Warlords: Rising from the Northwest Border and Sweeping Across the Powers

Chapter 994 Cabinet Minister 3 Yang Zhong

Just as Asano Gawa was about to say the cold and firm word "one", the door of the warehouse suddenly made a dull sound and then slowly opened. An old man in a gorgeous kimono walked in steadily. Although he was thin, he had his hands behind his back and his eyes revealed an unquestionable majesty and depth. This man was one of the Fuso Cabinet Ministers, Sanyang Zhong.

With the appearance of Sanyang Zhong, the atmosphere in the warehouse froze instantly. His eyes were like two sharp swords, piercing through the crowd and landing on Asanogawa. Following closely behind him was Fujita Ying, an important figure of the Fujita family, who was wearing a neat suit and had a gloomy face. His eyes were full of anger and threats, as if he was ready to explode at any time.

"Asano, put down the gun in your hand!" Sanyangzhong's voice was steady and powerful, and every word seemed to carry a heavy weight. His eyes revealed an irrefutable determination, "Do you know what you are doing? This is against the entire Fujita family and even the order of Fuso!"

Asanogawa was slightly stunned. He did not expect Sanyang Zhong to appear at this time. But soon, he regained his composure, glanced at Sanyang Zhong with his peripheral vision, and slowly said: "Lord Sanyang, please listen to my explanation. This warehouse of the Fujita family must be hiding a secret. It is hard for me to imagine that an ordinary granary would have so many armed guards. The secrets hidden behind this are probably far beyond our imagination."

Upon hearing this, Fujita Ying walked forward in a rage. He pointed at Asanogawa's nose and roared, "I'm warning you, Asanogawa! Don't point your gun at my people! You are challenging the bottom line of the Fujita family! I promise, if you dare to act rashly, you will definitely pay the price!"

Asanogawa did not back down in the face of Fujita's threat. He looked at Fujita coldly, with a mocking smile on his face: "Mr. Fujita, are you afraid? Are you afraid that I will reveal the secrets hidden in your family? If so, you should calm down and have a good talk with me."

Sanyang Zhong interrupted at this time: "Enough! Both of you calm down. Asanogawa, I know that you are a member of the Jade Agency and have your responsibilities. But you should also understand the status and influence of the Fujita family in Fuso. We can't easily destroy this balance."

Asanogawa nodded slightly, showing his respect for Sanyang Zhong: "I understand, Lord Sanyang. But I also understand that as a member of the Jade Agency, I have the responsibility to uncover all the hidden darkness. If the Fujita family is really not a problem, then they should accept our investigation calmly."

Fujita Ying wanted to refute, but Sanyang Zhong stopped him with his eyes. He took a deep breath and then slowly said: "How about this, Asanogawa. Put away your gun for the time being, and let's sit down and have a good talk. The Fujita family will also cooperate with your investigation, but the premise is that you must abide by the rules and not act on your own."

Asanogawa nodded slightly in agreement. He slowly put down the gun in his hand and stepped aside. The atmosphere in the warehouse gradually eased, but everyone knew that the contest had just begun. The appearance of Sanyang Zhong undoubtedly added some complexity and uncertainty to the contest.

As the tense atmosphere in the warehouse gradually eased, Asanogawa took a deep breath and began to tell the story. He described how he and his team came here following clues and how they found that the warehouse was extremely heavily guarded. Every detail was described clearly and specifically.

"Lord Sanyang, this is what happened." Asanogawa's voice was calm. "We got some clues that pointed to this place. So I brought a team to investigate. However, when we approached the warehouse, we found that the guards here were extremely strict. Not only were there sentries, but they were also equipped with a large number of weapons. Such a configuration is obviously too luxurious for an ordinary granary."

Sanyang Zhong frowned slightly when he heard this. He stared at Asanogawa and asked, "Is this why you suspect the Fujita family? Is it just because the guards here are so strict?"

Asanogawa was slightly startled, but he quickly regained his composure. He met Sanyangzhong's gaze and answered firmly: "Isn't this worthy of suspicion? Why does an ordinary granary need such strict guards? There must be some unknown secret behind this."

Sanyang Zhong fell into deep thought after hearing this. He knew Asanogawa's character and responsibilities very well, and he also knew that he would not make such a judgment easily. However, as a cabinet minister, he had to consider the overall stability and balance.

At this time, Fujita Ying also spoke angrily: "That's right! Pu Yu's people broke into the warehouse without permission and fired guns at our people! This is a serious provocation to our Fujita family! Even if it comes to the Prime Minister, we want a reasonable explanation!"

As soon as Fujita Ying finished speaking, the atmosphere in the warehouse became tense again. Everyone was waiting for Sanyang Zhong's response. He knew that his decision would directly affect the direction of this dispute.

Sanyang Zhong took a deep breath and then spoke slowly: "I understand your position and concerns. But I must also point out that this is the granary of the Fujita family. The whole of Kyoto is short of food now, and those starving people will do anything. It is reasonable for the Fujita family to send people to guard the granary."

He paused and continued, "Of course, I'm not saying that Asanogawa's suspicion is unreasonable. But what we need is evidence, solid evidence. Without evidence, we can't easily make a judgment. I suggest that we conduct a formal investigation of the warehouse first to see if there is really a problem here. If there is really a secret, then we will definitely punish them severely. But if it's just a misunderstanding, then we should also give justice to the Fujita family."

Asanogawa heard this, although he felt a little unwilling, he also understood that what Sanyang Zhong said made sense. He nodded slightly, indicating his agreement: "Lord Sanyang's proposal is fair. But please also ask the Fujita family to cooperate with our work and not to conceal any information."

Just as Sanyangzhong suggested a formal investigation and tried to calm the dispute between the two sides, Kobayashi Tanaka spoke at the right time.

There was a subtle hint of sarcasm in his voice, yet it was still steady.

"Before Mr. Ying came," Kobayashi Tanaka said slowly, his eyes moving between Asanogawa and Sanyangzhong, "the people from Puyu had already conducted a rough and unreasonable search. They searched through boxes and cabinets, leaving no corner untouched, but obviously, they did not find any suspicious items."

At this point, Kobayashi Tanaka paused for a moment, as if to give the people present time to digest his thoughts. Then he continued, "However, when the search was fruitless, Mr. Asano pointed his gun at me in a rage, trying to force me to smear the Fujita family. His behavior was like that of a gambler who had lost his mind and tried to use violence to reverse the situation."

Kobayashi Tanaka deliberately emphasized his tone when he said this, as if to emphasize Asanogawa's recklessness and unreasonableness. He continued, "If Mr. Ying and Lord Sanyang had not arrived quickly, I would have been shot dead. Although I am not talented, I am also a member of the Fujita family and Mr. Fujita Ying's confidant. How can I tolerate myself being humiliated innocently, and I can't let the reputation of the Fujita family be tarnished."

Asanogawa's face instantly turned livid when he heard this. He didn't expect that Kobayashi Tanaka would bite back at this time and portray him as an unreasonable thug who abused his power. He glared at Kobayashi Tanaka and wanted to refute, but couldn't find the right words for a while.