Chapter 973
Wang Tianfeng, who uses and discards things, is sharpening his knife at Mao and Ming.
Faced with Zhang Anping's increasingly cold demeanor, Shen Zui couldn't help but shiver. He instinctively wanted to defend himself, but he quickly stopped himself from speaking and finally chose to bow his head and admit his mistake.
Regardless of the reasons, Zhang Anping's dying wish was for "sincere unity," but he and Wang Tianfeng split the Zhang faction, causing it to fall into internal strife and watching helplessly as the Mao faction grew stronger.
These mistakes are there, and no amount of explanation can change the facts.
Wang Tianfeng remained silent for a while before speaking:
"Some things are beyond our control."
Wang Tianfeng didn't think he was wrong, just as he had completely understood Zhang Anping—the Zhang Anping of the past had been forced to get involved in political struggles time and time again, wasting his energy on meaningless political battles. From an outsider's perspective, he sometimes felt that Zhang Anping had changed, and that power had ultimately changed him.
But when he stood in Zhang Anping's former position, he understood the helplessness of the phrase "not being able to control one's own destiny."
"Unable to control one's own destiny?"
Zhang Anping slammed his fist on the table: "Can't you see how dire the situation is for the Party and the country?"
"Is the world as vast as the interests of the Party and the state?"
"Wang Tianfeng, no matter how many reasons you have, do you think you can disregard the greater interests of the Party and the country?"
Perhaps because he had vented his anger by slamming the table, Zhang Anping's tone softened immediately, and he said:
"Let's not dwell on the past mistakes—just consider the matter of Minglou. Why did you have to take action against Minglou at this crucial moment?"
Wang Tianfeng looked directly at Zhang Anping:
"There is a high probability that he is a communist sympathizer."
"Or perhaps, he is the 'Katyusha' we've been tracking for years!"
He had barely finished speaking when Zhang Anping, enraged, said:
"Evidence! I need evidence! Show me the evidence, and I'll personally interrogate him right now—where's the evidence?!"
Wang Tianfeng remained silent. If he had evidence, he would have secretly met with Shen Zui while taking down Minglou, and then launched a siege against the Mao faction.
"Rules! Rules are above everything, don't you understand?!"
Having just calmed down, Zhang Anping angrily said:
"The Bureau of Investigation and Statistics is a privileged institution. It can only exist steadily if it is properly restrained, rather than being dismembered, divided, and abolished after its weapons are stored away and its horses are let graze freely. Do you understand?"
"Do you understand why the Military Intelligence Bureau was disbanded? Do you understand why the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics could only inherit a portion of the Military Intelligence Bureau's legacy instead of inheriting all of its assets?"
The two consecutive rhetorical questions left Wang Tianfeng looking astonished.
After Dai Chunfeng's death, he transferred his loyalty to Dai Chunfeng to the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. He never ignored Zhang Anping's kindness to him, but in his heart, the interests of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics always came first!
But now, Zhang Anping uses this rhetorical question to question his own conscience—you who regard the interests of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics as the highest priority, have you forgotten the lessons of the Military Intelligence Bureau?
Why was the Military Intelligence Bureau dismantled? And why was it dismantled in the most brutal way?
It should be noted that the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics inherited less than 30% of the Military Intelligence Bureau's assets!
why?
Setting aside all other miscellaneous reasons, there is only one core reason:
It's too big to fail!
This "uncontrollable" situation refers not only to the strength of the Military Intelligence Bureau itself, but more so to the extreme expansion of its power!
Zhang Anping then continued:
"It is precisely because of the lessons learned from the Military Intelligence Bureau that I have been striving to maintain the proper rules and order in the current Bureau of Investigation and Statistics—in the military, no mid-level officer can be arbitrarily investigated simply because of a suspicion of communism! This is a rule that I have painstakingly maintained, do you understand?"
