Consensus is the first step in negotiation.
In fact, no matter how tough Washington's attitude was, deep down they were absolutely unwilling to go to war with the Ming Dynasty. Of course, they would not accept the Ming Dynasty's occupation of Cuba.
He neither wanted to go to war nor wanted the Ming Dynasty to occupy Cuba.
Then there is only one way left, which is naturally diplomatic coordination.
What is the prerequisite for diplomatic mediation? Of course, it is strength.
Why did the United States and Britain send fleets to Cuba? To put it bluntly, it was to demonstrate their strength. Of course, Britain's purpose was not simple. They hoped that Ming Dynasty would fight with the United States.
Since the Americans have demonstrated their strength, the Ming Dynasty must also demonstrate its strength!
For a time, Havana was home to almost all of the main warships of the Ming Dynasty and the United States in the Atlantic.
Both sides tried to use this method to make the other side understand - my muscles are very strong, you have to be careful if you want to tear me apart.
But in essence, every warship here is prepared for diplomatic mediation and is the capital for diplomatic mediation.
But diplomatic mediation will definitely not start at the moment because there is no suitable middleman.
While the two countries' fleets can demonstrate their strength, they must also prevent accidental firing.
Once an accidental discharge of a gun happens, what happens next is no longer something they can control.
Therefore, the first thing Meng Qingen did when he came here was to reach some consensus with Stephen Luce, the admiral of the great United States, on how to avoid accidental shootings during the naval confrontation.
In fact, Meng Qingen didn't need to take the initiative to propose it. He could wait for Stephen Luce to propose it. However, there is no order of priority in this matter, and whoever proposes first will lose.
Only after both parties have communicated well can they proceed to the next step.
For the Ming Empire, the most important thing was not the confrontation at sea, but the need to find out the truth as soon as possible, that is, to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the "assassination incident", because only after a clear investigation could one thing be ensured - the empire had a legitimate reason.
Therefore, the Empire sent its best detectives and interrogators. The joint investigation team they formed came along with the fleet. Although the preliminary investigation had already begun, why did the investigation team come?
Of course, it is also for evidence. What kind of evidence do they need?
The investigation team includes not only police officers, but also agents from the Imperial Security Bureau and the Investigation Department. They gather together to obtain the assassin's confession and get the truth from it.
Of course, this truth is not only of concern to them, but also to the Spaniards.
In fact, the Spanish were present at every interrogation.
"They would stop us from torturing them every time. According to the Spanish, this was to avoid forcing people to confess. There would also be lawyers on the side, who would point out any misleading questions we asked..."
On the way to the interrogation room, Jing Zaigui, an agent of the Imperial Security Bureau, said to Ma Rulong.
"Inspector Ma, in a word, this job is not easy to do."
“It’s not easy.”
Ma Rulong nodded and said.
"That's why they asked us to come here, Captain Jing, let's meet this Oswald together!"
When they entered the interrogation room, the assassin Oswald had already arrived, and next to him sat an American lawyer, yes, an American lawyer, who came specifically to ensure that he would not be treated unfairly.
"Mr. Oswald, remember what I said before? You don't have to answer any questions. After all, you have already admitted that you were the one who assassinated Mr. Wang Youling."
As soon as the lawyer saw Ma Rulong and Jing Zaigui coming, he immediately reminded Oswald.
Oswald nodded. These days, he was interrogated every day, by Spaniards and Ming people, they always wanted to get answers from him.
The answer, they already got.
Sitting opposite, Ma Rulong didn't say anything. He took out a pack of cigarettes and smoked two.
"Mr. Oswald, do you smoke?"
After giving him a cigarette and lighting it for him, Ma Rulong didn't say anything, but just looked at Oswald. After taking a puff of the cigarette, Oswald thanked him.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
Ma Rulong was silent, Jing Zaigui did not speak. As an interrogator, he knew that they were both engaged in a contest, a silent contest.
One minute, five minutes, ten minutes...
Time passed slowly and quickly in the interrogation room. Almost half an hour later, Ma Rulong finally spoke.
"Oswald, I hear you refuse to answer any questions?"
"I said that I killed the people to avenge the Chilean deaths. Everything was planned and implemented by me. It has nothing to do with any person or organization."
Oswald replied.
"Um,"
Nodding, Ma Rulong asked.
"Then can I regard your assassination as some kind of action...for example, an uprising?"
"Yes, that's right, it's an uprising!"
Oswald said a little excitedly.
"It is an uprising of 1.6 million Chileans against the invaders!"
Even though deep down he disdained his statement, after all, it was a well-known fact that under their rule, those Indians were not human beings at all, and even those mixed-race people were inferior to humans, but Ma Rulong still nodded in agreement with his words.
"In your eyes, the Ming Dynasty was indeed an invader, and Chile... was indeed occupied and destroyed by the Ming Dynasty."
What is this guy talking about?
Jing Zaigui was a little confused.
"But Mr. Oswald, if it was an uprising, don't you have any reputation? For example, why did you carry out the assassination, just because of your hatred for Wang Youling? This hatred must have started somewhere."
