C168 (1/2)
Chapter 168 - Complicated Intelligence Warfare
The Tanggu City was currently being run by Xiao Letian like an iron bucket. Outside the city, in the countless warehouses and villas set up by the merchants, the figures of Xiao Letian's forces could be seen.
Although many of the businesses that were owned by the Keeper Niu or other merchants were secretly taken over by Xiao Letian, the entire Tanggu's business circle belonged to him and he was in a complicated situation. And all of these had only one goal, and that was to hide Xiao Letian's true strength.
In a storage area outside the Tanggu City, there were cotton, silk, linen, and imported velvet fabrics. This was a warehouse belonging to a famous cloth merchant in the Tanggu, it was normal and normal.
However, in this ordinary warehouse, there was a secret door that was quietly pushed open from the deepest part of the wooden wall. The sound of wailing in fear came from the inside.
”Great sir! Great masters! I will confess! I will confess all of them!” I will confess anything you ask! ” The one who had a face full of fear was Huang Liu's butler. In front of him was a group of black-clothed people covered in black cloth, looking at him sinisterly.
He only remembered that he had been temporarily locked up in the yamen's prison. Normally, he would only be able to pay the fines for such a small crime and then be released on the same day. However, he didn't know why, but after drinking a bowl of water for a while, he started to feel drowsy.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in complete darkness. There was not even a speck of light around him. He could not even sense a single strand of flowing air. The butler was timid to begin with, but he found himself tied to a chair, scared to the point that he was sweating profusely.
”Who?” ”Who's here?” The butler suddenly discovered that there were several indistinct breaths beside him, causing his voice to change. Then a match was lit and a Western-made wind lantern was lit.
Looking at the mysterious person covered by a black veil, the steward had peed his pants when he felt the heat.
Without needing these people to do anything, the butler miserably shouted, ”I confess, I confess everything, I say everything you ask me. I've never done anything wicked in my life, I burn incense and chant buddhist scriptures, I respect my elders and my young, I will build bridges and mend the roads …”
The several mysterious people did not expect this butler to be so cowardly. They looked at each other and revealed a relaxed expression. ”We've already figured out your background. This tablet of yours isn't bad and you still have a bit of conscience. Therefore, we won't make things difficult for you. As long as you answer the question honestly …”
”Don't worry, I'll be honest. I'll be honest …” The butler nodded his head like he was pounding garlic.
”Tell us everything clearly, why did Huang Liu attack the Industrial Zones? Who else was behind him? And who are they meeting up with, where are they hiding in the Tanggu … ”
Apparently, the steward had never been trained as a spy. He had never been trained for the defense against torture. After being slightly intimidated by them, he had lost everything he had.
Under the butler's instructions, a person called Sun Sanhu surfaced. Yes, he is the manager brought by Fan Lian, the big brother. Although he is the manager of the Guangde in name, his true identity is very suspicious.
In the butler's memory, Sun Sanhu had hooked up with their young master a month ago. This man who called himself the envoy from the capital and the Young Master had talked to him in private in the study room for a good half a day.
”Our Young Master used to read books for about two to four hours every day, but since that day, he had never touched a book again. Not only that, he had said many times that he was bound to win the examinations. It was also from that time onwards that Young Master ordered us to spread rumors in the four villages of Tanggu. Currently, 90% of the rumors on the streets are actually made up by our Young Master … ”
”My lords, please don't kill me. I have never done anything wicked in my life. They forced me to do this. Wuu …” As he spoke, the butler started crying.
There was no longer any need for questioning until now. When the butler's information was combined with the information from the previous spies, they were finally able to determine that Sun Sanhu was the person in charge of the renegade forces in Tanggu City.
Since he was able to determine the position of High Scholar, it showed that the fellow had a close relationship with Qing Liu. Furthermore, Dragon Lord had tested his inner force skills and was very close to the Red Sect Protector's faction.
~ This is a little strange, could this Sun Sanhu be a great character who can step on two boats and receive the support of both the imperial family and Qing Liu at the same time? Or had Qing Liu and the royal family reached some secret agreement?
After walking out of the secret dungeon, Wang Huaiyuan took off his mask, lightly tapped the cloth beside him with his fist and said to his subordinates in a low voice, ”From now on, the number of people monitoring Sun Sanhu will double, and also keep a close eye on Jiao Si'er and the rest. If Jiao Si'er and the others were to take orders from Sun Sanhu, it would be very dangerous …”
The scout at Wang Huaiyuan's side received the order and left. At the same time, the main character that was watching over them, Sun Sanhu, was chatting with Fan Ru in the inner chamber of the Guangde.
”old shopkeeper, Beijing is urging us again, can you convince your brother or not? This is the first time I have seen such a stubborn old geezer, I wonder what kind of Ecstasy did Xiao Letian give him … ”
As Fan Ru looked at the gloomy face of Sun Sanhu, a trace of coldness involuntarily emerged from the bottom of his heart. This manager was recommended by Weng Tonghe's family's butler. This was not a person a small merchant could offend.
Sun Sanhu was extremely honest with the old shopkeeper. He had clearly told the old shopkeeper that he was here to deal with Xiao Letian, but at the same time that he was doing so, he couldn't mistakenly kill the golden egg chicken that was the Letian Firm. In short, he wanted to go overseas and didn't want Xiao Letian, and the only person who was familiar with the business of the Letian Firm was Fan Lian.