Chapter 1714 Apprenticeship
Cheng Dapeng gathered the six people together and then asked them questions: "I told you when you boarded the ship that you must observe carefully at all times on the ship. Our ship has been docked in Malacca for the past three days. Hong Kong, the six of you have been on the ship all the time. Although you can't move on the deck during the day, you can move around freely in other places on the ship. Then I want to ask you how many batches of cargo have been unloaded and loaded on the ship in the past three days. How many shipments were there? How many people on the ship didn’t come back after getting off? How many new faces were on the ship when we set off?”
No one expected that Cheng Dapeng would suddenly ask such a tricky and weird question after leaving Hong Kong. They all looked at each other for a while. How could ordinary people pay attention to such meaningless details without being prompted, let alone make statistics? .
Of course, Cheng Dapeng's surprise attack was not just for nothing, but to test whether this group of people had the talent required to become intelligence agents. Of course, he didn't expect these people to accurately calculate the data he asked, but if someone took the initiative to pay attention to this aspect, it would definitely be a big plus for Cheng Dapeng.
After everyone was silent for a moment, Qin Huacheng responded: "Thank you to the shopkeeper, I remember a little bit, but I don't know if I am wrong."
"You tell me first and listen." Cheng Dapeng nodded and expressed encouragement to Qin Huacheng.
Qin Huacheng said: "On the first day, what was unloaded was the grain in the bottom hold, and what was loaded on the ship was a batch of cotton cloth. On the second day, what was unloaded was the spices in the front hold, and what was loaded on the ship was about 150 barrels of wine. The reason why I remember this number is that I heard a sailor mentioned that on the third day, the pile of cargo on the deck that had been covered with tarpaulin was unloaded. That night, I went to the deck to ventilate and saw the original stack of cargo. The position has been cleared. No cargo was loaded on the ship on the third day. The ship was only replenished with fresh water and food before departure. ”
Cheng Dapeng nodded silently while listening, approving of Qin Huacheng's description. Although his memory was not particularly detailed and was still far from the intelligence personnel's requirements, the fact that he had such thoughts showed that he did have such a desire. Talent in this area - even if it's not so obvious.
Qin Huacheng continued: "As for how many people got off the ship and didn't come back, and what new faces were on the ship, I really don't know, because many people are on the deck during the day and only return to the cabin to sleep at night. But I do pay attention. The two cooks who arrived on the ship have been replaced. The two cooks before were really bad at their crafts. The two cooks who came on the ship yesterday were much better. At least the rice was not cooked anymore. "
"Very good." After listening, Cheng Dapeng finally praised Qin Huacheng for his carefulness. He looked at a few other people, who lowered their heads to avoid his gaze, obviously feeling ashamed for not being as meticulous as Qin Huacheng.
Cheng Dapeng said: "The errands you have to do from now on can be summed up in the words 'careful' and 'meticulous'. As long as you can do these two things, great things can be accomplished. If you can't do it, your life will be hard to save!"
Everyone did not dare to answer, but listened to his instructions quietly. These people were all picked up from the hard labor camp by Cheng Dapeng. Naturally, they understood that Cheng Dapeng with such energy was not just a businessman, but a secret official working for the Haihan official. If they want to live a good life in the future, their fate will be in Cheng Dapeng's hands. Of course, there may be some among them who are looking for opportunities to get rid of Cheng Dapeng's control, but at this moment no one dares to show impatience on their faces.
Cheng Dapeng continued: "I am a person who pays attention to rewards and punishments when doing things well. If you do well, you will naturally be rewarded. Qin Huacheng, from now on, you can also go to the deck during the day. As for the others, starting from tomorrow, they will be responsible at dawn Clean the deck before."
Qin Huacheng bowed and thanked Cheng Dapeng, turning a blind eye to the hot looks from the other people. He knew very well that he and these people were not partners, but real competitors. It’s unknown who Cheng Dapeng will choose among the six in the end, but those who are eliminated will have no choice but to return to Star Island and continue to be imprisoned. This is a result that Qin Huacheng can never accept. Now that he has come out of that place, he must win this competition and bid farewell to the life of a prisoner in the hard labor camp.
