[u]02/04/1910
Helan Mountains, Xingqing district
Ningxia, China[/u]

[i]With the rise of the Warlords and the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Opium trade had returned from the brink of destruction, flourishing once more throughout China. The newly formed Republic had tried to counter and ban the Opium trade like its predecessor, but its rule only extended as far as its territory, rendering the ban ineffective in all but their own province, with little to no exception. However, with Ningxia enforcing the ban days after it had been formally reinstated, more so out of personal distaste rather then unity with The Republic, smuggling became an issue on a day to day basis for both provinces.[/i]

It was a satisfying sight, a group of nine men being led down the mountain path, right to prison. Amongst the onlookers was a veteran in the regiment, engaged in dialogue with his commander.[b] ''Looks like they found another group, this is the third time i've seen the product stuffed into berries. They're getting clever, but not clever enough.'' [/b] With only one river running into the province, and most of the travelable paths going over flat terrain, there wasn't anything besides the mountain chain, that the smugglers could use to have a chance at getting their foul product into Ningxia. Yet this only simplified the task of the provincial government, especially now army regiments were involved. The commander in charge of today's drug bust was, Captain Lee Chan. [b]''Indeed, they are. But it doesn't matter if they have the best disguise on this earth, if we catch them in the mountains, they're going to get searched regardless.''[/b] A less known government policy was to ban the use of paths through the mountain, for local trade caravans and civilians alike, this resulted in all the Opium carvans, cleverly disguised as they might be, standing out like a rose amongst thorns. [b]''Load the product off the carts and place them into our crates, the ones not carrying army insignias, then escort the caravan to Yinchuan. The crew there is preparing another shipment two days from now.[/b]'' 

The soldier obliged, ordering the rest of the soldiers to start loading the cargo. Amongst the soldiers a sole peasant, hand selected from the group being led down the path, the tenth man. [b]''Stage an accident near the town, arrange a public spectacle. Allow our friend here to get caught with a crate of Opium, then execute him in the town square.''[/b] The peasant, visibly shaken by the events unfolding, opted to step forward. [b]''You can't do this! Your law has a prison sentence as the capital punishment, i'll tell the people what you're doing, and once General Hsi-shan finds out, you'll be executed!''[/b] The soldiers around him erupted in laughter, the captain offering him a pleasant smile while taking an execution hood from one of the soldiers, proving that this was a common event to take place whenever people needed to be reminded about the active ban against Opium, to keep its price high, so that those who cannot resist fall for the trap layed out for them. [b]''Who do you think gave me the order? General Yan Shikhai Hsi-shan himself. You are the necessary evil, one that the public can point its fingers too and blame, the evil that people can rally against, the evil we use to keep order and to ensure we enjoy populair support. But mostly, you are the necessary evil that distributes drugs so that the major governments can deny involvement.''[/b] With that the captain pulled the hood over the man's face, binding the man's hands together shortly after. [b]''The ones who know don't care, and the ones who care don't know. Something has to keep the money flowing into our province, you're just a victim of circumstance.''[/b] The peasant had little choice other then to play his part, he was going to die either way. And if he had to choose, a painless death was better then agony.