Chapter 511

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Protagonist:

Chen Yi

Liu Ming, wearing an expression of awe, walked into the East Sea Fleet headquarters with Chen Yi.

The officers coming and going stood ramrod straight, hurried along with grave faces, and when they occasionally ran into a few people in civilian clothes, they mostly dealt with them in a haughty manner.

Liu Ming was a businessman; he moved with ease in bars and nightclubs, but inside a government office building he became restrained. He carefully trailed behind Luoxiong's backside, not daring to let his eyes wander, and when his occasional nods and bows got no response, he gradually stopped doing them.

At the fourth floor, a Lieutenant Colonel staff officer received them and said in a low voice, "Mr. Chen Yi? Mr. Chen Congyu and his party are inside."

"Is the Commander in?"

"The Political Commissar is also in."

Liu Ming's ankles trembled when he heard that; the East Sea Fleet's Commander and Political Commissar were, to him, a bit too high in rank.

In a flash, Liu Ming changed his thinking: if he could supply materiel to the East Sea Fleet, he would really strike it rich. Ship steel, base construction materials — every ton might yield profits of several hundred to over a thousand yuan.

Liu Ming drooled almost literally. He immediately began racking his brains on how to scoop a few delicacies from between Chen Yi's fingers.

At a time like this, he naturally assumed Chen Yi was here to act as an intermediary, to scrape benefits.

Just as he was dreaming wonderful things, the fourth-floor main door swung open.

Chen Congyu's generous and impassioned voice rang out clearly: "Under the current circumstances, the Navy's judicial system can no longer guarantee fairness; a Joint Investigation Group trying the explosion case is only right and proper. If you insist on refusing, then what I report upward will no longer be a request for a Joint Investigation Group, but for an Independent Review Group from the Local Procuratorate. Whether to risk a try — you consider it."

Not only did Liu Ming's ankles shake, his calves started trembling too.

Hearing high-level negotiations — too terrifying.

He wanted to retreat, but was shoved by Luoxiong, stumbling into a corner.

Chen Yi introduced himself, sat on the sofa at the other end of the conference table, and continued listening to their talk. Liu Ming's treatment was about the same as Luoxiong's — standing by the side, ears optional.

The General Officers wearing gold stars merely swept their gazes over Liu Ming, drifting past without pause, and said in a hard tone: "If Mr. Chen insists on the Joint Investigation Group trying the case, then we can only refuse Jiangning local participation. The explosion occurred dozens of kilometers away, on our East Sea Fleet's ship; emotionally and logically, it should be investigated by us first. If Mr. Chen is uneasy, you may completely send personnel to supervise — of course, supervision must be conducted in accordance with regulations."

"Your regulations? There is no such regulation. The Joint Investigation Group is the bottom line, and it must be led primarily by comrades from the local side. Please, both of you, consider seriously..."

"We have already begun investigating the explosion case. Now letting local procurators unfamiliar with naval affairs intervene means starting over from scratch — not only wasting time, but also easily causing misunderstandings."

"The professional quality of local procurators is excellent, and moreover, an open and transparent trial of the explosion case is beneficial for subsequent public opinion support..."

The high-level war of words left Liu Ming both terrified and inexplicably excited.

He quietly tilted his head to look at Chen Yi, who was reading the case files with rapt attention, seemingly uninterested in the general stars as well.

The conversation was still led by Chen Congyu; he had a CPPCC identity, just right to represent Chen Zhongguo in investigating the East Sea Fleet.

Likewise, this was also preliminary work for a large-scale investigation. If Chen Congyu obtained enough information, it meant a multi-department joint action would follow, and many people would fall. If Chen Congyu did not obtain enough information, then the East Sea Fleet would be considered safe.

In a certain sense, Chen Congyu's current work was extremely similar to Fu Polin's, just with a different background.

The East Sea Fleet knew this well too, so they obstructed and resisted with all their might. Theoretically, if Chen Congyu lacked hard means, the preliminary investigation would drag on indefinitely. Many such events use power to cover up evidence and time to destroy evidence.

Liu Ming's shiny bald head sweated like rain, beads constantly dripping onto his nose tip; he would wipe them away and they would flow out again, like a heroine who had stumbled in the jianghu.

Both sides continued wrangling back and forth; whether consensus could ultimately be reached was uncertain.

Chen Yi waited patiently. He didn't much like the East Sea Fleet officers — they spent a lot of money, did little work, had no advantage in regional disputes, and what they could do, the Jiangning Military Region's Air Force could also do; what they couldn't do, the Jiangning Military Region's Air Force could also do.

Even the kids in the Military Region compound didn't like Navy kids — the latter enjoyed superior treatment yet had hardly fought any battles, let alone endured exceptional hardship.

It was true that to maintain one or several relatively modern naval fleets, they spent no small amount of money buying warships — the common practice: the better the warship, the better the treatment; Army kids worked themselves to death and still couldn't compare.

Chen Yi looked at the glittering-star Commander and suddenly felt a kind of hatred-for-the-rich mentality. A fleet costing hundreds of billions, annual maintenance expenses comparable to a major military region's expenditure...

"You're worried the Joint Investigation Group will audit the accounts, aren't you?" Chen Yi abruptly interjected.

The clamor in the room stopped instantly, as if someone had cut the power to the speakers.

The officers looked at Chen Yi with indignant eyes, as if their honor and dignity had been trampled.

Chen Yi shrugged and said calmly, "You wouldn't say your accounts have absolutely no problems, would you?"

"I dare guarantee there are no problems." The Commander was not a good-tempered man; he had borne with patience speaking to Chen Congyu the official-second-generation, but toward Chen Yi the official-third-generation he had absolutely no intention of yielding.

