Chapter 1714 Apprenticeship Period

Cheng Dapeng gathered the six people together and then asked them a question: "I told you when you boarded the ship that you must observe carefully at all times during the day on the ship. Our ship has been docked in Malacca for the past three days.

Hong Kong, the six of you have been on the ship all the time. Although you can't move on the deck during the day, you can move around freely in other places on the ship. Then I want to ask you how many batches of cargo have been unloaded and loaded on the ship in the past three days.

How many batches of goods were there? How many people on the ship didn’t get back on board after getting off? How many new faces were on the ship when we set off?”

No one would have thought that Cheng Dapeng would suddenly ask such a tricky and weird question after leaving Hong Kong. They all looked at each other for a while. How could ordinary people pay attention to such meaningless details without being prompted, let alone make statistics?

.

Of course, Cheng Dapeng's sudden attack was not just for nothing, but to test whether these people had the talent required to become intelligence agents. Of course, he did not expect these people to accurately calculate the data he asked.

But if someone takes the initiative to pay attention to this aspect, it will definitely be a big plus for Cheng Dapeng.

After everyone was silent for a moment, Qin Huacheng responded: "Thank you to the shopkeeper, I remember a little bit, but I don't know if I am wrong."

"You tell me first and listen." Cheng Dapeng nodded and expressed encouragement to Qin Huacheng.

Qin Huacheng said: "On the first day, what was unloaded was the grain in the bottom hold, and what was loaded on the ship was a batch of cotton cloth. On the second day, what was unloaded was the spices in the front hold, and what was loaded on the ship was about 150 barrels of wine.

, the reason why I remember this number is that I heard a sailor brother mention it at the time. What was unloaded on the third day was the pile of cargo that had been covered with oilcloth on the deck. That night, when I went to the deck for ventilation, I saw the original stack of cargo.

The position has been cleared. No cargo was loaded on the ship on the third day, but fresh water and food were replenished on the ship before departure."

Cheng Dapeng nodded silently while listening, approving of Qin Huacheng's description. Although his memory was not particularly detailed and was still far from the intelligence personnel's requirements, the fact that he had such thoughts showed that he did have such a desire.

Talent in this area - even if it's not so obvious.

Qin Huacheng continued: "As for how many people got off the ship and didn't come back, and what new faces were on the ship, I really don't know, because many people are on the deck during the day and only return to the cabin to sleep at night. But I do pay attention.

The two cooks who arrived on the ship have been replaced. The two cooks before were really not good at their craftsmanship. The two cooks who came on the ship yesterday were much better. At least the rice was no longer cooked."

"Very good." After hearing this, Cheng Dapeng finally praised Qin Huacheng for his carefulness. He then looked at a few other people, who all lowered their heads to avoid his gaze, obviously because they did not do what Qin Huacheng did.

Ashamed of being meticulous.

Cheng Dapeng said: "The errands you have to do from now on can be summed up in the words 'careful' and 'meticulous'. As long as you can do these two things, great things can be accomplished. If you can't do it, your life will be hard to save!"

Everyone did not dare to respond and just listened to his lectures quietly. These people were all taken out of the hard labor camp by Cheng Dapeng. Naturally, they understood that Cheng Dapeng with such energy was not just a businessman, but also someone who represented Haihan.

Secret officials working for the government. If they want to live well in the future, their fate will be in Cheng Dapeng's hands. Of course, some of them may want to find opportunities to get rid of Cheng Dapeng's control, but at this moment, no one dares

Show an impatient look on your face.

Cheng Dapeng continued: "I am a person who pays attention to rewards and punishments when doing things well. If you do well, you will naturally be rewarded. Qin Huacheng, from now on, you can also go to the deck during the day. As for the others, starting from tomorrow, they will be responsible at dawn

Wash the deck before.”

Qin Huacheng bowed and thanked Cheng Dapeng, turning a blind eye to the fiery glances from the other people. He knew very well that he and these people were not partners, but real competitors. Cheng Dapeng would eventually choose from among the six people.

I don’t know how many people will be selected, but those who are eliminated will have to go back to Star Island and continue to be imprisoned. This is a result that Qin Huacheng can never accept. Now that he has come out of that place, he must win this competition and completely fight hard labor.

