son-in-law

Chapter 1305 Thunderstorm (The End)

Chapter 1305 Thunderstorm (The End)

June 2nd, showers.

In the morning, I went to the Inspectorate compound to report on my work. I reported on several cases that I had completed and handled some simple case handovers. Naturally, I couldn't help but boast about my team leader, who had only joined two months ago. When I asked my superior about the specific tasks ahead, Deputy Minister Wang Chifeng handed me an assignment.

"I'll have a meeting at the General Staff this afternoon, and we'll talk about it when I get back."

"The General Staff... I haven't been there in ages..."

After circling the offices of several vice ministers and ministers who had no external schedules, Peng Yueyun returned to his own territory. His secretary had already brought over some internal references and external newspapers from two months ago. The records mainly contained information about the handling of dereliction of duty in land administration during that period. By cross-referencing the reports, it was found that the external newspapers basically did not involve a soldier named Fang Lu, but the internal references recorded the case truthfully. The overall information was detailed, but each article placed Fang Lu's case in the most inconspicuous place.

Not surprising at all, Peng Yueyun put away one of the cards, strolled away from the Inspectorate, went to the Intelligence Department, and after wandering around for a while, found Hou Yuanyong, whom he knew quite well.

"I have something really important to ask you, see if you have any clues."

"You comrades from the Inspectorate, why are you coming to me to investigate something?"

"Just because of my comrades in the inspection commission, wouldn't a formal investigation really be a death sentence?"

"The higher-ups just held a meeting and warned us that intelligence information cannot be used for private purposes... It's a capital offense..."

"It's not that kind of intelligence. Just consider it a message from a friend... You used to know Xu Shaoyuan from the Secretariat, right?"

"I do know that person."

"He has a scoundrel under him named Fang Cheng..."

“Fang Cheng…” Hou Yuanyong’s lips twitched, and after a moment of hesitation, he said, “…Damn, he really went to cause trouble for you? —To cause trouble for you?”

"You know him?"

"It's a long story..." Hou Yuanyong rubbed his forehead, and after a moment, said, "Actually, it's not that long. You should know about Fang Cheng's case. His brother committed a crime, and he was dissatisfied, so he appealed twice. I heard that the higher-ups patiently tried to persuade him, but Fang Cheng himself has a background in intelligence and government work. When he tried to investigate himself, he kept saying that there were discrepancies and accusing them of having something fishy going on..."

"Something doesn't add up; I don't quite understand this..."

“Brother, point out where things don’t add up…” Hou Yuanyong glanced at him, “Fang Lu’s criminal details are very detailed, but once this matter is investigated down to that… that Senior Tang—that incredibly powerful Senior Tang—it’s all classified…”

Hou Yuanyong lowered his voice, and when he mentioned Tang Minjie, he couldn't help but become animated: "...You and I both understand this matter. The time Senior Tang came back, you were the one who asked him, and I was the one who contacted the intelligence department. Fang Cheng couldn't understand. Both appeals actually ended up in my hands, and I personally sent them back. But he lost his brother, and he was persistent and relentless. Xu Shaoyuan is also a good team leader; he used his personal connections to ask Old Jiang in the intelligence department, and Old Jiang asked me. So, for this third time, I still sent it back. By the way, is the incredibly capable Senior Tang working for you now?"

"Yeah, Fang Cheng beat me up badly yesterday."

"Holy crap, Fang Cheng's got a death wish! Doesn't he realize he's risking his life? If Senior Tang were to intervene..."

"My senior brother doesn't do such things."

"Brother, you are merciful, Amitabha." Hou Yuanyong clasped his hands together in a bow, then whispered, "Remember to give my regards to my brother, and tell him he's the most formidable person I've ever met..."

"Really tell him?"

"Never mind, I was just kidding."

The two exchanged two punches. As they were leaving, Peng Yueyun asked, "Do you think... Fang Cheng is a good person or a bad person?"

"I don't know." Hou Yuanyong shook his head. "If you want to investigate, then investigate. If he's a bad guy, then take care of him... But I also have something to say. My brothers, I, Hou, am lively, but I'm not a blabbermouth. Why have you been constantly asking me for information ever since I joined the intelligence department? You make me so nervous every time, you know? I'm afraid you'll ask some disciplinary questions, and then what am I supposed to say? Last time, my dad even scolded me severely, saying I shouldn't know so many people. I already knew a lot of people before I joined the intelligence department, what can I do, right..."

