Half an hour later, the military vehicle started up again, and Ning Zhiheng led the convoy forward in the darkness. On the bumpy vehicle, no one had the energy to speak, and the entire carriage was quiet.
At 11 p.m., the convoy arrived at a large courtyard in the southern part of the city, which was the headquarters of the special operations brigade.
As soon as a vehicle approached, the sentry at the gate sounded the alarm repeatedly, alerting everyone inside. People scurried around the compound, and an officer shouted orders for people to draw their guns and stand guard.
Upon arriving at the gate, Ning Zhiheng stepped out of the military vehicle. The officer on duty at the sentry post was a second lieutenant from the Nanjing Operations Section. Upon seeing Ning Zhiheng, he was momentarily stunned, but immediately saluted and loudly proclaimed, "Team Leader Ning!"
Ning Zhiheng nodded and instructed, "Report to your superior immediately!"
"Yes, sir!" The lieutenant immediately turned around to report.
The gates opened quickly, and a group of officers lined up to greet them.
The leading lieutenant colonel was in his thirties, not tall but with broad shoulders. He stepped forward, extended his large hand, and warmly shook Ning Zhiheng's hand, saying with a smile, "Zhu Weihua, the commander of the Fifth Detachment!"
Ning Zhiheng quickly replied, "Ning Zhiheng, I have been ordered to take over as the deputy captain of the Special Agent Brigade!"
Zhu Weihua turned around and let Ning Zhiheng stand beside him as they walked into the courtyard. He said, "We have received orders from the director. It's a pity that Captain Weng is still recovering in the hospital. The Special Service Brigade has suffered heavy losses this time. We are waiting for your arrival."
Ning Zhiheng ordered Huo Yueze to arrange his subordinates, while he and Zhu Weihua went into the office to listen to Zhu Weihua's introduction.
The entire commando unit was divided into five detachments and one special operations battalion. The fifth detachment had four battalions under its command, with a total of 2,000 men, of whom 1,600 remained. The officers and key personnel were agents from the Military Intelligence Investigation Department, as well as some junior officers from the Eighth Army Group. Most of the personnel were members of the Green Gang, civilians, and students.
The Special Operations Battalion originally consisted of three companies, with a total of 1,000 personnel, now reduced to 600. Its structure was relatively pure, with all officers and core personnel being personnel from the Military Intelligence Investigation Department, and all personnel being operatives from the same department. It was composed of the army's elite and was the most combat-effective unit. Unfortunately, it was deployed on the main battlefield, and after just one hour of aerial bombardment and artillery attacks, it suffered heavy losses, with nearly half of its personnel lost.
"Since Captain Weng is seriously injured and unable to manage affairs, I will temporarily act as the military officer of the Special Service Brigade. I'm handing it over to you now," Zhu Weihua said with a smile.
Ning Zhiheng nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work these past few days, Brother Zhu. I don't know which branch you are from, as we haven't been able to meet yet!"
Zhu Weihua laughed and said to Ning Zhiheng, "I've heard so much about you, Brother Ning! I heard about your reputation as the King of Hell Ning when I was at the Wuhan station. I was the action team leader at the Wuhan station before."
It turns out he was the action team leader of Wuhan Station. At that time, Wuhan was one of the few major cities in China. It was not only geographically important and economically developed, but also one of the temporary capitals designated by the Republic of China's high-ranking officials.
Therefore, Wuhan Station, like Shanghai Station, was a Class A major station of the Military Intelligence Investigation Department. The station chiefs were all colonels. Zhu Weihua, the action team leader in charge of the operation, was a lieutenant colonel. This time, as a close associate of the department head, he was specially transferred to serve as the commander of the Fifth Detachment, in charge of two thousand men.
However, Zhu Weihua had heard of Ning Zhiheng's name long ago, because two years ago, the Wuhan Military Intelligence Station spent a lot of effort to obtain an encrypted codebook. This acquisition was huge, which shocked the top leadership of the Military Intelligence Investigation Department and earned all the personnel involved high praise.
Among them was Zhu Weihua, the action team leader who presided over the arrest operation. At the time, the entire Wuhan Military Intelligence Station was at the height of its power, and this classic case was something that the people at the Wuhan Station would often boast about.
However, the good times didn't last long. The following year, the Nanjing headquarters launched an extremely sharp and effective operation, striking the Japanese intelligence forces with the force of an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves. Japanese spies were captured one after another, and the radios and encrypted codebooks seized left everyone speechless.
The people at Wuhan Station also kept quiet, no longer casually mentioning the encrypted codebook, while secretly trying to find out what had happened at the Nanjing headquarters.
Soon, the news of a young action team leader rising in the action department caught the attention of everyone who cared, including some leaders of the branch stations, such as the senior staff of the Shanghai, Hangzhou and Wuhan stations.
Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to call Ning Zhiheng a leading figure among the younger generation of the Military Intelligence Investigation Department. At least in terms of influence, he is no longer limited to Nanjing and has gradually gained recognition from everyone.
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