Chapter 1680 By any means necessary

During the Spanish rule, Han Chinese living in Manila could only be treated as third-class citizens. No one would miss the opportunity to establish relations with the Spaniards. It was only before the Ding family could marry the Francis family that they could not easily miss it.

A lot of effort was put into making this happen. And the Ding family's approach is not uncommon among the Han people, but the in-law the Ding family found has a high status and a distinguished background, so it attracted more attention.

Now that the city of Manila has changed hands, the Ding family is facing the same level of attention if they want to distance themselves from the Spanish.

Qin Huacheng has seen dramas like this a lot these days. Many people want to run to the street and tell everyone they meet that they and Spain are sworn enemies, even though they might have been groveling in front of the Spaniards half a month ago.

The son-in-law of the Ding family has too much background, and it is too difficult to separate the relationship. As Qin Huacheng said, unless little Francis died, it would be difficult to draw the line. But this kind of thing for the Ding family

It's okay to make secret calculations, but for Qin Huacheng to say it so bluntly is really heartbreaking.

Ding Pingsheng said: "Brother Qin, don't talk nonsense about this matter. If the adults in Haihan hear such rumors, my Ding family will definitely be in trouble. You can't do it, you can't do it!"

Qin Huacheng smiled, took the wine pot from the table, filled the wine glass in front of him, and said: "Shopkeeper Ding, if you don't tell secrets, I can probably guess what the Ding family thinks.

.If you want to inquire about your brother-in-law, no problem, I will take over the matter. But if you take an attitude right now, it will be easier for you to take any subsequent measures."

How could Ding, a cautious person like him, be easily fooled by his words? He shook his head repeatedly and said: "Brother Qin is overthinking. Our Ding family has no other ideas. We just want to know the current situation of that person. Is he alive?"

Death will be decided by the government, and the Ding family will not dare to interfere with the government's decision."

Ding Feng had specifically told him to "don't mention anything you shouldn't mention." The Ding family's attitude towards little Francis was exactly what he shouldn't mention to Qin Huacheng. Regardless of whether the Ding family wanted to rescue little Francis or simply let him go.

Death, once his attitude is expressed, it may become material for Qin Huacheng to ask for credit. Therefore, before determining Qin Huacheng's reliability, Ding Pingsheng must not express this attitude on behalf of the Ding family, lest the benefits are not reaped, but become the other party's.

stepping stone.

The Ding family's caution is indeed meaningful. Qin Huacheng took the initiative to test Ding Pingsheng in order to trick him. The matter of little Francis is not a big deal if he just inquires about relevant information, but if someone tries

To influence the government's judgment on him, the nature of this has changed. When Qin Huacheng was training before, the police officer mentioned to them some situations that must be reported in time. One of them was the attempt to rescue or silence Spanish prisoners.

.If Ding Pingsheng spills the beans, he will take the initiative to report the matter to his superiors later.

Fortunately, Ding Pingsheng's mouth was tight enough. Even if the other party tried to influence his thinking with repeated words, he still did not say what he shouldn't have said. Qin Huacheng did not force himself, and immediately concentrated on enjoying the food and wine, and did not ask any more questions about Ding Pingsheng.

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The anxious party in this matter is obviously Ding Pingsheng, and Qin Huacheng doesn't want to push the other party too hard, as that may be counterproductive. Anyway, as long as he helps the Ding family to find out the information, there are still benefits to be gained, and the risks he needs to bear are also small.

smaller.

After drinking and eating, Qin Huacheng asked Ding Pingsheng to go back and wait for news, while he went to Manila City. The checkpoint at the city gate was no longer an obstacle to Qin Huacheng, but now it had become a symbol of status. He stepped forward and showed his

After showing his identification number plate, the soldiers on duty inspected him for a moment and signaled for him to enter the city. Qin Huacheng raised his head and chest, and did not squint, but he could feel the envious eyes of the people lining up outside the city gate waiting for inspection.

Now that he has the status of a temporary security policeman, Qin Huacheng can go anywhere except for a few military restricted areas inside and outside Manila. However, his jurisdiction is the area designated outside the city, and his responsibilities cannot be extended for three days.

Running around here and there. But if he had to sneak into the city to run some personal errands, it wouldn't cause him any trouble, as long as he didn't delay his business.

