Chapter 14: Zhang Anping's Strategy (Part Two)
During this period, fierce internal struggles raged within the JSWYH Investigation and Statistics Bureau.
As the director, Chen naturally sought to maintain control over the entire situation.
However, the Second Division disregarded their immediate superior, continuing their usual practice of directly approaching the highest authority when matters arose.
That top figure enjoyed watching his subordinates fight among themselves, so he welcomed this phenomenon. But Director Chen was displeased; after allying with the Third Division (the Postal Inspection Department), he began placing obstacles in the way of the Second Division.
Meanwhile, after Zhang Anping’s speech at the pre-training mobilization meeting was reported by the Party Affairs Department’s informant, the Party Affairs quickly recognized this as a golden opportunity—not only to slap the Second Division in the face but also to extend their influence into it.
...
The next day, the Special Operations Department was convening to discuss how to handle "Zhang Shihao."
Normally, dealing with a lieutenant officer did not warrant a meeting.
But Zhang Anping's case was unique. First, his application bore the signature of the division chief. Second, just recently, the division chief had explicitly mentioned him—clearly a deliberate promotion. Under such circumstances, no one wanted to take the blame alone.
Yet inaction was impossible. If they did nothing, it would hand the initiative to the First Division, who were sharpening their knives to expose the matter, making things difficult for the Second Division.
But how to proceed?
Everyone at the meeting was evasive, unwilling to shoulder responsibility—everyone knew how petty the department chief was; the first to suggest action would surely be resented.
After much indirect maneuvering, a seasoned veteran finally spoke up:
“Let’s do this: lock him up first and wait for the division chief to arrive before deciding.”
“Good idea!”
“Agreed!”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Thus, the Special Operations Department dispatched agents to Guanwang Temple, intending to apprehend Zhang Shihao first.
But no one expected that just as they resolved this, Xu Baichuan came running in, gasping:
“Bad news, officers, bad news! The Party Affairs Department just took Zhang Shihao away!”
The Special Operations Department was stunned.
What?
He was taken by the Party Affairs?
No way. They absolutely could not let Party Affairs take him!
The critical issue was, if Party Affairs seized him, who knew what mud they would sling at the Second Division.
“Action squad, mobilize immediately! Head to No. 132 Daoshu Street (Party Affairs headquarters) and rescue him! No matter what, we must get him back!”
Retrieving him wasn’t just about pride for the Special Operations Department; it was about protecting their interests. Anyone in espionage knew the routine of forced confessions all too well.
...
Early that morning, Zhang Anping rose with the trainees at Guanwang Temple.
As a teacher, he had to set an example; he couldn’t just sleep while the students trained.
But more importantly, he was waiting for the Special Operations agents to come for him—he had foreseen this outcome even before his speech the night before.
He had done it intentionally.
There were two reasons for his actions.
First, as mentioned, he wanted to plant a seed in the trainees' minds.
Second, he wanted to make a name for himself.
Initially, Zhang Anping thought that staying in the Special Operations Department would guarantee a steady promotion, given his skills and background.
But reality proved him wrong.
Seniority rules were strictly enforced; take the case of the captured Japanese spy ring—surely Zhang Anping had a considerable share of the credit, right?
His uncle was the division chief; such merit couldn’t be denied.
In the end?
He received a rank promotion, but subsequent interrogations excluded him. A group of veterans took over, clearly to reap the rewards.
When assigned to the Preparatory Department, veterans Li Weigong and Wu Jingzhong still treated him like a mere errand boy, only because his uncle had deliberately mentioned and praised him at meetings.
Without fame or seniority, it was hard to build connections. To impress his uncle without revealing his background, he befriended Xu Baichuan and Zheng Yaoxian—thanks to previous acquaintances.
His plan was to stay in the training class until the full outbreak of the war—the problem was, without credentials or renown, he would lack personal influence even then. Though he had students, his confidence was insufficient.
It was truly difficult.
Thus, he had to do something to gain fame.
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With fame comes seniority; when he finally stepped out of the training class, his uncle could grant him a higher status.
Hence, the reckless pre-training speech.
