Chapter 274: Dragging Tactic

The River Defense and Anti-Smuggling Bureau was initially established to address the perennial flooding of major rivers, which necessitated the conscription of numerous laborers for dike repair and flood prevention. Additionally, these laborers were also required for excavation work on various canal transportation projects.

Since many historical peasant uprisings originated among the laborers involved in water management, the gathering of such large groups posed a significant risk. Therefore, the imperial court established the dedicated River Defense Camp to supervise these workers, simultaneously tasking it with flood prevention and emergency relief efforts.

Later, with the development of canal transportation, the River Defense Camp also assumed responsibility for securing commercial routes along the rivers, which included eliminating dangerous beasts in the wilderness areas along these paths.

The salt industry flourished around Bright Moon City, generating immense profits, which led to rampant illegal salt trade despite repeated prohibitions. Consequently, the River Defense Camp also took on anti-smuggling responsibilities. Over time, it became commonly known as the River Defense and Anti-Smuggling Bureau.

Inside a secret room at the River Defense Camp's headquarters, Commander Sang Qian respectfully bowed to another elder. "Father," he said, "your strategy is truly brilliant. It turned the Wang and Chu families against each other without any effort."

Sang Hong gently stroked the beard on his chin, showing little joy. "It's not that simple," he replied. "If that alone could cause the two families to turn on each other, it would mean greatly underestimating Chu Zhongtian."

"Could Chu Zhongtian still manage a comeback?" Sang Qian asked, curious.

"He will certainly devise a series of countermeasures, but it's irrelevant," Sang Hong chuckled. "The 'Leading Shore Alliance' is merely the beginning; a plethora of other tactics await him. First, we will eliminate their most formidable allies, and then we will deal with the isolated Chu family."

"Lord Bright Moon may sound formidable, but he is still being manipulated by Father!" Sang Qian burst into laughter.

Sang Hong shook his head. "It's not that Chu Zhongtian is inferior to me," he said, "but rather that the Emperor and Empress support me, and the imperial court supports me. This is the prevailing trend, which cannot be reversed by human effort."

Sang Qian thought to himself that his father enjoyed speaking in riddles. Despite his undeniable brilliance, he disliked flattery, which Sang Qian found to be excessively humble.

"Oh, by the way, Father, you must take care of your health. Those 'thin horses' from the Immortal Dwelling, sent by the wealthy merchants in Bright Moon City, were indeed excellent," Sang Qian said, winking with an expression that all men would understand.

Sang Hong gave him a cool glance. "Are you feeling indignant now?" he asked. "I forbade you from frequenting the Immortal Dwelling for pleasure, and then I, myself, accepted their 'thin horses'?"

"I wouldn't dare!" Sang Qian quickly lowered his head apologetically, though he did harbor some thoughts. "Father, you have always been upright and incorruptible. This hasty acceptance of 'thin horses' from those wealthy merchants might tarnish your reputation in the future and could easily attract criticism from your political adversaries at court."

"As long as the tasks entrusted by the imperial court are accomplished, what does personal integrity matter? Today, I will teach you a principle," Sang Hong said gravely. "Blindly pursuing moral high ground is useless, serving no purpose other than seeking fame. To be an upright official, one must be more cunning than a corrupt one. Only by accepting gifts from those families will they consider you one of their own. Future cooperation will be much easier, as it will eliminate unnecessary suspicion. Our primary task now is to deal with the Chu family and transfer their salt and iron wealth to the imperial court. Everything else is secondary."

Sang Qian respectfully bowed. "Father's teaching is correct," he acknowledged.

Yet, in his heart, he couldn't help but marvel that his father could justify even accepting a woman with such righteous eloquence and profound principles. Truly, there was no one else quite like his father in the world.

"Reporting!" a soldier announced from the doorway. "Zu An, the Chu family's son-in-law, has brought people and requests an audience!"

"What does he want?" Sang Qian frowned. For some reason, he instinctively disliked the man.

The thought of such a scoundrel marrying the fairy-like Miss Chu gave him the feeling of a beautiful flower being stuck in cow dung—no, more like a flower falling into a cesspit.

He was particularly annoyed when he remembered how Zu An had swindled hundreds of thousands of silver taels from his gambling house during their last encounter.

"You let your emotions show too much," Sang Hong said disapprovingly. "How many times have I taught you, yet you still haven't changed." His son was too impulsive and hadn't learned any of his composure. "Go and find out what Zu An wants."

"Yes~" Sang Qian replied grudgingly, blaming Zu An for making him endure another lecture from his father.

Meanwhile, as Zu An waited in the main hall, he suddenly received two consecutive notifications of rage points from Sang Qian in his backend system.

Zu An was speechless. He hadn't even met the man, yet he was already filled with so much resentment?

Could he have learned about me and his fiancée?

But apart from a bit of intimacy and a few extra touches, we hadn't actually done anything substantial.

It seemed too unfair to be resented for something like this.

As he was lost in thought, Sang Qian finally emerged. "Young Master Zu," he began, "may I ask what brings you to the River Defense Camp today?"

The way Sang Qian addressed him as "Young Master" made him feel nauseous. What virtue or ability did this man possess to deserve such a title?

Yet, his father had instructed him not to display his emotions openly. If he were to call Zu An by his given name directly, would the animosity be too obvious?

He was deeply conflicted, yet he had no idea that Zu An had already discerned his animosity through other means.

"We have discovered that a large shipment of illegal salt is scheduled to depart from the pier tonight," Zu An stated directly, cutting straight to the point. "Therefore, I request Commander Sang to gather your troops and thoroughly eliminate those salt smugglers."

