Chapter 1174 Revenge
As one of the perpetrators of this incident, Wang Yuan did not intend to continue to bear the blame for the investigation of the case. The situation had developed to the current level, and it was time for him to take the blame. As for the reason for passing the blame, the government does not have the authority to investigate the military. The matter can only be handed over to the Sentencing and Prosecution Department, and the higher-level judicial organs with authority will find out the truth. Whether Jin Yiwei and Dongchang will also be involved in the investigation after this is not a problem that Wang Yuan needs to worry about.
Of course, it was because of Wang Yuan's private greeting that Lin De appeared at the government office again at exactly this time. Otherwise, if you arrive too early, the two yamen have not finished handing over the procedures, and the blame will not be thrown away; if you arrive too late, the Procuratorate will directly announce that it will take over the investigation of the case, and Linde will not be able to play the role of guiding public opinion.
Sure enough, Linde immediately climbed up the pole and performed a performance outside the government office, sternly accusing each government office of passing the blame to each other, ignoring the interests of the victims, and deliberately delaying the investigation process. Cover the murderer.
One of the effects of Linde's dedicated performance is that when the prosecutor's office takes over the case, he will be charged with "incompetent handling of the case", and he knows that the prosecutor's office has no chance of solving the case. , so no matter how harsh your words are right now, you won't be slapped in the face. As long as the public opinion is led in the direction of "the government and the military are colluding," the subsequent stagnant case investigation will naturally substantiate this theory.
However, after this rhythm was over, Linde had to run away as soon as possible. The Zhejiang Inspectorate and the Chengxuan Administrative Envoy were the same person. He was already the highest chief executive of the province. There was no way he could sit back and watch him walk out and make remarks that were detrimental to the government. . If he is really arrested and punished by then, the Haihan leaders in Zhoushan will not be able to save him in time. Moreover, things have fermented to the current level and have achieved the expected results. Linde's continued stay in Hangzhou City has limited effect, but the risks will increase exponentially. It is time to leave.
Before leaving Hangzhou, Linde's last task was to submit an ultimatum to the government on behalf of Haihan. Of course, this will not end with just sending a letter to each yamen. Linde also has to take the initiative to publicize the matter so that the people of Hangzhou Prefecture can better understand the seriousness of the situation.
So on the day after the Procuratorate and Prosecution Department took over the Tongsheng Wharf fire case, Zhejiang Sansi Yamen, Hangzhou Fu Yamen, and Qiantang County Yamen all received letters signed "Haihan Guodonghai Dinghai Port Management Committee", among which The content is roughly the same, which is to require the government to solve the case within a time limit and hand over the real culprit, otherwise Haihan will take a series of retaliatory measures. The words in the letter are not too fierce, but they do not leave any room for Zhejiang officials to defend themselves. The time limit given is also very tight, leaving only five days from now on.
Not to mention five days, even fifty days, the government would not be able to solve this case. The reason for setting aside a time limit is also a symbolic approach to make Haihan appear to be benevolent and occupy the moral high ground. At the same time, these five days also leave a certain amount of space to observe the reaction of the Zhejiang government. If there are clear-minded people in the government who have realized the seriousness of the matter, perhaps the goal can be achieved without resorting to war.
However, the Management Committee did not really place its hopes on the Zhejiang government's complete concession. After all, with Ming's consistent temperament, even if it was unreasonable, it was absolutely impossible to bow to foreign interference. What's more, they don't know what the real purpose of Haihan's ultimatum is besides the murderer.
At the same time that various yamen received the letters, Zhoushan Dinghai Port also quietly entered a state of preparation for war. Civilian ships entering and leaving the harbor are restricted to waterways and activity areas, and are kept away from the military port where the fleet is parked. The naval soldiers who had returned to Zhoushan for a short rest period have all returned to camp and began to prepare for the next operation.
At present, Haihan's only generals in Zhoushan are Shi Diwen and Wang Tom. Shi Diwen has stayed in Zhejiang for a relatively long time. Wang Tom is still the front-line commander of this operation, while Shi Diwen is based in Zhoushan. Responsible for logistics dispatch and overall coordination. The Ministry of Security sends back the latest progress news of the incident by speedboat from Hangzhou every day. Although there is a certain lag in timeliness, it is considered extremely efficient in this era.
