Chapter 595 - Black Dragon Society
"If it's Jiangnan, we're essentially talking about Nanjing, Suzhou, Yangzhou, and Songjiang—these few locations." Yu E-shui said. "Actually, for deployment in Songjiang, one might select Shanghai County. Songjiang itself is an industrial and agricultural city. Although it produces large quantities of cloth, its value as a commercial shipping hub is not as significant as Shanghai County's port."
"What about Beijing?"
"For Beijing, Delung Bank will certainly establish a station," Jiang Shan said. "Yan Ming is also planning operations to absorb illicit funds from corrupt officials and eunuchs. Our Intelligence Bureau should likewise open a small establishment of some kind—to inquire about firsthand court news."
"We shouldn't forget Liaodong." A strange light glimmered in Lin Baiguang's eyes. "Relying entirely on Li Luoyou as our intermediary isn't particularly secure. Besides, this man may not be fully trustworthy. We should send people directly to obtain firsthand materials on the ground. If necessary, establishing a commercial station is warranted."
"Long-term stationing in Liaodong requires shaving one's head and adopting the queue. No one is willing."
"Sending someone for reconnaissance is still worthwhile—not necessarily for permanent stationing." Jiang Shan reflected that whether long-term presence was even feasible remained a major question mark.
With the plans settled, Jiang Shan organized the meeting's discussions into a formal document and submitted it to Ma Qianzhu.
After reviewing the report, Ma Qianzhu posed several additional questions, then said:
"I have no objection to you filling out your personnel roster. Consult the Organization Department on how many people are willing to transfer to the Intelligence Bureau. Additionally, the Organization Department recently issued a document regarding staffing levels for various departments. Review it first and prepare a staffing table."
"Yes. I'll go shortly." Jiang Shan understood that Secretary Ma was a leader who preferred "Soviet-style comrade etiquette"—he valued concise, crisp answers and neat expressions.
"Personnel staffing includes not only Elders but also indigenous personnel." Ma Qianzhu added. "Discuss this matter thoroughly. It affects next year's fiscal budget—beginning next year, all administrative institutions must maintain proper budgets and final accounts. Keep figures in mind."
"Understood!" Jiang Shan nodded crisply. "There are several matters on which I'd like to request guidance."
"Proceed."
"The 'Government-Supervised, Merchant-Managed' intelligence collection approach mentioned in the submitted activity plan, and the mainland station deployments—" he said, "these all involve how to handle our working relationship with the Colonial and Trade Ministry."
Although intelligence personnel could adopt various covers, merchants remained the most common and convenient identity, with the additional benefit of establishing commercial networks on the mainland. Two birds with one stone.
"I'll need to discuss this matter with the Vice Minister of the Colonial and Trade Ministry." Ma Qianzhu said. "Since both sides benefit, newly opened commercial stations should receive appropriate investment from them. Your intelligence work is merely a side operation."
"Yes. That was my thinking as well." Jiang Shan was pleased that the Governor Director had accurately identified the crux of his proposal and expressed approval.
"As for dispatching personnel to Liaodong—my personal view is that it's unnecessary. Since we have Li Luoyou as our intermediary, why send another Elder? It's redundant effort. The Later Jin's total capacity is only so large. Strike it lightly and it shatters. Who cares what Huang Taiji, Dorgon, Da Yu'er, or Xiao Yu'er are thinking."
"I believe clarifying the situation in Liaodong holds certain significance for future military operations to conquer the territory." Jiang Shan said. "My idea is to emulate the activities of Japanese Ronin—collecting basic intelligence on Liaodong's geography, weather, fortified villages, commerce, population, and so forth, thereby providing intelligence support for future military action and comprehensive pacification. In the long term, no Elder need remain permanently, but an Elder should be dispatched to oversee the initial phase."
"If you feel this necessity exists, and there's an Elder willing to shave his head and accept this risk, I won't oppose it—lest people say we don't respect collective opinion." Ma Qianzhu expressed indifference. "But anyone who goes must receive approval from the Organization Department. Talents with specific specialized skills cannot be released."
