Hijacking Gold

Hijacking Gold

Ren Qingshan simply did not want to speak to this fool. He had become First Command Envoy only because of his loyalty and exceptional combat ability. His emotional intelligence, grasp of the bigger picture, and skill in official infighting were practically below zero. If he were left alone in the Empire's political arena, he probably would not last a month before being brought down.

He had meant to ignore him, but the sight of that fool's smug face irritated him too much. He could not help saying, "That's impossible. Do you think they're transporting a few bucks' worth of junk? That's thirty-three tons of gold! The entire process has rules! If they dared to take the small train, they would've done it back in Dragon Province. Why would they set out overnight and cross our territory to reach Mangchang Mountain Imperial Train Station? Isn't that like taking off their pants just to fart?"

Dong Qianwang's face immediately reddened, veins bulging across his forehead as he argued, "How do you know they aren't putting on a smokescreen? Showing the enemy emptiness? Deliberately pretending to head for the Imperial Train Station while secretly transferring to a small train instead? Someone like you, who's never won a single exercise match against me, can't see through the enemy's schemes at all. What right do you have to spout nonsense here?"

Now it was Ren Qingshan's turn to go red in the face. "Fuck you, Dong barbarian! I've put up with you for a long time!"

Dong Qianwang eyed him sideways. "What, you want a fight? If we throw down today and I don't beat you into a pig's head, I'll take your surname."

"Come on, then! Let me show you the Xu Family Hard Fist I just mastered!"

Dong Qianwang spat. "Stop bragging. You think you can cozy up to Master Xu?" He tore off his shirt in one motion, revealing knotted muscles. "Let me show you the real thing. One punch and you'll die."

"Fine, then, I'll just see—"

"Both of you, shut up!"

Sheng Huaixuan finally spoke. The two glared at each other like fighting cocks for a few moments before backing away separately.

Sheng Huaixuan had no time to deal with them. He turned to Chief Secretary Cheng Hexin, who had just arrived, and Governor's Office Chief of Internal Affairs Mei Xingan. "You said that department head of the commandery administration hall, backed by Yu Zhongxian of the Supreme Council, directly launched a rebellion during the commandery governor meeting?"

Cheng Hexin nodded. "Yes. They made contact. Yu Zhongxian directly dispatched five inspectors from the Dark Bureau under his direct command to assist them, and also issued an inspection authorization order. Li Tupu, the department head of the commandery administration hall, joined forces with the local Supervisory Office, Public Security Section, as well as personnel from the Water Resources Bureau and Agricultural Department of Long Mountain Commandery. They openly rebelled at the meeting, declaring that Lin Wen was to be punished."

"When did we receive this news?"

Chief of Internal Affairs Mei Xingan shook his full head of white hair, his eyelids drooping. After coughing once, he said, "It happened three days ago. We only received the news a day later, then spent some time verifying and investigating it."

Sheng Huaixuan thought for a moment. "Li Yuchen and Lei Renjie hadn't arrived yet at that time, right?"

Cheng Hexin nodded.

Sheng Huaixuan's brow furrowed tightly. "Then how did Lin Wen deal with it? I remember you reported that he hadn't immediately begun forming a guard unit."

Cheng Hexin said with some confusion, "According to information gathered afterward, it is said that Lin Wen alone repelled the siege of over twenty people, then summoned garrison officer Fang Dashan, who brought Imperial soldiers over and suppressed the situation."

Sheng Huaixuan looked at him in surprise. "Lin Wen has trained?"

Cheng Hexin shook his head. "I investigated. There's no intelligence of that sort. And those five inspectors had all undergone third-level special training. They were elite troops even among special forces. Even top students from the Imperial Martial Academy would find it difficult to defeat them one-on-one, much less one against five."

Sheng Huaixuan considered it. "Then he probably trained a little and had some tricks up his sleeve. He must have tangled with them for a while and held them off until Fang Dashan arrived, then put down the rebellion. Those minor officials present were more or less implicated. Afraid of retaliation, they desperately exaggerated Lin Wen's accomplishments. I know their kind. They've always been this pathetic."

Cheng Hexin hurriedly said, "That should be it."

With a bang, Sheng Huaixuan slammed something heavily onto the ground, startling the two command envoys behind him and the surrounding guards.

"Truly vicious, Yu Zhongxian. You really don't take me, the Governor-General overseeing East Qin Province, seriously at all."

Sheng Huaixuan's voice carried a chill.

