Chapter 1710 Political Achievements
As an official guarding an important border area, Tan Juren could not achieve some dazzling military achievements every year like Roger did. However, due to the current objective conditions of Xingdao, it was quite difficult to achieve political achievements here.
In the past two years, when Tan Juren was writing a summary report at the end of the year, he was troubled by not being able to come up with results that would impress the executive committee. The increase in the population and the amount of cultivated land in this place in a year is extremely limited. It can only rank at the bottom among the many overseas colonies currently ruled by Haihan. It is only slightly better than pure mining places like Bangka Belitung Island, or even It is not as good as the Jinzhou Peninsula in Liaodong, which has been in a state of war.
As two border crossings on the Haihan territory, one in the south and one in the north, the development status of Xingdao and Jinzhou Peninsula can naturally be easily compared. There was nearly a year difference in the time when the two places were included in the territory of Haihan, but Since Xingdao is isolated overseas and is far inferior to Jinzhou, which has the Ming Dynasty as a support for population and logistical supplies, it is inevitable that Jinzhou will catch up with Jinzhou in terms of development speed. Through the continuous migration of soldiers and civilians from Pi Island and immigrants from Shandong, the local population soon exceeded five digits, and organized land reclamation and farmland reconstruction began, and the development progress was very short. It has surpassed Star Island within a short period of time.
Without a large amount of population input, it is difficult to talk about development. With Tan Juren's ability, there is currently no good way to solve the population problem of Xingdao in the short term, so it is very difficult to achieve political achievements in the traditional direction. This time, the riot planning of Spanish prisoners of war was uncovered. This credit can indeed be recognized by the Executive Committee, but it seems to be a bit meaningless to call it a political achievement. After all, in the field of judicial prisons The affairs of Xingdao were originally in charge of the military. After Tan Juren took office, it was transferred to Roger to take charge of it. This credit should be fully assigned to Tan Juren. It is somewhat unfair to say that he was named.
Tan Juren thought about it for a while and felt that he still had to say hello to Roger first to see what his partner meant. He believed that Roger's status was not enough to grab this credit, but if he could coordinate this matter with the military, he might be able to further expand the benefits from this matter. Tan Juren still understands this simple official principle of carrying a sedan chair.
So Tan Juren asked Qin Bodu to go back and continue to investigate the case in depth and control the security situation in the hard labor camp. He immediately went to Luo Jie to discuss with him how to handle this special case in the hard labor camp.
"Rebellion?" After Roger had a general understanding of the case, he couldn't help laughing and said: "These prisoners of war are really not afraid of death. They dare to cause trouble even if they get here! Even if they can escape from the hard labor camp, how can they escape? This island? If you are so eager to die, it would be faster to commit suicide in a hard labor camp!”
After hearing Roger's harsh words, Tan Juren also agreed: "They probably really have a wrong understanding of their situation, and they also fancifully thought that they could fight us through force. It seems that when you were in Manila, you were still Too kind and didn’t let them learn a deep enough lesson.”
Roger sighed: “At that time, the Executive Committee requested to minimize the unnecessary killing of prisoners of war so that they could be used as hard labor after the war. Therefore, even those prisoners of war who resisted were only They were sentenced to prison terms without harsher punishment.”
Roger gently patted the case file sent by Tan Juren and said: "These two prisoner leaders were just low-level officers at the beginning. I originally thought that keeping them might be able to maintain the conflicts within the prisoners so that we can manage them more easily, but it seems They don't seem to appreciate it. In my opinion, the more than 20 prisoners involved in this case should all be sent to the mines on Belitung Island to work underground. Don't let them come back again." br>
Haihan has several tin mines on Bangka Belitung Island, and the miners there are almost all serious criminals who cannot be pardoned. The living conditions of hard labor prisoners are much more severe than those on Star Island. Basically, the prisoners sent there no longer need to consider the issue of release after serving their sentences. Those who can serve for one or two years without any incident are considered to be lucky. Luo Jiejie's idea was obviously not to leave any chance for these Hispanic prisoners with evil intentions to return to the world.
