20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 507 Give Me Some Money First

Three days later, the Bund China Merchants Steam Navigation Company.

After two heavy rains, autumn has deepened in Shanghai and the weather has suddenly turned cooler.

Near noon, the sound of a car bell suddenly rang out on the street.

From afar, people followed the sound, and a rickshaw came closer and closer, and finally stopped slowly opposite China Merchants Street.

Immediately, a pair of black leather shoes stepped on the wet ground.

Liu Yansheng slowly got off the rickshaw and looked around for a moment.

He was wearing a brand new silver-gray suit, carrying a briefcase, with a slicked-back hair and a well-mannered face. He looked like a big comprador of a foreign company or an international lawyer who moved between Chinese and foreigners.

The rickshaw driver pointed to a small newsstand not far away and reminded in a hoarse voice:

"Mr. Liu, I'll wait for you over there."

"Okay, thank you."

Liu Yansheng nodded, then turned and looked at the reddish-brown three-story building across the street. He couldn't help but frowned slightly, seeming a little disappointed.

The China Merchants Steam Navigation Company was originally a "government-supervised and merchant-operated" company planned by Li Hongzhang. From the very beginning, it had a strong official color.

After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the Ministry of Communications tried several times to intervene and take over, but was unable to do so due to the joint protests of major shareholders.

Of course, it is obviously unrealistic for such a large-scale shipping giant to completely break away from the influence of the government.

Therefore, the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company has always been "both a government and a business". It is a private company that is responsible for its own profits and losses, and it can be considered half a government office.

Most of the barges, docks and warehouses along the Huangpu River are assets owned by China Merchants Group.

The various gangs fought each other, and finally had to come here to get a business certificate, which was considered to be the final way to take over the wharf and demarcate each other's sphere of influence.

However, for such a powerful shipping company, its headquarters building is not as impressive as expected.

Liu Yansheng stood where he was, tightened his tie, brushed off his suit, and smoothed his hair. Only after he had made himself look exceptionally presentable did he cross the street and walk towards the gate of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company.

Meet the receptionist, explain your purpose, and verify the appointment information.

Immediately afterwards, Liu Yansheng, under the guidance of the China Merchants Bank staff, came to the door of an office near the corner of the corridor.

"Boom boom boom!"

Knock on the door gently a few times.

After a while, a nasal voice came from inside the house: "Come in!"

Liu Yansheng turned the doorknob and walked into the office with a smile on his face. He looked around and then suddenly stopped, then hurried forward and bowed.

"Oh, you are Manager Xu, right?"

He walked quickly to the desk and stretched out his hand with a smile.

"I'm Liu Yansheng, nice to meet you!"

At this moment, behind the desk sat a man with a square head in his forties.

Xu Huaimin was a big, plump man with a ruddy complexion. He was the manager of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company, in charge of terminal operations.

The power is not great, but the benefits are plentiful.

Working in this position for three or two years is enough to make a fortune.

However, although China Merchants Steam Navigation Company's main business is shipping, over the past few decades its business territory has spread across all industries in Shanghai.

Banking, insurance, mining, real estate...

These are the revenue priorities of China Merchants Group and Kuaiqian.

In comparison, the small dock business is nothing more than a few melons and dates, and is really not worth mentioning.

Therefore, although Xu Huaimin had the power to appoint dock managers, he was by no means a powerful figure within the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company.

After all, the title of dock manager only sounds glamorous. If you change the title to shipping assistant, shipping foreman, or shipping boss...

It immediately sounded downgraded and seemed to be just that.

But people in this position cannot avoid dealing with gang forces all year round.

The ruffians in the foreign concessions needed his help, so naturally they all looked down on him. Over time, this man became a little confused.

Xu Huaimin gradually mistook the power in his hands for his own strength, and he became more and more self-righteous, even often sighing quietly under the lamp at night:
Alas, if I were not here, this foreign land would be in such a mess - it's not easy for me!

Since Xu Huaimin believed that he could mediate gang disputes, he certainly did not take Liu Yansheng seriously.

