Chapter 706 - Activities in Guangzhou
Lin Baoguang glanced at the courtyard outside. The weather had already turned somewhat cool. Even outdoors, one no longer felt the stifling summer heat. This was completely different from his experience in the old timeline.
After all, this was still the south. In the old timeline, he had once traveled to Shenzhen for a meeting in November, and the midday sun still made him sweat—unable to wear a jacket, forced to walk around in just a shirt.
Yet this timeline was much colder. After several rains, temperatures had plunged below thirty degrees. He stretched. He noticed Chen Tong standing guard at the courtyard gate, meticulously vigilant.
Lin Baoguang had transferred from Qiongshan to Guangzhou to commence work here, bringing Chen Tong along as his assistant.
Qiongshan no longer required complex intelligence work. The city's fall was only a matter of time. After that, it would become the Political Security Bureau's domain.
He had left Gao Di behind to manage and run the intelligence network led by Ma Benyuan—until the occupation of Qiongshan, when it would be handed over to the "neighbors." As for some capable individuals within Ma Benyuan's network, Lin Baoguang was considering transferring them to Guangdong for use.
Chen Tong's specific position in the Guangzhou clandestine organization hadn't yet been announced, but he was roughly playing the role of chief operations officer. All incoming intelligence and outgoing mission assignments passed through him. Most of the time, Lin Baoguang interacted only with him and his own confidential secretary. Chen Tong's workload was heavy and complex, but from Lin Baoguang's detached perspective, he managed everything in good order.
This young man is improving more and more, Lin Baoguang thought. Perhaps he'll become someone promising.
After bringing him to Guangzhou, Lin Baoguang had deliberately tested him—giving him several opportunities for fieldwork to thoroughly experience the allure of big-city life. Then he had suddenly assigned him to desk duty, confining him indoors for many days. He had even given him the most boring, menial tasks, all to fully observe his performance.
Chen Tong satisfied him. Lin Baoguang concluded: This person's mind is calm as still water—neither anxious nor restless. He has the makings of an intelligence operative.
This was the Guangzhou Station's temporary office—strictly speaking, the office for the Station's intelligence department. He had taken over this setup from Zhang Xin three days ago. Under Lin Baoguang's direction, the Guangzhou clandestine organization now primarily collected civilian, political, and commercial intelligence while conducting special propaganda. The intelligence personnel, materials, and relationships originally managed by Zhang Xin had basically all been transferred here.
Lin Baoguang had smoothly assumed control of all Guangzhou Station intelligence work and relationships. These past days had been extremely busy—aside from receiving the intelligence system, he had also met with clandestine organization headquarters staff.
According to regulations drafted by Jiang Shan, Li Yan, and others, "connections," "inside sources," and "observers" were each assigned to surveillance networks, with each network supervised by a handler who maintained vertical control over agents. The handler's contact with clandestine organization headquarters was segmented through courier stations. If one link broke, the chain could be easily severed.
All handlers were either indigenous intelligence trainees who had returned from Lingao's rotational training or graduates of the Intelligence Bureau's Class A training program. Lin Baoguang also directly commanded the Guangzhou Station Security Department—over forty people responsible for security and protection work. Since these personnel came mostly from escort bureaus, traditional "martial virtue" mentality ran deep. So Lin Baoguang didn't assign them to wet work; he mainly deployed them for organizational and personal protection.
Lin Baoguang sat at headquarters like a spider at the center of its web, instantly sensing the slightest tremor from any strand.
His assigned mission was to do everything possible to promote peace negotiations between Guangdong officialdom and the Lingao side while restoring trade between them. To this end, he was actively courting connections with local officials and gentry, conducting persuasion. He had a roughly seven-or-eight-tenths grasp of every Guangdong official's attitude and the gentry's stance.
Now, peace negotiations were the prevailing trend. The remaining resistance was obviously concentrated in two individuals: Wang Zunde and Gao Shunqin. Wang Zunde was ill at Zhaoqing, his condition fluctuating. Even if he didn't die, his dismissal wasn't far off. Gao Shunqin's official career was still flourishing, and he reportedly still enjoyed imperial favor. Lin Baoguang judged that the greatest obstacle to peace wasn't Wang Zunde but this Regional Inspector.
Wang Zunde's attitude was neither war nor peace, but his advisors, subordinates, and the Guangdong Ming military commanders all hoped to reach a settlement with the Australians as quickly as possible—to avoid worse consequences from continued fighting. Last time, Lü Yizhong's letter had received no response from Wang Zunde. The negotiating delegation originally meant to proceed to Macau hadn't gone. But from "connections" embedded in Wang Zunde's secretariat came clear word: everyone, including his most trusted advisor Li Xijue, hoped to contact the Australians—at least to rescue the remnants of He Rubin and others stranded at Qiongshan, and reduce the shock to court and public opinion.
