Chapter 2: The Inspector of Western Sichuan

  (The little fish's new book is uploaded, book friends can collect it first and kill it when they're full!)

  The Xichuan Circuit Intendant's Office is located in the center of Chengdu, covering an extremely large area of over 1,000 mu. The Huanhua Stream runs through the entire office, making the scenery of the entire office very beautiful. Various pavilions and buildings, carved railings and jade-like walls are beautifully arranged.

  At night, the Chuanxi Circuit Intendancy is brightly lit, and the two thermal power plants located in the suburbs of Chengdu guarantee the entire city's electricity supply, making it one of the few cities in China with abundant electricity. Moreover, under the jurisdiction of the Chuanxi Circuit Intendancy, Sichuan, Xikang, and Qinghai provinces have also established a well-ordered foundation for power supply infrastructure, striving to achieve electrification in every village. As of now, all counties within Sichuan Province have basically achieved electrification.

  In a humble room within the Sichuan-Xikang Circuit Intendant's office, bright light illuminated the entire space. An elderly man with a dignified appearance sat at his desk, reviewing documents. His complexion was somewhat sallow and his eyes were surrounded by dark circles. Yet, he exuded an aura of authority. This old man was Wang Xiao, the de facto ruler of Sichuan, Xikang, and Qinghai provinces.

  "Knock, knock!" Two crisp knocks on the door sounded, and Wang Xiao raised his head from the desk.

  "Come in!" Wang Xiao put down his pen and shouted at the door.

  The door opened and an old man wearing an old-fashioned silk gown walked in. He was the steward of the Sichuan-Xi Circuit Intendant's Office, Wang Xiao's trusted aide, Wang Quan. Wang Quan had followed Wang Xiao for over twenty years, from his early days as a merchant to the rise of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and then to Wang Xiao's defeat of the Qing army and establishment of the Sichuan-Xi regime. Throughout this time, Wang Xiao and Wang Quan, master and servant, never left each other's side.

  "Master, young master woke up today. Our German doctor also came to check on the young master and he's fine now!" Wang Quan said in a low voice.

  "This is good. These days have been too busy, didn't even have time to see him!" Speaking of his son, Wang Xiao's eyes added a hint of affection. Although outsiders all think that Wang Yuze is a disappointment as a son, like Liu Shan, the last ruler of Shu, who brought about the downfall of his family, Wang Xiao still loves his son dearly. This also makes him, despite knowing that Wang Yuze is not capable of achieving great things, still spare no effort to cultivate him. After all, in everyone's minds, the system of inheritance and succession is still deeply rooted."

  "Master, the case of Young Master being ambushed has been thoroughly investigated by the Military Intelligence Bureau. It was done by the Japanese. They attempted to create chaos by assassinating Young Master and thus disrupt our good situation!" Wang Quan continued.

  "You damned little devils, how dare you lay hands on my son! I won't forgive them!" A fierce killing intent flashed in Wang Xiao's eyes, and at this moment, he was extremely furious. Wang Yuze had been stabbed to death, severely injured, and almost died, which made him want to lead his army eastward and conquer Little Japan. However, at this moment, he didn't have the strength to do so. Besides, Japan was too far away from Sichuan, making it impossible to attack Japan for now.

  "Sir, Military Intelligence is asking whether we should reel in or continue to cast a long line to catch big fish?" Wang Quan asked.

  "Kill! I want to eradicate the Japanese spy forces in all three provinces under the jurisdiction of the Xichuan Circuit Intendancy, and not a single one of those who participated in this time's Zai'er will be left!" Wang Xiao was like an enraged lion, as the ruler of the three provinces of Xichuan, he had formed that kind of awe-inspiring aura without even being angry.

  "Yes, sir! I'll instruct the Military Affairs Bureau to take action!" Wang Quan nodded.

  "Right, inform General Xiong to come see me tomorrow! It's time to settle the matter of Yu Ze and his daughter!" Wang Xiao muttered to himself, but Wang Quan still nodded in agreement.

  "Wang Quan, you said that I am paving the way for Yu Ze by not considering the consequences. Is this right or wrong? Can Yu Ze really command several million troops and so many generals in Sichuan and the three provinces of Shaanxi?" Wang Xiao asked.

  "Master! Although the young master is a bit weak by nature, he's absolutely not a useless Ah Dou. I always believe that the young master will make great achievements later in life. Even if it doesn't happen, he can still become a ruler who maintains stability!" Wang Quan said without any hesitation, blurting out his words.

