Chapter 5 Dai Li

Of all Dai Li's traits, perhaps the most prominent was his willingness to serve his leader.The name he chose for himself literally means "wearing a rain hat" and its symbolic meaning is "a servant", which emphasizes the animal-like servility of being Chiang Kai-shek's running dog for its master, and at the same time represents the feudal concept of Respect each other.Dai Li explained his name to others in this way: "There is an ancient poem that says: 'When you ride a chariot, I wear a hat. When I meet you, I get off the car and bow. When you meet me, I step on a horse. When I meet you, I will be your lord.'"

Shen Zui was the station master of the Shanghai station, Dai Li's head of the general affairs department. He pointed out that his superior was loyal to Chiang Kai-shek like a running dog, and said that he was willing to be Chiang's "minions." Willing to accept such inhuman treatment from the master.However, as a feudal consciousness based on the ideal of mutual respect between monarchs and ministers, this statement also shows a seemingly contradictory intention. The word "dog and horse" originated from the Longzhong meeting between Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang (Wolong) in historical novels that have been handed down for centuries.

From 207 to 208 A.D., Liu Bei, a descendant of the decadent Han Dynasty, after his military adviser Shan Fu recommended Zhuge Liang and said that he "has the talents of the world", he visited the thatched cottage three times and paid homage to this 27-year-old sage.Xuande finally met Zhuge Liang (Kong Ming) during his third visit, and he said to Kong Ming: Kong Ming humbly denies his talent.But after Xuande's repeated entreaties, he proposed the excellent strategy of establishing a base behind the throat of Xichuan (Bashu, now Sichuan), from which Liu Bei could start from there and eventually conquer the northern interior and revive the Han Dynasty.When Kongming repeatedly rejected Xuande self-effacingly, the Han family clan member wept.He cried: "Sir, if you don't come out, why are you like the common people?" Kongming was moved by Xuande's sincerity, and said: "The general will not abandon each other, and he is willing to do the work of a dog and a horse."

For Zhuge Liang, Xuande's plea was the reason why he decided to become prime minister.For Dai Li, who was proficient in Crouching Dragon and greatly admired it, Chiang Kai-shek's appointment of him as the head of the secret service must have aroused a similar loyalty in him.But in Shen Zui's eyes, Dai Ligan's "dog and horse" as the commander-in-chief contains self-deprecating elements, and this also affects his subordinates, turning the originally noble moral character of human nature into a cruel and ruthless attitude toward the master's enemies. will. Dai Li himself is proud of being able to "uphold the leader's will and empathize with the leader's painstaking efforts".In the eyes of his opponents, this kind of conceit was an expression of Dai Li's fanatical allegiance to Chiang Kai-shek's belief that "there is no self, and there is no self."Like all servants of authoritarian politics, Dai Li is a paradoxical combination of strength and weakness.As a member of Chiang Kai-shek's inner circle, he held great power.However, his humility to Chiang and his obedience to the leader finally proved his weakness of character.

Dai Li is the most trusted subordinate and guard of the commander-in-chief, and only obeys the commander-in-chief's orders.He does internal investigation work for the commander-in-chief and is responsible for the commander-in-chief's security.Dai and his ubiquitous espionage organization are considered to be the medium of informal "business" transactions between China and foreign countries, and they are very efficient. (The Communist Party liaison in Chongqing, Zhou Enlai, has said that Dai Li controlled military communications, finances, and foreign affairs through his secret organization.) ...his secret police organization was used at the time to counter party headquarters under the control of the "CC" faction The police embodies one of the most basic policy principles of the commander-in-chief's control over the Kuomintang, which is to achieve balance through checks among various forces.He was a concrete symbol of the authoritarian tendencies of the later Kuomintang.

As a concrete symbol of Chiang Kai-shek's dictatorship, Dai Li also represented one of the most powerful organizations in the Nationalist government: the Bureau of Military Investigation and Statistics.