Chapter 2041
Who is connecting the Spanish and the Qing Dynasty? This is the question that investigators want to find out most at present, and Liu Shang believes that the key to solving the problem may lie in the translator. According to Sun Bing's description, this translator should have mastered three languages: Chinese, Spanish and Manchu. Before that, he must have frequently visited the Qing Dynasty and the Spanish colonies in the South China Sea, and had relatively close contact with the Manchus and Spanish .
It is probably difficult for ordinary Han maritime merchants to expand their business scope to such a large scale, especially to conduct private trade with the Qing Dynasty and provide them with weapons and equipment. Such behavior would undoubtedly be a taboo felony in the Ming Dynasty. Once discovered, This would probably result in the confiscation of the entire family and the annihilation of the entire clan. Not many people would dare to take such a risk.
Therefore, Liu Shang believes that although the middleman is said to be Han, he may not be a Ming person under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, someone who can plan and implement such a complex action plan will definitely not be an unknown person. There must be an experienced expert behind the scenes. If Liu Shanglai was in charge of the investigation, he would first eliminate the maritime merchants who were based in the Ming Dynasty and had close ties with the government, and then select a few of the remaining merchants who had the strength to establish a route from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea. In this way The scope of investigation objects can be greatly reduced.
Of course, this is just an idea. Liu Shang's responsibility is to handle propaganda work. As for investigating the movements of foreign enemies, that is the responsibility of the Ministry of Security and the Military Intelligence Bureau. Even if he has some thoughts of his own on this case, he cannot interfere at will with the investigation work of the intelligence department. At most, he can use his position to learn more information from insiders, just like he is currently investigating Sun Bing. same access.
After bidding farewell to Sun Bing and leaving the ward, Liu Shang did not rush back to his residence to sort out today's interview notes. Instead, he first went to find an acquaintance in the hospital.
This acquaintance of Liu Shang's is named Lin Xingping, a surgeon at a field hospital. He once studied under Johnson in Sanya, and after being stationed in Liaodong, he became an academic leader in the local medical field. In addition to operating on injured soldiers, Lin Xingping also occasionally performed special tasks, such as serving as a temporary worker in charge of autopsies.
Liu Shang heard that Sun Bing said that the translator's body had been brought back, and he guessed that it should be parked in a field hospital. After all, neither the Military Intelligence Bureau nor the Ministry of Security had a place specifically used for morgues. As a temporary worker in the field hospital, Lin Xingping will most likely have to undertake the task of autopsy. More relevant information may be obtained from him.
"Your news is very fast!" Lin Xingping was slightly surprised after hearing Liu Shang's purpose: "Is it possible that you are working part-time at the Military Intelligence Bureau now?"
Liu Shang waved his hand and said: "What does the army want me to do with someone who can't carry my shoulders or lift my hands? I'm just curious. I just finished visiting Company Commander Sun and heard that the corpse of the enemy translator who was killed by them was brought back. I was wondering about the corpse. Maybe there are any clues, so I came to ask you.”
Lin Xingping said: "You have a leisurely mind... But this matter is supervised by the Military Intelligence Bureau, and it involves military secrets. I don't dare to talk nonsense."
Liu Shang nodded and said, "Don't worry, I have General Chen's warrant here. I can get information related to this combat mission from all parties." After saying that, he took out the warrant signed and sealed by Chen Yixin and handed it to Lin Xing plane front.
After Lin Xingping looked at it, he nodded and said: "Since we have General Chen's warrant, it will be easy to handle. How about you come with me to see the body?"
Although Liu Shang was a civil servant, he was still someone who had experienced great storms. He was not timid at all, so he immediately agreed to Lin Xingping's proposal.
If it were anyone else, Lin Xingping might not be able to achieve his goal so smoothly. Liu Shang and Lin Xingping were transferred to the north from Sanya in the same batch. They were old acquaintances and they would meet up to have tea and dinner together in their free time. Their personal relationship was quite good, so Liu Shang could Come directly to him for help.
If you think about it seriously, Chen Yixin's warrant was actually only for interviewing combat missions, but it did not delegate authority to Liu Shang to investigate the truth behind the incident. However, Liu Shang also knew that Chen Yixin would not have free time to supervise whether his execution was in violation of regulations, so he boldly added drama on his own in actual operations.
