Chen Chuan said, "Let's hope so."
Song Haiying had been the one to give him this map, and the timing of its appearance was a bit too coincidental. The possibility that the former imperial household had laid a trap on purpose could not be ruled out.
He would leave that to Sun Yangde and the others to verify. In truth, as long as it was confirmed that this path genuinely existed, it wouldn't matter even if it was a trap.
Engage with the standard force, triumph through surprise. So long as the former imperial household's main force was pinned down on the front line, a surprise strike with a detachment would leave them hard-pressed to redirect enough strength to defend against it.
If the battle in Anbei Dao could successfully achieve its strategic objective, eliminating part of their main force and applying further pressure on the former imperial household, the latter would essentially be backed into a dead end, making further talks entirely pointless.
Qi Weizhao said, "My period of observing government administration concludes at the end of the year. After that, there's talk of appointing me vice chairman of the National Strategy Implementation Committee. One of my primary responsibilities will be formally advancing the Skyline Project.
"If the battle in Anbei Dao succeeds, all the Center Cities surrounding Zhongjing will join Skyline, and none of them will persist in their former neutral stance.
"From there, our subsequent strategy will be far easier to execute. I've studied the matter carefully, and our next target should be set on Anxi Dao.
"If Anxi Dao can be taken, then from east to west, Jibei, Hedong, Anbei, and Longyou will be linked into a single contiguous whole. That will effectively slice Haixi Dao clean off, bringing the vast majority of Great Shun's north into our grasp, which will make our next steps smooth sailing."
Chen Chuan could not help but nod. Since arriving in Zhongjing to take up his post, he had made an effort to learn about every department. He knew this committee had been established thirty years ago, tasked primarily with driving national strategy and consolidating and allocating state resources.
More importantly, this department possessed its own armed units, which meant it not only held administrative authority in name, but also had the muscle to guarantee execution.
The phased rollout Qi Weizhao described was tightly linked, step by step. At the same time, it was clear that the Enterprising Faction's strategy would subsequently pivot from cautious expansion to aggressive initiative.
The Enterprising Faction could not possibly have talented individuals capable of breaking the deadlock from within in every single Center City. Thus, if they wanted to bring all the Center Cities into the fold, they would inevitably have to redeploy personnel from elsewhere.
The Conservative Faction would never simply give up without a fight. When the time came, an internal conflict would be unavoidable.
Chen Chuan said, "Director Qi," then looked at Sun Yangde and Teacher Xue. "My stance is very clear. Once things are finalized, just let me know."
Sun Yangde said solemnly, "Commissioner Chen, we will notify you in good time when the moment comes."
Chen Chuan sat with them for the rest of the morning, discussing further details with the three men and having lunch there. Seeing that they still had specific logistical issues to sort through—details he didn't need to be privy to—he took his leave early.
After seeing him off, Sun Yangde turned back to Xue Shou and remarked with feeling, "Mr. Xue, he truly is a fine student you've taught."
Xue Shou smiled faintly. "I've taught plenty of students, but there has only ever been one like Commissioner Chen. It's not due to my ability; he relies on his own. At most, I merely served as a guide.
"Besides, his current achievements far surpass my own. Going forward, that gap won't narrow—it will only grow wider."
Sun Yangde said, "People like Commissioner Chen are indeed rare. And what's more, he isn't one of those people."
'Those people' referred to the secret diagram bloodlines, which the government had secretly cultivated long ago. Their faction had always harbored doubts about the secret diagram bloodlines, yet they were forced to rely on them nonetheless.
Some wielders of upper-echelon power were even such individuals, and by all accounts, they acted with immense forcefulness.
The topic was too sensitive to casually bring up, for those possessing upper-echelon power were the very creators and maintainers of the entire system.
Qi Weizhao said, "Given Commissioner Chen's strength, the Purist Faction will likely push him into the Supreme Advisory Council. But after what happened recently, the situation might not look so promising."
Sun Yangde considered it and said with measured caution, "Once I get back, I'll report this matter to the minister."
Xue Shou said nothing, merely smiling. Chen Chuan had hailed from Wuyi Academy and still retained his post as an instructor there.
Their principal had long since publicly stated his support for Chen Chuan.
***
Returning to the department, Chen Chuan resumed his previous routine of cultivation, waiting for the day combat would commence in December.
Time slipped toward the end of November, and the Department of Security Affairs convened an internal meeting.
Because it was the year-end meeting, this time the minister, two deputy ministers, and all nine administrative commissioners, including Chen Chuan, were present in full.
After taking his seat in the meeting hall, Chen Chuan first glanced at a middle-aged man seated opposite him. The man had broad shoulders, a long face, and thin eyebrows, and his gaze carried an edge of ruthless sharpness.
This was Huang Quji, another Dongxuan View martial artist within the department. Chen Chuan had only read his dossier before and had never met him in person. Of course, just like Chen Chuan, what was present today was merely an avatar of power.
The administrative commissioners who had not yet formally met Chen Chuan also stole glances at him.
