Chapter 148

Part 1, Chapter 48: Meet the Zhou Special Envoy

Inside the Sun Gongguan meeting room, the four young masters gathered, the atmosphere solemn. Lu Xiao's face was pale, his hands slightly trembling, he broke the silence: 'Lin Yu has gone mad! Even if he has completely broken with the court, now it seems he doesn't even regard us!'

He stood up, paced anxiously: 'We must leave Shen City immediately. Our layout in Shen City has already been declared a failure; further investment would be a bottomless pit.'

Qin Chang'an snorted coldly, his eyes flashing with 'I told you so': 'Working with Lin Yu is like dealing with a tiger for its skin. This person is arrogant and overbearing, putting no one in his eyes; the nickname "Lin Madman" is not without cause.'

Liu Wen sighed, his face full of fatigue: 'The Garrison Brigade of the Garrison Office has almost been exhausted. Withdrawing from the battlefield is the only option.'

Sun Lingyun sat in the chief seat, gripping his fists tightly, exhaling clouds and mist, silent. Amid the swirling smoke, his gaze was as cold as a blade.

At the Fourth Bureau Headquarters, Lin Yu fiddled with a lighter, the metal flipping between his fingers. With a snap, the flame went out.

"Zhou Wei, mobilize the military police unit and the guard platoon."

"Bureau Chief, what are you planning to do?" Zhou Wei set down the document in his hand.

Lin Yu walked to the window, rain pattering against the glass: 'The instigator of all this is the court, that Zhou Special Envoy. I want to meet him, see what kind of person he really is.'

"The Zhou Special Envoy is hiding in the French Consulate." Zhou Wei said.

Lin Yu sneered: 'I said from day one in the French Concession that there is only one rule here—my rule. Lei Nuo, this Frenchman, keeps making small moves; it's time to teach him a lesson.'

"I'll go notify Feng An to bring the German Battalion over." Zhou Wei turned and left.

Inside the French Consulate, beneath the crystal chandelier, Consul Jacques Lemerel sat face to face with the Zhou Special Envoy.

Lemerel elegantly swirled the red wine in his glass, while the Zhou Special Envoy wore a grim expression, occasionally glancing out the window as rain streamed down the glass.

"Mr. Zhou, you look quite anxious." Lemerel took a light sip of red wine, "On French soil, you are safe."

The Zhou Special Envoy didn't touch the wine before him, his fingers lightly tapping the table: "Mr. Lemerel, what worries me is not my own safety."

He stood up, walked to the window. The lights of Shen City blurred in the rain, just like his current predicament.

"The situation in Shen City is spiraling out of control. That madman Lin Yu has completely disregarded the court." The Zhou Special Envoy gritted his teeth, "Our Allied Forces were annihilated by his lone ghost division—this is utter disgrace!"

Lemerel set down his cup, hands crossed: "This is indeed unexpected. But didn't you say reinforcements were on their way from Lu Prefecture?"

The Zhou Special Envoy frowned, glanced at his pocket watch: "According to the timing, the reinforcements should have arrived by now, but I haven't received any word."

He shook his head: "The messengers I sent to every relay station along the route have returned no report. This is abnormal."

"Perhaps the rain is too heavy, the roads impassable." Lemerel shrugged, "Or they chose a more concealed route into the city."

The Zhou Special Envoy shook his head: "No, even the personnel I sent to meet them have not reported back. This is not normal."

He sat down again, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead: "I'm starting to wonder if the reinforcements have encountered some accident."

Le Merel poured himself another glass of wine: "You're too nervous, Mr. Zhou. Even if the reinforcements are a day or two late, it won't be a big problem. No matter how arrogant Lin Yu is, he wouldn't dare openly oppose the court."

"You don't understand Lin Yu." Zhou Special Envoy sneered, "He's gone mad. Today he dares to slaughter our Allied Forces; tomorrow he dares to attack the consulate."

Le Merel laughed: "This is French territory; he wouldn't be that foolish."

"I hope so." Zhou Special Envoy sighed, "But I always have an ominous premonition."

He stood up and paced the room: "Our plan was originally perfect. Use Sun Lingyun to pin down Lin Yu, then have the reinforcements launch a surprise attack to seize the Fourth Bureau in one fell swoop. But now..."

"Plans never keep up with changes." Le Merel comforted, "But you still have other cards, don't you? The Fourth Young Master is still on your side, right?"

Zhou Special Envoy shook his head: "The Fourth Young Master has lost his formation. After Sun Lingyun's two brigades were routed, they began to waver. Lu Xiao even suggested withdrawing from Shen City."

"That's to be expected." Le Merel dismissed, "These local powers always go with the wind."

Zhou Special Envoy walked back to the window, rain beating against the glass, just like his anxious mood right now: "What I'm most worried about is, if the reinforcements really run into trouble..."

Before he could finish speaking, a sudden urgent knock interrupted him. Le Merel's aide rushed in, face pale: "Consul, it's terrible! The Fourth Bureau's people have surrounded the consulate!"

"What?!" Le Merel jumped up, knocking over his wine glass, red wine spilling like blood across the tablecloth.

Zhou Special Envoy's face instantly turned ashen: "I told you he was mad! He really dares to attack the consulate!"

Le Merel quickly walked to the window and pulled back the curtains. In the rain, hundreds of fully armed soldiers had already surrounded the consulate, black muzzles aimed at the door. He saw the neatly ranked German-style uniforms; these were not ordinary police or gendarmerie.

"Good heavens, that's... German troops?" Le Merel said incredulously, "Where did he get so many German-equipped units?"

Zhou Special Envoy squeezed to the window, seeing the rain-soaked disciplined unit, his expression grew even grimmer: "That's the battalion-sized unit under Lin Yu's command. Over eight hundred men, all equipped in German-style gear, even with mortars and heavy machine guns."

"This madman!" Le Merel cursed, "Does he know what this means? This is an open provocation against France!"

Zhou Special Envoy collapsed into his chair, face ashen: "It's over, everything's over. The reinforcements must have been intercepted by him."

Le Merel turned to his aide: "Immediately notify the guards, prepare for defense! At the same time, send someone on a fast horse to the legation to tell them what's happened!"

The aide nodded and left; Le Merel turned to Zhou Special Envoy: "Mr. Zhou, it seems your assessment of Lin Yu was correct. He really is mad."

Zhou Special Envoy gave a wry smile: "No, Mr. Le Merel, he's not mad; he's declaring war on everyone—on the court, on the Great Powers, on all the forces in Shen City."

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the armed figures in the rain: "He wants everyone to know that Shen City has only one master—Lin Yu."

Le Merel picked up the pen on the desk and quickly wrote a few lines: "I must immediately inform the other consulates. This is a threat to all foreign envoys."

Zhou Special Envoy shook his head: "Useless. The other consuls won't risk it for us."

"What do you intend to do then?" Le Merel asked.

Zhou Special Envoy fell silent for a moment: "I need to send someone to contact the other forces in Shen City. If Lin Yu dares to attack the consulate, that gives us a reason to unite everyone against him."

He picked up the paper and pen on the desk and quickly wrote a few lines: "I will send someone to meet Sun Lingyun and the other young masters. The situation has changed; Lin Yu is attacking the French consulate. We need to act immediately..."