Kingsman Agent in Film and Television

No matter how much the section chief and Zhang Anping were of one mind, since it was a cleanup operation, some things were simply unavoidable.

for example……

Take a break for now!
Therefore, after discussing it with Zhang Anping for quite some time, the section chief subtly brought up the matter:
“Brother Anping, I’ve kept you so busy lately, because of me. You…you…you should take some time to rest and recuperate, what do you think?”

The look of surprise on Zhang Anping's face lasted only a moment before disappearing.

He smiled and said:
"That's exactly what I was thinking—after the last raid on my home, I felt I owed my family a lot and wanted to take a good rest. I even arranged a long vacation for my secretary and left her the car. But she hadn't even decided where to take this vacation before she rushed back to work."

"These past few days, they've been throwing a tantrum even when delivering documents to me, hahaha. Now I can keep my word, so it's not like I've broken my promise."

It was a very hasty, self-deprecating response. Even the section chief knew that there was nothing between Zhang Anping and Zheng Yi; he only valued Zheng Yi's talent, and Zheng Yi wasn't the type to throw a tantrum like that. But he still deliberately used a smile that only a man would understand to say:

"Then you should make it up to them properly—"

Then the section chief pretended to be angry and said, "Brother Anping, you still remember the confiscation of your property? I thought you had forgotten about it!"

Zhang Anping said smugly, "My pettiness is well-known."

"I know that. The Japanese hold a grudge against Zhang Shih-hao for his vindictiveness. Haha, since Brother Anping is so petty, then let's give the Chen mansion to Brother Anping?"

Zhang Anping suppressed his smile and shook his head:
"Please don't make fun of me about the Chen Mansion incident, Director. I was just trying to protect myself at the time. Moving it now would be a bit troublesome. I'll try to buy it."

The section chief couldn't help but chuckle. This guy, after going through thick and thin together, has finally accepted me!
He even dared to admit, "At the time, I was just trying to protect myself!"
"With your temperament, do you think you can even save up the money to buy the Chen mansion?" the section chief said irritably.
"Leave this matter to me. Consider it an official residence allocated to you. Don't worry about criticism—if anyone can be like you, I'll give them the same official residence!"

"Then I would be disrespectful."

Zhang Anping did not refuse; this attitude actually meant:
I'm now on your side, Director!

The section chief naturally understood that from the moment Zhang Anping spoke the "truth," he had grasped Zhang Anping's meaning—this was a tremendous gain for the section chief. The tough nut he had once considered had, after this failure, unexpectedly sided with him.

This only confirmed the section chief's idea:
These are my fellow travelers!
So why is Zhang Anping now siding with the section chief?

You should know that before, he had always been a lone minister serving as a chief attendant. When faced with the director's recruitment, even when the director poured his heart out at the Chen mansion, Zhang Anping was deeply moved but refused in a self-deprecating way.

The reason is simple: Mao Zedong wasn't effective!

Zhang Anping tried to salvage the situation time and time again, but he couldn't stop this guy from making the wrong moves at crucial moments.

This time, Mao Renfeng's position seems secure again, but his decision to choose the wrong side at a crucial moment must have angered the chief attendant.

Given the chance, Mao Renfeng will definitely get out of here.

But Zhang Anping's principle is that I absolutely cannot be promoted to the top position. In the past, he used "I am impulsive" to prevent himself from being promoted, but if Mao Renfeng is driven away, this reason will not hold water.

But if Zhang Anping were promoted to head, wouldn't the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics become an unbreakable force? Even if the Nationalist government were in decline, a unified Bureau of Investigation and Statistics would still be quite formidable.

Therefore, Zhang Anping had to find another "reason" for himself.

What reason could be more reasonable than siding with the section chief out of mutual affection?
The director of the second department was the section chief's classmate and loyal follower.
The core supporters of the Party's General Affairs Bureau are surnamed Chen;

The other smaller intelligence agencies are intertwined and complex in their power structures.

Only the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics is the chief of staff's inner circle—but if the director of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics is the section chief's loyalist, then what is the chief of staff doing?
Even if two people are bound by blood, what kind of kinship is there when it comes to power?

