Zheng Hongbo was well aware of Ning Zhiheng's situation. He had been paying close attention to Ning Zhiheng for a long time before he first met him a few months ago.
The titles of "leading figure of the younger generation in the Military Intelligence Investigation Department," "backbone representative of the Baoding faction," and "military commander of the Action Section" all indicate what kind of role Deputy Station Chief Ning plays.
Not to mention that during the anti-traitor mission in Shanghai, the two had quite a few interactions and personally experienced Ning Zhiheng's extremely sharp and accurate eyesight. In just two hours, he found Luo Xingchao, the mole, from a pile of seemingly unrelated materials.
His subsequent performance was even more dazzling. He infiltrated the Japanese-occupied territory alone, without any help from the Shanghai military intelligence station. Right in the heart of the Japanese territory, he assassinated more than ten Japanese agents and three traitors, and escaped unscathed. Thinking about it now, I still don't know how he did it!
Just last night, during the briefing, the Director pointed out that Ning Zhiheng, as the deputy head of the Shanghai Military Intelligence Station, was able to lead a team of agents independently, without his command, and could even directly contact the headquarters of the Military Intelligence Investigation Department and receive orders from the headquarters. Doesn't this mean that the Shanghai Station has been split into two, each doing its own thing?
That's good. This deputy stationmaster is nominally his deputy, but in reality, he is not under his control at all. His subordinates form their own system and have become an independent kingdom.
However, what the Chief said makes sense. Ning Zhiheng and his loyal followers are all members of the Baoding faction. Even if they were to merge with his own men, they would not truly listen to his commands.
Furthermore, Bian Ze, who was standing nearby, clearly pointed out that Ning Zhiheng was an extremely assertive person who would never submit to anyone. Back in the Nanjing headquarters, even senior executives like Gu Zhengqi and Zhao Ziliang had to give Ning Zhiheng some leeway, which shows his character.
If someone like that really gets along with me, it probably won't be long before I, the station manager, will be sidelined!
“Zhiheng, do we need to be so polite with each other? Shanghai is not what it used to be. From now on, we, the Shanghai station chiefs, will have to live in anonymity and work as ordinary people. Working behind enemy lines is not so easy.”
Hearing Zheng Hongbo pour out his grievances, Ning Zhiheng felt the same way. At this time, the Military Intelligence Investigation Department had no experience in working behind enemy lines, and its handling of many matters was very rough.
As for their former privilege of being high above and looking down on all living beings, that goes without saying. What awaits them is a life of asceticism, like monks who endure hardship and bide their time.
You need to blend into your surroundings like a chameleon, be extremely vigilant, pay attention to subtle changes in your surroundings, and even sleep with one eye open. In short, in this environment where enemies are everywhere, any negligence can lead to annihilation.
"Yes! The stationmaster is absolutely right! Everything will change in the future, and our way of working must undergo a major change. As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows, so we need to be more careful and make more arrangements in secret."
Zheng Hongbo immediately understood that this was about to be a public discussion. This was good, as it meant that everyone's affairs were out in the open, which was better than future infighting and mutual obstruction.
Zheng Hongbo said with a sincere expression, "I would like to hear Zhiheng's insightful opinion!"
Ultimately, Zheng Hongbo had no psychological advantage over Ning Zhiheng. In other words, he knew that with his abilities and status, he could hardly suppress Ning Zhiheng, so he simply treated them as equals, which would be beneficial to both of them.
Ning Zhiheng coughed lightly and began to express his thoughts: "Actually, I think that for a considerable period of time to come, the primary task of the Shanghai station should be to protect its own safety, and only secondly, to figure out how to effectively strike the Japanese."
I have an idea. When it comes to infiltration, Japanese spies and the underground Communist Party are the most experienced. Could we learn from them and divide the agents in the Shanghai station into several or even dozens of working groups, spreading them out, primarily using single-line communication, while reserving a group of operatives for centralized management and specific execution? This method has many advantages and is very suitable for operations behind enemy lines.
Seeing that Zheng Hongbo seemed somewhat tempted, Ning Zhiheng continued, "Especially since the Chief has asked me to oversee the sabotage operation, which is extremely dangerous. If we make a mistake, we will inevitably fall into enemy hands. We cannot guarantee that they will remain steadfast under the Japanese's torture. For safety reasons, I think my personnel will not have any horizontal contact with the Shanghai station. Instead, you and I will manage them separately. If there is any situation, I will report to you, Station Chief, and we will communicate with each other. What do you think, Station Chief?"
Zheng Hongbo couldn't help but chuckle to himself. This little fox spoke so grandly, but all he wanted was to hold onto his men and prevent them from obeying him. Fortunately, the Chief had already made it clear that he didn't want to keep such an arrogant outsider by his side and cause him trouble.
He laughed and said, "Zhiheng, you're absolutely right. Let's do it your way. Our two groups will go into hiding separately, and if anything happens, we'll contact each other directly!"
"Alright!" Ning Zhiheng slammed his hand on the table. He could tell that Zheng Hongbo had this idea all along. He felt guilty for acting like a petty person. However, the matter had to be discussed openly, otherwise it would cause trouble in the future.
There are too many hidden dangers in the Shanghai military intelligence station. I should try to have as little contact with them as possible to avoid getting into trouble. Besides, the Shanghai station is full of the director's team, while my forces are from the Baoding faction. Forcing them to merge will inevitably lead to conflicts of interest and internal friction, which will be detrimental to everyone.
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