Chapter 2311
A hundred miles away from Ganghwa Island, on the bank of the Han River, is Seoul, the capital of North Korea. However, at this time, Seoul is no longer as prosperous as it used to be. The city has been closed for thirty-three days since the day of the Great Rebellion. Nowadays, the only people who pass in and out of the four city gates every day are fully armed soldiers. There are almost no people outside the city. No one knows what the situation is in the city at this time.
But even if there is no direct source of information, there will still be some clues revealed. If these traces fall into the eyes of interested people, more information will be deduced based on them.
Beside the official road not far from Chongli Gate in the south of Seoul, there is a large and very conspicuous house, covering an area of 100 acres, with red walls and green tiles. The gate is very wide, allowing cars and horses to go in and out directly. There is also a four-story house in the courtyard. It is a high-story tower. It is said that from the top floor, you can even see part of the city's palaces over the city wall, and you can also see the banks of the Han River several miles away to the south.
This wooden tower is not an ancient building, but construction began in late fall last year and was not completed until the middle of this year. In North Korea, where construction technology is not developed, such a construction period is already very fast. There are obviously violations for a building of this height, but the government has never caused trouble for it. The reason is very simple. The government really can't afford to offend the owner of this compound.
When the tower was built, a red and blue flag flew on the roof, symbolizing the true ownership of this place. This is not only the Haihan Diplomatic Office in Seoul, but also the Seoul branches of Haihan Bank and Golden Shield Escort, two commercial institutions with official backgrounds. To this day, the two-color flag on the tower has still not been lowered, but the entire organization has suspended external operations due to the situation.
Commercial activities near Seoul have been greatly reduced recently, and naturally there is no bustling traffic here. Although the door is still open, few people come in and out, showing a depressed scene.
But this is just an appearance. In this place that seems to have stopped functioning, there are still many people staying for various reasons, and there is still a lot of work that is still ongoing.
As the person in charge of the Seoul branch of Haihan Bank, Mei Baiji did not evacuate the place immediately. It's not that he is bold and fearless, but there is still a large amount of property and information stored in the bank here, and it will be difficult to transport them all in a short while. If he evacuates without authorization without getting an order, he will give up like the soldiers before the battle. Running away from the battlefield is no different. He cannot bear the crime of running away from the battlefield.
Fortunately, this place is not without defense means. In addition to a platoon of Army troops stationed for a long time, dozens of armed personnel under the name of Golden Shield also returned here immediately after the incident in Seoul to participate in the defense.
Although this kind of security method may not be able to stop thousands of troops, it can easily deal with some small groups of soldiers who want to fish in troubled waters. After the incident in Seoul, of course some people focused on the treasure cave of Haihan Bank and planned to take advantage of the chaos to rob it. However, several groups of people came and went, but they couldn't take advantage of it, and they didn't even rush through the gate.
The armed personnel responsible for defending this place had no idea of holding back. After firing a warning shot at the insurgents who tried to attack this place, they opened fire directly.
To deal with these small groups of rebels who still use cold weapons as their main means of attack, the Haihan regular army basically just cuts melons and vegetables. After killing more than ten or twenty people each time, these rebels will automatically disperse.
However, one time later, someone might be organizing and directing from behind, and three to five hundred people came all of a sudden, including two squatting tiger cannons, with the intention of storming the courtyard. But before they could calculate the position and set up the cannon, they were hit by a round of artillery fire.
Yes, Haihan’s institution outside Seoul is not only stationed with armed personnel, but also equipped with heavy weapons. Of course, it is said to be a heavy weapon, but in fact it is just the Army's smallest caliber 85mm field gun. Although it is not too powerful, it is more than enough to deal with these stragglers.
According to the agreement reached between Haihan and North Korea, Haihan is not allowed to station more than a hundred organized troops within a hundred miles around Seoul during non-war times, nor is it allowed to deploy heavy artillery in these areas. The purpose of doing this is of course to give the North Korean royal family a certain sense of security, but there is another reason that everyone knows but will not say it openly, and that is to save face for North Korea.
