Chapter 193: Chapter 193: Warning Tang Zhenye

“Over two years ago, on the night of July 15th, I suddenly received a secret message from Commissar He, instructing me to go alone to a nearby county to carry out an anti-terrorism mission.

I didn’t have time to think it over, nor did I dare to tell anyone. I set out by myself.

When I arrived in the county, I discovered that the so-called anti-terrorism mission was nothing more than an ordinary robbery case—something any regular police officer could have handled. There was no need for me to get involved.

It was late at night. According to the original plan, I should have stayed in the county for the night, but I was thinking about the mountain training scheduled for the next day, so I ran back overnight.

When I arrived, dawn was just breaking.

Do you know what I saw? Blood covered the hills and mountains, staining the peaks red. My comrades—all of them—had fallen before my eyes.

Many of them had just come of age, some hadn’t even had a chance to truly see the world.

Their eyes stared at me, as if pleading for me to avenge them.

Later, by chance, I overheard a conversation.

It was the traitor and his contact.

I saw and heard it with my own eyes and ears: He Liangong deliberately handed them over to the Yueguo people to be brutally slaughtered.

Maybe out of old friendship, he sent me away in advance and spared my life.

To be honest, I respected him like a father. At the time, I almost wished I had died with them, rather than face this reality.

After I woke up, I completely forgot about the incident. I developed a series of psychological problems and retired, returning to my hometown in the northeast.

Originally, this matter should have been buried forever with my departure.

Maybe it was fate, or maybe my five hundred fallen brothers are watching me from above, waiting for me to avenge them—because I remembered everything again.

Honestly, even now I still can’t fully accept the truth. But my rational mind tells me I can’t let him go. Showing mercy to him would only harm our people.

So this time, I have to stand up, even if it costs me everything.” Xu Huaian didn’t answer his question—he just told his story.

Zhuo Yifan instinctively believed him.

After all, Xu Huaian had already proven his loyalty to the country and the people with his life.

Zhu Hao had told him about those agonizing weeks, and his words were full of admiration and respect for this man.

So Zhuo Yifan was willing to believe him too.

While shocked that He Liangong was a traitor, Zhuo Yifan also became highly alert.

“What do you plan to do? Were you going to tell Tang Zhenye first? Why are you hesitating now?”

“The old chief discovered me and helped me a lot. I respect him deeply. I was going to tell him everything, but people’s hearts are unpredictable, and I got scared.

Back then, He Liangong was like both a mentor and a friend to me, and even he could do something so cruel.

He and the old chief have been partners for years. I’m worried they might be in it together, so I hesitated,” Xu Huaian admitted honestly.

Zhuo Yifan gave a small, amused smile. This kid was pretty cautious.

“Your suspicion isn’t unreasonable. But I’ve known Tang Zhenye for over ten, maybe twenty years. We go way back. His family has served under the great chief since his father’s generation. If you told me someone else might betray us, I might believe it—but not him.

The reason they entrusted the vital western frontier to him is because he’s trustworthy.

He Liangong has hidden for so many years, but never dared make any big moves. That’s because Tang Zhenye is a mountain standing in his way—he can’t act.

He knows that if Tang Zhenye catches even the slightest clue, all his years of planning will go to waste.”

Xu Huaian blushed.

He knew he shouldn’t have doubted the old chief. After all, he was the top commander in the Western Guang military region. If even he were a traitor, the western gate would have fallen long ago.

“But you don’t dare trust Tang Zhenye, yet you’re willing to trust me?” Zhuo Yifan teased.

Xu Huaian replied sheepishly, “You’re the Minister of Defense. If even you were a traitor or a spy, then China would be doomed.”

“Well said!”

Zhuo Yifan burst out laughing.

“This matter still needs to be reported to Tang Zhenye. Distant water can’t put out a nearby fire. Only he can thoroughly investigate He Liangong and keep him under control in time,” Zhuo Yifan reminded him.

“I understand,” Xu Huaian nodded.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Huaian dialed the number.

“Hello! This is Tang Zhenye. Who’s this?” Tang Zhenye’s booming voice came through the phone.

“Chief, it’s Xu Huaian.”

“Huaian? Haha, you made it out of the mountains? How did the mission go?

I was just talking to old Zhuo a couple of days ago. I bet him on several conditions that you’d definitely complete the mission—don’t make me lose!” Tang Zhenye said happily, already confident he’d won the bet.

Hearing Tang Zhenye’s laughter through the phone, Zhuo Yifan shook his head helplessly. This old guy…

“I’m never betting with you again. I’ve never won once.

This kid did a great job on the mission, don’t worry. Your man’s just fine.”

Tang Zhenye, hearing Zhuo Yifan’s voice, laughed triumphantly.

“So, what’s up? You’re not just calling to give me good news, are you? Even using the internal line.”

With this banter, Xu Huaian’s nerves eased a little.

“Chief, about what happened on 7/15—I remember now.”

Tang Zhenye’s laughter stopped instantly. He asked seriously, “Tell me quickly—what do you remember?”

“I’ll keep it short. You must keep an eye on He Liangong, Commissar He. That night, he sent me away, and I don’t know what orders he gave to the camp, but it led to everyone being surrounded and wiped out.

When I rushed back the next morning, I accidentally saw He Liangong meeting with the enemy.

I heard with my own ears—He Liangong said he betrayed our army,” Xu Huaian said, keeping it brief.

There was a long silence on the other end.

So long that Xu Huaian thought the call had been disconnected. Suddenly, Tang Zhenye spoke: “Huaian, you’ve been through a lot. Don’t worry—if this is true, I will make sure he faces justice and give you and all those fallen brothers an answer.”

In fact, this was even harder for Tang Zhenye to accept than for Zhuo Yifan or Xu Huaian.

Because he had suspected everyone at one point or another, but never, ever suspected He Liangong.

He and He Liangong had guarded the Western Guang border together for many years. Back when He Liangong was just a junior company commander, he’d once saved Tang Zhenye’s life in battle.

He Liangong had even taken a bullet near his heart, almost dying, and spent months recovering. Since then, his heart had never been the same, and he avoided strenuous activity.

Tang Zhenye had always been grateful to He Liangong, and out of guilt, had supported him, encouraging him to move into administrative work when he saw his potential.

Sure enough, He Liangong rose step by step, eventually becoming Tang Zhenye’s equal.

One was in charge of military affairs, the other of administration—they were a perfect team.

On major issues, Tang Zhenye had never hidden anything from He Liangong. Now, thinking back, it felt like he’d raised a venomous snake.

Who was He Liangong, really?

All these years, what had he been plotting? Aside from the 7/15 incident, he’d never made any big moves. Otherwise, with Tang Zhenye’s vigilance, he would have noticed something long ago.

So what was He Liangong really after?"

"Chapter 194: Comfort from General Zhuo, A Military Genius