Chapter 1980
As Zhang Qianzhi guessed, the fundamental reason why these incidents attracted the attention of Haihan executives lies in the origin of the muskets used. Although the weapons that have appeared so far are not enough to affect Haihan's foundation, these incidents themselves are already a danger signal and must be identified as early as possible to take measures to eliminate the hidden dangers.
As for Zhang Qianzhi, he not only has to trace the origin of this musket, but he also has to continue to investigate the details of Xue Zheng and his group. He believed that if he could find out the identity and background of this group of people, he could follow the clues to find the source of the guns. However, judging from He Xi's tone, the current focus of the high-level investigation is obviously on the source of the guns. As for the situation surrounding the Joseon Crown Prince's inspection trip some time ago, perhaps because the person has been arrested, the follow-up attention from the high-level officials has obviously decreased. many.
"Then what should we do with these captured people? They must have received relevant training and are very capable of resisting interrogation. I have been unable to confirm whether their confessions are true and valid." Zhang Qianzhi asked He Xi for instructions.
He Xi said in a deep voice: "Since these people think they can keep their mouths shut, they should keep it secret! Lock them up first and ignore them for the time being. Maybe the information that can be found in Jiangsu and Zhejiang will be better than the one you caught. The first batch of people is more valuable.”
Hearing his boss's statement, Zhang Qianzhi couldn't help but frown slightly. He had originally hoped that after these people were escorted back to Sanya, He Xi could arrange a more effective interrogation method to get Xue Zheng and others to confess. But it was clear that He Xi was not as interested in these suspects as he had expected, and he did not even plan to start a new round of interrogation on them immediately.
Although He Xi and Zhang Qianzhi are called superiors and subordinates, they share the same affection as master and apprentice, and they naturally notice Zhang Qianzhi's emotions by observing their words and expressions.
"No matter how vicious the people you captured in Danzhou are, they are just weapons in the hands of others. Don't expect that the seized weapons will provide you with all the information you need."
He Xi enlightened: "I know what you are thinking, but sometimes to solve a case, we can also try different methods. Maybe you think that the Danzhou case must be found out the mastermind and the real purpose before it can be successfully concluded. But you're still looking at this case in isolation, without realizing the real connections to clues found elsewhere."
Zhang Qianzhi thought about the views he had expounded before, and still felt a little unconvinced. He had clearly put forward two views on the possible connection between the cases in the two places, and He Xi also admitted that this was consistent with the current opinions of the senior officials. How could he do it now? He also said that he did not realize the real connection.
He Xi slowly said: "Have you ever thought that the two possibilities you mentioned are actually the same situation?"
Zhang Qianzhi was a little confused after hearing this. After thinking for a moment, he understood what He Xi meant: "You are saying that it is possible that the muskets used by the Danzhou group were also purchased by Jiangsu and Zhejiang salt merchants and sent to Haihan. To carry out the mission? This situation certainly makes sense in theory, but there is no conflict of interest between Jiangsu and Zhejiang salt merchants and the North Korean prince. Even if Li Bo was assassinated and died in our country, it would still not be able to change the impact on the local salt industry in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The current situation. They can’t get any direct benefits from it, so why go to all the trouble?”
He Xi changed the subject and said: "You mentioned before that the group of people who went to Danzhou to attack the Joseon Crown Prince came from different regions and probably belonged to different behind-the-scenes forces. Then think about it, who among this group of people will There won’t be anyone sent from Jiangsu and Zhejiang salt merchants”
"What you mean is that the salt merchants in Jiangsu and Zhejiang are not necessarily at odds with the Joseon prince, but for some reasons...for example, the person who provided them with weapons asked them to participate in or cooperate with this operation. They felt that they could not refuse, so they took advantage of the situation. Have you sent someone to participate?" Zhang Qianzhi felt that he had found some ideas from He Xi's prompts.
He Xi nodded and said: "In this case, doesn't it make more sense? I know you will think that such speculation has no actual evidence at all, and it is too far-fetched. But in fact, our daily intelligence collection in Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas Work still plays a role, and I don’t know anything about the situation of local salt merchants.”
