Chapter 1004
Zhang Anping's Regret and Zhao Li's Assassination
To be honest, while there were some incompetent high-ranking officers in the National Revolutionary Army, there were still quite a few senior officers who were truly capable—most of the senior officers from the Central Army present possessed military skills that could be described as "excellent."
Zhang Anping's argument struck a nerve with them.
From being severely weak at the beginning of the civil war to now having a sweeping momentum, our army has only been around for a little over two years. The once invincible Japanese army had the industrial capacity to crush China at that time and the equipment to crush the National Army, but after more than two years of the outbreak of the full-scale war of resistance, it was already showing signs of fatigue. And what about our army?
The momentum of their sweeping victory is already established!
Therefore, it is no exaggeration to overestimate our army!
Now, Zhang Anping's argument, excluding the "certainty" caused by intelligence factors, is highly probable—China has a very long history and countless recorded war cases. With just a little thought, one can recall a whole host of war cases where extraordinary actions were taken under the circumstances of certainty of "impossibility."
Therefore, almost everyone's reason tells them:
This is highly likely!
But at that very moment, someone stood up; it was Commander Shi, commander of the Ninth Army Corps and concurrently commander of the 13th Army:
“Deputy Director Zhang, do you really think you can dismiss the support for Xuzhou based on a baseless guess? Or do you think that the General Headquarters can ignore the Chief of Staff’s orders just because of your guess?”
"Commander Fu, Deputy Director Zhang's words may be true—but this absolutely cannot be a reason for us to ignore the predicament in Xuzhou and Bengbu!"
After Commander Shi spoke, several other officers stood up and echoed his opinion—regardless of whether Zhang Anping's words made sense or not, even if they were true, supporting Xuzhou was an urgent matter!
There are priorities, and the most crucial place right now is Xuzhou and Bengbu.
Faced with the words of Commander Shi and the subsequent commanders, Zhang Anping did not show the slightest anger. Instead, he remained receptive to instruction—he seemed to have been brought to his senses.
Director Yan, standing to the side, was anxious. "How could you, Zhang Shihao, back down so easily?"
Don't stop! Keep talking!
Seeing that Zhang Anping had been persuaded, Commander Shi then pointed his sword at Fu Huabei:
"Commander Fu, continue drafting the telegram!"
But at this moment, Fu Huabei's face was full of solemnity:
“Deputy Director Zhang’s words make a lot of sense! Commander Shi, you’re right that there are priorities—but if, as Deputy Director Zhang says, the Northeast Communist Army suddenly enters the pass, along with the local Communist Army in North China, that would amount to at least a million troops! At that time, every bit of strength in North China would be precious. If diverting these 50,000 troops south to provide relief leads to a breach in our North China defense line…”
"Everyone here, including myself, will be traitors to the Party and the State, deserving of death a hundred times over!"
Having said that, without giving anyone a chance to object, he stood up straight and solemnly gave Zhang Anping the order:
“Deputy Director Zhang, now that you have integrated the intelligence system in Beiping, I will come to you for all intelligence-related issues. The most urgent task now is to find out the dynamics of the Communist army in Northeast China, no matter what the cost, and to find out whether the claim of April to June is a strategic deception by the Communist army!”
Zhang Anping solemnly accepted the order:
"Yes!"
But he was secretly overjoyed—just as he had predicted, Fu Huabei had never been concerned about heading south to Xuzhou, and now he was not most concerned about whether this matter was a strategic deception.
What he cares about most is whether his strength will be lost!
So he simply offered a ladder, and the other man used that ladder to prevent the southward support mission.
From Fu Huabei's "feedback," we can also see his "return" to Zhang Anping—the order he gave Zhang Anping could have had a time limit, but he didn't; he only used words like "the most urgent task" and "must."
This was his way of repaying Zhang Anping.
After giving the order, Fu Huabei announced the adjournment of the meeting and then turned and left on his own. The excuse that Zhang Anping had given him was too wonderful. He could take advantage of the situation to detain the reinforcements. War clouds were gathering in North China. He did not want to weaken himself. He had no choice but to send troops to support the country before. But now that he had a legitimate reason, why should he weaken himself?
He did have a way out—if things went wrong, he could always go to his old stronghold in Suiyuan. The more troops he had, the more confident he would be in defending his home base.
As soon as Fu Huabei left, the Fu faction generals naturally followed suit, but before they left, they all gave Zhang Anping a strange look.
After the Fu faction generals dispersed, Commander Shi angrily stood up and glared fiercely at Zhang Anping:
"Look what you've done!"
