Chapter 144: Everyone Has Their Own Plans

The moment the Director spoke, the few men fell silent and stopped arguing. Gu Zhengqi had merely been trying his luck—take whatever he could get, and let go if he could not bite off more. Seeing Zhao Ziliang’s unyielding attitude, he decided to drop the matter.

“The interrogation of Meng Lesheng will be handled by the Operations Section. This case must be followed through from beginning to end, and I will not favor either department. Xiang Yan, you will continue to oversee the work. Whether you can obtain anything will depend on you,” the Director said.

This time, he did not speak on behalf of the Intelligence Section. The Operations Section had indeed handled the operation beautifully, greatly strengthening his confidence in its abilities. As for the Intelligence Section, he already had other arrangements in mind. He would not neglect his own loyal subordinates; he simply could not make his favoritism as obvious as he had the last time.

“Director, how do you intend to deal with Tian Liqun and Su Yu?” Xiang Yan asked.

“What do you think?” Rather than answer directly, the Director turned the question back on him.

“My view is that these two men have outlived their usefulness. We have already found their superiors, so there is no point in keeping them. Tian Liqun in particular has excellent counter-surveillance skills. I am worried that something may go wrong during the surveillance and alert him. The longer we wait, the easier it will be for him to disappear. We should make our move now, before complications arise,” Xiang Yan replied after careful consideration.

“Zhiheng, what is your opinion?” the Director asked, turning to Ning Zhiheng.

In the Director’s eyes, Ning Zhiheng was an exceptionally perceptive investigator with remarkable judgment. His reasoning and analytical abilities had repeatedly left a deep impression on everyone present. That was why the Director had deliberately asked this junior officer for his view.

“I agree with Section Chief Xiang. Besides, we still know very little about this new espionage organization. If we can learn more about it from their statements and obtain additional intelligence, we will have a stronger position and greater confidence when interrogating Meng Lesheng,” Ning Zhiheng said.

At this stage, he believed it was best to secure the gains already within reach and place the credit firmly in his own hands. That would benefit both him and the Operations Section.

“Very well. We will proceed according to your recommendations. Arrest Tian Liqun and Su Yu at once. Su Yu in particular—the young heirs of those senior officials in the Foreign Affairs Ministry have always looked down on everyone else. We must make good use of this opportunity. People like them need to learn the meaning of fear and respect. We will make an example of one to warn the rest.” A chill entered the Director’s voice.

He had long been watching certain high-ranking figures in the military government. He had held back only because he feared the consequences and did not dare act rashly. Now that he had seized hold of their weakness, he could strike the mountain to frighten the tiger—showing them precisely what the Military Intelligence Investigation Bureau was capable of.

Once every matter had been discussed, the meeting ended, and Zhao Ziliang and the other two men left the Director’s office.

At the Director’s indication, Gu Zhengqi and Bian Ze remained behind.

“Director, our Intelligence Section has contributed to this operation as well. Besides, the follow-up work is precisely our specialty. I still think it would be better to have our professional intelligence officers handle it,” Gu Zhengqi said, feeling that he could make one last attempt. Watching a table laden with delicacies while someone else feasted was hardly pleasant.

The Director smiled and waved his hand. “You will not interfere in this case. To be honest, I never expected the Operations Section to bring matters this far. In only six days, they uncovered the head of an espionage organization, its radio station, and, most importantly, its codebook. This is the second codebook they have seized. That alone proves their abilities are no weaker than those of the professionals you trained so rigorously. In fact, if I am being blunt, they have performed far better than you. You know that yourself, don’t you?”

The Director’s words left even the thick-skinned Gu Zhengqi embarrassed. Bian Ze remained completely silent.

Whatever else might be said, the hard results spoke for themselves. The Operations Section’s achievements over the past several months had been dazzling. In all these years, the Intelligence Section had never systematically uncovered spies as valuable as the members of the Shadow Group, let alone seized two codebooks. And now the Operations Section had brought another major case to light.

That was why Zhao Ziliang now had enough confidence to force Gu Zhengqi to keep his distance.

“Actually, before Ning Zhiheng joined them, the Operations Section’s record was mediocre at best. They were useful only for running errands. It was after he arrived that they began earning one success after another. Director, I request that the Intelligence Section be given priority when selecting this year’s graduates from the Whampoa Military Academy. A talent like that would be wasted in the Operations Section,” Gu Zhengqi said.

He had never truly given up on Ning Zhiheng. He still wanted to lure him into the Intelligence Section, but he had ultimately abandoned the idea out of consideration for Ning Zhiheng’s ties to Deputy Director Huang and the Baoding clique.

The Director naturally understood what his old subordinate was thinking. He did not want to entangle himself with Gu Zhengqi over the matter. Instead, he picked up a document envelope from the desk and tossed it in front of him.

“What is this?” Gu Zhengqi asked in surprise. He reached for the envelope, but still looked to the Director for permission.

