Chapter 5: Guan Yizhou Is Here!
Cheng Tianxun had been in meetings all morning.
They were discussing the defense deployment of Su City.
None of the three Cheng brothers wanted to go to Su City themselves, yet none of them could let go of the dock profits there either, so each arranged for his own trusted man to take charge.
Unwilling to leave Nancheng, the center of power, yet unable to part with the lucrative returns—these little schemes of theirs were plain as day to the Warlord and his division commanders.
The matter dragged on in endless bickering.
Cheng Tianxun was close to winning.
Still, the Warlord had always favored his eldest son. Until the final moment, Cheng Tianxun couldn't be entirely sure.
At lunch, his mother summoned him.
She usually lived in the main building at the rear of the Warlord's official residence—though the Warlord himself rarely stayed there.
"Your eldest brother and third brother are of one mind now. They want to squeeze you out," his mother said.
Cheng Tianxun's eldest brother was born to the Warlord's first wife and knew best how to please their father. The third was born to the Second Concubine—the Warlord and she had married for love.
That was before the Warlord's primary wife entered the household.
His mother's marriage to the Warlord was a political alliance. Husband and wife kept up appearances while nursing separate calculations.
And of the three brothers, Cheng Tianxun was the least favored by his father.
He never left room for maneuver, his temperament was domineering, and he knew nothing of "brotherly harmony." Once, fighting as a boy, he had grabbed the eldest by the head and slammed it against a rock, nearly blinding one eye. The third brother had nearly been crippled by him too.
The Warlord cursed him as savage, vicious, utterly inhuman.
But when it came to waging war, he far outstripped his two brothers, and his territory was stable and prosperous. The Warlord needed that kind of support, and in recent years his attitude had softened a little.
Unable to beat Cheng Tianxun on their own, the eldest and third had actually set aside their grudges and formed an alliance against him.
"Tie two chickens together and they think they can fly?" Cheng Tianxun drawled, pulling out a cigarette and offering one to his mother with mock filial piety. "Su City is mine. No question."
His mother took a slow drag. "Beiping's issued another decree. Still pushing for peace talks. Your father's been in no mood to bother with your brotherly squabbles lately—move fast and you'll win."
"Peace talks about what?" Cheng Tianxun sneered. "Call it annexation and be done with it."
The first condition of the peace talks was disarmament.
"The southern warlords will never agree. There'll be fighting regardless."
"I'd actually be willing to agree," Cheng Tianxun said. "Unify North and South first. Who runs things after that won't be for the North to decide."
The ember of her cigarette reflected in his mother's eyes, kindling a glint there. "You take after your uncle and your grandfather—ambition, foresight. Not like these local tyrants, eyes fixed on their own little plots of land, every one of them short-sighted and stupid."
Mother and son were still talking when Adjutant Qian knocked.
"Young Marshal, the Warlord wants you in the conference room."
Cheng Tianxun glanced at his wristwatch. "It's not even one. The meeting doesn't resume till three. What does he want me for?"
"Director Du from the Ministry of Finance came to lodge a complaint. Says your Young Madam injured his people and frightened his daughter into fainting," Adjutant Qian said.
Cheng Tianxun frowned.
The Warlord's wife frowned too.
Stubbing out his cigarette, Cheng Tianxun rose. "I'll go take a look."
Walking out of the main building, he asked Adjutant Qian at once, "What exactly happened?"
Adjutant Qian was nothing if not thorough—he'd already dug up everything that had happened at the newspaper office and laid it out for Cheng Tianxun.
By the time Cheng Tianxun reached the small lounge beside the conference room, not only was Director Du of the Ministry of Finance present, but Chief of Staff Lan as well.
The Du and Lan families were in-laws—Chief of Staff Lan's wife was Du Zhuojun's aunt.
The Warlord sat in the seat of honor.
Cheng Tianxun walked in and sat down directly beside the Warlord.
He crossed his legs. "Director Du. How do you intend to apologize?"
The Director of the Ministry of Finance didn't answer to the Military Government—he belonged to the Cabinet. Nancheng's military and civil administrations were separate for now.
The Du family was enormously wealthy. Every official in the Municipal Hall was Director Du's man, and he'd all but hollowed out the Cabinet.
"Young Marshal, your Young Madam injured my attendant. A bullet broke my daughter's ear. The doctors say her eardrum may be damaged—she could be disabled for life." Director Du had been angry to begin with; Cheng Tianxun's attitude only stoked it.
"My Young Madam—did she break into the Du residence to beat people up?" Cheng Tianxun asked.
Director Du: "That—"
"Or did she break into Miss Du's newspaper office?" Cheng Tianxun pressed.
Director Du looked to the Warlord. "Warlord?"
Warlord Cheng cleared his throat. "Tianxun, it's nothing major. Don't get worked up over this. Offer an apology, pay some money—Director Du isn't unreasonable."
"He's reasonable." Cheng Tianxun stood. "Then I'll be reasonable too."
He was tall. Out of his uniform, his white shirt was rolled up at the sleeves, revealing forearms corded with veins.
A few strides brought him in front of Director Du, and he drove a fist into the man's face.
The Warlord and Lan Changming froze.
"Tianxun!"
Cheng Tianxun seized Director Du by the hair to keep him from falling and landed two more punches to his ribs—a faint crack of bone audible.
"Insult my Young Madam? Slap my face?" He didn't let go. He slammed Director Du's head into the corner of the tea table.
Blood immediately poured from Director Du's forehead.
Still not satisfied, Cheng Tianxun drew back to slam him a second time—Lan Changming rushed in to stop him. "Young Marshal!"
Cheng Tianxun raised his foot and kicked him square in the chest.
Only then did the Warlord draw his gun.
"You bastard—killing a man in my own lounge?" The Warlord was beside himself.
He couldn't help remembering the old days.
Cheng Tianxun had beaten his brothers the same way.
Beat them half to death.
He'd calmed down somewhat in recent years—and now, out of nowhere, the sickness had flared again.
Ministry of Finance people were hard to deal with. The Warlord gave them some face. He hadn't expected Cheng Tianxun to go for lives.
He'd hit Director Du, and even his father-in-law Lan Changming had taken a kick.
Lan Changming was a high-ranking official in the Military Government.
Cheng Tianxun let go. Director Du had already passed out, sprawled in a pool of blood like a dead dog.
The Warlord gestured for an adjutant to check on him.
"Still breathing, Warlord," the adjutant said.
Another adjutant helped Lan Changming up from where he'd fallen in the corner.
Lan Changming was both humiliated and furious.
Cheng Tianxun's kick had nearly ruptured his organs—he was in too much pain to speak.
"Father, if there's nothing else, I'll be going. I won't attend the afternoon meeting. Give me the Su City garrison, and I'll double what I pay you every year," Cheng Tianxun said.
He walked out.
At the main gate of the Warlord's residence, his mother hurried after him.
"Why did you lose your temper again?"
"Didn't lose my temper. Thought it through before I threw the first punch." Cheng Tianxun rubbed his wrist.
His hand hurt from hitting.
"Still saying you didn't lose your temper—why hit Lan Changming too? He's your father-in-law."
"My wife's surname isn't Lan. Father-in-law my ass," Cheng Tianxun said.
What was his wife's name again?
Oh, right. Qin Yan. Definitely not surnamed Lan.
So he hadn't hit the wrong man.
His thoughts settled, Cheng Tianxun waved. "I'm off, Mom."
Sitting in the car, he suddenly remembered something he'd overlooked for a long time. "Do the people in Nancheng know my wife is Lan Changming's daughter?"
Probably not.
He returned to the annex.