"Colonel Xu Le, you have to take back what you just said," an officer of the Iron Seventh Division said. "And apologize for it."
"No."
Xu Le simply refused this suggestion. He still looked into Du Shaoqing's eyes and said, "You should know very well why Ximen Jin died. In fact, he should have died five years ago. What I don't know now is how much you know about what happened five years ago, Commander Shaoqing."
In the latter half of the 37th Constitution, no one in the Federal military dared to use such a forceful tone to question Du Shaoqing face to face, not even those big shots. During the graduation day military drill at the training base, although Xu Le successfully prevented Du Shaoqing from flipping out, he still had to play the role of a junior officer in front of Du Shaoqing. He would never act as tough and equal as he did today in the empty hall.
Although Du Shaoqing was now a lieutenant general and he was only a colonel, there was a strict and insurmountable gap between the two of them. But for some reason, ever since the West Woods Sunset State Army returned after defying orders, it was difficult to find the influence of this difference in class in Xu Le's attitude.
Du Shaoqing had been silently, or rather, indifferently looking at Xu Le. His right index finger gently slid along the edge of his sunglasses. No one knew what he was thinking.
After a moment of silence, Xu Le suddenly asked in a low voice, "Commander Shaoqing, if I remember correctly, you should also be a member of that so-called Trinity Association. I'm very curious, what exactly did you learn in that association? How to shoot your comrades in the back?"
In literary works, the word 'suffocating' was often used to describe tense confrontations. When it was used too many times, it often made people feel that it was a little old-fashioned. But today in the empty hall, the Department of Defense officers who saw this confrontation scene vaguely understood the reason for this description.
Under the bright lights, the two groups of officers stood facing each other. They looked at each other in silence and did not speak loudly. The invisible collision and friction that gradually heated up seemed to have exhausted the oxygen in the surrounding environment, and began to make it difficult for people to breathe.
Standing in front of the elevator, standing in the corridor, and standing next to the plants, the officers had long forgotten their work. They nervously stared at the center of the hall. No one spoke. They even collectively subconsciously lowered the sound of their breathing, waiting for Commander Du Shaoqing to open his mouth to respond. With his usual arrogance and indifference, he would suppress the other party's momentum or intensify the current situation.
At this moment, the elevator door opened with an untimely beep. A female civilian officer's documents scattered all over the floor. The officers in the building subconsciously looked over, and then cast their eyes back to the place they needed to pay attention to.
Du Shaoqing still didn't say anything. Instead, it was Liu Sifu, the deputy commander of the Iron Seventh Division, who was standing to his left, who provoked Xu Le in a cold voice, "I heard that Shi Qinghai is dead?"
Xu Le's pair of knife-like thick eyebrows slightly trembled.
"It's good that he died," Liu Sifu added expressionlessly.
Xu Le's straight eyebrows finally raised. As if venting his anger, he waved his right arm and forcefully chopped down in the air, as if he wanted to break all the difficulties and obstacles in front of him into pieces of scrap metal. His extremely explosive reply resounded throughout the entire building of the Ministry of Defense.
"It's a glorious death!"
These four words were like four hard stones that smashed onto the smooth floor of the hall. They smashed onto the insignia of the Federation that couldn't be spoken. They were suffused with a metallic luster and filled with a murderous aura. A dull sound echoed in the hall.
Du Shaoqing slightly lowered his eyes and looked at the insignia of the Federation at his feet. He seemed to be feeling Xu Le's emotions at this moment. In the end, he still didn't say a word. He didn't reveal a trace of emotion. He slowly raised his right hand and put on his sunglasses again.
They brushed past each other.
…
…
"There are very few, no, there has never been such a strange situation in this world. Even when my father returned to the capital ring from the Empire all those years ago and was faced with great pressure from Parliament Hill, he never displayed such strong confidence."
A convoy of bulletproof military vehicles sped along the quiet roads of the capital's suburbs. Behind the trees in the fields beside the roads, the black silhouettes of several MX mechas could be faintly seen. They were silently following and protecting the convoy in a marching posture.
There were very few people in the capital ring who could enjoy the privilege of being protected by military mechas. The present chairman of the Joint Staff Conference and commander of the First Military Region of the Federation, General Lee Jae-do, in a real sense, the number one person in the military, undoubtedly had this right.
However, this wasn't the frontlines. This was the capital special district that was countless light years away from the flames of war, a special district that hadn't experienced any turbulence in thousands of years. For him to actually need the protection of MX mechas when he was traveling, it could be seen that this military leader's current mood was indeed as he had said before. He was filled with some sort of absurd and strange sense of alarm.
