Wild North America 1846

After talking about this most important matter, Deputy Director Shi Jiayong reported on several ongoing secret operations of the Security Bureau, including the ongoing local autonomy voting in the British Canadian province of Victoria and the Yukon Territory, Guatemala and other Central America

The current situation of the war-torn country, the ongoing Paraguay war, etc., all have operators from the Security Bureau participating and tracking the latest news.

The internal information they collect from formal and informal channels will be classified by the security bureau according to the secret level, and the relevant parts will be reported to the Royal Secretariat.

It is compiled into a volume after review by the Royal Secretariat, and professional opinions are noted. This is one of the sources of information for "Summary of World Trends".

The other parts come from confidential information reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Propaganda, and are finally summarized.

It just so happened that several people from the Security Bureau were present, and after a brief discussion of a few things, they were settled.

At this moment

Director Hu Baili stood up with a solemn expression, opened the document in his hand and said, "Oracle..."

The other three deputy directors had put down their cigars and stood up immediately after hearing the words. They stood upright and their hands naturally drooped to listen to the hadith.

"I heard that China's Xinjiang was stolen by Agubai's roving armed forces, and there are international forces behind it to bring trouble to China. They are very determined..."

After solemnly reading the edict, Hu Baili and the three deputy directors raised their hands in salute and said, "I will obey the edict carefully!"

Director Hu Baili's expression also relaxed, and he called his three deputies to sit down and discuss, saying, "This is the Holy Will. Not only must this matter be handled immediately, but it must also be handled skillfully, unobtrusively, and in a logical manner.

It is really difficult to cause over-interpretation by the British or Russians!"

"The biggest problem is probably Zuo Zongtang, right?" Li Qing didn't say anything for a while, but he got to the core of the problem as soon as he spoke.

As expected, every person who can achieve the position of the boss of the Security Bureau is a scheming master.

A smart person can tell that this matter cannot be circumvented by Zuo Zongtang, an important official of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. As a veteran general who made his fortune by suppressing the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Zuo Zongtang should understand what this advanced arms means?

Today, Zuo Zongtang is serving as the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang. He is trusted by the Manchu and Qing Dynasties. He was rewarded with a yellow mantle and is making every effort to wipe out the remnants of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

During this period, we have long-term cooperation with mercenary foreign gun teams such as the "Ever Victorious Army" and "Chang Jie Army" of the British, French, Tang and other countries. We are well aware of the sharpness of foreign guns and cannons. This is the real trump card in the hands of the Security Bureau.

The only concern is; Zuo Zongtang’s attitude towards the empire?

In the Manchu court, it is not that winning more battles is better. It is a well-known official practice among Han officials to "preserve oneself wisely and hide one's weakness with good deeds." This is the safe way to protect oneself.

As Zuo Zongtang is now a second-rank official as the Governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, he is almost the ultimate Han official. Does he still need to stand out?

Deputy Director Gai Yuntian picked up the cigar placed on the jade cup again, put it to his mouth and took a big puff, then spit it out, letting the strong tobacco mist linger around him, and then he spoke;

"Sir, bureau chief, fellow deputies;

I have been paying close attention to the developments in China, and have done a lot of research on several famous Zhongxing ministers in the Manchu and Qing Dynasties. I would like to share my brief opinions for your consideration.

In January 1850, the twenty-ninth year of Daoguang's reign, when the late father-in-law Lin Zexu returned to his hometown, he made an appointment with Zuo Zongtang to meet him in a boat in Changsha.

The two talked all night long, covering ancient and modern situations, personal comments and current affairs in the Western Regions, such as garrison administration, water conservancy, etc. Later, Lin Zexu also talked about this meeting with others, praising Zuo Zongtang as an "extraordinary talent" and a "peerless genius"

”, with good expectations.

Since the Taiping Rebellion, Zuo Zongtang has risen through the ranks with his outstanding achievements in suppressing bandits. He can be said to have dyed his feathers red with the blood of long-haired bandits. He especially likes to cooperate with foreign gun teams to kill bandits. He is by no means a stubborn and ignorant person.

A flexible person.

Recently there is news from China;

When he was the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, he wanted to use the British and French forces to open a naval academy and a shipping bureau in Mawei to manufacture guns, cannons, and ships, which shows that he was very ambitious.

The background of the Agubai Rebellion in Xinjiang is very complicated. It has the weapons and diplomatic support of the British and Russians. Moreover, these Central Asian bandits who have flowed into Xinjiang have sharp guns and equipment, and they fight bravely, far beyond the spears and swords of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Without external help, Zuo Gong's ardent dream of trying to extinguish the Aguba banditry by force and put the vast Xinjiang under the control of the Chinese court would be in vain. I think Zuo Gong also understood this truth in his heart.

Which one is light and which one is more important must have its own weighing.

What we lack now is a suitable bridge and a capable person to implement it."

Speaking of which

Deputy Director Gai Yuntian took the opportunity to stop talking, took a sip of tea, and indicated that he had finished speaking.

Director Hu Baili glanced around and saw that the other people had no intention of speaking, so he took over the topic and said;

"What Vice President Gai said makes sense. We can find a suitable way to solve the problem by following the diagram. You are all veterans, so I won't say more.

The person in charge of the operation in the bureau has always been Deputy Shi. This operation is of great importance, and we must send officers at the director level to personally handle the situation and deal with unexpected situations. We must complete the task properly, otherwise we will bring it up."

