical laughter.

Zhang Anping stopped Qi’s self-defense. "Enough. Let’s review. Did Xu Zhongyi know I was trying to bait him into revealing information?"

"Yes!"

"Then why did he say it?"

"He has a grudge against Qi Siyuan and wanted to disgust him!"

"He did it on purpose!"

The students chimed in.

Xu Zhongyi quickly protested, "No! It’s just that the teacher is too devious!"

Zhang Anping ignored the accusation. "Exactly. Xu Zhongyi did it on purpose. Why? Because he dislikes Qi Siyuan. This is called 'borrowing a knife to kill someone.'"

"This method is about utilizing interpersonal conflicts for reconnaissance."

"Of course, in most cases, this needs to be done more subtly, perhaps over a longer period. Beyond that, there is the method of using existing relationships. For example, if I were to show Xu Zhongyi special favor every day, over time, in the course of casual conversation, wouldn't I eventually extract that information?"

"This is the most common method of gathering intelligence when embedded within enemy systems."

"Beyond that, there is observation. For instance, since Young Master Qi stole those socks, we can observe him deliberately. As long as he steals again, can't we acquire that information?"

"Let me give you another example."

Zhang Anping asked, "If I wanted to gather intelligence on our current special training class, how would I go about it?"

"Bribe a student!"

"Sneak in and observe."

"Watch more, listen more, and analyze more!"

The students shouted out various methods. Zhang Anping listed them one by one. When they fell silent, he said:

"I have another, seemingly unrelated method: stationing people to watch."

"You don't need to come inside; you just need to watch the Guanwang Temple."

"From this, you can gather the following: when they wake up for training, when they eat, the general content of their training, and that there are classes from eight to ten at night."

"If you monitor the logistics, by tracking the amount of food delivered to the temple daily, you can estimate the exact number of people inside."

"This leads to a broader path for intelligence gathering: we can monitor an enemy’s headquarters. As long as the lights are on and they are busy at night, it proves they are preparing for a major operation. Based on this, we can pursue other avenues to gather specific intelligence."

The students were stunned by Zhang Anping’s lateral thinking. They never realized such important intelligence could be gathered in such a simple way.

(I recall this was actually used in the Middle East wars—truly high-level intelligence warfare is often this simple and unadorned...)

"Gathering and analysis are complementary—they are one and the same. Now, let’s talk about counter-intelligence!"

Zhang Anping lectured:

"The intelligence profession really boils down to these six words: gathering, analysis, and counter-intelligence."

"Counter-intelligence is also known as counter-espionage."

"Just as I mentioned judging the number of people by the food supply, that is reconnaissance. Can we then use that to our advantage, fluctuating the food intake to mislead the enemy?"

"Regarding the observation of an enemy headquarters working late, can we use blackout curtains to perform counter-intelligence?"

"On a larger scale, before performing counter-intelligence, put yourself in the enemy's shoes. View things from their perspective to see how they would gather intelligence, then use corresponding measures to counter them. For example, if I planned to infiltrate the logistics team as a servant to gather intelligence, could we set a trap in the logistics department to counter-spy?"

"You can form a volunteer Counter-Espionage Committee and an Intelligence Reconnaissance Committee. The Reconnaissance Committee thinks of ways to spy, and the Counter-Espionage Committee executes the traps. See if you can catch any enemies interested in our training class—I suspect communist and Japanese spies would be very interested. If all goes well, you should be able to catch one."

The students were electrified. They were actually going to get hands-on experience? They had to do it!

Zhang Anping secretly smirked. You definitely won't catch any communist spies, as they are already among you, but the Japanese spies—that’s another story.

"Oh, and regarding counter-espionage, I have another effective method. Do you know the characteristics of the Japanese?"

The students shouted out:

"Short stature!"

"They like loincloths!"

"Their accent!"

"The stubble on their chins!"

"Japanese soldiers have stockier builds."

After listening to their answers, Zhang Anping smiled. "Let me add a few more."

"1. Because they wear wooden clogs, the gap between their big toe and second toe is unusually large."

"2. Japanese people often have protruding teeth."

"3. Their eyes are set closer to the nose."

"4. They tend to walk with their toes pointed inward."

"5. They cannot accurately pronounce the 'L' and 'S' sounds."

The students scrambled to take notes. Even Zheng Yaoxian and his group, who had come to listen for the first time, were memorizing every word.

"Of course, these are just indicators, not evidence. But we are in the intelligence business; whenever we find such suspicious signs, we can use them to screen individuals."

"Remember, this is just one tool in our arsenal."

"But as an intelligence officer, if you find a suspicious point, you must follow it to the end. You never know—that one suspicion might lead you to a real spy."

The students nodded in agreement. Suddenly, someone raised a hand.

"Teacher, I think student Jiang Si'an fits two of the five points you just mentioned."

The student named Jiang Si'an turned pale. "Don't you dare slander me!"

As if to prove his innocence, he shouted out several words containing 'L' and 'S', but the surrounding students glared at him like tigers, ignoring his desperate excuses.

Having previously participated in the capture of a Japanese spy cell and witnessed Zhang Anping use these exact methods to identify them, Xu Baichuan and Zheng Yaoxian rose from their seats, prepared to make an arrest.

Zhang Anping laughed. He gestured for the students to calm down and smiled:

"Do you know where student Jiang Si'an is from?"

"Jiang Si'an, tell them yourself."

The student hurriedly said, "I am from Zhanjiang. It is a local custom there to wear wooden clogs."

Hearing this, the students lowered their guard.

But then Zhang Anping added, "However, student Jiang Si'an did not grow up in Zhanjiang!"

The students immediately tensed up again, their predatory glares making Jiang Si'an tremble.

Zhang Anping then added, "But because of his parents, he has always worn wooden clogs at home."

The students realized they had been played.

"Alright, no more jokes. I did that on purpose."

Zhang Anping turned and wrote "Psychological Fortitude" on the blackboard.

"Students, as intelligence officers, keeping a straight face when Mount Tai collapses before you is a mandatory psychological requirement. In the future, you will encounter all sorts of situations—people trying to manipulate you, just as I did."

"There will be false information to cloud your judgment; there will be enemy bluffs and intimidation; there will even be psychological warfare."

"For an elite intelligence officer, the best response is often to blend in—to behave exactly like a normal person. Just like you did just now, being led by the nose by me."

"But if you were like Teacher Zheng, Teacher Xu, or Teacher Wang, showing absolutely no reaction, then I would have to start wondering if there was something wrong with them."

A student stood up and asked, "Then, Teacher Zhang, is there something wrong with the other teachers?"

"Yes!" Zhang Anping replied without hesitation.

"What is it?"

"They are too cunning. I couldn't fool them, so I must conclude that I can't afford to mess with them."

The students burst into laughter.

This was a class with Mr. Zhang Shihao; he always knew how to make everyone laugh when they least expected it.