Two days have passed. During these two days, under the hype of newspapers and radio, the "Xiang Family Fraud Case" in Ming Dynasty became even more vigorous.
Not only the newspapers and broadcasts in Nanming, but also the newspapers and broadcasts in Beiqing spared no effort to publicize the corruption case in Nanming. The only newspaper "Daqing Daily" and the only broadcasting company "Daqing Radio" in Beiqing, and
As in the past, they seized on every fraud and scandal that broke out in Nanming, reported it extensively, and tried their best to let their people know how corrupt and irredeemable Nanming was.
However, on February 6, Nanming newspapers suddenly broke the latest news. The Metropolitan Procuratorate found stolen goods in the safe of the original accuser and detained him for interrogation. This incident caused the "Xiang Family Fraud Case" to take a turn for the worse.
Like a roller coaster, it suddenly intensified. The "forward" newspaper public cheered and cheered, while the "reverse" newspaper public categorically said that there must be something shady.
However, "Da Qing Daily" and "Da Qing Radio" were not affected at all. They were "selectively blind" as usual, pretending that there was no such news, and continued to report the "Xiang family scandal" in the country in the same way.
Although the people in the Northern Qing Dynasty could not read outside newspapers or hear outside broadcasts, the people in the Southern Ming Dynasty could listen to the "Da Qing Radio". The experienced people in the Southern Ming Dynasty analyzed the reports from the Northern Qing Dynasty.
Probably the Beiqing authorities also felt that the news from the Metropolitan Procuratorate was probably true, so they were cautious in "selective blindness". If the Beiqing authorities felt that there might be a shady secret, they would definitely expose this "shady secret" as usual
.
Therefore, with the "evidence" of the media in Beijing, by February 7th, Xiang Xiaoqiang's image in the media and among the people became clearer. And with the revelation of this case, the "Miss Marquis's Escape Case" became a new
The hot topic has occupied a lot of newspaper pages, and a lot of attention has been diverted from the "Xiang family scandal". Most of the paparazzi that used to squat at the entrance of the People's Guard Headquarters have now gone to the entrance of the Changping Marquis Mansion.
The revelations about the case were not officially announced by the Metropolitan Procuratorate, but were probably news bought by the reporter from a certain imperial censor. The Metropolitan Procuratorate is no better than the Dongchang, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate basically every time it interrogates an organization like the People’s Guard.
This kind of leak of case information will always happen in a big hit case. But this kind of leak is very beneficial to Xiang Xiaoqiang, which is equivalent to helping him remove the blame in advance. Originally, Xiang Xiaoqiang was planning to let Shi Shigege write another manuscript.
, he "exploded the case" himself.
In this way, although the Metropolitan Procuratorate is still investigating the people of the Changping Marquis Mansion, the case has not been closed, and no official news has been released, for Xiang Xiaoqiang, if nothing unexpected happens, the "Xiang Family Fraud Case" has been successfully resolved.
Already.
Xiang Xiaoqiang just got a new confidante, but they broke up immediately. He has been as greedy as a cat for the past two days, always wandering around, trying to find Zheng Yucong. But every time he was dissuaded by stomachache and fourteen princesses.
Now is the critical moment. Once the outside world knows that Zheng Yucong is in his hands, everything will be over. Xiang Xiaoqiang knows that Zheng Yucong must miss him too, especially her lively personality. These days, he has been alone in the small
In the villa, you can't go out, and you can only face a strange uncle every day...
She had a stomachache, so I went to take care of her every night, cook for her, and buy food for the next day. Poor Miss Zheng couldn't cook herself, so every day except for dinner, she had to eat cooked food bought from a roadside stall...especially
He stayed there every night because of his stomachache. Although Xiang Xiaoqiang knew that he had a stomachache and did not dare to do anything to Zheng Yucong, he still felt awkward and wanted to end this situation as soon as possible.
"Xiu Xiu," Xiang Xiaoqiang put his arms around Xiu Xiu's waist when no one was around, and said with a guilty smile, "Today is the 7th..."
"Um."
Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled again:
"Oh, today is still the fifteenth day of the first lunar month..."
Xiuxiu's eyes dimmed, she lowered her head and said quietly:
"I know."
Xiang Xiaoqiang sighed and gently stroked Xiuxiu's forehead hair:
"I originally said we were getting married today, but unexpectedly this happened a few days ago. Look..."
Xiuxiu sniffed, raised her face, her eye circles were red again, but she still smiled meekly:
"Sir, look at you, I understand... We have all seen what happened these days... It doesn't matter, I... I... I am waiting for you."
Xiang Xiaoqiang was really moved when he saw Xiuxiu's gentle and virtuous look. He held her tightly and kissed her forehead and the tip of her nose.
When the kiss reached the tip of her nose, Xiuxiu became a little nervous. She pulled away slightly, then glanced at Xiang Xiaoqiang's ears, and didn't dare to pull away anymore. She blushed, closed her eyes, lowered her head, and remained motionless.
Xiang Xiaoqiang felt the stiffness of Xiuxiu's body and the pounding of her heart. He knew that she was extremely nervous now, but he didn't dare to resist. He couldn't bear it, so he gently let her go.
Xiuxiu opened her eyes in confusion and said softly:
"……grown ups?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang looked into her eyes and smiled softly:
"But don't worry, it won't happen this month. Maybe it will be on the 14th, which happens to be Valentine's Day. How romantic."
Xiuxiu was happy, with smiles in her eyes, and she pursed her lips and nodded gently.
"By the way, I told you last time that we were getting married today, but you didn't tell Qiu Qiu, right?"
Xiuxiu was startled, then said softly:
"No."
"Well," Xiang Xiaoqiang nodded reassuringly, "It's best not to say otherwise. Otherwise she will be disappointed again."
Xiuxiu's eyes flashed with a cunning light, and she boldly said with a smile:
"Sir...can you tell her this time?"
"Look for a fight!" Xiang Xiaoqiang patted Xiu Xiu's buttocks and laughed, "Go ahead, you can figure it out yourself!"
Xiu Xiu lowered her head and left with a satisfied smile. Xiang Xiaoqiang was intoxicated by Xiu Xiu's charming tenderness.
Alas, this Xiuxiu! It seems that she has the potential to become a fox girl!
…
That evening, Xiang Xiaoqiang held a small cocktail party in the headquarters.
This cocktail party is incomparable to the one held by Zhu Yourong in the fortress. It was just a gathering of all his confidants and everyone had a meal together. Considering that Xiang Xiaoqiang is still at the forefront of public opinion, he did not go to the restaurant to serve drinks, or even
It's not a dinner party in the headquarters' restaurant, but in a small conference room in your office, where the restaurant will deliver the dishes and everyone will have a meal together. Of course, the skills of the chefs in the headquarters canteen are not the same as those in restaurants outside.
Comparison. But the main reason is not to eat.
Attending the dinner were Commander Li Gensheng of the Mobile Team, Commander Stomachache of the Security Team, Deputy Commander Snail, Commander Shi Shigege of the Political Work Team, Commander Li Changgui of the Imperial Guard, Qiu Qiu and Xiu Xiu.
These people are the core members of Xiang Xiaoqiang's group and their closest confidants. Li Gensheng, Snail, and Li Changgui don't know yet about Zheng Yucong's defection. Although this matter is very fatal, the fewer people who know about it, the better, but Xiang Xiaoqiang
After consulting Fourteen Princesses, I decided to tell them. Because these three people are relatively stable and tight-lipped, I can completely trust them, and they will know about Zheng Yucong sooner or later. At that time, they will definitely have an idea: why does the stomach hurt?
Fourteen Princesses know it, but the three of them don't. So it's better to tell them now.
Xiang Xiaoqiang listened to Shi Shigege's advice, called the three of them over, quietly told them about Zheng Yucong, and asked them to be stricter. They also knew that Xiang Xiaoqiang did this to express trust, but they were still happy.
Because this is a very fatal matter after all, and Xiang Xiaoqiang told them when he could have not told them.
