Chapter 44: The New Life of the 29th Action Bureau Begins

  The Middle East has always been a focus of media attention due to the constant warfare. After the UN peacekeeping forces entered Lebanon, especially with the addition of the French Foreign Legion, a force with obvious mercenary characteristics, it became even more of a magnet for journalists' cameras. Especially after the car bomb attack, the campsite of the Foreign Legion became even more popular. Major media outlets flocked to the scene, trying to find what they needed in various ways. Sometimes one has to admire the courage of these media reporters, sometimes the danger faced by war correspondents surpasses that of soldiers. Yet, this still attracts many journalists. War is forever a topic of great interest, and perhaps a good photo can make someone's lifelong dream come true. Many Pulitzer Prize winners have received their awards due to their understanding and criticism of war.

  There was no doubt that June 6, 1982, was the most exciting day for journalists who had been waiting near the French Foreign Legion of the UN peacekeeping force. In their view, nothing could better represent the image and style of the peacekeeping force than this.

  Facing tens of thousands of troops, a dozen or so foreign legionnaires stood in a row across the road. If one had to use a Chinese idiom to describe it, "a mantis trying to stop a chariot" would be most apt. Yet, these foreign legionnaires, for their mission, upholding peace, just stood there. They were soldiers known as mercenaries. Facing tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers and tanks, they appeared so weak and powerless with their light weapons, yet they also seemed so tall and strong.

  Bao Yulin's appearance became the finishing touch of this scene. To ensure his comrades' safety, he fearlessly stood out and fired warning shots at Israeli colonels. He faced tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers; if just one person had moved their finger, Bao would have fallen forever on the rooftop where he was stationed. Yet, he stood up and opened fire. No one would believe that Bao Yulin is a coward, but perhaps some might say he's crazy. However, after the Israeli soldiers changed their attitude, he strictly executed the UN's orders, putting away his sniper rifle used only for self-defense. This strong contrast gave the on-site journalists a profound shock. What kind of person is this? This is a true soldier! Decisive, brave, and handling the situation properly, while strictly following discipline. He reasonably and lawfully maintained the honor of soldiers and is truly trustworthy!

  The news that broke out on the Lebanon-Israel border that day, in addition to shocking the two journalists present at the scene, was also transmitted back to their respective media outlets by the fastest means possible. These institutions would not miss this opportunity, and the news release was compiled and released at the fastest speed, describing the situation of the outbreak of war and analyzing the background issues. The performance of the French Foreign Legion on the Lebanon-Israel border was widely publicized. Bao Yulian's performance at that time was even more deeply commented by these journalists. Many people began to search for Bao Yulian's identity information through various means. The foreign legion did a great job in keeping secrets, and they sent away batch after batch of people who tried to find out Bao Yulian's Beijing identity under various pretexts.

  Although the war was still ongoing, the French Foreign Legion and the United Nations were not slow to act. Soon, all the French Foreign Legion soldiers who had defended the roadblock with Bao Yulin were awarded the "United Nations Peacekeeping Medal". Bao Yulin and Major Zhang were also awarded the "Peace Honor Medal" to commend their achievements. The headquarters of the French Foreign Legion not only brought the "Quality Service Medal" to commend the contributions of Bao Yulin and other soldiers to the French Foreign Legion, but also promoted Bao Yulin and Major Zhang one rank each. Bao Yulin became one of the fastest-promoted soldiers in the French Foreign Legion.

  The two colonels who pinned the medals on him in Lebanon were a French Foreign Legion officer and a French Army officer.

  After the ceremony, they called Bao Yulin to the office and said they wanted to talk to him. Bao Yulin didn't think much of it. He was already used to it. In the Foreign Legion, superiors would often have a chat with soldiers, which was also one of the ways to grasp the situation of the troops.

