Chapter 1682
Chapter 1682
Chapter 1682
Qin Huacheng's tactic was actually to pretend to be powerful, to bluff, and even coax and scare the Ding family to pay for the benefits, which is really worthless.If the Haihan officials were aware of his behavior, then Qin Huacheng would probably be sentenced to be shot before little Francis.But Qin Huacheng is indeed courageous enough. He expects that the person involved in the Ding family will not take the initiative to publicize this matter. There are only a few people who know the whole thing, and the Ding family has no way to verify whether he is really following the promise. I went to get some government figures, so I dared to take risks and blackmail the Ding family.
Even Ding Feng, an old man like him, couldn't confirm in person whether what Qin Huacheng said was true or not.As for Qin Huacheng's claim that he could try to fix some joints and find an opportunity for someone to attack little Francis in Haihan Prison, he could hardly refuse this temptation, but he didn't dare to believe it entirely. Put the Ding family in a place of eternal doom.Moreover, he was very worried that Qin Huacheng's work was not reliable enough, but if he rejected Qin Huacheng's proposal immediately, he was also afraid that this guy would secretly do bad things while holding grudges. More than enough.
The Ding family has no shortage of money, but Ding Feng will not allow others to take advantage of the Ding family and find any reason to arrange himself.Although the money Qin Huacheng asked for was not a small amount, the Ding family could still take it out if they were a little tighter, but Ding Feng didn't intend to let the money go.
After sending Qin Huacheng away, Ding Feng told Ding Pingsheng: "Find some familiar faces and keep an eye on Qin's second child from tomorrow. It's best to know where he has been every day and who he has met."
Ding Pingsheng said: "It turns out that father still can't trust this person."
Ding Feng replied calmly: "Although shrimps have the way of shrimps and crabs have ways of crabs, father still doesn't believe that with the quality of Qin's second son, he can have such a deep relationship with senior officials of Haihan. If he dares to play smart , playing tricks with us, that father doesn't mind teaching young people what rules are!"
Qin Huacheng was completely unaware of being seen through the trick, humming a ditty all the way home.The family members saw that he seemed to be in a good mood, but when asked why, Qin Huacheng laughed and said nothing.He thinks that his brain is not as good as his elder brother Qin Huaming, so his elder brother went to work as a clerk in the Haihan Yamen, and he can only be a security policeman patrolling the streets every day, but if this thing can be done, then he will also It is rare to complete a big deal alone.But he also understands that this matter is very risky, and one more person who knows will be more dangerous, so even if it is a family member, he carefully keeps this secret.At least until it was done, he didn't intend to tell others about his plan.
But the real protagonists of this intrigue, the Spaniard Francis and his son, are being imprisoned in a manor about ten miles away from Manila at this time, completely isolated from the outside world.
The owner of this manor was a captain of the Manila Fleet, but he had died in a naval battle in Manila Bay before. After the Haihan army attacked this place, they confiscated the manor as a spoil of war.The main building of the manor, a three-story Spanish-style building, was also used by the military as a place to imprison senior prisoners of war after the war.
One of the important reasons why these high-level prisoners of war were sent outside the city to be imprisoned was that the Haihan military was worried about the environment in the city. After all, the Spaniards had been operating locally for several generations, and their influence could not be eradicated overnight.If these high-level prisoners of war are held in the city, the military is worried that there will be endless incidents such as escape or silence, and the public will pay special attention to these prisoners of war, which is not conducive to Haihan's actions, so they simply send them all outside the city. The manor is under house arrest.In this way, the social order in the city can be restored to normal as soon as possible, and the life of these prisoners of war can be a little easier.
Of course, there are not many high-level prisoners of war who are eligible to be included in this house arrest list. All the immediate family members who were imprisoned after the war were all held in this place.Former Philippine governor Aragones was also imprisoned in this place for a time before his release.In addition to more than 20 armed guards living in the building, a company of troops was stationed on the outside, and a no-entry zone of about [-] acres was drawn up to ensure that no idlers would break into this place.
Seriously speaking, little Francis would be imprisoned because of his father's involvement. If it weren't for Francis' status as the city defense commander, little Francis, who was just a businessman, would not have been caught by the Haihan Army.The vast majority of Spanish businessmen in Manila were safe and sound after the war. As long as there was no armed resistance to the Haihan army during the war, most of them would be able to regain their freedom after paying a ransom fee in proportion to their property. You can also choose whether you want to stay here or leave.