Xiang Xiaoqiang held this reception for two purposes. One was to celebrate the victory of the "Xiang Family Fraud Case", and the other was to announce something at the reception and solicit everyone's opinions.
After a few rounds of drinking, Xiang Xiaoqiang pointed to his major general epaulettes and asked with a smile:
"Everyone, do you all feel that something is missing here?"
With such words, everyone became excited, and they all understood that Xiang Xiaoqiang was implying that he was going to promote everyone's military rank.
Sure enough, Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled and said:
"During the Battle of Nanjing, I accepted His Majesty's edict, one of which was that I would be promoted to Lieutenant General from Xiaoqiang. But it has been some time and I have not had time to be promoted. Now we are discussing this matter. Let me say it first
My arrangement. In accordance with His Majesty’s decree, I, the commander, will be promoted from major general to lieutenant general. It turns out that because my highest officer is only a colonel, the ranks of the officers of the People’s Guard are generally low, which is very unreasonable. Now I have decided that the four people here
Commander, a deputy commander, the military rank is temporarily promoted to colonel. Qiu Qiu and Shang Xiu, as the commander's adjutants, have lower military ranks, and are promoted one level each. Qiu Qiu is promoted to captain, and Shang Xiu is promoted to lieutenant."
After Xiang Xiaoqiang finished speaking, these people were all excited. Although they were all still school-level officers, they had been promoted to one level in such a short time. More than two months ago, Li Gensheng was a retired non-commissioned officer with a stomachache and was still at the bottom.
The young agents, Snail, are still involved in gangs, while Li Changgui is working as an undercover agent in Beiqing, with a dark future and a slim future.
Snail and Shi Shi Ge Ge cast grateful glances at Xiang Xiaoqiang. Xiang Xiaoqiang could have said "You guys are each promoted to a level" instead of "You guys are promoted to colonel". In this way, Shi Shi Ge Ge and Shi Shi Ge Ge
Snail was promoted two levels in a row. Snail knew that Xiang Xiaoqiang still regarded him as his confidant. Although he still made him the deputy of Snail, his rank was suddenly promoted as high as Snail. He understood.
Xiang Xiaoqiang was hinting to him: Although you are the deputy, your position is very important, just keep an eye on him.
Fourteen Princess regarded this two-level promotion as Xiang Xiaoqiang’s sincerity. She was a colonel in the Beiqing army, but when she arrived at Xiang Xiaoqiang’s place, she was only given the rank of major, which made her uncomfortable for a long time. Fourteen Princess and her stomach ache
, Li Gensheng is different from others. She is the princess of the Ming Dynasty and has an amazing pension. She does not care about the specific benefits brought by the promotion of military rank. What she cares about is Xiang Xiaoqiang's sincerity and respect for her.
Now Xiang Xiaoqiang "knows her mistakes and can correct them", and immediately gave her the same military rank as others, and Fourteen Gege felt very pleased. She also knew that her status was sensitive, and even if she was promoted to a general, she would not have any power at all.
.My desire for power can only be realized through Xiang Xiaoqiang. As long as I can cling to Xiang Xiaoqiang tightly and hold Xiang Xiaoqiang in my hand, I will have supreme power even if I am just a little captain.
Qiu Qiu and Xiu Xiu smiled at each other, feeling warm in their hearts. They no longer cared about their military ranks. Anyway, they were going to Mrs. Xiang soon. It was Qiu Qiu who saw that although he was no longer the captain of Xiu Xiu, but the same
She felt a little guilty because Mrs. Xiuxiu always lowered her by one level. Xiuxiu noticed it, took Qiu Qiu's hand, and scratched it gently, which made Qiu Qiu want to laugh.
But Xiuxiu knew very well that this was a balancing act for Xiang Xiaoqiang. During this period, Xiuxiu became Xiang Xiaoqiang's veritable right-hand man. Xiang Xiaoqiang left many things to her and spent more time with her than Qiu.
