Chapter 23: King Against King

Inside the photography studio, the special agents of the Bureau of Party Affairs glared menacingly at the group of students. The trainees, who had vaulted over the back wall, stood their ground with bricks, stools, and wooden sticks. Although the agents were armed with firearms, the sheer number of the hundred-plus students truly intimidated them.

These trainees were remarkably bold; not only were they unafraid of the gun barrels pointed at them, but they also kept shouting for the agents to go ahead and shoot if they had the guts. Even the few female students showed no fear. Their air of unearned confidence left the Bureau agents questioning reality.

Hesitant to act due to the risk of collateral damage, the agents only regained their composure when their director entered. They intended to continue their intimidation, but a single cold, piercing gaze from Director Xu made them hurriedly holster their weapons.

Zhang Anping signaled for his students to put down their embarrassing makeshift weapons. It was indeed a bit humiliating; despite their numerical superiority, the students were dressed haphazardly and lacked proper arms, which detracted from their presence.

Director Xu was no fool. From the moment he learned these people were from the Secret Service, he understood that the Secret Service was trying to snatch the fruit of his labor. He suspected that it was precisely because of these new recruits from the Secret Service that the Communists had been alerted and had failed to show up for the rendezvous. Regardless of whether that was true, Director Xu was determined to pin the blame on the Secret Service.

He got straight to the point: "Zhang Shihao, do you know who you’ve let escape because of your reckless interference? One of the core members of the CCP Jiangsu Provincial Committee! Because of you, they’re gone!"

Zhang Anping jolted, then put on a fierce facade to cover his inner nervousness: "Director Xu, stop pinning labels on us! Accusations require evidence! If you want to talk like that, I could just as easily say it was your Bureau of Party Affairs that let the Communists go—I saw it with my own eyes!"

His jolt was feigned, but his internal sigh of relief was genuine. He couldn't afford to give them any ammunition, which was why he was playing the rogue.

"You..." Director Xu was furious. It had been years since anyone had dared to speak to him like that! But seeing Zhang Anping’s shameless demeanor, he knew that reasoning with such a person was a waste of breath. He said, "I’m not talking to you—I’m talking to Dai Chunfeng!"

Zhang Anping knew that, ultimately, his rank was insufficient. He could be a nuisance, but he had no standing to negotiate with these big shots. He didn't take offense, merely humming, "I don't care about anything else, but it was your people who tried to arrest my students!"

Director Xu ignored the humming and ordered his men to notify the Secret Service, demanding that someone with sufficient rank be sent over. The Communists were beyond reach, but he was determined to make the Secret Service take the fall. If they refused, he would stop the current provocations against the Secret Service—the Bureau of Party Affairs had been kept in a state of chaos by them lately, and if he didn't put a stop to it, morale would crumble.

Leaving the photography studio, we turn to Taiping Road. When Xu Baichuan, the officer in command, saw the director of the Bureau of Party Affairs appear, he realized the situation had escalated significantly. Clearly, the Bureau of Party Affairs was hunting for a big fish. He dared not reveal himself, as he was merely a mid-level officer in the Secret Service and had no standing to engage with a director of the Bureau of Party Affairs.

That Zhang Anping had the loyalty to stand up to the head of the Bureau of Party Affairs moved Xu Baichuan deeply: Brother Anping is truly reliable; he never fails at a critical moment! Since Zhang Anping had held off the head of the Bureau, he could not fail either; he had to handle his own problems. Taking advantage of the Bureau of Party Affairs pulling back their men, Xu Baichuan hurriedly ordered the suspicious individuals to be moved while mentally preparing his report for his own director.

It was just like a card game; if the opponent played a small trump, he had to match it with a bigger one. Since his director was coming, he dared not hide anything; he had to report the situation exactly as it happened to facilitate the negotiations between the two directors.

Zheng Yaoxian received the order from Xu Baichuan to transfer the suspicious individuals. He did not hesitate, arranging for the students to transfer those captured on his side, and even running over to the left-side stronghold, where no one was in charge, to oversee the transfer there as well.

