Chapter 119 Settling Down

During the meal, Xiang Jingyang didn't discuss any serious matters with Gui Mengjun, Su Tianyu, and Yu Mingyuan. They simply ate and chatted about everyday things.

As the meal ended and time grew short, Xiao Qinglong entered to remind Xiang Jingyang that he needed to prepare for his departure.

Xiang Jingyang slowly nodded, stood up, and looked at a piece of calligraphy recently hung above his desk. He called out to the guard at the door, "Take it down and have Xiao Su give it to Zhao Weihu. Consider it a gift from me."

Hearing this, Su Tianyu and the others looked up at the calligraphy on the wall.

*With a million lions striking the southern sky, banners fluttering in the wind,*

*Ten thousand miles of China yearning for each other, bloodlines connected.*

This calligraphy was written by a revered monk from the Sichuan region for Xiang Jingyang's father when he led his troops on a distant expedition. It wasn't a prophecy or prediction, just the thoughts and concerns of a fellow countryman.

The three watched as the guard carefully took down the calligraphy and sealed it in a special cylinder.

Xiang Jingyang took the cylinder and handed it to Su Tianyu. "Although the Hua region is unified, we still have tens of millions of compatriots scattered overseas. Give this calligraphy to Zhao Weihu. I hope his armed forces can not only make money and fight wars, but also protect the interests of overseas Chinese."

Su Tianyu immediately understood. "Thank you, Commander, for the calligraphy. My big brother will definitely be very happy and will hang it above his desk."

"Haha, as long as he doesn't secretly throw it away," Xiang Jingyang replied half-jokingly. He took the coat handed to him by the guard and, as he walked out, said softly, "Tianyu, Mingyuan, I heard you two started an association in Dragon City?"

Yu Mingyuan paused, then replied, "Yes, mainly to protect the interests of the Chinese."

Xiang Jingyang didn't seem to agree. He pointed at Yu Mingyuan and said, "You can make money first, gain a foothold first, and then protect the interests of your compatriots. Don't start with such lofty goals, because no one will believe you. Don't you think?"

Yu Mingyuan gave an awkward smile and slowly nodded.

"Hehe, do a good job."

The group chatted as they walked out of the office.

Xiang Jingyang stopped and extended his hand to the three of them. "Goodbye."

The three immediately stepped forward to shake his hand, offering their farewells. Xiang Jingyang smiled at Yu Mingyuan and Su Tianyu, patted them on the shoulders, and then decisively turned and left.

The three watched the young Commander leave. Xiao Qinglong immediately gestured. "This way, please!"

Su Tianyu glanced at the calligraphy in his hand and grinned. "Hey, my big brother is really becoming a hot commodity."

This meeting was just the beginning of a relationship. Given Xiang Jingyang's position, he couldn't discuss military equipment deals or how to make big money with Su Tianyu and Yu Mingyuan, nor could he inquire about the specific details of the military equipment business. Those were things for his subordinates to consider.

A meal and a piece of calligraphy – Xiang Jingyang's intentions were clear. The rest depended on how much Su Tianyu and Yu Mingyuan could understand.

Of course, Su Tianyu wasn't stupid. The moment Xiang Jingyang gave him the calligraphy, he already knew what the other party meant.

Around eight o'clock that evening, inside the barracks of the garrison regiment in the suburbs of Hanoi.

Da Bai excitedly unfurled the calligraphy, saying with envy, "Damn it, this Commander actually gave you something?"

"I might be taking off anytime between tonight and tomorrow morning," Su Tianyu said, sitting in his chair. "There's still time for you to suck up to me. Once I take off, even a rope won't pull you up."

Da Bai slapped him on the back of the head. "Speak clearly, what kind of sucking up? How?"

"Hahaha!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Gui Mengjun looked at everyone with his hands behind his back, smiling. "Alright, stop joking around. I'm about to head back too. Let's talk about serious matters."

Hearing this, everyone gathered together to discuss how to divide the spoils and how to deal with the future trouble that the You family of Zha Nan Port might bring.

…

Two days later, in an elegant tea room in the Longkou district of Dragon City.

Jing Yan sat in his chair, looking at Zhang Ming, the vice president of the dockworkers' association, and said, "I've made up my mind. I'm still going to support you to take over."

Vice President Zhang Ming was the greedy person who had extorted Gu Baisun several times in the past. He had a long history and considerable power in the dockworkers' association, but he didn't have any direct subordinates in the various halls and branches. It was only recently that he took the opportunity to support Little Gu as the boss of Longkou district, but this was secretly instructed by Jing Yan.

Over the years, Zhang Ming had mainly done one thing: desperately sucking up to Jing Yan. He knew that the heads of the various branches were all monolithic and had close ties with the elders of the General Labor Union. It was impossible to infiltrate them, so he knew that trying to cultivate his own faction was difficult and exhausting.

So, Zhang Ming simply chose to lie flat, thinking that as long as he sucked up to the president, things wouldn't be too bad.

However, today, when Jing Yan said he wanted to put him in charge, Zhang Ming was indeed a little confused, feeling that happiness had come too suddenly. His voice even stammered, "President, what did you say…?"

"I'm stepping down, and you're stepping up," Jing Yan replied expressionlessly.

Zhang Ming was even more confused. His first thought was whether this guy was testing him. But there was no reason to do that. He was just a lone commander; was there really any need to test him?

"President, I don't quite understand…!"

"I've encountered some things. You'll understand in a few days," Jing Yan didn't explain much, looking at him and saying, "After careful consideration, of all the vice presidents, only you and I are the most loyal."

"Of course, I'll do whatever you say. There's no doubt about that. But…?"

"Don't overthink it. I'll pave the way for you," Jing Yan took out a stack of documents from his bag, handed them to Zhang Ming, and whispered, "Before you start implementing this, find someone to report the people in this information."

"Report to whom?"

"The regulatory commission," Jing Yan replied, lighting a cigarette. "Once you report, someone will take the bait. I'll handle the rest."

Although Zhang Ming couldn't guess what Jing Yan was planning, he was still somewhat excited. He took the documents and suddenly felt that his big opportunity had arrived.

"What about Gu Baisun? Has he returned?" Jing Yan asked.

"He's back. He's in Longkou."

"Hmm, his background in the union is clean. He can be used in the future," Jing Yan considered for a moment. "In the next few days, I'll call some of the old members of the union to discuss how to support you."

"Okay, I'll listen to you," Zhang Ming nodded.

…

Xiao Shuangniu Island.

The exhibition had completely ended. The other winning participating teams are not worth mentioning for the moment, except to say that the exclusive distribution rights for the Xinaluo and Casaro regions ultimately fell to a company called Tianxing, while all other teams were eliminated.

Tianxing Company was a trade group registered in District One, and the investors behind it were the Tongji Society and the Zhou family.

At this point, after many obstacles, Yu Mingyuan's team finally saw the light!