Chapter 1914 Efficient Operation
In this era of extremely inconvenient transportation and communication, planning and arranging a long-distance trip for a team requires repeated coordination among multiple departments. This can be said to be a quite complex project, and the preparation work requires a lot of time. The time will most likely be similar to the actual itinerary. Haihan has a specially formulated action plan and good communication mechanism, which greatly reduces the time spent in the preparation stage. It only takes two or three days to complete the entire process from planning the itinerary to the actual trip.
This ability to operate efficiently is not innate. It was originally designed to meet the needs of Haihan senior officials for temporary business trips. Sometimes they have to go to areas outside Sanya to handle some official business, but if they have to wait ten and a half days to arrange the trip, then the day lily will probably be cold. Therefore, it is imperative to formulate a quick travel plan. Then, after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs revised and improved the travel plan of senior officials from Haihan, it was used to arrange the visits and inspections of foreign dignitaries.
Of course, even if Haihan had an action plan and corresponding experience, such a somewhat hasty preparation time would still inevitably lead to some imperfections. For example, the number of people traveling from North Korea must be limited to eight people, otherwise it will be difficult for the passenger ship responsible for the trip to accommodate official personnel from both sides at the same time. In addition, although this itinerary was chosen by the North Koreans themselves, the visits and inspection projects in various places along the way were basically universal. No matter who came, they only saw these projects, and there was no time to truly customize the inspection content for Li Bo.
In addition to these travel arrangement problems, security work also has some hidden dangers due to this haste. Since the task is a temporary arrangement, the accompanying personnel and local personnel involved in the reception work are often recruited temporarily. The screening and review process of personnel will be relatively rough, and it is difficult to keep the itinerary completely confidential.
If a high-ranking official from Haihan travels, another more rigorous mechanism will be activated to ensure the personal safety of important people. However, North Korea has never been active in the south, and no one in the South China Sea seems to be unfavorable to the Crown Prince of Joseon, so the security The standard is to follow the basic level of receiving foreign dignitaries in normal times, and no special arrangements have been made.
And having said that, Haihan officials may not take the initiative to keep this matter secret. The Crown Prince of Joseon came all the way to visit Haihan Kingdom. This would be an excellent propaganda material with a little processing. Naturally, the relevant departments would not let go of such an opportunity easily. The progress of the Propaganda Department is almost as good as that of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Before Song Yongan handed over the itinerary plan, it was determined that an official and a Times reporter would be sent to accompany him throughout the trip, so that Li Bo's itinerary could be reviewed as soon as possible. Record, and then telegraph the manuscript back to Sanya, so that the trip can be reported simultaneously in newspapers published during this period to ensure maximum timeliness.
When Li Mu was leisurely studying the Haihan readings in the embassy, he did not know that because of this temporarily decided itinerary, how many departments and related people were suddenly in high speed, preparing for the trip that was about to leave the next day. Make arrangements to prepare. Although there may only be a hundred or so people accompanying him, the number of people who need to be mobilized and coordinated with the travel plan is at least several times the number of people accompanying him.
Relatively speaking, the preparation work at the North Korean Embassy is much simpler. Basically, they only need to prepare a change of clothes and personal belongings for this trip, and there is almost no need to worry about other things. Haihan provides all food, accommodation, and transportation, unless they are not satisfied with Haihan's arrangements and have to pay for better treatment out of their own pockets - this possibility is of course very slim to the North Koreans who are strapped for funds.
As for Haihan's request to limit the number of people traveling in North Korea to less than eight people, Li Bo didn't think there was anything wrong with this. After all, it was Haihan who paid the money, and he would naturally not spend it on unimportant entourage because of his shrewdness. too much. He and Li Xi were sure to take up two places, and the remaining six places were decided upon in a few words - two armed guards and four attendants to take care of daily life.
Naturally, this pitifully small inspection team can hardly have any prestige at all. However, all relevant departments in Haihan will send officials to accompany them throughout the entire process, which can be regarded as making up for the lack of ceremonial guard.
“Although no senior officials from Haihan accompanied us on this trip, the fact that there were so many accompanying officials from various departments of Haihan shows its sincerity.”
