Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 418 Closing the Net (Part )

Knock, knock, knock. Someone knocked on the door of the Beitang station of the Eastern Police Investigation Bureau.

The person who answered the door was the same one who had been on duty at the gate. As usual, he opened the door a crack and peered through it to see who was outside.

"Zhang Jishi?" The guard on duty recognized the face immediately. "Why are you back? Where is the old man, the headmaster Sun?"

"It's just me." Officer Zhang leaned over to the crack in the door and whispered, "Open the door quickly! I've been ordered to deliver a message. I have something important to report to Chief Cui Zuo."

"Okay." The guard on duty at the gatehouse didn't ask any more questions and immediately opened both doors to welcome him in.

As soon as he entered the door, Zhang Jishi immediately put the reins in his hand into the palm of the doorman, and then strode towards the study in the second courtyard.

When Zhang Jishi walked through the Chuihua Gate, Cui Yuan, deputy of the Left Bureau of the East Factory's Foreign Service Bureau and director of the Ministry of Justice, was leaning on the back of his chair with his eyes closed, resting and thinking.

The approaching hurried footsteps caught Cui Yuan's attention and interrupted his thoughts. Cui Yuan opened his eyes and looked towards the door, only to meet Zhang Jishi's gaze.

Cui Yuan's gloomy eyes startled Zhang Jishi. He stopped where he was, knelt on one knee and said, "I pay my respects to Director Cui Zuo."

Cui Yuan held the prestigious and lucrative title of Left Bureau Deputy because of his position as Chief Justice of the Ministry of Justice. For Cui Yuan, this was merely a nominal title. During his tenure in the capital, he preferred to wash Cui Wensheng's feet three times a day rather than interfere in the daily affairs of the Banyi Bureau. Before he held this nominal title, the bureau's general affairs had always been handled personally by Cui Wensheng, the part-time Director. He feared that if he rushed to handle matters, his godfather would be displeased.

However, the ordinary servants under the Fanyi Bureau were unaware of the twists and turns involved. To them, Cui Yuan's position as the Deputy Director of the Left Bureau took precedence over that of the Chief of the Judicial Department. After all, the Judicial Department would not pay them a salary.

In the blink of an eye, Cui Yuan's terrifying gaze, which seemed to want to tear someone apart, disappeared, and he beckoned Zhang Jishi with a finger. "Don't just stand there. Come in and talk."

"Yes." Zhang Jishi walked quickly to the table and saluted again.

As soon as Zhang Jishi stood up, Cui Yuan took the initiative to ask, "Has Sun Zhongcheng agreed to lend us the troops?"

Before Sun Yuerong left Beitang with Zhang and Li, Cui Yuan carefully analyzed the possibility of Sun Chengzong agreeing to lend troops from his perspective. He finally concluded that Sun Chengzong was likely to agree to lend troops rather than refuse.

First and foremost, it was utilitarianism. Cui Yuan didn't care who officially handled the case. As a seasoned white glove, he knew his rewards and punishments were based solely on whether the mastermind's will was fully implemented, while also making him appear as noble and righteous as possible. Anything else was empty talk. So, he generously allowed Sun Yuerong to bring "everything he had investigated" to Sun Chengzong.

Secondly, there were personal connections. If Sun Chengzong had gone straight to Beitang to arrest the suspect without prior notice, he would have inevitably come into conflict with Li Changgeng, the Minister of Finance. However, as far as Cui Yuan knew, Li Changgeng and Sun Chengzong likely had little rapport. There might even have been some friction between the two. Unlike Sun Yuerong, who joined the situation late, Cui Yuan was well aware that Zhang Quan, who had led to Li Changgeng's arrival in Beijing and the Emperor's harsh criticism, was recommended by Sun Chengzong.

Finally, there are concerns. Cui Yuan has many things to worry about, but his concerns are not the same as Sun Chengzong's. Exposing and attacking nobles can also earn him a reputation for being unafraid of the powerful and impartial. If Sun Chengzong had to say what concerns he had, it would probably be that collaborating with the eunuchs of the East Factory would tarnish his reputation. This is also what he is most worried about. Many civil servants who claim to be "clean stream" are the kind of people who don't even accept gifts and even report you in return. But now it seems that the "Master Sun" that his godfather has praised more than once is indeed not the kind of "clean stream" that is difficult to understand.

Zhang Jishi was stunned for a moment. "You are truly a prophet. Sun Zhongcheng has already dispatched his troops. His battalion is expected to arrive in Beitang by tomorrow afternoon." Zhang Jishi had set out shortly before the battalion's departure. He had a horse to ride, and he rode non-stop, so he was able to return to Beitang before sunset.

