Chapter 1685 Western Management Bureau

Nearly a month has passed since the city of Manila changed hands. This period of time has been quite painful for the Hispanic people living in the local area. From the ruling group that used to be the masters of the local community, it has suddenly become a dependent group.

Moreover, these poor people are closely monitored by the government. This change in status and treatment is so drastic that many people find it difficult to adapt.

Although the new rulers did not deliberately impose any implicated punishments, many of the Spanish families that had provided money, food, and people during the Hercynian War were included in the post-war liquidation list, and there were also many old families.

The case of Xiao being arrested and imprisoned. No matter how famous or high their status was in Manila in the past, Hispanics could only live with their tail between their legs after the defeat of the colonial authorities, especially in the face of the rapidly rising Han ethnic group after the war.

No one dares to play the role of boss with arrogance anymore. Any attempt to challenge the Manila Provisional Management Committee will be regarded as an attempt to undermine local security and will be severely punished.

Between the Han government and Hispanic immigrants, between Han people and Hispanics, and within the Hispanic ethnic group, there are many conflicts that need to be resolved because of language, culture, customs, interests, etc., and this has also resulted in

There are many public security issues. Now the Interim Management Committee must strengthen its management of affairs in this field and set up a special agency to deal with these issues.

The establishment of the Western Management Bureau is affiliated with the Ministry of Civil Affairs. This is the first time in the history of Haihan's overseas colonial governance that such a specialized agency has been established. This is because in the past, almost none of the colonies Haihan occupied overseas encountered Manila.

Under such a situation, even in places like Ambuna Island that were once occupied by Western colonists, the local Han base was far better than that in Manila, and they did not encounter this level of trouble in post-war governance.

For the Provisional Management Committee, restoring post-war social order as soon as possible is the top priority. To achieve this goal, it cannot be accomplished by relying solely on officials transferred from Hainan Island and personnel promoted locally.

Incorporating it into the organization is the most effective solution at the moment.

In fact, Francis is not the only Hispanic person to be hired in this agency. However, as the former city defense commander of Manila City, his local popularity and influence are enough to support the Western Management Bureau's brand name, so the temporary management meeting

He was chosen to serve as the chief official of this agency. However, the real power of this agency will not be handed over to Francis, but will be directly managed by Qiu Yuan, supplemented by other civil affairs officials transferred from Hainan Island. As for other Hispanics recruited

The staff can only serve as front-line service personnel. It is unlikely that they will enter the management level in the near future.

The Western Management Bureau currently recruits twenty Hispanic personnel, all of whom were born and raised locally. Even their fathers and ancestors have always lived in Manila. These people are Spanish in terms of blood and nationality, but they must be

There is no sense of inconsistency in calling them Manilans or Luzonites. Their sense of identity with the Kingdom of Spain is not as firm as that of their ancestors. This so-called motherland only exists in official propaganda and the memories of their parents and grandparents, while others

The dazzling image has collapsed under the vigorous offensive of the Haihan Army.

The new rulers who replaced them could not be said to have much hatred in the eyes of these young Hispanics, because after the Haihan Army occupied Manila City, they did not let go of killing and looting, but quickly began to try to restore normal society after quelling the local armed resistance.

Order. The absolute strength demonstrated by the Haihan Army is a real strong man in their eyes, and the law of the jungle is the rule of the world. Haihan relied on force to occupy Manila, and worked with Spanish colonial forces to drive away the indigenous people in the Philippine Islands to establish colonies.

There is essentially no difference in behavior. Being appreciated by the new ruler is the beginning of a new life for them, or even an opportunity to leap over the dragon's gate. There is no big psychological barrier.

Four days after Francis and his son were taken away from house arrest, the opening ceremony of the Western Management Bureau was finally held in front of an official residence in Manila. This official residence was originally the location of the Manila government's Agriculture Department, and is now requisitioned by the Interim Management Committee as a

The office premises of the Western Management Bureau.

In order to build momentum for the Western Management Bureau, Chief Executive Qiu Yuan and Military Chief Xiao Liang will attend the listing ceremony. Therefore, several street intersections nearby have been blocked by the city defense army early, prohibiting random people from entering and exiting at will.

Only local gentry and representatives of other official institutions who have been invited to attend the ceremony can enter this area.