Early the next morning, Li Bo saw the itinerary sent by Haihan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which included Haihan's official list of accompanying officials, and made a few comments at the same time. Although he was not sure whether the official positions marked in the document were high or low, seeing the many departments marked, he could feel the importance Haihan officials attached to this matter.
Li Xi responded: "The Haihan people are indeed very thorough in their preparations. They have considered all aspects, and they can arrange all these things within two days. This efficiency is quite amazing."
The level is not enough, so the number of people has to be made up. Although the senior officials of Haihan have no time to accompany Li Shu to complete this inspection, the attention of each department has only increased, because the executive committee has issued a letter overnight, notifying all departments to seriously cooperate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Arrangements were made to ensure that the trip of the Joseon Crown Prince could be completed smoothly. The most reliable way to provide protection is naturally to send someone to accompany you so that various problems that may arise along the way can be solved in a timely manner.
Execution ability is undoubtedly the biggest difference between the administrative systems of Haihan and North Korea. With so many departments having to coordinate their actions, it would take at least ten days and a half to complete it in North Korea. However, Haihan’s efficiency far exceeds that. this level. Li Fu only saw the importance the other party attached to it, while Li Xi, who was more familiar with the operation of officialdom, realized the operational efficiency of government agencies such as Haihan.
After being reminded by Li Xi, Li Bo immediately realized what he had missed, nodded and said: "You are right, if our country can also have such efficiency, then I don't need to wait when I go abroad this time. It’s been a long time.”
In order to prepare for his study abroad trip, Li Bo's departure time from Seoul was pushed back again and again. It took him almost a month before he finally packed up and set off. If we could have Haihan's work efficiency, the preparation time would probably be shortened by at least half.
Li Bo also recalled that Haihan sent troops to North Korea this year, and the preparation time was also very short. From Li Xi's request to the Executive Committee to Haihan sending troops, it only took a few days. Why Haihan Official's operational efficiency is so high is a topic worth spending time studying.
While Li Bo was thinking about this issue, Ning Qi was reviewing the itinerary and cost budget sent by Song Yongan. Ning Qi didn't have any objections to the cost. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spent a lot of money on welcoming guests every year, but the effect was obvious. Haihan's international influence and status showed a rising trend year by year. In addition to force, The role played by more intuitive means such as trade cannot be ignored, nor can the various tasks completed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs be ignored. Although it is not cheap to arrange for the Joseon Crown Prince's team to conduct a tour around the island, if it can have a certain positive impact on him and further enhance the Joseon Crown Prince's perception of Haehan, then the money will be worth spending.
Ning Qi looked at the budget amount, and when he was about to sign, he remembered something. He turned to the list of entourage in front and read it again. Then he put down the pen in his hand and made a phone call.
"Lao He, have you been notified of the Joseon Crown Prince's inspection trip? I looked at the list of accompanying officials in the newspaper and there is no one from your side, so I called you to confirm." "I received the notice. But I don’t have suitable field personnel here at the moment. Aren’t the executive committee going to inspect the Qiongzhong Mountain Area next? All the capable personnel I have on hand have been sent to check for safety hazards. Basically, Sanya is composed of civilian personnel. , how do you do it? ”
"If you are a civilian, just be a civilian. Anyway, there will be armed guards from the military following you all the way. There shouldn't be any big problems in terms of security. Just transfer a young man of the same rank to your side. This will also make it easier to contact your local agencies. .”
"A young man of the same level? Then we can only ask Zhang Qianzhi to make a trip. He happens to be familiar with Qiongbei."
"Okay, then I will add him to the list of accompanying officials first."
Ning Qi put down the phone and took up a pen to add another line at the end of the list of accompanying officials - Security Department: Zhang Qianzhi.
The person on the phone with him was the Minister of Security, He Xi. Generally, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would not interfere in the work assignment arrangements of the Ministry of Security, but Ning Qi believed that the Ministry of Security would rarely be absent from tasks of this nature in the past, so he made a phone call. He Xi checked to see if there was a problem with the information communication. They unanimously believed that there were no security issues with the Prince of Korea's inspection trip, so He Xi did not even plan to send anyone to accompany him at first. Although Ning Qi insisted on sending someone, he felt that there was no need to make too much of a fuss, as long as the meaning was fulfilled.
