Kingsman Agent in Film and Television

Theoretically speaking, the Suppression Corps was an extension of the Director's will, and the GFB should give the Director some face—in fact, the GFB did indeed give the Director face. When the Suppression Corps was full of "dirt" on its members, the GFB remained calm and did not rush to investigate.

But theory is just theory!
It was a fact that the chief aide was paving the way for the section chief, a fact that anyone could see. Within the Nationalist government, there was a growing number of people who resented this—after all, it involved their own core interests to some extent.

Which soldier doesn't want to be a marshal?
Therefore, the real truth is that some people are deliberately stirring things up, waiting for the storm to gradually take shape.

In conclusion, it can be seen that although the GFB appears to be inactive, they are actually acting as bystanders while secretly fueling the flames.

……

Although the director, unlike the chief of staff, had not gone through brutal political struggles, how could he not be sensitive to such a developing storm since he had become the chief of staff's handpicked successor?

night.

The director's private residence.

Zhang Anping drove over, and after parking, the section chief's secretary and Wang Tianfeng came to greet him. The secretary said respectfully:

"Director Zhang, the section chief is waiting for you in the living room."

Zhang Anping nodded coldly to his secretary and was about to follow him when Wang Tianfeng interjected:
"I'll lead the way—"

The secretary hesitated for a moment before nodding, and only when she turned to leave did she reveal her dissatisfaction.

Although Zhang Anping didn't see his secretary's displeasure, he sensed it keenly, and thus said to Wang Tianfeng with a mixture of disappointment and frustration, "Old Wang, you..."

This was a minor incident, but it clearly revealed Wang Tianfeng's true nature—he spent at least two minutes with his secretary, right? Couldn't they have had a simple conversation in those two minutes? Why did he have to say "I'll lead the way" right in front of him?

Wang Tianfeng simply shook his head, then said softly:
What do you think?

Zhang Anping's expression returned to its cold and stern state. After silently taking about ten steps, he finally spoke:

"It was my fault."

Wang Tianfeng was stunned, staring at Zhang Anping in astonishment.

Zhang Anping said slowly:

"It wasn't until later that I understood why Tang Zong's police station, Zheng Yaoquan's Second Bureau, and Ye Xiufeng's Party Intelligence Bureau were so agitated."

Wang Tianfeng looked at Zhang Anping with suspicion. He was a veteran spy and was exceptionally perceptive when it came to intelligence, but what Zhang Anping said at this moment left him completely bewildered.

"They thought I was the one behind the Suppression of Rebellion Brigade."

Wang Tianfeng frowned upon hearing this, still puzzled.

Seeing that Wang Tianfeng still didn't understand what he meant, Zhang Anping bluntly said, "They're afraid I'll flip the table."

"Use the Suppression Corps to deal with them?!"

"No—they're worried that I'll use the Suppression Corps to rebuild a spy network."

Rebuild a spy system?
Wang Tianfeng finally understood why even Zheng Yaoquan had stood against the section chief this time.

Seeing that the living room was not far away, Zhang Anping deliberately slowed his pace and continued:

"They only started this time, but they also piqued the interest of others. If I'm not mistaken, the storm that's brewing now is no longer aimed at me."

Wang Tianfeng gasped in shock; he finally understood why the section chief looked so serious today.

Zhang Anping deliberately told Wang Tianfeng in advance. Wang Tianfeng was completely bewildered by the sudden change in the situation, which was within Zhang Anping's expectations. The reason he "confessed" to Wang Tianfeng was that only when he was in the position of "guide" could he trap Wang Tianfeng in a mental trap and prevent him from turning his attention to him.

“It must have been that old fox Tang Zong who made this move. Mao Renfeng doesn’t have that kind of vision.” Zhang Anping sighed after saying this, and then walked to the guard at the door. The guard did not stop him, but simply saluted Zhang Anping respectfully.

The section chief's adjutant emerged from the shadows:
"Director Zhang, Advisor Wang, the section chief is inside, please come in."

In the living room, the section chief was dozing with a solemn expression. He quickly opened his eyes after hearing the door open and saw Zhang Anping and Wang Tianfeng. He then stood up and said, "Anping is here. Tianfeng, pour some tea."

"Anping, sit down—have you heard what's been going on these past two days?"

