Espionage: I became sworn brothers with Zheng Yaoxian at the beginning, and became the Seventh Broth

Chapter 693 The Secrets of the National Government

Ye Shaohong could understand the difficulties faced by the National Government, but that did not mean he agreed with this approach.

In Ye Shaohong's view, the bald-headed chairman was still too weak.

The methods used were not ruthless or decisive enough.

If it were the man with the mustache, he certainly wouldn't be as indecisive as the bald-headed Chairman in the face of China's current situation.

The man with the mustache will use swift and decisive methods to completely quell the domestic chaos with lightning speed.

Ultimately, it's because the bald-headed chairman lacks personal charisma.

His rise to power was also full of coincidences.

The untimely death of the founding father, the warlord conflicts in China, the political choices of the Soviet Union as a major power, the political donations from the Jiang-Zhe financial magnates, and the behind-the-scenes support from the Kong and Song families...

It was a series of coincidences that allowed the bald-headed Chairman Chiang Kai-shek to rise from an unknown military academy principal to become the face of the Republic of China government.

He does indeed possess some political skills.

He was forced to step down twice, but just as the international situation changed, he used the opportunity to regain power.

During the Ning-Han merger, with the help of a huge financial supply, the bald-headed chairman and Wang's Jiangcheng government merged, which allowed him to seize the highest power in China.

For some time afterward, the bald-headed Chairman nominally unified the country.

But all of that was fake.

Local warlord factions have merely changed their banners and nominally declared their allegiance.

From a purely military standpoint, Chiang Kai-shek's Central Army, or the Whampoa clique, never held absolute power.

Taking advantage of the momentum of the Sino-Japanese War, Chiang Kai-shek suppressed local factions as much as possible. By the end of the war, the Whampoa Military Academy faction under Chiang Kai-shek was still unable to compete with the Baoding faction.

A national leader like him, one could say, is inherently flawed.

Naturally, he was unable to become assertive.

Does the bald-headed chairman have any chance to change this situation?

Actually, there are.

In early 1932, Chiang Kai-shek and Hans Fernandes signed a military agreement to prepare for the establishment of 30 German-equipped divisions over a ten-year period.

By the time the War of Resistance against Japan broke out in 1937, Chiang Kai-shek, with the support of the Jiang-Zhe financial magnates and by exploiting the people, had already trained six basic German-equipped divisions.

The Whampoa Military Academy's Training Corps was particularly favored by Chiang Kai-shek. He trained every soldier in the Training Corps to be a basic-level officer.

If Chiang Kai-shek were given a few more years, and the Training Corps were dismantled and all its soldiers were incorporated into the newly established German-equipped divisions, then Chiang Kai-shek might actually be able to completely integrate the warlord factions in China by relying solely on military force.

Perhaps he really can stand up for himself.

But that's not possible now.

During the Battle of Shanghai, the German-equipped 87th and 88th Divisions, the Whampoa Military Academy Training Corps, and the Kong Family Tax Police Corps were all ordered to the front lines.

After World War I, the German-equipped 87th and 88th Divisions suffered heavy losses.

The Whampoa Military Academy Training Corps and the Kong Family Tax Police Corps also suffered heavy losses.

In the Battle of Nanjing, Chiang Kai-shek, forced into a corner, committed his last remaining trump card.

At this point, the German-equipped divisions had become legends. Having lost the most elite and ace force in the Central Army, the bald-headed Chiang Kai-shek was now extremely weak.

If the Sino-Japanese War hadn't been at a critical juncture, given the current state of its military strength, which has suffered more than half its losses, Chiang Kai-shek might have been overthrown.

It was precisely because of this situation that Chiang Kai-shek and his senior staff were so hesitant and restrained in the face of the major leak of military deployment plans for the Battle of Xuzhou.

Is it a compromise made out of desperation?

It can be said like this.

However, it cannot be denied that the bald-headed Chairman did indeed lack some of the resolute and domineering aura of the Hongwu Emperor.

He gained his position illegitimately, so he could only endure it.

Thinking about all this, the slight displeasure in Ye Shaohong's heart gradually dissipated.

He then had a brief conversation with Major General Zhang. When the knocking sounded again at the office door, Ye Shaohong took the documents and files from Major General Zhang, along with the temporary transfer order, and then took his leave.

Back in the lobby of the Ministry of National Defense, Ye Shaohong reunited with Chi Tiecheng and then went straight home.

Upon arriving at the Ye family residence, Ye Shaohong did not rush to examine the documents immediately.

He went to the back garden first.

After meeting the old man, Ye Shaohong truthfully recounted his experience of going to the Ministry of National Defense that day and told the old man about it.

He did this for two reasons.

The first thing to do, of course, is to ask the old man if what Major General Zhang said is correct.

Did Major General Zhang have any past connection with the Ye family?

Is he trustworthy?

The old man gave Ye Shaohong a clear answer. According to the old man, Major General Zhang was once his brother, and they were both guards of the National Government.

Although this person was somewhat ruthless and vicious, he was indeed patriotic.

The relationship with the Ye family has always been good.

If it's official business, Ye Shaohong can trust Major General Zhang; but if it's personal business, he needs to consider it more carefully.

The old man's reply was exactly what Ye Shaohong had expected.

He was able to accept it.

I also have a standard to measure it in my mind.

Ye Shaohong's second objective was to get the old man's opinion on this major leak case.

Because the list of sixteen people that Major General Zhang gave to Ye Shaohong consisted of individuals with impressive backgrounds and who held unshakeable high positions within the Nationalist government.

The old man of the Ye family was a founding member of the Kuomintang. Although he had long since resigned due to illness, his connections still existed.

Major General Zhang of the Second Bureau of the Ministry of National Defense is a prime example.

Furthermore, the Ye family is a member of the Jiangzhe financial magnates and has its own unique network of connections. Therefore, it is still worthwhile to consult the old man to gain a preliminary understanding of these suspects.

The old master of the Ye family did not rush to answer the questions raised by Ye Shaohong.

He took the list of suspects from Ye Shaohong's hand and began to ponder it with a frown.

This period of thought and consideration lasted for more than half an hour.

During this time, the old man would occasionally use a calligraphy brush to write and draw on the table.

He wrote down everything he knew, his opinions on the suspects, and made simple judgments and assessments.

Finally, to help Ye Shaohong as much as possible, the Ye family patriarch even made a special phone call, summoning Ye's father back home from outside, and showing him the list of suspects, asking for his own opinion.

This demonstrates maturity and composure.

The old master of the Ye family had his own views, but he was also worried that if he stayed in seclusion for too long and did not care about worldly affairs, he would make a misjudgment due to a lack of information.

That's why they specifically invited Mr. Ye, the current head of the Ye family, to come.

The hope is that Ye's father can use the current information channels to help Ye Shaohong make a decision in advance.

With the combined efforts of the Ye family patriarch and father, and the support of their powerful networks, Ye Shaohong finally gained a preliminary understanding of the list of sixteen suspects.

This also saved him a lot of investigation time.

Next, it's his turn to take the stage...