Black Flag Army

Chapter 154: Anti-corruption in the rear

The Supervision Department has set up a supervision group in the Police Department. The name of the office is the Anti-Corruption Department. The director is Yi Hu, the deputy head of the supervision group. However, he is the only one in the supervision group. The others are ordinary policemen. Who is the head of the group? Where are the other members? No one knows. It is precisely because no one knows that everyone is afraid.

Li Fei's third and fourth uncles were terrified, their bodies stiff as statues, and they even forgot to struggle when they were dragged out of the room by the guards. When he was about to be dragged out, the third uncle came to his senses. He was so angry that his face turned red, and veins on his neck popped out. He glared at Li Fei and kept cursing: "Li Fei, Li Fei! We are all elders who have watched you grow up! How could you be so cruel that you arrested and detained us without considering family affection! This is simply the great treason mentioned in the "Book of Filial Piety"! You will definitely be punished!"

Li Fei's wife Fu Yuzhu, who was standing nearby, couldn't stand it any longer. She frowned and gently advised, "Li Fei, after all, they are our relatives. Isn't it a bit too much for you to do this? Why don't you let them go first..."

Li Fei said indifferently: "Humph! It is obviously these two old guys who are really excessive. Have they forgotten how they treated us in the first place? Now that they know I have become the director, they shamelessly come here with money to buy connections and seek official positions. They are simply trying to push me into the fire pit!" His tone was full of anger and disdain when he spoke, and he seemed to be very disgusted and disgusted with such behavior.

Li Xiaofei said: "Such a bad old man should be arrested!"

Fu Yuzhu said to him sternly: "This is none of your business. Go do your homework and I'll deal with you later!"

When the people who were giving gifts outside saw that Li Fei was so ruthless, they left immediately and only one person was left. This person was a little bald, about fifty years old, with a sad face, wearing a worn cotton coat, and shivering in the cold wind.

Li Fei walked to the door and said to the bald man, "Director Ma! Please come in! Sorry! I kept you waiting for so long."

Director Ma thanked her repeatedly and walked in timidly. When he saw Fu Yuzhu, he immediately took the initiative to greet her: "Hello, Madam Li! Long time no see!"

Fu Yuzhu was shocked to see that this person was Li Fei's former boss in the Beijing branch, Ma Hong. It turned out that Li Fei was talking to him before he came in. She quickly asked the maid to serve tea! She asked him to sit down, and then asked, "Director Ma! Why don't you enjoy yourself in Beijing and come to Beitang City?"

This was exactly the question Li Fei wanted to ask. When he was in Nankou Town, Li Fei often went to Ma Hong's house to give gifts on behalf of Di Xiong during festivals.

Ma Hong said with an embarrassed look on his face: "Please don't call me chief anymore! I'm not a chief anymore! Alas, I'm ashamed to say that I accidentally offended Mr. Wu Bingxiang, the chief of the Capital Police Department, and was kicked out in disgrace. Now I'm a complete unemployed vagrant. I'm old and want to find a job, but no one is interested in my old bones. So, I came here today with a thick face, just to ask you, Director Li, can you give me a meal for the sake of our old friendship?" As he spoke, he looked pitiful, which made people feel pity for him.

Li Fei frowned and said, "Didn't you and Mr. Di call each other uncle and nephew before? Then why don't you go directly to him for help?"

Ma Hong sighed deeply, a trace of shame appeared on his face, and he slowly replied: "Alas, it's really hard to explain! Back then, I was also a shareholder of Weili Company. But when you were in the most difficult and arduous time, I was bewildered and made an irreparable mistake - I chose to withdraw my shares, which undoubtedly made things worse for you, and it was simply cutting off the fuel from the bottom of the pot! Now, how can I have the face to call myself his uncle? Besides, he is now the commander-in-chief of the Black Flag Army, and also serves as the governor of Beihai Province. He is very busy with daily affairs. I am really embarrassed to bother him with trivial matters like mine."

Li Fei said: "I remember that Director Ma was always very careful when dealing with his superiors coming to inspect. How did he offend Wu Bingxiang?"

