The Capital Commandant hadn't had the opportunity to commence a carpet search of the surrounding area because he had received a message.
A patrol soldier, threatened, had found him to deliver a message—he had encountered the adjutant, and the latter had invited the Capital Commandant to a certain street, a certain alley, a certain room for negotiations.
The matter was related to the North.
When the Capital Commandant heard the first part of the message, he had been about to take a large troop to surround and annihilate, but the second part made him pause.
Agents engaged in espionage activities usually had the determination of those expecting to die, and capturing them alone probably wouldn't suffice as leverage for blackmail unless their identity was special.
So after thinking impassively for a while, the Capital Commandant sent someone to that place to reply.
And so, a certain street, a certain alley, a certain room.