Zhang Anping nodded solemnly, paused, and then said:

"Director, this matter... is probably because of me."

"Ok?"

Amid the director's confusion, Zhang Anping explained in more detail what he had previously told Wang Tianfeng.

However, when the topic was brought up again, the two listeners were completely different in Zhang Anping's eyes—Wang Tianfeng only cared about the result and never cared about the process or means, and was even more indifferent to politics. Zhang Anping believed that he was really confused.

But Zhang Anping dared not think that way about the section chief, even when the section chief showed a look of sudden understanding during his "explanation." He still dared not think that way—if the section chief really couldn't understand, then he could not become the successor!
He believed this was a test from the section chief, a test to see if Zhang Anping would truly be honest with him.

After Zhang Anping carefully explained his guesses and the results of his observations, the director fell into deep thought, as if he had just figured it out.

After a long while, the section chief sighed bitterly:

"Self-interest...self-interest!"

Zhang Anping bowed his head and apologized.

"Director, this is my fault. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be in such a passive position."

The section chief immediately waved his hand, feigning anger:
"Is it your fault? Is it your fault for being intolerant of injustice? Is it your fault for prioritizing the interests of the Party and the country?"

“Anping, don’t speak so formally in the future—the most urgent thing is how we should deal with this situation.”

After setting up this scheme, Zhang Anping repeatedly analyzed how things would develop—his core objective was to protect those comrades who had been targeted by the Suppression of Rebellion Brigade.

To achieve this goal, one thing must be clearly stated in a definitive manner:

The Suppression Corps was actually "killing innocent people and claiming credit for their crimes"!
Only in this way can we save these comrades.

The only entity with such authority is the investigation team dispatched by the GFB—therefore, Zhang Anping cannot participate in the investigation team, otherwise the consequences would fall on his own shoulders.

But the section chief's current inquiry is actually a message to Zhang Anping:

Do you know what to do?

The answer is:
I'm going down!
It wasn't about stepping down, but about leading the GFB investigation team down to clear the name of the Suppression Corps.

But this is precisely what Zhang Anping is determined to avoid.

But at this moment, Zhang Anping could only give one answer.

"Within the GFB, someone proposed to lead an investigation team to conduct a thorough investigation in the three locations, to clear the name of the Suppression Brigade," Zhang Anping said slowly.

"Director, I'd like to go downstairs."

The section chief feigned surprise: "You want to lead the team down?"

"I'll go down!" Zhang Anping's voice became firm:
"I'm going down there. I refuse to believe anyone can continue to tamper with things right in front of me!"

"You're leaving, what about the headquarters of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics..." The section chief seemed worried about Zhang Anping.

Zhang Anping thought for a moment: "Should we send Tianfeng to the Security Bureau temporarily?"

"Alright—Tianfeng, you must keep a close eye on Anping's house; absolutely nothing can go wrong!"

Wang Tianfeng solemnly agreed.

The section chief stood up and solemnly said to Zhang Anping, "Anping, I'm entrusting this matter to you."

Zhang Anping also solemnly stated:

"Please rest assured, Director, this mission will ensure that all those who distort the truth and call a deer a horse are brought to justice!"

The section chief couldn't help but laugh and said, "With you, Zhang Anping, in charge, I don't believe any demons or monsters will cause trouble!"

In fact, this is precisely why Zhang Anping absolutely cannot take the investigation team down there—his reputation is widely recognized, and if he personally leads the team down and fails to clear the name of the Suppression of Rebellion Brigade, then there is only one possibility:
The Suppression Corps was indeed killing innocent people to claim credit, and Wang Tianfeng was also spreading alarmist rumors.

But the section chief wouldn't believe this result, and Wang Tianfeng certainly wouldn't believe it either!
But at this moment, Zhang Anping had no choice; given his public persona, he should have volunteered.

The section chief then gave Zhang Anping a series of instructions and instructed Wang Tianfeng to introduce the commanders of the three local suppression teams to Zhang Anping before letting Wang Tianfeng see Zhang Anping off.

After seeing Zhang Anping off, Wang Tianfeng returned to the living room to report back. He thought it was just a formality, but the section chief gestured for him to sit down.

