Kingsman Agent in Film and Television

The astonishment on Zhang Anping's face slowly faded into bewilderment. He stared blankly at Wang Tianfeng, as if he couldn't believe those words had come from Wang Tianfeng's mouth.

In fact, alarm bells rang throughout Zhang Anping's body at this moment. If he hadn't been used to controlling every inch of his muscles, he would have been on edge, like a cheetah hunting its prey.

Wang Tianfeng, of course, was oblivious to Zhang Anping's alertness, and he said in a low voice:

"In northern Jiangsu, Xuzhou Station almost became a transportation hub for the Communist Party;"

In southern Shandong, everyone at Jinan Station sat idly by while the Communist Party was active. The Communist Party's intelligence gathering station had been set up right under their noses, yet everyone used it as a meeting point.

Among them, the Linyi Special Group, nominally an undercover operation, was actually a communist sympathizer, swallowing batches of secret service members like a black hole;

In southern Anhui, the Xuancheng intelligence group, ostensibly monitoring traffic, was in reality giving the Communist Party the green light, allowing guerrillas and Communist troops to operate openly right under their noses without ever being reported.

With each sentence Wang Tianfeng spoke, Zhang Anping's lips twitched. After he finished speaking, Zhang Anping slumped weakly against the sofa, closing his eyes and remaining silent, as if he had been severely shocked.

But the twitching at the corner of his mouth was real—how could these guys do their job? They were discovered and no one even noticed!
Their vigilance has relaxed to this extent?!

After a long silence, Zhang Anping asked in a hoarse voice, "The section chief... he... he doesn't know about this?!"

“I didn’t say.” Wang Tianfeng shook his head: “Saying it would only add pressure to you.”

Zhang Anping looked at Wang Tianfeng in astonishment once again.

This is not in line with Wang Tianfeng's usual character!

Wang Tianfeng understood Zhang Anping's astonishment, and, as if explaining or continuing the previous topic, said to himself:

"The station chief of Xuzhou Station sacrificed his family's wealth to help those in need during the War of Resistance Against Japan. He was one of the exemplary figures in the Military Intelligence Bureau, personally praised by the boss."

The stationmaster of Jinan Station had his younger brother fall into the hands of the Japanese invaders. If he had just loosened his grip even slightly, the Japanese would have definitely let his brother go. However, he personally gave the order to kill him.
The leader of the Linyi undercover team, who served under the puppet government in North China during the War of Resistance against Japan, personally assassinated a traitor and then left without a trace...

They were all loyalists to the Party and the country.

But now, they are all standing on the opposite side of the Party-state.

The morale of the people is low—this…is it merely a matter of one person's morale being low?

Wang Tianfeng stared blankly at Zhang Anping:
"Why?!"

The murderous intent on Zhang Anping's face gradually faded, and he leaned back weakly on the sofa once again.

"It's all true..."

Zhang Anping swallowed the rest of his words, as if he had no doubt about Wang Tianfeng's story.

The people Wang Tianfeng mentioned were indeed his comrades!
Moreover, they were members of the No. 2 intelligence group—but they had no connection with the big spy Zhang Shih-hao, because they were either Mao's or Zheng's henchmen, and had nothing to do with his Zhang faction.

"The depravity has reached this point, and the responsibility lies entirely with me!"

Zhang Anping took a deep breath, and as he uttered those words, he transformed once again into the infamous spy Zhang Shih-hao.

"Old Wang, give me all the information you found, and I'll give you an explanation! I'll give myself an explanation!"

After Zhang Anping finished speaking, the murderous intent in his eyes could no longer be suppressed, like an erupting volcano.

Wang Tianfeng took a deep breath and began to speak slowly.

Just as Zhang Anping had imagined, Wang Tianfeng naturally had no real evidence.

And just as Zhang Anping had predicted, Wang Tianfeng was so certain because before he took up his post as an advisor in the Suppression of Rebellion Brigade, he had conducted secret visits and research in northern Jiangsu, southern Anhui, and southern Shandong.