Therefore, Zhang Anping's alignment with the section chief means that he will remain ineligible for the position of bureau chief in the short to medium term!

Well, the short to medium term is enough. Zhang Anping's future lies in the United States, and he doesn't want to stay on the island forever.

……

After the section chief left, Zhang Anping handed over his work and then left the Bureau of Secrecy—the person who took over his work was naturally someone from Zhang's faction.

Zhang Anping is on "leave," but the Zhang faction, this behemoth, is still around.

It's a good opportunity for Mao to give the Zhang faction a good beating during this period, otherwise Mao's base would collapse. There's no other way. This anti-corruption campaign was a complete failure. People are all human, and many people have decided to join the Zhang faction. If Mao doesn't deal with the Zhang faction, they will once again rule the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics.

Everyone else focuses on expanding their own power, but Zhang Anping always seems to stab himself in the back every now and then. It's really enough.

After leaving the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, Zhang Anping acted as if he had resigned from his job, ignoring everyone and going straight home, putting on an act of enjoying the warmth of his wife, children, and home.

Wang Tianfeng's secret stronghold.

In the dark office, only a dim yellow light was on. A pile of newspapers lay on the table, like an old tree under the setting sun, exuding a sense of despair and decline.

But the contents of the newspaper were so... vibrant.

A mocking smile appeared on Wang Tianfeng's lips.

The newspapers seemed to be telling that all corrupt officials were about to be purged—

In reality, however, the battle has already ended, weapons have been shelved, horses have been released to graze, and the hunt has ended once the hunt was over!
The newly appointed adjutant lifted the curtain and entered. Because he lifted it too wide, countless rays of light rushed into the room. Wang Tianfeng frowned involuntarily. Startled, the adjutant, who came from the Party's intelligence bureau, hurriedly lowered the heavy curtain, and darkness once again filled the entire office.

The adjutant carefully stepped forward and placed the newspapers he was holding on the table: "Chief, these are some foreign newspapers."

Wang Tianfeng waved his hand slightly, and after the adjutant left in a flustered manner, he picked up the newspaper that had just been delivered and began to read it.

[The last lone hero of the Nationalist government!]

Wang Tianfeng slowly began to read, the mockery at the corner of his mouth vanishing without a trace, leaving only an indescribable heaviness.

The protagonist of the report was Zhang Anping—this newspaper was very bold, laying out all the verifiable details of Zhang Anping's past, presenting the real Zhang Anping to the readers.

He was a man who made countless contributions during the War of Resistance against Japan, never coveted military power, and while others were trying to expand their power, he repeatedly sent countless qualified soldiers to the rear to take charge.
A secret agent who is strict with himself and others, and an anti-corruption fighter who has repeatedly cracked down on corruption.
An honest official who handled countless sums of money, sending nearly 200 million in wealth to the Nationalist government, yet whose home was found to contain a pile of evidence of his incorruptibility.
A ruthless killer with countless lives on his hands, yet a kind-hearted man who wept bitterly during the incident of military dogs eating meat;
A pragmatist who repeatedly stirs up conflicts, yet always prioritizes the greater good and never seeks personal gain;
But after detailing Zhang Anping's various deeds, this report boldly predicted Zhang Anping's fate:

In the Nationalist government, where everyone else was drunk and he was the only one sober, such an outlier would not have a good ending. Everyone thought that the anti-corruption campaign led by the section chief and spearheaded by Zhang Anping would achieve great success, but in the Nationalist government, this was simply impossible!

The best outcome for Zhang Anping is to be temporarily sidelined.

After reading the report with mixed feelings, Wang Tianfeng's hands began to tremble involuntarily.

Foreigners rarely pay attention to people in China. They are high and mighty and don't care about people or things in China at all. However, in this media storm in the United States, Zhang Anping was exposed for transferring huge sums of money and goods, and later became known for his integrity.

That's why it attracted the attention of foreigners.

But this attention has given them a clearer understanding of Zhang Anping's fate—once the title of "lone hero" was bestowed upon him, his destiny was sealed.

A day ago, this report was a prediction, a ridiculous, counterintuitive prediction;

But now, this is a prophecy!

