Chapter 1044
Zheng Yaoquan turns against Mao and Zhang; Zhang Anping goes with the flow!
Zheng Yaoquan, who fled from Beiping, went to see the chief attendant at the Attendant's Mansion as soon as he returned to Nanjing. Although the escort of Li and Shi made his planned escape public knowledge, he still wanted to file a complaint first in order to clear his name.
First, establish a good image for yourself. Then, when Li and Shi start to speak crookedly, the effect will definitely be diminished.
Upon meeting the chief of staff, Zheng Yaoquan first presented unopened defense documents. Only after the chief of staff had finished reading them did he "plead his case" on his behalf:
"Chief Attendant, I was forced out by Fu Huabei—delivering defense documents was a pretense; forcing me out was the real reason!"
The chief attendant put down the documents, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty, and asked, "Why did he force you to leave?"
This is a question that I already have the answer to.
Zheng Yaoquan immediately replied:
"Before Tianjin fell, the Ministry of Personnel had heard rumors that Fu Huabei intended to negotiate with the Communist army. After Tianjin fell, the Ministry of Personnel intensified its investigation of the Sui Army and finally found some clues, but this alarmed Fu Huabei. He was probably worried that his subordinates would ruin his plans, so he forced his subordinates to leave."
The chief attendant closed his eyes heavily and remained silent for a long time.
With Tianjin fallen, the fall of Beiping was inevitable.
Anyone can see that.
But for the current chief of staff, Beiping can be lost, and the last 200,000 troops in North China can be abandoned—but surrendering without a fight is absolutely out of the question!
In the Liaoxi Campaign, hundreds of thousands of troops were wiped out, yet there was not a single instance of a high-ranking official surrendering without a fight.
In the Huaihai Campaign, hundreds of thousands of troops were wiped out, yet there was no instance of a high-ranking official surrendering without a fight.
Beiping must not set this precedent.
Once this precedent is set, it will inevitably create a chain reaction. If local officials follow suit, the party and the country will surely collapse!
After a long while, the chief attendant opened his eyes:
"Yaoquan, what do you think... will Fu Huabei actually vote?"
Zheng Yao held his breath and, after a brief silence, said:
"Fu Huabei, you have nowhere to go now."
There's nowhere to go!
These four words sharpened his gaze.
Zheng Yaoquan quietly looked up and was secretly pleased to see the chief attendant's sharp gaze.
On the plane to Nanjing, he thought about it over and over again and realized that his current situation was terrible.
Commander Shi asked him if he felt at peace with himself. He asked himself the question and gave himself a guilty answer—if it weren't for his interference, Zhang Anping would definitely have achieved something in Beiping. His trip to Beiping, from beginning to end, had not yielded any results.
I feel guilty, truly guilty.
Feeling guilty does not mean he must atone for his sins.
On the contrary, feeling guilty, Zheng Yaoquan cared more about one thing:
If I were to reflect on this in the future, wouldn't I be nailed to the pillar of shame?
This is why he felt his situation was extremely bad.
What are some ways to avoid this outcome?
There is only one answer:
Zhang Anping!
Only if Zhang Anping fails to produce any results in a muddle will he not be able to see his own incompetence in comparison, and only then will he not be nailed to the pillar of shame.
Based on his actions of winning people's hearts and promoting his confidants during this period, he was confident that he could remotely control the intelligence system in Beiping, and it would not be difficult for him to put Zhang Anping in a bad light for a while.
However, this alone may not be enough to stop Zhang Anping from achieving success.
Therefore, an extremely vicious plan took shape in his mind.
At this moment, seeing the sharp gaze of the chief attendant, Zheng Yaoquan believed the time was ripe, and cautiously said:
“Chief Attendant, although Fu Huabei forced me to leave, Deputy Director Zhang ultimately stayed in Beiping.”
“Since the start of the War of Resistance, Deputy Director Zhang’s behind-enemy-lines deployments have always been successful, to the point that they have become a nightmare for the Japanese. Now that Deputy Director Zhang is in Beiping, his subordinates believe that the situation in Beiping has not yet reached a point of no return.”
Is it a little guy?