Tan Juren didn't think there was anything wrong with this method of treatment. In fact, not directly imposing capital punishment on these prisoners was considered an act of mercy by the official government. Roger has led the troops to fight on and off in the South China Sea for several years. He is not a soft-hearted person. If the human resources here in the South China Sea were not too tight, Roger would have ordered these prisoners to be dragged out and shot after reading the case files. .
However, Tan Juren wanted feedback not only on the handling of this group of prisoners. He also hoped that Roger could make some suggestions for the subsequent reporting of this case so that he could gain more benefits from it.
Tan Juren saw that Roger didn't seem to have thought about this, so he coughed and took the initiative to mention: "About this case, I will prepare the files later and report to Fort Victory. Do you have any ideas?"
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Roger responded: "You mean to report to the executive committee? Well... we can think about it again..."
As the leader who single-handedly formed a capable army, Roger is not stupid, but he has little interest in official politics, so he is not as sensitive as Tan Juren. However, after hearing the other party mention reporting the case, Roger naturally thought of this. Some possible impacts and effects after filing a case to Fort Victory.
Given the influence of Star Island, it would be difficult for an attempted riot that occurred in a hard labor camp on the island to attract the attention of the Executive Committee, and there would be no follow-up impact. However, if Roger and Tan Juren work together, perhaps This can change the nature and severity of the case.
Tan Juren did not rush to urge Roger to express his position. He knew that there was no need to be too eager in front of the other party, as that would make him passive. If Roger really intends to profit from it, then even if he doesn't come up with an idea, Roger will take the initiative to find a way.
Roger made his decision without thinking for too long: "We need to dig deeper into this case. I think this is probably some kind of trick by the Spaniards. After they failed in Manila, they focused on Star Island and wanted to find it here." Return the loss.”
Tan Juren was a little surprised when he heard Roger's "reasoning", because such a case seemed a bit unreasonable. After the Spanish were defeated in Manila, could they rely on a group of prisoners of war who were exiled to Star Island to make a fuss in the Strait of Malacca? ? You must know that this place is thousands of miles away from the nearest Spanish stronghold, and there is a Portuguese-controlled city of Malacca a hundred miles away that can respond to Star Island in an emergency. Even in theory, the Spaniards are unlikely to attack Star Island. Island takes action.
"This... seems a bit far-fetched, right?" Tan Juren asked tentatively.
"Yes, it seems a bit unreasonable." Roger scratched his head and admitted that there were loopholes in the theory he designed. But if this matter is to attract the attention of the Executive Committee, its nature must become more serious.
Tan Juren said: "I think it's better to pass the blame to the British. Didn't we have a fight with the British the year before last? Maybe it's hard to say that the British colluded with the Spanish. What do you think?" Roger thought for a moment and shook his head. : "That won't work. Don't forget that these two countries are fighting lively on the European battlefield. They are real opponents. There is no reason to choose cooperation in the Far East. Moreover, their respective colonies are too far apart, making it difficult to achieve coordinated actions."
The two of them thought about it over and over, and all the methods they could think of seemed to have obvious loopholes. In the end, Tan Juren said: "I think the next best thing is to report to the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Justice first, and then see if there are other entry points to hype it up."
Roger couldn't think of a better way for a while, so he had to agree to Tan Juren's proposal first. Before a better foundation is found, if the matter is forcibly reported directly to the Executive Committee, it would be a bit of a fuss and would not have the effect they expected. Fortunately, it will take some time to sort out the files on the case. They still have time to slowly consider how to handle this matter and see if they can find a more comprehensive and appropriate solution.
After talking about business, Tan Juren remembered that Qin Bodu had mentioned the issue of rewards for those involved in handling the case when he reported the case, and immediately asked Luo Jie for his opinion. After hearing this, Roger smiled and said: "Then this guy's situation can be regarded as a meritorious service. After arresting so many people, his identity will definitely be exposed. If he continues to stay in the hard labor camp, I'm afraid he might not Tian was stabbed to death in the toilet. Since Qin Bodu promised to reduce his sentence, let's do it. If the sentence is not reduced, he will be transferred out of the hard labor camp and find another job for him. "
Tan Juren had no objection to the treatment plan mentioned by Roger. Reducing the prisoner's sentence was not an easy treatment, but it was indeed the prisoner named Qin Huacheng who played a key role in successfully solving the case of the Hispanic prisoner this time. Moreover, this man was a security policeman in Manila before he was exiled to Star Island. He was considered half one of his own. After the case was completed, he should be rewarded based on his merits, so he should be given some real rewards.
