Chapter 1035
A Battle of Words and Swords
Fu Huabei was a seasoned veteran. From Li Shi and the other man's reactions, he could tell that Zheng Yaoquan's "report" completely excluded the two of them, and even the Central Army system of the Suppression Headquarters. He found it amusing, but said calmly on the surface:
"Vice Minister Zheng, please go ahead."
Zheng Yaoquan cleared his throat:
"Commander Fu, after these few days of investigation, I have discovered that there is a very active person in Beiping City who frequently meets with officers of the Suppression Headquarters. Upon investigation, this person is highly suspected to be an underground party member."
As he spoke, he pulled out a file folder: "This is a list of people the other party frequently contacted, along with evidence. Please take a look, Commander Fu."
A staff member immediately stepped forward, took the file bag from Zheng Yaoquan, and then handed it over to Fu Huabei.
Fu Huabei opened the document without making a sound, but the photo he casually pulled out made him freeze for a moment. He quickly recovered and continued to browse through the other photos before checking the list.
At this moment, Zheng Yaoquan spoke up again at the opportune moment:
"The real name of this underground party member has not yet been determined, but he claims to be 'Manager Xu'. Last night, our department planned to arrest him, but it was unsuccessful. He escaped through a secret passage, and several of our personnel were killed or injured due to the booby traps he set."
The purpose of his words was to provide concrete evidence that "Mr. Xu" was a member of the underground Communist Party.
Faced with Zheng Yaoquan's words, Li Shi and his companion looked extremely grim—they were both shrewd enough to conceal their emotions, but at this moment they tacitly chose to let their emotions show, thus sending a signal to Zheng Yaoquan:
We're angry!
Unexpectedly, Zheng Yaoquan didn't even glance at the two of them, but kept staring at Fu Huabei.
At this moment, Fu Huabei's face was expressionless, but after putting down the list, he spoke in a chilling, almost coercive tone:
"Deputy Minister Zheng, could there be some misunderstanding here?"
Upon hearing this, everyone present sensed something was amiss.
Is there something wrong with this list?
Li Shi and Zhang Anping exchanged a glance and then looked at Zhang Anping. Noticing their gazes, Zhang Anping immediately shook his head slightly, indicating that he did not understand.
The two didn't think much of it, but they concealed their displeasure.
Fu Huabei's reaction was sending them a message:
This list is not as simple as it seems!
"The evidence is conclusive!" Zheng Yaoquan said firmly.
"I believe emotionally that these people will not easily defect, but for the sake of the defense of Beiping, there are some things that must be guarded against. I ask Commander Fu to investigate carefully!"
Before the words were even finished, a Central Army commander stood up:
“Deputy Minister Zheng, to defend Beiping, we must unite as one. We cannot allow a small group of people to flirt with the Communists and undermine our morale! Since you say that someone is close to the underground party, you must explain this clearly! Our brothers are fighting the Communists with real swords and spears on the battlefield. We can't let someone stab us in the back with dirty tricks!”
Zhang Anping's gaze suddenly sharpened, and Li Shi and the other man's gazes also turned cold.
The military commander who spoke made it sound like he was criticizing or expressing dissatisfaction with Zheng Yaoquan, but in reality he was putting pressure on Fu Huabei!
To put it bluntly, he was putting on a show with Zheng Yaoquan, taking advantage of the fact that Fu Huabei wouldn't dare to reveal the list to everyone!
Li Shi and the other man absolutely did not give any instructions—it was precisely because they did not give any instructions that their gazes turned cold.
The Central Army of the North China Suppression Headquarters was a unified entity, and Li and Shi were its representatives.
Before that, the overall message will be conveyed through Li and Shi.
But now?
Without Li Shi and his companion's knowledge, this military commander stood up and joined Zheng Yaoquan in pressuring Fu Huabei—at best, this showed dissatisfaction among the subordinates with Li Shi and his companion; at worst, it revealed a huge rift within the entire organization.
It was initially thought that only one military commander would step forward, but who would have thought that a few seconds later, when Li Shi and Zheng Yaoquan were looking at each other with cold and angry eyes, another military commander stepped forward and began to "make things difficult" for Zheng Yaoquan.
Is it really making things difficult for Zheng Yaoquan?