His observations during the secret investigation convinced him of the above statement—if everyone in an intelligence station is a communist sympathizer, then what is the station chief's true stance?

In the area overseen by the intelligence station, underground party activities were frequent, yet the intelligence agencies were powerless to do anything about it. Meanwhile, the outsider's suppression brigade was able to achieve significant results in just one month. Isn't it clear what the stance of each intelligence station was?
Some people may indeed be so incompetent as to be helpless against the underground party, but if this person was able to repeatedly gain the upper hand against the brutal Japanese on the battlefield of the previous War of Resistance, then is this person really incompetent now?
In fact, due to factional infighting, it was impossible for an incompetent person to seize a real position in the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. Without solid achievements to back them up, if they were to take a real position under such circumstances, they would be betrayed and killed without even knowing why!

This is also the basis for Wang Tianfeng's judgments—his judgments were indeed correct, but they were merely judgments. It was precisely because these were Wang Tianfeng's judgments that Zhang Anping felt he had room to maneuver.

After listening to Wang Tianfeng's account with a sullen face, Zhang Anping stood up, but nearly slipped and fell. After regaining his balance, Zhang Anping paused before speaking in as calm a tone as possible:
"I will not let any Communist Party member get away with this!"

"Not a single one will be spared!"

After saying that, Zhang Anping turned and left. Wang Tianfeng didn't move, but just quietly watched Zhang Anping's back. For some reason, he felt that Zhang Anping's back looked a little desolate.

After a long while, Wang Tianfeng sighed deeply, got up and left the office, going straight back to the director's office.

The section chief, who was handling official documents, glanced at Wang Tianfeng and said without turning his head, "Did you tell him?"

"Ah."

The section chief initially wanted Wang Tianfeng to go back to his own work, but after thinking for a moment, he put down his pen and asked Wang Tianfeng:

"have a question?"

Wang Tianfeng then said, "Why not just tell him directly?"

Wang Tianfeng's loyalty to the Nationalist government is beyond question, but when it comes to a specific individual, that loyalty was initially directed towards Dai Chunfeng—after Dai Chunfeng's death, Wang Tianfeng only wanted to safeguard Dai Chunfeng's legacy. However, after being transferred to the section chief's office, that loyalty became specific to an individual:

Loyal to the section chief!

This explains why he lied when Zhang Anping asked him in the office, "The director doesn't know"—clearly, the source of this lie was the director himself.

The section chief looked at Wang Tianfeng with a deep gaze and said, "His position is too important. Do you understand what I mean?"

Wang Tianfeng understood!
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly:

Is this the art of imperial rule?

Although Zhang Anping was the deputy director of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, and although there were still Maoist factions within the Bureau, in the eyes of the section chief and the chief of staff, Zhang Anping was the one who was suitable to hold the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics in the long term.

As for the section chief, since he had entrusted Zhang Anping with a confidant, he needed to ensure one thing:

Zhang Anping's absolute loyalty!

Zhang Anping's loyalty is beyond question, but it's impossible for a person to be without selfishness.

This matter is exactly what the section chief was planning:

If Zhang Anping chooses to be completely open with him, then he can trust him completely as well. But if Zhang Anping chooses to conceal things for his own benefit, then Zhang Anping will still be his confidant, but definitely not the kind of confidant with whom he can be completely open.

In fact, the section chief had three possible actions in mind for Zhang Anping:

The director directly admitted the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics' problems in the three locations. Although this would inevitably affect Wang Tianfeng, it was the result the director wanted most.
The director believed the most likely outcome was to temporarily conceal the matter and then reveal the problems in the three locations later, thus avoiding any involvement with Wang Tianfeng.
He concealed the matter and handled the affairs in the three locations thoroughly—this is the approach almost everyone would choose, but it is also the choice the director least wanted Zhang Anping to make.

After all, he truly valued Zhang Anping.

What choice Zhang Anping makes next will determine his true place in his heart, rather than the preferential treatment he shows on the surface.

……

In the car, Zhang Anping closed his eyes and pretended to sleep with a gloomy expression, clearly indicating that he had encountered something unpleasant in the director's office. The driver, seeing this, fell silent and dared not look at him any longer.

