20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 509 Human Spirit
Under the pressure of bursts of gunfire, Xu Huaimin fled out of the alley in a panic.

At this time, he was so frightened that he no longer cared about going to Zhang Mansion to "seek credit". There was nothing else in his mind, and he just ran for his life.

Along the way, there were the sounds of cars honking, horses neighing, and people talking in a noisy manner.

Xu Huaimin just felt dizzy, his ears were buzzing, and he felt like he was trapped in a glass jar, so all sounds became distorted.

Everywhere you look, the people and scenery seem to be changing shapes and appearances, making them look weird and inexplicable.

When he finally came to his senses and looked carefully, he realized that he had unknowingly stood in front of his own door.

At this time, it was just getting dark.

"Boom boom boom!"

Knocked on the door hurriedly.

Seeing that he was pale and terrified, the whole family came forward to ask him questions.

Xu Huaimin didn't have the time to explain too much to his family. After scolding them a few words on the spot, he hurried into the study and locked himself in.

He opened the drawer, took out a Colt revolver and held it in his hand. His tense nerves finally relaxed.

Xu Huaimin sat on the chair, breathing rapidly, and then he suddenly remembered something, so he hurriedly took out the snuff bottle tremblingly and rubbed it on both sides of his philtrum.

"His ha—his ha—"

After taking a few deep breaths, he finally calmed down.

Xu Huaimin sat quietly at his desk for a long while, and his mind began to quickly think of a countermeasure.

After much consideration, he still insisted that the so-called "Axe Gang" could never defeat the "Three Tycoons" of the Green Gang in Shanghai.

Led by Wang Laojiu, the barbarians in northern Anhui are brave and fierce, and they have large numbers and great power.

This is true.

But what level of people are the “Three Tycoons” of the Green Gang?

The military, police, politics, business and corruption are all going on in the five worlds!
The Sanjin Company monopolized the local product trade in the foreign concessions and made a lot of money!

Huang Jinyong has been a Chinese detective in the French Concession since the Guangxu period. He has served in three dynasties and has been active in Shanghai for more than twenty years. He has deep roots and thousands of followers. Even foreigners are polite and flattering to him when they meet him.

Du Yong is no longer the "fruit farmer" of the past. He has four great warriors under his command and is in charge of the "small eight-part party". He is a smooth talker in the political and business circles, and is always trying to climb up. Now he is on the verge of a leap.

Zhang Xiaolin is a cruel and ruthless person. In his early years, he made a name for himself at Shilipu Wharf with his fists and feet. He also studied at the Zhejiang Military Academy, so he made friends with many warlords and was in charge of the military connections of the Sanjin Company.

These three people joined forces, went through countless tests in the martial arts world, and encountered countless coincidences before they finally gained a foothold in the foreign land and became the men who had the final say.
How could such a force be easily shaken by the sudden appearance of the Axe Gang?
People calmed down from their panic.

After figuring this out, Xu Huaimin no longer hesitated. He immediately picked up the receiver on the table and called the Zhang family mansion.

……

……

French Concession, Du Mansion.

It was completely dark outside the window, but the living room was brightly lit and filled with smoke. The laughter and chatter between the host and the guests was intermittent, mixed with the sound of shuffling cards.

Du Yong and Zhang Xiaolin were playing mahjong with two city government officials.

By setting up a game and playing cards, he gave money to the two officials in disguise and bought off their relationship.

Du Yong and Zhang Xiaolin have a life-and-death friendship.

The two of them were close friends, so they often visited each other, and either you were at my house or I was at yours.

The card game was in full swing. The two officials won frequently and "earned" a lot of money. Naturally, they were in a good mood. They talked loudly while drinking tea and smoking.

At this moment, the housekeeper of Zhang Mansion suddenly passed through the moon-shaped doors between the Zhang and Du families, hurriedly came to the living room of Du Mansion, carefully approached the card table, and bent over.

"Master, Boss Du, the two adults... uh, would you like some more tea?"

The housekeeper of Zhang Mansion came to Du Mansion to serve tea and water.

Anyone who sees this kind of thing will find it weird.

Everyone present was a smart person, so naturally they could all understand the hidden meaning behind the butler's words.

Zhang Xiaolin squinted his eyes, raised his hand to grab a mahjong tile, and said with a curled lip, "If you have something to say, just tell me."

"Master, there was a phone call at home just now. It was Manager Xu from the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company. He told me something..." The housekeeper spoke softly and only replied half of the question.

"West Wind!"

