20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 525: The evildoers will eventually be punished by the evildoers [Congratulations to the operation officer]

The Shilipu Wharf has been shut down for the fourth day.

Afternoon, French Concession, Police Station.

Wong Kam-yung was ordered to go to the Office of the Commissioner of Police to report on his work.

Inspector Huang, who is usually so majestic and arrogant, now looks like a lone chick in front of the foreign master. He is terrified and uneasy.

Police Chief Salley was sitting in a chair. He glanced at him with his dejected eyes, and Huang Jinyong already had cold sweat on his forehead.

The French Concession has been in turmoil recently. First there was a robbery of local products, then there was a fight at the dock, and today there was the disappearance of the chief mining officer of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company. The French are very angry and the consequences are serious.

Although these cases were a bit puzzling and not uncommon, their continuous occurrence still had a significant negative impact, causing the French Concession to lose face, so they took their anger out on the Chinese detectives.

"I don't care about the truth," Sarri said straight to the point, relaying through a translator, "These cases are all your own business. I just want to eliminate the negative impact as soon as possible."

Huang Jinyong nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes, don't worry, Director. These three cases have already been solved. They were done by the Axe Gang. As long as you sign the arrest warrant, I will immediately seal off their clubhouse!"

"No!" Sarri refused flatly, "The case must be brought to justice. If we rashly close down the hometown association, it will only cause greater negative impact!"

The French have been deeply rooted in Shanghai for decades. They are well aware of the number of laborers from Anhui Province and that these laborers are spread across all walks of life. If they use extreme means, they may trigger a larger-scale strike.

Sarri reminded again: "Inspector Huang, I said I don't care about the truth, don't you understand what I mean?"

Huang Jinyong was startled, then quickly smiled and said, "I understand, I understand. As long as the Director agrees, our detective can close the case tonight."

"Closing the case is easy, but what the Municipal Council is most concerned about now is when the dock can resume operations!" Salley lit a cigar and continued, "Inspector Huang, we know your relationship with those gangs, so I hope you can mediate the dock shutdown as soon as possible."

"Director, I also want to mediate as soon as possible, but those little bastards in northern Anhui just refuse to leave, and you won't let us arrest them, this..."

"If they don't leave, then you go!"

Salli put it quite bluntly. He didn't care about the reputation of the so-called Green Gang at all, but only cared about the stability and prosperity of the French Concession.

At present, it seems that it is time for Shilipu Wharf to change its destiny.

After all, the Green Gang has long stopped supporting the dock workers, and the "Three Big Moguls" now focus on local products and work together with the political, business, military and police forces. They leave most of the dock business to their disciples and no longer interfere.

Huang Jinyong didn't make any money from the dock, but as a matter of face, he could give up the dock but he absolutely couldn't let anyone take it away. He was a little troubled for a moment.

Sarri didn't hear any response, his face became more and more gloomy, and finally he threatened: "If you can't solve the problem, the Municipal Council will consider stopping the local product business in the concession in the short term!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Jinyong quickly apologized, "No, no, no, Governor, there is really no need for this. Please give me a few more days. I will definitely solve the labor problem as soon as possible."

"Three days." Sarri issued an ultimatum, "I'll only give you three days. No matter what means you use, I want to see the docks resume operations!"

At the order, Huang Jinyong had no choice but to leave the Office of the Chief of Police obediently.

In the past, he had "solved" several major cases himself, but half of them were directed and acted by him, and the other half were handled by some small-time scoundrels.

Now, when he really encountered a group of desperate criminals who valued money over their lives and dared to challenge the Green Gang, he didn't give face to anyone and didn't owe anyone any favors. Even Huang Jinyong couldn't help but feel a little at a loss.

…………

French Concession, Zhang Mansion.

Yan Chaosheng led two brothers into the living room quickly, bowed beside Zhang Xiaolin and whispered: "Marshal, no, we can't find a chance."

Over the past four days, he and his brothers have been waiting for an opportunity to assassinate Wang Laojiu, but the Anhui Hometown Association Hall was like an iron barrel formation, with strict defenses day and night, and he had no chance to do it at all.

Moreover, the Axe Gang members are numerous and powerful, and there is no guarantee of victory even if they fight head-on.

Most importantly, the jute skin conveyed the attitude of the French police - in order to curb the spread of public opinion as soon as possible, the French did not want any more unrest to happen in the concession, including the former lawless area.

Zhang Xiaolin was so anxious that he stared blankly and cursed on the spot: "That bitch, Wang Laojiu, that little bastard, has become a coward. If you have the guts, just come out and fight. What a piece of shit!"

Lou Jingyuan, who was standing beside him, had just recovered from the swelling on his face. He was also eager to take revenge, so he volunteered, "Uncle, how about we get some explosives and blow up Wang Laojiu's clubhouse?"