The chief attendant rose and paced back and forth. He wholeheartedly agreed with Zheng Yaoquan's words, but he still couldn't make up his mind. After pacing back and forth several times, he still couldn't make up his mind.
Seeing this, Zheng Yaoquan planned to press the matter further, but unexpectedly, the chief attendant began to shoo people away:
"You should go back first!"
Zheng Yaoquan regretted it; he should have given a heads-up beforehand!
He left filled with regret, and not long after he left, the director, who had returned from the southeast, appeared in the chief of staff's office.
"Zheng Yaoquan suggested that, as a last resort, we could take extreme measures against Fu Huabei to prevent him from defecting to the Communists. Do you think that's feasible?"
The section chief was taken aback. He hadn't expected the chief of staff to come up with such an extreme method—he didn't think Zheng Yaoquan would have the guts to make such a suggestion.
“No! More than 200,000 troops in Beiping are still in his hands. Taking action rashly, even if we succeed, will be a loss. Secondly, you just published the ‘Letter to the People and Soldiers of the Nation’ on New Year’s Day. If we punish Fu Huabei, public opinion will probably explode.”
The section chief objected without hesitation:
"Moreover, given the current situation in Beiping, sanctions may not be successful. If they fail, we may find ourselves in a passive position."
The chief attendant remained silent for a long time after hearing this, which was also the reason why he could not make up his mind. Seeing that the director had similar thoughts, he gave up the idea of punishment.
“We can’t punish him, but we can make an example of him – talk to Zheng Yaoquan and ask him to come up with a way to make an example of him.”
The section chief nodded in agreement, and then suggested:
“I still think we should continue with appeasement and try to let Fu Huabei lead the team to break through. Even if the whole army is wiped out in the end, it is better than all of them being wiped out in Beiping. What do you think?”
The chief attendant nodded slowly and then let out a long, melancholy sigh.
Tired!
……
To intimidate someone by striking a blow against them?
As Zheng Yaoquan left the director's office, he pondered the director's veiled hints.
His original plan was to have the chief aide decide to punish Fu Huabei—the only person who could orchestrate such a thing was Zhang Anping, and as long as Zhang Anping took on the job, he would have a way to ruin Zhang Anping.
Even if Zhang Anping manages to escape unscathed due to his own schemes, everyone will be labeled as fools. If the eldest brother doesn't laugh at the second brother, how could I, Zheng Yaoquan, be nailed to the pillar of shame?
Unfortunately, the chief attendant ultimately couldn't make up his mind and instead chose to make an example of him.
is that useful?
Zheng Yaoquan, who had lived in Beiping, did not think this move would be useful. He believed that it would only provoke Fu Huabei's resentment and have the opposite effect.
But he didn't tell the director about these considerations—because he still intended to take the opportunity to calculate Zhang Anping's fate.
While I was thinking, the driver called out, "Hall seat, we've arrived."
Zheng Yaoquan glanced outside and, seeing the familiar buildings of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics headquarters, straightened his clothes before getting out of the car.
Mao Renfeng, beaming with pride, has already arrived.
At this time, Mao Renfeng could truly be described as riding high on success.
After receiving the "imperial sword" from his attendant, he launched a major purge of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics headquarters.
The most remarkable achievement was sending Shen Zui, the deputy director and head of the intelligence department, to Yunnan.
Although Shen Zui had previously sided with Mao Renfeng, after rejoining the team, he was unconditionally obedient to Zhang Anping. Having served as the head of the Action Department, his transfer to the Intelligence Department effectively gave him control of both departments.
It can be said that Shen Zui single-handedly supported half of Zhang's faction.
Mao Renfeng had considered dealing with Shen Zui, but the more she tried to deal with him, the more secure Shen Zui's position became, and he even received the title of deputy director.
But now this worry has been resolved.
With Shen Zui and a large number of Zhang's core members purged, his authority at headquarters was strengthened beyond imagination, and he was naturally riding high.
"Vice Minister Zheng, your presence is an honor! I am so sorry for not welcoming you properly!"
Faced with Mao Renfeng's "endearing" smile, Zheng Yaoquan's expression turned cold. Mao Renfeng was a little puzzled, thinking to herself, "I respectfully address you as Vice Minister Zheng, do you really think you're a vice minister?"
