Kingsman Agent in Film and Television

Headquarters, Deputy Director's Office.

Zhang Anping closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, but in his mind he was replaying the process of being beaten in the attendant's room.

The chief aide first gave him a hard time, then tried to appease him with kind words. As the director had "expected," he listened to his opinion on the corruption case in the Northeast National Army. In the end, he put on a reluctant act of "since you say so, we'll do as you say."

Zhang Anping couldn't help but think of four words:

Stand and stand again!

Given the current state of the Nationalist army, even if I release solid evidence and show that I'm determined to investigate thoroughly, do you think they'll allow me to?!
When Lao Zhuang (Zhuang's attendant) saw him off, he specifically "gave him pointers" because he had become too close to the director, which caused the chief attendant to abandon his plan to replace Mao Renfeng. He also hinted that he should come to the attendant's office to report more often.

Recalling Lao Zhuang's veiled criticism that he had missed out on the position of Director of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics several times because of his overconfidence, Zhang Anping couldn't help but laugh—hey, did he really think I coveted the position of Director of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics?
What are you thinking!

A disdainful smile crept across Zhang Anping's lips, but it vanished as the footsteps outside drew closer.

Knock on the door, then enter.

"District Chief, this is the latest personnel transfer list that just came from the Director's office. Please take a look." Zheng Yi presented the list.

Zhang Anping picked it up, glanced at it, and then quickly signed his name with a pen.

The only shock on the transfer list seemed to be the job swap between Gu Shenyan and Xu Tian, ​​but this was something that Zhang Anping and Mao Renfeng had agreed on long ago. Mao Renfeng did not break his promise, and he did not even do anything to the transfer list - he had no intention of reaching into the Shanghai station.

Clearly, Mao Renfeng is currently prioritizing stability. He is unaware that Zhang Anping is essentially the man behind him as the bureau chief. In his mind, the chief of staff probably doesn't like him at all, and at this point, he really doesn't want to cause any more trouble.

Furthermore, Minglou went to the Northeast alone, and in less than two years, he almost changed the regime of the Northeast Secret Zone system, which was covered with Zhang's name. At this time, he really didn't need to extend his claws into the Shanghai station to provoke Zhang Anping. Zhang Anping took the initiative to start a factional struggle before the New Year, and to be honest, Mao Renfeng still has lingering fears.

In less than ten days, so many officers of the Mao and Zhang factions fell, and most of the positions vacated were taken advantage of by other factions. If there is any more turmoil, everyone else will be overfed, while the Zhang and Mao factions will starve!
Zheng Yi was naturally aware of the shady deal between Zhang Anping and Mao Renfeng. After seeing Zhang Anping's approval, he said while tidying up the documents:

"Chief, Minglou has arrived at headquarters. Mao Renfeng has gathered a group of officers and is listening to Minglou's work report in the large conference room on the second floor."

Zhang Anping's expression remained unchanged; he simply nodded slightly to indicate that he understood. Upon seeing this, Zheng Yi left the office. After he left, a smile involuntarily crept onto Zhang Anping's lips.

Old Mao, you did a great job with this performance review meeting!

Mao Renfeng certainly didn't intend to embarrass Zhang Anping on purpose, so he wasn't invited to this performance review meeting, nor were any members of Zhang's faction invited.

The purpose of doing this was, of course, to affirm Minglou's work—which also meant that Mao Renfeng had admitted to something:

The Northeast region (Northeast Three Stations) is now dominated by Maoist voices!

Before the Lunar New Year, Minglou arrested several of Zhang's key generals in Northeast China. Although he eventually released them, this move proved his control over the Northeast region. Mao Renfeng is now just using this method to publicly acknowledge this.

And what does this mean?
This means that any future "trouble" in the Northeast region will have nothing to do with Zhang Anping.

At that time, even if Mao Renfeng wanted to drag Zhang Anping into the mess and claim that the Northeast Uprising was inextricably linked to Zhang Anping, no one would believe him!

How will we get you out of there?!

Zhang Anping experienced a happy dilemma.

……

Minglou was summoned to the bureau headquarters by Mao Renfeng.

After the Military Intelligence Bureau was reorganized into the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, the Mao faction experienced constant ups and downs, and even once came to the brink of disintegration.

Minglou, however, remained loyal to him from beginning to end.

Not only did he establish a financial system for the Mao faction (Minglou built a network of interests centered around the Ming family and united around Mao Renfeng), but he also managed to transform the Northeast region, one of Zhang Anping's strongholds, into a Mao faction stronghold when he went there alone. Before the new year, Zhang Anping's sudden madness caused the Mao faction to lose many cadres, so Mao Renfeng needed Minglou's support to consolidate the people's hearts.