  "Bao Yulin, you have been with the Foreign Legion for over two years now. Your performance in all aspects and military achievements are excellent, so the legion has promoted your rank several times to commend your outstanding service. This time we called you here, there is another purpose, we need to consult your opinion. Let me introduce myself first, my name is Bier, and this gentleman next to me is Colonel Henry."

  Bao Yulin hastily stood at attention and saluted: "Two colonels, what questions do you have for me?"

  The two colonels were apparently satisfied with Bao Yulin's answer, and Biel pointed to the sofa on the side: "Our conversation this time is informal, so you don't need to be polite. Just sit down and talk."

  Bao Yulin didn't say much and sat down straight with his body upright.

  "I don't know if you'd mind telling us whether, when your contract is up, you'd be willing to take out French citizenship and re-enlist?" asked Colonel Henri.

  When he heard this question, Bao Yulin hesitated a bit. He joined the Foreign Legion mainly to prove that he was an excellent soldier, and renewing his contract was not something he had thought about before, but becoming naturalized was something he was willing to do. This was also a reasonable idea. In Bao Yulin's understanding, at that time, people who had escaped abroad would be subject to legal sanctions when they returned home. However, after changing their nationality, it was different. After all, the law does not care about foreigners' affairs. Having an overseas Chinese identity would make things much more convenient when returning home.

  "I haven't considered contract extension yet, but I'm willing to get naturalized." Bao Yulin is used to speaking his mind, which isn't embarrassing.

  "You may not be aware, but since you joined the Foreign Legion without proper documentation at the time, we have been processing you as a stateless person. According to the Legion's regulations, for stateless persons, only three years of service in the Foreign Legion are required to apply for naturalization. Given your outstanding performance, as a reward, if you submit an application now, we may consider approving it ahead of schedule. Are you willing to submit an application now?" Colonel Henry asked.

  After going through so many things, Bao Yulin has learned to think and understands that there is no free lunch in the world. There are no benefits without a cost, it's just a matter of what price you need to pay.

  "What do I need to do?" he asked bluntly, without minding that the words might cause dissatisfaction and misunderstanding from the two colonels.

  "This is it, we know that some of the unfair treatments you received domestically stem from a statement against the war in your name submitted by the Vietnamese government at the United Nations conference, am I right?" Henry asked.

  Bao Yulin was taken aback by these words and immediately stood up. He had not expected the foreign legion to be so capable, having uncovered so much information. In his home country and in Vietnam, he had suffered greatly for this "anti-war declaration". Had he come to France only to suffer again? Or did the French want to use this as a pretext to write an article opposing the Chinese government after granting him citizenship? Bao Yulin was willing to join the French Foreign Legion because he hoped that one day he could return to China, to Xiangshui Village, with a new identity. Joining the legion seemed like the best way for him to prove himself, to show that he was not someone who would betray his country for personal gain. If this identity required him to sacrifice his country's interests, then he would rather not have it.

  "Colonel Henry, Colonel Bierre, I need to clarify that I have never made any 'anti-war declaration', it was fabricated by them. Nor will I do anything disloyal to China for the sake of my French citizenship, after all, it is my ancestral country. So, I think we don't need to talk about this anymore. May I leave?" After all, as a military man, one still has to follow the rules and regulations of the army.

  Looking at Bao Yulin's dissatisfied expression and his words, the two military officers seemed very satisfied.

  "Baoyulin, you didn't understand our meaning. Although you are a mercenary in our country, we won't force you to do anything against your will. Even during military operations, according to the convention of foreign legions, unless it's a general mobilization or a request from soldiers of the country you belong to, we generally won't dispatch soldiers from enemy countries on missions. Please be assured of this." Colonel Bi'er explained. These things wouldn't appear in the official documents of the foreign legion, they were just conventions.

  "We've called you in this time, mainly because of your outstanding performance and high military standards. Plus the incident at the Lebanon-Israel border has made you a news figure, soon those reporters will find out about the story behind you. To minimize distractions for you, our military thinks it's necessary to transfer you, so let's have an inquiry. See if you agree." Colonel Henry added.