"madness!"
Did Commander Shi really not know that Zhang Anping's concerns were problematic?
he knows!
As I said before, among the generals of the National Revolutionary Army, there are very few truly stupid people!
The Nationalist government actually preferred to abandon North China, consolidate the Huaihai defense line, and strengthen the defenses along the Yangtze River!
The troops in North China must be completely withdrawn.
However, Fu Huabei was unwilling, and in the end, the Nationalist government was forced to compromise and decide on a strategy of temporarily defending North China.
The concerns raised by Zhang Anping were something that Commander Shi and his team had actually been considering—but given Fu Huabei's stubbornness, they had to find a way to circumvent the situation.
Right now, it's actually a good opportunity to take a roundabout approach:
First, send 50,000 troops to reinforce Xuzhou, then find a way to support the second and third batches. After the Central Army in North China has reduced its forces by more than 100,000, Fu Huabei will have no choice but to withdraw his troops and strengthen the Yangtze River defense line!
After all, whether there are more or fewer than 100,000 soldiers, in a decisive battle between two armies, it is never as simple as just reducing the number of soldiers by 100,000. The most direct manifestation is that the ratio of strength between the two sides may change directly from 1:1 to 2:1.
But Zhang Anping ruined such a good opportunity. Commander Shi only glared angrily at Zhang Anping, which actually showed that he had a better composure.
Because he could see clearly that Zhang Anping had just made suggestions and raised questions purely from a military perspective, as an intelligence officer.
External heart?
He did not believe that Zhang Anping had any ulterior motives.
Moreover, Zhang Anping cannot be held responsible for this matter. Even as the chief attendant, he cannot hold Zhang Anping accountable. In the end, the one who truly had selfish motives and the ability to disobey orders was never Zhang Anping.
At this moment, Zhang Anping dared not make eye contact with the others, and simply sat there expressionless, letting the others leave.
After everyone else left, Commander Yuan, who was still there, sighed and walked up to Zhang Anping:
"You're too naive—this isn't just about whether or not to aid Xuzhou, you!"
Zhang Anping didn't say anything, but the look of deep annoyance on his face was very strong.
Commander Yuan did not continue to complain, but left Zhang Anping alone to reflect—he believed that after this battle, Zhang Anping would no longer speak nonsense.
……
Director Yan went out with the bigwigs of the Central Army. Before leaving, he glanced at Zhang Anping and felt an unusual sense of gratitude towards this big spy.
He believed that Zhang Anping had single-handedly prevented Fu Huabei from heading south to aid Xu with just one sentence.
But after returning to his office and pondering for a long time, Director Yan finally understood completely:
It wasn't Zhang Anping's words that stopped the North China Army from heading south to aid Xu, but rather that Fu Huabei, just like before, still only had North China and Suiyuan in his eyes!
Suiyuan is too barren to support the more than 200,000 troops of the Fu clique!
Only in North China, and still relying on Nanjing, could he support his large army. In the end, in Fu Huabei's eyes, North China was his own territory, and the army in North China was there to defend his territory; every inch of his troops was precious.
Such precious power cannot be given away easily!
It is precisely because Fu Huabei considers North China his own territory that he has always resolutely refused to retreat south and insisted on holding North China to the death—judging from his current troop deployment, he has never considered retreating south from the beginning.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have abandoned the Central Army on the coastal side, while his main force had been firmly holding onto the Zhangjiakou-Ping-Sui Railway as their rear route.
In other words, he would not easily abandon North China, nor would he easily consider retreating south or into Suiyuan.
[This attitude must be reported—and there's also Zhang Shih-hao, that big spy; he's already sensed that the Northeast Army's entry into the pass was a deception of our army's strategy. This matter must be discussed with Comrade Chongwen immediately!]
Director Yan was very wary of Zhang Anping, and he himself was one of the key figures in the operation of the "three to six months to enter the country" theory. Faced with Zhang Anping's growing suspicion, he dared not delay and had to communicate with Sister Qian immediately.
He made an excuse to leave the General Headquarters and then secretly went to see Sister Qian.
"Comrade Chongwen, that was close! That was close!"
Director Yan was still shaken. This time, the North China Suppression Headquarters' decision to aid Xu was too sudden, almost without any warning.
Sister Qian asked gravely, "What happened?"
He then recounted what happened at the military meeting that day, and Sister Qian listened with nervousness—in fact, this shows that even in our army, most people do not believe that our army has the ability to annihilate Huang Yi Corps in a short period of time!