Some documents could not be accessed even by a man of his rank. Only after the Director nodded did he open the envelope and begin reading.

As he turned the pages, his expression grew increasingly grave.

When he finished, he could not help asking, “Director, can the authenticity of this document be guaranteed? This concerns a serving major general, and not merely any officer, but the military commander of a frontline division. How could he possibly have been recruited by the Japanese? Could this be a Japanese counterintelligence ploy? We must proceed with caution.”

The Director rose and slowly walked to the window. Gazing intently outside, he said in an unhurried voice, “Zhao Ziliang personally took this from the safe of the Japanese spy chief yesterday. The man had kept it with him the entire time.

“Tell me, how could the Japanese have known in advance that we would suddenly arrest them and discover their hideout? How could they have deliberately placed such an important document in the safe, waiting for us to take the bait?”

Only then did Gu Zhengqi become certain that the document had come from a reliable source. Indeed, no one could foresee the future and plant such bait in advance.

“Then what do you intend to do?” Gu Zhengqi asked at once.

He immediately understood the Director’s meaning. The Director intended to hand this major case over to the Intelligence Section. If they managed to solve it, the credit would be no less than that for the espionage case itself.

The Director was, after all, a man who valued old ties. Otherwise, given the source of the intelligence, he would never have handed the case to Gu Zhengqi so readily.

“You still do not understand? I will report such important intelligence to the Principal immediately. You must seize this opportunity. This case reaches the highest levels. Make sure you handle it beautifully.

“And remember, Zhao Ziliang knows about this intelligence. I am practically cutting flesh from his body and feeding it to you. Even if the two sections ultimately cooperate to solve the case, I will have done everything I can for you. You and Zhao Ziliang have both been with me for years. You fought side by side as comrades. From now on, show a little more magnanimity. Do not turn into a pair of porcupines every time you meet and make everyone uncomfortable.”

Gu Zhengqi was in excellent spirits now. He laughed heartily. “Old Zhao and I have only ever been quarreling over pride. Besides, he is always the one looking for trouble with me. I have the tolerance of a statesman and have never stooped to his level.”

That was true enough. Although Gu Zhengqi and Zhao Ziliang were constantly competing with each other, they had never sabotaged one another in their actual work. Nor would the Director ever allow them to behave recklessly.

“Enough. Concentrate on getting to the bottom of this at once. You must be quick. The Principal will certainly inquire into a matter of this importance personally. Do not drag it out and leave everyone unable to answer for the delay,” the Director instructed.

“Yes! I will begin investigating immediately. I will not disappoint you!” Gu Zhengqi replied, standing at attention and answering loudly.

Meanwhile, Zhao Ziliang and the other two men left the Director’s office and returned to the Operations Section. Zhao Ziliang had urgent work to attend to, so he departed first.

Xiang Yan smiled at Ning Zhiheng. “Zhiheng, come sit in my office for a while. We can discuss the case.”

Ning Zhiheng naturally did not dare delay and readily agreed. Once they entered Xiang Yan’s office, Xiang Yan gestured for him to sit.

“Zhiheng, the case is clear now. Everyone knows how much you contributed this time. I have heard that you will not only be promoted to major, but that when the two new operations groups are established, you will become the military commander of one of them,” Xiang Yan said with a solemn expression.

“It is all thanks to your guidance, Section Chief,” Ning Zhiheng replied hurriedly. He knew perfectly well that he had used his connections, but there were still things that had to be said.

Xiang Yan burst out laughing and waved his hand. “Zhiheng, you do not need to flatter me. You know your own background better than anyone. The Baoding clique is deeply rooted, and your influence within the military certainly does not depend on my protection. Deputy Director Huang must have arranged everything for you long ago, has he not?”

He paused, then smiled faintly. “Zhiheng, if you become the commander of one of the newly expanded groups, you will certainly need men under you. I can promise you this: you may take along anyone from your current team whom you are accustomed to using. As for their positions, we will give priority to your recommendations. What do you think?”

Ning Zhiheng’s eyes lit up.

Xiang Yan was offering him an enormous favor. Ning Zhiheng had been with the Military Intelligence Investigation Bureau for less than a year, and he could count the truly dependable men under him on one hand.

If he really became commander of an operations group, he would have at least three action teams under him—twelve officers and a hundred and twenty elite soldiers selected from across the military. That would be a formidable armed force.

To gain complete control of such a force, he would need men of his own. Without them, matters would become extremely troublesome. Naturally, with Ning Zhiheng’s methods and ruthlessness, he could straighten everything out sooner or later, but doing so would consume both time and effort.

It would be an entirely different matter if he could bring several trusted men with him. He would be able to take control of the force quickly and avoid countless complications. Any senior official needed reliable people of his own beneath him. Otherwise, every task would be obstructed from all sides, and nothing could be more troublesome.