1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3823

As the Ming Dynasty's diplomatic ambassador to Hai Han, Yue Shizong certainly had access to a lot of inside information about the Ming Dynasty, so he had long been listed as one of the targets of rebellion by the Hai Han Security Department.

As long as Yue Shizong was captured, Hai Han would be able to take more initiative in future diplomatic negotiations with the Ming Dynasty, and even grasp the bottom line of the Ming Dynasty's various negotiation conditions in advance. This was a priceless shortcut for Hai Han's intelligence department.

Under Qu Shengfeng's instruction, Zhang Yingdong also made many efforts and invested a lot of time and resources, but still failed to achieve the desired results. Yue Shizong's attitude was always wavering and he was reluctant to express his surrender.

Recently, after Shi Diwen returned from his visit, he issued a new order to Qu Shengfeng, which no longer allowed them to slowly grind with Yue Shizong in this way. They had to speed up and capture this man as soon as possible.

It happened that Zhang Yingdong had just brought Yue Shizong's family to Hangzhou, so Qu Shengfeng decided to use this as a starting point and let Huo Jingxing go to Hangzhou to cooperate with his actions.

What happened next was very simple. Huo Jingxing would go out and cause trouble for Yue Shizong, threatening the safety of his family and proposing conditions that he could not accept.

Huo Jingxing's identity as a Jinyiwei is genuine and not fake. Even if Yue Shizong seeks verification through any channel, he will get the same result.

Yue Shizong's private act of taking his family abroad had violated the Ming Dynasty's ban, and he had no way of asking his superiors for help. If he reported Huo Jingxing to the Jinyiwei Yamen, he would inevitably get himself into trouble. His only option was to try to resolve the matter privately.

Qu Shengfeng expected that Yue Shizong would not be able to raise the money demanded by Huo Jingxing in a short period of time. Even if he really gritted his teeth and raised the money, Huo Jingxing would then put forward further harsh conditions, leaving Yue Shizong with no way out and he could only find a way to get rid of Huo Jingxing to avoid future troubles.

Huo Jingxing deliberately told Yue Shizong that he had a group of subordinates in Hangzhou City in order to dissuade him from taking risks and turn to Hai Han for help.

Although Yue Shizong had many connections in Hangzhou, he could not directly ask the authorities for help in this matter. He could only seek help from Zhang Yingdong, a gangster with an official background. This way, he fell into the trap set by Qu Shengfeng.

Whether it was the clearing and arresting of the restaurant, or the subsequent interrogation in the secret room, they were actually just situational dramas performed specifically for Yue Shizong. Otherwise, even if Qu Shengfeng was in charge personally, it would not have gone so smoothly.

The purpose of this series of actions was to convince Yue Shizong that the Hai Han Security Department had fully intervened in the matter and was willing to mobilize Hangzhou's military and police forces to capture the Jinyiwei gang headed by Huo Jingxing for Yue Shizong's sake.

Yue Shizong owed this huge favor, which he had no way of repaying. Moreover, he teamed up with the Hai Han Security Department to arrest the captain of the Jinyiwei. This incident would inevitably become a handle for Qu Shengfeng to control him.

When Zhang Yingdong visited Yue Shizong earlier, he deliberately asked for information about the deployment of the Jinyiwei in the Yangtze River Basin. This was actually a deliberate attempt to mislead Yue Shizong so that he would not expect that there had long been a traitor in the Jinyiwei who was working with the Ministry of Security to plot against him.

If Hai Han really needed information on the deployment of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, they could simply ask Huo Jingxing to find out and report back. There would be no need to ask Yue Shizong, an uninformed diplomat, for it.

Of course, this is also a test. If Yue Shizong is determined to join Hai Han, then no matter what conditions Hai Han asks of him, he will not flatly refuse them.

Yue Shizong had previously discussed with Qu Shengfeng that the "military field" would be excluded from the scope of cooperation. In Qu Shengfeng's view, this was just the last fig leaf that the other party was unwilling to tear off. Now it seems that the goal is not far away, but in order to make Yue Shizong surrender completely, it seems that he still needs to put some pressure on him.

Fortunately, Qu Shengfeng specially prepared the move of "Huo Jingxing escapes from pursuit", so that he can make full use of the tense atmosphere that he has created with great difficulty to force Yue Shizong to surrender.

After listening to Zhang Yingdong's report, Qu Shengfeng asked Zhang Yingdong and Huo Jingxing to wait for orders, while he personally rushed to the Shi Mansion to inform Shi Diwen of the current progress.

To carry out this last crucial step, Qu Shengfeng still needs Shi Diwen's approval before he dares to implement it, in case of serious consequences, he cannot bear such a big blame.

Shi Diwen said: "You are much more efficient now. I remember that it has only been a few days since I gave you the order, and you have already completed most of the work."

Qu Shengfeng said modestly: "We have been preparing for this for a long time, and we just need this unexpected incident to achieve the desired result. If it weren't for the order from the Lord to capture Yue Shizong as soon as possible, this plan would probably have to be carried out slowly for a long time."

Shi Diwen asked: "What are you going to do next?"

Qu Shengfeng said: "We have to make Yue Shizong suffer a little more before he will be willing to cooperate with us. Since he is most worried about his family, let Huo Jingxing come forward to create some trouble."

Shi Diwen said, "You can take action, but don't kill anyone. Otherwise, if Yue Shizong knows the truth in the future, he will definitely feel resentful. And Huo Jingxing, after this matter is over, he probably won't be able to stay in the Jinyiwei anymore. Arrange for him to settle down somewhere far away, change his name and get a new identity."

Qu Shengfeng replied, "I obey your command. As for Huo Jingxing's destination, I have long promised to send him to the new continent in the south. He can choose to settle in either Beimen Port or Tian'e Port, and I will reward him with a few hundred acres of land. He can be a free farmer there in the future."

The New World in the South is thousands of miles away from Hangzhou. Huo Jingxing was sent to settle in such a faraway place. He will almost never have the chance to meet Yue Shizong again in the future, so he doesn't have to worry about the truth being revealed.

Qu Shengfeng continued, "I have one more thing I want to ask you, sir. Once Yue Shizong has expressed his willingness to serve our country, where will he be needed next?"

Shi Diwen said: "Yue Shizong's teacher is now the left governor of Jiangxi Province. I hope to use Yue Shizong's relationship to influence the high-ranking officials in Jiangxi and prepare for our country to take over Jiangxi's thirteen prefectures, one state and seventy-seven counties."

Qu Shengfeng said, "Your Excellency has a far-sighted vision, and I really admire you! But Your Excellency has just returned from overseas and has not rested for a few days, yet you want to personally lead the operation in Jiangxi?"

Shi Diwen said: "I don't have that much energy! I plan to let Shi Chengwu handle this matter. The Ministry of Security and the Military Intelligence Bureau must assist him and do a good job!"

Qu Shengfeng immediately thought of the time when Shi Diwen returned to Hangzhou, when Shi Chengwu specially rushed back from Nanjing and stayed for two or three days. Presumably, it was at that time that the father and son agreed on some large-scale plans, and Yue Shizong also entered their vision at that time and became part of the preparatory work.