Ma Hong sighed heavily, his voice full of regret and helplessness: "A few months ago! There was a notorious young man named Li Tianqiang in the West City. This guy drove a shabby second-hand Ford car all day long, led a group of rogue hooligans, and robbed female students in public on the street. Many beautiful girls were dragged into the car by them and taken to their Tibetan lair to be wantonly ravaged and abused. Some girls couldn't stand such torture and died directly; some of the strong-willed ones chose to end their lives; and those who survived by chance became unconscious and mentally ill. The parents of these poor children came to my door, crying and begging me to catch the murderer and give them justice. They all confessed. Faced with such a heinous crime, how could I sit idly by? So I secretly investigated and found that this Li Tianqiang had nothing to do with those dignitaries in Beijing. After confirming this, I dared to let the female police disguise as female students as bait to lure the snakes out of their holes. In the end, I successfully caught all these villains and tortured them severely. But who would have thought that such an interrogation would cause a big trouble! It turned out that this Li Tianqiang was the illegitimate son of Director Wu! How could I know such a secretive thing? At this point, I quickly released Li Tianqiang and prepared a generous gift to apologize to Director Wu. However, everything was in vain. In the end, I still couldn't escape the fate of being dismissed and investigated! "

Li Fei sighed and said, "I have always believed that Beihai Province has done a lot of things poorly and needs improvement. I never thought that compared with the Beiyang government, our place is like heaven."

Ma Hong said excitedly: "How can it be the same! Back in Nankou Town, you and Commander-in-Chief Di only had a few hundred people under your command, but you were not afraid at all, bravely upheld justice, and resolutely fought the Japanese devils to the end. In the end, you actually killed all those little Japanese in the East Asia Company! If it were Li Tianqiang now, if he dared to commit a crime in our Beihai Province, once he fell into the hands of Director Li, he would definitely not be able to escape death, and he would be shot directly!"

Li Fei looked at the slightly weathered man in front of him and said, "You are an old detective with many years of experience! With your outstanding ability to solve cases and keen insight, it would be a pity if you can't continue to use your expertise. How about this, I can arrange a position for you as a detective captain in the detective department under the police department, so that you can show your skills."

Hearing this, Ma Hong showed an expression of disbelief on his face, and then he was filled with joy and gratitude. He said to Li Fei excitedly: "I never thought you would think so highly of me and give me such an important position. Thank you so much, Director Li! Your help is like timely help. Now our family has a way out!" After saying this, Ma Hong's eyes sparkled with tears, as if he saw the hope of future life.

Li Fei said: "But I want to make it clear to you that when you work at the Beihai Provincial Police Department, you cannot give or take bribes, you cannot blackmail. The unspoken rules of the Beijing Police Department are not applicable here. Otherwise, you will be imprisoned at the very least, or even shot. I'm not just saying polite words, I mean it!"

Ma Hong was about to reach into his pocket to take something out, but when he heard it, his hand stopped. He asked, "But we don't take bribes, but others do. Aren't we at a disadvantage?"

Li Fei said righteously: "This is absolutely impossible! You know, Mr. Di is a genius. He created the invisible supervisor system with ingenuity. No matter which unit or department, there will be people from the Supervisory Office closely monitoring everything. Therefore, if anyone dares to accept bribes and engage in corruption, they will definitely not escape the punishment of the law. Back then, when I was the director, even the deputy director and the patrol captain of our bureau were lucky at first and half-believed and half-doubted this system, but in the end they could not resist the temptation of money and accepted huge amounts of black money. However, the net of heaven is vast and nothing can escape them. They were soon caught and received the punishment they deserved, and they are still in prison. Do you really think I am like the upright Hai Rui in history? Who doesn't have the idea of ​​pursuing wealth and enjoying glory and wealth? It's just that the reality forces me to choose the path of integrity and honesty, and I can only be an honest official."

Ma Hong said: "Let's find the inspector. If we can't bribe him, we can just avoid him and collect the money. Isn't that right?"

Li Fei said: "The problem is that we can't find them. There are twelve people in our police department's supervision team. Except for Yi Hu, who has a public identity, the others are hidden among the police and can't be found at all. I heard that they have a system of rotating posts every year, so they should have changed several groups of people, but I don't even know who the first group of people are."

