The process of returning to Shanghai this time was truly miraculous. In fact, I had been under surveillance by Japanese agents ever since I left Chungking. I was able to temporarily escape thanks to Lin San's clever arrangements, but I was caught by the Japanese again when I arrived in Fookian, which led to the incident where Tai Li and Miles were chased by Japanese planes in Pucheng. However, because I managed to break away from the group at the right time, the Japanese lost track of them and instead tracked me to Shanghai.
The Japanese didn't not want to arrest me; rather, they wanted to use me as bait to lure out British spies lurking in Shanghai. At the time, some of my "Deep Purple" team members were still trapped in Shanghai, and I went there to find them so they could continue to serve me—which was exactly what the Japanese wanted me to do. The Japanese surveillance also provided me with protection, allowing me to evade the assassins sent by Tai Li to silence me.
(Figure 5-4-1) Paul Draken disguised himself as an Italian priest and disembarked at the Shiliupu Wharf by boat. After I landed, I found the place where I had hidden my package and retrieved my new identity document and clothes. It turned out that before the war, I had taken advantage of the opportunity to issue passports at the consulate to issue myself a Jewish refugee ID document. After changing clothes, I hired a rickshaw to go to the Hongkou Jewish Quarter to hide first and then gradually develop my situation. My actions, which I thought were completely undetected, were actually under the full surveillance of the Japanese. They kept quiet and simply recorded where I had been and who I had met along the way. Later, all of these people suffered, and many were arrested and tortured by the Japanese military police. But in fact, most of them had nothing to do with me. They were just drivers I hitched rides with, hotel owners, or waiters at restaurants.
Shanghai remained the same, but was now completely under Japanese control. Street corners were swarming with military police checking pedestrians. British, American, and other foreign residents who hadn't left were all imprisoned in concentration camps on the outskirts of the city, while Jewish refugees were allowed to remain in the city. I realized there was no other way to find my former "Deep Purple" group members than to wander around areas frequented by Westerners, hoping for a lucky break. There weren't many Westerners left in Shanghai at that time; most were expatriates from Axis powers like Germany, Italy, and France. However, British people were less conspicuous among the Chinese than among the rest of the Chinese, so I assumed they would be present in such places if they were still in Shanghai. But after a whole month, I found nothing, which made me more wary of being followed and more cautious.
This cat-and-mouse game could have continued indefinitely, but it was abruptly halted by an unexpected event. One morning, while I was still asleep, a Japanese naval commander, accompanied by a military police sergeant, knocked on my door. My trembling landlady and her husband led them up to the attic to find me. The moment I opened my eyes, I saw them standing at the foot of my bed, thinking, "This is it!" Unexpectedly, the naval commander, wearing a staff officer's gold belt, saw me, leaned back, bowed, and said, "Good morning, Commander Draken! I am Commander Usui of the Imperial Japanese Navy, our Admiral invites you to join us for breakfast!"
"Admiral? Who's that? I don't know him!"
I was about to feign compliance when the military police sergeant grabbed my clothes and forced them on me. Before I could even brush my teeth, I was shoved into a car and driven towards the Whampoo River. Soon, the car entered the Nisshin Steamship Wharf at the mouth of the Soochow Creek, the place where the cruiser "Izumo" was moored. Now, a river gunboat was docked there, looking very much like the "USS Wake", the US Navy river gunboat that surrendered to the Japanese at the same time as the "HMS Peterel" was sunk. Many female students were waving small Japanese flags on the dock; they seemed to be Japanese middle school students on a study tour to Shanghai.
As I boarded the gunboat, I saw a high-ranking officer in a white uniform walking towards me. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the mastermind behind the attack on Pearl Harbor. What was he doing here?
Seeing my surprised expression, Yamamoto explained that his visit to Shanghai to inspect the warships stationed there was a normal itinerary for the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, and there was nothing strange about it. He had heard that "Teacher Draken" happened to be in Shanghai as well, and had specially invited him to have breakfast together. At this moment, female students on the dock began to sing Japanese patriotic songs in an attempt to attract the attention of the sailors on the gunboat. Yamamoto frowned and invited me into the cabin.
