Monte Cristo, the Marquis de Félinan's mansion.

The Marquis Charles's residence is located on Moonlight Isle in Manchester Bay, east of Adelaide, while the Marquis Ferlinan's residence is located on Monte Cristo, west of Adelaide. One is in the east, the other in the west; one is on a mountain, the other on the water. The two are opposite each other, just like their rivalry in the Lane political arena, where neither side can gain the upper hand.

However, for now, the Marquis Charles has the upper hand, as the sudden deaths of the Chief Inspector of the Police and the Minister of Finance have dealt a heavy blow to the Marquis Ferlinan's power in Lane's political arena.

Although these two key positions are still in the hands of the Marquis of Ferlinan, Reinhardt took the opportunity to place many people into these two departments, making it less convenient for the Marquis of Ferlinan to command them as before.

Marquis Ferlinan was quite annoyed by this. After the new Chief Inspector of Police and the Minister of Finance were in power, they began to eliminate dissidents and remove Reinhardt's people one by one.

Today, the newly appointed Inspector General of the Police Force and the Minister of Finance came to the Château de Christophe to report to the Marquis Félinan.

In the villa's reception room, the Marquis Ferlinan sat in the center, while the newly appointed Inspector General and the Minister of Finance sat on single sofas to his left and right, respectively.

"The fiscal deficit has widened further this year, and the government debt ratio has reached 200%," the new Chancellor of the Exchequer said. "It is very difficult to continue raising funds by issuing bonds. The central reserves have been depleted, and the treasury is now in a state of deficit."

"That's normal."

Marquis Freeman, the cousin of the Grand Duke of Lane, was over sixty years old, but still looked vigorous and had sharp eyes.

"The war between Ryan and Fas is a bottomless pit that drains money. But no matter how high the fiscal deficit rises, as long as Ryan wins the war, none of that will matter."

“What you need to focus on now is not these dead numbers,” Marquis Ferlinan said, taking a deep drag from his snuff bottle and closing his eyes to rest. “It’s about how to get rid of the rats in the Ministry of Finance.”

“My lord, I have been working diligently on this matter without any slackening.” The Minister of Finance glanced at the Chief Inspector opposite him. “I have also been cooperating with the Police Department to advance these tasks.”

Marquis Ferlinan opened his eyes and looked at the newly appointed chief inspector of the patrol team beside him, who immediately took over the conversation.

"Based on the list and information submitted by the Ministry of Finance, our patrol police brigade has identified a group of people. Once the evidence is secured, we will arrest them on charges of embezzlement, bribery, and misappropriation of public funds!"

"Why not act immediately?" Marquis Ferlinan asked the new chief inspector, his face expressionless. "Are we waiting for conclusive evidence?"

When do patrol officers need to collect evidence first?

"Once we arrest them, what's there to worry about in terms of evidence?"

The Marquis of Ferlinan bombarded the newly appointed Chief Inspector with a series of questions, causing him to break out in a sweat.

"Sir, you may not know this, but our patrol team encountered some tricky situations during the investigation."

"Oh?" Marquis Ferlinan looked at the chief inspector. "Tell me about it."

“After investigating the people on the list, the patrol team uncovered more individuals suspected of embezzlement, bribery, dereliction of duty, misappropriation of public funds, and other crimes. We need time to conduct a preliminary assessment of these people because…because…” The chief inspector pulled a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the sweat from his brow, “Many of them are from our side, so…so…”

The chief inspector didn't continue, but everyone understood what he meant: if the law were truly upheld, not only would Prince Reinhardt's planted men go to jail, but Marquis Ferlinan's own people would also be wiped out.

Marquis Ferlinan's face was ashen, his fingers gripping the sofa armrests, his expression turning grim. The newly appointed Inspector General and the Minister of Finance lowered their heads, not daring to speak.

If the former Inspector General and the Chancellor of the Exchequer hadn't died suddenly together, there wouldn't be so many troubles!

Speaking of this, we have to mention that guy named Zhang Fan.

First, they burned down the "St. Anna Orphanage" he had set up in the Helenburg slums. Then, on the same day, they killed two of his top lieutenants: the chief of the patrol team and the finance minister. Later, in Benghazi, they destroyed his long-established "drug" smuggling route and slaughtered his long-time "clients." Recently, on Ruolan Star, they sent the entire "Black Dragon Society," which was affiliated with him, to prison...

Where on earth did this little devil come from?!

Always opposing!

You bastard!

Marquis Ferlinan grew angrier the more he thought about it, veins bulging on his forehead. Finally, he slammed his fist on the armrest of the sofa with a loud bang.

The newly appointed Inspector General and the Chancellor of the Exchequer both shrank back instantly, not daring to utter a sound.

"I asked you to investigate that man's situation. Have you gotten any results?" Marquis Ferlinan, having calmed himself down, turned to look at the new chief inspector.

"We already have the results." The newly appointed chief inspector took out a report from his briefcase and presented it with both hands, saying, "The current Major General Zhang Fan, commander of the 358th Regiment of the Ryan National Army stationed in Benghazi, is an 'outsider'."

"His earliest record appears on the front lines of Milan Star, where he was a private in the Ryan mercenary army. He accumulated enough points in battles against the Fas Khan army to become a Ryan citizen."

