Duan Tiecheng was the main executor of this operation, and Wang Hanmin was just cooperating with him. Seeing that Duan Tiecheng had no intention of abandoning the plan, Wang Hanmin, who was used to being cautious, still felt that it was a bit risky.
"Brother Tiecheng, although the Japanese haven't explicitly targeted us, we can't ignore it if there's any possibility. There's a very important principle in intelligence work: once a problem is discovered, we must take countermeasures based on the worst-case scenario..."
"Hanmin, I've been working with foreigners for many years, so I understand this principle." Duan Tiecheng waved his hand to interrupt Wang Hanmin.
He turned and walked a few steps around the room before finally speaking: "The problem is that we're on the verge of disaster, and we have no choice but to act! Hanmin, think about it. We were tasked with overseeing the destruction of the legal tender, and so much time has passed. What have we done? We've done nothing. There's been no progress at all. The Director is probably extremely anxious."
This time we spent so much effort and took such a big risk to mobilize so many people.
Did you know that Jiang Guotao's troops had already withdrawn after they set off? The Japanese were constantly carrying out mopping-up operations, and their situation was becoming increasingly dangerous. They have now retreated to the southern mountainous area. If they give up this time, it will not be so easy to gather so many people again in the future.
Furthermore, you've already spent all your funds to replenish weapons and ammunition, and now you're just going to give up because of a single telegram and some unknown unusual activity by the Japanese Special Higher Police? Isn't that too frivolous? If it wasn't directed at us, it would be such a waste that we've given up the best opportunity to act!
So many people are just sitting here wasting time. What are we going to do next? Keep waiting? When will it end? Don't forget the heavy responsibilities we bear. You know the Director's temper. Doing a bad job and doing nothing are equally serious crimes. Do you want to spend the rest of your life in prison like Zheng Hongbo?
"this…"
"Furthermore, we botched the matter of the Gan family's lost treasure this time. This won't end here. Big trouble awaits us in the future. If we don't make a significant contribution and achieve something in this matter, the Director will definitely deal with us severely."
So I want to take a gamble, otherwise it won't be easy to find such an opportunity again. Besides, the Japanese aren't necessarily targeting us; our chances of success are still quite high.
Hearing Duan Tiecheng's words, Wang Hanmin hesitated. Duan Tiecheng made a lot of sense. This time, the preparations were very thorough, and he had staked everything on it. If the operation was canceled and the personnel were dismissed now, it wouldn't be so smooth next time.
However, the agent's caution made it difficult for Wang Hanmin to accept such a risky move, so he couldn't help but say softly, "What you said makes sense, but what if it really is a trap? So many team members could be lost!"
"A merciful general cannot command an army!" Duan Tiecheng said decisively, waving his hand.
"Even if it really is a trap, we can afford to gamble. At worst, we'll lose these people. We have plenty of manpower. Think about it, our army has lost no less than a million men since the start of the war. What are a hundred more lives? But what if we win the gamble? Not only will we thwart the Japanese plot to undermine our national economic system, but more importantly, you and I will escape this ordeal, save our lives, and even make a great contribution. Think about it, it's all worth it!"
Duan Tiecheng earnestly advised Wang Hanmin and encouraged him. Although Duan Tiecheng looked pained in front of Jiang Guotao and others, when it came down to it, he would not hesitate to abandon these pawns. They were just cannon fodder. He could just use them up and then replenish them. In his eyes, the casualties of these people were just numbers.
Wang Hanmin never expected that Duan Tiecheng would be so ruthless, showing absolutely no mercy. He could throw away so many lives so easily, displaying true cold-bloodedness.
However, he couldn't do the same for his own men. He could treat Jiang Guotao and others as expendable resources, but he couldn't let his own men be lost so easily.
"What about my intelligence agents at the Shanghai station?" Wang Hanmin asked anxiously.
"Of course, we will proceed according to plan. Don't worry, I will definitely choose the right targets for assassination and formulate a good retreat plan to ensure their safe escape," Duan Tiecheng said solemnly.
He knew that these intelligence agents were Wang Hanmin's old subordinates, and that it would be difficult for Wang Hanmin to decide to get rid of them. So he also promised to try his best to retain the personnel of the Shanghai intelligence station.
Wang Hanmin was powerless to refute Duan Tiecheng's insistence, as Duan Tiecheng was superior to him in both position and rank, and he could only obey.
"There's one more thing, Hanmin. Regardless of whether this operation succeeds or not, all your contact points must be dismantled. We can no longer use them. If I'm not mistaken, even if the operation succeeds in the end, the special operations team members will not be able to escape unscathed. In fact, many of them will fall into the hands of the Japanese. Now, your arrangements in the French Concession are all under the watchful eyes of these team members. They know about your offices, shops, and even the safe houses in various places. If they can't withstand the torture of the Japanese and tell them all, our situation will be dangerous. We must prepare for evacuation."
Duan Tiecheng dared not ignore all the risks and was already prepared for failure.
Wang Hanmin nodded and said, "I have also considered these things. In the past six months, I have acquired several hidden properties in the International Settlement. With other arrangements, we can still accommodate the intelligence station personnel. Once the special operations team members set off, I will temporarily move the intelligence station to the International Settlement to lay low for a while."
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