One sentence above and the people below will run themselves ragged.

The arrangement of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to review the navy at the port of Hong Kong made officials in the entire Guangzhou area nervous.

For all officials, if any trouble occurs at this review meeting, no one can escape responsibility.

The most important thing is that in His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's decree, the common people and even the foreign barbarians were allowed to watch.

All the police stations and public security bureaus were mobilized at this time.

It was not only the pressure from the higher-ups, but also the suppression of the riots and demonstrations by foreign barbarians by the Thousand Households Office on Hong Kong Island in the past.

This undoubtedly increased the difficulty of the work of the Public Security Bureau. Who knows whether the barbarians suppressed by the Qianhu would get excited and think of causing trouble during the review ceremony of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Even some minor disturbances would be infinitely magnified at this time, causing His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to be dissatisfied with the officials of the entire Guangzhou Prefecture.

The port has been under martial law. Of course, there is more than one port here. There are ships on the sea guiding merchant ships to dock at other ports first.

Here at the Hong Kong dock, a large number of police officers from the Security Department are patrolling the shore non-stop to check for any possible hidden dangers.

"How come His Royal Highness the Crown Prince suddenly came to Hong Kong Island and inspected the navy? This is really..."

"Be careful with your words. We cannot guess what His Royal Highness is thinking. We just need to do our job well."

An old man and a young boy were walking along the shore, wearing the uniforms of detectives.

There is a difference between a constable and a policeman. The daily work of a policeman is to patrol, maintain public order, and even serve as a local armed force.

The constable is responsible for investigating criminal cases.

For example, if someone dies in a certain place, we need to track down the murderer, check for potential criminal activities, etc.

The position of constable in the Public Security Bureau is one level higher than that of police officer. Usually, they have more room for independent activities. Normally, they are deployed in teams of two to three people, and implement a model of old people leading new people, which is somewhat similar to the detectives of later generations.

Yu Dong said helplessly, "Old Li, you know I didn't mean that, but the security level is not that high right now, and I'm afraid those barbarians will cause trouble."

"If something really happens, I'm afraid we will also be implicated. The higher-ups will be upset and will definitely take it out on us."

Unlike Yu Dong who has a scholarly air, Lao Li looks more like an ordinary old farmer, except that the occasional gleam in his eyes is not that simple.

"This is our duty, to nip the danger in the bud. Besides, you don't have to worry too much. Those barbarians may not dare to cause trouble during this review ceremony."

"Look over there, that's the deterrent of our Ming Dynasty. Merchants who don't obey will be punished just like the Ayutthaya Dynasty."

Following Lao Li's gaze, Yu Dong saw the magnificent scenery at the seaside.

Although the current navy is only a part of it, some more will arrive today to participate in the inspection of the Crown Prince tomorrow.

But it is spectacular enough.

On the seashore, the warships of the Ming Navy were docked neatly.

Whoever sees that huge treasure ship will be amazed.

This is also the best deterrent, which is why foreign merchants never dare to act rashly.

"If someone is framing the case, or using someone else's knife to kill someone, the mastermind behind this parade, although the truth has not yet been uncovered, is not from the Ayutthaya Dynasty at all. Those officials only want to solve the case quickly, fearing that the crown prince will blame them, and do not care about the truth at all."

At this point, Yu Dong said with some displeasure: "I really want to report to the Crown Prince about the ways these officials deceive their superiors and their subordinates."

Old Li was more open-minded: "It doesn't matter who it is. As far as the imperial court is concerned, it's enough for someone to take the blame. Those merchants from the Great City Kingdom were so arrogant that they threatened not to cooperate with our Ming Dynasty. Naturally, they must be taught a lesson."

"The truth is not that important. Even His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will not pursue it too much. Killing a chicken to scare the monkey will naturally make the evildoer tremble in fear and dare not act rashly again."

Yu Dong was a little puzzled: "But isn't this an injustice? Old Li, you once said that no matter what the situation is, we must never wrongly accuse others just because we solved a case."

Old Li smiled bitterly and said, "For minor officials like us, of course we have to find out the truth. But for the court, or even big shots like His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, it's not that important."

