There is no way to hide the undercurrent underwater.
In the blink of an eye, half a week has passed.
According to the rules, at the end of every month, the person in charge of each location must report to the headquarters.
Today is June 24th. In the past, today was also the busiest time for the headquarters, because there was too much information that needed to be sorted and filed.
But today.
The entrance to the headquarters was empty. Rows of operators in the lobby looked at each other, and the red telephones in front of them were surprisingly quiet.
"Minister Xiao, there may be a problem with the phone line. I will send someone to check it immediately."
Saw Xiao Jincheng coming.
The head of the department quickly stood up to greet him.
Xiao Jincheng said nothing.
It has only been a long time since the battle in Rotary City. It was less than a month. It has been more than twenty days. People below are already thinking in different ways. People are really realistic.
Ring ring ring...
Just thinking about it.
A telephone rang.
The operator was stunned for a moment and quickly picked up the phone. He heard someone on the other side say: "I am Song Yi, the person in charge of Xishu. There has been an unsolvable terrorist incident in my jurisdiction. I am requesting support from the headquarters."
quiet...
Unsolvable events are symbols of death and disaster.
A little carelessness can lead to the destruction of an area and the displacement of millions of people.
Even when the headquarters was in its heyday, a disaster of this level could not be pacified, let alone now.
"Minister, there has been an unsolvable terrorist incident in Xishu, and I hope to seek help from the headquarters."
The operator lowered his head, not daring to look into Xiao Jincheng's eyes: "How should I reply?"
Xiao Jincheng silently closed his eyes.
If it were in the past, he would immediately recruit 3 to 5 captains, team up with an elite driver team of 12 to 15 people, and carry the treasure to suppress it.
But now.
Captain, Captain no.
Treasure, Treasure fell.
The huge headquarters was left with nothing but empty shelves, and it no longer had the manpower to suppress unsolvable disasters.
Ring ring ring...
Before he could come up with a countermeasure, the phone rang for the second time.
Another operator answered the call and communicated quietly with the person in charge on the other end of the phone.
After a while.
The operator put down the phone and said in a stagnant tone: "Minister Xiao, Li Chengxuan, the person in charge of the Nanzhao area, called. There are suspected activities of external driver forces in the Nanzhao area, and he requested the headquarters to provide manpower support."
"Li Chengxuan!"
Xiao Jincheng was stunned for a moment, then laughed angrily.
The unsolvable disaster in Xishu is a natural disaster.
The external elements in Nanzhao caused a man-made disaster.
And this man-made disaster did not come from the outside, but from the inside.
Who in the world doesn't know that Li Chengxuan has an external corps under his command.
In the past, he had to respect himself when raising bandits, and the headquarters would just turn a blind eye or close an eye.
What does he want to do if he does this now?
This is to expose the headquarters and let everyone in the world see that the headquarters is already in the dark and there are no manpower to deploy.
"His heart can be killed, his heart can be killed."
Xiao Jincheng was shaking with anger. He wanted to let Li Zhongtan lead the team and send some people over to kill those people and see what Li Chengxu had to say.
But he endured it.
Because he knew that if Li Zhongtan was really sent, the second and third Li Cheng would jump out in the next second and ask for people from the headquarters under various excuses.
There is no one available at the headquarters.
They had agreed upon this and would not leave the last fig leaf to the headquarters.
"Sure enough, Qin lost its deer, and the whole world chased it away."
Xiao Jincheng smiled bitterly, his smile full of helplessness: "Has it reached this point?"
Everyone was as silent as cicadas.
I didn't dare to take a breath.
Xiao Jincheng withdrew his gaze and said calmly: "Notify all the persons in charge in each region to return to the headquarters in early July and participate in the meeting."
Finished.
Xiao Jincheng didn't care about everyone's reaction and said again: "Tell them that at this meeting, the headquarters will give them what they want."
at the same time.
Zhang family...
"Ancestor, there is a call from the headquarters, inviting you to attend the headquarters meeting."
Zhang Heng is reading the newspaper.