"Due to his outstanding combat record, he was promoted to second lieutenant after naturalization and became a third-year transfer student at the Royal Military Command Academy of the Duchy of Ryan."

"During his time at school, he offended nobles, represented by Princess Alice, but for some reason, he was noticed by Marquis Charles and recommended to work under Prince Reinhard."

"He was also highly regarded by Prince Reinhardt. With Prince Reinhardt's strong support and the Senate's green light, he was promoted to the rank of major and was soon appointed by the military as the commander of the 358th Regiment of the Reinhardt Army stationed in Benghazi."

"In Benghazi, he cooperated with the 'White Tiger Regiment' to win a great victory, making contributions to Ryan's acquisition of the three planets Muli, Hagrid, and Anlin, and was directly promoted to the rank of Major General."

"That's about it," the newly appointed chief inspector said in one breath.

"So, in less than two years, he jumped directly from Private Third Rank to Major General?" Ferlinan asked after closing the report.

“Yes.” The newly appointed chief inspector nodded. “It is unbelievable how quickly this person was promoted. It is also surprising that the Senate and the military, who are usually at odds with each other, were surprisingly in agreement when this person was promoted.”

“That’s not surprising,” Marquis Ferlinan said slowly, glancing at the report. “Anyone who catches the eye of Marquis Charles must have something extraordinary about them.”

“My lord, this man cannot be spared!” the Chancellor of the Exchequer said through gritted teeth. “Leaving aside the heinous crimes he committed against the former Inspector General and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, his loyalty to Marquis Charles and Prince Reinhard alone is enough to warrant his death a hundred times over!”

“Yes! This man must not be allowed to live!” The newly appointed chief inspector nodded and said, “The army has always been Prince Reinhard’s weakness. Marquis Charles has put in a lot of effort to place his people in the military, but with little success. Now that he has such a powerful general, isn’t Prince Reinhard like a tiger with wings?”

Marquis Ferlinan stared at the report for a long time, pondering for a while before asking, "What is this person's character like?"

"Tyrannical and cruel, cowardly and greedy, lustful and bloodthirsty," the new chief inspector shouted.

"Oh? How do you know?"

"When this person was still a private on Milan Star, the entire 102nd Airborne Brigade was wiped out, but he was the only one who survived by hiding and fleeing. He single-handedly took credit for the entire brigade's success. Otherwise, how could he have been promoted so quickly?"

"The tragedies he caused in the Adelaide Police Force are well-documented. In the chaotic 358th Regiment in Benghazi, he is said to have taken pleasure in torturing and killing male soldiers and also took all the female soldiers in the regiment as his own, living a life of debauchery and lawlessness."

"This man has connections in both the legitimate and criminal worlds wherever he goes, and it is said that he has amassed a great deal of ill-gotten wealth and lined his own pockets."

The newly appointed chief inspector gave a long speech, but it's unclear where he got his intelligence from.

"It's a pity this man can't be used by me..." Marquis Ferlinan's gaze turned somber at the end, "Then he can't be used by Reinhard either..."

"Destroy!"

"With your words, sir, we can go all out!" The newly appointed chief inspector rubbed his hands together, making a throat-slitting gesture. "This is also to avenge the two generals who were unjustly killed by you, sir!"

"Do you have a plan?" the Chancellor of the Exchequer asked the Inspector General. "If you need evidence, the Ministry of Finance can fully cooperate. Just tell us what you need!"

"No need!" the chief inspector sneered. "Just kill him, stuff a few packets of 'drugs' into the body, and if the patrol team says he's guilty, then he's guilty!"

"The problem is how to make a move?" the Chancellor of the Exchequer said, frowning. "We can't act while he's with Prince Reinhardt or Marquis Charles, and it will be even more difficult once he returns to his regimental headquarters in Benghazi."

“We must find a suitable time before he returns to Benghazi,” Marquis Ferlinan said thoughtfully. “And we must separate him from Prince Reinhardt and Marquis Charles’s men, preferably when he is alone…”

This is a rare opportunity.

While the three were still racking their brains for a solution, the villa's butler peeked out from outside the reception room several times, only to retreat again each time, hesitant to proceed.

"Come in!" Marquis Ferlinan was already annoyed, and seeing the steward's timid appearance, he became even angrier.

"What is it?"

The butler immediately rushed in, flustered, to report: "Master, there is a guest outside requesting an audience."

"Can't you see I have guests?" Marquis Ferlinan said angrily. "Didn't I say I wasn't seeing any guests today?!"

"Master, I told you, but, but..." the butler said tremblingly, bowing down. "The other party said that as long as you hear his name, you will definitely want to see him."

“Even if the Jade Emperor were here, I wouldn’t see him!” Marquis Ferlinan roared.

"Yes, yes, yes!" The butler was so frightened that he didn't know what to do and hurriedly retreated. "Master, I'll go and send him away right away!"

"Wait a minute." Marquis Ferlinan suddenly called out to the butler who had retreated to the doorway of the drawing room, and asked with a suspicious look, "What did he say his name was?"

The butler came running back, beaming, and reported:

"Major General and Commander of the 358th Regiment of the Nationalist Army stationed in Benghazi."

"Zhang Fan!"