"Okay, this is just between you and me. Let's end the matter about the mastermind behind the parade here. It will be bad news if we continue to investigate."

Yu Dong frowned: "Why? As detectives, we have the duty to find out the truth."

"This is the power granted to us by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. No one can stop us, not even the top leaders."

“Even if they don’t support us, we can still check it out ourselves.”

No matter where the constables are from, they all enjoy special investigation powers. This is a power that Zhu Ying granted to the constables shortly after the establishment of the Public Security Bureau.

That is to say, when handling a case, even his superior cannot arbitrarily stop a constable from conducting an investigation.

Even after the case is over, if the detective feels that the real culprit has not been found, he still reserves the right to continue the investigation for three months.

This is to prevent corruption in the bureaucracy.

Of course, in reality, in most cases, the detectives will be influenced by their superiors in the Public Security Bureau, and for the sake of their own future, they will not go against their superiors.

However, no matter which era it is, there will always be some young people striving for their ideals.

Especially those young people who have just started working and have not yet been polluted.

For example, Yu Dong now.

"It's fine for ordinary cases, but this case is different. Are you trying to destroy the jobs of your superiors?"

"If the final outcome of the case is different from what it is now, even if it is to save His Royal Highness's face, the higher-ups will be severely punished, and many people will lose their official hats because of this."

Old Li stopped, turned around, looked at Yu Dong and said in a deep voice.

Yu Dong defended himself: "But..."

"No buts." Lao Li interrupted him: "I will not cooperate with you on this matter. If you insist, then go and ask your superiors for permission to act alone."

Yu Dong's eyes flickered: "Okay, I'll listen to you."

…

Hong Kong Island.

Although these illegal buildings had no land deeds, the benevolent Crown Prince still gave them some preferential treatment considering that they were built by them.

That is to allow them to rent as long as they pay sufficient fees.

Actually, there is nothing we can do about it.

Hong Kong Island today is no different from a fishing village. Without investment from outside businessmen, it would be difficult to make any progress.

The total number of local people is only a few thousand, and this is because many have migrated here due to the prosperity of the port, otherwise there would be even fewer people.

It is a house with the characteristics of the Ayutthaya Dynasty.

"The Xiwa family is doomed. We will be sanctioned by the Ming Dynasty. Even if we return to our country, we will not get any benefits. We will be ostracized by other nobles."

"They are like poisonous snakes. Not only will they not risk offending the Ming Dynasty to help us, but they will also bite us when we are at our weakest."

"Even if we hang Polly at the door, the Ming Dynasty will not withdraw its punishment from us. Damn it!"

The speaker was Siva Delhi, the head of Siva maritime trade.

The tribesmen who were hanged outside were the ones who, after drinking, said in the tavern that they would no longer trade with the Ming Dynasty if it did not give them an explanation.

In fact, Poly was speaking the language of Ayutthaya, which normally no one would understand.

But it happened that in that tavern, there was a Ming Dynasty merchant who understood the language of the Ayutthaya Kingdom.

Hearing this, he immediately stood up and shouted at Polly.

Poli was a noble of the Great City Kingdom. He was extremely arrogant by nature, and after drinking, he immediately started to argue with the Ming Dynasty merchants without any hesitation.

In coastal areas, especially in wine shops, taverns, and restaurants, there are already a large number of maritime merchants gathered, and many people use this place as a place to collect intelligence.

The argument between the two soon spread and involved Ming Dynasty's maritime trade, and the nature of the dispute escalated immediately.

Before the two men finished arguing, the patrol officers had already arrived.

Polly sobered up the moment he saw the officer, and cold sweat broke out on his face as he thought of what he had just said.

But this matter eventually fermented.

At first it wasn't much of a fuss, just a simple detention.

But when the Crown Prince's intention was conveyed, Polly became the one to take the blame.

Delhi paid a ransom and Polly was released.

Polly thought he was saved, but in fact Sivadri wanted to use him to appease the anger of the Ming Dynasty.

He was hanged at the door of the house to express his apology for offending the Ming Dynasty.

But this did not make the Ming government change its mind.

