Chapter 350: Time for Settling Accounts

Yesterday morning, a violent incident occurred on Dongdan Street, resulting in injuries to several civilians. The capital police quickly responded and, with the help of the local citizens, apprehended the criminals. This incident clearly demonstrated the close relationship between the people and the public security officers. Any attempt to disrupt the stability and unity of the people is destined to fail, and the armed police officers showed great bravery during the capture.

A brief news article of just over a hundred words was published in the newspaper the next day, simply reporting the Dongdan incident. The report was placed in a corner of the newspaper, but even so, it perfectly reflected the standard format of the propaganda release.

In a private room at a teahouse in the center of Nanjiang City, Tan Qianjun, Jiang Chunhua, and Tao Guoling were having morning tea. However, all three of them had furrowed brows, deep in thought, with untouched snacks in front of them. A newspaper was spread out on the table, with parts of the article reporting the Dongdan incident marked with a pen.

Compared to ordinary people, the three of them, being children of influential families, were privy to deeper insights.

They understood more than just the words in the newspaper. With just a phone call, they could find out exactly what had happened in Dongdan at that time. They also knew the potential impact of this incident, which is why they were so troubled.

"Brother Tan, who would have thought that this guy's mind was so fragile? After all, he was one of the elite soldiers selected from millions in the military, and the state invested so much to train him. How could he not bear a little pressure and end up doing something like this? It's simply outrageous!" Jiang Chunhua said irritably.

Tan Qianjun shook his head and said, "Actually, whether this guy has psychological resilience is not the point. What's important is how he managed to leave the capital garrison with a gun."

This statement brought a sudden realization to Jiang Chunhua, clearly showing that Tan Qianjun had thought more deeply about the matter.

Jiang Chunhua suddenly realized, indeed, when they had someone report that his wife was pregnant with a second child and had the local authorities deal with it strictly, they had considered the possibility that something unexpected might happen. However, they didn't worry too much, as he was in the capital garrison camp, surrounded by well-trained soldiers. Even an army unit would have a hard time breaking through without heavy weapons, so how could he escape, as he wasn't invincible?

But now, the situation was that he did escape, and with a gun, after killing one of his relatives. This was too strange!

"Damn it, this must be Zhou Ming's doing!" Tao Guoling suddenly exclaimed.

"Guoling, don't just shout nonsense. What rank is Zhou Ming? Could he really influence the capital garrison? Even Du Peng doesn't have that power!" Jiang Chunhua said disapprovingly to Tao Guoling.

But Tan Qianjun supported Tao Guoling's words: "Guoling might be a bit paranoid, but he's not entirely wrong. Whether or not Zhou Ming planned this, someone like him wouldn't miss an opportunity like this."

Jiang Chunhua thought for a moment and agreed with Tan Qianjun: "You're right, Zhou Ming is very shrewd. He will definitely make a big deal out of this."

Hearing Tan Qianjun and Jiang Chunhua finally agreeing with him, Tao Guoling became excited: "Exactly, that's why I've been saying we must strike first. We need to kill Zhou Ming; we can't let such a troublemaker live!"

"You don't need to tell me that, Guoling. I won't wait for Zhou Ming to make a move."

Tan Qianjun said this and then turned the conversation towards Tao Guoling: "But Guoling, you're moving too slowly. It's been so long, and how much of your funds have you managed to gather? At this rate, when will we be ready with our setup in Lingnan?"

"Brother Tan, I've told you, once Zhou Ming is dead, I'll release the funds." Tao Guoling repeated.

This made Tan Qianjun furious, though as the top figure in the capital, he didn't lose his temper loudly but instead sneered and said to Tao Guoling: "Guoling, Xiao Hua and I have always treated you as a brother, that's why we've been helping you. But now, are you no longer treating us as brothers?"

"Of course, I consider you and Hua Shao as my brothers, but I also have my principles," Tao Guoling said.

"Your principles, huh?" Tan Qianjun said, a flash of coldness in his eyes.

...

At the same time, in Yanjing in the north, Zhou Ming was at the train station, picking up Du Peng, who had just returned from Yinshan. Zhou Ming drove him to a restaurant for a meal.

Even though there were only two of them, Zhou Ming felt that he was wealthy enough to be extravagant and booked a private room. As soon as they sat down and before the waiter even served the food, Du Peng couldn't wait to ask: "Zhou Ming, what's going on in Yanjing? I heard that someone caused trouble in Dongdan?"

