A poor boy who was born poor but was sponsored by the state to receive a good education should be grateful for the country's nurturing grace. However, under the temptation of money, he actually sold his soul and became a traitor. During his work abroad, Zhang Xiangbin was lured by foreign spy organizations and eventually became their minions, leaking more than 5,200 pieces of state secret information. He not only betrayed his conscience, but also seriously endangered national security. How did a "talent" who had high hopes fall to this point? What price did he pay while obtaining illegal benefits? What will happen to this traitor?
Early stage: a "talent" with high hopes
The remnant sun was like fire, full of devastation, and the endless fields were empty, except for a few withered trees nailed there, standing silently. This is the countryside of Guangxi in 1970, a barren scene. In such a difficult place, Zhang Xiangbin came to the world.
He was born into an ordinary peasant family, his family was poor, he was poor, and he did not have enough food and clothing. However, despite the hardships of life, his parents did not give up on their expectations of him. They are well aware of the power of knowledge to change their destiny, and regard learning as the hope of no longer enduring hardship. So, the two elders worked hard to cut down on food and clothing, used up the savings of relatives, friends and neighbors, and finally scraped together enough money for Zhang Xiangbin's schooling.
Under the ardent expectation of his parents, the only son of the family was finally able to enter the school. Compared with his peers, Zhang Xiangbin's grades are mediocre, and his personality is also a little introverted and shy, and he is really not very good at interacting with people. However, the teachers soon discovered that he was quite talented in the language, especially in pinyin, which was far beyond his peers. Seeing this country boy studying hard, the teachers felt deep sympathy for him, and helped him from time to time, encouraging him to continue to study hard.
Time flies, and in a blink of an eye, Zhang Xiangbin has grown from a stubborn peasant child to an excellent student. At the age of 18, with his excellent exam results, he entered the school gate of Beijing University of Foreign Chinese and opened a new chapter in his life.
It was not easy to be admitted to a prestigious school in the capital back then. The old people in the family breathed a sigh of relief as if they were burdened, and they were very glad that their hard work was finally not in vain, and the embarrassing days passed like this. And Zhang Xiangbin's parents, like all parents who pin their hopes on their children, looked at him with anticipation, hoping that he could get ahead and live a good life that he had never had.
In this way, a peasant child born in poverty embarked on the road to success in life with the support of the state. No one could have imagined that this "talent", who had high hopes, would eventually embark on the road of treason and become a traitor.
Fall: "Seduction" and the temptation of money
After graduating from university, Zhang Xiangbin joined the International Liaison Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and was assigned to the Second Bureau of Asia, in charge of translation affairs in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asian countries. It's an ideal job for translators, and it's not far from Beijing, making it perfect for a true northerner.
In 1996, Zhang Xiangbin was assigned by the organization to work abroad in a Southeast Asian country. When he first entered a foreign land, the unfamiliar environment and the differences in language and culture made him feel at a loss. Just when he was most helpless and confused, a seemingly uninvited guest quietly walked into his life.
The person's surname is A, and he is a staff member of a local government agency. As a result of his work, A has a strong interest in Chinese and Asian affairs, as well as oriental culture. He took the initiative to get acquainted with Zhang Xiangbin, invited him to dinner from time to time, and chatted with each other.
At first, Zhang Xiangbin was wary of A's cordial friendliness. As a diplomatic officer, he has long received relevant confidentiality training, and he is suspicious of outsiders' approach. But A is obviously very patient, he never asks about any secrets directly, but carefully guides Zhang Xiangbin as the host on how to better integrate into local life.
Gradually, Zhang Xiangbin let down his guard against A. A not only sponsored him to experience the exotic environment, but also took the initiative to pass on his translation experience, and the mode of getting along between the two gradually changed from official business to personal relationship. And A also secretly laid out in this process, seeking opportunities to get close to Zhang Xiangbin.
The turning point came after a tavern party. On that day, A deliberately drenched Zhang Xiangbin slightly, and took advantage of his confusion to ask him about some seemingly innocuous domestic livelihood conditions. Zhang Xiangbin actually said it casually like this, without the slightest guard. Since then, whenever A chats with Zhang Xiangbin, he will always inadvertently mix in a few seemingly unintentional questions, slowly leading the topic to develop in the direction of intelligence. And Zhang Xiangbin became more and more indulged in the wine and drunkenness of the foreign nightlife, and his vigilance became increasingly blurred, and he did not find out that A's intentions were sinister.