The other person started babbling on and on, but Peng Yueyun waved his hand and said, "What are you talking about? When did I ever ask you about disciplinary issues? All this nonsense is just idle chatter. I think you should leave the intelligence department and go work in external propaganda..."

"I think I really can do it; I can sing opera."

After a few lighthearted banter, just as the door was about to close, Peng Yueyun turned around and saw that Hou Yuanyong's expression inside had become calm, like a still mirror. He turned and left. The Huaxia Army had only been established for a little over a decade. Those who had grown up within it had experienced war and death, and then the tranquility after victory. From soldiers to government personnel, in the blink of an eye, the once naive comrades all had their own masks, masks that none of them had ever seen before.

Carrying information about Fang Lu and a notice of an afternoon meeting, Peng Yueyun ate lunch at the canteen, then boarded a carriage and headed towards the General Staff Headquarters. A light rain began to fall in the city. Along the way, Peng Yueyun continued to ponder matters concerning Fang Cheng.

He hesitated, wondering if it was right to investigate Fang Cheng through the Inspectorate Committee, which would certainly expose him thoroughly.

They arrived at the military office area, about eight miles from Mohe Pond, and when they reached the General Staff meeting place, there were quite a few people gathered there. Peng Yueyun even saw Xu Shaoyuan, and the two greeted each other.

"Team Leader Xu...have you finished writing the self-criticism?"

“Of course it’s written.” Xu Shaoyuan took out an envelope from his clothes. “It’s written sincerely and eloquently, a total of 1,200 words.”

"I go……"

"And you."

“My wife and I wrote it together.” Peng Yueyun also took out an envelope. “Two people, 1,800 yuan, still can’t compare to yours.”

"We'll go hand it in together later and get scolded together."

"Okay, definitely."

The two answered readily, patting each other on the shoulder and laughing. Turning away, Peng Yueyun mentally considered an excuse. The other party had 1200, while they only had 800. It would be embarrassing to actually pull it all out together... He decided to say after the meeting that he was worried about his senior's injury and needed to visit him in the hospital. He would exaggerate the severity of the injury.

As the meeting time drew near, Peng Yueyun saw Qu Qing emerge from the back office. Qu Qing was a veteran of the Chinese military, having followed them since the Battle of Xia Village. Now a major general in the General Staff, he used to be a carefree and easygoing man. After getting married, he shaved his beard, making him look younger but also less handsome.

As soon as he came out, Peng Yueyun saw two people looking at Xu Shaoyuan. Peng Yueyun also thought of teasing him with the phrase "moved but unwilling," but out of integrity, he ultimately did not say it.

Qu Qing was a seasoned veteran who knew a lot of people. He came over and gave a brief greeting. After that, everyone went into the conference room and took their seats. After roll call, there were a total of 24 people, including Qu Qing. Most of them were young and quick-witted.

"I will chair today's meeting," Qu Qing said. "This meeting is very important because I will be informing you of some new information. But there is no need to be too serious. As far as I know, similar meetings are also starting today among the division-level staff officers of both armies. You will be joining the discussion later and sharing your thoughts."

Without engaging in excessive pleasantries, he stood up, dragged out a blackboard with a map hanging on it, and then drew a circle around the Central Plains region on the map.

“Here’s what happened,” he said. “Three months ago, the president summoned some people from the General Staff and issued a brief assignment to a small group. The assignment was to consider what Zou Xu might do next, given that he and Dai Mengwei had joined forces to take over Liu Guangshi’s territory…”

A gentle breeze swept through the rain, rattling the window, and someone quickly closed it.

Qu Qingdao said, "At that time, Bianliang was already holding the so-called Chinese Martial Arts Conference. According to the information gathered from all sides at that time, after annexing Liu Guangshi, they generally wanted to recuperate, be friendly with their neighbors, and consolidate their territory. At that time, he was negotiating arms deals with Shanxi, preparing to help restore the livelihood of Guanzhong to the west, and even forming alliances with the Fair Party to the east, all of which reflected this goal. However, after the simulation was done, the president rejected these answers. He asked us to combine Zou Xu's character, situation, his understanding of us, and his views and expectations on the long-term situation to deduce this period, and to make the worst-case scenario simulation."

