Binjiang Police Affairs
Chapter 459 - 324: Partnership

Chapter 459: Chapter 324: Partnership

"We previously promised favorable policies, but at the time, we mainly considered that the jurisdiction of Bailong Port Police Station was quite small, the passenger flow was getting smaller and smaller, and there were even fewer types of cases. If there were any, they were usually minor theft cases, and it was unlikely there would be a significant amount of confiscations and penalties.

Who would have thought that fishing for a child would lead to the discovery of a major case?

As for how the potential confiscations and penalties obtained might be used in the future, I hadn’t even opened my mouth, and Salted Fish blocked my words completely.

Director He was frustrated to the extreme, and after hanging up the phone, he coldly said: "What kind of attitude is this, did I ask him for money? It seems in his eyes, I’m the type of person who gets greedy at the sight of money, judging others by one’s own standards!"

Didn’t you actually consider asking for money...

Political Commissioner Jiang muttered under his breath, then hesitated a bit before saying: "Director He, don’t be angry. His reaction is a habit, or you could say, once bitten, twice shy."

"What do you mean?"

"Salted Fish is actually easy to get along with. Compared to some comrades, he’s naive like a blank sheet of paper. He does not curry favor through flattery, doesn’t stir up trouble, nor does he become arrogant with the favoritism shown by so many unit leaders. He isn’t overly concerned about making progress; he only cares about ships in his head, or rather, he’s only concerned about whether there is anyone taking care of incidents on the river."

"Old Jiang, I know all that, I’m talking about his attitude towards superiors!"

"Director He, his attitude just now was indeed problematic, but if we put ourselves in his position, we can understand."

Director He asked displeasingly: "Understand?"

Political Commissioner Jiang could hardly hide his smile as he said: "His master used to have differences with the leaders of Linghai Police Bureau over the use of funds, spending whatever little money there was on the ship, even acting first and reporting later. After that, he was seconded to the Water Police Branch and served as the captain of the Yingchuan Port Water Police Team, where he also had disagreements with Old Peng about fund usage.

When his secondment ended, and he returned to Four Factory Police Station to assume the role of Water Police Captain, he again had conflicts over fund usage with Four Factory Police Station. Last year, a theft of firearms occurred at Four Factory Public Security Department. The thief was apprehended by him, and the stolen pistols and bullets were also retrieved by him. At that time..."

Four Factory Police Station was so poor it was practically jingling, and it finally got a chance, only to make a wedding dress for Salted Fish.

Salted Fish wielded the name of Changhang Bureau and Bai Shen Passenger Ship Police Team like a flag, using it to secure two hundred thousand yuan. After officially transferring to Changhang Bureau, he brought the money over but did not hand it over to the bureau, instead entrusting the Port Supervision Bureau with the procurement of firefighter protective equipment.

It turns out that not handing over the money after obtaining it was a tradition of the "First Post of the Yangtze River"!

Director He realized this, and with mixed feelings of laughter and tears, asked: "Old Jiang, does that mean if I ask him for money, he’s going to slip through just like before, outwardly washing his hands off the matter, then secretly splitting the money with Linghai Police Bureau?"

"The ship is his lifeblood. Without the money, he can’t build new ships, so yes, he really could do it."

"Would Linghai Police Bureau cooperate with him?"

"Director He, if he were currently an officer of Linghai Police Bureau, and if this were to happen at Linghai Police Bureau, wouldn’t you help him?"

"I see, it’s all spoiling habits that you all have nurtured!"

"It’s not something that we nurtured, but what he learned from his master. The reason we helped them in the past was actually to help ourselves. Back then, so many people were illegally fishing for eel fry, there were eel fishing boats all over the river, cargo ships couldn’t enter or leave the port, and passenger ships had suspended operations. The entire Binjiang Port was almost paralyzed, with daily economic losses of millions. If not for their cooperation with several units to crack down, and even inviting reporters to expose the situation, the economic losses would have been even greater."

"That was back then, now is now."

Director He fell silent for a moment, then continued: "He has been transferred to our department, and wears the uniform of our Changhang navigation police, but from his actions to his thoughts, he doesn’t consider himself part of Changhang navigation police!"

Salted Fish’s presence severely affected the chief’s authority.

And the chief’s transfer to Binjiang Branch could be called "a crisis appointment," tasked with reforming the troops, and aiming for regularization.

Political Commissioner Jiang could understand the chief’s feelings and said with deep meaning: "Old Peng didn’t like Salted Fish either, and once vented to Director Zhang after getting drunk. Director Zhang said something to him, and since then Old Peng never brought up Salted Fish again."

"What exactly did Old Zhang say to Old Peng?"

"Director Zhang said, ’Binjiang is so large, can’t it accommodate one Salted Fish?’"

Political Commissioner Jiang thought for a while, then smilingly said: "Our branch was the first to collaborate with Yanjiang Police Station. Later, when the Port Supervision Bureau wanted to collaborate with Yanjiang Police Station, the old chief of our branch jokingly said to the Port Supervision Director back then that Salted Fish’s master, Xu Sanye, is a good neighbor, but only suitable as a neighbor.

In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed, Xu Sanye is no longer with us, and his disciple Salted Fish has unexpectedly been transferred to our branch, no longer just a neighbor but now a subordinate of ours. This is the wheel of fortune turning. The same issues that Linghai Police Bureau and Water Police Branch leadership went through, it’s now our turn to experience."

