Chapter 4 second quarter

The plains of County D have been blowing strong northerly winds since the morning. Although the traffic signal ahead is already a green light, the cars stuck on the road are still unable to move forward.Mikami let go of his grip on the steering wheel and lit a cigarette.Another high-rise building has begun to be built, and the ridgeline of the mountain is gradually disappearing from the view of the windshield. 580,000 households, 1.82 million people... I still have the census data I read in the morning paper in my mind.Nearly one-third of the county's population lives or works in this D city.After a lot of struggle, it was finally able to merge with the surrounding municipalities and accelerate the extreme concentration of the local version, but the maintenance of public transportation that should have been carried out first has not yet progressed.The number of trams and buses is too small, which is very inconvenient, so the road is always full of cars.

— At least move! Mikami muttered to himself.Today is December 5th, and the traffic jam in the morning is worse than usual.The time signal of "now, eight o'clock" came from the radio, and the five-story building of the county police headquarters could already be seen ahead.Suddenly there was an incredible feeling in my heart. I felt that the inorganic exterior wall of the county police headquarters that I had been used to for a long time gave people a sense of intimacy. Could it be because I went to the Northland for half a day? There is no need to travel all the way.After a night of precipitation, he finally came back to his senses.Ayumi, who is more afraid of the cold than ordinary people, has no way of going north, let alone jumping into the marrow-cold swamp.So this trip was doomed to be a waste of time from the very beginning.

There was already a distance of several cars in front of him, so Mikami quickly put out his cigarette and stepped on the accelerator. Looks like you won't be late.Mikami parked his car in the employee parking lot, and quickened his pace towards the main building. At the same time, he habitually checked the reporter's parking lot out of the corner of his eye, and then stopped unconsciously.The parking lot, which is usually empty at this time, is full of cars today.That is to say, all the reporters from various newspapers running the police line have arrived.Mikami thought for a while that some major event happened, but after thinking about it carefully, it should be the sequel of yesterday.They are gearing up and waiting for Mikami to appear.

——Are you full of fighting spirit early in the morning? Mikami entered from the front entrance of the main building, and within ten steps along the corridor was the publicity office.When he pushed open the door, three faces with blunt expressions looked up at the same time.They were Section Chief Suwa and Director Kuramae sitting at the desks placed against the wall, and policewoman Meiyun near the door.Because the room is quite small, I always lower my voice to say hello in the morning.In the spring, although the wall between the reference room and the adjacent reference room was knocked down to make the space a bit bigger, when all the reporters squeezed in, it was still the same as before the renovation, and it was difficult to gain a foothold.

Mikami entered the door with good mental preparation, but there was no reporter in the office.He felt himself swinging his club in vain and went to sit by the window.Before he could ask Suwa, he came before him, showing a strange expression he had never seen before. "Broadcaster, that...yesterday..." Mikami was preoccupied with asking him about the reporter's movements, so he couldn't react immediately.Late last night, he called his immediate supervisor, Secretary Ishii, to report the result of the identity verification, so he thought that his colleagues in the office already knew about it.

"I admitted the wrong person. I'm sorry to make you worry about me." The atmosphere in the room suddenly eased a lot, Suwa and Kuramae looked at each other with relieved expressions; Meiyun stood up as if she had just come back, and took out Mikami from the cabinet. teacup. "Suwa, is everyone here?" Mikami pointed his chin in the direction of the wall.Next door is the press room.Basically everyone calls it the "Journalists Club," which is the correct name for the amity group of the thirteen newspapers that are based there. Suwa's face was once again clouded.

"All the newspapers were mobilized. They threatened to launch a public trial against the broadcaster. I think they will be killed soon." The public trial started... Mikami's chest felt hot. "Let me report to you first. Regarding yesterday's departure, I told them that it was because the broadcaster's relative was critically ill." Mikami thought for a moment, then nodded in understanding. Suwa is a publicist who knows how to adapt to circumstances.A native of the police department, the police department has been working in the publicity office for three years.I also had two years of registration when I was the Minister of Inspection, so I understand the ecology of journalists very well.Although sometimes some clever actions make people feel uncomfortable, but the skill of blending the truth and the scene without any flaws, and using this to win over the reporter is really admirable.When he was assigned to the publicity office for the second time, his skills in serving reporters became more proficient, so Suwa's market in the police department can be said to be bullish.

