Chapter 1052
Zhang Anping: "Aiding the Enemy" Reaches a New Level!
Execution?
After these two words were uttered by Commander Shi, the scene suddenly fell silent.
Most of the people present were high-ranking officers of the National Revolutionary Army. The only one who was not present was Mao Renfeng—he shouldn't have been here, but he had to accompany Attendant Zhuang.
The existence of the intelligence system within the National Revolutionary Army was quite peculiar—at the lower and middle levels, intelligence agents often had a three-rank higher authority than their superiors. Even officers at the division level sometimes had to make as much concessions as possible when dealing with intelligence agents within their own units.
However, as the hierarchy rose, the special privilege of secret agents meeting officials three levels higher disappeared.
At the army and corps level, the generals usually turn their noses up at spies—as for fear, that's impossible!
Above that, the spies are just worthless "things"!
That's right, it's not presentable anymore!
Within this hierarchy, spies held the lowest status. Just like among so many people present, Mao Renfeng was the type who ignored everyone.
But now, what did Commander Shi say?
He actually elevated the status of a spy to an extreme degree!
Even if this person's name is Zhang Anping.
Seeing the awkward silence, and considering that Li Shi and his men were defeated, someone subtly offered a reminder:
"Brother Jingcheng, why do you say that?"
This wasn't a question; it was a message to Commander Shi: "Don't talk nonsense!"
Commander Shi gave a direct answer:
Do you know why Deputy Director Zhang was the first one sent away by Fu Huabei?
"It's because..."
Even after Fu Huabei revealed his true intentions, Deputy Director Zhang was still thinking about how to turn the tables!
"That's why he was sent back the day before yesterday!"
The colleague who had just reminded Commander Shi said with dissatisfaction, "Brother Jingcheng, aren't you overestimating this person? If I remember correctly, there are over ten thousand spies in Beiping!"
"But what did these people do? Tens of thousands of spies, and they still didn't discover that Fu Huabei was secretly contacting the CCP! If they had found out earlier, why would we be in such a passive position? And why would Brother Zuobin and Brother Jingcheng be in such a sorry state?"
Commander Shi's expression changed, and he became agitated. Seeing this, Commander Li pulled him back and spoke first:
"We deserve our miserable state."
"But it is precisely because we are in such a sorry state that we have proven Deputy Director Zhang's foresight!"
"pity……"
Commander Li shook his head, reluctant to leave, and chose to remain silent.
Everyone's expressions flickered, filled with a desire to investigate the "pity" that Commander Li mentioned, except for Mao Renfeng, whose gaze was slightly narrowed.
Are Li and Shi, these two somewhat unruly corps commanders, going so far as to support Zhang Anping?
What merits or abilities does Zhang Anping possess that allow him to receive such strong support from the military?
At this moment, Attendant Zhuang's desire to investigate was at its strongest—he wanted to protect Zhang Anping, but Zhang Anping's complaints made him extremely uncertain.
Even though he had set up a scheme by taking advantage of Mao Renfeng's petty nature, he was still not confident.
But now, he seems to see a glimmer of hope.
However, with so many people around, he naturally wouldn't ask any questions. He could only maintain the composure of a servant and follow the crowd out of the airport.
……
Li and Shi were not truly good people—otherwise, the "adopted son alliance" that followed them back from Beiping today would be among the crowd!
But the truth is no!
Because of their decision to abandon the original "adopted son alliance"—those who followed Zheng Yaoquan and betrayed them, causing a split within the Central Army in Beiping, then don't blame them for being cold-blooded and ruthless when they leave Beiping this time!
Since they are not truly good people, why did they protect Zhang Anping?
Especially given that their colleagues specifically reminded them, why did the two still insist on protecting Zhang Anping?
The reason is actually not complicated:
锅！
The upheaval in Beiping certainly bears responsibility for the actions of these two corps commanders of the Central Army.
But the fact that the two of them were able to come back and dared to come back means they knew they wouldn't be sidelined.
On the contrary, their return will prove their loyalty.
However, the sudden change in Beiping, with over 200,000 troops surrendering without a fight, meant that someone had to bear the blame.
Fu Huabei was the first to be implicated, but since the other party had already defected to the Communists, he naturally couldn't take the blame.
Who can carry it then?
Zhang Anping?
They can shift the blame to Zhang Anping—once intelligence fails, Zhang Anping can't get rid of the responsibility!
However, during their time working with Zhang Anping, Beiping genuinely respected him, and it felt rather inhumane to shift the blame onto him based on their own feelings.
So after a tacit exchange on the plane, the two decided on the best scapegoat:
Zheng Yaoquan!
They came to Beiping with great fanfare and caused chaos, but in the end they deserted and even caused Zhang Anping to be placed under house arrest. What's most hateful is that Yan Wu, whom he considered his confidant and who had been imprisoned by Zhang Anping, has been confirmed to be a Communist Party spy!
