Kingsman Agent in Film and Television

Beiping, a new round of secret meetings of the Central Army.

At the start of the meeting, Commander Li, who was in charge of the meeting, first praised Zhang Anping:
“Deputy Director Zhang has broken the current deadlock these past few days. If it weren’t for him breaking the deadlock, the conflict between us and the Sui Army would probably have escalated and ultimately benefited the Communist Army.”

After Commander Li finished speaking, Commander Shi immediately chimed in:
“Commander Li is absolutely right—Deputy Director Zhang, on behalf of all the Central Army in Beiping, I, Shi, express my gratitude to you!”

The other generals present also took the opportunity to express their heartfelt gratitude to Zhang Anping.

They were all veterans who had experienced repeated failures due to internal discord.

They were the instigators of the standoff between the Central Army and the Sui Army in Beiping, but in the end, they were helpless because they did not trust the Sui Army and Fu Huabei!

That's why I have no choice but to protect myself in this way!
But don't they know the consequences of doing so?
know!

But knowing this is one thing, but the current situation dictates that this is the only way they can do it.

This is like an unsolvable dead end!

But Zhang Anping broke this deadlock—he made his efforts to integrate the secret agents go to waste, and in exchange for the inspection team entering Suiyuan Army through compromise.

If Zhang Anping were replaced by another agent, they would most likely still have doubts.

But this is Zhang Anping!

With Zhang Anping controlling the entire intelligence system outside of the Sui Army, after the agents under the guise of the inspection team were stationed in the Sui Army, they firmly believed that if the Sui Army made any moves, Zhang Anping would definitely obtain the information immediately.

This firm belief can be translated into their concessions and compromises with the Sui Army—they no longer worry about being betrayed by the Sui Army when they are unprepared!
If the Central Army compromises, the Sui Army will likely also back down. Once both sides take a step back, the standoff between the two armies in Beiping will improve.

In short:

Because of Zhang Anping, the Central Army and the Sui Army in Beiping will soon no longer be facing each other with guns pointed at each other!
With the two armies united as one, they have more confidence to defend the city and await any changes in the situation.

Faced with the thanks and praise from the Central Army generals, Zhang Anping poured cold water on their enthusiasm:
"Although the situation has improved for now, there are nearly 200,000 of our Central Army troops in Beiping, so we must not let our guard down!"

"Next, I want to find a way to win over lower-ranking officers in the Sui Army to ensure that we still have a certain ability to counter any unrest in the Sui Army—I hope Commander Li and Commander Shi can approve this."

Li and Shi exchanged a glance and felt that Zhang Anping's consideration was very thoughtful, so they nodded in agreement with his proposal. Then the two discussed how to make concessions and compromises with the Sui Army.

After some discussion, the Central Army made a decision:
At the airport, the Central Army withdrew most of its troops, leaving only a symbolic small number.
The core defensive nodes of the city controlled by the Central Army were invited to be stationed by the Sui Army, with each side sending personnel to control them.

At the same time, the Central Army repaired its positions and demolished all the positions inside the city.
Finally, the command of the Central Army was symbolically transferred to the General Headquarters for the Suppression of the Central Army. It was symbolic because Li and Shi did not intend to give up the secret meeting of the Central Army, which was the core meeting for controlling the Central Army in Beiping, but they would consult the General Headquarters for instructions on everything.

After making the above decision, Zhang Anping briefed the Suiyuan Army on some of the concerns raised within the army:

"Commander Li, Commander Shi, and all commanders, judging from the current situation, there is no talk of 'peace' within the Sui Army as a whole, and Fu Huabei has not shown any signs of 'peace' either. But there are all kinds of birds in a big forest—among the Sui Army generals, there are still some weak individuals who are inclined to defect to the Communists."

"Luo Qiyong is a typical example."

“Yesterday I deliberately met with this person and tested him with my words. He was stubborn and unyielding, and his desire to surrender was extremely strong. We must be wary of this kind of person!”

A Central Army division commander decisively said:
"Then let's make an example of them!"

The others nodded in agreement. Luo Qiyong was a deputy division commander, and using him as a scapegoat was perfect!

But Li and Shi hesitated. They had just decided to resolve the conflict with the Sui army through concessions and compromises, and now they were going to make an example of them...

Noticing their hesitation, Zhang Anping immediately shook his head:

“We are trying to ease the confrontational atmosphere with the Sui Army. If we make an example of them now, it will easily cause a backlash and resentment within the Sui Army. Unless absolutely necessary, I do not recommend using radical measures.”

