Chapter 2307 - Thorny Confessions

Qian Duo nodded. "Replenishing troops isn't the problem. The main issue is the heavy loss of weapons. The Third Squadron had been completely retrofitted with rifles, and nearly half were damaged or lost in this disaster. The new recruits will have to carry spears again."

"That reminds me of something. Those dock porters Luo Yangming led earned great merit last night. Why not incorporate them into the Third Squadron?"

Qian Duo considered this. "We can't put them in the Third Squadron. The morale there has been ruined by Jiang Yougong. Add soldiers now, and they'll just get corrupted. These porters are good men—capable fighters. They could even join the Volte Army. Putting them in a fourth- or fifth-rate unit like that would be a waste. In my opinion, we should disband the Third Squadron completely, then reorganize it with the dock porters to form a new Third Squadron and a Replacement Squadron. Honestly, I think we should disband those several hundred men in the Detective Team sooner rather than later too. Looking at their performance last night, they were completely useless—not to mention there were informants mixed in among them."

"We can't make that call," Zhao Fengtian said, frowning. "You and I both know this so-called Detective Team is a mixed bag. There are capable professional soldiers, old military rogues just looking for a meal, and plenty who are simply going through the motions. None of them are reliable. But this system was established by Senator Xie in accordance with directives from the Guangdong Region. Abolishing it requires Senator Xie's authorization—we can't do it ourselves. Besides, when Senator Xie set this up, there was also the intention of 'maintaining livelihoods.'"

"I understand that intention. Otherwise, why create so many units? It's nothing more than ensuring these men have something to eat so they don't resort to desperate measures and worsen the banditry in the rear."

"Disbanding them isn't difficult—I expect Senator Xie won't insist on keeping them. But we have to give these men somewhere to go. Otherwise, they'll always be a latent threat," Zhao Fengtian said.

The two looked at each other, unable to think of a solution. There was one silver lining to the present situation, however: the massive burden of the Sanhezu Prisoner Camp on the Wuzhou local government had been wiped out. Whether the refugees and captives housed inside or the retained personnel managing the camp, these thousands of mouths were no longer their responsibility.

Of course, viewed from another angle, all these scattered people—many now without livelihoods—would inevitably turn to desperate measures, worsening the security situation around Wuzhou.

The thought made Zhao Fengtian's head throb. He sighed. "We can't manage these things, and we don't have the ability to. In my view, the Detective Team needs to be purged. Kick out everyone with problems—there are thousands of refugees scattered outside anyway; a few dozen more won't matter. Those with ability and clean backgrounds can be added to the Replacement Squadron. I'll ask Chief Xie for instructions on this."

At that moment, the long blast of a tugboat whistle came from outside. The two sleepless men jumped to their feet as if jolted awake. Qian Duo said, "The grain fleet is here! I'll go to the South Gate first."

"You handle the reception. I need to arrange the remaining matters." Zhao Fengtian smiled bitterly. "I need to have an explanation ready when the Chief asks."

After Qian Duo left, he summoned Zheng Ergen.

"How is the case progressing?" Zhao Fengtian demanded the moment Zheng Ergen entered.

Zheng Ergen's collar was open, his forehead beaded with sweat. He looked thoroughly exasperated. Dropping into a chair, he panted, "It's damn well hard to deal with!"

"Calm down. Tell me slowly." Seeing his appearance, Zhao Fengtian knew this was proving a hard bone to gnaw.

"The Jiang family people had nothing to hide. They entered the interrogation room and confessed everything through their tears. Turns out this Advisor Hao isn't named Hao at all—his real name is Yi Haoran. He was originally an advisor on Xiong Wencan's staff. According to Jiang Qiuchan, when the city fell, this Yi Haoran saved her and her child. So she helped him conceal his identity and lie low. As for Jiang Rongxian, he knew basically nothing—he thought Yi Haoran was a relative of his sister's husband's family..."

"So infiltrating Luo Yangming's rice shop was accomplished through Jiang Qiuchan?"

"Exactly. Before Jiang Qiuchan married, she was a boudoir friend of Luo Yangming's wife, Ding Atao. They interacted frequently." Zheng Ergen picked up his bamboo water flask and took a long gulp. "Old Luo's home has some gaps in it."

"Don't drag in irrelevant matters—stick to the main point," Zhao Fengtian reminded him. Zheng Ergen realized he had misspoken and quickly returned to the subject. "That's about the extent of Jiang Qiuchan's involvement."

"Was Cai Lan the one who tampered with Yi Haoran's transfer letter back then?"

"It was her. The story is rather complex." He recounted the sequence of events in full. Zhao Fengtian listened with growing alarm—this Yi Haoran was formidable! He now understood that Jiang Qiuchan had been completely manipulated by him. Not merely used, but used in a way that left her unwittingly helping count the money while being sold.