This is a newspaper specially issued to drivers, which records some strange knowledge and interesting things.
Seeing that Zhang Heng was careless, the visitor continued to report: "Ancestor, the headquarters said that a major reform will be announced at this meeting. You see..."
"Major reform?"
Zhang Heng showed a look of understanding.
In fact, this day should have come a long time ago, and delaying it any longer will only look dishonorable.
Just saying that.
Some things are addictive, and once you master them, you won't want to give them back.
Zhang Heng thought for a moment, then he had a guess in his mind and said, "Did something happen today?"
The visitor replied: "Old Ancestor Mingjian, our people sent back the news that Li Chengxu, the person in charge of the Nanzhao area, came to drain the salary from under the cauldron, forcing the headquarters to come to Taiwan."
I listened to the cause and effect.
Zhang Heng frowned slightly: "Respect yourself as a bandit, this Li Chenghuan is a bit brave."
Things change.
It is normal for people's hearts to change.
But when it comes to my own affairs, I can tell them clearly.
Raising bandits to respect themselves, but luring wolves into the house is another matter.
Although Zhang Heng is a Taoist who advocates tranquility and inaction, he is also very disgusted with such people.
In a blink of an eye.
Early July.
Headquarters.
"There are so many people here, even Feng Zheng, the person in charge of Nangang, is here."
"Can you not come? The man named Feng has some issues with the overseas driver circle. In the past, the other party did not dare to touch him because of the support of the headquarters. Now that the headquarters is unreliable, he is the one who feels the most guilty."
"Why do you feel guilty? I think Cui Nanhe from Beigang has a guilty conscience. He doesn't even dare to come to the headquarters meeting. He is most likely responsible for the theft at the Academy of Sciences. I used to think he was sly and suspicious, and he didn't even drink coconut juice. There was something wrong with him.
.”
“What the hell is coconut water?”
"That's right, if you want to drink it, just drink soy juice. That's authentic."
Inside the gymnasium.
very messy.
Basically all the people in charge from various districts and places came here. At a glance, there were four to five hundred people.
When there are more people, there are all kinds of birds.
You look at me, I look at you, no one is convinced by the other.
"Ahem..."
Accompanied by two light coughs.
Zhang Heng appeared in the venue, and as soon as he showed up, the entire venue fell silent.
no way.
A person's name, a tree's shadow.
As a living fossil and one of the original founders of the headquarters, when Zhang Heng walked around the world in the name of a driver, let alone this group of people, their grandfather might still have a runny nose, wear straw sandals, and herd sheep for others.
"This old ghost!"
As soon as Zhang Heng appeared on the stage, everyone fell into silence.
Some people with different ideas cursed in their hearts: "How come this old coffin is still alive and kicking when it is over a hundred years old?"
"Um?"
Feeling the underlying malice.
Zhang Heng raised his head and looked into the crowd.
Eyes facing each other.
A middle-aged man wearing glasses hurriedly said to his companions: "This old birthday boy looks so auspicious and auspicious. Just one look at him is our blessing."
Duplicity.
Zhang Heng shook his head slightly.
He didn't need to think about it, but he knew how happy these people were laughing on the surface, and how miserable they scolded him behind his back.
This is also inevitable.
Everyone is high-spirited and ready to make a difference.
And he blocked the way.
"quiet..."
With the arrival of Zhang Heng.
Xiao Jincheng also appeared on stage accompanied by Li Zhongtan and Zhang Yanran.
He raised his eyes and looked around at everyone.
After a short silence, he said: "I have called everyone here this time to announce three things."
Everyone waited quietly.
Xiao Jincheng did not hesitate and said directly: "First, activate the city-state council."
"Each region will have one member of parliament. The future direction and development will be submitted to the parliament for voting in the form of documents. Only 60% approval can be passed."
"Second, transform taxes."
"Eighty percent of tax revenue from various regions will be retained by the regions, and the remaining 20% will be handed over to the headquarters, which will maintain the normal operation of the parliament."