Of course, for little Francis, family background is not something he can choose on his own initiative, and being placed under house arrest can only be regarded as a matter of fate.At first, he didn't understand Haihan's measures. In his opinion, the defeated ones should either be sentenced to death, or should be exiled to remote islands, but the Haihan people have been providing these Spanish officials with good food and drink.Later, it was his father who explained Haihan’s intentions to him. In the past, these senior officials were in charge of specific affairs in a certain field in Manila, and the conditions of these fields under their management often lacked clear and detailed records in written materials. Therefore, Haihan hopes to obtain more detailed confessions from these people, so as to help them take over the rule of the Manila area as soon as possible.
Among the intelligence information that Francis possessed, what most interested the Haihan people was naturally the details of the Spanish colonial authorities' military deployment and armed organizations in the local area.Although his position was the city defense commander of the city of Manila, in fact, he was basically responsible for organizing the training and deployment of the colonial authorities' land armies throughout the Philippines.In terms of armed strength alone, the armed forces commanded by the colonial authorities at the time were not bad, but when they met the super strong opponent of the Haihan Army, they could only be passively beaten throughout the whole process, and their combat effectiveness was only ten percent. Two or three, naturally ended up in a fiasco.
However, the Haihan Army did not underestimate the Spanish armed forces because of this. After the war, they still interrogated Francis many times, sometimes even reaching the frequency of interrogating two or three times a day.The Haihan Army has a strong interest in many details such as the recruitment, training, organization, equipment, and combat tactics of the Spanish army, and Francis is undoubtedly the best source of information. One of the most interrogated prisoners in the captivity.
Little Francis also thought about trying to raise a sum of money in exchange for the freedom of the father and son, but the Haihan people did not intend to let Francis leave for the time being, and little Francis' request for redemption was rejected, so he could only continue to be under house arrest here.Fortunately, the Haihan people's detention of the father and son is not too strict, at least they can live in the same room, and they can take care of each other.
Little Francis once pinned his hopes on his old father-in-law. He believed that the Ding family was of Han origin, and at least they were of the same family as the Haihan people. Maybe he could try to accommodate the relationship and at least spend money to save the lives of his father and son.But Francis does not agree with his son's idea. He has different views on the marriage relationship between the two families.
During the period of Spanish rule, the marriage between the Francis family and the Ding family was indeed a win-win situation. The Ding family obtained a strong official umbrella, and the business scale of the shipping company was further expanded, while the Francis family received business resources and the support of the local Han ethnic group. , the official position of the commander of the city defense became more and more consolidated, and little Francis also got a lot of business opportunities because of this, and made a lot of money in just one or two years after marriage.But when the current situation is turbulent, this kind of marriage based on interests will not be stable.
Francis knows that there is a Chinese proverb called "In the face of adversity, each of us will fly separately." Although this is a sentence used to describe the relationship between husband and wife, it seems to be quite appropriate to use it as a metaphor for two families who are married across borders.Even if there is no news from the outside world, Francis can still think that the calculating old man of the Ding family should not try to rescue his father and son at this time, but is probably trying to distance himself from the Francis family in order to protect himself.His son counted on the Ding family to come forward to carry out the rescue, that was really overthinking.
But the father and son have had many arguments around this issue, and neither of them can persuade the other to accept their point of view.After all, the environment they live in is completely unable to receive information from the outside world, and there is no way to prove that their ideas are correct.
However, the father and son changed the topic of discussion today, because during the just-concluded interrogation, the Haihan officer made a suggestion to Francis, which moved him quite a bit.However, Francis did not agree on the spot. He only said that he still needed time to think about it, and he talked about it with his son after he came back.
"You mean that the Haihan people are not only willing to give us freedom, but also want...to ask you to come forward to be an official? God, this...how is this possible?" Little Francis couldn't believe his ears, and he had been here for more than ten years. He is a prisoner all over the world, and his hope of being released is decreasing day by day, and the turning point at this time is so great that it even far exceeds his initial expectations.
"Of course this is not an unconditional benefit to me. There is no such cheap thing in the world." Francis didn't have much excitement on his face, and it was obvious that this matter was not as simple as it seemed: "This official...isn't so Well done."
"I don't understand what you mean, what exactly do the Haihan people want you to do?" Little Francis asked.
"They want to set up a puppet agency in the local area to appease and manage the Hispanic people. It would be difficult for this agency to convince the public if the Haihan officials are in charge, so they need to find a puppet to sit in this position. The local people People who both know are of course the best. Aragones has already left, so they are targeting me now." Francis briefly introduced the Haihan people's plan to his son.
