Chapter 968
The "Lively" Secret Service
The incident involving the communists in three locations and four stations ultimately ended with the official report pointing to dereliction of duty and negligence. The heads of the four stations and several intelligence groups were all given warnings.
The wiretapping scandal ultimately ended with the dismissal of Deputy Director Zhang Anping without further investigation—Mao Renfeng seemed to have won?
However, on the very day Zhang Anping was dismissed, two new appointments were issued:
Wang Tianfeng was transferred to the Bureau of Secrecy as deputy director and concurrently served as director of the Action Division.
Shen Zui, the former head of the Intelligence Division of the Bureau of Secrecy, was promoted to deputy director of the Bureau of Secrecy and head of the Operations Division.
Wang Tianfeng was initially the head of the intelligence department. After faking his death, Shen Zui took over the intelligence department, while Mao Renfeng took over the position of head of the action department. However, Shen Zui had been in the action department for a very long time, and since he had only been transferred to the intelligence department, it was difficult for Mao Renfeng's people to enforce orders after taking over the action department.
This sudden personnel appointment was made on the grounds that Shen Zui had been demoted for his lack of performance in the Action Department, and Wang Tianfeng took over the position of head of the Action Department.
From these two personnel appointments, it is not hard to see the preferential treatment that the director or rather the executive office gave to Zhang Anping—one deputy director left, two more deputy directors were added, and the core agencies' action department and intelligence department were also kept in hand. The purpose of protecting Zhang's faction is as obvious as a louse on a bald head!
This result was as unpleasant as swallowing a fly for Mao Renfeng. He thought that without Zhang Anping, he would be able to make great strides in the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, but unexpectedly, he gained two more deputy directors who were staunch supporters of Zhang.
He could naturally sense the doubts about his abilities from the higher-ups regarding this personnel appointment. Under these circumstances, Mao Renfeng thought it over and over and decided that his top priority was to achieve results and show the higher-ups that not only Zhang Anping could do things in the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, but he, Mao Renfeng, could too!
As for dealing with the Zhang faction, that's a secondary concern right now—although Zhang Anping's will can certainly be conveyed and implemented through Wang Tianfeng and Shen Zui, it's still separated by these two people. Mao Renfeng believes that the Zhang faction will only cower and hold its ground now, and will definitely not confront him head-on again.
Therefore, achieving results first is the key.
Mao Renfeng thought so, and Zhang Anping said so too—on the very night of their dismissal, Wang Tianfeng and Shen Zui came to the Zhang family home. In the study, Zhang Anping solemnly warned the two that the most urgent task for the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics was to achieve results, not to fight amongst themselves!
He instructed Wang Tianfeng to maintain the current unity of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics and not to start a fight with Mao Renfeng. With a formidable enemy at hand, unity should be the priority.
At the same time, he warned Shen Zui to be sure to assist Wang Tianfeng and to discuss everything together.
Upon hearing Zhang Anping say this, Shen Zui immediately replied:
“District Chief, with you in charge, there won’t be any trouble.”
He sensed the hidden meaning in Zhang Anping's words and said them on purpose.
Zhang Anping shook his head:
"The negotiations between the Admiralty and the Americans are not going well. The situation in Northeast China is becoming increasingly serious. The Admiralty hopes that I will go to the United States and use my personal connections to urge the Americans to arm the Northeast Army as soon as possible in order to break the strategic deadlock."
"During my absence, the two of you must work together closely and overcome all difficulties!"
Wang Tianfeng nodded slightly, but Shen Zui looked reluctant to part with him—he was genuinely reluctant. He had worked with Wang Tianfeng all day and had keenly sensed Wang Tianfeng's scrutinizing gaze, which made him extremely uncomfortable.
He had thought that Zhang Anping was protecting him behind the scenes, but now that Zhang Anping was leaving, he felt that once Zhang Anping left, Wang Tianfeng, with his personality, would probably cause some trouble.
