Chapter 1118 - Solving the Case
Two days later, a telegram arrived from Lingao:
First, commendation to all personnel of the Jeju Forward Committee for their appropriate handling of the 3.15 and 3.20 incidents—for taking resolute action and minimizing losses. Second, the Central Government Administration and Planning Committee have granted special honors to naturalized citizens Kim O-sun and Kim Yuk-sun. Kim Yuk-sun is posthumously promoted to Special Inspector, First Class, and awarded the Medal of Revolutionary Martyr. Kim O-sun is awarded the Medal of Revolutionary Hero, First Class, and promoted to Special Clerk with direct appointment as Clerk for Women's Affairs. Third, Special Clerk Kim O-sun will be transferred by special ship to Lingao General Hospital for treatment, with expenses covered by the Forward Committee's administrative budget. Fourth, the Political Consultative Conference may be postponed as appropriate given the circumstances. The Jeju Forward Committee shall decide on timing and format after fully consulting with local conditions. Fifth, economics taking command means the Jeju Island Forward Committee must submit a budget for the upcoming fiscal year comprehensively and accurately. Previously approved projects lacking budget may not be arbitrarily expanded. Authority for additional budget items rests with the Planning Committee. All emergency budget items on Jeju Island require prior approval from Planning and Administration…
Reading this made Feng Zongze break into a cold sweat. Article Five had clearly caught wind of his recent "ambitious plans" for major projects on Jeju. The Planning Committee had fired a warning shot: don't overreach. All budgets require Committee approval.
Sixth, effective upon receipt of this telegram, the Jeju Forward Committee's current priority shall be implementing island-wide security enforcement. Therefore, from this date, the Forward Committee ranking shall be: Xue Ziliang, Feng Zongze, Nangong Wudi, Nick. Xue Ziliang shall assume overall responsibility.
Feng Zongze finished reading and sank into his chair, looking desolate. Every Committee member present initialed the document.
Everyone understood perfectly that, strictly speaking, the Jeju disturbance had not been that significant. For the Committee, it hardly counted as a loss. Following the principle of "turning bad things into good things," it had even produced model figures like the Kim siblings—benefits clearly outweighing drawbacks.
Yet from private telegrams with friends, colleagues, and superiors in Lingao, and from internal publications like Qiming Star and Weekly Dynamics distributed specifically for Committee members, they already knew: the Executive Committee would likely seize this opportunity to knock down the emerging tendency toward "localism."
This tendency had been growing since the occupation of all Hainan Island, but Hainan was still the main island. Jeju Island was distant from the center, its surrounding environment complex, and the policy flexibility granted there relatively greater. To get things done, one could always conjure sufficient justifications to compel the Planning Committee's agreement—or at least partial agreement.
Particularly telling were several truculent articles in Qiming Star: "Clearly Opposing Localism" and "External Posting = Gravy—Who Monitors the Power Inflation of Outside-Posted Committee Members?" The first was signed by Du Wen; the second by "Independent Political Commentator."
One glance at those bylines told the Committee members on Jeju this was trouble not to be trifled with.
The telegram from the Central Administration and Planning Committee confirmed their suspicions. Of course, the telegram itself was quite polite and didn't reject the Jeju Forward Committee's work outright.
Xue Ziliang rose. He still wasn't accustomed to this "Committee-style" command system, but after years of immersion, he had roughly grasped its operational rules and various subtexts.
Feng Zongze was no longer in charge; he had taken over—signaling the Executive Committee's desire for a shift in focus toward "security enforcement."
He awkwardly opened the folder in his hands, debating whether to utter the phrases his colleagues often recited—"thank the organization for its trust and comrades for their support"—before deciding against it. He cut straight to the topic: the next steps in counter-insurgency and specific implementation plans.
Feng Zongze listened with half an ear. His thoughts dwelled on Case 315's progress. The mounting evidence indicated that Pak Deokhwan—whom he had personally promoted and entrusted with important duties—not only faced financial troubles but also stood under serious suspicion of treason.
Prisoner testimony had confirmed Cho Myeong-gwi as the mastermind behind the 3.15 activities, with Kim Man-il as his patron. Though Jang Seong-seol had been "gifted" by Huang Yunyu, she was actually Cho Myeong-gwi's bondservant.
The evidence chain implicating Pak Deokhwan in treason was essentially complete. All that remained was for Liu Fuqing to sweep them all up and obtain physical evidence and confessions directly.
After Xue Ziliang finished covering the first phase of counter-insurgency operations, Nangong Wudi began discussing village consolidation and armed migration. Feng Zongze absorbed none of it. In a daze, he waited for the meeting to end, then hurried to the Political Security Bureau's Jeju office.
