Ning Zhiheng assigned the tracking tasks, and Sun Jiacheng, Zuo Gang, and others immediately began making arrangements, dispersing the personnel. Once everything was in place, Ning Zhiheng said to Li Lixin, "Preparations are complete, you can notify the commander now!"
Li Lixin quickly nodded in agreement, turned around and strode to the door of the operations room. Li Lixin was in charge of security for the military conference, and the guards at the door quickly bowed and made way when they saw that it was Li Lixin.
Li Lixin knocked gently on the door and entered. Everyone paid no attention when they saw it was Li Lixin, but no one spoke. The room immediately fell silent, after all, military operation plans are classified, and even the commander's adjutant cannot know them.
"Commander, there's a secret telegram from the General Staff!" Li Lixin quickly walked a few steps to Zhang Zhengkui's side and whispered. His voice was very soft, but it was enough for everyone else in the room to hear clearly.
Receiving telegrams is the job of the confidential secretary, but during this period, the confidential secretary, Lü Weicai, was injured and unable to work, so his work has been taken over by Li Lixin.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhengkui knew that the arrangements had already been made outside, so he didn't delay any longer. He nodded to indicate that he understood.
Then he addressed the crowd and instructed them: "This is the specific arrangement. We will set off tomorrow. You need to coordinate the work between the various units and urge them to take up their defensive positions on time. Time is tight, so everyone go back and prepare quickly!"
"Yes, sir!" All personnel stood at attention and accepted the order.
Zhang Zhengkui got up and left, returning to his office, after which the other officers also left.
Some of them left without saying a word, while others whispered among themselves, neither of them noticing the extra guards in the already heavily guarded command post.
The operatives focused on their targets according to the previously assigned plan. They were all trained and experienced agents, and no one noticed anything unusual.
Once in his office, Zhang Zhengkui couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Have Zhiheng and the others made all the arrangements?"
Li Lixin immediately replied, "Don't worry, everything has been arranged. His men are all capable and efficient. They are deployed throughout the command post, just waiting for the Japanese spies to come out on their own!"
Time passed slowly. Ning Zhiheng sat quietly in his office, waiting. Among his subordinates, Sun Jiacheng and Zuo Gang, although they were newcomers to the profession, were both seasoned and capable men with many years of experience in the underworld. They were meticulous and cautious in their work.
Shen Xiang is also a veteran of military affairs with many years of experience. He has the ability to handle these matters. All I need to do is take command from the center and prevent any special situations from arising.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
"Come in!"
The person who came in was none other than his subordinate, Shen Xiang. He quickly walked up to Ning Zhiheng and said in a low voice, "Team leader, just now, the target I was in charge of, operations staff officer Sun Yushu, suddenly left the command post. I have already sent someone to follow him out, but once he goes out, he will likely come into contact with some people. I would like to ask for instructions, should we continue to monitor these people or arrest them on the spot?"
He actually left the command post? Nothing ever goes smoothly; there was an unexpected turn of events. Ning Zhiheng pondered for a moment and said, "Don't arrest him yet. Take more men and follow him. Monitor anyone who has had contact or spoken to him!"
Shen Xiang nodded and accepted the order. Just as he was about to leave, Ning Zhiheng called him back.
"When you're tracking him, keep an eye out for information. If the target leaves the command post to deliver a message, then his contact person is definitely not a long-time resident here, because he has sent intelligence to different locations many times before, such as Lujiazui, Wanyuan Wharf, and now Yangjing District. Therefore, the contact person who contacts him must be a mobile person who moves around with him. You need to pay attention to this, keep asking questions, observe carefully, and then report the situation to me."
"Yes, team leader!" Shen Xiang quickly accepted the order and left.
Ning Zhiheng picked up the materials in his hand, found the materials of operations staff officer Sun Yushu, and examined them carefully.
A man from Hunan, a lieutenant colonel operations staff officer, 42 years old, with a wife and two sons, an old man who had followed Zhang Zhengkui during the Northern Expedition.
Ning Zhiheng frowned slightly. This person had a clear resume and a family, so he shouldn't be someone like Huang Xiansheng or Yan Yichun. However, this was only the surface situation, and everything still needed to be observed.
He thought for a moment, then went out to the command post gate and saw Zhang Zhiye, the guard company commander. Zhang Zhiye also saw Ning Zhiheng and quickly came over.
"Major Ning, is there something you need from me?" Zhang Zhiye asked in a low voice. Despite being Zhang Zhengkui's nephew, he didn't have the airs of a high-ranking official's son. He was meticulous, serious, and very amiable.
"Major Zhang, may I ask if Operations Staff Officer Sun Yushu usually leaves the command post at night?" Ning Zhiheng asked softly. He needed to know whether today's situation was sudden or a regular occurrence.
Zhang Zhiye quickly replied, "It's happened a few times before. This Staff Officer Sun is a bit of a drinker. He's not allowed to drink in the command post, so he likes to go out to a small tavern after dinner and have a few drinks by himself. But he never stays for long. Today the military meeting is a bit late, so he probably wants to go out for a few drinks again!"
Ning Zhiheng was somewhat surprised after hearing this. This Sun Yushu actually liked alcohol, which was a major taboo for a combat staff officer involved in military secrets.
Seeing Ning Zhiheng's confusion, Zhang Zhiye quickly explained, "This Staff Officer Sun is an old hand who has followed the Commander. Everyone knows about his tastes, but he can control himself and has never made a mistake. The Commander eventually just went along with him. He was about to go out just now. I usually don't stop him, and I dare not stop him today. What if he really has a problem? Wouldn't that be alerting him?"
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