Chapter 2049
Chapter 2049
Chapter 2049
With Xu Xinsu's influence in Fujian today, it is not an exaggeration to say that he overshadows the sky in the local area, and even often violates part of the orders from the imperial court, finding some excuses to neither listen to the tune nor listen to the announcement.But this does not mean that he can completely ignore the existence of the Ming court, or wantonly suppress other court officials. Whether Xu Xinsu is willing or not, he still has to maintain some basic rules of the game in this feudal power system.
Unless one day Xu Xinsu divides the territory in Fujian and erects a flag to rebel, otherwise he will be a minister of the Ming Dynasty, and he will have to obey the bureaucratic system of the Ming Dynasty.Although many members of Xu Xinsu's family have entered the officialdom, due to various restrictions, most of them can only hold some relatively low official positions.The only way out is to join the army and become a military attache. Even if the position is not high, you can lead troops. After all, almost all the Fujian Navy has become the private soldiers of the Xu family, and it is difficult for the military attache appointed by the court to join this special force.
But even if the Xu family is now in a situation where one person has attained enlightenment, there are only a limited number of people who can become officials. Xu Xinsu has not expanded to the point where he can put cats and dogs in the officialdom. He knows that doing so will not only destroy the Great Wall There will be no other effect, so even his sons have not all entered the officialdom.And there are hundreds of officials in Fujian who are loyal to the imperial court. If Xu Xinsu wants to keep these people quiet, he must either use forceful means to deter them, or give them enough benefits.
Xu Xinsu has already controlled the military power in Fujian. This is a well-known thing in Lingnan, and the strength of the Ming army under Xu Xinsu's command far exceeds that of neighboring provinces. In fact, there is no need to show off force to local officials, so his priority to deal with this issue It is the latter.
Based on his own experience and suggestions given by Haihan, Xu Xinsu came up with a solution. He tried to get these local officials to participate in the industrial operation in various forms, tying their personal interests with Xu's industry.Although this method is not as effective as sending money directly, the long-term effect is excellent. Once people get on the boat, it will be difficult for them to get off.
This is the case of the commander Liao on the list. The Kowloon Shipping Company under his name is actually attached to the property of the Xu family. The boat was built by the Xu family and sold to him cheaply. The trade routes, trading channels, and even settlement methods are all arranged by the Xu family. Master Liao only needs to send a trustworthy person to be the shopkeeper.In this way, the real owner doesn't need to spend too much thought, and he doesn't need to worry about the money he earns in his pocket coming from wrong sources.
The reason why Lord Liao was given such generous treatment was naturally because of his official position.Speaking of which, the commander is the real military chief of Fujian, but because of the existence of Xu Xinsu, the commander is actually a puppet, and Xu Xinsu, who holds the vague official position of "Fujian General Soldier", is the real control People with local military power.However, the commander of the capital is an official official appointed by the imperial court and the Ministry of War. Xu Xinsu also needs the cooperation of the other party in many places, and the existence of the Jiulong Shipping Company is to allow the two parties who originally had conflicting interests in power to have new common interests. The solution to hurt and anger.
This Lord Liao has been in office for five years, and at this time, the Kowloon Shipping Company is no longer the only property under the name of this high-ranking official. However, according to the information Xu Yuxing knows, the income that this Kowloon Shipping Company earns back for Mr. Liao every year is still accounted for a significant portion of its income.And now it is found that the Kowloon Shipping Company secretly has business dealings with the Spaniards. It seems that a considerable amount of money that enters Mr. Liao's pocket every year comes from the Spanish colonial authorities in the Philippine Islands.
"In a situation like this, how does the third young master usually deal with it?" After hearing Xu Yuxing's introduction to the situation of the Kowloon boat company, Jin Ming didn't speak rashly, but asked the other party's meaning first.
Xu Yuxing pondered: "This is not an ordinary person. Of course it is possible to investigate, but it is not very easy to do. Although he may not have ordered this matter, but if you want to openly search for evidence at the Jiulong Shipping Company, it will be difficult. There is a suspicion of slap in the face, and there will be some troubles in the future if you offend this person. If you want to take action, you have to ask my father first."
