Kingsman Agent in Film and Television

The headquarters of the Bureau of Secrecy, in a small conference room.

Since the Bureau of Secrecy moved to Nanjing, all major decisions have been finalized in this office, which can now only accommodate a dozen or so people. The actual major decisions are not made here, but all major decisions need to be discussed here and then signed off by the Bureau's administrative meeting.

But today, the atmosphere in this conference room was more mysterious than ever before.

The six elders sat in the conference room, gazing at the empty seats of their colleagues, their hearts filled with a complex and indescribable sense of doubt:
Was it really a coincidence that they weren't there?

Or have they secretly sided with Zhang Anping, and are actually doing something more important while they are not at headquarters?

For those in power, the most intolerable thing is the loss of power.

These veterans of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, who were able to attend bureau meetings, wielded power by interfering in final decisions—but now, they seem to have been excluded from this circle.

Although they had anticipated the blockade of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics and knew that Zhang Anping, who was swift and decisive, would not tolerate their continued interference, they instinctively began to weigh the pros and cons upon seeing the absence of their former comrades and mistakenly believing that these people had colluded with Zhang Anping.

Or... should we completely side with Zhang Anping?

Last year, when Zhang Anping held immense power, he unhesitatingly brought down his forty-meter-long cleaver on them, the veterans who had sided with Zhang's faction. They would never forget that scene. But faced with Zhang Anping, who was determined to kill with a single move, they sadly discovered that they had very little leverage left.

The past rivalry and the past strategy of betting on both sides and seizing profits from both sides seem like a joke at this moment!
The sound of footsteps approached, very heavy, followed by the sound of guards saluting with their guns. Hearing these standard movements, the six elders, whose expressions had been inscrutable, immediately concealed their complex emotions and regained their unfathomable expressions.

As the guards pushed open the door, Zhang Anping appeared.

There was no murderous intent as expected, nor any scene of heads being held—perhaps even if Zhang Anping were holding Mao Renfeng's head, none of the elders would find it abrupt.

Compared to Mao Renfeng, who was always behind the scenes, Zhang Anping's reputation was never based on Dai Chunfeng, but on the mountains of corpses piled up by countless Japanese spies, the support of several Japanese agency chiefs who committed seppuku, and the reputation he forged through repeated successful schemes.

This man has been trapped in the cage of power for so long that they have forgotten that he is actually a ruthless man whose hands are stained with the blood of the enemy and who has repeatedly snatched chestnuts from the fire of suffocation.

Perhaps realizing this, or perhaps because Zhang Anping's blockade of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics was too unexpected, or perhaps because these six elders didn't want to die, in any case, the moment they saw Zhang Anping, they all stood up and expressed their obedience with a respectful attitude.

In fact, they were very familiar with this kind of behavior. When Zhang Anping took power last year and Mao Renfeng, the acting director, echoed his words, they began to use this method to show their submission, and it was a genuine submission. However, as Mao Renfeng was promoted to the position, their respect for Zhang Anping gradually faded. Finally, in Zhang Anping's silence, they slowly but quickly forgot what kind of person Zhang Anping really was.

Zhang Anping walked in slowly. Looking at the six elders bowing their heads, a strange feeling flashed through his mind, but he quickly became alert again.

Power is truly a wonderful thing; even I have almost lost myself in it from time to time...

Zhang Anping's inner turmoil did not affect his usual composure. Under the questioning gazes of the six elders, he walked to the seat belonging to the deputy director, sat down, and then closed his eyes to pretend to sleep.

This reaction, the same as in the past, left the six elders utterly astonished.

From their perspective, this was an act akin to a mutiny—they didn't know what means Zhang Anping had to cover it up, but recalling Zhang Anping's reputation, they believed that Zhang Anping had enough means to quell the turmoil.

Zhang Anping never fights a battle unprepared!

But now, Zhang Anping is still sitting in the deputy director's position, his expression and actions are no different from usual, which makes them wonder what Zhang Anping is up to.