Li Shi and his companion breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. They were worried that Zhang Anping would act unilaterally—even though Zhang Anping had joined the secret meeting, the intelligence agency never directly obeyed their orders. If Zhang Anping really insisted on going his own way, they would have a hard time stopping him.

I never expected Zhang Anping to be so good at understanding the bigger picture!

Commander Li made the final decision: "Deputy Director Zhang's considerations are not without merit. Then we should strengthen surveillance, focusing on monitoring these weak communist sympathizers!"

"Yes—Commander Li, Commander Shi, we can't easily deal with the Sui Army generals, but I think we can teach some of the two-faced people in the city a lesson!"

At this point, Zhang Anping said with a cold expression:

"Especially some scoundrels who have received great favors from the Party and the State!"

Although he didn't say it explicitly, everyone present could tell who Zhang Anping was referring to as the "bastards".

The powerful and wealthy!

It is obvious that Zhang Anping was referring to some powerful and wealthy people in Beiping.

Some generals hesitated, as they had connections with powerful and wealthy people in Beiping, and some had even married into the same family. Naturally, they were unwilling to deal with these people.

However, some straightforward generals agreed without hesitation:
"Arrest them if they should be arrested!"

"In the past, when we were fighting the Japanese, we risked our lives on the front lines, but these bastards were secretly colluding with the Japanese, not only betraying intelligence but also helping the Japanese win over people's hearts!"

"Now that the Communist army has arrived, they've started flirting with them again—if we don't deal with these people, morale in the army and among the people will be unstable!"

However, many people have doubts: Is Zhang Anping's action perhaps a way of settling personal scores?

Previously, when Tanggu seized money, many powerful and wealthy people in Beiping were jumping around in a frenzy. These people not only used the Sui Army to put pressure on Zhang Anping, but also put pressure on him through the Central Army and the Nanjing government.

Now that Zhang Anping is turning against their group, who would believe he has no personal feelings involved?
Some people thought about it and decided to put a "bridle" on Zhang Anping—to produce evidence to arrest him, so as to prevent him from being swayed by personal grudges.

Commander Yuan, who had been relatively quiet lately, seemed to have noticed these people's ulterior motives and stood up to directly support them, saying:

"Arrest them if they should be arrested!"

"Currently trapped in Beiping, these people are not thinking about being loyal to the Party and the country. On the one hand, they are flirting with the Communist army, and on the other hand, they are trying to find ways to fly away through the airport!"

"They wasted precious ships and transport capacity to transfer private assets before, and now they're setting their sights on airplanes—they're truly shameless!"

"They should be arrested!"

Suddenly, everyone realized what Zhang Anping's real personal grudge was.

After a brief moment of thought, Commander Li and Commander Shi expressed their opinions one after the other:
"This is within the scope of the Security Bureau's duties; there's no need to ask for instructions!"

"With the army currently trapped in Beiping, morale is of paramount importance! To expect to be both rich and poor while receiving the Party and the state's salary is truly laughable! Deputy Director Zhang, arrest me however you wish! If Nanjing holds us accountable, my Ninth Army Corps will take full responsibility!"

Commander Li and Commander Shi had witnessed Zhang Anping's actions during this period. In return for Zhang's loyalty to the Party and the country, they would certainly not stand in his way.

Moreover, defending Beiping was their top priority, and although Zhang Anping did not have many troops, his role was irreplaceable. Given the choice between the two, they would naturally support Zhang Anping.

Instead of supporting those powerful and wealthy people who are now only holding them back!
Seeing that both Commanders Li and Shi were supporting Zhang Anping, the others knew it would be futile to chime in. They could only decide to give a warning to the powerful and wealthy people associated with them in private, so that they would not try to play both sides and would not run into trouble.

……

After the secret meeting, the Central Army began mobilization. At first, the Sui Army thought the Central Army was going to attack them, so they were frightened and quickly prepared for the conflict.

However, as the Central Army dismantled its internal positions and freed up defensive nodes, the Sui Army realized the Central Army's "good intentions." In addition, with the General Headquarters for Suppression holding a meeting and the Central Army "correcting its attitude," the Sui Army finally abandoned its vigilance, and unexpectedly, a harmonious coexistence situation returned to Beijing.

Although the conflict still exists, it is no longer akin to the previous armed confrontation.

But just after both sides abandoned their armed confrontation, the dormant intelligence system suddenly erupted.

Arrest them!

They're arresting people as fast as they can!

A large number of powerful and wealthy people in Beiping were arrested in their homes by fully armed secret agents and all of them were detained by the military police.

