Chapter 1 The Dragon City Rises

Five p.m., Dragon City Garrison Command compound.

After the meeting, the officers left the compound, each preoccupied with their own thoughts.

Jiang Yuanzhen bid farewell to the other generals and walked alone to the front gate.

Three military vehicles were already waiting. An adjutant stepped forward, opened the door of the middle car, and gestured for Jiang Yuanzhen to get in.

The convoy slowly drove away from the compound. Jiang Yuanzhen loosened his collar, leaned back in the soft seat, and closed his eyes to rest.

Jiang Yuanzhen's youngest son, Jiang Zheng, also sat in the car. He was about twenty-five or six years old. Seeing his father like this, he couldn't help but ask, "Dad, I heard that when the commander-in-chief came back this time, he didn't even crack a smile. What do you think our future holds?"

Jiang the Fatty didn't even open his eyes, slowly saying, "Future? Even the commander-in-chief doesn't have a direction now. I don't know where we should go, and it's not our concern. But, the military budget has been cut by thirty percent. The future will be tough."

"Thirty percent?" Jiang Zheng was also startled. "That's too much, isn't it?"

Jiang the Fatty didn't say anything. Jiang Zheng thought for a moment and then asked, "Dad, do you think the Dragon City Finance Department will give us an explanation? Is it possible to communicate with the Finance Department and have Old Li take on some of this burden?"

Jiang Yuanzhen snorted through his nose, "Are you kidding? Why would Old Li love you so much? If we clearly expressed support for that damn association, it might be possible to shoulder this burden. But with the commander-in-chief's current attitude... forget it, there's no way to communicate."

Jiang Zheng sighed and stopped talking.

The car continued to drive. Jiang Yuanzhen lay on the seat, thinking for a long time, and suddenly asked, "Have you been to the company recently?"

Jiang Zheng was taken aback and replied, "I go every day!"

Jiang Yuanzhen put his hands on his stomach and said softly, "I guess we can't count on the military budget anymore. Let's stockpile some more provisions. Take a closer look at the company recently and focus on business matters."

"Okay, I understand," Jiang Zheng nodded. "Then should we increase our purchases?"

Jiang Yuanzhen casually said, "Do whatever you think is best."

The father and son stopped talking after that.

About half an hour later, Jiang Zheng dropped his father off at home, then changed into a private car and left with a group of people.

...

At seven p.m., Jiang Zheng arrived at the Zha Nan Wharf and entered a logistics company's building, going directly to the third-floor office.

After entering, Jiang Zheng plopped down in the boss's chair, had a young female secretary bring the account books, and began to read through the records.

About ten minutes later, the office door was gently pushed open, and a young man in a black jacket walked in. He said to Jiang Zheng, "Still checking accounts so late?"

This young man was called Lu Guangwei, Jiang Zheng's cousin. He had been following Jiang Zheng around for years, helping to manage the family business.

Lu Guangwei's jacket, watch, and belt were all trendy, luxury brands. Every gesture he made had a bit of a mob boss vibe.

"Yeah," Jiang Zheng said without looking up. "There's been a bit of a problem recently. The old man told me to keep a closer eye on the company."

Lu Guangwei's expression changed. He waved to the side, and the female secretary immediately left the office. He walked to the desk, poured tea for Jiang Zheng, and asked, "What's going on?"

"There was a meeting today. They said they're cutting the military budget, so the future won't be easy," Jiang Zheng put down the account book and sighed.

Lu Guangwei hurriedly asked, "How much are they cutting?"

Jiang Zheng held up three fingers.

Lu Guangwei frowned, then waved his hand and laughed, "Damn, it's just thirty percent. Spread out among so many troops, it won't actually be that much. If we put in a little more effort, we can easily make up for that money."

As he spoke, Lu Guangwei pointed outside, "A batch of good stuff arrived tonight, a lot of it. I'm personally distributing it."

Jiang Zheng took a sip of tea and said, "Be careful. Don't just focus on making money, be stable too."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Lu Guangwei laughed. "Come on, I'll take you to the warehouse and show you how much stuff we've got stockpiled."

"Alright," Jiang Zheng stood up, and the two of them walked out together.

...

The warehouse was built next to the logistics company. At this time, the gate was tightly locked, and three burly security guards were standing guard in front of it.

Seeing Jiang Zheng and Lu Guangwei walking over, the three security guards, who had been squatting on the ground smoking, immediately stood up and greeted them, "Good evening, General Jiang! Good evening, General Lu!"

"Yeah," Lu Guangwei pointed to the warehouse door. "Open the gate."

One of the security guards immediately took off the key hanging from his waist and unlocked the lock on the iron gate. The other two security guards stood on either side and opened the gate together.

"Rumble!"

As the warehouse door opened, the scene inside was revealed to Jiang Zheng.

In this four- or five-hundred-square-meter space, rows of boxes were neatly stacked, densely packed, almost filling the entire warehouse.

Lu Guangwei led Jiang Zheng inside, chuckling, "Damn, after the war in Saint Paul, this stuff is worth more than gold! I stockpiled two batches last time, ready to sell. Now the time has come. I'm planning to release a batch tonight..."

Lu Guangwei held up one finger and said excitedly to Jiang Zheng, "Bro, this batch of goods alone can make up for the entire monthly deficit of your troops!"

Jiang Zheng looked at the full warehouse and nodded slowly.

Lu Guangwei took two steps, stood in front of the goods, put his hands behind his back, and smiled, "You know, these people, fighting for power, fighting wars, what's the point of doing these things? Look at us, how good we are, living a peaceful life, making money while lying down."

Jiang Zheng smiled but didn't say anything.

...

At eight p.m., in a hotel private room, Su Tianyu was smiling and entertaining a group of people who had come to attend the conference, including Wu Boxin, Xin Xiaodong, and representatives from the Chi Army.

Everyone was toasting and talking happily.

Su Tianyu exchanged a few more pleasantries, then walked out of the private room, took out his cell phone, and made a call, "Mingyuan, where are you?"

"Nowhere," Yu Mingyuan said lightly. "Staying at home."

"What about Lu Guan?" Su Tianyu teased. "Let your little hand rest for a while, come out and have a meal? There's quite a crowd here."

Yu Mingyuan guessed what it was about and declined, "Forget it, I'm not participating anymore, what's the point of going?"

Su Tianyu said, "It's just a meal, what does it have to do with whether you participate or not?"

Yu Mingyuan still refused, "You guys eat, I'm not going, I have something to do."

"Alright," Su Tianyu saw that Yu Mingyuan was strongly refusing, so he didn't try to persuade him further, "Then we'll drink alone later."

"Okay," the two hung up the phone.

...

On the other end of the phone, Yu Mingyuan threw his phone aside while driving.

More than ten minutes later, the car stopped in front of a dilapidated house.

Yu Mingyuan got out of the car, slowly walked to the front of the house, looked at the deserted yard, and slowly lit a cigarette.