Chapter 1009
The Nanjing Deception Tactics Reappear
Fu Huabei did indeed make a move!
In the name of the North China Suppression Headquarters, he sent a telegram to Nanjing accusing Zhang Anping—yes, accusing him!
He accused Zhang Anping of embezzling military funds:
Zhang Anping intercepted the $3100 million in military funds that Nanjing was allotted to the North China Suppression Headquarters.
The Nanjing authorities were stunned when they received the telegram:
Where did the $3100 million in funding come from? Where did it come from? Did Zhang Caishen conjure it up from thin air?
Fortunately, the Nanjing GFB and the Executive Office had many talented people, and they quickly realized that the so-called $3100 million was likely the result of the statistics on the interception of money in Tanggu reported by the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics that morning.
This infuriated the GFB and the Attendant's Office. They were furious at Fu Huabei's blatant accusation and covert demand, and also at Zhang Anping's failure to report the matter—Fu Huabei knew the value of the seized property, so why did you only report it as a seizure?
You are the deputy director of the Bureau of Secrecy, not Fu Huabei's deputy director!
Fortunately, the telegram from the North China Suppression Headquarters alerted the section chief, who rushed to the adjutant's office to explain:
After the confiscation of the wealth in Tanggu was completed and the statistics were compiled, Zhang Anping had already sent him a secret report—Zhang Anping requested the 31st Army of the Youth Army to take action, seize this huge fortune, and secretly send it back to Nanjing by air.
This telegram shows that Zhang Anping was still the same loyal minister of the party and the state. Faced with a huge amount of seized property, he was not tempted at all. His first reaction was to send the money to Nanjing as soon as possible to make up for the city's tight financial situation.
There is no doubt that Zhang Anping's loyalty is commendable, but what about this money...?
Fu Huabei was in charge of the North China Suppression Headquarters, and it was impossible for such a major incident in North China to be kept from him—the implications of this telegram accusing Zhang Anping were very clear:
Fu Huabei wants this money!
The Nationalist government wasn't actually stingy. The military expenses for Fu Huabei's army and the Central Army in North China were all paid by Nanjing—although the difference between legitimate and illegitimate sons was extremely obvious, it still amounted to hundreds of millions of US dollars in military expenses every year.
Compared to the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on military spending each year, thirty million dollars is not much, really not much.
The current situation is quite clear: Fu Huabei's stubborn refusal to leave North China is not because he wants to block the Northeast Field Army in North China, but because he dares not retreat south and always holds the idea of retreating west. With these more than 30 million US dollars, he has more confidence to retreat west.
So Nanjing's first reaction was to find a way to get the money back!
As for the source of this money?
Isn't this military spending?
what?
Was that private wealth seized by Zhang Anping?
Does the wealth confiscated by Zhang Anping have anything to do with military funds? If anyone complains about the confiscation, they should go to Zhang Anping. If he dares to meddle in military funds, we'll cut off his claws—well, this only applies to "ordinary people," not the real Nanjing elites.
But the subtext of Fu Huabei's telegram is quite clear:
This is military spending!!
Since it's military funding, specifically the funding for the North China Suppression Headquarters, it's only right that it be given to me.
So, as the old fox has shown, this telegram, which openly accused Zhang Anping, actually cornered the Nanjing government.
Honey, this is military funds. You can't just take it away, can you? There's no such logic in the world!
After realizing Fu Huabei's true intentions, the people in Nanjing started to discuss the matter. Since Fu Huabei was unlikely to send the money back to Nanjing, but they didn't know how to give it to him directly, then...
The section chief immediately came up with a brilliant idea: "Let Zhang Anping and Fu Huabei jointly manage it!"
Someone asked doubtfully, "Fu Huabei is the highest-ranking officer of the North China Suppression Headquarters. Even if Anping and he jointly command the headquarters, what can Anping do once he gives an order?"