However, the secret agents' arrests were not only aimed at the powerful and wealthy; the working class and students in Beiping were also targeted, and even the education sector suffered another wave of arrests.

In just three days, the military police had to add three temporary prisons, but even so, they were still overcrowded.

So why did Zhang Anping target these people?

Is it really because they are "communist"?
Do not!
The reason for taking action against these people is that if they are not arrested and dealt with, the people of Beiping will suffer!
Since the fall of Beiping, these powerful and wealthy individuals who suffered heavy losses in the Tanggu confiscation have openly colluded with the Sui Army and the Central Army to carry out a frenzied looting of civilian supplies in Beiping.

They violently plundered all supplies such as grain, kerosene, coal, and medicine from small and medium-sized merchants, then hoarded them, leaving only a few sales points for so-called "exclusive sales." Prices skyrocketed!

What's most insidious is that these people don't accept gold yuan notes; they only accept silver dollars, silver, gold, and foreign currency.

At that time, due to the plundering of the gold yuan, the amount of gold and silver held by ordinary people was ridiculously low. But these gluttons didn't care whether people would starve to death. They only thought about making up for the losses from the Tanggu tax and seizing a huge amount of wealth.

Zhang Anping naturally wouldn't just stand by and watch these people suck blood and drain his marrow.

His response was:

You guys "run" thirty-nine meters first, let me see clearly what kind of Taotie there are. Once I see them clearly, the forty-meter-long sword will come down at the speed of light!
Thus, the three-day mass arrests took place.

During these three days of massive arrests, all the powerful and wealthy individuals involved in hoarding essential goods were labeled as communist sympathizers by Zhang Anping and imprisoned.

Afterwards, he contacted the generals of the Sui Army and the Central Army and began a large-scale sale of the confiscated civilian supplies. Although the prices were much higher than before the siege, they were still prices that most people could afford, so there would not be a situation of widespread starvation.

Despite the exorbitantly low selling price, the fact that the generals of the Central Army and the Sui Army did not suffer much loss as a result is outrageous—which shows how ruthless these people are.

Normally, such a large-scale arrest would inevitably lead to a climate of fear and paranoia in Beiping.

However, it was precisely because Zhang Anping took over the sale of essential goods that the outcome was exactly the opposite of what was supposed to happen:

Surprisingly, the city of Beiping was "full of prosperity." The arrest of these powerful and wealthy individuals did not cause any chaos; on the contrary, it showed a trend of restoring the prosperity that existed before the siege.

Leaving a big spectrum!
But cutting off someone's source of income is like killing their parents, not to mention that Zhang Anping directly imprisoned all the masterminds and accomplices.

Therefore, some people used this as an opportunity to attack Zhang Anping.

But Zhang Anping had already anticipated their movements. Faced with the attacks, Zhang Anping presented a detailed list of arrests:

During the three-day mass arrests, the so-called super-rich and powerful only accounted for a very small portion; the majority were from other groups, such as radical students, educators, and workers.

Despite the fact that Zhang Anping was about to capture the powerful and wealthy...

The reason Zhang Anping arrested the others was not only to "make up the numbers," but also, more importantly, to protect them!

Many of the arrested workers were core employees of the factory; with them, the factory could operate steadily.

Similarly, many of the educators and students who were arrested are valuable talents for the future. Zhang Anping detained them in advance because he was worried that they would be coerced into leaving during the siege.

To outsiders, this behavior clearly appeared to be Zhang Anping's bloody suppression...

……

"I'm sorry for you!"

Sister Qian looked at Zhang Anping and solemnly said, "When you return, no matter what, you must make your actions public!"

In present-day Beiping, the people's livelihood, which was on the verge of collapse, has been turned around again thanks to Zhang Anping's "ruthlessness." However, the large-scale arrests of students, progressives, and workers have made Zhang Anping's reputation among the people extremely bad.

Some people have even called him the "Blood Butcher".

But Sister Qian clearly understood the core purpose behind Zhang Anping's actions.

That's why she made that promise.

Faced with Sister Qian's assurance, Zhang Anping felt a sense of exhilaration—it would be a lie to say he didn't want to be affirmed; he dreamed of wearing the People's Liberation Army uniform and standing openly in the sunlight!

But he was resilient and quickly suppressed these emotions, smiling as he said:
"Sister Qian, let's talk about these things later. Right now, the most urgent thing is..."

"You're just causing me trouble!"

Sister Qian was stunned for a moment: "Making trouble?!"

"Nanjing should resume its material support to Beiping soon, and I will most likely be praised by that person again and again."