Yet Zhang Anping miscalculated: the first to come for him was not the Special Operations Department but the Party Affairs.
On the morning of the new trainees’ training start, four Party Affairs agents arrived at the Guanwang Temple training ground and directly approached Zhang Anping.
“Zhang Shihao, by order of the director, we have questions for you.”
Zhang Anping looked surprised but was inwardly delighted—well, the future Zhongtong (Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics) was coming to him first!
He immediately said, “I’m from the Second Division. You First Division people have no right to summon me.”
One Party Affairs agent swiftly drew a concealed pistol under his cloak, aiming it at Zhang.
“This is the director’s order!”
Zhang suppressed the urge to act, smiling calmly.
“If you want to question me, it must go through the Second Division!”
The armed agent signaled his comrades. Two stepped forward, pinning Zhang’s arms, while another pressed a dagger against his body.
This was a typical Party Affairs arrest tactic. To intimidate, one threatened:
“Resisting means refusal to comply!”
The implication was clear.
This tactic worked well for capturing underground communists; ordinary people couldn’t tell if it was espionage agents or old friends meeting. But on Second Division turf, this was brazenly disrespectful.
Zheng Yaoxian immediately sensed something was wrong. He approached quickly, seeing Zhang threatened, and pulled out his pistol, aiming it at the four men.
“Who are you? Release him!”
His shout alerted others. Some hid, but Wang Tianfeng and Xu Baichuan hurried over. The trainees, seeing the commotion, swarmed around without hesitation.
The four Party Affairs agents grew nervous facing the angry crowd.
Zheng Yaoxian, holding a gun against them, dared not shoot, but the rash trainees might attack, which would be disastrous.
They hurried to identify themselves: “We are from the Party Affairs Department! We have orders from the director to take Zhang Shihao for questioning!”
“Questioning?” Zheng Yaoxian, loyal to his comrades, kept his pistol raised and demanded, “What crime has he committed? And he’s ours—why do you First Division people have the right to question him? Go through the Second Division first!”
The Party Affairs agents grew furious, pointing at Zheng Yaoxian.
“Don’t you even recognize the director’s order?”
“The Second Division only obeys orders from the division chief!” Zheng remained firm.
The trainees cheered, some rolling up their sleeves, ready to fight.
Zhang Anping did not want conflict between himself and the Party Affairs. If a fight broke out, his uncle might intervene, but he couldn’t avoid being sidelined.
He shouted urgently:
“Don’t move! Step aside! Brother Zheng, tell the trainees to back off! The Party Affairs is just here to question me; they won’t harm me.”
Zheng Yaoxian warned, “Zhang Shihao, don’t be fooled! Don’t you know how dirty the Party Affairs’ hands are?”
“It’s fine. I’m not a communist. What can they do to me? Brother Zheng, let the trainees return to training. Don’t let me delay their studies. Everyone, your task is military training and learning necessary skills to prepare for the future. Don’t be foolish!”
Zhang continued:
“Step aside! Let them take me. Trust me, Zhang Shihao stands upright and walks honestly. They won’t harm me—please, move aside!”
Zheng hesitated, glanced at Xu Baichuan, who, unwilling to challenge the Party Affairs, grit his teeth and said, “Step aside!”
The trainees were not his direct subordinates and wouldn’t part simply on his word. But after Zhang’s persistent urging, they gradually cleared a path.
The four Party Affairs agents carefully escorted Zhang away, quickening their pace once out of the crowd, fearing a sudden attack.
“What now?” Zheng looked to Xu and Wang Tianfeng.
“Lao Liu, watch the trainees. Tianfeng, find Old Wu and Old Li. I’ll report to headquarters. Even if Zhang Shihao is at fault, it’s not their fault! The Party Affairs has crossed the line!” Xu Baichuan was furious.
...
In films, arrests often show the suspect being directly hauled into a car, but Zhang Anping was not so fortunate. After leaving Guanwang Temple, a Party Affairs agent pulled him onto a rickshaw, escorting him with a gun pressed against him all the way.
Zhang didn’t mind. The Party Affairs had no proof he was a communist; what could they do?
