Within the high walls, waves of protests rose and fell.
But no matter how much they made a fuss, no matter how chaotic things got, Qin Che remained calm and composed on the fish platform, standing alone on the cold river.
In response to the new parliament's indifference to the wave of protests, the East Party has united like never before, hoping that their hardline stance will force the new parliament to halt reforms and restore the status quo.
There is no other reason.
Qin Che made bold moves at the higher levels, successively persuading the three elders, Yin Mu, Su Pei, and Yu Linfeng.
They represent the most prominent among the seven elders.
He holds the most power, the highest position, and the deepest seniority.
Consequently, all the major factions began to struggle to turn around in the 'muddy' of resistance.
—This is a large, dilapidated ship that has been adrift for two hundred years.
But it is still resolutely turning around.
"This is outrageous! I never imagined that the Yin and Su factions would surrender so quickly!"
"Isn't what you're saying obvious? They're all of royal lineage. The military coup at Wall Ten failed, and both princes were killed. If they don't submit, do they intend to resist?"
"Hehe, it's impossible for you to make the Yoon and Su parties abandon the royal family. Besides, they have no place in the Dong Party either. Without the royal family as their backer, the two parties can only withdraw from the parliament and lose their voice. Those two elders are well aware of the situation and will certainly not cut themselves off like that."
The door was pushed open.
A member of the Executive Yuan quickly walked into the room.
This is a secret parliamentary society whose members are all members of the East Party. They are secretly meeting to discuss various policies of the new parliament, but they are all in opposition to them.
"Please don't worry, everyone. I am aware that representatives from all ethnic groups have agreed to cooperate with our protest, but the bottom line is that their businesses cannot be interrupted."
"Damn chaebols..."
"The chaebols have no other choice but to strike; no one can afford their losses."
"But this is good too. I heard that the new council has decided to ban ethnic minorities and conglomerates. Those members who come from these groups will definitely not sit idly by!"
"We must never allow the Lingbi Kingdom of two centuries ago to be revived!"
"Yes, we must defend our ideological high ground to the death and not give them any opportunity to exploit the situation!"
Just as the members were protesting indignantly, a lowly member of the society timidly raised his hand: "Everyone... I have a question. If the protest continues and the conflict escalates into a riot and venting, is it possible that the extraordinary regent will personally take action and kill everyone?"
Upon hearing this, everyone in the society fell silent, staring blankly at him.
The nobody shrank back and gave an awkward smile: "Just a guess... just a guess."
...
Qin Che sat in the Great Hall of the People reviewing documents.
Instead of staying in the seven old men's seats in the central abyss corridor, he casually sat in the seat of an ordinary member, crossed his legs, and scribbled on the documents with a pen.
The spacious assembly hall was empty; there was no one else there but him.
At that moment, the door was pushed open, making a sound for a moment.
The crisp sound of footsteps approached Qin Che.
Intelligence Department, Head Shepherd: Pine and Cedar.
He approached Qin Che, bowed, and said, "Sir, the military has sent a message that troops from various units have assembled and are stationed near Xibao. They are ready to receive your orders at any time."
Qin Che put down the documents, smiled at him, and said, "Come here and sit down."
"yes."
Qin Che continued reviewing the documents, casually asking, "Have they left?"
"They've already headed to Wall Number Ten by vehicle."
"Hmm, who stayed in the sandcastle?" It was a seemingly casual question.
"Yes... Mr. Gerald, Chen Fusheng has left him in Sand Castle as the number one figure in the government of the directly administered district."
"What about the old city?" he continued.
"It's the head of a society named Zhang Feijun. Although He Gan doesn't trust him much, he's the only one in the old city who can shoulder the responsibility of being number one."
"Hmph, that's interesting." Qin Che chuckled and continued, "Any developments in Purple Castle, Boiler City, or other places?"
"There has been virtually no activity. Yao Yunli even expressed to the embassy his intention to send troops to assist you, and he sounded quite sincere. As for Yun Kui in Boiler City... he is still dealing with post-war matters and has no time to concern himself with these things."
What is the attitude of the citizens of Boiler City towards Treaty 21?
Songshan: "Probably... there were no protests, nor were they highly supportive. Their only wish was for fewer people to die in the mine, for shorter working hours, and for their treatment to be improved."
Before Qin Che could speak, Song Shan continued, "Master, I think the most important thing right now is the situation inside the walls. Those protests seem to be escalating, and the Eastern Party is deliberately pushing them behind the scenes. I have found a list and am currently compiling it. I will be able to send it to you this afternoon."
Qin Che laughed and said, "I'm not interested in one or two."
Songshan said, "About forty people participated in this protest march, and a few zaibatsu even hired elite soldiers, wanting to confront them by force."
“These people are nothing to worry about. Even if they unite as one, they can’t make any waves. But sir… they can shut down factories and even involve the citizens. Those at the bottom have no idea what’s going on and have only a vague understanding of the reforms of the new council. They’re just blown in by the wind and swaying with the tide.”
Qin Che smiled and said, "Let the bullets fly a little longer."
"Huh?" Songshan clearly didn't understand the meaning of those words.
"Reform is accompanied by turmoil, even bloodshed and death. It requires cutting flesh. Perhaps due to some strong impulses, they openly protest, but if you suppress it, they will secretly hinder you later. It will become a tug-of-war. If you don't let them make a big fuss, you will not be able to eradicate them in the end. Everyone will compromise, including me. Killing is not an option. Yin Mu, Su Pei, and Yu Linfeng all advised me to show mercy. If I kill them all, the First Wall will collapse, and Lingbi City will collapse. It's like digging up the foundation, leaving the kingdom's regime without a basis for rule. I also promised not to kill anyone."
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