Chapter 982
Zhang Anping Who Couldn't Be Upheld as the Rightful Ruler
Zheng Yi was actually quite flustered after seeing Wang Tianfeng.
She made a gesture to cover up her momentary sadness by taking out a glass of wine.
Why do that?
Because Wang Tianfeng quietly stated a "fact" that everyone considered to be true:
His judgment is never wrong.
The context for saying this is that Wang Tianfeng confirmed that Zheng Yi was not an undercover agent—while he had previously believed that Zheng Yi was an undercover agent, Zhang Anping ignored various possibilities after Zheng Yi became one of his confidants.
In her normal state, Zheng Yi would feel proud to hear this, because this is the district leader she trusts and believes in.
But Zheng Yi, in his current state, felt only peace and bitterness upon hearing these words.
But she dared not show these emotions to Wang Tianfeng—that's why she used the act of taking out the wine to cover them up.
This is also why Zheng Yi panicked!
She feared that her carelessness might put Zhang Anping in danger—Wang Tianfeng was too smart, especially in terms of professional competence, and Zheng Yi had no doubt about his abilities now.
Now, Wang Tianfeng has thrown out the "bait":
A clue that forced Katyusha to take action.
But the problem is that Zheng Yi is unsure whether this "bait" is truly aimed at Mao Renfeng or Zhang Anping—especially since Wang Tianfeng had previously stated with certainty:
It's either him or Anping!
Wang Tianfeng was stating another fact from beginning to end:
I believe in Anping, I believe in Anping without a doubt—so it can only be him, it can only be Mao Renfeng!
But Zheng Yi, would you dare to believe it?
What if this was Wang Tianfeng testing Zhang Anping? If he dared to suspect Mao Renfeng, why didn't he suspect Zhang Anping as well?
At this very moment, Zheng Yi is rapidly making an assumption:
Assuming he was unaware of the Mingjing matter and hadn't deduced Zhang Anping's true identity, how should he respond to Wang Tianfeng's current statement?
For the Party and the country, and... for Anping!
After recalling Wang Tianfeng's words, Zheng Yi calmed the barely suppressed panic in his heart and asked in a cold voice:
"I want to know what the clue is!"
Her answer aligns with the stance of "for the sake of Anping".
I won't say—
Wang Tianfeng shook his head:
"All you need to do is cooperate with me."
"Impossible!" Zheng Yi refused immediately without even thinking.
"I don't trust you!"
"You've caused too much trouble for the district chief!"
At this point, Zheng Yi suddenly stood up, approached Wang Tianfeng, and looked at him angrily:
"You're just talking nonsense and expecting me to cooperate with you? Let alone how I could cooperate with you—Wang Tianfeng, do you think I'd trust you?"
Faced with this rebuke and questioning, Wang Tianfeng remained silent, but eventually had to break his silence, and he slowly said:
"I have reliable intelligence that our army's Xuzhou-Bengbu campaign plan has been completely leaked."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Yi stared at Wang Tianfeng in astonishment, his face filled with shock.
Although she had just returned and was unaware of the Xuzhou-Bengbu Campaign plan, within the Nationalist army, a campaign refers to a cross-regional, multi-corps coordinated operation with a significant time and space dimension.
Examples include the Battle of Shanghai during the War of Resistance against Japan, the Battle of Xuzhou which included the Battle of Taierzhuang, and the Battle of Wuhan.
The term "battle" also carries several implicit meanings:
It carries connotations of conventional warfare, positional warfare, and main force versus main force;
It implicitly reflects the traditional wartime thinking of "unified command by the General Headquarters and deployment along transportation lines";
The tone is formal, official, and tragic, implying that "this is a battle for the fate of the nation."
To add a point, the Liaoshen Campaign was called the Liaoxi Campaign by the Nationalist government.
Therefore, Zheng Yi was extremely shocked when he heard Wang Tianfeng say that the Xuzhou-Bengbu Campaign plan had been completely leaked. Such a plan was the top secret of the military command system, and very few people knew about it. Looking at the entire Nationalist government, there were probably fewer than two people who knew about it.