It was also a return to the pot again, but Mikami's work in the advertising room was not all smooth sailing.He was forty-six years old, and this change made him return to the advertising room again after twenty years.Before this spring, he had always been the second in command of the second search section, and before that he was the squad leader of the smart criminal search team. He had been conducting command and dispatch work at the search sites of dereliction of duty and violations of the election and strike law for many years. Mikami left his seat and walked to the whiteboard next to the desk. "D County Police Announcement December 5th, 14th Year of Heisei (Fourth)"——Checking the statement paper to be given to reporters is the first thing the broadcasting officer does in the morning.Outlines of incidents and accidents that occurred in the nineteen districts of the prefecture are transmitted to the publicity office through telephones and fax machines all the time.Recently, due to the popularity of computers, I have also begun to switch to email.The staff will organize the contents of events and accidents on the specified paper, and post them here and on the whiteboard in the press room with magnets.At the same time, the "TV press conference" located in the county hall will also be contacted.This was originally a measure taken by the police to simplify interviews. Unexpectedly, the so-called "police statement" often caused a rift between the police and reporters.

Mikami glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, it was past 8:30, what were the reporters doing? "Can you give me a moment?" Kuramae came to Mikami's desk.The shape of the thin bamboo pole does not match his name at all, and his voice has always been as thin as a gnat. "It's about the bid-rigging incident." "Well, have you already asked?" "This..." He hesitated before hiding. "What's the matter? Is the executive still not telling the truth?" "I have no idea." "have no idea?" Mikami couldn't help but glared at Kuramae.

The second search section reported the bid-rigging incident related to the construction project of the county art museum five days ago, launched a compulsory search of six construction companies with powerful industry, and arrested eight senior cadres, but the ambition of the second section is still It doesn't stop there.Their target was Bajiao Construction, a local contractor that manipulated the bidding work behind the scenes.According to the internal information that Mikami heard, Section Two had secretly invited the executives from Octagon Construction to the bureau for coffee for the past few days.If the "behind the scenes" can be uncovered in one fell swoop, it will definitely become big news in local newspapers.The suspects in the incidents in Section 2 often waited until midnight to plead guilty, or deliberately delayed the issuance of arrest warrants until midnight.In other words, considering that the time of the press conference may collide with the deadlines of various newspapers, in order to avoid confusion caused by such a situation, he instructed Zangqian to grasp the trends of the second lesson in advance.