He even leisurely said to the agent, “If I were you, I’d put the gun away first. If you wanted to run, do you think you could get out of Guanwang Temple?”
The agent thought it over and agreed, holstering the gun.
“Brother, this is the order from above. We’re just following orders.”
Zhang smiled, “I understand. We’re all just errand boys.”
Curious, the agent asked, “Aren’t you afraid?”
“Afraid of what? Am I a communist?” Zhang retorted.
The agent was speechless. Zhang Shihao was certainly not a communist, and they didn’t plan to brand him as one. If they did, the Special Operations Department would blow up their cover.
“You made statements that go against the leader...” the agent began but stopped.
Some things are better left unsaid; some things can be said but not done.
Zhang smiled but said nothing.
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Could these words really be grounds for a charge?
Nonsense!
Though the Transport Battalion Commander was passive about the war, he was no fool. What tendency did Zhang’s words show?
At most, they were predictions about the future!
The Party Affairs and Special Operations might twist this, but if anyone wanted to protect him, these words could actually be his merit. If he were more physically imposing, he’d have cited a certain book’s theories ahead of time.
Anyway, he had already handed the knife to his uncle.
The rickshaw sped along the street, nearing Daoshu Street. Suddenly, Zhang said:
“If I were you, I wouldn’t enter through the main gate of Daoshu Street.”
The accompanying agent was taken aback: “Why?”
“Don’t you think your actions will backfire?”
The agent broke out in a cold sweat.
There was only one reason:
Protecting their own!
Sometimes, protection is genuine; other times, it’s forced.
The Party Affairs had dragged Zhang away in front of the trainees—this was a slap in the face to the Special Operations Department!
If Zhang Shihao were a communist or had committed a grave offense, they could accept it.
But could they directly state what his fault was?
No!
Therefore, unless the Special Operations Department were fools, they had to stage a dramatic rescue—this would be a hard slap back at the First Division.
They caught him but lost him again, and worse, were publicly humiliated. Someone had to take the fall.
The agent immediately shouted:
“Stop!”
Paying the fare and signaling his three comrades to follow, the agent led Zhang to a quiet corner.
He clasped his fists:
“Brother, you’re so sharp. You did this on purpose, didn’t you? Give us a tip—we’ll repay you handsomely!”
The other three were bewildered.
Zhang smiled: “Helping you isn’t impossible, but what’s the benefit?”
He knew they weren’t asking for help to get past this stage; they could sneak in through the back door or deliver him to the JSWYH headquarters in Feiyuan to clear this hurdle.
The real problem was what came next.
He could kindly warn them because he was prepared. Later, they might be scapegoated—his warning was to prevent them from becoming fall guys.
Benefits?
The agent pondered. The other three, confused, pulled him aside to ask quietly:
“Why would he willingly help?”
The agent explained their predicament. Hearing this, the three grew pale.
“Sorry, I’ve dragged you into this.”
“Don’t say that, it’s that bastard’s fault! Damn, he’s causing trouble for us. Maybe we should just…”
The lead agent cut off his men and returned to Zhang:
“Brother, if you help us, the four of us will follow any orders in the future, through fire and water!”
His words carried the tone of sworn brothers.
This fit the Party Affairs’ style—many of their operatives were thugs and ruffians recruited to do the dirty work.
“I won’t let you suffer either. If the Party Affairs has any operations, find a way to notify me. Any gains will be rewarded as informants of the Special Operations Department. Agreed?” Zhang smiled.
After exchanging looks, the four nodded. The lead agent said:
“Brother Zhang, helping us is our honor. We won’t ask for your reward.”
Zhang firmly replied:
“This is the rule of the Special Operations Department—no free help. When the Party Affairs can’t get by, come to us. We might not offer much, but we guarantee you won’t starve!”
The four agents were overjoyed.
“Let’s go. Take me in through the back entrance of the Party Affairs. After this, don’t get involved. If they torture me, you don’t need to warn anyone, understand?”
At Zhang’s words, the four agents were inwardly alarmed. The Special Operations Department was playing a deep game.
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