After Zheng Yaoxian left, a man and a woman in the right-side stronghold finally let out a long sigh of relief. Zheng Yaoxian had exerted a great deal of pressure on them; they had spent the whole time acting trembling and nervous, afraid to reveal a flaw. Now that he was gone, guarded only by a few students who were clearly novices, they could finally communicate. The man was Cen Anyan, Zhang Anping’s direct superior, and the woman was Sister Qian, Cen’s own superior.

Cen Anyan’s purpose for having Zhang Anping come tonight was to introduce him into the Party. He had originally intended to do so after the bullet production line arrived in the Soviet area, but after learning of Zhang Anping’s steadfast behavior while being tortured by the Bureau of Party Affairs, he decided to initiate him immediately. As it happened, Sister Qian had come to Nanjing regarding the production line, so he planned to ask her to act as the oath witness.

Sister Qian had long wanted to meet the "mass" who had become the operative codenamed "Katyusha"—Zhang Anping—and was naturally happy to serve as the witness. They had chosen the Jixing Photography Studio because it was a high-level emergency backup contact station. Another reason was to establish a file for Zhang Anping—given his strong disguise skills, they could build his file using his disguised image, which would be both safe and protective for him in critical moments.

Yet, neither of them could have imagined that the Jixing Photography Studio, a secret contact station under the Jiangsu Provincial Committee, would be exposed at this very moment, with the streets swarming with special training class students.

When Cen Anyan noticed something was wrong, he wanted to take Sister Qian and leave, but they were spotted by Lu Qiaoshan. Lu Qiaoshan was quite the "talent"—he wore glasses himself, yet held a grudge against anyone else who did. The moment he saw Cen Anyan, he felt the man looked suspicious, and seeing the woman beside him—a man and woman acting like a couple but keeping a respectful distance—only solidified his suspicion.

Thus, he listed them as suspicious persons. The showboating Lu Qiaoshan immediately asked Zheng Yaoxian to "hijack" the pair. Zheng Yaoxian didn't think there was anything wrong with them, but he was happy to catch a few more "suspicious persons," so he stepped forward to "hijack" them. He genuinely didn't know their identities; had he known, he would never have arrested them and would have scolded Lu Qiaoshan instead. But precisely because he didn't know, he had inadvertently captured Zhang Anping’s superior and his superior's superior...

Upon being seized by Zheng Yaoxian, Cen Anyan’s first reaction was that Zhang Anping had defected, but he immediately dismissed the thought. Yet, he couldn't figure out what had gone wrong. It wasn't until he saw the other captives in the stronghold that he realized the agents were simply rounding up "suspicious" people. He used micro-expressions and eye contact to signal Sister Qian not to worry. Sister Qian, experienced in struggle, was not intimidated by this minor scene.

Once Zheng Yaoxian left, they finally felt safe enough to communicate carefully using Morse code.
[Do not expose us; he will save us.]
[I am not worried about safety, but about the contact station.]
[Protect yourself first.]
Upon receiving Sister Qian’s message, Cen Anyan nodded slightly.

At this time, the students in the stronghold were ready. Lu Qiaoshan held a towel over his hand to feign holding a gun, and said sinisterly: "Stay quiet! We are from the Secret Service! I suspect there are Communists among you. I’m taking you out now; anyone who tries to run or scream is definitely a Communist! Don't blame me if my bullets don't have eyes!"

The dozen or so captives in the room trembled in fear, nodding in agreement. Then, in pairs, the students began to escort the suspects out. Sister Qian was "escorted" by two female students. As she walked outside, she glanced at the Jixing Photography Studio. Seeing it surrounded by agents, she actually felt a sense of relief. With such a massive commotion, the Provincial Committee would certainly receive word that the contact station had been compromised and would not walk into the trap.

...

Director Dai arrived in a flurry of activity by car. Xu Baichuan intercepted the vehicle halfway, and after receiving the director’s permission, he quickly hopped in to report the sequence of events. He dared not exaggerate, telling the story exactly as it happened. To Xu Baichuan’s surprise, his superior was not concerned about the standoff, but rather another matter. He asked: "Since the Communists didn't show up, are you certain they were among the suspects you captured?"

"It’s hard to say," Xu Baichuan replied honestly. "The Communists are cunning; we might not have caught them."

How could Xu Baichuan dare to guarantee such a thing?