"Illegal salt?" Sang Qian was startled. "Brother Zu, I wonder where you obtained this information? Why has our River Defense Camp not received any intelligence on this?"

As he spoke, he subtly glanced at a subordinate, who nodded slightly and quietly withdrew.

With numerous personnel at the River Defense Camp, Zu An and his companions were unfamiliar with the staff, so the absence of a person or two would go unnoticed.

"The crucial point now isn't the origin of the intelligence, but rather capturing those salt smugglers as quickly as possible," Zu An replied. He certainly wasn't foolish enough to expose Qiu Honglei.

He initially wanted to retort, 'Even people from brothels are aware of this smuggling operation, yet the River Defense Camp, responsible for anti-smuggling, has heard nothing. What kind of incompetence is this?'

However, considering he would still need their cooperation, he decided to bite his tongue and save such an untimely remark for when everything had settled.

"It's not that I don't believe you, but this matter is of great importance," Sang Qian said gravely. "Every time we make a false move and alert the true salt smugglers, it becomes far more difficult to apprehend them later."

"My information is absolutely reliable. General, just go and make the arrests," Zu An stated. He not only trusted Qiu Honglei but had also personally scouted the location, so there was no room for error.

"In that case, Brother Zu, do you dare to sign a military pledge?" Sang Qian rose, his expression turning serious.

Zu An narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "I am not a military officer," he replied. "Why would I sign a military pledge?"

Although he was absolutely certain, he did not want to needlessly assume risks.

After all, the world is never short of unforeseen circumstances.

This man is trying to tempt me into signing a military pledge; could there be something suspicious afoot?

Zu An frowned, lost in thought, and a sudden premonition told him that this endeavor might not proceed as smoothly as he hoped.

Sang Qian laughed heartily. "Brother Zu, please don't take offense. I'm merely trying to be cautious. Mobilizing troops is never a simple matter; I need to report to my superiors and obtain approval. If we go to great lengths and ultimately achieve nothing, both my superiors and the soldiers will voice their complaints."

"You still need to consult your superiors?" Zu An was taken aback. "Then why aren't you going to do it quickly? How long will it take for the back-and-forth?"

"Don't worry, I've already sent someone," Sang Qian said, gesturing for Zu An to sit. "Brother Zu, please don't panic. Have some tea and rest."

Zu An frowned deeply, in no mood for tea. He thought to himself, 'These men are so inefficient; no wonder illegal salt is so rampant.'

Sang Qian then tried to engage him in conversation on various topics, to which Zu An responded listlessly.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Zu An finally lost patience. He stood up and said, "If it's inconvenient for the General, then I will personally lead the Chu family guards to make the arrests."

As the saying goes, 'delays breed trouble.' With this delay, he had already developed a faint, ominous premonition.

"Don't be anxious, Brother Zu, it will be ready shortly," Sang Qian said, changing his tone. "Besides, apprehending illegal salt is the duty of our River Defense Camp. How could we possibly allow Lord Bright Moon's manor to handle it on our behalf? If the Prefect or City Lord were to find out, I would be severely punished for dereliction of duty."

"I will wait for ten more minutes at most. If nothing happens, I will go ahead and scout the area myself," Zu An stated. He understood that Chu Zhongtian and his wife had likely sent him to Sang Qian due to procedural considerations, aiming to avoid providing political rivals with an excuse for criticism later.

However, waiting indefinitely was also not an option. If the illegal salt smugglers truly escaped, all their efforts would be in vain.

"Minutes?" Sang Qian didn't quite grasp this unit of time, but he could roughly infer its meaning. "There will be news soon, Brother Zu, please remain calm."

After a few more agonizing minutes of waiting, Zu An finally couldn't bear it anymore. He stood up and began to walk out.

Whether by coincidence or not, a soldier suddenly rushed in and announced, "We have received the superior's written order."

Sang Qian laughed heartily. "Excellent! Immediately gather the troops. Let's depart!"

Soon, the soldiers in the River Defense Camp's training ground began to assemble. Seeing the slovenly group, some with even disheveled armor, Zu An frowned deeply. 'Are these soldiers or rabble?' he wondered.

With such a River Defense Camp, it was no wonder that illegal salt had become increasingly rampant over the years.

Sang Qian's expression also darkened slightly, and he hastily explained, "Yesterday's drills ran too late, so everyone might not have fully recovered today."

As he spoke, he roared at his subordinates, "Hurry up! What kind of disgrace is this sluggishness!"

Unfortunately, no matter how loudly he roared, the soldiers merely feigned compliance, their actual speed showing no improvement.

The assembly alone took more than half an hour.

Fortunately, however, they finally set off.

Sang Hong silently watched the departing troops, idly toying with a pipe in his hand and exhaling a puff of smoke. His gaunt face flickered in and out of view amidst the haze.

A question arose in his mind: "How did Zu An manage to pinpoint the illegal salt shipment so accurately?"

Zu An, accompanied by the Chu family guards and soldiers from the River Defense Camp, hastened towards the pier.

Fearing the escape of the illegal salt smugglers, Zu An was consumed with anxiety throughout the journey, galloping his horse furiously towards the pier.

However, halfway there, a sedan chair suddenly darted out from a nearby alley.

Zu An quickly reined in his horse, bringing it to a sudden halt. Although he managed to stop at the last moment, the sedan bearers were visibly startled.

They accidentally fell to the ground, and the sedan chair on their shoulders toppled over.

"Oh dear!" a young girl's startled cry echoed from within.