On the other end of the communication opened by Feng Wanfang turned out to be the patriarch Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz.

This old man remained cautiously neutral in the factional political struggle of the Senate, and he enjoyed the title of "independent senator" in contrast to the reformers led by Wang Zeren and the conservatives led by Grindel Rocchi.

It is also this "independent senator" who holds the vital intelligence system for maintaining the rule of the Senate.

The Imperial Intelligence Service, the specialized foreign intelligence agency of the New Roman Empire, the Constitutional Protection Bureau, which was responsible for counterintelligence and counter-insurgency, and the Harmony Committee for Social Monitoring and Stability Maintenance, were all headed by him.

He also directly commanded a mysterious and special armed force - Imperial Chengguan! In addition to the normal function of maintaining social order, this law enforcement force, similar to China's urban management 900 years ago, also shoulders many important missions that are not well known.

The twelve mayors and the director of the security bureau of the "Taiji" planetary autonomous government are known as the "Thirteen Taibao", while Abdulaziz's two directors and one director plus the director of the imperial urban management are known as the "Four King Kongs".

Feng Wanfang, director of the Planetary Office of the Taiji Planetary Autonomous Government in New Byzantium, informed Abdulaziz of Dana Pontiq's intentions, especially the suspicious figure involved in it, Fatume bint Obaid bin Azai.

Feng Wanfang was not a subordinate of Elder Abdulaziz, and he himself did not have much power in the "Taiji" planetary autonomous government. This is done simply because the self-government has an agreement with the Senate, and the planetary offices are obliged to report suspicious persons to the Senate's intelligence services.

Normally, suspicious persons do not receive such a high level of treatment, and the head of the office reports directly to the senators. It's just that Fatoume is living in Jiang Ziyue's house, and he has long been a suspicious person of concern to the Constitutional Protection Bureau and the Harmony Committee, so Abdul Aziz has to interrogate it personally.

"Patriarch, I really don't understand." After completing the report, Feng Wanfang casually said his thoughts, "Since that Fatumei is a suspicious person, why did you let her live in Jiang Ziyue's house?" Wouldn't it be enough to just catch it? ”

"You don't have to worry about these things." Abdulaziz said coldly, "That Dana Pontik is your man, and we won't interfere too much." But this Fatoume, you must not let her get on your merchant ship, otherwise we will tear up the agreement and search on the ship. ”

"Rest assured, patriarch, within the scope of authority, I will definitely comply." Feng Wanfang was very cooperative.

"It's a pleasure to work with." Abdulaziz terminated the correspondence after saying that.

But his heart was not at peace, and Feng Wanfang's report stirred up strong waves in his heart - just like the old saying, "There are a million grass and mud horses galloping through in my heart".

Information gathered by the Constitutional Protection Bureau and the Harmony Committee suggests that Fatume al-Azai may have been a member of the One True God Brotherhood and had also been trained by the Dragon Slayer Society. Although her brother Omar Azai was a martyr who gave his life for his country, she herself may well have been an anti-senate and anti-people*, and now lurking in the home of Jiang Ziyue, the great hero of the Senate and the Roman people.

Abdulaziz quickly connected with the communications of the heads of the Imperial Intelligence Service, the Constitutional Protection Bureau, the Harmony Committee, and the Imperial City Management Department, and convened a meeting.

After making intelligence arrangements for the defense of the Exodus of the Golden Order, Abdulaziz focused on the One True God Brotherhood and the Dragon Slayer.

"The One True God Brotherhood split into three forces after the events of the 'New Mecca' planetary riot in 2906." Wang Feijun, director of the Bureau for the Protection of the Constitution, introduced his superiors and colleagues.

