Kingsman Agent in Film and Television

The liberation of Anshan, for our army, cut off the transportation line from Shenyang to Yingkou, further isolated the enemy forces in Northeast China, and created a favorable situation for the future decisive battle.

Similarly, it can be proven that:

The more advantageous it is to our army, the more hostile it is to the Nationalist army!
At this time on the Northeast battlefield, the Kuomintang army was isolated in three strongholds:

That is, Shenyang, Changchun, and Jinzhou.

The Liaoshen Campaign, which will break out in the future, will annihilate all the Nationalist troops in these three strongholds.

The enemy in Shenyang is now trapped in this major stronghold. Before the liberation of Anshan, their supplies could reach Yingkou Port by sea and then be sent directly to Shenyang by land.

However, the liberation of Anshan and Yingkou followed, which meant that goods transported by sea could not be delivered directly to Shenyang.

Of course, theoretically, transportation could be carried out via the Huludao-Jinzhou-Shenyang line (Beining Line), but don't forget that most of Northeast China has already been liberated. Even if the Nationalist army deployed heavy troops to protect the Beining Line, could they really protect such a long transportation line?

If we can't protect them, it's like the People's Liberation Army going to pick up the goods...

Therefore, after the liberation of Anshan and Yingkou, the army in Shenyang had only one supply line left:
They were transported directly from Huludao to Shenyang by air, and then imported via air landing or airdrop.

However, at this time, the enemy in Shenyang numbered as many as 300,000!
The cost of 300,000 troops would be a strain even for the US in later generations if they relied solely on airlift, let alone the current Kuomintang.

Even if the 300,000-strong army were just sitting around doing nothing, the daily consumption would be astronomical. Once a war broke out, not to mention fuel, clothing, medicine and food, just the consumption of various kinds of bullets raining down would mean that the daily supply from airplanes would be at most a few hundred tons, which would be enough.
Therefore, the enemy in Shenyang at this time can only barely survive by relying on large-scale airlift supplies, and cannot support a large-scale offensive at all!

So when the news came, the Nationalist government was shocked and immediately ordered the garrison in Shenyang to retake Anshan and Yingkou. If that was not possible, they would at least take back Yingkou Port to ensure normal maritime supply.
And the result? You can guess without even thinking about it.

The attempt failed!

Left with no other option, the Nationalist government had to strengthen the defenses of Huludao, a major maritime hub.

Under these circumstances, no one paid any attention to the Anshan factory's efforts to protect itself.

No, it's not right to say that nobody noticed.

Zhang Anping lost his temper at the bureau meeting.

But this time it was just a simple outburst.

"As soon as the War of Resistance against Japan was won, I ran to America and begged and pleaded with everyone to pick up the garbage that the Americans were going to throw away, treating it like a precious gem—"

"Two years! A full two years! So much military equipment, and not a single factory has been set up, not a single machine has been produced, not even a single bullet!"

"We've trained a lot of workers, but is training workers even useful? Is it useful at all!"

"If these machines had been put into production earlier, the garrison in Shenyang wouldn't be in such a predicament now!"

"Minglou, what is he trying to do by making excuses and delaying? Is he still an official of our Security Bureau?"

Zhang Anping slammed his fist on the table and flew into a rage, as if he were about to go crazy.

However, the attendees could understand Zhang Anping's anger—he had brought up this topic more than once, but when it came to implementation, there were always various problems. So many military equipment were being maintained at a huge cost every day, yet they still couldn't be put into operation.

“Deputy Director Zhang, to be fair—this matter cannot be blamed on Director Ming.”

Zheng Yaoxian coughed twice and began to speak "fairly":
"You should know who was blocking the factory construction two years ago, right, Deputy Director Zhang?"

“Last year, we were planning to start production, but the war went badly. Minglou was worried that these devices would eventually fall into the hands of the Communist army, so it was understandable to put it on hold, right?”

"If you ask me, it's fortunate that we held back, otherwise even if the factory were built now, we wouldn't have enough materials to start production."

"Deputy Director Zhang, don't you agree?"

A few days ago, the Zheng faction sent a large number of spies to the Northeast. It is reasonable for Zheng Yaoxian to speak up for Minglou at this time.

Seeing that she could silence Zhang Anping without even opening her mouth, Mao Renfeng secretly rejoiced, thinking to herself that it was fortunate that these machines hadn't been set up yet. If they had been set up and could still produce, Zhang Anping would probably be strutting around like crazy!

Minglou, you truly deserve to be called my Zhang Liang!

Zhang Anping appeared to be merely losing control of his anger. After being met with Zheng Yaoxian's weak retort, he quickly regained his composure, took a deep breath, and said with a flat face:

"Order Minglou to form a special task force to keep a close eye on these devices and the workers they have trained. If things get too bad, make sure to destroy the devices and take all the trained workers with you. Do not leave a single one for the Communist army!"

"Even if the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics' funds are destroyed, burned, or lost, we cannot let them benefit from them!"

Zhang Anping finished speaking through gritted teeth.

But someone seized on the loophole in Zhang Anping's words—Zheng Yaoxian, of course.