This could have been done in private, but after much deliberation, Mao Renfeng chose to do it at the headquarters—it might provoke Zhang Anping's sensitive nerves, but at the same time it would make more people realize that his Mao faction was no longer what it used to be, so that some people wouldn't be unable to grasp the importance of things and always think that his Mao faction was just an empty shell.

My Mao faction now has a real territory!
As Mao Renfeng's most trusted confidant, how could Minglou not know what Mao Renfeng was thinking?
So, after delivering his report at the performance review meeting, he gave Mao Renfeng a huge surprise:

"Director, due to the unfavorable war situation in the Northeast, the losses in the three battle zones in the Northeast are relatively large. Moreover, the Communist Party is now ubiquitous, and our army is sharpening its knives, preparing to seize the opportunity to launch a counter-offensive against the Communist Party. Therefore, I would like to transfer personnel from headquarters to support the Northeast Supervision Office—please approve, Director."

Minglou's "request" is actually the same as Zhang Anping's "request for help" from the director.

A characteristic of the Nationalist government was that it easily led to the formation of regional warlords. Zheng Yaoxian's Zheng faction and Ma Hansan's Ma faction, which was previously defeated by Zhang, the two Zhengs, and Mao, were both products of this situation.

Minglou now has the confidence to be the Northeast warlord of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. This is something that Mao Renfeng has been concerned about and pondering. This time, his "praise of his achievements" may have been influenced by this consideration.

But Minglou's statement, especially in this context, reassured Mao Renfeng—I have no intention of forming a Ming faction within the Mao clique; I am Director Mao's most loyal hound!
Upon hearing this, Mao Renfeng barely suppressed his excitement, while the Mao faction cadres present at the meeting had their eyes shining—"Holy crap, the headquarters is always stirring up a storm, but if he is transferred to another post, his rank will be raised, and he will still be working under Director Ming. Isn't that wonderful?"

Mao Renfeng noticed the enthusiasm of the attendees and felt even more grateful to Minglou.

In the past, Zhang Anping would often say, "It's my little plot of land." It sounded incredibly rustic, but it was a genuine source of confidence.

For example, the fierce struggle that broke out between the Zhang and Mao factions before the Lunar New Year resulted in the downfall of many cadres on both sides. Although they were not completely wiped out in the end, their positions were taken by others, and it was extremely difficult for them to be reinstated in a short period of time.

Even if Mao Renfeng is the director and Zhang Anping is the deputy director, it is impossible to easily reinstate them.

However, Zhang Anping had the Shanghai Station as a base, so he could send these cadres to the impenetrable Shanghai Station. Once they were settled there, it would be easy for them to take up deputy positions or create new ones.

But what about the Mao lineage?

Although the Mao faction wields immense power in various local groups, there are always checks and balances in place, making it difficult to assimilate these individuals once they are assigned there.

But now, he has the Northeast region!

And this is Mao Renfeng's little territory!

"How many people do you want?" Mao Renfeng asked, feigning modesty.

“The more cadres the better,” Minglou replied. “The more grassroots staff the better as well.”

"You, Minglou, you're putting me in a bind!" Mao Renfeng feigned helplessness: "Everywhere is short-staffed right now, and you're still asking for the moon. You really don't know the value of money until you're in charge of the household—let me think of a solution for you."

Mao Renfeng, feigning helplessness, was in fact overjoyed.

He can provide Minglou with a whole bunch of cadres right now. Those Mao-affiliated cadres who were taken over by Zhang's faction when they were young are now eagerly waiting!
Grassroots personnel are just newcomers, right? The training courses of the State Secrecy Bureau and the joint training courses of the Party Affairs Bureau are constantly providing grassroots personnel, and these people are being watched closely by various regions.

With his position as bureau chief, it was far too easy for him to intercept some people from Zhang Anping!
Sure enough, after the performance review meeting ended, his office was overwhelmed with visitors – there were just too many Maoist cadres who wanted to go to Northeast China to work under Minglou.

As the news spread, not only were the cadres of Mao's faction tempted, but even cadres from other veteran factions were tempted. Zheng Yaoxian, who was in a military camp outside the city, even made a special trip to the headquarters. After "reporting" to Mao Renfeng, he went to Minglou's temporary office to host a banquet for Minglou—a family banquet!
It's obvious to anyone with eyes to see what Zheng Yaoxian is up to.

Minglou held Mao Renfeng in high esteem, and after receiving Zheng Yaoxian's invitation to a family banquet, he specifically went to consult Mao Renfeng.

