Chapter 957 Murder
When the sky was just getting dark, the docks of Victory Port began to get busy. Teams of laborers came in one after another and began to move goods under the command of the foreman. It is winter, and although the temperature has not dropped much, the length of daylight hours has been shortened to about 11 hours. Sunset turns dark at 6pm, so the time left for dock workers to load and unload cargo is even more urgent every day.
In order to improve the operational efficiency of the terminal, the Ministry of Shipping has begun to implement standardized shipping of its own cargo ships a few years ago, dividing bulk carrier terminals and general cargo terminals, supplemented by different cargo handling equipment. There are belt conveyors driven by steam engines on bulk carrier terminals, which are specially used for loading and unloading bulk cargoes such as coal and ore with large transport volumes, while general cargo terminals have tall hangers for lifting standardized wooden Containers and other uniformly packaged goods. There are also several tracks on the terminal for rapid transfer of goods between the train station and the terminal. Point-to-point transfers between cargo ships in Victory Port and factories in Tiandu Industrial Zone can be achieved in as little as one hour.
Compared with the trading ports of the same era, the operational efficiency of Victory Port is at least three to four times higher. This is also one of the important reasons why merchants from various countries are willing to choose this place as an entrepot trade port. The price required to achieve this kind of operational efficiency is a huge amount of infrastructure investment and high-intensity labor arrangements. At the cargo terminal of Victory Port alone, more than 2,000 workers work in shifts every day to ensure that the goods Loading and unloading can be completed as soon as possible without being stranded at the port.
Except for the foremen, most of the laborers are new immigrants who have not yet obtained naturalization and lack any skills. They can only temporarily sell their labor here to make a living. With thousands of dock workers, plus sailors and crews entering and leaving the port, the population density in this port area is quite large. In order to maintain normal operations, various supporting management agencies and service facilities are also available, such as those responsible for The security agency is the Shengli Port Police Station located next to the courtyard of the Yulin Inspection Department.
Although the inspection department is still there, Wei Ping, the former Yulin inspection officer, has long been engaged in business and has no regard for political affairs. This organization is only kept to facilitate the handling of disputes arising from some Ming businessmen or non-Han people. Of course, it was the people from the Inspection Department who handled the matter, but it was the police station affiliated with the Haihan Ministry of Justice that made the decision. The two agencies were actually the same team now, they just opened two different yamen to handle things more easily.
Huang Tongyang is the current director of the Shengli Port Police Station. He immigrated to Sanya from Guangdong in 1628 and then joined the Haihan Militia. However, he was injured in the back during the Annan-Hue Battle the following year, and was discharged due to injury after returning to Sanya. Of course, the military did not just give him a demobilization fee, but arranged for him to be transferred to the judicial system and continue to serve in the police force. After a few years, Huang Tongyang was gradually promoted to the position of director based on his qualifications.
It is not an easy task to manage security work in an area where thousands of floating people enter and leave every day. For example, drunken fights between crew members and sailors are basically disputes that occur every day. Young adults from different countries, regions and races are concentrated in this port area. It is difficult not to think about something happening. Effectively handling various international disputes, the staffing of Shengli Port Police Station also adheres to the Haihan international tradition. The police officers include not only Han, Li, and Miao people, but also Annan and Japanese people, as well as Portuguese and Malay people. Mixed ancestry and so on.
Such a complex multinational force is a trouble in itself, and Huang Tongyang not only has to manage this group of people, but also has them maintain the security of the port area. The work pressure can be imagined. However, when Huang Tongyang went to Fort Victory to attend a meeting on the judicial system a few days ago, Director of the Police Department Ren Liang had already greeted him. As expected, he would be promoted within the year, and his position and salary would be further improved.
Precisely because the opportunity for promotion was imminent, Huang Tongyang did not dare to slack off. Recently, he arrived at the work unit at dawn and left work after dark, almost sharing the same day off with his fellow workers in the port area. He worked so hard to ensure that there would be no trouble in his district during the period before promotion, so that even if any unexpected situation did occur, he would be able to react and deal with it as soon as possible.