"Don't you even know if you have invited the special staff to the bureau?" Zangqian kept his head down. "I just tried to ask the deputy of the second lesson..." Mikami finally understood the problem, they seemed to be regarded as spies. "I understand, I will follow up next." Looking at Kuramae's dejected back, Mikami sighed heavily. In the past, Zangqian had worked as a back office in the Second Criminal Section of the jurisdiction, so he asked him to use his previous contacts to find out the news, but it was obviously because he was too naive.So far, many criminal policemen still stubbornly believe that once they disclose the news to the advertising office, it is tantamount to telling the reporter.In this way, it will become a bargaining chip for the organization to negotiate terms with the media. Even Mikami is no exception.When he was a grassroots criminal policeman, he also thought that the existence of the advertising room was very negotiable.Perhaps I have also imitated my predecessors who were not forgiving, and scolded such ugly words as "reporter's minion", "police department's lackey", "study room for promotion exam".In fact, the kind of self-serving relationship that is obvious at a glance is also respectful.In order to flatter the reporter, he played and sang every night.Even when he was at the scene of the crime, he was just chatting with reporters like a bystander, without breaking a sweat.No wonder Mikami couldn't see them as part of the organization. Therefore, in his third year as a criminal police officer, when he suddenly received a transfer order to the publicity office, he was really depressed for a while, and he even thought that he had been branded as a "bad criminal policeman".Because he took over the new job with a feeling of giving up on himself, he also has his own self-consciousness as a "bad reporter".But before he could figure out how to deal with reporters, he was transferred back to the criminal department after only one year.The joy of rejoining the team goes without saying, but he still couldn't accept that this was purely messing around in the personnel room, which made his experience in the criminal unit blank for a whole year.This made him gradually feel distrustful of the organization.Deeper than the feeling of mistrust is the deep-seated fear.He was more afraid of "the next personnel change" than anyone else, so he buried himself in his work desperately, as if there were evil spirits chasing after him.Even if it has been five or ten years, whenever the season of personnel changes comes, he is always in a state of anxiety.Not letting the temptation to eat, drink, or be lazy at all has a chance, which has brought real results for Mikami. It is not an exaggeration to say that fear spurred him to work hard.When Mikami was still in the first search class, he received countless rewards from being in charge of the theft case, to the robber case, and then to the special crime case.However, the time when his ability as a criminal policeman really blossomed was after he was transferred to the Second Investigation Division.He is also responsible for intelligent crimes, and has established his own territory in a corner of the criminal unit that has no headquarters or jurisdiction. Even so, he still dare not say that he is a "real criminal policeman". Even if he wants to forget, the people around him will not let him forget.Whenever there are hidden investigative secrets in the newspaper, the eyes of the superiors and colleagues will unnaturally avoid Mikami.It's not easy even if you want to come from the delusion of persecution.Just like "witch hunting", there is an invisible hand stretching out towards him. This kind of terrifying feeling that makes people tremble all over is absolutely incomprehensible to those who have not experienced it.No matter how many times he received praise from his superiors for his work performance, even though he had been promoted from the police department to the police department, no one had ever drawn Mikami into the hunting camp for the leaker.In this sense, his qualifications in the advertising office are the same as those of "convicts". I want you to be a broadcaster.In the spring of this year, when the Chief of Police Akama told him the result of the incident in private, the word "convict record" also flashed through his blank mind.Akama eloquently explained the reason for the dispatch: Totally nonsense nonsense.The police are originally a group of tough guys who sell "masculinity" as their selling point.If you just want a tough guy with a cold face, there are too many inside and outside the criminal department to count.Suddenly, the police department, who was only thinking about how to use the criminal procedure law, was removed from the familiar job position, and then thrown into a field that had nothing to do with the police's original duties, and let him be a watchdog for organizing defense. What are the benefits of this arrangement in terms of personnel?Akama put on a "promoting" tone, saying that the publicity officer is an investigative officer-level position that the police department cannot reach.Although this unofficial personnel notice ensured that he would be promoted to the police, if Mikami stayed in the criminal department, he would still be promoted naturally in two or three years, so this promotion farce of mistaken person was like It's like hanging a carrot around his neck, it will only make people feel uncomfortable. He believes that the "pre-criminal record" has affected the candidates.When there are several candidates for a position, for the sake of insurance, they are usually filled by people with relevant work experience in the past. This is the norm in the police personnel.Therefore, for Mikami, the problem is not the police department who chose him as a publicity officer, but what the criminal department is planning to hand him over.He plucked up the courage to visit the official residence of Minister Arakida in the middle