“Deputy Director Zhang, I remember you previously submitted a report to the General Staff Office, saying that although the situation in the Northeast was bad, it had not yet reached an irreversible point, and that we should not easily withdraw troops from the Northeast—but now you seem to be pessimistic about the situation in the Northeast?”

In fact, before the liberation of Anshan, some people in the Nationalist government suggested withdrawing the three armies in Northeast China (referring to the garrison troops in Jinzhou, Shenyang and Changchun) back to the interior of China.

After the liberation of Anshan, this view became even more prevalent.

Even the Americans demanded the withdrawal of troops from the Northeast—they were even willing to deploy their navy for this purpose.

On the surface, the chief aide was disgusted by the tone of the American command, but in reality, he was unwilling to give up the Northeast—once the Northeast was given up, it would become an industrial base for the People's Liberation Army.

Although he could recall hundreds of thousands of troops, the People's Liberation Army could recall even more. In his view, the national war situation was already stalemate, and if the Northeast Field Army entered the pass, the advantage would actually be on the side of the People's Liberation Army.

Zhang Anping, naturally, was a supporter of the Northeast Army's decision not to withdraw, and even wrote a report specifically for this purpose.

From Zhang Anping's perspective, if the Northeast Army were really recalled, how could the Liaoshen Campaign be fought...?

At this point, Zheng Yaoxian used this as a pretext to accuse Zhang Anping of being two-faced and inconsistent in public and private.

"Zheng Yaoxian!"

Zhang Anping stood up angrily: "You and I are both spies, and it is our duty to prepare for the worst. I believe that the Northeast Army should not be recalled, and I believe that the situation in the Northeast will be reversed sooner or later. Does this have anything to do with me preparing for the worst?"

"So many military equipment, once put into operation, will become bullets fired at the heroes of the Party and the State, bombs exploding at them, weapons and artillery—can you bear such responsibility?!"

Zheng Yaoxian didn't say anything, but his expression made it clear:
I'm not responsible for anything, it wasn't me who did it!
Mao Renfeng made a rare attempt to smooth things over:
“Deputy Director Zhang’s words make sense. This matter should indeed be handled with caution. Let’s send a telegram to Minglou in the name of the bureau meeting, ordering him to set up a special working group to keep a close eye on this batch of equipment. If anything irreparable happens, we should destroy it all rather than let it fall into the hands of the Communist army!”

Zhang Anping then slowly sat down, but added:
"I will personally oversee this matter. If he dares to make a mistake, I'll take his head!"

Faced with Zhang Anping's harsh words, Mao Renfeng frowned, but ultimately said nothing.

Zhang Anping has been gaining popularity lately, and he doesn't want to go against him for the time being.

Why is Zhang Anping considered to be in the spotlight lately?
The reason is simple: at this very moment, when the Americans cut off military aid due to corruption within the Nationalist government, Zhang Anping actually negotiated an enviable equipment transfer contract with the Americans—

A contract to procure heavy equipment, including a tank battalion, enough to arm an entire corps!

Last year, after the American president publicly referred to the Soong family as thieves and burglars, US aid was cut off. The Nationalist government has been trying to continue "fraudulently obtaining subsidies," but the effect has been negligible.

Against this backdrop, Zhang Anping actually secured a heavy equipment contract for the military. Although it wasn't the kind of free transfer that the US military used to do, Zhang Anping acquired the heavy equipment, worth over 30 million US dollars, for only 7 million US dollars, even though the equipment was second-hand stock discarded by the US military.

But ultimately, this was a signal! The Nationalist government saw it as a hope for breaking the deadlock, so it brought Zhang Anping over and put him in a negotiating team with the United States to help the Nationalist government obtain military aid.

Of course, the Nationalist government still hoped to continue obtaining military aid in the same way it had done in the past.

In this situation, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Zhang Anping was riding high.

……

The organization naturally did not want the Nationalist government to continue receiving military aid from the US military, even though some people jokingly referred to the Nationalist government's side as a transport team.

So after learning that Zhang Anping had joined the negotiating team with the United States, Sister Qian made a special trip to Nanjing to secretly meet with Zhang Anping.

In the secret room, after exchanging pleasantries with Zhang Anping, Sister Qian first handed him a notebook:

"Look at this!"

Zhang Anping took it and saw that it was a work summary of factory protection written by Jiang Si'an himself. After carefully reading the contents, stroke by stroke, Zhang Anping did not comment on the contents, but smiled and said:
"My two apprentices, whom I personally trained, seem to be quite good."

Zhang Anping wasn't sure if Xu Zhongyi had realized his identity, but it was obvious to Jiang Si'an—Sister Qian brought over the notes written by Jiang Si'an herself, which meant she must have been aware of Jiang Si'an's thoughts.

Sister Qian smiled and said upon hearing this:
"If they heard that they could be so proud of being recognized by you, their master!"

As Zhang Anping's two apprentices, Jiang Si'an and Xu Zhongyi were both exceptionally capable. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, Xu Zhongyi was a formidable figure in Northeast China. Many traitors had identified him, but none of them dared to "point out" him.