The decision on how to handle this case was quickly reported to the Second Hard Labor Battalion. Qin Bodu summoned Qin Huacheng and announced to him the decision from the Xingdao Management Committee. When he heard that his sentence would be reduced later, Qin Huacheng couldn't hide his joy. The hardships he had suffered and the risks he had taken suddenly became worthless.
"What the superiors are saying is that, considering your personal safety, you will move out of the house you are currently living in and live in another place from now on. However, the specific results on the commutation of your sentence have not been released yet, so you cannot leave the hard labor camp yet. "Qin Bodu said to Qin Huacheng: "But there is no suitable accommodation for you in the hard labor camp, so I may have to live in a small dark room for a few days!"
The so-called small dark room is a place where prisoners are kept in confinement. The place is small and has no lighting. It would be unbearable for ordinary people to stay there for three to five days. Although Qin Huacheng had never been locked up in a small dark room, he also knew that living in that place was not pleasant. Moving out of the cell and living in a small dark room was not considered a reward, so he did not respond for a while.
Qin Bodu probably felt that this arrangement was a bit inappropriate, so he added: "Of course I won't follow the confinement standards for you, and I won't even lock you up. I'll just let you live there at night and during the day." You can come out during the designated period. This is mainly for your safety. If the Spanish prisoners here know what you have done, they will probably take retaliatory measures against you."
Qin Huacheng quickly bowed and thanked him: "Your Majesty, you have your heart! How dare you disobey me when you are a sinner? I will follow your Majesty's arrangements."
Qin Bodu saw that he was lingering after he finished speaking, so he asked again: "Do you have anything to say?"
Qin Huacheng said: "I would also like to know how long it will take to get the result of the commutation of the sentence?"
Qin Bodu said: "According to the instructions of the chief, this case needs to be reported to the Ministry of Justice. As for the treatment of a group of criminals and those who have reported merits, they probably have to wait for the Ministry of Justice to give their approval. This goes back and forth, and it takes two or three months. Wanted.”
Qin Huacheng said in surprise: "How long does it take? Doesn't our country of Haihan have a radio station that can send messages thousands of miles away?"
Qin Bodu smiled and said: "You have some knowledge, you actually know the radio station... But the radio station is only suitable for transmitting short messages. There are more than 20 prisoner files and confessions in this case. The final file is at least two inches thick. , the cost of sending it via radio is too high, so it can only be sent back to Sanya by ship. Wouldn’t it take two or three months to get it back?”
Qin Huacheng murmured: "Isn't that villain going to serve two or three more months in prison for nothing?"
Qin Bodu's face darkened and he said, "You are not satisfied with this arrangement. Do you want to teach me how to do it?"
Qin Huacheng responded quickly: "Don't you dare! You don't dare!"
Although it will take some time to get a response from Sanya, this is already an excellent result compared to the three-year hard labor sentence. Even though Qin Huacheng is still a little unwilling, he will never question Qin Bodu's arrangement again—— Qin Bodu's decision to increase or decrease his sentence was not something he could say. It really pissed off the warden, and he might even have to move back to the cell. Although the small dark room is not a good place, at least it has a certain degree of freedom. Qin Huacheng can only comfort himself and accept the reality.
On the same day, Qin Huacheng's roommates learned the news that because he violated the rules of the hard labor camp, Qin Huacheng was sentenced to fifteen days of confinement, starting from now on. Everyone, including Lin Xingsui, was surprised by such a sudden punishment. Qin Huacheng had obviously climbed up a high branch, but he suddenly fell down. Usually prisoners who make mistakes are usually not detained for more than five days, but Qin Huacheng was actually sentenced to fifteen days. What kind of serious crime did he commit?
(End of chapter)