Yamamoto also introduced his staff officer, Commander Usui Yoshiro, saying that he would be responsible for making contact in the future. Yamamoto said:"Commander Usui is our Russian language expert and used to work at the embassy in Moscow." No wonder I just heard him speaking Russian with my landlord and his wife, who are White Russian Jews. At that moment, the sailors laid out a lavish breakfast on the table. I noticed there were only two sets of tableware. Then the captain saluted Yamamoto and left with staff Usui, leaving only Yamamoto and me. Yamamoto pointed to the food on the table and said, "When I inspect the fleet, I usually stay on the warships, but the new flagship Uji is too cramped and uncomfortable, so I moved to Tatara. Actually, there's an even more important reason: this ship has a lot of imported liquor, cigarettes, and American food left behind by the Americans." During breakfast, Yamamoto revealed some earth-shattering news: not long ago, the US and Japan had engaged in the Battle of Midway, in which Japan lost four large aircraft carriers, a large number of airplanes, and experienced pilots. At the time, the Japanese side strictly controlled the news, so most people did not know about it. In fact, this was the first time I had heard about it, because after I left Chungking with Tai Li and Miles, news from the outside world was cut off. But Yamamoto did not know that I did not know, so he confessed honestly and said that it was time for both sides to sit down and talk about this battle.
(Figure 5-4-4) During the Battle of Midway, four Japanese aircraft carriers that had participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor were sunk. Yamamoto was a battlefield commander, not a minister in the imperial court. Whether or not to negotiate peace was originally none of his business. However, the success of the attack on Pearl Harbor gave him a status like a "war god," just like his admired predecessor, Admiral Togo Heihachiro, the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet who won the Battle of Tsushima in 1905. Therefore, his opinions still had a great influence on the Emperor and the Cabinet. Yamamoto believed that directly conveying the desire for peace to the United States at this critical juncture would inevitably result in a humiliating rejection from the United States, which was unacceptable to the Japanese. According to Japanese custom, a third party had to be found to relay the message in order to maintain flexibility and save face for both sides. The Soviet Union, which was still in a neutral position at the time, would have been the most suitable. However, when Japan offered to talk to the Soviet Union on the condition of releasing the spy Sorge, Stalin refused. The Japanese’s indirect communication methods would ultimately cost them dearly. Towards the end of the war, they approached Stalin again, asking him to convey their desire for peace to the Allies. Stalin seized the opportunity to declare war three days before Japan’s surrender and march into Manchuria, thus obtaining the richest spoils of war at the lowest cost. Just as Japan was trapped in a predicament after being rejected by Stalin, Yamamoto suddenly received a message from the Naval Intelligence Department that a British spy named Paul Draken was under Japanese surveillance in Shanghai. At this moment, Yamamoto remembered me, his "little brother" whom he had known for many years, and his eyes lit up: "This is truly a gift from heaven!" It turned out that he had found the right messenger, and that person was me! However, Yamamoto had his concerns. He couldn't let this matter be exposed, otherwise it would endanger the entire plan and our lives, and if not handled properly, it would also bring shame to the Emperor. So he sent his most trusted staff to Shanghai first, and only after everything was under control did he personally fly over by special plane and choose to meet on a warship.
(Figure 5-4-5) Paul Draken and Isoroku Yamamoto secretly meet aboard the gunboat "Tatara". 。 I found it very strange to raise a glass to wish each other peace in this environment, but before I could react, Yamamoto downed his drink and said, "I hope to work through your father's connections in London to end this war as soon as possible." Yamamoto then detailed his plan, revealing that he intended to negotiate peace with the United States through British mediation, on the condition that all parties return to the pre-war state, Japan release Allied prisoners of war, the United States lift the ban on Japan, and all countries sign an anti-communist pact. He also hinted that this was an idea approved by the Emperor, adding that his background made him the most suitable messenger, as his father had served as Emperor Meiji's secret envoy during the Russo-Japanese War. Yamamoto believed his plan made sense because Britain was under threat of German invasion at home and was unable to effectively defend the Pacific theater. The best option was to peacefully resolve the Far East issue and redeploy military forces to defend the British Isles. Furthermore, Britain and the United States had a close relationship, and Roosevelt listened to Churchill. Therefore, he believed that Britain's mediation would have a chance of success. At a time when the entire Japanese nation was still unaware of the defeat at Midway, Yamamoto's proposal was both incredibly bold and remarkably forward-thinking—a testament to his exceptional talent. However, Yamamoto may not have considered the delicate relationships between the Allied powers. For instance, in 1941, Nazi Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess suddenly flew to Scotland and parachuted in to announce peace talks, immediately arousing suspicion among other allies who thought Britain was withdrawing from the fight against Germany. The British government promptly and secretly imprisoned Hess until after the war, a major unsolved mystery of World War II. I cannot imagine what the United States or other Allied nations would have thought if Britain had accepted Yamamoto's terms. As I took my leave, I wondered to myself, since Yamamoto needed my help, could I ask for some favors in return? For example, could he guarantee my safety when I entered or left Shanghai? This should be a reasonable request; otherwise, how could I work for him? Yamamoto readily agreed, arranging for the navy's intelligence system to assist me in avoiding interference from the army or Nanking regime's agents. With this get-out-of-jail-free card, I felt more confident in carrying out my work.