In this way, Zhang Xiangbin, under the intentional guidance of A, first inadvertently revealed some inconsequential gossip, and then took the initiative to sell some secrets in order to satisfy his selfish desires. Seeing that the time was ripe, A unreservedly revealed that he was an agent of the local intelligence agency.
At first, although Zhang Xiangbin was a little at a loss due to his own negligence, he was soon seduced by the money and erotic temptation that A put on the table. A carefully arranged a gentle and considerate girl with outstanding appearance for him, and promised a considerable financial subsidy in return for selling state secrets. In the face of many temptations, Zhang Xiangbin finally failed to keep his bottom line and chose to sell his soul. From that moment on, he embarked on the path of no return for a traitor.
Offences and forgery of excuses
In this way, Zhang Xiangbin completely degenerated into a traitor. At first, he just revealed some inconsequential gossip to satisfy his selfish desires. But soon, the seeds of greed took root in his heart. Seeing that the foreign spies reciprocated him so generously, he began to let down his guard a little and took the initiative to betray some secrets.
Over time, the extent and scope of Zhang Xiangbin's leaks to the outside world have also been expanding. At first, it may have been just some people's livelihood conditions, but gradually, he began to be insatiable, and even some information involving state secrets was not spared.
According to official data, during his 20-year treasonous career, Zhang Xiangbin leaked more than 5,200 pieces of information, including 59 top-secret documents and 848 classified documents. You must know that this highly classified information is related to the core interests of the country, and once it falls into the hands of others, it may cause irreparable damage to national security.
What's even more shocking is that in the leaked top-secret documents, the annual college entrance examination questions are also included. This important state affair, which has a bearing on the fate of tens of millions of families, naturally has the highest level of secrecy and top secret. This shows how far Zhang Xiangbin's crime has come. He not only betrayed the country's political, economic, military and other core secrets, but also education, which is the field of people's livelihood.
In the face of such a major crime, Zhang Xiangbin fabricated all kinds of excuses around his personal interests to justify what he had done. He claimed that the leak of those inconsequential gossip was just to get some small favors, and he didn't expect it to cause a big disaster. As for the information related to state secrets, he defended that it was the result of being brutally forced to confess after being drunk.
What's more, Zhang Xiangbin even went so far as to unashamedly claim that the reason why he disclosed those top-secret documents was out of his noble motive of "delivering valuable counterintelligence" to the state. He boasted that he had made his own contribution to the country's security, and he would leak those seemingly confidential information at any cost.
Such a brazen excuse is probably to save some room for salvation. But no matter how much he quibbles, he cannot hide the ironclad fact that he betrayed the country and endangered his security. In the face of all these crimes, any excuse will pale in comparison, and all disguises will be completely exposed by the eyes of history.
The reaction of the family
When the news of Zhang Xiangbin's arrest and imprisonment spread, his parents, who had brought him up with hard work, were like a bolt from the blue, and it was almost difficult to accept this cruel fact.
The old couple originally had high hopes for this only child. Back then, they worked hard to cut down on food and clothing, and did everything they could to keep their son to read. How proud they were at that time, a peasant child from a poor family was able to step into a famous school in the capital and receive higher education. In their hearts, as long as their son reads well and cultivates virtues, he will definitely be able to gain fame and fame, return to his hometown in the future, and live a carefree and good life.
However, who would have thought that this original pride would become the most painful regret of their twilight years. originally thought that his son would be able to raise his eyebrows if he was admitted to a prestigious school, but he didn't expect it to be a traitor who would be a traitor. In the era when those heroes and martyrs threw their heads and spilled their blood, he actually groveled, waged his tail and begged for mercy from foreigners, sold state secrets cheaply, and humiliated his family and country.
