Chapter 68: Investigating the Source and Tracing the Veins

  When Xue Xiang saw General An, he was playing chess with someone again. This time the location had been changed to the main house. It was a roughly 200-square-meter old mansion in a retro style, decorated with an antique flavor, although there were no carved beams or painted rafters, but the layout and furnishings were all in the late Qing style, with yellow rosewood winged armchairs, red wood eight immortals tables, and elegant blue and white porcelain visible everywhere. Xue Xiang walked straight into the main house, as soon as he stepped across the threshold, he saw that besides Old Wang standing beside him, there were two strangers in the main house.

  The slanting sun shone in through the open window, casting a warm glow on the chessboard. The middle-aged man playing against Old General He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt with the brand "Dekangliang" printed on it. He looked to be around 40 years old, with a square face and large ears, fair skin, and jet-black hair combed back neatly. He was deep in thought, studying the chessboard intently. On one side of the chessboard sat a man with a shaved head and dark complexion, who looked slightly younger than the white-faced man. He also had a square face, but his features were more refined and his expression fierce. The two men bore an uncanny resemblance to each other. The dark-faced man was wearing a military uniform with short sleeves, his back straight as a rod, his legs slightly apart, and his hands resting on his knees in the standard military sitting posture.

  Xue Xiang's arrival did not cause any ripples, except for Old Wang smiling at him from afar and pointing to the empty side of the small square table supporting the chessboard, indicating for him to sit down and watch. Xue Xiang also didn't speak, pulling out a chair and sitting down. The two players didn't even lift their heads, but it was the dark-faced soldier who stared at him intensely from the moment he sat down, his tiger eyes flashing with sharp glints. Xue Xiang felt uneasy under his gaze, awkwardly smiling back at him before lowering his head to pretend to observe the game.

  This observation lasted for half an hour, and the chess game was too boring, without any excitement or thrill, purely a dull grind. Both sides only defended and didn't attack, constantly adjusting troops and establishing defense lines. He really couldn't stand this kind of suffocating chess, so he leaned back in his chair and dozed off.

  "Hey, wake up."

  Xue Xiang opened his eyes to find Old Wang pushing him. He rubbed his eyes, took a closer look, and saw that the three people at the same table were staring at him. The old man's face was calm, apparently knowing his temperament. The white-faced man had a cold expression, with a serious look on his face. The black-faced man, on the other hand, looked incredulous.

  "Hehe, what was that? I just got out of the hospital, my mind is not clear, old man, please forgive me. " Xue rubbed the back of his head, rarely showing some embarrassment towards the old man. As for the other two, he wasn't familiar with them, so he ignored them."

  "What's wrong with you, boy?" General An scolded, "Speak up! What are you still standing there for? I called you over just to see this old man make a fool of himself?"

  "Where's the need for that, your chess skills are as strong as your will to live, tempered through trials and tribulations. I'm still learning from you, young one." As soon as they arrived at Songzhai Studio, Xue Xiang was like a mischievous monkey entering the Water Curtain Cave, unable to resist joking around: "What's going on? With two senior comrades present, can't you introduce us?" He knew very well that Old Man wanted him to talk about the earthquake, but he hadn't prepared his speech yet, so he decided to stall for a while.

  Old Wang saw that General Lao's face was not looking well, so he quickly took over the conversation and said: "Xiao Xue, let me introduce you. These two are both sons of An Lao. This is the eldest son, Comrade An Zaihai, and this is the second son, Comrade An Zaijiang. Comrade An Zaihai works in the Central Propaganda Department as a deputy minister, while Comrade An Zaijiang is the commander of the 58th Division..."

  "What's with the politeness, Brother Hai, Brother Jiang? What's the point of being polite to him?" The old man interrupted Old Wang's words, pointing at Xue Xiangdao: "These two are your second uncle and third uncle. They haven't taken advantage of you, a young kid. They've asked around and know how old your father is." An Hai had another older brother who died young, so An Hai became the eldest son, but in the old man's mind, he was still the second son.

  The two An brothers were shocked, why was the old man so fond of this young man. Although they knew that they had been called back on purpose to discuss something, who would have thought that they had been called back for a rude and impudent young man? When did the old master's eyes become so shallow?

  The two An brothers were wondering, and Xue was also curious. What he found strange wasn't the old man's closeness to him, but rather why General An's family didn't have any offspring in politics? Later on, after Old Man An passed away, it was heard that there were indeed descendants of the An family active in the military, but never in politics. As a senior member of the party history office, he knew more about these prominent families than ordinary people did. Observing An Hai's age, which shouldn't be over 50, and his position as deputy minister, it was clear that without any unexpected events, he would enter the decision-making level as the second-generation successor of the An family. So why wasn't he well-known in later years? Looking at his ruddy complexion and thick hair, it seemed he was physically healthy and had a good way of taking care of himself, so it probably wasn't due to health reasons. Then, that means he stood on the wrong side! Once he thought of this, he suddenly felt enlightened. No wonder the first generation of meritorious service by Old Man An was treated with such haste after his death. It turned out that he had lost power before his death, probably due to a major mistake in a key issue, or else there wouldn't have been any simplification at the funeral.

  Xue Xiang's face was uncertain, An Hai glanced at him with a look of displeasure and snorted: "Calling out 'Bo Bo' is quite humiliating, don't be too arrogant at such a young age."