"One has fled to the Perseus Commonwealth and the planet 'Taiji' and has been silent for many years, one is still active in the territory under the purported leadership of the Apostles of the Prophet, and one has also gone underground, but our scouts have discovered that this force has been plotting a terrorist attack to avenge the events of 2906, but the attack has never happened. However, no matter which force it is, it has a close connection with the Dragon Slayer Society, especially in the armed rebellion, the Dragon Slayer Society has given strong support. ”

Li Shubin, director of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, also introduced: "Based on the analysis of the intelligence collected by our scouts behind enemy lines, the Brotherhood and the Dragon Slayer Society have close ties with the Federal Security Council and the Golden Causeway Industry. But they are not monolithic, they should use each other. During the siege of the planet 'Andromeda', Colonel Jiang Ziyue and the 'Zheng He' fleet captured the president's daughter Song Xiaoyu because of the kidnapping of the president's daughter by the Dragon Slayer Society. ”

"If this Fatume Azai is really a member of the only True Brotherhood, and she is lurking in Jiang Ziyue's house, is she taking the opportunity to cover or monitor Jiang Ziyue?" Zhang Qingliang, director of the Imperial Urban Management, asked.

"First of all, we have not been able to determine whether Fatoume Azaj is a member of the Brotherhood. In the list of the seizures of the planet 'New Mecca', there is a female member whose name matches her age, but this does not mean that it is Fatumei in Jiang Ziyue's family. Wang Feijun explained.

"The Harmony Archives of the 'New Byzantine' planet also have no bad or suspicious records about this Fatume." Zhu Zhicheng, director of the Harmony Committee, also said.

The harmony file in his mouth is actually a system for monitoring citizens' words and deeds. Each of the planets under the Senate has such a system, which records the words and deeds of the vast majority of citizens on the planet, in large settlements, space stations, and makes judgments and warnings based on predetermined conditions.

Once a person is deemed suspicious in the system, the local Harmony Committee notifies law enforcement or a designated agent to follow up.

It is not easy for a person to reach the suspicious level.

Making some anti-patriarchal and anti-people remarks will not attract secret agents, although they will be recorded in the Harmony Archives. Even many criminal motives and behaviours are often only at the level of undesirable rather than suspicious.

For example, if several people plan to rob a bank through a civilian communication system, the Harmony File will record the content of the communication and issue a security warning to the bank and the public security, but if the robbery does not occur, the system will not easily provide the police with the detailed information and specific communication content of those plotters.

However, a person who has come into contact with or has an obvious relationship with individuals or organizations that have been classified as dangerous can be escalated to suspicious levels by the system.

For example, relatives of absconding suspects, or people who have actively or passively come into contact with known Perseus Federation agents.

For example, Fatume Azai, who lives in Jiang Ziyue's home, although she is the sister of the martyr Omar Azai and has an impeccable resume, she was upgraded to a suspicious level by the system because she was the same name, surname, age and place of origin as a female member of a list of members of the anti-senate anti-people extremist religious terrorist organization "Brotherhood of the One True God" seized by the Constitutional Protection Bureau.

In fact, in the Harmony Archive, Chen Weiyin, a scientist who has been captured by the Federal Army many times and has had close contact with the Federal soldier Rob and his family, has also been upgraded to a suspicious level.

And Jiang Ziyue's current girlfriend, Corporal Dana Kira Pontik, a civilian in the Imperial Military Department, has also been raised to the rank of suspicious because she visited Robb in the prisoner of war camp.

The Harmony Archives are not the same on the planets, with the capital planet "Neo-Byzantium" and the military town of Iseron being the most tightly enforced, almost to the point of pervasiveness and indifference.

In real life, an ordinary person who happens to get too close to a stranger with a criminal record while washing his hands in a shared toilet can be elevated to the suspicious level, and will be subjected to more comprehensive and in-depth surveillance and closer and more precise tracking in the days and weeks that follow, until the Harmony Committee or the appropriate law enforcement agency confirms that the suspicion level has been lifted beyond doubt.

On other planets, especially in remote and backward provinces, this surveillance system is often the best illustration of the formalism of local bureaucrats.

For example, before the Battle of the "New Rhine", the Harmony Archive did not play its due role at all, allowing the separatists to smuggle weapons and gather crowds to cause trouble.

Even on the economically developed planet "African" planet, which is heavily armed with a Central Fleet detachment, this system has not produced the desired effect, allowing the MDM elements to calmly rebel.