Huang Tongyang also arrived at the office early that day and started working on the files that had not been completed the day before. It's all trivial things to say. Both theft cases were caught and both the people and the stolen goods were caught. They can be sent to the hard labor camps today. There was also an incident of a drunken fight. Fortunately, the police arrived in time to stop it, and arrested both parties involved in the crime and put them in solitary confinement. After this night, they were probably sober from drinking. The perpetrators will be asked to pay the fine later. , and then he can be released after giving another warning.
After handling yesterday's unfinished business, Huang Tongyang had to arrange today's work in advance. According to the schedule, an immigration ship should arrive at the port today. About 300 immigrants from the northern region of Ming Dynasty will arrive on the ship. Huang Tongyang needs to coordinate the time arrangement with the civil affairs department and send people to the passenger terminal to maintain order. If necessary, you may need to ask the military to send some manpower to help. These northern immigrants lack awareness of the situation in Haihan. Many of them have become violent and unruly after arriving here. There have been incidents of immigrants attacking civil affairs staff in the past, so the police must also take some preventive measures.
Huang Tongyang flipped through his calendar. The monthly inspection by superiors should have happened in the past two days. Later, he had to organize his police officers to clean the inside and outside of the police station courtyard first, lest the inspection commissioner come to visit and get confused. Find fault with something like "the police officer's appearance is not in good shape". It just so happens that the people from the Inspection Department next door are relatively free, so they will have to be called over later to help with the work.
Huang Tongyang finished planning today's affairs, but before he had time to have breakfast, something came to his door. His subordinate Zheng Gao, who had just completed the handover with the night shift staff, came in and reported: "Director, someone reported that something happened on the dock!"
"It's not like there was a murder case. Just panic. Wait until I have breakfast before going over." Huang Tongyang said angrily. If you come to report the case so early, it is most likely that the cargo owner has a conflict with the laborers loading and unloading the goods. Every month, there are many cases of laborers accidentally breaking fragile goods and being sent here by the cargo owner to claim compensation. Especially When the weather is bad in the morning and evening, this kind of thing can easily happen. The police station can usually only mediate. After all, the workers' income is too low and they cannot afford full compensation.
"Director... someone really died this time!" Zheng Gao quickly added.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier!" Upon hearing this, Huang Tongyang immediately gave up his plan to have breakfast: "What's going on? Where is the person who reported the crime?"
"In the inspection department next door, there is a maritime businessman from the Ming Dynasty. I have brought him here and I am waiting in the yard outside..."
"Then stop talking nonsense, walk around, go out and take a look!" Huang Tongyang didn't wait for Zheng Gao to finish speaking, and immediately ordered: "Send people to the scene quickly, don't move things, and protect them first!"
< br>
"I've asked the Inspection Department to send someone over first." Zheng Gao was quite shrewd in doing things. When he heard the news, he came over to report the news and asked the Inspection Department to send out the police first to deal with it.
Huang Tongyang saw this maritime merchant when he walked out of the yard. His face was quite calm, and he was followed by two servants.
"This is our Director Huang, please tell us again what you saw today." Zheng Gao ordered the merchant.
"Liao Zhen, a small citizen, I have met Mr. Huang!" The merchant bowed his hands and responded.
"No need to be polite, let's get down to business!" Huang Tongyang had no time to put on official airs and waved his hand to Liao Zhen to say straight.
Liao Zhen straightened up and told Huang Tongyang what happened this morning. Because he had to rush north to Haikou Port today, he went to the dock early in the morning to supervise the loading. However, he suddenly saw something floating on the water between the ship's side and the shore. It was not yet bright at that time, so Liao Zhen asked someone to light a torch and hold it up close to see, but he saw a man floating face down on the water. Liao Zhen was shocked, so he sent someone to report to the staff on the dock, and asked his men who were familiar with the water to quickly go into the sea to rescue people. However, after the drowning man was fished out, he found that his heartbeat and breathing had long since ceased, and he had probably been dead for several hours. Since a life was lost, the staff on the dock did not dare to neglect, so they asked Liao Zhen and others to report to the official immediately. However, Liao Zhen was not very familiar with the official institutions of Victory Port, so he went straight in when he saw the door number of the Inspection Department. Little did they know that there was no way they could handle such a major matter. After the report was reported, they quickly notified the police station next door.
After hearing this, Huang Tongyang turned to Zheng Gao and asked, "Have you notified your superiors to send a man to work there?"
