plumnovel Chapter 56 Opportunity
Chapter 56 Opportunity
Xiao Zexing felt like he was dreaming.
He was a commander of the Imperial Guard in the Northern Garrison, holding the rank of 1,000-man. He had arrested countless people and tortured prisoners countless times.
But he never imagined that one day he would be so frightened by watching torture that his legs would cramp.
Even more embarrassingly, he vomited out of fear.
Fortunately, he didn't vomit on the spot, but held it in until he went to the toilet and vomited violently.
It's great that no one saw it!
Chang Yuan's new interrogation method was highly efficient, even more so than the Northern Garrison Command's Imperial Guards had anticipated.
Not only do the cult members being tortured quickly break down, but those cult members who are brought in to watch the torture often break down even faster than the tortured ones.
After all, the victim's mouth was gagged, so no matter how much he broke down before the procedure was completed, Chang Yuan would ignore it.
The only problem was that the Imperial Guards who assisted Chang Yuan collapsed along with the prisoners.
That makes it very difficult to maintain composure.
Regardless, after staying up all night and personally interrogating several cult members, Xiao Zexing obtained 39 confessions and figured out the reason for the cult members' unusual gathering.
He dared not delay, and after applying cold water to his face, he immediately went to see the Commander-in-Chief.
Lu Huan didn't put on airs. Instead, he met Xiao Zexing and Chang Yuan in his bedroom or living room, dressed casually.
It's clear that he's been waiting for the results.
The 39 confessions stacked together were about half a foot thick.
Lu Huan patted the thick stack of documents and said, "I need to read through all this text slowly. Can someone explain the summarized intelligence to me?"
Chang Yuan and Xiao Zexing exchanged a glance. Chang Yuan raised his hand and gestured for Xiao Zexing to speak.
Although he was absolutely responsible for this mission, the mission belonged to Commander Xiao, so he couldn't be oblivious to the situation.
Xiao Zexing nodded slightly in greeting and began to recount the summary of all the testimonies.
In short, it boils down to this: "Commander-in-Chief, that book is about to appear!"
Lu Huan was startled: "You mean that book?"
Xiao Zexing nodded heavily: "Of the 39 prisoners, 37 belong to nine different cults, and the evil gods behind them have given clear prophecies that the book will appear in the capital."
The commander could no longer sit still. He stood up and paced back and forth in the living room, fidgeting nervously with his hands and muttering, "This is a serious matter, a very serious matter!"
"Was this book dropped after someone was murdered, or did that person write a new one?"
Xiao Zexing looked tense and watched the commander pace back and forth without saying a word.
Chang Yuan was completely bewildered and had no idea what they were talking about.
Although the Northern Garrison Command's Embroidered Uniform Guard was not good at dealing with cults, its secrecy system was very well established.
As a supporter and implementer of torture, Chang Yuan was only responsible for prying open the mouths of cult members, but not for interrogation and recording. Therefore, he did not know what was recorded in the confessions.
I had come along hoping to overhear something, but it turned out that the Commander and Commander Xiao were speaking in riddles.
It was as if "that person" and "that book" were some terrifying things, as if saying their names would cause someone to die.
Chang Yuan secretly curled his lip.
I hate riddle tellers the most!
Lu Huan circled around seven or eight times before finally stopping. He made up his mind and said, "This matter is far too serious for the Embroidered Uniform Guard to handle. I will report to His Majesty as soon as possible and request an imperial decree..."
He looked up at the light outside and confirmed that it was still early: "No rush, the palace gates haven't been opened yet, we can't get into the Forbidden City."
"Xiao Zexing, please continue. What other things are worth noting?"
Without hesitation, Commander Xiao clearly and logically recounted the key information in the confession, which earned him repeated nods from the Commander-in-Chief and made Chang Yuan look at him with new respect.
The confession, half a foot thick, contained a total of 70,000 to 80,000 words, with a wide variety of contents and a jumbled mess of information.
Xiao Zexing was able to extract the key points after only reading it once, and memorize them firmly. When he told the commander about it, he spoke extemporaneously and without any stumbles.
Those who can hold stable official positions in the capital must indeed have some real skills.
In any case, Chang Yuan might not have had it as smoothly as Xiao Qianhu.
The commander was very satisfied with Xiao Zexing's performance, stroked his beard, smiled, and sat back down.
But when he heard that cultists had gathered in Changhutong, planning a large-scale assassination of the Imperial Guards to weaken the court and make it easier to seize the book, he was furious.
Lu Huan cursed loudly, "Arrogant! Absolutely arrogant!"
"This isn't targeting any one person; it's a provocation against the entire Embroidered Uniform Guard! How dare they block the entrances of the North and South government offices to spy on us!"
He looked at Xiao Zexing and the other man, and said coldly, "It seems that the absence of the Eastern Garrison Command in the capital has given the evil cult an opportunity to take advantage of the situation."
Xiao Zexing sighed, "Commander, I have only just realized that cultists are different from other criminals. They are fierce, have great endurance, and their methods are even more bizarre."
"Even something as simple as interrogation is extremely difficult for the Northern Garrison Command."
"If it weren't for Chang Baihu's guidance and help, it would have been impossible to get them to talk so quickly."
"This humble servant believes that the Embroidered Uniform Guard needs to establish the Eastern Garrison Command in the capital to deal with the increasingly troublesome cults."
The commander nodded and said, "What you said makes sense."
"Everyone has their own expertise. The Northern Garrison is good at dealing with officials, but the Eastern Garrison is more adept at dealing with cults."
"However, this matter is not urgent. After all, the capital is under the emperor's nose and is the home ground of our Embroidered Uniform Guard. Here, we have an absolute advantage."
"Now that these rats in the gutter have revealed their true colors, they can forget about escaping."
Chang Yuan and Xiao Zexing clasped their hands in agreement, saying, "You're right, sir!"
The commander praised with satisfaction, "You have completed your mission very well; you deserve a reward!"
"Xiao Zexing, Commander of a Thousand Households!"
"Your humble servant is here!"
Xiao Zexing quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and waited for the commander to continue.
"You are guilty of being ignorant about the gathering of cult members!"
"This humble servant is ashamed!"
"But you have done a meritorious service in identifying, arresting, and interrogating cult members, clarifying their motives, and preventing the Embroidered Uniform Guard from suffering significant losses!"
"Even if merits and demerits cancel each other out, one can still accumulate a great merit!"
"When the Mid-Autumn Festival arrives, I will certainly recommend you for promotion to the rank of Assistant Commander."
"Your humble servant thanks you, sir!"
Commander Lu Huan then looked at Chang Yuan: "Commander Chang, your contribution is also considerable."
"But you are a Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) of the Henan Province Thousand Household Office. If you are promoted again, there are no suitable positions in Henan Province."
"Rewarding merit with money seems too vulgar, and you definitely wouldn't like that."
Chang Yuan: "..."
Who says I don't like money? I love money! I even love the vulgarity!
But he quickly realized that after winning over Master Zhang, he wouldn't be short of money.
So he calmed down and listened quietly.
"Promotion is no longer possible, and giving money is too vulgar. I have decided to give you a chance: an opportunity to meet His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty."
"If one performs well in front of His Majesty and wins his favor, one can immediately rise rapidly in rank."
"What is a centurion? A chiliarch, a vice commissioner, a deputy prefect are all possible, and even a commander is not out of the question."
Chang Yuan was overjoyed and knelt on one knee, saying, "Thank you so much, Commander!"