I was very interested in serving as the "Emperor's Secret Envoy." On the one hand, I would play an important role at a turning point in history, and on the other hand, I could return to Shanghai, which I loved. However, Churchill hesitated because he was worried about the reaction of the Allies. He did not send a special envoy to China until the spring of the following year to inform us that we could make contact. Just before I was about to depart, I received intelligence from the US military that Yamamoto Isoroku had died on April 18 when his plane was intercepted and crashed by the US military in Rabaul. The Americans were overjoyed because they had avenged Pearl Harbor, while I was disappointed.
(Figure 5-4-6) Yamamoto Isoroku's plane was shot down by a US P-38 fighter. It turns out that I had placed two identical reports in my diplomatic pouch: one for my father and one for headquarters in London. I did this to avoid my superiors misunderstanding that I was engaging in private diplomacy. However, it wasn't until much later, after the war, that I learned many high-ranking officials at MI6 were actually KGB spies, and this report must have been simultaneously forwarded to Moscow. Stalin thought that if Japan withdrew from the Pacific theater, the Soviet Union would be facing a two-front war, so he was determined to prevent this from happening. Therefore, he used spies within the organization to provide information to the Americans. I believe the Americans were unwilling to negotiate with Yamamoto, especially after the victory at Midway; but Churchill was different. In addition to avoiding fighting on two fronts in Europe and Asia at the same time, a deeper consideration was that by preserving the presence of Japanese power, the United States would not be able to dominate the Far East, and Britain could maintain its pre-war status as the big brother. But circumstances forced them to act against their will, and this wish ultimately failed. The United States became the mastermind behind World War II, and afterwards, it turned Japan into its pawn. Although Britain and the United States appeared to be like brothers, they were each pursuing their own national interests, which I think is quite normal. However, the news that Japan's "war god" Isoroku Yamamoto was seeking peace with the Allies was incredibly shocking. Stalin, who had obtained the intelligence, could have seized the opportunity to expose Japan and make them lose face, but he ultimately held back. In the midst of the German-Soviet hot war, such an action would be tantamount to provoking Japan to attack the Soviet Union. In that case, Stalin would have to fight on two fronts simultaneously, and under such circumstances, the Soviet Union would have no chance of winning. If this led to the German and Japanese armies meeting in the Central Asian oil fields, the history of World War II would have been rewritten! The United States could have deliberately released information to wage psychological warfare against Japan, but that would have exposed that the Allies had mastered Axis codes—a top secret during World War II that remained undisclosed for many years after the war. During the Battle of Britain in 1941, Churchill preferred to sacrifice the entire city of Coventry to be razed to the ground by German bombers rather than give prior warning. Knowing Britain's stance, Washington, after much deliberation, abandoned this tempting plan. Throughout the entire "secret mission" incident, Churchill was very shrewd and calculating. When he learned that Japan intended to make peace, he had already planned to withdraw troops from the Burma front back to the British mainland. In order to fill the defense gap, he requested China to send troops into Burma to assist in the defense, based on the "Sino-British Joint Defense of the Burma Road Agreement" signed with Chiang Kai-shek at the end of 1941. Chiang Kai-shek was not very willing at first, but later changed his mind for some unknown reason and sent his Fifth Army into Burma in mid-February. At this time, I received a secret telegram from Churchill instructing me to pay close attention to Chiang Kai-shek's movements of the Chinese Expeditionary Force and to prevent the force from withdrawing into India under any circumstances. I was baffled at the time, but after returning home and asking Churchill in person, I learned the reason. It turned out that Churchill had received intelligence from Germany claiming that Chiang Kai-shek had reached a secret agreement with Hitler, planning to use the Chinese Expeditionary Force's withdrawal into India as an opportunity to launch a surprise attack on the British forces. German troops were also reportedly arriving from Central Asia to join forces and occupy India, thus linking the Far East and Western European fronts. If this were true, the history of World War II would have been rewritten. Churchill's concerns were