152: Nanjing was shaken; the boss's name was mentioned.

In Nanjing, thousands of miles away, a high-level meeting with a heavy atmosphere was being held.

On both sides of the long conference table sat high-ranking military and political officials of the Nationalist Government.

At the head of the table, our Great Principal's face was so gloomy it looked like it could drip water.

Telegrams regarding the battles in Peiping and Tianjin were being passed around among the group.

Following the July 7th Incident, detailed information on the fall of Peiping and Tianjin had been summarized and presented.

“Useless! Song Zheyuan is simply useless!” The Principal slammed the table, uncontrollable with rage.

“Holding heavy troops yet fearing the enemy like a tiger! At the start of the July 7th Incident, if there had been resolute resistance, how could the Japanese invaders have become so rampant!”

“Not to mention missing the opportunity, now he sends a telegram to resign, damn it...”

“Curse it, he has no shame at all...”

He expressed strong anger toward the actions of Song Zheyuan, the Commander of the 29th Army.

“Principal, then let him have his way. We shall choose another capable person to take over and let him recover in peace!”

Minister He, the Commander of the Fourth War Zone and Minister of Military Affairs, took the opportunity to offer a suggestion.

“Approved...”

Immediately after, a telegram regarding Zhang Zhongguo was presented.

After reading it, the Principal trembled with even more rage: “Zhang Zhongguo... he... how dare he!”

“He has failed the party and the nation's cultivation, committing such disloyal and unrighteous acts!”

“A disgrace! A total disgrace!”

For a moment, the conference room fell into a dead silence; no one dared to speak.

After a long silence, Deputy Chief of General Staff Bai Chongxi, known as the 'Little Zhuge', spoke up: “Principal...”

“Personally, I believe there must be some misunderstanding. The Zhang Zhongguo I know is not that kind of person.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the high-ranking officials present silently agreed.

Zhang Zhongguo's character and temperament were obvious to all; they knew a thing or two about him.

The expressions of the crowd were caught by the Principal's eyes.

He looked at his confidant and ordered, “Nickname, investigate this matter in detail!”

“Yes, Principal,” Director Dai of the Intelligence Department replied while handing over an urgent document marked 'Top Secret'.

The Principal opened the document, initially frowning and scanning it with a hint of impatience.

But the more he read, the wider his eyes grew, and the hand holding the telegram even began to tremble slightly.

The telegram reported in detail on a mysterious armed force called the 'Security Team'.

Since the outbreak of the July 7th Incident, this mysterious force had left a series of astonishing military achievements in the Beijing, Tong County, and Tianjin areas.

The complete annihilation of an artillery company and an infantry company;

Supporting the Southern Camp and dealing a heavy blow to a battalion of the 16th Division;

The killing of the Japanese secret service chief Nishiki Shigeru, the blowing up of a transport regiment, and the capture of the major Traitor Yin Ruxing;

The destruction of the Tianjin Airport, the annihilation of two infantry battalions, and the heavy crippling of the Kamikaze Special Agents... “This... how is this possible?” He suddenly looked up, his expression a mix of extreme shock and disbelief.

“Nickname, these achievements... have they been verified?”

Director of Intelligence Dai Li replied with a serious face: “The Chairman, the intelligence sources have been cross-referenced many times.”

“Although there may be discrepancies in the details, the main results... are basically true.”

“This Security Team is extremely well-equipped, their combat methods are unheard of, their movements are elusive, and they specifically strike at the weak points of the Japanese.”

“Especially the destruction of the Tianjin Airport, where the Japanese North China air power suffered heavy losses, has been confirmed by multiple parties!”

“A single Security Team... actually has such combat power? To be able to stir up such a storm in North China?”

Minister He took the telegram and, after reading it, couldn't help but gasp.

Looking at the numbers on the telegram, it felt like a fairy tale.

The 'Little Zhuge', Deputy Chief Bai, had a sharp glint in his eyes: “If this intelligence is true, this team... should be considered the first miraculous feat since the start of our resistance,”

“Of behind-enemy-lines operations, its value is immeasurable!”