He paused.

"So we conducted many more rounds of simulations and discussions." Qu Qing picked up the chalk. "In the subsequent simulations, we went back a few years and assumed Zou Xu's fear. Note that Zou Xu betrayed the Huaxia Army for pleasure, partly because he was suspected and ostracized. But after leaving the Huaxia Army, what he faced was not a short-term prospect of pleasure. Even if from the beginning he had planned to scheme against Dai Mengwei, planned for Liu Guangshi's elimination, and calculated his unification of the martial arts world in the Central Plains, could he really be happy in his heart?"

"So we assume that from the day he betrayed the Huaxia Army, he was seriously considering the situation he was facing—which is not surprising, since he had the ability to do so—and he knew that he would be wiped out by the Huaxia Army after the completion of the land reform and would not have a good end. At that time, his vision would probably be very broad."

Qu Qing slammed the chalk on the blackboard and began drawing circles.

"This is the southwest."

"...The Fairness Party."

"...the short-lived ghost of Lin'an."

"...the Southeastern court."

"...Shandong".

"...Jin region".

"...Guanzhong".

"……northwest."

“...and…” Qu Qing paused, then drew a circle outside the Northwest. “...the Mongols.”

Lightning flashed past the window, and someone frowned, but Qu Qing didn't stop. He slowly raised the chalk in his hand and began to draw another large circle.

"This..." Everyone in the room frowned.

"And the last... Jurchen."

After Qu Qing finished drawing the circle, he began to add arrows one by one upwards.

A thunderous roar resounded.

Someone raised their hand: "I...I have an opinion."

Qu Qing was still drawing, without turning around: "Speak."

"Does this mean...this is a deduction...or a confirmed fact?"

After finishing his drawing, Qu Qing turned around and brushed the chalk dust off his hands. "Part of it is a deduction." As he said this, he called out, "Xiao Hua." A soldier came in from outside, carrying a bag of files. Qu Qing tossed it to the first person sitting in front of him. "Circulate it."

Some people in the room were moved; some almost stood up. Qu Qing shrugged.

"Based on more than thirty pieces of information we have received from outside in the past two weeks, which corroborate each other, we can basically confirm that some of the predictions have become reality or are becoming reality. A piece of information we received yesterday afternoon has preliminarily confirmed that the rebel army that went to the northwest in March has been divided and surrounded by the Mongol army that came from the west of Hengshan. Some, or even most, of them may have been annihilated..."

Qu Qing tapped his fingers on the blackboard: "At the same time—although no specific news has come—Zou Xu's ambition to take Guanzhong and the traces of his troop movements have already been proven. In the past few days—most likely now—we believe that Guanzhong has already fallen. Of course, taking Guanzhong will also expose his bigger plan, which is that taking Guanzhong will inevitably lead to the fall of Jin!"

As the thunder rumbled outside the window and Qu Qing spoke, the light in the conference room seemed to dim. The distributed files contained a lot of information, and everyone stepped forward, each receiving a copy to read. Whispers and murmurs filled the conference room, and one person stood up: "Of all this, I'm only interested in one piece of information—I'm very curious."

"You said."

"Is the Jurchen in the deduction... real?"

Everyone in the room was stunned.

"It cannot be confirmed; many things are still just speculation."

"Yes, indeed!" someone slammed their hand on the table. "If we're really going to attack, how can we do without the Jurchens?"

"No, colluding with the Jin Dynasty would make him despised by the whole world. Besides, how do we convince them..."

"I have a plan!" a figure stood up. "If I were to go, I'm 70% confident I could persuade the Jin Kingdom to march south with us!"

"You'd better betray us right now, go immediately!"

"If the Jin Kingdom can march south, I will acknowledge him as my senior brother. In the future, I will defy all opposition and leave him with a complete corpse—I will defy all opposition!"

"From this perspective, the matter concerning Twenty-One is also related to him."

"That's already very clear."

