Seeing that no one dared to speak, the comrade realized he had lost his temper and said, barely suppressing his anger, "The matter has already occurred. The most important thing now is how to resolve it. Xiang Nan, Zheng Hongbo is also your old subordinate. What do you say?"
Bian Ze, having been singled out by the Chief, had no choice but to speak up: "Shanghai is now the Japanese stronghold, teeming with military police and gendarmerie. The Special Higher Police are certainly in a dominant position there. The Shanghai station is operating behind enemy lines, so danger is ever-present. Although Zheng Hongbo bears responsibility for this failure, I urge the Chief to consider his years of service on the front lines and give him a lenient punishment, sparing his life!"
Bian Ze was a man who valued loyalty above all else. Zheng Hongbo was his long-time subordinate and partner. Now that things had gone wrong, Bian Ze naturally wanted to help him. So even though the magistrate was furious, Bian Ze still had to try to save Zheng Hongbo's life.
"Yes, Chief, the situation in Shanghai is very complicated. The enemy's power is too great. It is not easy for Station Chief Zheng to persist behind enemy lines. Please consider this carefully!" Zhao Ziliang, the head of the Action Section, also pleaded for leniency. After all, they were colleagues, and who could guarantee that they would not make any mistakes in the future? They still had to protect them!
"Alright!" The sergeant slammed his hand on the table, silencing the others. "Military law is merciless. You should reconsider the intelligence station's situation!"
Everyone's hearts sank, knowing that Zheng Hongbo was doomed. The Chief was a strong-willed person who would never allow anyone to go against his wishes, and no amount of persuasion would be of any use.
Gu Zhengqi, the head of the intelligence section who had been silent until now, said: "I think there is no need for the intelligence station to stay. Everyone knows that with so many people captured, it is inevitable that a large number of them will defect to the enemy. The intelligence station is full of old people who know each other too well. It would be too dangerous for the others to stay in Shanghai. Therefore, I think that an immediate withdrawal is a foregone conclusion. I hope you will make a decision as soon as possible!"
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. They were all experienced veteran agents who knew this was the only solution. To stay in such a dangerous place knowing the risk of exposure was not bravery, it was foolishness!
"Chief, let's bring them all back. Those are a hundred veteran agents, our old guard. We can't just leave them in Shanghai like that, it's too dangerous!" Xiang Yan, deputy head of the Operations Section, also spoke up.
"Besides, doesn't the Shanghai station still have Zhiheng's intelligence station? Everyone knows his capabilities. In the past few months, he not only bombed the Fukuoka warehouse, but also obtained a lot of military intelligence. To be honest, the fact that the Battle of Xuzhou is going so smoothly is largely due to Zhiheng's contributions. He even killed several major traitors, including Lu Tianqiao, the leader of the Green Gang, not long ago. With him around, Zheng Hongbo's intelligence station can be completely shut down!"
Huang Xianzheng also took this opportunity to prepare to promote Ning Zhiheng from deputy station chief to station chief.
Everyone immediately realized that this Deputy Director Huang wanted to interfere in Shanghai again and was preparing to completely take control of this Class A station, so they all turned their attention to the Director.
The director glanced at Huang Xianzheng indifferently. Although Huang Xianzheng's words made a lot of sense, and Ning Zhiheng was certainly more than capable of presiding over the overall work in Shanghai, the director would never do that.
That's Shanghai, the largest economic metropolis in the country and even in Asia, the trading center for goods and materials, and the intelligence gathering center of the country. Shanghai is too important. Even if he abandons any other branch station, he will not abandon the Shanghai station. It must be controlled by his own loyalists.
"I have no doubt about Zhiheng's abilities, but his qualifications are too shallow and he has only been in the industry for a short time. He was already promoted to deputy stationmaster of Shanghai as a major. Shanghai is different from other places. I can only feel at ease if an experienced veteran is in charge!" The director rejected Huang Xianzheng's suggestion outright, making him give up on the idea.
Huang Xianzheng was displeased, but he still smiled and nodded repeatedly, saying, "The Director is very thoughtful. I was inconsiderate!"
Ultimately, the authority of the military commander was undeniable, and Huang Xianzheng had no choice but to accept it.
"I have decided that Zheng Hongbo and all his intelligence station personnel should be withdrawn from Shanghai. Wang Hanmin, the deputy station chief of the Wuhan station, will be transferred to the position of station chief of the Shanghai station. He will also select capable personnel to go to Shanghai to reorganize the Shanghai military intelligence station. I have sent a telegram to Ning Zhiheng, instructing him to pay close attention to Zheng Hongbo's actions and to arrest him immediately if he shows any inclination to defect to the enemy."
After he finished speaking, he hesitated for a moment, then said again, "This defeat at Shanghai Station must have resulted in many defectors. He is an expert in operations, so the task of eliminating these traitors will be entrusted to him!"
When Huang Xianzheng heard that the director had ordered Ning Zhiheng to eliminate traitors in the heart of the Japanese territory once again, his expression changed drastically. He did not want to sacrifice his trusted general for a few traitors!
He quickly spoke up, saying, "Chief! I think this task should be carried out by the new station chief, Wang Hanmin. It's not appropriate for Zhiheng to do it. If the name isn't right, then the words won't be proper."
The last sentence, drawn out with a long pause, clearly indicated that Zheng Hongbo's intelligence station was under the command of the section chief. Now that a traitor had emerged, and the section chief refused to relinquish control, continuing to appoint his trusted confidant Wang Hanmin as the head of the Shanghai station, this task should fall to Wang Hanmin. After all, cleaning house was best done personally, and as the station chief, it was Wang Hanmin's duty to do so! How could the deputy station chief from the Baoding faction be allowed to do it? It simply didn't make sense!
The magistrate frowned. He knew all too well that this was inappropriate, but the situation was beyond his control. This Huang Xianzheng had always been a meek and obedient good guy, but who knew he would be so difficult to deal with now? He couldn't force him now, so he patiently explained, "Wang Hanmin hasn't taken office yet, and it will take some time for him to arrive. He's new to Shanghai and unfamiliar with the situation, so he's not up to the task of eliminating traitors. It's better to let Zhiheng handle it!"
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