What he didn't know was that Zhang Anping, who was pretending to be asleep, was actually thinking at a rapid pace.

Section Chief, do you really not know?
Do not!
He must know!
Since Wang Tianfeng was able to obtain the position of advisor to the Suppression of Rebellion Brigade from the section chief's perspective, and even play a decisive role in the brigade's subordinates, it proved that Wang Tianfeng had gained the section chief's absolute trust. He knew Wang Tianfeng's character all too well; the other man was the type to put public interests before private ones. How could he possibly only tell the section chief the result of such an important matter?
Therefore, Zhang Anping was certain that Wang Tianfeng's sigh was genuine, but so was his deliberate concealment of it from him.

Why did the section chief do that?

[Is this the art of imperial rule?]

Zhang Anping sneered inwardly. From the perspective of the section chief, it was easy to understand why he did this.

So how do we choose?
Directly "selling" Wang Tianfeng?

This doesn't fit his personality!

Did they confess after the investigation?

Zhang Anping tapped his finger lightly on the seat and immediately rejected the idea. If he chose this option, the section chief would probably do everything in his power to push him to the position of bureau chief!
This is not what he wanted!

Thinking of this, Zhang Anping's expression hardened. If that's how it is, then let him be disappointed!

Human hearts cannot withstand testing! The section chief should understand this principle!

After making the decision, Zhang Anping chuckled to himself, but then he had to face the problem at hand.

The emergence of the Suppression Brigade created a fatal flaw in his plan—and the negligence of comrades in the No. 2 intelligence group, such as those at Jinan Station and Xuzhou Station, also led to the current thorny situation.

Actually, calling it negligence is a bit too harsh.

After all, as their own comrades, they could only dawdle on these three key battlefields. The involvement of Wang Tianfeng, a veteran spy, meant that their exposure was inevitable. If they didn't want to be exposed, they could only behave normally, but how could they behave normally in such a critical battle?

Why are they so aggressively targeting their own people?
This is the helplessness of being a lurker.

Fortunately, Zhang Anping habitually built firewalls, and the group of comrades who were "exposed" this time were not affiliated with him in terms of faction. If they were all members of Zhang's faction, the director probably wouldn't have invited him to his office—instead, he would have been the subject of a secret investigation by the Suppression of Rebellion Brigade!
The only good news is that there's no concrete evidence, so other comrades won't be put in danger. However, how do we break this deadlock?

While Zhang Anping was pondering, the car had already arrived at the bureau headquarters. Without waiting for the driver to run over and open the door, Zhang Anping got out of the car himself, and then went upstairs on his own with a gloomy face.

Spies are adept at reading people, and when they saw Zhang Anping get out of the car with a gloomy face, they realized something was wrong. When they learned from Zhang Anping's bodyguard that he had just gone to the section chief's office, the first reaction of the spies at headquarters was:
Something really bad must have happened!

Zhang Anping's subsequent actions confirmed their suspicions.

Cai Jierong is here!
Cai Jierong, the captain of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Special Operations Team, rushed over in his jeep from outside the city—less than half an hour had passed between Zhang Anping entering the bureau headquarters and Cai Jierong's arrival.

He arrived from the special operations team's base outside the city in half an hour, demonstrating both his driving speed and the urgency of Zhang Anping's orders.

Cai Jierong rushed into Zhang Anping's office.

Cai Jierong, who rushed into the office, saluted breathlessly without even straightening his military uniform:

"District Chief!"

Mingtai, who was waiting on the side, chuckled to himself. Well, this spy from the Shanghai district is really good at this!
Zhang Anping nodded, his expression turning cold, and said, "Where's the special operations team?"

Cai Jierong said breathlessly, "We've already headed to the airport and are expected to arrive in about twenty minutes."

Zhang Anping said with a cold expression: "The special operations team will split into nine groups and head to Xuzhou, Lianyungang, Yanzhou, Jinan, Linyi, Zaozhuang, Wuhu, Tunxi, and Xuancheng. Once they arrive, they will secretly wait at the local airports!"

