I Cultivate in a Government Office

Chapter 248: Chapter 141: The Chief’s National Address (2)

"Alright. Stay vigilant and report in regularly. The Municipal Bureau will be increasing its monitoring and support." With that, Qi Yue ended the call.

Yang Wenqing took a deep breath of the frigid, sea-scented air. He quickly gathered his thoughts and began issuing a series of commands to Liu Qin.

"Liu Qin, three orders..."

"First, contact Xia Meng. In addition to the squadron already on standby at the dock’s perimeter, deploy another elite operations team under his personal command. They are to rendezvous with Liu Xin’s Major Case Team and form a joint search command post, responsible for hunting down, intercepting, and investigating the infiltrators."

"Second, notify the Police Command Center to raise the monitoring level for the southern coastal areas and adjacent inland routes to maximum. Mobilize all available patrol Flying Shuttles to conduct a dragnet-style patrol. They are to immediately report any suspicious heat sources or Spiritual Qi fluctuations."

"Third, contact Vice Director Chu. Brief him on the situation at the docks and the southern coast, and ask him to tighten surveillance within our branch, as well as on key areas and personnel in the New District, to prevent any collusion with outside forces."

After Liu Qin repeated the three commands, Yang Wenqing turned to Du Hong beside him and ordered, "Stop interrogating that Qi Cultivator you just captured. Get his injuries treated. Someone from the Municipal Bureau will be here in a few days to take him away."

Du Hong was taken aback and asked with a slight smile, "The Municipal Bureau actually cares about a single Qi Cultivator?"

Yang Wenqing pretended not to hear the question. ’From Director Qi Yue’s hint, I’ve already guessed that the higher-ups are planning something big. The only use for these unregistered Sea Race cultivators is to be sent over to the other side as informants.’

Time passed slowly. As the sky brightened, the night’s chaos and clamor at the docks finally began to subside. Thanks to the patient and meticulous efforts of the Civil Affairs Bureau staff, most of the refugees had calmed down. After a simple meal, they were guided in groups into makeshift shelters to rest.

Liao Tianming, weary to the bone, found Yang Wenqing at the temporary dockside command post where he was listening to reports from various parties. He said,

"Director Yang, among these three hundred and seven refugees, over eighty percent have relatively clear origins and family ties. They are mainly from a few coastal villages and towns in the northern part of Mingbei City that were directly affected by the conflict."

He paused before continuing, "The large factories and mines in the New District have been short-staffed for a long time. If these people pass the follow-up background checks, we could consider placing some of them in jobs that urgently need filling. It would ease the pressure on our resettlement efforts and help them become self-sufficient sooner."

’Liao Tianming’s proposal is very practical,’ Yang Wenqing mused. ’It aligns with the New District’s usual work-for-relief policy and would quickly eliminate the instability caused by this batch of refugees.’

"You can begin the preparations," Yang Wenqing nodded in agreement. "But the identity checks must be strict. Let the Civil Affairs Bureau take the lead, working with Internal Affairs Inspection to cross-reference the backgrounds of anyone interested in working. We can even raise the standards. Better to have fewer people than the wrong ones."

"Understood!" Liao Tianming let out a sigh of relief.

As Yang Wenqing spoke with Liao Tianming, he walked toward the makeshift shelters set up for the refugees. He made a quick tour to confirm everything was in order and was about to head back to the branch station when a call from Liu Min suddenly came in.

"Director Yang, we’ve received an urgent notice from the Municipal Bureau’s General Office. All units are to immediately activate the city’s public address Array system. We must also organize key institutions, businesses, and merchants within our jurisdiction to gather and listen to an important national address by the Chief of the New Cabinet at 8:30 AM."

A flash went through Yang Wenqing’s eyes. He responded at once, "Then carry out the order."

The order was quickly passed down.

Soon, the runic amplifiers in every corner of Lingshan New District—normally used for broadcasting government notices and weather warnings—began to glow faintly as they entered standby mode. Major factories sounded their bells, summoning their workers.

At 8:30 AM, Yang Wenqing was back in his office at the branch station. The Communication Array on his desk was activated.

Right on time, the voice of the Cabinet Chief broadcasted from the Communication Array:

"This is the Central Martial Pavilion of the Cabinet. An address to all our compatriots, for the Divine Land to witness."

"The Jade Whale Sect has forsaken the ancient pacts and condoned the wicked, causing the fires of war to engulf the lands of Mingbei and bringing suffering upon the people."

