Dai Li left Yuhua Terrace, and Mao Renfeng was waiting for him outside. Seeing Dai Li come out, he immediately opened the car door. Dai Li got in the car, and he sat in the front seat.
The driver was also Dai Li's trusted subordinate, and the two talked in the car without having to hide anything from anyone.
As the car left Yuhua Terrace, Mao Renfeng asked, "Boss, did Ming Cheng agree?"
Dai Li squinted his eyes and said softly, "No, Ming Cheng is a tightwad, he won't loosen up without some benefit, and besides... he's not planning on leaving the Military Affairs Commission."
“Oh.”
A flash of joy crossed Mao Renfeng's eyes, but he concealed it well, and with feigned indignation he said to Dai Li, "Ming Cheng is so ungrateful. You've helped him a lot over the years, but now that you need his help, he ignores you. What's that all about?"
Dai Li didn't speak. He didn't want to fall out with Chen Hanwen at this time.
Seeing that Dai Li didn't speak, Mao Renfeng thought for a moment and continued, "Boss, I heard that someone has been investigating Ming Cheng recently, saying that he blew up No. 76 this time to sabotage our cooperation with the Japanese, and to provoke relations between us and the Japanese, but in reality, it was to buy time for the Communist Party's New Fourth Army in Jiangbei to withdraw."
Dai Li's eyes suddenly opened wide: "You said Chen Hanwen is a communist?"
Mao Renfeng quickly explained, "It wasn't me who said it. It was someone in the bureau who spread it. Maybe Yu Le Xing and the others deliberately spread it. I heard there's also a shadow of the Central Control Committee."
"Yu Le Xing? Central Control Committee? Stupid fools who are asking for trouble!"
Dai Li sneered, talking to himself, as if responding to Mao Renfeng, "If Chen Hanwen was really a communist, Chiang Kai-shek would have been dead in Xi'an that year. Saying he's a communist is absurd! With his extravagant lifestyle and lazy habits, how could he be a communist? If he is, then so am I!"
Dai Li clearly remembered that back when he was still in the Reorganization Committee Special Service, Chiang Kai-shek was detained in Xi'an by the Northeast Army and the Northwest Army. If Chen Hanwen hadn't threatened Zhang Xueliang, Chiang Kai-shek would be dead now. And when Chen Hanwen returned to Nanjing that year, Song Meiling was forced to go to Shanghai. If Chen Hanwen hadn't threatened He Yingqin and Chen Lifu with a gun, there would have been no unified National Government today. Dai Li was also about to join He Yingqin in an attempt to overthrow the Northeast Army and Northwest Army, but he was stopped by Chen Hanwen. After being enlightened on the consequences, Dai Li personally went to Shanghai to bring back Song Meiling. That's how the story of Chiang Kai-shek's release came about.
Is Chen Hanwen a communist?
Maybe!
Because over the years, Chen Hanwen has never participated in any wars against the communists, but this only means that Chen Hanwen doesn't want to fight a civil war, and it doesn't prove anything else.
Hearing Dai Li say this, Mao Renfeng felt relieved and said with a smile, "You understand, Boss. I'm afraid these people targeting Ming Cheng have hit a brick wall again."
Dai Li snorted coldly, "Let them cause trouble. We'll sit back and watch the tigers fight!"
...
Chen Hanwen returned to the table. Everyone at the table had already had seven or eight glasses of wine, and the atmosphere was lively. Zheng Jiemin patted Chen Hanwen on the shoulder, winked at him, and motioned for him to go to the private room inside to discuss something.
Chen Hanwen understood, and immediately followed Zheng Jiemin inside. Xu Zhongyi, although he couldn't hold his liquor, was still sober. Seeing Chen Hanwen and Zheng Jiemin go to the private room, he immediately followed and offered them two cups of hot tea before leaving.
Zheng Jiemin took a sip of tea and said to Chen Hanwen, "Little brother, I'll be straightforward with you. Have you heard any rumors lately? Our Boss Dai wants to leave."
So that's it!
When Zheng Jiemin invited him, Chen Hanwen had already guessed what he wanted. Dai Li wanted to leave, and Zheng Jiemin was qualified to take his position.
Has the infighting within the Military Affairs Commission already begun?
Chen Hanwen was delighted. He wouldn't mind adding fuel to the fire.
Chen Hanwen nodded, indicating that he had heard. Zheng Jiemin continued, "I've been in the Military Affairs Commission for all these years, and I've never gotten along with Dai Li. I've always been suppressed. Do you think I have a chance to take a step up if he leaves?"
At this point, Zheng Jiemin directly stated his purpose, clearly seeking Chen Hanwen's support. He was telling Chen Hanwen that what Dai Li could give him, he, Zheng Jiemin, could also give him.
After listening, Chen Hanwen shook his head and said to Zheng Jiemin,
"Brother, it's not that I don't support you, but you're not suitable to be the head of the Military Affairs Commission."
Zheng Jiemin's face darkened, and he said with a wry smile, "I know. If you talk about who's most suitable to be the head of the Military Affairs Commission, it must be Hanwen, my little brother. You have the connections, the ability, and the status in the Chairman's heart. You're the most suitable person. But, little brother, you're not someone who covets official positions. Being a carefree recluse is your pursuit."
"Hahaha, Brother, you still understand me."
Chen Hanwen laughed, then shook his head, "I'm not suitable either, Brother. Think about it, after the Japanese are defeated, who will be our greatest enemy?"
"Of course it's the Communist Party! A country can't have two political systems!"
Zheng Jiemin blurted out without hesitation what he wanted to say. Then, he realized that Chen Hanwen wouldn't bring up this topic for no reason. After thinking for a moment, he immediately understood Chen Hanwen's meaning. He was shocked and blurted out, "You mean Mao Renfeng?"
Chen Hanwen smiled and said nothing, obviously acknowledging Zheng Jiemin's words.
Mao Renfeng is Dai Li's secretary, but he's also responsible for the task of instigating the communists to defect. If you talk about understanding the communists, it's still Mao Renfeng within the Military Affairs Commission.
Having Mao Renfeng as the director would also be more in line with the Kuomintang's interests.
But thinking about Mao Renfeng standing above him, Zheng Jiemin was furious: "A greenhorn! How dare he shit and pee on my head? Little brother, you..."
He wanted to ask if Chen Hanwen could bear to see it.
But thinking about Chen Hanwen's position in the Military Affairs Commission where no one dared to offend him, Zheng Jiemin immediately deflated: "Chen Lao Di being the director, I'm fine with that. But him, Mao Renfeng? He can forget about it!"
It was clear that Zheng Jiemin had already decided to fight Mao Renfeng to the death.
Chen Hanwen then said, "Brother, you know me. I came to the Military Affairs Commission just to avoid trouble. The old man thought I killed too many Japanese devils, and the Japanese devils were also afraid of me. So he made me a leisurely official in the Military Affairs Commission. Otherwise, I would have run off to the US to do business a long time ago. With my ability, wouldn't I be able to become the richest person in the world?"
"You rascal, you're not thinking about serving the Kuomintang."
Zheng Jiemin put his heart back into his stomach after resolving to deal with Mao Renfeng, then joked with Chen Hanwen, "Your mouth is full of ideology, but your heart is full of business."
"Unite our will, protect our leader."
Chen Hanwen said eight words, then made a gesture of eight with his hand, "In my opinion, these eight words can be replaced with another eight words: If a man doesn't act in his own interests, Heaven will punish him!"