Zhou Ming smiled bitterly and said, "It caused quite a stir, with many casualties. I'm afraid he'll face a military court this time."

"Damn!" Du Peng exclaimed in shock. "That guy couldn't keep his cool? How could he lose it and cause trouble like this? I went to Yinshan for nothing."

Zhou Ming waved his hand and then asked Du Peng: "His fate depends on how the central authorities handle it. After all, the whole thing seems suspicious. I don't think all the blame should fall on him alone."

As the grandson of the President, Du Peng had good political insight and immediately responded: "Zhou Ming, are you suspecting that someone orchestrated this? Analyzing the situation, it does seem that way. Otherwise, no matter how formidable he is, the capital garrison isn't made up of pushovers. How could one man break through armed checkpoints? There's definitely something fishy here. But who would have pulled the strings, and why?"

Du Peng furrowed his brows and continued to analyze: "The most unfortunate ones in this are the Tan family. Although the official who illegally opened his letters was from the Tan family, and he was seeking revenge against the Tan family, the Tan family wouldn't be foolish enough to set themselves up for this. So, it's likely the work of an opponent of the Tan family. But who could it be, and why would they do this?"

Zhou Ming shook his head helplessly and said: "Alright, stop playing Sherlock Holmes here. Since it has already happened, there's no point in dwelling on it. Whoever did this, it doesn't concern us. We should focus on the future."

"You're right, Zhou Ming!" Du Peng snapped his fingers. "Since someone went to great lengths to orchestrate this, they must have follow-up actions planned. We can cooperate with them and make a big deal out of this!"

Finally, Du Peng gave Zhou Ming a thumbs up and said: "Zhou Ming, you're amazing! It's a pity you're not in government service."

"Forget it. With the things I've done, if I were in government, I'd never get promoted. I'd better stick to business and aim to become a tycoon." Zhou Ming continued, "And as you said, if they have the ability to pull this off, there will definitely be more moves. So I think we shouldn't make a big deal out of this ourselves."

"Not make a big deal out of this? Why not? This is a great opportunity!" Du Peng was very surprised.

"Because if they dared to pull this off, they have enough power to bring down the Tan family."

Zhou Ming said this with great confidence, as in his previous life, this incident led to the disbandment of the entire capital garrison, and it also implicated the issue of political officers illegally opening soldiers' letters. The central authorities dealt heavy blows in these matters, severely damaging the Tan family.

Du Peng nodded, half-understanding, and then asked Zhou Ming: "Since you say they can take down the Tan family, and we don't need to get involved, what should we do now?"

Faced with this question, Zhou Ming wasn't in a hurry to answer. He took a deep breath and then said: "We've retreated from Nanjiang to Linyang, and I was almost driven out of the country by Tan Dashao. But I'm not the type to take things lying down. Now, it's time for us to settle the score. We don't need to make a big deal out of this, but we should cooperate with the mastermind to bring down the Tan family!"

Zhou Ming's answer shocked Du Peng, but neither Zhou Ming nor Du Peng could have imagined that this statement from Zhou Ming aligned perfectly with the thoughts of a very important figure.

In a side hall in Zhongnanhai, the two highest leaders of the country, Yang Dingguo and Du Zhongyuan, were having tea and chatting. Du Zhongyuan put down the newspaper and said to Yang Dingguo: "I didn't expect them to really go through with it."

Yang Dingguo took a sip of tea and said, "When it comes to interests, there's nothing people won't dare to do. The Tan family has held onto power at the central level for too long, blocking many people's interests. They've been unhappy with the Tan family for a long time. Now that this

 incident has occurred, of course, they'll seize the opportunity to make a move."

"What you say is true, Yang Lao. But it was also because of your keen foresight that you promptly brought their people into the central government. Otherwise, they wouldn't have acted so quickly." Du Zhongyuan said. Yang Dingguo just chuckled without commenting further. Du Zhongyuan then asked: "I know you've been paying attention to that young man named Zhou Ming. What do you think he'll do? Will he make a big deal out of this?"

If it were anyone else, Du Zhongyuan wouldn't have asked this question, as most people wouldn't have the capability. But Zhou Ming—Du Zhongyuan had a hunch that this young man might surprise him.

Yang Dingguo pondered for a while and said: "If Zhou Ming only makes a big deal out of this, then his vision is still too short-sighted."

Du Zhongyuan raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised that Yang Lao had an even higher opinion: "So what's your take on it?"

"He will surely set his sights on something further. Now is the time for him to settle accounts. Let's wait and see." Yang Dingguo said.