Zuo Rou was delighted by Ning Zhiheng's words of comfort. Having followed Ning Zhiheng for so long, she didn't care about military rank or position; she only cared about Ning Zhiheng's opinion of her.
She joined the Military Intelligence Investigation Department only so that she could openly accompany Ning Zhiheng. Fortunately, she treated him with gentleness and finally won over this man with a heart of iron.
The man was right. He may not have treated her with his whole heart and soul, but she was definitely the person closest to his heart, and Zuo Rou was already very content with that.
The next day, Ning Zhiheng convened a small meeting of cadres. The only attendees were section chief Huo Yueze, intelligence group leader Ji Hongyi, intelligence group leader Kang Xuezhi, action group leader Zuo Qiang, action group leader Deng Zhihong, transportation group leader Nian Zhe, and telecommunications group leader and general affairs group leader Zuo Rou.
These were all senior key personnel of the intelligence department. At the meeting, Ning Zhiheng asked everyone to conduct self-examination and self-correction regarding their mistakes in their work, fill in any gaps, eliminate potential risks, and strictly prevent the recurrence of such incidents.
He also severely reprimanded Zuo Rou and Nian Zhe for the major blunder in the transportation channel, and issued them a major demerit and a reprimand, prohibiting them from being promoted in rank for two years. At the same time, members of the general affairs group and the transportation group were all given a major demerit.
Ning Zhiheng would naturally telegraph the Second Operations Division to inform Liu Ruichang, the head of the supplies group responsible for transportation channels in the Kuomintang-controlled area, and give him the same severe punishment.
After finishing his official business, Huo Yueze ordered everyone to disperse and immediately reported to Ning Zhiheng.
"Chief, Anderson has already arranged to meet us at 3 PM today for the transaction. The location remains the same."
"Alright, let's take precautions right away and go meet him!"
At 3:00 PM, after Zuo Rou's skillful makeup, Ning Zhiheng was dressed up as a man in his thirties, a look that Ning Zhiheng used to frequently adopt when entering the intelligence market.
With everything arranged, Ning Zhiheng led Huo Yueze to Anderson's villa.
Anderson was a British businessman and a powerful intelligence dealer in the intelligence market. He was very good at intelligence gathering and had obtained valuable intelligence from within the Japanese military on many occasions. He was also a long-term business partner of the intelligence department.
After getting out of the car at the villa entrance, Ning Zhiheng and Huo Yueze looked around. Zuo Qiang's action team was nearby, monitoring the situation and waiting for Ning Zhiheng's signal to deal with any emergencies.
Tall and bearded Anderson strode out to greet them. He spotted Ning Zhiheng at the head of the group and his eyes lit up. He reached out his hand first.
"Mr. Lin, it's been a long time! I'm so happy to see you again!"
In the intelligence market, Ning Zhiheng used to use the alias Lin, and Huo Yueze used the alias Chen.
Ning Zhiheng also extended his hand to shake hands with Anderson and said with a smile, "Mr. Anderson, you must have something important to tell me by inviting me out. I hope you won't disappoint me."
“Definitely, let’s go inside and talk in detail!” Anderson nodded with a smile, gesturing for the two to enter the villa.
Upon entering Anderson's living room, Ning Zhiheng looked around. The intelligence department had already investigated and found that Anderson lived alone, and there were only a few Chinese servants in the villa. After the intelligence department's secret contact, they found no problems.
A servant brought them some fine black tea and then respectfully withdrew.
Ning Zhiheng smiled and said, "Mr. Anderson, let's get straight to the point. You previously said that you had the Chinese military's defense plans in northern Jiangxi? You know that this violates our previous agreement. You promised not to develop moles within our Chinese army, so why are you doing this now?"
Anderson took a small sip of his black tea, holding the teacup in his hand, and chuckled softly, “Please don’t misunderstand. Of course, I didn’t really break the agreement by stealing intelligence from your army and then selling it to you. That would have a huge impact on my reputation and credibility. Let me emphasize, this intelligence was obtained from the Japanese. What does that mean? I believe Mr. Lin is very clear about that. Therefore, I think this intelligence is very valuable.”
Anderson spoke with confidence, and it didn't sound like he was making excuses; he seemed quite certain of himself.
Looking at Anderson's expression, Ning Zhiheng slowly said, "Of course I understand what you mean, and I know the seriousness of the problem. If what you say is true, then it means that the Japanese have obtained this important intelligence, and our Chinese army will be forced to make major adjustments. This is a matter of great importance. I wonder how Mr. Anderson can prove that this intelligence came from the Japanese?"
Anderson smiled confidently, placed the teacup on the table, then took out a file bag from behind him and gently placed it in front of Ning Zhiheng. He then said, "These are photos of the original intelligence report. I just developed them. Mr. Lin can tell at a glance whether they are real or fake. Also, I have a surprise for you."
Upon hearing Anderson's words, Ning Zhiheng and Huo Yueze were both taken aback. They exchanged a glance, and Ning Zhiheng let out a long breath, leaning back in his chair as he slowly considered his words: "It seems Mr. Anderson is well prepared. Alright, I believe you. Now let's talk about the price!"
Of course, the buyer cannot be shown this material first, because intelligence trading is different from ordinary business. An important piece of intelligence may be just a line of text or a photo. Once the buyer has seen the intelligence, it will be very troublesome if he does not pay. It may even lead to a fight. Therefore, we must discuss the price before we can be qualified to see the intelligence.
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