A steam-armed boat was sailing on the Xijiang River, emitting black smoke and white steam.
It neither escorts the fleet nor patrols the river bank at cruising speed. After setting off from Sanshui Pier, the stoker turned on all power, raised the boiler steam, and drove quickly.
In the noisy cabin, there are two simple camp beds. Two shirtless men wearing only trousers were sitting opposite each other, flipping through documents spread out on the bed.
The windows of the cabin were open, and the river breeze blew in, but it could not eliminate the stuffy heat in the cabin at all. The steamboats on the Xijiang River in August are like iron ovens.
Chen Baibin dropped the document in his hand: "No, I have to go out for some fresh air. It's almost cooked."
Ji Xin also nodded: "I feel too hot too. I'm about to have a heat stroke." As he spoke, he put the documents into the confidential briefcase. Locked in the safe in the cabin.
The two walked out of the cabin and came to the front deck, where a canvas shed had been set up. Several sailors were operating the Hachikaisi 37mm rotary gun and nervously stared at the river. Seeing them coming out, the boatswain immediately came over and saluted.
"You guys continue your mission, we're just here to get some fresh air." Ji Xin was originally a little dizzy, but now he felt much better as soon as the river breeze blew on the deck.
Although there was an awning on the deck, the wooden deck was still boiling hot. The sailors were sweating profusely, but they still wore summer overalls and heavy steel helmets as required, with only a sweat-absorbent towel lined inside the helmet.
What a good soldier. Ji Xingxin thought, we started from scratch, pulled them out of their ignorance, hunger and cold, and trained them into qualified soldiers. All the great achievements of the Senate must be accomplished by such ordinary people, and what about many of us? But they are only regarded as consumables that can be mass-produced.
He thought of the dying sick and wounded he saw in Sanshui waiting to be evacuated, and the piles of identity tags transported in sacks... It seems that the battle between Guangdong and Guangxi is not as easy as we imagined.
In fact, he has always had some hidden worries about the Senate's decision-making. That means the decision-making is too arbitrary. The personal emotions of elders often affect the direction of policy. In his opinion, it seemed too early to go north, and it would be more ideal to wait a few years to accumulate strength. Of course, he didn't understand that Beishang was actually stimulated by some external factors. The elders are now generally inflated and can hardly suffer any losses. He also understood why some people who held the same views as him also supported going north, because the elders in Lingao had already shown signs of turmoil. This tragic past, similar to how the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom invaded the "little paradise" to enjoy wealth and honor, is quietly happening again in Lingao. People without ambition in Lingao City are content to enjoy themselves, while those with ambition are busy fighting for power. If a large-scale campaign is not launched to speed up the machine of the Senate, inertia and decay will sooner or later rob the Senate of its vitality.
From this point of view, it might not be a bad thing to fight in Guangdong and Guangxi for one or two years. At least get the elders to move. They don't have the time and energy to engage in internal friction.
However, the Wuzhou Incident is bound to be another major quarrel within the Senate. He held on to the railing and silently thought about how to start the investigation when he arrived in Wuzhou.
Chen Baibin said: "Ji Bureau..."
Ji Xin's current official position is the director of the "Special Investigation Bureau". In fact, this bureau is his alone, and there are no clerks or office space. It's purely a treat. He usually works in the judicial department. The main job is to provide judicial services to naturalized people and indigenous people. Sometimes they also serve as judges, prosecutors and lawyers.
Because of his last name, it was not easy for everyone to call him "Lao Ji", and it was even worse to call him "Xiao Ji", so they simply called him "Ji Ju" respectfully.
"What's the matter?" Ji Xin came back to his senses and asked.
"How should we proceed with this matter in Wuzhou?" Chen Baibin hesitated. Although he had participated in the investigation of the Hangzhou Station, there were no complicated internal affairs either at the Hangzhou Station or within the Senate during that business trip. Zhao himself was quite cooperative. He followed the work process assigned to him by Zhao Manxiong, standardized the operation, and successfully won the investigation and inspection work in Hangzhou.
This time it was completely different. When he knew that the leader of the investigation team was Ji Xin, Chen Baibin knew that he was in trouble - this person would not be invited to participate in ordinary investigations.
"There are procedures for investigation. You are no longer a new recruit..." Ji Xin said.
"I'm not talking about how to do it, but..." Chen Baibin felt that he couldn't express his meaning correctly, and couldn't help scratching his head, "but what standards should be used to do it."
Ji Xin looked at the river, smiled silently, and said, "Okay, Xiao Chen, you understand this now. It seems that the Political Security Bureau can really train people."
