cicada

Chapter 1217 Questioning

In the dark corridor of the military command office building, Zuo Zhong walked forward while asking Song Minghao beside him.

"Old Song, have you found the people who transported the newspapers to the sales points and the newsboys?"

"We have brought the deputy seats back. The problem should be with the former. Some people reported that they were stopped on the road. The other person had a gun in his hand and was masked."

Song Minghao gave a general introduction to the situation, and then asked whether the persons involved in the case should be handed over to the judicial authorities for further processing. After speaking, he reached out and opened a door.

Zuo Zhong stood at the door and shook his head: "No need, public opinion is very sensitive now, it's better to have less trouble than more. If you are sure that there is no problem with the background, then release them. It's a waste of food to put these people in jail."

After saying that, he walked into the room, and Gu Qi, Wu Chunyang, and Wu Jingzhong in the room quickly stood up and said hello.

"Vice seat..."

"Well, sit down."

Zuo Zhong said a casual greeting and walked to the top to sit down. After everyone took their seats, he announced two things.

"Lao Gu, you and I will co-chair the investigation of the intelligence leakage case of the encirclement and suppression campaign. The personnel and equipment required for the operation will be drawn from the first, second, and Gui Youguang special operations teams.

Chunyang, Lao Song, you two still follow the original division of labor. One department is responsible for intelligence investigation, and the other is responsible for interrogation and screening. Do you understand? "

Gu Qi and the other three responded loudly, and then sat down again under Zuo Zhong's gesture, continuing to straighten their waists and wait for instructions.

"Lao Gu, have you confirmed the personnel who are qualified to access the encirclement and suppression intelligence?" Zuo Zhong asked a question.

Gu Qi nodded: "It's confirmed. In addition to the officers who participated in the meeting, there are more than 100 people who have contacted or are qualified to contact the encirclement and suppression intelligence."

There were more than a hundred people, Zuo Zhong smacked his lips, and they had agreed to keep it highly confidential. This did not include the staff around the participants. If they were included, the number of suspects would probably be even greater.

But that's fine, the more suspects there are, the safer Joanna will be, Zuo Zhong thought, looking up at Gu Qi and said.

"Lao Gu, the people participating in the meeting cannot be ignored. Let's start with me. I will give you the itinerary for the day of the meeting in writing later."

Gu Qi did not object. This was as it should be. Every department has its own operating rules, let alone the intelligence agency that pays the most attention to discipline, so he casually replied "Okay."

After performing his selfless performance, Zuo Zhong smiled slightly and asked again: "Where are these more than a hundred people now, and what are their identities?"

Hearing his question, Wu Chunyang took out a document and began to report: "This is the list. Some of them are guards of the official residence, some are service personnel, and some are members of the attendant room. They are currently being screened at the guesthouse in the bureau."

Zuo Zhong nodded and said he understood. He sternly told everyone to pay attention to the investigation methods. No one knew the background behind this group of people, and they must not be treated like ordinary suspects.

Everyone understood this, and it was natural that the emperor's close ministers would not be offended. If they collided with each other or made the slightest move, their legs would be broken.

"Let's go and see our guests."

Zuo Zhong looked at the list and found Joanna's name in it. He immediately stood up and said something, leading his men out of the conference room.

The Juntong Guest House was only a few hundred meters away from the headquarters. It took everyone a few minutes to get downstairs to the guest house. As soon as they entered the lobby, they heard someone arguing with the guards in the building.

"Let me out, do you know who I am? Even if Director Dai sees me, he will call me "nephew, get out of here!"

The speaker's voice was loud and his tone was very arrogant. He did not pay attention to the armed guards at all. There was a hint of arrogance in his words. It was obvious that his identity was not simple.

In the face of this man's clamor, the guard blocked the door without saying a word. He neither explained nor refuted. The order he received was not to allow anyone to enter or exit. If someone escaped, he could not bear the responsibility.

Zuo Zhong walked over with a cold face and scolded sternly: "What a loud tone, I want to see who dares to speak such nonsense in the military command!"

The speaker turned his head when he heard the sound, and was about to curse, but when he saw Zuo Zhong, who looked unhappy, he closed his mouth, changed his face at the same time, and stood at attention respectfully to introduce himself.

"My humble position is a member of the second team of the Attendant's Office. I have met Team Leader Zuo."

The second group of the Attendant's Room 1, referred to as the Second Attendant Group, is in charge of the military staff business of the Guo Army. All important departments and other administrative departments under the Military Weihui are within its jurisdiction.

The job content covers everything from combat command, troop training, national defense equipment to transportation, logistics and personnel management.

All reports and documents requested for instructions that the chief of staff cannot or dare not decide must go through the second team and be handed over to the staff for review and approval. After signing and commenting, they will be sent to someone for the final decision.

In addition, the second team will also review some suggestions from various aspects and handle transactional work.

For example, the agent is planning to summon civil and military officials from other places, and deliver someone's important warrants, secret codes, etc. to the senior commanders of the theater.