Seeing the other party coming with a smile, he just leaned forward lazily and shook hands reluctantly. Then he opened the drawer, took out a snuff bottle, rubbed it on his philtrum with his little finger, took two deep puffs, sneezed, and while he was busying around, he asked questions without looking him in the eye.

"I heard you want to ask me to do something?"

"Yes, yes, yes. No one comes to see you for no reason. I really have something to ask for."

"Oh, do you understand the rules?" Xu Huaimin tilted his head back, his nose pointing upwards, and asked with his mouth open.

"Of course, I know the rules." Liu Yansheng looked towards the door, then turned around, patted his briefcase twice, and smiled in a low voice, "Manager Xu, don't worry, the money is ready for you."

"Well, let's sit down and talk!" Xu Huaimin raised his chin towards the chair diagonally opposite him.

Liu Yansheng leaned over and sat down, opened the copper buckle on his briefcase, pulled out a palm-sized bill from it, placed it on the desk, and gently pushed it over.

"Manager Xu, this is a remittance order for 10,000 yuan from the National Bank. Please accept it."

Xu Huaimin stretched his neck to take a look, but did not take it. Instead, he picked up a thread-bound book on the table and threw it over with a "click", covering the remittance slip tightly underneath.

Ten thousand dollars is not a small amount.

If the money was given by a Qing Gang disciple, and even if it was a bit too much, Xu Huaimin might not dare to take it.

But Liu Yansheng is different. He has no master in the Qing Gang.

Moreover, the top management of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company had not greeted him before the meeting, which meant that this person had no background, so Xu Huaimin immediately put on airs.

Although ten thousand yuan is enough, there is obviously room for improvement.

So Xu Huaimin closed his eyes and just sat there without saying a word.

Seeing this, Liu Yansheng quickly smiled and said, "Don't be offended, Manager Xu. We are just starting out now. Once the brothers take over the dock, we will give you all the harvest from the first month as a gift to you."

Hearing this, Xu Huaimin raised his eyelids, as if he had just accidentally dozed off. Now he came to his senses and immediately put on a smile.

"Oh, well, you're lucky you met me. If it was someone else, I wonder if they would have the time to listen to your nonsense. I can't help it. It's all my own fault. Who made me a soft-hearted and easy-going person?"

"Yes, yes, Manager Xu looks like a kind-hearted person."

"Alas, a kind person is often bullied, and a kind horse is often ridden. Okay, okay, let's not talk about this anymore." Xu Huaimin waved his hand generously, and then asked, "By the way, which wharf did you choose?"

Not only did Xu Huaimin not know which dock Liu Yansheng wanted, he didn't even know what gang the other party was from, because he didn't care about the matter at all.

To him, it didn’t matter which gang the dock belonged to.

The most important thing is how much benefit he can get from it.

In this position, every time the wharf changes hands, a lot of money can be made, so naturally they hope that there will be constant disputes between gangs. The more they switch sides, the more profitable it will be.

However, when he heard the other party's request, he couldn't help but be stunned.

"We want the three docks along the Shilipu coast, close to Dongjiadu." Liu Yansheng said lightly.

"Those three docks? Jinyuan Dock?" Xu Huaimin frowned immediately, his eyes rolled, and he muttered to himself, "That's Lou Jingyuan's territory!"

"Yes, what we want is Lou Jingyuan's territory."

"hiss--"

Xu Huaimin couldn't help but look at Liu Yansheng twice more, and asked tentatively: "Do you know what Lou Jingyuan's background is?" "I know." Liu Yansheng nodded and confirmed, "Zhang Xiaolin's wife's nephew, Du Yong's disciple."

"Oh, you know!" Xu Huaimin secretly breathed a sigh of relief, "That means you and Lou Jingyuan have already reached an agreement?"

"What's agreed?"

"Tsk, what are the conditions!"

Xu Huaimin said anxiously, "You want to take over Jinyuan Wharf, so you must have given Lou Jingyuan a lot of benefits, right? Otherwise, why would they give you the land?"