Zhang Xiaolin showed off his presence, then frowned and whispered, "Manager Xu, which Manager Xu? Is there anyone with the last name Xu among the shareholders of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company?"

As he spoke, he looked at Du Yong beside him.

"Twenty thousand!"

"Bang!"

Du Yong took out a "Wan" card from his hand and opened the door for the official next to him. After thinking for a moment, he looked up at the housekeeper of Zhang Mansion.

"Manager Xu? Is that Xu Huaimin?"

"Yes, yes, it's Xu Huaimin." The housekeeper bowed and replied quickly.

Du Yong nodded and immediately said to Zhang Xiaolin, "Brother Xiaolin, this Xu Huaimin is the manager of the China Merchants Group in charge of the port operations. Have you forgotten?"

"Oh, I remember now. Six-barrel!" Zhang Xiaolin asked the housekeeper without even looking up. "I haven't done business at the dock for a long time. Why did Yi call me?"

The housekeeper leaned forward and replied softly, "Master, what Manager Xu said is related to your nephew Lou Jingyuan."

"Oh, then let her call Lou Jingyuan. Don't bother me!" Zhang Xiaolin grabbed another mahjong tile, his tone sounding extremely impatient.

At this moment, two city officials at the card table suddenly spoke up.

"Boss Zhang, if you have anything else to do, go ahead and do it. I'm not in a hurry!"

"Yes, Boss Zhang, please don't delay your business just to play cards with us!" Although the two men spoke sincerely, they were both officials and guests, so Zhang Xiaolin didn't dare to leave, so he waved his hand nonchalantly.

"My two lords, don't listen to his nonsense. It's just a trivial matter. Come on, let's play cards!"

As he spoke, he raised his head and glared at the housekeeper, cursing, "What are you still doing here? Can't you see that I am busy? Run away!"

Zhang Xiaolin was famous for his hot temper. Not only was he arrogant and domineering in public, but he would also beat or scold his servants and domestic servants at every turn.

The housekeeper knew Zhang Xiaolin's temper very well, so he didn't dare to say any more nonsense and turned around to leave.

At this moment, Du Yong suddenly said, "Butler Wu, please don't leave yet. Stay here and help me. There is a phone in my study. Please use it first."

Lou Jingyuan is not only the nephew of Zhang Xiaolin's wife, but also a disciple of Du Yong.

If he ran into any trouble, Zhang and Du would naturally not stand idly by.

But now was not the time to ask questions, so Du Yong and Zhang Xiaolin could only deal with the official at the table first and then inquire in detail about the reasons.

Butler Wu understood what was meant, bowed and said goodbye, then went to the study room of the Du Mansion alone. He first called Lou Jingyuan, but it turned out that the person was not at home, so he had to stay in the study room and wait for the card game outside to end.

However, mahjong can boost your energy levels—even better than coffee!
The mahjong games went on round after round, and finally ended at two or three in the morning.

It was not that the two officials were sleepy, but Du Yong suddenly suggested that they go to the guest room to enjoy a batch of foreign soil purchased by Sanjin Company. Only then did the two finally leave.

After the card game was over, Du Yong invited Zhang Xiaolin to his study for a detailed discussion.

The study room in the Du Mansion is very large, with a large collection of new books, all neatly stacked on the bookshelf, like some valuable furnishings.

Du Yong was semi-illiterate, and when it came to reading and writing, he was not even as good as Huang Jinyong and Zhang Xiaolin.

Therefore, he always needs these external "decorations" to dress up his identity and hide his inner inferiority.

After entering the study, Butler Wu immediately relayed the news from Xu Huaimin to the two of them.

After hearing this, Zhang Xiaolin immediately showed disdain and said, "Hey, I thought it was a big deal, but after all this fuss, it turns out that someone wants to seize Lou Jingyuan's dock?"

Du Yong sat on the chair with a frown on his face. He did not judge easily, but asked: "Do they know that Lou Jingyuan is Xiaolin's nephew and my disciple?"

"I know." Butler Wu nodded. "According to Manager Xu, that group of people specifically asked for Lou Jingyuan's dock, and they even used violence against Manager Xu to force him to sign the contract. Manager Xu just wanted to inform us in advance that this matter had nothing to do with him, and he had no other choice just now."

"In that case, Lou Jingyuan is actually a cover. That group of people are clearly coming for me and Brother Xiaolin." Du Yong's face suddenly turned gloomy.

At the same time, Zhang Xiaolin's blood surged and his face immediately turned crimson purple.