To put it bluntly, neither Mao Renfeng nor Zhang Anping were qualified to know the details of the plan.
Zheng Yi's voice was filled with fear: "How is this possible!"
what does this mean?
This means that in the top floor, which is less than two hands deep, there is someone... a communist!
This conclusion, which terrified Zheng Yi, also made her feel incredibly ridiculous.
The real person in charge of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics is an undercover agent;
Even within the highest echelons of the Nationalist government, in the circle that doesn't even reach the very top, there are people... who are undercover agents!
The Party-State is truly... laughable!
At this moment, Wang Tianfeng slowly said:
"Given their way of doing things, this whistleblower is not on the same side as 'Katyusha'—but given 'Katyusha's' personality, he would definitely not remain indifferent once he found out."
"To be more precise, in order to protect this whistleblower, 'Katyusha' might even be willing to sacrifice herself to protect the whistleblower."
After listening to Wang Tianfeng's words, Zheng Yi keenly realized the core of Wang Tianfeng's scheme:
饵！
Wang Tianfeng is the bait!
If Katyusha finds out about this and that Wang Tianfeng is investigating, she will definitely try to get rid of him.
This also means... whoever makes the first move is Katyusha!
So, will Zhang Anping take the bait?
Zheng Yi could guess the answer even with her eyes closed. Even though she knew that her understanding of Zhang Anping was just the persona Zhang Anping wanted her to see, why would someone in such a high position choose Zhang Anping if they really cared about wealth and status?
Thinking of Zhang Anping's resolute choice, Zheng Yi took a deep breath:
"Then what should I do?"
"Secretly give me some capable men—this person is essential."
Wang Tianfeng took out a slip of paper, slowly unfolded it, and revealed the name on it to Zheng Yi.
Bian Jike!
Zheng Yi was taken aback. This person seemed to be a traitor to the underground party—no, he was personally turned by the district chief, so he... shouldn't be a traitor from the other side.
"It's him?"
Bian Jike's presence was not prominent—because he was a "traitor," but his military rank was at least very high.
Colonel of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics!
During Dai Chunfeng's time, Zhang Anping resolutely implemented one thing:
Traitors can be used, but not reused.
After Bian Jike "betrayed" them, he became a typical example of someone who could be used but not reused.
However, he was forced to "betray" the regime at the time. After joining the Military Intelligence Bureau, he was responsible for training special agents—those who were to infiltrate the border regions.
After entering the era of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, Bian Jike realized that he could not be valued by Zhang Anping, so he secretly defected to Mao Renfeng. Mao Renfeng used him as a spy to plunder the Zhang faction, essentially a paid idler.
Of course, this is also the public truth. In fact, Bian Jike secretly defected to Mao Renfeng on Zhang Anping's orders, just to facilitate "communication" with Mao Renfeng.
Zheng Yi feigned ignorance: "What do you need a traitor from the underground party for?"
“He has long secretly defected to Mao Renfeng—once he finds out that I am secretly investigating the GFB’s mole, Mao Renfeng will definitely know, and then he will definitely try every means to get rid of me.”
Wang Tianfeng said frankly:
"Catch the thief red-handed—once we have the evidence, Mao Renfeng will no longer be able to hide."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Yi feigned surprise and said, "You want to trade your life for his?"
Wang Tianfeng smiled calmly:
"My only obsession with living is 'Katyusha'. It's not a loss to trade my life for it."
Having said all that, Zheng Yi had no reason to refuse anymore, and she said in a deep voice:
"I must tell the district commander about this!"
"Ah."
Wang Tianfeng did not refuse—he sought out Zheng Yi because Zheng Yi had direct access to Zhang Anping.
If it weren't for Zheng Yi, he would most likely have gone directly to Zhang Anping—but he was too ashamed to face Zhang Anping, and even less willing to let Zhang Anping stop him. Based on his understanding of Zhang Anping, Zhang Anping was currently angry at him for disrupting unity and acting recklessly, but given Zhang Anping's loyalty and sense of justice, even if he abandoned him, he wouldn't think of killing him.
