1928: The Rise of Giants

The little girl, who was renamed Zhou Xuan, nodded in a daze. After a period of communication, she had become quite close to her brother Ye Luo and was willing to sit next to him obediently. She was no longer as wary as she was at the beginning.

Ye Luo and Wang Ji drank for a while. Rosemary's alcohol tolerance was not good, so she just took a few sips and stopped there.

Having learned a lot of information from the second young master tonight, she was satisfied and began to plan to move some of Sassoon & Co.'s financial businesses out of the suburbs.

Ye Luo never shoots without a purpose. The black market financial exchange rate in Shanghai is closely related to the official exchange rate. Sometimes it is easier to make money by controlling this than by doing business well.

Knowing this, he still resolutely gave up the black market in the peripheral areas and focused only on the concession, which shows that there is a big problem!
Just as Rosemary was lost in thought, there was a knock on the door.

Then Ma Yongzhen, wearing a police uniform, with a serious expression and a new pistol on his waist, stepped in.

Seeing that there were beauties of three age groups and from different countries accompanying Ye Luo, Ma Yongzhen smiled awkwardly, feeling as if he had ruined the Second Young Master's good fortune.

"What's wrong, Yongzhen?" Ye Luo put down his wine glass and looked at him with a smile, "Are you not on duty tonight?"

Ye Luo could probably guess the reason for Ma Yongzhen's hasty arrival, but since Rosemary, a woman who was both his friend and his enemy, was present, he pretended to know nothing.

"Second Young Master, something happened in the International Settlement." Ma Yongzhen glanced at the three beauties, walked over and whispered to Ye Luo, "After the monks from the Nichiren sect caused trouble this afternoon, we followed Wu Tiecheng's instructions to make a big deal out of a small matter. But we just received news that the Sanyou Industrial Society headquarters was attacked by unknown persons and a large-scale conflict occurred."

"Well, is anyone dead?" Ye Luo asked with a nod.

"The scene was a bit chaotic. When we arrived, everyone had been evacuated, and the information we have obtained is not complete. But just now the Japanese Consulate General sent a telegram saying that one Japanese person died and one was seriously injured, and asked us to catch the murderer immediately."

Ma Yongzhen said with a gloomy look,

"I suspect they are directing and acting in their own drama."

This afternoon, the newly appointed Japanese spy chief (originally held by Jin Bihui) instigated two Japanese Nichiren sect monks and three Japanese believers to cause trouble at the Sanyou Industrial Society headquarters on Mayushan Road in the Chinese area adjacent to the East District of the Shanghai International Settlement (Yangshupu).

Five Japanese soldiers watched the volunteer army training outside the factory and threw stones to provoke the conflict.

The spy chief had already hired thugs to disguise themselves as workers and blend into the crowd. During the conflict, five Japanese were attacked by unknown persons and were stopped by the patrolmen from the Municipal Council and the officers from the Songhu Police Department who arrived in time.

Unexpectedly, tonight, this group of Japanese invaders ran to the Sanyou Industrial Company headquarters to launch a sneak attack and had a large-scale armed conflict with the workers.

There were casualties during the conflict.

Japan now accuses Shanghai factory patrols of carrying out the attacks.

This is the so-called "Japanese monk incident."

This was the beginning of the January 28 Incident.

This was also a common tactic used by the Japanese invaders. They would first send their own people to cause trouble, and after conflicts and confrontations occurred, they would throw dirty water on the people of the Republic of China.

During the Fengtian Incident, the Japanese invaders deliberately blew up the railway, slandering it as the work of Chinese soldiers, and then took the opportunity to attack Beidaying. Now they are invading all the northern provinces!
The exact same routine appeared in Shanghai, which made Ma Yongzhen feel suspicious.

Before Song Ziwen was assassinated, Ma Yongzhen had just taken the blame. Now he was more cautious in his actions, fearing that he would cause trouble and implicate the second young master.

He actually doesn't care. He has a dead life, and the worst that can happen is that he can go back to the life before he met the second young master, but he doesn't want his affairs to affect the Ye family.

