Zhou Wenji's smile froze, but he was cunning and not easily fooled, so he immediately calmed down.
"Commander Li, what makes you say that? I have not violated any laws of the court, so what crime have I committed?"
"Is delaying military operations a serious crime?"
"I do not understand what Commander Li means."
Without wasting words, Li Bao said directly, "Men, tie up Zhou Sicheng first!"
Without the navy involved, several of Li Bao's personal guards rushed up and, without saying a word, took Zhou Wenji away.
Who is Zhou Wenji?
The Director of the Maritime Trade Office of Quanzhou, a bigwig in the customs, would he go out without any entourage?
Customs has its own customs guards, which are equivalent to customs police in the 21st century.
Seeing his boss being held captive, he immediately flew into a rage.
The group immediately prepared to take action, but Xu Yunsheng, upon seeing this, knew things were about to get out of hand.
You even dare to touch the Lingnan Pacification Commissioner appointed by the Emperor himself?
The documents from the Privy Council and the Military Governor's Office are all here, so Li Bao is now essentially Xu Yunsheng's direct superior.
Li Bao was already a prominent figure in the Song army, a student of Yue Fei, the governor of the Southwest War Zone, the youngest instructor at the Imperial Military Academy, and the commander-in-chief of the entire South China Sea.
Now that Xu Yunsheng has the opportunity to follow such a prominent figure, how could he let it pass?
King Kang?
Prince Kang was naturally the top figure in the Maritime Trade Office, able to rival the Vice Chancellor, but what good was command of the East China Sea in the military?
Didn't Quanzhou get assigned to the South China Sea soon after?
So Xu Yunsheng was very excited, as he had just arrived and already had the opportunity to perform in front of his superiors.
He immediately led his men forward, and rows of men surrounded Li Bao in the middle, and then they surrounded Zhou Wenji's men as well.
The customs officers were completely surrounded and were dumbfounded.
I never expected that today I would actually get into a fight with the navy!
Everyone was completely baffled as to what exactly caused the fight.
The two big shots exchanged a few words, seemingly laughing and joking, before suddenly turning hostile.
This person can change their mind faster than a woman.
The dozen or so customs guards immediately cowered.
Zhou Wenji remained calm: "Commander Li, I am an official appointed by the imperial court, in charge of the Quanzhou Maritime Trade Office, and I am here to share His Majesty's burdens. You have no evidence whatsoever; this is an overreach of authority, a grave crime!"
Li Bao said sternly, "If you don't take me to see Prefect Cai, I will kill you right here!"
Zhou Wenji could no longer remain calm.
He has been an official for decades, and he has been very successful in both officialdom and business.
Every step is meticulously planned; he never does anything that would be unprofitable, nor does he ever do anything that would be extremely dangerous for himself.
Therefore, he always maintained a very calm state.
In his own words: "To be an official, one must know the way of being an official, otherwise it's like a fish out of water."
The way to be an official is to be adept at navigating all situations and being charming and resourceful.
However, this is Zhou Wenji's way.
Li Bao's philosophy is much simpler: in the face of absolute strength, all scheming and plotting are worthless; on the battlefield, it's all about who's ruthless enough.
Zhou Wenji softened: "Of course, of course, I will take Commander Li there now!"
Xu Yunsheng thought to himself: Commander Li, I also know where Prefect Cai's residence is. You can ask me!
He suddenly had a thought and was taken aback.
Holy crap! Li Bao deliberately asked Zhou Wenji this question. If Zhou Wenji cooperated, he would be fine; if he didn't, he would be tied up immediately.
A large group of people marched in an orderly procession into the city, their imposing presence commanding attention.
When the patrolling soldiers in the city heard about the unusual activity in the east of the city, they assumed it was a riot and immediately gathered together in groups of several dozen, intending to arrest the people.
They were terrified when they saw a group of several thousand people approaching.
At this moment, Cai Yongling was hiding in a secluded villa deep within the mansion, engaging in unspeakable acts with his concubines.
He has a peculiar habit: he likes to play things backwards.
At this time, no one is allowed to disturb us.
Several strong servants guarded the entrance to the villa, and it was no use for anyone who came.
So, the news just stopped there.
"What! Those damn navy bastards dare to cause trouble in the city!"
The speaker was a young man, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, dressed in expensive silk. This purple silk was made by the Imperial Court's Imperial Silk Manufacture Department and was a limited edition.
This young man is named Cai Hailin, the third son of Cai Yongling. He is known as Cai Sanlang and is a notorious arrogant and dissolute young man in Quanzhou.
When he heard that the navy had entered the city and was heading towards the prefect's residence, he immediately flew into a rage.
"Guards! Summon all the soldiers in the manor. I want to see just how much guts that Li Bao has to run wild in Quanzhou!"
Before long, all the soldiers in the prefect's residence were gathered together, and some more were transferred from outside.
Li Bao and his men arrived at the entrance of the prefect's residence, where a large crowd of men in dark blue surrounded the main gate.
Cai Hailin moved a grand chair and sat at the main entrance, crossing his legs, surrounded by soldiers of the local militia.
Cai Hailin didn't even glance at Li Bao, but coldly said, "Commander Xu, how dare you! You dare to privately mobilize the navy to besiege the prefect's office. This is a serious crime!"
Li Bao asked, "Who is speaking?"
Xu Yunsheng stepped forward and said, "Commander Li, this is the son of Prefect Cai, Cai Sanlang."
Li Bao asked, "What official title do you hold?"
"I am the son of Prefect Cai."
Li Bao continued, "In the sixth year of the Jingkang era, the imperial court abolished the hereditary privilege system. May I ask what official position Cai Sanlang holds?"
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