"It is indeed very strange. Deliberately cut off from contact with the Seventeenth Division. Now, he is just a mere colonel without any troops. Yet, it is precisely this kind of person who dares to walk so openly in this city with those twenty or so loyal subordinates of his. Moreover, we have no way of killing him. "
General Lee Jae-do gazed at the flourishing late spring scenery outside the car window and said with a gentle smile, "These young soldiers are like trees that grow freely in the spring. Neither the wildfire nor the spring rain seems to be able to stop their powerful footsteps. On the contrary, it only helps them become even stronger."
"Of the seventeen sniping points arranged, they have successfully evaded fifteen of them. Two of the sniping points have been destroyed."
Sitting at the front of the car, the director of the First Military Region's special operations room could not understand how those targets had managed to avoid these ambushes. He also could not understand why the general could still maintain such a gentle and calm state of mind in the face of such a strange situation.
"I have never hoped that we could use snipers to eliminate the successor personally chosen by father. These are just some small tricks that are similar to using a tree branch to poke a bull. Through these small tricks, we can clearly see just how far he can go. Then, when we eliminate him, we can make targeted arrangements. "
Lee Jae-do gazed outside the car window. His expression was calm, and no one could see the danger contained in his words at this moment.
"Xu Le should already know that I know where his strength comes from. Then, he will think that we will be afraid, will panic, will become crazy, and thus lose without a fight. Those useless bullets will most likely help him think that we have already panicked, that we have already gone crazy. "
"He will relax, and his confidence will become an arrogance that even he himself does not realize. This is very good."
"Even now, there are still many people who have fantasies about him. They think that they can persuade him, or use as peaceful a method as possible to eliminate him. I am very glad that Xu Le is strong enough and confident enough. Then, step by step, he will push himself into an irreversible death zone."
"General, don't worry, we have arrived at the back of the mountain."
…
…
The Tai family, whose enormous body was hidden in the shadows of history, was probably the recognized spiritual leader of the seven major families. The Lees of Philadelphia, on the other hand, suddenly jumped onto the stage of the 37th constitutional era, dazzling and insufferably arrogant. These two families, who were supposed to be enemies, had actually always been in close contact with each other. If it was not because the Lees of Philadelphia had just started their inheritance, perhaps this kind of contact could already be called a family friend.
Lady Tai of the back of the mountain and the recently deceased Military God Li Pifu had always maintained a very close personal friendship because of those historical stories and memories of that traitor. This kind of friendship had lasted for many years. Perhaps it had never displayed its power under the sun, but in reality, it had played a very important role in ensuring the stability and rapid development of the Federation.
If the glory of the Lees of Philadelphia began to be passed down, the back of the mountain formally prepared a purely private lunch. However, on the terrace facing the lake, the conversation between Lady Tai and General Lee Jae-do did not seem to go as smoothly as imagined. The half-hanging late spring plants on the edge of the terrace turned their heads rustling, unwilling to waste time to distinguish how many invisible bullets were hidden in the seemingly ordinary conversation between these two important figures.
"Madam, as you said, the political situation of the Federation is indeed in dire need of stability right now, especially after the Parliament Hill incident. The public's mood is very chaotic."
Lee Jae-do gently placed the silver spoon on the Guna porcelain plate. After a moment of silence, he gently continued, "But the problem right now is that if Colonel Xu Le is allowed to continue investigating that case, not only will Vice President Byron's soul be disturbed after his death, you and those families will also be in a very difficult situation. The political situation will be shaken because of this, and most importantly, the public may lose their confidence in the government because of this. With your wisdom, you should be very clear about the dangers contained within this."
Lady Tai held the teacup and silently looked at the lush green hills on the opposite side of the terrace. There was a sense of tranquility and strength in her extremely ordinary appearance.
"Xu Le has the first-order authority of the Bureau of Proclamation, and this authority is helping him in some incomprehensible way." Lee Jae-do continued calmly, "The Bureau of Proclamation has not yet found a way to deal with this authority. If you are not willing to help, this matter may really become difficult to control."
"General Li, actually I am not that much older than you, and now that your father has passed away, there is no need for you to still use honorifics with me. As for the issue of Xu Le's authority, the old man should have some idea of it, but since he didn't tell me before his death, I naturally won't do anything. "
Lady Tai turned her head and looked at Lee Jae-do. She slowly said, "You have kept a low profile for 20 years, but your father's old comrades, and old friends like me, have never underestimated your shrewdness and ability. I simply do not believe that you will begin your plan before you find a way to control Xu Le."
After a moment of silence, Lee Jae-do looked at the woman in front of him and said, "Madam, I know very well that you need to keep Xu Le alive, and to keep people like us in the military alive as the successor of the God of War, but the problem is … you know very well that Xu Le has never sat on a forklift board."
Never sat on a forklift board, this was a very accurate description of Xu Le's personality. Lady Tai's lips curved up in a trace of a smile.
Lee Jae-do looked at her and continued, "I believe that right now, you are very curious as to what he is saying at the press conference that is being held right now."
…
…
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