Chapter 403: The Aftermath of Sarajevo

“Miss Cretia, you haven’t left?” Zhong Lishi asked.

Cretia wrapped her arms around Zhong Xiaoying’s neck. “You have Xiaoying to thank,” she said to them. Zhong Xiaoying wiped her red, swollen eyes and managed a smile through her tears.

“I must get to the bottom of what happened to Westerly,” Cretia said. “I have spoken with my father, and he has agreed to let me stay here until he returns from Japan. Please, let me help.”

“Alright,” Zhong Lishi nodded. It was for the best, he thought. Having the victim’s loved one as a witness would be more persuasive than his own investigation alone.

“Come, let’s go home,” Zhong Lishi said, then caught his slip of the tongue. They had a guest. He quickly corrected himself, “…Er, let’s go back to the customs house. You should probably stay at the merchant’s guild. You can continue to use the room there. We will cover the expenses.”

“No, Doctor. I’ll go back to the customs house,” she said. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to live with Xiaoying. I hope to learn Mandarin day and night. I wish to continue Westerly’s studies and keep learning from you.”

Dr. Zhong was deeply moved. The girl had never shown an interest in science before. This sudden desire was clearly to “carry on his legacy.” In any era, in any culture, people of strong will command respect. Zhong Lishi felt a sense of reverence.

“Very well. I will certainly do my best to impart my knowledge to you.”

“So, what do we do now?”

“Well… right now, we are going to do something very important for both life and science—eat breakfast.”

On Jeju Island, Xue Ziliang received an order from Bei Wei: the entire detachment was to immediately relocate to Kaohsiung.

Though the order was a single, simple sentence, the senators on Jeju all knew what it meant: the matter of dealing with Zheng Zhilong was now on the agenda.

Kaohsiung already had one detachment, led by Qian Shuixie. The Special Reconnaissance Team was the “sharpest sword of the Senate,” and assigning a single detachment to a front was already a sign of its importance. To deploy two was a clear signal of intent.

Feng Zongze breathed a sigh of relief. This meant the Senate’s attention had shifted away from Jeju Island. Of course, Jeju’s contribution of a large number of cattle and horses was also a great merit. The cattle, in particular, had been shipped in large numbers to Hainan and Taiwan to support agricultural development. Though the horse population was still being “inventoried and recovered,” the army’s first light cavalry squadron had been formally established on Jeju. The first all-mule-and-horse-drawn artillery battery and the first horse artillery battery were also being formed.

Feng Zongze knew from his friends in Lingao that the Army was very satisfied with their work on Jeju. Dongmen Chuiyu had praised their experience in forming the local security forces as “excellent.” The small island of Jeju, with a local population of just over thirty thousand, had already contributed six hundred soldiers to the “White Horse” troops. Two companies had already been shipped to Kaohsiung, where they undertook many simple but important auxiliary tasks: sentry duty, patrols, maintaining order, and even acting as laborers when necessary. They had become an important internal security force, greatly relieving the pressure on the Northern Expeditionary Force.

In addition to scoring points with the Army, the active efforts of the Guang-Lei faction and the continuous stream of research reports from Du Wen’s survey of Jeju had also helped. These reports, published in either The Lodestar or the Lingao Times, gave him many opportunities to showcase the positive image of the Jeju Front Committee.

There was no sign of a counter-attack from the Joseon Dynasty. Xue Ziliang had led his detachment across the sea for several reconnaissance-in-force missions, the entire process being like a walk in the park. On the longest mission, he and about ten men had roamed over half of Jeolla Province for more than a month, mapping the coastal roads and docks. During this time, they had killed several hundred Korean soldiers and civilians, from officials and yangban to soldiers and local militia, and had captured several forts. The entire province had gone on high alert, yet the detachment had returned to Jeju unscathed. They had suffered no casualties and had barely used any ammunition.

This operation completely dispelled Feng Zongze’s worries about a Joseon counter-attack. Given the Joseon Dynasty’s weak grassroots control and its dire financial situation, it was hard to imagine them mustering the forces for a counter-offensive.

All signs indicated that Feng Zongze, the administrative chief of Jeju, had weathered the crisis. To gain further support from the Senate, he collaborated with Zhu Mingxia to secretly select suitable women from the Korean populace on Jeju, according to the maid rating standards set by the General Office, preparing to send them to the maid school. Although few Korean women on the island would catch the eyes of the senators, with a population of tens of thousands, and a certain “exotic charm” that appealed to some, even selecting a few would demonstrate that an overseas official like him was “always thinking of what the senators think.”