Though Zheng Ergen said progress was slow, the confessions obtained from Cai Lan and Jiang Qiuchan had roughly clarified the course of events. But when Cai Lan mentioned Chang Qingyun, Zhao Fengtian felt a shock run through him. He himself had approved Chang Qingyun to ghostwrite for Chief Xie!

Sweat poured down his forehead. He had just received word: in the disturbance at Sanhezu, this Chang Qingyun was clearly one of the masterminds.

This is a disaster! Zhao Fengtian thought. Once the case was transferred to the Political Security Bureau, he would definitely lose a layer of skin! He struggled to maintain composure, mentally piecing together the materials Zheng Ergen had provided, gradually forming a picture of how this Advisor Yi had built a network within the city and extended his tentacles directly to the Senator's side. A penniless advisor had quietly orchestrated an affair of this magnitude!

"...But Yi Haoran is proving hard to crack," Zheng Ergen continued. "He hasn't uttered a word so far. Beyond what involves Cai Lan, we know basically nothing about his activities in the city."

"Did you use methods?"

"Of course." Zheng Ergen smiled bitterly. "I brought in all the retained runners from the soap team and put him through every torture instrument we have. The scholar's incredibly tough. He screams to shake the heavens but won't give a single confession. I was also afraid of beating him to death and being unable to question him further, so I didn't dare go too hard."

"You did right. Grind him down slowly—don't kill him." Zhao Fengtian calculated mentally, then asked, "Have the other captives been interrogated?"

"We caught dozens. Haven't had time to interrogate them in detail yet. Preliminary questioning shows that those who entered the city all claim to be subordinates of a Ming general named Song Ming. The arrested insiders were all contacted by Yi Haoran and Chang Qingyun. They're ordinary soldiers who can't tell us anything useful. Only one named Jiang Suo seems relatively suspicious—the others say he might be a leader."

"Then make him a priority as well." Zhao Fengtian said, "We must establish the facts as quickly as possible. Elder Xie is waiting for our report."

Zheng Ergen shifted uneasily and whispered, "Secretary Zhao, give me a hint. What exactly is Chief Xie's position on this?"

"What do you mean, 'position'?" Zhao Fengtian didn't immediately understand.

"This case involves the Chief personally—especially that Miss Cai. She tried to assassinate the Chief back then. Does the Chief have any particular instructions?"

Zhao Fengtian was stunned. He hadn't expected Zheng Ergen—who always appeared rustic and routinely quoted regulations and decrees—to harbor such calculating thoughts! Truth be told, they were thinking along the same lines. Zhao Fengtian chose his words carefully and asked instead of answering:

"Old Zheng, you, the model of rules and discipline, have such twisting intestines..."

"I don't have twisting intestines—I squatted in Sanya for over five years!" Zheng Ergen smiled bitterly. "I don't want to go to Taiwan to be an institute director or bureau chief for another few years. You know how matters involving Senators go..."

Zheng Ergen trailed off, but Zhao Fengtian understood perfectly. However, speaking too explicitly at this moment might leave loose ends. He spoke vaguely: "Yes. Matters involving Senators must be decided by the Senators themselves." He glanced at Zheng Ergen. The two instantly understood each other and looked away.

Zhao Fengtian organized the confessions Zheng Ergen had delivered, sent someone to check on the grain ship unloading, made a simple note, and went to report to Xie Erren without even eating lunch. But Xie Erren came to him first.

Xie Erren had spent half the day lying in bed, turning the situation over and over in his mind, unable to find a suitable way to escape responsibility. He knew a complete deflection was impossible; the only thing he could do was minimize his culpability—especially avoiding serious disciplinary violations that could be held against him.

Reviewing his administration since arriving in Wuzhou, he felt that while he had been guilty of "failing to observe" his subordinates and being "complacently careless" about enemy intelligence, his overall governance wasn't seriously flawed. If there was one genuine mistake, it was the matter of Cai Lan.

Leaving aside whether Cai Lan had actually colluded with the enemy, the mere fact that she had once tried to assassinate him and he hadn't processed her according to "Enemy Nature" protocols—instead taking her into his bed—was a massive problem. And now she was under heavy suspicion of treating with the enemy.

"Putting a female spy in one's own bed." Thinking of the scathing commentary this would generate in the Senate, and how this matter would become a permanent stain on him, Xie Erren lost all appetite. Where last night he had felt only hatred for Cai Lan's betrayal, now he felt utter disgust piled on top.

"Chief, why did you get up? You should rest first..." Zhao Fengtian hurried to help him to the desk.

"I'm fine. Though the fight with the enemy last night was fierce and some bumps and bruises were unavoidable, they're just flesh wounds. The enemy can't hurt me!" Xie Erren affected bravado. "With so much happening in Wuzhou now, how can I sleep?"

Zhao Fengtian said, "Since the Chief says so, I'm relieved. Let me report on the interrogation first..."

"The interrogation isn't urgent—just a few jumping clowns." Xie Erren waved dismissively. "I heard the grain fleet's whistle just now. How is the unloading going?"

(End of Chapter)