"Within the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, no mid- to high-ranking military officers should be detained or interrogated without cause simply because of a suspicion of communist sympathy!"
"How many clashes did I have with Mao Renfeng in order to maintain this rule and order?!"
"Why do you think Mao Renfeng is in such a hurry to remove Minglou from his position? Is it just to shift the blame?"
"He doesn't want this system to restrict him, don't you understand?!"
After Zhang Anping finished speaking, he looked at Wang Tianfeng with anger, and his extremely hateful expression made Wang Tianfeng unable to help but lower his head.
He hadn't considered that Zhang Anping might have taken this into account.
This is an act of self-binding, putting shackles on oneself—if it were someone else, Wang Tianfeng would think that the other person was mentally ill.
But he couldn't think that way when facing Zhang Anping!
Because he believed that Zhang Anping, like himself, regarded the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics as a belief that needed to be protected and upheld!
This act of binding one's own hands, of putting shackles on oneself, is clearly aimed at a long-term plan.
For this reason, even "Katyusha" seems less important.
Bowing one's head is a sign of admitting one's mistake.
Seeing Wang Tianfeng's reaction, Zhang Anping took a deep breath, and the anger on his face subsided considerably. Then he said:
"Why are you two at odds? Is it because you can't stand Shen being stronger than you? Or do you, Shen, think that just because you're stronger than Wang Tianfeng, you shouldn't be in a supporting role?"
"Compete? What a load of bull! If I had arrived any later, you two idiots would have been kicked out of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics by Mao Renfeng, believe it or not!"
"Especially you, Wang Tianfeng—I've seen people courting death, but I've never seen anyone so eager and varied to court death!"
"A pledge of military authority—you actually dare to make one!"
As Zhang Anping finished speaking, he couldn't help but point at the two of them with his finger.
Shen Zui glanced at Wang Tianfeng, then whispered:
"Chief Qu, I was forced into this situation—he's already started investigating me, I was just trying to protect myself!"
Faced with Shen Zui's accusation, Zhang Anping was taken aback, feigning ignorance, and asked in astonishment, "Investigating you?!"
"what happened?"
Wang Tianfeng remained silent. Seeing this, Shen Zui said aggrievedly, "He suspects I'm 'Katyusha'—Regimental Chief. Since you weren't here, I really wasn't sure if he was trying to bring me down or kill me!"
"It was Mao Renfeng who brought this up at the bureau meeting; otherwise, I wouldn't have known I was being investigated."
Zhang Anping looked at Wang Tianfeng in disbelief. Wang Tianfeng's continued silence clearly indicated that he had admitted to Shen Zui's accusations.
"Good! Good! Good!"
Zhang Anping burst out laughing, and after saying "good" three times, he praised:
"Wang Tianfeng, you really took my advice to heart, and you really are... a true team player!"
"I admire you! I, Zhang, am truly impressed!"
After saying that, Zhang Anping completely exploded, kicking away the chair that was in his way. He was so angry that he wanted to curse, but when he saw the silent Wang Tianfeng, his eyes turned cold, and he chose to turn around and leave.
He turned and left without looking back.
Shen Zui glanced at Wang Tianfeng with a malicious look before quickly chasing after Zhang Anping, leaving Wang Tianfeng alone in the bureau's conference room.
After Shen Zui's footsteps faded into the distance, Wang Tianfeng sat down listlessly, his exhaustion evident.
Judging from Zhang Anping's behavior, although he was angry and extremely annoyed and murderous when he initially reprimanded them, he still regarded them as one of his own.
Whether it's scolding or pointing fingers and yelling, it's ultimately just an expression of anger.
But Shen Zui's complaint completely chilled Zhang Anping's heart. He was fighting with his own people but secretly colluding with Mao Renfeng, only to be betrayed by Mao Renfeng in the end. In Zhang Anping's eyes, this behavior was blatant betrayal.