Regarding the specific situation and functions of the Western Management Bureau, in fact, most of the guests attending the ceremony were completely confused. They only knew that this organization was used to manage the local Hispanic people. As for how to govern, and who would be responsible for it

The outside world has not received any specific information about this director position.

However, most of the people who came to watch the ceremony were local Han Chinese gentry in Manila, and the Western Management Bureau had no control over them, so most of them just wanted to watch the fun, and no one could wait to inquire about the inside story of the Western Management Bureau.

Many people were talking to each other with relaxed faces, discussing whether they should look for an opportunity to get acquainted with these two local senior officials later.

However, among the guests attending the ceremony, some were a little nervous, because the establishment of the Western Management Bureau may affect their family's future development in the local area. For example, the Ding family father and son, who were invited to attend this event,

It's a bit tight.

Ding Pingsheng finally received the news from Qin Huacheng yesterday, saying that Francis may serve in the newly established Western Management Bureau, and that both his father and son may be released in the near future. However, Qin Huacheng refused to disclose the specific source of this news, nor did he

Any other evidence can prove the authenticity of this news. It is difficult for the Ding family and his son to judge whether it is true or false, but they still paid Qin Huacheng a sum of money as a reward for finding out the news.

Qin Huacheng was stuck in sending news to the Ding family. In fact, it was because he got new information from Jin Bo at the last moment. The military sent people to Jin Bo's department, retrieved the prisoner of war files, and finally took away the relevant information.

Information about Francis and his son.

Generally speaking, even if Spanish prisoners of war are exiled, imprisoned or sentenced to death, Jin Bo's department will record them in their files and will not transfer them. The highest possibility is that the above will do this.

Prepare to release or activate the father and son. Based on what he learned about the situation of the Western Management Bureau, Jin Bo believes that the superiors selected Francis to serve in the Western Management Bureau and transferred his files, which is obviously to change the personnel relations.

The military handed it over to the civil affairs department.

After Qin Huacheng understood the situation, his views were consistent with Jin Bo's. When Qin Huacheng got the news, the Western Bureau of Management had already sent out invitations to the viewing ceremony. Anyway, even if the news was reported in error, the result would be known in a day at most.

What kind of loss will it cause to the Ding family, except that it may lose the trust of the Ding family. After weighing the pros and cons, Qin Huacheng went to report the news to the Ding family. After all, the Ding family had been waiting impatiently for the news.

I hinted to him several times that if there is no more definite news, the cooperation will be terminated.

The information brought by Qin Huacheng shocked the entire Ding family. They tried every means to establish a clear relationship with Francis and his son, but they did not expect that after being imprisoned for more than half a month, the father and son would be used by the Haihan people. This was their

It was an unexpected development in any case. But Qin Huacheng's words were so eloquent that he almost gave the Ding family a guarantee. It seemed quite credible. In the end, Mr. Ding Feng made the decision and sent the money he had prepared earlier.

The Western Management Bureau removed the congratulatory gift and prepared a more generous gift, as well as a gift for the first director.

If the first director of the Western Management Bureau was not Francis, then the Ding family would have considered it as a favor and spent a few extra dollars to buy someone familiar. But if it is true as Qin Huacheng said, Francis joined the Haihan people and took up the post of director.

, then this gift can be regarded as a move by the Ding family to express their attitude to Francis. Although the Western Management Bureau cannot control the business of the Ding family shipyard, if Francis can really come back, it means that the senior officials of Haihan value him very much.

, it is definitely beneficial and harmless to continue to maintain the marriage relationship between the two families.

The listing ceremony of the Western Management Bureau was scheduled for nine in the morning, but the guests attending the ceremony arrived outside the official residence an hour in advance to wait. The organizer was very considerate and prepared several rows of chairs under the corridor for various gentlemen to sit.

If you come down and wait slowly, you won't be too tired.

Ding Feng sat and slowly sipped the hot tea sent by the organizer. Ding Pingsheng stood beside him, bowing slightly, ready to obey his instructions at any time. Although this posture was a bit tiring, Ding Pingsheng had long been used to it.

I don't think there's anything wrong with it.