The director muttered to himself: "It must be that the Bureau of Party Affairs has been under so much pressure that they’ve created a smokescreen out of sheer guilt. Hmph! They can't catch the Communists, so they want to frame my Secret Service! No way!"

Xu Baichuan was overjoyed; the director had set the tone: this was merely an abandoned Communist contact station, and the Bureau of Party Affairs, being incompetent, wanted to use the Secret Service as a scapegoat!

...

Having made his decision, Director Dai had the driver stop in front of the photography studio. He stormed inside, his voice preceding him: "Director Xu, is the Bureau of Party Affairs so incompetent that you have to take your frustrations out on my Secret Service students?"

Director Xu shouted angrily: "Dai Chunfeng, stop your nonsense! We’ve been tracking this lead for five days, and we confirmed that a high-ranking member of the CCP Jiangsu Provincial Committee would be arriving to rendezvous tonight! Your people ruined it!"

Director Dai pushed aside the agents blocking his path and entered the studio. After looking around, he said exactly what his nephew had said: "I could just as easily say my men were trying to catch the Communists and your Bureau of Party Affairs ruined it!"

Director Xu was exasperated. He couldn't believe both uncle and nephew were twisting the truth so brazenly. He shouted his name in fury: "Dai Chunfeng!"

Director Dai responded with a cold face and then turned to his nephew: "Did they give you any trouble?"

Zhang Anping knew exactly how to respond: "No, they just threatened me with their guns—they also wanted to take credit for the work of the special training class students, but I stopped them."

"Director Xu, last time you tortured my nephew to force a confession and frame me! This time you’ve stooped even lower, trying to steal credit from my students? The Bureau of Party Affairs is getting more and more ambitious!"

When it came to pinning labels, Director Dai was no less skilled than Director Xu. Since he had the moral high ground last time, he used this incident to press his advantage. At the same time, he sent a signal to the trainees present: You are all my students, and I will protect you no matter what!

Director Xu almost coughed up blood. I really was trying to catch Communists this time! No, wait, I was trying to catch them last time too!

However, Director Xu was an old fox. He soon realized that Director Dai was merely buying loyalty. After a round of mutual finger-pointing, the two tacitly signaled for the standoff to end. The men on both sides retreated, and the two directors went into the back room for a real conversation.

Director Xu got straight to the point: "The Third Division is already under your control; can we stop this now? If the Bureau of Party Affairs collapses, it won't do your Secret Service any good."

The man at the very top loved balance. The growth of the Secret Service was intended to balance the former Investigation and Statistics Bureau. If the Secret Service trampled the Bureau of Party Affairs, it wouldn't be a good thing for them. Director Dai understood this, but, as they say, one shouldn't be merciful when holding the advantage. He mocked: "That’s not something you need to worry about!"

"You..." Director Xu was angry again. He took a deep breath to calm himself and asked: "What else do you want?"

"Pull all your personnel out of the Postal Inspection Office. They’re an eyesore."

Director Xu gritted his teeth: "Fine!"

"I heard your Bureau just acquired a batch of German equipment. Give me half."

"Dai Chunfeng, don't push me too far!"

"Pushing too far? You were the ones riding on my neck, and now you say I’m pushing too far? My nephew was almost tortured to death by you, and you tried to force him to provide evidence that I was colluding with the Communists—who is being excessive here?" Director Dai roared.

Director Xu was speechless. He gritted his teeth and said: "Fine! You get half. Does this end here?"

"And one more thing..."

"Dai Chunfeng, don't push us to the brink!"

"Listen to me. The Communist spy case will be transferred to us, and then this matter ends."

"Bullshit! Your people ruined my operation, why should you get the case... wait, did you catch the Communists?" Director Xu’s reaction was lightning fast.

Director Dai chuckled, offering no explanation. Director Xu was fuming, but although he was unwilling, the lead was already dead, so he had no choice but to concede: "Fine—this is the last condition I will agree to!"

"Director Xu, I’m not an unreasonable man." Director Dai stood up and extended his hand: "I hope we can cooperate sincerely in the future and serve our leader together."

Director Xu shook his hand with a dark expression, while inwardly vowing to investigate who had leaked the intelligence to the Secret Service—he would make sure the traitors paid with their lives.