Espionage: I became sworn brothers with Zheng Yaoxian at the beginning, and became the Seventh Broth

Chapter 647 Treasure Land

There have been three theories about the location of the Great Western King's treasure since ancient times.

The first theory is that it refers to the Jinjiang River in Sichuan.

The story the antique shop owner told Commander Zhou and his wife also took place in Jinjiang.

The second theory is that it is on Mount Qingcheng.

The reason is that Sun Kewang once led hundreds of stonemasons deep into the Qingcheng Mountains to quarry stone, under the orders of Zhang Xianzhong.

For the Daisai regime, this was not a big deal.

What's strange is that Sun Kewang led hundreds of stonemasons deep into Qingcheng Mountain for several months, yet very few people saw any stone being transported out of the mountain. There was also no sign of anyone building bridges, roads, or other structures in the surrounding area.

As a result, some people gradually became suspicious and doubtful, thinking that Zhang Xianzhong might be using quarrying as an excuse to build a treasure-hiding facility in Qingcheng Mountain.

The person in charge of this matter was Sun Kewang, a confidant of Zhang Xianzhong within the Daxi regime.

This further fueled the suspicions of those who were curious about the matter.

The third theory is about Jiangkou Ancient Town in Pengshan County.

This place is the confluence of the Wuyang River, Jinjiang River and Minjiang River, making waterway transportation very convenient and it was once an important commercial town.

In the third year of the Shunzhi reign, the Qing Dynasty dispatched Prince Su, Haoge, to lead a large army of Manchus and Han Chinese, including the surrendered traitor Wu Sangui, to launch a full-scale attack on the peasant regime of Daxi.

The two armies clashed in Jiangkou Town, Pengshan County.

Zhang Xianzhong suffered a crushing defeat; more than half of his warships were burned or sunk, and he suffered heavy casualties. The large amount of gold, silver, and military supplies he carried also sank into the Minjiang River. It wasn't until July of the third year of the Shunzhi reign that Zhang Xianzhong decided to march north to resist the Qing, slaughtering his wife and children, before finally being defeated at Phoenix Mountain.

When the Qing troops stormed into the city and looted the city, they found that the loot was meager, which led to the spread of the story that the treasure had sunk in the waterway of Jiangkou Town.

Ye Shaohong was unaware of these ancient legends.

It was only during these past few days, while he was specifically searching for the secrets of the Great Western King's treasure, that he found some fragmented pieces in ancient texts.

But things are different today.

Looking at the statement of the antique shop owner in his hand, Ye Shaohong finally understood everything.

He finally understood why George, the merchant from the Bald Eagle family, was so certain that he could find the Great Western Treasure.

He also understood why the Chen and Kong families, two of the four major clans, had each mobilized their clan forces, disregarding national security and the wartime situation at the front, and had set their sights on Jiangcheng ahead of time. It all stemmed from that treasure map.

But is this treasure map real or fake?

Ye Shaohong had no way of knowing.

However, there was one thing he could confirm: the other forces besides himself—the Chen family, the Kong family, and the Japanese—all firmly believed in this.

Perhaps... his old fox Dai Yunong also firmly believed this.

"They are all insatiable greedy people."

Having figured these things out, Ye Shaohong was still quite troubled. He reached out and pinched the tender flesh between his eyebrows to ease his complicated thoughts.

Only then did Ye Shaohong put down the transcript in his hand, open his personal drawer, and put it inside.

"What about the antique shop owner?"

"We just wanted to find out from him the reason why Commander Zhou and his wife went to buy antiques, but we had no intention of killing or robbing them."

"You didn't make things difficult for him, did you?"

As Ye Shaohong's position rose, his style of doing things changed somewhat, and he became increasingly ruthless.

The methods have become increasingly cruel.

Ultimately, however, he never forgot his original intention in joining the Secret Service.

He could take the lives of the Japanese devils with a smile.

They can also enjoy watching the Japanese soldiers' pitiful cries of agony as they suffer torture without feeling guilty.

However, he was not so cold-blooded as to trample on the lives of ordinary people at will, so even though he was in a state of confusion, Ye Shaohong still asked another question.

"Seventh Brother, don't worry."

"The brothers all know what's going on; they won't try to kill that person!" Chi Tiecheng grinned, responding nonchalantly.

"Not to harm other people's lives?"

"I understand."

"You didn't actually try to kill him, but you certainly extorted a lot of money from him, didn't you?"

Ye Shaohong was very familiar with the past habits of the Special Service personnel, and when he saw Chi Tiecheng's nonchalant demeanor, he instantly understood everything.

"Nonsense!"

"I sent you to investigate a case, not to plunder money."

"If this kind of thing happens and the news gets out, what will the common people think of us?"

“They would call me a beast that deserves to be torn to pieces, a devil that deserves to be skinned alive.”

"What can I say to you?" Ye Shaohong was somewhat annoyed by Chi Tiecheng's actions, but he also knew very well that it had become an unwritten rule for the Special Service to plunder the people's property when they went out on missions.

Even if he wanted to change things, he was powerless to reverse the situation.

In this situation, even if he wanted to pursue the matter and hold those responsible accountable, he wouldn't be able to come up with a very good reason.

"Brother Seven!"

"Brothers, it's tough. The currency has depreciated so much. If we don't make some money to support our families, our parents, wives, and children will be struggling to make ends meet."

“I know your style of doing things, and you’ve been trying your best to control this matter. Take this time for example, I didn’t let them make things too difficult for the antique shop owner.”

"I just had the shopkeeper's family send over five small yellow croakers, which I distributed among the brothers, and then I didn't give them any more warnings."

Chi Tiecheng stood in front of Ye Shaohong's desk, grinning and feigning distress, recounting his grievances about leading the case. "Only five small yellow croakers?"

Ye Shaohong raised an eyebrow, asking in a confirming manner.

"Seventh Brother, I assure you, there really are only five small yellow croakers, no more."

Chi Tiecheng raised his finger to the sky, as if making an oath.

"alright."

"Anyone who can open an antique shop in this ancient city of Jiangcheng, the largest city in the Republic of China, should not lack these five small yellow croakers."

"You've done this quite well, with some methodical steps."

"I won't say anything more about you."

"From what you're saying, those five small yellow croakers should have been distributed after they were confiscated, right? Didn't you take some for yourself?"

Ye Shaohong thought about it for a moment, and finally forced himself to hold back.

"no!"

"The antique shop owner's wife did want to give me something, but I remembered your rules and didn't take a single penny."

Chi Tiecheng responded solemnly.

"alright."

"You've worked hard, and you sound so aggrieved, how could I possibly treat you badly?"

As he spoke, Ye Shaohong reached into his pocket, pulled out a thick wad of US dollars from his wallet, and tossed it onto the table.

"Take this, consider it a reward for your hard work."

"Hey!"

"I knew it, Seventh Brother, you definitely wouldn't forget me. Well then, I won't stand on ceremony with you."

Chi Tiecheng grinned. He knew Ye Shaohong disliked empty formalities, so he didn't refuse. He stepped forward and grabbed all the banknotes on the table. With a flick of his wrist, he already knew roughly the amount.

This brought a smile to Chi Tiecheng's face.

Why are you being so polite with me?

"Just take it."

"You've taken the money, but you still have to get things done for me. When you get back, tell your men to keep a close eye on Commander Zhou and his family."

“In the past few days, whatever they do, where they go, and who they talk to, you must record it all for me.”

"But then I discovered that they should immediately come and report to me!"