"How many people did Sun Zhongcheng bring with him?" Cui Yuan nodded with satisfaction.

"At least half." Zhang Jishi replied.

"Good, very good!" Cui Yuan was so excited that his voice rose two degrees, and Zhang Jishi also laughed.

"Is there anything else?" Cui Yuan's mood calmed down quickly.

Zhang Jishi shook his head and said, "Nothing else, just these."

"Then you go and rest. You have nothing to do for the time being. If you want to eat or drink something, just go to the kitchen and ask for it." Cui Yuan waved his hand at Zhang Jishi.

"Thank you, Chief Cui!" Zhang Jishi bowed and turned around. Before he could leave, he heard Cui Yuan shout, "Someone come here!"

The eunuch on duty next door was startled at the shout. He quickly put down his pen and walked quickly towards Cui Yuan's study. Without paying attention, he bumped into Zhang Jishi, who was just leaving. Zhang Jishi was a strong man, and even though he was exhausted from running around, he was no match for this frail eunuch.

The eunuch felt as if he had hit a hard marble head-on. He fell backwards hastily. Just as his body was about to hit the ground, Zhang Jishi reached out and grabbed him.

"Please be careful, it's okay if you bump into me, but don't fall yourself." Although the eunuch was as young as Zhang Jishi's son, Zhang Jishi still respectfully addressed him as "Please be careful, old man."

"Thank you very much, thank you very much." The eunuch didn't bother to be polite and walked sideways into the study.

"What instructions does Cui Tixing have?" the eunuch asked with a bow.

"Hmph, so reckless." Cui Yuanxian rolled his eyes at him. "You'll feel better if you fall down and squat on your butt."

“.”The eunuch lowered his head.

"Listen carefully, I'm only going to say this once." Cui Yuan pointed at him and said half-jokingly, half-threateningly, "If you're careless and don't listen, you'll end up cleaning a bathhouse in the Duzhijian."

"Yes!" the eunuch replied crisply, quite confident in his memory. Cui Yuan put away the joy and teasing on his face and said solemnly: "Order all members of Group C to go out and closely monitor all targets for investigation and control, and make sure that no one escapes. If necessary, they can be arrested directly after escaping. The use of violence is allowed. Hitting the horse's head or legs is fine, and if there is resistance, you can use grappling to remove the arm, but you must not harm anyone's life." The so-called Group C refers to the main factory staff who followed the nobles and servants all the way to Beitang. After arriving in Beitang, Cui Yuan took over their command and assigned them some additional personnel.

"Yes." After Cui Yuan finished speaking, the eunuch remembered his order and repeated it silently in his mind.

Cui Yuan continued to give orders: "Order Group A to gather immediately and concentrate at various key points. If you hear the distress whistle from Group C, provide support according to the existing arrangements." The so-called Group A is the team deployed in downtown areas, ports and other areas responsible for gathering rumors in the city and monitoring secondary surveillance targets.

Individuals like the relatives of the missing crew members, who were related to the case but not suspects, and Jiang Yunchun, a clerk in the Ministry of Finance who had chosen to cooperate under coercion and inducement from the East Factory, were considered secondary targets for investigation and control. The latter, in particular, were under constant surveillance by Team A. If they were found to be exhibiting actions or tendencies suggestive of deception or betrayal, Team A could control them according to the authority delegated to them by Cui Yuan.

"Yes." The eunuch now understood that this operation had reached the closing stage.

Cui Yuan gave another order: "Order Group B to be on high alert and maintain the status quo. If the Coastal Defense Battalion makes any unusual movements beyond the norm, report immediately."

"Yes."

Team B, a descendant of Team A, was formed after Cui Yuan learned of significant problems within the Coastal Defense Battalion. It was specifically tasked with monitoring and investigating the battalion. In other words, it was precisely because of the need to establish Team B that Cui Yuan categorized the officers by their primary duties. Before the main members of Team C arrived in Beitang, Cui Yuan's approach was to begin with the Coastal Defense Battalion and then work his way up, ultimately completing a comprehensive investigative report on Beitang. This would complete the task Wang An had assigned to the East Depot.

Group B was once responsible for investigating and monitoring the Ministry of Finance, but after Group C was established, Cui Yuan pulled out the personnel responsible for investigating and monitoring the Ministry of Finance from Group B and set up a special group called Group D.

