The section chief took the file bag, turned around and went into his office. He quickly sat down at his desk, took out the top-secret telegram from the file bag, and began to read it carefully.

A moment later, the chief suddenly stood up, a cold glint in his eyes. The top-secret telegram in his hand made him shudder; the Japanese had actually attacked Guangzhou.

Guangzhou is now a major transportation artery for China's foreign trade and a lifeline for the Wuhan government and military. No mistakes can be tolerated here.

In the Chief's mind, the Military Intelligence Investigation Department was responsible for many things, including gathering intelligence on the enemy, investigating spies, and supervising the army. If anyone in the army was turned, it would be a dereliction of duty on the part of the Military Intelligence Investigation Department. But now the Japanese had already made contact with Major General Li Jiangguan, the division commander, and Ning Zhiheng, who was far away in Shanghai, had even relayed the intelligence back. Yet the Chief's own military intelligence station in Guangzhou was still completely unaware. This performance infuriated the Chief, who couldn't help but curse, "These useless idiots!"

He immediately picked up the phone, connected to Gu Zhengqi's office, and said coldly after a moment, "You and Xiang Nan, come here to me now!"

Hearing the chilling tone in the director's voice, Gu Zhengqi on the other end of the phone felt uneasy. He wondered what had gone wrong this time, so he quickly called his deputy Bian Ze and they hurried to the director's office.

"Chief, what are your instructions?" Gu Zhengqi asked, bowing.

The section chief looked at the two intelligence chiefs in front of him with an extremely serious expression. He asked Gu Zhengqi in a cold voice, "You recommended Fang Mulin, the station chief of Guangzhou Station, didn't you?"

Hearing the director's unfriendly tone, Gu Zhengqi's heart skipped a beat. Fang Mulin was one of his confidants. He had recommended Fang Mulin two years ago to serve as the head of the Guangzhou Station's military intelligence station. Fang Mulin had always been diligent and capable. Although he had not made any great achievements since taking office, he had not caused any problems either. It seemed that something had gone wrong when the director questioned him today.

Thinking of this, he quickly replied, "Yes, Fang Mulin was previously the head of my intelligence group. He went to Guangzhou at the end of 1936 to serve as the station chief. He was very meticulous in his work..."

"Careful? If he's so careful, how could he let Japanese spies infiltrate his own ranks and still be completely unaware? I think he's asleep?"

After saying that, the section chief picked up the telegram on the table and handed it to Gu Zhengqi.

Gu Zhengqi quickly stepped forward to take the telegram, carefully examined it, and soon his expression changed drastically upon reading its contents.

"Major General Li Jiangguan has been turned by the Japanese and they've already started negotiating prices. Such a big thing, even the British moles have discovered it, but our local intelligence department is deaf and blind, completely oblivious. It's utterly incompetent!" the chief continued sternly.

Gu Zhengqi dared not say a word while sitting beside him, and listened to the instructions of the section chief with his head down. He secretly groaned in his heart. He knew from the signature of the telegram that this was another intelligence that Ning Zhiheng had obtained from the intelligence network in Shanghai. This kid, he was far away in Shanghai but he was able to extend his reach to Guangzhou!

Now everyone knows that Ning Zhiheng has firmly established himself in Shanghai, this treasure trove of territory, in just six months. His performance thereafter has been outstanding, especially in intelligence gathering, where he has completely outclassed other branches, making full use of Shanghai's advantages as China's intelligence center.

The sheer volume and breadth of intelligence he collected, covering all aspects of life, including a recent report on crucial intelligence concerning Northeast China, surprised everyone and constantly challenged his intelligence capabilities.

It can be said that Ning Zhiheng is now rapidly developing his intelligence network! Like a diligent spider, he is weaving a huge spider web, doing his best to extend his spider silk and antennae in all directions.

"Chief, everyone acknowledges Zhiheng's abilities. Fang Mulin is naturally no match for him. Now that we've discovered the Japanese spy, shouldn't we immediately order Fang Mulin to take action?"

Gu Zhengqi knew that Fang Mulin was likely to suffer this time, so he quickly tried to change the subject and say a few words in Fang Mulin's defense.

The comrade waved his hand and said, “This matter is of great importance. The gain or loss of Guangzhou is a matter of life and death for the Party and the country. It is no small matter. Right now, the local army is stationed there. The Central Government does not have a reliable army there. In particular, I do not trust Fang Mulin’s ability. If we fail, it will provoke Li Jiangguan to do something desperate. With the manpower of the intelligence station, we won’t even be enough to fill his teeth!”

"Your Excellency's insight is excellent. Guangzhou has never been within the sphere of influence of our Central Army, so our intelligence network there has never been strong, and our control over the region has always been weak..."

"Alright! Now is the time when we need manpower, so I won't deal with Fang Mulin casually. However, this matter should be noted down. If there are any more mistakes this time, we'll settle accounts together!" The director impatiently interrupted Gu Zhengqi's explanation.

If Gu Zhengqi hadn't been a trusted subordinate of the Director for many years, and the Director hadn't been so unwilling to embarrass him, the Director would have already given him a severe reprimand.

Currently, at the Military Intelligence Investigation Bureau, the work of the Intelligence Section has not made much progress. Gu Zhengqi had done a good job in the Republic of China government, placing informants in various government departments, but his external intelligence capabilities have been unsatisfactory, especially since the full-scale war between China and Japan has lasted for so long, with almost no outstanding performance. This has greatly disappointed the Director.

On the contrary, the Action Section performed exceptionally well. Most of the members of the Action Section were elites in the military. They made great strides during this special period of war. The headquarters and various branch station personnel threw themselves into the front line. Some joined the Loyal and Patriotic Army to lead troops and fight, taking up military power and returning to their old profession. Others went behind enemy lines to carry out sabotage, harassment, assassination and other attacks against the Japanese, showing their great skills!

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