"Puppet..." Little Francis repeated the word, with unavoidable bitterness in his tone.
Francis' words have made it very clear that the Haihan people are not good people, and the price they have to pay for this freedom is really not small.If he really acts as a puppet for the Haihan people, it is tantamount to a complete betrayal of his motherland, and he may never be able to return to China safely in the future—of course, in the current environment, talking about returning to China seems to be just a wishful thinking.
Francis Jr. knew very well that his father was not the kind of villain who followed the wind, and he would not be as selfish and cowardly as Governor Aragones, who would choose to betray the country and the people for his own selfishness.If he had chosen to surrender, he would not have resisted in the city until the last moment.Now that the Haihan people wanted him to be a puppet, how could he agree to such a ridiculous request?
But little Francis still felt that something was wrong. Based on his understanding of his father, he should have rejected such an unreasonable request from the Haihan people on the spot. Then why did he tell the other party that he needed time to think about it? What else needs to be considered? Is it necessary?Francis Jr. raised his doubts, and the answer shocked him again.
"If I reject the Haihan people's proposal, then they will exile us to work as coolies somewhere overseas. This is not the point, the most terrible thing is that they will separate us, dear son, maybe in the future we will all There is no way to talk face to face like this again!" Francis' expression was very painful, and his tone was full of helplessness, and it could be seen that this situation might make him feel more painful and unacceptable than the imprisonment and exile itself.
Francis is not afraid of dying in battle, nor is he afraid of being executed by his opponent after the battle, but the Haihan people's methods are obviously more clever, and he even suspects that the other party arranged for them to live with their father and son during this period, in order to Create an opportunity for them to part with each other, so as to break his will.
As the commander of the defeated side, Francis can be said to have lost everything, and what he cares most about right now is his son Francis Jr.The Haihan people arrested his son and imprisoned him. In fact, he also expected that this might be used to threaten him to submit one day, but he did not expect that the purpose of the other party was to ask him to come forward to be a puppet, and the price of refusing is likely to be the rest of his life. I can't see my son anymore.Even if his heart is as firm as iron, it is difficult to reject the request of the Haihan people on the spot.
Little Francis didn't know how to face such a problem. He didn't want his father to betray the Kingdom of Spain, but he didn't want to be forced to separate from his father and never see each other again.
(End of this chapter)
Qin Huacheng's tactic was actually to pretend to be powerful, to bluff, and even coax and scare the Ding family to pay for the benefits, which is really worthless.If the Haihan officials were aware of his behavior, then Qin Huacheng would probably be sentenced to be shot before little Francis.But Qin Huacheng is indeed courageous enough. He expects that the person involved in the Ding family will not take the initiative to publicize this matter. There are only a few people who know the whole thing, and the Ding family has no way to verify whether he is really following the promise. I went to get some government figures, so I dared to take risks and blackmail the Ding family.
Even Ding Feng, an old man like him, couldn't confirm in person whether what Qin Huacheng said was true or not.As for Qin Huacheng's claim that he could try to fix some joints and find an opportunity for someone to attack little Francis in Haihan Prison, he could hardly refuse this temptation, but he didn't dare to believe it entirely. Put the Ding family in a place of eternal doom.Moreover, he was very worried that Qin Huacheng's work was not reliable enough, but if he rejected Qin Huacheng's proposal immediately, he was also afraid that this guy would secretly do bad things while holding grudges. More than enough.
The Ding family has no shortage of money, but Ding Feng will not allow others to take advantage of the Ding family and find any reason to arrange himself.Although the money Qin Huacheng asked for was not a small amount, the Ding family could still take it out if they were a little tighter, but Ding Feng didn't intend to let the money go.
After sending Qin Huacheng away, Ding Feng told Ding Pingsheng: "Find some familiar faces and keep an eye on Qin's second child from tomorrow. It's best to know where he has been every day and who he has met."
Ding Pingsheng said: "It turns out that father still can't trust this person."
Ding Feng replied calmly: "Although shrimps have the way of shrimps and crabs have ways of crabs, father still doesn't believe that with the quality of Qin's second son, he can have such a deep relationship with senior officials of Haihan. If he dares to play smart , playing tricks with us, that father doesn't mind teaching young people what rules are!"