If he were to confront Zhang Anping directly, Zhang might not stop him, but he would certainly become deeply involved and try to protect himself.
This could very likely alert the opponent.
So he chose to find Zheng Yi.
Wang Tianfeng had achieved his goal and was now ready to leave. Seeing that he was about to depart, Zheng Yi hesitated for a moment and said:
"I have another property. Why don't you stay there for now?"
Wang Tianfeng gave Zheng Yi a deep look, then nodded slightly: "Okay!"
After taking the key from Zheng Yi and figuring out the location, Wang Tianfeng finally left. Zheng Yi watched him leave without moving for a long time. It wasn't until about ten minutes later that she forced herself to walk back to the bedroom, collapsed onto her bed, and covered her head with the blanket before gasping for breath.
She wasn't that fragile; otherwise, Xu Wenzheng wouldn't have chosen her and promoted her to head of the intelligence department of the major station.
But concern can lead to confusion.
When Zhang Anping was involved, she lost her composure—but even in this state of confusion, she still needed to maintain the competence of a secretary and the shrewdness of her predecessor, the head of the intelligence department at the Chongqing station.
Her spy instincts still prevented her from completely believing Wang Tianfeng's words!
Was Wang Tianfeng testing Mao Renfeng or Zhang Anping?
At the same time, she was concerned about another matter:
What will Zhang Anping do after he gets involved? If this is a trap set by Wang Tianfeng, wouldn't Zhang Anping be in danger?
All sorts of worries made her anxious and suffocated, but she was also worried that Wang Tianfeng had secretly put her family under surveillance...
Only now did she dare to breathe deeply.
She pondered Wang Tianfeng's purpose repeatedly, but still couldn't be sure if he was targeting Zhang Anping. In the end, she decided to hand the problem over to Zhang Anping. After making this decision, a huge weight was lifted off Zheng Yi's shoulders.
This is... an opportunity to confront everything!
Thinking of this, her mood became extremely strange—if she took this opportunity to lay her cards on the table, would District Chief... choose to silence her?
As a special agent who had experienced the War of Resistance against Japan, she was not afraid of death.
She once had a firm belief—the country that nurtured her was behind her, and she was willing to protect it with her life.
But as she spent more time with Zhang Anping, she witnessed too much darkness within the Nationalist government. The defeat in the Liaoxi Campaign made her realize that the regime was collapsing faster than she had imagined.
Since the district commander has chosen that side, then... let's follow in his footsteps!
If the district commander chooses to silence them...
Zheng Yi suddenly laughed. She thought:
When my life is about to end, I will tell him:
I've always wanted to join them...
He'll probably never forget it, right?
With this almost "prank" in mind, Zheng Yi slept unusually soundly.
……
Zheng Yi slept very soundly, but the section chief didn't sleep very comfortably.
The wine was good, but it was also strong. After waking up from the hangover, I felt weak and didn't want to move.
After forcing himself to drink a glass of water, he remembered his drinking session with Zhang Anping the night before, and those memories from his drunken days began to surface.
The section chief was so embarrassed he was picking his toes. He really did dare to say anything!
Then he thought of Zhang Anping's words and had to admire Zhang Anping's ability to stick to his duty. Even though he was so drunk, and he was cursing and swearing all the time, Zhang Anping didn't say a word in agreement—he only cursed Mao Renfeng!
"This guy..."
The section chief smiled and shook his head, not noticing Zhang Anping's embarrassment at his loss of composure, but instead showing even greater appreciation for Zhang Anping.
Such a subordinate is truly a qualified, considerate, and completely trustworthy good subordinate!
However, he was more curious about what Mao Renfeng had done to make Zhang Anping lose his composure—he had fragments of memories from Zhang Anping's account in his mind, but he couldn't piece them together. The director thought for a long time and although he had figured out the general outline, he really wanted to know all the details.
He then summoned his adjutant and asked:
"What happened at the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics yesterday? Why was Anping so angry?"
The section chief knew that Zhang Anping had come to him for help.
