Chapter 995
Zhang Anping: Putting the Party and the Nation First!
Although Zhang Anping's reputation ultimately suffered, he was known for his methodical approach and relatively high moral character, which earned him a certain level of respect among senior Kuomintang officers. Of course, this was largely due to the fact that the bigwigs treated him as a junior, and Zhang Anping had no intention of changing his "junior" status, so he rarely provoked them without cause, thus avoiding any direct conflict of interest.
But Mao Renfeng was different.
Mao Renfeng was the director of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. His position dictated that he had to be assertive. Even though he was often bullied by Zhang Anping within the Bureau, he had to be assertive outside. Moreover, he did his fair share of reporting on others—but this was Mao Renfeng's way of surviving. After all, his position with the chief of staff was not as high as Zhang Anping's, and he always felt the pressure of being replaced. He had to use various means to win over the chief of staff's favor.
Reporting on others is a necessary way to gain favor.
There are gains and losses in everything, and doing this will naturally provoke the displeasure of the big shots.
In addition, the current Bureau of Investigation and Statistics is really weak compared to the Military Intelligence Bureau during its heyday, and the internal struggles within the Bureau are fierce. The bigwigs naturally shifted the blame to Mao Renfeng. In fact, whoever is the director now would have to take the blame, since the director of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics is not a nominal position.
In addition, he forced the Special Forces to rebel not long after he arrived in Xuzhou, so Commander Du couldn't stand Mao Renfeng no matter what.
But whether you beat a dog or not ultimately depends on its owner!
Despite his dislike for Mao Renfeng, Commander Du could at most use the pretext of the special forces' "defection" to give him a warning or an angry scolding. Of course, he could not possibly deal with Mao Renfeng.
It's infuriating that it never came out!
And now, someone has stood up for him!
Watching Zhang Anping riding Mao Renfeng and beating him up, Commander Du thought to himself three times that he deserved it.
Although he appreciated the scene, as the head of the suppression headquarters, Commander Du had to step forward to stop it—deliberately slowing down was naturally the greatest support for Zhang Anping.
"enough!"
Upon arriving at the crime scene, Commander Du, his face dark with anger, shouted, "Stop right there!"
Zhang Anping was still immersed in the fact that he had beaten Mao Renfeng and turned a deaf ear to the voices from the outside world. But Commander Du was not Mao Renfeng. The words he spoke at the General Headquarters of the Suppression Headquarters carried the will of the entire General Headquarters.
And so, the following scene unfolded:
The headquarters' guards entered the area, and the sound of gun bolts being pulled back echoed throughout.
Elsewhere, the name "Commander Zhang" carries considerable authority, but here at the General Headquarters of the Suppression Headquarters, it holds no power whatsoever—if Commander Du were to order the guards to fire, they would not hesitate for a moment.
Faced with the dark muzzle of a gun, Zhang Anping had no reaction, but his guards panicked and rushed forward to block the gun muzzle with their bodies. They then secretly pulled Zhang Anping to remind him of the situation.
Only then did Zhang Anping come to his senses. He glanced at Mao Renfeng, whose head he had beaten into a pig's head, and still spat at him, not satisfied with his anger.
This action made his resentment obvious.
Only then did he notice Commander Du. He forcibly suppressed his anger, pushed aside the guards blocking his way, and bowed as he approached Commander Du.
"Commander Du, I beg your forgiveness."
Commander Du shouted angrily:
"Zhang Anping, have you gone mad? How could you publicly assault a high-ranking official of the Party and the State!"
At this moment, Mao Renfeng intended to struggle to get up and report to Commander Du, but after hearing this, he gave up the "struggle" and simply lay down.
He was furious—he'd seen people take sides before, but never one like this!
I've seen big problems minimized, but I've never seen one minimized like this!
'They actually assaulted a high-ranking official of the Party and the State in public?'
That's absolutely outrageous!
Zhang Anping not only assaulted a high-ranking official of the Party and the State, but also his direct superior—this was clearly an assault on a superior, a disregard for the law, reckless behavior, and a malicious intent!
In Commander Du's words, it was simply "publicly assaulting a high-ranking official of the Party and the State"!
This is outrageous! It's so unfair!
He simply lay back down, thinking to himself, "In this vast party-state, is there not even a place where we can reason with people?"
Zhang Anping did not offer any explanation, but lowered his head and said:
"The department was filled with righteous indignation and acted excessively. We earnestly request that Commander Du punish them."
“You’re not one of my generals, I have no right to deal with you—” Commander Du said:
“I will have someone detain you, and after this matter is reported to the Attendant’s Office, we’ll see how they handle it—what do you think?”
Mao Renfeng, who was lying dead, almost came back to life, and you even consulted him?
