Jiang Guotao used to be a member of the Nanjing Military Intelligence Bureau. Duan Tiecheng had met him a few times, so the two had some old acquaintance and spoke quite intimately to each other.
Duan Tiecheng and Wang Hanmin were both deeply moved. They hadn't expected Jiang Guotao and the others to be so determined. Clearly, they were well aware of the danger of this mission and were prepared to sacrifice themselves to carry it out in Shanghai.
Wang Hanmin sighed and said, "Captain Jiang, Captain Guo, this operation is of utmost importance. Whether it's you or our Shanghai station, we must go all out and do our utmost. If we succeed, of course, it will be a great achievement for the country. If we fail, none of us will escape this calamity, so don't blame me!"
Jiang Guotao smiled slightly and said, "Station Chief Wang, you flatter me. In war, how can there be no deaths? In the Battle of Shanghai, how many of my brothers who came to Shanghai with me from Nanjing died? There are hardly any left now. I have lived a few more years, so I have gained something. Please don't worry, Station Chief. Just make the arrangements. We will never back down in the face of battle!"
Wang Hanmin was speechless for a moment, and the room fell silent, the atmosphere becoming somewhat heavy and tense.
Just then, a knock came at the door. Duan Tiecheng frowned and asked unhappily, "What's going on? Don't you know we're in a meeting?"
Wang Hanmin quickly explained, "I've set up guards outside. It must be something important, otherwise no one would bother us."
After saying that, he turned around and called out, "Come in!"
Wang Hanming's confidential secretary came in, handed a telegram to Wang Hanming, and said in a low voice, "Station Chief, this is an urgent confidential telegram from headquarters, which you need to review immediately."
Urgent coded telegram! Wang Hanmin quickly took the telegram, his eyes scanning it, and his heart skipped a beat. However, he was extremely shrewd and remained expressionless on his face. He then handed the telegram to Duan Tiecheng.
Duan Tiecheng took it and examined it carefully. After a moment, he calmly said, "Alright, I understand."
After saying that, he turned to Jiang Guotao and said, "Guotao, that's all for today's meeting. You two should rest well these next two days, prepare for battle, and await my orders at any time!"
As soon as Duan Tiecheng spoke, Wang Hanmin's expression changed. He wanted to speak, but ultimately held back.
Duan Tiecheng also silenced him with a stern look.
Although Jiang Guotao and Guo Yuande knew that the contents of the telegram must be very important, they were of low rank and had no right to know its contents. So they stood at attention, saluted, and took their leave.
After they left, Wang Hanmin pointed at the telegram and said with a serious expression, "Brother Tiecheng, the headquarters has already reminded us in the telegram that the Japanese Special Higher Police in Shanghai is making frequent moves and is planning a major operation. They suspect that something has been discovered and have warned us to be vigilant about this unusual situation. You should terminate this operation and find out the reason before continuing, but I don't see that you have this intention."
Duan Tiecheng remained calm, tossing the telegram onto the table, which landed on the two maps. He said coldly, "Hanmin, you're overthinking it. You've made or broken this whole life through your caution! The telegram from headquarters only states that the Japanese Special Higher Police have been acting strangely lately, but it doesn't explicitly say that their target is us. How can we afford to panic?"
Hearing Duan Tiecheng's words, Wang Hanmin couldn't help but feel helpless. What he said was indeed true. Those who knew Wang Hanmin knew that he didn't have any amazing talent. He was always careful and cautious in everything he did and had never made any major mistakes.
However, he always hesitated when faced with important matters, which caused him to miss many opportunities. Otherwise, with his qualifications, he wouldn't have wasted half his life and still be a deputy stationmaster at Wuhan Station.
Duan Tiecheng's bluntness left Wang Hanmin speechless; clearly, the telegram had not changed Duan Tiecheng's mind.
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