20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 119 Betting on the Future
Zhou Yunfu beat everyone one by one, and now sat up, as if he was about to get to the point.

"Have you guys read the newspaper recently?"

The three of them nodded in silence.

Although Jiang Chenghai could not read well and had no time to read newspapers after moving out of Xiaodao, he would still ask Sun Chengmo to talk to him about current affairs when he had nothing to do.

"There seems to be a lot of chaos in the customs recently. Look at the situation, and they are starting to shout for the Qing Dynasty again. What do you think?"

The three of them knew as soon as they heard that the old man was planning to take advantage of the situation, but they had not yet made up their mind on which side he wanted to take advantage of.

Bai Baochen is relying on the support of the Japanese, and it is obviously not wise to confront him head-on. At the moment, the only way to reverse the situation is to wait for changes and fish in troubled waters.

Chen Wantang snorted and shook his head with disdain on his face.

"This is nothing new. It's just a small fuss. It won't become a big deal."

"That's not necessarily the case." Xu Ruqing had another opinion, "The current situation is different from before. In the past, there was Lafayette in the palace. Although everyone in the world scolded her, no one ever said that she was not powerful or cunning. Not hard. Now that the old Buddha is gone, how can the little emperor suppress so many New Deal ministers? Besides, I’m afraid it’s impossible to say whether the New Army’s butts are still with the imperial court or not.”

Chen Wantang dismissed this.

Do women dare to talk about state affairs?
Chen Wantang holds on to old masculinist ideas, but he doesn't know that in terms of the current situation, his knowledge may not be as good as Xu Ruqing's.

There is no other reason than that when people with lofty ideals from all over the country discuss the plan to defeat the Qing Dynasty, in order to hide their opinions, they often hold secret discussions in local hotels, clubs or prostitutes. "Huifangli" naturally received many such guests.

Xu Ruqing was an old man, and these "guests" came to one place in small groups. Even if they didn't tell them the reason, she could guess the general idea after just a little inquiry.

These people come from all walks of life, and the military, police, and businessmen are mixed together. Therefore, Xu Ruqing becomes more and more convinced that the Qing Dynasty this time is not a child's play.

"Sister Hong, after hearing what you said, do you really think the imperial court will fall?" Han Ce curled his lips in disbelief.

Xu Ruqing walked back to the square table, sat down, and said, "No one can say whether they will fall or not. However, those of us who are running around in the world are just following the trend. If they really succeed, it is too late to improvise. , you still have to get online as soon as possible.”

Zhou Yunfu did not comment, turned to look at Hai Lao Owl, and asked: "Cheng Hai, tell me."

Jiang Chenghai frowned and carefully considered his words.

"Old man, to be honest, I don't really believe that there will be chaos outside the customs. If there is chaos, of course we will follow wherever the barrel of the gun is. It is best to be prepared with both hands."

Zhou Yunfu closed his eyes tightly and just shook his head. He said nothing for a long time, as if he was not satisfied with the suggestions of these three people.

Jiang Chenghai and others had nothing to say.

After all, even if his words are worn out, the final decision must be made by the old man himself.

After being silent for a while, Zhou Yunfu mused: "If you fight against two rabbits, you won't get one. If you try to please both sides, you will end up offending both sides."

The three of them were speechless. Only Han Ce asked blankly: "Then who should we bet on?"

"The relationship between the old army patrol battalion and us has always been good, and we must continue to maintain it." Zhou Yunfu looked at Xu Ruqing and continued, "That Wang Yanzong helped us this time and was dismissed from his post and investigated. We must follow the etiquette. .”

"Yes, I know."

"Han Ce!" Zhou Yunfu called his nephew again, "As for you, you have to go to the martial arts hall recently to try to make friends. You can't just point at the old people in the patrol camp!"

The academies of the martial arts halls in the three eastern provinces mainly focus on the promotion of patrol battalions.

Those young people may not have much real power now, but as long as the world changes, military officers will be promoted as fast as lightning, and before that, it is the easiest time to make friends.

"As for the new army and the Qing faction, let them have a hard time, I will not get involved."

Xu Ruqing and Jiang Chenghai looked at each other and asked in unison: "Old man, why is this?"

Zhou Yunfu sneered and said: "I also know where they came from. There are shadows of Lao Hongmen and Pao Gehui behind them, as well as new troops, businessmen, beards, and rural warriors. They seem to be united vertically and horizontally, but in fact they are a mess. Disorder lacks a leader with real power!"

Everyone was speechless and listened quietly to the old fox's analysis.

"Whether it's Lao Hongmen or Brother Pao, in the final analysis, they are still a bunch of gangsters. They love to deceive and deceive people everywhere under the guise of bringing down the Qing Dynasty. Even if something happens - don't worry - there will be no leader to suppress them. In the end, they will definitely turn against each other because of the 'unequal distribution of the spoils'. I have seen this kind of thing too many times."

A cold light flashed in Zhou Yunfu's eyes.

In his view, the Qing Dynasty was a mixture of too many Jianghu cliques, but not even a truly powerful speaker. Their actions were all based on passion. Once they hit a nail, they would be scattered, each working independently. To protect yourself.