Qin Huacheng was completely unaware of being seen through the trick, humming a ditty all the way home.The family members saw that he seemed to be in a good mood, but when asked why, Qin Huacheng laughed and said nothing.He thinks that his brain is not as good as his elder brother Qin Huaming, so his elder brother went to work as a clerk in the Haihan Yamen, and he can only be a security policeman patrolling the streets every day, but if this thing can be done, then he will also It is rare to complete a big deal alone.But he also understands that this matter is very risky, and one more person who knows will be more dangerous, so even if it is a family member, he carefully keeps this secret.At least until it was done, he didn't intend to tell others about his plan.
But the real protagonists of this intrigue, the Spaniard Francis and his son, are being imprisoned in a manor about ten miles away from Manila at this time, completely isolated from the outside world.
The owner of this manor was a captain of the Manila Fleet, but he had died in a naval battle in Manila Bay before. After the Haihan army attacked this place, they confiscated the manor as a spoil of war.The main building of the manor, a three-story Spanish-style building, was also used by the military as a place to imprison senior prisoners of war after the war.
One of the important reasons why these high-level prisoners of war were sent outside the city to be imprisoned was that the Haihan military was worried about the environment in the city. After all, the Spaniards had been operating locally for several generations, and their influence could not be eradicated overnight.If these high-level prisoners of war are held in the city, the military is worried that there will be endless incidents such as escape or silence, and the public will pay special attention to these prisoners of war, which is not conducive to Haihan's actions, so they simply send them all outside the city. The manor is under house arrest.In this way, the social order in the city can be restored to normal as soon as possible, and the life of these prisoners of war can be a little easier.
Of course, there are not many high-level prisoners of war who are eligible to be included in this house arrest list. All the immediate family members who were imprisoned after the war were all held in this place.Former Philippine governor Aragones was also imprisoned in this place for a time before his release.In addition to more than 20 armed guards living in the building, a company of troops was stationed on the outside, and a no-entry zone of about [-] acres was drawn up to ensure that no idlers would break into this place.
Seriously speaking, little Francis would be imprisoned because of his father's involvement. If it weren't for Francis' status as the city defense commander, little Francis, who was just a businessman, would not have been caught by the Haihan Army.The vast majority of Spanish businessmen in Manila were safe and sound after the war. As long as there was no armed resistance to the Haihan army during the war, most of them would be able to regain their freedom after paying a ransom fee in proportion to their property. You can also choose whether you want to stay here or leave.
Of course, for little Francis, family background is not something he can choose on his own initiative, and being placed under house arrest can only be regarded as a matter of fate.At first, he didn't understand Haihan's measures. In his opinion, the defeated ones should either be sentenced to death, or should be exiled to remote islands, but the Haihan people have been providing these Spanish officials with good food and drink.Later, it was his father who explained Haihan’s intentions to him. In the past, these senior officials were in charge of specific affairs in a certain field in Manila, and the conditions of these fields under their management often lacked clear and detailed records in written materials. Therefore, Haihan hopes to obtain more detailed confessions from these people, so as to help them take over the rule of the Manila area as soon as possible.
Among the intelligence information that Francis possessed, what most interested the Haihan people was naturally the details of the Spanish colonial authorities' military deployment and armed organizations in the local area.Although his position was the city defense commander of the city of Manila, in fact, he was basically responsible for organizing the training and deployment of the colonial authorities' land armies throughout the Philippines.In terms of armed strength alone, the armed forces commanded by the colonial authorities at the time were not bad, but when they met the super strong opponent of the Haihan Army, they could only be passively beaten throughout the whole process, and their combat effectiveness was only ten percent. Two or three, naturally ended up in a fiasco.
However, the Haihan Army did not underestimate the Spanish armed forces because of this. After the war, they still interrogated Francis many times, sometimes even reaching the frequency of interrogating two or three times a day.The Haihan Army has a strong interest in many details such as the recruitment, training, organization, equipment, and combat tactics of the Spanish army, and Francis is undoubtedly the best source of information. One of the most interrogated prisoners in the captivity.
Little Francis also thought about trying to raise a sum of money in exchange for the freedom of the father and son, but the Haihan people did not intend to let Francis leave for the time being, and little Francis' request for redemption was rejected, so he could only continue to be under house arrest here.Fortunately, the Haihan people's detention of the father and son is not too strict, at least they can live in the same room, and they can take care of each other.
Little Francis once pinned his hopes on his old father-in-law. He believed that the Ding family was of Han origin, and at least they were of the same family as the Haihan people. Maybe he could try to accommodate the relationship and at least spend money to save the lives of his father and son.But Francis does not agree with his son's idea. He has different views on the marriage relationship between the two families.