Mao Renfeng hoped to take over all three stations in Northeast China, but he also knew that he couldn't do it all at once under the current circumstances. Therefore, he instructed Minglou to control the situation and that there was no need to refuse Zheng Yaoxian because of this.

He and Zheng Yaoxian are still in their honeymoon period. In addition, Zheng Yaoxian controls the only armed force of the Security Bureau, so it is impossible for him to offend him. Since Zheng Yaoxian wants to get involved in the Northeast Three Stations, he will naturally place some Maoist people in the special forces.

Seeing Mao Renfeng say this, Minglou said he understood. Then he talked to Mao Renfeng about his troublesome younger brother, Mingtai. Everyone in the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics knew that Mingtai was a loyal follower of Zhang Anping, and some people even compared the Ming family to the Zhuge family during the Three Kingdoms period.

Mao Renfeng smiled and said it was alright.

[He personally orchestrated the plot against Mingjing, yet he dared to treat Mingtai as a confidant—did he really think he could get away with it undetected?]

【Innocent!】

As Minglou left Mao Renfeng's office, he thought to himself:
[Anping kept saying the time wasn't right, but he didn't know when the time would come.] Perhaps it was a coincidence, or perhaps it was something Zhang Anping did on purpose, but in any case, on his way home from get off work, he happened to run into Minglou, who was walking side by side with Zheng Yaoxian.

Zheng Yaoxian greeted him with a smile:
"Deputy Director Zhang, what a coincidence."

Zhang Anping nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over Ming Lou without lingering.

Ming Lou, who had no intention of greeting Zhang Anping, subtly adjusted his glasses—a gesture meant to appear refined—and then spoke in a provocative tone:
"Deputy Director Zhang, shall we go together?"

Zhang Anping gave Minglou a deep look:
"Need not!"

After saying that, he left directly. Perhaps because he was still upset, he muttered a few words to the driver after getting into the car. The driver then failed to start the car, got out to check, and shook his head at Zhang Anping with difficulty, indicating that the car was broken. Seeing this, Zhang Anping got out of the car and signaled the driver to call Mingtai and ask Mingtai to drive him home.

Mao Renfeng, who was standing by the window, witnessed the whole process and almost died laughing.

……

Sometimes, what seems like a spiteful act actually... conceals a hidden agenda.

Just like now—the two people who should have gone home after attending the family dinner are now waiting in a secret room, and the person they are waiting for is naturally Zhang Anping.

Not long after, Zhang Anping appeared carrying a food box. Smelling the aroma wafting from the box, Zheng Yaoxian smiled and said:
"Luckily we weren't full, otherwise your food would have been wasted."

Minglou took the food box from Zhang Anping, opened it, and after seeing the dishes inside, asked curiously:

"Who ordered this? It looks delicious and smells amazing, it probably tastes pretty good!"

Zhang Anping said as he opened the bottle:
"With this deputy director cooking himself—it's bound to be delicious!"

When Mingtai was driving Zhang Anping home after get off work, he was dumbfounded when he heard Zhang Anping's request—Comrade Zhang Anping, you did this so that I would go grocery shopping?

The key issue is that they didn't invite me...

The vegetables were naturally bought by Mingtai, and he even arranged the cooking area.

Zheng Yaoxian and Minglou were surprised to find that Zhang Anping had personally cooked the dish.

Zheng Yaoxian feigned jealousy: "You have this trick up your sleeve? Why didn't you show it off before! People in Northeast China are really well treated!"

Minglou feigned smugness: "Haha, I am honored by your high regard!"

"Alright, stop acting—" Zhang Anping waved his hand with a smile and personally poured drinks for the two of them: "The drinks were just something I bought casually, so make do with them and have a toast!"

The three of them clinked their wine cups together and drank it all in one gulp. Although the wine was inexpensive, it warmed them up from head to toe.

None of the three dared to drink too much. Although they longed to drink until they were completely drunk, they could only restrain their desire to drink freely and began to savor the dishes that Zhang Anping had prepared.

After tasting it, the two were pleasantly surprised and gave it extremely high praise.

The two, who hadn't eaten much at the previous family dinner, ate to their hearts' content, and Zheng Yaoxian couldn't help but ask a question:

"What are you up to? Comrade Chai Ying didn't even consult me!"

Minglou's demand for cadres and grassroots personnel from Mao Renfeng was naturally Zhang Anping's doing, and his special return from the military camp outside the city was also at Zhang Anping's request.

What the two couldn't understand was, since the three stations in Northeast China were now their own territory and Zheng Yaoxian had almost completely controlled the spies, was it really necessary to bring in Mao's forces at this time?

Zhang Anping said with a smile:
"It's just to divert the Mao faction's strength, so don't ask any more questions—just focus on entertaining these 'guests' and don't let them ruin things."