"In addition, each region enjoys autonomy and is allowed to establish regional laws on a regional basis. Of course, the headquarters has the power to supervise the laws to prevent anyone from doing anything wrong."
"Third, establish an emergency rescue department."
"Members of the Rescue Department are drawn from various regions and are only responsible for emergencies and major disasters that occur in various regions."
"I believe everyone knows that unsolvable disasters cannot be solved by one region or one city alone."
"The establishment of the Rescue Department is very necessary. When a major disaster occurs in a certain place and the local area cannot withstand it, it can be handed over to the Rescue Department to handle it."
Hear this.
The people below were talking a lot.
The debate is mainly focused on the Relief Department. As for taxation, there is a lot of fuss about how much to pay and how to teach it. There is a lot of flexibility.
The rescue department is different.
Those present here are all actual managers of each region.
But except for a few people who are interested in the headquarters, most people don't want this power to be in the hands of the headquarters.
"The establishment of the Rescue Department is necessary, but there is one point that needs to be discussed."
"The Rescue Department cannot be in the hands of the headquarters. With the establishment of the Supreme Council, the headquarters should also be counted as a member of the parliament. Like us, it holds a few parliamentary seats, rather than a dominant position."
"Everyone should be equal and come together to discuss things. There should be no one who leads whom."
A person in charge gave his opinion.
Hear this.
Everyone applauded, and some even added: "Why don't the Rescue Department belong directly to the Supreme Council? How to use it and how to use it will be decided by everyone at that time. Now that the Internet is so developed, a video conference can be held at any time, and there will be no delay."
The crowd burst into praise again.
Xiao Jincheng thought for a while, neither refused nor agreed, but said again: "A snake cannot survive without a head. It would be too messy to have three to five hundred people to discuss everything. Why not set up another thirty-six on top of the members?"
How about being an executive and being the day-to-day representative and leader for everyone?”
moment.
The sound of whispering sounded again.
But this time, everyone's attitude was very different.
Some relatively weak controllers know that they will not get the consul's seat and do not agree with this setting.
Some controllers with relatively strong strength and power are very happy with this setting.
"Minister Xiao, what if we don't agree?"
"Is there a swordsman hidden behind, or is there a flying spear buried under the chair?"
Someone questioned: "The so-called executive officers, wouldn't they have been separated long ago?"
Xiao Jincheng did not answer.
Because the people who raise such questions are often relatively weak.
The strong will only yearn for more rights.
"Agree..."
Zhang Heng was the first to agree: "On behalf of the Southwest Region, I agree with this proposal."
"I am Jizhou..."
"I am Luzhou..."
"I am Yuzhou..."
"Support the headquarters' proposal."
Three more drivers stood up from behind.
Zhang Heng looked back.
These three continents are all in the Zhili area and are like a back garden.
At this stage, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Even if the parliamentary era begins, the headquarters will still be an existence that no one can ignore.
"I, Haicheng, support this proposal."
Li Zhongtan also expressed his views.
"support."
"support."
Later.
A few more people who thought they were very capable and expected to get the position of executive officer responded.
Seeing that so many powerful people agree with this proposal.
The little people in charge below kept silent.
There is no way, the situation is stronger than the person.
These days, whoever has a bigger fist speaks louder.
Some things will not change with the arrival of the red moon.
"Ancestor..."
The formation of the Supreme Council.
It cannot be completed in a few words, there are many things that need to be discussed.
evening.
The meeting was temporarily over. Zhang Heng was not in a hurry to go back. Instead, he stood on the rooftop where he used to like to stand, overlooking the entire city.
"I thought you had completely distanced yourself from the Zhang family and no longer recognized me as your ancestor."
I heard a voice coming from behind.
Zhang Heng knew who was coming.
Look back.
Zhang Yanran is a little thinner than before, but the light between her eyes is thicker, as if it can break through the darkness.
"Ancestor, you will always be my relative."
"It's just that in life, there are things to do and things not to do. I have declared that I will protect this era. Some of your actions are really hard for me to agree with."