This led to Zhang Anping's final, resolute departure. After a long while, a weary Wang Tianfeng couldn't help but mutter to himself:
"Was I... really wrong?"
……
Zhang Anping arrived at his deputy director's office with practiced ease. He had just called out "Zheng" when he seemed to realize that Zheng Yi was still in the United States. He was about to get up and pour himself some tea, but Shen Zui, who had come in with him, had already stepped forward and made Zhang Anping a cup of tea.
Taking the teacup from Shen Zui's hands, Zhang Anping immediately drank it, only to be scalded and slam the cup down in anger. Shen Zui, startled, tried to replace the tea, but Zhang Anping waved him off.
"Tell me about everything that's happened lately—I want to see what kind of mess you two can get into!"
Shen Zui then began to report on the events that had occurred during this period, following the timeline. Zhang Anping did not show much emotion on his face from beginning to end, only occasionally clenching his fist to show his displeasure.
The report lasted for nearly three hours. During this time, in order not to interrupt Shen Zui's report, Zhang Anping even poured him tea and added water, which made Shen Zui secretly very happy.
Finally, the report came to an end, and Shen began to recount what had happened the previous night.
When he revealed that Wang Tianfeng had told Mingtai in front of Minglou that Mingjing's death was the work of "his teacher," Zhang Anping could no longer hold back and asked in astonishment:
"Did he really say that?"
Zhang Anping seemed unable to believe that Wang Tianfeng would actually reveal this matter.
Shen Zui immediately said:
“District Chief, the Department of Personnel has absolutely not exaggerated the matter. There were many people in the interrogation room when this happened, and the Department of Personnel would never dare to spread rumors.”
After a moment of silence, Zhang Anping gritted his teeth and forced out two words:
"absurd!"
He then slammed his fist on the table, and said furiously:
"What a terrible teammate! He really is a terrible teammate!"
"How dare he? How dare he!"
Perhaps because he was too angry, Zhang Anping couldn't sit still. He got up and paced back and forth for a while before gritting his teeth and picking up the phone.
"I am Zhang Anping. This is the director's office."
"Director, it's me."
"I demand that Wang Tianfeng be transferred out of the Security Bureau immediately—"
The section chief on the other end of the phone was bewildered and astonished—Zhang Anping was a very measured man; even when he was fighting with Mao Renfeng like that, he had never asked for help, let alone made such a strong demand to get rid of someone directly.
But now, he actually proposed to transfer Wang Tianfeng away!
What's going on here?
"Anping, what happened?"
"He's a madman!" Zhang Anping launched his first direct personal attack in front of the section chief, taking a deep breath before continuing:
“Minglou’s eldest sister, Mingjing, was a well-known iron lady in Shanghai’s business world. However, she secretly supported the Communist Party and was killed unexpectedly after I set her up during the War of Resistance. This is top-secret intelligence from the Military Intelligence Bureau. I don’t know where Wang Tianfeng found out about it. Yesterday, he actually revealed this matter, which had already been settled!”
What is he trying to do?
The section chief on the other end of the phone was stunned.
The Shanghai business community practically represented the pinnacle of China's business world at that time. He had heard of Mingjing before—the Ming family was a great business family in the past, but that was all. After Mingjing took over the Ming family, the Ming family's business empire developed rapidly and efficiently, which is why the director remembered this name.
In China at that time, once a person's wealth reached a certain level, they would have intricate connections with the political world. It's obvious that Mingjing must have had ties with the Zhejiang business conglomerate.
Now that it has been revealed that Mingjing's death was not an accident, but rather the work of Zhang Anping, it is bound to cause a stir—even Ming's enemies will likely feel a sense of shared sorrow upon hearing this.
If these people start causing trouble, who knows what kind of accidents might happen!
The section chief had also considered this point and naturally understood the reason for Zhang Anping's anger. After a brief consideration, he decisively said:
"I understand. I'll have the GFB prepare the documents immediately!"
