After they finished speaking, the two laughed heartily. Ning Zhiheng gave a few more instructions before getting up and leaving. With that, the storm finally passed, and it also served as a wake-up call for Liu Datong. Without Ning Zhiheng's support in Nanjing, he would be unable to make any progress. Only then did he willingly begin to prepare for his and his men's departure.
The next morning, Ning Zhiheng rushed to work, only to receive a call from Secretary Liu in the department head's office as soon as he entered the office.
"Team Leader Ning, the section chief wants you to come over immediately!"
"Yes, I'll be right there!" Ning Zhiheng quickly replied. The director had summoned him so early in the morning; he wondered what it was about.
The work has been going smoothly so far. Has Zhao Ziliang returned? Four days have passed since the arrest operation, and the interrogation should be complete. It's time for him to come back.
Ning Zhiheng was suspicious, but he dared not delay for a moment. He quickened his pace and rushed to the central building, to the director's office.
He knocked and entered. Secretary Liu led him in and then closed the door.
Ning Zhiheng entered the office, but only saw the director, Gu Zhengqi, and Bian Ze in the room; Zhao Ziliang was nowhere to be seen.
However, seeing the extremely solemn expressions on the faces of the group, which could even be described as dark clouds, Ning Zhiheng's heart skipped a beat. He knew that something bad must have happened, and it must be a big one. Otherwise, given the composure of the Chief, he would not have shown such a serious expression!
"Chief, is there anything you need me to do?" Ning Zhiheng bowed slightly and asked.
"Zhiheng, I'd like to ask you, is your Shanghainese good?" the comrade asked, gesturing for Ning Zhiheng to sit down and answer.
Ning Zhiheng turned and sat down to the side. In that brief moment, his mind raced. Oh no! They're trying to send me to Shanghai!
Ning Zhiheng's mind reacted extremely quickly. The expressions of the section chief and the two section chiefs indicated that there must be a big problem. Now they were asking him how well he spoke Shanghainese, so there must be a problem on the Shanghai side.
Shanghai is China's most economically developed city and a center for economic, political, and cultural exchange, holding a pivotal position in modern China.
More importantly, at this time, Shanghai was occupied by the Japanese along the coast and was now the front line against the Japanese army. For this reason, the Military Intelligence Investigation Department set up a large station in Shanghai. The station chief was of the same rank as several section chiefs, all of whom were colonels. The previous station chief of the Shanghai intelligence station was Bian Ze.
What kind of big thing could happen in such an important intelligence zone? The director asked about his Shanghainese, which clearly meant that he was likely to be sent to Shanghai to solve this big problem.
Ning Zhiheng hesitated. In sixteen days, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident would break out, triggering a series of chain reactions. The Japanese began to provoke China in Shanghai, and the situation became increasingly serious. Finally, a month later, the Battle of Shanghai, which shocked China and the world, broke out, and China entered the period of full-scale resistance against Japan.
Going to Shanghai at this time would be extremely dangerous. If this mission cannot be completed in time, or if we delay or even stay in Shanghai, we could easily be drawn into this extremely fierce battle.
In this meat grinder-like battlefield, the Chinese army paid a heavy price but still ended in defeat. I fear that if I make even the slightest mistake, I too will perish here.
He absolutely could not get involved, but he had to find a good reason. Thinking of this, Ning Zhiheng showed a slight look of surprise and replied softly, "Chief, I have never been to Shanghai and am not very familiar with Shanghainese."
Actually, the accents of Hangzhou dialect and Shanghai dialect are quite similar. It's just that Shanghai dialect is a bit softer, while Hangzhou dialect is spoken faster and harder. The accents of Shanghai and the Jiangzhe area are quite similar, and their dialects and customs are very similar, all being typical Wu-Yue cultures.
Ning Zhiheng said this to leave room for maneuver, to see what the Director meant next before making a refusal.
After all, knowing the outcome of this great war, Ning Zhiheng was unwilling to throw himself into it. No matter what he did, he couldn't change the course of a war involving millions of troops. It was a protracted war, a three-month-long struggle, a contest of absolute national strength, and not something any one person could control.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
