Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 1211 Arranging Tasks
“Last train left, end of operation,” Weiss interjected, scanning the waist and high breasts encased in the dress with impunity.

Jiang Shan coughed, reminding him to pay attention to his behavior.

"You go back in my official car." Jiang Shan walked out first, he didn't want this woman to be present, and he didn't want to delay the business because of it.A red-flag carriage parked outside the auditorium, Jiang Shan gave some instructions to the driver, and opened the door in a gentlemanly manner.Liu Shuixin lifted her skirt and stepped on the pedal, revealing her thighs wrapped in stockings, and gave a moving smile to the two men standing beside the carriage.Weislando whistled presumptuously.

"Where do you live when you come back this time? Are you still in the No. [-] Guest House of the General Office?" Seeing the Hongqi carriage turning a corner and disappearing outside the gate of Fangcaodi, Jiang Shan asked.

"Yeah, it's better to live there than to live in a church," Lando said. "It's hard work pretending to be a devout believer."

"Let's walk over there, shall we?"

"There are five kilometers to go, Director."

"Are you in a hurry?"

"Huh? No, there's no car to sit in anyway."

They walked out of the gate, and the students on duty at the gate saluted them.Outside the gate is a large fruit forest—it used to be only a small clump of miscellaneous trees, but now Gaogang, where the entire campus is located, has been planted with various fruit trees by the students.There was no one around, and the sand and gravel rustled softly under the soles of their shoes. They walked down Gao Gang and made a detour on a road near the sea.The tranquility of the night was broken by the Bopu Shipyard in the distance.The factory building was brightly lit, drowning out the starlight in the night sky near the sea level, and from the chimney spewed out bunches of sparks from time to time, just like lit fireworks.The hoarse sound of steam was released from the boiler, the bucket howled softly on the sky bed, the crane rattled, and the winch made a squeal like a piglet when it braked, and the monotonous roar of the steam engine merged with the clatter of iron hammers With the sound and the creaking and screaming of sawmills, the whole factory is like a monster whose outline is hidden by the night, crawling on the beach, breathing with its powerful iron lung.

"It's so beautiful!" Jiang Shan said.

Lando couldn't understand what's so beautiful about it, but he knew the Chinese people's taste for aesthetics: they're too riveting, stupid and thick. "A new warship is going to be launched? God, let me think, whose turn is it to be unlucky?"

"Have you ever been to Manila?"

"I've been here in 370 years." Weiss wanted to make a joke, but Jiang Shan didn't answer, so he continued: "Operation Starvation is quite exciting, but the Spaniard's ship is really dirty, full of feces and rats. Now you want to Looting Manila? Well, I can pretend to be a Spanish official and call it--Francisco Franco. No need for a warship, I just need to bring ten canisters of poison gas, and when the valve is turned on at night, you can wear them Go gas mask and empty the coffers in Manila," he suddenly remembered and paused: "Damn it, the Jesuits will recognize me, and then I'll be burned at the stake!"

"There are not many Jesuits in Manila," Jiang Shan smiled. "The religious orders in Manila are mainly San Franciscans and Dominicans. Even if there are Jesuits, most of them have never been to Macau—although the Portuguese and They are a king, but not friendly to each other."

"One is enough."

"Mr. Lando, have you ever heard a famous saying of an ancient Chinese strategist: Control people instead of controlling others."

"No, but when I was in Africa, someone told me a Chinese saying: strike first to be strong."

"Your report to us pointed out that Li Siya has been in frequent contact with the Spaniards recently. We have sent special personnel to investigate in Macau. Among the Spaniards who visited Li Siya, one of them is the special envoy of the Governor of Manila."

"Manila wants to obtain the information that was sold to Batavia, did you get it?"

"Maybe we have already got it. Li Siya is not loyal to anyone. It is not surprising that she sold the information to the Spaniards. But she has never been a real threat to us except for a moment." Jiang Shan didn't want to talk about it. On this question, there are some things that not everyone can know.

Lando realized that this was "Jiang Ju" implying that Li Siya was no longer the object of his care.

Jiang Shan took out a linen handkerchief and wiped his sweaty brow, and began to talk about some strange signs of the Spaniards: they were buying large quantities of pig iron from Guangdong through agents in Macau.Saltpeter, mercury, and zinc ingots known as white lead.These goods were transported from Anping to Manila in whole ships. Spaniards rarely purchased these items directly from China before.And now, the Spaniards are even trying to recruit coppersmiths and blacksmiths in Guangdong to work in Manila. Before, they only recruited sailors.

