As dusk approached, the gates of Jiao Prefecture had long been closed, making Fan Xian's subsequent order somewhat redundant. However, given the magnitude of the events and the severity of the conflict within the city, Wu Gefei knew he had to handle the situation with utmost care. The prospect of the ten thousand naval troops stationed at the harbor outside the city forcing their way in was a fate he desperately wanted to avoid, so he sternly ordered his trusted subordinates to guard the city walls and monitor the harbor's movements.

Simultaneously, the yamen runners and prefectural soldiers of Jiao Prefecture were conducting investigations and searches within the city. While the imperial court was there to investigate the Jiao Prefecture Navy, the assassination of the Admiral... the assassin had to be found. Perhaps deeper secrets could be unearthed.

Of course, Wu Gefei hoped to remain forever ignorant of such terrifying secrets. He rubbed his dry eyes and, with a hoarse voice, reported the situation inside and outside the city to Fan Xian.

Fan Xian nodded, satisfied with the prefect's swift response. Without Wu Gefei's cooperation, controlling the Admiral's residence and effectively imprisoning the naval officers would have been an impossible task.

He offered a few words of encouragement and told the prefect to rest, but Wu Gefei repeatedly declined, thinking, "Even a prince like you is staying up all night; how dare I sleep?" Moreover, the situation inside the Admiral's residence remained ambiguous. Who knew what unexpected changes might occur during this long night?

Seeing Wu Gefei insist on staying by his side, Fan Xian smiled and quietly asked, "Are you worried about the situation outside the city?"

Wu Gefei was taken aback, then smiled bitterly. "Admiral Chang Kun has commanded the navy for over a decade. His subordinates are all loyal and trusted, and he commands great respect among the lower ranks. Today, he died suspiciously, and you, Your Highness, have placed the senior naval officers under house arrest. If word of this reaches the harbor... with a few instigators stirring things up, those men will surely raise a clamor."

Fan Xian sighed. "I had hoped to take down Chang Kun and have him appease the navy. Who knew he would be assassinated?" He sneered. "The perpetrator is truly cunning, creating such a large rift between the court and the navy, causing me great difficulty."

This was, of course, a lie. He had killed Chang Kun. Subduing the navy would have been impossible if Chang Kun had lived. But since he was framing someone, he had to continue the charade.

"What's the next step?" Wu Gefei asked wearily, bowing slightly. "The news can't be suppressed forever, and the imperial court's decree will eventually reach the troops."

Fan Xian fell silent, unsure if his plan would succeed. His original plan involved killing Chang Kun, then capturing his confidants, obtaining firsthand confessions through the methods of the Overwatch Council, regaining control of the situation with the help of naval officers still loyal to the court, and finally finding evidence of the East Sea incident within the navy. He wanted to turn the case into an ironclad one, using ruthless means to intimidate those naval officers who harbored dissenting thoughts...

But the problem now was: who among the naval officers could he trust? The Overwatch Council's intelligence, at times, was not entirely reliable—at least not as reliable as a face-to-face psychological confrontation.

In that instant, Fan Xian dearly missed Yan Bingyun, who was far away in Kyoto. If Bingyun were by his side, he would undoubtedly devise a more perfect plan, rather than leaving him standing in the night outside the Admiral's residence, unsure of how to approach the naval officers.

Fan Xian sat by the stone table, frowning slightly, and made a decision. He waved to Qingwa, who was standing beside him.

Qingwa was surprised, but he obeyed the order and left. Soon, from the firewood shed behind the Admiral's residence, came a series of extremely miserable screams. If one had exceptionally keen hearing, they might also hear the sizzling sound of hot iron on flesh, the sound of bones breaking.

Wu Gefei's face turned ashen. He knew the Overwatch Council had begun torturing the prisoners. Remembering the rumored methods of the Overwatch Council, which even ghosts and gods feared, the prefect's hands began to tremble. However, he forcefully suppressed his anxiety and fear, and bravely suggested, "...Your Highness, this...I fear it is not appropriate."

Fan Xian understood his meaning. There were still many naval personnel inside the Admiral's residence. Such blatant use of torture might incite public anger, but... Fan Xian intended precisely that.

Under the combined effect of violence and humiliation, the naval officers would either vent their last angry roars or be so frightened that they would reveal their deepest thoughts to him.

As Wu Gefei had feared, the naval officers placed under house arrest inside the Admiral's residence, hearing the continuous screams, emerged from their rooms, staring at Fan Xian with expressions of anger.

Fan Xian, however, didn't even glance at them. He said, "So, none of you generals have slept yet. Does anyone have anything to say?"