Do not!
This is a trap set for Fu Huabei!
The Sui Army generals were furious. Although they didn't know what trouble Zheng Yaoquan and the Central Army were causing, they saw clearly what Commander Fu's behavior as a 'general' was like.
A hot-tempered military commander slammed his fist on the table and stood up:
"Zheng Yaoquan! There are tens of thousands of spies in Beiping, and you can't catch a single underground party member? And they escaped right under your noses? What are you pretending to be so arrogant about, using an underground party member who escaped from your hands?"
Zheng Yaoquan smiled slightly: "Commander An, the Communist army... do you really think of you as a cook?"
Previously, the elite troops of the 35th Army were trapped in Xinbaoan, and the 104th Army was responsible for the close rescue. The distance between the two armies was once reduced to only four kilometers - but these four kilometers eventually became an insurmountable barrier.
With the 16th Army defeated on the flank, the 104th Army had no choice but to retreat along the mountain road, only to be completely annihilated by our army, and the An army commander was captured by our army.
Compared to Chang, who was not good at running, Commander An was much luckier. He disguised himself as a cook and blended in with the prisoners, eventually escaping back to Beiping.
As the saying goes, "Don't hit someone in the face, and don't insult someone by revealing their shortcomings." But Zheng Yaoquan deliberately poked at Commander An Jun's lungs. Commander An Jun, who had a fiery temper, immediately turned red in the face and was about to rush up and fight Zheng Yaoquan to the death.
Fortunately, others managed to pull him back, preventing a full-blown brawl from taking place during the military meeting.
At this moment, everyone misses the time when Zhang Anping was in charge of the intelligence system—when the commander of the An army escaped alone, Zhang Anping kept silent about the matter, and even when there were rumors that someone suggested a thorough investigation, Zhang Anping suppressed them.
Then look at Zheng Yaoquan, who really hits people where it hurts; the difference between the two is truly enormous!
Seeing the uncontrollable commotion in the conference room, Fu Huabei shouted angrily, "Enough!"
This angry shout finally silenced the conference room.
Fu Huabei looked at Zheng Yaoquan coldly: "Deputy Minister Zheng, I think we should be cautious about this matter."
“We should indeed be cautious!” Zheng Yaoquan replied, “I believe the Supervision Department (the intelligence system rebuilt by the Sui Army) should be able to investigate thoroughly. After all, they are all pillars of our party and country. I still believe emotionally that they were used by the underground party with the aim of undermining our internal unity.”
Fu Huabei was stunned. He ordered the Sui Army to conduct an internal investigation?
Was it for his own face or did he have ulterior motives?
He waited patiently for Zheng Yaoquan to continue his attack.
Zheng Yaoquan paused for a moment, then said, "Of course, during the investigation, I think their important duties should be suspended. What do you think, Commander Fu?"
Priorities?
Fu Huabei frowned, subconsciously picked up the list and examined it again, quickly realizing Zheng Yaoquan's true purpose.
The most important task for these Sui Army division commanders and regimental commanders on the list was to work with the Central Army to control the confiscated civilian supplies!
In other words, Zheng Yaoquan's real purpose was to obtain these essential supplies!
His expression immediately darkened. What a Zheng Yaoquan!
What a Zheng Yaoquan!
In order to seize essential supplies, they actually put on such a grand show for themselves.
His mind raced—I, the dignified head of the North China Suppression Headquarters and commander of the Sui Army, have been humiliated like this by a mere spy chief.
Do you really think I'm an easy target?
"Director Zhang—" The gloom on his face dissipated:
"I trust your character—I'm entrusting the Supervisory Department to you. I'd like you to be in charge of investigating these people on the list. What do you think?"
Zheng Yaoquan was immediately taken aback.
Zhang Anping was taken aback, Li Shi and the other looked puzzled, while the commanders of the Central Army became embarrassed—this brilliant change of expression made the Sui Army generals immediately realize the brilliance of Fu Huabei's move.
Even if they don't know why!
The staff handed the file folder from Fu Huabei to Zhang Anping. Zhang Anping, looking surprised and somewhat anxious, took out the list from the folder. After quickly scanning the list, he immediately realized the reason and his expression was filled with a murderous rage.