The section chief said confidently:
"As long as Anping and Fu Huabei manage the money jointly, Fu Huabei won't be able to easily misappropriate it, and that's enough!"
He said quietly:
"Next, we just need to subtly tell the people below that the Party and the State will not embezzle personal wealth for no reason—once they withdraw, this money will be returned in full!"
In his telegram to the section chief, Zhang Anping made it very clear that the money belonged to powerful and wealthy people in Beiping, as well as senior officers of the North China garrison. They wanted to take advantage of the opportunity of the aid-to-Xu army group heading south to send the money away.
Therefore, the section chief decided to use this money as bait, returning all the money to those in power and keeping all the money of the powerful and wealthy!
These words made everyone in the attendant's room light up. What a great idea!
Fu Huabei did not return; his confidence stemmed from the Sui Army.
But this money might include the "savings" of the Sui Army generals. If even the Sui Army, their core base, starts urging Fu Huabei to retreat north and south, then should he go or not?
If they don't leave, the Sui army will become disaffected!
If he were to withdraw, compared to an army of over 500,000, a mere 30 million US dollars would be insignificant!
The head servant was overjoyed and immediately said:
"Reply to Fu Huabei according to this plan—and also send the little guy an order, telling him to meet with the Sui Army generals and convey the Party and the State's intentions to them!"
After saying this, the chief attendant couldn't help but sigh:
"If everyone in the Party and the country could be like this little guy, prioritizing the interests of the Party and the country, things wouldn't have come to this!"
Zhang Anping himself gained absolutely nothing from this, but he still did it—no matter how you look at it, all you can see is Zhang Anping's shining loyalty and unwavering devotion.
Unwavering loyalty to the Party and the country!
That is why the chief attendant had such feelings.
Seeing the chief attendant's sentimental expression, the director then recounted the current situation in Beiping:
"The situation within the Beiping intelligence system is very bad. Anping is very angry—look, this is the telegram he sent me earlier. I think his methods are too extreme, and I've already sent a telegram rebuking him. Would you like to take a look?"
"Too intense?"
The chief sergeant took the telegram and scanned it, but before he could finish reading it, he exploded on the spot:
"Absurd! Outrageous! Damn it! Damn it!"
The chief aide was also a man who valued his reputation. He never expected that the intelligence agencies in Beiping would degenerate to such a state—not only were they scheming against each other and plotting assassinations, but they also dared to directly collude with the underground party in order to shift blame and disregard the dignity of the party and the country.
"Not enough have been killed!"
The chief attendant angrily said, "They should all be killed!"
This was obviously said in anger, so the chief attendant, after regaining his composure, immediately said:
Add a sentence to the little guy's secret telegram:
Let him do it with confidence!
"Don't even mention killing a few scoundrels; even if he were to cause a major upheaval, as long as it's for the benefit of the Party and the country, it wouldn't matter!"
Normally, the chief attendant would definitely be unhappy with Zhang Anping's bloodthirstiness—you're killing indiscriminately, do you even respect me as the chief attendant?
You are my sword. I tell you who to kill, and you kill whoever I tell you to kill. That's the only way. If I don't tell you who to kill, where do you get the audacity to kill anyone at will?
A sword cannot have its own thoughts!
But the chief aide was not angry at the moment, because Zhang Anping had already taken a huge blame for the party and the country—the Tanggu tax evasion. Zhang Anping did not receive a single penny of benefit and was the one who was blamed.
But Zhang Anping did it without hesitation; that's what it means to be a loyal minister, that's what it means to be the best sword.
Having gone to such lengths, how could he possibly punish Zhang Anping for killing a few scoundrels?
Even if there are only thirty scoundrels—it's just thirty scoundrels, no big deal.
"By the way, send a telegram to the Fourth and Ninth Army Corps, telling them that this is a critical period, and they should not only think about personal interests, but also prioritize the Party and the country! They should not only focus on petty gains, but also have a long-term vision!"