At this point, the section chief decisively chose to support Zhang Anping—he was completely disappointed in Wang Tianfeng.
He had originally intended to transfer Wang Tianfeng, but considering Zhang Anping's high regard for him and his repeated protection of him, he decided to give Wang Tianfeng a chance, which led to the one-month deadline.
Ultimately, he was only doing it because of Zhang Anping.
But what has Wang Tianfeng done now?
Leaving aside the fact that he caused infighting within Zhang's faction and disregarded Zhang Anping's instructions, the fact that he betrayed Zhang Anping was truly an eye-opener for the section chief.
If it weren't for Zhang Anping, would Wang Tianfeng really think he would hold such weight in his heart?
As a result, this person didn't know what was good for him and betrayed even a mentor like Zhang Anping without any mercy. Once this matter blows up, Zhang Anping will inevitably be condemned by everyone again!
That's outrageous!
After hanging up the phone, Zhang Anping closed his eyes and fell into deep thought. Seeing this, Shen Zui didn't dare to disturb him and tiptoed to add tea to Zhang Anping's cup. Just as he gently put the cup down, Zhang Anping suddenly opened his eyes:
"Is Minglou still in detention?"
"Ah."
"Come with me."
Zhang Anping jumped up, and Shen Zui hurriedly followed.
At this moment, Zhang Anping's actions attracted much attention. When they saw him heading to the detention room, everyone in the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics couldn't help but show concern—the director and deputy director were now both in front of Director Ming.
Many people secretly thought:
Commander Zhang is truly...unique. He killed someone's own sister, and now he's going to do them a favor!
In front of the detention cell.
After glancing at the guards, Shen Zui immediately whispered in Zhang Anping's ear:
“Chairman Qu, the man surnamed Mao is inside.”
Zhang Anping paused, pondered for a moment, and then muttered to himself:
“Alright, this will solve the problem at the same time—you stay outside and keep watch, don’t let anyone else in.”
Shen Zui nodded hurriedly, then stepped forward to drive away the others outside the detention room and became a doorman, guarding the outside of the detention room—he also opened the door to the detention room for Zhang Anping.
Zhang Anping entered, dismissed the group waiting in the detention room, and then went into a cell where the aroma of tea was wafting through the air.
Inside the cell, Mao Renfeng and Minglou were drinking tea. When Zhang Anping entered, no one paid any attention to him. Mao Renfeng acted as if she didn't see Zhang Anping at all, while Minglou's eyes were filled with hatred.
Seeing this, Mao Renfeng couldn't help but nod in her heart. Minglou had never wronged her. She had told Minglou the truth about Mingjing's death long ago, but Minglou had been pretending not to know from beginning to end. Only now did he show hatred to Zhang Anping for the first time.
But Zhang Anping suddenly seemed to realize something, and then mocked:
"The Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, the top beam has never been straight—Director Mao, you're brilliant!"
This gesture is clearly expressing one thing:
Now I understand why Minglou completely turned against me and why he was so devoted to you, Mao Renfeng!
Mao Renfeng smiled without saying a word, thinking to herself, "This is something you, Wang Tianfeng, who was protecting, exposed. What does it have to do with me? So what if you know now?"
Minglou couldn't help but retort:
"Zheng? Zhang Anping, you're two-faced—how dare you call yourself 'Zheng'?"
Zhang Anping calmly replied, "I have a clear conscience about this matter!"
The words "I have a clear conscience" made Minglou's eyes turn bloodshot. Mao Renfeng pulled him back, and Minglou stopped his impulsive act, then coldly said:
"People will have their own way of discerning."
Zhang Anping clearly understood Ming Lou's threat, and his gaze turned cold:
"Director Ming, are you really going to fight to the death? Do you know that even if the fish dies, the net might not break!"
Only then did Mao Renfeng speak slowly:
"Special Envoy Zhang, did you come to see Ming Lou just to threaten him?"
"Hmm?" (End of Chapter)