Chapter 24: Managing the Team Affairs

“No matter how great the achievement, it’s still thanks to your excellent leadership, Senior Brother!” Ning Zhiheng jested with a smile.

The two exchanged a knowing glance, their mutual understanding wordless.

Wei Liangbi was genuinely pleased with his junior. His abilities were unquestionable—marksmanship, agility, and now, an exceptional talent for realistic sketching. He was both scholarly and valiant; it was no wonder their teacher had chosen him for the world of espionage, truly a discerning eye!

More importantly, their relationship was close, having studied under the same master. They got along well, and Ning Zhiheng had even gifted him a valuable Longines watch—not that Wei coveted such things, but it was a clear sign of Ning’s affection.

Every capable leader hopes for talented subordinates, confident in their ability to command. Wei Liangbi was just such a man.

Suddenly, he realized he’d overlooked something. “Zhiheng, are you confident about this operation?” he asked.

Ning Zhiheng considered for a moment. The only real difficulty lay in capturing Wang Yunfeng, but now that they had his sketch, the situation was much improved. He believed it was only a matter of time before Wang was caught.

After the arrest, everything else would be straightforward. With the Bodhi Tree as their last resort, even faced with the most stubborn adversary, they would make progress.

Besides, he didn’t believe all Japanese spies were fearless samurai. To disregard life and death required extraordinary resolve and devout faith—such people were rare indeed.

The odds were good; the only question was how much they would ultimately achieve.

“I can’t guarantee absolute certainty, but I’m at least eighty percent confident,” Ning replied, brimming with assurance.

Wei Liangbi listened thoughtfully, pacing the office a few times before making up his mind.

“In that case, I’ll have your action team end their leave. You’ll have full authority to mobilize personnel. As for Liang Deyou, I’ll find a way to transfer him out. Otherwise, with him around, you’ll be constrained, unable to work freely.”

Ning Zhiheng was taken aback. The idea of involving the action team in the operation was his own; after all, everyone should share the credit, not outsiders.

But he hadn’t expected Wei Liangbi to sideline Liang Deyou, the official team leader. Clearly, there was more to the story.

Wei noticed Ning’s surprise and said indifferently, “Don’t be fooled by Liang Deyou’s docility. He’s not so easy-going. When I first took over as team leader, he relied on his seniority and refused to cooperate.

But his scheming wasn’t enough, and he lacked connections. After a few setbacks, he settled down. I’m not petty; I always intended to win him over, but perhaps my methods were too harsh, leaving him wary. He keeps his distance.

Frankly, I’ve given him plenty of chances. Now, I don’t bother anymore.

So, from time to time, I remind him of his place. But this time, it’s a good opportunity. He mustn’t be involved. If he manages a comeback, future arrangements will be troublesome.

Besides, keeping him in the team means you’re just his deputy. If things succeed, the bulk of the credit goes to him. For your sake, he must be transferred.”

Ning Zhiheng finally understood. Clearly, the rift between Wei Liangbi and Liang Deyou was longstanding.

But for Ning, this was undoubtedly good news. Without Liang Deyou, as one of the deputy captains, appointed by Wei Liangbi, he had full authority to command the action team.

Most importantly, the majority of the credit would be his.

Shi Hong was Wei Liangbi’s man, and would never defy orders or compete. In the end, sharing some credit would suffice.

“Senior Brother, you’ve truly gone to great lengths for me. I will always remember this and never let you down!” Ning said gratefully.

Regardless of the reason, Wei Liangbi genuinely cared for him, and Ning was deeply appreciative.

Wei waved his hand, laughing. “No need for formalities between us. As for Liang Deyou, the intelligence bureau is expanding, recruiting a batch of students. Personnel are being transferred from various departments to train them. The action team has always been short-handed; I was going to decline, but now it’s the perfect chance. Let Liang Deyou serve as instructor for a while.”

Ning was puzzled. The intelligence bureau had always recruited only military cadets and soldiers. How could they be taking students now?

Historically, when the bureau’s influence surged, they broke this rule, recruiting from all backgrounds. Was it starting already?

“When did the intelligence bureau begin recruiting students?” Ning asked curiously.