of the night, but only got the answer that "this matter has been decided".Just like twenty years ago.He felt that his ability to work was completely ignored.The long years of being a criminal policeman made his frustration and disappointment even deeper. You can return to the criminal department after two years.With these words, he packed all his emotions into boxes and went to work in the advertising room.He hasn't given up yet, and he doesn't want to make the stupid mistake of wasting years in vain by giving up on himself.After all, the brain and body that have been tempered by years of hard work do not allow him to be perfunctory on the topics explained by his superiors. Reform the broadcasting room.He knew that this was the job he should face first. The advertising scene he saw twenty years ago was always full of hypocrisy.There is no clear vision and strategy at all, just blindly required to have a good relationship with reporters.Therefore, all of them kept their stances low, erased the original posture of the police officers, pretended to understand the work of reporting, and shouldered the untargeted targets of the media because they were dissatisfied with the closure of the police organization.They use the name of "Guangbao Guangting" to the world, but "Guang Ting" is just trying to pretend to be an understanding person, and is responsible for nodding to the reporter's words with guns and sticks, and providing self-righteous public opinion agency It's just a way for journalists to release pressure. "We're nothing but wave breakers."The broadcaster at the time used to laugh at himself, implying that it was all their job to please the media, establish a false relationship, and make the media’s criticism of the police less sharp. Indeed, the history of public newspapers is still young, so it is also true that the skills of dealing with reporters have not been perfected.But when it comes to the real reason, it is still because the local police have not yet gotten used to the system imposed by the police department that "intelligence must be delivered by the publicity office".The "front-line department" of the police circle headed by the Criminal Department is in charge of investigating and handling cases, but the performance announcement scene is commanded and dispatched by the police department. It is no wonder that they feel that this form is depriving the front-line authority.Prior to this, the criminal department relied on the judgment of the director or section chief to directly control the direction of the report. When some front-line criminal policemen revealed to reporters some of their credit for handling cases, they often turned a blind eye or closed their eyes. Originally, in the criminal department, there was no chilling atmosphere like "witch hunting". "The publicity system is a black ship." It is said that the first publicity officer once said this sentence with emotion.If the criminal department is likened to the end of the Bakumatsu, then the public broadcasting system is a black ship.Although at the beginning of the introduction, the criminal department made no secret of its deep hatred for the police department, but later it died down and slowly accepted the new system of the management department.No, maybe it was intentionally integrated into it.From then on, the era when the Ministry of Criminal Affairs was assembled by a group of people regardless of gains or losses finally came to an end, and there began to be a group of higher-level cadres who lacked on-site experience and only had management in their minds. The sinful lamb cleverly used the system that was originally intended to prevent information from leaking from the scene where the cattle were grazing.As long as you figure this out, then everything will be clear. In fact, the scene became unfathomable.All in all, the criminal police began to keep quiet about the reporters on the night shift, "ask the newspaper man" spread like a catchphrase, and even the office of the criminal department began to be filled with mutual restraint to prevent news Leaked atmosphere.This gloomy atmosphere gradually turned into resentment, as if they wanted to vent their anger, they all pointed their fingers at the advertising room.Refuse to provide any search information with real evidence. Not only that, once exclusive news appears in the newspaper, all the responsibility will be pushed to the advertising office.Mutual resentment and suspicion fueled mutual hatred.The Publicity Office is a unit directly under the Secretary Division of the Police Department. In the eyes of others, the Publicity Office is like the eyeliner of the head of the department. They are all in harmony with each other, and they are always attacked by the cold and piercing eyes of other units. . In short, the advertising office bears an unfortunate life experience.It is clearly a window set up to unify the information, but the amount and speed of the information obtained are similar to "outlying islands".The only one willing to cooperate is the Ministry of Transportation, which wants to publicize the effectiveness of traffic safety policies.Even the reporters didn't pay much attention to the advertising room.When they saw through that the press room was not a window for gathering information, but was only responsible for the deployment of the pre-work for the press conference, their attitude became more and more disdainful.On the other hand, the Office of the Minister of Police on the second floor only made unreasonable demands to restrain reporters.From morning to night, he continued to struggle between the police chief's office and the reporter's office, and between the criminal department and the reporter's office. As a result, the advertising room finally became a room full of exhaustion, exhaustion, and sighs. After twenty years, the above-mentioned structural essence remains unchanged.Although a few professional talents like Suwa have been cultivated, the three roads