Amidst the chaos of war, the life or death of a brigade commander hangs on the whim of the executioner.

Zhao Wei Hu's beheading of Tang Zhengde not only released the pent-up anger in his heart and avenged the brothers of the Chi Army, but also plunged his relationship with the Second War Zone of the Renmin Alliance Army to a freezing point.

In truth, Hazar was right. Once the cannons roar, the so-called right and wrong, truth and justice, become irrelevant. No one cares about the initial cause; everyone only sees the outcome and remembers the hatred.

With Tang Zhengde's command post destroyed, his troops would undoubtedly retreat swiftly. With the commander gone, what was there to fight for? Moreover, the First Army, dispatched by the Renmin Army's Commander-in-Chief from the Xiluo region, had already taken position near Hualei Town to protect the Chi Army from the Second War Zone's threat.

After the brief battle, Zhao Wei Hu ordered all Chi Army troops to withdraw into Hualei Town, establishing multiple heavily armed defense lines centered on the town's entrance to prevent any further incidents.

Once everything was settled, Tang Zhengde's head was indeed hung by Chang Fei on the plaque at the entrance of Hualei Town, as a display of the Chi Army's might and a tribute to the brothers who died because of betrayal.

Inside the Chi Army's command post.

Hazar glared at Zhao Wei Hu and roared, "Did I lie to you? Didn't the First Army of Xiluo come?! We are doing our best to protect you, to protect the Chi Army, but what have you done? Why did you kill Tang Zhengde? My God! Do you want to be besieged by the entire Second War Zone, or do you want to provoke a civil war?"

Zhao Wei Hu looked at him calmly, and after a long silence, said, "I don't want to lecture you about grand principles, nor do I want to pour out my feelings about how so many of my soldiers died unjustly! I'm just telling you, I did it. You deal with it."

Hazar looked at him in disbelief. "...I...we really can't communicate!"

Zhao Wei Hu slammed the table and stood up, glaring at him as he demanded, "I'm just asking you one thing: do you still want the investment from the Hua region? Do you still want to do the arms business?!"

Hazar was silent.

"They fired first! Even if I hadn't killed Tang Zhengde today, it wouldn't have changed the fact that they wanted to kill me," Zhao Wei Hu roared back. "Nor would it have changed the fact that they secretly wished the old commander would die sooner! It was bound to happen sooner or later. When the knife is already at your throat, what's the point of talking about political tactics?!"

Hazar looked at the furious Zhao Wei Hu. "Okay, okay, let's all calm down. Let's not argue."

"Ding-ling-ling!"

Just then, the phone rang.

"I'll take this call." Hazar walked to the side, answered the phone at the door, and after a few words, turned to Zhao Wei Hu and said, "The old commander wants you to go to the headquarters for a face-to-face meeting."

Zhao Wei Hu frowned and fell silent upon hearing this.

"Right now, immediately." Hazar repeated, "Do you dare to go?"

Zhao Wei Hu raised his eyebrows and replied matter-of-factly, "Of course I don't dare to go. Do you even need to ask?"

"…!" Hazar was dumbfounded.

"It's not that I don't trust the old commander, it's that I don't trust the people around him." Zhao Wei Hu said bluntly, "Too many people want me dead right now. I can't take that risk."

"…You really are a cunning fellow!"

"If all I knew was how to swing a broadsword, I'd have died countless times already." Zhao Wei Hu replied directly, "Tell the old commander to send someone over. We'll talk in town if there's anything to discuss."

After the two finished talking, Hualei Town entered a state of complete lockdown.

The First Army of Xiluo, with a total force of over ten thousand, was stationed on the west side, while the two newly deployed brigades from the Second War Zone, also with over ten thousand, were stationed on the east side of the town.

The three forces secretly contended with each other. The Chi Army began to huddle up, and Zhao Wei Hu awaited news from the Renmin Army's old commander.

…

Dragon City, inside a large courtyard under the banner of the Stevedores' Association, Kang Dinghuang stood under a pavilion, smoking and awaiting final news.

Kang Dinghuang, male, thirty-five years old, with dual doctorates in military intelligence and international relations, came from a military-political family. After graduating from university, he joined the Seventh Bureau of the First District and had a brilliant record in the military intelligence battlefield of the Fifth District, rising from the grassroots to hold important positions within the General Bureau.

In his first year at the Seventh Bureau, Kang Dinghuang had delivered a speech in an internal conference room regarding the evolving situation in the Old Mexico region. He was the first to propose that if the First District did not take containment measures, the Renmin Army would end the civil war in Old Mexico within ten years, thereby completing the establishment of a regime and a special zone.

It should be noted that at that time, the Old Mexico region's official army was still in a state of fragmentation. In short, local warlords all claimed to be the legitimate authority, and no true leader had emerged within, with each region in a state of independent rule, much like the period of Yuan Shao's alliance in the early Three Kingdoms era.

Therefore, Kang Dinghuang's remarks were heavily criticized at the time. Grassroots cadres scolded him for being brain-dead, and senior leaders criticized him, even giving him a demerit for it, because most people at that time believed that the Old Mexico region was too chaotic and might still be at war even a hundred years from then.

Since it was a state of war, it was bound to be in line with the First District's overall interests. An unsettled neighbor with constant artillery fire was conducive to promoting "neighborly relations," so the First District's policy at that time was to outwardly express sympathy for Old Mexico, offering humanitarian concern and practical assistance, but inwardly cheering them on, urging them to fight to the death.

Therefore, Kang Dinghuang's public remarks immediately undermined this "neighborly relationship," and the higher-ups gave him a certain punishment.

However, less than ten years later, the development trend of the Old Mexico region was largely in line with Kang Dinghuang's predictions.

Over the past period, the Supervisory Committee's actions had aroused dissatisfaction among the people of Dragon City, and the complex changes in the Old Mexico region had made the First District's upper echelons feel anxious.

Therefore, a new department was born.

The First District, Greater Region Security Seventh Bureau, Special Intelligence Department.

The first minister was Kang Dinghuang. The department's main responsibility was to secretly handle issues in the Old Mexico region.

Since Kang Dinghuang established the work uniform as a cyan-blue Zhongshan suit after the establishment of this Special Intelligence Department, the department was jokingly called the "Cyan Robe Society" or the "Cyan Robe Bureau" by outsiders.

In the near future, this Cyan Robe Society would stir up many events and bloodshed in Dragon City, and even throughout Old Mexico, the First District, and the Old Triangle region.

…

Inside the Dragon City Office of the Cyan Robe Bureau.

After waiting a little while, a young man walked over and said, "Confirmed again, Tang Zhengde is indeed dead."

Kang Dinghuang took a deep drag of his cigarette. "That's quite good, then. We can say that we achieved our goal."