Something bad happened?
Minglou was the first to react:
"You think the Northeast... is going to be decided?!"

Minglou, being in the Northeast, was most aware of the situation there—at the beginning of the civil war, the Nationalist army in the Northeast was incredibly arrogant and domineering.

But now?

Five hundred thousand regular troops and local forces were trapped in three strongholds. More than 90% of the railways and a large number of cities in the entire Northeast were in the hands of their own people.

Most importantly, the People's Liberation Army already had a military-industrial complex in Northeast China, and the Northeast region held a large amount of American military equipment. Although some of it was transported to the liberated areas in small quantities, Minglou still felt it was not enough and wished he could send out all of these "gift packages" prepared by Zhang Anping.

However, he was also slightly influenced by the Nationalist army and believed that the People's Liberation Army would not be able to take down the three major strongholds in the short term (one or two years).

In fact, no one within the Nationalist army believed that the Nationalist forces in Northeast China would be completely annihilated. That was an army of 500,000, and they believed that as long as they could free up their resources, the predicament in Northeast China would be resolved sooner or later.

However, Minglou had great faith in Zhang Anping's strategic vision. Upon hearing Zhang Anping's explanation and considering that Zhang Anping had specially cooked for him, he immediately realized Zhang Anping's views on the war situation in Northeast China.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Yaoxian's eyes lit up.

The Nationalist army in Northeast China had as many as 400,000 regular troops, including elite American-equipped units like the New 1st and New 6th Armies. If the situation in Northeast China were decided, it would mean that these main forces of the Nationalist army would be wiped out!

Faced with Minglou's expectant gaze, Zhang Anping did not give a definite answer, but only said:
"Personal opinion—"

Zhang Anping changed the subject and asked, "Minglou, Anshan is a model, and I reckon the liberation of Anshan is just around the corner—are you confident you can deliver a satisfactory result on your end?"

Today is the eighth day of the lunar calendar, which is February 17, 1948—while our army's mopping-up operation around Anshan began yesterday.

Zhang Anping doesn't remember the exact time in the original timeline, but based on the information he currently has, it's probably at most five or six days.

Anshan, as a steel capital, has countless factories. The underground party members had to ensure that the enemy could not destroy these steel factories on a large scale before they were completely annihilated.

Jiang Si'an arrived in Anshan as early as the beginning of December.

“I have confidence!” Minglou replied solemnly, “We and our comrades in the underground party have been planning this for a long time. This time, it was Jiang Si’an who carried out the specific operation, and I trust him!”

"This answer sheet is very important," Zhang Anping explained.
"In the future, we will occupy one major city after another, and before the enemy is defeated, they will definitely try every means to destroy civilian and industrial facilities. The protection of the Anshan factory is a pilot project I envisioned, and it is extremely important!"

Minglou nodded seriously: "I'm flying back to Northeast China tomorrow. Do you want me to go to Anshan then?"

"Don't go—I'm afraid you won't be able to get out if you go."

Zhang Anping tried to stop him, thinking that it would take at most five or six days to take Anshan, but the People's Liberation Army's sweeping momentum often exceeded his judgment—what if Anshan was liberated in one or two days?

Even if Minglou gets away, I'll have to stab him in the back later, and if things get out of hand, it'll be a real problem.

Because this topic had been raised, the two naturally wouldn't let Zhang Anping off the hook. Even though Zhang Anping kept claiming that his opinion was just one person's, the two still hoped to hear Zhang Anping's judgment on the future from this "strategic master".

Unable to persuade the two, Zhang Anping, this pseudo-strategist, could only offer some of the judgments he could—for example, that once Anshan was captured, the enemy forces in the Northeast would be doomed, and as long as they could withstand the enemy's counterattack and reinforcements, annihilation would be just around the corner.

For example, our army might cross the river, forcing the enemy in the Central Plains to return to defend it, at which point the Central Plains would be completely liberated...

As Zhang Anping, this pseudo-strategist, recounted his half-truths, Zheng Yaoxian realized why Zhang Anping had personally cooked.

If nothing unexpected happens, he will head to the Central Plains battlefield around May with his rearmed special weapons. At that time, he will be like Ming Lou, "never to return"!
"Cheers—" Realizing this, Zheng Yaoxian poured wine for the three of them, drank it all in one gulp, and then said softly:

"Next time, we'll... wear our military uniforms and have another meal together in the sunshine!"

"Anping, you'll continue to be the cook!"

Zhang Anping nodded and said solemnly:

"Yes, I'll continue to be in charge of the cooking—Old Cen, Xu Baichuan, Sister Chai, Sister Qian, none of them can be left out." (End of Chapter)