leading to "superior", "on-site" and "media" are still covered with moss and blocked.Of course, the county police of D also had their own problems. The advertising departments of other county police have almost been upgraded from "room" to "section" in the past ten years.On the one hand, perhaps due to the pressure of overemployment of cadres, the small and medium-sized county policemen have indeed changed their policies one after another, desperately trying to catch up with the large-scale county policemen, and make the Guangbao a veritable elite line.Just like personal promotion, once the promotion room is upgraded, the words spoken will be more powerful, the relationship with the frontline departments will also change, and the exchange of information will become more active. will be unanimous.Nowadays, the publicity system that strategically leaks information such as house searches of events to the media has gradually become mainstream. However, the advertising unit is still at the "department" level in the D County Police, not to mention it has been upgraded, and it has never even heard of the expansion of the staff.The police ministers of all generations have adopted a very negative attitude towards organizational reform. Four years ago, it seems that there was once a promotion plan under the instructions of this department, but it was rejected by Akama's previous police minister, Daiguro. .I don't know what kind of losses he has suffered, but it is said that Dahei is extremely afraid of the appearance of journalists who will use the power of the media to expand their sphere of influence within the organization, and he insists that it will be troublesome when they collude with reporters.Akama also followed the policy of maintaining the status quo on the grounds of lack of manpower.Elevate power and dwarf status. The history of the D County Police Broadcasting Office can be explained in just these eight depressing words. Mikami decided to think about it from another angle. He became a publicity officer in order to end this dark history.Therefore, the most urgent task is to achieve the natural goal of "self-government" in the advertising room.The first action he took was to go to the criminal department.He is convinced that if he wants to deal with reporters, only genuine investigative information is the only advantageous weapon, so he needs to have investigative information that is sufficient as a bargaining chip.In Mikami’s vision for the reform of the public broadcasting, as long as they can be armed to confront reporters and establish an “adult relationship” that restrains each other, the interference from the Police Minister’s Office will naturally be reduced, and the current situation of three parties being blocked can be overcome. The criminal department considers itself the overlord of the front line, so it is naturally not a fuel-efficient lamp.Misami's long-term position in the Second Search Division is not mentioned, but the tight-lipped tone of the First Search Division is almost admirable.So Mikami focused on the investigation of one class, visiting each classroom every day, and fumbled the progress of the investigation from the chats with the cadres.Even during off-duty hours, they would use their contacts to inquire with the criminal police who are the main investigators, lock in holidays when the other party is not on duty, and directly bring gifts to the other party's dormitory.Put away the heresy tricks, talk to the other party frankly, and try to convince the other party that you must have intelligence in order to fight against the reporter.However, there is actually another truth hidden deep in his heart, that is, he has foreseen that when he returns to the criminal department two years later, he will definitely be regarded as a "recidivist".San made up his mind that during his tenure as a publicity officer, he would never let the criminal department think he was an outsider.Regardless of whether it is good or bad, we must continue to convey the ideas of the advertising room to them, which is also the preparation that must be done in order to return to the criminal department. The criminal department, which has been running for two or three months, has not achieved anything worth mentioning, but it has begun to show the results of his plan.It may be that Mikami's behavior, which is not at all like a broadcasting officer, touched the antennas of the reporters and gave them a lot of stimulation.The direction of the wind began to change, and the omen of change could be seen in their eyes.For these people, Mikami, the broadcasting officer, has a special status. Although the "current address" is the broadcasting office, the "household registration" is the second search section, and he may return to an important official position in the Criminal Ministry in a few years.From the beginning when Mikami took office, they held an attitude of keeping a respectful distance and watching changes.For journalists, the Department of Criminal Justice is the "most important area" for intelligence gathering, and this has not changed to this day.Mikami's frequent visits to the Criminal Department made them aware of the "close" relationship between the Criminal Department and the Publicity Office, so more reporters came to make friends with excuses.This is the first phenomenon caused by not showing a welcoming attitude. Mikami took advantage of this opportunity and adopted the strategy of blowing up the imagination of reporters like a balloon, using the limited information in his hands to the extreme.He let the reporters smell the incident that is currently being investigated, and used the words in the words and the subtle changes in expression to give hints to each newspaper.Increase centripetal force by whetting their appetites, emphasizing to them the existence of the broadcaster they had neglected in the past, but avoid getting too close.To the reporters who came to the press room to pass the time, he