Chapter 1404 Go to Liaodong
Since Liu Shang has been in this special industry for many years, it shows that he is not a timid person, but when facing the Haihan Security Department, he will always be frightened.
He had such a reaction, mainly because the Ming Intelligence Agency had been restricted in everything during the years of confrontation with the Haihan Security Department. It had hardly made any outstanding achievements, and on the contrary, it had lost a lot of manpower. So much so that the factory guards and military spies in charge of intelligence work feared the Haihan Security Department and were afraid to avoid him. This culture also seriously affected his mentality. Coupled with what he saw and heard after coming to Haihan, he had a personal experience of the gap in strength between the intelligence agencies of the two countries, and the fear hidden deep in his heart became even more serious.
It wasn't until Gong Shiqi left that Liu Shang slowly had an impression of this name. During his stay in Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province on his way north, he had heard about the big operation carried out by the Ministry of Security in Hangzhou, and the leader of the operation seemed to be It's this weird name. This person is said to be a general in the Security Department, and his status is no lower than Zhang Qianzhi, whom he has been in contact with before. Unexpectedly, he would appear here, and he came specifically to ask for a confession.
Liu Shang didn't expect that Gong Qi Qi just took such an errand temporarily. He thought that since Gong Qi Qi was running errands to verify the information, the impact of Ma Bo's incident must have been considerable, and Haihan's upper management attached great importance to it, so they arranged it. The waiters will investigate the clues in the future. Liu Shang slowly recalled the content of his conversation with Gong Shiqi just now, and after confirming that he had not made any mistakes, he felt a little relieved.
Now that the Ministry of Security has intervened, Mabo's crimes should be more than just corruption. Liu Shang was not worried that Ma Bo, who had been arrested, would accuse him of accepting bribes. Although he accepted the money, he never touched a penny, and he never really agreed to any of Ma Bo's requests for money. Even Ma Bo's request for him to leave Majiazhuang was completely covered up because he accidentally encountered the errand sent to him by Zeng Xiaowen.
Of course, Liu Shang can now basically confirm that the errand given to him by Zeng Xiaowen is actually for the purpose of protection, so that he can temporarily leave the place of right and wrong. It's just that Liu Shang still doesn't know whether this measure was the intention of Zeng Xiaowen or his superior. Judging from this measure, at least the military has no doubts about itself.
As for the investigation by the Ministry of Security, Liu Shang did not dare to think too much about it. Apart from being cautious in his words and deeds, he had no better response now. Fortunately, judging from the content of Gong Shiqi's inquiry, the Ministry of Security did not seem to have any obvious malice towards him, and had no intention of restricting his freedom of movement. It seemed that the report letter was not linked to him.
"You can no longer write such things as reporting letters in the future!" Liu Shang secretly warned himself in his heart. Fortunately this time, he had done a good job of covering it up beforehand, so that the military and the Ministry of Security did not suspect him, but he was still very scared when he thought about it. Once he was found out, it would be difficult for him to have a reasonable explanation as to why he could see through the true identities of those Jinyiwei spies.
However, he was about to go on a business trip to Liaodong, and he thought that the case in Majiazhuang would no longer involve him. Thinking of this, Liu Shang was eager to leave right away, and did not want to stay on Zhifu Island for a moment.
Of course, he is not the only person that the Shandong garrison will send to Liaodong this time. How can they go as he pleases? In addition to the civil and military officials like Liu Shang and Qin Wei who had taken over the duty in the past, there was also a company of army troops going to Lushun to supplement the garrison strength. In addition, a medical team led by Morgan will also rush to Liaodong. They will bring a large amount of recently purchased medicinal materials to treat local patients who originally lacked medical care and medicine, so as to minimize the number of patients who need to be sent back to Shandong for treatment.
Although Morgan doesn't know much about Chinese medicine and his use of Chinese medicinal materials is far inferior to that of doctors in this time and space, his understanding of infectious diseases is unmatched by his peers. His main mission when he went to Liaodong was not to treat patients, but to try to control the channels of infection and prevent the spread of the local epidemic. Regarding operations in this area, he is currently the only professional person among the senior officials of Haihan in Shandong, and everyone has to listen to his arrangements.
Fortunately, the main force of the navy has gone south to Zhejiang for the winter, and will basically not be affected by the epidemic. However, without Wang Tom and Sun Changmi, the senior management staff in Shandong did seem a bit tight in such an emergency, and some daily management work also stalled due to the epidemic.
