"A mole?"
"Oh, that's a code name we use for intelligence work. It means an inside spy. Now I'd like to ask, on September 14th and August 1st, did you come into contact with the artillery positions, or did you mention the approximate location of the artillery positions when you spoke with someone?"
Zhang Zhengkui's expression was serious, and he immediately replied, "I would never reveal such an important matter to anyone other than the military commander of the heavy artillery brigade, let alone mention it in a military meeting."
However, he quickly frowned and continued, "On September 14th, I did go to inspect the artillery position, and I also went there on October 1st. Is it possible that someone knew my whereabouts and deduced the approximate location of the artillery position based on this information?"
Ning Zhiheng's spirits lifted. This matched the contents of the telegram. He quickly said, "That must be it. This mole knew your itinerary and knew you were going to inspect the heavy artillery brigade's position, which is how he found out the approximate area. So, who exactly in command post knew your itinerary?"
Zhang Zhengkui fell silent for a moment, and the room was quiet for a while. He hesitated and said, "At least several people know about the itinerary, including my adjutant Li Lixin, the chief of staff Luo Yingzhe, the confidential secretary Lü Weicai, and several other operations staff officers. As for whether they have leaked it to others, I don't know!"
So many people knew? Ning Zhiheng was taken aback. He didn't know much about things in the military. The military was not like the Military Intelligence Bureau; its sense of secrecy was not strong. It hadn't deliberately concealed the officer's itinerary. It seemed he still needed to investigate carefully.
"Could you tell me about the situation when you inspected the artillery positions on September 14th? Were there any people with you, and who exactly were they?" Ning Zhiheng then asked.
Zhang Zhengkui pondered for a moment and said, "At that time, my command post was temporarily set up at Wanyuan Wharf, and the artillery positions were nearby. So I decided to go and inspect them. But I didn't realize that the Japanese had already focused their main target on the heavy artillery positions. So I brought a lot of people with me, including my adjutant Li Lixin, chief of staff Luo Yingzhe, operations staff officer Cheng Ting, and my guard company. There were a lot of people."
Ning Zhiheng clapped his hands together and said in a calm tone, "This means that these people are not a problem, because they have all been to the artillery positions with you and know the exact location of the artillery positions. They can directly send the coordinates to the Japanese military so that bombing can be carried out immediately, without having the plainclothes team to investigate the specific location."
Zhang Zhengkui's eyes lit up. It's true that concern can cloud judgment, a very simple truth. But Zhang Zhengkui was worried that the person he trusted and was closest to was a Japanese spy. After all, this person was his confidant and comrade-in-arms for many years. If he really found out that the person was a Japanese spy, he would find it hard to accept.
“Yes, these people can be excluded; they can be trusted. However, on October 1st, my command post moved to Yangjing District, which is the current location. I learned from the previous lesson, and when I went to inspect the artillery positions again, I only took my guard company with me; no other staff members accompanied me.”
After speaking, he looked at Ning Zhiheng, wanting to hear Ning Zhiheng's opinion, but Ning Zhiheng was also at a loss, so he had to say, "Then there is no comparable object. How about this, can we invite Lieutenant Li in? Since he is fine and was on duty at headquarters on October 1st, let him recall who knows your itinerary for inspecting the heavy artillery brigade at that time. Let's first determine the scope, and then we can investigate further based on the situation."
Zhang Zhengkui had no choice but to nod in agreement. Ning Zhiheng immediately turned around and left the office. He saw that the operations room was still in a mess, filled with officers of lieutenant colonel rank and above, and even a major general. They were all busy with their own things, and no one even glanced at him, a major.
Ning Zhiheng walked out of the operations room and went to the duty room to find Li Lixin. Upon hearing the commander's summons, Li Lixin quickly followed Ning Zhiheng into the commander's office.
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