Haihan has a large number of troops stationed in North Korea, but most of them are stationed at the Datong River base more than 400 miles away from Seoul. As for the permanent establishment outside Seoul, a small number of troops are deployed symbolically as a security measure. , but I never thought that it would be put to use before a year had passed. And if Qian Tiandun hadn't insisted, he probably wouldn't have specially transported a few small cannons and hid them in this place.
With the sound of artillery, these Korean rebels were naturally defeated again without any suspense. But the most panicked people were not the fleeing soldiers, but the people in the city who heard the sound of cannons. After learning that the sound of artillery came from the Haihan Institution in the south of the city, someone quickly sent a message, guaranteeing that no more rebels would approach this place, and that necessary living supplies would be provided here. Of course, the implication was also that Haihan Han people should not rush to intervene in the current chaos.
As a result, a new tacit understanding was quickly reached. Haihan stayed at this stronghold and continued to observe the situation in Seoul, while slowly gathering the scattered Haihan merchants who had been released from the city. At this time, the Han River has been closed to navigation, and they can't leave even if they want to. They can only stay in this stronghold temporarily and try to leave after the situation improves.
At this time, the person responsible for settling these Haihan people was Mei Baiji. He had no choice but to receive this errand. The bank had been closed, but due to his responsibilities, he could not leave here, so he became an idler. And it happened that because of his work, he was acquainted with most of these Haihan merchants who came all the way to Seoul to do business, so it was logical that he was assigned this job.
Although Mei Baiji is not a civil affairs official, fortunately, this job is not difficult. He arranges accommodation and food distribution for these people, goes around every day, understands their requirements, tries to meet them as much as possible, and then reports to the officials in charge of affairs here. Just look at the situation. He can arrange the rest of the time freely, but he will definitely not be able to go because of the chaos outside, so he can only stay in this compound.
Although every attack by rebels or refugees was easily repelled, Mei Baiji felt that this was not really an interesting experience. He couldn't even sleep well at night, fearing that thieves would climb over the wall and get in in the middle of the night. It wasn't until the news came a few days ago that the two generals Wang Qian had led his troops south and the naval fleet arrived at Ganghwa Island a hundred miles away, that Mei Baiji was finally able to sleep peacefully.
But the two generals made no further moves after arriving at Ganghwa Island, and they did not order the evacuation of personnel from this stronghold outside Seoul. Although Mei Baiji didn't know what these big shots were thinking, he could guess that they were waiting to see how the situation in Seoul would change.
At this time, all Haihan's people in the city had left. The stronghold outside Chonglimen became the closest observation post to Seoul, and naturally would not receive an order to evacuate. Mei Baiji also knew that the four-story tower in the compound was not built for viewing the scenery, but a watchtower exclusively used by the military. How could the military give up such a good place so easily?
All Haihan's affairs in North Korea, including diplomacy, are managed by the Taedongjiang base. Official and semi-official agencies must also take orders from the military in extraordinary times. Therefore, the military does not issue a withdrawal order. People like Mei Baiji People can only continue to stand on the front line. Unless a large-scale armed conflict really breaks out with the rebels, it is estimated that they will not be able to leave for a while.
Mei Baiji went to the warehouse in Xikuoyuan. It was originally used to store transshipment goods, but recently no merchants have shipped goods here, so the vacant space is used to house the Haihan people stranded in the local area.
A few days ago, a ship came from Ganghwa Island and picked up most of the people. There were less than ten people left here. Mei Baiji showed his face and greeted everyone, which was considered completed. Today's inspection mission. Then he went to the tower, greeted the soldiers on duty downstairs, and then entered the building. For Mei Baiji, who is slightly afraid of heights, going up to a high place and looking far away is not a pleasure, but he still has to climb the tower once a day. For no other reason than the person Mei Baiji wanted to report to was on the highest floor of the tower.
This official was transferred from the Datong River Base in the middle of this year and was directly appointed as the person in charge of this stronghold. He is very young, but very capable. It is said that he was directly appointed by the Executive Committee, and his background is natural. not simple.
Since the incident in Seoul, this official has moved his residence to a tower and personally monitors the movements inside and outside Seoul. Mei Baiji had to report work to him face to face every day, so he could only endure the discomfort and climb the stairs.