He had been hoping that Team D would uncover any misdeeds by Li Changgeng, thus bolstering his report. But in the end, despite extensive investigation, Team D couldn't find sufficient evidence to prove that Li Changgeng engaged in significant corruption beyond his usual shady income. If anything, it was that after the shipwreck, Li Changgeng only dispatched a brief investigation to confirm that the sailors and coastal defense soldiers hadn't returned home, and then stopped investigating further.

Cui Yuan thought about it, but ultimately didn't issue any additional orders to Team D. He looked up at the eunuch and asked, "Have you memorized everything?"

"I remember all three." The eunuch nodded.

"Then repeat it to me." Cui Yuan ordered.

"Order Group C." The eunuch had a very good memory. He recited Cui Yuan's words almost word for word, even repeating the details of knocking on the horse's legs and removing the arms.

"Well, they're quite promising." Cui Yuan nodded slightly. He had already decided that if this mission could be successfully completed, he would ask his godfather to adopt all four of these little guys as his godchildren. That way, he would have sons himself. "Go and pass on the message. Don't bump into anyone again."

"Yes!" The eunuch answered and left without looking back.

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In the 29th year of the Jiajing reign, after the Gengxu Incident, in order to strengthen the defense around the capital and prevent Japanese pirates from invading the river from Tanggukou, invading Tianjin, and causing chaos in the capital, the court decided to build the Dagukou Fort on the south bank of the Haihe River.

The person who was ordered to supervise the construction of this fort was Qi Jiguang, a 22-year-old young military scholar. After an on-site inspection, he believed that it was necessary to build a fort at the mouth of the Jiyun River north of Dagukou, so he submitted a memorial to the court requesting its construction.

Against the backdrop of the Gengxu Rebellion, the proposal of this minor character was unexpectedly taken seriously by the court.

Soon after, a fort was built on each side of the Jiyun River estuary, namely the Beiying Fort and the Nanying Fort. The two forts together formed the Beitang Fort, which echoed the Dagukou Fort in the north and south, protecting Tianjin from the wing and the capital from afar.

After arriving in Beitang, the "United Merchant Corps," comprised of the Wuqing Marquis, Pingjiang Earl, Boping Earl, and other merchants, changed their base several times, the most recent of which was a move to a farmhouse south of the Beitang Fortress.

The mouth of the Jiyun Canal wasn't a seaport for aid ships heading to the Liaohai Sea, and it was also far from the Ministry of Revenue, making it a remote area under Beitang's jurisdiction. They relocated there, firstly, because the Beitang Fortress was one of the main bases of the Tianjin Coastal Defense Battalion, where Tianjin Coastal Defense Guerrilla Li Weidong was currently stationed. Secondly, they were aware of a vague, yet unidentified, threat in the bustling area near the Ministry of Revenue, especially after they successfully caused a grain ship to "sink."

Many people in the "United Merchant Group" therefore wanted to withdraw. In order to stabilize their position, Li Laicai, the leader of the "merchant group" and a caravan leader under the Wuqing Marquis Li family, proposed moving here.

Boom, boom, boom!
A series of rapid noises, like banging on doors, spread from the door panels all the way to each room, even disturbing other residents in the village.

"Be gentle! Stop banging on the door!" The person who opened the door was a young servant from the Chen family, the Earl of Pingjiang. "Are you having diarrhea and your poop is about to burst out?"

"Stop talking nonsense," the Chen family servant said as the door was opened. Three servants from the Guo family, the Boping Earl, half-pushed and half-jostle their donkey mules into the room. "Close the door quickly!"

"What's wrong? You're so flustered, you really can't hold it anymore?" The Chen family servant was still joking. "Did you get the saddle dirty? Others still want to ride it."

"Someone is following us!" The leading servant of the Guo family felt cold sweat pouring out of his back.

"Who's following you again?" The Chen family servant instinctively doubted it. This wasn't the first time the man had said that. It could be said that one of the main reasons the "United Merchants Group" had moved here was the Guo family servant's suspicious claims that the city was unsafe.

"How the hell do I know who those people are!" The leading Guo family servant was obviously a little impatient.

"Those people..." The Chen family servant was stunned for a moment and said in horror, "You saw the people following you."

The leading Guo family servant nodded and said, "I saw them, I'm sure! There were three of them, two of whom looked familiar. I don't know who they are, but I'm sure I've seen them somewhere before. These three followed us all the way from the city to here, and didn't stop until we entered the village. They're obviously not good people! We can't stay here any longer, we have to get out of here!"

(End of this chapter)