Seeing Ning Zhiheng's surprised expression, Huang Xianzheng laughed heartily. He patted Ning Zhiheng on the shoulder and said, "The Chief and his men thought they were being discreet, but it was actually within my expectations. Bian Ze, the man beside him, is his most trusted confidant. As long as we keep a close eye on him, we won't be unaware of the Chief's movements."
Ning Zhiheng then realized that the Deputy Director Huang, who smiled like Maitreya Buddha, was not as simple as he had imagined in terms of skill and shrewdness. The actions that the Director and Bian Ze thought were hidden were all seen by Huang Xianzheng.
"Did you find out from Deputy Section Chief Bian?" Ning Zhiheng asked suspiciously. Bian Ze was the Chief's absolute confidant and a true veteran agent who had always been on the front lines of intelligence. He was experienced and not someone to be trifled with.
Huang Xianzheng said with a smile: "You can guess what this is. The Director is a man of great courage and drive. He will never be complacent. In recent times, the Military Intelligence Bureau has taken one action after another and achieved remarkable results. It has wiped out the Japanese spy organization in Nanjing."
His vision was certainly not limited to Nanjing. The Japanese intelligence bases on the Shanghai battlefield were nothing more than Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hangzhou. Nanjing had already been cleared out, and Shanghai, being a powerful intelligence base for the Japanese, was naturally not a place they dared to easily venture into. That left Hangzhou.
That area was also long-term Japanese-controlled, but its intelligence capabilities were relatively weak. The Chief of Staff would definitely be eyeing Hangzhou. Some time ago, he sent Bian Ze into Hangzhou to secretly investigate the area; I knew then that his target had shifted to Hangzhou.
Ning Zhiheng suddenly realized what was happening and blurted out, "You've planted a mole next to Bian Ze!"
"How can you call it planting a mole? That sounds awful!" Huang Xianzheng curled his lip and said awkwardly, "This is just a precautionary measure on my part. You know, the Director is too powerful. We in the Baoding faction still need to be wary. As the saying goes, you shouldn't have the heart to harm others, but you can't be without the heart to guard against others! Bian Ze is the Director's most trusted subordinate. His actions often represent the Director's will. By paying attention to his movements, we can get a sense of the Director's thoughts in advance. That's why I made some arrangements around him in advance. It's just a casual move, but it can be very useful at critical moments."
Ning Zhiheng couldn't help but admire him greatly. Huang Xianzheng was able to thrive in the Military Intelligence Investigation Department, which meant he had his own methods. It was likely that he had similar precautions not only around Bian Ze, but also around other people. In this Military Intelligence Investigation Department, there was really nothing that could be hidden from his eyes and ears.
But now that he's told me such a secret, it means he completely considers me a confidant. It seems that giving away so many antique treasures wasn't for nothing!
“Bian Ze conducted a thorough investigation into Kawamoto Kuraji in Hangzhou, and I knew he was definitely targeting him. Did he arrange for you to assassinate him when you went to Hangzhou to visit relatives?” Huang Xianzheng asked again.
"You are truly insightful; it really is the case," Ning Zhiheng nodded in agreement. Nothing could be hidden from this old agent.
"Was the operation successful?" Huang Xianzheng asked.
"Everything went smoothly and we even made some gains!" Ning Zhiheng said with a smile. He then told Huang Xianzheng about his actions in Hangzhou in great detail. Huang Xianzheng now regarded him as a true confidant, so he naturally didn't need to hide anything from him.
Hearing Ning Zhiheng's account, Huang Xianzheng remained silent for a long time. He never expected that Ning Zhiheng would not only personally infiltrate the Japanese consulate to assassinate Kawamoto Kuraji, but also not only succeed in doing so, but also bring back extremely important top-secret intelligence, almost wiping out the Japanese intelligence force in Hangzhou. Such a feat shocked him.
"Zhiheng, is what you said true?" Huang Xianzheng asked, somewhat stunned.
“Of course it’s true. The list is currently in the Chief’s hands, but he will wait until the Kawamoto Kuraji incident has completely subsided before he can take action. It’s estimated that it will be about a month before he takes action, and I will be in charge of the arrest operation at that time,” Ning Zhiheng said with certainty.
Huang Xianzheng finally accepted the news. Looking at the young man in front of him, he couldn't help but sigh again, "Young people these days are really something. They've accomplished such a great thing right under my nose. But I think you might as well not go to Hangzhou this time!"
Upon hearing this, Ning Zhiheng immediately understood Huang Xianzheng's meaning. He was afraid that Huang's high profile would attract the jealousy of others. He couldn't help but smile and say, "I understand what you mean. A tree that stands out in the forest will be felled by the wind. You are worried that I will become like my senior brother, attracting the censor's jealousy and threatening the power of his chief's faction."
"It's good that you know." Huang Xianzheng originally wanted to offer some pointers, but he didn't expect that Ning Zhiheng had already calculated everything clearly and knew what was going on.
"Your performance over the past six months has been observed by everyone, and it's likely that it has also caught the attention of those with ulterior motives. If you were to lead another large-scale operation to wipe out all Japanese spies in the Hangzhou area, the Japanese would come after you sooner or later. As the saying goes, it's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. In the world of espionage, if you make yourself a target of public criticism, then danger is imminent," Huang Xianzheng earnestly advised.
"Besides, your rank has been promoted too quickly. You've already become a major in just six months. Even the military headquarters won't allow you to get promoted again. If you make another great contribution, it's hard to explain to your superiors and subordinates that you won't be rewarded. Wouldn't that put the section chief in a difficult position?"
I reckon that if it weren't for the fact that you risked your life to bring this list back from the Japanese consulate, and he wouldn't have felt obligated to take the credit, you definitely wouldn't have been in charge of this arrest operation. So, Zhiheng, try to postpone this arrest operation in Hangzhou if possible. It'll be better for you, and the section chief will appreciate it and compensate you later.
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