Chapter 332: Recruitment and Amnesty Journey (II)

The person who entered was Intelligence Bureau Deputy Director Ma Yue.

This gentleman is from Shanghai and worked in a classified department before crossing over, making him one of the few true professionals in the intelligence world.

In light of this, the task of overseeing special agent training fell to him. In addition, he was also responsible for routine inspections of intelligence stations in various regions, providing technical guidance and short-term training to these half-baked 007s, so Ma Yue was very busy.

His appearance at Zhongzuosuo today to meet Yu Xianke was pure coincidence. Because Zhongzuosuo's nominal boss Zhang Dongdong was still in Dayuan at the moment, and Sha Zhengming, who handled military affairs, usually stayed out of such matters, Ma Yue, who had come to Zhongzuosuo on his first post-conference inspection stop, happened to fill the gap.

Ma Yue naturally knew Yu Xianke's background. So after receiving the sentry's request for instructions, he immediately ordered the man brought in. After that, Ma Yue reviewed the files on his computer once more, making sure he had a clear picture, before heading to the reception room.

The two sides exchanged simple cupped-hand salutes and introductions, after which Yu Xianke learned that the man before him was surnamed Ma and served as an aide to Cao Chuan.

"Military Advisor Yu, no need for such formality. Please, have a seat."

Seeing the man's indifferent attitude, Yu Xianke, who had risen to salute, did not take offense. When you come knocking to do business, not getting a cold shoulder is already good enough.

After they sat down face to face across a long table, Ma Yue spread one palm flat, signaling that the other party could speak.

Seeing this oddly dressed, tall, and burly man — who did not look like an aide at all — make that gesture, Yu Xianke more or less understood: these people apparently didn't bother with elaborate formalities and pleasantries, and their manner was rather blunt, so he could only lay his purpose out plainly.

"Now that General Cao has unified the Min Sea, it is truly a cause for celebration... My master... admires... it is just that cooperation benefits both while division harms both..."

Yu Xianke expressed his purpose in the most tactful language he could manage, the whole process taking about five minutes. Throughout this time, Ma Yue did not interrupt him, sitting there and quietly listening to everything the man had to say.

Then he gave a silent smile, straightened up from his chair, and said: "This sort of... flowery language is a bit hard on the ears. Mr. Yu, if I'm not mistaken, Shopkeeper Liu sent you here to seek recruitment and amnesty, to surrender?"

Yu Xianke still was not quite used to this hard-edged way of speaking, but at this point, he could only nod slowly.

"It's just that..."

"Stop right there..."

Just as Yu Xianke was about to add a few words, Ma Yue raised a hand to cut him off: "As for this matter, I will report to the General before making a decision. Rest assured, it will be quick — should not exceed tomorrow."

"However..." Ma Yue had already risen to his feet by now: "My personal feeling is that your negotiating authority is probably insufficient."

Having said this, Ma Yue gave a slight nod, then turned and walked out the door, leaving the astonished Yu Xianke sitting there alone in a daze. A guard soon entered and gestured for him to follow out.

From the start of the conversation to being politely escorted out, the entire affair took less than ten minutes... This left Yu Xianke deeply frustrated. Although he could sense that the other party was not deliberately brushing him off but simply operated this way by habit, he still could not adapt to this kind of fast-paced working style.

On the way back from the fortress city, Yu Xianke was already at his wit's end. An unfamiliar environment, an unfamiliar bureaucratic system, an unfamiliar way of thinking — all of it left him feeling utterly helpless. From the moment the other side refused to accept gifts, the traditional-minded Yu Xianke had in fact already been out of his depth.

After returning to the inn, he made further inquiries with the shopkeeper and learned that the local government offices truly did not accept gifts, which finally set his mind slightly at ease. Yet even so, he remained deeply troubled: Ma Yue considered him unqualified, the implication being that Shopkeeper Liu himself would have to come in person... How could Shopkeeper Liu, with a guilty conscience, ever agree to that?

Early the next morning, the delegation staying at the inn received a verbal message brought by a messenger: the fortress city requested Military Advisor Yu's presence.

Upon receiving the summons, Military Advisor Yu dared not delay and hurried out to the fortress city to await his audience. He had learned his lesson today — he brought no attendants and hired no carriage. Without gifts to carry, the fortress city was not far from the inn, just a short walk away.

It was the same room, and the same Comrade Ma Yue.

Today, Ma Yue was even more direct, because the previous day he had already communicated with the Cabinet via telegraph, and the reply he received was exactly: "Proceed according to established policy."

So he ended this meeting in just one minute: "The General will only negotiate with Liu Xiang himself. All other irrelevant persons will not be received!"

The Empire's stance toward the Liu Xiang Group was very clear: whether he surrendered or not, he had to go to Guangdong and stir up trouble. The moment the Guangdong officialdom was forced to "invite the wolf into the house" and issue an official dispatch transferring Cao's forces into Guangdong for bandit suppression, that would be the moment Liu Xiang's historical mission was complete.

So this side adopted a cold, detached attitude toward Liu Xiang: if you sincerely wish to surrender, then come alone, kowtow, "receive your orders," and continue being a pirate in Guangdong — afterward, surrender publicly, and guaranteeing you a CPPCC seat would still be no problem.

If you lack the guts to come and surrender, that doesn't matter either. At the appropriate time, a fleet will naturally set out from Xiamen to drive you to Guangdong to continue being a pirate — it's just that if it happens that way, passively, the outcome for a certain Liu will certainly not be too good.

