Starting from 1618 of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 123 Intelligence Network Upgrade

morning.

The convoy continued eastward and had already entered the territory of Laizhou Prefecture.

As the mountain slopes gradually flatten, villages and farmland begin to appear on both sides of the official road. Occasionally, a few farmers can be seen working in the fields, glancing up at the convoy before lowering their heads again to continue their work.

Lu Yan sat in the carriage, with a simple wooden table in front of him, on which was a hand-drawn map of Dengzhou.

Shen Qing sat opposite him, marking the map with charcoal.

"Master, this is the intelligence I've gathered about Dengzhou over the past few years, compiled into a map," Shen Qing said, pointing to the map. "Red dots represent the Li family's properties, blue dots represent government offices, green dots represent the naval and garrison locations, and black dots represent my spies."

Lu Yan carefully examined the map.

Dengzhou City is nestled between mountains and the sea. Although the city is not large, its location is excellent. To the north lies the sea, to the east is the port, and to the west and south are hills. The city's streets are crisscrossed, dividing it into east and west halves—the east half is where government offices and wealthy households reside, while the west half is the marketplace and docks.

The Li family's businesses were almost all over the entire Dengzhou city.

Their warehouses were on the docks, their pawnshops and money exchanges were in the city, and their salt fields and shipyards were outside the city. The red dots were densely packed, like a spider web, covering the entire city of Dengzhou.

"The Li family's power is greater than I imagined," Lu Yan said.

"Yes," Shen Qing said. "The Li family has been operating in Dengzhou for three generations, their influence is deep-rooted. Half of the merchants in the city owe the Li family money; half of the fishermen outside the city rely on the Li family's boats for their livelihood. Even many of the government officials are members of the Li family."

"What about the government?"

"The prefect of Dengzhou is Zhou Wenyuan, an old bureaucrat who's prudent and doesn't dare offend the Li family," Shen Qing said. "The assistant prefect, the sub-prefect, and the judge are all the same; they take money from the Li family and turn a blind eye."

"Where is the navy?"

"The Dengzhou Navy, nominally under the command of the Dengzhou-Laizhou Governor, is actually a disorganized mess," Shen Qing said. "The naval adjutant, Zhang Desheng, is a good-for-nothing who spends all his time drinking and gambling. His subordinate officers and lieutenants are also just drawing salaries without working and exploiting their soldiers."

"Is the Li family colluding with the navy?"

"Yes," Shen Qing said. "Part of the Li family's maritime trade involves smuggling. Their smuggling ships need the navy to turn a blind eye. The Li family's annual 'tribute' to the navy is at least several thousand taels of silver."

Lu Yan listened, his brows furrowing slightly.

"So, the Li family, the government, and the navy are all in cahoots?"

"That's one way to put it," Shen Qing said, "but it's not a monolithic entity. There are conflicts between the government and the navy, and there are factions within the navy as well. Although the Li family is powerful, they attract attention and have offended quite a few people."

Lu Yan nodded, pondered for a moment, and then said:

"Shen Qing, do you think our current intelligence network is sufficient?"

Shen Qing shook her head.

"not enough."

"What's not enough?"

"The spies I've planted in Dengzhou over the past few years are mostly people at the bottom of society—merchants, porters, and odd jobs," Shen Qing said. "The information these people can gather is mostly trivial matters. They have no access to truly important information—government decisions, naval movements, and the Li family's core secrets."

What are your thoughts?

Shen Qing remained silent for a moment, then took out a document from his pocket and handed it to Lu Yan.

"I've come up with a plan these past few days; please take a look."

Lu Yan took the document, unfolded it, and took a look.

The document was covered in tiny, densely packed characters and divided into three parts.

The first part is titled "Business Intelligence Network".

"Business intelligence is the easiest to gather," Shen Qing explained. "Merchants are profit-driven and well-informed. As long as you have money, you can buy any kind of information."

"My idea is to leverage Manager Hu's business to establish a commercial intelligence network in Dengzhou."

"Manager Hu's business was originally going to open a branch in Dengzhou. A few people can be placed in the branch specifically to collect business intelligence—price fluctuations, goods circulation, merchant movements, and even the Li family's business dealings."

"This intelligence, ostensibly for business purposes, can secretly help our employer control the economic lifeline of Dengzhou."

Lu Yan nodded.

"continue."

The second part is titled "The Officialdom Intelligence Network".

