cicada

Chapter 1353 Uncle Zuo

In the interrogation room which was temporarily converted from a conference room, Zuo Zhongduan sat in the middle of a long table, with Song Minghao and Gui Youguang sitting on both sides of him. Opposite the long table was a lonely bench.

Zheng He walked into the house under the guidance of the little spy. When she saw Zuo Zhong and the other two, she saluted first, and then said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "I am Zheng He, and I am honored to meet Deputy Director Zuo and the two officers."

"Haha, Miss Zheng, you're welcome. Please take a seat."

Zuo Zhong smiled very gently, and after the other party sat down, he said, "You are the daughter of Captain Zheng, right? I am a good friend of your uncle, Deputy Director Zheng, so I will tell you what I want to say."

"Deputy Director Zuo, please speak. I will tell you everything I know." Zheng He's response was graceful and elegant, showing the demeanor of a daughter of a famous family.

"Okay, I want to know who in the confidential room has access to the expeditionary force's combat plan." Zuo Zhong asked this question, his eyes lingering on Zheng He's face for a moment and then quickly moving away.

Zheng He didn't seem to notice. After thinking carefully, he replied truthfully: "There are very few people in the confidential room, and the work process is very simple. There are four people in total, including me, and everyone is qualified to access the combat plan.

For example, as a confidential officer, I was responsible for compiling important military telegrams. Another example was Lu Banqing, the confidentiality specialist. She was in charge of all the documents retrieved from the headquarters.

Hearing Zheng He using himself as an example, Zuo Zhong shook his head silently. Zheng Tingbing might not be a good person, but it was impossible for him and the Zheng family to collude with the Japanese, so he interrupted Zheng He with a smile.

"Ms. Zheng, if you are also a Japanese spy, then there is no one in the expeditionary force that can be trusted. Let's focus on the situation of the others."

Zheng He felt relieved and straightened his body slightly. He introduced the details of Cao Anguo, Lu Banqing and Fang Chengze one by one. Song Minghao behind the long table listened and checked the files at the same time.

"Director Cao was from Mizhi, Shaanxi Province. He was originally a high school teacher. During the September 18 Incident, he gave up his pen and joined the army. He served as a clerk in the 73rd Brigade of the 25th Division."

"Sister Banqing, oh, that's Lu Banqing. She's from Shanghai, a girl's school student. She first worked in the Highway Department of the Economic Construction Committee. After the National Government moved west, she joined the Highway Bureau of the Ministry of Communications. She joined the army in the early stage of the formation of the Expeditionary Force."

"As for the correspondent Fang Chengze, he is a second-generation rich man, uneducated and unskilled. His uncle is the commander of a miscellaneous division and he is a native of Baoshan."

Zheng He introduced the main personnel of the confidential room in a few words. Zuo Chong looked at her deeply after listening. She was worthy of being the niece of Zheng Tingbing. She really had a family tradition of learning.

Even though the other party didn't say much, he revealed a lot.

As we all know, Commander Du is from Mizhi. Who was the commander of the 73rd Brigade of the 25th Division after the September 18 Incident? It was Commander Du. Zheng He was hinting that Cao Anguo had a close relationship with Commander Du.

The woman named Lu Banqing is also not simple. She has worked in the Highway Department of the Economic Construction Commission and the Highway Administration of the Ministry of Transport, both of which are lucrative jobs.

How did a student from a girls' school get into this great place that others would try their best to get into?

But Zuo Zhong happened to know that there was a person from Shanghai who had worked in both agencies, and that person had the same surname as Lu Banqing. Isn't that a coincidence?

Zheng He seemed to have said nothing, but in fact he explained the background of Cao Anguo and Lu Banqing clearly.

What’s even more amazing is that even if Chief Du and Deputy Director Lu knew about this, they couldn’t say anything. After all, Zheng He didn’t say a single extra word.

This is the linguistic wisdom of officialdom. Different occasions and objects require different ways of speaking.

Zuo Zhong smiled more amiably, asked someone to serve Zheng He a cup of hot tea, and then asked, "Can you tell me your impression of the three of them? It's okay, you can speak freely, and no one will see this confession."

There was a hint of hesitation in Zheng He's clear eyes, but he finally spoke according to Zuo Zhong's request. He acted decisively, not at all like a young man who had just entered the officialdom.

She took a sip of water and said slowly, "Director Cao has a kind personality and a harmonious relationship with everyone. He never puts on airs as a superior. He is smooth and capable, and he can always complete the tasks assigned by his superiors quickly."

From Zheng He's description, the image of a sophisticated traditional bureaucrat slowly emerged in Zuo Zhong's mind.

There are many such people in the government, such as Song Minghao who is beside him. They can do both good and bad things, and they are so slippery that it is difficult to catch their mistakes.

But at the same time, such people know the pros and cons and will not take risks easily, let alone act as Japanese spies.

The most likely scenario is that the Japanese spies instigated Cao Anguo to rebel, but the other party turned around and reported him, and maybe even cheated the Japanese out of a sum of money.

On the other side, Zheng He continued to tell her story, his voice echoing in the empty room, sunlight shone in through the ventilation window, and dust particles danced in the air like mayflies.

"Lu Banqing's lifestyle is Westernized. When she was in Shancheng, she often went to dance halls and nightclubs to pass the time. She came into contact with many male superiors and her reputation was not very good, but I don't think she is that kind of person."

