Minister Li's office was very quiet at this moment. Both Lao Luo and Du Ziyuan sat motionless at the table, looking at Minister Li quietly.
Minister Li thought for a moment and finally asked: "What's your next step?"
Du Ziyuan glanced at Lao Luo cautiously. He saw Lao Luo nodding to him very slightly. So, he turned to Minister Li and said: "We have some judgments about 'water hyacinth', and we want to check the files of the ministry."
.”
"What else?" The minister stared at him.
"We also hope to understand some of the special circumstances in China in recent times, especially the more unusual ones."[
Minister Li nodded to them, "Okay, I understand. You go back first. We will know tomorrow whether your request can be realized."
Du Ziyuan followed Lao Luo and left the minister's office. Their hearts were heavy. It was almost impossible to find the 'water hyacinth' without taking special measures.
The next morning, Du Ziyuan arrived at the ministry very early. But Minister Ma from the Organization Department of the Party Committee of the Central Investigation Department was earlier than him and was already waiting outside his office.
Minister Ma had a knowing and mysterious smile on his dark face and said: "Old Du, what on earth did you think of to get the minister to agree to your inspection of the files? You also asked me to discuss it with you earlier."
Du Ziyuan hurriedly opened the door and said: "Old Ma, Old Ma, please come in quickly, sit down, sit down. Oh, you can just make a phone call, why do you have to make this trip?"
Minister Ma was reluctant and continued to ask: "Tell me, I want to ask you something."
Du Ziyuan stood in front of him, his face became serious, and he whispered: "Old Ma, to be honest, the situation I encountered is not ordinary serious, but extremely serious." He added, "
Lao Ma, let me tell you, the minister almost slapped the table on Lao Luo."
Minister Ma put away his smile and his expression became serious. He said softly: "Lao Du, I understand, you don't need to say anything anymore. Regarding your file review, I have prepared a separate office for you, and you will be there every day.
There will be a dedicated person who will send you the files. However, all the files can only be viewed by you alone. I can no longer give in. Moreover, I want you to guarantee your party spirit and not tell anyone what you saw."
Du Ziyuan said seriously: "Thank you, Lao Ma. I promise not to tell anything about the situation, please trust me."
In this way, Du Ziyuan finally gained the right to access top-secret personnel files.
Next, they sat together and carefully determined the scope of their inquiry, mainly people who worked in the Intelligence Department of the North China Bureau from 1946 to 1949. They also agreed that from 7 to 10 pm every night,
Du Ziyuan went to check it out alone.
At this time, Du Ziyuan breathed a sigh of relief. However, before he could settle down after sending away Minister Ma, Director Lao Luo walked in quietly and stood in front of him.
There was seriousness hidden in Lao Luo's face. He looked at Du Ziyuan calmly and said softly: "Ziyuan, the director of the third bureau has contacted me just now. They are planning to brief you on the situation starting this afternoon.
.The domestic situation is mainly due to special circumstances. Should you go by yourself or arrange for someone else to go?"
Du Ziyuan thought for a while and said: "I want Chu Bolin and Qin Donghai to go. I will start checking the files in the evening. Lao Ma has just said it. So, I have to make some preparations."
Lao Luo nodded, "Okay, that's it." However, after Lao Luo said this, he had no intention of leaving. Instead, he still stood in front of the table, pointing his finger on the tabletop, lowering his head in thought.
Du Ziyuan stood opposite him and looked at him silently. He guessed that Lao Luo must have something else to say.
Lao Luo slowly raised his head, his eyes had become extremely stern, staring sharply at Du Ziyuan's face. He nodded. Du Ziyuan walked gently to him. Their foreheads almost touched.
Lao Luo said almost through his teeth: "Ziyuan, everything the ministry can provide you will be provided to you." He paused and continued: "You must find the 'Water Hyacinth' and find out Ruan Qibo's identity."
Cause of death! And be quick! Let me tell you, news has come from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the negotiations between China and the Soviet Union on that matter have come to a standstill! Ziyuan, you should understand what I mean."
Du Ziyuan looked at Lao Luo's stern eyes and felt a chill rising from the back of his spine.[
Of course he understood what Lao Luo meant. The negotiations between China and the Soviet Union must have reached a critical moment. If there is no clear explanation of the Ruan Qibo incident, the negotiations will break down. The subsequent result will be what Lao Luo will say.
Lao Luo was almost in Du Ziyuan's ear and continued: "You have no room for failure!"
Du Ziyuan's expression became more serious. He vaguely felt that Lao Luo's meaning could be said to be the meaning of Minister Li and the ministry, or even the central government's meaning.
This is like fighting a war. You led your troops to the front line to complete the mission assigned to you. You fought bloody battles, the troops suffered heavy losses, and you were even seriously injured. But the battle failed and the mission assigned to you was not completed. Then
, what awaits you will be punishments from the party discipline, sometimes even very severe punishments. There is no room for explanation, no room for taking away the merits, and no room for pleading for another chance.
