I put you in charge of those rebellious female soldiers, how come they all became top special forces

Zhao Tingxuan looked at him and sighed softly.

"Uncle Du, I need to trouble you with two things for me."

"First, starting tomorrow, transfer all financial transactions between the Zhao family and Lanmeng to the backup system. Clean up the original accounts completely, leaving no trace of a single penny."

Du Bo nodded, about to write it down, when Zhao Tingxuan added another sentence.

"Note that this is not destruction, but temporary storage."

Du Bo was taken aback.

Zhao Tingxuan clenched his fist slightly.

"If the wind changes direction, we'll still need to take these things out and use them."

"Keeping it is a way out. Destroying it means losing everything."

Du Bo nodded, secretly admiring him.

The master always knew how to advance or retreat as needed.

"The second thing," Zhao Tingxuan lowered his voice by half an octave, "is to send a message to both the Yan family and the Li family."

"No need to be too explicit, just hint that the Zhao family might reconsider their stance."

Du Bo's hand trembled slightly.

Reconsider your position.

This statement might not seem like much in normal circumstances for the five major families, but in this situation, it will be extremely damaging.

The first reaction of the Yan and Li families upon hearing this news would be that the Zhao family was about to flee.

If the Zhao family runs away, the five-family alliance will lose a pillar.

Is it still necessary for them to continue to be tied to the Zong family?

This is the first domino in a chain reaction.

Du Bo took a deep breath and said seriously, "Master, if we do this, what if Zong Yanhui finds out..."

Zhao Tingxuan did not answer directly.

He stood up, picked up his teacup, and walked out of the study.

I walked all the way to the stone steps in front of the ancestral hall, but instead of going in, I sat down on the steps.

Du Bo followed behind, standing beside him.

"Du Bo".

"Please speak, sir."

"How many years have you worked for the Zhao family?"

Du Bo paused for a moment, then answered.

"Forty-two years, sir."

Zhao Tingxuan nodded: "In these forty-two years, how many times have you seen the Zhao family choose the wrong side?"

Du Bo fell silent.

He knew the Zhao family's history better than anyone else.

From that turbulent era to today, countless prominent families have risen and fallen, only to rise again.

The Zhao family may not be the strongest, but they will always be the ones that live the longest.

It relies on a flexible bottom line.

Then, Zhao Tingxuan stood up from the stone steps, as if he had made up his mind, and slowly walked towards his bedroom.

Not even once.

"Not this time either."

……

The next morning, at the Southwest Military Region's drill ground.

As soon as the reveille sounded, Mulan's female soldiers lined up to prepare for their morning run.

With dark circles under his eyes, Keyboard ran incredibly fast, heading straight for the edge of the playground, almost colliding with Anran, who was leading the team around the corner.

An Ran frowned and glanced at her.

Keyboard stuck out its tongue and quickly slipped away to the communications room.

Ram, who was yawning at the back of the group, immediately came over, nudged Guo Huaiying with her elbow, and whispered something gossiping about something.

Guo Huaiying was still holding a steamed bun in her hand, and honestly shook her head.

Chen Zheng stood by the playground, waved for An Ran to continue, picked up his thermos, and turned to go into the communications room.

He swallowed a bite of pancake, grabbed the cola next to him and gulped down two mouthfuls, then laughed.

"Instructor, something big has happened again!"

Chen Zheng pulled out a chair and sat down, gesturing for her to continue.

"Yesterday, the Wei family and the Zong family had another encrypted phone call, which lasted for nearly an hour."

"Less than an hour after I hung up the phone, the lights came on in the warehouse behind Wei's herbal medicine shop, and people were going in and out moving things, which went on until four in the morning."

Chen Zheng nodded.

Keyboard, adjusting his glasses, continued excitedly, "Here comes the most crucial part!"

"This morning, the Zong family drove out a black SUV with a fake license plate, heading towards the small county town where the Wei family lives."

"Now that the Zong family has sent people over, can we wipe them all out in one fell swoop?"

Chen Zheng smiled slightly: "The Zong family sent people over, either to help clean up the mess and destroy evidence, or to personally check if the Wei family can keep their mouths shut."

"Either way, it's a good opportunity for us."

"As long as we keep a close eye on this car, record the entire meeting between the Zong family and the Wei family, and combine that with the medicinal herb ledgers we swept back yesterday..."

"This shady supply chain can be completely shut down."

"Falsifying accounts and purchasing and developing illegal drugs, while not as serious as Lan Meng's crimes, are still enough."

"Follow that car the whole time, and get all the surveillance footage from the entire route."

The keyboard saluted, then turned and rushed back to the computer to continue working diligently.

Morning, break time.

On the training field, Guo Huaiying is doing squats while carrying a 200-pound log.

Shen Doudou leaned against the sandbags at the shooting range and drifted into a baby-like sleep.

An Ran wiped the sweat from her forehead, told the team members to rest where they were, and then walked over to Chen Zheng.

She glanced at her instructor with a complicated expression for two seconds, then gestured with her chin toward the equipment storage area next to her.

When Ram saw this from a distance, she immediately nudged Song Jia excitedly.

Chen Zheng raised his eyebrows, picked up his thermos, and followed.

A moment later, An Ran pushed open the iron door of the equipment room, and as soon as Chen Zheng walked in, she slammed the door shut behind her.

Then, An Ran took out her phone from her pocket, swiped the screen a couple of times, and pulled up a photo.

Chen Zheng took a look.

It's a candid photo of a computer screen. Judging from the items on the desk, it's definitely An Jianjun's desk.

In the center of the screen was a half-finished report titled: Supplementary Explanation Regarding the Abnormal Activities of Ancient Martial Arts Families in the Southwest Region.

Chen Zheng's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained calm as he looked up at An Ran.

An Ran stared into Chen Zheng's eyes, biting her lip.

"My dad is writing this, it must be related to what you've been doing lately."

"I don't care what kind of trouble you're causing, but if my dad gets dragged into this, I will never forgive you."

That's a very impulsive statement.

But Chen Zheng noticed that An Ran's eyes were a little red.

This girl is tough on the outside, but she's actually terribly flustered inside.

It is said that her mother died early and she was raised by An Jianjun.

Anran couldn't accept the possibility that her father would get involved in something that could cost him his life.

Knowing the seriousness of the matter, Chen Zheng put away his usual nonchalant attitude, stood up straight, and said seriously, "First of all, the brigade commander helped me because he chose to do so himself; I didn't force him."

An Ran was stunned.

"Secondly, if what I'm doing succeeds, your father will not only be fine, but he'll also have made a great contribution."

"But if we lose, I, Chen Zheng, will take the blame alone."

He paused, his voice softening considerably.

"third……"

"Thank you, Dad, and thank you too."

An Ran bit her lip hard and stared at Chen Zheng's profile for several seconds.

Finally, I took a deep breath.

"So, do you still need help?"