Chen Liben: "General, if you're not feeling well, you should rest. I'll handle these matters."
Wu Guodong: "Wang Dong was brought up by me. After what happened today, I have to be at the scene. Guards, bring me my uniform. I'll accompany Brigade Commander Chen to deal with the traitor."
His resolve left Chen Liben no room to argue. He took a step back, allowing the attendant to help him change and groom himself.
Once Wu Guodong was dressed, he strode out of the room ahead of everyone else, heading directly towards the center of the drill ground without an escort.
Chen Liben followed closely behind, maintaining his posture as an aide, respectfully trailing Wu Guodong.
Upon reaching the center of the drill ground, chairs had already been set up for Wu Guodong. Chen Liben walked to the front of the assembled soldiers, glancing at Wang Dong, who was tied to a pillar, and the assassin lying on the ground. Wang Dong, his mouth gagged, saw Chen Liben approaching and reacted as if seeing a lifeline, whimpering and trying to say something. Chen Liben walked up to him and slapped him across the face, silencing him.
Wu Guodong did not look in their direction, his gaze fixed straight ahead.
Chen Liben returned to the center of the formation, took the microphone from a service member, and declared with authority, "Fellow colleagues! A grave incident has occurred today. A small group has conspired to rebel and assassinate the General. Through our diligent efforts, we have apprehended the traitor hidden by the General's side, the scoundrel Wang Dong, and the assassins he hired! Today, I, on behalf of the highest military committee, sentence these two heinous conspirators to death, to be executed immediately! Shooting squad, step forward!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a line of armed soldiers emerged from the formation and marched to Chen Liben.
Chen Liben: "By my command, escort these two traitors to the execution ground and carry out the firing squad!"
Wang Dong struggled violently against the pillar. Two soldiers struck him on the head with their rifle butts, and his head immediately drooped.
Following this, several soldiers dragged them away. After a moment, several gunshots rang out. I knew Wang Dong had gone to report to heaven or hell.
Did Wang Dong deserve to die? Yes! He sold out his master for glory; such a person deserves death. However, to shoot him without any interrogation or questioning seemed questionable.
Chen Liben's actions were clearly a cover-up.
In this regard, Wang Dong's death was somewhat unjust, being shot without even being allowed to speak.
If he had uttered even a single word detrimental to Chen Liben in front of everyone, it would have been fatal for Chen Liben, and Wu Guodong could have dismissed him from his post.
Therefore, his immediate arrival was to silence Wang Dong, turn him into a corpse, and let him leave this world with his secrets.
After dealing with Wang Dong's matter, two attendants accompanied Wu Guodong back to his room. Chen Liben gave further instructions to the soldiers and then came to bid farewell to Wu Guodong before leaving the military camp.
Wu Guodong sat in his chair, watching Chen Liben's retreating back with a blank expression. Perhaps, after so many years of military service, he had experienced and seen too much to be surprised by people like Chen Liben, who outwardly obeyed but inwardly defied.
As Chen Liben departed, the General said, "You all will be leaving here tomorrow to return to the mainland. Frankly, I'm reluctant to see you go, but you all have your own affairs, and it's not practical for you to stay. I can only look forward to seeing you again on your next visit. Today, I've prepared a humble drink. Please join me for a toast; it's a gesture of hospitality. I thank the divine doctor for saving my life and Li Hua for his righteous sacrifice, disregarding his own safety to eliminate this threat! You dug out the bomb buried beside me, and for this, I can never fully repay your kindness in this lifetime."
The divine doctor immediately stood up and said, "General, your words are too kind. It is my duty to treat and save people, and Li Hua's willingness to risk his life shows his spirit and sense of justice. Without removing this threat, his endeavors would not be able to develop, and his personal safety would not be guaranteed. In a sense, this is also for their own good. General, you truly don't need to be so formal."
General: "I am ashamed. I, Wu Guodong, have lived for over sixty years, and today I am truly moved by you two gentlemen. This kind of selfless great love is something we can't even imagine here. This society, apart from being driven by profit, is filled with deception, intrigue, and murder. It seems your ideology and policies are truly great. People adhere to social ethics and maintain social order, which is the only way for the populace to live and work in peace and happiness."
As he spoke, attendants began setting up tables in the living room, and people from the restaurant brought in bowls, chopsticks, and dishes.
Wu Guodong sat in the center, with the divine doctor and me seated on his left and right, respectively.
The attendants poured each of us a cup of Baijiu, our local renowned liquor. For him, they poured a cup of plain water.
He raised his cup, reiterated his thanks, and then drank it down in one gulp.
His body was just recovering, and he couldn't consume alcohol.
We also followed suit and drank ours.
The cups were about 2.5 liang each, so two cups were half a jin.
I hadn't drunk with the divine doctor before, but it seemed he had some capacity for alcohol.
The attendants refilled our cups. This time, the General said nothing, gestured with his cup, and drank again.
Although he drank plain water, it held the same significance as Baijiu. Since he drank, we had to as well.
Our brand, 53c Jiangxiang, hit the head with a single sip!
We both tilted our heads back and finished.
Wu Guodong's hometown is a renowned region for high-quality Baijiu, so his standards for liquor must be high. It was evident that he was once a formidable drinker.
After three cups of wine, Wu Guodong finally picked up his chopsticks and invited us to eat.
Even the drinking followed mainland customs.
While I could handle some Baijiu, drinking like Wu Guodong was a first for me.
He drank seven or eight liang in one go.
Fortunately, it was good liquor. Although my head was a bit fuzzy, I could manage.