Du Ziyuan already understood at this time that he was undertaking a task with no retreat. He must complete it.
Lao Luo saw from Du Ziyuan's eyes that he already understood what he meant, so he nodded to him again and said through his teeth: "It's the same for you and me!" After that, he walked out of the office loudly.
Du Ziyuan stood in front of the table and did not move for a long time. At this time, he felt the pressure on his shoulders more and more clearly. He could either complete the task or be crushed into powder by the task. There was no third situation.
From that day on, Du Ziyuan sat in the office provided by Minister Ma for three consecutive nights and read the files. There were armed guards outside the door of the office. There were also armed guards behind the staff who delivered the files to him.
Du Ziyuan finally understood why Minister Ma cared so much about and protected these files so closely.
The resumes of these people have shocked Du Ziyuan. Most of the comrades have undertaken extremely secret and major tasks, which can no longer surprise him. He himself has undertaken the important task of protecting the "Locust Tree".
What shocked him was that these people's resumes more or less involved some people that he had never imagined.
Du Ziyuan has been working on the hidden front for a long time, and after liberation he worked in multiple intelligence systems. He has been exposed to, participated in, or been involved in many secrets. Many secrets may be just fragments in his mind, or he may have discovered them accidentally. However,
When he saw the people and things involved in these people's resumes that he had never imagined, these fragments or perceptions would be confirmed and connected, forming a generally complete picture, a picture that shocked him.
A comrade he had never paid special attention to, ordinary and steady, soft-spoken to others. He was actually the liaison person of a certain first-level Kuomintang general. Du Ziyuan had already had doubts and confusion in his heart about this first-level Kuomintang general.
, it was suddenly untied at this time.
A secretary to a minister of the Central People's Government works in Beijing and does many trivial tasks diligently every day. However, his identity as a member of the Communist Party of China has not been made public and is listed as top secret in Lao Ma's files.
A comrade was transferred to Fushun War Criminals Management Office two years ago. However, the file stated that his task was to maintain secret contact with a certain war criminal.
A lesbian is currently in prison for serious crimes. But her mission is in the file, although the mission is not specified.
A section chief of the Central Ministry of Social Work fled in disguise in the early days of liberation and was jointly pursued by the public security department and the Intelligence Department of the General Staff. This incident shocked the party and the military. He eventually fled to Taiwan. The instructions given to him by his superiors are recorded in the file.
Yes: long-term lurking...wait, wait.
These circumstances alone made Du Ziyuan's back feel cold and layers of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
It was night at this time, and the small office was extremely quiet. He could hear the very light footsteps of armed guards walking back and forth outside the door, and he could even hear his own heartbeat.
These secrets are top secrets for any intelligence system. If they are leaked, they will be destroyed!
However, Du Ziyuan did not find any trace of 'Water Hyacinth' from these top-secret files.
Zuo Shaoqing once told him that 'Water Hyacinth' infiltrated the Intelligence Department of the North China Bureau around January 1946. This time is just a guess. But 'Water Hyacinth' had been there from 1946 to 1949.
There is no doubt that he worked in the Intelligence Department of the North China Bureau in 2001. The recording of the conversation between Hou Lianhai and Wang Zhenqing, commander of the 97th Division of the Kuomintang, must have been leaked to the US CIA agent Mess by 'Water Hyacinth'. Mess once told Zuo Shao
Qing said that only a few senior officials in the North China Bureau's Intelligence Department had heard this recording.[
'Water Hyacinth' once worked in the Intelligence Department of the North China Bureau. Du Ziyuan was certain of this. In addition, he was also sure that 'Water Hyacinth' must be lurking in the Central Investigation Department at this time. He, Qin Donghai, and Long Jinyun
Just after arriving in Nanning, the CIA had grasped the situation, which is enough to illustrate this point.
However, Du Ziyuan read the files for three days in a row, but no one could match this 'water hyacinth'. He believed that with his ability to analyze and judge, as long as there were some clues or traces about someone in the file, he could
They would all be found. At least, he could label this person as a suspect. The problem is, he didn't find any clues or traces.
Du Ziyuan also had a conclusion in his mind that the reason why this "water hyacinth" had access to the recording of the conversation between Hou Lianhai and Wang Zhenqing might be because he was in a more critical position at the time. Du Ziyuan discussed this with Minister Ma.
However, Minister Ma told him bluntly, "Whether he was in a key position at the time or whether he was important, it's all here for you to see. Lao Du, the range you gave me is from 1946 to January 1."
People who worked in the Intelligence Department of the North China Bureau in 1949. This range is already large enough."
Du Ziyuan thought about it and realized that Lao Ma was right, the range was large enough. However, he did not find any clues about the 'water hyacinth'. This situation made him restless and unable to control himself.