As soon as they thought of these past events, the old couple couldn't help themselves, and suddenly burst into tears. They can't help but regret their decision to let their son read too much was wrong, and maybe he should be like the rest of the family, let him inherit the farm work of his ancestors for generations. But these things are no longer helpful, it can really be said that knowing the son is more than the father, and raising a child is really a worrying thing.
When they saw Zhang Xiangbin in prison for the first time, their parents wanted to cry without tears in their twilight years. I saw that he described him as withered, with a yellow face and thin muscles, and his eyes were blank, and he no longer looked like the innocent young man back then. When the two looked at each other, Zhang Xiangbin's eyes were full of guilt, as if he was sorry for this pair of old men who had worked hard to pull themselves up, but in the end they were planted in their own hands. And his parents could only cry without words, looking at this loser speechless, only to feel that everything was burning inside, and he couldn't help but die.
For Zhang Xiangbin's behavior, the old man condemned it. In their impression, the area in their hometown has always been full of honest and kind people. No one would have thought that in this era of gunpowder-filled wars, a thief who was so guilty of crime would be mistaken from his own blood. When I worked hard to raise my son to adulthood, I originally hoped that he could grow the family in the future and promote Chinese culture to the world; Now it has become the culprit of the disaster to the country and the people, which is really an indescribable evil.
As a result, the old man could only completely give up on this treacherous son who brought disaster to the country and the people, and absolutely gave up his flesh and blood affection and broke with it. In their hearts, don't ask about the future, it's twilight to fight the fire, and it's a big deal to deal with him as an old man. In this way, a family of three gradually drifted apart, and there was no news from them.
Trials and Judgments
On May 28, 2022, a high-profile trial was held at the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court. The defendant is the traitor Zhang Xiangbin.
Because of the seriousness of the case, the central authorities can be said to have a guard of honor and strict guards for this trial. Armed with guns, the bailiffs vigilantly checked every person entering the venue to ensure that the trial was foolproof. Even the people who watched the scene were "insiders" who had been strictly vetted in advance. It can be seen that the stakes involved in this treason case are at the core of national security, which shows its importance.
Finally, after all the staff were seated, the solemn courtroom finally kicked off. The procuratorate first read out the indictment, accusing Zhang Xiangbin of selling a huge amount of state secrets for a hostile organization abroad, and his crime was extremely serious, and he should be severely punished.
Next, there is the much-anticipated final statement of the defendant. When Zhang Xiangbin, who walked into the dock, looked down at the audience, the scene was solemn. I saw that his face was yellow and thin, and his shape was skeletal, and he was no longer in good spirits. He silently looked around, as if making a final pilgrimage.
After a long time, Zhang Xiangbin spoke, his tone low and hoarse: "I know that what I have done is extremely sorry for the motherland!" At the beginning, I was confused and used and bewitched, and I didn't wake up until things got bigger...... ＂
"However, I did not have treason in mind from the beginning. At first, it was just a momentary selfish desire to inadvertently leak some gossip, where did you think that it would evolve into such a catastrophic result as today? I genuinely doubt that if those people hadn't tempted me in the first place, I wouldn't have fallen to this point...... ＂
"There was a time when I wanted to get out of their control, but once I was caught up in the maelstrom of intelligence activities, it was difficult to get out completely. When I wanted to stop, they would do everything possible to threaten my family's lives and force me to continue to sell state secrets...... ＂
"The state has always been disciplined, and I know that what I have done is an unforgivable sin. I have already thought about my future plans, and I don't expect the country to open up the net, but I just want to give me a chance to be a new person. I am willing to teach others, and I will never dare to commit any treason in the future, and I will ask the people's court to punish me according to law...... ＂
In this way, in a jaw-dropping silence, Zhang Xiangbin's final statement came to an abrupt end. There was silence, only a suppressed sobbing from a sitting room.
After nearly a month of trial, on June 22, the court finally handed down a verdict in court: The defendant Zhang Xiangbin was found guilty of treason, and was sentenced to life imprisonment, deprivation of political rights for life, and confiscation of all personal property.
In the face of the court's final ruthless verdict, Zhang Xiangbin did not cry or shout, but just stood there blankly, his eyes blank, as if he had put life and death aside. In this way, this traitor finally ushered in his deserved end, an ending that was like two people.