Cai Jierong was completely bewildered, but he still stood at attention and answered the order: "Yes, sir!"

In the past, the special operations team only had a few dozen people, and at its peak, it did not exceed fifty people. However, during the formation of the special forces, the special operations team selected the best among the special forces and has expanded to more than two hundred people. Dividing the team into nine groups is naturally not a big problem for the current special operations team.

"Mingtai!"

Mingtai stood at attention: "Here!"

"You go to Shanghai Station first. Xu Tian will make preparations in Shanghai. Then you can discuss with Xu Tian how to arrange the team to be divided into groups and go directly to the above nine locations to meet up with the special operations team."

"Once we regroup, we must immediately take control of the leadership of all the secret service stations and teams in these nine locations! We must control them without exception!"

Mingtai was shocked, thinking to himself, "Is my teacher going to take drastic measures against the Mao and Zheng factions?"
Wow—to infiltrate an undercover agent and become a teacher to this extent is truly... amazing!

Clearly, he was unaware of the true identities of the secret service officials from these nine locations.

I thought that was shocking enough, but what Zhang Anping said next was even more shocking:

"After taking them under control, contact the local garrison—all the mid-level members of the secret service stations in these nine locations are placed under house arrest, and all the grassroots members are imprisoned without exception!"

Mingtai and Cai Jierong both widened their eyes. Of the nine locations Zhang Anping had just mentioned, there was one Class A station and four Class B stations. The rest were special intelligence groups with a total of at least seven or eight hundred personnel. Due to the war, there were also a large number of unregistered but registered personnel. The total number of personnel on both sides easily exceeded one thousand three or four thousand.

High-ranking officials detained, mid-ranking officials placed under house arrest, and lower-ranking officials imprisoned—this is a complete sweep!

Cai Jierong and Mingtai simultaneously had the same thought in their minds:
[He (the teacher) is really going to take drastic measures against the Mao and Zheng factions!]

"This matter is top secret! After you leave, I will seal off the headquarters—all nine locations mentioned above. Make sure no one escapes, understand?"

"understand!"

Both of them responded at the same time. Cai Jierong was only puzzled, but Mingtai was in turmoil. He had entered ten minutes earlier than Cai Jierong. Logically, the teacher should have had enough time to explain the situation to him. Why didn't the teacher tell him in advance?
This is such a big thing, the teacher should have told me about it!

He glanced at Zhang Anping discreetly and found that Zhang Anping still did not give any hint.

"Let's go immediately!"

Mingtai could only leave with Cai Jierong.

After the two left, Zhang Anping stood silently by the window. He actually had a lot of plans he wanted to tell Mingtai, but because he had too many plans, there wasn't enough time, which is why Mingtai left with a belly full of questions.

This time, we probably need to prepare in advance for Minglou's exposure...

Zhang Anping took a deep breath. Wang Tianfeng was definitely watching his movements secretly. If he slowed down even a little, Wang Tianfeng would definitely become suspicious, given his personality.

Therefore, this is the only arrangement we can make for now.

Next comes the main event—how to arrange so many comrades?

How can we ensure their safety and keep these nine places under our control?
His gaze involuntarily fell on the window of Mao Renfeng's office; Mao was a potential breakthrough.

But Mao alone... isn't enough!
[The Party's Information Bureau... can't just sit idly by either. My Bureau of Investigation and Statistics has run into trouble; your Party's Information Bureau can't just stand by and do nothing!]

[Old Zheng...this is a good excuse to pressure him.]

One plan after another gradually took shape in Zhang Anping's mind.

Mingtai and Cai Jierong, comrades who were unaware of each other's identities, had already left the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics by car. Upon seeing this, Zhang Anping immediately shouted:

"Zheng Yi!"

Zheng Yi strode in.

Zhang Anping gave the order in a deep voice:
"Order the Inspection Department to seal off the headquarters! Cut off all communication lines except those outside the control room!"

"No one in the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, including Mao Renfeng, is allowed to leave the headquarters for the time being!"

The words fell, like a sudden storm. (End of Chapter)