During the period of Spanish rule, the marriage between the Francis family and the Ding family was indeed a win-win situation. The Ding family obtained a strong official umbrella, and the business scale of the shipping company was further expanded, while the Francis family received business resources and the support of the local Han ethnic group. , the official position of the commander of the city defense became more and more consolidated, and little Francis also got a lot of business opportunities because of this, and made a lot of money in just one or two years after marriage.But when the current situation is turbulent, this kind of marriage based on interests will not be stable.
Francis knows that there is a Chinese proverb called "In the face of adversity, each of us will fly separately." Although this is a sentence used to describe the relationship between husband and wife, it seems to be quite appropriate to use it as a metaphor for two families who are married across borders.Even if there is no news from the outside world, Francis can still think that the calculating old man of the Ding family should not try to rescue his father and son at this time, but is probably trying to distance himself from the Francis family in order to protect himself.His son counted on the Ding family to come forward to carry out the rescue, that was really overthinking.
But the father and son have had many arguments around this issue, and neither of them can persuade the other to accept their point of view.After all, the environment they live in is completely unable to receive information from the outside world, and there is no way to prove that their ideas are correct.
However, the father and son changed the topic of discussion today, because during the just-concluded interrogation, the Haihan officer made a suggestion to Francis, which moved him quite a bit.However, Francis did not agree on the spot. He only said that he still needed time to think about it, and he talked about it with his son after he came back.
"You mean that the Haihan people are not only willing to give us freedom, but also want...to ask you to come forward to be an official? God, this...how is this possible?" Little Francis couldn't believe his ears, and he had been here for more than ten years. He is a prisoner all over the world, and his hope of being released is decreasing day by day, and the turning point at this time is so great that it even far exceeds his initial expectations.
"Of course this is not an unconditional benefit to me. There is no such cheap thing in the world." Francis didn't have much excitement on his face, and it was obvious that this matter was not as simple as it seemed: "This official...isn't so Well done."
"I don't understand what you mean, what exactly do the Haihan people want you to do?" Little Francis asked.
"They want to set up a puppet agency in the local area to appease and manage the Hispanic people. It would be difficult for this agency to convince the public if the Haihan officials are in charge, so they need to find a puppet to sit in this position. The local people People who both know are of course the best. Aragones has already left, so they are targeting me now." Francis briefly introduced the Haihan people's plan to his son.
"Puppet..." Little Francis repeated the word, with unavoidable bitterness in his tone.
Francis' words have made it very clear that the Haihan people are not good people, and the price they have to pay for this freedom is really not small.If he really acts as a puppet for the Haihan people, it is tantamount to a complete betrayal of his motherland, and he may never be able to return to China safely in the future—of course, in the current environment, talking about returning to China seems to be just a wishful thinking.
Francis Jr. knew very well that his father was not the kind of villain who followed the wind, and he would not be as selfish and cowardly as Governor Aragones, who would choose to betray the country and the people for his own selfishness.If he had chosen to surrender, he would not have resisted in the city until the last moment.Now that the Haihan people wanted him to be a puppet, how could he agree to such a ridiculous request?
But little Francis still felt that something was wrong. Based on his understanding of his father, he should have rejected such an unreasonable request from the Haihan people on the spot. Then why did he tell the other party that he needed time to think about it? What else needs to be considered? Is it necessary?Francis Jr. raised his doubts, and the answer shocked him again.
"If I reject the Haihan people's proposal, then they will exile us to work as coolies somewhere overseas. This is not the point, the most terrible thing is that they will separate us, dear son, maybe in the future we will all There is no way to talk face to face like this again!" Francis' expression was very painful, and his tone was full of helplessness, and it could be seen that this situation might make him feel more painful and unacceptable than the imprisonment and exile itself.
Francis is not afraid of dying in battle, nor is he afraid of being executed by his opponent after the battle, but the Haihan people's methods are obviously more clever, and he even suspects that the other party arranged for them to live with their father and son during this period, in order to Create an opportunity for them to part with each other, so as to break his will.
As the commander of the defeated side, Francis can be said to have lost everything, and what he cares most about right now is his son Francis Jr.The Haihan people arrested his son and imprisoned him. In fact, he also expected that this might be used to threaten him to submit one day, but he did not expect that the purpose of the other party was to ask him to come forward to be a puppet, and the price of refusing is likely to be the rest of his life. I can't see my son anymore.Even if his heart is as firm as iron, it is difficult to reject the request of the Haihan people on the spot.
Little Francis didn't know how to face such a problem. He didn't want his father to betray the Kingdom of Spain, but he didn't want to be forced to separate from his father and never see each other again.
(End of this chapter)