Upon hearing this, the adjutant couldn't help but recall the scene of Zhang Anping, whose mouth was in a terrible state, still thinking about cursing Mao Renfeng. He suppressed the strange feeling in his heart and calmly recounted the process of his investigation last night.
He knew very well that the section chief would ask about the Bureau of Secrecy, so after seeing Zhang Anping off yesterday, he specifically asked someone to find out more.
After learning the details, the adjutant was quite angry.
Mao Renfeng is such a scoundrel, he really has absolutely no sense of the big picture!
As the adjutant recounted the story, the section chief's expression darkened.
As the saying goes, people are afraid of comparisons. Compared to Zhang Anping's behavior of refusing to replace generals and protecting the opponent's loyalists before the big battle, Mao Renfeng's accusations against Zhang Anping are simply outrageous!
How can a person be so shameless!
The adjutant knew the section chief very well; he could tell from the section chief's expression that the section chief was furious. He immediately said:
"According to my understanding, Mao Renfeng had already submitted a report to the GFB yesterday afternoon, accusing Director Zhang of interfering too deeply in the operation of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics in his capacity as a special envoy..."
"Bastard!"
The section chief angrily crawled out of bed, gritting his teeth as he said:
"Prepare the carriage! Take me to the valet's quarters!"
The section chief had decided to keep a low profile and remain quiet for a few years, but he had to get involved in this matter—the intelligence system was especially important, and a close comrade-in-arms was a hundred thousand times more reliable than that selfish bastard Mao Renfeng!
He had to take advantage of the moment when the chief attendant felt guilty towards him to promote Zhang Anping to the position of official!
And by the way, kick that eyesore Mao Renfeng away.
……
The section chief had a good plan, but unfortunately, he didn't have a deep understanding of the current situation.
"You, you..." Faced with the section chief's accusation against Mao Renfeng, the chief attendant was at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"Don't think I'm too old and blind to see anything—do you think I don't know about the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics?"
"GFB, do they dare to make that decision?"
He was referring to the fact that the GFB had leaked Mao Renfeng's complaint to the General Staff Office—the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics was indeed under the GFB, but anyone who really wanted to interfere should be prepared to have their claws cut off!
The section chief retorted with dissatisfaction, "Do you really think Mao Renfeng is right?"
"Damn it! He's talking nonsense!" the head servant said angrily.
"He has absolutely no sense of the bigger picture. If everyone were like him, then the Party and the country... the country would cease to exist!"
After his angry outburst, the head attendant sighed and said:
"If all the important officials of the Party and the State were like little kids, I would be much more at ease. Hey, they all keep talking about the Party and the State, but in their hearts, they are all scheming!"
Upon hearing the approval of Zhang Anping, the section chief became even more dissatisfied: "Since you think he's good, why have you been suppressing him all this time?"
"With the Liaoxi Campaign now unsuccessful and the situation in Xuzhou, Bengbu, and Pingjin turmoil brewing, it's time for the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics to replace its commander!"
"You shouldn't always make assumptions—changing generals, changing generals, you make it sound so easy!"
The chief attendant said with dissatisfaction, "But do you know the disadvantages of changing generals on the eve of battle?"
"Never change generals unless absolutely necessary—even the little guy knows this principle, how come you don't understand?"
It was obvious that the chief attendant also knew about Zhang Anping's efforts to protect Ming Lou, the director of the Northeast Inspectorate—he clearly agreed with it.
"This time Mao Renfeng was wrong. Let the little guy go back to the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. We'll deal with Mao Renfeng's matter after the war is over. We can't afford to make a mess of things now!"
"The little guy is starting to know his place, that's good! You tell him to do his job well, I'm watching!"
"Okay, go to the Security Bureau for me and give the little guy and Mao Renfeng a good scolding. That's the end of this matter. The most urgent thing right now is the war in Xuzhou, Bengbu, and Pingjin. Everything else can wait. Do you understand?"
The section chief replied listlessly, sighing inwardly:
Is Anping simply incompatible with the position of Director of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics?
I've even tried to use the old man's guilt as leverage, but it still... can't make him my official wife! (End of Chapter)