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

Zuo Chong was a little curious. In this era, a woman who often went to a dance hall was either a professional socialite or had a special identity.

Zheng He mustered up his courage and said, "This is just a feeling. And considering Lu Banqing's appearance, if he really had ambiguous relationships with many superiors, he wouldn't be a confidentiality specialist until now."

Song Minghao, who was listening in, put down the file and shook his head slightly. This reason was a bit far-fetched. Although the position of confidentiality commissioner was not high, it was very crucial.

Assuming that Lu Banqing has a special identity, his presence in the confidential room would not only fail to prove his innocence, but would increase his suspicion.

Zuo Zhong also thought so in his heart, but he did not show any sign on his face. He still kindly asked Zheng He about Fang Chengze's daily performance without expressing any opinions.

The most taboo thing in questioning and investigating is to be led by the suspects and witnesses. From this point of view, Song Minghao's practice is not enough. Then, Zheng He began to evaluate Fang Chengze: "Communicator Fang is not a bully, but he is also a famous playboy. If the Fang family was not a big family in Baoshan, he would have been thrown into the Nujiang River long ago."

Compared with the previous two people, Zheng He obviously had a bad impression of Fang Chengze, and the constant frown on his brows while he spoke was evidence of this.

Zuo Chong wrote a few random words on his confession and didn't take the matter seriously. Relationships between men and women were not the responsibility of the intelligence department. He only wanted to find the Japanese spy.

"Okay, Miss Zheng, that's all for today. If you remember anything, you can report it to the Political Training Office at any time."

After recording the conversation just now, Zuo Zhong said something to Zheng He.

Zheng He stood up and said shyly, "Thank you, Uncle Zuo. I've heard you talk about me a lot before. Don't worry, I will cooperate with the investigation."

Her eyes were full of admiration, and she naturally changed the way she addressed him from Deputy Director Zuo to Uncle Zuo, which unknowingly brought the two closer together and also highlighted Zheng Tingbing's existence.

Zuo Chong laughed, this little girl was really extraordinary, she knew how to deal with the worldly affairs just right.

Yes, none of these young masters and young ladies are stupid, including Fang Chengze.

As far as he knew, Fang Chengze was very attentive to Lu Banqing, but never harassed Zheng He, and even kept his distance from her. What was the reason? It was because the Zheng family was so powerful.

Zheng He didn't know what "Uncle Zuo" was thinking. She walked out of the interrogation room lightly. Soon a second person walked in. Zuo Chong asked the newcomer with a cold expression.

"Cao Anguo, right? Do you know why we need to screen the personnel in the confidential room?"

"I know." Cao Anguo bowed slightly and smiled humbly: "The expeditionary army suffered many defeats in Burma. It is said that it was because the battle plan was leaked. You want to find the Japanese spy."

This answer was somewhat surprising. The experienced Cao Anguo did not beat around the bush. He not only pointed out the reasons for the defeat, but also readily admitted that there were Japanese spies in the army.

Zuo Zhong chuckled and asked, "Oh? Then tell me, where would the Japanese spy be hiding?"

"This"

Cao Anguo stuttered, looked at Zuo Zhong cautiously, and then said, "I don't know anything about counter-espionage, so I dare not speak nonsense."

That's right. The way of survival for people like Cao Anguo can be summed up in two words: don't do things that offend others, and don't say things that offend others.

Zuo Chong did not embarrass the other party any further. He asked a few questions about Lu Banqing and Fang Chengze and let Cao Anguo leave. Looking at the other party's back, Zuo Chong closed the file.

"Hello, Deputy Director Zuo, and hello, both officers."

At this time, Lu Banqing walked in from outside and saluted the three people. The originally bloated military uniform on her body actually showed a different kind of charm.

"You must be Lu Banqing, right? I heard that you have ambiguous relationships with many superiors. Is that true?"

Facing Zuo Zhong's slightly teasing question, Lu Banqing's face turned ugly, and he refuted bluntly: "It is said that Deputy Director Zuo is very observant, but after seeing him today, it seems that he is not worthy of the reputation."

"presumptuous!"

"Be bold!"

Song Minghao and Gui Youguang slammed the table and stood up. The deputy director was ridiculed in person, and as subordinates they had to express their opinions.

"Okay, it's just a joke, don't mind it, Miss Lu."

Zuo Zhong stopped the two men with a forced smile, and then questioned Lu Banqing as usual, asking her to talk about her opinions on the people in the confidential room.

Lu Banqing gave an answer with a cold face. The content was exactly the same as what Zheng He said, except that the evaluation of Chengze was even worse, perhaps because he often harassed her.

After finishing his speech, Lu Banqing got Zuo Zhong's permission and walked out angrily.

Judging from her behavior after entering the interrogation room, she is a new-age woman with a distinct personality, and has nothing to do with a socialite.

This was somewhat contradictory to Zheng He's description. Zuo Zhong and Song Minghao looked at each other and started chatting in low voices.

"Deputy Commander, I didn't realize this guy has such a bad temper. He doesn't look like a canary."

"Don't jump to conclusions. Wait and see. First, make a list of the people she had contact with."

"Yes, I'll arrange it in a moment."

The conversation ended here. After a while, Fang Chengze poked his head out from the door. Seeing Zuo Dian nodded, he quickly came over to the stool and sat down with a grin on his face.