Chapter 189 The Situation in Hua Lei Town

The next morning, around seven o'clock, Su Tianyu and his group arrived at the Hua Lei living town, and the scene here surprised them.

The town's once clean streets had become incredibly dirty, with various types of garbage piled on the roads, completely unmanaged. At least seventy percent of the shops lining the streets were closed. It was rare to see pedestrians; nearly all were Chǐ Army soldiers, making the place seem desolate and empty.

Su Tianyu and the others entered the town and took a car to the Chǐ Army headquarters. As they entered, they saw Zhao Wei-hu himself, with his guards, lining up next to an outdoor stove, ladling rice porridge and taking steamed buns and other food.

The group was very surprised to see this scene. Even Ah-Hua, who had lived here for a while some time ago, looked incredulous. The changes were too great.

Zhao Wei-hu, wearing a clean military uniform, waved at Su Tianyu and shouted, "You're here!"

The group walked over and greeted Commander Zhao.

"Have you eaten?" Zhao Wei-hu asked, looking at everyone.

"Not really, just some bread on the way," Su Tianyu replied, shaking his head.

"I don't have anything good to offer you here," Zhao Wei-hu said quietly, holding his food tray. "Porridge, steamed buns, a side of salted vegetables mixed in the small kitchen, and steamed buns specially supplied by the staff department. Help yourselves to whatever you want."

The group exchanged glances. Su Tianyu said to everyone, "Alright, don't stand on ceremony, eat up!"

"Get me a bowl of porridge, brother!" Da Bai, feeling hungry, stepped forward and called out.

Su Tianyu followed Zhao Wei-hu to a dining table on the side of the courtyard. When the others saw that the commander's sworn brother had arrived, they knew the two of them had things to discuss, so they got up and went to a nearby table to eat.

The two brothers sat down, and Zhao Wei-hu took a big gulp of rice porridge. "The trip to the Golden Triangle wasn't too smooth, was it?"

"It was alright, it's all over now, and the result was pretty good," Su Tianyu said, sharing the good news but not the bad. "Brother, what happened here?"

"Hua Lei living town has been under lockdown for more than two months. Merchants can't get supplies in," Zhao Wei-hu said calmly, chewing on a steamed bun. "My troops haven't received any supplies for sixteen days."

Su Tianyu was shocked. "What's going on? What about the People's Army headquarters? Aren't they doing anything?"

"The headquarters is in chaos," Zhao Wei-hu said, looking up at Su Tianyu. "The old commander doesn't have much time left. There's a power struggle going on internally. Warlords, headquarters factions, local indigenous families, the council, they're all grabbing territory and fighting for influence. Damn it, the person who cares about me is stretched too thin! For the past week, I've been living off airdropped supplies."

"Then isn't this very dangerous for you?" Su Tianyu asked urgently. "Kang Ding-huang is still out there!"

"It's normal for there to be infighting within the Old Mo's military. I'm not too afraid of that," Zhao Wei-hu said, pausing for a moment. "To be honest, the old commander still has a lot of supporters, and the supplies currently stockpiled in Hua Lei living town, if used sparingly, are enough for me to last until the power transition is over."

Su Tianyu didn't interrupt, waiting for him to continue.

"But Kang Ding-huang, as you said, is a big threat to me," Zhao Wei-hu said in a low voice. "That kid has the skills and the patience. He secretly contacted a lot of official army warlords, raised three brigades, and placed them around my troops to cut me off and prevent me from getting food. At the same time, he secretly bribed many merchants in the town, got them to take the lead in inciting unrest, and created trouble for me internally. There were protests a few days ago, but I suppressed them."

Su Tianyu frowned upon hearing this.

"This Kang Ding-huang is a formidable enemy," Zhao Wei-hu said, taking a big gulp of porridge. "I've been thinking that if I don't take the initiative to attack this time, I might not make it to the end of the power transition."

"The Old Mo's official army has existed for many years, and it's been winning battles in recent years. The internal political environment should be stable. A leader's death will have a negative impact, I can understand that, but it shouldn't lead to internal conflicts with guns and cannons, should it?" Su Tianyu asked, puzzled.

Zhao Wei-hu thought for a moment and gave a very accurate analogy. "Before the Hua region was unified, if Qin Laohei died, what kind of situation do you think it would be?"

Su Tianyu was stunned by the words.

"The north and south would be split, the Chen faction, the Gu faction, including the local lords, would immediately return to a state of division. Am I right?" Zhao Wei-hu asked.

Su Tianyu thought carefully and did not refute him.

"The same rule applies here. No one's control is greater than the old commander's, and no one can suppress the various warlords," Zhao Wei-hu paused. "In addition, Zone One is secretly interfering, privately bribing many generals who hold significant military power, so I judge that the stable situation won't last long."

"So, what's your plan?"

"I'm too weak right now, I have to find a way to survive, brother!" Zhao Wei-hu turned his head and glanced around, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "We can't just defend passively, we have to take the initiative to attack, attack the rebel army, attack Kang Ding-huang! If Zone One loses control of the rebel army, and the specific people in charge are also dead, that might buy some time, and maybe the situation can be reversed once the old commander arranges the power transition."

"Attacking Kang Ding-huang, I understand, but can we attack the rebel army?" Su Tianyu immediately asked. "We don't have any troops!"

"I'll gather the troops, I'm confident I can persuade the old commander to come forward and mobilize troops," Zhao Wei-hu pointed to the table and said. "The important thing is Kang Ding-huang! It would be best if we could split Zone One internally."

Su Tianyu licked his lips. "Bring up the batch of weapons?"

"Yes! Use that as a starting point, we'll make the first move," Zhao Wei-hu said through clenched teeth. "We can't let Kang Ding-huang continue to plot secretly, or I won't be able to hold on."

"Then let's hit him hard?!" Su Tianyu also made up his mind. This time, he was prepared to take the initiative.

...

Zone Three, a suburb of the city of Yi in Italy.

A middle-aged man looked at Su Tiannan and said, "I've read the operation report from the town of Canelli. You showed exceptional performance, and even recovered the secret intelligence held by Ruan Zheng-tan. After research and decision by the Huagong Association's Committee, we now officially appoint you as the captain of Intelligence Team Three."

"Yes!" Su Tiannan replied with a serious expression.

"Next, you need to secretly return to The Dragon City and work with the people from the intelligence department," the middle-aged man said, folding his hands. "The specific mission details and your new identity will be communicated to you over there."

"No problem," Su Tiannan nodded.

The middle-aged man looked at him. "We are far more powerful than you think. Do a good job!"

"I have a question. Is there someone I know in the group photo on the bookshelf?" Su Tiannan asked.

"Yes," the middle-aged man replied frankly. "The person you're talking about is one of the founders of the Huagong Association! But this matter is currently limited to your knowledge, and you can't even tell your family."