HCB Chapter 302 The Night Before
Chapter 302 The Night Before
At night, some of Paulino's father's old subordinates had gathered in the living room of his house. When they saw the endless stream of visitors at the door, an elder in the living room asked Paulino:
“Why did you invite so many people over this time?”
Paulino responded:
"There are some important things I need to tell you."
Hearing this, the elder looked directly at Paulino and asked seriously:
"Want to see blood?"
Paulino didn't say anything, just nodded. The elder just sighed, then sat down in his seat and said nothing more.
Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Paulino ordered the servants to prepare tea and cakes, and then said enthusiastically:
"First of all, welcome everyone to my home. It's been a long time since my father passed away and we haven't been together like this for a long time."
"Paulino, let's talk about the matter. Is there something important that called us here this time?"
At this time, someone asked directly. Hearing the other party's question, Paulino immediately changed the subject and said:
"I called you all here this time for no other reason than to ask you to help me accomplish something."
At this point, Paulino took a deep breath and said:
"That is to destroy Sander and his forces."
As soon as these words came out, everyone started talking about it, and soon someone asked:
"Paulino, I'm not saying anything bad about you, but Sander's power is simply not comparable to ours. Even if he's doing things secretly, his methods are much more diverse than ours."
The old members of the older generation also came forward to advise:
"Paulino, if your father was still alive, we might have succeeded, but it's too difficult now. Most of the city council and the top military officials are his people. We can't defeat them."
Hearing what everyone said, Paulino did not feel discouraged, but said with a relaxed look:
"This matter is not as troublesome as you think. We can directly force Sander to step down through legal means, and then remove his subordinates one by one."
Seeing everyone's puzzled expressions, Paulino immediately told them his plan:
"We all need to split into three groups. The first group is to control Sander, at least to prevent him from leaving his mansion. The second group is to find the general who commands the entire Basque army and ask him to sign a document to investigate Sander's corruption during his tenure. The third group is led by me to the city council to meet with the mayor and ask him to sign a document to impeach Sander."
After hearing this plan, everyone thought about it for a while and felt that it was possible to do so, but they also felt that something was missing. Until one person raised his own question:
"I have a question. Why would they believe you and sign the arrest warrant? What if they don't want to?"
"Good question!"
Paulino nodded and said:
"I need everyone to use their respective positions to help me accomplish this."
"First, the patrol troops. Tomorrow night, whether you are a centurion, a sergeant, or a sergeant, or have a patrol mission, immediately gather the men you can manage to patrol the streets to ensure that the port garrison or the city defense army will not support this place."
"Next, there are several people working in the court. I need your help in drafting a document regarding the investigation and arrest of Sander."
"Wait a moment."
At this time someone asked:
"Isn't this a coup?"
"How can this be a coup? It's just a way of dealing with special times. Besides, Sander already has a bad reputation in the Basque Country. As long as we take the initiative, we will gain the support of the citizens."
"But what if it fails?"
At this time a white-haired old man asked, Paulino looked at him, he was the most senior person present, if he didn't nod, he would not be able to unite everyone.
But at this time Paulino still smiled and said politely:
"We are trying to rid all Basque citizens of the insects that infest their heads. How could we fail?"
"The key point is that this is illegal! The private work done before was fine, but now openly mobilizing the army, forging city council documents, and there may be conflicts later. Is any of this allowed by law?"
"So you want me to be fired and tortured in my own home, right?"
Paulino glared at the old man and questioned him. Upon seeing this, the servants immediately closed the doors and windows. The tense atmosphere filled the living room, making everyone present feel a little breathless.
At this time, someone on the side advised:
"Isn't it because they are afraid of conflicts with the city defense forces and port guards? After all, it would really be a military coup."
Paulino then turned back to look at the man and said:
"Why use such an ugly word as 'coup d'etat'? I think the word 'justice' is better, don't you think?"
"As long as the mayor agrees, isn't everything legal?"
"The general won't tell you..."
"Hey, I've already told you that I'll take care of the general's affairs, so you don't have to worry about the paperwork."
After Paulino finished speaking, he pointed to the patrol officers sitting in the back and said:
"You guys are all top students who could have gone to college, right? It's because your family has no money that you have to join the army to make a living."
"But, because of those old junkers who bribed the general and got in through connections, they have been stuck in front and still haven't been promoted to centurion. Don't you think it's unfair?"
Seeing no one answering, Paulino shouted to these people:
"Open your eyes and look at me!"
"Isn't this a big cleanup to reorganize the Basque army?"
After talking about the young ones, Paulino turned to the older ones and said:
"My dear seniors, I'm afraid you will be dismissed after this autumn. Can you go to the general and ask him not to dismiss me but to give me a promotion?"
After hearing what Paulino said, the old people just shook their heads helplessly. For those of them who are old and have no support, the only outcome is to be replaced by someone with connections.
At this time, Paulino sat down and calmly said to everyone present:
"I still remember what my father once said: 'After a long night, there is a long light.' I, Paulino, will not keep that light to myself, please believe me."
At this time, the old man who had questioned him earlier could only sigh and say:
"Now that you've said that, what can we old bones do? We had a lot of glory following your father. The worst that can happen is that we die and then go find your father."
Some young officers nearby were also affected by Paulino's words. They were young and energetic and had always been oppressed by various people with connections. They now believed that the top brass of the Basque army needed a major purge, so they said:
"Brother Paulino, we support you, please tell us a time!"
After unifying everyone's ideas, Paulino announced the time of the operation:
"Three days later, on the night of the Harvest Festival."