Seeing that Xu Yuxing was so apprehensive, Jin Ming couldn't be sure whether what he said was true or not, so he could only express his understanding first: "In that case, let's put the Nine Dragons Boat Company aside for now. How about the other two on the list?"
Xu Yuxing pointed to the second company on the list and said: "This Guangli Commercial Firm is under the name of Mr. Huang, the magistrate of Zhangzhou. Mr. Huang has also been friends with my father for many years. It seems that Guangli Commercial Firm is currently run by his eldest son. If you know him, you can talk to him first to understand the situation."
Jin Ming understood Xu Yuxing's implication. This company also has an official background, and it cannot be tampered with. It has to communicate with the operator first.It's just that there seems to be nothing wrong with the reason Xu Yuxing gave. This is the property of the prefect of Zhangzhou, and as far as he knows, this Mr. Huang is indeed a member of Xu Xinsu's camp. It is estimated that this is the main reason why Xu Yuxing does not want to offend the other party. .
Xu Yuxing didn't wait for Jin Ming to ask, and directly pointed to the last company on the list: "The situation of this third company is a bit special... It is the property under the name of a commander of Jin Yiwei."
"Jin Yiwei?" Jin Ming couldn't help raising his eyebrows when he heard this answer, which was information he had never grasped before.In terms of status alone, this Jinyiwei is indeed more difficult to deal with than ordinary civil and military officials. Even if Xu Xinsu is not afraid of the existence of Jinyiwei, he will definitely not take the initiative to provoke this yamen.
The commander is a senior military officer of the fourth grade. In the power structure of Jinyiwei, he is only ranked below the commander and the commander. He is also a big man.However, no matter how big an official is, the salary he receives from the court is also limited. If he wants to achieve financial freedom, he has to think of other ideas.But in Fujian, the most profitable business is sea trade, so this gentleman also chose this profitable business as his second career.
With Jin Yiwei's privilege to operate the sea trade, he can naturally enjoy many conveniences. At least the intelligence agency in charge of Xu Yuxing dare not easily investigate the business status of his industry.In addition, with the name of Jinyiwei, there is no need to pay any transaction taxes to the government, and there is no need to worry about someone daring to check when transporting prohibited items.
Jin Ming has been stationed in Fujian for a long time, but he will try his best to avoid dealing with Jin Yiwei. After all, colleagues are enemies. Besides, the grievances between the Ministry of Security and Jin Yiwei have lasted for several years, and it is impossible for the two sides to shake hands and talk happily. , Once there is a relationship, it will be a life-and-death situation.And before that, he really didn't know that the firm on the list was actually owned by Jinyiwei.
Jin Ming murmured: "Although there are difficulties, we still have to investigate! In my opinion, Jin Yiwei is very suspicious!"
Jin Ming thought very clearly, since even Xu Yuxing was afraid of this, there must be no one who would supervise the business of this firm.If it were not for these three lists of identification, it would probably be difficult to have evidence to list this firm as a key suspect.
Xu Yuxing said: "Of course the investigation will continue, but how to proceed needs to be planned slowly. What your country needs to investigate is to assist the Spaniards in smuggling weapons and equipment. Mr. Jin also said that the other party is meticulous, and he is probably an expert , if we start to scare the snake, the investigation work may not be able to achieve its goal."
Jin Ming said: "If there are indeed people who the third young master doesn't want to offend, then you might as well leave it to us, so that the third young master can avoid suspicion."
Xu Yuxing wanted to investigate the matter slowly, but Jin Ming did not agree with this approach, because the telegram sent by Sanya clearly mentioned that the relevant parties were required to investigate the case as soon as possible.Xu Yuxing can spend time with the subject of the investigation, but he can't afford to wait, he must report the results as soon as possible.
Xu Yuxing said: "Master Jin's words are wrong. You and I are allies, and naturally we are in the same camp. How could Xu offend his own allies just because he didn't want to offend others. Don't worry, since my father has already agreed to this If you know how to manage it, then you must manage it to the end!"
Jin Ming solemnly said: "I'm being rude, don't blame the third young master."