"No, we haven't talked about it. We came directly to see Manager Xu." Liu Yansheng said calmly without changing his expression.

"What did you say? Never talked about it?"

Xu Huaimin's eyes suddenly widened, his face was full of disbelief at first, and then a trace of anger suddenly flashed across his face.

"Then I can't give you a contract!" He waved his hand impatiently, "I thought you really understood the rules. You've been making a fuss for so long, and you're just wasting time here. Go away!"

Liu Yansheng tilted his head and asked in a confused tone, "Hmm? Isn't it Manager Xu who has the final say on recruiting a dock manager?"

"I told you that you don't know the rules!" Xu Huaimin tapped on the table, "You got the order wrong. For me, this should be the last step!"

"Really? Could you please, Manager Xu, give us some advice?" Liu Yansheng asked.

Xu Huaimin sighed.

He didn't want to give up the ten thousand dollars in front of him easily. After thinking it over, he reluctantly said:

"You guys should negotiate with other gangs first. Whether you use people, knives, or money to negotiate, it all depends on how capable you are."

Liu Yansheng nodded, listened quietly and said nothing.

Xu Huaimin glanced at the thread-bound books on the table, and then put on a tireless attitude of teaching: "It seems that it is not easy for you to come from other places. How about I give you some advice?"

"Okay, okay, thank you very much, Manager Xu!" Liu Yansheng quickly bowed and clasped his hands.

Xu Huaimin sighed, "You said you don't have any Green Gang members, so you can only fight with your fists in this foreign land. But the problem is, without the Green Gang's permission, even if you rob goods at the dock, you have nowhere to sell them. There is no other way out, you can only destroy the goods on the spot."

"The goods are destroyed, and then what?"

"Do more and over time, you can force those merchants to send people to negotiate with you and pay tribute to you for protection, provided that you work hard and defeat other gangs at the dock. When your reputation spreads, maybe some big businessmen will talk to you about cooperation. After you get the money, you can find someone with a high seniority in the Green Gang and worship him as the boss. This will count as a master, and people in the underworld will recognize you. Then you can force the boss of that gang to nominate you as the dock manager, and that's it."

"Will this drive Lou Jingyuan out of Jinyuan Wharf?"

"What are you talking about in your sleep?"

Xu Huaimin suddenly said seriously: "I said this so that you can deal with other small gangs. Who is Lou Jingyuan? Is he someone you can touch?"

"But we just want his territory." Liu Yansheng said stubbornly.

Xu Huaimin frowned, but said, "Then you guys go and negotiate on your own. Once you've settled the matter, come back to me. It doesn't matter who I issue the contract to."

"Manager Xu, please issue us a contract first!" Liu Yansheng had a smile on his face and had no intention of leaving.

Xu Huaimin was stunned for a moment, blinked twice, and thought to himself: I just said a lot, but you didn’t understand anything?
"You are really talking to a cow!" He cursed a few times in a low voice, then raised his hand and shouted, "Go, go, go away now, you don't understand what I say!"

Liu Yansheng quickly explained with a smile: "Manager Xu, calm down. This is what we want you to do. We hope you can give us a contract first, so that when we start, we can have a legitimate reason, right?"

"What the hell did you say?"

Xu Huaimin immediately became furious. He slapped the thread-bound book with a "slap", pointed at Liu Yansheng's nose, and started cursing loudly.

"Fuck you, you little bastard. Do you think I, Xu Huaimin, am an idiot? You haven't even finished discussing the matter yet, and you want me to issue two contracts at the same time. When the two of you start fighting, I'll be stuck in the middle and you'll all come to settle the score with me? Damn it, you're plotting against me. Get out of here right now!"

Liu Yansheng's proposal is simply pushing people into the fire pit.

Of course Xu Huaimin refused to agree. He was so angry that he threw away the 10,000 yuan in his hand. He crumpled it into a ball and smashed it in the other party's face.