As he spoke, a commotion suddenly arose outside the Admiral's residence, the noise gradually spreading into the courtyard. Fan Xian frowned and asked, "What's going on?"

The night was already so deep, and the Admiral's residence was heavily surrounded. The events of the birthday banquet had been sealed off. Who were these people outside?

Wu Gefei wiped the sweat from his brow and instructed a yamen runner to go and see. The runner returned with a troubled expression and reported, "It's the families of the generals."

Although the news had been suppressed, the navy had been operating in Jiao Prefecture for many years, and some people had still managed to spread some rumors. Especially since it was now so late, the mistresses and concubines of the generals, noticing that their men had not returned, were naturally worried. Receiving these rumors, although they didn't know if they were true or false, they still sent people to fetch their men.

Fan Xian smiled, then thought of the wealthy merchants and Jiangnan businessmen he had left in the main hall. He knew he couldn't keep the news suppressed for long, but he hoped the reaction at the harbor would be slower now that the city gates were closed.

Wu Gefei looked at Fan Xian with some difficulty, while the generals had complex expressions. They hadn't expected their women to be so bold, and they wondered who had leaked the news.

...

...

"Since people have come to fetch you, generals, you may all return."

Fan Xian's words stunned everyone present. Weren't they supposed to be under house arrest? Why were they being released?

Fan Xian said softly, "I am here under imperial decree to investigate the case. Since Dang Xiaobo has confessed his crimes, and those evil spirits hiding within the navy have all jumped out, you generals are merely implicated. Naturally, I won't make things difficult for you."

The generals exchanged glances, unable to believe what they were hearing.

"Go back," Fan Xian said with a smile. "Although I am eager to have a heart-to-heart talk with you generals, I can't possibly offend your wives."

Jiao Prefecture did not have any legal wives; these were all the small wives or even mistresses of the naval officers. Fan Xian's words made the generals somewhat embarrassed.

At that moment, the screams of Dang Xiaobo and the others in the firewood shed sounded again.

The women outside seemed to hear them as well, shouting loudly with their servants.

For a time, the Admiral's residence was incredibly lively, both inside and out.

The generals left the Admiral's residence with suspicion and unease, knowing that countless eyes of the Overwatch Council were watching them within Jiao Prefecture. They dared not think of contacting the navy outside the city, and even if they did, they would have no way to explain it to the court in the future.

As for Fan Xian's last words, they had sunk deeply into the hearts of the generals.

"A heart-to-heart talk..." This was also a matter of priorities. Lord Commissioner had given them an opportunity to return to the embrace of the court. It remained to be seen who would be the first to understand the greater good and reveal their innermost thoughts to Lord Commissioner...

Each with their own thoughts and schemes, the generals departed.

...

...

Wu Gefei didn't know what Fan Xian was thinking, nor did he dare to ask too much. He simply strengthened the defenses of Jiao Prefecture, and before leaving, he cautiously said, "Your Highness, it is best not to escalate things too much."

Fan Xian nodded. Based on Wu Gefei's performance tonight, the Ministry of Revenue's assessment of him was somewhat low. Perhaps due to Chang Kun's presence, the prefect had never demonstrated a level commensurate with his abilities.

Fan Xian would not kill Dang Xiaobo. He was the biggest piece of evidence in the East Sea cover-up, and would naturally be escorted to Kyoto in the future.

——————————————————————

Even the women of Jiao Prefecture knew that the Overwatch Council had taken control of the Admiral's residence, that Admiral Chang Kun had died, that the navy had suffered a heavy blow, and that their own husbands were in a precarious situation.

The news that Fan Xian had tried to conceal for a short time naturally spread to many ears. Although Wu Gefei's prefectural soldiers were guarding the city gates, the navy had its own channels. The person that Dang Xiaobo had sent out beforehand finally managed to break through the blockade and approached the harbor along a small path outside the city.

Looking at the flickering lights of the harbor in the distance, he was filled with excitement. Although he didn't know that Dang Xiaobo had been captured by the Overwatch Council, he knew that the navy was facing its biggest crisis since its creation. As long as he could enter the camp and mobilize the troops, he could ensure the safety of the naval officers. As for how to deal with things afterward... that was a matter for the superiors to consider.

Unfortunately, when he was still several hundred yards from the naval camp, he suddenly felt the ground vibrating.

There was no sound, but someone was behind him.

He turned his head, but he didn't see a person. He only saw more than ten horses in full black armor. Only when the horses got closer did he realize that the horses were ridden by cavalrymen dressed entirely in black.

In the darkness of the night, the black armor reflected the dim moonlight in the sky, seeming to carry a hint of death.