The Jeju Front Committee held a farewell banquet for Xue Ziliang. After the lively party, he took his detachment and equipment and relocated to Kaohsiung aboard an H800 transport ship.

He had barely disembarked and warmed his seat when he received a second order: “Rest for three days. The detachment is to immediately begin training in island landing and urban assault tactics.”

The order was unmistakable. This was clearly a prelude to taking down Zheng Zhilong.

Though a unit commander had no right to question strategic decisions, he and Qian Shuixie had a full exchange of views at Fengshan Fortress, the Army’s base in Kaohsiung, where the Special Reconnaissance Team headquarters was located.

“It’s no secret among the senators in Kaohsiung,” Qian Shuixie said. “The Senate indeed has this intention.”

Xue Ziliang was curious. “Why the sudden urge to attack Zheng Zhilong? Haven’t we been passing through the Taiwan Strait without incident for a long time?”

Qian Shuixie chuckled. “You haven’t heard about the ‘Sarajevo Incident,’ have you?”

“What incident?”

Qian Shuixie recounted the murder of Westerly in detail. Xue Ziliang shook his head repeatedly. “They’re asking for death.”

“Exactly,” Qian Shuixie said. “The matter hasn’t been thoroughly investigated, but it’s obvious Old Zheng sent his men. Originally, it wasn’t a big deal; just a Dutch boy died. And it doesn’t matter if the Dutch believe we did it or not—unless they want to stop doing business with us. But the folks in the Senate, who have always seen themselves as wise and mighty, can’t swallow this insult. This time, even if they don’t finish off Old Zheng, he’s in for a world of hurt.”

He added his own opinion: “I think this fruit is ripe for the picking.”

Xue Ziliang let out a soft whistle. “Looks like we’re going to be busy.”

At that moment, Xu Ke was racking his brains. To investigate further, he had to go deep into Jinjiang County to find Lin Shimao—the only lead they had.

But landing on the mainland and penetrating deep inland was easier said than done. Zheng Zhilong’s stronghold, Anping, was in Jinjiang County. Jinjiang was his heartland. An outsider like Xu Ke, with his strange accent, would be reported the moment he showed his face. It would be walking right into the lion’s den.

They didn’t even know where Lin Shimao’s gambling den was, only that it was outside the north gate of the county town. A den like that would have no sign, no obvious storefront. Without an acquaintance to lead the way, they would never find it. This, of course, could be solved by using the Intelligence Bureau’s network in Quanzhou. The Shanhai Lianglu system could provide the necessary intelligence support, finding the address and tracking the man’s movements. But to “uncover the truth,” they had to meet Lin Shimao and get a confession.

After much thought, the only way was for the Special Reconnaissance Team to perform another “snatch and grab”—go to Jinjiang County and abduct Boss Lin Shimao to Kaohsiung for interrogation.

Xu Ke immediately sent a telegram to Lingao, reporting his idea to Jiang Shan. Jiang Shan soon replied, authorizing him to use the intelligence network to gather information. Xu Ke then issued specific instructions to the Shanhai Lianglu intelligence network in Quanzhou.

A few days later, a courier arrived in Kaohsiung by fishing boat, delivering detailed intelligence.

The Lin Shimao whom Xu Ke wanted to investigate was a local tyrant in Jinjiang—a triad boss, in modern terms. His main businesses were a gambling den and a pawnshop. The den was just outside the county’s north gate. He not only ran the casino but also kept a group of thugs, providing services for a fee. Whether the target was to be injured, maimed, or killed depended on the price. His other main business was fencing stolen goods for pirates and selling contraband, so he had deep connections with the pirate merchants.

After Zheng Zhilong occupied Anping, Lin Shimao was not an official subordinate of the Zheng family, but more like a kokujinshū (local lord) from the Japanese Warring States period: he maintained a degree of independence, but if his services were needed, he could not refuse.

In recent months, however, Lin Shimao had had no contact with the Zheng family. He was engaged in his old trades: running the casino and fencing stolen goods. In the system the Zheng family was building, he was an outsider, and not a particularly important one.

The Zheng family probably didn’t contact him directly, Xu Ke thought. People come and go in a casino. A letter could be delivered by anyone.

The intelligence agent also sent a detailed map of Jinjiang County, with the precise locations of Lin Shimao’s residence, casino, and other “business establishments” marked, along with his daily routines. Xu Ke felt this was enough to implement the kidnapping plan.

But he was a little worried. Since Lin Shimao had long been connected with the Zheng family, would his sudden disappearance arouse their suspicion?

On second thought, whether the Zheng family became suspicious or not, their fate was already sealed. With that thought, he called out, “Prepare a car. I’m going to Fengshan Fortress!”