not unfounded. Chiang Kai-shek was consistently pro-German and anti-communist, maintaining close ties with the German military leadership. The Kuomintang army was trained and equipped with German weapons by German advisors, and China supplied Germany with crucial strategic materials like tungsten ore to wage war. Had it not been for the accidental conflict with Japan in late 1938 that led to the establishment of the Wang Kingwei regime, the Germans would have long since drawn Chiang into the Axis alliance. Therefore, Churchill had always harbored suspicions about Chiang Kai-shek's anti-Axis stance. This time, Churchill originally only hoped that the Chinese army would defend Burma so he could recall troops. However, Chiang Kai-shek and his wife chose this time to visit India and even met with Gandhi, a leader of the resistance movement, which further fueled Churchill's suspicions. At the time, the British forces stationed in India were weak, and most of them were of Indian descent. If these Indian troops were incited by Chiang Kai-shek and Gandhi to defect, we would be completely powerless. Not only would the British Empire's influence in Asia potentially collapse, but the Axis powers would ultimately win World War II. Therefore, Churchill's concerns were justified. However, this led to the tragedy of 30,000 Nationalist soldiers dying in the jungle when the Chinese Fifth Army had to cross the Hukawng Valley to return home after the defeat. Only Sun Liren's New 38th Division survived by forcibly entering India with my help. This was my personal choice; if I had understood Churchill's true intentions at the time, Sun and his troops would probably have perished in the Hukawng Valley along with the Fifth Army. This was arguably the biggest wartime secret, and Churchill emphasized that it must not be revealed to the outside world before his and Chiang's deaths. However, the shrewd Chiang Kai-shek changed course in the latter half of 1942. With the United States' victory at the Battle of Midway, reversing the Allied decline since the attack on Pearl Harbor, Chiang Kai-shek realized that the Axis powers could not win. From then on, he stopped flirting with Hitler, and the secret communication channels with Japan were also cut off. This allowed Wang Kingwei to firmly sit on the throne of "Number One Traitor" until his death. So, who gave Churchill this top-secret intelligence that could have changed history? After the war, I searched through all the MI6 files and found no record of it. It seems this wasn't intelligence we provided. So who could it be? Stalin? Roosevelt? Or was this all a setup by Churchill himself?
There were also some White Russian settlements near the Jewish Quarter. In fact, a significant portion of Shanghai's Jews were of Russian origin, so naturally, some commercial activities arose around the Jewish community, such as restaurants, bars, and even brothels. One day, I saw what appeared to be a White Russian couple in a coffee shop, but upon closer inspection, the man was none other than James Wilfred Cuming, the telegraph corporal from the "HMS Peterel"! Cuming was also taken aback to see me and quickly pulled me aside to a private room, whispering, "Commander Draken, what are you doing here?" Through Cuming's account, I roughly understood the whereabouts of the crew of the "HMS Peterel". There were 22 crew members on board; six perished, and 12 survived, including Captain Pokinghorn, who escaped to the Norwegian freighter "SS Marizion" (flying the Panamanian flag), where he was abducted by the Japanese and imprisoned in a POW camp. Three people remained ashore at the time; two were later captured and imprisoned in a POW camp. Cuming was the only survivor; he hid in the White Russian community and married a Russian woman named Ludmila. Cuming evaded Japanese searches by posing as a member of a White Russian family. One thing that White Russian and Jewish refugees in Shanghai had in common was that their original identities were difficult to verify, making it relatively easy to forge documents.
After hearing Cuming's account, I immediately had an idea. Wasn't this a perfect candidate for an undercover operation? He had a cover identity, knew radio, and was married and couldn't leave Shanghai. So I made an agreement with Cuming to make him my subordinate, codenamed "Mr. Trees." I also told him about the Foochow man who made fake documents and where Yankee bought the radio materials. Cuming became the only person from the British naval intelligence unit to remain undercover in Shanghai throughout the war. He established a radio station and maintained communication with Chungking until the end of the war. Cuming's story appears in Desmond Wettern's *The Lonely Battle*, which mentions that the Japanese never discovered Cuming's identity, finding it incredible. The real reason behind this was that it was a secret that couldn't be made public.