Zhang Anping was clearly unmoved by the repeated praise, but still smiled and said:

"So now is a good opportunity—I plan to have Mao Renfeng stab me in the back."

"Well, it's unlikely he could pull off this stab by himself alone, so Zheng Yaoquan has to come down and help."

Sister Qian was surprised that Zhang Anping had set his sights on Nanjing, and she asked curiously:

What do you want to do?

"Find a way to get Zheng Yaoquan to come and reap the rewards! If he doesn't come, there are some things I can't get rid of. Only if he comes can I get away safely."

Sister Qian looked at Zhang Anping in surprise:
"You mean, you want Zheng Yaoquan to come to Beiping and fight you for control of the intelligence system?"

"Ok!"

"Hiss—aren't you afraid of getting out of control? Anping, let's play it safe!"

Sister Qian hesitated and said, "The current situation in Beiping is favorable for us to make secret plans. If Zheng Yaoquan comes to Beiping, I'm worried it will ruin things."

Zheng Yaoquan is the head of the Second Bureau. In Beiping, the Second Bureau's agents account for a quarter of the intelligence system's strength. If he comes, he will have both men and soldiers, and the possibility of him causing trouble is not small.

"He can't ruin our business, but he can ruin mine—don't worry! When he comes, just dealing with Comrade Gu Shenyan and Luo Qiyong will keep him busy enough."

Luo Qiyong was a decoy put out by Zhang Anping, and Sister Qian knew this very well, but Gu Shenyan...

Sister Qian's eyes lit up. She vaguely understood Zhang Anping's true intention and asked, "You mean, he'll make an issue of what Comrade Gu Shenyan calls 'collaboration with the Communists'?!"

"Yes, what I'm doing now is in Nanjing's best interest. Mao Renfeng is probably worried sick right now, and Zheng Yaoquan certainly doesn't want me to repeat what I did in Beiping in the future."

"As for Tang Zong and Ye Xiufeng, they are also unhappy to see me stand out alone. They will secretly act as a driving force. Therefore, as long as things are handled properly, Zheng Yaoquan will definitely come to Beiping."

Zhang Anping revealed a mocking expression: "And to strike at my lone and outstanding position, there is no more powerful weapon than confirming that Comrade Gu Shenyan is a 'communist sympathizer'!"

"As for Lao Gu's safety, you don't need to worry."

Sister Qian weighed the options once again.

On the surface, with Zhang Anping acting as a lubricant, the Central Army and the Sui Army have seemingly united.

But in fact?
The inspection team system stationed in Suiyuan Army was mainly composed of underground party members.

Therefore, although the two sides seemed to have no estrangement, the presence of Zhang Anping actually gave the Sui Army the favorable conditions to launch a surprise attack on the Central Army!

There are only two possibilities at present:

1. Fu Huabei was unwilling to accept peaceful reorganization. Our army had no choice but to go all out. Zhang Anping's plan could play a certain role, but given the Sui Army's loyalty to Fu Huabei personally, its role was limited, and it was unlikely that an entire division would revolt.

2. Fu Huabei is willing to accept peaceful reorganization. Once he is willing to accept peaceful reorganization, the underground party represented by Zhang Anping will play a decisive role in the deployment of the two armies in Beiping.

Especially "decapitation":
Given the trust that the Central Army generals placed in the Sui Army, a "decapitation" would be very easy to achieve. Once the "decapitation" was successful, the Central Army would lose all its core members, and with its existing network of subordinates, peaceful reorganization would be very easy.

But this will also completely expose Zhang Anping.

The Sui Army's inspection system was led by Zhang Anping. It's hard to believe that Zhang Anping, the head of the secret service, gave no warning whatsoever before he was "beheaded"!
But what if Zheng Yaoquan is to blame?

At that time, no one will be able to accuse Zhang Anping of not trying his best—he was being held back by others!

"Comrade Anping," Sister Qian asked solemnly, thinking of this, "Do you think there's a high probability that Zheng Yaoquan is up to no good?"

“Very low! Because his main goal is to get me! Please let him through. I will keep an eye on things in the Second Hall and won’t let him mess things up—if there is any prelude to something bad happening, I have enough means to attract his attention.”

Zhang Anping solemnly said:
"For Zheng Yaoquan, defeating me is the most crucial goal. Compared to this goal, everything else comes second."

"Even if it's in the interests of the Nationalist government."

After a moment of silence, Sister Qian finally made up her mind:
"Alright! Then we'll do it your way!" (End of Chapter)