Imperial warlords: Cannons are the only truth

"What are you doing at the General Patrol Bureau?"

"This time, our Philippine Protectorate has really made a name for itself!"

"A first!"

"When and how did so many militants enter the country?"

Are you deaf and blind, General Inspection Bureau?

"Eighty-two guards from the security company were killed, and the military also suffered many casualties."

(Note: To ensure the smooth operation of "Project Firefly," the true identities of the guards were not revealed to the Protectorate General.)

"With so many armed men coming in, you didn't even notice? You should really think carefully about whether you, as the chief patrol officer, are still capable of this position!"

"With so many armed men infiltrating, they could easily wipe out the entire Protectorate!"

The Protector-General of the Philippine Protectorate, Zheng Tianyi, gave Chen Yuanxiu, the Chief of the General Patrol Bureau, who had just arrived, a thorough dressing-down. He was almost ready to jump up and spit on Chen Yuanxiu's nose!

Coincidentally, just a few days before the gold robbery, Chen Yuanxiu had made a boastful promise in front of everyone at a work meeting of the Protectorate General.

They said their goal this year is to get Philippine City into the top 30 cities with the best public safety environment in the country.

That's great—forget the top 30, Philippine City's safety ranking is definitely at the bottom...................

Most importantly—even now, after reading the incident report, the Protector-General of the Philippines, Zheng Tianyi, still feels a chill down his spine.

That was truly terrifying!

This is why these people targeted the gold convoy. If they were a rebellious anti-government force, they would have wiped out the entire Protectorate government office...

-------------------------------------

"Sir, please calm down......."

"To be honest—I still don't understand how these militants managed to sneak in without anyone noticing!"

"The whole thing happened in a very unbelievable way..."

"Logically speaking, this kind of thing is simply impossible..." At this point, Chen Yuanxiu didn't know how to continue.

If they continue, it will sound like they are making excuses for the dereliction of duty by the General Inspection Bureau.

Regardless, the fact that so many armed men managed to infiltrate undetected and commit such a shocking crime means the General Patrol Bureau is definitely implicated...

"Please rest assured, sir, we will cooperate with the military as soon as possible to find these bastards."

"The General Inspection Bureau has used all available channels to gather information; they definitely can't escape!"

"You should seriously reflect on how you've been doing your intelligence work!" Zheng Tianyi slammed his fist on the table. "Didn't you say your intelligence network in the Philippines was extremely effective?"

"Is this what you mean by 'in place'?"

"The military is already taking action; these people definitely can't escape."

"I just want to understand one thing right now—the report says there are at least several hundred armed men who infiltrated and caused trouble this time."

"It's the same question we were talking about—how did so many armed men get in here!"

"Is the General Patrol Bureau's intelligence network just for show?"

"Where is the problem? Have you, as the chief inspector, considered this?"

"This matter has now reached the highest levels of authority!"

"Before I even called you all to this meeting, the Chief of Staff called me directly!"

"Fortunately, so far, there have been no civilian casualties in this incident."

"If these bandits go berserk and start attacking civilians, then everyone here..."

Zheng Tianyi, his face dark, surveyed the crowd: "Including myself, Zheng Tianyi, we should all resign on the spot!"

"This is fucking bizarre! How could something so terrible happen on our Great Qian territory? Where did these bastards come from?!"

Zheng Tianyi cursed out, "Bastards! I want to see how they get away from the Daqian Zhenguo Army!"

"Director Chen, your General Inspection Bureau has two matters to attend to right now."

"First, investigate the cause of the message."

"Second, cooperate with the military's actions to relocate and stabilize the people of Philippine City."

"There's nothing more you can do to help with the rest."

"This matter has now been handed over to the military for full handling."

"Moreover, I heard that this matter has even alarmed the Secret Intelligence Service."

"Director Chen, it would be best if your General Patrol Bureau could provide the military with some useful information."

"Otherwise, people will think the General Patrol Bureau is just a decoration!"

"Yes! Please rest assured, sir, our people are already on the move."

"These kinds of things are often known to be obtained in advance by various gangs and thugs."

"This is one of our General Patrol Bureau's strengths. Right now, all the gangs in the city are helping us gather information!"

"Let's hope so, and that your General Patrol Bureau won't mess things up again in this matter!"

"Otherwise, I really wouldn't be able to save face!"

"With such a major case happening in the capital of the Philippine Protectorate, it's impossible for it not to become famous!"

"We'll definitely be a negative example at the year-end performance review meeting of the Protectorate General..."

-------------------------------------

"Sir!"

"Liao Xingwen, deputy director of the Secret Intelligence Bureau, has arrived."

"Oh? Deputy Director Liao has come in person?"

"Quickly bring him to my office, I'll be right there."

"Meeting adjourned, Director Chen. You'd better keep a close eye on the things I've assigned you, and report any intelligence to the military immediately."

"Yes!"

.............................

"Deputy Director Liao, please have a seat!"

"Xiao Liu, go make two cups of tea, my throat is parched."

"I heard that the intelligence bureau was sending people, but I didn't expect Deputy Director Liao to come in person."

"Thank you for your trouble, Deputy Director Liao..."

"My mind is still completely blank!"

"I never dreamed that such a terrible thing could happen in the Great Qian Dynasty."

"This is simply outrageous and a blatant provocation against the imperial court!"

"These militants are absolutely outrageous..."

"Did the Protector-General just finish a meeting?"

"Yes! This is such a huge mess, we need to fix it as soon as possible..."

