Binjiang Police Affairs

At dusk, Political Commissioner Jiang and Political Commissioner Wang Wenhong from the Water Police Station raced by car to Bailong Port.

Although they could see the Yangtze River every day, the river here was completely different from the one at Binjiang, or it could be said that it had hardly changed at all over the years. Especially the area around where the Dunships were moored, it was still devoid of human presence for miles around.

The riverbank was overgrown with reeds, and a gust of wind brought the reeds swaying in the breeze, like waves.

Wildflowers bloomed on the levee, with flowers nestled in the weeds, red as fire, white as snow, pink as the dawn, vying vibrantly with one another, their fragrant charm mesmerizing.

Standing on the levee and gazing into the distance, the setting sun hung in the sky like a huge red agate, casting a faint glow over the entire river surface.

Colorful clouds of the sunset reflected a ruby-like luster. Flocks of river gulls flew up and down amidst the changing glows of the clouds, creating a beautiful tableau with the few small cargo ships sailing on the river.

The river water, twilight, colorful clouds, setting sun... all melted into one, making one feel so close to nature.

Compared with the bustling Binjiang Port and the increasingly desolate Bailong Port Passenger Pier, this place truly resembled an untouched paradise!

Revisiting the old place, Political Commissioner Wang couldn't help but recall the first time he came to the Dunships and naturally thought of Xu Sanye.

However, Political Commissioner Jiang was reminded of the old leader, Zhang Junyan, and of how Zhang Junyan, during his time as the Director at Bailong Port, had participated in the strict crackdown on river crimes organized by Xu Sanye and Director Yu.

That crackdown had very significant results, with more than a dozen river bandit gangs who had long been misbehaving on the river being taken down in one fell swoop, earning the renown of being the 'First Post of the Yangtze River.'

During that crackdown, the Changhang navigation police merely played a supporting role, while the local police were the main force.

As Salted Fish was transferred to the Changhang Bureau, a role reversal took place this time, with the Changhang navigation police as the main force, while the local police became the side players.

Without exaggeration, such an operation was a first for the Changhang Bureau.

With high hopes pinned on the strict water patrolling, Political Commissioner Jiang was contemplating whether Salted Fish could make a name for himself, just like his senior, when Han Ning briskly approached them along the floating bridge.

"Good evening, Political Commissioner Jiang and Political Commissioner Wang!"

"Where's Salted Fish?"

"He just came back and is studying the case."

"Let's go, take us to see."

"This way, please, Commissioners."

Just as Political Commissioner Jiang began walking on the floating bridge with spirited Han Ning, Political Commissioner Wang curiously inquired, "Xiao Han, I heard Xiao Yu is back. Where's Xiao Yu?"

Han Ning hurriedly reported, "Political Commissioner Wang, Xiao Yu is familiar with the situation on the river, he is on Liu Xinpei's ship."

"What is he doing on Liu Xinpei's ship?"

"Onshore patrols and stakeouts are necessary, just like on the river. There are several anchorage points in the waters of Yingchuan Port, where many ships are moored. If law enforcement vessels approach, it may arouse the suspicion of those on the water engaged in illegal activities. Liu Xinpei does business on the river, his ship can approach to do business while closely observing the anchorage."

Political Commissioner Wang subconsciously asked, "Is the security at the anchorage not good?"

While walking, Han Ning explained, "After nearly a month of preliminary investigation, we've found that the security situation on the river has changed dramatically compared to the past. When talking about the security on the river, the first thing that used to come to mind was whether there were water bandits, or criminals robbing or even killing people on the river. Now violent crimes are rare, but theft, especially embezzlement cases, have become more common."

Political Commissioner Jiang curiously asked, "Embezzlement?"

Han Ning hesitated momentarily, then said with an embarrassed face, "Actually, embezzlement is nothing new. Each relying on their own resources—those who sail the boats always took advantage of the shipowners to some extent. For example, when I was a kid on the boat, as soon as we finished unloading, we'd sweep the hold. If it was grain we carried, at the very least a hundred or so pounds could be swept up. If it was coal, several large bags could be swept up as well. The leftovers on the boat, if not used up, would be sold to the people onshore. However, the shipowners knew about this and didn't care."

It was indeed normal for the ship owners to keep what was cleaned out of the holds after each unloading.

After some thought, Political Commissioner Jiang followed up, "What's the situation now?"

"From what we've gathered, now there are quite a few bold and audacious shipowners exploiting loopholes in the ports and shipowners' oversight in weighing during transshipment and unloading, embezzling tons of the cargo they are transporting."

Han Ning led the two leaders to the staircase, took out a key to unlock the recently installed security door, and added, "By tracking and monitoring oil traders, we've even found that some crew members of large vessels, under the temptation of profit, have embezzled fuel from their own ships."

The displacement of large vessels is at least tens of thousands of tons.

The fuel tank of a vessel with tens of thousands of tons of displacement is much larger than that of a type 001 vessel, burning through the fuel of a gas station in a day, so the amount of stolen fuel is also bound to be substantial.

As the Bureau Political Commissioner of the Changhang Bureau, Old Jiang knew very well that river cases were difficult to crack due to the high mobility of the criminals, but once solved, the cases involved were never minor.

Political Commissioner Wang also realized that since Salted Fish had the leads, he must be confident about cracking several major cases, and therefore felt assured about the Water Police Station's ability to get through the approval of the City Bureau.

Forget the security staff of the Port Authority who had only managed to catch a few dozen burglars and brawlers—even if they caught dozens more, the combined amount involved in their cases wouldn't necessarily match that of a single river case.

Indulging in his aspirations, he saw Han Yu, Old Jia, and Xiao Gong simultaneously stood up.

"Commissioners..."

"Sit, please continue."

"We're almost done here. Commissioners, shall I give a briefing on our work?"

A security door had been installed at the staircase, and a huge Yangtze River map hung in the meeting room, with case materials piled on the conference table. The three comrades looked exhausted. Old Jia's eyes were even bloodshot, clearly showing that this was a bona fide command center of the Water Police Strike Command.