"Please rest assured, Sir, I will assign Zhu Fengchen, Director of the Third Operations Division, to go to China in person to supervise this matter. Any situation will be reported at any time." Deputy Director Shi Jiayong did not dare to neglect and sent out his most capable officers.

Director Hu Baili looked around with his eyes. Seeing that the other two deputy directors had no objections, he nodded and said, "Director Zhu Fengchen is an old man in the bureau. He acts cautiously and considers carefully. He rarely makes mistakes in specific actions. It is indeed appropriate."

If the candidate is selected, then he will personally lead the team to escort the arms to China to perform the mission, and that's it.

in addition……"

Speaking of which

Director Hu Baili stood up, walked to his desk, opened the drawer, searched for it, took out an ancient-looking jade plaque and placed it on the table, and then said in an explaining tone;

"This trip is going to China. I happen to have a bridge to communicate privately with Zuo Gong. This person's name is Hu Linyi, and he is a close friend of Zuo Zongtang. This jade plaque is the proof.

In addition, I will write another letter and ask Director Zhu to come and pick it up.

Communicating properly with Zuo Gong through private channels and then delivering the arms and supplies is more secure than using small tricks to attract the Chu generals, and is less likely to overturn.

Even if it is more troublesome, we must eliminate Mr. Zuo’s doubts about the Empire’s sincerity, accept this batch of arms willingly, and use them where they are most needed.”

The private army recruited by Zeng Guofan was called the "Hunan Army", the private army recruited by Li Hongzhang was called the "Huai Army", and Zuo Zongtang's private army was called the "Chu Army". The generals of the Chu Army were also Zuo Zongtang's confidants.

Director Hu Baili's words won the approval of all the deputy directors, and they all raised their hands and said, "This is a very safe move by the director, and we have no disrespect for it."

"With the letter, we are already more than half successful!"

"It's your opinion, Yuntian has no objection."

a few days later

Bustling Los Angeles Pier

A group of four cars drove into the dock one after another and stopped next to a loaded freighter. A dozen capable people in youth uniforms got out of the cars. The leader was a middle-aged man with a resolute face.

It was Director Zhu Fengchen of the Third Operations Division who was ordered to go to China to perform a secret mission.

After he walked out, he glanced around cautiously, and then ordered: "Come on board. The second team will send people to continuously monitor the situation at the dock and report any findings quickly."

"As you command, sir!"

A dozen capable people immediately took out their suitcases and boarded the ship. After boarding the ship, a group of four people pretended to be unintentional and spread out to carefully screen for any abnormality on the dock.

Director Zhu Fengchen is indeed a prudent person. Since receiving the order, he has ordered all his capable operatives to be on standby at any time.

No word was revealed about the mission of this trip, and he was the only one who knew the plan, not even the two operational captains.

After the arms were loaded onto the ship, they immediately summoned their men and rushed to the dock without delaying for a moment. They were now on full alert.

The ocean-going ship they were traveling on was the 5,500-ton steam freighter "Fushun", which had been loaded with 1,200 tons of coal, more than 1,000 tons of weapons and equipment (including 16,000 rifles, 9 million rounds of ammunition, and 32 Napoleon three-pound field weapons).

cannon and 32 Napoleonic 6-pound field guns, as well as 350 barrels of black powder), 400 tons of grain, a batch of cast silver coins, a batch of shovels and hoes weighing about 60 tons (without wooden handles) and other goods,

There are dozens more passengers.

In addition to Zhu Fengchen and his party, there are some grassroots officers who went to Fuso Island to serve, mainly second lieutenants and lieutenants. Most of them are young officers who have recently graduated from the military academy, and their faces are still full of vigor.

These young officers regarded going to Fuso Island to serve as an interesting adventure. After boarding the ship, they could not suppress their excitement. Instigated by a few people, they even sang military songs in unison, which attracted many people on the dock to applaud.

Applause.

On this trip, the steam freighter "Fushun" will stop in Hawaii, Midway Island and Nagasaki successively. It will replenish clean water, vegetables, fruits and food along the way to ensure the health of the people on board. This is a top priority.

During ocean voyages, the number one cause of death for passengers is unclean water and spoiled food. After eating, vomiting and diarrhea aggravate the symptoms of seasickness. Even a strong man cannot bear such torture, and he burps in just 10 days.

.

The Tang Empire was very experienced in immigration. All ships were equipped with sealed clean drinking water tanks. Every time they arrived at the supply port, the drinking water had to be replaced regardless of whether it had been used up. The same was true for vegetables, fruits and grain.

Therefore, the vegetables, fruits and food eaten on the ship are rationed every day, and those who have enough money are not much, just to avoid waste.

"How is it?" Zhu Fengchen came out and asked.

The leader of the second group shook his head silently, and looked at the young officers who were singing in a casual manner, with a very helpless expression.

When this young officer made a fuss, many idle people on the pier gathered together. There were also many people singing along to the beat on the pier. It was a mess like a concert. What else could be found out of the ordinary?

"Continue to monitor."

Zhu Fengchen was also a little speechless. He gave a casual instruction and returned to the cabin. There was nothing he could do in this situation?

Should those young officers be told to shut up?

Why don't you reveal your identity?

One more thing, Zhu Fengchen and his group were traveling to China disguised as a private caravan. Revealing their identities would expose their mission. How could a small gain be a big loss?