Chapter 9: Inquiry
Yin Chuan then said to Situ Xin, "Deputy Commander, please give us a separate barracks so that we can question the officers present one by one. It would also be best if someone is stationed outside the barracks to prevent anyone from approaching for several minutes to prevent eavesdropping."
"That's easy. I'll arrange it in a moment."
Soon, Situ Xin had the barracks next door vacated and eight guards were placed within ten square meters of the area. No one was allowed to approach without being summoned.
The first person Yin Chuan invited into the barracks was Second Battalion Commander Shen Xi. Shen Xi had intended to bring his adjutant and personal guard with him, but was stopped by the guards. Consequently, he arrived alone, grumbling, and sat down across from Yin Chuan and the other two, legs crossed.
"What? It looks like you are going to interrogate me? You actually still think I am a suspect? I would kill my own brother? That's hilarious! You won't even let me see my brother's body, what on earth are you thinking? If it weren't for Situ Xin protecting you, I would have had you all arrested! By the way, it was you who ruined my fun in Huaiyin County, and as soon as you entered the military camp, my brother died! I really suspect that you are in cahoots with those bandits!" Before Yin Chuan could ask any questions, Shen Xi launched a barrage of questions, leaving the three opposite sides a little overwhelmed.
"Captain Shen, please don't get excited. Let's talk it over." Yin Chuan waited until he finished speaking before speaking.
"I understand. Even if you have nothing to do with the bandits, you are planning to gain some benefits in the military camp. Let me tell you, you are also responsible for my brother's sudden death. If we can't find the real murderer or produce evidence, we will arrest you and use you as a sacrifice! Oh, by the way, this girl has to stay and provide some entertainment for the soldiers in the military camp, right?" Shen Xi showed a disgusting and lewd smile.
"Good boy! You are full of nonsense..." Du Yunzhang rolled up his sleeves and wanted to go up and use violence. Linlang quickly stopped him and told him not to be provoked by the other party and make himself lose his composure.
Yin Chuan chuckled, "Captain Shen, from what you've said, it seems like you're not entirely convinced of your Deputy Commander Situ. But I understand. Originally, your brother was in charge of an entire regiment of soldiers. Over a thousand of them had to obey you, Shen. Even though you were only the commander of a battalion, everyone in the barracks had to give you three points for the sake of the commander's face. But now things have changed. Commander Shen was inexplicably killed, and Deputy Commander Situ is temporarily in charge of the entire regiment. Now that you've lost your power, you have nowhere to vent your anger, so naturally you're taking it out on us. But this also shows that you didn't gain much from the murder of Commander Shen, so your suspicion is not that great."
"What are you talking about?" Chen Xi slammed the table and stood up. "What do you mean my brother was killed and I didn't benefit much? Yin, for saying such outrageous words, I want to kill you right now!"
"You dare!" Du Yunzhang kicked the stool down and stood in front of him. He subconsciously touched his waist, but he forgot that the mirror box he had been carrying with him had been confiscated long ago. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and fight the other party head-on.
"What's going on? What's going on?" At this time, Situ Xin heard the noise and pushed the door open and walked into the barracks. Seeing that Chen Xi had already put his hand on the holster, he hurried forward and held him down, "Stop it!"
Shen Xi didn't dare to act rashly in front of Situ Xin, so she suppressed her anger and sat down again. Du Yunzhang saw that the other party had retreated first, so he also withdrew.
"Chen Xi, if you still want to be the battalion commander of the independent regiment, then you must cooperate with these people's investigation honestly. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Situ Xin warned sternly.
Chen Xi snorted, "Okay, Deputy Captain Situ, I'll cooperate. But... don't go too far. No one can predict how Marshal Zhang will appoint our group in the future. If you accidentally lose power at that time... you always have to leave yourself a way out, right?"
Situ Xin smiled coldly, "You don't have to worry about that. You just need to know that I have the final say over the independent regiment at this moment, that's enough!" After that, he glared at him and pushed the door open.
Yin Chuan waited until Situ Xin left before continuing, "Captain Shen, shall we continue?"
Shen Xi nodded expressionlessly.
"Actually, you don't have to be so angry. What I just said was purely from an outsider's perspective. When investigating a case, we always consider the motives, interests, and grudges of those involved with the victim to determine who is more suspicious. Of course, as a relative of the victim, you shouldn't be included in the investigation. But there's nothing we can do about it. You are also a high-ranking officer with great military power. If the regimental commander is gone, you still have the opportunity to take over."
"Hmph, if my brother hadn't been killed, he would have been in charge of the military normally. As his brother, I would have been protected anyway. Why would I risk the military power falling into the hands of others to harm my brother?"
Linlang whispered to Yin Chuan, "He has a point. Logically speaking, he has no need to take the initiative to harm his brother."
Yin Chuan smiled and said, "Of course I understand, but I have my reasons for asking. Captain Shen, please bear with me. You may leave now."
Shen Xi had a gloomy face, and without saying a word, he turned around and slammed the door and left.
The next person summoned for questioning was the First Battalion Commander, Li Huaide. He had a dark, square face, thick eyebrows, and bright, piercing eyes. He was stocky and powerful, a typical military appearance, except that his left wrist was wrapped in a thick bandage, and his forearm was bent.
"Captain Li, are you injured?" Yin Chuan asked.
"Hey, didn't bandits just come for a night raid? Our First Battalion is responsible for guarding the military supplies, so the fighting was particularly fierce. Look, a bandit's bullet pierced my wrist, but luckily the bone wasn't broken. I'll just apply some trauma medicine and it will be healed in a few days."
Yin Chuan raised his thumb and said, "Excellent! Captain Li is indeed a great general in the army. He didn't even blink when he was wounded and bleeding. I admire you!"
"Hey, after all, we've fought under Marshal Zhang for so many years, crawling through piles of dead bodies. What's a minor injury like this? Sir, don't play these empty tricks. If you want to ask something, just answer it."
"Okay, then I won't waste any more words. Captain Li, what do you think of Captain Shen?"
"You're asking that question. He was your superior. Even if he's gone now, it's not right for us to casually comment on our former boss, right?"
"Don't be shy. I just want to get to know Captain Shen. After all, I'm just an outsider who has just met you. Since I've been entrusted with investigating this case, I have to know some information about the victim. Don't worry, just tell me."
Li Huaide sighed, "Ah, how can I put it? In my eyes, Captain Shen is just a good guy, and he treats his brothers well. Of course, as a brother, he must be more partial to Shen Xi. Otherwise, with Shen Xi's ability, how could he be promoted to battalion commander? These are all human nature, and everyone can understand. Friends are close and distant, and relatives are thick and thin. Who wouldn't take care of their fellow brothers a little more. But Captain Shen did this very well. Even if he was taking care of Shen Xi, he would never treat his other subordinates unfairly. Moreover, his leadership ability is not weak. He fought several brilliant battles, so everyone still respected him. Now that he died so strangely, I feel a little uncomfortable."
"Then do you know who Captain Shen has offended intentionally or unintentionally?"
"Did he offend anyone..." Li Huaide thought for a moment. "He treated us all well. We shared the credit, and if anyone made a mistake, he would give them a light punishment. No one had any problem with him. It's just...he had some friction with higher-level officials."
"A higher-level officer?"
"Yes. I still remember that when he attended Marshal Zhang's high-level military meeting, he had a disagreement with the other brigade commanders on his attitude towards the Tongmenghui led by Sun Yat-sen and Huang Zong in the south."
"Can you tell me more about it?" Linlang asked.
"Isn't this... inappropriate?"
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