The morgue of the field hospital is a separate brick building, at least a hundred meters away from other buildings in the hospital. Generally, no one comes to hang out here, so there are no special guarding measures. It was getting a little dark at this time, so Lin Xingping even brought a windproof oil lamp for lighting.
The two of them stepped on the snow on the ground and arrived at the morgue. Although Liu Shang was mentally prepared, the moment he stepped into the small room, he couldn't help but shudder. , quickly put his hands together and bowed. Although he wasn't afraid of death, he didn't want to get involved in anything unclean.
Lin Xingping was much calmer than him. After entering the room, he lighted the two oil lamps on the wall. After having three lamps for illumination, the visibility in the room was acceptable.
"Close the door, it's windy!" Lin Xingping looked back and saw that Liu Shang was still standing at the door, so he ordered.
Liu Shang came to his senses and closed the door, but he still felt that the room was very cold, and it even felt lower than the temperature outside.
There were three hospital beds in the middle of the room, all covered with white cloth. Under the illumination of the oil lamp, the outline of the human body under the white cloth could be seen. Lin Xingping pointed to the bed on the left and said: "That's the person you want to see over there, and the other two beds are our people."
Of course, Liu Shang would not rashly lift the white cloth. At this time, he still had to wait for Lin Xingping to perform the operation. Lin Xingping did not rush forward. He reached into his pocket and took out two cotton masks, handed one to Liu Shang and asked him to put it on.
After the white cloth was lifted, Liu Shang saw a male corpse that was so white that it looked blue. Judging from its appearance and the bun on its head, it did look like a Ming Han man. Because of the need for an autopsy, all the clothes on his body had been removed. Liu Shang could clearly see that there were at least five wounds on his torso, all of which looked like marks of gunshot wounds.
Lin Xingping said: "The deceased was shot five times, of which two shots in the chest were fatal injuries. The cause of death was excessive blood loss caused by trauma. I guess this guy was set on fire by the Marines at the time, so he died in a very short period of time. Hit five shots in a row”
Liu Shang responded: "Your speculation is consistent with Captain Sun's previous description. At that time, this man was already planning to escape, so the Marines used concentrated fire to knock him off the horse." Lin Xingping heard Liu Shang confirm his story. Presumably, he was quite proud at the moment, and continued: "This man is thin and thin. Although he is wearing a leather jacket, his underwear is all Han clothing. In my opinion, he looks very much like the Han people living south of the Yangtze River."
Liu Shangdao: "Most of the leather jacket he wore was purchased after he came to Liaodong. The underwear can be handed over to the Military Intelligence Bureau for research. Comparing the fabric with the fabrics produced in various coastal areas should be able to delineate the general area."
Lin Xingping praised: "Your approach makes sense. I will add this suggestion to the report later."
Liu Shang smiled and said: "My ideas cannot be used in vain, you have to figure it out yourself!"
Lin Xingping also smiled and said: "You are so smart! No matter what, I'll just treat you to a meal. I heard that two new restaurants have opened in Nanguanling, and they both invited master chefs from Shandong. You can go and try the taste later. How.”
The two chatted and laughed for a while, and then their attention returned to the business at hand. Lin Xingping continued: "I have seen all this person's belongings. Except for his clothes, there is nothing noteworthy. There is nothing that can indicate his personal identity. I think we still have to find out from those prisoners. Let’s start. They should be familiar with this translator. Even if they don’t know his true identity, they can at least provide more detailed information.”
Liu Shang asked: "Aren't the captured prisoners all wounded? Can they survive until they confess?"
"It's not a big problem whether they can survive... If the Military Intelligence Agency moves quickly enough, they will definitely be able to make a confession in time." Lin Xingping didn't have much confidence in this. Anyway, all available treatment methods have been used. If the Military Intelligence Bureau still fails to obtain valuable information, then the responsibility certainly does not lie with the hospital.
There wasn't much information available for research on the corpse. He had finished reading it in a short time, and Liu Shang had no interest in staying in this gloomy and cold morgue. Liu Shang originally expected to find some clues, but the actual situation was not ideal. Apart from being basically certain that the deceased was a Han, there was no other definite information for the time being.
