Wuhan is the city in Hubei Province that attracts the most people, and it’s also the capital of Hubei Province.
The city, divided north and south by the Yangtze River, has seen a rise in crime proportionate to its population, leading to a bloated police organization.
The Head of the Right Guards is the second-in-command of the Wuhan police force, and he is desperate to secure power in order to become the next Head of the Right Guards.
“Hey, what on earth are you doing?”
As soon as the Head of the Right Guards saw my face, he yelled as if he had been waiting for it.
Just recently, he was all nervous about getting caught for taking bribes. Is the connection to the Head of Guards that reassuring?
“Sir Head of the Right Guards! What brings you here? I’ll fetch some tea.”
I pointed to a chair with a smile, regardless of whether he was yelling or not.
“Is this the time for leisurely tea-drinking?”
“Did you not come to talk to me? We have a variety of beverages ready, from cool to warm. Let’s chat while drinking.”
If he’s just going to be angry, there’s no need to listen. Do we have to say everything out loud to be understood?
Although the Head of the Right Guards wore a smile on his lips, perhaps sensing my stubbornness, he finally let out a small sigh.
“…A glass of lemonade, please.”
Well then, I can enjoy my iced Americano.
——
“Why are you making an easy job so difficult?”
The Head of the Right Guards chugged his lemonade as if to soothe his boiling anger and asked me irritably.
“Difficult, you say?”
“It’s simple: punish the ringleader of the rebellion and disband them. Why are the constables guarding their surroundings?”
“It’s not a rebellion; it can’t even be called an uprising. They’re saying they won’t work, so would beating them make them work?”
I spoke rigidly like a bureaucrat with no flexibility.
“Listen here! Do you think I came here to play word games? Do you not know whose paper mill it is?”
“It belongs to the Head of Guards.”
“Does anyone not know that…?”
Was he surprised that I was stubborn despite knowing the facts? The Head of the Right Guards momentarily fell silent.
“They are people who have suffered unjust treatment, even being whipped. They’re not causing trouble in the market, so I will handle it according to principles.”
“Tsk tsk. It seems Kang Ho Pil is still inexperienced and doesn’t grasp the situation. Do you know how chaotic things are above us?”
The Head of the Right Guards looked at me with a reprimanding gaze, as if now was not the time to focus on the lower ranks.
‘Right. They’re going to push things through due to pressure from above.’
Covering up the incident. Nosing into the investigation. It’s a typical way to pressure from above. It seems the Head of Guards wants to settle this at the level of the Head of the Right Guards.
‘It’s not just the Head of the Right Guards; the Head of Guards needs to come out.’
Just then, someone connected to the Head of Guards came to see me.
If they had come to berate me, I had a way to make them follow my lead. I’d rattle the Head of the Right Guards and create a situation where the Head of Guards had to be anxious to meet me.
“I see that you only know one thing and don’t know the other, Head of the Right Guards.”
With a smirk, I teased him.
“Are you saying to me right now…!”
“We are in the middle of a political struggle.”
Why wouldn’t he realize the situation?
I glared at the Head of the Right Guards with a mix of frustration and anger, as if I was about to shout.
“A political struggle? What do you mean?”
“……”
I avoided his gaze while sipping my drink. Though I spoke in anger, I maintained my silence as if it was a slip of the tongue.
It only amplified his curiosity.
“Speak! What do you mean a political struggle?!”
The Head of the Right Guards was a man grasping for power to become the Head of the Right Guards. The reason he was yelling at me now was simply to gain a good connection through the Head of Guards.
The way to make such a man follow my lead is…
“The Inspector is currently keeping a close eye on the situation.”
I was subtly letting him know that the connection he had gained was at risk of being severed.
“What?! The Inspector? For what reason?”
“How could I guess the grand intentions of the Inspector? I can only speculate that, aside from the arrested Head of the Branch, there are rumors about a man named Gu Jook, who is also said to be quite prominent.”
“The Inspector is targeting the Head of the Guards?!”
“Only an assumption based on the circumstances.”
Vaguely. I led him to think with my insinuations without assuring anything.
The Head of the Right Guards’ eyes widened.
“There must be some misunderstanding! The Head of Guards is usually someone who attracts small misunderstandings.”
“If it’s true that misunderstandings are to be confirmed or created, isn’t that the Inspector’s forte?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Had he realized it wasn’t an ordinary situation? The Head of the Right Guards’ voice trembled.
“From here on out, this is just my speculation, but would you like to hear it?”
“Speak.”
“If a rebellion occurs in a state ruled by the Head of Guards, he can easily shift the blame onto the local officials. The chances of the Head of Guards being punished are very low. However, the paper mill strike is different. In a situation where it could easily escalate into an uprising, the line of accountability is quite clear, isn’t it?”
“Even if it leads to a rebellion, the head of the paper mill can’t take all the blame alone.”
“It doesn’t have to be a rebellion. With things being the way they are in Wuhan, wouldn’t someone have a reason to act?”
I spoke cautiously, as if someone might overhear us.
“…Before things get unnecessarily complicated, quickly suppress them.”
“Sir Head of the Right Guards, I’m doing this according to principles for your sake.”
I sighed as if exasperated.
“Doing it for me? What do you mean?”
“Just think: if those people disband on your orders, surely the Inspector would think it’s a missed opportunity. Where would the arrows of wrath be directed? It would be toward the Inspector who had even arrested the Head of the Branch.”
