Zheng Hongbo said with a smile, "I told you long ago that Ning Zhiheng is a proud and arrogant man who can't stand to suffer the slightest loss. If he doesn't get his revenge, he probably won't be able to sleep well!"
Suddenly, he remembered something and asked again, "How is Fu Yaozu now? Wasn't that cotton merchant under Lu Tianqiao's protection? Now that Lu Tianqiao has fallen, we need to prevent him from escaping to downtown Shanghai!"
Hou Weizhao quickly said, "I was just about to report this to you. Today's newspaper published the obituary of Shanghai business tycoon Fu Yaozu, saying that he died at home last night due to severe injuries."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Hongbo looked at Hou Weizhao with surprise and asked, "What a coincidence, it was also last night?"
"It was last night, a few hours later than Lu Tianqiao!" Hou Weizhao smiled mysteriously, his tone somewhat disdainful. "These cowards value their lives more than anything. If their injuries were truly serious, they would have been sent to the hospital long ago. Anyone with eyes can see that Ning Zhiheng attacked both of these targets simultaneously. I just don't know what method he used to take Fu Yaozu's life so quietly!"
Zheng Hongbo nodded. He had always been quite wary of Ning Zhiheng, but at the same time, he never doubted his exceptional ability to act.
He began, "After these two incidents, I doubt anyone in the French Concession will dare to collude with the Japanese anymore. This has saved us a lot of trouble. You see, most of our people are stationed in the French Concession. If the Green Gang were to collude with the Japanese, they would be hampered in their actions!"
Hou Weizhao's eyes flickered, and he asked softly, "Ning Zhiheng was able to mobilize such a large force in the French Concession. Do you think his intelligence station was located in the French Concession?"
Zheng Hongbo glanced at Hou Weizhao. Although he felt Hou's question was somewhat rash, he completely trusted his old subordinate and replied calmly, "That's not necessarily true. They're wealthy and powerful there, so setting up more footholds wouldn't be difficult for them. However, I think the International Settlement is more likely. The Green Gang's power is relatively weak there, and it's the stronghold of countries like Britain, the United States, France, and Germany. Foreign influence is intertwined there, and it's also a hub for Shanghai's underground intelligence network. Ning Zhiheng was able to obtain important intelligence multiple times in such a short period of time, which means he must have intervened in the intelligence market and used these convenient channels to make such a name for himself!"
Upon hearing this, Hou Weizhao naturally knew that the station chief was somewhat dissatisfied with the intelligence station's work, and he couldn't help but feel bitter. In fact, for a long time, Chinese intelligence agencies had been unable to achieve much in intelligence gathering, especially against the Japanese.
As the old saying goes, lacking sources of intelligence and without its own intelligence agents within the enemy ranks, the country was mostly on the defensive, guarding against Japanese espionage.
This phenomenon is the same in all intelligence stations. Even now, the major military intelligence stations in the Northeast region behind enemy lines are still unable to extend their reach into the Japanese military intelligence department.
As a forward intelligence station that had long been fighting against the Japanese, the Shanghai Military Intelligence Station had made many efforts over the years to try to get close to the Japanese intelligence agencies, but all of them were in vain, and instead lost many excellent agents.
“Station Chief, you are aware of our station’s situation. Over the years, our intelligence work has been consistently unsuccessful. I have tried to contact those underground intelligence networks, but after several attempts, I have failed to gain their approval. In particular, those intelligence brokers are asking for exorbitant prices, often tens of thousands of pounds or dollars. With our limited funds, we simply cannot afford it. After a few attempts, we lost contact. Why don’t you apply to headquarters for more funding?”
Hou Weizhao's words made Zheng Hongbo both angry and amused. He pointed at Hou Weizhao and said, "You make it sound so easy. Is it that easy to get funding from headquarters? You ask for tens of thousands of pounds or dollars right off the bat. Our Shanghai station is a top-tier station. Our annual funding is equivalent to the expenses of an entire region in Northeast China. Are you still not satisfied? Besides, even if I shamelessly ask for the funding, can you guarantee that I will get back any valuable intelligence? In the end, it will all be for nothing. What if we can't explain ourselves? Do you really think the Inspection Section is just for show?"
Zheng Hongbo's words made Hou Weizhao smile wryly. Who in the intelligence field would dare to make such a guarantee? He could only shrug and spread his hands helplessly, asking, "Ning Zhiheng's intelligence station has a similar budget to ours, but the difference in financial resources is like night and day. Not to mention throwing money around in the intelligence market, just look at the equipment. The weapons used in this operation are like using cannons to kill flies."
At this point, he couldn't help but shake his head and sighed again, "This is just showing off!"
Zheng Hongbo said irritably, "His backer isn't at headquarters, it's the Baoding faction behind him. If any of those big shots leaks a little bit of their money, they could choke us out. These days, without a powerful backer, you can't even get food like a dog!"
The envy and jealousy in his tone could no longer be concealed. He knew Ning Zhiheng's background, but he did not know about Ning Zhiheng's robbery of the Pudong warehouse. The director had benefited from this matter, so naturally he would not say much. Zheng Hongbo always thought that Ning Zhiheng had the help of powerful forces behind him, which was why he was so successful in Shanghai.
On the other hand, they were just waiting for the meager funding from headquarters, which made them hesitant to do anything. They also had to constantly compare themselves with Ning Zhiheng, making them seem even more mediocre.
"You need to hurry up with your actions. Even if you can't get military intelligence, it would be good to find out the whereabouts of some high-ranking Japanese officers. If we want to apply for funding from headquarters, we need to come up with something substantial, otherwise it will be difficult to even ask!"
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