Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 133: Officials are allowed to set fires, but ordinary people are not allowed to light lamps

He originally came to keep Du Shiniang company, but now that this has happened, he naturally stays to keep her company.

At the same time, he was also considering whether to actually arrange for the two women to be together.

In this way, he can better take care of both women, and at the same time, he can ensure that neither woman is too lonely.

When Cao Wei Da went out that evening, he put in a lot of effort.

It wasn't that she encountered any difficulties, but after the fright during the day, Du Shiniang seemed to lack a sense of security at night. Even after falling asleep, she clung tightly to Cao Weida and refused to let go. It took him quite a bit of effort to carefully pry her off.

Half an hour later, gunfire suddenly erupted in the distance, mixed with the spray of automatic rifles.

Judging from the sound, it should be coming from the direction of a sentry post.

Half an hour later, Cao Weida, reeking of gunpowder, climbed over the wall and entered the courtyard.

After putting all the clothes into her spatial storage, she got some cool water and wiped herself down.

It's fortunate that he was vigorous and full of yang energy; otherwise, the spring night water might have stirred up a huge wave.

After confirming that he didn't smell bad, he quietly pushed open the door and slipped inside.

Holding the warm, soft body in his arms, he felt a renewed itch in his heart after just experiencing a blissful moment.

"Hmm~~"

Du Shiniang let out a seductive hum from her nose, waking up groggily, only to be forced to lose herself in the surging waves.

"Sir, please slow down."

The next day, unusually, Du Shiniang was not woken up by special services and was fast asleep, her body limp and weak.

Cao Wei Da, on the other hand, was in high spirits. After washing up, he went to the police station to report for duty, but was pulled aside by Duo Men.

"Hey buddy, did you hear? Last night, the Guang'anmen outpost was attacked. Oh my, it was a terrible sight! A dozen or so Japanese soldiers died!"

"Really? That's shocking!" Cao Weida feigned surprise, saying, "A dozen or so Japanese soldiers died? Are the anti-Japanese elements really that rampant?"

“Who says otherwise?” He looked around and whispered, “I heard that the attack was carried out by only one person, using a rifle that could fire in bursts. He took down more than ten Japanese soldiers all by himself. What a hero!”

Cao Wei Da's heart skipped a beat: "Master Duo, are you so well-informed? You even know this?"

"Hey, I'm not bragging, but while I may not have many other skills, when it comes to connections, there are practically no people in the entire city of Beiping that I don't know."

Cao Wei Daxin believed that Duomen was a kind-hearted man, but not a pushover. He could chat with anyone and everyone would give him some face.

People from all walks of life in the underworld are always well-informed, but when it comes to being well-informed, very few of them are actually that well-informed.

Even if you're not well-informed, you can still find well-informed channels.

“I know someone who lives near Guang’anmen. He told me that he got up at night and happened to see the man killing Japanese soldiers.”

"Although it was dark and the man was masked, he saw it clearly. It was just one person who had mowed down all the Japanese sentry posts."

"However, that gun sounds familiar. It seems to be the same model as the one used in the shooting at the entrance of the Yangtze Dance Hall. I reckon it was that person who did it."

"It's just unclear whether it was the Red Party or the Kuomintang that was behind it."

Cao Wei Da said, "Can't one be a lone wolf?"

"It's not impossible. Maybe it really is a ferocious dragon crossing the river." Duomen nodded seriously.

"The Red Party is always poor. I've never even seen a rifle that fires repeatedly. I reckon the Red Party couldn't afford one."

"If it were the KMT, it would be impossible. Given their leader's attention-seeking nature, if they really did something this big, they would have publicized it extensively by now."

Cao Weida couldn't help but laugh. This was exactly what that bald guy loved to do. To put it nicely, he was stirring up anti-Japanese sentiment; to put it bluntly, he just liked to show off.
"Today, I guess we'll have to go into martial law again. We might even have to cooperate with a search. I just don't know how many days it will last." Duomen shook his head. Beiping has never been peaceful. Assassinations and gunfights happen frequently, and whenever such things happen, martial law is almost always imposed. He's already used to it.

At the beginning, some patrol officers, oblivious to the danger, did conduct a thorough search, which led them to some clues.

Then most of them were blasted to pieces by the anti-Japanese elements who realized what was happening.

Later, everyone learned their lesson. When faced with such situations, they would just muddle through if possible. They only made a pittance a month, and they were working for the Japanese devils anyway, so why risk their lives?
"Who cares? This has little to do with us patrol officers. The headaches should be on the Japanese garrison and the military police. If they want us to cooperate, we'll cooperate."

Cao Wei Da didn't care. On the contrary, he could take this opportunity to teach those arrogant people who thought they had powerful backers and ignored him a lesson.