"We weren't told we were going to fight our way out, so why are you getting so excited?"

"I'm so excited, the land administration is so boring."

"What are you saying? Land administration is interesting, land administration is very interesting. Here, change it..."

"I just said I'm not good at land administration. I didn't mean it was boring. It's just that I'm better at other things, I'm better at other things."

A rumble of thunder swept through the room, and the group of people whispered amongst themselves. For some reason, they all stood up, and every now and then someone would raise their hand to speak. Peng Yueyun's heart was pounding. He looked at the message records, trying to see a more distant plan in them. At this moment, he temporarily forgot about Fang Cheng and Tang Minjie, whom he had been thinking about not long ago.

That's right, he didn't want to govern the land; he only wanted to kill the Jin dogs.

……

boom--

Further into the distance, the thunder rumbles incessantly over the Chengdu Plain.

In a hospital ward not too far from Zhang Village, Qin Shaoqian opened his one eye, sensing the calm amidst the thunderstorm. Then, he saw a man sitting by the window, flipping through a book.

He took a few breaths.

"I heard things have been a bit troublesome lately. Why did you come here?"

“At a critical moment, if someone is disloyal, come over and scold him a few times.”

“This is an old injury, and there’s nothing I can do about it. I couldn’t even attend Zhan Mei’s funeral, and I’m not feeling well either.”

"I went for you," Ning Yi said, sitting by the window. "Don't worry, it was all taken care of."

"I heard the report about the mutiny on the 21st, and it was said to be related to Zou Xu?"

"It seems that a series of arrangements have been launched, and we are one of them, and we are fortunate to be here at the right time."

“We didn’t bother with him, but he’s come after you instead. You good apprentice.”

"The new land policy will inevitably lead to a redistribution of interests, and the redistribution of interests will inevitably lead to discussions about who will rule the country. He has taken advantage of the situation and tried to unite a group of people who will inevitably be separated in the reform... This shows that he understood my lesson and used his brain."

“Every reform requires weeding out some people who can't keep up. The next reform weeds out another group, and then another group. In the end, in order to move forward, everyone may fall behind. After everyone has been replaced, Ning Yi, what is the purpose of our reforms?”

"Someone has passed a message to you."

Qin Shaoqian lay there, smiling slightly. "After all, I've been awake for three days now, and I know what I need to know." He tilted his head. "Then... Liheng, have you thought about this answer? Isn't this kind of forward movement too cruel?"

“I’ve thought about this question many times.” Ning Yi sat by the window, closed his book, and lightning seemed to flash past him. “If we could really switch places, perhaps the people of the world would receive the greatest benefit.”

A deafening rumble of thunder swept across the land. Qin Shaoqian laughed, patting the hospital bed as he roared with laughter.

"Good..." As the thunder subsided, he laughed and said, "I, Qin Shaoqian, have studied the classics for half my life, following in the footsteps of my father and brothers, but only Ning Liheng's answer is truly remarkable. Good—good—"

Ning Yi walked over and put his hand back under the blanket, telling him to calm down.

"Actually... I might not be able to do it either... I also have compassion and often hesitate."

"Go as far as you can," Qin Shaoqian said with his eyes closed. "Since Father passed away, you have already forged your own path."

Ning Yi sat by the hospital bed. The room was quiet for a while. After a long time, Qin Shaoqian opened his eyes again and looked over: "You said... a series of arrangements have been launched. What else has he done?"

Ning Yi glanced at him.

"Jin region... is in trouble."

……

Lightning and thunder roared in the sky, but when the scale of vision was stretched large enough, even the lightning on the earth began to appear small.

The rolling winds swept across rugged mountains, plains and hills, and traversed the surging Yangtze and Yellow Rivers.

Thousands of miles away, in the land of Jin.

When Lou Shuwan awoke from her coma, she tasted the metallic rust in her throat, her cheek was stinging from being cut by a stone, and she was also injured. When she tried to get up, an even more intense pain struck her like lightning, causing her to fall back down again.

He fell into the corpse.

Clenching his teeth, he shakily pulled his arm out from under him, the little finger and ring finger of his left hand twisted into a horrifying angle.

It was evening, and the wind was howling.

She is not in Wasion.

Okay, let's change the topic.