Ning Zhiheng's words left Zhang Chengzhou speechless. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
Before this, Bian Ze had identified many potential leakers, but in the end he focused on these nine operations staff officers. This was the reason why, and it can be said that Bian Ze had done a very thorough job.
Ning Zhiheng continued, "Chief of Staff Zhang, now you understand, right? I can say with certainty that the traitor is definitely among the nine of you. So don't complain. If it weren't for your teacher, you would already be in the interrogation room being tortured. Would you still have the chance to sit in front of me and talk so eloquently? Also, stop bringing up the name of the Whampoa Military Academy. I am also a graduate of Whampoa, and I believe my loyalty to the leader and the Party and the country is no less than yours. Let me tell you, even with your teacher vouching for you, you won't be leaving here alive until this matter is thoroughly investigated!"
Ning Zhiheng's words were both a warning and a threat, each sentence shattering Zhang Chengzhou's last remaining confidence. He finally lowered his head and said weakly, "Ask me whatever you want, I will cooperate fully. But I swear to God, I am not a traitor. Even if you kill me, I will not admit to doing such a traitorous thing."
Seeing that Zhang Chengzhou had become compliant, Ning Zhiheng then asked him for more details.
In fact, more than a month had passed since the case was solved, and Bian Ze had already asked all the questions that needed to be asked. As a veteran agent with extremely rich experience, his professional ability was outstanding, and he considered all aspects very thoroughly. When Ning Zhiheng asked again, he was just repeating these questions. The difference was that his purpose in asking the questions was not the answers themselves, because no problems were found in the previous interrogation records. Otherwise, Bian Ze would have found the real mole long ago.
Ning Zhiheng's purpose in asking questions was to carefully observe the suspect's facial expressions, subtle movements, and other characteristics when answering in order to determine whether the suspect was hiding anything and to identify the most suspicious target.
However, the result was very disappointing to him. Because the trial took too long, the suspect had already made sufficient psychological preparations. These questions had lost their element of surprise. As the saying goes, a lie repeated a hundred times becomes the truth! Even if it was the real mole, he would have already built up enough psychological defenses by this time. At least Zhang Chengzhou did not reveal any flaws when answering the questions.
Ning Zhiheng couldn't detect anything wrong with his eyes, facial features, or body language.
Finally, Ning Zhiheng threw the interrogation record on the table and asked, "I have one last question: from early December of the 26th year of the Republic of China to mid-January of the 27th year, which is one month after the fall of Nanjing, what were your specific whereabouts? For example, which department did you serve in? Where did you go? Who can vouch for you? You must explain these details clearly!"
Ning Zhiheng did not find any flaws in the normal questioning, so he decided to use a surprise tactic. The four spies he had learned about from He Siming were captured and surrendered by the Japanese army during the Battle of Nanjing, and were later sent back to Wuhan for resettlement.
Therefore, during this period, these four moles must have left their original departments or organizations, and their whereabouts cannot be verified.
Of course, the Japanese have many spies planted in the Chongqing area, and Ning Zhiheng cannot be certain that the mole in this leak case is one of these four hidden moles.
However, the reason why these people were chosen as moles was because of their very special identities. Each of them held a key position in an extremely important department of the Kuomintang and had very important intelligence value. For example, Xin Xiangrong, the head of the General Affairs Section of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Wuhan Station, was a major intelligence officer in the Military Intelligence Bureau at the time.
The position of Operations Staff Officer of the Military Commission also fits this requirement, so Ning Zhiheng decided to give it a try, hoping to gain something from it!
However, Zhang Chengzhou's answer was still flawless. He thought carefully for a moment and quickly gave his answer: "I did not participate in the Battle of Nanjing. At that time, I was serving in the 54th Division as a major battalion commander. Later, in the Battle of Shanghai, the troops were all wiped out. The remaining people retreated all the way to the northern suburbs of Nanjing. Because there was no longer a formal organization, we were all transferred back to Wuhan for resettlement. In early December, I was transferred to the Military Commission as an operations staff officer. After that, I never left. My superiors and colleagues can all testify to this!"
Ning Zhiheng immediately knew the timing didn't match up. Nanjing fell on December 10th, by which time Zhang Chengzhou had already been transferred to the Military Commission in Wuhan, and the witnesses were clear enough that it wouldn't be difficult to verify. Of course, he would still need to go and get the evidence later.
"Alright! Staff Officer Zhang, I understand your situation. This investigation is temporarily suspended. I'll contact you again if there are any problems!"
Ning Zhiheng wasted no time and immediately ended the interrogation.
The interrogators escorted Zhang Chengzhou out, and immediately the second suspect was brought in.
"Staff Officer Lü..."
Ning Zhiheng's subsequent questioning was nothing special; he simply asked the same questions again while observing the suspects' subtle behaviors. The result was the same as Zhang Chengzhou's: these people had already answered these questions many times and were mentally prepared. Their behavior was normal, and these combat staff officers were not ordinary people; they had strong mental fortitude and did not allow Ning Zhiheng to find any problems.
So Ning Zhiheng asked the same question again to confirm their specific whereabouts during the period from early December of the 26th year of the Republic of China to mid-January of the 27th year of the Republic of China, and they all answered.
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