Jin Ming apologized, but he didn't think so in his heart. He thought that Xu Yuxing exaggerated the difficulty of the investigation when explaining the situation of the three investigated objects, and seemed to be evasive.But it's not good for him to be too tough on Xu Yuxing. After all, he has something to ask from the other party at the moment. If he is in charge of this investigation, it may be difficult for him to catch clues and clues as quickly as the other party.So he had no choice but to use words to force the other party to express his position, lest Xu Yuxing keep going around in circles with him.
Xu Yuxing said: "I will order people to monitor these three places first. As for how to carry out subsequent investigations, please wait a moment, Mr. Jin. I will go and show this list to my father first, and then get a charter for doing business. come out."
"It's easy to say, it's hard work for the third young master." Jin Ming had no other way to think of it at this time, but he could only follow Xu Yuxing's thinking first.He only hoped that Xu Xinsu could act tougher at this time, and not try to avoid problems or delay time like Xu Yuxing.
It was already lunchtime when Jin Ming saw Xu Yuxing again, but the news brought back by Xu Yuxing made him happier than the sumptuous lunch. Xu Xinsu expressed his full support for their investigation work, and he would explain the matter to Commander Liao and prefect Huang. .
As for Jin Yiwei, since the commander is not currently in Fujian, he can't communicate with him about the matter. Xu Xinsu allows them to take action first, and if something happens later, he will take care of the matter.Of course, Xu Xinsu also asked them to try not to make things big unless necessary, let alone conflict with them or have other more serious consequences.
Objectively speaking, Xu Xinsu could give such support is really rare. Looking at the entire Ming Dynasty officialdom, I am afraid that few people would dare to offend Jin Yiwei for foreigners.Although Jin Ming had slandered Xu Yuxing's attitude before, but now knowing Xu Xinsu's attitude, he has nothing to say.
Jin Ming asked: "If we go directly to investigate its accounts and inventory, do we need to prepare for conflicts?"
Xu Yuxing nodded and said: "This preparation must be done. I may be able to calm down the situation with the first two, but Jin Yiwei's side must not be easy."
"Speaking of it this way, we can't do it all at once." Jin Ming said with a little regret.If these three goals cannot be acted on at the same time, the possibility of leaks will also be greatly increased, which may allow the investigators time to transfer or destroy some key evidence.
Hearing this, Xu Yuxing shook his head and said, "If I don't come forward, it may be difficult for the people under me to handle the matter smoothly. Mr. Jin, I must remind you again that these three investigation targets all have backing backgrounds. It is not easy to get them to cooperate with us honestly. All we can do is to shorten the time interval for taking action on these three goals as much as possible, and complete secrecy is impossible to achieve.”
Xu Yuxing was well aware of Jin Ming's concerns, but he believed that the Haihan people's demands were too high, and he didn't fully consider the embarrassment in handling this matter.Moreover, if this matter spreads, it may have a negative impact on Xu Xinsu's reputation. After all, the companies investigated are all competitors in the industry under Xu Xinsu's name. Outsiders will not know that these commercial organizations are actually licensed by Xu Xinsu to exist.
Xu Xinsu is willing to investigate the matter according to the request of the Haihan people. In Xu Yuxing's view, this attitude is more to take care of the feelings of the Haihan people, not because these people's business with the Spaniards will harm the situation in Fujian. He came forward to direct the investigation Work is enough to give the Haihan people enough face. If you don't explain the importance and disadvantages of this, the Haihan people may make more embarrassing demands later.
Jin Ming could hear that Xu Yuxing's tone was not so polite anymore, so he took the initiative to back down: "It was agreed earlier that the relevant investigation operations are all under the command of the third young master, and the appropriate way to proceed is up to the third young master." It's up to you."
Seeing that the other party's attitude had softened, Xu Yuxing said with a pale face, "Your Majesty Jin, you are welcome, so let's mobilize people to make an action plan today, and we will start tomorrow morning!"
According to the prior agreement, only Jin Ming from Haihan's side will follow up the investigation throughout the whole process, so other Haihan intelligence personnel will not participate in the relevant operations, and Xu Yuxing's people will be the main force.
Compared with the establishment of Haihan Security Department, Xu Xinsu's intelligence department is mainly composed of his guards, and because there are not many intelligence collation and analysis personnel in this establishment, it is actually stronger than Haihan in performing field tasks Some, and when there are not enough manpower, they can also directly transfer manpower from the guards.