You actually asked for his opinion?!
"Commander Du, we have no objection to how to punish the troops, but we ask that you give us time—we wish to go to Pantang to see if we can salvage the situation or annihilate Zheng's entire force!"
Zhang Anping's expression turned ferocious, clearly showing that he had exerted a great deal of effort to suppress his negative emotions.
"After this trip, the department is willing to accept any punishment."
After giving Zhang Anping, who was barely containing his rage, a deep look, Commander Du slowly nodded: "Alright, it's a deal—someone, take Director Mao to the hospital first and get some specialists..."
Before he could finish speaking, a panicked agent rushed through the crowd, interrupting Commander Du and prompting Commander Du to glare at the man with murderous intent.
The junior agent was terrified by that look—or more likely, by the scene itself. He couldn't believe that the person he was supposed to report to was lying on the ground, barely breathing, with little to no energy. The junior agent even suspected that he had been beaten to death.
Then, looking at the person in the information I was supposed to report, I realized that their hands and body were covered in blood. Even a fool would know what had happened!
His mind was completely blank; he stood there like a wooden statue.
Zhang Anping guessed what the man was going to report. While secretly pleased, he pretended to be obliged to Commander Du and wanted to protect him. He then angrily said, "What's wrong with you?!"
The young spy's body went limp, almost kneeling down, and then he said in a panic:
"Director Zhang made an emergency flight from Beiping to Xuzhou, and a bomb was discovered on the plane. Gu Shenyan from the Beiping Security Station is suspected of being involved..."
Only when he realized that the person in question was right in front of him did he realize that his body had gone limp and he collapsed to the ground.
But his words were like dropping another bomb on a lake that had just calmed down.
Mao Renfeng, who was lying dead, couldn't help but widen her eyes. What? Gu Shenyan, Zhang Anping's right-hand man, almost killed Zhang Anping?
Damn it—Gu Shenyan, can't you just give me a little more effort?
Tan Zhongshu, who had been keeping a low profile, also widened his eyes. Gu Shenyan, that shrewd and cunning Gu Shenyan, actually... actually almost murdered Zhang Anping?
No wonder Zhang Anping beat Mao Renfeng like a madman; he had so many, so deep, and so complicated grievances.
Commander Du was also taken aback. He had previously thought that Zhang Anping was too naive—just as the chief attendant had said: young people are too impetuous.
But now it seems that this person... really is determined!
Most people would cancel their trip in this situation, but this guy resolutely embarked on it, and his only outlet for his anger was to beat up Mao Renfeng. Compared to his near-following in Dai Chunfeng's footsteps, this action, though slightly out of line, was ultimately quite reasonable!
Undoubtedly, Commander Du intended to report this matter to the adjutant's office as well, and try his best to exonerate Zhang Anping—just because this man dared to take a plane to Xuzhou after the assassination attempt failed, and just because he was full of the interests of the party and the country, it was worth it for him to exonerate Zhang Anping!
Commander Du took another deep look at Zhang Anping and said:
"Why aren't you going yet? The matter of special weapons is a disgrace to your Bureau of Investigation and Statistics! If you can't make amends, how will your Bureau of Investigation and Statistics face the world in the afterlife?!"
Commander Du deliberately used the phrase "your secret service" as a hint, implying to Zhang Anping that he was there to salvage the situation and clean up the mess, and that he should be quick-witted!
Zhang Anping was also a shrewd man, and naturally understood what Commander Du meant. He chuckled to himself, thinking, "Old Mao, you really are... like a rat crawling into a bellows!"
He said slowly but firmly, "The department will do its utmost to make amends!"
After saying that, he turned around and got into the car. Before getting in, he gave the corpse-lying Mao Renfeng a murderous look.
At this moment, Commander Du's voice came from behind:
"What are you all standing there for? Quickly take Director Mao to the hospital to have a specialist examine him!"
Mao Renfeng: I thank you for eight generations of your ancestors!
……
74th Army.
The headquarters of the 74th Army is preparing for battle but is not yet ready to deploy.
"Commander, the reconnaissance team has reported that they have discovered traces of the Communist army. Your judgment was absolutely accurate. The Communist army has laid a large net outside Pantang, just waiting for us to take the bait!"
Upon hearing this, Commander Qiu couldn't help but murmur:
"I knew it, I knew it..."
He thought to himself, "That was close. Luckily, I learned from my mistakes and didn't foolishly rush in just because the situation was in my favor. Otherwise, the 74th Army would have become history again..."
"Report our discovery to the General Headquarters—wait, say that we have discovered traces of a large Communist army force, which is suspected to be lying in ambush outside Pantang, waiting for our troops to take the bait!"
