Chapter 434 - Gou Er's Property
Of course, this was thanks to Wufo—he was Gou Buli's direct superior, and this woman had been introduced by him. Thinking of this, Gou Buli's dissatisfaction decreased considerably. The Australian high official was quite humane, didn't put on airs, and was genuinely considerate of others.
"Isn't addressing each other like this between husband and wife too formal?" His wife said aggrievedly. "I heard that 'comrade' is only used between cadres and chiefs..."
"Hmph, how do you know I won't become a cadre!" Gou Buli said indignantly. He thought, even that farm laborer Ma Peng has become a cadre. I worked so hard for the Australians at the Gou Family Manor, and now I've just ended up with a small tavern, being an informant. That's too lame!
Of course, having a small tavern entirely his own wasn't bad. Not counting the monthly stipend, the tavern's profits alone were quite good. The Australians had treated him well—but Gou Buli's ambitions were considerably grander. He wanted to rise above!
As for how to rise above, Gou Buli hadn't figured that out yet. Generally speaking, he would need to expose a major case—preferably "treason." Thinking of this, he was startled. Who exactly was committing treason? This question was a bit difficult.
This was the first time Gou Buli had considered this question, but he did not continue thinking about it. Dwelling deeper on this question was really too frightening. Suddenly he felt that being a small tavern owner while collecting a stipend on the side was quite pleasant.
"Hmm, wife, you should keep calling me 'husband' from now on," Gou Buli said to his wife.
Lin Baiguang had drunk with Shi Shisi and the others and felt a bit dizzy, though his mind remained clear. To avoid showing signs of drunkenness, he slowed his pace and walked back to his office on steady feet.
Arriving at the office, he locked the door and retrieved a bottle of sobering medicine from his safe—this wasn't iron but reinforced concrete with an iron door. This was something he always kept on hand back in the county. Taking one pill before drinking and one after, he could mostly stay clear-headed and avoid talking nonsense.
He swallowed the medicine with cold water. Lin Baiguang leaned back in his rattan chair—these pirates really can drink! he thought. They drink rum like it's water!
After the pirates settled down, since they knew no one here, Lin Baiguang naturally became everyone's friend and spokesman. People often invited him for drinks and asked him to help with matters. Lin Baiguang never refused, attending to them all. On one hand, he tried his best to solve their difficulties; on the other, he kept tabs on their thoughts and attitudes.
The pirates who had defected, though formally reorganized, still harbored various private sentiments. This did not surprise Lin Baiguang—not everyone could adapt to such a transition. The fact that these people were willing to share their complaints with him meant they still trusted him, and letting them voice their grievances at least provided an outlet.
First was the great resentment over the separation of their relatives and nephews. After moving into the villas, relatives who had been accustomed to living together were assigned to commune apartment buildings instead. This made many feel uncomfortable. They were used to having brothers, nephews, and other relatives around them, ready at their call. Now, besides parents, wives, children, and a few servants, no one remained. Especially the leaders' most trusted and capable people—nephews and such—were now in military dormitories or schools. Having lost their gang and also their relatives, they felt somewhat lost and confused. They were used to standing on the deck of their own ships, looking at their own vessels and men around them. Now there was no one beside them except wives and children. Their hearts felt empty and insecure.
Second was the seemingly endless study sessions. Only a month had passed. Though each day was fully scheduled, these were men of the sea. Having rested ashore for some days, they inevitably grew restless. And several who were locked in the STD treatment center were full of complaints—not being able to have women was one thing, but having to strip naked below while several men and women fiddled with them, administering medicine and applying ointments, was really unbearable.
Lin Baiguang used the drinking occasions to let them vent while also offering some consolation: nephews not being by their side meant they were joining the army or studying—both with a future. Wasn't that better than forever being followers by their elders' side? As for going to sea, there would be opportunities later; it wasn't urgent.
After each drinking session, he patiently compiled the entire meeting process and conversation content into summaries, copies sent upward. Whether they read them or not didn't matter; the key was to leave documentation, to avoid being unable to explain things when the time came.
Lin Baiguang finished his report, stamped it with his personal seal, and sealed it. He closed his eyes and thought about what he, the Enemy Work Department Director, should do next.
First was to select a group of activists from among the former subordinates of Zhu Cailao who had defected, to supplement the Navy's patrol fleet. After Zhu Cailao's destruction, his remnants, besides surrendering to Zheng Zhilong, had gradually retreated back to Guangdong. Some were absorbed by Liu Xiang; others roamed the seas, waiting for opportunities to rob. Some ships, like the small pirate groups Zheng Zhilong had defeated a few months ago, had drifted into the Qiongzhou Strait.
