Spying

47 The Calamity Begins

Unaware of the brewing storm, Ren Shaobai and Lan Youyin were still trying to determine who bore greater responsibility for the previous day’s failed operation.

Lan Youyin suddenly thought of something. “Li Helin has gotten his wish and entered the Retreat Residence. Why are you still here?”

She was referring to Li Helin, who, as the acting director of the Second Department, had replaced his predecessor in attending the official residence briefings. Logically, Ren Shaobai, as his confidential secretary, should have been promoted accordingly. Yet here he was, idly finishing an entire cigarette like a man with nothing to do.

“Director Hou made a mistake in his work, but the original department secretary did nothing wrong, so naturally, he remains in his original position,” Ren Shaobai said indifferently.

Lan Youyin, however, countered, “Could it be that because the battle in Jinan isn’t going well, Li Helin is finally suspecting that your recent assignment in Shandong was another case of feigned compliance?” Without waiting for Ren Shaobai’s response, she stubbed out her cigarette and glanced back at him before turning to leave. “We’re truly on the same boat now. Be careful not to be the first one to fall overboard.”

As Lan Youyin’s figure receded into the distance, the carelessness in Ren Shaobai’s eyes finally gave way to a trace of gravity.

Lan Youyin was right. After his few days of leave, with Li Helin’s position now changed, Ren Shaobai should have been facing a sudden surge in workload. Yet this morning, when Li Helin saw him, he had merely instructed him to handle the backlog of work from the past few days, offering no new assignments. Even when it was time for the meeting at the Retreat Residence, Li Helin hadn’t asked his confidential secretary to prepare anything.

Ren Shaobai, of course, sensed that something was amiss.

Li Helin returned to his office after the briefing at the Retreat Residence—he had declined the General Affairs Department’s suggestion to move into the director’s office, choosing instead to remain in his original space. It was a gesture of his usual aloofness, signaling that he was merely fulfilling his duties, not coveting power.

Pushing the door open, Li Helin was surprised to see Ren Shaobai standing by his desk. He paused briefly but walked in calmly as usual, closing the door behind him before approaching.

“Why are you here?” he asked.

“The backlog from the past few days,” Ren Shaobai said, pointing to the newly added files on the desk.

“Ah, you’ve worked hard,” Li Helin replied. “I’ll look at them later and call you if there are any issues.”

With that, he glanced at Ren Shaobai, making it clear that he was being dismissed.

But Ren Shaobai remained rooted in place, his face a canvas of suppressed emotions and discontent.

Li Helin pretended not to notice, circling around him to sit behind the desk before looking up again. “Is there something else?”

Ren Shaobai met his gaze for two seconds before speaking. “Teacher, what exactly was wrong with Heishui’s battle plan?”

His question was tactful. First, it conveyed that he had guessed his sudden sidelining was related to the actual outcome of the Jinan battle. But rather than avoiding the issue out of guilt, he confronted it directly. Second, he emphasized that the battle plan had been obtained by Heishui—he had merely acted as a courier. If there was a problem, it was Heishui’s mistake and shouldn’t reflect on him.

Li Helin naturally understood the implications. He responded with another indifferent “Ah.”

Ren Shaobai grew visibly anxious. “Teacher—”

But Li Helin cut him off. “What, are you here to plead your case already?”This was also a meaningful statement. On one hand, only if there was a charge could there be a grievance to voice—implying that Ren Shaobai had indeed made a mistake. On the other hand, his demeanor suggested he had anticipated Ren Shaobai's visit, giving him the opportunity to explain.

"Did the Third Department claim our intelligence was inaccurate again?"

"Given the current situation in Jinan, their accusations aren’t entirely unfounded."

This was another trap. Ren Shaobai had spent the entire morning handling trivial administrative tasks and hadn’t participated in any critical battle meetings, so he shouldn’t have known the true situation in Jinan.

Naturally, Ren Shaobai wouldn’t walk into the trap. Instead, he asked, "What’s the current situation in Jinan? Has the 74th Reorganized Division been airlifted there yet?"

—Because he had previously flown to Nanjing with Wang Yaowu, he could reasonably know about the reinforcements that might be sent to Jinan.

Ren Shaobai’s response was flawless. Li Helin studied him for a moment before replying, "Only seven companies have arrived. The airfield west of the city is under heavy attack by the Communist forces."

Ren Shaobai feigned surprise. "Didn’t the battle plan specify the main assault would come from the west? Didn’t Commander Wang reinforce the defenses?"

