NCCnovel Chapter 690 Qionghai Navy's Own "Factory Guards"
Chapter 690 Qionghai Navy's Own "Factory Guards"
Upon hearing this, everyone exclaimed, "Isn't this the Imperial Guard? Does the general intend to emulate the Imperial Guard and the Eastern and Western Depots of the court, sending out his elite cavalry everywhere to arbitrarily arrest people and create panic?"
Sun Yuanhua, a former high-ranking official of the court, was extremely disgusted with the secret police and stepped forward to dissuade him: "General, the Qionghai Army is thriving right now, and it is a great opportunity for development. We must not copy the secret police's methods, which will only create internal friction and slow down the upward momentum."
Liu Ye waved his hand and replied, "Mr. Sun, rest assured, this is fundamentally different from the imperial secret police and special police. The reason why officials tremble at the mention of the secret police and special police is not because they have the duty of investigation, but because the Northern Garrison Command has the 'Imperial Prison,' which has the power of direct arrest, and the Three Judicial Offices have no right to interfere. The Inner Guard Bureau that I set up only has the functions of surveillance and investigation. The arrest of personnel above the rank of manager must be approved by me, and the conviction and punishment will be put on the table for collective discussion. This not only limits the abuse of power, but also avoids wrongful convictions to a certain extent, which is completely different from the secret police and special police. Mr. Sun, do you think I am right?"
Sun Yuanhua thought about it carefully and realized it made perfect sense. The reason why the Imperial Guards, represented by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, were hated and loathed by officials was because of their infamous "Imperial Prisons." They were directly responsible to the emperor, could bypass the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate, arbitrarily fabricate charges, and forcibly extract confessions was commonplace. Sometimes, they even became tools for the emperor to suppress his officials. If, as Liu Ye said, they only had the duties of surveillance and investigation, but no direct power to arrest and convict, then the threat this so-called Inner Guard Bureau posed to everyone was greatly reduced. Although, given Liu Ye's prestige in the Qionghai Army, once he decided to deal with someone, it would be difficult to stop him even with collective discussion, at least there was a theoretical means of restraint, which was much better than the Embroidered Uniform Guard's underhanded operations.
He was completely convinced and bowed respectfully, saying, "It is a blessing for everyone that the general thinks this way, and I have nothing to say."
Seeing that Sun Yuanhua had nothing to say, the others had even less courage and reason to object. Li Fei's incident did indeed serve as a wake-up call for the Qionghai Navy. A person of unknown origin had infiltrated and become the Navy's second-in-command. If he was truly a spy sent by the enemy, even if he couldn't overthrow the entire system, he would at least cause great damage. It was indeed necessary to establish a special agency to conduct an internal investigation.
Many people expressed their support:
"What the general said is absolutely true."
"The investigation into spies and misconduct must be carried out without delay!"
"The general is wise!"
……
Liu Ye had anticipated everyone's attitude. He looked around and smiled knowingly. Establishing such an institution was something he had planned when he accepted the pacification and created the Qiongzhou Camp, but he hadn't been able to find a suitable opportunity until Li Fei's affair was exposed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, at which point he knew the opportunity had arrived.
During the time of the guard, the composition of personnel was relatively simple, and there were few external threats, so there was no need for it. However, after attacking Guangzhou and accepting the surrender, they came into the sight of the court. The personnel in the system changed from being entirely villagers from Maniao Village and Li people to having surrendered officers and soldiers join. Not only did the personnel become more complex, but external threats also increased. The attempt by the Guangzhou Jinyiwei to infiltrate the military camp to spy on intelligence is a prime example.
By now, the Qionghai Army has become famous throughout the land, its numbers growing from several thousand to tens of thousands, and will continue to increase in the future. The number of people directly under its jurisdiction has reached hundreds of thousands, and its indirectly controlled territory has expanded to three provinces. Its subordinates are a diverse mix from all over the country, making internal control essential. Furthermore, after the imperial court and the Later Jin suffered repeated defeats at the hands of the Qionghai Army, they will undoubtedly take this opponent very seriously and will certainly try every means to send people to infiltrate Qiongzhou to gather intelligence. The investigation and capture of spies is urgent; otherwise, Qiongzhou will become a leaky house, with all major operations being known to the enemy.
However, fearing strong resistance from the military and civilians under his jurisdiction towards the "Factory Guard," Liu Ye had been looking for a suitable opportunity. The Li Fei incident provided him with an excellent reason to use it as a starting point to establish his own "Factory Guard." This would reduce the resistance from his subordinates. In addition, the promise to limit the power of arrest and conviction paved the way for the establishment of this institution.
As for the person in charge of this Internal Security Bureau, everyone had already vaguely guessed. Whether it was Sun Yuanhua, Yan Guang, or Zhu Dadian from Taiwan, they might have experience in governing a region or be worldly-wise, but they had absolutely no connection with the Imperial Guard or the secret police. In fact, they had all been potential targets of persecution by the Imperial Guard and the secret police in the past, so it was impossible for them to take charge of or concurrently serve in this agency. This person could be a nobody, but must have relevant "professional experience." Within the Qionghai Army system, there were very few such people. Apart from Wang Qinian, the former secret agent of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, there was only one other person left.
Sure enough, Liu Ye called out his name: "Zhou Guoxin, step forward!"
This commander of the Guangzhou Imperial Guard was actually present! It seems the general's decision is irreversible.
Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Zhou Guoxin stepped forward somewhat awkwardly. It was his first time attending such a scene, and he was a little unaccustomed to it, though his face betrayed an undisguised smugness.
He was picked up yesterday by one of those white speedboats. Before attending today's meeting, Liu Ye met with him at Nanyuan and revealed his intention to establish the Qionghai Army's own "Jinyiwei" and appoint him as its head. At the same time, he told him that if he felt that the level of contact he had previously had was too low and his vision was not broad enough, he could ask Wei Zhong, the commander of the Jinyiwei in Beijing who had been captured from the capital.
Upon hearing the news, Zhou Guoxin was somewhat apprehensive. It wasn't that he was reluctant to give up the meager salary of the Ming Dynasty's Embroidered Uniform Guard, but rather that he worried, as a marginal figure in the Qionghai Army system, it would be difficult for him to integrate. Moreover, being appointed as the powerful "head of the Imperial Guard" would make him more susceptible to rejection from the veteran figures. He tentatively said, "General, I am truly humbled by your trust in me. However, I am of low status and influence; would assuming such an important position rashly cause dissatisfaction among others? Besides, since there is an experienced veteran like Commander Wei, why not simply subdue him and bring him to your side?"
Liu Ye glared at him: "Don't try to test me with such petty tricks. I use you because of our unexpected friendship, and because you've worked so hard for me these past few years, so I'm willing to trust you. Who is Wei Zhong? He's one of the fourteen commanders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, second only to the Commander, Assistant Commander, and Vice Commander, holding a high position and great power. Now he's a prisoner, the psychological impact of that is immense. How could he possibly be easily used by me?"
Zhou Guoxin, his secret thoughts exposed, was deeply ashamed: "The general is right."