But Zhang Anping's official business was more important, concerning the American-equipped military aid to the Northeast Army, so it was difficult for him to persuade them to stay.
It should be noted that the National Revolutionary Army had discussed the issue of whether to withdraw its troops from the Northeast countless times, and there were many people who supported the withdrawal—even the chief of staff actually supported the withdrawal of the troops from the Northeast.
However, a minority, especially the leaders of the Kuomintang army in Northeast China, insisted on not withdrawing. The stalemate between the two sides turned into a compromise because the Americans promised to provide more than a dozen divisions of American equipment.
The Northeast Army is currently trapped in three locations. Once American weapons arrive, they can immediately switch from defense to offense. Zhang Anping's trip to the United States is highly anticipated.
Before such a major event, there was no need to even mention Shen Zui's little schemes!
After listening to Zhang Anping's repeated admonitions, and seeing that it was almost midnight, the two had no choice but to take their leave.
After seeing the two off, Zhang Anping returned to his study. He had barely sat down when Zeng Moyi brought in a bowl of late-night snacks.
"If you go to America, what will happen to the Security Service..."
Zeng Moyi's words seemed to have lingered on, but the meaning was clear:
Through years of unremitting efforts, Zhang Anping has created a vast and unspeakable network within the Bureau of Secrecy.
In the past, under Zhang Anping's control, neither Wang Tianfeng nor Mao Renfeng could make any waves in this network.
But if Zhang Anping leaves, can Chai Ying really take control of this network?
If Zheng Yaoxian and Minglou were at headquarters, they could take over command without worrying about problems. But now Minglou is in the Northeast and Zheng Yaoxian is in northern Anhui. Chai Ying is not a high-ranking member of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, so she is really incapable of controlling this large network.
In fact, when I secretly met with Chai Ying today, Chai Ying raised this concern. She even hoped that Ming Lou or Zheng Yaoxian could be transferred over to take over.
Faced with the same concerns as Chai Ying, Zhang Anping smiled and said to Zeng Moyi:
"Don't worry, the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics will only intensify its infighting during this period. They won't have the energy or time to sabotage our liberation cause!"
Zeng Moyi was puzzled. When she was pouring tea earlier, she had heard Zhang Anping give instructions to Wang Tianfeng and Shen Zui:
Do not start internal strife; unite sincerely and overcome difficulties together!
She believed that Wang Tianfeng and Shen Zui had taken her words to heart—the two of them would definitely not cause trouble for Mao Renfeng, and given Mao Renfeng's current situation, he probably had no intention of causing trouble for the Zhang family.
Seeing her lover say this, she suppressed her doubts, but Zhang Anping took the initiative to explain:
"'Katyusha' is Wang Tianfeng's inner demon. He can listen to me and not start internal strife, but he will never give up the pursuit of 'Katyusha'! Once he has a clue, he will never let it go to waste—even if the clue points to Shen Zui, his partner!"
He simply mentioned it to reassure his lover, but in fact he had made far too many arrangements—after the assassination failed, he simply spared Wang Tianfeng, letting him cause trouble time and time again, but never killing him, not because he couldn't bear to kill Wang Tianfeng.
In the process of liberation, die-hard elements like Wang Tianfeng must be eliminated. Letting such an unrepentant person go astray will only cause more comrades to sacrifice themselves.
But why did Zhang Anping remain silent and refrain from moving?
because……
The biggest trump card needs to be played by Wang Tianfeng himself!
His trip to the United States this time was precisely to get Wang Tianfeng to play this card!
"By the way, why don't you come with me on this trip to the United States?"
Zeng Moyi was taken aback: "Huh? I'm going too?"
“Hmm—” Zhang Anping nodded: “Let’s go together.”
"Okay then!"
……
Zhang Anping's preparations for going to the United States could not be kept secret. Those who had the right to speak about him bringing his family along remained silent, and those who did not... could not hear any related news.
Mao Renfeng had the right to speak, but he couldn't wait for Zhang Anping to get out of there, lest Zhang Anping stand behind Wang Tianfeng and Shen Zui and suddenly stab him in the back.