"Although the military is fully in charge of this matter, we still have to do our best to cooperate."

"Deputy Director Liao must have seen the situation in Feicheng when he came, right?"

As he spoke, Zheng Tianyi casually turned on the television in the office, which was broadcasting a live news report.

All I could see were soldiers of the Daqian Zhenguo Army.

Tanks and armored vehicles were also shuttling back and forth on the road...

"The entire city of Philippine is now in a state of panic."

"If we don't find these audacious armed men, the people of Philippine City will be at risk of disaster at any time..."

"Fortunately, there have been no civilian casualties so far, which is a blessing in disguise."

Liao Xingwen's tone was also unusually heavy: "This matter has caused an uproar in the capital."

"The Chief of Staff and our Director both attach great importance to this matter."

"I've been appointed to this critical mission..."

"I'm here to take over this matter."

"In order to find these extremely dangerous militants as soon as possible, there are some things that will require the cooperation of the Protector General."

"Deputy Director Liao, please feel free to speak up if there's anything we at the Philippine Protectorate need to assist you with!"

"As long as this matter can be resolved as soon as possible, I'm willing to personally take up a gun and fight those thugs!"

"You jest, Protector-General..."

“Then I’ll be frank—to be on the safe side, we hope to conduct a thorough investigation of the entire city of Fiji.”

“A comprehensive investigation must be conducted on the residences of all functional departments and officials at all levels of the Protectorate.”

"This is also for everyone's safety, and I hope the Protector-General can understand."

"Deputy Director Liao, it's just the two of us here, so please give me a heads-up."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Tianyi immediately understood Liao Xingwen's implication: "You suspect that someone on our side is involved in this matter?"

"Collusion between insiders and outsiders? There's a mole within?"

"Based on the information we have so far..." Liao Xingwen didn't mince words and stated directly, "This is the most likely possibility!"

"Judging from their deployment of actions and the entire operation of robbing the gold, they are definitely a group of experts."

"Since they dared to make a move, they must have already planned a backup plan."

"However, everyone knows the current situation in the Philippines."

"Under these circumstances, with so much gold and so many people, it's simply impossible for them to escape from Feicheng."

"The military controls all the major transportation routes in the city."

"They won't be able to slip away right under the military's nose."

"Therefore, the best way is to store the looted gold in a place in the city that they believe will never be discovered."

"To achieve this, it would be impossible without the help of an insider."

Liao Xingwen analyzed to Zheng Tianyi: "Moreover, if our suspicion is correct."

"Then—the mole involved probably holds a high position in the Philippine Protectorate!"

"Moreover, the other party's identity must provide some form of cover for these bandits..."

"His status wouldn't be low, the advantages of his position..." Zheng Tianyi muttered to himself, following Liao Xingwen's train of thought, "Could it be..."

"Your Excellency Protector-General, do you have a suspect?" Liao Xingwen asked upon seeing Zheng Tianyi's expression.

"Following this line of reasoning, I am reminded of someone."

Zheng Tianyi looked uncertain: "Regarding the mention of using one's position for personal gain..."

"Isn't the General Patrol Bureau the most suspicious?"

"This explains how so many militants were able to infiltrate without our knowledge."

“I brought up this issue in the meeting just now and gave Chen Yuanxiu, the head of the General Inspection Bureau, a good scolding.”

"Now that I think about it—could the problem lie with Chen Yuanxiu?"

"Chen Yuanxiu, Director of the Philippine Patrol Bureau?" Upon hearing Zheng Tianyi's suspicion, Liao Xingwen, who had thought he could find a breakthrough, was greatly disappointed.

Because Liao Xingwen, who knew the inside story of "Project Firefly," was very clear in his mind—this could absolutely not have been done by Chen Yuanxiu, the chief inspector........................

After all, in Chen Yuanxiu's view, most of the stolen gold was his "dividend"!

This is a business he's protecting, how could it possibly be him...................

However, Liao Xingwen naturally wouldn't reveal the inside story in front of Zheng Tianyi.

"That shouldn't be the case, right?"

"Alright, let's not alert them yet, and especially not to Chen Yuanxiu. I will handle this matter personally."

"We will focus our investigation on Chen Yuanxiu's residence and the General Patrol Bureau's office building."

"Alright! Let's start with me then."

“I’ll set an example for my colleagues in the Protectorate: if you’re going to investigate, start with me, the Protector-General.”

"It also saves some colleagues from feeling uncomfortable."

"Like I said before—it's all for solving the case!"

"We, the Protectorate, have only two principles: understanding and cooperation."

"These militants hiding in Philippine City are like a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment!"

"For the safety of all the people in the city, this matter must be resolved as soon as possible......................."

"Sigh..." Zheng Tianyi said with a wry smile, "This really proves the old saying—'When you're sitting at home, trouble comes from nowhere!'"

"It's not that I'm afraid of losing my position because of this."

"The development of the Philippine Protectorate is at a critical stage, and many economic projects that benefit the people are underway."

"Many of these projects were personally approved and planned by me, and it would be a great regret for me personally not to see them completed......................."

“Your Excellency, there is no need to be so pessimistic.”

Liao Xingwen then comforted him, saying, "Everyone knows how sudden this incident was, so it's no wonder you're not the Protector-General."

This cannot be blamed on Zheng Tianyi—in truth, the root of the matter lies in a sudden incident triggered by the "Firefly Project."

If Zheng Tianyi knew that the root of this matter lay with the Secret Intelligence Bureau.

It's estimated that Liao Xingwen will be greeted with a sour face right now....................