Clearly, it wasn’t a question that required an answer. My stern face was already set on a target.
Gulp. I could hear the Head of the Right Guards gulping.
“Haha, you’re right. But, ‘Sir Inspector’ you say? Quite familiar.”
“I was drinking with him just yesterday.”
“……”
The newly married lady he’d brought home made excellent side dishes. I joked, but the Head of the Right Guards’ face hardened to the max today.
The fact that everything I had said so far was not mere speculation.
‘I’ve scared him enough, so maybe it’s time to create some space.’
I pressed my forehead as if it was a huge headache.
“I too am in a difficult position. I have the feeling the Head of the Right Guards is using me as a shield, without even knowing where he got news of my drinking with the Inspector.”
I lamented my concealed feelings. This made me seem like someone open to conversation.
“Weren’t you protecting them voluntarily?”
“Voluntarily? It’s a battlefield where silent arrows are pouring down! I’m just watching the situation, unable to do this or that.”
I scoffed a short laugh, as if aggrieved. I was portraying myself as a low-ranking official appointed due to connections, not as a confidant.
If another shield becomes available, I must appear to be someone who can withdraw any time.
“I see… I misunderstood you.”
“For now, we have no choice but to act according to principles. Both you and I, instead of waiting for an arrow of wrath to pierce someone’s heart, can move when the time is right, can we not?”
I deliberately acted as if pulling a bowstring, aiming an arrow at the window.
The arrow flies.
It’s the arrow named Inspector.
Who the arrow aims for does not need to be mentioned. The Head of the Right Guards was already unable to take his eyes off the direction the invisible arrow was flying.
“Enjoying the lemonade, huh?”
The Head of the Right Guards seemed eager to tell someone that an arrow was flying and hurriedly stood up.
That was what I wanted.
——-
“What are you doing over there?”
In a room filled with lavish goods, the Assistant Director of the paper mill and the Head of the Right Guards trembled in fear at the angry outburst.
“The paper mill workers are holding hostages…”
The Assistant Director explained nervously, unable to meet the Head of Guards’ gaze.
“I told you to mobilize the martial artists.”
“The Barbarians are setting bonfires around the paper mill, and if we send in the martial artists, it could lead to a disaster.”
“Can’t you just mobilize the constables and catch them all?”
“Th-that’s because Kang Ho Pil won’t yield to our will…”
“What’s a mere Ho Pil so nervous about! Head of the Right Guards! Speak up!”
The angry voice directed itself at the Head of the Right Guards.
“He’s not an ordinary Ho Pil. He has solved all serious cases in just a few months—everyone in Wuhan knows him.”
The Head of the Right Guards praised Kang Yoon-ho’s track record, trying to justify himself.
“Is it that just because recent Ho Pil has gained some fame that he can ignore his superiors?”
Certainly, the Head of Guards wasn’t one to accept lame excuses.
This is a problem. The Head of the Right Guards, under the reproachful gaze of the Head of Guards, decided to bring up the information he had just received.
“That renowned Ho Pil is backed by the Inspector.”
“What?! You mean Jung Mun-won?”
The Head of the Guards jumped at the unexpected name.
“Yes. The rumors have it that the Inspector favors Ho Pil, Kang Yoon-ho.”
“Are you saying the Inspector is behind this incident?”
“The Inspector is said to be keeping a close watch.”
“Jung Mun-won is watching me?”
A flicker of fear crossed the Head of the Guards’ face, which had remained angry throughout.
“If I may apologize, I have heard rumors he uses it as grounds for oppressive governance…”
“Damn that Jung Mun-won! I strongly insisted he be dismissed last time! Now he’s trying to entrap me just like the Head of the Branch!”
“Even I thought of giving a firm order to Ho Pil, but I worried what might happen to you, dear Head of Guards, if I did.”
“What do you intend to do! That crazed Jung Mun-won is about to trap some innocent person again!”
Though the Inspector’s rank is lower than the Head of Guards, he has a history of arresting the Head of the Branch.
No official in Wuhan would dare to act carelessly in front of the Inspector, Jung Mun-won.
“There’s no way out, I assure you…!”
Even the Head of Guards was in an unresolvable situation. The Head of the Right Guards barely recalled how to tighten the strings he had caught.
“What method?”
“It’s clear that a drinking buddy isn’t always a loyal confidant…”
There’s no law that says only the Head of the Right Guards must be used for actions against Ho Pil. If just one person can be a scapegoat, it could be swiftly resolved.
“…Explain in detail.”
“The Inspector is merely a puppet on strings, forced into that position. He seems eager to end it all quickly as well.”
“Now it makes sense! It wasn’t something a mere Ho Pil would do! That damned Jung Mun-won is making moves again!”
The Head of the Guards seemed to finally grasp the situation.
“If the man named Kang Yoon-ho is the Inspector’s drinking buddy, by getting him directly involved, this whole mess can be resolved.”
The strike incident is clearly a trap set by the Inspector. The Head of Guards contemplated.
As expected from the well-known Inspector, he crafted a meticulous trap, but overlooked one detail.
If they can manipulate Kang Ho Pil at their will, it’s possible to dismantle the whole plan without much resistance.
“Good thought. Summon that Kang Yoon-ho.”
A triumphant smile crept onto the Head of Guards’ face, clueless of whose plans he was following.
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