Then, as Cheng Dapeng said, the other five people except Qin Huacheng were driven back to the cabin below the deck, and Qin Huacheng was finally able to bask in the sun on the deck. Nestled in the cabin, he was really worried that he would get moldy.
After leaving the port of Malacca, the ship did not immediately turn back south, but continued to travel northwest along the channel channel to the port of Banda Aceh at the northern tip of Sumatra Island.
At the end of the 13th century, Christianity was introduced to Southeast Asia through Banda Aceh. Later, it became a transit point for Southeast Asian pilgrims to go to Mecca by boat. It was called the "Gateway to Mecca". Arab merchants A large number of trading houses were set up here to buy gold, ivory and camphor. By the 16th century, Banda Aceh became the capital of the Kingdom of Aceh and was for a long time the center of the pepper trade in Southeast Asia.
This naturally aroused the covetousness of Western colonists. Aceh had fought many wars with Portugal and the Netherlands. In the 16th and 17th centuries, it actively launched several wars to attack the city of Malacca under the rule of Portuguese colonists, but all failed. And return.
Although the war between the two countries has lasted for a century, trade has not been banned. Especially neutral multinational businessmen like Cheng Dapeng will be welcomed by local businessmen whether in Malacca or Banda Aceh. . Cheng Dapeng purchased local products here and sold some goods shipped from Batavia, making a lot of money as he entered and exited.
There was no need for Cheng Dapeng to remind him this time. The people he selected were very active in recording the various information they observed. And Qin Huacheng, who is qualified to be active on the deck, can naturally collect much richer information than those in the cabin. Although it is more intuitive, the content to remember has also increased accordingly, which is also a bit tricky for Qin Huacheng who has not received professional training.
Qin Huacheng was able to pass the test set by Cheng Dapeng at the Malacca Port. On the one hand, he did take Cheng Dapeng's reminder to heart when he boarded the ship, and on the other hand, because he was on the voyage from Manila to Star Island. Because being held in solitary confinement was too boring, he began to pay attention to various small movements on the ship and developed this unique habit. After arriving at the hard labor camp in Xingdao, Qin Huacheng put this habit of paying attention to the hard labor construction site, and while working as a translator, he also helped count the labor workload of the prisoners. When he paid attention to this information at Malacca Port that day, he didn't think too much, and he never thought that his habit could be put to great use accidentally. The ship stayed in Banda Aceh for a longer time. In addition to handling trade, Cheng Dapeng also spent three days visiting local celebrities and officials. On the one hand, this is to lay the foundation for continuing to develop trade channels in the future, and on the other hand, it is also an opportunity to collect local military and political intelligence. Haihan currently does not have a fixed intelligence station in Banda Aceh, so whenever there is an opportunity to come here, intelligence personnel will try their best to collect all kinds of information to enrich the reserves of Haihan's intelligence library.
This kind of errand does not require arrangements from Sanya's headquarters. As the person in charge of this region, Cheng Dapeng has extremely high autonomy and only needs to report to Sanya before taking action. Even if the newcomers he brings are only in the internship training period, Cheng Dapeng can decide on his own whether to let them understand the intention of the trip and the subsequent arrangements. As his favorite target, Qin Huacheng also received special care when the ship docked in Banda Aceh - Cheng Dapeng took him as his entourage to visit local officials.
Cheng Dapeng's local connections were extremely limited, and even translators were found after he landed, so the number of officials he was able to meet in a short period of time was not much higher. However, Cheng Dapeng is well aware that one bite cannot make him fat, so he is not eager to directly open up channels to the upper echelons of Aceh. Instead, he first focuses on grassroots officials and gradually understands the official ecology of Aceh through contact. , and then find suitable ways to expand your network.
Cheng Dapeng did not explain the reasons and intentions of his actions to Qin Huacheng in detail, but just let him think about it himself. And Qin Huacheng knew that this kind of treatment was valuable and did not dare to neglect at all. Every word that Cheng Dapeng met in Banda Aceh, Qin Huacheng carefully considered every word and carefully tasted the meaning, so as to speculate on Cheng Dapeng's treatment. The purpose of friends.
