No strange things are allowed to evolve!

"I think you already know that Gandhi will be leading his troops to the west coast tomorrow to produce salt in protest against the empire's Salt Monopoly Law, right?"

"Ah."

"This is a complete provocation against the Empire. We will never allow such a thing to happen. However, since their actions do not constitute violent confrontation, and we must consider international public opinion, the Empire cannot directly deploy armed forces to suppress them."

The other party said seriously:

"So what you need to do is very simple: find a way to make Gandhi cross the line, giving the Empire a reason to take action. As long as Gandhi crosses the line first, the international community cannot blame us for disregarding human rights, and we can keep the situation under control with minimal impact."

“I understand. You want me to cause trouble, to provoke a conflict between Gandhi’s troops and the imperial troops stationed along the way. It would be best if Gandhi’s people made the first move?” Jiang Shu asked.

"Yes."

The other party nodded:

"No matter what method you use, you must complete this objective before Gandhi's team reaches the west coast. It may sound cruel, but you can only rely on yourself, and you will not receive any help along the way."

Jiang Shu pondered for a moment, then tentatively asked, "What if I can't do it and fail?"

It seemed that he had anticipated Jiang Shu would ask this question.

The other party smiled slightly: "Then, the Empire's promise to you will be completely invalid."

Jiang Shu was taken aback.

promise?

What promise?

Chapter 325 Journey to the West

Jiang Shu really wanted to ask what the Empire had promised him.

But he couldn't ask directly.

What if they say, "Oh, what? You forgot? I was just joking," and then deny it? That would be so awkward.

So Jiang Shu could only feign some dissatisfaction and say, "Damn it, how come just anyone knows about this? Didn't I remember promising me that no one else would know?"

The other party took the trap as expected.

He smiled and reassured Jiang Shu, "Don't worry, as I said, I'm a senior agent. I know what to say and what not to say. Besides, this is information that's necessary to help you with your mission, isn't it?"

Will you cooperate?

Doesn't that sound like coercion for the necessary leverage?

Jiang Shu feigned dissatisfaction with the answer and, still somewhat uneasy, asked, "So, how much do you know?"

The other party seemed to vaguely sense that something was wrong, but in order to appease Jiang Shu, he still replied, "Not much, I only know that it is probably about the plan to destroy India, and it is related to the reformation you underwent."

Transformation...

Am I a cyborg?

But do artificial humans really exist that slender?

Even if you don't transform yourself into Captain Britain, you should at least have some extraordinary abilities. How can you be completely without any skills?

If I hadn't arrived in time to accept it, I might have died in prison.

Jiang Shu wanted to know more.

However, after some probing, the other party refused to reveal any more useful information.

It's unclear whether he genuinely knew nothing more, or whether he noticed something strange about Jiang Shu's behavior and chose to remain silent.

Seeing this, Jiang Shu stopped asking questions.

"Okay, I understand. I'll do my best."

The other person nodded: "Then I'll have to trouble you."

Having said that, he prepared to leave, ending the conversation.

But as he was about to leave the restroom, he noticed something and his cheeks suddenly puffed out when he looked at the hands he had just used to support himself against the wall.

"I should have known that the wall wouldn't feel like that."

He then resisted the urge to wash his hands, and then he saw the sediment in the bucket.

Finally, he couldn't hold it in and vomited.

He immediately transformed into the king of kings, spitting out blood like an automatic sprinkler on a rich man's lawn, shaking his head and spitting out blood.

Jiang Shu carefully avoided him.

"Then you keep throwing up, I'm leaving."

The other person waved as a greeting and continued splashing ink on the landscape.

Back at the restaurant, Jiang Shu sat down again between Gandhi and Nehru, having completely lost his appetite.

At this moment, Gandhi and Nehru had finished their meal and were talking. Seeing Jiang Shu looking troubled as he fiddled with his food with a wooden spoon, they asked him with concern.

"Why did it take you so long?"

"It took a lot of time to find clean-looking tableware, and then I washed it thoroughly, which took a while."

"Then why aren't you eating? Is the food not to your liking?"

"Because they look so alike."

"Like what?"

Jiang Shu didn't know how to answer.

It's not just like a dry toilet, it's also like a bowl of eight-treasure porridge sprayed out by a high-ranking secret agent.

With a sigh, Jiang Shu lied and said, "It reminded me of the food my mother used to make when I was a child."

The two who knew about Jiang Shu's background looked at each other simultaneously, then sighed and gently patted Jiang Shu's shoulder to comfort her.

“We will definitely drive the empire away. The suffering that has befallen us must never be repeated in our descendants,” Gandhi said solemnly.

“That’s right,” Nehru agreed. “The pain brought by the Empire is coming to an end for our generation.”

Seeing the two men, their faces filled with deep righteous indignation, Jiang Shu was deeply moved.

If even the empire is confident it can drive them away, why can't they focus on improving their culinary skills and hygiene...?

......

The banquet ended, and the next day arrived in the blink of an eye.

The pre-selected expedition team, led by Gandhi and Nehru, set off from Ahmedabad and began their arduous journey toward the west coast.

Then, Jiang Shu discovered something embarrassing.

Through careful comparison and repeated study of the map, he discovered that the west coast they were going to seemed to be not far from the prison where he and Gandhi had been imprisoned at the beginning.

It's like we finally made it from the snowy area to Shanghai, and now we have to turn back from Shanghai to the snowy area?

Why go through all this trouble? Wouldn't it be better to just get on the bus with Gandhi in the snowy area and walk a few steps to the Potala Palace?

Nehru and Gandhi explained this as follows.

The important thing is not salt production itself; it is meaningless to produce salt on the west coast alone, as the empire can easily contain the spread of its influence.