Perhaps feeling that Zhang Anping's seizure of the money in Tanggu was too timely and could very well be the solution to the stalemate in North China, the chief attendant, unusually considerate of Zhang Anping, took the initiative to send a telegram to the Central Army in Beiping.
……
People are selfish!
After the telegram from Nanjing reached the Fourth and Ninth Army Corps in Beiping, the two commanders immediately realized that Nanjing was going to support Zhang Anping!
In other words, Nanjing also has its eye on this money—their money.
So, what should we do?
Both commanders made the same choice:
Withhold the telegram first, and let your subordinates pressure Zhang Anping. What if Zhang Anping can't withstand the pressure and hands over their copy?
However, the National Revolutionary Army had a common problem: its secrecy was... ridiculously poor!
The two commanders decided to withhold the telegram for now, but their subordinates had other ideas. The communications director had a close relationship with Commander Yang of the 94th Army, and faced with Nanjing's attitude, he immediately sent a trusted confidant to secretly inform Commander Yang. After learning of Nanjing's attitude, Commander Yang knew that he would only be in trouble with the confident Zhang Anping, and fearing that Zhang Anping would retaliate against him later, he decisively and swiftly fled under the pretext of "urgent military affairs"—and before leaving, he even "rescued" his colleague, Commander Han.
Their escape alerted others, who didn't immediately pressure Zhang Anping. It was this "deliberate delay" that led them to receive Nanjing's response later.
Hmm, since everything will be returned after the retreat to the south, is it really necessary to offend Zhang Anping, that butcher?
This guy is ruthless. Thirty lives, killed without hesitation. It's best not to offend him...
Tsk, that's human nature...
In the office.
Zhang Anping was looking at the secret telegram from Nanjing. His expression was unreadable, but he was actually cursing inwardly.
The reaction from Nanjing exceeded his expectations.
They actually want to use this money to make a fuss!
Zhang Anping did not expect this outcome—in his mind, Fu Huabei would definitely be moved, and would surely be moved.
It should be noted that the Sui Army is currently being "supported" by the Nanjing government, but everyone knows the Nanjing government's nature, so the Sui Army is not paid at full pay, unlike the Central Army next door which is paid at full pay.
Fu Huabei wanted to retreat westward; the allure of over thirty million US dollars was simply too great for him.
Therefore, Fu Huabei would definitely find an excuse to directly control the money—especially given that he had already secretly conspired with the Youth Army to send the money to Nanjing.
It will only force him to take immediate action to control the money.
However, Fu Huabei would not break off relations at this time. Therefore, in Zhang Anping's plan, once Fu Huabei forcibly took over this wealth, he would help him settle the matter of purging the spy system in return, and even take the blame himself.
With this money, Fu Huabei would have no further intention of going south!
When my Northeast Field Army marches out of the pass, the Nationalist Army in North China will be nothing but meat in a pot, and the kind that's extra delicious.
But now, they're actually going to jointly manage this "military expenditure"?
At what stage did the problem occur?
Zhang Anping pondered for a while, then suddenly felt numb.
He realized what was happening—
I was too domineering!
Within the North China Suppression Headquarters system, his presence as a secret agent seemed low, and he himself was very low-key.
But he was, after all, the chief of staff's most trusted secret service leader, so Fu Huabei treated him like Dai Chunfeng!
In other words, Fu Huabei must have considered taking over by force, but after much deliberation, he chose a more prudent approach:
They directly demanded "military expenses" from the Nanjing government—this was to avoid a confrontation.
By avoiding a confrontation with himself, Fu Huabei was also making a statement to the Nanjing government:
I am loyal to the Nanjing government, so I will not use force to make things difficult for Zhang Anping, the head of the secret service!
It was precisely because of his demanding behavior that the Nanjing government seized the key point and, under the guise of joint management, avoided the outcome of Fu Huabei directly taking over the military funds.
Seeing this, the Nanjing government devised a plan to lure the Sui army generals by offering to "return the property to its rightful owner"—in order to force Fu Huabei to change his previous strategy and lead the North China army to retreat.