Both Wang Tom and Shi Diwen were very satisfied with Linde's performance in Hangzhou. They believed that he seized the opportunity well, successfully played the role of a victim, and guided the public opinion in Hangzhou to be more favorable to Haihan. direction, at least taking the initiative morally, which is of great significance to Haihan's next action of sending troops to demonstrate.
"After Linde comes back, you can put some more responsibilities on him!" Wang Tom suggested: "After this matter is completed, we will definitely set up an office in Hangzhou. I think he should be qualified."
Shi Diwen also agreed: "The three brothers of the Lin family are really useful, which can be considered a big gain after we arrived in Zhejiang."
The protagonist on stage in this operation was Lin De, the youngest of the three Lin brothers, but his two elder brothers, Lin Xing and Lin Si, also played an important role in the operation. When Lin De was showing off his acting skills in public, it was Lin Si, his second son, who was commanding and spreading all kinds of opinions in Hangzhou city. During the operation, he was responsible for manipulating the ghost Cangshan ship to transport the corpses into the fire scene and transport the living people and valuables. It was the task of the boss Lin Xing to pick up the property.
The three Lin brothers should be credited with the successful execution of this scheme. Moreover, after they withdraw from Hangzhou City, they will also cooperate with the fleet to attack and serve as guides for the navy during its operations in the Hangzhou Bay and Qiantang River areas. After this round of work is completed, it is basically a certainty that the three brothers will be promoted.
Of course, no matter how these three brothers are promoted in the future, they will only get opportunities in the administrative and trade fields. Due to their backgrounds, they will not be able to hold military power in the Haihan Army, and their letters of appointment will not be issued by Wang Tom. And a big shot in the military like Shi Diwen signed it. If they really want their family to enter the Haihan military system, they can probably only place their hope on the next generation.
Haihan's set of combo punches had already been thrown out, and they had hit the Zhejiang official's face firmly. The ultimatum issued by the Haihan people did not actually create enough tension. In the eyes of the officials, it was more like a false intimidation method. They did not believe that the Haihan people really dared to use military means or other more extreme methods to solve the problem. this incident. What worries officials most now is how to clear up all kinds of outrageous rumors in the market and restore the government's reputation.
The most effective way to solve this problem is to solve the case as soon as possible. As long as the truth can be found out, the real culprit can be caught, the stolen goods can be recovered, and the culprit can be tried and dealt with openly, the government can naturally be saved from the current unfavorable situation. But the problem is that it is easier said than done. It is not that easy to solve this case. The difficulty in solving the case does not lie in the fact that there is too little evidence for investigators to investigate. From a certain point of view, the objective evidence in this case can provide too much information. There is so much information that the government cannot use the term "accidental fire". reasons to cover up the fact of murder and arson. And all the known evidence points to the identity of the perpetrators of the Ming army, which makes it impossible for the Hangzhou police officers who were responsible for investigating the case to continue the investigation.
Even after the Criminal Investigation Department took over the case and introduced Jin Yiwei to participate in the investigation, there was still no further progress in the investigation of the case. All the clues came to an abrupt end when they reached the mysterious Cangshan Ship. Although all the garrison bases equipped with Cangshan Ship along the Qiantang River to Hangzhou Bay were investigated, they still could not confirm the person who appeared near Tongsheng Pier on the day of the crime. Where did that warship come from?
Since no evidence could be found, the military naturally complained that the case was being unfairly accused, believing that the prosecutor's office responsible for handling the case was deliberately suppressing the case, and was not willing to fully cooperate. However, the prosecutor's office believed that the military seemed to be deliberately concealing evidence of the crime. However, the outside world generally believes that this is the result of the protection of officials. After all, when the victim Lin De appeared outside the Hangzhou government office for the last time, he gritted his teeth and said that the government would definitely protect the murderer. Even if he changed the government office to investigate, it would be difficult to do so. As a result, it seemed that he knew a lot of shocking inside stories.
Now that a few days have passed, not only has there been no progress in the arson case, but there have been many rumors about the three divisions and yamen quarreling with each other, which has become more and more solid to the theory that someone in the government deliberately obstructed the investigation of the case. Even if Wang Ji, who holds the positions of Chief Envoy and Inspector, coordinates and requests the Zhejiang Dusi to cooperate, it will be difficult to make more progress in the investigation of the case.
All the major yamen in Hangzhou were busy with this case, but no one seemed to have noticed that the five-day limit stated in Haihan's ultimatum had come unknowingly. While officials were still debating whether to thoroughly investigate the coastal state garrison for this case, news came from Ningbo Prefecture that Haihan warships were dispatched in large numbers from the Zhoushan Islands.
