With Qu Deren's current status and position, he is certainly not qualified enough to investigate the areas under the jurisdiction of the Haihan Army. But it was indeed business that he came to Yanziji Pier today. Shi Chengwu asked him to put down other things at hand and lead a team to Yanziji Pier to maintain order and prepare for the arrival of an important person.
As for who this important person was, Shi Chengwu didn't take the initiative to say it, so he wisely didn't ask. But since Shi Chengwu will come here to greet him in person later, he must be a big shot with a high status.
After Qin Jian heard him tell the reason, he couldn't help but be a little confused: "Is there still this thing? Why haven't I been notified yet?"
Qu Deren explained: "Since the person coming is a big shot, for safety reasons, the itinerary must be kept confidential and we, who are running errands, will not be notified in advance. In fact, I only got it when I went to the Yamen to order the meal this morning. According to the news, we have temporarily changed our arrangements to come to Yanziji.”
Qin Jian suddenly said: "That's true. After all, the ground in Nanjing is not completely peaceful. If someone with ulterior motives gets the news, there may be some trouble... Is there any arrangement that requires my cooperation?"
Qu Deren said: "This Yanziji Pier is your territory, and of course it requires your cooperation! Later, you can go with me to clear away the idlers on Pier A."
Qin Jian asked: "Wait a minute, do you want to go say hello to Mr. Yang first?"
Qu Deren nodded and said: "Of course I do. For both emotional and rational reasons, I have to go see him first."
For Qu Deren, he was able to be used by Haihan not only because Qin Jian was the matchmaker, but also because Qin Jian's boss Yang Jin recommended him to Shi Chengwu. He was able to make a comeback under Haihan's rule, and Yang Jin can be regarded as one of his benefactors.
Yang Jin was not too surprised by Qu Deren's arrival, and he obviously already knew the reason why he came to Yanziji Pier.
"Brother Qu, on this occasion today, I'm afraid it's not enough for you to bring these brothers here!"
Now that Qu Deren is the second-in-command of the Nanjing Police Department, he can be considered a member of the officialdom. Yang Jin starts to treat him like a brother when talking to him.
How could Qu Deren not understand the meaning of Yang Jin's words, he quickly responded: "I am here to ask Mr. Yang for help. I hope Mr. Yang can help me with today's errand!"
Yang Jin's intention was to hint to Qu Deren that since this errand was at Yanziji Pier, you, as an outsider, cannot take all the credit. Qu Deren was also very wise and immediately stated that he had no intention of monopolizing it, and he politely invited Yang Jin to participate.
Yang Jin laughed and said, "Brother Qu, I'm just joking with you. In fact, the superiors have already ordered me to cooperate with the police station to complete today's errands. I just didn't know that Brother Qu was personally leading the team today."< br>
The police brought by Qu Deren were dispatched together with the Haihan Army stationed at Yanziji, and the Jiazi Pier was quickly cleared out.
Such a big movement naturally attracted many onlookers. Some people came to Qin Jian to inquire about the situation. Qin Jian knew that the matter was of great importance and did not dare to leak the information. He only said that he did not know anything about it.
During this period, many carriages came one after another from the direction of Nanjing city. Most of the people who got off the carriages were prominent local figures in Nanjing. Apparently they also got the news from some channels and came here specially to greet the nobles.
Not long after, Shi Chengwu came as expected. After inspecting the preparations of the pier, he informed them of the people they would welcome today.
"The newly appointed Chief Executive of Nanjing by the Executive Committee? Is he at the same level as the former Nanjing Garrison Master?" Qu Deren, who was more familiar with Nanjing's officialdom, boldly asked.
Shi Chengwu nodded and said: "That's more or less what it means. He is equivalent to the former Nanjing garrison, and I am equivalent to the counselor and maintenance officer." Since the Ming Dynasty moved the capital, the system of two capitals in the north and the south has been implemented, and among the officials left behind in Nanjing, the highest authority It is controlled by three people, namely Nanjing garrison, Nanjing garrison eunuch, and counselor machine maintenance.
The garrison of Nanjing was usually held by nobles from the imperial court, who also took charge of the Chinese Army's Governor's Mansion. The position of Counselor for Machinery Affairs is concurrently held by the Minister of the Ministry of War in Nanjing.
As for the garrison eunuch, although this position was a vacuous position with no real power, it represented the emperor's will and mainly played a role in supervising military and political affairs. It is worth mentioning that the first garrison eunuch in Nanjing in history was the famous Sanbao eunuch Zheng He.
However, Haihan does not have a special group like eunuchs, so naturally there will be no positions similar to guard eunuchs.
After Shi Chengwu explained this, Qu Deren and Qin Jian immediately understood the identity of the visitor.
When Shi Chengwu went to give instructions to Yang Jin, Qin Jian asked Qu Deren the question on his mind: "The Nanjing garrison is the top spot in the local area. Mr. Shi has a profound background, why doesn't he take this position himself?"
Qu Deren said: "There's no need to guess. It must be because the background of the gentleman who came to Nanjing to take office is tougher than Lord Shi, so he can only be ranked second!"
Although Qu Deren's guess was not entirely correct, it was not far from the truth. Tao Hongfang, who came to Nanjing to take up his post, was indeed a little better than Shi Chengwu in terms of status and background.
However, Tao Donglai and Shi Diwen arranged for them to partner up in Nanjing, and they had the intention of joining forces and dividing the cake. There is probably no clear definition of who is in charge and who is deputy. It still depends on the two young people to use their abilities after taking office.
Near noon, an official ship with a red and blue flag on its mast slowly sailed from the lower river. Shi Chengwu said hello, and a group of civil and military officials began to line up on the dock, preparing for the ceremony.
Qin Jian recognized this ship. It had set off from Yanziji Pier and headed downstream a few days ago. Unexpectedly, this trip was to pick up his parents in Nanjing.
As the ship got closer and closer to the river bank, there was movement on the dock, and the sound of gongs and drums suddenly sounded.
Tao Hongfang heard the movement from the shore, walked out of the cabin slowly and came to the deck, raised his hand to wave to the crowd greeting him on the pier.
During his stay in Hangzhou, he had become quite familiar with Shi Chengwu, and he expected that the other party would arrange such a welcoming ceremony. Since the other party has given enough face, of course he has to cooperate.
After docking, Tao Hongfang walked down the gangway and shook hands with Shi Chengwu.
Qin Jian looked at him not far away and was secretly stunned: "This new master looks to be about the same age as Mr. Shi!"
Qu Deren lowered his voice and responded: "I heard that this person's surname is Tao. If I guessed correctly, he should be the heir of Mr. Tao of the Executive Committee!"
Qin Jian nodded and said: "That should be the case, otherwise how could Master Shi be relegated to second place."