He had memorized the strokes of their names. Sure enough, a short while later, Xu Han announced the assembly, and this time it wasn't that Japanese devil Oda who was in charge, but Ono Oda.

Yes. They're all from the "Tian" generation, pretty much the same.
On the platform, Xu Hancheng began a grand pronouncement—or rather, a blatant promise of a bright future—that whoever caught last night's murderer would be promoted three ranks and receive a reward of one thousand silver dollars!

Even just providing a clue will earn you a reward of fifty silver dollars and a promotion!
Clearly, the Japanese were also really annoyed by the numerous assassinations that had been happening recently, and the reward they offered was quite generous.

Unfortunately, those below weren't very interested in promotions of three ranks or anything like that, and they were also aware of their limitations regarding the 1,000 silver dollars.

The thugs who dared to directly attack the checkpoint were not people these lowly patrolmen with sticks could mess with.
Are they out of their minds?

As for clues, let's leave it to fate. It would be best if we could get them, but it doesn't matter if we can't. We should just go with the flow and accept whatever comes our way.

However, they are also very interested in taking the opportunity to extort money from others, as this is usually a good opportunity for them to make a fortune.

As the patrol captain, Cao Weida and Duomen naturally didn't have to stand dumbfounded in the center like the other patrol officers; instead, they stood on the side of the line.

Cao Wei Da nudged Duo Men, "Master Duo, didn't you have news? Fifty silver dollars for a promotion! Since you know the news, why don't you give it a try?"

Duomen rolled his eyes and said, "Come on, I'm not going to do something like giving birth to a son without an anus."

He was, after all, a genuine man from Beiping. He had no choice but to work for a living, but he would never betray his country for a promotion.

"You talk as if you have a son. If you want a son, then hurry up and marry a woman." Cao Weida chuckled, making Duomen's eyes almost fill their entire sockets with white.

"You're so smug, aren't you? So what if you married two concubines? It's only because I'm arrogant that I'm like this. Otherwise, we could have a whole police force of kids, you believe me?"

"I believe you!" No way!
Anyone can brag, but I never thought you were into it too!
The two whispered and joked with each other below, while Xu Hancheng above finally finished drawing up his pie in the sky.

Afterwards, Xu Hancheng ran to Cao Weida's side and nudged him, saying, "Cao'er, Commander Ono is looking for you."

"I'll go right away. I also need to see Commander Ono."

After entering Ono Oda's office, Cao Weida closed the door and said with a serious expression, "Ono-kun, I have something to report to you."

Ono Oda was about to say something when he saw Cao Weida's serious expression and assumed it was a business matter. He immediately asked, "Cao-san, what happened? Tell us, and we'll do everything we can to help!"

Cao Weida's expression remained solemn as before, and he said directly, "Ono-kun, yesterday afternoon, a naval officer named Umezawa Hirahachi came to my house."

"What?! Umezawa Hirahashi?!" Ono Oda suddenly stood up, his brows furrowed as he left his desk, pointed to the sofa, and said, "Sit down, tell me in detail, he didn't do anything to you, did he?"

There's a saying: the person who understands you best is not yourself, but your enemy!

The Army and Navy have always been at odds, so how could they not try to understand each other?

Especially since both sides are located on the same land of Beiping.

The other party's high-ranking officials and generals, their filing cabinets are full.

Therefore, he naturally knew about the Meizepingba.

Ono Oda knew that he was a dangerous person, not only wielding considerable power but also being ruthless and cruel, whose favorite pastime was harming others without benefiting himself.
His gaze held both scrutiny and a hint of satisfaction.

Anyone with inside information knows that the conflict between their army and navy has reached an irreconcilable point.

He believed that Cao Wei Da was absolutely aware of this.

The navy's sudden discovery of Cao Wei Da must have been for a specific purpose, which is why he was scrutinizing him.

He was gratified that Cao Wei Da had told him everything without reservation as soon as he arrived.

What does this mean?
This shows that Cao Wei Da was extremely loyal to him and the army!
He felt more urgency and apprehension than anything else, but also a sense of relief. If the other party had assassinated Cao Wei Da without a word, he would have been in real trouble.

Fortunately, Mei Zeping did not do that, which means they wanted Cao Weida to do something, or even to be used by them!
What he needs to do next, and with what attitude, depends on what Cao Weida says next.

"Yes, Ono-kun, this is what happened: they kidnapped my concubine and forced me..."

Cao Wei Da recounted the first half of yesterday afternoon's events.

"This is what those Navy bastards, especially the Umezawa Hirahashi Association, did!" Ono Oda sneered. "Damn Navy bastards, they want us to suffer too when they're having a hard time! What a bunch of mad dogs, beasts!"

Cao Weida chuckled inwardly. "You're acting like you're so innocent. Didn't you start this whole thing? What, are you allowed to set fires while ordinary people aren't allowed to light lamps?"

(End of this chapter)