Chapter 192

Nanjiang Governor's Office.

Lu Anxiang bared his arms, sitting at a redwood round table gambling. His burly body bore tattoos of a few azure dragons, his face full of flesh; at a glance you could tell he was a bandit.

"Haha! I won again!" He waved his hand, sweeping the silver dollars on the table toward himself, "You lot of trash, still trying to win my money?"

Several aides smiled nervously, not daring to speak. Everyone knew this Nanjiang Governor guarded his wealth like his life; losing money made him angry, winning money made him show off.

"Commander!" a confidant rushed in panic, holding a telegram, "Bad news!"

"What's the noise!" Lu Anxiang barked impatiently, "What mischief is Shen City up to again? Is it that madman Lin Yu again......"

He hadn't finished speaking when he suddenly realized something, his face changed: "Speak quickly!"

The confidant trembled as he read: "Your son Lu Xiao is in my hands. Within three days, send twenty million silver dollars to Shen City. If you don't pay or play tricks, prepare to collect his corpse. —Lin Yu."

"What!" Lu Anxiang jumped up, overturning the table. Silver dollars scattered everywhere, but he no longer cared about the money.

"This madman!" he exploded, "I've said before, this kid is no ordinary! If it weren't for Sun Dingyuan that old fox insisting on supporting the Qin family, giving Lin Yu an opening......"

He swore: "That little bastard Lu Xiao! I told him, Shen City is now Lin Yu's domain, tell him to stay out of trouble, but he won't listen! Twenty million! Where am I supposed to get that much money to wipe his ass!"

The confidant added timidly: "Commander, word from Shen City says...... the Second Young Master seems to have been disciplined by Lin Yu, his hand...... his hand burned."

Trash! Lu Anxiang flew into a rage, "He can't even protect himself! If I had known Lin Yu would be so troublesome, I should have......"

He hadn't finished speaking, but the aides all understood. A few months ago, when Lin Yu had just begun to make a name for himself in Shen City, Lu Anxiang had advocated immediately eliminating this restless young man. However, Sun Dingyuan thought this person could be used, and the result was that Lin Yu seized the opportunity to grow stronger, and now he can no longer be controlled.

"Twenty million......" He winced in pain, then suddenly thought of something, "Right! That old fox Governor Sun, isn't his son Sun Lingyun also in Shen City?"

The aide nodded, "Yes, I've heard Lin Yu is also extorting Governor Sun, demanding thirty million."

"Ha!" Lu Anxiang's eyes lit up, "So that means I got off cheap by ten million?" But soon he exploded in rage, "Bullshit! What gives me the right to be ten million cheaper than Governor Sun?!"

He gritted his teeth, "Contact Governor Sun's side for me. This Lin Yu is truly rebellious! He dares to move against the heirs of both governors......"

"Furthermore," he said with a grim face, "Find out clearly for me! Where exactly did this kid's 'Ghost Master' come from? Why can't even foreign guns and cannons do anything to him?"

"Commander, please calm down!" Several aides rushed forward to dissuade him, "Lin Yu is extremely ferocious; he dares to move against the imperial army and even foreigners. If we rashly send troops, we...... we might not be able to rescue the young master, and instead suffer losses."

"Yes, Commander," another aide added, "Just think, even Qin Chang'an was publicly executed by him. This kid is basically a lunatic; he'll do anything."

Lu Anxiang's anger subsided a little, but he remained indignant: "What should we do? Are we really going to give that bastard twenty million?"

Just mentioning that number made his heart feel like it was being cut by a knife. Twenty million——that's several years of his savings! Although outsiders all say he "Lu Rooster" is miserly to the point of death, who knows how hard it is to save up a sum in these troubled times?

At that moment, another figure suddenly flashed in his mind——his adopted son, who served as a battalion commander in the army, Lu Xuan.

This adopted son was taken in by him during a bandit-suppression campaign. From childhood he was more sensible and capable than Lu Xiao, obeyed his every word, and had also achieved some distinction in the military. However, to save face for Lu Xiao, he had always claimed outwardly that Lu Xiao was his only son, and also to prevent Lu Xuan from harboring improper ambitions.

"Damn it, spending twenty million on that good-for-nothing......" Lu Anxiang's eyes flickered as he began to hesitate.

"If...... if Lu Xiao doesn't come back...... Lu Xuan would also make a decent heir......" Once this idea surfaced, it spread like weeds.

He even began to calculate in his mind: Over the years, Lu Xiao had learned nothing but eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling. Lu Xuan, however, was able to command a battalion well despite his young age, and the soldiers all respected him. Spending twenty million to save Lu Xiao seemed somewhat "not worth it."

"Commander?" the aide asked cautiously, "Should we send a reply to Shen City?"

Lu Anxiang snapped back to reality and waved his hand, "Go! Send a reply to Shen City! Tell Lin Yu, twenty million is too much! I don't have that much money! Have him ask for less! Five million! At most five million! Take it or leave it! Otherwise I'll lead troops to level Shen City!"

He paused, then added, "Right, send someone to fetch Lu Xuan! I have something to ask him!"

The aide received the order and left. Lu Anxiang sat down again, his face alternating between gloom and sunny.

He needed to think it over carefully, how to handle this matter. Twenty million is really too much. If it could be settled with five million, that would naturally be best. If Lin Yu refuses......

His gaze fell on the scattered silver dollars on the ground. Even these small change pained him terribly, let alone twenty million. Moreover, this might even be an opportunity. This Lu Xuan kid is indeed far stronger than Lu Xiao......

"Come here!" he suddenly shouted, "Go fetch the accounting office! I want to see just how much money we can scrape together!"

But he knew deep down this wasn't about money. He was weighing whether to spend a huge sum to rescue that good-for-nothing son, or...... let a more capable heir take over.

Night fell, and two starkly different telegrams were sent from the two governors' offices, flying toward Shen City.

Governor Sun Dingyuan's telegram was worded pleadingly, requesting an extension and promising to raise the ransom in full. At the same time, he had already begun secretly mobilizing resources in preparation for these thirty million taels. In the view of this old, crafty governor, some money ought to be spent when the time comes. His son's life and reputation are more important than money.

Lu Anxiang's telegram, meanwhile, was filled with the smell of gunpowder. He not only demanded a reduction in the ransom amount, but also threatened to use military force. Yet behind this tough wording lay a father's darkest thought: he had already begun considering abandoning his own biological son in favor of supporting that more capable adopted son.

At this very moment, Lu Xuan, who was drilling soldiers in the camp, had no idea that a storm capable of changing his fate was about to descend. This young man who had grown up on the battlefield was about to be swept into a vortex far more treacherous than war.

Meanwhile, in Shen City, Lin Yu sat in the office of the Fourth Bureau, toying with a silver dollar in his hand. The corners of his mouth bore a faint smile, as if he had long anticipated that the two governors would react so differently.

"Interesting," he said softly, "It seems this show will be even more exciting than expected."

Outside the window, the night over Shen City deepened. This prosperous port city appeared calm on the surface, but undercurrents stirred.