This was the reason the military advisor who had come to test the waters received such a cold reception: the Transmigrators had to put on a cold front to apply pressure on Liu Xiang, forcing him to abandon his illusions and choose between the two extremes.

Although Yu Xianke had already had a bad premonition before, when he stood outside the fortress city gate and recalled the scene just now, he still could not help a surge of fury: Do they truly regard our Great Gang's tens of thousands of brothers as nothing? Dismissed with a single sentence!?

Yet reality was this cruel. By the time Yu Shiye walked back to the inn, that short stretch of road had already caused his flash of anger to dissipate... The so-called tens of thousands of brothers didn't even dare to come and circle around the vicinity of Xiamen — wasn't it only natural to be looked down upon?

"It seems they've got our weakness pegged." After pondering alone in his guest room for a long while, Yu Xianke arrived at the most direct characterization of the Short-Hairs' malice.

"That being the case, there is no point lingering here." Having thought through the causes and consequences, Yu Xianke decided to leave. Staying at the inn was comfortable, but since the hosts were unwelcoming, remaining served no purpose.

So early the next morning, the Qingfu set sail northward, heading straight for Fuzhou.

Filled with melancholy and helplessness, Yu Xianke arrived at the docks outside Fuzhou City seven days later. Standing on the deckhouse, watching the towering ancient city and the old bluestone wharf draw nearer, he now felt, inexplicably, a trace of warmth: the fast-paced, later-generations style of Xiamen Port had left him deeply unsettled the entire time.

After the ship docked, Yu Xianke watched with pleasant amusement as his attendants negotiated, argued, and haggled with the tax clerk who had jumped aboard, and finally paid the silver... both official and private parties had to pay.

Yes, this was the Great Ming style that Yu Xianke was accustomed to.

After collecting the fees, the tax clerk left with a smile, showing not the slightest intention of inspecting the cargo. The passengers, meanwhile, unloaded their luggage with practiced efficiency, hired sedan chairs and carriages at the dock, and traveled smoothly all the way into the city, where they settled into an inn.

Yet along the way, Yu Shiye, sitting in his sedan chair, found his mood souring again: the clean streets, the sanitation workers wearing numbered vests, the public latrines at intersections, and the vanished beggar communities... All of this once again cast a shadow over his heart, and he felt the terror of being remotely dominated by the "Cao Family."

Although the main "business" of selling recognition flags had now shrunk and the pirates had moved their activities underground, the revamped office personnel were still operating some ordinary commercial outposts. So after settling into Fuzhou City, the delegation quickly made contact with the local informants.

At this point, Yu Xianke's experience came into play.

He first arranged to meet an informant. This person was an official in the Administrative Commissioner's Office named Jin Luo. For many years, the commercial shops owned by this Jin Luo's family had been handling goods and stolen property from Liu Xiang's side, so they were all part of a community of shared interests.

After receiving instructions and a batch of gifts, Jin Luo soon paid a visit to a retainer friend at the Grand Coordinator's Office. Then, through this retainer's introduction, Jin Luo was able to meet an important personage in the Fuzhou Governor's Office who could speak with authority: Huang Ping, Adviser Huang.

From this alone, one could see that the pirates were indeed no longer what they used to be... at least, that was the case in present-day Fujian.

In the past, for a representative of a major power like Liu Xiang, meeting Xiong Wencan was actually not difficult. At certain critical junctures, the authorities would even take the initiative to send people to contact those offices that sold recognition flags.

But times had changed. In just half a year, the peaceful atmosphere had already blurred the concept of "pirates" in the minds of Fuzhou City's residents. Now, Yu Xianke could forget about seeking an audience with Xiong Wencan — even meeting Huang the Provincial Graduate required considerable effort.

Thus, after presenting gifts and a sum of silver, Yu Xianke finally secured an opportunity to treat Adviser Huang to a meal at noon on the seventh day after arriving in Fuzhou City... Both host and guest thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and afterward, Yu Xianke also gave Master Huang a sum for travel expenses.

By all logic, this series of operations by Yu Xianke was fairly prudent and reasonable. Under normal circumstances, the goodwill expressed by the Liu Xiang Gang, along with certain conditions for recruitment and amnesty, would, after today, be reported to Lao Xiong in a relatively mild tone, laying a good foundation for future dealings between the two sides.

However, it wasn't that the Nationalist troops weren't trying — it was just that the Communists had Gundams... Going to Master Huang's door with this kind of business, wasn't that walking right into a trap?

No one knew exactly how Adviser Huang, after meeting with Yu Shiye, went back and stirred up trouble before Lao Xiong, but the feedback from the Grand Coordinator's Office came swiftly afterward — upon learning of the matter, Grand Coordinator Xiong immediately declared: Tell Liu Xiang to come and speak in person.

Yu Xianke was dumbfounded: How could the demand be the same as the Cao Clan's? Could Xiong Wencan have been bewitched by the Cao Clan?

He had guessed exactly right. From the moment he set sail north from Xiamen, the telegraph had already transmitted word of his movements to Fuzhou, and Huang Ping's side had long been prepared for him to come knocking.

In other words, even if Yu Xianke had approached someone else, the matter would ultimately have been discovered by Adviser Huang and then sabotaged in front of Lao Xiong.

And so, Yu Xianke's recruitment and amnesty journey was shamefully smothered in its cradle.