The implication behind my partner’s words couldn’t be clearer.

First, everything Salted Fish has done isn’t for personal gain but about considering the big picture. He doesn’t want to see incidents on the river go unattended, and all these efforts have traditions and legacies.

Second, one should not really see Salted Fish as a subordinate. His relationship with me, the Police Chief, is one of collaboration, not hierarchy. Plus, he and his mentor have been working with the branch for many years.

Moreover, when Salted Fish and his mentor were part of the Linghai Police Bureau and Binjiang Police Department Water Police Branch, although they had disagreements with their superiors regarding the use of funds, the authorities eventually conceded to let the mentor and disciple manage the funds freely.

And including the Changhang Bureau, the "third party," has always been on the side of the mentor and disciple.

You helped them laugh at others before.

Now, they will help Salted Fish laugh at you.

In summary, no matter how much confiscated seizure restitution Salted Fish is able to get, not a dime will go to the bureau. It will only be used for ship repairs, shipbuilding, and purchasing water firefighting equipment, and this consensus has been formed by all Shijiang law enforcement units over the years.

Thinking of these, Director He gave a bitter laugh and said, "This tail is too big to lose."

"If everything on the river had someone in charge, and not as ambiguous in responsibility as it is now, this situation definitely wouldn’t have arisen."

Worried the Chief wouldn’t understand, Political Commissioner Jiang added, "In our eyes, Salted Fish does as he pleases, without organization or discipline, but in reality, he’s under great pressure and carries a heavy burden. He must uphold his mentor’s will and even surpass his achievements.

If everything on the river had someone in charge, he wouldn’t need to work so hard, wouldn’t always have to upset his superiors, and might not even need to be in the police force anymore. He’s a Chief Officer of an ocean-going ship with a pilot’s license; at any time he could switch to work for the Port Authority piloting vessels, his income and overall treatment would be much higher than now.

Should he choose to sail, he could entirely move to the newly established Fishery Administration Squadron and become the Deputy Division Commander. If he wants to advance within the police system, he wouldn’t even have to turn to Director Zhang; he could go directly to Yu Xiangqian, former Deputy Chief of Jiangnan Police Department’s Security Squadron, now Deputy Chief of Huaiyin City Police Bureau."

In the police system, if one wants to progress and has the opportunity, of course, they would work in the local police system, for they are the "regular army" compared to the industry police.

Unable to help himself, Director He asked, "Are you saying he could turn to the first Director of the Water Police Station?"

When it came to Scholar Yu, Political Commissioner Jiang sighed and said, "Everyone thinks that Xu Sanye only has two apprentices, but in my view, that isn’t the case; in fact, both Yu Xiangqian and Director Zhang are disciples of Xu Sanye. It’s no exaggeration to say there wouldn’t be Director Yu and Director Zhang today without Xu Sanye."

Why was Zhang Junyan able to be transferred from that unremarkable Bailong Port to head the previous Binjiang Port Police Station? Many people think it was because the then-Director was moved on due to the Sailor Club case, but in reality, there were many qualified to be Director.

Zhang Junyan stood out from the many competitors because of a series of achievements he made while serving as the Chief of Bailong Port Police Station, which were almost all gained in conjunction with the Yanjiang Police Station.

Thinking further that Zhang Junyan was a good guy and considering the superior’s need for stability from someone like Zhang Junyan as a "local faction," Director He murmured contemplatively, "Old Jiang, you’re right. If they can accommodate a Salted Fish, we should be broader-minded too."

"It’s all for the work, after all."

"Hmm, for work."

Director He nodded, then continued, "It’s already halfway through the year, and there are those two military transfer officials and that volunteer at the Binjiang Fire Department who need placement. Could you lend a hand when you have a moment? Old Zhang promised them, and we can’t neglect it just because Old Zhang has been transferred. We can’t do the cold-shoulder routine."

This was a very real issue and very important for those two military transfer officials and the volunteer.

After all, it’s awfully hard for demobilized military personnel to find a good position, and they placed all their hopes on the Changhang Bureau. If there is any upset due to leadership change here, it would be too late to seek connections and open doors elsewhere.

Political Commissioner Jiang was somewhat worried that the Chief wouldn’t take them in, but to his surprise, the Chief brought it up proactively and quickly said, "Those three comrades perform well, and they’re quite professional in firefighting. We need such talent. Tomorrow morning, I’ll go to the Port Authority to see Secretary Miao."

"And the bureau isn’t aiming for Salted Fish’s money, but we can’t let him set up a private fund either. When you get back, try to convince him. If there’s any confiscation refund, the bureau can help him open a special account for the construction of new ships."

"Alright, as soon as he’s back, I’ll talk to him."

Though Political Commissioner Jiang agreed verbally, he thought to himself that after all this, you’re still eyeing Salted Fish’s money. Building new ships is a matter for ten years down the line, and once the so-called special fund account receives the money, various excuses can be made by the bureau to misappropriate it later.

It would be easy to issue Salted Fish a post-dated check, with a promise to provide funds when construction of the new ship begins.

Unfortunately, it’s highly unlikely that the Chief’s wishful thinking will come to fruition. It should be remembered that Salted Fish is a disciple of Xu Sanye and has vast experience in dealing with such situations.

If there really is money, he’ll definitely spend it immediately and in such a way that you won’t have anything to say about it.