Chapter 468: Unstoppable Countermeasures! (Two-in-one)
The news that the former Vice Admiral and Chief of the Criminal Investigation Division had been assassinated did not spread within the Navy Headquarters.
It was already a turbulent time, and Zhan Guo would never let such news leak out. If the soldiers in the headquarters, whose morale was already low, knew that such a thing could happen in the headquarters, it would only reduce their trust in the headquarters.
At the same time, Zhan Guo had more or less guessed who was behind the assassination. The fact that Tian Zheng had encountered such a thing shortly after the meeting ended was enough to show how powerful the mastermind behind the assassination was hidden within the Navy Headquarters.
Not only are there people from the other side among the lower-level officers, but there are also those people lurking among the high-ranking officers of the navy.
One assassin died and the other was seriously injured. Zhan Guo had no intention of turning a blind eye and ordered a thorough investigation. However, he only asked Kuzan to investigate the matter on his own, and no matter what the result was, he was only allowed to report to him.
Although Zhan Guo already had a guess in his mind, since this kind of thing happened, he still had to investigate. At least Zhan Guo himself needed to have a bottom line in his mind. After all, guesses were just guesses. No matter what the truth was, he had to know.
Zhan Guo could actually roughly understand why the other party chose to assassinate a former high-ranking naval officer in a place like the headquarters. It was probably to make an example of him and show his strength to the generals in the headquarters.
However, the consequences of this incident will probably not develop in the direction that those behind the scenes have in mind.
“This is simply adding fuel to the fire.”
"Tenjo must be sent away from the Marine Headquarters as soon as possible. The longer he stays at the headquarters, the more variables there will be."
In the temporary marshal's office, Zhan Guo raised his head, looked at the ceiling, sighed heavily, and thought about the case in his mind.
Warring States' original intention was naturally to try his best to cover up this matter. Such an incident happening in the Navy Headquarters was a huge blow to the prestige of the Navy Headquarters.
Unfortunately, the headquarters already had a complex network, and the generals all had their own networks and intelligence lines. It was impossible to keep such a major event a secret.
"What did you say? Lieutenant General Tian Zheng was assassinated?!"
"The assassin failed, one died and one was injured?"
In the ruins of the headquarters barracks, Lieutenant General Doberman was leading his men to clean up the ground. When he heard the news from a colleague with whom he had a good relationship, he was shocked.
"Be quiet, are you afraid others won't hear you?"
"It seems that Tianzheng was convicted for his words."
Nichama Goodman is an old sailor who entered the Naval Academy at the same time as Dauberman. However, after becoming a brigadier general, he focused on career advancement. His development over the years has not caught up with Dauberman, and he was only promoted to the rank of major general.
Although Nichama Goodman was not well-known among the many generals in his headquarters, his network of relationships and intelligence was extremely powerful. As soon as the assassination happened, he knew the news even faster than Zhan Guo.
"Guilty for quoting?"
"Hasn't the Marshal already punished him? Not only was he demoted, but he was also 'exiled'."
"Isn't this enough?"
"Must Tianzheng die?"
Dauberman lowered his voice, frowning, his tone hinting at anger. Dauberman was a serious man, and the most profound impression the sailors had of him was probably his fierce face.
He is a hawk and, like Sakaski, believes in absolute justice. In his eyes, justice is the navy and the naval headquarters itself.
After hearing about what happened to Tian Zheng, he felt that Zhan Guo's handling of the matter was a little unfair. Assassination was really a loss of points and was completely contrary to the "justice" of their navy.
If you really want to blame Tian Zheng for his outrageous remarks, why not just order his arrest openly? Why use such means?
"What are you thinking about? Dauberman, can you use your brain for a moment?"
"This matter probably has nothing to do with Marshal Zhan Guo. If he wanted to deal with Tian Zheng, why would he resort to such means?"
"Even if arresting them outright is awkward, wouldn't it be simpler to assign Tian Zheng some missions where they result in certain death?"
"And it won't cause any criticism."
"There's someone else who ordered the assassination."
Nichama Goodman whispered in Dauberman's ear, giving him some advice. Dauberman was no fool, and when he heard his friend's words, a sudden enlightenment came to his mind.
With the anger still on his face, Dauberman cursed in a low voice:
"Damn it! How dare those guys interfere in the internal affairs of the navy?!"
"They even planted spies in our headquarters?!"
Dauberman's heart was filled with rage. The more he thought about it, the greater the secret behind it seemed to him, and he was secretly shocked.
The naval vice admiral who has been working on the front line all year round usually doesn't pay much attention to these things.