After saying this, Director Yan said with lingering fear, "Fortunately, Fu Huabei did not really want to help Xu. Zhang Anping's words gave him an opportunity. Although he did not directly reject the aid to Xu, he delayed it. Comrade Chongwen, Fu Huabei's thinking is typical of warlords. I think he will not easily retreat westward until the last moment."
"I understand." Sister Qian nodded, acknowledging Director Yan's judgment.
In fact, Zhang Anping had previously analyzed Fu Huabei's psychology in detail and was certain that Fu Huabei would not leave Huabei easily. Director Yan's words just confirmed Zhang Anping's analysis.
Seeing that Sister Qian agreed, Director Yan raised another concern: "Comrade Chongwen, the next deception may not be easy to carry out. If Zhang Shihao is personally overseeing it, I am worried that something might go wrong."
"By the way, he also adjusted the division of labor within the entire Beiping intelligence system today. Let me tell you about his division of labor..."
As she listened, Sister Qian analyzed the situation. From Director Yan's retelling, she felt that Zhang Anping's move was extremely "hardcore." Under Zhang Anping's strong pressure, it shouldn't be long before the entire intelligence system in Beiping would be under his complete control.
No—something must be wrong. How could Anping really get the spies in Beiping to work together as one?
After Director Yan finished explaining Zhang Anping's arrangements, Sister Qian inquired about the conflicts between the various intelligence networks in Beiping. As Director Yan continued his explanation, she vaguely guessed the core of Zhang Anping's plan. After pondering for a while, she understood Zhang Anping's entire thought process and said:
"Old Yan, I think there are quite a few conflicts between the various Kuomintang intelligence agencies, and it won't be easy to integrate them. I have a general idea in mind, and I'll think about it carefully. Once I have a clear idea, I'll contact you."
"I think if we handle things properly, we can make Zhang Anping, this big spy, focus on integration. Then you can manipulate the intelligence on your side, and the information related to the Northeast Field Army should continue to be kept from them!"
After careful consideration, Director Yan chose his words wisely:
“I completely agree, but we still need to be prepared—Zhang Anping is really not a simple person. There are serious conflicts between intelligence agencies, and he can forcefully and coerce them together with just a few orders.”
I probed them privately, and while they do have opinions, no one is really trying to cause trouble.
We need to prepare for the worst.
Sister Qian agreed, "Don't worry, I won't be careless—he's an old rival of mine!"
Seeing that Sister Qian said this, Director Yan was finally relieved.
After leaving Sister Qian's place, Director Yan remained silent the whole way. He had no doubt about the bright future that was about to arrive, but when he thought of Zhang Anping's existence, he felt a strange and inexplicable sense of powerlessness.
Perhaps, many comrades... will fall before dawn, just like me.
……
The solution that Sister Qian saw to break the deadlock was, unsurprisingly, the bug left behind by Zhang Anping—
In fact, the solution is quite simple: as long as one side suffers losses and the other side gains advantages, one side benefits greatly while the other suffers repeated losses, no matter how powerful Zhang Anping is, the rekindled conflict will force various intelligence agencies to secretly kill their "friendly forces".
Especially considering the existence of the Special Higher Military Police Group.
Zhao Li's Special Higher Police Team was the knife Zhang Anping had prepared—a very sharp knife. In just two days, they arrested many people from various intelligence agencies.
Given that many people had been arrested and handed over at Beiping Station, the various intelligence agencies were dissatisfied, but they had to suppress their discontent.
Of course, this is also partly because Zhang Anping did not kill him.
The Special Higher Police Unit is not a true intelligence agency. It must rely on evidence and act openly and aboveboard, unlike intelligence agencies which will use any means necessary if they believe you are guilty, regardless of whether there is evidence or not.
Therefore, when the Special Higher Police made arrests, the various intelligence agencies could still accept it—if it were other colleagues, they would have to be careful, because who knows how many tricks the other party would add fuel to the fire!
Therefore, the various intelligence agencies simply resigned themselves to their fate.
But things took an unexpected turn!
……
Special High Group.
Zhao Li, who was in a terrible predicament, wanted to shut himself away from visitors and refuse to see anyone, no matter who came.
But when you're in the world of martial arts, you're not always in control of your own destiny!
First, Director Yang relayed a message asking for help with someone, and then his arch-rival, Commander Zhang of the Military Police Corps, came in person, telling him not to be a fool and to unite—and then reminding him to take care of so-and-so.