Qu Yutong, the prefect of Ningbo, is a very controversial figure in Zhejiang official circles. Some people think that he allowed the Haihan people to occupy Zhoushan County for his own selfish interests, which is tantamount to treason. But there are also many people who think that for a place like Zhoushan that has been outside the jurisdiction of the government for a long time, it would not hurt to change to a law-abiding owner. At least the Haihan people are more disciplined in doing things than the armed smugglers who occupied the area before. Ming Dynasty only made demands for trade.
After Haihan cleaned up the Zhoushan Islands, the local Japanese pirates and pirates were wiped out, which actually brought a better development environment for Zhejiang's maritime trade. Qu Yutong was able to handle the relationship between the local government and Haihan well without intensifying the conflict and triggering a war between the Ming Dynasty and Haihan. This already showed his ability as an official.
As for why some people desperately oppose the arrival of the Haihan people, anyone with a discerning eye knows it very well. For example, the three officials who were known to be anti-Haihan who disappeared for no reason last year are not unknown to everyone about their private relationship with Wang Jialin, the original owner of Zhoushan. They opposed Haihan because their own interests were harmed, so now there will inevitably be people who are Haihan's side got benefits and chose to side with him.
However, the current main trend in Zhejiang's officialdom is still to curb Haihan's behavior. There are still a few people who hope to replace Qu Yutong and give up the lucrative territory of Ningbo Prefecture. Therefore, the Chief Minister Wang Ji has also been considering whether to write to the court to adjust Qu Yutong's appointment. However, just when he was hanging in the balance, the Tongsheng Wharf fire happened in Hangzhou, so he could only put Qu Yutong's matter aside for the time being.
If it weren't for the urgent military situation coming from Ningbo Mansion, Wang Ji would have forgotten the seemingly joking ultimatum he received a few days ago. But when he read the news from Ningbo, he knew that the Haihan people were not just talking about it this time.
It is reported that Haihan dispatched dozens of combat ships this time, and immediately arrived at the Zhaobaoshan stronghold at the mouth of the Yongjiang River in Ningbo Prefecture, and conducted a symbolic bombardment of the local area. Although there were no casualties among the Ming army, it caused great panic in Ningbo Prefecture. People outside the city flocked to the city to take refuge, fearing that the Haihan people would come ashore.
However, the Haihan people did not stay in Ningbo for too long, and soon the fleet sailed out of the Yongjiang River and headed north into Hangzhou Bay. Qu Yutong claimed in the report that "there were many Haihan warships and the garrison was outnumbered. In order to preserve its strength, it only sent speedboats to follow and monitor." In this way, he watched the Haihan fleet pass through Hangzhou Bay and enter the territory of Jiaxing Prefecture.
Just one day later, Jiaxing Prefecture also sent an urgent military message, saying that the Zhapu and Kanpu guard posts under Hainingwei had been attacked by the Haihan fleet. Although the Haihan people did not land to attack the city, they did not attack the city. They mercilessly sank all the Ming army sailing ships they could find docked on the coast, and there were also several Ming army casualties. At present, Jiaxing Prefecture has assembled all the troops to guard against Haihan's sudden landing and launching a larger-scale offensive.
The Haihan people's proactive attack finally succeeded in attracting the attention of Zhejiang's top officials. At this time, everyone suddenly realized that the impact of the arson case outside Hangzhou a few days ago had not slowly subsided with the passage of time. The Han people did not accept their fate because of the stagnation in the investigation of the case. They wanted to seek so-called justice from the Zhejiang government in their own way.
Regardless of whether the real culprits of the arson case were the Ming army, it is an indisputable fact that Haihan launched a war against the coastal areas of Zhejiang, and the Ming Dynasty has always been positive in the face of such situations and will not choose to escape. The correct way to deal with it is for Zhejiang Dusi to immediately mobilize troops from various states and rush to the area where the incident occurred to ruthlessly attack the daring Haihan people and let them know the terrible consequences of invading the Ming Empire.
But there is currently a small problem facing Zhejiang officials, that is, including the Hangzhou garrison, more than 8,000 elites mobilized from various states in Zhejiang just received orders from the court five days ago to go north to Henan to participate in The operation to annihilate the peasant army was over.
(End of chapter)