  "Transfer unit? No problem, I agree." In Bao Yulin's view, it was all the same to be a soldier anywhere. Although salaries differed greatly between units in the foreign legion, years of education had made Bao Yulin forget how to haggle over prices. As the saying goes: "I am a brick for the revolution, wherever I'm needed is where I'll go."

  Bao Yulin's prompt and straightforward answer surprised the two colonels, who were used to haggling with foreign mercenaries over prices.

  "Haha, I like your personality. Don't you want to know which unit we're going to transfer you to?" Colonel Henry smiled.

  "Report to the superior officer, the movement of troops and soldiers is decided by the superiors, when I need to know, the superior will certainly tell me." Bao Yulin's answer was proper and regular.

  Henry and Bier looked at each other, nodded, and Henry spoke up: "Since that's the case, I declare that the following conversation is confidential. No matter what happens in the future, you can't reveal today's conversation content. Do you understand?"

  "Yes, sir, I guarantee that I will not reveal the content of our conversation today." Bao Yulin stood up straight and replied solemnly.

  "We've analyzed your performance and believe you're an outstanding soldier, so we'd like to offer you a position in the 29th Action Bureau of French Intelligence. Are you interested?" Henri asked seriously.

  Intelligence Bureau? Isn't that a spy organization? That was Bao Yulin's first reaction. Movies often talk about the Intelligence Bureau, but they always refer to the American one; no one has ever mentioned the French Intelligence Bureau to Bao Yulin. Bao Yulin analyzed the French Intelligence Bureau based on his habitual thinking. Being a soldier is fine, but he didn't want to be a notorious spy.

  "Report to the superior officer, I am not a spy!" Bao Yulin said his answer very decisively.

  Bao Yulin's answer left the two colonels looking at each other in dismay, neither of them had expected that after all this time, Bao Yulin still thought he was being asked to be an intelligence personnel. He also underestimated what it meant to be a personnel officer.

  "Baoyulin, you've got it wrong, we're not asking you to be an intelligence officer. Besides, you're really not suitable for that role." Colonel Henry smiled wryly and thought it was better to explain to Baoyulin: "It's no longer the World War II era, what we need now are not action spies. We've heard that you rarely communicate with your companions, which is why you may not be aware of the 29th Action Bureau. The 29th Action Bureau is a special forces unit, mainly tasked with countering international terrorists. Every year, we select some elite members from the external troops and Marine Corps to join us. When needed, they will take on tasks that are more dangerous, require quick response, and are not suitable for large-scale military operations. Don't worry, the 29th Action Bureau is absolutely not an intelligence agency."

  Bao Yulin's face turned red, indeed, he himself rarely communicated with his companions, it seemed that he had misunderstood.

  "Honestly, if you were to choose intelligence personnel, I estimate that no unit would select you. Firstly, you're not very good at communicating with others, and secondly, your Oriental face and identity background are likely to draw attention from others. If you were to become a spy, I'm afraid it wouldn't take long for your name to be added to our list of fallen comrades." Colonel Henry said with a smile. Indeed, Bao Yulin's idea was quite laughable. He really wasn't suited to being a spy, but as a soldier, he had no issues.

  "Report to Colonel, I am willing to go to the 29th Action Bureau of French Intelligence!" Bao Yulin replied with a red face.

  。。。。。。

  A few days later, when the first reporter to discover Bao Yu-lin's background arrived at the Lebanon-Israel border wanting to interview him, he was told that Bao Yu-lin had already terminated his contract with the Foreign Legion and they did not know where he was now.

  。。。。。。

  Bao Yu-lin was released from his contract with the Foreign Legion because he had signed a five-year contract with the 29th Action Bureau of French Intelligence and became naturalized as a French citizen. Of course, a Frenchman could no longer serve in the French Foreign Legion.

  This time, Bao Yulin is starting a new round of training at the 29th Operations Bureau of the French Intelligence Agency. He has too many things to learn.

  。。。。。。