He even hoped that Zhang Anping would encounter various accidents along the way and then go after Dai Chunfeng!
Of course, this is just wishful thinking, and he would never say it out loud.
Because Zhang Anping was going to the United States, Mao Renfeng believed that Zhang Anping would no longer cause him trouble at this time, so he turned his attention away from Zhang Anping and devoted himself to the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics.
How should we proceed?
Looking around the entire Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, Mao Renfeng decided to start with the three locations and four stations, which were his own core group. The four station chiefs of the three locations and four stations, as well as the heads of the various intelligence groups, had settled down safely amidst the previous turbulent events.
Moreover, each of them is now under a warning, just like a donkey pushing a millstone with a whip constantly lashing it. Given that the three locations and four stations are on the front lines of the war, it shouldn't be difficult for them to achieve results.
Therefore, the day after Zhang Anping left with his delegation to the United States, four station chiefs and 11 intelligence group leaders from the four stations in the three locations were summoned to Nanjing by Mao Renfeng with a single order.
After repeated reprimands and private conversations, meetings were held to assign tasks.
Mao Renfeng's actions were perfectly normal, but... there was one person who felt something was amiss.
Wang Tianfeng!
Before Wang Tianfeng became the deputy director, the section chief gave him a special warning, the implication being:
Don't believe everything you hear. You need to learn to report things normally, don't exaggerate, and don't generalize from limited information, understand?
Wang Tianfeng wasn't stupid; he knew that this warning corresponded to the communist incident in three locations and four stations.
Although the official certification stated that the claim of communism in three locations and four stations was unfounded, Wang Tianfeng, who had personally visited the three locations and four stations, trusted his own eyes and judgment even more. Zhang Anping's sigh also convinced Wang Tianfeng that Zhang Anping trusted his judgment as well!
And now, all the suspects he sees have arrived in Nanjing!
This is like putting rice right in front of a mouse's mouth, or poop right in front of a dog's mouth...
Therefore, Wang Tianfeng personally led the formation of a monitoring and tracking team to conduct comprehensive monitoring of these fourteen "guests" who had come from afar.
Because of this, Wang Tianfeng and Shen Zui had a fierce argument.
Shen Zui's idea was to follow Zhang Anping's instructions and try not to start any internal strife.
However, Wang Tianfeng ignored Shen Zui's advice and used the elite forces of the Action Department and Intelligence Department to carry out monitoring and tracking in his own way.
As a veteran agent, Wang Tianfeng knew that such surveillance and tracking were essentially casting a wide net, and sometimes they were just a waste of manpower and resources.
But we can't ignore the remaining 10% just because 90% of the results are unsuccessful, can we?
The surveillance and tracking continued for several days. During this time, Wang Tianfeng stayed at the station every day, analyzing every seemingly insignificant piece of information. Finally, before the fourteen "guests" left, he found a flaw.
That very night, the stationmaster of Yanzhou Station disguised himself and secretly left his residence through the back door!
Wang Tianfeng, his eyes bloodshot, was overjoyed upon hearing the news. After suppressing his excitement, he led his men out personally, hoping to catch the culprit red-handed.
After tracking, the other party's destination was finally determined:
Located on the banks of the Qinhuai River near Confucius Temple...
As is widely known, this is Nanjing's infamous red-light district.
Faced with this result, the skilled agent who had been tracking him said, "Is this guy just looking for fun because he couldn't stand being alone?" Wang Tianfeng thought of the other party's reputation and rationally agreed with this judgment, but he was extremely unwilling to accept it. After weighing the pros and cons, he decided to secretly infiltrate and set up surveillance.
Thus, a group of elite agents from the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, after tidying themselves up, brazenly entered the infamous den of iniquity on the banks of the Qinhuai River... Sixi Hall.
Unable to enter the other party's house, the entire night's surveillance yielded virtually nothing—not only nothing, but also cost Wang Tianfeng a sum of money that made him feel the pinch.