"Then you'd better make sure to blow him up to death." Yan Chaosheng snorted coldly, "Otherwise, this will be considered a mortal enemy. You will always have to be on guard in the future. If you are a little careless, you will easily be in danger."

"This won't work, and that won't work. Should I just do nothing and watch him take over my dock?" Lou Jingyuan cursed angrily.

Yan Chaosheng sat down and said, "There's nothing we can do about it. It's hard to turn a big ship around. The Marshal is now a famous person in Shanghai. He can't just get into fights and gunfights like he did before. Wang Laojiu and the others don't have any concerns."

Lou Jingyuan turned to look at his uncle, and seeing that Zhang Xiaolin was silent and had an extremely ugly expression, he did not dare to urge him any more.

Zhang Xiaolin had been in Shanghai for several years, and he had to admit that Wang Laojiu was the first real tough guy he had ever met. The usual tactics he used were completely ineffective against the Axe Gang.

Moreover, Wang Laojiu now has Jiang Lianheng by his side to help him with advice. The background of this "military advisor" of the Axe Gang is still unclear.

After a moment's silence, he suddenly called the butler to his side and said, "Go next door and see if A-Yong is there. Tell him I have something to talk to him about."

Butler Wu took the order, walked out of the mansion, passed through the Moon Gate, and rushed to the Du Mansion.

…………

At this time, Du Yong and Ye Chaosan were meeting in the study, with a letter spread out on the table.

This is a threatening letter delivered by the postman this morning. The sender is Wang Laojiu.

With the mottled light from the window, you can clearly see a few lines of cursive script.

"Mr. Du Yong:
"You and I have no hatred, but your disciple Lou Jingyuan has been oppressing fellow workers from Anhui Province for no reason, and is an enemy of our Axe Gang!

"Now that our guild hall has taken over the Shilipu Wharf, it is in accordance with the will of heaven and the will of the people. The China Merchants Steam Navigation Company has been denying everything and the workers are calling for a break. I advise you not to interfere at will, so as to avoid bringing trouble upon yourself.

"After you read this letter, you must immediately disband the members of the Green Gang in Shiliupu, order Lou Jingyuan to come to our club to apologize in person, and return Mr. Jiang's visiting card.

"The above three points should be followed as soon as possible. The deadline is three days. If anyone violates it, all members of the Axe Gang will come to your house, knock on your door with axes, cut off your head, and massacre the Du Mansion with blood!

"The souls who died under the sword back then, and the wealth and glory today, are all gone!
"Don't say I didn't warn you!
"Wang Laojiu."

The letter was very short. After reading it, Du Yong's face was uncertain. Although he was not afraid, he felt a little uneasy. He had just received the news that the general manager of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company had "disappeared". Now that he received this letter and recalled Wang Laojiu's various behaviors, his idea of ​​revenge gradually wavered.

It’s not that Du Yong was a coward, but after calming down and weighing the pros and cons, he really felt that it was not worth it to be enemies with the Axe Gang, a group of desperate criminals.

"The souls who died under the knife back then, and the wealth and glory today, are all gone in the air" - he had just lived a good life for two years, of course he was not willing to risk his life easily.

In the local goods robbery, the Sanjin Company only suffered a loss of reputation, while its profits were not affected at all; the armed fights at the docks had nothing to do with him in the first place; and he was too lazy to care about the closure of the Shiliupu.

No matter how he thought about it, he felt that there was no need to become mortal enemies with the Axe Gang.

After thinking it over, Du Yong turned around and asked Ye Chuosan, "Is there any news about Jiang Lianheng?"

Ye Chaosan nodded and whispered back, "I've heard a little bit about it. I've contacted several freight companies and they all said that the boss of the Liaonan Wharf is called Tong Sanye. All the goods arriving at the port must pass through him and buy insurance from him. The boss behind the Zongheng Insurance Company is Jiang Lianheng."

"He's also in the insurance business?" Du Yong asked playfully, "So, he's also a gangster! Is he helping?"

What he meant by "being in the gang" was whether he was affiliated with the Qing, Hong or Pao brothers, or to put it more strictly - whether he was considered a member of the old Hongmen.

Ye Chaosan smiled and shook his head, but said: "I asked a few people who often go north, and they all said that these things are not common in the three northeastern provinces. Regardless of the Taoist lineage, Jiang Lianheng can be considered half a bandit."

"Very famous?"

"Big!" Ye Chaosan said with certainty, "Anyone who has been to the underworld in the three northeastern provinces, especially Feng Province, has heard of him, but he seems to be quite low-key and not very ostentatious."

"Who is the backer of such a powerful force?" Du Yong asked.

"It's still unclear at the moment." Ye Chaosan frowned and said, "However, I heard that there are quite a few minor officials in Feng Province who regard Jiang Lianheng as their backer!"