  "That's good! The three provinces of Western Sichuan have cost us the lives of so many old brothers, we can't let them go to waste!" Wang Xiao's face showed a hint of worry. As a father, how could he not know about his son's abilities? But who made him only have this one son? The empire that was finally won with great difficulty, of course, had to be passed on to his own son, and couldn't be handed over to outsiders.

  Wang Quan seemed to be at a loss for words, fortunately Wang Xiao waved his hand, indicating that he should leave.

  Wang Quan nodded and quietly exited Wang Xiao's study.

  "Cough! Cough!" The moment the study door closed, Wang Xiao immediately started violent coughing, his face contorted in painful expression, his body bent like a bow. After a while, the cough finally subsided. But his chest still heaved up and down like a bellows.

  A handkerchief with a crimson bloodstain on it was unfolded, covering her mouth. Wang Xiao frowned and threw the handkerchief into the trash can beside her desk.

  "Alas! My body is getting more and more useless, I don't know how much longer I can hold on! I really hope Yu Ze can grow up soon! I hope after he gets married, he'll be able to take care of himself!" Wang Xiao let out a sigh, her eyes filled with longing.

  He was extremely reluctant, his age is not big, this year is only 60 years old, but he is now in this state, and those seventy or eighty-year-olds have no difference. As the ruler of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, all kinds of supplements and maintenance are not lacking. However, his body seems to have entered a rapid aging process. After 50 years old, various physiological functions of the body begin to rapidly age, according to the conclusion of German doctors, he should not live for many years. This result, except for the doctor and himself, no one else knows. If it spreads out, it will inevitably cause turbulence in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces.

  "Perhaps this is the price of crossing over!" Wang Xiao's eyes were filled with desolation. In his heart, he had always kept a huge secret. He was not originally from this world, born in the 1970s, in another space-time, he was once a successful businessman, owning assets worth hundreds of millions. However, he funded a scientific experiment, and as a result, an unexpected accident occurred during the experiment, and he inexplicably returned to 1850. Since then, he began his struggle in this world.

  From the beginning of business, to the outbreak of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom later, in 1860, Wang Xiao took advantage of the situation and launched a rebellion against the Qing court. At this time, the Qing court had been exhausted by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and had no energy to deal with Wang Xiao. Wang Xiao was able to drive out the Qing governor and provincial governor of Sichuan, occupying Sichuan and the special zone of Chuanbian. After the Qing court destroyed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Wang Xiao already controlled tens of thousands of elite troops. After a major war, the Qing court, exhausted of national strength, saw that it was unable to destroy Wang Xiao, so they granted him an official position as the governor of western Sichuan. As long as Wang Xiao did not openly rebel, the Qing court would not deal with him. The western part of Sichuan remained in a semi-independent state.

  Thereafter, Wang Xiao led his troops westward and also incorporated the Qinghai province. The Qing court did not care about the poor Qinghai province at all, as long as Wang Xiao did not expand eastward into the rich areas, the Qing court would let him be.

  It was from then on that Wang Xiao reached the pinnacle of his career.

  Afterwards, Wang Xiao began to rest and recover in the three provinces of western Sichuan. A large number of infrastructure projects were launched in the three provinces, various factories were established, and by now, western Sichuan has built up three industrial bases: Zigong, Chengdu and Panzhihua, basically achieving initial industrialization, with leading industrial output value nationwide.

  In the military, the three divisions and ten brigades of the Western Sichuan Army have several hundred thousand troops, from rifles to artillery, with various light and heavy weapons basically achieving self-sufficiency. Whether in training or equipment, they are leading the country.

  At that time, Wang Xiao was not without the ambition to lead his army out of Sichuan and unify the country. However, changes in the international situation meant that Western countries would absolutely not allow a strong China to emerge, and the corrupt Qing court was beneficial for them to control China. Although western Sichuan already had the strength to confront the Qing court, it was unable to contend with the powerful nations. Furthermore, Wang Xiao's health was getting worse and worse, he feared that before unifying the country, he would collapse first. Who could clean up such a mess afterwards? Therefore, in recent years, he has been suppressing the expansionist thoughts of his military leaders, focusing on farming and developing himself.

  At the same time, Wang Xiao is also cultivating his own successor, so that after his own hundred years, someone can inherit the great cause of Chuanxi. However, it seems that this successor is not very qualified!

  Collect them!