There are many more Qiu Qiu. Xiu Xiu understands that what Xiang Xiaoqiang told her, "You have a much better future than Qiu Qiu," is true, and it is coming true now. After entering the Xiang family, Qiu Qiu will probably be a wife, and
Not only will I be my wife, I will continue to be Mr. Xiang’s career helper.
If there were still wives and concubines in the Ming Dynasty, Xiang Xiaoqiang would definitely let Qiu Qiu be the head wife and Xiuxiu the concubine. But now there is no distinction between wives and concubines in the Ming Dynasty, and all legal statuses are equal. Therefore, Xiang Xiaoqiang always gave way to the military rank.
Qiuqiu is one level higher than Xiuxiu.
Qiu Qiu couldn't understand Xiang Xiaoqiang's considerations. She just felt a little sorry for Xiu Xiu, but Xiu Xiu couldn't be more different. But she was also a little woman, and she only cared about her status in her husband's heart, and how she felt about her military rank.
, don’t really care.
…
The above military rank arrangement is the decision of Xiang Xiaoqiang as the commander. Whether his subordinates are satisfied or dissatisfied, there is no need to discuss it after it is announced. What Xiang Xiaoqiang wants to discuss with them is how to operate it.
In a broad sense, the People's Guard is of course an army force. But in a narrow sense, the People's Guard is the third branch of the military service that is independent of the army and navy and directly affiliated with the Queen.
In Xiang Xiaoqiang's view, this is just like the "Second Artillery Force" of later generations. Although it is a land-based strategic missile force in a broad sense and belongs to the Army, it is directly under the Central Military Commission and belongs to an independent service besides the Army, Navy and Air Force. At the moment, the people
The same goes for the Guards.
The Ming Army and Navy have quotas for officer promotions every year. If other troops want to promote officers, they must apply to the Ministry of War or the Ministry of Navy. Because of the nature of the People's Guard, Xiang Xiaoqiang can decide on his own to upgrade his subordinates' military ranks without having to report to the Ministry of War.
And you can promote so many people at once.
The question now is, do I need to go to the War Department to go through the formalities? Or should the People's Guard handle it themselves?
Most of the subordinates agreed to kick the Army Department away and handle the entire process in the People's Guard. However, Snail and Li Changgui, who were more cautious, still put forward their opinions: Now that Sir Xiang is so trusted in front of His Majesty, even if we report all these lists to the Army
Ministry, they are unlikely to make things difficult and disapprove. This is just a formality. On the contrary, if we kick the Ministry of the Army away, although His Majesty will also approve this promotion, it may offend the Ministry of the Army. In the future, we and the Army
There are many areas where the department deals with, such as logistics, personnel allocation, financial allocation, etc. There is no need to offend them for this trivial matter.
He nodded to Xiaoqiang, without commenting, and turned his attention to the others. Everyone was silent for a while, all studying Snail's words, and no one said anything.
Xiang Xiaoqiang hates this the most. Isn't it possible? Now that all of his subordinates have achieved high status and have their own futures, they are all starting to be cautious and have a city?... Isn't this a little too early?
He looked at Shi Shi Ge Ge, wanting to hear her opinion. As a princess, Shi Shi Ge Ge had a relatively detached status here, so she should have less scruples about what she said.
Fourteen rolled his eyes, looked around at the others, and then looked at Xiang Xiaoqiang's almost pleading eyes. He felt very satisfied and expressed his opinion humbly.
She believes that whether to leave the Ministry of War or kick it out depends on Xiang Xiaoqiang's positioning of the People's Guard and the setting of the future status of the People's Guard. Whether it wants to develop into an expanded version of the People's Guard that is directly under His Majesty's
What about the Praetorian Guard? Or is it going to develop into a completely independent army within an army, or even a state within a state?
If it is the former, it is really unwise to offend the Army Department. But if it is the latter, then we must set a precedent of independent operation, even if it offends the Army Department.
...a completely independent army within an army, or even a state within a state...
Xiang Xiaoqiang immediately understood what she meant.
Fourteen Gege, this restless woman, is encouraging herself to develop the People's Guard into a huge force with its own army, politics, economy, diplomacy... the "Beiyang" of the Ming Dynasty!