This is good news. It shows that the commander has a clear understanding of the situation and has not blindly made a desperate struggle, putting all his strength into it. This way, the fighting style in Shanghai can be more flexible. As long as it is not a head-on fight, there is still a great chance of survival!
After calming Zuo Rou down and seeing the Zuo siblings out, Ning Zhiheng finally calmed down and sorted out his thoughts. This trip to Shanghai wasn't without a chance of survival. Hundreds of thousands of Nationalist troops had managed to escape, so as long as he was careful, he could also evacuate safely.
Given the commander's personality and vision, he wouldn't want to waste this hard-won armed force on the Shanghai battlefield. The most important thing is to hold on until the very end, until the moment of withdrawal.
Before leaving, he had some things to take care of. First of all, he had to deal with a large sum of money in his safe. In these chaotic times, having no money meant having no courage. Originally, he intended to take the money to Wuhan or Chongqing for self-defense, but now that he was going to the front lines, he couldn't even control his own life or death. What use was this money? He should give it to someone who could use it.
It's been a while since I've been in touch with the farmer. Mainly because he's been busy with two challenging missions in Hangzhou and Shanghai these past few months, and since returning, he's been focusing on investigating radio waves. There haven't been any situations that require contact.
For safety reasons, Ning Zhiheng would not easily contact the farmer unless it was about major intelligence concerning the underground party. But this time was different. His life or death was uncertain, and he might never be able to contact the farmer again. He had to give the farmer an explanation. Besides, even if he came back alive, things in Nanjing would probably have changed drastically, and it would be difficult to reconnect with the farmer.
It should be noted that over the past month or so, many citizens of Nanjing have begun to leave the city and flee to inland cities. However, many refugees from Shanghai have also flocked to Nanjing. With this influx and outflow, although the number of citizens remaining in Nanjing has not changed much, the population has become quite large.
He didn't care about much else, but fortunately he knew the true identity of Fang Boyi, an important figure in the Nanjing underground party.
A professor at Nanjing University! A renowned epigrapher! For an underground worker, each of these identities is extremely valuable. A concealed identity that can withstand scrutiny would greatly benefit Fang Boyi's future work, and Fang Boyi would not easily give them up. Moreover, the evacuation of Nanjing University would be a significant event, making it easy to trace. As long as he finds Nanjing University, he won't have to worry about not finding Fang Boyi. Following this lead, he should also be able to find the farmer.
Ning Zhiheng opened his safe and took out all the items inside.
Among them are two portraits, both of which were retrieved from Huang Xiansheng's memory. One is of his Japanese instructor, and the other is of a woman Huang Xiansheng used to threaten and subvert Lin Mucheng.
As for the other portraits depicted, since they were no longer of value, he had burned them one after another.
What remained was the £25,000 that Zhao Ziliang had brought back from Hangzhou. He also had his own plans for how to use this huge sum of money.
He took a small leather suitcase and put in two portraits, calligraphy and paintings by Uehara Junpei, and ten thousand pounds. These items could be given to Zuo Rou to take with her. If he and the Zuo brothers were to meet with misfortune on the Shanghai battlefield, this money, plus the Zuo siblings' own savings, would be enough to ensure Zuo Rou's worry-free life in the future.
As for the remaining 15,000 pounds, it would be given to the farmer for use as operating funds for the underground party. He himself only needed his two Browning pistols.
As before, Ning Zhiheng quietly waited for time to pass until midnight. Then he got up, picked up his suitcase, and quietly left the house.
The city of Nanjing appeared even darker in the dead of night. Many power companies had been destroyed by Japanese planes, the streetlights were no longer functional, the streets were eerily dark, and the houses on both sides of the streets were completely dark. There was not a single pedestrian on the streets.
Ning Zhiheng walked quickly and soon arrived at Qing Shi Tea House. It was very different from a few months ago. A large part of the buildings opposite Qing Shi Tea House had collapsed, and the streets were full of broken bricks and tiles, a scene of devastation.
The signboard of Qing Shi Tea House was gone, but the building itself was still intact. Ning Zhiheng felt a pang of anxiety. Had the farmer already left? Would that mean he had completely lost contact with the underground party? He couldn't just go to Fang Boyi's house, could he?
Ning Zhiheng checked the front door and found it unlocked, indicating it was locked from the inside. He then went to the back door of the tea shop as usual and found it unlocked as well. He was relieved, knowing that someone was still living there and the farmer hadn't left.
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