The plan progressed smoothly and without any hindrance.
As Cheng Muyun's plenipotentiary representative, Liang Shaozun immediately began the meetings based on the pre-prepared list.
In every conversation, he skillfully manipulated the other party's stance with his accurate judgment and appropriate words.
After several rounds of negotiation, the result far exceeded expectations: 80% of the people on the list clearly expressed their intention to give up continuing to cooperate with Lan Qingyi, and among these 80%, 60% directly expressed a strong desire to cooperate with Liang Shaozun.
Before the Shanxi merchants arrived in Xinhai City, Liang Shaozun, with his eloquent tongue alone, almost dismantled 70% of Lan Qingyi's partner network, effectively severing most of their support.
As a result, Lan Qingyi was completely trapped in a passive predicament, and his originally stable territory was on the verge of collapse.
This was a meticulously planned scheme by Cheng Muyun, with each step linked to the next, seemingly foolproof, yet he dismantled Lan Qingyi's offensive in a seemingly effortless manner.
The proud and arrogant Lan Qingyi was naturally unwilling to admit defeat. Soon, it was discovered that he had secretly contacted the Japanese. The two sides had a long private conversation in a secret room, and no one knew what they had discussed.
The calm did not last long; a few days later, trouble broke out on the Eastern Continent army's side.
At the time, the Dongju Army was conducting a routine inspection at the docks near Xinhai City.
This was a perfectly normal procedure. After all, the port had always been guarded by the Dongzhou Army, and all goods entering and leaving the port had to undergo their strict inspection. In principle, as long as the rules were followed, there should be no accidents.
But just then, a group of Japanese people transporting goods appeared at the checkpoint.
Strangely, the group of Japanese people tightly clutched the boxes containing their goods, refusing to let the inspectors get close.
When questioned, they stammered and couldn't utter a coherent sentence for a long time, and they couldn't even produce the necessary pass.
Not only that, their attitude was extremely arrogant and rude, blocking the line of people waiting for inspection, which drew a lot of complaints.
Left with no other option, the Dongzhou army had to temporarily detain the goods belonging to the group of Japanese soldiers, in accordance with regulations.
But no one expected that this action would become the fuse—the Japanese, upon seeing this, immediately drew their guns and pointed them at each other.
The soldiers of the Dongzhou Army were naturally not to be outdone and immediately drew their guns in alert.
Tensions were high between the two sides, and a fierce battle was about to break out on the docks piled high with caravan goods.
In the chaos, much of the cargo on the dock was destroyed, and many innocent civilians passing by were hit by stray bullets or injured in the scuffle, leaving the scene in complete disarray.
The conflict was quickly classified as a serious incident.
In the short time following the incident, the headlines of major newspapers were dominated by related news, but the direction of the reports was particularly strange - almost all articles pointed the finger at the Dongzhou Army, exaggerating their "atrocities" of bullying the weak and harming innocent civilians.
Between the lines, the text subtly criticizes Cheng Muyun for his ineffective management of his subordinates, allowing them to harm the common people, and for his arrogance and lawlessness.
Suddenly, a flood of negative comments came in, overwhelming Cheng Muyun and pushing her into the eye of the storm.
These overwhelming news items came strangely and swiftly, as if they had been edited and formatted in advance, just waiting for a certain signal to arrive before being collectively released.
While Cheng Muyun was still working diligently to investigate the ins and outs of the dock conflict and trying to clarify every detail, major newspapers had already published the "details" of the incident, describing even some seemingly secret conversations and scenes in great detail, precisely hitting the point of inciting public opinion.
Even someone with their eyes closed could smell the deliberate intent in this clumsy trick—this was no accidental conflict at all; it was clearly a carefully orchestrated play by the Japanese, with all the criticism directed at Cheng Muyun, and every step seemingly tailor-made for him.
And this play provided Lan Qing with exactly what she needed most.
Previously, the fake news he instructed to spread targeting the Dongzhou Army and Cheng Muyun, no matter how widely it spread, was ultimately just hearsay and lacked any real "evidence," so it was impossible to convict Cheng Muyun of any crime.
But things are different now. On the dock, more than a dozen innocent lives lie exposed, covered in blood. This is an undeniable fact, tangible "evidence," and the "ironclad proof" that Lan Qingyi has been dreaming of, enough to convict Cheng Muyun.
Cheng Muyun was incredibly perceptive; he instantly saw through the intricate game of chess. But by then, even if he belatedly realized what was happening, it was too late.
Not long after, Lan Qingyi led a large group of people from the Nanjing government to the gate of the Dongzhou Army's camp. Behind them was a large group of reporters carrying cameras and pens. The scale of the procession made it seem as if they were there to deliver a verdict rather than to investigate a case.
Anyone with eyes can see clearly that this is not some "representative government investigation of a case." Lan Qingyi's confident expression and unyielding attitude clearly indicate that he came with an "imperial sword"—to convict Cheng Muyun and to completely nail him to this "heinous incident."
The atmosphere in the Dongzhou army camp had already reached a breaking point.
Almost every soldier had their guns silently loaded, the cold muzzles hidden in the shadows, waiting for Cheng Muyun's order to point them at the invaders without hesitation.
But Cheng Muyun knew that before he could fully understand Lan Qingyi's true purpose for this trip, any rash action could fall into the trap set by the other party, so he had to remain calm.
Inside Cheng Muyun's office, the atmosphere was relatively calm, yet undercurrents were swirling beneath. Accompanied by several capable adjutants, he received Lan Qingyi with composed expressions.
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