In ancient China, a scout was a military post. During the pre-Qin period and earlier, scouts were responsible for inspecting defenses at dangerous points and looking out for bandits. From the Qin and Han dynasties onward, the military no longer had a separate post of this name. Instead, the term referred to reconnaissance soldiers who checked the area ahead of and around the main force. From the Tang and Song dynasties onward, reconnaissance soldiers were no longer called scouts either. Depending on whether they traveled on horseback or on foot, they came to be known as mounted or foot scouts.
In modern times, scouts took on new duties and a new name: what we now call agents. During the First World War, countries around the world recognized the importance of intelligence agents and deliberately began training them.
Between the end of the First World War and the outbreak of the Second, many intelligence organizations and legendary agents emerged in our land. The military intelligence agency, the underground party, and the central intelligence agency, as well as Japan's Tokko and Doihara Special Services, were all examples of such organizations.
On the secret front, countless communist agents gave their lives for the revolution, while countless others concealed their identities. For some, even their names remained a secret until the moment they died. The story we are about to tell is that of one such communist agent...