As soon as Zhang Qianzhi heard this, he knew that his boss had ambushed him and there must be some key information that he had not told him. He smiled and waited for He Xi to reveal the answer. As expected, He Xi didn't intend to wait for Zhang Qianzhi to ask questions, so he continued talking.
Almost all of Haihan's overseas occupation areas have branches of the Ministry of Security. The Zhoushan Islands are close to prosperous coastal areas such as Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Naturally, there are also permanent personnel from the Ministry of Security in the area. Part of their functions is to collect information from all walks of life in the area. Although this information is complicated, after screening and sorting, it will become an important reference for understanding local politics, economy, military, culture and other fields. Among them, important industries controlled by the state, such as salt and iron, are of course the focus of intelligence personnel, and they will try to monitor their production and circulation. However, the specific implementation intensity depends on the actual local situation and the professional level of the resident personnel.
After several years of operation, the intelligence network currently established by the Ministry of Security in the coastal areas of Zhejiang has become relatively complete. Needless to say, Ningbo Prefecture, which has the closest relationship with the Zhoushan authorities, has long been infiltrated by Haihan from top to bottom. Taizhou, Shaoxing, Jiaxing, and the central city of Zhejiang, Hangzhou, are also close to Zhoushan. An intelligence branch of the Ministry of Security has been established.
The Ministry of Security official currently commanding the local intelligence agency in Zhoushan is relatively familiar with the situation in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions, because before taking up his current position, he had lurked in Hangzhou as a civilian for a long time, and also participated in the Haihan's important actions in Hangzhou. This man was Wan Fa, who was running a business store outside Hangzhou. In 1634, he cooperated with Gong Shiqi and Gao Qiaonan to assassinate the well-known anti-Hai and Han officials in Zhejiang officialdom at that time. Commander Yu Pingfeng and Yincha Si Guo Zheng, the chief official, Liao Xun, a hundred households in Jinyiwei, and others.
After the incident was completed, Wanfa burned down the business building and escaped from Hangzhou. After that, he was transferred back to Sanya to work for a period of time and learned some new intelligence courses. He quietly returned to Zhoushan last year and assumed the position of director of local security intelligence affairs. However, after the change, no one would associate him with the chubby shop owner outside Hangzhou.
The Ministry of Security has a limited overseas establishment, so Wanfa is responsible for a very large area, covering coastal states and counties in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. It has more than a hundred intelligence personnel at all levels under its command, including two field operations teams. The number of people seems to be quite large, but in fact, in addition to the nearly thirty people in the field team, there are almost the same number of intelligence analysts who are stationed on Zhoushan Island and are actually intelligence personnel working on the front line. In fact, a state There may only be two or three people in the house.
However, even with limited manpower, the work efficiency of the Security Department is still commendable. Every month, various information collected by these intelligence personnel will be summarized and screened on Zhoushan Island, and analysts will record and evaluate the most valuable information. , and use this to predict changes in various local fields. Some of the more critical information will also be sent back to the Sanya headquarters as soon as possible, and it will be determined whether follow-up is needed for in-depth investigation.
In the first half of this year, local intelligence officers had already heard some rumors. Some salt merchants in the Jianghuai area were making harsh remarks to those in Zhejiang who were selling private sea salt as official salt. However, nothing happened subsequently, so this action was naturally regarded as a rant and was not recorded. But later it was reported that some salt merchants secretly donated money and people to organize private armed forces called "salt protection teams". It is said that they also hired special instructors for training.
These messages still did not attract enough attention from intelligence personnel, because there are already some armed personnel in each salt field, and it is normal for wealthy salt merchants to have some private guards. This seems to be the salt merchants paying to arm the manpower of the salt field, and it is not a new operation. It was not until the salt transport team from Ningbo Prefecture was repeatedly attacked that the news made Wanfa realize that the competition in the salt industry had moved from the market to the battlefield, and it was more direct and brutal, so he ordered to strengthen the monitoring and investigation of the movements of Jianghuai salt merchants. And dispatched more manpower to Huai'an, Yangzhou and other places to collect intelligence.