Zhang Yanran's eyes were red, feeling particularly aggrieved: "If you agree to go to Rotating City, maybe..."
"Maybe those captains won't die."
"Perhaps the catalog of immortality will fall into the hands of the headquarters."
"Perhaps Rotating City will be run by Minister Cao."
"Maybe the headquarters can go to a higher level and suppress all doubts. Maybe, there are too many possibilities."
Zhang Heng looked at Zhang Yanran: "But can you guarantee that if these things become a reality, it will be better than now?"
Zhang Yanran did not agree with this: "Ancestor, you are an old man who lived through the Republic of China. You have seen the world in chaos and the people are in dire straits. How can you agree that we are heading towards troubled times again?"
"No..."
Zhang Heng shook his head: "What I see is not troubled times, but new life. The general trend of the world is that if we divide for a long time, we will unite, and if we unite for a long time, we will divide. This is inevitable."
"As time goes by, the fittest will survive and the world will return to unity. This is only a matter of time."
"As for you, if one day you are labeled as corrupt, ignorant, and hindering the progress of the times, how would you feel?"
"I?"
"Corruption, ignorance?"
Zhang Yanran seemed a little unbelievable.
Zhang Heng whispered: "In 1918, the Fengtian Warlord proposed to Beiyang to invite the commander-in-chief of the Braid Army who planned Ding Ji's restoration to serve as the Jiangnan Warlord."
"Shuai Xu did not refuse, but he made a request, which the military governor can grant, even if the braid is left alone."
"Do you know how Zhang Xun responded?"
"If you are powerless to save yourself, you can still take care of your body alone. Your head is still there, and your braids are still there. The bamboo can be burned, but its joints cannot be destroyed. The jade can be broken, but its whiteness cannot be wiped off. Even though your body is dead, your name can be hung on the bamboo and silk. You resolutely refuse to cut off your braids.
Requirement to serve as warlord."
Finished.
Zhang Heng looked at Zhang Yanran: "What do you think of Zhang Xun?"
Zhang Yanran remained silent.
In any era, there is no shortage of people who want to save the era.
Who dares to say that a hundred years from now, when people in the new era mention Zhang Yanran, they won’t say that they don’t know how to count, and Zhang Xun will be second?
"I..."
Zhang Yanran clenched her fists: "I don't think what I did was wrong."
Zhang Heng said with a smile: "I don't think so either. It's just that the times are like this. You are a good boy, but your life is not good."
Zhang Yanran's eyes turned red, and she felt extremely aggrieved.
In front of others, she is the strong and unyielding captain of the headquarters.
But in front of Zhang Heng, she can always be a child.
She doesn't cry when she's alone.
Even if I fall or feel pain, I will bite my lip and stand up.
But you can't ask.
If you ask: "Does it hurt?"
I felt particularly aggrieved.
"Ancestor, are the clansmen okay?"
Zhang Yanran felt a little homesick.
"Everything is fine."
Zhang Heng added: "When you have nothing to do, you can go back and take a look. Although I cultivate myself, you look at all sentient beings, and you and I have different paths, but I have never felt that you are not a descendant of the Zhang family. In fact, you make me feel proud."
, you did what I couldn’t.”
Zhang Yanran wiped her tears: "What about you?"
Zhang Heng thought for a while: "Cultivation of nature in leisure time, meditation of life, seeing the repetition of heaven and earth, seeing white clouds and gray dogs, seeing the intertwining of fate, seeing the changes of the times, the heart of heaven, my heart, the heart of Tao, heart and heart are interdependent, this is a great pair for cultivating immortality and practicing life.
If it’s good, I’ll be good too.”
Zhang Yanran didn't understand.
Zhang Heng didn't explain either.
It's just that with the realization of the heavenly mind, the body and the Tao merge.
Zhang Heng also sensed something in the dark. Although he didn't go looking for Hongyue, Hongyue had already noticed him.
This is an indescribable and unclear feeling.
I don't have to walk towards the mountain, because the mountain will come towards me.