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Chapter 1545 Extra Chapter (The Debate at Gongdelin 3)

The battles at the bathhouse and Little Coal Hill were just the beginning. Gongdelin then saw two more large-scale battles: one at the canteen and another at catching pigs, giving the guards at the management office a major headache.

Adhering to the principle that it is better to guide than to block, the management center organized more cultural activities, intending to use these activities to exhaust the prisoners of war.

However, the prisoners of war did not appreciate this and continued to passively resist reformation. They even openly reviewed the battles, expressing their dissatisfaction with their military defeats, both overtly and covertly.

One day, a large number of Kuomintang generals gathered together to review the Battle of Tianjin. The Tianjin garrison commander drew a city defense map on a wooden board. After finishing the drawing, he threw the chalk on the ground and cursed a certain dog spy for being inhuman.

"Damn it, if that guy surnamed Zuo hadn't told me to hold on and there would be a way, I would have switched sides long ago. How could I have ended up like this!"

"I really don't know what Director Zuo is up to. On the one hand, he's monitoring my subordinates, and on the other hand, he's arbitrarily arresting military officers on the pretext of colluding with bandits, disrupting morale. It's truly despicable!"

The Tianjin Garrison Commander even shed tears as he spoke, his grievances overflowing.

His accusations drew echoes from more "victims." The deputy commander of the Taiyuan city defense wept bitterly, saying that not long after Zuo Chong observed, the Northwest Army broke through the Jin-Sui Army's bunker array, suggesting that the defense map had been leaked.

The commanders of the Yangtze River defense line in Nanjing and Jiangcheng also cursed Zuo Zhong. Mentioning Director Zuo's name made everyone grit their teeth, wishing they could fly out of Gongdelin and kill him.

In particular, Commander Yang of the 18th Army glanced at the commander of the 12th Army Corps in the crowd, and then loudly announced the real reason for his defeat.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, as soon as the fighting started at Nianzhuang, all units of my 12th Army Corps were ordered to go to its aid. I think there is a trap involved. I suggest that we first establish a firm foothold and figure out the situation before we think of a solution."

"After being persuaded by Zuo Chong, who claimed that the underground party forces were exhausted, a certain officer believed him and ordered the abandonment of the fortifications that had been built and to continue the northward attack."

"When the Northwest Army surrounded us, I suggested retreating from the Southeast and relying on the railway line for supplies."

"But then Director Zuo jumped out again, and he assured a certain superior that the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics had discovered the main force of the Northwest along the railway line."

"A certain officer hesitated and refused to make a decision because of such unfounded intelligence, thus missing a battle opportunity for as long as eleven hours!"

"After securing the Northwest Pocket, that same officer, confident in his superior strength, prepared to break out simultaneously, and even adopted Zuo Zhong's suggestion to send the X Division to lead the charge."

"You all probably know what happened next. The commander of the X Division defected to the enemy on the front lines, my 12th Army Corps was completely annihilated in the Northwest, and that guy surnamed Zuo escaped beforehand."

"Here, I'd like to say that a certain officer and Zuo Zhong are complete laymen! Complete laymen!"

Commander Yang let out a wail, and the commander of the 12th Army Corps was speechless. His face turned as red as a monkey's butt, his beard trembled slightly, and he almost fainted as his vision went black.

"Wait a minute, something's not right. Could that guy surnamed Zuo be a member of the underground Communist Party?"

Suddenly someone said something that terrified the generals of the Nationalist army: the head of the Nationalist government's intelligence system was an underground party member. This was too shocking.

However, upon closer reflection, what Zuo Zhong had done was indeed a bit suspicious. The crowd looked at each other, their eyes filled with suspicion.

Hearing this, the head of a section of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics in the crowd was furious. These bastards had lost the battle themselves, yet they were blaming the Bureau Chief—it was outrageous! He immediately stood up and retorted, "Bullshit! The Bureau Chief saved Chief Wei from danger several times; how could he possibly be an underground party member!"

Huh? It seems that's really the case. The generals of the Guo army were confused and didn't know whose words to believe.

Standing in the center, Commander Du frowned and pondered for a long time before finally shaking his head: "Don't say anything that could disrupt unity. Zuo Zhong is probably not a member of the underground party; he's just taking the blame for someone else."

"On the day the 12th Army Corps was besieged, I ordered the radio to be shut down and prepared to withdraw from the battlefield. Unexpectedly, the old man used an airplane to drop a hand order, ordering me to return immediately to rescue them."

“Shen Zhong was still sentimental. He also received orders to go to Jinling to report back. Before parting, he gave me his Parker gold pen, imported cigarettes and chocolates as a parting gift.”

"Therefore, the Battle of Chenguanzhuang was not due to our poor fighting performance or untimely intelligence support, but rather to the constant changes in strategic orders from higher command."

Although Commander Du did not say it directly, everyone present understood who this "high-ranking official" was—their leader.

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold. Only Bai Wenzhi, remembering how Zuo Zhong had abandoned him on the shore, felt a surge of resentment and couldn't help but utter a few more words.

"Humph!"

"The guy surnamed Zuo couldn't possibly be a member of the underground Communist Party. The amount of small yellow croakers I gave him alone was not small. There's no such thing as an underground Communist Party member in the world."

Bai Wenzhi felt relieved, but he also offended some people. The members of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics glared at him angrily, and one of the agents even made a sarcastic remark.

"Some people are just unlucky. Three people were caught at the dock together. One became a guest of honor of the underground party, one ran away without a trace, and only one was unlucky enough to be caught."

"Brothers, tell me, isn't it because this person has done too many bad things in his life that he has no conscience, which is why he encounters ghosts on his walk?"

The agents laughed heartily, while Bai Wenzhi trembled with anger. Just as the fourth large-scale melee was about to erupt, a guard came over in time to interrupt the argument.

The guard walked up to Bai Wenzhi and asked seriously, "I heard you and Zuo Chong are good friends? Do you know that he recently spent a year lying low in Beiping?"

The members of the Kuomintang gasped in shock. Despite being imprisoned, they were able to learn a great deal through newspapers and radio broadcasts and were aware of the situation outside.

The public nowadays hates spies and will report any suspicious persons they encounter, resulting in the exposure of countless undercover agents.

Zuo Chong, as the top figure in the Kuomintang's intelligence system, actually came to Beiping to infiltrate. Those who had just suspected him of being a member of the underground party all looked ashamed.

Director Zuo is indeed Director Zuo. Despite his high position, he was willing to take great risks for the Party and the country. They were ashamed of their own inferiority.

Upon hearing the guard's words, Bai Wenzhi panicked instantly. If the underground party suspected him of colluding with Zuo Zhong, he feared he would never be able to leave Gongdelin Prison.

Suddenly, an idea flashed in Lao Bai's mind. He raised his right hand and shouted loudly, "I am irreconcilably opposed to Zuo Zhong, this reactionary!"