Chapter 979
Spring Pool Charm Reappears
The uprising at the Shenyang station of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics was nothing more than a ripple in the grand scheme of things for the entire Nationalist government. Amid the loss of the entire Northeast, the annihilation of 500,000 troops, the capture of a number of generals, and the uprisings of armies at the army and division levels, the uprising at the Shenyang station of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics was just a small ripple in a turbulent sea.
No one was paying attention to the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics at this moment.
But for the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, this was a huge shock!
Minglou could run away, die, or eventually defect to the Communists, but leading the entire Shenyang station of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics to an uprising was too much of a burden for the Bureau.
This was the first collective defection of a provincial station since the establishment of the Special Service Department, and its nature was particularly egregious.
Although for someone lurking in the shadows, given the overwhelming circumstances and the fact that his sister's killer was the deputy director of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, Minglou's uprising in Shenyang was understandable—and it also ruled out the possibility that the other party had been collaborating with the Communists beforehand.
But others will not, and cannot, think that way.
Although many people were certain that Minglou had not colluded with the Communists beforehand, Mao Renfeng was very clear about one thing:
Minglou had long known that Zhang Anping was responsible for Mingjing's death.
Although Minglou's statements after the uprising denied that he had known about it beforehand, Mao Renfeng was very clear that he had told Minglou about it himself—so, Minglou was really forced to revolt.
It was common knowledge that Minglou was his confidant. He was the one who strongly recommended Minglou to become the director of the Northeast Inspection Office. Now that Minglou had defected to the Communists, and even brought the Shenyang Station with him, he couldn't escape the consequences. Would Zhang Anping relentlessly pursue him?
Even if Zhang Anping is currently holding back for the sake of overall stability, if it is later discovered that Minglou was already colluding with the Communists, can he still hold back?
Would he use this sharp knife to cut himself?
Then, a single, decisive blow!
The Dark Forest Theory, a very famous concept from later generations, roughly means:
In the dark forest, countless hunters like you trek through the shadows, guns at their sides. You can't guarantee that a hunter with a gun won't kill you if they spot you—so for your own safety, the first thing you should do upon spotting them isn't to extend goodwill or ask if you can establish diplomatic relations, but rather…
Shoot and kill them first!
At this moment, Mao Renfeng, although unaware of the famous Dark Forest Law, was in the same predicament—he dared not gamble that Zhang Anping would fire a fatal shot at him because of Minglou's communist sympathy, so he chose to deal with Zhang Anping with the most drastic means.
Commonly known as...
Get started first!
……
The atmosphere at today's bureau meeting was extremely heavy.
The leaders of other factions, who had long since become mere pawns, assumed the somber atmosphere was due to the Shenyang Station uprising.
It is said that Zhang's faction, although not performing so well in Changchun and Jinzhou, ultimately fought to the very end.
And Ming Lou, a key general in Mao's faction...
Thinking of this, the bigwigs of other factions secretly glanced at Mao Renfeng—Minglou, he was your trusted confidant, yet he actually rebelled?
How dare you even show your face at the meeting?
If I were you, I'd probably just smash my head against a block of tofu and die right now!
But Mao Renfeng seemed oblivious to these stares, continuing to look intently at the materials in her hands—just when everyone thought Mao Renfeng was merely feigning composure, she spoke:
"Everyone's here—let's start the meeting!"
"Special Envoy Zhang, is there... anything you'd like to say?"
Zhang Anping still holds the position of special commissioner and has not been reinstated—mainly because personnel appointments have been temporarily frozen due to the war. Otherwise, Zhang Anping would have been reinstated long ago. However, his position as special commissioner is no different from that of a deputy director.
Mao Renfeng was the first to let Zhang Anping speak, giving the impression that Mao Renfeng was admitting defeat.
Just when the attendees thought Zhang Anping would keep pressing the issue of Shenyang Station, he said something that surprised and bewildered them.
"The situation in the Northeast... is a disgrace to the Party and the nation! It is also a disgrace to our Bureau of Investigation and Statistics!"
"But the most important thing right now is not to discuss responsibility, much less to use this matter to form cliques and attack dissidents!"
Is it really that blatant?
Zhang Anping didn't give everyone time to be astonished, but immediately continued:
"First, gather the scattered agents in the Pingjin area—Jinzhou, Shenyang, and Changchun. Although the security system has been completely destroyed, I believe that many loyalists to the Party and the country have survived!"
"Next, they should gradually disguise themselves and retreat into the interior. We need to set up personnel gathering points along the Beijing-Tianjin line to be responsible for personnel gathering and screening!"
"Secondly, although we have lost the Northeast, we still have a large army in North China, and our military strength still holds an advantage nationwide—moreover, we have the United States as our ally!"
"Therefore, I suggest that we immediately prepare infiltration forces to infiltrate the Northeast and prepare for the counter-offensive—I want to take charge of gathering the scattered personnel and preparing infiltration forces."