His pupils constricted, and his body trembled. These were the Black Knights, the Overwatch Council's Black Knights!

...

...

His head flew into the sky, and blood spurted from his neck. Only in the final moment before his death did this naval officer begin to feel his own stupidity. Since the Overwatch Council had come to deal with the navy, how could they not bring the Black Knights, whom everyone in the world feared?

Jing Ge's face was still covered with that silver mask. He coldly looked at the corpse on the ground and nodded to his personal guard.

The guard pulled on the reins and turned back, making several gestures on the hillside below. But the night was so dark, and the moonlight was so dim, who could see these commands?

But after his gestures fell, on the low ridge between Jiao Prefecture and the naval base, countless figures suddenly appeared, as densely packed as a forest after the rain. They looked inexplicably beautiful.

They were all cavalrymen, a line of neat black cavalrymen on the ridge, waiting silently like ghosts, their formation facing the distant naval base.

The formation remained motionless. No one knew how the cavalrymen controlled their horses, but not a single neigh was heard, and not even a hoof pawed at the ground restlessly.

And the ten thousand soldiers in the navy seemed completely unaware.

Jing Ge led his ten personal guards, coldly watching the direction of the naval base, and suddenly said, "Half a quarter of an hour left."

His guards hooked their feet on the stirrups and began to string their crossbows, then uniformly drew their straight swords. Left crossbow, right sword—this was the standard equipment of the Black Knights.

A hint of murderous intent flashed between Jing Ge's eyebrows. He had been ordered by Fan Xian to prevent contact between the officers in the city and the naval soldiers, but even he hadn't expected the naval officers to react so quickly. At the same time that Dang Xiaobo sent that officer out of the city, many other naval officers had made the same choice.

Although the Black Knights had already killed seven people before and after this low ridge, Jing Ge couldn't guarantee that no one from the navy had broken through this blockade and entered the naval base.

Gazing into the distance at the harbor, Jing Ge's eyes narrowed, the silver mask on his face carrying a cold light. The naval base was already moving, and the lights were brighter than before. It seemed that the soldiers there had already learned of the news in the city, and there were probably some officers skilled at inciting them, tempting the naval soldiers to attack Jiao Prefecture and rescue those who were already dead... sending these soldiers to their deaths.

Jing Ge silently waited for that moment. He knew that the navy was not invincible. The other side could only mobilize two thousand men at most—this was something that Lord Commissioner had already calculated.

Four hundred Black Knights against two thousand naval soldiers who were not skilled in land warfare.

Jing Ge couldn't help but shake his head. They were all citizens of the Qing Dynasty, all soldiers of the Qing Dynasty. He didn't really want to slaughter them.

—————————————————————————

Fan Xian didn't know about the tense situation outside the city, but he could guess that the navy should already be making some moves. The Black Knights' assassination ability was unparalleled, especially at night. No one should be able to pose a threat to Jiao Prefecture. But the night was already deep. If he still couldn't get those naval officers to step forward and gather popular support by dawn, a larger-scale mutiny would be hard to avoid.

So, while worrying about the Black Knights, he sat inside the Admiral's residence, waiting with a hint of mockery for the generals to return.

As if following the order of their ranks, the first general to return to the Admiral's residence was the third most important figure in the navy. This general, over forty years old, knelt directly in front of Fan Xian in the study, expressing his unparalleled loyalty to the court, his utter hatred for Chang Kun's rebellious and treasonous actions, and his warm condolences for Lord Commissioner's hard work in investigating the case all night.

This statement made Fan Xian very gratified. It was worth all the things he had done this night, all the psychological warfare he had deployed for so long.

But the conversation that followed annoyed Fan Xian somewhat. Although this General He held a high position in the navy, he also admitted that without Chang Kun and Dang Xiaobo, it would be very difficult for him to completely control the navy.

What angered Fan Xian most was that General He directly expressed his unwillingness to be the first to step forward, because in the current situation, whoever stepped forward first would definitely incur the most direct resentment from the naval soldiers, and it would be extremely difficult to command the army in the future.

And Fan Xian's problem was that he couldn't be too harsh with this shameless old man.

Because this General He said with tears in his eyes, "Your Highness, this general has been campaigning with His Highness the Crown Prince in the west, pacifying the Hu tribes, coming to Jiao Prefecture for only half a year. I really don't understand much about the affairs of the navy."

Damn it, so he was from the First Prince. Fan Xian sighed inwardly. The Overwatch Council's intelligence had this claim, but the other party had shamelessly revealed his identity. No matter what, he had to give the First Prince some face.