The section chief, now wearing a serious expression, said, "Tianfeng, tell me honestly, is the Suppression of Rebellion Brigade... trustworthy?"

Before Wang Tianfeng could answer, the section chief continued:

"Was the secret service organization with three locations and four stations really so rotten?"

After saying that, he stared intently at Wang Tianfeng.

Wang Tianfeng countered with a question:

"Director, all the commanders of the Suppression of Rebellion Brigade were personally selected by you. Don't you have any confidence in them?"

confidence?

Instead of answering directly, the section chief said, "I used to have a lot of confidence in Anping."

While Wang Tianfeng was speechless, he also realized that the section chief actually harbored some resentment towards Zhang Anping—despite the section chief's earlier statement:

"Is it your fault? Is it your fault for being intolerant of injustice? Is it your fault for prioritizing the interests of the Party and the country?"

Wang Tianfeng instinctively said, "Director, this matter is not An..."

The section chief's gaze sharpened, and Wang Tianfeng had to swallow the rest of his words.

After leaving the director's living room, Wang Tianfeng's steps became unsteady, as if he were drunk.

"Anping... he's having a tough time too!"

"It's not easy being a section chief!"

"But why is this happening?"

……

On his drive home, Zhang Anping maintained his usual speed, but most of his thoughts were on how to break the deadlock.

There are actually many ways to break the deadlock, but because of his own persona, he can't use any of them.

After much thought, it seems there's only one way left to break this deadlock!

"We can only rely on Mao Zedong's 'help'!"

Of course, to get help from your opponent, you have to make them willing to do so.

And Zhang Anping's portrayal of Mao Renfeng was extremely precise...

……

The following day, at the headquarters of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics.

After arriving at the office, Mao Renfeng, as usual, stood in front of the window, looking down at the entire Bureau of Investigation and Statistics.

As Zhang Anping's car slowly drove in, Mao Renfeng couldn't help but mutter to herself:

"That bastard is more than ten minutes late today?!"

Zhang Anping is usually very punctual for work, so seeing him late today, Mao Renfeng couldn't help but wonder if Zhang had also given up hope of breaking the deadlock.

[I can't think like that—that bastard is cunning from head to toe; if I think like that, I'll probably fall into his trap!]

Mao Renfeng suppressed her gloating and carefully examined Zhang Anping as he stepped out of the car.

"Casual clothes?!"

Mao Renfeng was taken aback when she saw that Zhang Anping was dressed in casual clothes today.

Some staff members at the headquarters of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics are required to wear military uniforms. Apart from these individuals, most others wear civilian clothes. Even Mao Renfeng himself does not like wearing military uniforms.

But Zhang Anping was usually in military uniform, so Mao Renfeng couldn't help but wonder what was going on when he suddenly appeared in civilian clothes.

"Hmm, what should I tell the driver?"

Normally, Zhang Anping would get out of the car and leave directly, but today he spoke a few words to the driver. Considering that the driver was dressed casually, which was unusual, Mao Renfeng instinctively realized that something was wrong.

While pondering, Mao Renfeng's pupils suddenly contracted!

Zhang Anping's driver actually parked the car in the garage after washing it!

The driver wouldn't park the car in the garage during the day, since they need to be on standby at all times, so there's only one possibility: the car was washed and then parked in the garage.
Zhang Anping will not be using the car in the near future!

Considering Zhang Anping's casual attire today, Mao Renfeng immediately realized a possibility:
Zhang Anping will be leaving Nanjing for a while!
At this crucial moment in the struggle, Zhang Anping's rash departure from Nanjing can only be explained in one way:
GFB Investigation Team!
"He...is he going down himself?"

Mao Renfeng was taken aback. Zhang Anping was actually going to visit three places in person?

Then he felt his head buzzing. The police station, the garrison, and the Party Affairs Bureau in the three places had joined forces to slander the Suppression of Rebellion Brigade. Theoretically, it seemed foolproof, but if Zhang Anping went down in person, he believed that with Zhang Anping's ability, he would definitely be able to dispel all the dark clouds and fog.

If this happens, their actions will backfire on them many times over.

"We can't let him go down!"

"Absolutely not!"

Mao Renfeng lunged at the phone, instinctively wanting to call Tang Zong, but just as he was about to dial, he decisively put the phone down.

