Four Black Banner Camp Commanders, nearly a thousand men, were all dispatched into the night.

Within Fengri City’s jurisdiction, the four main subordinate cities cross-coordinated arrests, scheduled to take action at dawn. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

All intelligence came from the Thousand Households Station Black Banner Camp; the information was extremely detailed, with every target’s movements clearly outlined. Once received, one could directly predict the target’s location at dawn, including surrounding personnel and environment, which greatly facilitated the arrest operations.

Seeing these obviously fully prepared intelligence reports, some sharp-minded individuals already guessed that the Thousand Households Station Black Banner Camp, aside from the other local Garrison Black Banner Camps, must secretly possess its own independent intelligence network. Moreover, this never existed before—likely established anew after Shen Hao’s rise to power.

Shen Hao’s got some real skills!

It’s not just preemptive intelligence; there’s also oversight. Even after implementing cross-jurisdiction arrests, two "Guards" shadowed the participating commanders closely. Ever since the district Black Banner Camp Commanders went to the Thousand Households Station for a council meeting, they had been followed continuously—even visits to the latrine never escaped their watchful eyes. Though their demeanor was respectful, their hands never left their sabers.

What were they guarding against? Naturally, it’s to prevent any tip-offs. Anyone daring to produce contraband like the Thousand-Mile Sound would be cut down without a second thought.

The four Commanders kept their nerves taut, not daring to be careless. They even took the initiative to openly communicate their intentions to the two Guards beside them—lest any misunderstanding cause unnecessary trouble.

The next day, at dawn, mid-3 a.m.

Li City, Tu Kui City, Tan City, Pingshun City. While most households still slept, squads of Black Banner Camp soldiers, clad in black brocade robes with Yanji Sabers at their waists, sprang from the darkness, rapidly surrounding their targets’ dwellings. Following the prearranged plan, they divided into three teams: first, confusion smoke was sent into the house; after half an incense stick’s time, they simultaneously storm in—smashing doors, breaking windows, and breaching rooftops.

No screaming, no crying, no resistance. Sleeping bodies sedated by confusion smoke were carried out and placed on the ground under lanterns for portrait comparison and identification. Once confirmed, they were awakened with buckets of cold water. At this stage, their limbs and tongues were locked with board restraints; all they could do was blink in terror.

In one night, within the forty-three cities under Fengri City’s jurisdiction, all 579 listed targets were apprehended—none escaped, none injured.

Swift, clean, and decisive.

Meanwhile, along the Bai River, from the Zhang Family Gate to Yu City, two water gates were locked. The given reason: a routine inspection of the water gate mechanisms to ensure proper function, and conducting surprise dawn inspections to test guard responsiveness.

But as soon as the gates were closed, the accompanying "supervisor" directly revealed the Xuanqing Guard Black Banner Camp waist token and produced the stamped order from the Jingxi Town Governor’s Office, immediately seizing all water gate security and arresting the water gate Chief Officer and all stewards.

Thus, the busy Bai River waterway was clamped tight.

River traffic wasn’t entirely halted; anyone with complete transport permits who allowed Black Banner Camp soldiers aboard for inspection would be permitted to pass. Not a single silver piece would be extorted.

Otherwise, if lacking permits, or with incomplete documents, or transporting prohibited cargo, sorry—ship and goods impounded, crew detained. Before long, the waterway outside the gates clogged up with seized vessels.

Between the Zhang Family Gate and Yu City, ships couldn’t advance or retreat, forced to dock at nearby piers only to find every pier guarded by Xuanqing Guard soldiers gripping their sabers, with garrison soldiers wielding spears and short arms enforcing order.

To flee was impossible—no way out.

When daylight broke, Fengri City was already in upheaval. Many, bewildered, were anxious, but those with guilty secrets felt chilled to the bone.

The garrisons were the most panicked at first, suspecting bandits had entered the city. Once they realized it was the Xuanqing Guard, they wondered if the Guard were plotting rebellion. Only after seeing the joint orders from the Jingxi Governor’s Office and the Commander’s Office did they settle down and offer the necessary assistance as protocol demanded.

Then came the Xuanqing Guard units themselves—Hundred Households Officers left bewildered by their subordinates’ actions. An operation? What operation? Why, as Hundred Households Officer in charge of a major city, did I know nothing of my Black Banner Camp’s actions? Is this not deceiving superiors and acting recklessly?

Prepared to hold someone accountable, they instead found the Black Banner Camp Commanders had been brought in from other cities—a jurisdictional mismatch. Furthermore, they were handed a joint letter from the Thousand Households Station Black Banner Camp and Jingxi Governor Black Banner Camp.

Special mission, highly classified. Local Hundred Households have no right to know, no need for notification, only cooperation required...

Uh, what...

Besides those stunned and alarmed, the Local Government Offices were outright furious.

The Xuanqing Guard, evolving from military lines and operating outside legal constraints, has always drawn criticism from the offices—abusing the "Your Majesty’s Personal Guard" status. Now, to conduct mass arrests of Court officials without so much as a notice, treating Local Government Offices as irrelevant.

Local Chief Officers, upon receiving the news, stormed to the Xuanqing Guard Hundred Households Station intending to confront them, only to find the local Hundred Households Officer just as bewildered. He explained this was a task ordered to the Black Banner Camp by the Jingxi Governor’s Office; not only was the execution cross-district, but all detention authority was transferred to the Thousand Households Station Black Banner Camp, bypassing every possible procedural step.

Uh, what...

Whether Local Government Offices or the confused Hundred Households and Commanders within the Xuanqing Guard, none were as anxious as those deeply entangled with the detainees. Most of these connections lay outside Fengri City’s jurisdiction—the locals had nearly all been swept up. News reached these outsiders barely later than in Fengri City, and it wasn’t just news of land-based arrests; even river traffic became a one-way trip, with loose ends everywhere!

August fourteenth, overcast.

Fengri City, now like an activated explosive talisman, not only blasted surrounding people into confusion but ignited a wildfire spreading outward—penetrating beneath the surface, growing ever more intense.

Yet, the storms outside could not breach the black-lacquered gates of the Xuanqing Guard, at least not within the Thousand Households Station where Shen Hao remained undisturbed.

Wu Changhe had originally intended to confront Shen Hao, but the joint order from the Jingxi Governor’s Office and Commander’s Office shut him up. He sensibly kept away and couldn’t be bothered to cover for the Black Banner Camp, publicly declaring he was secluded and abstaining from all involvement, waiting for the dust to settle.

Noon, all 579 detainees were escorted to the Fengri City Black Banner Camp prison.

Wang Yiming assigned numbers to each prisoner, then borrowed several dozen interrogation specialists from other Black Banner Camps, bringing their own equipment, temporarily supplementing the Thousand Households Station’s interrogation unit, and began handling the five hundred-plus detainees in batches. Because there weren’t enough interrogation chambers, all interrogations were conducted directly in the cells.

Apply torture... mouths remain shut... torture continues... still no confession... torture continues... confession obtained. This was the standard routine—within three days, statements were forcibly wrung out from flesh and blood, laid out one by one on Shen Hao’s Office desk.