Chapter 89: Another Year (310)

If heaven gives it and you don't take it, you will surely suffer heaven's condemnation!

With such a heaven-sent opportunity in front of him, how could Yin Qi miss it?

However, in order to sit securely in this position, he should send gifts to the Governor, the Governor-General of Min-Zhe, and the imperial court, so as not to be accused of not understanding the rules.

……

Return Inn.

The Return Inn was not far from the Baiwei Building. After lunch, Yin Qi booked two upper rooms there.

When it was getting dark, Yan Zhendong returned.

Yin Qi asked, "How was it? Did you find out?"

Yan Zhendong nodded, "Found out. They left the city and boarded a cargo ship, and also brought more than thirty commoners on board. I asked around near the pier. This American cargo ship has been docked for more than ten days. Every day, dozens or hundreds of people board the ship, sometimes two or three hundred, and they only see people boarding but not getting off, and none even appear on the deck."

A simple estimation showed that two or three thousand people had boarded the ship in these ten-plus days.

Two or three thousand people, eating, drinking, and defecating was a big problem, yet not a single one got off, or even came up to the deck for air. This was clearly abnormal.

Yin Qi's eyes narrowed, and he asked again, "Are there many ships docked at the pier? Are there other ships around this cargo ship?"

Yan Zhendong said, "There are quite a few ships, but the American cargo ship is docked at the very edge, and the closest one is seventy or eighty meters away. It seems they did it on purpose to avoid being discovered by other ships."

No matter what, human trafficking was an immoral thing.

It could be done in private, but not openly.

This was China, and it still had a central government, unlike the tribes in Africa where people could be grabbed at will.

Yin Qi snorted coldly, "These foreign devils are probably imprisoning the commoners like livestock, otherwise how could a cargo ship hold two or three thousand people? Master Yan, are you interested in going with me tonight?"

Yan Zhendong said heroically, "Of course I am. When I was in Shandong, I didn't like the foreign devils and even secretly killed a few."

"Good, then let's kill to our heart's content tonight!"

………

Time passed quietly.

Night fell, and the sky was filled with stars.

In the second half of the night, half a moon hung in the eastern sky, casting dim moonlight.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The river water surged, constantly slapping the riverbank.

Two figures suddenly rushed out from the night and dived toward the American cargo ship.

Although there were guards on the American cargo ship, the sailors on duty didn't know where they had hidden to sleep.

They had no vigilance and didn't think there would be an enemy attack.

One had to know that this was an armed merchant ship with dozens of armed sailors on board.

Soon, Yin Qi and Yan Zhendong sneaked to the front of the American cargo ship.

Although there was no pier, with their cultivation, jumping several meters and climbing the ship's side was not a problem.

Yin Qi and Yan Zhendong quietly boarded the deck.

According to the plan, the two went one after the other, first clearing the personnel on the deck, and then entering the cabin.

Yin Qi listened intently and soon found two Americans sleeping in a corner through their breathing. He pressed his hands lightly on their heads, and with a burst of Dark Jin, destroyed their brains.

Before long, the deck was cleared.

Only then did Yin Qi and Yan Zhendong quietly enter the cabin. They landed without a sound, making almost no noise, clearing the cabins one by one. These Americans went to see God in their sleep.

During this period, accidents also occurred; some people woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, or just happened to open their eyes, but they were all killed by Yin Qi and Yan Zhendong before they could make a sound.

Just like that, all the foreigners on the ship were killed.

Yin Qi and Yan Zhendong came to the cargo hold, and a foul smell of feces and urine hit their noses. They lit a torch and found countless commoners imprisoned in small spaces like pigs and dogs.

Eating, drinking, and defecating were all solved in here.

The sudden light woke many people up.

Especially after seeing Yin Qi and Yan Zhendong, who were covering their faces, a divine light appeared in their numb eyes.

Seeing that they were about to make a noise, Yin Qi shouted, "Everyone, be quiet. We are here to save you. Now the foreigners on this ship have been killed by us. You line up to get off the ship, don't make any noise, so as not to alarm other cargo ships, or even warships."

Hearing this, everyone nodded repeatedly, and many people covered their mouths and cried.

Under the organization of Yin Qi and Yan Zhendong, everyone got off the ship quietly and then dispersed.

They were all from Hangzhou and were familiar with the surrounding situation.

Fortunately, the American cargo ship was docked in a somewhat remote location, otherwise, even in the middle of the night, it would have been discovered.

After everyone left, Yin Qi and Yan Zhendong searched the whole ship again, and after confirming that there were no living foreigners, they finally got off the ship and returned to the inn.

As for the Shahe Gang, it wouldn't be too late to deal with them after he took office.

………

The next morning.

After breakfast, Yin Qi and Yan Zhendong set off back to Shaoxing.

Not long after they left the city, the news that all the crew members on the American cargo ship had been killed was discovered by people from the Shahe Gang.

Soon, this incident shocked the entire Hangzhou.

The American consulate was shocked and angry, putting pressure on the government for an explanation, leaving the Governor overwhelmed.

But these had nothing to do with Yin Qi.

After returning to Shaoxing, he went about his daily routine and didn't reveal to anyone that he was about to take over as Provincial Commander.

After all, these were all promises from Nalan Yuanshu, and he still needed to wait for the imperial court's appointment.

Three days later, the imperial court's order finally came down, appointing Yin Qi to take over the position of Provincial Commander.

When this news spread, the entire Shaoxing was shocked.

Even the Prefect and others rushed over to offer their congratulations.

Although they were the chief officials of Shaoxing Prefecture, they basically had to look at Yin Qi's face for everything they did, not only because Yin Qi controlled the militia but also because he had huge influence.

After Lu Xun, Tao Chengzhang, and Qiu Jin received the news, they were even more ecstatic.

Yin Qi became the Provincial Commander, which not only meant their plan would accelerate but also provided better development conditions for the Revival Society.

……

Time passed leisurely, and the Manchu Qing's broken car stumbled through another year.

1889, this year was destined not to be peaceful.

In May, Yin Qi received intelligence that Nalan Yuanshu was killed by someone during the process of arresting the Southern Revolutionary Party.

In July, under the guidance of Engels, the International Socialist Congress was held in Paris, and the Second International was declared established.

In October, the Boxer Rebellion, which Yin Qi had been looking forward to for a long time, finally kicked off. With the slogan "Support the Qing, Destroy the Foreigners," they burned down churches and the houses of converts on a large scale.

Although many newspapers across the country reported this, few people realized that this incident would be destined to be recorded in history, sounding the death knell for the Manchu Qing Dynasty.

……

Hangzhou.

*Min Pao* Newspaper Office.

With Yin Qi taking over as Provincial Commander, the *Min Pao* also moved to Hangzhou.

Conference room.

Participating in the meeting, besides Yin Qi, Tao Chengzhang, Lu Xun, and Qiu Jin, were Cai Yuanpei, Xu Xilin, and Zhang Taiyan. They had all become high-level members of the Revival Society and entered the core decision-making circle.

Tao Chengzhang asked suspiciously, "President, did something big happen that you summoned us so urgently?"

Others also looked at Yin Qi one after another, feeling confused in their hearts.

For the sake of the Revival Society's confidentiality, they usually rarely gathered together, and they all had their own duties.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 90 =====