Zheng Gao responded: "I have already sent someone to inform me, but Wu Zuo probably didn't go to work so early. Maybe he hasn't made it there yet."
"Let's go and take a look first." Huang Tongyang did not delay and immediately took Zheng Gao, Liao Zhen and others to the scene of the incident.
The incident occurred at Pier 3 of Victory Port, which is just at the south end of Landscape Avenue. The ships docked were mainly small and medium-sized merchant ships and cargo ships. Because there is no special isolation between the port area and Landscape Avenue, the ships docked here Most of the ships are owned by merchants who have close relations with Haihan, and the crew members can freely enter and leave the commercial area of Landscape Avenue.
Huang Tongyang asked casually: "It seems that this is Boss Liao's first time in Sanya, right? Is he doing business on his own or does he belong to a firm?"
Liao Zhen responded: "The villain is the shopkeeper of the Leizhou Branch of Qiong Lianfa. This is my first time in Sanya. I didn't expect to encounter such a thing."
Huang Tongyang nodded slightly, thinking that he was one of his own. No wonder he was allowed to dock at Pier 3 for the first time. However, only a small number of employees under "Qiong Lianfa" were naturalized as Haihan citizens. Judging from Liao Zhen's unfamiliarity with the Haihan organization, they were probably not naturalized citizens.
Several people from the inspection department who arrived early had used some temporarily found bamboo poles to circle a two-foot-square area on the shore of the pier to isolate irrelevant people. The drowned body was placed on the ground and covered with a straw mat.
It is not uncommon for people to drown at the Victory Port Pier. Similar things happen almost every month. This is not because the safety work at the pier is not in place, but because this place is too close to the business district. At night, drunk people will inevitably wander here to blow the sea breeze. If they accidentally fall into the water, they will not be able to get out. . As a result, there will always be ten or eight unlucky people who drown here in a year.
Originally, there was no need for Huang Tongyang to come forward personally for such a small matter. He only had to wait for the coroner to complete the autopsy and issue a report. However, he happened to have to go to the dock today to arrange the work of accepting new immigrants, so he stopped by to take a look at the situation.
Zheng Gao leaned down and uncovered the straw mat covering the body, revealing the man's face. After looking at it, Huang Tongyang said slightly surprised: "This...is a Fan?"
The corpse had not been soaked in the sea for too long, and its face could still be seen clearly. With its deep eyes and high nose, it was indeed a Westerner. Looking at his thick curly beard, the sparkling rings on his hands and the clothes on his body, Huang Tongyang has already roughly judged his identity: "He is a Persian businessman."
Zheng Gao got closer to the body, raised his head and said to Huang Tongyang: "Director, this man still smells of alcohol. He looks like another unlucky drunk!"
Huang Tongyang also agreed. He nodded and said, "I probably drank too much in a nearby restaurant yesterday. When I got to the beach, I felt like vomiting when the sea breeze blew. As a result, I lost my footing and fell into the sea and couldn't get out."
< br>
"Are we still waiting for Wu Zuo to come for the autopsy?" Zheng Gao covered the straw mat and stood up to ask for instructions.
"Test it, what we saw was just the appearance of drowning, we still need to see it before we can judge it." Although Huang Tongyang felt that his speculation should be the truth, he did not make an arbitrary conclusion. A murder case must have a coroner's autopsy conclusion before it can be closed as an accidental death. Otherwise, if you hand in the report like this, you will most likely be reprimanded by your superiors. Besides, letting Wu Zuo see his physical characteristics would make it easier to post a notice afterwards so that people who knew him could identify his body.
"Zheng Gao, go to a few nearby hotels that can accommodate Persians and ask if there is such a person." Huang Tongyang deliberately wanted to test his men's observation skills: "You just remembered the height, appearance, and clothing characteristics. Right? ”
"This man is about six feet tall, with curly black hair and a big beard. However, he looks older, so it's hard to tell his age. He wears a black silk robe, brown calfskin boots, and wears a ring inlaid with gems on the middle finger of his right hand and the index finger of his left hand. "Zheng Gao was quite attentive and described it immediately.
Huang Tongyang nodded approvingly and said: "Yes, then go and find out the news. If there is anyone who knows him, bring him over to identify the body."
(End of chapter)