  "Second Uncle, don't mention it, I was just wondering if you're really forty years old, afraid that calling you 'Uncle' would be a mistake." This remark was made with great tact, covering up all the awkwardness. He had already caught the faint scent of fragrance on An Hai's body and looked at his shiny black hair, smooth forehead without a single wrinkle, and judged his love for dressing up to be about 70-80% accurate.

  As expected, An Zai Hai burst out laughing and said: "Good one, you're a smooth talker! Who would have thought that I'm already 49 years old? You can call me Second Uncle!" He was usually very proud of his own health preservation skills, and Xue's praise had just scratched the right spot. His earlier dissatisfaction had vanished into thin air, and now he couldn't help but be even more pleased with this young man.

  Old Wang gave a thumbs up behind Old Master's back, this kid is really sharp and scary, he can see the subtleties and understand people's hearts.

  The old general grunted and said, "Xue Xiazi, stop messing around and tell me about the earthquake. Don't think that just because the newspaper says you're a hero, it's true. This thing isn't over yet. I want to see how capable you are. Don't tell me anything about that guy named Ma who made predictions, this old man has read a few books too, and I've never heard of anyone being able to pinpoint an earthquake to within a few hours."

  When the massive earthquake struck Qin Tang, the decision-making level received the news and urgently convened a meeting of the 23-person team. Upon hearing that Qin Tang had been reduced to ruins by an unprecedented earthquake, the decision-makers were shocked into silence for a moment, hastily contacting the leaders of the troops stationed in Qin to inquire about the situation. This contact got through to Hong Ying, and upon hearing his report, the big shots were thoroughly stunned, all staring at the military big shot who was also a member of the 23-person team, An Lao Ye Zi, each with their own thoughts.

  Your military is also too arbitrary, such a big thing, dare to deceive the central government, and still want to defy the party's leadership?

  Lao An, Lao An, we're all old buddies now. How come you started eating alone? Why didn't you report it at the J committee meeting?

  High-ranking military and government officials stared at General An, demanding an explanation. The old man was also kept in the dark, and upon hearing that Xue had followed his orders, he was shocked and stunned. Everyone demanded that he explain the situation, but what could he say? He had no choice but to tell the truth.

  He said that he himself was unaware, and immediately the nest was blown up. The other side took the lead in making trouble, demanding severe punishment for Xue Xiang. This arrow was clearly aimed at Xue Xiang, but also implicitly targeted the military. The three high-ranking military officials attending the meeting would not let them have their way, and countered that Xue Xiang had saved millions of people and had done no wrong. At this time, the 23-person team conference was filled with smoke and fire, and the two sides launched a fierce battle. However, since both sides were evenly matched, and the authority was not yet established, and was wavering, at the critical moment, disaster relief took priority, and the controversy came to an end.

  Immediately following the massive earthquake that struck Qin Tang, news of the disaster shook not only the Republic but also the entire world. After all, such a violent earthquake occurring near the capital of the Republic would be hard to ignore internationally. Later on, when the international community learned that the Republic had actually predicted this earthquake in advance and taken appropriate measures, successfully evacuating one million citizens from the epicenter city, they were shocked beyond belief.

  The Western world is no longer pretending, and the two-pole world is gone. They are all asking the Republic to allow them to send experts and scholars to come and study, especially a certain earthquake-prone island nation that is crying out for people to be sent over.

  At that time, the Republic was not saying that it had no relatives in the international community, but it was almost becoming a lone wolf, with only a few socialist little brothers having good relations, and there were hardly any true friends. With this great opportunity, the big shots didn't have the heart to care about Xue Xiang anymore, on one hand busy with earthquake relief, on the other hand busy with fighting wars. Whoever was still holding onto Xue Xiang at this time was being unpatriotic and not following the rules.

  Xue laughed and said, "Old man, what's divine or not, it can only be said that good fortune comes from the heart, and mistakes are made by chance. I went to Qin Tang to pick up a friend, and when I walked to the pond, I saw a group of frogs croaking loudly, and bubbles were rising to the surface of the water. At that time, I knew something was wrong, and I was afraid an earthquake was going to happen. On the way, I met Ma Tiechui, and we confirmed each other's suspicions, so I dared to do this. As for you saying that the timing was accurate, it can only be said that it was fate. What else could it be?" He half-truthfully explained, kicking the most critical question back again.

  The old man was stunned for a moment, and Xue Xiang's kicked back ball he couldn't catch either. This matter can't be explained clearly, so I had to believe his words.

  "Old master, you said I saved the people of Qin Tang city, but instead of rewarding me, why are you chasing after me to ask questions? Don't I deserve some credit for saving face for you? You don't seem like someone who can't bear to see others do well?" Xue turned the tables and shifted the topic.

  The old general burst out laughing, "You young rascal, you've gotten this old man into so much trouble, do you know that? And yet you still want a reward. Just wiping your butt has exhausted me."

  Xue Xiang certainly knew that he could sit here safely, chatting and laughing, and the old general's help was not small. In the treacherous and cunning ZZ struggle, if there is no big mountain behind to block the wind and rain, no matter how great your achievements are, you will be knocked down with a single blow.

  PS: I've been given a not-so-good recommendation, so please collect and recommend votes. For the first time in this book, I need votes, no way, the collection score is not good, this book will be harder to recommend, I believe that those who come here think this book is worth reading, please give me collection and recommendation votes!