Ning Zhiheng carefully considered the information provided by Tanikawa Chiemi. Without solid evidence, it would be difficult for him to persuade Lin Mucheng to comply, but it wasn't entirely without a solution.
Lin Mucheng's severing of ties with Japanese intelligence over the years does not mean he will be free of worries in the future. The Japanese will never abandon such an important pawn indefinitely; they are simply concerned now.
Therefore, in Lin Mucheng's mind, the threat posed by the Japanese was always a sword hanging over his head, probably causing him sleepless nights and anxiety. He could start from this angle. If he could step in to resolve Lin Mucheng's worries and at the same time seize his weaknesses, he believed that Lin Mucheng would be hard to escape his grasp.
not to mention…
Thinking of this, Ning Zhiheng looked up at Tanikawa Chiemi sitting opposite him.
If Lin Mucheng was able to be turned by Tanikawa Chiemi, then Tanikawa Chiemi must have held a very important place in his heart. Now that Tanikawa Chiemi is in his hands, her life and death are in his control. If he threatens Tanikawa Chiemi's life and safety, he may not be without a chance of success.
Thinking of this, he asked again, "Then, Miss Tanikawa, could you tell me about how you managed to turn Lin Mucheng against his side?"
Chiemi Tanikawa looked at Ning Zhiheng with a surprised expression, wondering why he was asking such detailed questions. However, these things were not the point and were not exactly secrets.
He nodded and said, "The method wasn't anything special. At that time, he was a major operations staff officer in the Nanjing Garrison and didn't have a family. So I disguised myself as a female student and, through a scheme, got close to Lin Mucheng. The relationship progressed smoothly. Once I felt that he was completely infatuated with me, I arranged an accident to make me leave suddenly. Then I arranged for other intelligence agents to appear as intelligence brokers and say that I had been kidnapped. I wrote a few letters to him, and the intelligence agents threatened my life to force him to steal some intelligence. Finally, I used a two-pronged approach, threatening my life and the fact that he had stolen the intelligence, to force him to join the organization. Although the method was old-fashioned, it was very effective and almost never failed."
Ning Zhiheng nodded. He had to admit that with Tanikawa Chie's beauty, coupled with her skillful methods and ability to manipulate people's hearts, dealing with a man like Lin Mucheng who was devoted to his love would be a piece of cake, without any difficulty at all.
"So, he never knew your true identity?" Ning Zhiheng continued to ask.
Chiemi Tanikawa shook her head and said, "He probably doesn't know. After all, the Special Higher Police headquarters still needs to control him with my life. If I reveal my identity as a Japanese spy, I will have less of a hold on him, and it might even lead to a fight to the death, which would be a loss."
Ning Zhiheng nodded to himself. It seemed that Tanikawa Chiemi really couldn't be eliminated. She now had another important use: to threaten Lin Mucheng. This gave him a better chance of success with his plan.
He then asked, "Do you know anything more about his situation in Nanjing? For example, his code name? His superiors, etc."
Chiemi Tanikawa recalled briefly before replying, "His codename was Flying Swallow, personally chosen for him by Kawamoto Kuraji, the head of the Special Higher Police at the time. The Shanghai Special Higher Police headquarters valued Lin Mucheng highly, assigning him to a highly classified intelligence group. However, I heard that this group was not spared in the subsequent disaster. Under the continuous attacks of the Military Intelligence Bureau, the entire Nanjing intelligence network was completely destroyed, and almost all valuable intelligence agents were arrested..."
At this point, Chiemi Tanikawa suddenly realized that the Director Ning in front of her was the one who carried out the Kuomintang's crackdown on the Nanjing intelligence network back then. In other words, Lin Mucheng's intelligence group was also captured and dismantled by Ning Zhiheng. So, could he have known Lin Mucheng's identity all along?
No, of course not, otherwise Lin Mucheng wouldn't still be safe and sound today.
However, considering Lin Mucheng's powerful background, Tanikawa Chiemi became somewhat uneasy. She secretly pondered in her mind, wondering what Ning Zhiheng's situation was and what his true intentions were.
Ning Zhiheng didn't say anything more. He raised his hand to check the time, then stood up and said to Tanikawa Chiemi, "I still have some things to do today. After you finish transferring the money at the bank, find Matsuda Jiro's whereabouts as soon as possible."
Chiemi Tanikawa quickly nodded and accepted the order, saying, "Okay, don't worry, finding Jiro Matsuda won't be difficult. I will complete the mission as soon as possible!"
Chiemi Tanikawa's tone was confident, clearly indicating she was very confident about the mission. Ning Zhiheng knew she must have a deep understanding of Jiro Matsuda, so it seemed she was very sure of success.
Ning Zhiheng nodded and said, "I'm waiting for your good news!"
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something, turned around and said to Tanikawa Chiemi again, "Today I will deal with a group of captured Japanese spies. This time it will be carried out in public, so the news can't be kept secret. I will come back tonight and bring your radio and codebook. You also need to pass this message on to the Wuhan headquarters, otherwise they will become suspicious."
When Ning Zhiheng arrested Tanikawa Chiemi, she handed over her radio and codebook to him. Ning Zhiheng was afraid that Tanikawa Chiemi would inform the Wuhan headquarters, so he kept them. Originally, he planned to use Tanikawa Chiemi and then eliminate her. However, Ning Zhiheng now has a better plan for Tanikawa Chiemi, so he will continue to conceal her arrest and observe how things develop. Perhaps there will be greater gains.
Chiemi Tanikawa was taken aback by Ning Zhiheng's words, but she quickly understood and nodded in agreement.
Ning Zhiheng left the safe house and rushed back to the Second Operations Division, where he handed the prepared list to Zhao Jiang.
"According to the list, the interrogation department brought out all sixteen people."
"Yes!" Zhao Jiang accepted the order and left.
Ning Zhiheng then ordered all personnel of the First Action Division to be fully armed and ready for the execution.
Then he called Shao Wenguang in and instructed him: "Take your men and have them all disguise themselves and go to Tongyuan Gate to set up. When the execution is at noon, you should pay attention to the crowd of onlookers. If there are any suspicious people, follow and monitor them, and then report back to me."
Shao Wenguang nodded and accepted the order: "Yes, Chief, I'll go right away!"
After arranging everything, Ning Zhiheng changed into his military uniform, left his office, and led a group of his men to escort the sixteen spies to Tongyuan Gate in Yuzhong District, preparing for their execution.
_____
"The Secret War Without a Trace" tells the story of Chen Miao, also known as Chen Sanshui, who, under orders from his organization, infiltrates No. 76 to gather intelligence, protect anti-Japanese patriots, and, undeterred by hardship, uphold his beliefs, engaging in a fierce and arduous struggle against the Japanese and their collaborators...
This book is also known as: Without a Trace
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