At this juncture, another incident occurred in Majiazhuang. However, the headquarters was happy to see the success of the suppression operation under the command of Chen Yixin. After digging out these Ming Dynasty spies hiding in the dark, there was no need to worry. When the Shandong occupied area was at its most chaotic, someone took the opportunity to cause trouble, which was definitely a good thing for local security. It's just that both the military and the Ministry of Security had to allocate part of their energy to deal with this espionage case.
However, the command arranged for Liu Shang to be transferred was a temporary measure. If he had not been sent back to Zhifu Island, the command probably would not have transferred him back from Majiazhuang. This naturally has more advantages than disadvantages for Liu Shang's current situation, and can just save him from the quagmire of the spy case. By the time he returns from his business trip to Liaodong, this case will probably have been closed long ago.
But Liu Shang didn't know how lucky he was to be able to turn danger into disaster through various coincidences and avoid crises again and again. From the day he realized that his power could not have a great negative impact on Haihan Kingdom, all his actions were based on the principle of seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages, but the effect was indeed beyond his Cognition. From Hainan Island to Shandong, his good fortune has continued and shows no signs of stopping soon.
One morning in January 1636, four sailing ships slowly left Zhifu Port and sailed north toward Liaodong. At this time, heavy snow was falling in the sky. Even the fishermen who relied on the sea for their meals would not brave the wind and snow to go to sea at this time. However, this fleet sailed out of the port without hesitation and soon disappeared in the wind and snow. among.
In such bad weather, Liu Shang was certainly not in the mood to go to the deck to watch the sea view and relax. He could only huddle in the cabin and keep the charcoal stove to warm up like the others. Although he was wrapped in a standard military coat issued by the logistics department, Liu Shang still felt that he was not very warm. The sea breeze blowing in through the portholes for ventilation felt like a knife on his skin, which was really hard to resist.
"People who have just come from the south generally can't stand the weather here."
Seeing Liu Shang huddled up, Qin Wei smiled kindly and said: "If you are really cold, there is a sheepskin jacket on the boat, so wrap it up too!"
Liu Shang shook his head and said: "No, if you wrap it again, it will become a ball. In fact, as long as there is no wind, it will be quite warm by the fire."
This is true, but there is a charcoal stove in the cabin. If the doors and windows are closed tightly, it is not a fire, but a suicide by burning charcoal. Everyone knows this truth, so no matter how cold it is, you have to open a porthole for ventilation. Although Liu Shang was not sitting in the air vent, the whirring sound of the air flowing through the portholes already made him shiver.
Qin Wei said: "I heard that the chief's cabin has a sandwich wall, which is directly connected to the kitchen stove. It can keep warm without a stove. It doesn't need to open windows for ventilation like we live in this cabin." Liu Shangying said: "You also said that the chief lives here. I don’t know what the accommodation conditions are like in Liaodong. Is it necessary to light a stove in the room to keep warm?”
"Liaodong is a newly created land, and the conditions in all aspects are naturally inferior to those of Zhifu Island." Qin Wei used a tong to poke at the coals in the charcoal stove that had not been fully burned, and said in a calm tone: "After the war over there, we will arrive." It’s only been less than two months now, supplies are scarce, and the permanent population is small. It’s probably good to live in a house with walls and a roof. As for heating, don’t hold out too much hope.”
The Battle of Lushunkou was only completed in November of the previous year. The troops remaining in the area were mainly the special operations battalion under Qian Tiandun, with a small number of civilians and logistics personnel, plus about a hundred troops stationed at Lushun Port. of navy. The total military and civilian population of Haihan stationed in Lushunkou for the winter is only more than a thousand, and it is difficult to complete large-scale infrastructure projects in winter.
In addition, there is an extremely unfavorable condition, that is, the special operations battalion, which is overwhelmingly composed of southerners, is not very adaptable to the climate of Liaodong. Even if they spent the winter in Shandong the previous year, it was still difficult for them to withstand the climate of Liaodong. climate. This directly led to the emergence of influenza among the troops in the late winter, and then some people's condition gradually evolved into pneumonia, and they had to be sent back to Shandong for treatment and recuperation.
