This achievement also solidified Ning Zhiheng's position as the top counter-espionage expert in the Military Intelligence Bureau and in China's intelligence agencies.
Afterwards, she was transferred to Changsha by Uehara Junpei to be responsible for turning important targets of the Nationalist Army against the Japanese and to preside over some intelligence work. During her time infiltrating Changsha, she gradually found out and grasped the situation of all the Japanese agents infiltrating the country.
What followed was simple. On the eve of the Second Battle of Changsha, in order to thwart the Japanese offensive, Ning Zhiheng ordered a major crackdown on the Japanese intelligence network in Changsha. Tan Jinhui took Ning Zhiheng's place and went to Changsha to oversee the operation. After obtaining the list of infiltrators from Tanikawa Chiemi, he launched a swift and sudden attack. Almost overnight, the Japanese intelligence network in Changsha suffered an unprecedented blow, with all personnel captured. Only a few leaders escaped unscathed, including Tanikawa Chiemi.
This operation, which had been planned for a long time, was a resounding success, thoroughly shocking the intelligence communities of both China and Japan, and once again showcasing Ning Zhiheng's reputation as a master of counter-espionage.
However, Chiemi Tanikawa did not have time to escape. Instead, she was taken back to Nanjing by the Japanese intelligence agency and subjected to extremely rigorous screening. Fortunately, she had handled the situation cleanly beforehand, and most of the infiltrator groups that were wiped out had no direct connection with her. This allowed her to barely pass the screening. However, just in case, she was kept in Nanjing and was subject to investigation at any time.
At this point, given Tanikawa Chiemi's outstanding abilities and significant value, Ning Zhiheng, after much deliberation, finally decided to take action.
So, through his clever scheme, he created an opportunity to meet Tanikawa Chiemi. Then, he personally pleaded with Uehara Junpei. Seeing how much his nephew cared about Tanikawa Chiemi, Uehara Junpei assumed that his nephew was moved by Tanikawa Chiemi's beauty and naturally wouldn't refuse his nephew's request. Thus, Tanikawa Chiemi regained her freedom and continued to work in the military intelligence department. From then on, Ning Zhiheng drove a deep nail into the highest intelligence department of the Japanese military.
In fact, Chiemi Tanikawa did not disappoint Ning Zhiheng's trust. In the following two years, Chiemi Tanikawa provided Ning Zhiheng with a large amount of top-secret intelligence and cooperated with the Shanghai Intelligence Section to complete many major operations. It can be said that for a period of time, Chiemi Tanikawa's role was no less important than Ning Zhiheng's number one trump card, Gu Feng, and she became Ning Zhiheng's capable assistant.
However, the situation changed drastically later. In the first half of 1944, the Japanese military suffered heavy blows in Southeast Asia. Uehara Junpei's faction was also defeated in the military's power struggle. Under strict orders from the General Headquarters, Uehara Junpei was forced to be transferred to the Southeast Asian battlefield, following in the footsteps of Kagesa Hiroki.
Meanwhile, Japan's political situation underwent tremendous changes. Due to the expansion of the war, the cabinet and military, led by Tojo, completely seized control of the government and military, suppressing the House of Representatives to the point of silence. The influence of Japan's old aristocracy in politics dropped to an all-time low, with almost no power to resist. Fujiwara Hirofumi was also unable to influence the situation in China or take into account Ning Zhiheng's predicament.
Under these circumstances, Ning Zhiheng lost his two most powerful supporters, and the situation took a sharp turn for the worse, plunging him into an unprecedented predicament. In addition, he controlled the resource-rich and highly profitable Fujiwara Company, which quickly became a target in the eyes of many military elites.
Despite Ning Zhiheng's strategic acumen and skillful maneuvering, he was unable to reverse the decline under these circumstances, and his situation became increasingly difficult.
In the end, something happened that became the last straw, completely ending Ning Zhiheng's seven-year undercover career.
That was Yasuda Seiji, the Japanese codebreaker he had persuaded to defect during the Battle of Shanghai, who reappeared before Ning Zhiheng after disappearing for many years.
When Ning Zhiheng persuaded Yasuda Seiji to defect, he released him after obtaining the intelligence, hoping that he could return to the military intelligence department and become a mole he had placed there.
However, Ning Zhiheng ultimately lacked the ability to foresee the hearts of all people, and a mistake still occurred. After Yasuda Seiji left, fearing that Ning Zhiheng would use his alleged betrayal to coerce him into serving the Chinese people, he became increasingly entangled in the situation, eventually implicating his parents and family in Japan. After repeated internal struggles and reflections, he finally decided not to return to the army and to abandon all his previous identities.
From then on, Yasuda Seiji changed his name and identity and fled north to the International Settlement in Tianjin. In the records of the Japanese military, Yasuda Seiji was listed as a fallen soldier and was never mentioned again.
But life is unpredictable. Sometimes life is like a play, even more convoluted and bizarre than what is shown in a play. By chance, Yasuda Seiji saved a Japanese ronin who was a leader of the Black Dragon Society. Through his introduction, Yasuda Seiji became a member of the Black Dragon Society.
The Black Dragon Society was an early Japanese civilian intelligence organization that emerged in northern China. It gradually grew in power and established intelligence agencies throughout China, holding a certain position in the Japanese invasion of China. Although it mainly operated in the north, it also had an important branch in Shanghai.
During a mission to the Shanghai branch, Yasuda Seiji happened to meet Ning Zhiheng. For him, Ning Zhiheng was undoubtedly the biggest nightmare of his life, a memory that had been etched into his very bones for many years. So he immediately recognized Ning Zhiheng.
However, during his subsequent investigation, he was shocked to learn that the young man who looked exactly like Ning Zhiheng was actually Fujiwara Tomohito, the president of the Fujiwara Company in Japan.
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