We can't fight—his relationship with Emperor Tang is one of cooperation. If he has to rely on Emperor Tang for everything, then he'll become subordinate to him!

"How can we stop it?"

Mao Renfeng's mind raced as he closed his eyes in thought. As his hand unconsciously moved away from the phone, a sudden realization struck him:
Telephone……

……

GFB.

At 10:00 AM, under the direction of the department head, a meeting was held within the GFB.

Let's discuss the matter of the Suppression Corps.

The so-called discussion was, in essence, about how to resolve the issue. If the bigwigs at GFB had sided with the director, there would have been no need to bring this matter to a meeting; a simple statement like "we can't let criticism hold us hostage" would have been enough to solve the problem.

But now that it's been brought to the meeting, the true stance of the GFB bigwigs is quite clear!

How can we solve this?

After much discussion, the group decided to use the traditional method:
We dispatched a special commissioner to lead an investigation team to investigate and clear the name of the Suppression Brigade!
In fact, all the attendees knew there would only be one outcome—to put it bluntly, they wanted to test whether the director was guilty. If he was guilty, it proved that the director was also unsure about the matter of the Suppression Corps. If the director's people were not guilty, it proved that the matter was completely fabricated.

These bigwigs will naturally make their choices based on the two different situations.

The result is:

The section chief's men had absolutely no guilty conscience!

Then we need to start with the selection of the investigation team and the special envoy—those who lead the investigation team, aren't they the ones who control right and wrong?
As a result, the attendees started arguing again about the selection of candidates.

Instead of directly pushing Zhang Anping forward, the section chief first sent out several officials from his faction to test the waters. As expected, this choice was immediately met with opposition from others—several more senior officials were pushed out to challenge him.

The accounts from the various parties are roughly as follows:
"This person lacks the qualifications. If he's put in charge of the investigation team, will the others be convinced?"

"This person's abilities are questionable. Can he investigate the truth and clear the name of the Suppression Corps?"

In short, seniority and ability are just excuses for wrangling—the purpose is simple: to delay the investigation and prevent the director's people from leading the investigation team.

If the section chief's people don't compromise, then just keep delaying; after all, it's not them who's in a hurry.

Just when the parties were exhausted from their wrangling, the section chief's men finally played their trump card:
"In that case, I suggest that Zhang Anping from the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics be appointed as the special envoy! What do you all think?"

These words completely stunned the attendees!
So that's where you were waiting!
Previously, they were arguing and attacking each other's seniority and ability, which they repeatedly mentioned. Now, the section chief's people have thrown out Zhang Anping, which is a trump card!

Ability? Qualification?
Although Zhang Anping is young, his position as deputy director of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics is undeniable. As for his qualifications and abilities, there are countless ghosts of Japanese devils to attest to them. How can you refute that?

The section chief's representative revealed a smug look. You didn't expect that the section chief had already predicted your prediction!

Are they trying to stall for time so that the section chief will compromise and relinquish control of the investigation team?

Ah!
The devil may be one foot tall, but the righteous will be ten feet tall!
This is why the section chief insisted on "forcing" Zhang Anping last night. If Zhang Anping didn't step in, the section chief would have no choice but to relinquish control of the investigation team!

Once the investigation team relinquishes its leadership, then it'll be up to others to say whatever they want!
Faced with the bombshell dropped by the department head representative, all the attendees fell silent.

Agree?

What a joke!
Oppose?

But... how can I object?

The section chief's representative then stood up, flashed a bright smile, scanned the room, and asked:

"Gentlemen, do you really think that Deputy Director Zhang is not competent for the position of special commissioner?!"

No one answered.

"Since that's the case..."

Seeing that a final decision was about to be made, someone had no choice but to bite the bullet and object: "General Wang, why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? Isn't it a bit of a disservice to Deputy Director Zhang to appoint him as the special envoy?"

The section chief's representative said mockingly, "Whether he's good or not isn't important. What's important is that only when Deputy Director Zhang takes charge will everyone here be satisfied, isn't that right?"

One sentence left the other attendees speechless.

But just then, the conference room door opened, and a high-ranking GFB official appeared. After scanning the room, he said in a solemn tone:
"Everyone, please wait a moment. There's something I need to discuss with you." (End of Chapter)