He maintained his smile and accompanied Zheng Yaoquan to the director's office. After the secretary and others left, just as he was about to tentatively ask a question, Zheng Yaoquan had already fired the first shot:
"Director Mao, have you ever heard the saying, 'Winning first doesn't mean you've won't win'?"
"What makes you say that, Vice Minister Zheng?"
"What makes you say that?" Zheng Yaoquan sneered: "Riding a horse in the spring breeze, one can see all the flowers of Chang'an in a single day—does Director Mao also only see the flowers of Chang'an for one day?"
This poem can be said in such a way?!
Mao Renfeng cursed Zheng Yaoquan inwardly for resorting to such alarmist tactics, but outwardly maintained a solemn expression:
"I humbly request your guidance, Vice Minister Zheng!"
Zheng Yaoquan was satisfied with Mao Renfeng's "humble" attitude, and after sitting down, he said:
"During my trip to Beiping, I suppressed Zhang Anping for a long time, making it impossible for him to achieve anything—but God is blind, and I was forced to leave by Fu Huabei. Now Beiping is Zhang Anping's territory."
Mao Renfeng almost burst out laughing. "You were forced out by Fu Huabei?"
Do you really think I, Mao, can't receive news from Beiping?!
Forced to leave? It was clearly you, Zheng Yaoquan, who shamelessly deserted!
Although Mao Renfeng didn't laugh, Zheng Yaoquan still noticed the strange look in her eyes. As the saying goes, a guilty conscience needs no accuser, and Zheng Yaoquan immediately realized that Mao Renfeng knew the reason why he was "forced to leave," which made him even more resentful.
And the hatred could only be directed at Zhang Anping.
"I just came from the section chief's office—the chief aide and the section chief are planning to make an example of someone in Beiping. Director Mao, what do you think of this?"
Is this a show of force in Beiping?
Mao Renfeng immediately understood the reason.
It's certain that Fu Huabei wants to talk or is in the process of talking; the only problem is that there's no evidence yet—but some things can be judged by personal opinion and don't require evidence at all.
To intimidate someone, one shouldn't directly confront them. However, Zheng Yaoquan is currently in Nanjing, and only Zhang Anping can carry out this task.
This confirms what Zheng Yaoquan just said:
I suppressed Zhang Anping in Beiping for a long time, making it impossible for him to achieve anything.
And now, the credit is about to fall squarely on Zhang Anping's head!
Undoubtedly, Mao Renfeng immediately shared the same concern as Zheng Yaoquan—given Zhang Anping's abilities, it would be far too easy for him to set up a trap to intimidate others.
Mao Renfeng said with a solemn expression, "Vice Minister Zheng, this matter... cannot be entrusted to him!"
Zheng Yaoquan looked at Mao Renfeng: "So, I'm here!"
Mao Renfeng almost cursed out loud – So you're the one who asked me to take the blame?
He understood perfectly well that Zheng Yaoquan wanted him to get involved.
Intervening means taking risks.
Although Mao Renfeng was furious, he also understood that he had to take the blame.
Otherwise, it would truly be a case of: being able to admire the flowers of Chang'an for only one day!
He could only ask for advice: "Vice Minister Zheng, what are your thoughts?"
"Dong Zhenshan!"
Zheng Yaoquan casually uttered a name: "This person is Fu Huabei's trusted confidant and a senior general in the Sui Army. If we're talking about making a show of force, this is the person who should be mentioned."
"Director Mao, I wonder if you can command the Beiping Security Station? If so, I will have the Second Division of the Suppression Headquarters cooperate with your operation."
At this point, Zheng Yaoquan changed the subject: "If that's not possible, then the Second Division will have no choice but to cooperate with him!"
Mao Renfeng answered without hesitation:
“Of course we can—but there are many of Zhang Anping’s men in Beiping Station. If we want to plot the assassination of Dong Zhenshan, the Second Bureau can’t keep it a secret.”
Zheng Yaoquan said with dissatisfaction, "Director Mao, am I the kind of person who doesn't understand the bigger picture?"
Mao Renfeng chuckled dryly, "It was I who judged you by my own petty standards."
