The questioning of the nine officers did not end until 6 p.m.
Back in his office, Ning Zhiheng looked at the interrogation records in his hand, thought carefully for a moment, and then picked up the phone to make a call.
"Old Shao, come here for a moment!"
"Yes, Chief!"
Before long, Shao Wenguang, the head of the First Intelligence Section, rushed over. After Zhao Jiang informed him, Shao Wenguang entered the office, took a few steps to Ning Zhiheng, knelt down, straightened his posture, and respectfully saluted.
"Chief!"
Ning Zhiheng smiled slightly and waved his hand, saying, "Old Shao, we've known each other for many years, so there's no need to be so polite. This time, I've come back to oversee the suppression operation and specifically appointed you as my general. You'd better be on your toes and put on a good show!"
Seeing Ning Zhiheng's friendly attitude, Shao Wenguang couldn't help but feel a warmth in his heart. When he and Ning Zhiheng were still relatively unknown, it was Ning Zhiheng who had specially praised him for his merits when he cracked a major case involving Japanese spies, which led to his promotion. It could be said that Ning Zhiheng had shown him great favor. However, Ning Zhiheng had hardly shown his face in the past year, which was why they had become somewhat estranged. But he knew that with Ning Zhiheng's rank, there was no need for him to explain many things. Now that Ning Zhiheng had taken the initiative to reminisce, Shao Wenguang naturally felt much closer to him.
Shao Wenguang chuckled and said, "Chief, don't worry. I know this is a good opportunity. With your abilities, dealing with Japanese spies is a piece of cake! I'll just follow you and pick up some benefits; that'll be enough for me!"
"You really know how to talk, haha!" Ning Zhiheng nodded and laughed. "The leak case in northern Jiangxi is the first spark of this crackdown operation. We must make sure it's handled well. I've already interrogated the nine suspects who were just transferred here. Now I need you to do something!"
"Please give your instructions, Chief!" Shao Wenguang quickly stood at attention and replied.
Ning Zhiheng selected three files from the case files on the table, placed them in front of Shao Wenguang, and instructed, "Cao Shaojun, Xia Bin, and Lao Jingming, these three are the suspicious points I investigated today. I need you to conduct a more detailed investigation into their family environment, social relationships, living habits, and so on. The headquarters' investigation is not detailed enough. You need to submit it to me as soon as possible!"
Shao Wenguang's eyes lit up. In just one afternoon, the section chief had narrowed down the suspects to three people. He quickly took the three case files into his hands, nodded and accepted the order: "Yes, I will go and investigate their situation in detail and report back to you as soon as possible!"
Ning Zhiheng chose these three people because there were doubts about their answers to the last question.
The other six individuals were either excluded from suspicion because they did not participate in the Battle of Nanjing, or because they had clear witnesses who could verify their whereabouts during that period. Of course, this was only temporary. If the mole in the leak case was not one of these undercover agents, the investigation would have to start all over again.
Cao Shaojun, Xia Bin, and Lao Jingming all participated in the Battle of Nanjing, and their whereabouts could not be verified during that period.
Cao Shaojun and Lao Jingming were both members of the Military Commission who remained in Nanjing before the war. They described how they were separated from their main force when Nanjing collapsed. They later followed the fleeing refugees and traveled for a long time before finally arriving in Wuhan. The witnesses they encountered along the way were all unverifiable names, and it is unknown whether they are still in Chongqing. Given the current state of administration in Chongqing, it is unlikely that they will be found in the future. In other words, no one can prove their whereabouts during that period.
Xia Bin was in a better situation. At the time, he was a major battalion commander of the 51st Army stationed in Dunhua. After his troops were scattered, he broke through the encirclement and was later wounded. He hid in the home of a local resident in Tangshan to recover. Later, when Nanjing fell, he disguised himself as a local resident and fled directly to Wuhan to rejoin his unit. Three months later, he was transferred to the Military Commission as an operations staff officer.
He still remembered the name of that family, but that required an investigation in Tangshan, which was now the center of the Japanese-occupied area. It would be difficult to verify the information there, so he had to use personnel from the Nanjing intelligence station to investigate.
Cao Shaojun and Lao Jingming are the most suspicious among them, because they were previously operational staff officers of the Military Commission. Their special status made them easy targets for defection if captured by the Japanese and infiltrated into the Military Commission.
Xia Bin was just an ordinary major battalion commander during the Battle of Nanjing. He fled to Wuhan and was transferred to the Military Commission three months later. It is unlikely that Japan chose him as a target for defection.
Ning Zhiheng has only roughly narrowed down the scope of the investigation. He cannot absolutely guarantee that others are free of problems, so everything still depends on the results of the investigations by Shao Wenguang and other parties before it can be confirmed!
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