"Gathering intelligence about officialdom is harder than gathering intelligence about business," Shen Qing said. "Officials are tight-lipped and won't easily reveal information. But it's a different story for those around them—secretaries, clerks, yamen runners, and servants."

"These people are of low status and receive meager salaries, making them the easiest to bribe. Give them a little money, and they'll be willing to reveal some information."

"My idea is to plant a few informants in the Dengzhou prefectural government, the county governments, and even the Dengzhou-Laizhou governor's office. These people will perform their duties normally on weekdays, but secretly collect information for me—official documents, the movements of officials, the progress of cases…"

"This intelligence can help our employer know the government's movements in advance, preventing them from being ambushed."

Lu Yan continued to nod.

"What about the third part?"

The third part is titled "Military Intelligence Network".

"Military intelligence is the most difficult to gather, but also the most important," Shen Qing's voice deepened. "Dengzhou is the rear of Liaodong; the movements of the navy and garrisons directly affect the Liaodong war situation."

"My idea is to plant spies in the navy and garrisons."

"As for the navy, I already have someone in mind—there's a captain in the navy named Wang Dahai, a gambling addict with a mountain of debt. I can pay off his debts in exchange for his loyalty."

"As for the garrison, I'm still looking for candidates. The commander of Dengzhou Garrison is a cunning old fox, not easy to deal with. But there are bound to be a few of his commanders, both captains and centurions, who can be bribed."

"This intelligence can help our master control the military forces in Dengzhou, and if necessary, even..."

Shen Qing paused, then didn't continue.

Lu Yan looked at him, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"What else could be done if necessary?"

"If necessary, we can even use someone else to do the dirty work," Shen Qing said. "For example, if the Li family is colluding with the navy for smuggling, I can leak the information to the governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou, and let him investigate. The governor, eager for political achievements, will definitely take action. Then, the Li family and the navy will fight like dogs, and our boss will reap the benefits."

Lu Yan burst into laughter upon hearing this.

"Shen Qing, you're got the brains for this job."

"You flatter me, sir."

Lu Yan put down the document and pondered for a moment.

"I approve this plan."

He took out a silver note from his pocket and handed it to Shen Qing.

"Five hundred taels as seed money. Ask me for more if it's not enough."

Shen Qing took the silver note and solemnly put it into his pocket.

"Your subordinate will certainly not fail in the trust placed in you by your master."

"There's one more thing," Lu Yan said. "About you and me, don't let a third person know about the intelligence network. Don't even mention Zhao Changying or Hu Jingshui."

Shen Qing nodded.

"Understood."

"Regarding Hu Jingshui, just say it's business intelligence, used to help him with his business. Don't mention a single word about official or military intelligence."

"yes."

Lu Yan stood up, walked to the car window, lifted the curtain, and looked at the scenery outside.

Large areas of salt flats could already be seen on both sides of the official road. In the distance, a faint sea breeze blew in, carrying a salty and fishy smell.

"We're almost at Dengzhou," Lu Yan said.

"Yes," Shen Qing said. "After two more days of walking, we'll see Dengzhou City."

Lu Yan nodded, lowered the curtain, and sat back down in his seat.

"Shen Qing, what do you think the Li family will do to me?"

Shen Qing thought for a moment and said:

"I believe the Li family will test the waters first."

"How should we test him?"

"Our master has just arrived in Dengzhou and is unfamiliar with the place, so the Li family won't rush into action. They'll first send someone to 'pay a visit' and see what our master's attitude is."

"If the employer is willing to cooperate, accept their money, and turn a blind eye, they will treat the employer as one of their own, and everyone will get rich together in the future."

"If the employer is unwilling to cooperate, they will find ways to trip them up—isolate them in official circles, suppress them in business, and even sabotage them behind the scenes."

Lu Yan sneered.

"They've certainly got a good plan."

"What does the employer plan to do?"

Lu Yan was silent for a moment, then said:

"Keep them calm first."

"Stabilize?"

"Yes," Lu Yan said. "I've just arrived in Dengzhou, and my foothold is not yet secure. It's not advisable to confront the Li family directly. I'll feign compliance first, letting them think I'm an easy target. Once I've established myself, I'll deal with them slowly."

Shen Qing nodded.

"The boss is wise."

"Brilliant, my foot." Lu Yan waved his hand.

He leaned back into the carriage and closed his eyes.

"If the Li family wants to fight me, then let them fight. I want to see if their roots run deeper, or if my blade is sharper."

The carriage bumped along the official road, slowly making its way towards Dengzhou.