"What?" Du Yong couldn't sit still any longer. "He's backing an official?"

"He may not be considered a backer, but many people say that many officials in Fengtian Province are very polite to him. In short, Jiang Lianheng is definitely the leader of the group outside the Great Wall."

After all, Shanghai and Fengtian are thousands of miles apart. With just a few days and hearsay, Ye Chaosan certainly couldn't fully understand the Jiang family's background.

However, after just a few words, Du Yong's opinion of Jiang Lianheng had changed greatly.

Since the other party is a well-known tycoon in a province, there is no need to make enemies over trivial matters, not to mention that this matter is ultimately just a misunderstanding.

Du Yong was slightly confused and said, "I don't understand this even more. Jiang Lianheng is famous and has a high status. If he really wants to see me, even if he doesn't send a visiting card, there will be people willing to introduce him. Why would he do it secretly?"

"Maybe it's inconvenient for him to show up." Ye Chaosan had guessed it almost exactly, the only thing missing was his identity.

Du Yong nodded: "It is probably because we didn't meet him that he went to Wang Laojiu for cooperation."

"Brother, what should we do now? Things have come to this point, we have to find a way to end it!"

"It's better to resolve a feud than to create one. I think we should both take a step back." Du Yong pondered, "It's easy to talk about the old man and me, but the key is Brother Xiaolin..."

Before he could finish his words, a servant came to report that Zhang Xiaolin wanted him to come over.

Du Yong hastily put Wang Laojiu's threatening letter into the drawer, and then went to Zhang's mansion without changing his expression.

The two brothers met and sat down together. Zhang Xiaolin started by asking about Jiang Lianheng's situation. After Du Yong explained the situation truthfully, it did not dissuade Zhang and Lou from giving up the idea of ​​revenge.

"I thought he was the son of some high-ranking official!" Zhang Xiaolin said nonchalantly, "After all this trouble, he turned out to be just a little bastard. He came to Shanghai to oppose us, so don't think he can leave so easily."

Lou Jingyuan was even crazier than his uncle: "It doesn't matter who comes, Master, what do you think we should do?"

"Let's take a step back and give Shiliupu to them. We don't rely on the dock for our livelihood anyway." Du Yong suggested, "Jingyuan, if you still want to manage the dock, I can help you find a piece of land in the British Concession."

"What are you talking about?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaolin and Lou Jingyuan's eyes widened immediately. Besides being surprised, they were more angry.

"Ah Yong, what on earth are you thinking?" Zhang Xiaolin was furious, no longer showing any mercy, "They teamed up to shit and piss on me, and you still want to take a step back?"

Du Yong quickly explained: "Brother Xiaolin, it's no big deal to take a step back. We are not short of money or connections now. The most important thing is that the government just wants to keep things quiet. The old man is not having a good time in the police station now-"

"no!"

"Brother Xiaolin, we are both worth millions. Wang Laojiu and his gang are either crazy or paupers. Jiang Lianheng is also a powerful person from another province. They have no children in Shanghai, but we have wives, children and elders in Shanghai. Why should we fight with them—"

"no!"

"If it doesn't work, we can proceed step by step. First, we can stabilize the axe, and then -"

"boom!"

Zhang Xiaolin slammed the table in anger, shattering the Hetian jade ring on his thumb. He just shouted at the top of his voice: "Fuck you! I say no!"

Du Yong looked a little embarrassed.

No matter how you look at it, the two of them are sworn brothers, but now they are having a big fight because of an outsider.

Zhang Xiaolin was so angry that he really didn't give anyone face, and he was determined to do what he wanted. He waved his hand and said coldly, "Go back! If you want to make peace, go and make peace with that Huang Ma Pi. Don't take me with you. I will never let them go!"

Du Yong was silent for a moment, then asked tentatively: "Brother Xiaolin, what are your plans?"

"I'm too lazy to say that bullshit anymore. If I say it, you won't agree. You're timid and fussy. You've made a little money, but you've lost your backbone. Why are you still hanging around in the underworld? I'm going to do it on my own!"

"...Brother Xiaolin, please think about it carefully. If you really have any ideas, feel free to discuss them with me..."

----

PS introduces the operations officer
Shoulder to shoulder, the boys went up the mountain and hung the characters on the pillars, and Liang Gang announced the number: Mom, knock on three three!
The plates were bright and the lines were in order. We had submitted our pledge of allegiance and paid homage to the Arhat. Then we raised the flags and rode the horses against each other, and walked around the mountain for a walk.

As the saying goes, there is only one flower in the world, Heng, Ge and Lan Rong are one family.

He is from the underworld and also from the green forest. Now there are two counters on the mountain, just hoping that the gang will be successful and the fire hole will turn around!

(End of this chapter)