Zheng Yaoquan's various decisions in Beiping were inseparable from Yan Wu's assistance, and it turned out that Yan Wu was the biggest hidden mole.
In their subconscious, if it weren't for Yan Wu and Zheng Yaoquan's interference, how could Zhang Anping, with his abilities, not have discovered Fu Huabei's secret talks with the CCP?
If Zhang Anping had been able to find out, they wouldn't be in this situation!
So at the subsequent "welcome banquet," the two of them specifically talked about their experiences in Beiping, revealing all of Zhang Anping's compromises for the greater good, his helplessness in being betrayed by Zheng Yaoquan and having to take the blame, and his loyalty in knowingly taking on a trap after being schemed against.
Especially after Fu Huabei revealed his true intentions, when Zhang Anping's plan to turn the tables was revealed, all the high-ranking military officials present were speechless.
So that's how complex the intelligence system in Beiping was!
Li Shi and his companion were very articulate. Unlike Zhang Anping, they didn't harbor any resentment towards the chief attendant. In their accounts, the chief attendant was the one who had been misled.
The art of language here is truly exceptional.
Of course, those in the know understand the truth:
Everyone knows that the chief attendant made a foolish move because he was wary of Zhang Anping after Zhang gained Li Shi's approval, sending Zheng Yaoquan to Beiping to check and balance him!
As mentioned before, within the hierarchy of contempt within the Nationalist government, secret agents were at the very bottom.
Since Li and Shi chose to provide solid evidence and shift the blame to Zheng Yaoquan, the others naturally didn't hold back and began to talk about the contradictory nature of Vice Minister Zheng.
Zhang Anping was truly incorruptible, a fact verified by the search of his home, while Zheng Yaoquan served as a contrast…
Equally honest!
Everyone agrees on this point—Zheng Yaoquan alone is a model of integrity. Zhang Anping would accept gifts from his subordinates, but Zheng Yaoquan truly never accepted a single gift.
However, his wife was the complete opposite of him, and could be described as:
Greedy, abusing power to amass wealth, and utterly unscrupulous!
With the support of Zheng's wife, Zheng Yaoquan's claim of integrity is utter nonsense!
Everyone chimed in, revealing every detail about Zheng Yaoquan—all without any restraint, even in front of Attendant Zhuang.
Faced with this flood of negative information, Attendant Zhuang pretended to be asleep from beginning to end, consistently maintaining an attitude of not getting involved or participating, but he did not stop it either.
It was clear that he understood this was a collective attempt by the military to shift blame.
As a servant, he could only listen and not speak.
After the banquet, Attendant Zhuang finally had time to talk with Li and Shi.
The matter of Beiping had already been clearly discussed at the banquet, so there was no need to repeat it. Attendant Zhuang met with the two privately, firstly to reassure them on behalf of the chief attendant, and secondly to facilitate their trip to Xikou.
It is true that the two were defeated generals, but the current chief attendant is in a position where, given the repeated losses of his generals, he cannot afford to lose another one. Furthermore, he needs to demonstrate his magnanimity—as long as they remain loyal to him, they will not be severely punished even if the army is defeated.
After all, the chief attendant at this point had already lost his "reputation." If he couldn't stabilize public sentiment, there would inevitably be setbacks in his upcoming competition with the chief attendant of the Yi dynasty.
After a somewhat confusing conversation among the three, they reached a tacit understanding:
After completing their report to the GFB, Li and Shi accompanied Zhuang's attendants to Xikou.
……
Mao Renfeng was annoyed that his subordinates didn't care about Zhang Anping's meals, so naturally the secret agents started to "care" about Zhang Anping's meals.
Looking at the steamed buns in front of him, Zhang Anping's lips twitched involuntarily.
I ordered takeout the night before last, but starting yesterday I switched to steamed buns, two at a time, two meals a day, without any pickled vegetables.
Shin-six!
While praising Mao's generous treatment of him, he was also rapidly flipping through the intelligence documents in his hands. A mere interrogation wouldn't be enough to isolate him!
Although Mao Renfeng purged the Zhang faction within the bureau headquarters...
"Are Lao Li and Lao Shi trying to shift the blame to Lao Zheng?"
Looking at the intelligence in his hand, Zhang Anping couldn't help but click his tongue. This scapegoat not only had to take the blame for himself, but also for Li and Shi.
How miserable!
After destroying the intelligence, Zhang Anping assessed the current situation—although he had made a "foolish move," Attendant Zhuang was willing to rescue him, and Mao Renfeng had taken the bait. Now, with the help of Li and Shi...
He couldn't help but draw a conclusion:
"Old Mao and Old Zheng are in for trouble!"
My blood is too thick; even if I show my resentment, I can't help it because I'm so thick-skinned!
But Mao Renfeng and Zheng Yaoquan don't have their own advantages.
"I knew I shouldn't have spent so much on loyalty points!"