Next, generals continuously returned to the Admiral's residence, expressing their loyalty to His Majesty, offering condolences to Fan Xian, and carefully producing relevant evidence to explain their faction and their position.

These generals were not Chang Kun's confidants, nor were they the nails that the Eldest Princess had hammered into Jiao Prefecture. But the problem was, none of them were willing to step forward and help Fan Xian solve his problems, because the matter was too big. For their own future, for the sake of their masters behind them, they preferred to remain silent for the time being.

The reason they came to talk to Fan Xian was simply that they were also afraid that Fan Xian would get angry and arrest them like he had done with Dang Xiaobo, accusing them of colluding with bandits and treason.

Each had their own faction, their own backers, and those backers in Kyoto all had shallow or deep relationships with the Fan family. Fan Xian had to give some face.

Fan Xian didn't have to give face to the Eldest Princess and the Crown Prince, but he had to give face to these people.

"Your Highness, I am a distant relative of Ren Shaoan."

"Your Highness, I am the Qin family's..."

"Your Highness..."

When a vice-general in charge of naval logistics mysteriously but embarrassedly said, "Your Highness, my surname is Liu..." Fan Xian finally exploded. Was this one of the three strongest navies of the Qing Dynasty?

He had never expected that just a single navy could have such a complex internal faction system. There were people from the palace, people from the former Prime Minister's residence, people from the Old Qin family, and people from the Department of Ministries. It was not easy to deal with them harshly, but these people were all extremely slippery and unwilling to jump out and be Fan Xian's knife.

They each had their own factions and their own backers, and those backers in Kyoto all had relationships with the Fan family, some shallow, some deep. Fan Xian had to show some respect.

Fan Xian didn't need to show respect to the Eldest Princess and the Eastern Palace, but he had to show respect to these people.

"Your Highness, I am a distant uncle of Ren Shaoan."

"Your Highness, this official is from the Old Qin Family..."

"Your Highness..."

When a vice-general in charge of the navy's logistics said mysteriously but embarrassedly, "Your Highness, my surname is Liu..." Fan Xian finally erupted. Was this one of the three most powerful navies of the Qing Dynasty?

He had never imagined that the internal factional relations within just one navy would be so complex. There were people from the palace, people from the former Prime Minister's residence, people from the Old Qin family, people from the Ministry of Ministries. It was not easy to come down too hard on them, but these people were all exceedingly slippery and unwilling to jump out and be Fan Xian's blade.

In the end, Fan Xian chose two people to be his blades, and at the same time had the last person come in.

He didn't look at that person. He was just thinking about his own thoughts, and he couldn't help but feel a trace of anger in his heart. In the end, the two generals he selected, one was from the Duke Liu's mansion, and the other was from his father-in-law's connections. Since they were the closest relatives, they couldn't be allowed to run.

Fan Xian laughed self-deprecatingly. The army had turned out like this, becoming a place for the powerful figures in the court to arrange jobs. If this continued, even the army would become rotten. How much of the Qing Dynasty's long-proud fighting strength could be preserved? How could such an army protect the country and its people?

Chang Kun was indeed not a good person, but what about these generals, and the people behind these generals?

He looked at the last general with derision, knowing that the other party was an old general of the navy with some prestige in the army, but he didn't know which family he belonged to. He couldn't help but say mockingly, "May I ask which person in the court this general has a connection with? Prime Minister Lin? Grand Scholar Shu? Or Old Man Qin? Don't say it's Director Chen and my father. I won't believe it."

Fan Xian sighed inwardly. Looking at the Jiao Prefecture Navy, he knew that if things continued like this, the Qing Dynasty would truly have an army that was not an army and a country that was not a country. The military was a matter of national importance, yet these people were allowing their disciples and former friends to profit in the army. How could these people be so shameless?

The general stood in front of Fan Xian, his expression slightly frozen, then he smiled and said, "Young Master, this subordinate is your man."

Fan Xian was stunned, unable to say a word for a long time. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Whose man are you?"

The general's expression did not change. He repeated with a smile, "This subordinate is your man."

Fan Xian took a deep breath, a feeling of absurdity welling up in his heart. He had just been righteously condemning the courtiers, but how could he have punched himself in the face?

But he had never had any confidants in the army. Chen Pingping and his father were being closely watched by the Emperor. Even if they had placed someone, they couldn't possibly not tell him. So Fan Xian narrowed his eyes, looking at the person in front of him, and couldn't help but ask again, "Whose man are you really?"

The general repeated for the third time, "I am your man..." He said respectfully, "I have no connection with anyone. I am just your man."

...

...