Farewell to prisoner life in the camp.

Then it turned out just as Cheng Dapeng said, the other five people except Qin Huacheng were driven back to the cabin below the deck, and Qin Huacheng was finally able to bask in the sun on the deck.

Nestling in the cabin, he was really worried that he would get moldy.

After leaving the port of Malacca, the ship did not immediately turn back south, but continued to travel northwest along the channel channel to Banda Aceh Port at the northern tip of Sumatra Island.

At the end of the 13th century, Christianity was introduced to Southeast Asia through Banda Aceh. Later, it became a transit point for Southeast Asian pilgrims to go to Mecca by boat. It was called the "Gateway to Mecca". Arab merchants

A large number of business houses were established here to purchase gold, ivory and camphor. By the 16th century, Banda Aceh became the capital of the Kingdom of Aceh and was the pepper trading center in Southeast Asia for a long time.

This naturally aroused the covetousness of Western colonists. Aceh had fought many wars with Portugal and the Netherlands. In the 16th and 17th centuries, it launched several wars to attack the city of Malacca under the rule of Portuguese colonists, but all failed.

And return.

Although the war between the two countries has lasted for a century, trade has not been stopped because of this. Especially neutral multinational businessmen like Cheng Dapeng will be welcomed by local businessmen whether in Malacca or Banda Aceh.

.Cheng Dapeng purchased local products here and sold some goods shipped from Batavia. He made a lot of money every time he went in and out.

There was no need for Cheng Dapeng to remind him this time. The few people he selected were very active in recording all kinds of information they observed. And the information that Qin Huacheng, who was qualified to be active on the deck, could collect was naturally more than

The ones in the cabin are much richer. Although it is more intuitive, the content to remember has also increased accordingly, which is also a bit difficult for Qin Huacheng who has not received professional training.

Qin Huacheng was able to pass the test set by Cheng Dapeng at the Malacca Port. On the one hand, he did take Cheng Dapeng's reminder to heart when he boarded the ship, and on the other hand, because he was on the voyage from Manila to Star Island.

Because being held in solitary confinement was too boring, he began to pay attention to various small movements on the ship and developed this unique habit. After arriving at the hard labor camp in Xingdao, Qin Huacheng put this habit of paying attention to the hard labor construction site.

In addition to translating, he also helped count the prisoners' labor. When he paid attention to this information at the Malacca Port that day, he didn't think too much, and he never thought that his habit could be put to great use by accident.

The ship stayed in Banda Aceh for a longer time. In addition to handling trade, Cheng Dapeng also spent three days visiting local celebrities and officials. On the one hand, this was to continue to open up trade channels in the future.

Laying the foundation, on the other hand, is also taking the opportunity to collect local military and political intelligence. Haihan has not yet set up a fixed intelligence station in Banda Aceh, so as long as there is an opportunity to come here, the intelligence personnel will try their best to collect all kinds of information to enrich

Reserves of the Haihan Intelligence Library.

This kind of errand does not require arrangements from Sanya's headquarters. Cheng Dapeng, as the person in charge of this region, has extremely high autonomy and only needs to report to Sanya before taking action. Even if the newcomers he brings are just intern training

During the period, Cheng Dapeng can also decide on his own whether to let them know the intention of the trip and the subsequent arrangements. As a favored target, Qin Huacheng also received special care while the ship docked in Banda Aceh - Cheng Dapeng

He was specially brought along as an entourage to visit local officials.

Cheng Dapeng's local connections were extremely limited. Even the translators were found after he landed, so the number of officials he could meet in a short period of time was not much higher. But Cheng Dapeng knew a lot about it.

Because you can’t become fat by eating, you are not eager to directly open up channels to the upper echelons of Aceh. Instead, you will first focus on grassroots officials, gradually understand the ecology of Aceh’s officialdom through contact, and then look for suitable candidates.

Ways to expand your network.

Cheng Dapeng did not explain the reasons and intentions of his actions to Qin Huacheng in detail, but just let him think about it himself. Qin Huacheng knew that this kind of treatment was valuable and did not dare to neglect at all. Everyone Cheng Dapeng met in Banda Aceh,

Qin Hua Chengdu carefully considered every word he said and carefully tasted its meaning, so as to guess Cheng Dapeng's purpose.