Zhang Anping once again regretted the massive loyalty he had artificially inflated.
Composing himself, Zhang Anping pondered how to break the deadlock.
He couldn't cut himself off any further—as a spy chief, it was already outrageous for him to have complaints. He was only able to survive because he was resilient; if he continued to cause trouble, the Hidden Edge Plan would be thwarted.
If you can't cut off your own life, then you can only "aid the enemy"!
Looking at the crumbs of cornbread on the ground, Zhang Anping couldn't help but mutter, "I really am a jerk!"
Mao Renfeng even offered him cornbread as a "tribute," yet he still had to keep rescuing, saving, and helping him.
A true adversary of the Party and the State!
[Li Dai's chief attendant was pretending to be swindling me; his real intention was to subdue Mao Renfeng!]
[If Mao Zedong had sided with Li, he would have been doomed—he should have understood that, right?]
【at the moment……】
It seems I can only break the heart of the Chief Attendant-in-Ordinary, Li!
Zhang Anping quickly devised self-defense strategies for Mao Renfeng and Zheng Yaoquan—examining these strategies, Zhang Anping silently gave himself an assessment:
So dirty...
Despite this self-assessment, Zhang Anping continued writing furiously, quickly completing a secret letter composed entirely of numbers.
A light tap on the iron fence soon brought out a patrol of secret agents. A letter suddenly appeared on the ground, which the patrolling agent picked up discreetly.
Then, this secret letter changed hands several times before finally ending up in Zheng Yi's hands.
Zheng Yi was translating the secret letter when he discovered that he could only translate the first part:
This is a rendezvous method that includes the location and a code word.
Clearly, Zhang Anping wanted her to transfer the remaining contents to this address.
Faced with this result, Zheng Yi's gaze softened considerably.
District seat...
……
After disguising himself, Zheng Yi arrived at the Nanjing branch of the renowned Global Trade and met with one of the branch's trade managers.
She communicated with the other party using the code words Zhang Anping had provided in the secret letter. After the gestures were verified, her supervisor directed her to a warehouse—where Zheng Yi met someone:
Chai Ying.
"It's you!"
Upon meeting Zheng Yi, Chai Ying was quite surprised. She hadn't expected that the communication channel set up by Zhang Anping would ultimately be used by Zheng Yi.
Zheng Yi never expected that the person she was going to meet would be Zeng Moyi's best friend.
She had previously guessed that Zeng Moyi didn't know Zhang Anping's true identity, but her best friend was actually Zhang Anping's comrade, which meant that Zeng Moyi was most likely aware of it, and might even be Zhang Anping's comrade.
She took out the secret letter and handed it to Chai Ying:
"This is what the district commander asked me to give you—"
"The crossed-out parts are instructions for me, and the rest are for you."
After taking the letter and glancing at it, Chai Ying put it away and said:
Thank you—
"What is the current situation in Anping?"
Zhang Anping had barely returned to Nanjing and hadn't even left the airport when Mao Renfeng arrested him. Chai Ying desperately wanted to establish contact with Zhang Anping, but due to Mao Renfeng's purge, the chain of events had broken down.
Chai Ying wanted to rebuild the chain, but Zeng Moyi stopped her. In Zeng Moyi's words:
The more critical the moment, the less we should rush! Anping knows Mao Renfeng extremely well, and given his special status, even if Mao Renfeng takes him down, it won't matter much—you don't need to do anything here, I'll find a way to get things done.
Therefore, Chai Ying had not taken any action until now that she had met Zheng Yi, and she was naturally eager to know Zhang Anping's current situation.
“The district chief is fine; the investigation was within his expectations—for details, I suggest you take a look at this.”
Zheng Yi pointed to the secret letter at the end, and Chai Ying realized that her concern had clouded her judgment. Seeing the scrutinizing look in Zheng Yi's eyes, she hesitated for a moment before saying:
"I did it out of concern for my comrades."
Zheng Yi smiled, did not respond to Chai Ying's explanation, and left the warehouse directly.
She actually hoped that Chai Ying was feeling guilty.
But she understood one thing even more clearly:
Her district seat isn't that kind of person!
……
The Chai family.
After translating the secret letter into text, Chai Ying carefully studied it several times, and couldn't help but roll her eyes.
A huge eye roll!
Zhang Anping was taken down by Mao Renfeng, and she was genuinely worried.
But the result?
Zhang Anping finally managed to send the secret message, but the content of the message was:
How can we help Mao Renfeng and Zheng Yaoquan?
They even thoughtfully prepared several "suggestions"—if an uninformed person saw this, they might think that Zheng Yaoquan and Mao Renfeng were the ones being detained!
"This Comrade Anping..."
Chai Ying was both amused and exasperated. The weight that had been hanging over her heart suddenly lifted with a thud.
She's already racking her brains trying to figure out how to help her opponent, so why should she worry about Zhang Anping's current situation?
Is it necessary?! (End of Chapter)