Just as Wang Tianfeng was dejectedly ordering a retreat, a figure awakened an unforgettable memory in his mind.
That was a view from behind!
Back when Wang Tianfeng returned from near Yuan Nong's house, a fleeting glimpse of his back remained etched in his memory.
He was certain that the person was an undercover agent hidden within the Secret Service—the other person was definitely not Katyusha, but must be a top-notch agent under Katyusha's command, a master of operations.
A long time passed, and he never saw that figure again. He thought he would never see it again, but in the Sixi Hall, where the stationmaster of Yanzhou Station was "seeking pleasure," he unexpectedly saw that figure again.
coincide?!
impossible!
It's definitely not a coincidence!
Wang Tianfeng suppressed the pounding in his heart and secretly signaled an intelligence agent to meet the other party and memorize their face.
Perhaps this is the opportunity to bring Katyusha to justice!
Wang Tianfeng was overwhelmed with excitement. As long as he could find this "expert," he could follow the clues and, even if he couldn't find Katyusha, he would definitely find the closest connection to her. If he handled it properly, he might even have a chance to find Katyusha!
Soon, the agent returned, but the name he uttered caused Wang Tianfeng, who was usually calm and collected, to show an indescribable look of surprise.
Mingtai!
That's right, this person is Mingtai!
Mingtai, one of Zhang Anping's students, is the third younger brother of Minglou, the director of the Northeast Inspection Office!
Mingtai, however, echoed Wang Tianfeng's impression of the "master": possessing remarkable skills.
Although Mingtai's displayed skills were considerably inferior to those of the masters depicted in Wang Tianfeng's "portrait," true skill can be concealed.
Wang Tianfeng recovered in a very short time, and he said calmly:
"He actually comes to a place like this!"
One of the agents said in a sour tone, "Rich young men like to seek out thrills."
"Let's call it a day—abandon the surveillance."
Wang Tianfeng's face showed helplessness, as if he was frustrated by this wasted manpower and resources.
……
After returning from Sixi Hall, Wang Tianfeng began to secretly gather trusted and capable personnel. To ensure that no problems arose, he specifically sought out Cai Jierong, the head of the special operations team, and put him in charge of the overall monitoring of Mingtai. Faced with this unexpected disaster, Cai Jierong stated directly that he would not do it without the orders of the district commander!
Are you kidding me? A surveillance platform?
That's a valuable asset that the teacher values highly!
Of course, this was just his statement. In fact, Cai Jierong was eager to take on this job, as he believed it was a good opportunity to alienate Wang Tianfeng and Zhang Anping.
What Wang Tianfeng valued was Cai Jierong's student system, which was no less capable than Zhang Anping's. Although Cai Jierong refused, Wang Tianfeng, in his capacity as deputy director, forcefully assigned the task to Cai Jierong and sternly warned him:
Apart from Zhang Anping, no one else should be informed about the surveillance of Mingtai.
Cai Jierong nodded solemnly, promising that he would never reveal this to anyone other than the district chief.
Then... he turned around and reported the matter to his superior.
Then... he, who was in charge of monitoring Mingtai, was led by his superior to meet someone.
Mingtai!
Cai Jierong never expected that his superior would take him to see Mingtai, and he never expected that Mingtai, who had gone with him to the three locations and four stations to carry out the mission, was actually his comrade.
What he least expected was:
It turned out that Mingtai was "discovered" by Wang Tianfeng intentionally.
"Next, you can proceed with the normal surveillance procedures and conduct covert surveillance on me—unless I specifically point it out to you, you need to report all my movements to Wang Tianfeng!"
……
Having discovered Mingtai, Wang Tianfeng began to cower in the face of Mao Renfeng.
But Zhang's actions made Mao Renfeng uneasy.
Conventionally, the period before war is often the calmest.
He began to have people keep a close eye on the Zhang faction, lest they be caught off guard.
And sure enough, this careful consideration immediately yielded results.
The head of the general affairs department approached Mao Renfeng.