(End of this chapter)
With Xu Xinsu's influence in Fujian today, it is not an exaggeration to say that he overshadows the sky in the local area, and even often violates part of the orders from the imperial court, finding some excuses to neither listen to the tune nor listen to the announcement.But this does not mean that he can completely ignore the existence of the Ming court, or wantonly suppress other court officials. Whether Xu Xinsu is willing or not, he still has to maintain some basic rules of the game in this feudal power system.
Unless one day Xu Xinsu divides the territory in Fujian and erects a flag to rebel, otherwise he will be a minister of the Ming Dynasty, and he will have to obey the bureaucratic system of the Ming Dynasty.Although many members of Xu Xinsu's family have entered the officialdom, due to various restrictions, most of them can only hold some relatively low official positions.The only way out is to join the army and become a military attache. Even if the position is not high, you can lead troops. After all, almost all the Fujian Navy has become the private soldiers of the Xu family, and it is difficult for the military attache appointed by the court to join this special force.
But even if the Xu family is now in a situation where one person has attained enlightenment, there are only a limited number of people who can become officials. Xu Xinsu has not expanded to the point where he can put cats and dogs in the officialdom. He knows that doing so will not only destroy the Great Wall There will be no other effect, so even his sons have not all entered the officialdom.And there are hundreds of officials in Fujian who are loyal to the imperial court. If Xu Xinsu wants to keep these people quiet, he must either use forceful means to deter them, or give them enough benefits.
Xu Xinsu has already controlled the military power in Fujian. This is a well-known thing in Lingnan, and the strength of the Ming army under Xu Xinsu's command far exceeds that of neighboring provinces. In fact, there is no need to show off force to local officials, so his priority to deal with this issue It is the latter.
Based on his own experience and suggestions given by Haihan, Xu Xinsu came up with a solution. He tried to get these local officials to participate in the industrial operation in various forms, tying their personal interests with Xu's industry.Although this method is not as effective as sending money directly, the long-term effect is excellent. Once people get on the boat, it will be difficult for them to get off.
This is the case of the commander Liao on the list. The Kowloon Shipping Company under his name is actually attached to the property of the Xu family. The boat was built by the Xu family and sold to him cheaply. The trade routes, trading channels, and even settlement methods are all arranged by the Xu family. Master Liao only needs to send a trustworthy person to be the shopkeeper.In this way, the real owner doesn't need to spend too much thought, and he doesn't need to worry about the money he earns in his pocket coming from wrong sources.
The reason why Lord Liao was given such generous treatment was naturally because of his official position.Speaking of which, the commander is the real military chief of Fujian, but because of the existence of Xu Xinsu, the commander is actually a puppet, and Xu Xinsu, who holds the vague official position of "Fujian General Soldier", is the real control People with local military power.However, the commander of the capital is an official official appointed by the imperial court and the Ministry of War. Xu Xinsu also needs the cooperation of the other party in many places, and the existence of the Jiulong Shipping Company is to allow the two parties who originally had conflicting interests in power to have new common interests. The solution to hurt and anger.
This Lord Liao has been in office for five years, and at this time, the Kowloon Shipping Company is no longer the only property under the name of this high-ranking official. However, according to the information Xu Yuxing knows, the income that this Kowloon Shipping Company earns back for Mr. Liao every year is still accounted for a significant portion of its income.And now it is found that the Kowloon Shipping Company secretly has business dealings with the Spaniards. It seems that a considerable amount of money that enters Mr. Liao's pocket every year comes from the Spanish colonial authorities in the Philippine Islands.
"In a situation like this, how does the third young master usually deal with it?" After hearing Xu Yuxing's introduction to the situation of the Kowloon boat company, Jin Ming didn't speak rashly, but asked the other party's meaning first.
Xu Yuxing pondered: "This is not an ordinary person. Of course it is possible to investigate, but it is not very easy to do. Although he may not have ordered this matter, but if you want to openly search for evidence at the Jiulong Shipping Company, it will be difficult. There is a suspicion of slap in the face, and there will be some troubles in the future if you offend this person. If you want to take action, you have to ask my father first."