Chen Baibin's face turned red and he argued: "It's not what you think. I just want to better grasp the spirit of the Senate."
"Xiao Chen, is it okay if I call you that?"
"Of course, I'm not even thirty yet."
"You are so young." Ji Xin smiled and explained, "I really envy your youth. It is good that you have to grasp the spirit of the Senate, but I am afraid it will be difficult because of this matter at the moment. There is no concrete consensus at all - naturally there is no talk of the spirit of the Senate."
"But this case is very delicate." Chen Baibin was worried. Like Ji Xin, he had read the Political Security Bureau's report on the Wuzhou Incident.
"There is actually nothing subtle about the case," Ji Xin said. "Mr. Xie made a mistake and wanted to cover it up."
"Yes, the problem is: the secret report of the Political Security Bureau seems to be in the hands of many veterans - not just us. I'm worried..."
"What are you worried about?" Ji Xin understood what he meant. The case before us is not complicated. There are too many people waiting to eat steamed buns with human blood. Once the conclusion is drawn, it will inevitably be used by all parties, and the members of the investigation team will be at the forefront.
"I'm worried that after our report comes out, there will be a big debate within the Senate."
Ji Xin nodded: "This is inevitable."
"So I thought..."
"I hope we can come up with a conclusion that everyone is satisfied with?" Ji Xin said.
"I think avoiding unnecessary arguments is what the Senate needs most at the moment."
"Your idea is good, but it is unrealistic." Ji Xin shook his head, "This matter seems to be Xie Erren's alone, and there are many problems involved behind it. How can the two of us restrain the general trend? ?It can’t be done.”
Chen Baibin was silent. He thought about it for a while. He originally thought that Ji Xin had "fully understood the spirit of the Senate", but now it seems that this is not the case.
"Then we can only investigate based on facts?" Chen Baibin said, "Completely based on facts."
"That's right." Ji Xin nodded, "The more difficult and complicated the case, the more it must be based on facts. Only stating objective facts is the best way for our investigators to protect themselves. In conclusion, you can let others People do it.”
"What I'm most worried about now is that many people know the truth. Do we draw different conclusions? Do we report according to the report or according to our investigation? Xie Yiren must have done a lot of preparation work in Wuzhou. "
"Of course we will report according to our on-the-spot investigation. Otherwise, why would we be sent there?" Ji Xin said, "I understand what you mean. But we must forget the contents of this secret report when we go to Wuzhou. Everyone knows some things, but Everyone pretends not to know. Why should we know?"
"I know something, but I know I don't know something, but the elders all know I know something..."
"Haha," Ji Xin laughed and patted him on the shoulder, "Don't say this tongue twister. Anyway, remember: just pretend that the report does not exist, we will carry out the investigation process step by step, and then report it truthfully. .”
The Dafa boat arrived at Wuzhou Pier at noon, and Xie Erren personally went to the terminal to greet them. The three of them came together to shake hands and hug each other as comrades and brothers.
"It must be very hot along the way. It's hard for you to come to Wuzhou in this iron shell in this summer! It's hard work!"
"It's all for work." Ji Xin said calmly, "Let's go to the city quickly, it's too hot here."
"Okay." Xie Erren said repeatedly. Following the greeting, he immediately brought up two two-person bamboo silk sedans. "It's quite a distance from the county government office. Sitting in this sedan saves effort and is cool."
Chen Baibin was still hesitant, but Ji Xin got into the sedan calmly. At Xie Erren's urging, he got into the sedan.
Three bamboo silk sedans were carried all the way from the pier into the city. Chen Baibin saw that although there were traces of war everywhere on the city walls and streets, the streets were smooth and clean, and most of the shops along the streets were open. The mood of the people was not bad either. The original impression that Xie Erren was "indulging in pleasure" and "neglecting government affairs" was much lessened - no matter whether the scene on the street was whitewashed by raids, at least he was a talent with this execution ability.
The sedan carried them all the way into the Third General Mansion, where Xie Erren cleared out the small courtyard where he and Cai Lan lived for their accommodation on business trips. Such a century-old house has its own coolness, which is completely different from the outside. As soon as they walked in, they felt refreshed all over and the wind was blowing under their armpits.
"This place is nice." Chen Baibin said and looked around. The room was not only clean and tidy, but also had all kinds of stationery supplies. There are also green potted plants, which add a bit of coolness. Although there is no fan or air conditioning, it is very comfortable to live there in the summer.
"The bathroom is in the wing room. To be honest, the conditions are relatively simple. Just take a shower." Xie Erren was a little too enthusiastic. "I have prepared banana pajamas for you, which are very cool. We don't have ice here."