The only planet in the Empire is the "Taiji" planet, where there is no Harmony Profile, but the Mayors' Union and the Security Bureau have deployed independent national surveillance systems. According to an agreement with the Senate, the Autonomous Planet's national surveillance system is open to the Harmony Archive. Now this privilege has been transferred to the planet "New Central Plains".

Judging from the effect of more than 100 years since the establishment of the Harmony Archive, except for one or two key planets, most of the regions have not played the role they originally designed, but have made many unjust, false and wrongful cases.

Moreover, the sharing of surveillance data between planets can only rely on unmanned notification ships, and in this vast universe, the timeliness becomes poor.

Elder Abdul Aziz had already lost faith in the surveillance system, and he said dissatisfiedly to Zhu Zhicheng, the director of the Harmony Committee: "It is not enough to rely on the Harmony File to judge Fatoume. You'd better have some people to follow up directly. ”

"Humble duty understands." Zhu Zhicheng responded humbly.

Abdulaziz went on to conclude: "Now that the crisis is getting closer, the Brotherhood and the Dragon Slayer Society cannot afford to let go of this great opportunity. They must have sent a large number of men to infiltrate the 'new Byzantium' and wait for an opportunity to wreak havoc. From now on, cancel all vacations. The four major departments have been put on maximum alert to strengthen the monitoring of anti-senate and anti-people hostile elements to ensure the safe and smooth implementation of the 'Deruijin Ji' plan. ”

Just as the senators were about to end the correspondence meeting, Zhu Zhicheng of the Harmony Committee reported: "I have received the latest report that rumors have appeared in the capital that someone is planning an assassination of the consul Wang Zeren. A detailed information collection report has been sent to the elders and all of you. ”

Abdulaziz swept the report displayed on the table and gave instructions: "Trace its source. ”

But then he added: "Let our informants spread the word that the One True God Brotherhood has broken into the Senate." And let the implication that people associate these two rumors with each other. ”

"Patriarch, is this a plan?" Zhu Zhicheng asked boldly.

"We're going to 'scare the snake.'" Without thinking, Abdulaziz replied to his subordinates, "You go and deploy the operation immediately." ”

"Yes." The crowd responded in unison.

After the communication meeting, Zhu Zhicheng, director of the Harmony Committee, who was hidden in the downtown office building in the southern part of New Rome, immediately connected to another encrypted communication line.

The holographic stereoscopic image shows the image of the imperial consul Wang Zeren.

Zhu Zhicheng gave Wang Zeren a concise and concise report on the contents of the meeting he had just held with Abdulaziz and other colleagues.

In accordance with the normal operating procedures of the Senate, Abdulaziz will report on these contents at the regular meeting of the Senate shortly after. But all along, Wang Zeren can know in advance through Zhu Zhicheng.

Zhu Zhicheng did not forget to add his thoughts: "Elder Abdulaziz, the rumors of the assassination of you by the hostile elements are instructed to release new rumors, which seems to have deep meaning. ”

"This is most likely an attempt to confuse the forces that are preparing to assassinate me. However, at the regular meeting of the Senate, I will ask him about the reason for the cleanup. Wang Zeren said, "I'm quite concerned about that Fatume Azhai now, if she is really a member of the One True God Brotherhood, then what are you going to do?" ”

Zhu Zhicheng explained with embarrassment: "The difficulty now is that it is not yet possible to determine whether Fatoume is a member of the Brotherhood. And even if it is true, she lives in Jiang Ziyue's house as the bereaved family of a martyr, and she does not show any flaws. Even Jiang Ziyue himself, his family and friends have nothing to doubt. For now, surveillance can only be strengthened. ”

"If Fatoume is not a member of the One True God Cult, isn't that a waste of our precious human resources?"

"But there's no way around it. On the current planet of 'New Byzantium', the only clue we can find about the terrorist organizations of the One True God Brotherhood and the Dragon Slayer Society is this woman. Zhu Zhicheng looked helpless.

Wang Zeren said to Zhu Zhicheng: "Since this is the case, it has to be like this." ”

This sentence shows that Wang Zeren, as the first elder and imperial consul, is even more helpless in this regard.