"The outer strongholds around Jinan are too scattered. The Communist forces swiftly infiltrated from all sides, cutting off the defensive system."

"Who’s commanding the Communist siege forces?"

"According to intelligence, it’s Xu Shiyou."

"Then Heishui’s intelligence on this point was also correct. Xu Shiyou is leading the siege, while Su Yu is positioned along the central section of the Jinpu Railway, ready to strike our reinforcements." Ren Shaobai met Li Helin’s gaze without flinching, his unspoken implication clear: What was wrong with the intelligence I brought back?

Li Helin handed Ren Shaobai the latest battlefield report from Jinan and said, "Changqing County to the west has fallen. Maoling Mountain and Yanchi Mountain to the east were also lost under the surprise attack of the 9th Column of the Shandong Corps. The fiercest fighting is now at Majiazhuang in the east. Seven companies from Xuzhou and the 57th Brigade, originally deployed to the west, have been redirected there."

Ren Shaobai studied the report before looking up. "I believe Commander Wang made a mistake in his command."

This was an audacious statement. Central Broadcasting had just praised Jinan’s defenses that morning, claiming the Communist forces had failed to breach them despite prolonged attacks, and lauding Commander Wang Yaowu—a renowned general who had triumphed three times at Changsha—as the unshakable pillar guarding the Yellow River, making the ancient city impregnable. Yet here was Ren Shaobai, boldly pointing out flaws in such a commander’s strategy, as if unaware of the gravity of his words.

"He adapted to the actual battlefield conditions. What’s wrong with that?" Li Helin asked.

"The Communist forces’ main assault was always planned for the west. Now our forces there are stretched thin. How is that not a mistake?"

"Are you so certain the mistake lies in his command and not your intelligence?"

Ren Shaobai met Li Helin’s gaze squarely, chin raised in defiance. "Heishui is deeply trusted within the Communist ranks. As long as he remains undiscovered, they won’t know their battle plan was leaked, and thus have no reason to alter their original deployment. Moreover, for frontline soldiers, being shuffled back and forth between east and west without clear purpose only damages morale."Li Helin did not respond. He knew Ren Shaobai was right. From Heishui's recent telegrams, there indeed appeared to be no anomalies. Heishui had even reported the latest intelligence that the commander of the 12th Squadron of the Security Regiment defending Changqing County was actually an undercover Communist Party member. However, by the time this feedback reached Jinan, they learned that the entire garrison in Changqing County had already been captured.

In fact, just earlier, when he was at the Retreat Residence with the Third Department Director, he had said the same thing. The Third Department, responsible for formulating battle plans, had scoffed at the plan submitted to Wang Yaowu. When Wang Yaowu came to Nanjing to request reinforcements, the Third Department Director told him, "Plans are rigid, but the Communist forces are flexible. Just glance at this—no need to take it too seriously."

Li Helin had remarked that if they had properly executed the countermeasures against that battle plan, Changqing County wouldn’t have fallen so quickly.

Though his words were firm, Li Helin still felt uneasy deep down. Why was it that even when they did everything right, they always seemed a step behind the Communist Party? Though the battlefield was ever-changing, why did it feel like they were being attacked from all sides even when the defending forces had clearly gained the upper hand?

"Teacher, what the Ministry should do now is urge Xuzhou to send reinforcements. Whether the Communist forces intend to ambush them or not, there are only 20,000 troops west of Jinan City. If we wait until the city falls, it’ll be too late!" Ren Shaobai pressed, his tone intense and his words unguarded.

Li Helin finally couldn’t take it anymore. "Are you trying to become an operations staff officer in the Third Department? I’ll let this slide since you said it in front of me just now, but don’t bring it up again. Studying battle plans isn’t the Second Department’s job. If others hear this, they’ll say you’re being presumptuous and that I, Li Helin, failed to teach you properly."

Though it sounded like criticism, Ren Shaobai sensed that compared to earlier, Li Helin’s doubts about him had largely dissipated.

Soon after, another report from Jinan further validated Ren Shaobai’s concerns about the city’s western defenses.

Wu Huawen, commander of the Reorganized 96th Army and concurrently the 84th Division, responsible for the western defenses, suddenly issued a declaration of uprising. With reinforcements from Xuzhou yet to arrive, Jinan Airport was handed over directly, and the western defensive line was left wide open to the Communist forces.

Chaos erupted in the high-level meetings at the Ministry of National Defense, but none knew that behind the surrender of those 20,000 troops was Ren Shaobai—personally dispatched by Li Helin to Jinan—who had delivered the Communist Party’s guidance on Wu Huawen’s uprising.