Qin Huacheng had already thought of who to ask for help yesterday. One of his childhood playmates, Zhang Kui, is now working as an errand for the Haihan people in the city. However, Zhang Kui's responsibilities are quite different from Qin Huacheng's. Not only does he write well

He was proficient in Spanish and Chinese, so he was recruited by the military to work as a translator, specifically responsible for accompanying the officers in interrogating those important Spanish prisoners of war. Subjects like little Francis, who had a certain status and background, were captured.

Most of the subsequent arraignments also involved Zhang Kui.

Qin Huacheng found the place where Zhang Kui was working. It was a school that was originally managed by the Spanish Church. Now that the church itself is in trouble, the school has naturally been closed a long time ago. Even if it is reopened in the future, Spanish and religion will no longer be taught.

courses. Now it has been requisitioned by the military and used as a place to interrogate prisoners of war. Each classroom is an interrogation room. In addition, the confession files compiled by the military are basically stored here.

Naturally, this kind of place is not open to ordinary people, but Qin Huacheng's status as a security policeman is tantamount to a useful pass. Zhang Kui happened to have nothing to do at this time and was transcribing a Spanish confession.

Copied into Chinese, he stopped what he was doing when he heard that a guest was coming to visit him.

When Zhang Kui came out and saw that it was Qin Huacheng, he asked directly: "Do you have a problem with me?"

"It's something." Qin Huacheng nodded and responded. He knew that he didn't need to say anything now. With years of tacit understanding, the other party would naturally understand the importance of the matter.

"Then wait for me for a moment." Zhang Kui knew this very well. He went back and filed the document first, and then came out to meet Qin Huacheng. This place was full of military people, and Zhang Kui didn't dare to follow Qin Huacheng here.

When we talked about some sensitive topics, we had to go outside and find another teahouse.

After the two of them sat down and ordered a pot of tea, Zhang Kui said: "If you have anything to say, please tell me immediately. The investigation has been strict in the past two days, and I don't dare to stay away for too long. If I am caught, I might even lose my job."

Qin Huacheng is also working in the Yamen now, so he naturally knows that Haihan's punishment for slacking off on work is very severe, so he briefly talked about the Ding family's request for help, and then hoped that Zhang Kui could find a way to see if he could find out.

Little Francis' current condition.

After hearing his purpose, Zhang Kui was not in a hurry. He took a sip of tea and pondered for a while before replying: "How dare you reach out to take care of this matter? Do you know who Francis, the in-law of the Ding family, is?"

"You know, the leader of the Spanish city defense army! I have seen him from a distance several times before. He is very majestic. He also said before that he would let the Haihan people bleed into rivers in Manila, but now he has become a prisoner of the Haihan army!"

Qin Huacheng was very disdainful of this loser, and his tone was full of contempt: "Now that both father and son are behind bars, who else will take them seriously? I think the purpose of the Ding family's inquiry into this matter is also

We need to draw a clear line with them as early as possible and get ourselves out of this quagmire."

Zhang Kui said: "Since you know that you still want to come to this muddy water, it seems that the Ding family has given you a lot of benefits."

Qin Huacheng smiled and did not answer, which was equivalent to acquiescing to Zhang Kui's guess. Zhang Kui continued: "You and I have been brothers for many years. Since you want to know, I will tell you some inside information. Francis and his son are currently being detained somewhere in the south of the city.

It is said that he will be transferred to the Port of Cavite for detention, and I don’t know what will happen to him after that.”

Qin Huacheng asked: "Haihan didn't sentence them?"

Zhang Kui said: "The higher-ups want to squeeze more things out of Francis, whether it's intelligence or money, so they don't plan to judge him for the time being. As for his son Francis Jr., he was just a businessman before and has never been on the battlefield.

, what do you think we can do if we arrest him?"

"Catch your son and threaten me?" Qin Huacheng guessed.

Zhang Kui nodded slightly and said: "People always have weaknesses. No matter how Francis is not afraid of death, how can he still watch his son die like this? Even his son is not afraid of death, but as a father, he can't bear to look at his son.

I will spend the rest of my life in prison."

Qin Huacheng thought for a moment before asking again: "According to what you said, the Haihan people didn't intend to execute them?"

"What good will executing them do to Haihan?" Zhang Kui shook his head and said: "The Haihan people even let Aragones go, let alone this father and son. As long as they don't want to die, the chance of survival is very high.