An accurate and unerring prophecy.

Wang Tianfeng silently put away the newspaper; it was too painful to bear.

Other newspapers, however, were all much the same, almost all contradicting domestic reports and predicting the downfall of this anti-corruption campaign—clearly predicting the downfall, but now that the facts have emerged, they all seem to be accurate predictions.

Wang Tianfeng's heart was shattered into pieces.

He may seem like a cold person, but he has been quietly paying attention to the anti-corruption campaign ever since it began.

He had boundless faith in Zhang Anping, but what was the final result?
Wang Tianfeng sighed deeply, unwilling to read the newspaper any longer. After turning off the desk lamp, he let the darkness engulf him.

……

Fifty-nine people were executed, even if they were executed under the pretext of being communist sympathizers. After the newspapers explained the facts, the public learned the inside story—so they were waiting for the next storm.

A storm that forced the Nationalist government to rectify its course.

So the next day, people began to wait early for the newsboy's clear voice, hoping that the storm would begin.

The people are suffering too much, and their livelihoods are too difficult.

So people hoped to sweep away all evil spirits with a storm, hoping for a new beginning. But the next day's newspapers played a huge joke on them.

[The Executive Office announced a breakthrough in the anti-corruption campaign!]

[The anti-corruption task force has accomplished its mission; anti-corruption efforts have ceased!]

Corrupt officials will be severely punished, and the anti-corruption campaign will end in failure!

This is from the official mouthpiece of the Nationalist government, and it conveys only one message:
The anti-corruption campaign has come to a successful conclusion.

The victory has come to an end?

The public isn't stupid. So many corrupt officials have been exposed in just a few days, but not a single big fish has been caught. Yesterday's reports even said the anti-corruption team was about to start targeting the big fish, but today…

The victory has come to an end?

You're kidding me!
Compared to the official mouthpiece of the Nationalist government, some local tabloids were much bolder!

[Anti-corruption task force disbanded; Zhang Anping left on sick leave in a desolate state!]

The anti-corruption campaign has backfired, even targeting its own members; the curtain has fallen!

[The Nationalist government's collective coup brings the anti-corruption campaign to an end!]

The tabloids completely trampled the face of the Nationalist government underfoot.

Don't they realize the impact of doing this?
know!

However, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. In the face of the pessimistic predictions from foreign newspapers, domestic newspapers were full of confidence, as if they had been injected with stimulants. But once they found out about their own people, they fell silent. This was an inevitable backlash!
Some newspapers, daring to speak the truth, even wrote a report that was worth ten thousand soldiers:
The ins and outs of the Nationalist Government's anti-corruption campaign

This report thoroughly exposes the inside story of the anti-corruption campaign.

First, there was pressure from allies—the allies revealed that the four major families within the Nationalist government had used military aid to seize huge amounts of US dollars, which shocked foreign media.
Then, the Nationalist government failed to control public opinion, allowing the news to break out in the country. At this time, foreign bankers took the opportunity to stir up trouble, pointing the finger at Zhang Anping, intending to find out how much money was taken from the bank during the Shanghai evacuation.
What followed was the most ridiculous scene—in order to protect the four major families, the Nationalist government actually threw Zhang Anping, a key figure, out like a expendable pawn.

The report analyzed in detail the reasons for throwing Zhang Anping out, and bluntly stated that if Zhang Anping had really embezzled, then all that awaited him was suicide or being forced to commit suicide, thus depriving foreign bankers of their investigation direction and bringing the matter to a close.

But Zhang Anping responded with his incorruptibility. A spy who handled enormous sums of money actually needed his wife to pawn her gold bracelet to supplement the family income!

At this point, the anti-corruption campaign has finally reached a critical stage—someone plans to use the release of Zhang Anping as a pretext to attack the Zhang family with ignorant students, aiming to achieve ulterior motives. It is speculated that they intend to take advantage of the chaos to kill Zhang Anping.

This angered the chief attendant, who believed that some people had crossed the line and ultimately ordered a thorough investigation.

The director's thorough investigation escalated into a large-scale anti-corruption campaign, which was also a genuine effort to combat corruption.