"Understood." Jiang Shan felt a chill. He sensed something he couldn't articulate: Governor Ma viewed Elders as essentially no different from indigenous people.
"Regarding intelligence station deployment," Jiang Shan continued. "Beyond overseas stations operating in cooperation with the Colonial and Trade Ministry, I plan to establish a separate system—which I call the 'Black Dragon Society' system."
Ma Qianzhu assumed an expression of disinterest. Whether it was Black Dragon Society, White Dragon Society, or Red Flower Society—he understood Jiang Shan's intent perfectly. It was nothing more than a request for funding.
Intelligence work cost money. Substantial amounts of money. Circulation coupons were useless for this purpose. It required hard currency—silver by the handful, or goods convertible to silver. Silver now held the status of "foreign exchange," requiring case-by-case applications. The procedures were exceedingly cumbersome.
Jiang Shan pressed on undeterred: "The Black Dragon Society organization would be a non-governmental body. Funded by private capital under the Transmigration Group system to establish stations throughout the mainland. The Intelligence Bureau would dispatch only key personnel to embed within for command. We could even consider recruiting intelligence and operational personnel locally on the mainland..."
He expounded for over ten minutes on the organizational structure and operational model of this Black Dragon Society. Ma Qianzhu then spoke:
"Have you considered which capitalists in Lingao would serve as funders for the Black Dragon Society?"
The government-supervised, merchant-managed concept of the Black Dragon Society wasn't poorly conceived. The problem was that overseas stations were Transmigration Group property, manageable through Executive Committee directive. But private capitalists—their sole consideration was profit. Without sufficient returns, who would assume such risks to join some Black Dragon Society?
"I've considered this carefully. First: Lin Quan'an's Quanfu Firm. Lin Quan'an built his fortune handling bulk procurement for us. Now that our supply system is maturing and the foreign trade system is established, the days of obtaining profits from his early monopoly supplier status will inevitably end. He'll have to transform." Jiang Shan had conducted thorough research. Lin Quan'an's orders from the Transmigration Group had been declining recently, with profits significantly reduced. He did gain some compensation from the rapidly expanding local population, but overall he was on a downward trajectory.
Jiang Shan believed Lin Quan'an was currently anxious to find new commercial outlets. Cooperation was highly promising.
"Lin Quan'an already possesses extensive commercial connections throughout Hainan, but the Hainan market is small. Many materials he once procured are now acquired directly by us. He therefore harbors ambitions to expand to the mainland."
"Mm." Ma Qianzhu's interest quickened slightly. "Continue."
"The reason Lin Quan'an has delayed his move is primarily that he feels he lacks backing on the mainland. After all, his fortune was built on our patronage, and we provided convoy protection for his commercial development. Once on the mainland, detached from Lingao's power, he lacks confidence.
"So I propose to exploit this psychology—make him feel that we haven't forgotten him, that our interests are bound with his, and moreover, that a powerful organization stands ready to support him behind the scenes. Lin Quan'an would be willing to become a member of the Black Dragon Society."
"Very good." Ma Qianzhu commented briefly. "What else?"
"Runshitang, naturally."
"You're casting your net to catch all of Lingao's capitalists at once."
"Yes," Jiang Shan confirmed. "Liu San of the Ministry of Health submitted a memo regarding establishing a 'Watson's'-style chain pharmacy across Great Ming, relying on Runshitang as the foundation.
"Runshitang's proprietor Yang Shixiang is investing in mechanized production of proprietary Chinese medicines, with most products sold through mainland channels. Expanding mainland investment aligns with his original intentions. We merely channel those intentions..."
"Ahem." Ma Qianzhu coughed. "Yang Shixiang originally possessed his own commercial network on the mainland. His dependence on us isn't as pronounced as Lin Quan'an's. Is there any realistic possibility of persuading him to risk participating in the Black Dragon Society for intelligence operations against Great Ming?"