It was only in recent years, as the reputation of Tsugakuni Yoriichi's new navy became more and more famous, that some people in the headquarters began to think deeply about the so-called "position".
"Planting a spy? How can it be that simple?"
"If only the World Government's control over our navy were that simple."
"This matter is not over yet. Tian Zheng is not dead, and those people have not achieved their goal."
"Just wait and see, there's more to come."
Nichama Goodman acted as if he was watching from the sidelines. When he said this, he didn't care about the life or death of his former colleague at all. His deep eyes made his old friend Doberman look at him a few more times.
"Good show?"
"We are all admirals in the navy. How can we allow such a thing to happen?"
"We just won the war against the Whitebeard Pirates with great difficulty. Our headquarters suffered heavy damage and there were huge casualties. Isn't it time for us to unite and work together to overcome this difficult time?"
"How could you?"
Dauberman was somewhat dissatisfied with his friend's words, but before he could even ask the question, he was interrupted by Nichama Goodman:
"No, now is not the time for unity and cooperation, it's the time to assess the situation!"
"Taking sides is an art form, and you don't understand it at all."
"Now, there are three paths before us. If we choose well..."
Dauberman only partially understood what Nechama Goodman was saying. "I understand what you mean by assessing the situation."
"But how can there be three roads?"
"Aren't there only two options: the World Government and the Marshal?"
Nichama Goodman shook his head slightly and pointed out with a finger, "Tianzheng is taking the third path."
"Originally it was a dead end, but now it seems that it is not as dead end as we thought."
Hearing what Nichama Goodman said, Dauberman's pupils shrank and he looked at his partner in shock.
"Can there be any major development in this small area of the Navy Headquarters?"
"You are a lieutenant general, and I am a major general."
"Your abilities are indeed outstanding, but that's the limit for Lieutenant General. I'm offering you the position of General. Do you dare to take it?"
"I have a very clear understanding of myself. Major General, or at most Lieutenant General, is the destination of my life."
"Power and fame, it seems like there's a bit of it, but in this system, who doesn't know who? Your Lieutenant General status still has some value, but what's the point of a Major General like me?!"
"A major general leading a hundred or so men? Ridiculous!"
"But if you open your eyes and look at the world, you will find that the world is really huge, and there are so many places with huge power gaps."
"Dauberman, I don't want to get rich or live a luxurious life."
"I joined the navy to see the scenery up there!"
Nechama Goodman's eyes were blazing and fiery, and Dauberman saw a thriving ambition on his face. He had a new impression of his old friend; he had never imagined that his partner would be such a person.
It made him somewhat unfamiliar.
"Do you want to completely lean towards the World Government?"
Dauberman pondered for a long time and then asked.
"World Government? After eight hundred years, power has long since become a pyramid, unbreakable!"
"I'm not a Celestial Dragon, so what's the point of relying on the World Government?"
Hearing this, Dauberman nodded slightly to show his approval, but the next second, Dauberman's pupils suddenly shrank and he quickly turned his head to look at his old friend.
If it's not the World Government, then it's the Navy? But isn't he a Rear Admiral now? If it's neither, then
"Although the new navy has been established for some years, its development speed is not very fast. It's not that Tsugakuinichi doesn't want to, but that he can't do it."
"Is it strength and resources that constrain him? No."
Nichama Goodman didn't say it clearly, but Dauberman immediately understood what he meant. And that was why Dauberman was so shocked.
"Now, let's see what the new navy can do!"
"If Tsugumi Kuniyoshi can't even protect Tensei, their new navy will be of no value."
Nichama Goodman seemed to be immersed in his own emotions. He patted Dauberman's shoulder gently, turned and left while muttering.
Watching Nichama Goodman leave, Dauberman remained silent for a long time.
That night, many high-ranking officials in the Navy Headquarters who were dissatisfied with the status quo tossed and turned in bed.
Tian Zheng’s words at the meeting shattered the shell of “the sacred and inviolable world government” in people’s minds.
Those who have tasted power will never be satisfied with the status quo.
The new navy is in a period of rapid development. The rapidly expanding power must have a sufficient number of management personnel. In this small area of this headquarters, there are too many vase officers who only have military ranks.
That night, Tian Zheng, who had just been assassinated, did not act rashly. He stayed quietly in his room, as if he had confined himself to his room.
Although Zhan Guo did not send anyone to monitor Tian Zheng, Tian Zheng knew that there were countless eyes staring at him in the headquarters.
For several days, Tian Zheng did not do anything eye-catching. He was relieved of his duties in the criminal investigation department and had nothing to do. From time to time, he would help the grassroots sailors clean up the ruins, or go to the wounded camp to help the military doctors and change the dressings for the wounded.