"These Japanese have no good intentions. This is a self-directed act. Don't be impulsive. Send people to appease the employees of Sanyou Industrial Society. As for the Japanese side, delay the matter as much as possible. Anyway, the incident happened near the International Settlement. It should be a headache for those foreigners. You just need to keep your troops on standby." Ye Luo patted Ma Yongzhen, feeling very relieved. This young man who had followed him from the beginning finally learned his lesson and knew that everything cannot be solved by brute force.

"When the Japanese Consulate General sends a telegram, you should report it to the Ministry of Military Affairs and the Secret Service. It's none of your business, so don't worry about it. If anyone dares to trip you up or make a move at this time, you should kill him. Don't be afraid of getting into trouble, I'm here for you."

Ye Luo added, then stood up. Wang Ji beside him quickly followed suit, helped him pick up his coat, and put it on for him.

"I will personally go and talk to the three bosses of Sanyou Industrial Company. I will also contact the Japanese side through the city hall. You don't have to worry about it."

When he was about to reach the door, he stopped again, called Ma Yongzhen, and whispered in his ear: "I estimate that war may break out in the near future. You should quickly notify our brothers stationed in the Police Department, the Municipal Council, the Municipal Council, the Security Command and the City Hall to gather together. Your family members can move to the family building invested by Ye in the concession and do not go out unless necessary."

"Is it so serious, Second Young Master?" Ma Yongzhen's heart tightened. He knew that since Ye Luo mentioned war, there would most likely be a war.

Will Shanghai become the second Fengtian?
He clenched his fists, feeling a little excited and a little worried.

"Don't worry too much about it for now, just listen to my arrangements." Ye Luo patted his back again and comforted him, "If the fight is really like the North, there will be a time for you to take action, don't be impatient."

"Yes! Second Young Master! I'll arrange it right away." Ma Yongzhen stood at attention and saluted, then helped Ye Luo open the door and quickly went out.

Before leaving, Ye Luo pinched Wang Ji's cheek. He knew what this dancing and singing queen meant, but he really didn't have the heart to dwell on romance right now, so he had to leave her aside for now: "You guys continue to eat, drink and have fun. If you get tired, take Xiaoxuan to the guest room upstairs to rest. If Miss Sassoon has any requests, you can ask the manager to satisfy them."

"Well, Second Young Master, please be careful~" Wang Ji's heart was shaken by his pinch, and he lowered his head and said with a red face.

After bidding farewell to the three women, Ye Luo quickly left the Paramount Ballroom.

At the door, rows of black General Motors were lined up neatly on both sides.

Dozens of people in black suits stood respectfully with umbrellas in hand, and led by Shi Jianqiao, they shouted to Ye Luo who came out, "Second Young Master."

"Second Young Master, I heard that the Japanese invaders are causing trouble again?" Shi Jianqiao rubbed her hands ready to fight. Ever since the Hongkou Dojo was destroyed by the Jingwu Athletic Association, she couldn't find any Japanese to practice martial arts with.

During the time she was with Ye Luo, she had basically no chance to fight, which made this female hero very frustrated.

"Well, let's go to the Sanyou Industrial Company headquarters first." Ye Luo rolled his eyes at her, then looked at the pistol on her waist and her slim-fitting cheongsam. He felt like he was playing a game. "You, don't hang the gun like that. That's too much."

"There's nothing we can do about cheongsam." Shi Jianqiao stuck out her tongue.

"How about getting a bandage and tying it around the inside of the thigh?" Ye Luo suggested with a smile, thinking of Aunt Wang in Resident Evil.

Shi Jianqiao glared at him, then thought about it carefully, and it seemed that this was indeed a feasible method!
The fat driver Cao Fan listened to all of this and took note of it. He would find someone to make the equipment tomorrow and give it directly to leader Shi Jianqiao the day after tomorrow!

As the two chatted, the car soon arrived at the Sanyou Industrial Company headquarters.

It was already past 10 o'clock in the evening, but the lights were still on. Dozens of workers were gathered outside, some holding banners, some holding torches and shouting. They were very dissatisfied with the Municipal Council's behavior of sealing up the factory without finding out the cause of the incident.

A group of Municipal Council patrolmen were arguing with the workers, and nearby were Japanese men in suits and ties, as well as other police officers who could not get involved.

It was a mess, and it looked like a new round of conflict could break out at any time. (End of this chapter)