"Fifty-fifty," Jiang Shan replied candidly. "Initially, there's no need to inform him. We simply use his branch institutions as cover—directly planting intelligence personnel inside. After he witnesses our intelligence agency's capabilities, we can approach him openly."
This was certainly feasible. But Runshitang differed from Lin Quan'an's Quanfu Firm. Quanfu Firm merely remained as a model for the Transmigration Group; Runshitang was essentially a Transmigration Group subsidiary. Moreover, Yang Shixiang and Liu San planned to pursue the chain pharmacy route across Great Ming. A single failure could wipe out the entire operation. Never mind Yang Shixiang's attitude—Liu San and the Ministry of Health, which had invested in Runshitang, would erupt in fury.
"You'll need to coordinate closely with Liu San, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Commerce on this matter." Ma Qianzhu cautioned.
"Yes. If they object, we'll suspend the Runshitang plan." Jiang Shan said. "By employing the Black Dragon Society system, we can substantially reduce investment costs. A portion can be borne by these capitalists..."
And the other portion, naturally, falls to us. Ma Qianzhu thought. After all that discussion, they had returned to the fundamental issue.
He said: "Very well. Draft a plan, estimate the budget, and submit it."
Ma Qianzhu instructed Hou Wenyong: all documents regarding the Foreign Intelligence Bureau received in recent days should be delivered to his desk with priority. Hou Wenyong had been promoted to Secretary of the State Secretary. He was pleased to hold a "Private Advisor"-level position at his young age, yet also felt awkward—he had quickly discovered that secretaries of various departments were almost universally young women. Every time a secretaries' meeting convened, he became the "single spot of green among ten thousand reds."
"Then proceed to the Colonial and Trade Ministry compound and invite their Vice Minister to meet." Ma Qianzhu instructed. "Mm—don't bring him to the State Council compound. Use the General Office lounge."
He thought: Though the other party is a Vice Minister, he is Vice Minister of a ministry equivalent to mine. We have no hierarchical relationship. Summoning him directly here would appear too domineering. Bad for my reputation.
The Colonial and Trade Minister had not yet been elected. According to the Common Program, the nine Executive positions were all political appointments requiring Senate election. But several remained unfilled—either attracting no suitable candidates or attracting too many competing aspirants. The Senate had held several plenary sessions without resolution.
Consequently, those with ambitions in these areas took the administrative official route instead. Positions below Executive level were appointed rather than elected. Si Kaide had followed this path, smoothly becoming the Office Director of the Colonial and Trade Ministry—currently equivalent to Vice Minister and effectively exercising most of the Ministry's administrative powers.
Si Kaide had studied radar. There were a few radars here, but building new ones proved exceedingly difficult. He quickly grasped what "Dragon Slaying Skill"—an impressive but useless specialty—meant in practice. Until now, his entire professional experience had consisted of maintaining the Transmigration Group's handful of existing radars.
Ma Qianzhu knew this man. Politically, he was an oligarchist, opposed to parliamentary democracy, irreconcilably hostile to the Qian brothers who headed the North American Branch, and dismissive of Shan Liang as an "ambitious demagogue." Ma Qianzhu felt this person was well-suited for work in the Colonial and Trade Ministry. People too enamored of universal values and democracy couldn't handle this ministry's work. But characters who nakedly advocated genocide were equally unsuitable—too extreme, forever straining to prove their ideological loyalty, failing to understand that many things must be accomplished in stages.
He placed an "Away" sign on his desk. This sign came in two colors: green, indicating a brief absence of fifteen minutes or less; yellow, indicating an absence potentially lasting an hour. This prevented people from waiting in vain.
Ma Qianzhu descended the stairs, exiting through the office building's rear courtyard door. An indigenous guard was posted there. He displayed his pass. The guard carefully verified the photograph against his face, then recorded his departure time and pass number in the register.
He observed the guard's dark face, meticulously—and somewhat clumsily—copying Arabic numerals according to regulations. Our system is truly taking root, he thought. Since people can be reformed, so too can society.
"Your pass, Chief." The guard stood at attention and opened the rear courtyard door.