After a long silence, Zhang Anping finally answered in a low voice:
"Commander Fu, I will investigate thoroughly and clear the names of everyone on the list—"
“I agree with Vice Minister Zheng’s opinion that their military affairs should be transferred during the review period—during which the 104th Army will take over their military affairs. What does Commander Fu think?”
Zhang Anping's reaction after taking over the list, coupled with his sudden proposal to let the 104th Army take over "military affairs," immediately made others realize what was going on.
Commander An immediately volunteered, saying, "Commander Fu, I think this is feasible!"
Fu Huabei did not agree immediately, but instead "consulted" Zheng Yaoquan's opinion:
"Vice Minister Zheng, what do you think?"
Zheng Yaoquan narrowed his eyes. He knew Fu Huabei was an old fox, but he didn't expect that the exchange of interests he had set up would be countered by Fu Huabei in a desperate situation, turning into a struggle from within the Central Army. He originally thought that Fu Huabei had a deep grudge against Zhang Anping and would be happy to see him and Zhang Anping fighting like dogs.
But now, wait, they're still letting him fight Zhang Anping head-on, but doing so is clearly downplaying the severity of the situation.
After all, once he takes control of essential supplies, Zhang Anping's attacks on him will be far more intense than they are now.
From a purely self-interested perspective, Fu Huabei should be pleased to see his scheme succeed.
But who could have imagined that Fu Huabei would not act according to his prediction!
Zheng Yaoquan's mind raced as he pondered how to break the deadlock. His bargaining chip against Fu Huabei was the list—this list of "communist collaborators," and one with evidence.
He was willing to let these people off the hook by having the Sui Army conduct a self-inspection, in exchange for:
The Sui army relinquished control over civilian supplies!
But now Fu Huabei has reversed course and placed Zhang Anping in the position of head of the investigation:
You say my people are communists—fine, let your secret service investigate!
So, will the Sui Army relinquish its control over civilian supplies?
We can't give up!
“Deputy Director Zhang is quite right.” Zheng Yaoquan agreed, but immediately changed the subject:
"There's another matter we need to discuss—shouldn't Deputy Director Zhang hand over the joint management account to me?"
Zheng Yaoquan chose a roundabout approach!
The joint management account refers to the money obtained by Zhang Anping after he seized the money in Tanggu. Through strange operations, this money became the funding for the North China Suppression Headquarters.
Fu Huabei wanted to take over, but Zhang Anping reversed the situation, and although the money remained with the North China Suppression Headquarters, it became an account jointly managed by him and Fu Huabei.
Of the $30 million, only $2 million has been spent so far, and that's all for the reconstruction of the 35th and 104th Armies.
Zheng Yaoquan now plans to use the joint management account as a breakthrough to pressure Zhang Anping and Fu Huabei.
Fu Huabei smiled but didn't say anything, because he knew he didn't need to show his face.
Sure enough, Commander Li finally got up.
“Deputy Minister Zheng, the matter of the jointly managed account should have nothing to do with you, right? This matter is not tied to your position!”
The implication is that although you have replaced Zhang Anping in the head position, when it comes to managing money—who the hell are you?
"Brother Zuobin is right," Commander Shi also expressed his opinion:
"The procedures for this matter have already been established, so there's no reason to change them easily now. I doubt the Attendants' Office will make any changes easily either!"
Commander Li's words were insults, while Commander Shi's words were threats—if you're not satisfied and want to go to the Attendant's Office, I dare to stand up to the Attendant's Office!
At this moment, although the list was not yet known to everyone, everyone already understood the purpose behind it. The Sui Army held Zheng Yaoquan in extremely contempt.
You and Zhang Anping are both secret service leaders, but the difference between you two is too great, isn't it?
For the sake of people's livelihood, Zhang Anping dared to offend powerful figures and crack down on hoarding. In the end, he even made the three parties jointly manage and supervise the forcibly requisitioned people's livelihood materials, all out of public interest.
You, Zheng Yaoquan, went to great lengths to gain control; even a fool could see what kind of despicable motive you were harboring—you're obsessed with money, aren't you!
Unbridled greed!
Since Li and Shi are now both calling for your destruction, we should also kick you while you're down!