"Their crimes are threefold. First, perfidy: the Sea-Parting Covenant of old still stands, yet they have treated it as scrap paper. Second, abetting violence: they harbor villains on their islands and reefs, arm the ignorant rabble, and stain our seas with blood. Third, sowing chaos: with strange arts and heretical doctrines, they have deluded our border people and undermined our laws."

’These accusations are a declaration of grievances, and they reek of gunpowder,’ Yang Wenqing listened with rapt attention. ’Logically, a declaration of war should come next.’

However, the Chief’s tone shifted, softening slightly:

"Yet, Heaven possesses the virtue of cherishing life, and to rule is to embody the benevolence of ceasing conflict. If the Jade Whale Sect shows repentance, they must swiftly bind the arch-culprits and deliver them to our court. They must withdraw all who have crossed our borders, repay the blood debt they owe us, and burn their heretical scriptures. Should they do so, we may yet convene upon the vast seas to negotiate peace and re-establish the order of our maritime frontiers."

Yang Wenqing frowned slightly.

Then, the Chief’s voice continued:

"If they remain obstinate and mount a futile resistance..."

"Then our elite troops stand ready, not to flaunt our strength, but to protect the weak! Our Flying Ships patrol the seas, not for love of war, but to bring it to an end! All who violate our lands and harm our people—no matter how far, they will be hunted down; no matter how strong, they will be punished!"

The moment he spoke, a grim, murderous air filled the room. Yet, the speech still stopped short of an outright declaration of war.

"From this day forward, all provinces and commanderies are to ready their armaments and fortify their borders. They are to resettle the displaced and soothe the wounds of our land. I expect our officials to be steadfast in their duties, our soldiers to be on high alert, and our people to live their lives in peace. The Mandate of Heaven is with the Xia, and its principles are manifest... This concludes the proclamation."

With that, the speech came to an abrupt end.

’The speech was masterfully crafted, but also perplexing,’ Yang Wenqing thought, leaning back in his chair. ’It firmly brands the Jade Whale Sect as the aggressor, seizing the moral high ground. But the whole thing feels strange. It’s as if it’s both declaring war and simultaneously looking for an opening to negotiate.’

He shook his head, clearing the needless worries from his mind. ’All I can do now is focus on the tasks at hand and prepare for the worst. Overthinking it is just a pointless waste of energy, completely useless.’

He quickly collected himself and refocused on the pile of paperwork on his desk. He approved the documents that needed urgent attention and coordinated with the Municipal Bureau to procure a new batch of equipment. Before he knew it, it was eleven o’clock. He then held a short meeting with Liao Tianming and a few department heads who had come to report on recent drills.

Just before noon, as Yang Wenqing was about to take a short break, a soft knock came at his office door.

Liu Qin entered, closing the door behind her before speaking quickly, "Director, urgent call from the Municipal Bureau’s General Office. We’re ordered to immediately activate the encrypted projection signal in the main conference room and join a temporary encrypted meeting. The communication code and verification key have already been synchronized with your badge."

Yang Wenqing rose at once. By the time he reached the main conference room, Zhu Yunchuan had already arrived. Director Gao, however, was absent, as he was in seclusion.

"Director Yang!"

Zhu Yunchuan greeted him first.

Yang Wenqing nodded. He activated the projection Array core embedded in the center of the conference table and entered the complex encrypted code and dynamic verification key. A pale blue screen of light unfurled on the wall. Once it stabilized, it revealed the scene of a small, virtual conference room.

The conference room’s background was a deep blue, with a holographic image of the Wanxuan Profound Bird emblem suspended in the center.

At this moment, several people were already seated in the conference room, all as projections. Yang Wenqing’s projection materialized in an empty seat. He straightened his posture and refrained from speaking out of turn.

The meeting was being chaired by Director Shen Wenyuan. He merely glanced over when Yang Wenqing connected. One by one, the directors and vice directors from all of Coral City’s county and district branches appeared. The person seated to Yang Wenqing’s right was none other than Wang Ren from Qianjiao County. Wang Ren had stayed behind in Qianjiao County back in the day. Even after the county branch was upgraded, he remained the head of the general affairs department. Two years ago, with his family’s help, he broke through to the Marrow Cleansing Realm and was promoted to vice director.

Yang Wenqing gave Wang Ren an inquisitive look, but the other man just shook his head in confusion, silently telling him to be patient.

Once all the empty seats around the conference table were filled, Shen Wenyuan concluded his conversation with the three deputies beside him. His gaze swept across everyone present, and he looked poised to begin.