The Navy was preparing to conduct pacification activities in the Lingao waters of the strait, incorporating these stragglers. Of course, for incorporation, having envoys would be best to avoid battle casualties. For ships, capable sailors were even more precious.
Second was to make an intelligence trip to the Mainland. He had already arranged for people to search for Lin Dan's family along the coasts of Guangdong and Fujian—this matter had to be resolved for Lin Dan. As for Xu Cheng's package, he had arranged for it to be exchanged for a draft at Delong and wired to Guangzhou for him to collect. He planned to find Xu Cheng's family and settle this matter.
He still held a glimmer of hope that Xu Cheng hadn't died. This man valued relationships and loyalty. If he wasn't dead and could be won over through this opportunity, he would make an excellent assistant.
For this trip, he did not plan to sail directly to Guangzhou. Instead, he intended to first sail to Qiongzhou—he had an idea he wanted to try.
The thought of going to Qiongzhou came from inspiration while the Enemy Work Department was sorting through letters seized from the secret room at the Gou Family Manor. Though the letters were written in vernacular, classical vernacular grammar differed considerably from modern Mandarin. He brought Zhang Xingjiao in to read through every letter word by word and explain the meanings clearly.
Most of these letters were correspondence with Zhu Cailao and his subordinates—nothing more than results of fencing stolen goods, where they were planning to meet to transfer money and goods, or commissioned purchases and such. But another portion was correspondence between the brothers Gou Da and Gou Er with certain persons in Qiongzhou. From the letters, these correspondents were apparently local merchants or gentry in Qiongzhou Prefecture, specifically conducting fencing and salt smuggling business with the Gou brothers.
Lin Baiguang did not know exactly who these people were. In their letters, they used either trade names or simple surnames as addresses. But clues in the letters also revealed much information. For example, one "Mr. Ma," judging from between the lines, should be someone working in a government office—probably an official. What surprised him was that Ruth Ya had also had dealings with the Gou family! Ruth Ya had once stored a batch of stolen goods at the Gou Family Manor.
Since he started studying this batch of letters, the more Lin Baiguang studied, the more ideas he had. Since the Gou Family Manor was finished, their material legacy had been inherited by the Crossing Group. These relationships could also be attempted to be inherited by the Crossing Group.
However, in the Gou family's letters, most were Gou Da's correspondence; Gou Er's were remarkably few. This was somewhat odd. According to local opinion, Gou Da was the martial side, Gou Er the literary side—logically speaking, for someone like Gou Er, who played the strategist and white-paper-fan role, his correspondence would not be scarce.
Where had it gone? Lin Baiguang thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered that Gou Er had not resided at the Gou Family Manor. He had lived in the county town. He had his orderly retrieve the operation report from the search of Gou Er's house from the archives.
The report was highly detailed, from what time the assault team entered the county town, what time they surrounded the Gou residence, to the route of entry and people encountered—all written clearly.
In the entire operation, no members of the Gou family were caught—including Gou Er, Gou Er's son, and the wives of this father and son—only two doorman servants were apprehended.
Finally, there was an inventory of items seized at the Gou residence—this list was almost depressing to read. Though it meticulously recorded every broom and basket in the house, there were absolutely no valuables, gold, silver, letters, or account books.
Obviously, when Gou Er fled, he had dealt with all his property and important letters, which was why nothing was found.
The key was: where had he hidden his things? Lin Baiguang suddenly became very interested in Gou Er's "lost treasure." Gold, silver, and jewels were secondary. Those letters should contain explosive material, and there might be even more important things—like bribery account books. Finding them might prove extraordinarily useful.
He made a phone call to Ran Yao: "I suggest we immediately issue a warrant for Gou Er and his son. Have the Lingao County Yamen issue documents with portraits for their capture."
"Is that necessary?" Ran Yao was skeptical. "He's just a stray dog."
"Yes." Lin Baiguang concisely explained his thoughts. "Catching Gou Er is like opening a door to Qiongzhou Prefecture."
Ran Yao said, "But Gou Er's son is still a xiucai. Theoretically, the Lingao County Yamen cannot issue a warrant for him. His xiucai degree must be revoked first. That requires documents to the Provincial Education Commissioner's office in Guangzhou—it probably can't be accomplished in less than several months."
"Then we'll issue a private warrant ourselves!" Lin Baiguang thought that without the Lingao County Yamen issuing it, the notice would have no authority. They certainly couldn't issue it in the Executive Committee's name. "Or just issue a warrant for Gou Er alone."
(End of Chapter)