Eight words spoken with finality, carrying an undeniable air.

Yet Chen Yi found it all the more suspicious, and naturally so. He laughed naturally: "Accounts with no problems are themselves a problem. A group of accountants, 365 days a year doing books — how could there possibly be no problems? You're a bit too nervous."

At least five people glared at Chen Yi; the remaining one perhaps didn't show it due to posture.

Chen Yi curled his lip in disdain. A soldier who rises to General Officer is, in the final analysis, playing politics — if he doesn't play politics, then not playing politics is his political strategy.

Such a person has too many considerations; anger is more like fear.

"Chen Yi." Chen Congyu made a gesture of opposition, ending the two sides' game.

He blocked the officers and said, "We don't want to discuss the fleet accounts issue..."

"He started it..."

Chen Congyu turned to the speaking officer and said coldly, "If you insist on discussing the fleet accounts issue, then we'll send people to discuss it."

The Major General staff officer who had spoken just now immediately backed down.

Chen Yi looked at his old man with new respect and smiled: "I've raised over a thousand CPAs; if help is needed, I certainly won't be stingy. They're all small accountants with annual salaries of several tens of thousands — nothing to fear."

A quite honest statement, delivered in a deep-pocketed tone, instead made the officers dare not speak.

On this blue planet, there is no regime or nation as innocent as a virgin; if there really were, it would be after seeing a doctor.

Chen Yi revealed his threat; Chen Congyu then lowered his tone and eased with a smile: "Let's continue talking about the Joint Investigation Group. How about this: the Jiangning Local Procuratorate and Safety Bureau cooperate, plus a few people you select, to form the Joint Investigation Group. We'll temporarily assign personnel within explosion-related personnel. First launch the investigation plan — how about it?"

"Too unclear... 'temporarily assign,' and explosion-related personnel — by that principle, you could expand the scope anytime."

"If you don't agree to such good terms, we'll investigate independently." Chen Yi deliberately put on a playboy young-master act.

The Political Commissar turned his chair with teeth itching, straightened his sleeves, and smiled: "I'd like to know how you'd investigate independently?"

"You really want to know?" Chen Yi stared straight into the other's eyes.

Now that he had a pretext, he could take anyone out of the Naval Base at any time and investigate however he wished.

If the naval officers continued to be stubborn, he was prepared to do just that.

The Political Commissar finally wavered, saying indignantly: "You may only investigate and question personnel related to the bombing case, and they must be accompanied by the Navy."

"Agreed." Chen Congyu took over and gave the final word. What he needed was the Joint Investigation Group. In such a small clique, investigating anything was difficult.

The two general officers went through the motions of shaking hands with Chen Congyu.

After they finished their performance, Chen Yi said: "Comrade Political Commissar, can we talk in private?"

Chen Congyu was a bit surprised, but said nothing. Chen Yi was the old man's personally designated "do whatever he wants," so of course he could stay if he wanted to.

The young master of the Chen Family had left no good impression on the Major General Political Commissar; for some inexplicable psychological reason, he had stayed behind.

The other officers left the meeting room suspiciously, followed by the bewildered Liu Ming and his "guardian" Luo Xiaoshan.

"Come to my office." The Political Commissar pushed open the door on the other side and sat straight down in the large armchair, saying in a majestic tone: "What is it, speak."

"The gold did not sink to the seabed, so your submarines can't find it no matter how they search. I took it." Chen Yi's opening sentence made the general stand up.

What large armchair was more comfortable than honest words!

The Political Commissar was agitated for a moment, then shook his head and said: "I don't believe it."

Chen Yi smiled, without explaining, and continued: "In short, there are only two outcomes to this matter. One is that the gold cannot be found, and you will lose face and be disgraced, making the elders in Xijing understand that the East Sea Fleet could lose over a thousand tons of gold even under full emergency status and is not trustworthy. The second is that gold with the Central Bank's special markings is found, but only part of it, and it is in the private residences of some senior fleet officials, so the fleet regains trust, after all, embezzlement is easy to understand; as long as a batch of general officers are replaced, the fleet can regain its combat power. Do you think it is better to sacrifice the individual or the collective?"

"You want to frame me?" The Political Commissar stood up angrily, pointing at Chen Yi's nose: "Do you know that if I shout, a whole company will send you to prison?"

Even in the midst of rage, he still had the self-control to lower his voice, then lowered his finger and shook his head softly: "Young man, you are still too green. In a case this big, any key link not matching up is trouble; where is forgery that easy?"

Chen Yi chuckled, took out a gold ingot stamped with the Central Bank's timestamp from his bosom, and gently placed it on the table: "Don't overestimate everyone's determination to find a scapegoat. I don't need to forge anything; as long as I place several hundred kilograms of such gold in your private villa, someone will naturally be willing to believe it. I personally think that if a general officer is willing to take the blame for the fleet's stain, even your colleagues will deeply miss you. I am small and weak; I cannot bear the heavy responsibility of the theft of 1,200 tons of gold."

The Political Commissar grimaced, waited until he finished speaking, then suddenly smiled: "I knew something was fishy. Unfortunately, quite a good plan, but... I bought a recording pen a few days ago."

"Oh? If your recording pen recorded something, then you've made a profit." Chen Yi thought, I still have the Divine Art.

The Political Commissar was startled, opened the drawer, grabbed his sidearm with one hand, and pressed the recording pen open with the other.

Empty!

Chen Yi smiled and said: "Send my regards to your several girlfriends; let's make an appointment another day."

"Is it because of the Investigation Group?" The Political Commissar breathed heavily.

"When the melon is ripe, the stem falls off; the matter of the Investigation Group, who needs to fertilize it..."

... (Unfinished. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian. com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation.)