The meeting ended quickly, and each department immediately relayed the spirit of the meeting to everyone. The Military Intelligence Investigation Department was in an uproar.
The Military Intelligence Investigation Department is staffed entirely with military personnel, either elites selected from the military or graduates of military academies. Many of them are not genuinely willing to become spies; they entered the Military Intelligence Investigation Department for various reasons. After all, as soldiers, many still prefer to develop their careers within the military.
There was another group of people who were not given important positions. Unlike Ning Zhiheng, they did not hold positions of real power. Of course, they were unwilling to waste their time in the trivial matters of the office and felt that this was a good opportunity to return to the military.
These people were eager to seize this opportunity to rejoin the army, and many more were preparing to join under orders from the forces behind them.
Among them was the Baoding Clique, headed by Deputy Director Huang Xianzheng. In fact, the Baoding Clique had always been a backbone force in the National Army. Even the leader himself was a graduate of the Baoding Military Academy and a veteran member of the Baoding Clique. However, he later created the Whampoa Clique, so he still trusted the Baoding Clique quite a bit. In particular, he had no estrangement from the Baoding Clique within the Whampoa Clique. On the contrary, he believed that it was a good thing to replace the Baoding Clique with his own Whampoa Clique.
Therefore, as long as they are from the Baoding faction, they are highly valued in the military. This led many young officers from the Baoding faction in the Military Intelligence Investigation Department to approach Deputy Director Huang Xianzheng, expressing their willingness to sign up and participate in the formation of this army. Huang Xianzheng was naturally happy to see this happen, as it was the best opportunity for him to intervene in military forces.
Needless to say, the director mobilized many of his trusted subordinates and even drew many people from various branches to join the team.
At this time, Deputy Director Shen Xun also transferred some people from his own network to join the effort. The team had to be formed within two days, and all preparations were underway.
Ning Zhiheng naturally did not participate. As Huang Xianzheng's most capable subordinate and the most powerful officer in the Baoding clique, Huang Xianzheng would not allow Ning Zhiheng to do so.
But just as Ning Zhiheng was observing the situation, his trusted confidant and most capable assistant, Wang Shucheng, approached him.
"Have you lost your mind?" Ning Zhiheng looked at the young officer in front of him. He was tall and imposing, with thick, dark eyebrows and honest yet clear eyes. This was his most trusted subordinate, yet he wanted to sign up for this officer unit and participate in the formation of an armed army.
"That's for the battlefield, not child's play! The soldiers under your command are no longer well-trained military elites, but just some Green Gang members, students, or even civilian merchants and refugees. They have not undergone any military training. Do you know what it means to lead such a force to the battlefield? It's a disaster!"
Ning Zhiheng pointed at Wang Shucheng's nose and scolded him. He didn't understand why Wang Shucheng would have such a thought. He had just graduated a year ago and had become a captain, and with his help, he would be promoted to a colonel in less than two years and become a backbone force in the Baoding system. He had a bright future, but he insisted on leading troops to fight and going to the battlefield.
Wang Shucheng did not expect Ning Zhiheng to react so strongly; almost as soon as he opened his mouth, Ning Zhiheng flatly rejected him.
"Team leader, you know me. Actually, I never liked being a spy from the beginning."
"I'm a secret agent!" Seeing the angry glare from Ning Zhiheng, he quickly changed his tune, saying, "My initial reason for applying to military academy was to fight on the battlefield and serve my country. But my teachers still chose me to join the Military Intelligence Bureau. From the very beginning, I wasn't used to anything here. I don't have your brains, nor your outstanding skills, and I'm not ruthless enough. I'm always indecisive. In short, I don't like this place at all. I still want to lead troops into battle. I'm an infantryman; I can train those people into qualified soldiers. I can lead them to achieve merit and serve my country!"
"Alright, we espionage agents are also serving the country, and we can make far greater contributions than being an ordinary military officer. Don't even dream about it. I won't agree to it. I won't sign the transfer application, not even the section chief will give me that face." Ning Zhiheng waved his hand to interrupt him, rejecting Wang Shucheng's application without room for argument.
In the military, any transfer of a position requires the signature of one's direct superior. Ning Zhiheng would never allow his most trusted confidant to go to the Shanghai-Nanjing battlefield.
The unit formed by the Military Intelligence Investigation Department was called the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Special Operations Team. Its initial purpose was to assist the main combat forces and cooperate with the regular army in guerrilla warfare against the Japanese army, including raids, sniping, reconnaissance, and sabotage. However, as the war situation rapidly reversed, it was eventually forced to engage the Japanese army in direct combat, resulting in extremely heavy casualties. After the Battle of Shanghai, only more than 2,000 people remained when the unit was regrouped. During the retreat, the number of wounded and stragglers was also very high. When the unit finally returned to Anhui, less than 1,000 people remained, with losses reaching as high as 90%!
Under such circumstances, how could Ning Zhiheng possibly allow Wang Shucheng to sign up? He rejected Wang Shucheng's application without any room for negotiation.
Even if the section chief disagrees, he wouldn't force Wang Shucheng to transfer. Besides, the section chief would prefer to send his own people to take control of the army, so he would definitely be happy to see it happen.
However, Wang Shucheng did not give up. Knowing that he had a background in the Baoding clique, he went directly to Huang Xianzheng and repeatedly asked to join, until Huang Xianzheng simply called Ning Zhiheng.
After much discussion, Ning Zhiheng finally saw that Wang Shucheng was determined to leave and there was no way to change his mind, so he had no choice but to agree to his transfer application.
"Shucheng, we are classmates, colleagues, and brothers. I really don't want you to leave, but you are determined to do so. I can't persuade you to stay. I can only wish you to be careful on the battlefield and return safely!" Ning Zhiheng patted Wang Shucheng's shoulders with both hands and said softly.
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