"Fuck, that bunch of beggars from northern Anhui are getting more and more aggressive. They've been causing trouble at the docks a few times recently. I don't want to pay any attention to them, but they're still showing off their power!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Butler Wu quickly agreed, "Master, Manager Xu just said that Wang Laojiu and his men are very arrogant, saying that they will attack the docks after getting the contract."

"Go ahead, fight them!" Zhang Xiaolin's eyes widened immediately after hearing this. "Go talk to Lou Jingyuan and ask him to arrange more thugs at the docks recently. If they are not enough, just come to me for help. Damn it, when I was 'conquering the world' at Shilipu Dock, Wang Laojiu, that country bumpkin, was still a vacancy!"

"Master, shall I go now?" asked Butler Wu.

"Wait a minute." Du Yong suddenly raised his hand to stop him. "Butler Wu, you just said...Wang Laojiu's hometown association has changed its name?"

"Yes, according to Manager Xu, it seems that a separate gang was spun off from the hometown association in Anhui Province, and its name is 'Axe Gang'."

"Axe Gang..." Du Yong repeated in a deep voice several times.

Zhang Xiaolin was very impatient, and waved his hands and said, "Hey, A'yong, don't be so suspicious all the time. If you are afraid of what they will do, just beat them up!"

"Brother Xiaolin, don't be impulsive." Du Yong said a few words to comfort him, "I just find it strange that Wang Laojiu has always used the name of the hometown association, why did he suddenly change it?"

"Huh, the Axe Gang? They can call it whatever they want. We have connections everywhere in the military, police, government and business circles. We are also disciples of the Green Gang. Why should we be afraid of them?"

"Brother Xiaolin, I'm not afraid, but the hometown association suddenly became the Axe Gang and gave Manager Xu 10,000 yuan. I guess Wang Laojiu must have been funded by someone else."

"Funding?" Zhang Xiaolin laughed coldly, "I'm in Shanghai, just say a word, I want to see who dares to fund Yi Wang Laojiu?"

Zhang Xiaolin has always been arrogant and domineering in the foreign concessions.

His reaction was indeed consistent with his character.

However, among the "three big bosses" of the Green Gang, only Du Yong, due to his humble background, has always been low-key and cautious in his daily behavior.

Instead of getting angry immediately, he became more and more suspicious.

Zhang Xiaolin was both angry and amused by Du Yong's indecisiveness. He waved his hand and said:

"Okay, okay, A-Yong, I know you're better off being safe than sorry. How about this, just let me handle Lou Jingyuan's affairs, is that ok with you?"

However, Du Yong shook his head and said, "No, no, no, Brother Xiaolin, this matter is really too strange. It's not just in the Axe Gang. It's best if your people don't move for now."

"Oh my, what's so strange about that!" Zhang Xiaolin said with annoyance, "Wang Laojiu came to seize the dock, and we came to guard the dock. If an enemy comes, we will fight him; if a flood comes, we will block it with earth. How simple is that!"

Du Yong stood up from his chair and paced back and forth in the study room unconsciously.

"Brother Xiaolin, Wang Laojiu also worked at the docks before. He must know the rules of grabbing docks. How could he send someone to find Manager Xu first?"

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaolin couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, blinked, scratched his head, and suddenly came to an absurd conclusion:

"Ah Yong, what you mean is that Manager Xu is actually in cahoots with Wang Laojiu and the others, and deliberately spread false information to us?"

Du Yong almost fainted when he heard this, and quickly explained:

"Manager Xu is an old Shanghainese. He knows what will happen if he offends us, but he is likely being used without realizing it."

"How do you mean?" Zhang Xiaolin asked.

Du Yong said in a deep voice: "Brother Xiao Lin, you are right about one thing just now - this must be fake news! Only fake news can explain the actions of the Axe Gang."

"Boss Du, that means they didn't intend to seize the dock at all?" Butler Wu came over to add insult to injury, "Or, what they really wanted to seize wasn't Lou Jingyuan's territory?"

"Yes, I think the 'Axe Gang' is very likely trying to make a feint to the east and attack in the west!" Du Yong suddenly stopped and stood in front of Zhang Xiaolin, "Brother Xiaolin, if you send people to Baolou Jingyuan's dock, you will fall into their trap and transfer our people away."

"Ah Yong, you sound very logical, but aren't you just guessing?" Zhang Xiaolin laughed, "A feint to the east and attack in the west? Could that Wang Laojiu come and smash our mansion?"

Du Yong shook his head lightly:
"I don't know whether he will destroy our mansion, but I do know that in a few days, a large batch of local products from Sanjin Company will arrive at the port."

(End of this chapter)