An internship-style training method like this is undoubtedly the fastest to improve the training subjects. After Qin Huacheng followed Cheng Dapeng to visit several local officials, he had a basic understanding of Cheng Dapeng's operating methods and began to figure out what Cheng Dapeng did. Dapeng negotiated the terms of the deal with these officials.
Cheng Dapeng is not only an official of the Haihan Security Department, but also a successful businessman. With his experience in business operations and abundant liquidity, it is really extremely difficult to open up a situation in a place like Banda Aceh. easy. Even if these officials can withstand Cheng Dapeng's direct money offensive, it will be difficult to refuse the trade he brings to Banda Aceh. This is a real political achievement. There are only a few large multinational businessmen with a neutral stance like Cheng Dapeng. You'll be extremely lucky to catch one.
"Batavia is almost four thousand miles away from here. Do you know why I have to come here in person to maintain relations?" After visiting a local official, Cheng Dapeng asked Qin Huacheng a question.
Qin Huacheng thought for a while and said: "I saw the chart of the Strait of Malacca before. Star Island is at the southeast end, and Banda Aceh is at the northwest end. They are all important channels and dangerous terrain. It must be that the shopkeeper pays attention to this section and personally Come and maintain the relationship.”
"The first half of what you said is right, and the second half is wrong." Cheng Dapeng corrected: "I do attach great importance to the intelligence work in Banda Aceh, but the fundamental reason why I came all the way here in person is because of the people under me. Limited availability ”
Qin Huacheng silently chewed on the meaning of Cheng Dapeng's words and seemed to have gained something. Although Cheng Dapeng had already developed his own intelligence system in Batavia, due to the large area of the South China Sea, the manpower under his command was simply not enough to deploy the intelligence network to every important city. Port cities like Banda Aceh, which were too far away from Batavia, had no manpower deployed here at all, so he could only take the time to make a trip in person.
However, there was no trace of the Spaniards in this area. After Qin Huacheng thought for a while, he also thought that Cheng Dapeng would not send him to this place. However, the attitude shown by Cheng Dapeng hinted that he could go outside if he had the opportunity in the future. Being on his own is a big temptation for Qin Huacheng in his current situation.
"There are many skills in gathering intelligence, but more importantly, talent. I think you have a certain amount of talent. As for skills, only the ones you figure out yourself are the best. I can demonstrate them to you, but how to use the skills? When to use it, that's something you need to understand slowly." Taking advantage of his work break, Cheng Dapeng didn't forget to mention Qin Huacheng.
Qin Huacheng said: "The shopkeeper has good intentions, and the villain will naturally recognize it. It's just that the villain is stupid. If he only relies on his own experience, his learning progress will be very slow. It would be bad if he disappoints the shopkeeper."
Cheng Dapeng said: "Everyone suppresses their emotions. I will give you a little more pressure because I hope you can complete your probationary period as soon as possible. I have chosen these people in Xingdao. Your qualifications are the best, but they are not good enough yet." It will make me stand out. In short, you should try your best to learn more during this trip. When you return to Batavia, the things I will teach you will be boring and difficult to understand.”
Qin Huacheng didn't understand what he heard, but he could feel that Cheng Dapeng had no ill intentions towards him. What complex skills he would learn in the future would only happen after he returned to Batavia. There was no point in thinking too much now. .
After staying in Banda Aceh for nearly a week, this lucky ship finally completed its mission and left the port to go south along the coastline of Sumatra Island. However, Cheng Dapeng still did not arrange a direct flight to Batavia. When passing through Belawan, Cheng Dapeng arranged to anchor here for one night.
Belawan is one of the main ports in Sumatra. It mainly produces palm oil and tea. However, the main reason why Cheng Dapeng stopped here was not for trade, but to collect geographical and hydrological data of the port. Although Haihan currently has no plans to launch an offensive against Aceh, this kind of basic intelligence collection has become a habit of the intelligence officers of the Ministry of Security. As long as there is a suitable opportunity, they will try to collect such natural information. Information about Good Harbor.
Qin Huacheng also learned how to measure water depth, ocean currents, and record data such as port berths during the short one night he anchored in Belawan.
(End of chapter)