Chapter 43: The Factory Under Attack

  "Xiang'er, how did you get here?" asked Zhuge Jun.

  She didn't respond to his words, instead looking at Cao Jing with some hostility. Normally, as a merchant, Cao Jing should have gone forward to pay her respects when she saw the county princess, but Cao Jing had forgotten her current identity and was acting according to her usual attitude towards Sun Shangxiang, proudly sitting upright without moving.

  Sun Shangxiang didn't mind her attitude, turned to Zhuge Jun, pulled his hand and said intimately: "Jun Ge, you're here, I was looking for you."

  "He said: 'Xiang Er, we'll talk about your matter later, can't you see I'm busy?'"

  Sun Shangxiang deliberately said with disdain: "Business matters can be discussed by the managers, no need for you to discuss it in person."

  Zhuge Jun was somewhat annoyed in his heart, but he had no way with her, so he coaxed her, saying: "Xiang'er darling, I really have something important to attend to, you go play for a while first, and I'll come find you after I've finished my business, okay?"

  She coquettishly said: "Jun Ge, you're busy, Xiang Er will stay here with you, let's talk after you're done."

  He helplessly said, "Okay, you first help me pour a cup of tea." Taking advantage of her turning to pour the tea, he cast an apologetic glance at Cao Jing. Cao Jing nodded in understanding, but also became determined to win.

  He began to talk about business matters in a serious tone. Sun Shangxiang quietly leaned against his side, silent.

  He said: "I want to set up a business organization in the Central Plains, I don't know if you can help me arrange it?"

  Cao Jing said calmly: "There's no problem, wherever you go to handle things, there's no problem, and no one dares to make it difficult for you."

  Sun Shangxiang saw her speaking with such a big tone, and couldn't help but look at her. Her gaze was also directed at Sun Shangxiang at this time, and the two gazes collided in mid-air, like two sharp swords clashing in mid-air.

  Zhuge said: "Great, after the auction is over, when you go back, I'll send someone to follow you, okay?"

  Cao Jing nodded firmly and said: "Alright, when you arrive in Zhongyuan, there will naturally be people to take care of you, so don't worry."

  Sun Shangxiang didn't say a word either, she just quietly leaned against his side. Cao Jing saw that staying any longer would be boring, so he stood up and bid farewell.

  Zhuge Jian was reluctant to see her go and invited her to stay for dinner. Cao Jing declined, saying she would come visit again when she had time.

  After seeing Cao Jing off, he asked Sun Shangxiang if there was anything. She smiled and said: "There's nothing urgent, just watching you, not letting you flirt with other beauties."

  He smiled and held her on his lap, kissed her little mouth, and said: "What beauty? In my heart, Xiang Er is the most beautiful. I'll just flirt with my dearest Xiang Er." As he spoke, he began to kiss her cherry lips.

  Sun Shangxiang was taken in by his words and soon lost her resentment. The two of them began to laugh and joke together.

  Simayu received the report, near the Fangshan Glass Factory, multiple groups of people and horses were found to be active. He felt that he couldn't let others take the lead, as long as someone made a move, regardless of success or failure, Zhuge Jun and his men would have taken precautions, and then the method of taking by force would no longer work.

  He urged his subordinates to carry out the acquisition plan as soon as possible.

  Simay launched various connections, and the final result was disappointing: the skilled workers were all floating population, no one knew them or their origin, outsiders couldn't get close to the factory, even those in charge of purchasing daily necessities could only hand over goods outside the factory area, internal management was extremely strict, with no weaknesses to exploit. Force became the only viable option.

  His plan was to raid the glass factory, seize the production workers, interrogate them on the spot and obtain the formula.

  Having made all the arrangements, Sima Yi personally addressed the personnel participating in the operation: "You are all brave warriors loyal to the Chancellor. Now is the time to be loyal to the Chancellor. Your families are all in Xuchang, don't give them a bad name. If you fall into the hands of the enemy, you know what to do."

  His previous words were encouraging, and the latter was a **naked threat**. Those who participated in the action vowed that whether they succeeded or failed, they would never reveal their identities.

  Someone once said: The dark night is the paradise of the attacker. Indeed, the thick night color covered a group of black-clad people's shadows, quietly approaching the factory wall.

  It is said that details determine success or failure. Sima Yi calculated a thousand times, but never thought that Zhuge Liang would make the wall head into a round shape when building the wall. When the masters confidently threw the flying claws towards the high wall head, a disappointing thing happened - the flying claws couldn't grasp it at all!

  The officer in charge gave a decisive order to retreat. The first action had failed.

  After thorough preparation, on the second night, they brought several short ladders and tied them to the outside of the wall. They finally entered the factory, with the lead personnel knocking out a few sentries. After interrogation, they clarified the layout inside and were led by captives straight to the personal dormitory.

  The factory was heavily guarded, and before long, they were discovered by a sentry. There were forty guards inside the factory, and sixty students and several instructors from the neighboring training unit rushed over after hearing the news.

  Cao Jun's troops were well-trained elites, moving quickly to capture several workers living in the dormitory. Some soldiers escorted them to retreat while others covered their backs. By then, factory guards and students had arrived. Cao Jun was extremely brave, with 20 or so men facing hundreds of enemies without fear, ultimately sacrificing themselves to cover the escape of the soldiers responsible for escorting.

  The operation was successful. Seeing the captured workers, Sima Yi was overjoyed. He hastily sent them to a pre-prepared location for interrogation, but the result shocked Sima Yi. "Who would have such wit?"