As for arranging for Zhang Qianzhi to accompany him, Ning Qi thought it was very suitable. Zhang Qianzhi was He Xi's beloved disciple and had made several great contributions on the security front. Now he had a high status in the security department, which was exactly what Ning Qi chose. Conditions for accompanying officials. Moreover, Zhang Qianzhi had served in Danzhou in his early years and was indeed familiar with the situation in the Qiongbei area. Even those field personnel with stronger skills may not be able to match this advantage.
He Xi hung up the phone and called the secretary in: "Go and notify Section Chief Zhang and ask him to prepare for a business trip. For the specific arrangements... ask him to go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to find Minister Ning to inquire."
If it were another person, He Xi would definitely not give such an order and ask his subordinates to contact Ning Qi directly. That is to say, Zhang Qianzhi is in a special situation and is familiar with the big guys in the executive committee, so he can make such a joke. . Of course, even if Zhang Qianzhi received this order, he would not just go to Ning Qi foolishly. There are officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who are responsible for external relations and coordination, so Zhang Qianzhi would know who to go to.
It took some time to notify Zhang Qianzhi of the errand, because he did not work in the small gray building of the Security Department today, but went to Victory Port to investigate a smuggling-related case. In fact, it is not the job of the Security Department to investigate such cases. The Port Management Committee has a special anti-smuggling department. The reason why the Security Department was notified to participate in the investigation is because some of the goods detected by the anti-smuggling department are somewhat special in origin. The Ministry of Security needs to send someone to check and confirm whether it touches the scope of national security.
Because Zhang Qianzhi participated in solving the Spanish espionage case three years ago, he has always had a good relationship with the Victory Port Management Committee. In addition, many field personnel from the Ministry of Security have recently been transferred out of Sanya, so this job fell to him. . Of course, there is another reason unknown to the outside world, and that is that the investigation of this case seems to have a vague connection with Spain.
There was a drunkard in a tavern near the port who had no money to pay his bill, so he took out a bag of spices and wanted to pay the bill with the boss. In fact, this happens often. The tavern owner took this spice to a nearby spice shop to calculate the price. As a result, the clerk at the spice shop recognized that this was a special kind of pepper produced in Mindanao, and suggested that the tavern owner take a plate of this stuff first. The origin of this thing, because the origin of this thing is likely to come from a Spanish colonial area in the area.
Haihan had just fought a big war with Spain in his early years, and the grievances between the two countries were naturally known to everyone. The tavern owner was worried about getting into trouble, so he decisively ran to the port center to report the case. After confirming the variety of the pepper, the Port Management Center did not dare to neglect. It notified the anti-smuggling team and the security department of the Port Management Committee, and at the same time asked the police station to come forward and bring back the drunkard who owed money.
However, the drunkard's interrogation did not yield much information. He only remembered that one night a few days ago, he boldly boarded a boat docked at the dock, hoping to steal something valuable in exchange for alcohol. But in a hurry, I only grabbed a package of goods in the dark. As for what the boat looked like, which dock it was at, or even the specific night of the day, this guy couldn't remember anything.
If what the drunkard said was true, it is now completely unknown where the ship came from, where the goods on the ship came from, and whether the goods had been sold and left the Port of Victory. However, for investigators, the clues that can be investigated do not only come from this drunkard.
"Pepper is not a banned commodity locally, but pepper produced in Spain is a different matter. Everyone here should know the reason. I want to know if there are really spice dealers who plan to sell spices produced in Spanish-controlled areas locally. Pepper, can we find any clues in the market?" Zhang Qianzhi proposed an investigation idea to the investigators present.
In order to hit the Spanish economy as much as possible, after this year's Battle of Manila, Haihan has ordered a ban on the sale of various commodities and raw materials produced in the Spanish-controlled areas on the market, and spices are naturally included in this list. This is why after the pepper variety is identified, the tavern owner will immediately report it to the authorities.
(End of chapter)