"As the battle has progressed to this point, I believe everyone knows that we have no chance of winning. Yunzaobang has fallen, and Dachang is indefensible; its fall is imminent. I estimate that the command will soon order the abandonment of the positions on the north bank of the Suzhou Creek and the consolidation of forces to continue the defense. Our special operations team has suffered heavy losses this time, but we must still do our utmost to block the enemy's advance. The Fifth Detachment is now beyond fighting."
"I now order! The Fifth Detachment is to be redeployed to Nanshi for rest and reorganization, while the Special Service Battalion is to immediately proceed to the front lines to relieve the Fifth Detachment and continue to halt the Japanese advance."
"Yes, sir!" Zhu Weihua, the commander of the Fifth Detachment, stood at attention and loudly accepted the order.
This time, his fifth squad was almost decimated and had no strength left to fight. They could only return to Nanshi to recuperate, effectively withdrawing from the battlefield.
When Ning Zhiheng heard the order, his mind went blank. It was indeed the worst news. They were sending him and his elite troops to the front lines. Had the situation become that dire? Did they need agents like himself to charge into battle?
"Chief!" Ning Zhiheng also stood at attention. He naturally wanted to try again, otherwise, once he got to the front line, he would no longer have a choice.
However, the sergeant waved his hand, stopping Ning Zhiheng from speaking. Under everyone's gaze, he said loudly again: "Ning Zhiheng, the captain of the Special Service Brigade, is transferred to the position of deputy station chief of the Shanghai Military Intelligence Station, responsible for sabotage work behind enemy lines. I hope you will live up to expectations and achieve even greater success for our Military Intelligence Investigation Department!"
What's going on? In the blink of an eye, he was transferred to the position of deputy station chief of the Shanghai station. This means that he doesn't have to go to the front line, but will instead go undercover in Shanghai and preside over the sabotage operations behind enemy lines. Ning Zhiheng doesn't understand what the chief's intentions are.
If they were to continue suppressing me, or even weaken the Baoding faction within the Military Intelligence Investigation Department, then they could simply send me to the front lines openly and honestly. I believe that after a major battle, my chances of surviving would be slim.
But now they've transferred his troops away, stripped him of his military power, yet left him in Shanghai as the deputy stationmaster of the Shanghai station. What does this mean?
Furthermore, the Shanghai Station was the top-tier station of the Military Intelligence Investigation Department, holding an extremely important position within the department. Both the station chief and deputy station chief held the rank of colonel. All the previous station chiefs and deputy station chiefs were the department head's trusted subordinates, with similar seniority to Zhao Ziliang, Xiang Yan, and others. They were all part of the department head's early team.
However, I am only a major, which is far below my rank for the deputy stationmaster of Shanghai Station. I also lack the qualifications. Moreover, I have a background in Baoding. How could I possibly get such an important position as deputy stationmaster of Shanghai Station?
Ning Zhiheng had always thought he was clear-headed and exceptionally intelligent, but today he felt his brain wasn't working properly and he couldn't understand the director's true intentions at all.
At this moment, Zheng Hongbo stood up, extended his hand to Ning Zhiheng, and said with a smile, "Zhiheng, from now on, we two must cooperate sincerely. We will have to rely on you a lot for the work at the Shanghai station!"
Ning Zhiheng had no choice but to reach out and shake Zheng Hongbo's hand. The two nodded slightly before returning to their seats.
The rest of the meeting had little to do with Ning Zhiheng, so he could only listen patiently and wait for the meeting to end.
He needed further communication with the Director, a private talk, to try to understand the Director's true intentions, and then offer his generous gifts in order to retain these elite subordinates, or at least keep his own trusted followers, and not just watch them go to the front lines.
The meeting ended quickly. Finally, the section chief looked around at everyone and said, "Alright, that's all for today. Meeting adjourned. Zhiheng, please stay behind."
Everyone quickly got up and left, leaving only the section chief and Ning Zhiheng in the office.
The magistrate sat down in his chair and remained silent for a long time. He simply closed his eyes slightly and gently rubbed his temples, looking exhausted. He was a completely different person from when he was decisive and ruthless.
Seeing this, Ning Zhiheng said softly, "The war situation is already like this. Chief, you are worrying too much about national affairs. You should take care of your health."
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