"In addition, send a telegram to Xu Baichuan, telling him that the Communist army is currently around his unit and instructing him to retreat to Pantang immediately—tell him not to act rashly."
In fact, Commander Qiu looked down on people like Xu Baichuan. He was a genuine graduate of the fourth class of the Whampoa Military Academy, unlike Xu Baichuan, who came from a secret service background.
However, his former superior was being "honored" by our army because of the tractor incident. At this point, he really had no right to be arrogant or domineering. In addition, his actions had, to a certain extent, "tricked" Xu Baichuan. So, it was natural to advise him kindly.
With his men having left, Commander Qiu's gaze fell on the map as he pondered how to respond to the offensive—the Communist army's elaborate trap hadn't caught him, and they would likely launch a fierce attack, hoping to break through the situation at Pantang. He couldn't let them have their way!
Just then, a staff officer rushed into the command post:
"Commander, a group of people have arrived outside. They claim to be Zhang Anping, the deputy director of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics!"
It was him! Commander Qiu was taken aback. He had crossed paths with Zhang Anping before. When the 74th Division was being rebuilt, Zhang Anping was procuring equipment from the Americans. Following the rules, he specially prepared a box of large and small yellow croakers, intending to ask Zhang Anping to help the now-rebuilt 74th Division procure some high-end American equipment for the sake of the "Imperial Guard".
Zhang Anping did the job without taking any money, and solemnly handed over the valuable small yellow croaker to Commander Qiu, informing him:
Brother Qiu, please take this money back. This... can be exchanged for two American-made tanks!
Commander Qiu was moved to tears, thinking to himself that Zhang Anping, the last loyal minister of the Party and the State... truly lived up to his reputation!
"Isn't he in Beiping?"
Special Forces was forced to rebel by Mao Renfeng. Commander Qiu had naturally inquired about Zhang Anping and learned that he was in Beiping. He felt deeply sorry for Zhang Anping and commented that Mao Renfeng was a heartless traitor who sold his father's land.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Anping arrived right away!
Thinking of this, he was about to go out to greet them, but he paused at the door, turned around, and called out:
"Don't send a telegram to the General Headquarters yet!"
He came up with a good idea to curry favor with people.
Outside the military headquarters, Zhang Anping waited for his report with a gloomy face—in fact, he was analyzing Qiu Weida in his mind.
How can we persuade this person to give Lao Zheng a chance?
Just as he was pondering this, Qiu Weida led his men out to greet him quickly.
"Brother Anping—"
He addressed him with great affection. When the 74th Division was being rebuilt, Zhang Anping had provided him with considerable help, and it was the kind of help that was selfless and without expecting anything in return.
This call almost made Zhang Anping blush. He knew why Lao Qiu valued him so much—but he knew his own situation best. He had nominally refused Lao Qiu's gifts, but in reality, the American equipment that the 74th Division (now the 74th Army) had acquired had made them a fortune in global trade…
The American aid he obtained consisted of supplies not listed in the official catalog; the US military simply disposed of them as scrap to global trade...
Only when Commander Qiu approached did he notice that Zhang Anping was covered in blood, with dried brown bloodstains on his fists.
"Huh? Brother Anping, what's this?!"
Zhang Anping forced a smile: "Family scandals, brother, please don't ask about them."
Commander Qiu's eyes widened: "Could it be Mao Renfeng's?"
Zhang Anping remained silent, offering his reply in silence.
Commander Qiu gasped, unsure how to respond to Zhang Anping. But considering that the special forces had been forced into rebellion by Mao Renfeng, he felt that Zhang Anping's actions, driven by loyalty, were perfectly reasonable.
“Brother Anping, I’m not going to play games with you—come on, let’s talk.”
Commander Qiu walked side by side with Zhang Anping, signaling the others to keep their distance. On the way to the command post, he explained the current situation:
“I know you’ve come for Zheng Ni—you won’t be satisfied until this villain is eliminated, but you may not know the current situation.”
"The Communist army, the Communist army has laid a trap ahead, waiting for Qiu to take the bait. If Qiu walks headlong into it, he may follow in the footsteps of his division commander!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Anping almost broke out in a cold sweat, thinking to himself, "Oh no, I've ruined my army's plan."
No, I remember that our army didn't wipe out the 74th Army in the first phase of the Huaihai Campaign!
At this point, Commander Qiu, fearing that Zhang Anping might not understand, specially explained again:
"The General Headquarters discovered Pantang's weakness yesterday and intended to send my troops to infiltrate and attack Nianzhuangwei to cooperate with the Eastern Reinforcements Corps in rescuing the trapped Huang Corps."