always kept a serious attitude in order to create a sense of tension.When they were flippant in criticizing the police or complaining, he sternly dismissed them.On the other hand, if it is a legitimate proposition, I will listen patiently, and I will accompany you to the end without time limit when negotiating.Never flattering, but as long as he can understand and agree, he is also willing to make certain concessions.Everything went smoothly. Not only did the unequal relationship in which reporters had an absolute advantage be eliminated, but the reporters didn't seem to be dissatisfied with the matter itself.The media hopes to dig out as much information as possible, and the police hope that the media will only write reports that are beneficial to the organization.Even if the positions of each other are hostile and the relationship is like a spy versus a spy, as long as they can release even a little bit of trust in the moment they face each other, they can find a balance that both parties can accept.It was with this belief that Mikami launched his reporter strategy. The problem lies with the Office of the Minister of Police.Obviously, after the relationship with the reporter's office improved, there should be much less interference from the Police Minister's Office, but unexpectedly, things went beyond Mikami's expectations.Akama is very disapproving of Mikami's policy of running the advertising room, and has a way to find fault with everything.He cursed that negotiating a compromise through concessions was defeatism, and reporting to the criminal department every day was also criticized by him as an act of recklessness.This is really unreasonable.Akama wanted a "cold-faced" publicity officer, so he should have considered Mikami's "household registration effect".And Mikami did bring this effect to the extreme, and achieved results.So what is he dissatisfied with?Mikami plucked up the courage to ask Akama's true intentions, and emphasized that the reason why the broadcasting office had to hold information was as a diplomatic bargaining chip, but Akama's answer made him unable to believe his ears. Mikami was stunned.It turned out that what Chima wanted was a "cold-faced scarecrow" who would do nothing and think about nothing.Just glaring at the reporter with his poker face.Akama was telling him that what he wanted was not to deal with reporters, but how to control them.Akama's inner twists and turns are far beyond Mikami's imagination, he really hates the media. Even so, Mikami couldn't back down just yet.If Akama's wishes are followed here, the publicity office will return to the state it was twenty years ago.He hoped that the reforms that had finally been put in place could continue to move forward, and it would be a pity that this was in vain.Even he himself was frightened by this determination, which he attributed to his first-hand recognition of the outside world, seeing landscapes he hadn't noticed in his criminal days.There is an unusually high wall between the police and the general public, and only the publicity room is the only "window" open to the outside world.Leaving aside the bias and self-righteousness of the media, once the police take the initiative to close the window, the police organization will completely lose its sociality. What's more, his criminal soul does not allow him to do so.If he obediently continues to play the role of the scarecrow of the police department, it means that his household registration will be obliterated.He's not stupid enough to go up against someone who holds personnel authority. If he is relegated to a jurisdiction deep in the mountains, let alone going back to the criminal department, even in the organization, he may suddenly become the person he used to be. .However, as long as you change the angle of looking at things a little, your status will be different.When the situation changes and the possibility of returning to his hometown begins to have a little authenticity, the heroic deeds of the chief of police who bumped into the second position of the county police will definitely clear him of the "recidivist" charge. Three ups and downs step by step for the camp to compete with Chijian.Playing the role of a subordinate who knows how to advance and retreat is more serious than before, suppressing his emotions, and only thinking about how to achieve the ultimate goal.He put on a reasonable face to listen to Chima's words, and only when faced with instructions and orders that he could not accept anyway, he would say "Excuse me..." to raise objections.As for the countermeasures that journalists should have, he will still provide information, and then continue to silently promote the reform of broadcasting.This is a feeling of walking on eggshells.Even the pulse could feel Akama's anger.Still, Mikami repeats the old saying "With all due respect...".Looking back now, maybe it was because of the risky move that I was so excited, and I was able to keep looking directly at Chima's gaze, and persisted like this for half a year.It feels like two armies are fighting against each other. Although it is not a win, it is definitely not a loss, until... When Ayumi runs away from home, the whole situation takes a turn for the worse. Cigarette ash fell on the desk, and he smoked a second cigarette. Mikami looked at the clock on the wall.Kuramae's slightly gloomy profile appeared in the corner of his field of vision.The second class refused to provide information, could it be that he is no longer supernatural?There is another person named Mikami behind Kuramae.At least the frontline department should give him face. Is it because he no longer shows his face in the various classrooms of the criminal department, and even his offenses and defenses with reporters follow Akama's instructions...? There was a sudden commotion in the corridor. coming.Suwa and Kuramae exchanged glances, and the reporters barged in without even knocking.

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