“It’s a special case—all female students. Many tasks in the espionage system are better suited to women. Most will be assigned to telecommunications, and they’ll keep recruiting in the future,” Wei explained.

Ning nodded, no longer concerned.

This solved the Liang Deyou problem openly and aboveboard. No one could object.

It was a lesson: never offend your superior. Otherwise, you’d be sidelined without recourse.

Wei Liangbi acted promptly, picking up the phone to call the Third Action Team back from leave.

The intelligence bureau operated as a quasi-military unit; orders were absolute, and no one dared delay.

An hour later, the team assembled, with Liang Deyou and two others reporting to Wei.

Wei informed Liang Deyou of his temporary transfer as instructor for one month.

Liang Deyou didn’t find it odd; he’d heard of personnel being seconded for new recruit training. He hadn’t expected it to fall to him, but it wasn’t a bad thing, so he accepted the assignment.

With Liang Deyou gone, Wei delivered orders to the remaining three officers. “The Third Action Team resumes operations immediately. For now, Ning Zhiheng will take charge. Shi Hong and Wang Shucheng will assist—no slacking!”

Shi Hong and Wang Shucheng were both surprised. With Liang Deyou transferred, Shi Hong should have taken over. But Shi Hong didn’t dare question Wei’s decision, knowing his superior’s methods.

Wang Shucheng was more relaxed. As a fellow Baoding graduate and newcomer, Ning was easier to get along with than Liang Deyou. Besides, it was only a month; whoever led was of little consequence.

Wei continued, “Zhiheng has an important lead. He knows the situation, so he’ll organize the work.”

Turning to Ning, he added, “If anything requires my intervention, report promptly. Don’t force it, and above all, be careful—don’t be careless!”

Wei knew Ning was clever and capable, but still new to espionage, inevitably lacking experience. He planned to bring in seasoned investigators from other teams, but only if Ning made no progress.

Ning stood at attention. “Rest assured, Team Leader! We will do our utmost to complete the mission as quickly as possible.”

Wei nodded, motioned Shi Hong to follow, and left for his own office.

As Wei and Shi Hong departed, Wang Shucheng stepped forward and patted Ning’s arm warmly. “Impressive! Just arrived and already in charge. The leader really values you—looks like I’ll be working under you from now on.”

“Don’t flatter me. It’s just a temporary assignment for a month. If you like, I’ll let you do it,” Ning replied with a smile.

“No thanks. I’m no good with stressful jobs, I’ll just follow orders,” Wang said, unconcerned.

Soon Shi Hong entered, looking cheerful. Wei must have explained everything clearly.

Ning began outlining the situation. He re-explained the case analysis to the two and showed them the photos from the document folder.

Both listened seriously. So that’s how things stood—neither had realized how much Ning had accomplished in the past few days, and they couldn’t help but admire his diligence.

While they had spent their days relaxing, avoiding work worries, Ning had pressed on, earning the leader’s trust.

What’s worse than a smart colleague? A smart colleague who works even harder!

“The priority now is to find Wang Yunfeng. Hong, you take ten men to surveil No. 402 Beihua Street. If you spot the suspect, apprehend him on the spot—he must be taken alive,” Ning ordered.

Shi Hong nodded, not daring to delay.

It was unclear whether Wang Yunfeng had been alerted, so No. 402 required special attention. Wang was likely to return there; they had only one chance and could not miss it.

“I’ll go with Shucheng to each police precinct in Nanjing to review household registration files. We’ll compare the photos on the cards and identify any suspicious individuals as quickly as possible.”

In the twenty-first year of the Republic, 1931, the government issued China’s first Household Registration Law, requiring registration and census to track population distribution.

As the capital, Nanjing’s records were especially thorough.

At this time, they weren’t called ID cards, but household registration cards. The information was detailed—name, gender, age, address, birthplace, education, occupation, relationship to the head of household, and identification.

Photos were affixed, and distinguishing features described, such as left-handedness, limp, or pockmarked face.

For example, Chiang Kai-shek’s card number was 1-111111, and Soong Mei-ling’s was 1-111112.

Through careful screening, they could narrow the search. If Wang Yunfeng’s cover identity had official registration, finding him was just a matter of time.

With tasks and personnel assigned, and the photos distributed, everyone set out to work without delay.