, but as for whether they can regain their freedom, it probably depends on whether they are willing to cooperate in the end."

Qin Huacheng actually didn't quite understand why Haihan had worked so hard to capture the city of Manila and captured the Spanish officials, and then let them go so rashly. But he also knew that his vision and experience were limited, and he might not be able to understand what Haihan was doing.

The subtlety of the means. He couldn't help but start to think, what impact would it have on the Ding family if both Francis and his son survived?

"Then tell me, now that we are sure that the father and son are not dead, is there any other way to get more benefits for the Ding family?" Qin Huacheng thought about it and still felt that he didn't have enough ideas in his mind, so he simply asked

Zhang Kui asked for advice.

Zhang Kui rolled his eyes and said: "Who do you want the Ding family to take care of? Do you want to take care of me? Stop working in vain. This is something you can't influence. If you are targeted by the Military Intelligence Department or the Ministry of Security, be careful not to drag you down.

The whole family!”

Although Qin Huacheng has never had direct dealings with these two yamen, he has heard about their "evil reputation" for a long time. Hearing his cautious words, he couldn't help but hesitate: "Is it really that serious?"

Zhang Kui said: "As a security policeman, is it your duty to inquire about the status of enemy chiefs in custody? If those two yamen notice, I'm afraid they will take you away immediately and take you back for torture. Then we will interrogate you.

Let’s take a look at the details of your Qin family and see if the dispute with the Spanish has been sorted out. If you follow the same operation, it will be strange for your Qin family not to shed a few layers of skin."

Qin Huacheng swallowed, waved his hands and said, "If you can't afford to offend me, let's forget it! But since the Ding family and Francis are married, is it true that no one checks the Ding family?"

"How could it not be possible?" Zhang Kui sneered: "It's just that the Ding family probably didn't commit any major crimes, so they haven't taken action for the time being. I think the Ding family came to you and noticed some signs, so they were eager to inquire about the news. I thought

We must break away from the Spanish as soon as possible to avoid being implicated by them."

When Qin Huacheng heard this, he suddenly had a new idea in his mind. Since the Ding family was worried, maybe he could continue to attack the Ding family. Zhang Kui talked about the matter in detail and refused.

If he was delayed outside again, Qin Huacheng didn't try to persuade him to stay, so he made an appointment with him to drink and eat meat another day as a thank you for this consultation.

After getting the relevant information from Zhang Kui, Qin Huacheng found it almost effortless. But if the Ding family were to do it themselves, they might not be able to find the right way even if they break their legs, and they might even make a fuss and be arrested.

Special departments are keeping an eye on them.

After dark that night, Qin Huacheng took the initiative to go to Ding's house and meet with Ding Pingsheng again. He selected some key points and told Ding Pingsheng the news he had learned from Zhang Kui today. But with Zhang Kui's guidance first,

, Qin Huacheng was also overly cautious and did not reveal all the information he had. He only said that the Ding family's son-in-law, Francis Jr., was still in custody and the government had not yet made a verdict against him.

Ding Pingsheng thanked Qin Huacheng, but he felt a little uncomfortable with the news. Qin Huacheng had already anticipated the other party's mentality and asked proactively: "Shopkeeper Ding, since the person is still here, don't you think of any way to give the person away?"

Get it out?"

When Ding Pingsheng opened his mouth, he repeated his previous statement, saying that the Ding family did not dare to make mistakes and affect the government's decision. Qin Huacheng shook his head and said: "I'm afraid the opportunity will be missed when the government makes a decision. I also heard something today that the government may be

Investigate your Ding family. As for which yamen it is, I can’t tell you. Anyway, it’s not me, the security police.”

Ding Pingsheng was shocked when he heard this. This was one of the issues that their father and son were worried about. If Haihan felt that the interests between the Ding family and the Spaniards were too deep, then after taking Francis and his son into custody, he would find some reason to take Ding away.

It seems that it is a normal operation to have a house confiscated. Therefore, the Ding family has been keeping a low profile recently, for fear of causing any trouble and attracting the attention of the government. But if what Qin Huacheng said is true, then he must think of countermeasures.

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Seeing Ding Pingsheng's expression change slightly, Qin Huacheng knew that his exploration was in the right direction. Since the Ding family was very worried about this issue, he would try to start here and squeeze out more benefits from the Ding family.
Chapter completed!