After the focus of work was adjusted, more information was gradually collected in Zhoushan. The musket pellets used to attack the Ningbo salt transport team were also collected by intelligence personnel going to the Jianghuai area during this period, and then sent to Zhoushan. Return to Sanya for inspection.
Although the attack teams equipped with muskets were elusive and unpredictable, the Ministry of Security had a detailed grasp of the itinerary of every salt transport team from Ningbo to other areas, and could send personnel to accompany them nearby. Therefore, as long as the other party takes action, there is a great chance of tracking it. Although it has not yet been confirmed who is the mastermind behind it, the scope of activities of this mysterious musketeer team has been basically grasped.
Speaking of this, He Xi said proudly: "Even the Military Intelligence Bureau doesn't know the information I have now. This is exclusive information!"
"Boss, don't be too pretentious. What clues make you so sure that the fight between salt merchants in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is related to the assassination in Danzhou?" Zhang Qianzhi listened for a long time, but He Xi still didn't reveal the key evidence, and he was a little confused at the moment. Eagerly, he finally couldn't help but urge He Xi to show his trump card.
He Xi smiled and said: "Your boss, I am sitting in Sanya, strategizing, and discerning the opponents' plots. Can't you feel a little proud? In fact, the answer is very simple. We found that there are foreigners in that musketeer team."
The "foreigners" mentioned by He Xi obviously refer to countries other than the Ming Dynasty and Haihan, but Zhang Qianzhi still asked in confusion: "So? Which country are they from?"
"North Koreans."
This answer really shocked Zhang Qianzhi, but He Xi hadn't finished speaking yet.
"...There are also Westerners. There may be more than that, maybe there are people from other countries."
Zhang Qianzhi felt a little confused for a moment. If there are North Koreans who want to deal with Li Bo, the motive is probably for political reasons. After all, Li Bo's identity as the heir to the throne will block the way forward for many people. Around power, The various bloody battles that unfolded are not uncommon in Korean history. But North Koreans are killing people and selling goods on behalf of salt merchants in Zhejiang. What is going on? And what is the situation of Westerners? Is it true that if money can make ghosts go around, even Western ghosts will work for salt merchants for the sake of money?
"If the intelligence we have is correct, then there are personnel from at least three countries in this musketeer team, and the actual situation may be even more than this. Tell me, what does this situation remind you of?" He Xi shared the key information. After the disclosure, questions were raised about Zhang Qianzhi.
In the past days, He Xi often used this method of questioning to guide Zhang Qianzhi to think about the problem. Zhang Qianzhi was also accustomed to this kind of conversation, and after listening to the question, he began to think about it silently. When He Xi saw this, he didn't push him. He crossed his legs and slowly sipped the tea, waiting for Zhang Qianzhi's answer.
Zhang Qianzhi was not very sure about the answer he was thinking of, but he did not need to have any reservations in front of He Xi, so he readily gave his answer: "I am humble and stupid, I only thought about our country in the two years of this year." Second foreign war, the Battle of Manila at the beginning of the year, and the war in Korea in the middle of the year.”
"That's right!" He Xi seemed very satisfied with the answer given by Zhang Qianzhi, and then gave his own comments: "Both wars were led by our country, and multiple parties participated to form a coalition to fight. And in Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas The musketry team that appeared is actually a small multinational force!”
"But I still don't understand. What's the use of such a small fight? I heard that the musketeer team only has a few dozen people every time it is dispatched. Even if the size of this musketeer team is ten times larger, it will still be useless." They are no match for the garrison in Zhoushan, let alone openly hostile to our country." Zhang Qianzhi still didn't understand the key point.
"They are not organizing an army in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. I think this is actually a special form of the 'salt protection team' to complete military training for certain specific targets locally."
At this point, He Xi changed the topic again: "You know about the foreign military students in Sanya Military Academy, right?"
"You mean, these people are gathered locally to receive actual combat training, and then take the military skills they learned back home?" Zhang Qianzhi vaguely noticed something, but it was still not clear enough.
"It's not just military skills, it may also be weapons and equipment." He Xi said slowly: "Someone provided them with weapons and taught them to use them. Maybe they also taught them how to cause trouble for our country."
(End of chapter)