But in the end, the section chief faced a backlash from the entire bureaucratic system—the army came to a standstill, logistics were completely depleted, finances suddenly dried up, and government affairs abruptly ceased to function…

Thus, the anti-corruption campaign... came to nothing.

After publishing the entire story, the report concluded with a single sentence:

The idea that anti-corruption efforts could lead to national ruin is utterly ridiculous!
This report caused an uproar throughout China.

……

Shanghai.

Huang family.

After reading the report detailing the entire anti-corruption campaign, Huang Jianxia stood up in anger.

Absurd, utterly absurd!

Since ancient times, there has only been the saying that evil cannot prevail over good, and evil cannot triumph over good. How can there be a saying that good cannot prevail over evil?

Yet, absurdly, within the Nationalist government, the absurd situation of good overcoming evil actually occurred!
The most absurd part was the concluding sentence of the report, which was a true reflection:
The fight against corruption has actually threatened the nation's survival!
This is utterly ridiculous!
Huang Jianxia paced back and forth angrily. He felt ashamed for having wrongly accused Zhang Anping of depravity, ashamed for having been indignant at Zhang Anping for drawing his knife, and furious at the Nationalist government for being utterly incompetent.

Why did a perfectly good Nationalist government become so obsessed with fighting corruption that it would lead to the downfall of the country?

"This little guy..."

Huang Jianxia felt heavy-hearted, and finally slammed his fist on the table in frustration:
"How can the world perish because of anti-corruption efforts? It can only perish because of the failure to fight corruption!"

"I want to go to Nanjing!"

……

Still in Shanghai.

The headquarters of the Traffic Police Corps.

Xu Baichuan stared blankly at the newspaper, his gaze lingering on the last sentence:
The fight against corruption has even threatened the nation's survival.

After the victory in the War of Resistance against Japan, as the Nationalist government resumed administration over the occupied areas, Xu Baichuan was actually the one most affected.

Because he was the leader of the Loyal Salvation Army!
In the original timeline, the Loyal Salvation Army did indeed contribute to the resistance against Japan, but to put it bluntly, their style was no better than that of the puppet army—without the support of the grassroots civilian structure, the Loyal Salvation Army operating behind enemy lines was no different from the puppet army.

They are leeches on the people, a plague of locusts!

But in this timeline, the Loyal Salvation Army has Zhang Anping's desperate support in logistics, and its military discipline is on par with the New Fourth Army next door.

What did such a force face after the victory in the War of Resistance against Japan?
It was the corrupt military discipline of our friendly forces, and the greedy and unrestrained extortion by bureaucrats under the guise of purges!

The impact was enormous!

Xu Baichuan, as the leader of the Loyal Salvation Army, was also greatly impacted.

His rule over the party-state was shaken—a testament to the magnitude of the impact.

Zhang Anping's willingness to follow the section chief into battle gave Xu Baichuan hope.

The Party-State, after all, was the one to which he had shed his blood.

But now, hope has turned into a bone-chilling cold.

Even Zhang Anping, who had calculated everything perfectly and won every battle, could only lament in vain: was there really any hope for the Party-state?

"Make the arrangements, I'll go to Nanjing."

He wanted to see his good brother.

comfort?

To be precise, it was about seeking comfort from each other.

……

This abrupt halt to the anti-corruption campaign has broken far too many hearts—the more enthusiastic the public opinion was beforehand, the more brutal the ensuing backlash has been.

For the department head, this means he'll never make the same mistake again; but for the public, this...

They truly crushed the last hope!

In this situation, foreign newspapers, which had previously been unanimously pessimistic, are now even more smug, flooding the market with reports that can be summarized in one sentence:

Look, we didn't see wrong, did we?
Faced with this surging tide of public opinion, even a certain five-star emperor who loves to grab headlines couldn't hold back any longer.

So, after posing for a photo with his specially made pipe in his mouth, he specifically said these words:

It would be a shameful waste to put a talent like Zhang in the Nationalist government!

He should come under my command and become my second-in-command!
Well, this was just a stunt to grab headlines, but who could have imagined it would become a self-fulfilling prophecy? (End of Chapter)