Chapter 16: The Military Supervisor Arrives

As the footsteps drew closer, Situ Xin felt a cold sweat forming on his forehead. But in this freezing cold weather, if the newcomers saw the sweat, it would betray his uneasy state. So he quickly wiped away the sweat and gathered his composure. He thought that his timely and strict orders, forbidding the battalion commanders and officers present at the time to spread the news of Commander Shen's murder, and forbidding anyone to mention that anyone outside the barracks was investigating the case, and that he had placed Yin Chuan and the other two under house arrest in the barracks, should have prevented any problems.

"Oh, General Inspector, you are finally here!" Seeing that the visitor had arrived at the door of the barracks, Situ Xin immediately stepped forward to greet him with a warm attitude.

"Brother Situ, it's been a long time since we last met!" The visitor smiled broadly and patted Situ Xin's arm, seeming to be familiar with him. He wasn't wearing a military uniform, but a casual brocade robe, draped over a fox fur cloak. His glasses, rimmed with gold wire, were perched on his nose, and his triangular eyes, narrowed, looked rather seductive. He was accompanied by a young, handsome officer in uniform, a second lieutenant, but his gaze was fierce.

"I originally thought it would take a few days for you to arrive, but I didn't expect it to be so soon." Situ Xin stepped in.

"No matter how fast you go, you're still a step behind, right?" The visitor changed the subject and said, "I didn't catch up with Captain Shen's accident the night before, and I didn't get to see him for the last time. Oh, how sad!"

These words made Situ Xin snort inwardly, thinking to himself that this guy was really well-informed, and there was a bit of a sense of grief for the deceased. However, his attitude should also represent the thoughts of Marshal Zhang Xun, right?

"Yes, Captain Shen was murdered by a traitor, causing our independent regiment to suffer heavy losses."

"And then there were the bandits' night attacks. It's truly a case of good fortune never coming alone, but misfortune never comes singly. All the bad things have happened at once." The military supervisor sighed. "I really want to know how Brother Situ will reorganize the Independent Regiment next."

"Hey, we still have to follow Marshal Zhang's instructions. Whatever Marshal Zhang wants our regiment to do, I, Situ Xin, will not hesitate." Situ Xin expressed his opinion and lit a cigarette for the military supervisor. "But... I still hope that Brother Wan will speak well of me in front of the Marshal..."

Supervisor Wan took the cigarette and didn't respond directly to Situ Xin. Instead, he coughed lightly and glanced to the other side, as if to remind him. Situ Xin looked over there warily, only to see Staff Officer Han Chi approaching the two of them. He quickly stepped back and said to Han Chi, "Staff Officer Han, please come over and meet Supervisor Wan. Brother Wan, this is Han Chi, the regiment's staff officer."

Han Chi had seen Situ Xin handing a cigarette to General Wan, and he had his own thoughts in mind.

"Sir Military Inspector, I am Han Chi!" Han Chi walked up to Military Inspector Wan, put his feet together, and saluted in a standard military salute.

"Staff Officer Han, please excuse me. By the way, Brother Situ, where are the other battalion commanders?"

"Hey, wasn't it yesterday that all the unexpected events happened one after another, and the battalion commanders are busy dealing with the aftermath. Brother Wan, please take a seat first and have some tea." Situ Xin offered Supervisor Wan a seat and ordered the orderly to prepare tea. He and Han Chi accompanied him, one on each side, but the uneasiness in their hearts never subsided.

After the orderly brought the tea, Supervisor Wan took a casual sip with his left hand and placed it on the table. He then said seriously, "I think you two should be considered the decision-makers of the Independent Regiment besides Commander Shen, right? Marshal Zhang arranged for me to come to the barracks to inspect the deployment of various key military locations on the front line on his behalf. We are close to the Huai River and not far from the Sun and Huang armies in the south. We cannot afford to be careless in our deployment, especially as an Independent Regiment that directly obeys the Marshal. But unexpectedly, there have been so many incidents. I want to hear how you two will explain all this to the Marshal."

As soon as these words came out, Situ Xin's face changed. The thing he was most worried about happened.

"Sir Military Inspector, compared to the incident that happened to Captain Shen, I think the attack on the garrison camp is more serious." Without waiting for Situ Xin to answer, Han Chi spoke first.

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"You see, recently we've been locked in a stalemate with the Sun and Huang armies in the south. Both sides have deployed forces on both sides of the Huai River, waiting for Shangfeng's order to start the battle. But neither dared to move first, fearing that the other side would seize the opportunity and embarrass President Yuan. And then, just at this moment, local bandits raided the military camp. I'm sure the bandit leader is no fool; how could he have the guts to attack our Beiyang Army with a mob of rabble? Therefore, there must be a conspiracy behind yesterday's night attack."

Wan Jianjun listened to his endless analysis with no reaction on his face. When he finished speaking, he snorted slightly and asked calmly, "Staff Officer Han, according to what you said, there is someone behind the bandits' sneak attack. But even so, is it more important than assassinating the supreme commander of this unit?"

"Don't be impatient, please listen to my detailed explanation. The reason why I think the bandit night attack is more important than the murder of Captain Shen is because I took into account the order of these two events."

"In what order?"

"Yes. As everyone knows, yesterday the bandits took advantage of the heavy snow and darkness to launch a surprise attack. Our army was indeed caught off guard at first, but we quickly organized a powerful counterattack. Although we lost some supplies and personnel, the bandits did not gain much advantage. After cleaning up the battlefield, we killed and wounded dozens of bandits. After the battle, senior officers at the regimental and battalion levels, including me, witnessed the scene of Captain Shen's murder in front of his barracks. It felt like an inexplicable coincidence. In other words, if there had not been this bandit night attack, perhaps Captain Shen would not have been killed. So the root of the whole thing is still the bandit night attack."

"According to what you said, there is a connection between the bandit night attack and the murder of Captain Shen?"

"From the actual situation, it is hard not to suspect that there is a connection."

"If you follow this as a clue, have you found any clues?"

"Unfortunately, all the captured bandits were executed on the spot. And even if they were asked, I doubt these minions would know the truth behind the attack."

"So, there has been no progress in the investigation?" General Wan's face darkened and he glanced at Situ Xin on the other side.

Situ Xin quickly took over the conversation: "Don't worry, Master Supervisor. The investigation is still ongoing. Judging from the clues we have already obtained, the murderer is very likely someone from within the Independent Regiment."

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

Han Chi continued, "Shortly before you arrived at the barracks, the body of Captain Shen's personal bodyguard, Duan Biao, was found near the reconnaissance squad's barracks. At the same time, a scout named Huang Tan from the squad went missing. And..."

Seeing him hesitate suddenly, Situ Xin thought he was going to reveal the details of Yin Chuan and the other two's investigation into the case, and he immediately became nervous.

Han Chi continued, "There was also a deserter from the Third Battalion. We suspect he's the bandit's accomplice. We didn't catch him, and he escaped. So we arrested his platoon leader, Lu Jiyu, and the Third Battalion Commander, Wu Ziqing, was suspended and temporarily placed in solitary confinement."

Fortunately, he did not reveal the existence of Yin Chuan and the other two, and Situ Xin breathed a sigh of relief.