"Thank you." Ma Qianzhu pocketed the pass and walked slowly through.
The rear door opened onto a long outdoor alleyway leading directly to the courtyard housing the Executive Committee General Office. The alleyway connecting various agency compounds allowed personnel from different departments to move directly between buildings without exiting through main gates—facilitating both security and access control.
No one was in the alleyway. It was remarkably quiet. Ma Qianzhu could even hear birdsong. Such sounds had grown increasingly rare near Bairen City. The roar of machinery and the thick smoke from the neighboring industrial zone had driven away birds and animals.
Yet the birdsong was so cheerful. Yes—spring had arrived in Lingao. This was subtropical territory after all; winter was brief and barely noticeable. Leaves never withered; flowers bloomed in all four seasons. At noon, one could always go about in shirtsleeves or even undershirts. Ma Qianzhu preferred places with distinct seasons, where one could sense the flourishing and fading of plants, the passage of years through seasonal change...
He thrust his hands into his pockets. His mind returned to the documents regarding fiscal system, tax system, and accounting system construction recently sent by the General Fiscal Directorate. And to the conversation content of Yi Fan, Chen Ce, and others at the Wudaokou Financial Meeting. He felt an unprecedented pressure bearing down upon him.
This pressure was difficult for others to comprehend—perhaps they wouldn't understand at all. Fiscal and economic systems... wasn't this dignified institutional construction? As someone had said: without accounting and fiscal systems, should we regress to a barter economy?
No. Not like that. Ma Qianzhu thought. This is a line struggle.
Put simply, it was the conflict between engineers and accountants—a struggle between two fundamentally different developmental philosophies.
Accountants were eager to engage in finance, using economic indicators to control society, managing enterprises the way enterprises are managed. Engineers intended to employ a complex set of technical indicators to expand industry as rapidly as possible.
Ma Qianzhu believed the accountants' thinking suited only individual enterprises—and specifically those capable of switching among multiple suppliers, multiple logistics providers, and multiple sales channels at will. Only such enterprises could be managed with capital at the center.
He wrote in his private memo:
...Under Lingao's current economic conditions, the thinking of Yi Fan and his cohort is meaningless. Capital cannot be applied uniformly across different suppliers—i.e., across other factories' production processes. One indicator cannot be linearly exchanged for another. Current circulation coupons are not real currency. Industrialized products have no mature market in this world to which microeconomics can casually be applied. Therefore, marketization does not hold. Complex indicators must be employed—i.e., technical core control. Only common technologies and mature technologies—i.e., technologies suitable for opening to indigenous operation—can follow the pure capital-control route.
...
High technology never follows the market. Because value itself cannot be measured by the market. At this stage, only the Engineer Core Route is rational. Planned economy must be maintained in core industries, using monopoly profits to cover development costs, using technological superiority to offset micro-efficiency losses.
...
Yet from the perspective of a government, it was difficult to deny the roles of currency, accounting, auditing, and calculation. One might even say that without this system, no modern government could operate—including the minimal fiscal budgets and final accounts essential to modern governance. So the key question became: how to achieve balance?
He decided he should speak with Cheng Dong. Cheng Dong ought to understand his reasoning. Of course, Cheng Dong currently also supported Yi Fan's faction's proposal—which was natural. Once that plan passed, the power of fiscal and economic departments would increase geometrically. Few could resist such temptation.
He suddenly recalled that among documents recently sent by the General Fiscal Directorate to the Executive Committee Secretariat, one was a request regarding additional "Full-time Bank Security Personnel." This report was inconspicuous, buried among a stack of routine submissions. According to procedure, as long as it passed in the Executive Committee and then cleared three readings in the Senate Standing Committee, the matter would be done.
Ha! Ma Qianzhu thought. You want to create a Ministry of Finance Secret Service. Could this matter serve as a bargaining chip? He immediately dismissed the notion—the chip was far too small. Could such a minor agency as the Ministry of Finance Secret Service possibly be weighed against powers affecting the overall situation?
(End of Chapter)