Although Haihan had prepared a large amount of cold-proof clothing, food, and medicines to dispel cold and dampness before marching into Liaodong, and even some spirits that the army could not usually enjoy, it is indeed not that easy to defeat the laws of nature. . Moreover, according to the feelings of Han immigrants in Liaodong, the temperature after winter this year is obviously lower than in previous years, and snowfall is more frequent. Therefore, although the Haihan military made a lot of preparations, they were still severely frustrated by the unpredictable climate.
Liu Shang took out a small flat glass bottle from his arms, unscrewed the iron bottle cap and brought it to his mouth to take a sip. This is liquor specially distributed by the logistics department. Each person has a quota of 2 taels per day. Although it is not much, it is quite useful to warm up when you feel chilly. Although Liu Shang is not a drinker, in the current environment on the ship, in addition to warming himself by the fire, he can only warm himself with a sip of strong wine from time to time.
Liu Shang took a sip and handed it to Qin Wei, but Qin Wei declined his kindness with a smile. Liu Shang didn't take it seriously. He screwed the lid on the wine bottle and put it in his arms. The quota of this thing was limited. If you give someone else a sip, you would have to take one less sip. If the other person doesn't drink, you can enjoy it yourself.
"Is the sorghum wine from the north more potent than the sugarcane wine from the south?" Although Qin Wei didn't drink, he was no stranger to the wine Liu Shang brought out. The liquor distributed by the logistics department is sorghum liquor purchased locally in Shandong. It has a sweet and mellow taste. Compared with Haihan's domestic Sanya special brew made from sugar cane, it is spicier.
Liu Shang nodded and said: "Sanya special brew, it's okay for the next person to drink half a catty, but this sorghum wine, if you drink it too much, you will probably have to lie down in three ounces. I heard the chief say before, In extremely cold places, it is most convenient to use strong liquor to keep warm, but don’t drink too much, because once you get drunk outside, you will freeze to death in a short time.”
Qin Wei nodded and said: "It's a pity that not everyone can listen to this warning. This winter, several drunkards in Liaodong have frozen to death. Brother Liu, it's okay to drink, but don't get drunk."
Liu Shang said solemnly: "Thank you, Brother Qin, for reminding me."
While he was talking, the ajar door was pushed open from the outside. When Liu Shang saw the visitor, he immediately stood up and said: "Chief!"
The visitor was Morgan, who was the commander of the operation this time. He nodded to Liu Shang and Qin Wei and said, "I'm here to discuss with you the work arrangements after arriving in Liaodong."
Both Qin Wei and Liu Shang were temporarily recruited into this team. They did not receive specific work arrangements before departure. Judging from Morgan's attitude, he planned to seize the time on the way to arrange tasks. The two of them did not dare to neglect, and quickly listened to Morgan's instructions.
In fact, Morgan's arrangements were very simple. They basically followed the military's propaganda approach. However, the theme changed from preparing for the spring offensive to controlling the epidemic in line with the current actual situation. Morgan asked them to think of publicity methods as soon as possible to keep the mood of the local garrison stable and not create an atmosphere of panic and anxiety due to the epidemic.
Neither Qin Wei nor Liu Shang were novices. Morgan only needed a few points to figure it out, and it didn't take too long to arrange the work. After Morgan finished talking about the business, he actually took out a small wine flask from his arms. However, it was a stainless steel flask brought from another time and space. The craftsmanship was much finer than the glass flask Liu Shang had on him. Much more.
After Morgan took a sip, he clicked his tongue and said: "I have been here for more than eight years, and this is really the coldest winter. To be honest, I regret applying to the executive committee for this job in the north. It is really cold here. It’s too cold!”
Liu Shang and Qin Wei looked at each other, but did not dare to accept Morgan's words. He could discuss the arrangements of the executive committee at will, but ordinary officials like Liu Shang and others did not have the courage.
Morgan did not take it seriously and continued: "The soldiers from the south are still less adaptable when they go to fight in the north. We will have to wait until next spring to recruit more soldiers from Liaodong, otherwise we will not be able to fight in Liaodong in the future."< br>
Liu Shangying said: "The chief is right. After I came to Shandong from my humble position, I saw that the soldiers from the north are generally tall and strong, and are more adaptable to the climate here than the soldiers from the south. If there is an army of northern soldiers in the army, they can take on the responsibility Stationed in Liaodong Da Ren”
(End of chapter)