An internship-style training method like this is undoubtedly the fastest to improve the training subjects. After Qin Huacheng followed Cheng Dapeng to visit several local officials, he had a basic understanding of Cheng Dapeng's operating methods and began to figure out what Cheng Dapeng did.

Dapeng negotiated the terms of the deal with these officials.

Cheng Dapeng is not only an official of the Haihan Security Department, but also a successful businessman. With his experience in business operations and abundant liquidity, it is really extremely difficult to open up a situation in a place like Banda Aceh.

Easy. Even if these officials can withstand Cheng Dapeng's direct money offensive, it will be difficult to refuse the trade he brings to Banda Aceh. This is a real political achievement. There are many neutral multinational businessmen like Cheng Dapeng.

If there are many, you will be extremely lucky if you can catch one.

"Batavia is almost four thousand miles away from here. Do you know why I have to come here in person to maintain relations?" After visiting a local official, Cheng Dapeng asked Qin Huacheng a question.

Qin Huacheng thought for a while and said: "I saw the chart of the Strait of Malacca before. Star Island is at the southeast end, and Banda Aceh is at the northwest end. They are all important channels and dangerous terrain. It must be that the shopkeeper pays attention to this section and personally

Come here to maintain the relationship."

"The first half of what you said is right, and the second half is wrong." Cheng Dapeng corrected: "I do attach great importance to the intelligence work in Banda Aceh, but the fundamental reason why I came all the way here in person is because of the people under me.

There are limited people available.”

Qin Huacheng silently chewed on the meaning of Cheng Dapeng's words and seemed to have gained something. Although Cheng Dapeng had already developed his own intelligence system in Batavia, due to the large area of ​​the South China Sea, he did not have the manpower under his command.

It is not enough to deploy the intelligence network to every important city. Port cities like Banda Aceh, which are too far away from Batavia, have no manpower deployed here at all. He can only take the time to go there in person.

OK.

However, there was no trace of the Spaniards in this area. After Qin Huacheng thought for a while, he also thought that Cheng Dapeng would not send him to this place. However, the attitude shown by Cheng Dapeng hinted that he could go outside if he had the opportunity in the future.

Being on his own is a big temptation for Qin Huacheng in his current situation.

"There are many skills in gathering intelligence, but more importantly, talent. I think you have a certain amount of talent. As for skills, only those you figure out yourself are the best. I can demonstrate them to you, but how to use the skills?

When to use it, that is something you need to understand slowly." Taking advantage of his work break, Cheng Dapeng did not forget to mention Qin Huacheng.

Qin Huacheng said: "The shopkeeper has good intentions, and the villain will naturally recognize it. It's just that the villain is stupid. If he only relies on his own experience, his learning progress will be very slow. It would be bad if he disappoints the shopkeeper."

Cheng Dapeng said: "Everyone suppresses their emotions. I will put more pressure on you because I hope you can complete your probationary period as soon as possible. I have chosen these people in Xingdao. Your qualifications are the best, but they are not good enough yet."

It can make me stand out. In short, you should try your best to learn more during this trip. When you return to Batavia, the things I will teach you will be boring and difficult to understand."

Qin Huacheng didn't understand what he heard, but he could feel that Cheng Dapeng had no ill intentions towards him. What complex skills he would learn in the future would only happen after returning to Batavia. There is no point in thinking too much now.

.

After staying in Banda Aceh for nearly a week, this lucky ship finally completed its mission and left the port to go south along the coastline of Sumatra Island. However, the Chengdapeng people still did not arrange a direct flight to Batavia. When passing through Belawan

, Cheng Dapeng arranged to anchor at this place for one night.

Belawan is one of the main ports in Sumatra. It mainly produces palm oil and tea. However, the main reason why Cheng Dapeng stopped here was not for trade, but to collect the geographical and hydrological data of this port. Although Haihan currently does not

There is no plan to launch an offensive against Aceh, but this basic intelligence collection work has become a habit of the intelligence officers of the Ministry of Security. As long as there is a suitable opportunity, they will try to collect relevant information about this kind of natural harbor.

Qin Huacheng also learned how to measure water depth, ocean currents, record port berths and other data during the short one night he anchored in Belawan.
Chapter completed!