"So the Spaniards want us to pay for the piracy?"

"No, less than half a month has passed since we intercepted Galen in Manila. The Spaniards' actions have started since the beginning of this year, so I think their actions are aimed at the Dutch."

Manila's Filipino governor, de Tavora, was always worried about the Dutch threat and kept appealing to the king to send him more money and soldiers to increase Manila's defenses.The Spaniards in the Philippines were in a bad situation. The Dutch continued to harass them throughout the East Asian seas and repeatedly attacked the Spanish colonies, which caused great trouble to the Governor.

Senior officials in the Philippine colony seemed to live in constant apprehension of an attack on the Dutch.

"The Spaniards are in a bad state," Jiang Shan said. "We have a series of reports from the Governor to the Privy Council. The Spaniards are underfunded -- without the supplies of Manila Galleon, the authorities have no expenses to maintain the status quo. Their manpower It’s not enough, the sea is harassed by the Dutch, and the land is the riot of the natives—their trade is very poor, and they have to attract a large number of Chinese to cultivate, but they are full of suspicion of the Chinese.”

"If they're in such a bad state, why is there a sudden increase in costly items - it appears that these expanded imports are for armaments - rather than profitable investments."

"That's right. Especially their sudden increase in mercury imports--too much. Do you know what amalgamation is?"

"I don't know, I'm an out-and-out soldier."

"The amalgamation method is a process of refining gold, silver and precious metals. It requires a lot of mercury." Jiang Shan said, "We know that the Philippines produces gold and silver. But the Spaniards in this time and space don't know..."

Lando's eyes sparkled: "I understand what you mean."

"We need a man in Manila." Along the highway, the lights of the Hundred Rends already in sight, "even if we could easily defeat any enemy armed only in the seventeenth century, intelligence is still necessary. I need to know exactly what the Spanish What can you do, what do you plan to do?"

It is impossible to send a Chinese. Jiangshan has considered this point long ago. The Spaniards are very suspicious of the Chinese. The Chinese community is restricted, and the scope of activities of the Chinese is mainly in the middle and lower classes of Manila society.The upper class is controlled by the Spaniards, and it is difficult for a Chinese—no matter how rich he is—to get in touch with the upper class in Manila.

"Sounds good." Weiss cleared his throat.After walking for such a long time, he really wanted to have another bottle of Kvass: "But if I mess up, it may be the last time I will work for you."

"Do you think so?"

"Please don't take offense, Chief. When I have to predict the outcome of things, I usually think of the worst one first."

"If this is the case: we will engrave your name on the wall of the Intelligence Bureau-if you want, you can designate a naturalized child as your successor."

Neither of them spoke for the last part of the journey. "Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock intelligence bureau meeting," Jiang Shan gestured to the naturalized receptionist standing outside the guest house, signaling him to open the door for Weiss, "I will send a car to pick you up. Good night, Mr. James Bond .”

"Good night, Mr. M."

Jiang Shan returned to his office, and a thick stack of reports examining the situation of the captives on the Manila Galen ship had already been delivered on the desk.

The reports are detailed, with detailed statistics and as many personal details as possible on even the humblest sailor, and even slaves.

Among the 289 captives were Spaniards, Portuguese, Italians, Germans and blacks, as well as Malays and Chinese, the latter two mainly serving as sailors.Others are mixed races.Very typical members of sailing ships in the Age of Discovery.

The use and disposal of prisoners is the business of the Planning Institute, but the Intelligence Bureau and the Political Security Bureau must give certain opinions.Who can be used, who can be redeemed and set free, and who should be "worked to death" all come from their suggestions.

He browsed briefly, and the report on the situation of Donna Marina de Arellano written by Mendoza aroused his interest. The interrogation report, and consulted the list of spoils.Proves that Marina is completely true - she is indeed a bride-to-be, sent to Manila to marry her fiancé.

An illegitimate daughter of an aristocrat who was going to marry in Manila, although no one could tell who she was going to marry, Jiang Shan didn't care much—it was probably a Spanish official or something.

If that's all, she's pretty useless.They couldn't recruit an 18-year-old Spanish girl who had been in a convent for ten years as a spy -- race aside, they had just stolen her dowry.If they stay in Lingao and distribute them to the elders as spoils of war, there will be another round of heated debates and quarrels just about how to distribute and the various questions after the distribution.

Directly extorting ransom seems to be the most profitable and safest way.

(End of this chapter)