Chapter 386 Water Tripe

It was around 10:30 PM.

Li Yuan drove Su Tianyu to a very affordable snack street in the Longkou District. It was brightly lit, with food stalls lining the roadside, bustling with tourists and a lively atmosphere.

After the car stopped, Su Tianyu got out and casually asked, "Does the mayor eat here too?"

"You don't know this, but our leaders actually live quite frugally," Li Yuan replied softly. "He suffered a lot when he was young. He even took the blame and spent more than two years in prison because of the mass migration issue. If he hadn't been exonerated later, his political career would have been over."

Su Tianyu nodded, not asking for details.

The two weaved through the crowd and entered a small restaurant specializing in boiled tripe, heading up to the second floor.

Su Tianyu scanned the room and saw Li Mingsheng sitting at a table away from the window and close to the corner.

"Leader."

"Uncle!"

Su Tianyu and Li Yuan walked over and greeted Li Mingsheng quietly.

"Sit down," Li Mingsheng said. "The menu here is quite simple, just boiled tripe and the like. Order whatever you want, it's on me."

"Haha, alright," Su Tianyu said with a smile, taking the menu and ordering a large bowl of boiled tripe with some extra side dishes.

Li Mingsheng, sweating from his brow as he ate, wiped his mouth with a napkin and said, "Li Yuan told me you came back from the Old Triangle after a near-death experience?"

"Yes."

"Tell me about it, what exactly happened?" Li Mingsheng asked.

Su Tianyu had come to Li Mingsheng today with the intention of seeking support, so he immediately recounted his experiences in the Old Triangle in detail, including his conversations with Gui Mengjun and You Yifan.

After listening, Li Mingsheng chuckled softly, "You really did have a near-death experience."

"Yes, if the Gui family hadn't valued my relationship with Zhao Weihu, I wouldn't have had the chance to eat boiled tripe with you today," Su Tianyu said with a helpless smile.

Li Mingsheng took a sip of water and looked up at Su Tianyu, asking, "Do you think Gui Mengjun is dead?"

"I don't think so," Su Tianyu shook his head. "If he were dead, the Gui family wouldn't have reacted so quickly in saving us."

Li Mingsheng held his teacup in both hands, nodding slowly as he asked, "Did you understand anything about the military supplies business in the Sinaloa, Casallo, and southern Mexico regions during this trip?!"

Li's words were a kind of test, he wanted to observe Su Tianyu's sensitivity to the political situation.

Su Tianyu thought carefully and shook his head slowly. "To be honest, leader, although I understood some things, I'm still in a state of half-understanding. For example, with Gui Mengjun's intelligence, he should know that giving only one quota to the Casallo and Sinaloa regions would cause infighting, it would be very bloody, but he still did it. Also, I don't understand why the Gui family insists on taking everything for themselves. Wouldn't it be better for everyone to share the cake? Why bother making themselves the target of a group attack?"

Li Mingsheng glanced at Su Tianyu and asked softly, "Regarding the one quota issue, there is a core, do you know who that core is?"

Su Tianyu replied almost without thinking, "It must be my brother Zhao Weihu."

"Okay! Then what kind of qualities does Zhao Weihu have that attract so much attention from bigwigs?" Li Mingsheng asked again.

Su Tianyu frowned. "He's a private armed force overseas, tens of thousands of miles away from the Old Triangle, what qualities does he have...?!"

Li Mingsheng looked at Su Tianyu and deliberately hinted, "Don't use a profit-driven mindset to consider this, you have to use a political mindset."

Su Tianyu was stunned for a long time after hearing this, and carefully considered it under Li Mingsheng's guidance. He suddenly realized the unique characteristics of the Chi Army, and immediately blurted out, "Purely Han Chinese armed force!"

"Hehe," Li Mingsheng looked at Su Tianyu and nodded in satisfaction. "That's it. The Chi Army is currently active around District One, and it's the only Han Chinese armed force that doesn't listen to the official army."

Su Tianyu finally understood Li Mingsheng's meaning: "Are you saying that Gui Mengjun only set up one quota in the Sinaloa and Casallo regions, not of his own volition, but the meaning of the political backer behind him?"

Li Mingsheng nodded slowly. "Yes, that is the meaning of Little Prince of the Southwest. You must remember that since ancient times, military supplies deals with official backgrounds must have additional political demands hidden in them. Making money is very secondary."

"I understand," Su Tianyu suddenly realized. "It's not that Gui Mengjun himself wanted to monopolize the Casallo and Sinaloa regions, but there were hints from above, and he had to do it, so he found me before the exhibition started and tested my intentions."

Li Yuan also chimed in, "Gui Mengjun must also have had the intention to take this hint and completely secure the top spot in this industry. Internal strife not only originates from the upper levels, but the lower levels also have their own games, after all, whoever is in the top spot gets to divide a bigger cake."

"Xiao Li's views are very mature," Li Mingsheng praised his secretary.

Su Tianyu blinked. "Then, does that mean that the Prince of the Southwest's control over the Old Triangle is very weak? Otherwise, who would dare to touch his front man? Wouldn't that be courting death?"

Li Mingsheng waved his hand and explained in detail, "Silence doesn't mean weak control, but perhaps there are trade-offs. In the Old Triangle, Governor Pu has been bedridden for nearly a year, he is too old and can't hold on for much longer. And the Prince of the Southwest is new to the area, he won't get angry over this and stir up trouble. The strength of the Hua District will definitely affect the Old Triangle, but it depends on what the matter is and whether it's necessary! If Gui Mengjun screws up, he can just replace him with someone else, why bother causing trouble for the local families? Wouldn't that be creating a foolish image for himself?!"

Today, Li Mingsheng's words were full of guidance and advice, helping Su Tianyu improve his political vision. Because no matter how smart a person is, if their position is not high enough, they cannot imagine what the upper-level political games are like.

Su Tianyu finally unraveled all the mysteries in his heart. He stared blankly at Li Mingsheng and suddenly asked, "Uncle, have you been watching for so long, and you asked me here today, is it also for the Chi Army, this only Han Chinese armed force?"

Li Mingsheng smiled at Su Tianyu and replied softly, "I won't support a bandit army that committed a hijacking in Dragon City, but I think you should support them."

"If something happens, you'll cover for me, is that what you mean?" Su Tianyu asked sideways.

"You really are very smart..."

"Uncle, I'm your nephew, flesh and blood!" Su Tianyu emphasized.

...

That night, Su Tianyu lay on his bed, worried about the manpower issue for his future return to the Old Triangle.

After careful consideration, Su Tianyu dialed a number.

After a busy tone, a man's voice rang out, "Hello? Password."

"Dragon City, your Sixth Brother!"