In fact, the Military Intelligence Bureau has already considered the direction of investigation that Liu Shang has in mind. After all, this is a professional intelligence department, and of course it will not easily miss the information carried by any piece of evidence. However, the task of comparing clothing materials cannot be completed in Liaodong, where supplies are relatively scarce. The relevant evidence can only be sent to the south first, and then try to collect comparison samples for verification.
As for the few prisoners brought back by the Marines, they would not be given the time to recuperate like other wounded. After their injuries were treated, they were all taken to the Military Intelligence Bureau and separated into separate rooms. Fatigue bombing interrogation.
When Liu Shang and Lin Xingping left the field hospital and went to a restaurant in Nanguanling, Wei Lin also left the closed interrogation room, but he just came out to take a breath and clear his head, as he would have to fight again later.
The Military Intelligence Bureau's interrogation of the prisoners did not go smoothly. First of all, there was a problem with language communication. Although the Military Intelligence Bureau had prepared translators for this, the captured Qing soldiers did not seem to be from Jianzhou Jurchens, and their language was different from that of the Qing Dynasty. There are still some differences in the Manchu language commonly used in the military. This makes communication between the two parties less smooth, and it is difficult for each other to fully understand what the other party wants to express.
The attitudes displayed by these prisoners also clearly lacked the willingness to cooperate. Apart from saying their names, they basically revealed no useful information. As for the true size of the Musketeers and the identity of the middlemen, which Haihan was most eager to confirm, these prisoners were even more unwilling to confess.
Weylin was not a merciful person. Prisoners who refused to confess were of no value in his eyes, so he decisively ordered the prisoners to be executed one by one, and would not choose a gentler treatment just because they were injured. Way. Taking advantage of this time, he came out to get some air and collect his thoughts before proceeding with the rest of the interrogation.
At the same time, the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Security in Sanya also held a joint meeting again to communicate face-to-face on the current situation and investigation progress. Tao Donglai and Bai Kesi of the Executive Committee also attended the meeting.
At first, the gun-related incidents that occurred in Liaodong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Hainan Island seemed unrelated. However, as the investigation deepened, these gun cases thousands of miles apart were slowly revealed due to the pointing of various evidences. Slowly connected together. All the evidence collected so far shows that the Spaniards are one of the masterminds behind the scenes, but it is difficult for the Spaniards themselves to contact the forces of other countries outside the scope of their activities, and there is also other evidence that proves that there is indeed a group Han maritime merchants were playing a role in helping the Spaniards manage this matter.
But the strange thing is that although there is a lot of evidence to prove the existence of this group of people, their true identity has never been confirmed. It is obvious that this group of people has done very thorough counter-reconnaissance work and made arrangements in advance for possible exposure of their identities. It seems that such an opponent has never been encountered in the past experience of the Haihan Intelligence Department.
"They know who their opponents are and how to avoid our reconnaissance. They are a group of veterans. I have reason to suspect that they have dealt with us before, so they understand our methods so well and make decisions. Targeted arrangements." He Xi explained his views at the meeting: "However, Skynet is vast and meticulous. The wider the scope of their activities, the more clues they will leave. It will only take time for their true identity to be exposed. Problem! ”
"What Lao He said is true. I just received a telegram from Jinzhou, Liaodong. The Marine Corps destroyed a hundred-man Qing army musketeer team in a raid behind enemy lines a day ago. It was most likely that they ambush our army at the end of last year. The Qing army on patrol." Yan Chujie reported the good news that had just been delivered to everyone present: "The Marine Corps not only seized a batch of weapons, but also captured several prisoners, and basically confirmed that they were Qing troops in the area. It was the Spanish who provided military assistance.”
"Have you caught the Spanish?" Tao Donglai asked after hearing this.
Yan Chujie shook his head with regret and said: "The message said that the Spanish instructor's translator was killed, but the real owner still escaped. However, the batch of standard muskets seized have been confirmed to be produced in Spain. Wang Tom requested Launch another round of military operations against the Qing army's logistics supplies in Liaodong as our response to this matter."
(End of chapter)