My original intention in assigning Cuming his mission was to serve as a liaison for Yamamoto Isoroku's peace talks, but this mission was abandoned after Yamamoto's death. Secondly, after the outbreak of the Pacific War, the main Japanese naval vessels were withdrawn from Shanghai, leaving only a few old river gunboats. Moreover, the Chinese battlefield was mainly characterized by land and air warfare, with naval vessels playing almost no role, so intelligence on the Japanese naval fleet was also scarce.
So I had Cuming observe the Kiangnan Shipyard, which had been taken over by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan. We discovered that the Japanese only considered Kiangnan a shipyard for repairs, and its shipbuilding capacity was even less than before the war. They only built many small 25-ton inland river patrol boats for use in pacification operations. A comprehensive analysis revealed that during World War II, Japan rarely established genuine shipbuilding capacity in newly occupied territories, whether in Shanghai, Hong Kong, or even its colony of Keelung in Taiwan. This was because local areas lacked materials and technology, and they had to rely on components shipped from Japan. At the time, American submarines were rampaging everywhere, making these voyages extremely risky. Therefore, throughout World War II, the vast majority of warships and merchant ships were completed in Japanese shipyards.
Since the original task was not yielding results, I asked Cuming to change it to receiving news from Chungking and forwarding it to the Western community in Shanghai and even to British and American prisoners of war in the concentration camps. This would allow them to understand the true situation of the war under the false propaganda of the Japanese and boost their morale. Cuming did this very well and was even praised after the war.
At the same time, the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) also had a team in Shanghai called the "OM" (Oriental Mission). The team consisted of seven British men already in Shanghai, who called themselves the "Nine-Fifteen Club," and were likely led by Valentine St. John Killery, a former member of the Shanghai International Settlement Council. The OM members were all untrained amateurs, and predominantly older, ranging from 55 to 65 years old, mostly businessmen; one of them was a former deputy chief of police in the Shanghai International Settlement. The OM's self-defined mission was to monitor the activities of Nazi elements in Shanghai and the Italian warship "Eritrea", which had arrived in East Asia from Europe. These mission descriptions are somewhat strange, and shouldn't monitoring enemy ships be the responsibility of our naval intelligence group?
Even more absurdly, these people wanted to infiltrate the harbor and bomb the "Eritrea,". Upon hearing this, I immediately informed MI6 and obtained authorization from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to stop this reckless operation. The reason given was that it was high-risk and ineffective, and would only attract the attention of the Japanese, leading to a purge, which would be detrimental to our legitimate intelligence work. Clearly, these people treated it as a game of personal heroism. OM was dismantled by the Japanese military police at the end of 1942, and all members were arrested. The reason was that one of their employees, a company employee, discovered that his boss had received £5,000 in operating fees from the British Economic War Department and reported it to the Japanese. These people had such complex social connections that they completely disregarded the requirements of single-line intelligence operations.
In fact, our naval intelligence group had already been aware of this warship's movements. It was an Italian training cruiser (or colonial sloop), which entered the Indian Ocean from the Red Sea in early 1941 and arrived in Japan, intended as a supply ship for Axis submarines. The "Eritrea" carried German Nazi officials; its purpose in coming to Shanghai was to incite the Japanese to carry out the genocide of Jews—this was our primary concern. Only a naval intelligence group with outposts in ports worldwide, coupled with maritime surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, could have tracked its movements. How could a few amateurs holed up in Shanghai possibly accomplish this? I even doubt whether SOE had actually hired them.
After the war, I kept thinking about a question: what would have happened if Yamamoto Isoroku hadn't been assassinated by the Americans? Would I have been a history maker, ending World War II before 1943? But I think Yamamoto's best opportunity was in early 1942. After the Battle of Midway, Japan had no more bargaining chips for peace talks. Even Chiang Kai-shek saw that the Axis powers were hopeless, let alone the United States, with its deep-seated hatred for Pearl Harbor. Moreover, I think Yamamoto's thinking was still stuck in World War I or even the last century, believing that war and peace could be switched at any time. But World War II was a total war involving the integration of multiple powers. Only when the other side surrendered unconditionally or its regime collapsed could peace talks be almost impossible.