"But the Communist army has Mi Gu! This man is a brilliant strategist. Back then at Menglianggu, he managed to snatch the division commander's teeth from the tiger's mouth and make him suffer a bitter defeat. So I've always been worried that the Communist army has already figured out this weakness and is just waiting for us to take the bait."
"Te Wu's rebellion was unexpected, but it put them on the defensive. Commander Xu is now launching a fierce attack. The Communist army must have inadvertently revealed a weakness in order to lure me into a trap—my scouts have already discovered several traces of the Communist army."
“Brother Anping, I know you want to annihilate the traitor Zheng to uphold military law and morale, but given the current situation, we can’t afford to take any risks!”
Commander Qiu spoke from the bottom of his heart; he would never have said such a thing if it weren't for Zhang Anping.
Faced with Commander Qiu's words, Zhang Anping felt at ease. This man had learned from the experience and lessons of the 74th Division at Menglianggu and was extremely steady in leading his troops. Even if our army had anticipated this and set up an ambush, it was unlikely that they would take the bait—it seemed that he would not make a mistake.
Thinking of this, he looked directly at Commander Qiu:
"Brother Qiu, is everything you're saying true? Or... are you afraid to go forward because you're scared of the enemy?"
Commander Qiu angrily said, "Brother Anping, I've fought half my life. I never backed down when fighting the Japanese. Now, carrying the blood feud of the 74th Division, do you think I'd back down?"
Zhang Anping refused to back down: "I need evidence!"
"The evidence is there—my scouts took photos of the Communist army, and they'll be sent over later!"
Zhang Anping instantly became listless.
His lack of stubbornness and unrepentant attitude perfectly fits his image as a loyal subject of the Party and the country.
Upon seeing this, Commander Qiu patted Zhang Anping on the shoulder, indicating that he sympathized with him.
After silently entering the military headquarters, Zhang Anping suddenly said, "Brother, the two traffic police detachments are still outside Pantang. We must bring them back!"
"Don't worry, I'll send someone to meet you right away—brother, I suggest you make a trip to the General Headquarters and bring back the intelligence from Pantang." He said meaningfully.
"Commander Du most admires people who prioritize national affairs and the Party and the country."
Zhang Anping instantly understood Commander Qiu's good intentions, but still said listlessly:
"Thanks, brother, hey..."
With a sigh of reluctance, Commander Qiu could only pat Zhang Anping on the shoulder again to express his understanding.
……
Zhang Anping returned to the General Headquarters with a stack of photos.
They also brought back news that Xu Baichuan's two brigades had safely withdrawn to Pantang under the cover of the 74th Army.
Faced with the evidence in the photos, Commander Du shook his head helplessly. He had been worried that the Communist army had already discovered the Pantang node since he ordered the 74th Army to make its way through. However, he was concerned that Commander Qiu was a steady and reliable commander. Given the slow progress of the Eastern Reinforcements Corps, Pantang was very likely to become a breakthrough point.
In other words, in his view, even if there were ambushes outside Pantang, Qiu's steady command of the troops would minimize losses.
As it turned out, his judgment was correct—Commander Qiu was indeed steady and did not fall into the trap that had been prepared.
However, this also means that there is no way to break through the Eastern Expeditionary Force in the short term!
With a sigh, Commander Du put the photos away and looked at the listless Zhang Anping. He said slowly:
“You did a good job, you didn’t force the 74th Army into a trap like some others did.”
In Commander Du's view, many, many people in the Party and the State never cared about the interests of the Party and the State. If Zhang Anping were replaced by Mao Renfeng now, given Mao's personality, he would definitely force the 74th Army to cross Pantang.
The interests of the Party and the state are not important; what is important is not to take risks.
And what about Zhang Anping?
They would rather let the special forces continue to embarrass themselves than coerce Commander Qiu, who had no backing, into sending himself to his death.
That was done very well.
Zhang Anping lowered his head, seemingly ashamed to face Commander Du.
But inwardly he was overjoyed. "Old Zheng, we've got it figured out!" He had thought it over and over on the way here and felt that Commander Qiu was overthinking things. He thought that our army probably hadn't laid a trap outside Pantang, otherwise they wouldn't have let Tewu revolt at this time.
Commander Qiu's misjudgment completely resolved the final crisis for the special forces.
This armed force, which I specially created for future anti-bandit operations in China, will soon be able to put its skills to good use!
Will Old Zheng become the number one bandit suppresser in the future?
Seeing that Zhang Anping was still listless, Commander Du shook his head, knowing that he was still preoccupied with the matter of special weapons, and then said:
"Don't worry about this—it's not your fault."
"Here, this is a telegram from the executive office. Take a look for yourself!"
Zhang Anping was stunned. From the time he brutally beat Mao Renfeng until now, at most three hours had passed, and he'd already received a reply? (End of Chapter)