Besides him, all sorts of people came to him, and they all had one purpose:
Release them!
But Zhao Li didn't dare to make the decision himself, so he could only reluctantly say that he could take care of the person, but releasing them was out of the question.
I thought the pressure was already immense, but to my surprise, none of these were even the most challenging issues!
Because of a tricky matter...
I'm late!
One of Zhao Li's subordinates approached him with a bitter expression:
"Team Leader, something terrible has happened!" Zhao Li stood up in alarm: "Who...who died?"
This subordinate was the person in charge of guarding the prisoners. Zhao Li's first reaction was that someone had died in the Special Higher Police Group—if Zhang Anping suspected him of murder to cover it up, that would be fatal.
"If someone dies, that's one thing," the subordinate said with a mournful face. "It's worse than someone dying!"
Zhao Li roared, "You better hurry up and tell me!"
"Look at this—"
His subordinate pulled a statement from his briefcase with a bitter expression. Zhao Li took it and read it, finally understanding why his subordinate had that expression.
It is common knowledge that the Nationalist government's financial system collapsed.
There is an age-old, unwavering truth:
The emperor doesn't starve his soldiers!
They couldn't possibly serve the Nationalist government only to starve to death, could they?
Therefore, various organizations use all sorts of methods to pay their employees' salaries—and in this context, how can embezzlement be prevented?
Only worse!
This confession is that of a secret agent from the Party's Information Bureau. In the confession, the agent claimed that he wanted to atone for his sins, so he exposed the dirty deeds of the Second Division (Second Bureau).
For example, using special status for smuggling, or using special status to sell military supplies to the underground party...
Based on the detailed account, it can be determined that this matter must be true.
After reading it, Zhao Li said:
"Is this supposed to be redemption? This is just trying to drag others down with him!"
He couldn't help but look worried.
Logically speaking, burning the confession quietly would be the safest way—but what if Zhang Anping finds out?
He said something about relying on Dai Chunfeng at the Party Affairs Bureau, and in the blink of an eye, those words came out of Zhang Anping's mouth—did he dare to keep it to himself?
"Fine, we'll have to leave it to Commander Zhang!"
When Zhao Li mentioned "Commander Zhang," he even straightened his posture, his respect overflowing—even though it was just him and his confidant in the office!
He thought to himself: It's not that I want to cause trouble, but I need to protect myself, brother!
"Section Chief, and..."
His subordinate's face was contorted with bitterness, like a chrysanthemum about to wither.
"There are still seven or eight portions left."
besides?
As he pulled out the other testimonies, Zhao Li's face turned ashen.
These testimonies were all from the perspective of "atoneing for their crimes," but the content that was revealed was all from the opposing side:
The secret agents of the Second Bureau exposed the Party's intelligence bureau and the garrison command;
The Special Agents Bureau of the Garrison Command exposed the Second Bureau, the Party Affairs Bureau, and the Bureau of Secrecy;
The secret agents of the Party's intelligence bureau were killing indiscriminately, sparing no "friendly forces."
The agents at Beiping Station were very particular, only exposing Gu Shenyan's dirty secrets. But Zhao Li preferred that the agents at Beiping Station were trying to implicate allies—because the dirty secrets about Gu Shenyan were full of all sorts of "partners," at the very least a regimental commander, and even some big shots at the army level!
Is this supposed to be a statement?
It's clearly a summons from the King of Hell!
Zhao Li suddenly looked at his subordinates with alertness:
"Why did so much... stuff suddenly come out?"
One or two cases could be attributed to someone trying to atone for their sins, but how is it possible that so many cases were exposed in such a short period of time by such coincidence?
The subordinate said tremblingly:
“Group leader, people from all sides were secretly meeting with the people inside frequently before. I thought it was to give them instructions, so I made an exception.”
Zhao Li was almost furious:
"You bastard!"
The matter is now clear:
This is all part of a scheme by various parties, with the aim of using Zhang Anping to attack their "friendly forces."
As it turned out, these bastards had the same idea and exposed so much damaging dirt.
"Knowing I'm practically being driven to my death, you still dare to swindle me for money! Believe me or not, I'll kill you right now!"
Zhao Li was furious. If it weren't for his trusted confidant "turning a blind eye," none of this trouble would have happened.
The subordinate said with a mournful face, "Team Leader, I really didn't expect this to happen—who would have thought they would do this!"
Zhao Li couldn't hold back any longer. He kicked the other person several times before sitting down angrily and then started hitting his head. What should he do?