Regarding the latter point, the person who has the most say is the future Commander Du. Even if the radio is turned off, it will be useless. Someone has pioneered the airdrop order of the Guo army.

Therefore, there are extremely strict standards for the appointment of personnel in the Second Team. Most of the members are recommended by senior government officials. After being selected, they must be personally reviewed and approved by someone, which is an unusual status.

With such a background, it is no wonder that this person is so arrogant, but in front of Zuo Zhong, the leader of the Sixth Group of the Second Attendant Division, the other party can only stand at attention and salute. Without it, the official ranks and positions of the two parties are very different.

Zuo Zhong stared at the speaker expressionlessly for a while, until the other person was sweating profusely before he slowly spoke.

"The information about the encirclement and suppression was leaked, and the commissioner was furious and ordered our military commander to find out the facts. All personnel involved must cooperate with the investigation."

"Yes, I will definitely cooperate with you in my humble position."

The members of the second team of waiters hurriedly replied, losing their previous unruliness. After saluting, they wanted to return to the room, but were stopped by Zuo Zhong.

"Now that we've met him, let's start with you. Chunyang, take him to the small reception room."

After saying that, Zuo Zhong left directly. Although investigating the underground party was destined to be futile, he wanted to find out who provided the Japanese with information on the encirclement and suppression campaign.

Before the meeting ended that day, the Japanese Naval Command in Shanghai sent a message to the Anqing River Fleet, which meant that there must be a Japanese mole among the insiders.

If this person can be found and some tricks are used to prove that the underground party obtained the information from the Japanese, the military commander will have an explanation for this person.

In the reception room.

Zuo Zhong sat in the middle, Gu Qi sat on both sides, and the second team members sat on a small stool opposite them.

The stool was very short, and it was a bit cramped to sit on, which could be seen from the way the other person kept twisting his body.

The competition begins from this moment, and an uncomfortable environment can unknowingly put pressure on people.

Picking up the hot tea brought by the little agent, Zuo Zhong used the cup lid to skim off the foam, then blew the hot air gently and asked a few questions slowly.

"Don't be nervous. We are just asking a simple question, not an interrogation. On the day of the meeting, did you disclose the encirclement and suppression plan to anyone? Have you ever left the official residence or met anyone?"

The members of the Second Attendant Group quickly denied it, saying that they had been working in the office that day and had never seen anyone outside the Attendant's Room, nor did they disclose information about the encirclement and suppression to anyone.

Afraid that Zuo Zhong would not believe him, he not only pulled out the leader of the Second Waiting Group as a witness, but also recited the confidentiality regulations of the Attendant's Room from beginning to end to prove his innocence.

Song Minghao, who was in charge of the screening, recorded the conversation between the two with a pen, observing each other's expressions and movements from time to time, trying to find signs of lying, but unfortunately he found nothing.

Half an hour later, the members of the second team of waiters said goodbye and left. Under the intense questioning, his forehead was covered with sweat and his legs were weak.

After he walked out of the door, Zuo Zhong exchanged opinions with Gu Qi: "I think it's okay, what do you think, Lao Gu?"

"Well, it should be no problem. The timeline and action trajectory he explained are very clear and easy to verify."

Gu Qi looked through the interview records and gave his own opinion.

"Okay, let's call the next one."

Zuo Zhong didn't waste time and asked Song Minghao to go out and call people and talk to them one by one according to the list.

During this period, some people refused to cooperate, and some even showed their backstage. But after knowing that this was someone's order, they all became honest. After all, no matter how big their backstage is, can they be bigger than someone else's?

The wall clock on the wall was ticking. Zuo Zhong and the four people did not rest. They quickly eliminated the suspicions of more than ten people. After sending one person away again, Zuo Zhong loudly asked the next one to come in.

Soon, a fashionably dressed woman walked into the room. Gucci looked up the list and asked, "Are you Joanna, the stenographer of the official residence? Please sit down."

"Thank you."

Joanna smiled and thanked her, and then sat down with her skirt pressed down. Her posture was elegant and she looked very relaxed, not at all as nervous as those before.

This caught Song Minghao's attention. He looked at the other party and suddenly said: "Ms. Qiao, you are very calm."

Joanna had a surprised expression when she heard this, and then had no choice but to explain.

"Sir, it's not that I'm calm, but I was also questioned by them when the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China investigated the Supreme Council leak case last time, so I know very well that as long as I have no problems, I will be safe."

Song Minghao opened the other party's file and saw the Zhongtong's investigation results on one page: the official's political stance was reliable and not suspicious.

Listening to the exchange between the two, Zuo Zhong put down his tea cup and took a closer look at Joanna several times. He found that her face was sallow and her voice was a little hoarse, as if she was suffering from some kind of disease.

As soon as this thought came to her mind, Joanna took out her handkerchief, covered her mouth and coughed. This reminded Zuo Zhong that Pan Mingzhi was also coughing when he got rid of the Central Unification agents.

On the other side, Gu Qi frowned when he looked at Joanna's address. It was a bit strange that the leader's stenographer lived in the slums.