Wang: Li Shiqun

Author: Li Shiqun
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-07-01
Features: From a passionate youth to a Communist defector, and later becoming the head of the traitorous and murderous "No. 76" Special Operations Bureau and acollaborator, Li Shiqun walked a bloody path. Smoking, gambling, and drugs were Li Shiqun's means of making a living. He outwardly pleased the Japanese and used every means to kill his compatriots. This book focuses more on the power struggles within Li Shiqun and the "No. 76" Special Operations Bureau, as well as the behind-the-scenes relationship between him and the Kuomintang's Military Intelligence Bureau.
Li Shiqun was born into a farming family with kind parents. He was a clever and diligent child in his early years and remained successful until he went to university. He had a passionate heart, speaking out for the oppressed. He joined the revolution not for personal gain. However, he could not withstand the tests of blood and fire and turned back from the path forward. In that cunning society, like being dipped in a dyeing vat, he gradually became darkened. He met another defector, Ding Mocun, and they only believed in tangible things: power and wealth. For this, he played a role of substituting himself for another, saving Ding Mocun's life; for this, he, the Japanese as a traitor; for this, he thugs and ruffians, indistinguishable from them; for this, he used all schemes and manipulations, even trampling others when they fell. In the end, he was killed by the Japanese.
Excerpt: Li Shiqun's early involvement in special operations was at No. 67 on Daxi Road. As the number of agents increased, the scope of activities expanded. The initial intelligence station at No. 67 on Daxi Road no longer served its purpose. In the spring of 1939, with Ye Jiqing's help, the Shanghai Bank Leased Territory rented a villa at No. 10, Lane 95, Yidingpan Road (now Jiangsu Road) as an activity base, known as "Ye's Mansion." In July 1939, Wang Jingwei began establishing a pseudoregime in Shanghai. To support this farce and enhance its strength, the Japanese occupation forces agreed to transfer Ding and Li's special operations agency to Wang Jingwei. As a result, the villa on Yidingpan Road became unsuitable. This residence was tucked away in a narrow lane, with cars able to enter straight but unable to turn around inside. For security, Wu Sibao had a wooden shack built at the end of the lane in Huacun Village and had a few small agents open an ironware shop there. He also rented a storefront near Kangjiaqiao in Le'anfang in the east of Huacun Village as a fixed "lookout post." Wu Sibao had agents set up various stalls from Xin Kangli in Caojiadu to Qiu Guo near Difeng Road (now Urumqi North Road) as mobile "lookout posts," allowing them to stay in contact with the fixed posts.
The main gate of "No. 76" was only opened for cars; otherwise, people used a small iron gate nearby. Its security was layered, with four gates in total. Anyone who had dealings with "No. 76" had to have a pass to enter or leave, making it extremely strict. The guards, though still thugs and ruffians, now wore uniforms and no longer had the unpleasant appearance they once had: black pants and shirts with open collars, tilted hats, cigarettes in their mouths, and iron balls or walnuts spinning in their hands, giving off an aura of gangsters. Only Wu Sibao acted as he pleased. One day, Li Shiqun took Wu Sibao to see Hara. The Japanesereported that the members of "No. 76" were a disorganized bunch, ruling with tyranny, extorting, harassing the people, and committing all sorts of crimes, asking Hara to discipline them. Hara saw that Wu Sibao was a strong man in his forties with a dark, fat face, shiny with oil, and repulsive. His cloudy eyes swayed, his fingers adorned with shiny gold rings, and a gold lock chain hung around his chest, revealing his insatiable greed. He was nervous and humble but exuded arrogance and tyranny in every move, making it clear that he was the ignorant and violent leader of a gang.
In front of Hara, Li Shiqun scolded him severely, ordering him to strictly discipline the team members who broke the rules. Since most of the team members were Wu's "brothers," Li's stern command had to be carried out through Wu Sibao. After Wu Sibao left, Li Shiqun sighed to Hara, "That man once worked as a bodyguard for my shipping company and was a gang leader. He was brave and had leadership skills. That's why I entrusted the team to him. The formal confrontation with the Blue Shirts Society is about to begin. Although he is useful, he lacks refinement and lacks reason in his actions, making him quite troublesome. To discipline the team and strengthen the discipline of 'No. 76,' we must deal with him, but before crushing the Blue Shirts Society, I don't want to go after him too deeply yet."
Li Shiqun had mixed feelings about Wu Sibao and his gang. However, he knew very well that to strike the Blue Shirts Society and curry favor with the Japanese for thegovernment, he had to rely on this group of thugs and outlaws. He occasionally used tactics to win them over, often saying, "Here is my own Water Margin, and anyone who comes here can share in the wealth, big or small. As long as they are willing to risk their lives, I won't treat them unfairly." He took pride in being a "martial hero" and spread the fallacy that chaos breeds heroes, using various schemes to make these thugs and delinquents, like moths to a flame, constantly revolve around him.
At that time, Wang Jingwei's so-called "peace movement" had not yet officially begun, but the special operations of "No. 76" had already been in progress. The reason for this urgency was that when Li Shiqun had Ding Mocun come out and take the stage as the front manager, while he stayed in the background, he was quite pleased. At that time, Li Shiqun did not see any political prospects. He once told Wang Manyun, "Because I was too poor, I just wanted to get some money from the Japanese to spend. That's why I asked Ding Mocun to be my agent. If he does well, I share in the profits; if he fails, he takes the blame." This trick even fooled the shrewd Ding Mocun. Li Shiqun only wanted to avoid the reputation of being a traitor but did not expect a bigger traitor like Wang Jingwei to suddenly appear, and the Japanese even wanted Wang Jingwei to organize a "government." Li Shiqun's plans fell through. Now, Ding Mocun was not only connected to Wang Jingwei but also used his "capital" as a base. If this continued, Ding Mocun would not only hold a higher position than Li Shiqun but also find it much easier to make money. Li Shiqun wanted to regret it but found no excuse. Moreover, Ding Mocun and Zhou Fuhai were from the same hometown, so even if they turned against each other, it was not guaranteed that he would come out on top. In his heart, he thought, "Instead of fighting Ding Mocun, why not seek refuge under Wang Jingwei's big tree? If Wang Jingwei knows that Ding Mocun's 'capital' is mine, then I can work harder for him and wait for the right moment to strike." For this, after Li Shiqun's first meeting with Wang Jingwei, he wrote a long letter, asking Chen Chunquan, Wang Jingwei's cousin, to deliver it. In the letter, he explained that Ding Mocun's "capital" was his own and that because Ding had fallen on hard times after Shanghai's occupation, he had a close friendship with him and was willing to let Ding take the stage as "big brother" while he stayed in the background. Now that Wang Jingwei had personally come to Shanghai, and Chen had passed through, and was "willing to lead the way."
Regarding this letter of loyalty, Wang Jingwei did not reply, but he remembered the matter.