"Oh, a rat guarding the granary? This scheme...tsk tsk tsk..."
"A cat that steals fish wants to guard the pond; it has quite an appetite!"
The commanders of the Sui Army transformed into masters of yin and yang, closely following in the footsteps of Li Shi and his companion as they launched an attack on Zheng Yaoquan.
Zheng Yaoquan's face turned ashen; the carefully arranged situation had been completely shattered.
Fu Huabei then said quietly:
“Deputy Minister Zheng, since everyone is against it, then… we don’t need to discuss this matter any further, right?”
Zheng Yaoquan's lips twitched, and he sat down without saying a word.
He didn't need to answer, because any answer would only humiliate him.
The meeting is over!
……
The military meeting adjourned, but a meeting between the two parties was still necessary.
At Fu Huabei's official residence, all the division-level generals of Fu's faction attended the meeting.
By this time, the names on the list had been known to the Fu faction generals. The three division commanders on the list hung their heads, adopting a posture of accepting punishment.
But some colleagues were the first to plead for them:
"Commander Fu, this is not their fault—I believe they simply wanted to understand the Communist army as much as possible and had no intention of betraying us. Please understand, Commander Fu!"
"Commander Fu, to be honest, I do have contact with people in the underground party, but you wouldn't believe me if I said I would betray you, would you?"
One by one, Suiyuan Army generals took the opportunity to label themselves as "communists" to prove to Fu Huabei that their Fu faction had no intention of collaborating with the Communists.
But is it really not true?
Fu Huabei's gaze was deep, but he quickly concealed that depth and shook his head, saying:
“You are all my old brothers who have followed me for many years. How could I not trust you?”
"However, you all should think things through before doing certain things."
"Alright, that's the end of it. Nobody is allowed to mention it again!"
Subsequently, the Sui Army discussed the events of today's military affairs meeting—judging from the performance of the Central Army generals at today's meeting, the internal contradictions within the Central Army were clearly out of control.
The Central Army may have appeared to be a unified entity in the past, but that does not mean there were no internal conflicts. They were simply suppressed by Li and Shi, giving people the illusion that it was a unified entity.
However, Zheng Yaoquan's defection has widened the rift and made it impossible to suppress the internal conflicts.
This is clearly a good thing for the Sui Army.
Therefore, they came to the following conclusion at this meeting:
Treat Zhang Anping amicably and jointly suppress Zheng Yaoquan.
Yes, the purpose is simply self-preservation, with absolutely no other intentions.
After the meeting, Fu Huabei sat alone in the conference room, reluctant to leave for a long time.
Tired of heart!
At today's meeting, one by one, the Sui Army generals and his old brothers who had followed him for many years frankly said that they had contact with the underground party, but had no intention of betraying him, and he believed them.
But he also saw the general trend—his old brother, who had followed him for many years, had completely given up on the current situation.
They won't betray me now, but if I continue on my own...
"It seems we should talk to them again..."
Fu Huabei gazed out the window, looking utterly haggard.
……
If the Sui Army needed to hold a meeting, the Central Army naturally needed to hold one as well!
Li and Shi decided to invite Zheng Yaoquan—there were some things they needed to discuss properly, and they couldn't let the internal rifts widen.
However, the result was unexpected.
Zheng Yaoquan is gone!
That's right, he completely ignored their invitations and didn't even show up.
If it were just Zheng Yaoquan who didn't come, that would be fine.
The crucial point is that only two of the four army commanders and nine of the fourteen division commanders showed up!
It's worth noting that in every previous internal meeting, almost everyone was present.
But this time, so many people are missing.
Facing the empty space, which was a third of the way up, Li Shi and his companion looked so gloomy they could practically drip water.
That damned Zheng Yaoquan single-handedly caused the North China Central Army, which was barely a cohesive unit, to completely split apart!
At this moment, the two of them were filled with annoyance at someone far away in Nanjing:
If Zheng Yaoquan hadn't intervened, things wouldn't have come to this.
Why do you always like to meddle?
The other attendees looked uncertain.
In the past, the focus has always been on the unity between the Central Army and the Sui Army.
But now, even the Central Army is divided—in such a state of division, can Beiping truly be defended? (End of Chapter)