The two then began to discuss the matter, and after some deliberation, they decided on a plan for Mao Renfeng's confidant to secretly lead the Second Division to punish Dong Zhenshan.
Both were cunning and experienced; since they were planning a scheme, they naturally wanted to achieve their goals simultaneously and opportunistically. They both chose the same scheme with remarkable tacit understanding:
After the assassination, leave enough loose ends to point the clues to the Beiping intelligence system!
The purpose of doing this was naturally aimed at Zhang Anping—once the assassination of Dong Zhenshan was successful, Zhang Anping, who was in Beiping, would have to face Fu Huabei's wrath.
Regardless of whether Fu Huabei will kill Zhang Anping because of this, as long as it is done, Zhang Anping will no longer be able to wield absolute power in Beiping!
Faced with this plan that killed two birds with one stone, the two old foxes couldn't help but burst into laughter.
However, Zheng Yaoquan laughed even more heartily.
……
Upon returning to the Second Department, Zheng Yaoquan immediately sent two telegrams to Director Yan in Beiping.
The first telegram roughly stated that the Second Bureau was to transfer personnel to work with Duan Yun, Mao Renfeng's confidant in Beiping, to assassinate Dong Zhenshan, a senior general in the Sui Army.
The second telegram contained the following:
The two departments secretly assembled their forces to take action against He Jingzhai, the former mayor of Beiping!
That's right, sanctions!
He Jingzhai was Zheng Yaoquan's real target for assassination—he had been setting Mao Renfeng up from the very beginning.
He believed that the chances of Dong Zhenshan being assassinated by agents of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics were extremely low.
First, Zheng Yaoquan was skeptical of Mao Renfeng's ability to control the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics.
He believed that Mao Renfeng's so-called confidants were very unlikely to do this behind Zhang Anping's back.
There is precedent for this—the director of the North China Inspection Office, who was clearly Mao Renfeng's confidant, acted like a lapdog in front of Zhang Anping. Zheng Yaoquan genuinely did not trust Mao Renfeng's ability to control the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics.
Secondly, the assassination of Dong Zhenshan, whether successful or not, will provoke a strong backlash from the Sui Army, and Zhang Anping, who is in Beiping at the time, will be the first to be affected.
If Zhang Anping doesn't do it, then he's disobeying orders!
This was a plan personally finalized by the director and the chief of staff.
Of course, there is another possibility: Zhang Anping, a loyal subject of the party and the state, would knowingly do something that is impossible.
However, doing so would only provoke a strong backlash from the Sui Army. The attempt to intimidate the enemy turned into provoking trouble, and Zhang Anping would still be the one to take the blame.
Third: This is a double-dealing scheme. Dong Zhenshan is just a decoy. No matter how things unfold, he is just a decoy. The real purpose is to cover up the assassination of He Jingzhai.
Most importantly, fourthly: highlighting Zheng Yaoquan's abilities.
Whether Zhang Anping did it or not is not important; what matters is that Zheng Yaoquan did it—Zheng Yaoquan made a show of force!
In comparison, Zheng Yaoquan is the one who is truly capable!
Using the assassination of Dong Zhenshan as a pretext, the real killing move was to assassinate He Jingzhai—what an ingenious scheme!
After the telegram was sent, Zheng Yaoquan couldn't help but laugh again.
Do you really think that only you, Zhang Anping, are capable of strategizing?
Zheng is also a master strategist!
……
Beiping.
Sister Qian and Zhang Anping met secretly.
"Anping, Zheng Yaoquan is causing trouble again—even though he's escaped, he won't let us have any peace!" Sister Qian complained irritably, handing two telegrams to Zhang Anping. As Zhang Anping looked through them, she added gravely:
"I really underestimated him before! His strategy this time was truly brilliant!"
"Openly using Mao Renfeng to assassinate Dong Zhenshan, while secretly trying to threaten Fu Huabei by assassinating patriotic democrats, is truly ruthless and shameless!"
He Jingzhai was the chief representative of the North China People's Peace Promotion Association. He had been working tirelessly to facilitate negotiations between the People's Liberation Army and Fu Huabei. He was a true patriotic democrat.