Until Mao Renfeng appeared!
Normally, the elders would stand up immediately after the guards announced "Director Mao has arrived," but today, they did not stand up until Mao Renfeng stepped through the conference room door pushed open by the guards—not because they did not want to stand up, but because Zhang Anping did not move, and they dared not move!

When Mao Renfeng walked to the oval conference table, Zhang Anping stood up as usual. Seeing Zhang Anping stand up, the six elders followed suit.

Mao Renfeng witnessed this scene. His smile didn't diminish; in fact, it deepened. However, when he waved for everyone to sit down and then took his own seat, the coldness in his eyes revealed his inner turmoil.

Once seated, Mao Renfeng spoke first:
"Anping, why exactly did you seal off the headquarters? If it's to arrest someone, shouldn't you be making a move now?!"

Although Mao Renfeng’s tone sounded calm, it carried a sense of aggressiveness, which made the six elders secretly alarmed. Throughout history, countless coups have resulted in far too many people paying the price of being torn apart by corpses because they couldn’t see clearly. Mao Renfeng was actually so brave.
[It's all set!]

Zhang Anping, who knew Mao Renfeng very well, imagined Mao Renfeng's thought process after hearing Mao Renfeng's words—he could have sealed off the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics after communicating with Mao Renfeng, but why did he create a situation that was almost like a mutiny?
The purpose, of course, was to provoke a backlash from Mao Renfeng!
Mao Renfeng's reaction at this moment proves that he went through a complex mental journey in a very short time. The aggressive feeling he deliberately created was to make his image strong, which was exactly what Zhang Anping wanted!

"It's already moving!"

Zhang Anping looked directly at Mao Renfeng: "I have already ordered Xu Tian from the Shanghai station to lead a special operations team to northern Jiangsu, southern Anhui, and southern Shandong—if nothing unexpected happens, we should have results by tomorrow night."

The seven people, including Mao Renfeng, were completely baffled, each with a string of question marks floating above their heads.

After a brief silence, one of the elders asked in confusion:

"Director Zhang, what exactly happened?"

A suffocating killing intent surfaced on Zhang Anping's face and seemed etched there. Then, in a cold and ruthless tone, he slowly said:

"The stationmaster of Xuzhou Station is suspected of being a communist sympathizer;"

The stationmaster of Jinan Station is suspected of being a communist sympathizer;

The station chief of Wuhu Station is suspected of being a communist sympathizer.

Yanzhou Station, suspected of being affiliated with the Communists.

As Zhang Anping recounted his story slowly and menacingly, the seven people, including Mao Renfeng, first felt their scalps tingle, then their breath caught in their throats, but later they actually breathed a sigh of relief.

It's true that problems have arisen in one or two places.

But all the secure stations in the three areas are malfunctioning—how is that possible?

(Some cities are intelligence groups, which are subordinate to Class A or Class B stations.)
To maintain her public image, Mao Renfeng rarely slammed her fist on the table in meeting rooms. After Zhang Anping finished speaking, she hesitated for a few seconds, then suddenly slammed her fist on the table:
"absurd!"

"What a joke!"

"Zhang Anping, you're incredibly audacious!"

Mao Renfeng's anger was half feigned and half deliberate—first, he wanted the elders present to realize one thing: he, Mao Renfeng, was the director, and he was not afraid of Zhang Anping!

Secondly, he thought Zhang Anping's excuse was ridiculous.

To reiterate, if problems occur in one or two places, it's due to inadequate supervision. But how is it possible that all the secret stations in northern Jiangsu, southern Shandong, and southern Anhui have problems?

Of course, there was another important reason: the station chiefs of the three locations and four stations were all Mao Renfeng's people.

The Zhang faction's power here is very weak.

Zhang's core area was Northeast China and the Nanjing-Shanghai region. After the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan, although Zhang's influence was expanding, it was still targeting key stations, such as Beijing and Tianjin, Chongqing, and Wuhan.