They had been astonished by what Chen Chuan had pulled off almost immediately upon arriving in Zhongjing. Still, none of them lingered on their stares. He was demonstrably powerful and a Dongxuan View martial artist to boot; before taking the measure of his temper, none of them wished to inadvertently offend him.
He Shugang said, "Now that everyone is here, let us begin the meeting. With year's end upon us, all of our colleagues are very busy. You don't care to listen to long-winded speeches, so I'll skip them."
He turned his gaze toward Chen Chuan and made an introduction with a smile. "This is Commissioner Chen, our new colleague. Some of you were out handling matters previously and didn't have the chance to meet him, so get acquainted now.
"The security case from last month was personally directed by Commissioner Chen, who also carried out the arrests. Mount Jie has now been resolved, and the State Council is very pleased with our efficiency and has commended us."
With that, he took the lead in applauding, and everyone present joined in.
As the applause tapered off, He Shugang looked at Chen Chuan. "Commissioner Chen, is there anything you'd like to say to your colleagues?"
Chen Chuan said, "I have nothing to add. In handling this case, I simply acted according to national security regulations. Of course, I must thank Minister He for his backing. Without your support, closing the case wouldn't have gone so smoothly."
"Ah," He Shugang waved a dismissive hand. "Just as you said, Commissioner Chen, I was merely acting in accordance with duty."
He turned his gaze back toward the rest of the room. "There is one matter that requires discussion in today's meeting: the follow-up handling of this case."
He signaled to the secretary beside him, who promptly distributed paper documents to everyone's hands.
Contained within was the matter of the Han family illicitly hiring a foreign anomaly-handling team to open a fissure, resulting in a breach of national security.
"Take a look, everyone. If there are no objections, please sign the executive document."
There was nothing to dispute here. Openly breaching a nearby fissure within Zhongjing certainly qualified as a major security incident. No one would dream of making excuses for them; even the few families that had previously hired the team alongside them were scrambling to distance themselves.
Thus, without a word of dissent, everyone present took up their pens and signed.
Once the signatures were collected and the documents gathered, He Shugang reviewed them. Seeing no issues, he addressed Ren Xinshan.
"Old Ren, you were involved in both cases from start to finish. Do you have anything to say?"
Ren Xinshan said, "I do indeed have a matter related to this."
"Oh? What is it?"
Ren Xinshan looked to one side. Seated not far from him, Commissioner Tan produced a document.
The others exchanged glances, their expressions growing subtle, for everyone knew Commissioner Tan was Ren Xinshan's man.
Commissioner Tan said, "Regarding this national security incident, I took the trouble of combing through the prior case files."
He raised the document in his hand. "From the earlier records, the department had detected this matter long ago, and investigators had documented the full particulars of the incident in detail.
"Yet after the report was submitted to the department, someone placed reading restrictions on it and relegated it to the archives."
With a grave expression, he continued, "In other words, someone deliberately suppressed this matter. This was a severe security breach, and it was precisely because of such an operation that the underlying danger went unaddressed, ultimately culminating in the consequences we face today.
"On this point, our Department of Security Affairs bears responsibility—at the very least, a failure of oversight. We must take this seriously."
He looked toward He Shugang. "Minister, I propose a thorough investigation into this matter and that those responsible be held accountable."
He Shugang's face betrayed no emotion as he looked around the room. "What do the rest of you think? Speak your minds."
At this, an administrative commissioner leaned forward and said, "I don't think there's any need to pursue this further, is there?
"The true ringleaders have already received their due punishment, and our department has received commendations from above. Airing this out again will look bad both internally and externally.
"Within our department, harmony should remain our primary concern. We are all colleagues; there is no need to be overly harsh. Perhaps at the time, it simply failed to draw sufficient attention. When handling work, who doesn't make a few mistakes?"
Commissioner Tan said sternly, "Commissioner Tang, do you consider this a trivial matter? Without a doubt, the people who sheltered and covered for those perpetrators back then were indisputably accomplices.
"They not only violated our department's internal regulations, but also inflicted unnecessary losses upon the state. You say mistakes are inevitable, but aren't the laws drafted by the state meant precisely to correct and punish such errors?"
Just then, someone nearby coughed lightly, and an official named Commissioner Lin spoke up. "Commissioner Tan, I believe there are extenuating circumstances here.
"The case file was sealed two years ago. Remember that we were investigating a major treason case back then, and everyone from top to bottom had their energies consumed by it. At the time, per instructions from above, nonessential matters could be temporarily shelved.
"Whoever made the call was likely complying with orders from above, and it wasn't as if they said it wouldn't be handled eventually, right? Would you agree?"
Commissioner Tan countered, "Then two years have passed. Why didn't this person bring it up of their own accord? Did they fail to recall it across two whole years, or did they deliberately choose to forget?"
He looked toward He Shugang. "Minister, this matter must be investigated to the very end. Whoever did this must be punished, so that such conduct can be prevented in the future."
Chapter 1380