vstars Chapter 531 If the old doesn’t go, the new won’t come.
Chapter 531 If the old doesn’t go, the new won’t come.
Torque slumped against the damp stone wall, digging his nails into the cracks.
He suddenly realized that he had made a fatal mistake - on Helderland's chessboard, he was just a chess piece that could be discarded at any time.
The murder of a councillor's family had already brought disgrace upon the City Hall, and the charge of attacking the International Settlement was enough to get him killed without a burial place.
In comparison, Fugger could at least use corruption and hiring murder as an excuse, but if he was convicted of colluding with foreign enemies to undermine the security of the concession, the Helderlanders would definitely make him taste the torture.
"I'll tell you everything."
Torque's voice was hoarse, unlike his own, and he tried his best to blame everything on Fugger. Sweat slid down his temple and left dark marks on the stone wall.
He described in detail the details of each meeting, including how Fugger had wiped out most of the Steelyard family more than a decade ago, how they bribed him, and even the purpose of his Nightingale Assassin Group.
The more details he talked, the more he felt like a clown - it turned out that from the beginning to the end, he was just a knife that was constantly used, and now this knife was about to be broken and thrown into the trash.
The intelligence agency from Helmingen began planning this three months ago.
The first group of spies disguised themselves as merchants and settled in Padua, the second group sneaked into Ravenna as mercenaries, and the third group mixed in the supply team of the Black Watch mercenaries.
They gathered intelligence bit by bit like a spider weaving a web, and only when the chain of evidence was complete and watertight did they send a signal to Yoda's Council of Nobles.
After obtaining official permission from the Ravenna City Hall, hundreds of elite agents were divided into twenty action teams and rushed to various targets at the same time in the darkest hour before dawn. All relevant personnel, including Fugger and Torke, were arrested, and the Nightingale Assassins were also wiped out.
It took only one week from intelligence analysis to arrest, and when Torke was giving the last detail in his cell, the spies in Helmingen were sorting wooden boxes filled with evidence.
A large amount of gold, silver, jewelry and blood-stained murder weapons were found in Fugger's mansion, dozens of bodies tortured to death were found in the cellar of the assassin's headquarters, and in Torque's own secret room, the account book full of records of bribery became the last straw that broke the camel's back.
The whole operation was as clean and neat as a dagger being drawn from its sheath, and not even much blood was spilled from beginning to end.
This incident was quickly published on the front page of the Helderland Daily. The eye-catching headline read "Helmingen Intelligence Agency Quickly Solved a Major Transnational Case", and the accompanying picture was a majestic picture of agents escorting a prisoner.
The inside pages of the newspaper reported the ins and outs of the case in detail, with special emphasis on the professionalism and efficient action of the Helderland intelligence personnel.
The article also specifically mentioned at the end that national power will protect the safety of every citizen, even in a distant foreign country.
This report sparked heated discussions among the public. Merchants in the tavern clapped their hands on the table and praised the country's strength. Students in the school composed poems about the agents' deeds and sang them. Even citizens queuing in front of the town hall were whispering about this major event.
As the newspaper spread widely, the pride of the people of Helderland reached an unprecedented level, and people on the streets were talking about how powerful those mysterious intelligence personnel were.
For ordinary people, it is enough to see the criminals brought to justice. The remaining mess will naturally be cleaned up by Yoda. Helderan only needs to enjoy the glory brought by this victory.
As for Yoda, since this incident alarmed the Council of Nobles, it naturally could not be hidden. The Voice of Helderland also wrote about this incident in the newspaper to let the Yoda people know that such things happened in their country.
The details of the murder case were being discussed in the streets and alleys, and various versions of rumors were circulating in the taverns. As for why other intelligence agencies were able to launch a capture operation on the land of Yoda, the Noble Council knew that it was in the wrong, but was eager to improve diplomatic relations with Helderland, so it turned a blind eye to the matter.
The government only issued a document three days later, saying that "the relevant cases have been properly handled", and there was no further news.
The attention of the vast majority of Yoda citizens is completely focused on the shock brought about by the incident itself, and almost no one delves into the political game behind it.
They only knew two things: a congressman's family murder case that shocked the whole country was finally solved, and the murderers who committed many evil things were finally brought to justice; a group of corrupt officials involved in the case were brought to justice, including core members of the notorious Fugger family.
In the square in front of Ravenna Town Hall, people gathered spontaneously to celebrate, as if this trial had washed away the shame of the entire country.
The trial at the Ravenna court lasted a whole month. Fugger stood in the dock, his white hair glaring under the light.
The judge listed twenty-three charges against him: planning the murder of a family of parliamentarians, instigating attacks on the concession, bribing judges, etc. When the chain of evidence was presented, Fugger slumped in the dock, his face as pale as lime.
When the judge read out the sentence of hanging, suppressed boos came from the gallery - the result of sentencing for multiple crimes brought ruin to the once wealthy businessman.
Torque's trial was full of drama. He overturned his confession and insisted that he was coerced, but the prosecution presented his handwritten bribery records and action instructions, and witnesses identified him as appearing at the assassin's headquarters.
When the judge sentenced him to twenty years in prison, Torke let out an inhuman howl and continued to struggle even when he was dragged out of the courtroom. Considering that he is now nearly fifty years old, it is still unclear whether he can be released from prison under the conditions in the prison.
Amid the heated discussions across the country, the person involved, Minzer, finally returned to the small town outside Padua.
The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the stone road, giving him a golden outline.
He pushed open the mottled wooden door of the monastery, and the familiar musty smell hit him in the face. The sound of wood cutting came from the yard. Minzer looked in the direction of the sound and saw Walden bent over the workbench with concentration, with wood fragments of various shapes scattered on his knees.
The sunlight shone through the gaps in the grape trellis and danced between his calloused fingers. Various tools were scattered on the workbench: carving knives, sandpaper, a small hammer, and a blackened oil lamp.
The yard was filled with unfinished wood carvings, including crosses, statues of saints, and small animals of various shapes. When Minzer pushed the door open, Walden was worrying about the wood - he wanted to carve a rose but could not carve the petals well.
"You can."
Walden leaned against the door and teased.
"They actually got in touch with the Helderland Intelligence Network and sent them to arrest people."
"No such thing."
Min Caier looked at the sawdust all over the ground and the various strange wooden products piled in the yard and asked:
"what are you doing?"
“I just learned carpentry.”
Walden held one up and showed it to Muenzer.
"How about these? I'm going to sell them for money."
When it comes to livelihood issues, Walden's tone suddenly becomes serious:
"You know, the noble council has elected an emperor."