The word "pilot," while simple to say and even simpler to write with its seventeen strokes, proved to be far from straightforward when it came to actual implementation, especially with Tianjin chosen as the pilot city.
In the context of the Great Ming, Tianjin was more than just a city adjacent to the capital, or a simple commercial and military stronghold. Everyone understood Tianjin's importance as the gateway to the capital. However, Tianjin held another significance in the Great Ming – it was the crossing point for the Son of Heaven. In the second year of Jianwen's reign, Zhu Laosi had begun his campaign south from Tianjin across the Grand Canal to quell the rebellion, and it was from this event that Tianjin derived its name.
More importantly, the very use of the word "pilot" implied two possibilities. The first was that the existing problems of the Great Ming could be resolved, charting a new course for the empire. The second was that not only would the current questions plaguing the Great Ming remain unanswered, but the piloting process might uncover more and more complex issues, making the original model seem preferable.
If the first scenario materialized, successfully charting a new path for the Great Ming, the outcome would naturally be a cause for universal celebration. But what if the second scenario occurred? Would it be Emperor Zhu Jinsong and the cabinet elders like Zeng Cheng who made flawed decisions? Or would it be the inability of the governor of Tianjin Prefecture? And if problems arose during execution, would someone need to take the fall? If it was simply a matter of the governor's inadequacy, that would be manageable. But if the fault lay with the decision-making level, what would be the course of action? Would they continue to explore new models, or revert directly to the old one?
Therefore, this matter of piloting was truly not something that could be resolved by mere words and subsequent execution. There were simply too many convoluted and troublesome affairs involved.
However, before Zhu Jinsong and the cabinet elders like Zeng Cheng could even begin to discuss the matter, an urgent intelligence report arrived from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. After a cursory glance, Zhu Jinsong casually tossed the report to Zhu Erdan, scoffing, "These individuals are quite capable, yet their courage is so lacking. I wonder why."
Zhu Erdan was bewildered. Logically, if it were military intelligence, it wouldn't be a major issue for his imperial brother to hand it over to him. But from his brother's words, it seemed to be unrelated to military matters, leaning more towards the detection of corrupt officials. Picking up the report with a suspicious demeanor and scanning it, Zhu Erdan couldn't help but gasp and agree, "Your Imperial Brother is right. These people are too timid. If only they were a bit bolder."
After the other leaders from the Five Chief Directorates had also reviewed the report, it reached the hands of Zeng Cheng, the Grand Secretary. Upon reading it, Zeng Cheng also began to laugh, "Indeed, these individuals, hiding themselves so furtively, can hardly be called heroes." However, after saying this, Zeng Cheng felt something was amiss – "heroes"? He, Zeng, was the Grand Secretary of the Great Ming court. How could such a phrase, so reminiscent of martial arts gangs, slip from his lips? It must be that he had spent too much time with His Majesty, the Emperor, and had been led astray by him!
With a silent internal grumble, Zeng Cheng cupped his hands and reported, "Your Majesty, this minister believes this matter is not of great consequence. It should suffice to summon Pierre and negotiate."
Zhu Erdan chimed in, "Esteemed Grand Secretary Zeng is absolutely correct. They are merely a few insignificant clowns. His Imperial Brother need not be angered by them. If you are truly displeased, I shall dispatch the special forces of the Five Chief Directorates to France."
As soon as Zhu Erdan finished speaking, Zeng Cheng couldn't help but retort, "Your Highness Prince of Qin, speak with caution! France is an ally of our Great Ming. If our Ming army were to set foot on French soil to rescue our people, what would that make France?" He continued, "Moreover, the Great Ming and France are separated by tens of thousands of miles. Even if the French monarch did not object to the Five Chief Directorates dispatching troops, by the time your forces arrived in France, the bodies of those Ming citizens would likely have long since grown cold!"
Zhu Erdan was rendered speechless by Zeng Cheng's words. Indeed, if a Ming merchant went to France to conduct business, even if they were mysteriously kidnapped during their travels, it was a matter that the French military should handle. It was not particularly appropriate for the Great Ming to interfere at this stage. As Zeng Cheng had pointed out, the distance between the Great Ming heartland and France was vast. By the time the Five Chief Directorates' personnel arrived in France, the Ming citizens and their families would likely have already been cold. Besides showcasing the Great Ming's dominance and potentially affecting relations with France, it would serve little other purpose.
Seeing Zhu Erdan fall silent, Zeng Cheng bowed to Zhu Jinsong again and said, "Your Majesty, upon my return, I will discuss this matter with Pierre and urge the French to resolve it as soon as possible."
Zhu Jinsong let out a chuckle, tapping his desk rhythmically. "It is imperative to speak with Pierre about this matter. After all, we must convey the Great Ming's stance." He continued, "However, the fact that these individuals could abduct an entire family of over a dozen Ming citizens in Paris and evade the French authorities suggests that this matter is not as simple as it appears."
Zhu Erdan's heart stirred, and he inquired, "Your Imperial Brother means that there are people behind these culprits providing support?"
Zhu Jinsong nodded. "You can try. Aside from the Internal Affairs Directorate, the Eastern Depot, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who else could quietly abduct a dozen people in a large city? Which of the forces under your Five Chief Directorates could accomplish this?"
Zhu Erdan was again rendered speechless. While the Five Chief Directorates' subordinate forces, both the two directly under the directorates and those under various governors, could discreetly eliminate a dozen people in a city – as these individuals had been trained in investigation and assassination by the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and were the crème de la crème of their respective military branches, specializing in small-scale special operations – he had no confidence in their ability to quietly remove a dozen people from a city and evade official pursuit. As the saying goes, there are many eyes and ears. In a large city with tens or hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, abducting one or two people without being discovered under so many watchful eyes might be barely conceivable, but a dozen people... With this thought, Zhu Erdan could only shake his head and reply, "Reporting to Your Imperial Brother, the forces subordinate to the Five Chief Directorates indeed cannot achieve this."