Mei Baiji slowly walked to the top floor and saw a man leaning on the railing to look out. However, he was not just relying on his eyesight, he was also holding a telescope in his hand. He didn't seem to notice Mei Baiji's arrival and was still watching very intently.
Mei Baiji walked over slowly, keeping enough distance from the railing to avoid accidentally catching a glimpse of the gap between here and the bottom of the building. After standing still, he coughed twice.
This time the other party heard the noise, put down the telescope, turned around, and said hello: "Shopkeeper Mei is here. How is the situation today?"
Mei Baiji responded respectfully: "Master Fu has worked hard, everything is as usual today."
The young official whom Mei Baiji called "Master Fu" was Fu Li, who was assigned to work at the Datongjiang base last year.
Fu Li's work oversight caused a serious loophole in the security work during a major event last year. Although his boss Ren Liang tried his best to keep him, his position as director of the Special Operations Division of the Police Department could not be saved at the same time. However, Fu Li was one of the first people to join Haihan, so the executive committee would not embarrass him and transferred him overseas. Firstly, it would serve as a punishment, and secondly, it would allow him to practice his work ability in more environments. .
Fu Li had no complaints about this arrangement. He also knew that the big shots on the executive committee had no choice but to do this. Although there were no serious consequences at the time, someone had to take responsibility afterwards, and he happened to be the person in charge. I just didn't expect that I would travel thousands of miles away and settle in the Korean Peninsula, which has a completely different environment from my hometown.
Fu Li was assigned to the Datongjiang base where he still worked in his old job and was responsible for local security management. However, the target was not the Haihan people, but the North Korean people who gathered inside and outside the Datongjiang base for various reasons at that time.
Some of them are workers sent here by North Korea to help build the base, and some are refugees who later fled here to escape the war. At most, tens of thousands of people live inside and outside the base. Although the military can also deploy troops to implement military control, after all, there are many problems that require more professional personnel to deal with, and Fu Li is here to do this.
Fu Li's professional abilities during his stay at Datong River satisfied both Wang Tom and Qian Tiandun, so after the permanent establishment in Seoul was established, the two of them jointly recommended Fu Li to manage the Seoul side. of permanent establishments.
Fu Liben was a young official whom the Executive Committee had deliberately cultivated, and with the recommendation of the resident chief, the transfer was approved without any obstacles. As for Fu Li Zhien Tu Bao, he was also very attentive after taking office. For example, after the incident in Seoul, Fu Li commanded properly and kept the place in a relatively safe state. At the same time, he continued to collect intelligence and sent the news to the Datong River base through the radio.
The only thing that Fu Li regrets is that he failed to place reliable informants in the city in advance. Now that the gates of Seoul are closed, it is increasingly difficult to obtain news in the city. He could only stay on the tower and look at the city every day, for fear of missing valuable information.
Fu Li handed the telescope to others to continue monitoring, and motioned to Mei Baiji to sit down and talk. He took the teapot on the table next to him and poured two cups of tea out. Mei Baiji thanked him quickly.
"In the past seven days, there have been no fires in the city, and fewer and fewer bodies have been transported out of the city every morning. I think the situation has basically calmed down, and this farce should not be far away from ending." Fu Li While drinking tea, he shared his observations with Mei Baiji.
Mei Baiji said: "If so, that would be the best!"
Fu Li said: "But the results those people in the city want may not be consistent with the results we want."
Mei Baiji sneered: "Even if they can't help it! Counting the days, the prince of North Korea will be back from Sanya, and it will be almost there! Those who refuse to surrender will all be rebels and deserve to die!"
Fu Lidao said: "How to deal with this matter will ultimately depend on the outcome of discussions with the Crown Prince of Joseon. If a war really breaks out, we will probably have to hand over this place to the army soon."
Mei Baiji thought for a while and said: "What do you mean, sir, will this place be requisitioned by the military?"
"There is no more suitable frontline headquarters than here." Fu Li responded: "This watchtower is actually prepared for commanding operations."
(End of chapter)