Seeing that Xu Yuxing was so apprehensive, Jin Ming couldn't be sure whether what he said was true or not, so he could only express his understanding first: "In that case, let's put the Nine Dragons Boat Company aside for now. How about the other two on the list?"
Xu Yuxing pointed to the second company on the list and said: "This Guangli Commercial Firm is under the name of Mr. Huang, the magistrate of Zhangzhou. Mr. Huang has also been friends with my father for many years. It seems that Guangli Commercial Firm is currently run by his eldest son. If you know him, you can talk to him first to understand the situation."
Jin Ming understood Xu Yuxing's implication. This company also has an official background, and it cannot be tampered with. It has to communicate with the operator first.It's just that there seems to be nothing wrong with the reason Xu Yuxing gave. This is the property of the prefect of Zhangzhou, and as far as he knows, this Mr. Huang is indeed a member of Xu Xinsu's camp. It is estimated that this is the main reason why Xu Yuxing does not want to offend the other party. .
Xu Yuxing didn't wait for Jin Ming to ask, and directly pointed to the last company on the list: "The situation of this third company is a bit special... It is the property under the name of a commander of Jin Yiwei."
"Jin Yiwei?" Jin Ming couldn't help raising his eyebrows when he heard this answer, which was information he had never grasped before.In terms of status alone, this Jinyiwei is indeed more difficult to deal with than ordinary civil and military officials. Even if Xu Xinsu is not afraid of the existence of Jinyiwei, he will definitely not take the initiative to provoke this yamen.
The commander is a senior military officer of the fourth grade. In the power structure of Jinyiwei, he is only ranked below the commander and the commander. He is also a big man.However, no matter how big an official is, the salary he receives from the court is also limited. If he wants to achieve financial freedom, he has to think of other ideas.But in Fujian, the most profitable business is sea trade, so this gentleman also chose this profitable business as his second career.
With Jin Yiwei's privilege to operate the sea trade, he can naturally enjoy many conveniences. At least the intelligence agency in charge of Xu Yuxing dare not easily investigate the business status of his industry.In addition, with the name of Jinyiwei, there is no need to pay any transaction taxes to the government, and there is no need to worry about someone daring to check when transporting prohibited items.
Jin Ming has been stationed in Fujian for a long time, but he will try his best to avoid dealing with Jin Yiwei. After all, colleagues are enemies. Besides, the grievances between the Ministry of Security and Jin Yiwei have lasted for several years, and it is impossible for the two sides to shake hands and talk happily. , Once there is a relationship, it will be a life-and-death situation.And before that, he really didn't know that the firm on the list was actually owned by Jinyiwei.
Jin Ming murmured: "Although there are difficulties, we still have to investigate! In my opinion, Jin Yiwei is very suspicious!"
Jin Ming thought very clearly, since even Xu Yuxing was afraid of this, there must be no one who would supervise the business of this firm.If it were not for these three lists of identification, it would probably be difficult to have evidence to list this firm as a key suspect.
Xu Yuxing said: "Of course the investigation will continue, but how to proceed needs to be planned slowly. What your country needs to investigate is to assist the Spaniards in smuggling weapons and equipment. Mr. Jin also said that the other party is meticulous, and he is probably an expert , if we start to scare the snake, the investigation work may not be able to achieve its goal."
Jin Ming said: "If there are indeed people who the third young master doesn't want to offend, then you might as well leave it to us, so that the third young master can avoid suspicion."
Xu Yuxing wanted to investigate the matter slowly, but Jin Ming did not agree with this approach, because the telegram sent by Sanya clearly mentioned that the relevant parties were required to investigate the case as soon as possible.Xu Yuxing can spend time with the subject of the investigation, but he can't afford to wait, he must report the results as soon as possible.
Xu Yuxing said: "Master Jin's words are wrong. You and I are allies, and naturally we are in the same camp. How could Xu offend his own allies just because he didn't want to offend others. Don't worry, since my father has already agreed to this If you know how to manage it, then you must manage it to the end!"
Jin Ming solemnly said: "I'm being rude, don't blame the third young master."