The spillover influence was jointly suppressed by the Mao and Zheng factions and the elders in the above-mentioned areas. Moreover, the Zhang faction often chose to endure or back down for the sake of the overall situation, so the Zhang faction had almost no voice in these three places.

Therefore, from the perspective of political struggle, Zhang Anping's actions were clearly aimed at destroying Mao, Zheng, and the veteran faction.

The most important third point is that these six elders were clearly afraid, judging from Mao Renfeng's behavior when he entered the meeting room. Therefore, Mao Renfeng had to be tough at this time. The tougher he was, the more these people would change their stance and turn from being timid to following him to fight Zhang Anping!

If he doesn't take a hard line now, and these people completely back down, then he'll be the one facing Zhang Anping alone.

Faced with Mao Renfeng's anger, Zhang Anping did not retaliate, but chose to "retreat"—he remained menacing, but explained:
"The Suppression Corps went to three locations more than three months ago, and the bureau meeting clearly required the stations and groups in the three locations to fully cooperate with the Suppression Corps—" "But in the past two months, the Suppression Corps has not achieved anything. What is the reason for this?"

In response to Zhang Anping's explanation, Mao Renfeng merely gave a cold laugh without offering a reply.

The reason is simple: the Suppression Corps has actually infiltrated the intelligence system of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. Although the cooperation was clearly agreed upon at the Bureau meeting, the local warlords secretly resisted. Is that so surprising?
If Zhang Anping uses this as the basis for his article...

Mao Renfeng was thrilled. If Zhang Anping used this as an excuse, that would be wonderful!

The bigger the show you put on now, the stronger the backlash will be later!
"A month ago, the Suppression of Rebellion Brigade secretly terminated its cooperation with the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics and various Party branches of the Party Communications Bureau. In just one month, it has repeatedly cracked down on multiple Communist Party organizations and destroyed multiple Communist Party communication lines!"

Zhang Anping stared at the sneering Mao Renfeng and said, word by word:

"How do you explain that the Suppression of Rebellion Brigade captured hundreds of underground party members in just one month?!"

Mao Renfeng was startled, and then felt a chill run down his spine. "Damn it, what's wrong with these idiots down there?"

Although his scalp tingled, he still angrily said:

"That doesn't mean they're communists!"

Zhang Anping said in a cold voice:

"The secret investigation team of the Suppression Corps secretly infiltrated various locations in the three places to conduct covert investigations. Just by conducting covert investigations, they discovered several Communist Party organizations—four secret stations in the three places, and more than a thousand people in multiple intelligence groups. Were they all blind and deaf?"

"Even if you're raising a bandit to enhance your own power, this isn't how you do it!"

Zhang Anping stood up angrily, glaring at Mao Renfeng:
"The Bureau of Investigation and Statistics is a continuation of the Military Intelligence Bureau. Even going back to the Special Service Department or the Secret Investigation Group, such an absurd thing has never happened before!"

"I'd rather they were all communist sympathizers than a bunch of idiots!"

"I have ordered that all three locations and four stations, plus all the intelligence groups, be taken down—not a single message should be sent out of headquarters until they are all taken down!"

After speaking, Zhang Anping's icy gaze swept over each of the six elders present, like a knife, before he said, word by word:

"I, Zhang, am willing to lose this deputy director position, but I will investigate him thoroughly!"

After saying that, Zhang Anping turned and left.

A deathly silence fell over the conference room. After what seemed like an eternity, one of the elders finally murmured:

"He's gone mad! He's really gone mad!"

Investigating thousands of people in three different places in one go—what kind of insane person would do that?

