Inside the tavern, an older man was swaying his head as he read the newspaper that had just been published that day.
"...In this battle, the Jing'an Division dispatched 200 men from the Lüben Battalion. (The original text mentions that Cui Qi's Lüben Battalion had a total of 300 men, both infantry and cavalry), and the Right Valiant Guard mobilized 400 men. Two days ago, they launched a surprise attack on the Jinggong and Xiuzheng Wards. On the spot, they killed 117 Turkic spies and captured 11 alive."
"Hiss..." A group of people below gasped in unison and began to discuss among themselves.
"There are so many Turkic spies in Chang'an!"
"Didn't you hear what they said earlier? The Turks can't beat our Great Tang in the Western Regions anymore. They can only resort to underhanded tricks, like sending people to kidnap General Wang's daughter."
"Pah! These Turkic wolves are shameless. If they have the guts, let them fight my Great Tang on the battlefield."
Seeing the murmurs below, the senior student on the stage coughed softly.
"There's more here..."
"Read it quickly, read it quickly..." Immediately, someone rushed to his aid, tossing him a few copper coins to continue reading the newspaper. These commoners, who rarely had access to information about the joint operation of the Jing'an Division and the Right Valiant Guard, only knew bits and pieces of this kind of 'big news' through hearsay. Now, the time, place, and cause were all crystal clear. Moreover, the entire article was written in vernacular Chinese. This huge piece of gossip left the patrons completely stuffed.
"The next thing is something that concerns us ordinary people. After castrating pigs, the Crown Prince's Palace has found a way to make hens lay more eggs... Let me tell you in detail..."
Giving the Crown Prince's residence some prestige was essential. It was even the newspaper's most important task in its early stages. Meanwhile, besides praising the Crown Prince, the newspaper also lauded Li Linfu. This was a lesson Li Bi learned from Lu Xuan. "I'll first elevate you to the heavens, then see if you'll turn your back and shut down my newspaper."
Don't underestimate Li Linfu's power. If he really wanted to take action, the entire Jing'an Division combined couldn't withstand it. But right now, people are praising you every day, so how can you take action? Li Linfu is a man who cares a lot about his image. At least on the surface, he has to maintain appearances. Otherwise, the idiom "honeyed words and a dagger in the heart" wouldn't exist.
The Jing'an Division launched two attacks, seemingly gaining a slight advantage. However, Lu Xuan knew that this back-and-forth was like a game to Li Linfu. It wasn't time for him to get serious. He couldn't be overly provoked; maintaining the status quo was best.
Lu Xuan had no intention of bringing down Li Linfu now; it would be pointless. Li Linfu was a malignant tumor, but the Tang Dynasty had many such tumors, and removing this one wouldn't have much of an effect. What he wanted was to perform a major overhaul of the Tang Dynasty.
After thwarting the Turks' attempt to kidnap Wang Yunxiu, the work of the Jing'an Division became much easier. After all, such international events don't happen every day. Lu Xuan was happy to slack off and leave work early.
However, as soon as he stepped out of the Jing'an Division's gate, he frowned. He then walked towards a small alley.
The alley was a dead end. But Lu Xuan didn't care. He walked straight to the middle and stood there waiting. After a short while, a servant ran in.
"Mr. Lu, Old Master Ge asked me to pass on a message to you."
“Speak…” Lu Xuan said in a low voice.
"Old Ge said that a banquet will be held in Pingkangfang tonight, and he would like to invite you to join him."
"No reward!"
"...Uh, haha. Mr. Lu is joking. Old Master Ge said you would definitely agree."
"Is that so? Perhaps you misheard." Lu Xuan's expressionless face made the servant who delivered the message look extremely unpleasant. However, he dared not do anything. After all, the other party was no ordinary person, and this place was only one street away from the Jing'an Division. Even if he had a hundred lives, he wouldn't dare to turn against him.
"Master Lu, please don't make things difficult for me."
"Alright, I won't make things difficult for you. Go back and tell Old Ge that if he wants that favor back, he should come to me in person. If not, then pretend I don't know him."
Such a banquet was naturally out of the question for Lu Xuan. It wasn't that he was afraid of anything. Rather, it was that he would personally go there based on a single word from a human trafficker. That would inadvertently place him below Elder Ge.
The servant who delivered the message left with a grim expression. At almost the same time, at the Right Prime Minister's residence, did Li Linfu also learn of the news?
"Rejected? Heh... then let's be direct."
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Chapter Sixty-Three: Are there gods in heaven?
In a spacious courtyard in Chang'an City, dozens of rogue gang members were gathering.
"Boss, we just received word. Someone is targeting Lieutenant Lu."
Zhang Xiaojing's one eye suddenly opened, but then dimmed again.
The Bad Guys of today are not the same as those of Zhang Xiaojing's era. Having latched onto Lu Xuan's coattails, they can spend money however they want. The reason Zhang Xiaojing couldn't take down the Bearfire Gang for so many years was largely due to a lack of funds. He couldn't build connections, and he lacked manpower and equipment.
After Lu Xuan took over, he poured money into the operation. He even sent Li Fushan, a skilled military officer, as an instructor. Zhang Xiaojing, being pragmatic, knew Li Fushan was truly capable. He immediately delegated authority to him, allowing him to train batches of ruffians. Li Fushan trained these ruffians to the standards of elite soldiers, sharing all sorts of combined attack formations without reservation. He knew Lu Xuan would need these men for great things.
Besides the officially registered members of the Bad People gang, Zhang Xiaojing, with his vast wealth, began to extensively plant spies. He had informants in almost every tavern, brothel, gang, and brokerage firm in Kyoto. In a sense, he was establishing a completely new underground intelligence network, following Lu Xuan's instructions.
Almost nothing in the wind rustling through the grass in the entire city of Chang'an could escape his eyes.
"Which side are you from?"
"The information from the underworld is that it's someone from the Bearfire Gang."
"Hmph... The Bearfire Gang is now a wanted criminal by the imperial court. Anyone who dares to act under the Bearfire Gang's name must be a ruthless bunch. What did the captain say?"
"The captain just said one thing: let us handle it."
"We'll see... I understand. Let the brothers get to work. Everyone knows how much money the captain has spent on us and how much he's taken care of us over the past six months. Now that the captain tells us to handle things, we'd better do it well."
............
On his way home, Lu Xuan felt a subtle sense of being watched. Those who have been through many battles often possess this keen intuition. Lu Xuan's was exceptionally sharp. He knew someone was watching him, but he didn't care. He simply stopped at a teahouse on the street corner, drank a cup of tea, and then turned and left.
As he began to distinguish himself in Chang'an, the former barbarian from the Western Regions had officially entered the vortex of the Tang Dynasty's officialdom. Many began to take notice of this barbarian who had suddenly caught the Crown Prince's attention. The establishment of the Jing'an Division took away much of the power from the Longwu Army and the Jinwu Guard. This placed this institution at the center of the vortex from its very inception. Lu Xuan and his management team were resented by many.
By the time Lu Xuan returned home, the feeling of being spied on had vanished. Zhang Xiaojing was already waiting at the door.
"My lord."
"speak."
"We failed. All the 'Bearfire Gang assassins' committed suicide after being captured; not a single one survived. We lost three brothers on our side. They were all ruthless, not like remnants of the Bearfire Gang."
"Whether it is or not is not important. What is important is that we need to speed things up. How many people do you have over there right now?"