Here, I'd like to briefly comment on Isoroku Yamamoto. I've known him for many years and can say I understand him quite well. Yamamoto possessed a strong gambler's personality. The attack on Pearl Harbor was a gamble he wagered on the entire nation's fate, which he luckily won. But gamblers don't win every time; the most likely outcome is that he eventually loses everything. The problem doesn't end there. The Battle of Midway had many shortcomings, and lessons should have been learned, a humble review conducted, to avoid repeating mistakes. But Yamamoto said, "I will take full responsibility, and I will apologize to the Emperor!" The problem is, with Yamamoto's god-like status, who dared to criticize him? Since no one dared, no one reflected on their mistakes, leading to a downward spiral of utter ruin. Furthermore, after the defeat at Midway, Yamamoto's authority could no longer control all the high commander. The compromise was to commit the fleet to the Guadalcanal campaign, a struggle for control of the island. Although the Japanese won the surface battles thanks to their solid training and superior technology, the massive losses of ships and air power were beyond Japan's national capacity to bear. This marked a turning point in the decline of the Japanese Navy. Many people likely share the view that throughout World War II, Japan's tactical capabilities were strong, but its strategy was truly questionable, as was its intelligence work, ultimately leaving only "banzai charges" and "gyokusai" (suicide attacks).
History cannot be rewritten! Even if it could be rewritten, Yamamoto would not have succeeded, so my dream of becoming the "Emperor's secret envoy" can only remain a fantasy.
She claimed to be a descendant of Italian nobility, named Bianca, and said she had married a Chinese general, hence taking his surname, Tam. She said they had been separated due to the war and she was now alone in Shanghai. She also mentioned having good relations with the Japanese and smooth communication channels. Based on my professional instincts, I knew that such an opportunity offered to me was unlikely to be anything good, especially since an overly dramatic backstory often concealed a hidden trap. So, I made an excuse and left.
When back I asked Cuming if he'd heard of her. Ludmila showed me a photograph, and it was indeed her. Ludmila said this woman was a famous socialite in Shanghai, a former fashion store model, which explained the widespread circulation of her photos. She also said that Bianca might be a spy, connected to the Japanese, Germans, and the Wang Jingwei regime. As for her so-called Chinese husband, he was probably Tam Gian Ciau. Having lived in Kuangchow and Hong Kong, I guessed "Tam" was the Cantonese pronunciation of "Tan" in Mandarine. I actually know a Chinese military officer surnamed Tan who studied in Italy; his name is Tan Chan Chao. I know him because of Sun Li-jen. I've known Sun since I sold British tanks to the tax police, and Tam was one of Sun Li-jen's important officers. I even met him when the 38th Division withdrew from Burma to India, but he never mentioned that he had a beautiful Italian wife. With a clear target, intelligence gathering became easier. I discovered that Bianca wasn't a "spy" loyal to any one country, not even her homeland, Italy. She was simply scheming for survival, moving between various consulates in Shanghai, attending banquets, and using her beauty to attract men. She did sell Chennault's airport intelligence to the Japanese for payment, but that was business. I might have paid her to sell me Japanese intelligence, but I would never dare recruit her as a subordinate; she was too dangerous. Although Bianca worked as a socialite in Shanghai, she was not divorced from Tam Gian Ciau and was still legally Tam's wife. This caused her great trouble after the war; she was prosecuted for "treason" by a Chinese military court and sentenced to death. Her situation was similar to that of Kim Bihui, also known as Kawashima Yoshiko; her nationality determined her life or death. The opposite example is Li Shianglan, also known as Yamaguchi Yoshiko, who escaped the death penalty because she was Japanese. Coincidentally, I had contact with all three of them. Bianca was ultimately pardoned by Chiang Kai-shek through her husband's intervention, allowing her to leave the country within a limited time, thus ending her legendary first half of life in China. After returning to Europe, Bianca leveraged her experience working in a Shanghai fashion boutique to become an assistant in a Parisian tailor shop. This tailor, Christian Dior, propelled Bianca into the fashion world, enabling her to move freely within European and American high society, remaining a socialite throughout her life. Although she had many lovers, she always retained her husband's surname, Tam.
(Figure 5-4-9) Bianca published an autobiographical novel called "Opium Tea" in 1991, and the cover photo is of herself.
Bianca published her autobiographical novel *Opium Tea* in 1991, which became a bestseller. It boldly revealed her sexual history in Shanghai. Fortunately, I only met her once at the time, and it wasn't included in the book. However, I met her again in Paris after the war; she was still beautiful and fashionable, just as before. She laughed, saying that back in Shanghai, she thought I was an Italian priest and wanted to strike up a conversation with a handsome guy to claim we were from the same country, only to find out I was an imposter. I told her that my identity at the time was actually that of a British spy, and she scolded me for not telling her sooner, otherwise she would have had the opportunity to sell me information about the Japanese for money.
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