Nowadays, they seem to share the same hatred, but in fact they are all taking advantage of each other.

The Nanbang Jianghu has already divided the accounts, and has discussed who will be the governor and who will be in charge of military affairs in the future. Now they are going to the Central Plains and outside the customs to stir up trouble, talking only about righteousness, not benefits, and using other people's blood to exchange for their own future. Of course Beibang Jianghu will not do it.

Moreover, the northern court was so powerful that it was not easy to cause trouble.

All these signs made Zhou Yunfu would rather fail than risk his life to make wedding clothes for others.

The old man's attitude was established, and naturally the others had nothing to say.

"You three, no matter what happens during this period, you should work hard, be patient and wait for the opportunity."

Zhou Yunfu held Han Ce's shoulder with one hand and stood up shakily. He had just taken two steps when he suddenly coughed several times and staggered. He suddenly fell down on the square table in front of him and almost fell to the ground.

Jiang Chenghai and others were shocked and quickly stood up to help, but the old man blocked them with his hands. "Wantang, I can only feel sorry for you recently."

Chen Wantang nodded silently.

"Chenghai, you are getting old too. Please be more careful and don't let Bai Baochen take advantage of you. Han Ce did something wrong and failed to clear out Wang Sanquan. Is the matter with your two little brothers settled?"

Jiang Chenghai said "Yeah": "It's settled."

"Daughter, it seems that the business in Huifangli is going to be moved. I found a place for you in Xiaoxiguan. It's not as luxurious as before, but it won't embarrass you."

Xu Ruqing lowered her eyebrows and said softly: "Godfather, don't worry, even if it's flat, I can still help you get your business back."

Zhou Yunfu nodded repeatedly like a rooster pecking at rice, and slowly moved towards the door with the help of his nephew.

When they were leaving, the old man suddenly turned around again, stared at the three people for a while, and even clasped his fists for no reason. There was fierceness in his eyes, and his voice seemed to be much louder.

"Everyone, a single thread cannot make a thread, and a lonely tree cannot make a forest. I, Zhou Yunfu, have been able to achieve the success of these more than ten years without your help. The current situation is difficult, and everyone has worked hard. I hope we can get through this difficult time!"

Hearing this, Jiang Chenghai and others were suddenly startled.

They couldn't remember the last time Zhou Yunfu showed such an expression.

years ago?Even ten years ago?

All in all, they had almost forgotten that when the old man was young, he had a bright and heroic side.

If not, how could he have been the boss for so many years?
How could a person who can make everyone surrender and be looked upon by the government always have a sinister and cunning face?

Unfortunately, once people become old and weak or suffer from chronic illness, their temperament will inevitably change drastically, so that the younger generations will mistakenly think that Zhou Yunfu has always been vicious and suspicious.

But at that moment, Jiang Chenghai and others seemed to see Zhou Yunfu again, the man who once made them willing to work for him!
As a result, everyone picked up their clothes and knelt down.

"Old man, don't worry!"

"Well, let's go."

Zhou Yunfu turned around, and with the help of his nephew, he continued to take small steps, difficult and slow.

Jiang Chenghai and others raised their heads to watch, and the hope that had just flashed in their eyes dimmed instantly.

After all, Zhou Yunfu was old, and his body was already rickety, like a dying old ape. The smoke and dust not only devoured his energy, but also made his temperament suspicious.

His memory was obviously getting worse and worse, but the bloody debts that he had long forgotten came back to him inexplicably. The smoke he exhaled often turned into human faces, which finally made him panic all day long, so that he turned into It looks like this now...

Walked out of the yard and got into the carriage.

Zhou Yunfu suddenly grabbed his nephew's hand, panted heavily and said, "You must keep an eye on Chen Wantang!"

……

……

The night is getting dark, Guangyuan Bank, the northern branch of the city.

After bidding farewell to his sixth and seventh uncles, Jiang Xiaodao of course did not go home to accompany his wife. Instead, he visited here at night. He walked to the back street in the dark, stood at the entrance of the alley, looked around, made sure there was no one around, and then walked towards the bank. back door.

Before I could get closer, I suddenly heard the sound of people walking and talking in the yard!

Jiang Xiaodao quickly turned sideways, hiding himself at the corner of the courtyard wall, squatting down, turning his head, revealing half of his face.

"It's so late, who else can come?"

After muttering twice, the door to the courtyard was suddenly pushed open.

"Master Su understands the righteousness, thank you very much!"

"Being polite and polite, trying to save the nation is our responsibility."

"It's amazing, it's amazing! Since Mr. Su has another guest, I will take my leave first."

"I'm really sorry. Let's talk about it some other time. Walk slowly, walk slowly."

"Young Master Su stay behind."

Under the dim night, I saw two figures clasping their fists and bowing towards the courtyard, and then walked away quickly with a smile.

Without looking carefully, Jiang Xiaodao could already guess the identities of the two people just by their accents.

"This is...Tan Renjun and Liu Yansheng?"

　Thanks to CV Black Knight for your reward support!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)