After the Great War of 2890, the Senate and the spy services of the Roman people gradually lost their effectiveness on the hidden front. Not to mention the dragon and tiger battle with the Perseus Interstellar Federation Security Council, even monitoring and preventing internal rebellion and division, it is rare to have satisfactory results.

The division of labor among the patriarchs was essentially a division of spheres of influence, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that it was a division of power.

The conservative veterans are the representatives of the military-industrial state-owned enterprises and big capitalists, and the National Assembly and the Political Coordination Committee, which are composed of CEOs of private enterprises, executives of state-owned enterprises, and celebrities, are naturally controlled by them. Reformers such as Wang Zeren, who represents the middle class and the petty bourgeoisie such as petty civil servants, control the Privy Council, which is the executive body of power; Abdulaziz, a former agent and lawyer, is both the Chief Justice of the Reich and is in charge of the judicial and intelligence systems.

Justice and intelligence were areas that the old conservatives had always held. Because whether it is the judicial system or the espionage department, its inherent personnel stability and work secrecy effectively ensure the smooth inheritance of this power, but also make it difficult for others to intervene.

It is not easy for Wang Zeren to transform Zhu Zhicheng, director of the Harmony Committee, into his own and score a chess piece under the command of veteran Abdulaziz.

Although there have been politically opposed patriarchs who have bribed each other's key cadres, few have succeeded – to be precise, very little known to the general public, and even later generations will find it difficult to know about the struggles between the former patriarchs.

After all, the Senate still holds power firmly, and all the processes and stories of internal struggles are still sealed and even destroyed as supreme machines.

It is precisely because of this unknown division of power that the development of the new Roman Empire has been greatly hindered, and even become a stumbling block in the struggle with the Perseus Federation, which has made Wang Zeren, who was once full of great ambitions, feel exhausted.

Wang Zeren deliberately wanted to become a dictator, hoping to use the dictator's ultimate power to unify the power division of the Senate and maximize the advantages of the centralized system.

Therefore, in the face of the current imminent and unprecedented crisis, Wang Zeren, who has tried and failed to obtain a dictator, is still full of expectations.

So, he still solemnly said to Zhu Zhicheng: "Zhu Gong, please conscientiously implement the instructions of Elder Abdulaziz. I will also get the people of the Privy Council to cooperate with you fully. ”

"The humble post will definitely live up to your high expectations." Zhu Zhicheng replied humbly, and then said with concern, "Also, I think that the rumors of assassinating Your Excellency are probably not groundless. Your Excellency needs to strengthen your defenses. ”

"Isn't it a contradiction to set the target on me and expose this attempt? Either it is deliberately put *, or the strength is not good. So I'm not worried about this rumored assassination. ”

Wang Zeren is confident in his safety. In fact, after becoming an archon, he has always lived in seclusion, except for secret inspections and attending necessary occasions, he either lives in the heavily guarded senator's apartment, or works in the heavily secured People's Square and the four major power buildings, rarely appearing in public.

But he was also very satisfied with Zhu Zhicheng's opinion, and continued: "However, your worries are also very reasonable, I will let the Senate guards strengthen their vigilance, and I will pay attention to my daily behavior." You can rest assured. ”

"Yes, Your Excellency." Zhu Zhicheng responded loudly.

After ending his correspondence with Zhu Zhicheng, Wang Zeren immediately connected to the correspondence of Diego Gato, the imperial proclamator.

"Did you hear that someone was going to assassinate me?" Wang Zeren said with a smile.

"Your Excellency, I'm about to report this to you." Gatto replied solemnly.

"At this time, if someone wants to take advantage of the fire, we will make a plan. Help me spread the word and imply that the plotters are targeting not only me, but the entire Senate. Also, to leak out the impending crisis of the planet 'New Byzantium'. ”

"Your Excellency, you know what to do." Gato replied in a loud voice, he already knew Wang's motives.

"Then it's up to you, Duke Gato." Wang Zeren ended the correspondence with satisfaction.

At this time, his personal assistant, Otto Bateman, sent a message that the special unmanned notification ship "Cupid" 818 had returned.