“Director Dai, have you found a specific designation or a leader?”

The atmosphere in the conference room shifted abruptly.

From anger and disappointment toward Song and Zhang, it turned into extreme shock and incomprehension regarding the Security Team's achievements.

The Great Principal's eyes were incredibly complex, filled with shock, doubt, and an indescribable hint of... wariness.

For a moment, everyone turned their gaze toward the Minister of Intelligence.

Dai Li said calmly, “Currently, there are no details on this team, only that the leader of the unit is called 'The Boss'.”

“However, intelligence indicates that this 'Boss' has a good personal relationship with Zhao Dengyu and Zhang Zhongguo, and they fought side by side at the Southern Camp.”

“I suggest we take action regarding Zhang Zhongguo in Beijing, bring him back to Nanjing, and uncover the mystery.”

“Approved...”

The Principal's voice carried a hint of imperceptible urgency.

Besides Nanjing, those in Beijing also wanted to uncover the details of the Security Team.

Major General Okamura Neiji, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Army, sat with a livid face in the office of the former 29th Army Headquarters.

He had traveled south from Harbin through the night just to personally root out that audacious Security Team that was causing trouble everywhere.

For several days, he had mobilized all available gendarmerie and secret agents in Beijing to conduct a carpet-style search.

He scoured all suspicious locations and interrogated countless relevant personnel, but the results were like a stone sinking into the ocean.

The team seemed to have vanished into air, leaving no valuable traces behind.

“Baka! Useless! A bunch of useless fools!”

Okamura Neiji slammed a stack of investigation reports with no progress onto the table, his chest boiling with rage.

The existence of this mysterious force was like a Sword of Damocles hanging over his heart.

Their various acts of destruction in Harbin were an unprecedented stain and disgrace on his military career.

Just then, a guard came in to report: “Commander, a Chinese man named Yin Ruxing requests an audience.”

“He claims to have important intelligence regarding the Security Team.”

“Yin Ruxing?” A cold light flashed in Okamura Neiji's eyes; he remembered the name.

He was an important figure the Empire supported in East Hebei; previous intelligence showed he had been captured alive by that Security Team in Tong County.

“Let him in!”

Soon, Yin Ruxing was brought in.

As soon as he saw Okamura Neiji, he immediately fell to his knees with a thud.

“I am Yin Ruxing, I have just narrowly escaped from those resistance fighters.”

“I know the situation of the Security Team that attacked Tong County and raided the airport.”

Okamura Neiji leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharp as a knife: “Speak! Tell me everything you know!”

“Yes! Yes!” Yin Ruxing, as if grasping a life-saving straw, hurriedly said: “That team isn't very large, about fifty people.”

“But their equipment is extremely sophisticated; everyone has a submachine gun, and their firepower is terrifyingly fierce.”

“They also have those iron-skinned vehicles that run very fast.”

It matches! It matches!

Okamura Neiji felt a surge of joy, but it was followed by a deep sense of shame.

A small squad of fifty people had stirred up such unrest in all of North China and Harbin; if this wasn't a disgrace, what was?

Suppressing the fire in his heart, he said: “Yoshi... You, continue... If the intelligence is correct, there will be a great reward.”

Seeing the opportunity for success before him, Yin Ruxing told everything he knew without reservation.

“Their personnel composition is mixed, with Northeast accents and Southern accents, but they are well-trained and highly disciplined.”

“The leader is a mysterious young man; his specific name... I really do not know.”

“I only heard all his subordinates respectfully calling him... 'The Boss'.”

“'The Boss'?” Okamura Neiji frowned, chewing over the title.

From then on, in his heart, Lu Fan was firmly tied to the code name 'The Boss'.

“Very good, Yin-san, your information... is very valuable. You may leave.”

Dismissing Yin Ruxing, Okamura Neiji was left alone in the office.

He picked up a pen and, on the cover of a top-secret file, heavily wrote two characters: 'The Boss'.

From that moment on, the code name 'The Boss' became the primary target for the Japanese Intelligence Departments to hunt.