"Those damn Ming officials, it was the Zhenla people who organized the parade, why are they blaming us?"

"We can't just go back like this. We have to find a way to salvage this terrible situation."

"What else can we do? Those Ming officials refused to accept any gold we gave them. It's obvious that they want to abandon us completely."

"What do our envoys in the capital say? Can't they help us?"

"We have sent our gold and jewelry, but there is no news from there. Damn it, they took our gold but didn't help us."

"Lord Delhi, what should we do? We have become sinners of the Shiva family now."

This was the internal council of the Siva family of the Ayutthaya Dynasty, and it was also the most critical one for them.

If they cannot come up with a proper solution, the Siva family will not only face sanctions from the Ming Dynasty, but also exclusion and annexation from other nobles in the country.

As of now, the Siva family is one of the top ten noble families in the Ayutthaya Dynasty.

But this doesn't give them any sense of security.

There was panic and fear on everyone's face.

Siwadri said gloomily: "Things have come to the last moment. We have tried everything, but it is still impossible to save it."

"When the seven-day deadline comes, if there is still no hope, perhaps we should make our resolve known to the Ming Dynasty."

When Sivadri said this, some people's faces were immediately filled with fear, while others looked a little confused.

"Lord Delhi, what you mean is, how should we express our determination?" someone asked after a moment's hesitation.

Sivadri rolled his eyes slightly and looked over, saying softly, "Of course, he will die to show his determination."

As soon as these words were spoken, the room suddenly fell silent.

They didn't expect Lord Delhi to be so resolute.

Most people had expressions of reluctance on their faces.

"Why do we have to die here? Can't we go back home? We have made so much money. Even if we don't do business at sea anymore, we can still be rich for the rest of our lives." A young man in his twenties said in a low voice.

Sivadri just looked at him as if he were a fool, and then turned his gaze to the other tribesmen.

Everyone who can attend the parliament here today is an elite member of the Shiva family.

Except for two people who were unwilling to give up, everyone else looked as pale as death.

Perhaps it was the last moment, and Sivadri chose to answer the questions of his people: "Going back will only kill the Siva people. If we all die in the Ming Dynasty, the people in the country will not be too oppressed by other nobles. This is the last bit of decency."

"Live like a dog or die like a hero. I believe there is no need to make too many choices."

The young man was still unwilling to give up. He was only in his twenties and this was his first time to come to the prosperous Ming Dynasty.

He clearly did nothing, he just enjoyed himself for a while, why should he die?

His face was livid and he gritted his teeth as he said, "We have ships and people. The Ming government will not stop us from going out to sea, they will only expel us."

"Even if our country doesn't accept us, why should we die? We can become pirates and sail to faraway Central Asia with our goods, and we can still live well."

"Why...why should I die for those people in my country who are just sitting back and enjoying the fruits of their labor?"

Sivadri said nothing.

Most of the tribesmen did not speak.

Because at home, they have their parents, wives, children, and all their concerns.

Unlike young people, they have already built up their own family business and everything they have is in the country, which they cannot give up.

"You guys can die if you want. I'm leaving here and I won't go back."

The young man looked at the other tribesmen, stood up and growled hysterically.

"Guards."

At this time, Sivadri let out a low cry.

The door was quickly opened, and several guards from the clan rushed in immediately. They pressed the young man down on the table and remained unmoved no matter how he roared and struggled.

"Are you crazy? He wants us all to die. Didn't you hear it outside?!"

One of the guards shook his head and said, "We heard it, but I have my children and parents back home. I am willing to die for them."

The young man's eyes widened: "Crazy, you are all crazy!!!"

Sivadri and other tribesmen remained silent.

Because this is the choice of almost all noble families.

The profits from maritime trade are too great, and people without ties will not be allowed to dominate these interests.

Young people like this are a minority and cannot influence the overall situation.

"Perhaps, we still have one last solution."

At this moment, another young man at the end who had been silent before slowly stood up and said a few words.

Sivadri asked in a deep voice: "Carlo, tell me what you think."

The young man of the Siva tribe named Carlo looked Sivadri in the eye and said, "Tomorrow's ceremony, attack the Ming Taisun."