NCCnovel Chapter 689 Intelligence Division and Internal Security Bureau
Chapter 689 Intelligence Division and Internal Security Bureau
Liu Ye explained the functions of the new agency: "The Finance and Accounting Department is in charge of the use of all revenues, responsible for the budget approval and allocation of all factories and bureaus, and supervises the expenditure of funds in various places to prevent waste, corruption, and embezzlement, and to ensure that the money is spent wisely."
Everyone was thinking that if the Qiongzhou Merchant Guild was responsible for making money, then the Finance and Accounting Department was responsible for spending it. This new agency was equivalent to the head steward of the Qiongzhou Navy, with considerable power, covering a wider range than the Ministry of Revenue of the Imperial Court. It was unknown who would be appointed to this position.
When proposing this organizational structure, Liu Ye had already decided on the candidate. The so-called Finance and Accounting Department would combine the functions of the Finance Bureau and the Audit Bureau into one, requiring an absolutely loyal person to be in charge, and someone who was proficient in matters such as money transactions and account auditing—how could someone who couldn't even keep their own accounts straight investigate others? Without loyalty, it was hard to guarantee that they wouldn't collude with other units to deceive superiors and engage in rent-seeking.
The candidate who meets all these criteria—highly skilled, absolutely loyal, and capable of handling all the problems—points to one person: Duan Mengrou, the current manager of the money exchange. In terms of business acumen, the shrewd and calculating Miss Duan is unmatched in the entire Qionghai Army; and in terms of loyalty, in feudal society, who could be more trustworthy than one's own woman?
Li Fu was the first to react and spoke up: "General, I propose that Duan Mengrou, the manager of the money shop, be appointed as the director of the newly established Finance and Accounting Department."
The others then realized that Manager Duan was indeed the most suitable candidate, capable of running a thriving money exchange and being the general's bedmate, and it must have been the general's intention. Since the decision was already made, they figured they could offer their suggestions first and also curry favor—a win-win situation. Unfortunately, Li Fu beat them to it. As for women rising to positions of power, that was nothing new in the Qionghai Army. The wife of the second-in-command, Liang Xiaoming, had been managing the textile factory for two years and now oversaw the clothing factory, proving herself to be just as capable as any man.
Even if they couldn't be the first to taste it, they still had to catch this train, and everyone agreed.
"I second that proposal."
"Manager Duan is the best choice; who else could it be?"
……
As expected, Liu Ye was overjoyed and nodded with a smile: "Li Fu's suggestion is good, and I had the same idea. Since everyone agrees, let's do it this way." He pondered for a moment and then added, "Since we're transferring Duan Mengrou over, we need to find someone to fill the position of manager of the money shop. How about transferring Zhang Ming, the supervisor of the Bofu Customs, to fill the vacancy?"
It's all internal movement, and it doesn't affect other people's positions, so of course no one has any objections. The general can put whoever he wants in. Everyone said, "Very good, we'll leave it to the general."
"As for the vacant customs supervisor position..." Liu Ye thought for a moment, "Let's promote Qian Youyu, the clerk. Customs matters are relatively simple, everything is done according to regulations. Qian Youyu has been a tax clerk for many years, so collecting commercial taxes shouldn't be difficult for him."
The crowd was quite moved upon hearing this. This former clerk of Lingao County had really made the right choice in clinging to powerful figures; after all the hard work, he finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel and made it to the top.
After discussing economic and livelihood issues, Liu Ye changed the subject and started talking about important military and national affairs.
"After this trip to Shandong and the capital, I have been deeply impressed. The Qionghai Army's combat strength is unparalleled, but its intelligence gathering capabilities are far inferior to those of the imperial court and the Tartars. We chased after Abatai all the way, then encountered Ajige, and finally faced a dead end with a large army surrounding us in the capital. Intelligence gathering and feedback were severely lagging behind, and we were practically feeling our way across the river, constantly on the defensive. If it weren't for the fact that our army was well-trained and had strong combat capabilities, we might have been defeated at Changyi and outside Yongding Gate. As for the night the camp was besieged, while I was partly underestimating the enemy, it was even more unacceptable that I was completely unaware of the imperial court's actions. If it weren't for Princess Kunxing's intervention, I might have died under the cannons of the Tartars."
Yan Guang nodded and said, "The general is right. The Tartars have countless spies to gather intelligence when they fight. We cannot be outdone by the Tartars. The siege of the capital's military camp must never happen again."
Wang Qinian stepped forward, knelt on the ground, and said loudly, "Your subordinate has failed in his duties. Please punish me, General!"
Liu Ye shook his head: "This isn't entirely your fault. I haven't paid enough attention to intelligence work before, always scrambling at the last minute before battle, leaving you to spy on the enemy's strengths and weaknesses, which has put you in a passive position. Now I've decided to formally establish an Intelligence Department, with you as its director, reporting directly to me. Military intelligence will be handled in conjunction with the Military Intelligence Staff. Starting today, you'll be responsible for training and selecting personnel, placing them in various government offices in the capital, as well as in the territories of the bandits and the Later Jin. You must keep abreast of the movements of these three forces and report to me immediately. Funding will be fully guaranteed; don't be afraid to spend money. Besides daily expenses, if special operations require large expenditures and the Finance Department doesn't approve them, come directly to me!"
Wang Qinian was overjoyed. In this way, he, the spy chief who had never seen the light of day, could finally be brought into the open, his status rose accordingly, and intelligence gathering became a legitimate job.
Liu Ye instructed, "Remember, as long as you do things well, your future achievements will be no less than those of any general who leads troops into battle. You are facing a battlefield without gunfire, and your intelligence is crucial to our success in this war!"
Wang Qinian became even more excited and answered loudly, "Your subordinate will certainly devote himself to the cause until his dying breath!"
"Besides intelligence, there's something else we haven't done well, or rather, we've never taken it to heart," Liu Ye said. "Take Li Fei's case as an example. A descendant of a powerful minister from the previous dynasty with such a complicated background, carrying such a mysterious mission, and wanted by the court, he's already become the second-in-command in the Qionghai Navy, yet no one has discovered his true identity. Fortunately, he's loyal to the Qionghai Navy, so he escaped unscathed; but if someone with ulterior motives had used conspiracies and tricks, given his position and abilities, how much damage could he have caused us?"
At this point, Liu Ye explained to Li Fei, "Don't mind me, I'm just stating the facts, not targeting you personally."
Li Fei calmly replied, "I understand the general's good intentions, it's nothing."
Everyone held their breath; usually, when the general spoke in such a tone, he was sure he was about to make a big move.
As expected, Liu Ye announced another major decision: "I have decided to establish an Internal Security Bureau to monitor and investigate any misconduct within the Qionghai Navy, and to detect and arrest spies who have infiltrated the area under its jurisdiction. Everyone except Mingzi and me will be subject to the Internal Security Bureau's monitoring and investigation; no third person will have any special privileges."