“Should we attack Wu Hai Shan’s mine?” Mu Yao Zi’s subordinates asked.
Mu Yao Zi nodded: “Now is the best time. The longer we wait, the harder it will be.”
“I just got word that Chen Hao of the Chamber of Commerce seems to have ulterior motives towards Uncle Cai. On the surface, he agrees to everything.”
“But behind the scenes, he’s been secretly colluding with the Federal Government Army.”
“Right now, the Chamber of Commerce’s attention is all on Ma Niu Town and the Federal Government Army.”
“This is our chance to take over the mine while they’re distracted.”
Most of Mu Yao Zi’s subordinates agreed with his plan.
He then started gathering his men to plan their attack on Wu Hai Shan’s mine.
Meanwhile;
Chen Hao and his associates were anxiously pacing within the Xianglong Chamber of Commerce, unaware of the impending danger.
Chen Er Jie stood in front of Chen Hao’s desk and questioned him, “Chen Hao! What’s going on? Did you back out? Are you trying to get your nephew killed?!”
Chen Hao furrowed his brows, confused about where things had gone wrong.
He had clearly agreed to Uncle Cai’s conditions. He even proactively handed over some profitable industries to Da Ban to prove his sincerity.
Seeing Chen Hao remain silent, Wu Hai Shan expressed his concern, “President, Uncle Cai is a seasoned player.”
“He probably saw through our plan.”
Zhou Bing also said, “Yeah, these guys who operate on the fringes, they always want to see the rabbit before they’re willing to release the hawk.”
“They might not fall for our trap so easily…”
President Chen furrowed his brows: “Then what should we do?”
He then secretly winked at Zhou Bing and Wu Hai Shan, unbeknownst to Chen Er Jie.
His nephew’s safety was important.
But he was even more reluctant to give up the foundation he had built over a lifetime.
When faced with two evils, choose the lesser one.
Chen Hao, a seasoned businessman, understood this principle all too well.
However, he couldn’t get past his second sister, Chen Er Jie.
He didn’t dare to abandon Mao Pan directly, not without Chen Er Jie’s approval.
Wu Hai Shan glanced at Chen Er Jie and said, “President, things have gotten out of hand.”
“I’m afraid there’s no turning back.”
“What do you mean?!” Chen Er Jie coldly stared at Wu Hai Shan.
She was willing to compromise on other matters, even relinquish her business operations. But when it came to her son, she wouldn’t budge.
“Second Sister.”
Wu Hai Shan, aware that Chen Hao needed him to play the bad cop, said with a troubled expression, “Little Mao is in the hands of the Bo Bei Army. He got himself into this trouble. It’s not anyone else’s fault.”
Just as Chen Er Jie was about to erupt, Wu Hai Shan quickly explained, “We’re not saying we won’t rescue Little Mao.”
“But Second Sister, think about it, those warlords in Bo Bang, are they easy to deal with?”
“Do you think we can truly get Little Mao back just by handing over our industries?”
“No, Little Mao caused such a commotion, there’s no way they’ll let him go easily!”
Listening to Wu Hai Shan’s words, Chen Er Jie calmed down.
She slumped back into her seat, helpless: “Then what do we do? Are we just going to watch my son die in their hands?”
“Is there really no way out?!”
Seeing Chen Er Jie’s wavering, Wu Hai Shan seized the opportunity and said, “Second Sister, the President isn’t sitting idle either.”
“He went to see the Federal Government minister yesterday to discuss this matter.”
“The Federal Government agreed that if the Chamber of Commerce doesn’t accept Uncle Cai’s conditions, they will send a special forces unit to rescue Little Mao.”
“Federal Government Army?”
After hearing Wu Hai Shan’s solution, Chen Er Jie expressed her disdain, “The Federal Government Army is struggling to survive themselves, why would you believe them?”
At this point, Chen Hao also stood up and walked towards his second sister. “Second Sister, I will do everything in my power to save my nephew.”
“But you also know how important these industries are to you and me.”
“If we lose them, what will we eat and drink for the rest of our lives?”
“Think about your son. If we lose everything, and he has to live a life of hardship, will he be able to bear it?”
Chen Hao’s words further shook Chen Er Jie’s resolve.
It was true, even if she was willing to sacrifice everything, how could she bear to see her son endure hardship?
Chen Hao continued to press his advantage, “Second Sister, this Li Ding is too greedy!”
“Our partnership would have been finalized long ago if he had been reasonable.”
“But he clearly has no intention of genuinely cooperating. He wants to swallow the Chamber of Commerce, swallow us!”
“But don’t worry, we still have allies. It’s true that the Federal Government Army can’t hold out for too long.”
“But they still control this area. The Federal Government Minister who visited the Chamber of Commerce earlier called me.”
“He asked to meet tonight to discuss things in detail. Don’t worry, I will definitely get your nephew back.”
After a long silence, Chen Er Jie sighed heavily, her voice weak: “Ah Hao, you’re all we have.”
“You must do your best! You must get my son back!”
In reality;
Neither Chen Hao nor Wu Hai Shan was being truthful to Chen Er Jie.
The internal structure of the Federal Government Army was no different from the regular warlords.
They simply had the name of the Federal Government.
They didn’t have any special forces.
Such specialized units were time-consuming and resource-intensive to train, and they wouldn’t necessarily be much more effective than regular troops in jungle warfare.
Naturally, there wouldn’t be any forces within Bo Bang willing to invest in such units.
Besides, the Federal Government Army was already stretched thin across various fronts.
Where would they have the time and resources to help rescue Mao Pan?
This was merely a stalling tactic by President Chen and Wu Hai Shan.
Chen Hao was thinking that, at worst, he could just spend more money to buy Mao Pan back.
Even if it meant paying extra;
After all, Mao Pan was just a child, and money was less important than his life.
It was far better than losing 80% of their industries.
Wu Hai Shan had his own concerns as well.
It was his duty to appease Chen Er Jie.
But he had to prioritize things.
He knew that neither Uncle Cai nor the commander of the Bo Bei Army would give him a position of power.
If Chen Hao fell, he would probably lose his future prospects.
Besides, Chen Hao had done him many favors, so he couldn’t stand by and watch him fall.
Therefore, Wu Hai Shan naturally didn’t want Chen Hao to actually hand over 80% of his industries.
However, Wu Hai Shan and Chen Hao, who had been meticulously planning for so long, didn’t know.
The situation had taken a sharp turn for the worse.
While everyone’s attention was focused on the Xianglong Chamber of Commerce.
The goods from outside the pass had quietly entered the interior.
This time, they didn’t go through the Da Qu Lin pass, but instead went around and entered the mountains from the south of Bo Mo Army’s Mu Yao Zi’s jurisdiction.
Shortly after the weapons crossed the border, Li Ding’s deputy reported the situation to him.
“Commander, we just received news that the weapons have reached the mountains.”