"Look in your life, the Zhao family sells rice, the Qi family sells medicine, the Gong family runs a cloth shop, Huang shopkeeper of Juxian Tower, Lao Zhang of Ruyi Winery...hehe, there are seven wealthy Han businessmen in Manila City.

The seven or eight are almost here, it’s really a blessing!” Ding Feng looked at the guests attending the ceremony and pointed out to his son: “Do you know why so many Han gentry were invited to watch the ceremony when the Western Management Bureau was listed?”

Ding Pingsheng bowed and responded: "It seems that Haihan hopes that the local gentry can express its attitude and support its method of using barbarians to control barbarians."

"This is one of them." Ding Feng nodded and said: "For a new yamen to be established, it must be supported by the local gentry. This is a necessary condition. Although the Western Management Bureau manages Hispanic people, its functions should also be related to

The local Han people are closely related.”

Ding Pingsheng asked: "What about the other two?"

"Secondly, if Haihan really appoints Hispanic officials, it is to show everyone that local Hispanic people will still have a way to rise in the future and will not be treated as inferior pariahs." Ding Feng analyzed: "The government

This kind of statement, if verified by the local Han gentry, the propaganda effect will definitely be the best."

Ding Feng raised his hand and pointed at the official residence in front of him and said: "Look at the situation today. All the senior civil and military officials will come to the management meeting later, which shows how much the higher-ups attach great importance to this new yamen. If the first director is an in-law, then

Then we can think about how to get on this smooth sailing ship."

Ding Pingsheng was not completely ignorant of worldly affairs. He said with a worried look on his face: "But even if the Haihan people pardoned their brother-in-law and pushed him to the stage to take up the position of director, they may not really give him the power. With the power of a child,

See, most of them just use him as a puppet to appease the hearts and minds of the Spanish people."

Ding Feng smiled and said: "What you can understand, can't others understand? Whether the in-law is a puppet or not is not really that important. As long as we can confirm that the people of Haihan are willing to support him to sit in this seat, it is enough."

In the past, it was not easy for the Han people to make money from the Spaniards, but this situation may change in the future. With the relationship of the director of the Western Management Bureau, if my Ding family wants to do business with the Spaniards, it will be better than

It was much easier before, right?”

Ding Pingsheng suddenly said: "It turns out that this is what father planned, and the child has learned a lesson."

But Ding Feng still had half of the words left in his heart. If the director of the Western Management Bureau was not Francis but someone else, the Ding family would also try to maintain a good relationship. If they could do business with the Hispanic community in the future,

, then the benefits given away today will definitely be earned back hundreds and thousands of times in the future. Of course, if this position can be filled by Francis, the negotiation process will definitely be much simpler.

Not long after, the scheduled time came, and several carriages drove up from distant streets and stopped at the entrance of the official residence. A group of armed guards quickly cleared a passage, and then several officials got off the carriages. Surrounded in the middle were

The two of them are today's protagonists, Qiu Yuan and Xiao Liang.

The guests who came to watch the ceremony today had been trained before. When they saw the senior official Haihan, they immediately clapped and greeted him according to Haihan etiquette. Ding Pingsheng also quickly helped Ding Feng stand up, fearing that he would be accused of neglecting the senior official.

Before these Haihan officials came closer, Ding Pingsheng had already seen Francis and his son in Haihan attire in the crowd, and quickly reported to Ding Feng. Ding Feng sighed secretly, thinking that this father-in-law has always been stubborn.

, with his temperament, he would rather die in battle than betray the country easily, and now he actually changed his family to join the Haihan. This was probably because he was dragged down by his son, his son-in-law.

Little Francis also saw Ding Feng and his son from a distance, and he actually raised his arms and waved to them excitedly. Ding Feng whispered: "This kid is still the same as always, and he has no formal appearance!"

There was a brief speech ceremony before the unveiling, and the person who came forward was naturally the Chief Executive Qiu Yuan. Qiu Yuan did not have any tricks. He briefly and comprehensively explained the necessity of establishing the Western Management Bureau and the general functions of this organization, and then invited out

The first director appointed by the Provisional Management Committee.

"I believe that everyone here is familiar with Mr. Francis. As the first director of the Western Management Bureau, I think Mr. Francis should also have something to say to everyone." Qiu Yuan made an inviting gesture to Francis behind him.

He came forward and said a few words.
Chapter completed!