It was noon, and most people were at work; the streets lay somewhat deserted. The quicklime-treated heads of "militiamen" stood displayed on sharpened wooden poles, lined neatly along the road near the military barracks. Feng Zongze felt uncomfortable every time he passed them.
March on Jeju brought lingering cold, yet Liu Fuqing wore only a plain cotton shirt—what the Officials called a "dress shirt"—sleeves rolled high, collar open, steam rising from his half-bald head as he smoked a cigarette and reviewed the newly extracted interrogation materials.
Starting from the fifteen captured prisoners, the interrogations had uncovered more leads. Though all fifteen were small players, the hiding places they had used between infiltrating the city and emerging to commit arson bore undeniable "enemy" taint. Through prisoner interrogations, they quickly unearthed a batch of shops and residences within the city connected to Kim Man-il that had sheltered the "militia." The implicated included Labor Service workers and collaborator cadres.
The roundup began immediately. Liu Fuqing directed the White Horse Battalion in a city-wide dragnet, arresting over a hundred people. Family members and servants alike were indiscriminately detained and questioned. He personally conducted marathon interrogations.
After an overnight session, the suspects had been roughly sorted: most were innocent or only tangentially involved. Out of caution, he continued holding this group in the refugee camp, awaiting the Officials' instructions on their disposition.
Liu Fuqing was intimately familiar with the Ming officialdom's methods. Such a case, in the Ming, would have been classified as "treason." Those implicated, regardless of role, could receive heavy sentences. How far the matter ultimately went and how many were swept up depended on the presiding official's and emperor's inclinations.
He still wasn't clear on the "Australians'" specific approach to such cases—whether to launch a major purge or let it blow over gently.
Since the entire 3.15 case and the subsequent 3.20 disturbance had been clarified, Liu Fuqing decided to compile his findings and report to Feng Zongze, then request instructions for the next steps. Wumu had already given him orders: on the investigation and handling of the case, "follow Official Feng's instructions."
Feng Zongze's arrival didn't surprise him. From his telegram exchanges with Official Wumu and recent events, this cunning old bureaucrat had roughly discerned the crux of the matter.
Official Feng was eager to clear himself of charges of negligence in internal security work.
Liu Fuqing buttoned his collar and began reporting the work progress in full detail.
Cho Myeong-gwi had been the first arrested—Political Security Bureau investigators had determined he was the mastermind of the hostile forces in Jeju City. This judgment proved correct.
Large quantities of documents, letters, weapons, and poison were seized from Cho Myeong-gwi's shop and residence, along with civilian clothing of various types.
Most critically, a "ledger" was seized—it detailed the various expenses of his "public relations activities" on the island. Pak Deokhwan's name topped the spending list.
Besides Pak Deokhwan, the ledger implicated numerous "collaborator" personnel, including people at Chocheon Port Authority, the Corral Administration, Jeju Labor Service, and White Horse Battalion whom he had wined and dined. Most involved trivial amounts and weren't conducted through him personally—even the Political Security Bureau hadn't noticed them before.
Through years of commercial activity, Cho Myeong-gwi had established a business network spanning the inside and outside of Jeju City. Through this network, he could manipulate many things from behind the scenes.
"What scheming!" Feng Zongze nearly slammed the table. He had clearly underestimated this merchant.
"What about Cho Myeong-gwi's confession? Any new discoveries?"
"He refused to talk at first but finally confessed this morning," Liu Fuqing said. "But we've interrogated him for days and nights. He's somewhat muddled now, and his confession is inconsistent in places…"
"Did he give up his patron?"
"Yes. He explicitly confessed that all of this was done on Kim Man-il's instructions." Liu Fuqing paused. "Another key figure involved is Huang Yunyu, but he's escaped…"
Feng Zongze knew that name. This was the contractor for Jeju Island's bow and arrow industry, who had contributed considerably to his bow export business. Thinking that he had even treated the man rather graciously and had been planning to recruit him as a naturalized cadre—he felt humiliated fury. "Escaped?"
"Yes. After the 3.15 case, he left Jeju. We checked Chocheon Port's entry and exit records. He went to the peninsula on business."
"Lucky him," Feng Zongze said resentfully.
Liu Fuqing glanced at him and mentally noted: Huang Yunyu = done for.
"We've arrested his family and employees. His chief clerk Choi Hyun-taek confessed that they've already made contact with Yi Court local officials on the peninsula and have a plan to counterattack Jeju."
Feng Zongze nodded. "Has Pak Deokhwan been arrested?"
"Not yet. He's an important local cadre. I was hoping to obtain your approval…"
"Approved. Arrest him immediately."
(End of Chapter)