Jin Ming apologized, but he didn't think so in his heart. He thought that Xu Yuxing exaggerated the difficulty of the investigation when explaining the situation of the three investigated objects, and seemed to be evasive.But it's not good for him to be too tough on Xu Yuxing. After all, he has something to ask from the other party at the moment. If he is in charge of this investigation, it may be difficult for him to catch clues and clues as quickly as the other party.So he had no choice but to use words to force the other party to express his position, lest Xu Yuxing keep going around in circles with him.
Xu Yuxing said: "I will order people to monitor these three places first. As for how to carry out subsequent investigations, please wait a moment, Mr. Jin. I will go and show this list to my father first, and then get a charter for doing business. come out."
"It's easy to say, it's hard work for the third young master." Jin Ming had no other way to think of it at this time, but he could only follow Xu Yuxing's thinking first.He only hoped that Xu Xinsu could act tougher at this time, and not try to avoid problems or delay time like Xu Yuxing.
It was already lunchtime when Jin Ming saw Xu Yuxing again, but the news brought back by Xu Yuxing made him happier than the sumptuous lunch. Xu Xinsu expressed his full support for their investigation work, and he would explain the matter to Commander Liao and prefect Huang. .
As for Jin Yiwei, since the commander is not currently in Fujian, he can't communicate with him about the matter. Xu Xinsu allows them to take action first, and if something happens later, he will take care of the matter.Of course, Xu Xinsu also asked them to try not to make things big unless necessary, let alone conflict with them or have other more serious consequences.
Objectively speaking, Xu Xinsu could give such support is really rare. Looking at the entire Ming Dynasty officialdom, I am afraid that few people would dare to offend Jin Yiwei for foreigners.Although Jin Ming had slandered Xu Yuxing's attitude before, but now knowing Xu Xinsu's attitude, he has nothing to say.
Jin Ming asked: "If we go directly to investigate its accounts and inventory, do we need to prepare for conflicts?"
Xu Yuxing nodded and said: "This preparation must be done. I may be able to calm down the situation with the first two, but Jin Yiwei's side must not be easy."
"Speaking of it this way, we can't do it all at once." Jin Ming said with a little regret.If these three goals cannot be acted on at the same time, the possibility of leaks will also be greatly increased, which may allow the investigators time to transfer or destroy some key evidence.
Hearing this, Xu Yuxing shook his head and said, "If I don't come forward, it may be difficult for the people under me to handle the matter smoothly. Mr. Jin, I must remind you again that these three investigation targets all have backing backgrounds. It is not easy to get them to cooperate with us honestly. All we can do is to shorten the time interval for taking action on these three goals as much as possible, and complete secrecy is impossible to achieve.”
Xu Yuxing was well aware of Jin Ming's concerns, but he believed that the Haihan people's demands were too high, and he didn't fully consider the embarrassment in handling this matter.Moreover, if this matter spreads, it may have a negative impact on Xu Xinsu's reputation. After all, the companies investigated are all competitors in the industry under Xu Xinsu's name. Outsiders will not know that these commercial organizations are actually licensed by Xu Xinsu to exist.
Xu Xinsu is willing to investigate the matter according to the request of the Haihan people. In Xu Yuxing's view, this attitude is more to take care of the feelings of the Haihan people, not because these people's business with the Spaniards will harm the situation in Fujian. He came forward to direct the investigation Work is enough to give the Haihan people enough face. If you don't explain the importance and disadvantages of this, the Haihan people may make more embarrassing demands later.
Jin Ming could hear that Xu Yuxing's tone was not so polite anymore, so he took the initiative to back down: "It was agreed earlier that the relevant investigation operations are all under the command of the third young master, and the appropriate way to proceed is up to the third young master." It's up to you."
Seeing that the other party's attitude had softened, Xu Yuxing said with a pale face, "Your Majesty Jin, you are welcome, so let's mobilize people to make an action plan today, and we will start tomorrow morning!"
According to the prior agreement, only Jin Ming from Haihan's side will follow up the investigation throughout the whole process, so other Haihan intelligence personnel will not participate in the relevant operations, and Xu Yuxing's people will be the main force.
Compared with the establishment of Haihan Security Department, Xu Xinsu's intelligence department is mainly composed of his guards, and because there are not many intelligence collation and analysis personnel in this establishment, it is actually stronger than Haihan in performing field tasks Some, and when there are not enough manpower, they can also directly transfer manpower from the guards.
(End of this chapter)