As for why Zhang Anping "went mad," they knew perfectly well—Zhang Anping met with the section chief, returned with a gloomy expression, and then even sealed off the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. Furthermore, when Zhang Anping explained his actions, he mentioned the Suppression of Rebellion Brigade. These astute individuals naturally pieced together the likely explanation:
The secret stations in the three locations definitely neglected the Suppression of Rebellion Brigade, and even secretly sabotaged it, causing the Suppression of Rebellion Brigade to fail to achieve any merit within two months.
Subsequently, the Suppression Brigade bypassed the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics and the Party Communications Bureau and went its own way, achieving numerous victories in one fell swoop;

The smug and triumphant Suppression Brigade then embellished the story and reported it to the director—who was the director's own son, so the director naturally wanted to seek justice and gave Zhang Anping a dressing down.
In fact, this matter had nothing to do with Zhang Anping. There were hardly any of Zhang Anping's trusted men in the intelligence stations and intelligence groups in the three locations, and Zhang Anping's reach was not even possible. However, Zhang Anping was probably ashamed and wanted to take advantage of the situation. So he used this opportunity to launch a large-scale purge of the four stations in the three locations.

The purpose of sealing off the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics was to demonstrate his determination and to gain complete control of all four stations to prevent leaks.

Compared to their initial assumption of a mutiny, this outcome brought them a huge sigh of relief. Just as their hearts were settling down, Mao Renfeng uttered a quiet sentence:

"He... wants us all to die!"

The six elders' eyes widened instantly, their hearts, which had just settled, leaping into their throats once more.

Zhang Anping really wanted them dead!

As the saying goes, "Pulling up a radish brings out the mud"—if the fact that they were in ties with the Communists in three locations and four stations is confirmed, then who among them will get away with it?!

In an instant, they instinctively had an idea:
Even if the Heavenly King himself came, even if these people were truly communists, they could not be communists; they could only, and had to, be loyal subjects of the Party and the State!

Mao Renfeng took in the expressions of these elders, and seeing that they all understood his hint, he said something else quietly:

"I think Anping trusts the Suppression of Rebellion Brigade too much. Isn't he afraid that the Suppression of Rebellion Brigade is too eager to make a name for itself and arrest innocent people who are actually communists?"

"Does the order of the Suppression Corps mean everything?"

After saying that, Mao Renfeng got up and left.

He had already successfully planted the seed!
As expected, after Mao Renfeng left, the six elders looked at each other and saw the same "light" in their colleague's eyes.

Back in his office, Mao Renfeng locked the door and fell into deep thought.

He only believed half of what Zhang Anping said!
There must have been people colluding with the Communists in the three stations and four locations. After all, given the current state of the war in the Kuomintang, it's not impossible that some people with ulterior motives would defect to the Communists.

But how could he possibly believe that the three stations and four places were rotten to the core and all in league with the Communists?

Zhang Anping probably didn't believe it either, but he took this opportunity to thoroughly purge the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics.

How could I possibly let you have your way?!

Mao Renfeng couldn't help but let out a sinister smile.

He couldn't help but get up and stand by the window, gazing at the cordon not far away, a playful smile appearing on his face:

This is the headquarters of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. Do you really think that by controlling the central control room, controlling the telecommunications room, and sealing off the perimeter, you can prevent messages from getting out?

"I've already planted the seed; it must have taken root and sprouted by now!"

“Northern Jiangsu, southern Shandong, and southern Anhui are not your territory, Zhang Anping’s little domain. Do you think you can just say we’re all communists?”

"Ah!"

Mao Renfeng gave another disdainful sneer, then looked into the distance.

That's the Party's communications bureau.

And in this matter, Ye Xiufeng certainly doesn't think he can stay out of it!
……

At the same time, Zhang Anping stood by the window, looking outside with amusement.

The headquarters of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics was under his management, and the people there were complicated. He himself had thousands of ways to send information out. Even if Mao Renfeng was worse, he still had dozens or hundreds of ways.

"Suppression of Rebellion Brigade..."

Zhang Anping couldn't help but smile. Passionate people always have to be tempered by reality. (End of Chapter)