Yet at this moment, Ren Shaobai couldn’t share this exhilarating news with Peng Yongcheng. Since the day they were inspected at Black Tortoise Lake, Peng Yongcheng had proactively cut off all contact with him.

First, the Central Daily News claimed, to reassure the public, that there were already leads in the Black Tortoise Lake shooting case. Then, the Xinmin Evening News followed up with an exclusive report that the lead involved fingerprints detected on the murder weapon.

Later, Ren Shaobai found a utility bill in his mailbox—actually a coded message from Peng Yongcheng—signaling a temporary halt to communication and the cancellation of their scheduled meetings. At the time, he thought it was merely a precautionary measure after the failed assassination attempt caused a stir. He didn’t realize Peng Yongcheng had genuinely sensed he was being watched by the Confidentiality Bureau.Apart from being followed on his way to and from work, Peng Yongcheng also keenly realized upon returning home that someone had secretly entered his house. The strand of hair he had placed in the door crack was gone, the direction of the lampshade on the ceiling had changed, and even the wardrobe showed signs of being rummaged through.

By now, he was completely exposed under the enemy's surveillance.

It took him some time to locate the listening devices installed in his home. He also noticed that the Western-style barbershop next to his rented apartment had suddenly seen a surge in business. Once, as he paused briefly outside the shop, he saw an apprentice-like figure and a customer walking together behind the curtain at the back of the shop.

Peng Yongcheng continued walking, passing the barber pole with its endlessly spiraling red, white, and blue stripes. It suddenly reminded him of the phrase "the dagger revealed when the map is unrolled."

He didn’t know when the dagger hidden behind that barbershop’s curtain would reveal itself openly, but he thought one thing for certain—he couldn’t let it strike deeper than himself.

Peng Yongcheng didn’t remove the listening devices in his home because, as an ordinary citizen, he wasn’t supposed to have any concept of being bugged, let alone know how to prevent it.

But Lu A'mang, who had also once been stopped outside the Black Tortoise Gate, was different.

He wasn’t an intelligence officer, but he might as well have been one. Ever since moving his photography studio from Pingshi Street to Xinjiekou, he had installed a full set of anti-surveillance equipment in his shop. His residence was also soundproofed, with cork lining the inner walls, covered by wallpaper as camouflage. The interior of the door was reinforced with double-layered panels, with radio wave shielding sandwiched in between.

These measures were originally just precautions. But when real intelligence officers set their sights on him, they created a paradox: If he wasn’t guilty of anything, why would he go to such lengths to render their surveillance ineffective?

Moreover, this wasn’t the first time he had appeared on their radar.

So one day, true to their usual methods, agents from the Confidentiality Bureau stormed A'mang’s home in the dead of night and dragged him out of bed. Half-asleep, A'mang barely had time to process who they were before he was roughly restrained, hauled out of his house by two men flanking him, and shoved into the back seat of a black car that had been parked across the street for days.

By the time he finally regained full awareness, no matter what he said or asked, the agents tasked with arresting him remained completely silent.

"Who are you? Police? Why aren’t you in uniform?"

"Why are you arresting me? What did I do?"

"Is this about the fake IDs? But I’ve already quit! I haven’t made a single fake ID in over a month!"

...

His loud protests were partly an act, of course. Even someone like him, whom Yin Wenrang often called "simple-minded," could tell that his arrest was undoubtedly linked to that failed assassination attempt.

A few days earlier, he had been questioned at Black Tortoise Lake, his camera confiscated, and his car thoroughly searched inside and out. At the time, he had insisted he was just a photographer there for the chrysanthemum exhibition, with a legitimate photography studio to his name. In the end, like the other tourists, he was let out through the Black Tortoise Gate.

He thought that was the end of it.After all, he wasn’t a real agent, nor was he as experienced as Peng Yongcheng, who would have anticipated becoming a long-term surveillance target of the Confidentiality Bureau. Not only had his photo been taken because he matched their description of an underground operative, but he had also fallen into the category of "bank-related personnel" that Lu Peng had mentioned—the Confidentiality Bureau’s investigation unit quickly discovered that his photo studio was right across from the Industrial Bank on Xinjiekou.

When he was dragged into the underground interrogation room of the Confidentiality Bureau, A Mang shouted again, "I'm innocent! Someone from the Ministry of National Defense vouched for me!"

In another room, Lu Peng froze, then listened as he named the guarantor from the Ministry of National Defense.