In short, two sentences:
Zhang Anping misjudged Fu Huabei's level of importance to him, and because he judged Fu Huabei with worldly prejudices, his calculations fundamentally collapsed.
He knew that Fu Huabei would revolt and that Beiping would be peacefully liberated—so he always stood on this side.
At this time, Fu Huabei himself did not know that he would revolt. In essence and in his heart, he was still loyal to the Nationalist government.
That's why we've made the miscalculation we're facing now.
Putting away the telegram, Zhang Anping walked to the window and looked down at the parking lot.
Those Central Army officers are still in the parking lot.
Aren't you leaving yet?
It must be that Li and Shi had their own selfish motives and did not immediately inform the division commanders below them of the telegram from Nanjing!
Selfish motives?
A smile appeared on Zhang Anping's lips. The situation wasn't actually that bad!
The North China army, if it wanted to retreat, theoretically had two routes: sea and land.
But the land route was blocked—to retreat, they would have to cross thousands of miles of liberated areas. With hundreds of thousands of troops carrying supplies, without a rear base and with untimely resupply, crossing thousands of miles of liberated areas was just a pipe dream!
Therefore, sea freight is the only option!
The relief force for Xuzhou is still in Tanggu—this is only a force of 50,000, and it will take several days just to load its own supplies, soldiers, and so on onto ships.
What if that number were increased tenfold?
It's not just a matter of a few dozen days—when we consider the sea evacuation to the south, we'll have to deal with who will evacuate first and who will block the retreat. The Sui Army and the Central Army don't get along, so who would be willing to fight for the other side?
At that time, even just an evacuation plan will probably take a long time to discuss. Add to that the preparation of ships, the requisition of ships, and the preliminary work, and it wouldn't be unreasonable to drag it out for a month.
One month...
Zhang Anping's smile gradually spread. Joint management is good, joint management is good—as long as we insist on retreating south, the military funds can be distributed. At that time, this money will not be touched. After the Pingjin Campaign is over, our army will take over seamlessly!
This is much better than the more than 40% loss that Zhang Anping had previously imagined—Zhang Anping had thought there would be about 40% loss because he thought that after Fu Huabei took over, he would definitely make up for the military expenses of the Sui Army.
Our army cannot confiscate the money earned by prisoners of war, so this 40% will become losses.
But now that things have been done this way, hey, it really is taking from the people and using it for the people!
Good thing!
After delivering the telegram, Zheng Yi waited in the office—she had witnessed Zhang Anping's actions over the past few days and was aware of his purpose.
So far, Zhang Anping's plans have been largely successful.
For example, the purge of the spy network—with today's purge, the spy network in Beiping will absolutely obey Zhang Anping's orders unconditionally, and attack wherever he points;
For example, "to seek wealth".
The scheme to make money was successful, without a doubt. But with this telegram, she felt that the district chief must be in a dilemma—if he followed the instructions in the secret telegram, then all his efforts to make money would have been in vain.
How can the district council break the deadlock?
She was extremely curious—this was her greatest pleasure now, watching Zhang Anping's actions, one by one, loyal to the Party and the state, ultimately turn into futile efforts with "helplessness," and the indescribable sense of satisfaction was extremely interesting.
Faced with this predicament, what will the Chief of Staff do?
When a smile appeared on Zhang Anping's face, Zheng Yi's curiosity vanished instantly.
It seems that there is nothing in this world that can frustrate the Chief!
At this moment, in the parking lot, a group of generals from the Central Army finally received the news. They glanced at the Yandu Hotel, which was shrouded in a menacing aura, with a sense of relief, then got into their cars one by one and disappeared into the parking lot as the cars started moving.
Zhang Anping smiled and watched them leave, then gave the order:
"Pass on my order—immediately launch a thorough investigation into all officers of the Sui Army at the division level and above. I need a completely new investigation report within three days!" (End of Chapter)