It was a little after six in the morning, the sky was already bright, the whole Longcheng had woken up, people began to go out to work, and breakfast stalls were set up on both sides of the street.
In the garrison headquarters, Tan Hengqiang was sitting in his office, also eating breakfast. On the table was a bowl of very light millet porridge, with a salted duck egg, a bowl of small pickles, and a portion of steamed dumplings, simple and exquisite.
Just as Tan Hengqiang was drinking porridge, the office door was pushed open and Zhang Xunchen walked in.
Tan Hengqiang immediately called out, "Come on, the buns are still hot, sit down and eat together."
Zhang Xunchen sat in front of Tan Hengqiang, picked up a bun, and said, "There is something."
Tan Hengqiang drank a mouthful of porridge: "You say."
Zhang Xunchen lowered his voice and said, "The Southern Military District of Region 1 has sent a special envoy who has entered the defense zone of our Second Army and Third Regiment and wants to communicate with us."
Tan Hengqiang frowned and asked, "What race?"
"Chinese." Zhang Xunchen analyzed: "I guess it should be someone from the Chinese Corps Headquarters."
Tan Hengqiang continued to drink his porridge with his head down without saying a word.
Zhang Xunchen was a little impatient and asked, "Do you want to see me?"
Tan Hengqiang put down the bowl and said calmly: "It's just a fuss, let's meet."
The two chatted for a while and then started eating breakfast.
…
Two hours later, two very low-key Chinese people, dressed in casual clothes, were picked up by the garrison's military vehicle and taken to the headquarters building.
Under the protection of the guards, they entered a very spacious reception room.
At the same time, Tan Hengqiang was sitting in the lounge next door, drinking tea and observing the situation in the reception room through a one-way glass.
For this meeting, Tan Hengqiang did not show up in person, but instead asked Zhang Xunchen to receive him.
In the reception room, two Chinese special envoys were shaking hands with Zhang Xunchen. One of the men, who looked like the leader, said, "Hello, General Staff Zhang."
"Hello, hello. Please take a seat." Zhang Xunchen said with a smile, "I'm really sorry, our commander-in-chief is ill and is currently recuperating in a sanatorium. If you have anything to say, just talk to me!"
Everyone took their seats, and the leading man introduced himself: "Hello, Chief of Staff Zhang. I am the special commissioner for military coordination in the South, appointed by the Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Corps. My name is Jiang Hua. This is my partner, Chen Xiao."
Zhang Xunchen nodded and said, "You two have come a long way, thank you for your hard work."
Jiang Hua put his hands in his pockets and said very straightforwardly: "We are here to solve the problem, so let's get straight to the point."
Zhang Xunchen smiled and said, "I hope so. I also have some official business to take care of."
Jiang Hua nodded and said bluntly: "That's right, Chief of Staff Zhang, what do you think of the situation in Longcheng and Sri Lanka now?"
Zhang Xunchen didn't even think about it and immediately replied: "Slanka is of the same origin as our Dragon City. If the rebels launch a clearing-out military operation against Lanka, then, with the permission of the Renmin Army, we will not rule out sending military units into Lanka to help the Renmin Army resist the invasion of external forces."
When answering this question, Zhang Xunchen, first, did not mention District 1, but only the rebel army. Second, he also changed his previous attitude and diplomatic rhetoric, repeatedly emphasizing that the garrison and the Renmin Army were brothers of the same origin.
Through these words, a message is vaguely conveyed that Longcheng has become a huge political system, and it is no longer the previous relationship between the administrative faction and the garrison.
After hearing Zhang Xunchen's answer, Jiang Hua's expression changed slightly. He looked at his partner Chen Xiao and exchanged information with each other.
Soon, Jiang Hua looked very serious, looked at Zhang Xunchen and asked: "General Staff Zhang, have you ever thought about what the consequences would be if the garrison supported Sri Lanka?"
Zhang Xunchen looked directly into the other person's eyes and said calmly, "I only know that my brother troops are in a very difficult situation at the moment, and our Chinese living area is about to be threatened by foreign war."
Jiang Hua's face was stern, and he took the initiative to remind them: "I hope you can think clearly. If the Longcheng garrison secretly sends troops to support Sri Lanka without receiving the transfer order from District 1, it will be an outright military mutiny! This kind of behavior will definitely lead to a war."
Zhang Xunchen sat up straight, stared at Jiang Hua and said, "We didn't start the war. If we really want to fight, there's nothing we can do. There are 70,000 to 80,000 Renmin troops and hundreds of thousands of Chinese people living in the Sri Lanka area. If the rebels' war spreads there, and we are a Chinese army so close to it, if we don't react... In the future, I'm afraid our ancestors will be dug up!"
Jiang Hua frowned, thought for a long time, and then simply revealed his trump card: "General Staff Zhang, I hope you can convey this to Commander Tan. We are representing the District 1 government and the Chinese Corps Headquarters to convey two suggestions to your department. First, if Longcheng reaches a military consensus with the Sri Lankan Min Army and participates in the battle together. Then I can tell you responsibly that a war will inevitably break out in Longcheng, and it will be in the near future! This is irreversible! Second, if Longcheng can be restrained enough, then this matter can still be turned around."
Zhang Xunchen immediately asked: "How restrained are you?"
Jiang Hua waved his hand and said, "Order the Renmin Army to retreat 300 kilometers, abandon the important areas of Sri Lanka, and return them to the military government of Bahiacho. At the same time, the Renmin Army is only allowed to be stationed in the small town of Hualian, and perhaps this war can be avoided."
Zhang Xunchen smiled and said, "This is military oppression. You fire a cannon and take a piece of territory."
The other party didn't say anything.
Zhang Xunchen stood up and said, "Okay, I understand. I will convey your suggestion to the commander-in-chief."
The two people opposite also stood up, and Jiang Hua said: "In the next few days, we may have to meet frequently."
As he spoke, the special envoy's tone suddenly softened: "Also, the commander-in-chief of the Chinese Corps asked me to give Commander Tan a message."
Zhang Xunchen stopped and said, "You go ahead."
Jiang Hua said earnestly, "The commander-in-chief said that he is old and will naturally give way to someone more capable after his term of office is up. Commander Tan is still a deputy now, but in a few years, maybe the entire Chinese Corps will be flying the flag with the word Tan on it. At that time, he will be second only to the emperor. Why would we fight with a bunch of reactionaries for something that has little chance of success?"
Zhang Xunchen nodded: "Okay, I understand, I will convey it, please go back."
After both sides said goodbye, Jiang Hua and the others were taken to a rest area, while Zhang Xunchen walked into the lounge next door.
As soon as I entered the door, I saw Tan Hengqiang sitting inside drinking tea with a calm look.
Zhang Xunchen walked over, took a sip of tea, moistened his throat and said, "I feel that District 1 is still very determined to start a war this time. Now we only have two choices..."
Tan Hengqiang narrowed his eyes and did not express his opinion. He just said softly: "Don't leak the news of their coming."
Zhang Xunchen nodded.
…
In a dim and damp room, He Yan received a phone call.
In the microphone, a man said in a deep voice: "Last task, get ready."
He Yan was silent for a long time, then nodded and said, "I understand."
After hanging up the phone, He Yan sat on the cold bed somewhat unhappily, with a hint of irritation in his eyes.
Last time I said it was the last time, and now it’s the last time again... When will this end
After a while, footsteps were heard outside. Then, a man's loud voice rang out: "It's time to eat!"
“Crash!”
A plate of fairly good food was pushed in from the small window below the iron gate. He Yan shook his head, bent down, picked up the plate, and began to eat.