Zhu Jinsong ignored Zhu Erdan, chuckling again as he looked at Ke Zhiming. "And your Embroidered Uniform Guard? Can you accomplish this?"
Ke Zhiming nodded and replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, if given sufficient preparation time, the Embroidered Uniform Guard can accomplish it. If acting hastily, there is a risk of leaving behind some traces."
Zhu Jinsong then nodded and continued, "Sufficient preparation time—the so-called preparation merely involves finding escape routes in advance, arranging informants within the city, and preparing the necessary personnel." He elaborated, "However, whether it is planning escape routes, arranging informants, or preparing personnel, it requires someone within the city to have already made the arrangements. In other words, there must be individuals in Paris who are in league with these bandits, aiding and abetting them. Otherwise, even the Internal Affairs Directorate, the Eastern Depot, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard would find it a considerable undertaking. Are the barbarians of Europa truly more capable than the two directorates and the guard?"
At this point, Zhu Jinsong suddenly stopped tapping his desk and instructed Zeng Cheng, "After Grand Secretary Zeng meets with Pierre, you must persuade him to agree to send Embroidered Uniform Guard personnel to Europa."
This request was not difficult, so Zeng Cheng immediately cupped his hands and agreed, "Yes, this minister understands."
Zhu Jinsong nodded again and asked Ke Zhiming, "Does the Embroidered Uniform Guard currently have any operatives stationed in Europa?"
Ke Zhiming bowed and replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has recently stationed two operatives in Paris, one from the Serpent Division and the other from the Rat Division."
Zhu Jinsong nodded and began tapping his desk again. "Instruct the operative from the Rat Division to expedite his network expansion. Not only should it encompass all of France, but it should eventually extend throughout Europa. Let this incident serve as his trial run. Task him with tracking the whereabouts and movements of these bandits. I wish to see who is causing trouble from behind the scenes."
After Ke Zhiming bowed in acknowledgment, Zhu Jinsong turned his gaze back to Zhu Erdan. "The special forces of your Five Chief Directorates should also be prepared. Once the Embroidered Uniform Guard relays the information, dispatch that unit to cut the weeds and eliminate the roots!"
Upon hearing Zhu Jinsong's words, Zeng Cheng and the other elders became anxious. "Your Majesty, please reconsider! Not to mention the allied relationship between the Great Ming and France, but the sheer distance alone is over a hundred thousand li. By the time the Embroidered Uniform Guard ascertains the truth of the matter, and the Five Chief Directorates dispatch troops to France, the back-and-forth journey will undoubtedly cause considerable delay!" Zeng Cheng earnestly advised, "By the time news from the Embroidered Uniform Guard reaches our Great Ming, it is possible that the French authorities may have already found those Ming citizens and their families?"
Zhu Jinsong, however, shook his head and sighed, "To rely on the French authorities to find those Ming citizens and their families? I might as well expect a sow to climb a tree!" He continued, unsure whether to be pleased or angry, "There are quite a few students from the Great Ming studying in France. When we were in Jinan Prefecture, there were over a hundred of them. Esteemed Grand Secretary Zeng, surely you are not unaware of the character of those French people, are you?"
Zhu Jinsong's words rendered Zeng Cheng speechless. As the Ming court official who interacted most with Pierre, how could Zeng Cheng not understand those French barbarians? To put it politely, they were naturally romantic; to put it bluntly, they were undisciplined, utterly lacking in a sense of time, and possessed no adherence to rules, being nothing more than puddles of mud and scattered sand. Of course, not all French students were like this. Among over a hundred students, there were always a few who were relatively presentable, such as that young fellow named Napoleon and Pierre, a staunch admirer of the Ming. The crucial point was that most French people were neither Napoleon nor Pierre. Given the conduct of those French students, Zeng Cheng genuinely doubted that the French authorities would perform admirably.
However, on this particular occasion, Zhu Jinsong and the cabinet elders like Zeng Cheng had indeed wronged France. Upon learning that a Ming merchant and his relatives had been abducted in Paris, Louis XVI's immediate reaction was to blockade all entrances and exits to Paris and all surrounding towns, and to offer a high reward for any clues regarding the Ming merchant. Although the whereabouts of the Ming merchant and his relatives had not yet been discovered, the inside accomplices within Paris were apprehended. Then, Louis XVI performed a god-like operation—he directly took the families of those accomplices hostage and released one of the accomplices, declaring that if the Ming merchant and his relatives were not recovered, all the remaining accomplices and their families would be executed. To demonstrate his resolve, Louis XVI even killed a family member of another accomplice in front of the released accomplice, stating that for every day's delay, he would kill one person, and for every two days' delay, he would kill a pair, until the Ming merchant and his relatives were returned. Louis XVI even did not hesitate to invoke the name of the Great Ming to intimidate the accomplices: "If the Ming merchant and his family are released, then everything will be fine. I can let you leave France, and you can go wherever you wish." "If the Ming people cannot be released, I will certainly detain you accomplices and hand you over to the Ming for interrogation. At that time, the Ming will surely send people to investigate the truth of the matter." "It matters little if you offend France, but to offend the Ming... I am not afraid to tell you openly that there are people in Batavia who also wish to deal with the Ming, but all those who harbor ill intentions towards the Ming have now become a form of special architecture." "If the Ming send people to France and they extract some information, then it is possible that the Ming army will come to trouble you afterwards." "Of course, if you believe you can afford to offend the Ming, then remain stubborn. I, too, am too lazy to waste time with you."