Fu Huabei's ability to negotiate with our army was largely due to patriotic democrats like He Jingzhai.
Faced with the information contained in these two telegrams, Sister Qian felt extremely troubled—she was not without means of countermeasures, but those means would affect Zhang Anping, leaving her unsure of what to choose.
Seeing that Zhang Anping was looking through the two telegrams, seemingly unable to make a decision, she said:
“Anping, how about this—I’ll arrange for people to protect Comrade Moyi during her evacuation, and then we’ll expose the Kuomintang’s conspiracy directly. You can also take this opportunity to go home, how about that?”
Only then did Zhang Anping put down the telegram:
"Comrade Chongwen, aren't you overestimating Zheng Yaoquan? It's just a simple trick of feigning an attack!"
He smiled and said:
"I'm just curious, when did Zheng Yaoquan suddenly become so enlightened that he can even set up a Yin-Yang formation!"
Zhang Anping's smile calmed Sister Qian's heart—as long as Zhang Anping smiled, she felt that he could handle anything, even if the sky were to fall.
She asked, "Do you have a way to break this deadlock?"
“It’s very simple—” Zhang Anping said with a strange look: “Just have Comrade Yan Wu take these two telegrams to Fu Huabei, and publish the contents of the telegrams in the newspaper while you’re at it!”
"On New Year's Day, didn't the Chief of Staff hypocritically issue a 'Letter to the People and Soldiers of the Nation,' pretending to want negotiations and peace? It's a perfect opportunity to let the world see his true colors of feigning peace while actually waging civil war!"
"Huh?" Sister Qian was stunned. Was the solution to breaking the deadlock really that simple?
She pondered it, and the more she thought about it, the more ingenious it seemed.
If Fu Huabei were to see these two telegrams, it would only strengthen his resolve to negotiate.
If the Fu faction generals saw this, they would only unconditionally support Fu Huabei.
When the people of the whole country see this, it will truly shatter the illusions that some people have.
Most importantly, this way, Zhang Anping will not be implicated at all!
"No, that's not right. If Fu Huabei sees this, he'll most likely take action against you, either forcing you out like he did with Zheng Yaoquan, or putting you under house arrest. What will you do then?"
Sister Qian hesitated for a moment: "If all else fails, shall we talk to Fu Huabei? But if we do that, he might guess your identity."
Zhang Anping laughed:
“I was just worried about not being able to hide—it’s perfect that Fu Huabei catches me, so I can hide myself and avoid trouble in the next few days.”
"Let's light this fire without worry! I was wondering how to take down Comrade Yan Wu, but Zheng Yaoquan has delivered a perfect opportunity for me!"
Zhang Anping was truly grateful to Zheng Yaoquan; he was such a good man, a truly wonderful person!
The negotiations have reached their final stage. Now is the perfect time to go into hiding and cut off the Kuomintang's control over the secret agents in Beiping. This is much more suitable than having to go through the trouble of catching the "traitor" yourself!
Upon hearing this, Sister Qian couldn't help but laugh as well.
The pillow was indeed delivered just in time—Yan Wu's identity has been exposed, and Zheng Yaoquan is likely to be nailed to the pillar of shame.
"Okay, I'll have Comrade Yan Wu confess to Fu Huabei later."
"Wait a minute—I am, after all, a loyal subject of the Party and the State. I need to teach Duan Yun how to plan an assassination!"
Only in this way can Zheng Yaoquan be definitively accused of "falsely conveying imperial edicts"!
Duan Yun, Mao Renfeng's confidant, has already spoken to Zhang Anping and confessed the secret mission Mao Renfeng assigned to him.
According to Duan Yun, this was a task personally ordered by the section chief.
Zhang Anping knew very well that the section chief would not issue such a specific task—and combined with this Yin-Yang Bureau, he could be 100% certain that this was Zheng Yaoquan "falsely conveying the imperial edict".
Since you've "falsely conveyed the imperial edict," don't blame me for a fierce counterattack.
Upon hearing this, Sister Qian couldn't help but laugh, and began to teach Duan Yun how to plan the assassination.
He truly seizes every opportunity to boost his loyalty; no wonder he's earned the "reputation" of a "loyal subject of the Party and the State." (End of Chapter)