The officer continued, "Everyone knows the situation in Shanghai now. Wang Hanmin's defection to the enemy led to the annihilation of two battalions of the National Salvation Army, and his intelligence network was also exposed, as was the Shanghai station!"
He knows everything about the Shanghai station—funds, equipment, personnel—all of which he built up single-handedly. Moreover, all the personnel at the Shanghai station have been exposed under the surveillance of Agent 76. So even if the personnel at the Shanghai station have temporarily escaped this time, according to our operational principles, these people can no longer stay in Shanghai to work and must all be evacuated.
It can be said that our operational forces in the Shanghai area are currently completely depleted. However, our crackdown on the puppet government cannot stop during this period. This is an order personally given to me by the Chairman. Therefore, we must send new personnel back to Shanghai to reorganize the Shanghai station as quickly as possible.
The director's words left everyone speechless. At this time, Shanghai was a huge pit of fire. Not only was the environment for struggle extremely harsh, but upon entering Shanghai, the primary task would be to engage in a brutal spy war with the headquarters of Agent 76. No matter who was sent, it would be a deadly mission.
Huang Xianzheng and Ning Zhiheng, however, were certain that since the establishment of the Military Intelligence Bureau, both sides had made their positions clear: the Baoding faction would not interfere in the operations of the Shanghai station, but would only be responsible for intelligence gathering and material transportation. Therefore, they had no say in this matter.
I'm afraid even the Director didn't anticipate how difficult the struggle in Shanghai would become. Especially with the puppet government also fleeing to Shanghai, the situation there became increasingly complex, and it has now become the hardest-hit area in the Military Intelligence Bureau's struggle, with the most casualties.
The fact that high-ranking officials in Shanghai have fallen speaks volumes. Zheng Hongbo, the former head of the Shanghai station, and Duan Tiecheng, the deputy director of the First Intelligence Division, are still eating cornbread in the Military Intelligence Bureau prison! Not to mention Wang Hanmin now!
Ning Zhiheng knew his own situation well. Although he had considerable influence in Shanghai, it was hard to guarantee that he wouldn't run into trouble if he went to the front lines. Therefore, he remained silent on the matter.
The work of intelligence stations in various locations has always been handled by the First Intelligence Division. Division Chief Bian Ze could only nod and say, "I will immediately dispatch capable operatives to take over the work of the Shanghai station, but the choice of station chief..."
The director was also troubled by this matter. The Shanghai station was so important that he naturally had to send his own trusted men to control it. However, the situation in Shanghai was extremely difficult. Although he had many trusted men, there were very few who were truly capable of handling such a situation.
Seeing the director hesitate, Bian Ze's eyes suddenly lit up, and he couldn't help but ask, "Director, could you consider Zheng Hongbo?"
These words immediately stunned everyone. Zheng Hongbo? Isn't he still in prison?
Bian Ze naturally had his own plans. Zheng Hongbo was his friend and former subordinate for many years. Since being imprisoned, he had pleaded with the bureau chief several times for his release, but the bureau chief had not agreed. This time was finally an opportunity. Taking advantage of the dangerous situation at the Shanghai station, he was appointed to a critical post and once again served as the station chief of the Shanghai station. It was better than him being locked up in prison for the rest of his life.
He continued, "Zheng Hongbo is shrewd and capable. He has worked in Shanghai for many years and knows the situation there very well. The current situation in Shanghai is difficult, so it would be a good opportunity for him to serve his sentence and gain merit. I wonder…"
"no!"
Before he could finish speaking, the bureau chief interrupted, saying, "In the Shanghai station that Zheng Hongbo previously led, more than 30 people defected to the enemy during that operation. They are currently at No. 76. If we send him to Shanghai, and he is recognized, isn't the lesson of Wang Hanmin enough?"
After saying that, he glared sternly at Bian Ze. He knew Bian Ze's intention was to take this opportunity to get Zheng Hongbo out of prison, but this could not come at the cost of the safety of Shanghai Station.
In fact, Bian Ze regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth. He was a man of great loyalty and affection and treated his brothers with sincerity, so he immediately thought of Zheng Hongbo. However, he quickly realized that the suggestion was obviously inappropriate.
Seeing the stern look in the director's eyes, Bian Ze broke out in a cold sweat. His heart tightened, and he quickly said, "It was all my fault for speaking recklessly, I spoke recklessly!"
Seeing that even the most trusted subordinate of the Director had been humiliated, the others naturally dared not say anything more. The Director let out a long sigh, thought for a moment, and finally spoke up: "I think we should transfer Chen Hongchi, the deputy station chief of Beiping Station, to be the station chief of Shanghai Station. He is a good man in operations, which is perfect for him to make the most of his strengths. The key personnel can also be transferred from Beiping Station, and he can choose them himself. The other personnel will be selected by headquarters. We need to pick some good operators. No. 76 is a tough nut to crack."
Once the director made the decision, the others naturally nodded without hesitation. However, the director continued, "The personnel at the Shanghai station need to be evacuated as soon as possible. Zhiheng, your intelligence section will handle the arrangements. Is that alright?"
Ning Zhiheng thought for a moment, then asked hesitantly, "Where to retreat to? If it's just to retreat to southern Jiangsu and hand it over to the National Salvation Army, then there's no problem. But it will be difficult to retreat to other places."
"Of course, we should retreat to southern Jiangsu. I'll explain everything to you in detail later. We need to act quickly. The longer they stay in Shanghai, the greater the danger they face!"
"Yes, I will arrange it as soon as possible."
With the important matters settled, the meeting concluded, and Ning Zhiheng and Huang Xianzheng returned to Huang Xianzheng's office together.
After the two closed the door, Huang Xianzheng couldn't help but sneer, "This is a classic case of shooting oneself in the foot. Back then, he desperately tried to seize power in order to kick us out of Shanghai, but look what happened! Now that place has become a bottomless pit, how many people have been thrown in? And he's still so stubborn. I don't think Chen Hongchi will last much longer if things continue like this. You'd better be clear-headed and keep your distance from this guy, so we don't drag him down with us!"
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com