‘This is the first?’ she asked.
‘Yes, this is the first.’
‘And the second?’
‘Wait until you are really ready for it. I’ll tell you when I think you are.’
He lifted his glass and toasted formally, with the obligatory toast of yam seng – drink to victory – he downed the contents in one. Almost without thought so did she, nor did she refuse a refill, slightly more than the first lot. Her face mellowed and they talked casually for a while, then she asked, ‘what is the second?’
He rose and, one hand under her rump and the other on her breasts, lifted her onto her bed and lay beside her. ‘I’ll give you the choice of the second or the third.’
‘I’m ready for you,’ she said softly and his answer was, ‘shall I’ll show you the third?’
‘No, let’s have the second one now, now, now,’ and she started to undress him while he did the same for her.
An hour later, exhausted, he rose, dressed and went into the kitchen to make some tea. When he got back she was dressed once more. ‘And the third? It can’t be better than the second,’ she added almost wolfishly.
He took an envelope out of his pocket. ‘Open it and say if you want what it allows.’
She took it gingerly and, with a gasp so deep it made her cough, there was a permit for her to emigrate to mainland China. She read it through once, twice and then, after the third time, said, ‘Yes, I accept that but only if you can come with me.’
‘No, I can’t do that, but I can visit you until you leave, either with the name on the permit or, if you were to prefer it, another name.’
‘No, I’ll go under my own name’ and, unexpectedly, burst into tears.
Before Ah Fat and his Bear went back to Ha La, by way of Betong, he had another long session with C C Too, this time before he went to his office. After discussing Chan Man Yee he was told that Xi Zhan Yang had been picked up and would not be returning to MCP HQ.
‘As I am not expected to know anything about him I am sure I won’t be involved in any questions. But I have an idea what to do when any peace talks take place. Once the negotiators have gone into Malaya I may well be able to appropriate any of the documents that I know do exist about how the Chinese Communist Party sees what the MCP needs or can do. As you well know, there has been an MCP representative in Beijing for a long time and the radio in Betong is constantly used for messages between him and the Politburo. Anything I steal must be given to someone who without fail can bring to you. The area is sure to be heavily guarded and one of the conditions of a ceasefire talk will be that numbers involved will be kept to a minimum and extraneous movement restricted. Who can I give my findings to?’
C C Too put his head in his hands. ‘A bell is ringing in my mind. Let me think.’ Yes! ‘The Director of Operations feels that your friend Jason Rance can somehow find his way up there. Quite how we‘ve not even thought about. But if we can get him there, couldn’t that be an answer?’
‘It is a mighty big “if” …’ and his voice trailed off. ‘Yes, he is the only one I trust without endangering my own people.’
C C Too picked up his telephone and dialled the number of the Director of Operation’s Military Assistant and merely said, ‘I’m the Chinese who was sent for by the Director about Ten Foot Long.’
‘Yes, I know who you are. How can I help you?’
‘I have a man with me who must return north in a day or so. I think the Director would like to see him because quote “you have sown a tiny seed in my mind” unquote.’
‘I’m with it. Hold on while I go and ask.’
The answer was, ‘The General can squeeze you in between 1400 and 1420 this afternoon. Will that be enough time?’
‘It will have to be. See you then,’ and C C Too rang off and said to Ah Fat, ‘I’ll pick you up at your house at half past one.’
The two Chinese were ushered into the General’s office and C C Too introduced Ah Fat, adding, ‘Sir, apart from Mr Ah Fat being a childhood friend of and like a brother to Captain Rance, he has been our most active mole all through the Emergency years and is a non-voting member of the MCP Politburo. Normally I talk to him in the privacy of my house but meeting you in your office there’ll be no one to recognise him so here is not risky for his safety.’
The General held out his hand and shook Ah Fat’s warmly. ‘Now, meeting you is something I really do appreciate and thank you for coming.’
‘Sir, it’s my pleasure also.’
‘Sit down and I’ll order up some coffee.’ It was quickly brought in and the General glanced at his watch. Shall I delay my next meeting? I’ll see what C C Too has to say first.
‘Mr Too, bring me up to date. What is the actual reason for bringing Mr Ah Fat to see me at such short notice?’
‘Sir, will you let Mr Ah Fat answer your question?’
‘Yes, of course.’ The General turned slightly in his chair and said, ‘over to you.’