“He was the first governor of the occupation army and he killed a lot of Chileans.”
"Well, there have always been rumors about this."
"This is not a rumor, but a fact. I have witnessed it with my own eyes..."
What Oswald didn't know was that he was walking step by step into the trap set by Ma Rulong. Under Ma Rulong's guidance, he confessed a lot of past events little by little, which seemed to have nothing to do with the assassination case itself. But what he didn't know was that for these interrogation experts, this is exactly the information they need. In this seemingly old information, they can get the answers they want.
As for what the answer is, even the people in charge of the interrogation don't know.
"Since you have prepared for so long, spent so much energy, and of course spent money... Then, I am very curious, where did your money come from!"
Money explains everything!
Oswald was stunned by the sudden question, and he spoke directly.
"Anyway, I collected enough money and started to follow him. Finally, I implemented my plan here. My appearance is not much different from yours, so I can hide well in Chinatown, so the operation went smoothly and no one noticed me, even until the shooting."
Seeing that Oswald had changed the subject, Ma Rulong took out a telegram, stared at Oswald and asked.
"Really? With your income at that time, you would have to think of many ways to get enough money. Of course, it is very likely that you have a sponsor. Of course. For the sake of confidentiality, you may use other means to solve the financial problem, such as robbery."
When Oswald heard the word robbery, his eyebrows raised. Although the reaction was very slight, it still caught Ma Rulong's attention, and then he said.
"This is almost your only choice, but what kind of target will you rob? Banks? No, you certainly can't rob a bank by yourself. And according to our intelligence, there were no bank robberies in the months before and after Prime Minister Wang visited Peru. But there were mining companies that were robbed. If I'm not mistaken, your partner is in the mining company."
Oswald was dumbfounded by the interrogator's words. He looked at the interrogator in astonishment, his eyes full of disbelief.
"You, you...what are you talking about? This is not happening."
"Okay...now your answer proves my guess."
Ma Rulong laughed and looked at Oswald and continued.
"Have you ever thought about your partners? What are they doing now? They should be enjoying their lives now. And the actions you have carried out together will become their capital for bragging, but what about you? Mr. Oswald, do you think you will survive?"
"Sir, from the day I made this decision, I never thought about living."
"Yes, you certainly do. I admire your courage from the bottom of my heart, but Oswald, when you sacrificed your life, what were your so-called friends doing?"
This is a very heartbreaking question.
Faced with this question, Oswald opened his mouth and said
"They are working for the liberation of Chile."
"Do you believe it?"
Ma Rulong looked at Oswald with a look full of pity, as if he was mocking his childishness and naivety.
“I, I…”
Even Oswald knew that the possibility was very small. After all, there were more celebrities living there than white people, and the Indians supported their rule, even the mixed-race people. No one could drive them away.
Although we don't want to face it, this is the ironclad fact.
"Of course you can keep silent and not answer, but Mr. Oswald, we only need to compare your past to find them. Since you were able to rob the train that transported the mining company's wages, you must have an insider. Who provided you with the information? You must have something in common - he should be Chilean and trusted by the company's top management. Yes, that's right. That's right!"
“You…you know!”
Oswald looked at the interrogator in front of him with horror. He didn't know how the other party could guess so accurately.
"You, how did you know?"
He even suspected that the other party had gotten into his mind and saw what he was thinking - Basoalto and the others were exposed -
Ma Rulong looked at him seriously.
"Mr. Oswald, you still have one chance now. If you confess them, I promise you that they will get a fair trial and will most likely survive. After all, they were not directly involved in the assassination! But when we find them, what will be waiting for them?"
"Do you promise to do so?"
Oswald looked at the interrogator in front of him with some confusion.
"Your lawyer is here. You can consult him. It's just the result of being suspected of assisting in the crime of intentional murder."
It certainly wasn't dead, Oswald said after getting the answer from his lawyer.
"First of all, I must make it clear that the reason I say the following words is entirely for my friends. It is not because of betrayal, but because I want to protect them."
alright!
Oswald's answer made Ma Rulong nod silently in his heart. He knew that the answer was already there.
Dozens of minutes later, as they were on their way out of the interrogation room, Ma Rulong handed the interrogation report to Jing Zaigui and said to him.
"Okay, now you have the answers you need."
“That’s right!”
Jing Zaigui said with a smile.
"The facts can prove that Peru is not as innocent as they say. After all, it is well known that there must be many connections between those mining companies and the Peruvian government. Now all we need is to prove it."
It is too easy to prove this point. After all, many shareholders of those mining companies are Peruvian officials.
We need to go back a little bit to prove that the Peruvian officials are involved... If there is no evidence, they will fabricate evidence through various means. After all, for the Ming Dynasty, Peru has been convicted from the very beginning.
The confession now obtained from Oswald is only to prove this fact.
“Do you still need to prove it?”
When Ma Rulong looked at Jing Zaigui, his eyes seemed to be doubting his IQ.
"Haven't you already prepared the evidence? All you need now is to flesh it out."
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