"third--"
Zhang Anping's tone changed slightly, even becoming respectful:
"Director, we are about to engage in a fierce battle with the Communists behind enemy lines. As a result, we must expand recruitment. I would like to submit an application to the GFB and the General Staff Office (to reiterate, the General Staff Office no longer exists at this point) in the name of the Bureau's meeting to expand recruitment of personnel for the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics."
"Regarding personnel, I think former members of the Military Intelligence Bureau should be given priority, followed by recruiting high-quality talents from schools—I would appreciate it if the Director would personally take charge of this matter."
After saying that, Zhang Anping sat down and waited calmly for Mao Renfeng's consent.
Everyone present was amazed by Zhang Anping's character—not only did he not kick a man when he was down, but he also handed over the personnel power that he had been fighting with Mao Renfeng for!
In fact, the power to appoint personnel in the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics has always been firmly in the hands of the director. In factional struggles, whoever controls the power to appoint personnel will naturally have the biggest voice and the most powerful faction.
Previously, when faced with Mao Renfeng's control over personnel, Zhang Anping took a different approach, using extra financial power and training systems as a shield to fight against Mao Renfeng's personnel power. As a result, Mao Renfeng, who held personnel power, had to make various compromises with Zhang Anping, which meant that Zhang Anping shared some of the personnel power.
But now, Zhang Anping has handed over the training system, which is tantamount to giving up the personnel power he gained through the training system.
Most importantly, of the three suggestions Zhang Anping made, he took on the two most difficult tasks. His sincerity was truly remarkable.
The attendees were all shrewd old foxes, and they immediately understood Zhang Anping's intention:
Unity and solidarity!
The Shenyang Station Uprising was indeed a sharp sword that could have brought down Mao Renfeng, but the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics really can't withstand any more setbacks. Such a powerful intelligence agency has been completely ineffective in the context of the fall of Northeast China. If it can't make amends immediately, will the Chief Constable take action and deal with the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics?
Will the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics follow in the footsteps of the Military Intelligence Bureau?
Clearly, it was precisely because of this consideration that Zhang Anping did not choose to continue fighting with Mao Renfeng, but instead voluntarily yielded some of his power.
The purpose was to enable the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics to quickly make contributions and redeem itself from its mistakes!
For a moment, these old foxes were so disappointed that they were almost on the verge of collapse. The only way for the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics to profit from the chaos and strengthen itself again was for the Zhang faction and the Mao faction to fight to the death.
But with Zhang Anping backing down, their chance is gone!
Just as they were on the verge of despair, Mao Renfeng spoke up:
"Special Envoy Zhang's suggestion is indeed a wise and experienced view on national affairs, however..."
As the saying goes, the worst thing to say when speaking is "however" or "but". When everyone heard Mao Renfeng say "however", they immediately perked up.
Even Zhang Anping, who had been calm, frowned after hearing this, as if he couldn't understand why Mao Renfeng would refuse his kindness and submission.
"However, there are some things I feel we still need to investigate!" Mao Renfeng's expression suddenly turned stern.
"The Minglou Uprising must be investigated! This is the worst incident since the establishment of our Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. How can we convince the public if we cannot severely punish those responsible?"
Upon hearing this, the first reaction of everyone present was:
Holy crap, Mao Renfeng is ruthless! When she gets ruthless, she cuts herself three times first?!
But they quickly realized, what a joke, how could Mao Renfeng be the kind of person who cuts himself three times?
That bastard, that dog, only cares about profit and has no humanity. How could he possibly harm his own interests at a time like this?
As expected, Mao Renfeng then turned her attention to Zhang Anping and unleashed her full power:
“Special Commissioner Zhang, the previous bureau meeting had already made a firm decision to dismiss and investigate Minglou, but you personally stopped it—if that decision had been implemented, how could the Shenyang Station uprising have happened?”
"Special Commissioner Zhang, do you know how many things were ruined by the Shenyang Station Uprising?"
Mao Renfeng's gaze turned fierce:
"Military equipment worth hundreds of millions of dollars fell into the hands of the Communist Party without any damage!"
"You are a traitor to the Party and the country!"
As soon as the word "sinner" was uttered, the entire conference room fell into a deathly silence.
Those old foxes were the backbone of the Special Service, the core of the Military Intelligence Bureau, and the veterans of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. They had seen all kinds of political struggles and conquests, and all kinds of shameless people. But they never imagined that people could be so shameless.
Shen Zui's eyes widened in disbelief as he thought:
How can a person be so shameless?
However, Mao Renfeng actually had enough confidence to say this—the bureau meeting was recorded in writing, and it was indeed Zhang Anping who insisted that Minglou should not be removed from his position.
Although everyone present knew his initial considerations, now it's about the results, not the considerations!
Another point is that Mao Renfeng deliberately exaggerated the "losses".
The military equipment that Zhang Anping acquired from the United States and transported to Northeast China was indeed worth several hundred million US dollars. However, the problem was that these were second-hand goods, and the total cost was only one hundred million, or more precisely, over seventy million, less than eighty million.
