Chapter 138 Beside the Fish Pond

Beside the fish pond.

Old Li held his fishing rod and whispered, "Let them stew for three days. After three days, the city will host a reception dinner, inviting Han Xian and the others to come and gather."

"What if he doesn't come?" Su Tianyu asked.

Old Li turned to look at his beloved disciple, "Are you stupid? If I go, how could he not come?"

"Hehe, aren't you sick?" Su Tianyu asked with a smile.

"Can't I be better?" Old Li put down his fishing rod and slowly got up, sighing as he said, "Politics! Politics is about being sick when you should be sick, and recovering when you should recover. Everything isn't subject to the will of the body."

...

Three days later, Longkou District, The Dragon City.

A guard company commander from the garrison headquarters was sitting in a car, eating his mess hall meal.

Across the street, more than twenty anti-terrorism team warriors were patrolling the streets, fully armed. They were less than a hundred meters away from the garrison's patrol convoy.

The weather was hot. A squad leader from the anti-terrorism team walked across the street and asked the company commander in the car familiarly, "Afternoon posts, still assigned according to the old rules?"

"Yeah, friendship forever, patrol together!" the company commander replied with a smile.

"Okay, I'll arrange the men in a bit." The squad leader of the anti-terrorism team glanced into the car and saw that the other party was eating food from the general mess, so he immediately asked, "The guard unit of the headquarters, is this what you eat?"

"We didn't eat this before, but after you guys stirred things up, the higher-ups are getting stricter and stricter. We can only make do with surviving." The company commander replied softly.

"We didn't stir things up, you can't say that." The squad leader of the anti-terrorism team asked casually, "Okay, when you're done tonight, let's have a drink together? My treat!"

"Sure, it's my day off today, let's have a drink together!"

"Okay, I'll find you tonight."

After saying that, the squad leader turned around and walked back.

These three days were the most united three days for the Dragon City government and military. In various patrol areas, people from the military and police departments could often be seen sitting together, shooting the breeze, drinking beverages, and chatting.

This grand occasion confused the people of The Dragon City for a while. They couldn't understand why the two groups of people, who had been fighting like enemies a while ago, could be so harmonious today?

In fact, leaving aside the will of the upper echelons, the soldiers and anti-terrorism team members below were all ordinary people struggling for three meals a day. Where did they have any deep hatred? They were just following orders.

...

Inside the reception center of The Dragon City Municipal Building.

"Pa!"

Han Xian threw several photos of garrison soldiers and anti-terrorism team members patrolling together on the table, frowning and saying, "Just a small trick! They were fighting so fiercely a while ago, and now they're wearing the same pants?! Who would believe that!"

Next to him, a man who was also a deputy ministerial-level official interjected, "Old Han, don't underestimate this joint patrol by the garrison and the city. To some extent, Tan Hengqiang and Old Li are in the same situation. They really do have the possibility of rebelling."

"I'll lend Li Mingsheng eight hundred guts, he wouldn't dare to rebel now!" Han Xian waved his hand and said, "Let's not talk about that, let's talk about the city's reply."

"No reply, just that they will attend the reception banquet tonight, and Old Li will also be there."

"Listen to me, don't indulge him tonight." Han Xian said bluntly, "There's no room for discussion on matters of principle. Old Li seems to be trying to break free from his reins now, we must knock him into shape."

"Yes!" The Deputy Minister nodded.

...

Inside The Huafu City area.

Tan Hengqiang and An Zecheng had been in the reception center for almost four days, but still no one had come to talk to them or asked them to make a work report.

This kind of silent cold violence was the most tormenting, because even a god couldn't guess what the meeting content of the higher-ups was, let alone how many people were targeting the garrison and the 55th Army.

"Knock knock!"

A burst of knocking on the door echoed. Tan Hengqiang got up and yanked open the door, seeing Old An carrying two bottles of baijiu (white liquor), and some braised food appearing in front of him.

"Oh, you're doing well, even better than me, you can even get some wine?" Tan Hengqiang said mockingly.

An Zecheng stepped into the room and replied softly, "I still have a lot of comrades-in-arms here in The Huafu City. They also work in the regional assembly. They can't send anything else in, but getting two bottles of wine is no problem."

"Alas, I've suddenly become idle, and I'm still a little unaccustomed to it." Tan Hengqiang took the initiative to move a broken chair and placed it next to Old An.

The two sat down, opened the braised food, and twisted open the baijiu bottles.

In fact, in these few days, Tan Hengqiang and An Zecheng had lost the right to contact the outside world. Although the regional assembly had not explicitly confiscated their mobile phones, they had installed a signal blocking system in the entire building. This was considered enough face for the two generals.

Tan Hengqiang took off his spotless military uniform and reached out to pick up the wine bottle, taking the initiative to pour wine for Old An.

"Come, come, I'll do it myself!" Old An said politely.

"Hehe, we're in this situation, let's not be pretentious. You're not the army commander, and I'm not the commander anymore, let's be casual." Tan Hengqiang filled Old An's glass with baijiu and asked softly, "Tell me, how many people downstairs want to kill you and me?"

An Zecheng tore off a piece of chicken leg, looking at Tan Hengqiang with piercing eyes, "False and true, true and false, there are too many routines. If you ask me, what if you and I really rebelled?"

Hearing this, Tan Hengqiang's movement of pouring wine for himself instantly froze, his eyes full of surprise as he looked at Old An, seemingly not expecting the other party to say such a thing.

"Hehe, what then?" Old An asked.

Tan Hengqiang pointed to his bedside table, "Old An, you can't say that kind of thing indiscriminately, there are listening devices in our room."

"Oh, there are devices, then I won't say it." Old An replied faintly, raising his wine glass, "Come, let's have one!"

Tan Hengqiang pointed at Old An, "You, you! If I say you have魄力 (po li, courage and resolution), sometimes you act too honestly. But if I say you don't have 魄力 (po li, courage and resolution), at critical moments... you're even more domineering than me, you dare to say anything."

"Hehe." Old An smiled, without arguing with him.

In the reception center's monitoring room, a military intelligence officer made a detailed record of Old An's words, and marked them with a red signal pen for emphasis.

...

On The Dragon City Garrison side.

Tan Mingchao's psychological pressure was too great, because he had not been able to contact his father for three or four days.

Tan Mingchao couldn't guess what the situation was like in Area One at all, and he was a little panicked.

In the office, a chief of staff looked at Tan Mingchao and said, "It's not a solution to keep doing this. Otherwise, let's make some noise and force the regional assembly to compromise!"

At 7:30 in the evening, the reception dinner began. Han Xian arrived with his men, and Old Li arrived late.