Xu Zhongyi's current situation is similar to that during the War of Resistance against Japan, but strangely, he remains very active, and no one who has guessed his identity has chosen to "target" him.

Xu Zhongyi and Zhang Anping, this master and apprentice, were indeed outliers in the world of undercover agents. The only difference was that Zhang Anping hid much deeper, and no one would believe him even if someone said he was a member of the underground Communist Party.

As for Jiang Si'an, Sister Qian believes that his abilities are in no way inferior to Xu Zhongyi's.

To be honest, if all the hidden forces were fully mobilized, there would be no crisis at all in the factory protection work in Anshan.

The secrecy team sent by the Northeast Inspectorate was composed of their own people. In the end, they protected a large number of their own people among the conscripted Nationalist soldiers. If all these forces had been used to protect the factory, there would have been no trouble at all.

However, Jiang Si'an did not rely entirely on the strength of the secrecy team, nor did he borrow the Nationalist army unit that ultimately protected the conscripted men. Instead, he achieved this result through solid grassroots work. This result is commendable but not praiseworthy. However, he used this working method to lay a standard working template for the factory protection work when the city was liberated in the future.

Of course, simply copying it blindly won't work; nothing in this world is immutable.

However, this set of summarized experiences has great value for promotion—and this is precisely why Jiang Si'an did not rely on the confidential group.

Another point is that before Minglou has a clear identity, the less the Northeast Inspectorate's own forces are used, the more beneficial it will be for Minglou's undercover work.

Zhang Anping slowly put down the notebook, which embodied Jiang Si'an's hard work, and said softly:
“Comrade Chongwen, it is very important to promote the experience next. I saw that he mentioned the matter of military commanders leading the team. I think that the comrade who led the team should also prepare a copy of his experience so that other military commanders can read it before infiltration, so that when the two sides have disagreements, neither side can convince the other.”

“You and Comrade Li thought of the same thing on this point.” After laughing, Sister Qian asked Zhang Anping seriously, “When I went to the Northeast to talk with Comrade Si’an, he immediately understood what I meant by ‘after’ in Anshan, and he could immediately come up with a bunch of countermeasures. Comrade Anping, I’m a little curious, when did you start thinking about this?”

"I guess it must have been a long time, right?"

Jiang Si'an was Zhang Anping's student. Whenever it came to protecting the factory, she could immediately come up with a bunch of solutions. She would never believe that Zhang Anping hadn't taught her!

Zhang Anping said with a smile: "I thought about it during the War of Resistance against Japan—there were internal documents from the Military Intelligence Bureau containing information about sabotaging factories before the fall of cities, and I thought about the future back then."

Sister Qian looked at Zhang Anping speechlessly upon hearing this. "You actually started thinking about this back then?"
But then she thought of Zhang Anping's "Blue Planet Animal Kingdom," and felt relieved, only able to say with regret:

"You're really wasting your talents in this line of work—you should be in the combat unit!"

Even though Zhang Anping was a man of deep cunning, he blushed slightly at this moment.

His strategic vision can be summed up in two words:
Gua Bi!

If he were to go to the combat troops, he would undoubtedly be like Zhao Kuo and Ma Su, so it's best if he doesn't harm our comrades.

He could only change the subject:
"Sister Qian, you didn't come to see me just because of this, did you?"

He specifically pointed to Jiang Si'an's notebook.

"It's about your joining the negotiating team with the US—" Sister Qian asked gravely, "Do you think the Americans will continue to provide military aid to the Kuomintang?"

Zhang Anping answered without hesitation: "Yes!"

"Will they?" Sister Qian frowned. In fact, the comrades in the organization also tended to believe that the Americans would—although last year's propaganda had made Americans deeply disgusted with the corruption of the Kuomintang, the Kuomintang was supported by the Americans, and they could not just stand by and watch the Kuomintang gradually decline.

Despite knowing they would still provide military aid, Sister Qian still felt indignant after receiving Zhang Anping's resolute answer.

What business is it of yours, Americans, of meddling in China's affairs?
"According to what I understand, the U.S. Congress has a strong push to provide military aid to the Kuomintang—I estimate it will be another several hundred million dollars in aid."

Upon hearing this, Sister Qian's expression darkened even further.

Zhang Anping carefully considered his words and said, "Comrade Chongwen, I have an idea, but I don't know if it's feasible—please discuss it with your superiors later."

"what idea?"

"Within the Kuomintang, there are two opinions on whether to withdraw troops from the Northeast. One side supports continuing to occupy the Northeast, while the other side supports withdrawal. According to my understanding, the Chief of Staff has not yet made up his mind to make a choice."

Zhang Anping said slowly:
"I want to give it a push from the shadows."

Sister Qian asked, puzzled, "Give me a push? What do you mean?"

"I want to use my personal connections to persuade the Americans to promise the Nationalist army in Northeast China that they will supply at least ten divisions with American-made equipment!"

After Zhang Anping finished speaking, Sister Qian's eyes widened.

No, what... what are you trying to do?
Whose side are you on anyway?! (End of Chapter)