Liu Yansheng was neither anxious nor annoyed. He bent down to pick up the paper ball on the ground, carefully smoothed out the bill, and put it back on the desk.

Then he slowly stood up and nodded to Xu Huaimin politely and gracefully.

"Manager Xu, there is no such thing as getting the money back once it's given out. Here's a remittance order for 10,000 yuan from the National Bank. Please consider it carefully."

"I'm thinking about your mother—"

Xu Huaimin was about to curse again when he suddenly felt something was wrong. After thinking about it carefully, the flesh on his face immediately jumped up.

"Hush! Wait a minute, you little naked guy, who the hell do you think you are? How dare you come here and threaten me?"

"Manager Xu, you are too polite. I really didn't mean that. I just want to have a pleasant cooperation with you as much as possible."

"fart!"

Xu Huaimin stood up suddenly and shouted, "Which gang are you in? I tell you, no one in this foreign land dares to talk to me like this!"

"Axe Gang." Liu Yansheng said calmly, "I'm not from the Axe Gang, but I'm here to bring a message for them today. Just let Manager Xu know."

"Axe Gang?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Huaimin couldn't help but mutter a few words under his breath.

Although the Green Gang is the most respected gang in Shanghai, many branch gangs have spawned from the headquarters and they often compete with each other.

The Big and Small Eight-part Party, the Thirty-six-part Party, the Four Great Vajras, the Eight Great Courtiers, the Thirteen Taibao, the Five Tigers and One Leopard, the Southern Tyrant, the Northern Tyrant, the Nine Snakes...

Because of his duties, Xu Huaimin had at least heard of all these things, even if he didn't know them. The only thing he had never heard of was the so-called "Axe Gang".

"What the hell is this Axe Gang? Where did these stinky beggars come from? How dare they come here and make trouble?" Xu Huaimin asked, cursing.

"This is Jiu Ye's gang. Manager Xu, please take care of it in the future." Liu Yansheng's tone was still very polite.

"Master Jiu? That Wang Laojiu?"

Xu Huaimin immediately showed disdain on his face and cursed on the spot: "Damn it, if I had known that you were in cahoots with those northern Anhui barbarians, I would never have let you in this door!"

Liu Yansheng couldn't help but frowned: "Manager Xu, don't worry about where you are from, as long as you can make money, it's fine. I thought you were a businessman."

"Don't try that on me!" Xu Huaimin walked around the desk and pressed forward. "Wang Laojiu doesn't know the rules and just acts recklessly. There's no place for him in this foreign land. Get out of here!"

Liu Yansheng did not retreat, but remained standing where he was, but there was a hint of regret in his expression.

Xu Huaimin pointed at him and said, "And you, you speak with a Cantonese accent, with a hint of Northeastern accent, and you go to speak for the Anhui gang, it's out of place, who the hell do you think you are!"

As soon as these words came out, Liu Yansheng's face suddenly turned three points colder.

He lowered his eyes, looked at the place on his clothes that Xu Huaimin had touched, gently brushed it twice with the back of his hand, then raised his head and smiled at Xu Huaimin.

"Manager Xu, I have already said everything my boss has entrusted me to say. Is there anything else you are unclear about?"

"W-what did you say?"

Xu Huaimin looked stunned.

For a moment, he even suspected that the pretty boy in front of him might not understand Chinese at all.

"If there's nothing wrong, I'll leave first."

Liu Yansheng said as he held out his hand expressionlessly: "Please think about it slowly. Don't worry. Just give us an answer before 4pm."

After hearing this, Xu Huaimin's face turned as red as a boiled eggplant. He felt like he was filled with anger and wanted to vent it, but he couldn't find a topic to vent.

After a moment's silence, he suddenly yelled, "Get out! Get out now! If we weren't in the Merchants Bank, I would have beaten you up long ago! Get out!"

Liu Yansheng listened quietly to Xu Huaimin's scolding without looking away, then turned around and opened the door.

When it’s time to leave, take off your hat and salute.

"Manager Xu, please stay. You don't have to see me off."

(End of this chapter)