"Of course, the premise of all these operations depends on the rapid, accurate and timely transmission of information, and at the same time to ensure that secrets are not leaked, we must also strive to spy on more information of the other side. Frederick the Great's intelligence gathering work was quite good, and there were Prussian spies everywhere, so he certainly couldn't hide the transfer of the field army. In that case, we also need to do something that, uh, doesn't look so glorious, like bribery, like stealing information, like... Anyway, it's all for the ultimate victory. So I hope that the Mystery Office will surprise me a little more."

Peter looked up and looked at the bald Shuvalov with a smirk.

"Your Majesty, at the moment the arrests of the rebels are proceeding very well, 32 people have been arrested in St. Petersburg, 67 in Moscow, 22 in Novgorod and 19 in Tver. No expatriates have been found to be involved, but I have increased the number of people who have been sent to the ports and border trade markets to monitor the flow of foreign traders. In addition, surveillance of people who have close contacts with foreign businessmen and diplomats is also underway, and arrests can be made if there is conclusive evidence. Abroad, with the occupation of East Prussia, the monitoring of possible anti-Russian forces in the region is also being carried out in an orderly manner, and there are also informants in the local garrison and police who can report on the situation on a regular basis. And then there's Austria..."

The mysterious clerk reports on the progress of the secret manhunt one by one.

"Wait a minute, the intelligence work I am talking about is more aimed at the upper nobles, high-ranking military officers, local administrators and other big people, these are the people who really hold the secrets, what you just said is just petty theft, at most it is only an auxiliary role in some specific military operations, and what I want is to grasp the decision-making ideas and deployment plans of the other side at the highest level, these things are big things that will affect the next few months and even years. Why did Frederick the Great launch a surprise attack on Saxony last year? Isn't it because Saxony is expanding its army, but Austria is underprepared? Wasn't it precisely because Frederick the Great had top-secret information about Saxony and Austria that he decided to attack? Although the Austrians did a good job of diplomacy and pulled us into the same trench as the French, the intelligence and counterintelligence work of the Austrians was obviously unsatisfactory, and secrets were easily leaked to Frederick the Great, which was a very fatal problem! We can't just think about how to defend against others, we have to learn to take the initiative to attack, and we also have to attack with our brains, we can't go straight to the muzzle of the gun, but use feints to trick the other side into emptying the gun, and constantly make the other party waste opportunities, so that we can fight for more opportunities for ourselves."

Peter corrected.

"Your Highness is like this, for foreign governments and the upper nobility level of intelligence gathering, it is mainly the responsibility of foreign ministers"

Deputy Prime Minister for Finance and Foreign Affairs Volyntsov hastened to explain.

"Because only the minister had regular contact with foreign dignitaries and attended various gatherings of the upper nobility, it was always the minister who acted in public. Of course, in private, some nobles who traveled abroad also had the opportunity to contact those nobles with real power, and often introduced them to high-ranking foreign government officials through special channels when necessary, and even sent them to the court. However, in the case of belligerents, it is difficult to gather intelligence in this way, and it is more dependent on personal connections, which often increases the inaccuracy of information."

"Well, I see..."

Peter knocked on the table with his head down.

After Volyntsov finished speaking, the others did not mean to add, and they all waited quietly for Peter to speak.

"With regard to intelligence, what I understand is that the term could be much broader. For example, if I had known that Saltykov and Marshal Daun were incompatible, I would not have been in a hurry to send the army of the Southern Front to Prague to join the Austrian army and attack Moravia directly, and I would not have created such a situation now. And if I had a better understanding of Dawn's operational command style, I would not hesitate to make a sneak attack on Berlin. That's the first meaning of what I understand to be intelligence, which is 'people-centered'. It is people who govern the country, it is people who make decisions, and the generals who lead troops in war are also people, so 'people' are the most important target, and the focus of intelligence collection is on people. I want to understand who this person is, his origin, his character, his experience, his personality, what a person has said and done, and his attitude towards different people can reflect the various silhouettes of this person, and stitching all of them together is a real person, not a person who is polite at the ball, not a person who is calm and wise in the camp. I want to know all the strengths and weaknesses of this man, his strengths and weaknesses, his strange behaviors and habits. Now that everyone in Europe knows Frederick the Great's special fetishes, and Catholic countries regard them as hereticals, this is a classic example of personal information influencing decision-making, how can a Catholic support a heresy who behaves debaucherily and blasphemously? However, although the rulers of the country were the main collectors, the high-ranking officials, the nobles, and even the mistresses of the kings (such as Madame de Pompadour, the mistress of King Louis XV of France) and merchants were also important collectors. As for these people, Count Volyntsov also said just now, they can be acquainted through public or private contacts. However, I think it is difficult for them to tell the truth when they are facing outsiders, or not to the point where they can sleep with a woman, notice that I am not telling the truth but the truth. For such a person, you can't just understand it by the same level of interaction, but also use some extraordinary means, such as installing people to be servants in their homes, making friends with their children and relatives, even if it is giving someone away as a mistress, isn't it? Isn't eavesdropping on his behavior when he has sex with a woman in the dust also a strong point of the mysterious office? In short, do whatever it takes to get the information we need! ”