Ma Hong took a deep breath and said slowly: "So that's how it is. In this Beihai area, only honest officials can survive, while corrupt officials have no place to stay. Commander-in-Chief Di's methods are so fierce and his determination is so firm that it is far beyond my previous imagination! He is truly an iron-faced and impartial man!" His words revealed his awe for Commander-in-Chief Di.

Li Fei raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and said with a faint smile: "In fact, this is better. Although you can't accept those improper money, you don't have to flatter your superiors or treat them to meals and gifts. Nowadays, promotion depends entirely on a person's true ability and meritorious services. Isn't this more fair and reasonable?" His voice was calm and firm, as if he had a deep understanding and agreement with this point of view.

On November 11, 1918, Germany announced its defeat and surrender, and the First World War ended. European powers such as Britain and France suffered huge casualties and spent a lot of money. In order to recover, they began to prepare for the Paris Peace Conference, preparing to let the defeated countries take a huge amount of money to make up for the losses of the victorious countries. The Chinese people also held a celebration ceremony, thinking that China, as a victorious country, would benefit from the Paris Peace Conference.

The establishment of Beiling Province was approved by the Presidential Palace and the National Assembly, and the Prime Minister's Office did not stop it. Since Zhang Shaozeng resolutely refused to serve as the governor, the governor was finally appointed by Chen Yi, the former ambassador to Outer Mongolia. Chen Yi, who was holding a sinecure in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, was overjoyed when he heard the news and happily took office, which made many of his colleagues in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs very jealous. The Beiyang warlords and senior officials realized that those who had a good relationship with Di Xiong could become high officials, and they dared not speak ill of Di Xiong easily from then on.

Although Jiang Hongyu was appointed as the governor of Beiling Province, he could not stay in Beiling Province because the Kolchak army coming back to support the old nest was getting closer and closer to Beihai Lake. After leaving a small number of troops to guard Beiling Province, he led most of the main forces to the area around Beihai Lake to stop Kolchak's 400,000 troops. Only Di Xiong and others returned to Beitang City with a small number of troops including the security division.

On the morning of January 1919, 1, the sun shone brightly on the streets of Beitang City. People were saying that the victorious army from the Northern Expedition was about to return! This news was like a spring breeze that blew away the winter haze and made the whole city excited.

The city of Beitang was crowded with people, and the originally bustling streets became even more crowded. Tens of thousands of citizens, holding colorful flowers and brightly colored flags, came to the streets early to stand and wait. Their faces were filled with excitement and anticipation, their eyes were shining with reverence, and they were eager to see the heroes returning triumphantly.

In order to ensure the smooth progress of the celebration and the safety of the citizens, all the police officers of the National Police Department were dispatched. The police officers in neat uniforms moved among the crowd in high spirits, maintaining order on the scene and providing necessary assistance. They were rigorous and serious yet amiable, becoming a beautiful landscape in this grand welcome ceremony.

Time passed minute by minute, and finally, waves of exciting and majestic military music and cheers came from afar, getting louder and louder. It was the signal that the victorious Northern Expedition was approaching! In an instant, the crowd burst into thunderous applause and cheers, deafening and rising one after another, as if to overturn the entire city!

As the team gradually approached, people could clearly see the warriors in battle robes marching in unison with firm and powerful steps. Everyone's face was filled with pride and honor; the battle flags were flying, the gongs and drums were blaring, and the soldiers shouted slogans loudly to show the citizens their fearless courage and tenacious fighting spirit. These scenes made people's blood boil and their hearts surge!

Di Xiong, Lan Jinping and other senior officers, dressed in neat and solemn black military uniforms, sat in a spacious and comfortable convertible. They were as tall as pine trees, with solemn and dignified expressions, like an indestructible mountain. As the car slowly drove through the streets, both sides were filled with enthusiastic people, waving flags in their hands, shouting slogans to their heart's content, and welcoming the triumphant heroic team in the warmest way.

Facing this exciting scene, Di Xiong and others felt a strong sense of pride. They stood up, raised their right hands with a smile, and paid high tribute to the people around them. At that moment, their eyes were firm and powerful, as if they wanted to pass on this honor to everyone. The sunlight fell on the military uniforms, shining with golden light, which contrasted with the soldiers' resolute faces, forming an unforgettable picture.