Everything burned?
Burning it would solve everything, but given Zhang Anping's personality, he might burn himself!
[I knew I couldn't take the fall! Damn it!]
Zhao Li was on the verge of collapse, but collapse wouldn't solve the problem. After weighing the options, he kicked his subordinates a few more times in frustration, then gritted his teeth and took all the confessions with him.
"Senior, you need..."
"I'm going to my death!"
Enraged, Zhao Li kicked his subordinates several more times. Between two evils, he chose the lesser. Would he dare to deceive Zhang Anping?
dare not!
Whether to stick his neck out or not, Zhao Li might as well stick his neck out. At least Zhang Anping seems like an extremely solid mountain, and given his consistently good reputation, Zhao Li felt that Zhang Anping wouldn't just stand by and watch him get taken care of.
In the end, I am working for Zhang Anping!
……
Inside the tavern, Wu Liwei secretly replaced the drinks brought by the waiter with his own water, and then pretended to be an audience member, listening to the storyteller recount "Commander Zhang's Anti-Japanese Diary"—actually, this story used to be quite popular, but after Zhang Anping's reputation gradually collapsed, no one told it anymore.
But in the past two days, the storytellers in Beiping have all started telling this story.
At this moment, Wu Liwei listened to the storyteller's elaborately narrated tale, his mind churning with thoughts.
He never imagined that one day he would become a "stumbling block" for Commander Zhang—but he was so willing to do so.
He listened intently, but his peripheral vision kept glancing at the door. When the reflection in the mirror flashed twice, his concentration immediately shifted, and he secretly began to count.
10, 9, 8, 7...
Just as the countdown reached "3", a car appeared at the entrance of the tavern.
Before the rickshaw had completely driven away from the tavern entrance, it suddenly overturned, forcing the car to stop.
The driver angrily stuck his head out and roared, "Are you blind? Move it right now! Believe me or I'll lock you up in the military police station!"
There were military police in Beiping, but no military police unit—yet the people were terrified of the three words "military police unit," a lingering effect of the eight years of trauma.
Some members of the Special Higher Police often used the words "military police" to intimidate the people.
And you know what? This trick was incredibly useful, even more so than the name "Secret Service."
I thought this intimidation would be the same as usual, but an unexpected scene unfolded:
The driver, who had just been panicking, suddenly revealed a sinister smile. Then, a dark gun barrel appeared, and with a flash of light, a bloody hole appeared on the driver's forehead.
The next second, several armed figures appeared simultaneously and pulled the triggers without hesitation at the car.
All of this happened so fast that Zhao Li, who was inside the car, was shot multiple times before he could even react.
That's right, this car belongs to Zhao Li.
He was rushing to the Yandu Hotel, so he only brought one bodyguard with him.
Looking at the bullet holes in his body, Zhao Li surprisingly showed a hint of relief:
I knew being a knife... would never end well!
Consciousness was rapidly fading, but Zhao Li's mind was remarkably clear at this moment, and a strange smile appeared on his face:
You want to kill me to silence me? You're too naive!
Now, prepare to face Zhang's wrath—none of you will have a good end!
Before his consciousness completely faded, Zhao Li managed to murmur a sentence:
"Zhang, Zhang Anping, I, I'll fuck your grandpa..."
The car door was opened, and the gloved assassin, after a highly professional inspection and finishing shot, casually took Zhao Li's briefcase.
Then they vanished without a trace.
When the assassination occurred, Wu Liwei was hiding with other frightened guests. After the assassin disappeared, he, like the others, panicked and began to run away—and soon disappeared completely from the crime scene.
A few minutes later, Wu Liwei reunited with his comrades who had participated in the assassination.
"Brother Wu—"
Wu Liwei glared at his comrade-in-arms with annoyance:
"How many times have I told you, don't call me Brother Wu! Call me Captain or Comrade, anything is fine!"
His comrade chuckled: "Captain, we got the stuff—but I heard Zhao Li say something strange before he died."
"What?"
"He's greeting Zhang Shih-hao's uncle—he doesn't think we were sent by Zhang Shih-hao, does he?"
Should we greet his grandfather?
Wait—it means "greeting" in that sense, right?
Wu Liwei glared at his comrade with annoyance, "You're such a rascal!"
He thought for a moment before saying, "I need to report this to the commander! You all go into hiding immediately according to plan. In the next few days, you must abide by discipline and obey the arrangements of the underground party comrades in Beiping. Do not act on your own initiative, understand?" (End of this chapter)