"Directly dispatching Dark Bureau inspectors, inciting local officials to rebel together, and even issuing an inspection authorization order—he wanted to kill Lin Wen outright, crush him so thoroughly he could never rise again, then take the chance to tear a vicious bite out of me!"

Chief of Internal Affairs Mei Xingan always looked half-asleep. Coughing as he spoke, he said, "Little Sheng, then what do you intend to do?"

Sheng Huaixuan sneered. "Have I been away from the rivers and lakes too long, or can I, Sheng Huaixuan, no longer lift a blade?"

He raised his voice. "Dong Qianwang, heed my order! Pass it down: the plan has changed. Today, not only will we seize their cargo, we'll detain their people as well! Every last one of them, detain them all! Throw them into prison! Let those dog bastards from headquarters come and ask for their men!"

Dong Qianwang's face twisted, but he knew the Governor could not be crossed at a time like this. He could only pass down the order with a bitter expression.

But Sheng Huaixuan was not done. "Ren Qingshan, heed my order!"

Ren Qingshan stepped forward. "Here!"

"Take another unit to Longmo Mountain Estate in Central Province and raid Yu Zhongxian's manor! Burn the villa! Bring every person there back under arrest!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Ren Qingshan shouted, "Yes, Governor!" Then he turned and jogged out.

This had become a huge matter!

Cheng Hexin was sweating profusely with anxiety, constantly signaling Mei Xingan with his eyes. But the old fool acted as though he had not seen anything, coughing while drowsing where he stood.

No one dared to dissuade the Governor in his fury. Even approaching him brought enormous pressure. Fortunately, before long, the convoy escorting the gold came into view.

It was a long convoy. At its center were two armored transport vehicles, surrounded by more than thirty field vehicles and guarded by a full thousand Imperial soldiers, weapons loaded and military bearing immaculate.

But when they were blocked by sixteen hundred Azure Army soldiers ahead and two thousand Azure Army soldiers behind, the escort commander knew it was over. Then, seeing several thousand more guns emerge along both sides of the cliffs, he could only wave a hand and order the guards to lay down their weapons.

Dong Qianwang walked over and said with a trace of sympathy, "A wise choice. You know I would have opened fire if you resisted."

The escort commander let out a long sigh. "We're all Imperial soldiers. Why must it come to this?"

The deputy commander, however, was indignant. "You Azure Army are openly robbing the Imperial headquarters' gold! When headquarters holds you accountable, you'll be unable to bear the consequences!"

Dong Qianwang knocked the idiot unconscious with a single punch. He blew on his fist. "Why must it come to this? You're prisoners already. What are you acting so arrogant for?" He gave him a pitying glance. "Besides, matters up top will be settled up top. Why should people like us down below worry ourselves sick over them?"

He waved a hand. "Move out."

The entire process went exceptionally smoothly. Governor Sheng's mood seemed to have improved somewhat. On the way back, he spoke calmly with Chief of Internal Affairs Mei Xingan about what came next.

Though Mei Xingan looked like a muddleheaded old man, his words were like sharp swords, their cold gleam piercing, yet also like invisible air, leaving others unable to muster even half a bit of strength.

"The Dragon Province Guard Army trespassed into East Qin Province without any notification."

"That's right, Little Sheng. They could not possibly have notified anyone."

"Our Azure Army was conducting exercises at Little Cold Mountain. Their rash intrusion disrupted the exercise. A clash broke out between both sides, and it is perfectly normal that they were detained."

"Mm, I released the drill documents and notices already—those were all from a month ago."

"We didn't know there was gold inside. The Dragon Province Guard Army failed in its duty to inform us. Maybe he did say something, but I didn't hear it."

"Since they were treated as ordinary goods, it was only normal for some losses to occur during the escort."

And so on and so forth. Through his series of godlike maneuvers, something outrageous gradually became something that no longer sounded quite so outrageous.

Then, something not quite so outrageous became merely a little excessive, but still acceptable.

Once you had accepted something slightly excessive, all he had to do was apologize and that was the end of it.

—I've already apologized. What more do you want?

Thus, major matters were reduced to minor ones, and minor ones to nothing at all. A world-shaking affair, in Old Mei's mouth, became as trivial as a mosquito bite.

Before Cheng Hexin had even heard half of it, his heartbeat had returned to normal. He inwardly sighed that Old Mei truly deserved to be known as the Governor's Mansion's pillar that steadied the seas.

That title had not been given wrongly at all.