The important part is the route from Ahmedabad to the west coast.

This expedition itself was an excellent propaganda tool. Through this propaganda, the operation was spread to more distant places through the cities and villages along the way, attracting greater attention. At the same time, it planted a seed of resistance in the hearts of the people of Zhu, which was the core of this operation.

Therefore, if Gandhi did not set off with the expedition from the beginning, but joined midway, then it would have been meaningless.

Jiang Shu thought about it and felt relieved.

Ultimately, it's just a protest. If the organizers can't take charge and instead hide on the sidelines like drinking tea in a teahouse or eating prison food, then it doesn't really make sense.

Let's go.

This is quite different from the situation when Gandhi fled, who appeared old but was actually just overwhelmed by life's pressures and occasional prison sentences.

The group is now large, including the elderly, women, and children. As people in the villages they pass through hear about Gandhi's work, more and more people join the group. So, although it is the same route as before, the group is moving much slower than when there were only two people.

Gandhi traveled at a leisurely pace, occasionally treating the sick in the poor villages along the way, or giving speeches and preaching in the small squares in the center of the villages. As a result, he did not arrive at the first imperial city closest to Ahmedabad until noon on the third day after he set off.

Despite being in an imperial territory, Gandhi went in without hesitation.

He needed to publicize his actions, incite the apathetic populace to resist the Salt Monopoly Law and to express their discontent with the empire, while also gathering necessary supplies for the journey ahead.

Things like food were fine; when passing through villages and settlements, the people who couldn't keep up with the procession would take some of their meager food reserves to help Gandhi.

But things like medicine are no longer available in the small village.

In those relatively isolated and backward villages, minor illnesses don't need treatment, and for serious illnesses, the main solution is to pray to the gods. Anyone who knows a little about herbs and how to use them can't be considered a doctor; they are more like shamans, and they are extremely rare.

So the medicine they brought from Ahmedabad was used up in just two days.

After all, Gandhi was a kind-hearted man. In addition to helping people in times of emergency, he would also keep some things for future use.

Therefore, it became essential to collect medicine in the city; otherwise, if Gandhi encountered sick people in the villages again, he would lose one of the important ways to gain the favor and support of the people.

But how can we raise the funds?

To put it bluntly, it's basically about begging for money.

Everyone who came out of Ahmedabad had no coins. If they wanted to get anything, they could only rely on Gandhi, the current top figure in India, to use his connections.

Fortunately, Gandhi's face is really effective.

After splitting up with Nehru, who was in charge of preparing and organizing a secret meeting in Gandhi's name to spread Gandhi's ideas under the empire's nose, while Jiang Shu and Gandhi went to use their connections to raise medical supplies, the necessary medicines were almost all prepared.

Moreover, the process was very smooth and simple.

Basically, Gandhi sneaks into someone's pharmacy, tells the owner about the great cause he's undertaking, and finally raises his arms in a rallying cry:

"Please, brothers and sisters, men and women, do us a favor. If you do us a favor, we'll have it right away!"

Then the bosses of the Kingdom of India, who were in enemy-occupied territory and had long been dissatisfied with the empire's rule, would really show up. As long as Gandhi didn't want to empty all their pharmacies, they would do their best to help.

Gandhi was also quite sensible.

He would only ask for one type of medicine at each pharmacy, and he wouldn't try to fleece just one patient.

To avoid the situation where, after the impulsive emotions have subsided, the pharmacy owner does the math.

Damn it, Gandhi, you bastard, you tricked me!

Then fans turned against him, or even hated him, ultimately leading to Gandhi losing his popular support.

This approach is very effective.

Many bosses brought out a lot of medicine, but in the end Gandhi only took one kind, and said, "This is enough. You have had a hard time, and you have done your best. If the Kingdom of India is ever free in the future, you will surely have a share of the credit."

Although Gandhi didn't even know the other party's name, that didn't stop all the bosses from being moved to tears of gratitude.

We took his things, but he still has to thank us.

Soon, only one crucial medicine remained to be procured, and there was only one pharmacy in the city where one could obtain it for free.

"Once this last medicine is ready, we can take a break and prepare for tonight's presentation." Gandhi couldn't hide his smile as he said to Jiang Shu, "Thank you for disguising yourself and taking such a big risk to parade through the streets with me."

Jiang Shu's expression was strange: "Whether it's hard or not is another matter, but what you said makes me feel that things might not go smoothly later."

"No, don't worry," Gandhi said dismissively.

And it seems to be in response to the flag set by Gandhi.

To the surprise of Jiang Shu and Gandhi, the owner of this last pharmacy seemed indifferent to Gandhi, showed no interest in his ongoing business, and was even unconcerned about whether the Kingdom of Zhu could become independent.

How could you do this?

Gandhi was shocked and filled with indignation: "Don't you know how many people are suffering from diseases right now, and because there aren't enough medicines, even a minor illness could kill them?"

The boss shrugged: "What does this have to do with me?"

“But you clearly have the ability to provide help, don’t you?” Gandhi retorted.

“There are so many people in the world who need help. If I helped them all, I wouldn’t have enough even if I sold myself.” The boss shrugged. “Besides, I’m just a businessman. I have no obligation to help those so-called suffering poor people. I do sympathize with them, but my life isn’t easy either.”

Gandhi persisted: "If you help them, they will remember you."

"Remember me? Are you kidding me?" The boss couldn't help but chuckle. "Is that what you tell those idiots too? But you don't even know my name."

Jiang Shu couldn't help but interject, "They gave it to us before we even discussed it to this extent."

Gandhi couldn't help but glare at Jiang Shu, who innocently whistled and headed for the door.