Meanwhile, Ning Zhiheng was also listening to Luo Xingchao's report. When he heard about the extent of the losses suffered by the No. 76 Special Agent Headquarters, even he was shocked.
This single operation alone wiped out nearly half of the 76th Special Operations Headquarters' operational force in Shanghai. Two of the five operation captains were killed, and in addition to the previously lost First Division Chief Zhang Mingshi, Second Division Chief Sun Xiangde, General Affairs Chief Wang Ji'an, Inspection Chief Shi Lin, and National News Editor-in-Chief Ren Chengyi, thirteen other mid-level cadres, it can be said that nearly half of the mid-to-high-level cadres of the entire Special Operations Headquarters were also lost.
As for the forces under Zhou Fushan and Ding Mo, the losses were even greater than those of the Special Agent Headquarters. Ding Mo's main cadres were all wiped out, and the Juchuan students suffered heavy losses and never recovered.
The police force under Zhou Fushan's command was almost completely wiped out, and it is feared that it will be difficult for them to recover in the future.
This time, my strategy of using someone else's strength against them and driving away the wolf to devour the tiger has yielded such a huge result, which is truly an unexpected delight!
Thinking of this, Ning Zhiheng couldn't help but laugh triumphantly. His efforts over the past two weeks had not been in vain. He had turned the tide of the intelligence battle and avenged the soldiers who had sacrificed their lives because of Wang Hanmin's defection.
Unfortunately, despite casting such a large net, they still missed Wang Hanmin, a traitor.
He asked, "How is Wang Hanmin doing now?"
"Like a frightened bird, but he's now on even tighter guard. He's changed his private doctor, changed the channels for using his medications, and doubled the security detail. There are sentries everywhere inside and outside the apartment. The failure of this assassination attempt has made it even harder for us to get close to him."
Ning Zhiheng nodded upon hearing this. This was to be expected. With Wang Hanmin taking such strict precautions, it seemed unlikely that the mission could be completed in the near future.
He has always been cautious and never fights a battle he is not prepared for. He would never take a risk without a certain degree of certainty.
Ning Zhiheng then asked, "What were your thoughts on Li Zhiqun choosing you to lead the screening task? Is there any possibility that he might be testing you?"
"Won't!"
Luo Xingchao shook his head confidently. He was well aware of his position in the No. 76 Special Agent Headquarters. Li Zhiqun was not qualified to test him unless Qing Qingzhengliang became suspicious of him and instructed Li Zhiqun to do so, but at present, there was no such possibility.
"According to Li Zhiqun's judgment, he believes the mole is someone close to him, so he dares not use his own people. My identity is special, and it is also meant to show Qing Qingzhengliang. In short, I am safe now, please rest assured, Chief!"
Ning Zhiheng nodded. He was being cautious. Logically speaking, Luo Xingchao was indeed the least likely person to be suspected. Previously, Luo Xingchao had not directly contacted the news of Wang Hanmin's arrest. Instead, he speculated based on the phenomenon that a high-ranking official had been captured and defected to the enemy. He then notified all parties, and after his own investigation, he finally focused his suspicions on Wang Hanmin.
This process was quite complicated, involving the Chongqing headquarters, the Shanghai intelligence department, and many other tasks of the original Shanghai station. Li Zhiqun could not possibly have a complete understanding of it, so he never suspected Luo Xingchao from the beginning, and this was one of the reasons why he chose Luo Xingchao.
Ning Zhiheng asked, "What are your plans next? How will you conduct the screening process?"
Luo Xingchao had been considering this issue for some time and had already formed a preliminary idea. Now he was consulting Ning Zhiheng, so he reported, "I have a plan. We can use this opportunity to frame someone else again."
Who is the target?
"Zhang Jingyao, the director of the Third Division."
Why choose him?
"This man is also a veteran Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS) agent. He was previously a high-ranking official in the CBIS's Shanghai-Suzhou region. After defecting to Li Zhiqun, he was very familiar with the southern Jiangsu region, so he was responsible for collecting intelligence on the New Fourth Army and the National Salvation Army in the southern Jiangsu region. He seems unassuming, but I always feel that he is not simple. Moreover, many of Li Zhiqun's confidants have been lost. People like Wu Shicai and Secretary Zhuang were Li Zhiqun's absolute confidants, but we couldn't get close to them. Zhang Jingyao is one of them, but relatively speaking, we can still take action against him. So I think we should take this opportunity to get rid of him and make him the scapegoat!"
Luo Xingchao's selection of Zhang Jingyao was also a well-considered decision.
After listening, Ning Zhiheng did not answer immediately. Instead, he paced back and forth in the room, constantly imagining the various possible scenarios. After thinking for a long time, he shook his head.
He said, "It's still not appropriate!"
Luo Xingchao looked at Ning Zhiheng in surprise, not understanding what he meant. Did Ning Zhiheng mean that the plan to frame someone was inappropriate, or that the target was wrong?
Ning Zhiheng pondered for a moment, then continued, "At this time, it's better to remain still than to act rashly. We can't be too active. It's fair to say that this operation against Wang Hanmin has indeed exposed our activities. The Japanese have always regarded our Shanghai Intelligence Section as their number one enemy, and they will definitely investigate this thoroughly. They will certainly pay close attention to your screening operation. If we reveal even the slightest flaw in the operation, it will be noticed. Under these circumstances, if you try anything, you'll be taking a risk! Remember, there's no room for luck in intelligence work. One wrong step and the whole game is lost. We absolutely cannot afford the slightest oversight."
Upon hearing Ning Zhiheng's words, Luo Xingchao hesitated and said, "But if we don't find a scapegoat, they will remain wary, which will be detrimental to our future work."
"We can't take risks! This time is different from before. When we tried to frame Ding and Li, they were at odds and couldn't communicate, so we could easily manipulate things. But if we frame Zhang Jingyao, we can't control the subsequent work. Even if we don't leave any flaws during the operation, if Li Zhiqun can't track down the intelligence department through Zhang Jingyao, he'll realize he's wrong and will eventually come back to the wrong person. At that point, you, as the person in charge of the screening, will likely be suspected. This can't be explained away with a simple oversight or misjudgment. So it's better to let them not find the target than to frame someone. Anyway, they haven't been able to find our trail for so long. If you can't do it, they can't say anything. Sometimes, the more you do, the more mistakes you make. Do you understand?"
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