With this foundation, Lin Baoguang was confident about the work concerning Wang Zunde.
Gao Shunqin, however, was known for his hardline stance. Not only was his distinction between Chinese and barbarians especially rigid, but he had no commercial interests in Guangdong's maritime trade. He wasn't responsible for concrete military or administrative affairs, so military success or failure, blockades, and all related consequences had no direct bearing on his interests. This man, though hardly clean as water or bright as a mirror, would absolutely refuse bribes that contradicted his beliefs and ideals. Otherwise, the Portuguese would have bought him off long ago. Gao Shunqin was thus the most difficult person to handle.
Lin Baoguang decided to focus his peace-negotiation efforts on Gao Shunqin.
But how exactly to proceed—he still hadn't devised a concrete plan.
"Sir," Chen Tong called softly from the courtyard outside the window.
"What is it?"
"A new report has arrived."
"Bring it in." Lin Baoguang ordered.
A thick notebook was brought into his office. He flipped through the latest intelligence summary—all Guangzhou local intelligence from the past 72 hours, not particularly urgent but potentially useful for reference. The most critical Guangzhou city intelligence was delivered to headquarters with a time limit of no more than four hours.
He first opened the messages from the Provincial Governor's yamen's "connection": Li Fengjie had dispatched an advisor to Macau; purpose unknown. This caught his attention. Why suddenly send someone to Macau? Macau was under Xiangshan County's jurisdiction. Official business would naturally be handled by the county deputy responsible for Macau affairs. As a provincial governor, Li Fengjie certainly had no reason to send a private advisor for public business.
Li Fengjie had no businesses in Macau—this the Guangzhou clandestine organization had long since confirmed. He was unlikely to be going for commercial reasons.
The External Intelligence Bureau had no permanent personnel in Macau—only a few "connections" Zhang Xin had established to report on general commercial matters and public sentiment. They couldn't investigate what Li Fengjie's secret envoy was actually doing.
Lin Baoguang thought: At this delicate juncture, Li Fengjie sending someone to Macau obviously concerns us. This must be investigated thoroughly. He had Chen Tong come in.
"Handle a couple of things right away. Li Fengjie has sent someone to Macau. Pick someone to shadow Li Fengjie's envoy there—try to find out what exactly he's sending people for."
Chen Tong nodded. "I'll go immediately."
"One more thing. Does Gao Shunqin have any of our connections around him? Find out and tell me immediately."
"Understood." Chen Tong left at once.
Lin Baoguang watched him depart, then resumed flipping through the latest intelligence summary. He focused first on a few key officials. One item caught his attention: intelligence about Gao Shunqin dispatching a memorial regarding the prohibition of Portuguese trade at Guangzhou and banning merchants from trading with the Portuguese.
There must be a connection here! Lin Baoguang ordered immediate investigation into whether Li Fengjie had recently mentioned anything related to the Portuguese at Macau.
The intelligence operative had little difficulty obtaining this from Li's household servants: Li Fengjie had instructed his advisors that any inquiries from the Portuguese about Gao Shunqin's memorial should be uniformly denied.
Comparing this intelligence with the approximate contents of Gao Shunqin's memorial, Lin Baoguang began to understand: Li Fengjie probably needed something from the Portuguese, which explained his fear of Gao Shunqin's memorial reaching their ears. He probably also knew that no secrets could be kept in Guangzhou, hence the instruction to "deny everything."
He rang the bell. A confidential secretary from the clandestine organization, Lin Xuan, entered. She was a young woman he had purchased using female servant welfare credits—a destitute girl with only a childhood nickname. Lin Baoguang had given her his own surname. Given his work requirements, the Administrative Office had sent her to the Political Security Bureau's confidential personnel training class. Now she served as Lin Baoguang's confidential secretary.
"Check whether there are any copies of all memorials Gao Shunqin dispatched from mid-August to the present regarding the Portuguese or Macau affairs."
Lin Xuan soon returned to report: She hadn't found the needed materials.
If not available, someone would have to be specifically sent to obtain them. Once Gao Shunqin's memorial reached Beijing, it would be easy to acquire—as long as the emperor didn't suppress it, they could get it from the official gazette. But in Guangzhou, obtaining it wouldn't be so easy. One would have to bribe the advisor who drafted the memorial or the trusted attendant who handled documents.
Unfortunately, Gao Shunqin's household had no such capable connection in place—a significant gap. Pei Lixiu and Gao Shunqin's favored concubine Su Ai had been bosom friends. Given Su Ai's status in the Gao household, she should have been able to privately obtain a memorial copy.
But Pei Lixiu wasn't currently in Guangzhou, so this avenue was blocked. Recalling her was possible—Lingao wouldn't object—but she was too famous, and too many people in Guangzhou knew her. Returning rashly when the situation remained unclear would be dangerous.
(End of Chapter)