‘Sir, as a non-voting member of the Politburo I can get my hands on stuff very few others can. A lot of encouragement comes over our radio from the MCP representative in Beijing who passes on what the Chinese Communist Party advises the MCP to do. Records are made of conversations. When any peace talks start and the Chairman is out of the way I have a good chance to get the paperwork and bring it out.’ He looked up and saw the General staring at him, eyes button bright. ‘The snag is that, in such an environment at that time, the only man I can trust to give the paperwork to without any rumours spreading of what would be seen as my duplicity, is my friend Captain Jason Rance, now serving with 1/12 GR.’ He let that sink in before adding, ‘and were my colleagues to learn about that, my life would be in even greater jeopardy.’ He had another thought. ‘I can’t be easily contacted where I work, nor dare I come back here again so, if possible, I’d like to know your reaction before I leave.’
The General called in his MA. ‘Charles, a very fast ball. Please apologise to my next caller, ask him to come and see me at …’ and, biting his lower lip, ‘1530. Instead, give the Director of Intelligence a call and say I want him here now.’
The MA nodded and went to his own office and made the telephone calls.
The General then said to Ah Fat ‘Yes, I see your point. You have asked for something that is not an everyday type of request. It will have to be thought through most carefully. But before my Director of Intelligence, Colonel James Mason, comes I must ask you this. Are you sure Captain Rance will agree to undertake what could be a scary job and without doubt against regulations?’
‘Don’t worry, sir, I know it. He has already saved my life once when he himself could easily have been killed and, if necessary, I am sure he’d do it again.’ CC Too added, ‘Sir, not now but any time you want to know details of what has just been said, I can tell you.’
‘Yes, I’ll be interested. But for now let me think of the implications before Colonel Mason gets here. You two, if you want, discuss anything you may have on your minds.’
The General took a cigarette case out of his pocket and offered one to his guests. Both declined and, lighting one for himself, sat back, frowning. A chance I never expected, he mused. Will I still be here then and, if not, will anything we decide today crumble …
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door and the Director of Intelligence was ushered in. He first saluted his superior and looked around. The two Chinese saw a tall, imposing man with an air of innate authority not always noticeable in army officers. The General stood up. ‘James, you know Mr Too but not our other guest, Mr Ah Fat.’
Hands were shaken. ‘Take a pew James, and listen to this …’ and he explained the reason for the sudden call. Apart from being given a preçis of Ah Fat’s and Captain Rance’s backgrounds, he was briefed on what had been offered and the difficulties of seeing so far ahead for any planning.
‘Yes, I can see the urgency in this, a most unusual and unprecedented situation. I’d like to ask Mr Ah Fat how is it that he has have been able to come to KL now?’
Ah Fat glanced at C C Too who gave him a nod. ‘I was given the name of a mole in Bluff Road by the Secretary General of the MCP who told me to visit her to see what she had picked up during her work. I was tasked by the Politburo to edit a newspaper, Red Tidings, and the Politburo’s plan was to print it on Government watermarked paper. It was thought that the only way to procure the paper was to get the mole to bring it from Bluff Road. I visited her as a member of the Politburo only after reporting to Mr Too and action was taken. Mr Too’s men managed to put a bug on her phone …’
‘Very successfully, too, if I am allowed to interrupt.’
‘… that gave me the idea of having two lots of watermarked paper, Government watermarked for the MCP and MCP marked for the guerrillas. I so to manipulate the text in the copies for the comrades in Malaya that they would lose heart.’
‘Neat, very neat,’ muttered Colonel Mason.
‘The Politburo sent me back to KL to see the mole to find out about any political future. It was later, when Mr Too and I were talking, after another visit to the mole, that I mentioned I could put my hands on material that would be kept quiet, so unknown, at any peace talks.’
The General, who had a soft spot for some types of eccentricity, butted in. ‘James, this is where Captain Rance comes into the picture. He is the only person Mr Ah Fat trusts to give the paperwork kept secretly by the Politburo. Mr Too has no other safe method of retrieving such material. Have you? How does all that fit in with any of your Intelligence plans and how do you see us actually putting it into action?’
The Colonel considered his answer for quite a while. ‘It is so vague, General, isn’t it? I don’t mean Mr Ah Fat’s plan but the whens and wheres of any peace talks. We have yet to have any intimation …’
C C Too interrupted. ‘Excuse me Colonel. I should have told you that my friend here has told me that the MCP Politburo have decided that they will send the High Commissioner, on the 1st of May, a letter under the name of Ng Heng, Representative of the Malayan Races Liberation Army, offering peace talks.’
‘Now that certainly is interesting. Thank you for telling me. I think it is most important that we do get anything Mr Ah Fat can bring us but using a British army officer when I expect only a policeman in charge of any defence arrangements will be allowed anywhere near the area, is probably going to be too tricky.’
A quietness descended as the realisation of putting the scheme into action was considered.