His actions were also noticed by some people.
There is nothing unusual.
Two days later, the official transfer order for Tianzheng finally came down, and the news that Tianzheng was about to leave the headquarters was known to many people.
Some of the navy officers who had been taken care of by Tianzheng during this period also spontaneously came to the port to see him off. Although he was no longer a vice admiral, he was still the base commander, wasn't he? No one could guarantee that such a young Tianzheng would never be able to rise again.
There were not many people who came to see him off, only a few dozen. The Criminal Investigation Division was an offensive department, and Tian Zheng did not have many close friends in the headquarters, only some grassroots officers he had just met.
There was no grand farewell scene or any sentimental words. After Tian Zheng had a brief conversation with these people, he boarded the warship and prepared to leave the headquarters.
Everything was normal until Tianzheng's ships disappeared on the sea level.
Not long after Tianzheng's ship left, Nichama Goodman slowly emerged from the darkness. Gazing at the departing warship, he couldn't help but wonder, "Just leaving like that? Without doing anything?"
"The World Government didn't take any further action?"
The people at the headquarters anticipated that Tian Zheng might contact certain people privately in an attempt to shake their positions, and they also anticipated that the World Government would take action against Tian Zheng again, but unexpectedly, none of these things happened.
“Wow—”
Just when Nichama Goodman was wondering, there were suddenly bursts of light sounds in the sky. Nichama Goodman raised his head and looked towards the sky, only to see densely packed newspapers falling from the sky. The newspapers formed a paper rain, slowly falling from the sky.
Nichama Goodman was stunned, his pupils shrank slightly, and he quickly reached out to catch a newspaper:
"A big conscription?"
Nichama Goodman looked carefully at the newspaper in his hand. Just reading a headline, he couldn't help but feel doubtful in his mind, but as he read more, Nichama Goodman's face suddenly changed.
The content of the newspaper was actually the new navy of Tsugumi Yoshiichi promoting its own recruitment activities.
But if that were all, Nichama Goodman would not have had such a big emotional fluctuation. It was just some small "entries" in this recruitment propaganda that caught his attention.
"If the navy of the headquarters has no bad records, they can retain their rank and directly join the new navy, automatically be promoted half a level, and their salary will be doubled."
"Recruiting will be handled by Tenma, the former Vice Admiral of the Navy Headquarters and now the new Admiral Candidate."
"Once recruited, military dependents can move to islands within the new navy's sphere of influence, such as Wan Guo."
It was a completely inconspicuous entry, but it struck a chord with Nichama Goodman. For ordinary sailors, the third item in this recruitment information was quite tempting.
Only the families of high-ranking naval officers are eligible to live in Marineford, while family members of other levels can only live in their hometowns.
If your home is somewhere else and the local situation is stable, then there is no problem. However, if your home is in a country with a harsh living environment and fierce aristocratic conflict, then it will be a complete hell.
In this world, among all the countries where gold exists in the sky, how many citizens can live a carefree life?
After all, there are only a few countries with favorable climatic conditions and abundant natural resources.
“Wow—”
Just as Nichama Goodman was carefully examining the recruitment "advertisement" in his hand, there was a slight sound in the sky.
A flock of news birds flew across the sky, and thick newspapers flew across the sky.
Nichama Goodman casually picked up a newspaper and read the contents:
Shocking, the Secret God Valley Incident!
The captured criminal's defense: I wanted to be a good person too!
"Exclusive revelation: Marlene Ford's corruption secrets!"
"A Lieutenant General's Autobiography: Why I Left the Headquarters."
One "short essay" after another was published in the newspaper, and the author's name was written below the title of each short essay.
Nichama Goodman looked carefully and found that the author of these articles was the same person.
Former head of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Naval Headquarters, Vice Admiral Tenma!
Behind Zhan Guo's office, his subordinates brought two newspapers to Marlinford. Looking at the contents of the newspapers, Zhan Guo's hands trembled slightly and his veins bulged.
"Bastards, those guys are all bastards!" After a roar, Zhan Guo leaned weakly on the seat, covering his head with his hands, feeling a terrible headache.
At the Naval Academy's temporary base, the cadets were reading newspapers and discussing. A little further away, Zefa sat on a piece of gravel and didn't order the young cadets to stop reading because he himself was holding a newspaper and carefully reading Tian Zheng's masterpieces.
"Teacher Zefa, are these all true?!"
A young student came to Zefa with a nervous look on his face and asked in a low voice.
Glancing sideways at the other person's young and slightly immature face, Zefa pondered for a moment and sighed softly:
"There is basically no problem with the authenticity of the incident."
Zefa's words sparked discussion among the young people.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com