Well, this transaction was completed by Zhang Anping and an intermediary controlled by Mingjing—as for the specific actual expenses, that's a trade secret.
Now, Mao Renfeng is using the "original price" of these devices as an excuse.
Its heart is awkward!
Zhang Anping also seemed stunned by Mao Renfeng's accusations. He looked at Mao Renfeng in disbelief, never expecting her to pull off such a stunt.
It wasn't until about ten seconds later that Zhang Anping slowly stood up, but the calm on his face had vanished, replaced by an anger that seemed to be brewing a storm.
"Mao Renfeng, what a fine example of 'I am a traitor to the Party and the State'—"
Zhang Anping, who hadn't slammed his fist on the table in a long time, once again angrily slammed it down. Amidst the trembling of several teacups falling to the ground, he roared:
"Why haven't the military factories in Northeast China been built yet? Don't you, Mao Renfeng, have any idea?"
"How many concessions did I make to build the factory? Otherwise, how could you, with your mediocre skills, have enabled Minglou to overthrow the Northeast Security Bureau in just three years?"
"But you and Minglou have used this as leverage time and time again to force me to make concessions—building year after year, building year after year, and in three years, not a single military factory has been put into production!"
"If it weren't for your interference, the situation in the Northeast would have been easier to turn around, and our army would have been blocked. These military factories could have provided at least half of the ammunition and armaments for the 500,000 troops in the three regions!"
Zhang Anping grew increasingly angry as he spoke:
"Now that Minglou has rebelled, you surnamed Mao, you call me a criminal? Fine! Since you call me a criminal, then let's expose this to the highest levels of society!"
"Either you, Mao Renfeng, die, or I, Zhang Anping, perish!"
"You despicable scoundrel!"
"A hopeless idiot!"
Fuck you!
Although Zhang Anping had cursed Mao Renfeng at least twice in bureau meetings, his insults were mostly things like "bastard." This time, however, Zhang Anping was clearly so angry that he lost his temper and even uttered the national treasure, "Go to hell!"
As for the assessment of being mentally challenged...
It's obviously more heartbreaking!
After saying this, Zhang Anping kicked away the chair that was in the way and left the bureau's meeting room without looking back.
Seeing this, the others from Zhang's faction got up without hesitation and followed Zhang Anping away.
In fact, Zhang Anping's outburst this time made them particularly happy—this was the real Commander Zhang!
You should know that after Zhang Anping showed his willingness to back down, although the people in Zhang's faction admired Zhang Anping's magnanimity, they were very uncomfortable - what was the price of Zhang Anping's concession?
It's a loss of interests for the Zhang faction!
After the infighting between Wang Tianfeng and Shen Zui, and the suppression by Mao Renfeng, the Zhang faction was already harboring resentment. They were hoping that Zhang Anping could regain the "lost territory" through the Shenyang incident, but Zhang Anping actually chose to back down.
There's no way they could be happy!
But now, Zhang Anping has turned against them, which means "contention" and "struggle," and everyone in Zhang's faction firmly believes one thing:
Competition and struggle have never been Zhang Anping's weakness!
So, did this turn of events exceed Zhang Anping's expectations?
The answer is... no!
He knew Mao Renfeng too well, and he understood Mao Renfeng's concerns even better—Mao Renfeng was probably 70-80% certain that Minglou had not revolted on the battlefield, but had long been "in league with the Communists."
In this situation, he must nip future dangers in the bud; otherwise, if a crisis were to occur, he would be held responsible.
At this point, he had to use this bureau meeting to bring the matter to a complete conclusion—by exchanging his own compromise for an offensive, and then turn the matter into a collective decision, with the entire Bureau of Secrecy taking responsibility, rather than him alone.
Zhang Anping naturally wouldn't let him succeed, which is why he made concessions—seeking peace through compromise, but peace will perish!
This is the core of his scheme.
And indeed, just as he had predicted, it was exactly as he had expected.
In the conference room.
Mao Renfeng's chest heaved with anger, unable to believe that Zhang Anping would so decisively overturn the table.
He hadn't originally planned for it to be so intense, but the most common thing in political struggles is to take an inch and then a mile—when Zhang Anping showed weakness and bowed down, Mao Renfeng also realized Zhang Anping's sincere desire for unity.
Logically speaking, he should accept this kindness and work together to overcome the difficulties.
But this is politics, a struggle for power!
Therefore, Mao Renfeng went further—since you, Zhang Anping, are willing to back down, then back down a few more steps. I'll first put a big accusation on you, and then compromise to seize more benefits.
Normally speaking, since Zhang Anping has chosen to back down, what's wrong with making him back down a few more steps?
But the result was that Zhang Anping angrily overturned the table.
Not only did he flip the table, but he also clearly intended to escalate the matter. As for the insults, Mao Renfeng knew that Zhang Anping was mostly venting, but Mao Renfeng believed that Zhang Anping's self-assessment was definitely described as "a hopeless idiot."
This is the core reason why he was both angry and annoyed.
How could people be so...outrageous! (End of Chapter)