"Director, look at this expense report."
Mao Renfeng took a look and hissed:
"What's going on? Such a large sum of money? Does Wang Tianfeng not know the cost of living when he's not in charge of the household?"
"The reimbursement form stated it was for special funds. Because it had Deputy Director Wang's signature, I had no choice but to reimburse it. But I wasn't sure what to do, so I had someone secretly investigate. And what they found... do you know what they found?"
Stop keeping me in suspense and tell me already!
The head of general affairs said with a hint of pride:
"A significant portion of this money...was spent on Sixitang!"
"What?" Mao Renfeng exclaimed in surprise: "Sixi Hall? Could it be that Sixi Hall?!"
"It's that Sixi Hall!"
Mao Renfeng felt strange upon hearing this. "You, Wang Tianfeng, dare to get reimbursed for prostitution!"
His eyes darted around, and he immediately had a plan.
Although I don't want to cause any more trouble with the Zhang faction, now that Zhang has gone to America, and Wang Tianfeng has exposed such a big flaw, if I don't take this opportunity to make trouble, it would be too unfair to all the grievances I've suffered over the years!
So, at the bureau meeting the next day, Mao Renfeng directly presented this expense report and demanded an explanation from Wang Tianfeng.
Faced with this sudden attack, Wang Tianfeng could only keep quiet—he couldn't very well say that he was the one who was watching him and had to go to Sixi Hall, could he?
If that's really the case, then it's the prelude to war.
The more Wang Tianfeng remained silent, the more emboldened Mao Renfeng became, eventually reaching a consensus directly through a bureau meeting:
This matter must be thoroughly investigated.
No matter how much Wang Tianfeng objected, it was useless—because his only supporter, Shen Zui, wasn't speaking up for him at all at this point.
Shen refused to help because he also had doubts about the amount. Such a large expenditure was enough to set up a special agent team that wasn't on the books. What happened to the promise of unity and cooperation? Wang Tianfeng, you're secretly setting up the Mimi Team behind my back?
How can I support you?
The secret service's machines were running smoothly, and the results were quite alarming; they produced results in just two days.
Visiting brothels...
It's still the high-end Sixitang.
In addition, it was also discovered that Wang Tianfeng had secretly gathered people to monitor fourteen people in charge of four stations in three locations.
Mao Renfeng was overjoyed. At the bureau meeting, he seriously criticized Wang Tianfeng's behavior and reached a consensus with others to take this opportunity to remove Wang Tianfeng from his concurrent position as director of the action department. He also adjusted Wang Tianfeng's division of labor.
Through a series of maneuvers, Shen Zui, who was originally just an assistant, has now become the one carrying the main burden in Zhang's faction.
Regarding this, Mao Renfeng had only one thought in her mind:
Trying to fight me?
You, Wang Tianfeng, are a hundred and eight thousand miles behind!
With a little trickery, Mao's faction was destined to fall into internal strife!
As expected, after Wang Tianfeng's division of labor was adjusted, Shen Zui naturally became the head of Zhang's faction, and he and Wang Tianfeng began to rub against each other frequently, which led to Mao's faction taking this opportunity to expand wildly.
Mao Renfeng was almost overjoyed at this situation. How could life be so smooth without Zhang Anping?
But he also knew that he couldn't push the Zhang faction too far. If he could just snatch a few pieces of meat from their bowl, Zhang Anping, that bastard, would have no choice but to admit defeat when he came back. But if he smashed the Zhang faction's bowl, Zhang Anping would have to fight him to the death when he returned from America.
But if the Mao faction fails to expand rapidly and gain an overwhelming advantage over the Zhang faction at this opportune moment, it will be forced into a passive position again after Zhang Anping's return.
Then we'll have to steal food from other factions!
After looking around, Mao Renfeng's gaze settled on the Zheng faction.
He called out to Zheng Yaoxian from afar, feeling quite guilty:
"Seventh brother, don't blame your brother for being heartless. Politics is inherently...heartless!" (End of Chapter)