20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 543: Liaonan Military Preparations
That night, Zhao Guoyan and others arrived safely at the port in southern Liaoning.

As the Jiang family's "helper", Tong Saner naturally had to play the role of a good host. He personally led people to the station to pick up the guests and properly arranged many trivial matters such as welcoming and seeing off the guests.

As soon as the brothers got off the platform, Yang Waizui led them to Louwailou and held a banquet to welcome them.

Naturally, there is no need to worry about accommodation. The Jiang family’s outer house in the old city street is large enough to accommodate more than 20 people.

However, Zhao Guoyan does not have such leisure and elegance.

While everyone was drinking happily, he called Lao Niu and Yang Lazi, and accompanied by Tong Saner, he inspected several of the Jiang family's businesses, including the Zongheng Insurance Company branch and the Fuchangcheng Freight Company.

Finally, the few of them found a nearby fly-in-the-wall restaurant, cooked a small meal on their own, and didn't make a fuss, just had a simple meal.

After three cups of light wine, Zhao Guoyan, fearing that he might make trouble, simply covered the mouth of the cup with his hand and stopped drinking.

Tong Saner saw this and stopped trying to persuade him. He just frowned slightly and said hesitantly:

"Old Zhao, we are old friends, I will say what I want to say, don't take it personally. What position do you think the boss holds in our Fengtian line? He is the leader! With such a big family business outside the Great Wall, why do you have to go all the way to the foreign land to fight for it? Not only is it laborious, but you may end up biting off more than you can chew!"

Zhao Guoyan waved his hand and said in a deep voice: "Third Master, this is called big problems have big difficulties. The problem is already in front of us, why are you still talking about those useless things?"

Tong Saner was a smart man. Seeing that the other party did not answer directly, he thought about it for a moment and guessed the general idea. He sighed quietly:
"That's true... If you want to become big, you need someone to back you up. But if you don't have someone to back you up, you have no way out. You can only look forward to everything."

"Oh, let's not talk about that."

Zhao Guoyan casually changed the subject and said, "Third Master, let's stop here tonight. We will set off tomorrow morning. Before I leave, I have to go back to the outer house and check everything again."

Of course, the brothers were equipped with a lot of explosive devices on their trip south.

But considering that Shanghai was dangerous and not their own territory, all necessary things should be prepared in advance, so they asked Yasipsen to prepare a dozen large mirror-shaped golden rooster hooks, along with bullets and ammunition, and sent them to the house outside the old city street first.

The so-called Jiang family's outer residence is actually the Qiao family's ancestral home.

Ever since Zhuang Shuning moved to Fengtian, the old house has been managed by the clerk at the counter. After renovation, it has become even more magnificent.

But at this point, Tong Saner did not mean to say goodbye. Instead, he stood up with a smile and said, "That's perfect. I have prepared two things for you guys on this trip to Shanghai. Please take a look."

"What is that?" Zhao Guoyan and others were puzzled.

Tong Saner was very secretive and just smiled and said, "Don't worry, I have sent someone to deliver the things in advance. Let's go together and take a look."

Seeing his mysterious look, Zhao Guoyan and others stopped asking questions and hurried to the Jiang family's outer residence in Jiushi Street before it got dark.

……

……

When they arrived at the old house, they asked the doorman and the housekeeper where the bureau was, and then went to an empty room in the west wing of the second courtyard.

After turning on the light and checking the guns and ammunition, Tong Saner caught a glimpse of the suitcase he had delivered in the corner of the cabinet. He immediately walked over, leaned over, pulled out the suitcase, and dropped it on the kang with a "bang", making quite a noise.

Zhao Guoyan and others were stunned when they saw this, and asked hurriedly: "Third Master, what the hell is this old Chen?"

Tong Saner smiled but said nothing. He unfastened the brass buckle on the suitcase, lifted it up, turned sideways, and introduced it with a little pride: "Brothers, come and take a look. It's made in Germany. Although it's second-hand, it's definitely good!"

When they heard that it was made in Germany, Zhao Guoyan and others already had some estimation in their minds.

Then I heard that it was second-hand goods. Apart from arms, what else could Tong Saner have the nerve to give to the brothers of the Jiang family?
Sure enough, when they approached the edge of the kang and looked down, they saw two spray guns wrapped in oilcloth lying horizontally in the box.

The shape looks like a rifle, but it is too short, only about the length of an arm.

After removing the oilcloth and taking a closer look, I saw only half a wooden buttstock and a black painted pure steel barrel; the magazine was not underneath, but next to the gun body; near the muzzle, there were many black holes as thick as fingers, and I didn't know what they were used for.

The Jiang family's "Xiangzi" pistols that they usually use are genuine or imitation box guns, Browning and other pistols. This "half-rifle" is the first time they have seen it.

Yang Lazi was surprised and couldn't help asking, "Third Master, what kind of troll is this? I've never seen one before."

"Machine gun." Tong Saner explained with a smile, "It's what the Germans use on the battlefield. It fires continuously and has great power. One round after another, you have to be very careful if you need to use it."

"Oh, so this thing is called a fucking machine gun!" Yang Lazi seemed a little reluctant to let it go.

Zhao Guoyan looked suspicious and asked, "Third Master, where did you get this stuff that Yaspusheng doesn't have?"

Second-hand munitions are either old goods retired from military camps or firearms sold privately by deserters and bandits. Regardless of their origin, they are rarely seen on the black market, let alone German products or machine guns that have been tested on the battlefield.

Hearing this, Tong Saner waved his hands hurriedly and said, "Don't think too much. I don't have the courage to compete with my boss for business. These two submachine guns were given to me by my friends. A few years ago, during the war in Jiaodong Bay, after the Japanese drove the Germans away, some equipment was lost to the public. Southern Liaoning and Shandong Province had close exchanges, so I bought two for self-defense." "Can this thing be taken on board?" Lao Niu picked up the submachine gun, weighed it twice, and asked in a muffled voice.

"Yes, the steamer that will arrive tomorrow morning is a cargo ship from our Liaonan Commercial Port Bureau. The captain is a local. Even if you lend them the courage, he won't dare to make things difficult for you." Tong Saner replied casually.

"What if we get to Shanghai?" Zhao Guoyan still had some concerns.

Tong Saner comforted him, "Well, these days, who among those sailors doesn't bring some contraband along? There are ways to get through customs, don't worry!"

Zhao Guoyan and others looked at each other.

Although the firepower of this machine gun is powerful, it also makes a lot of noise, and its pros and cons must be weighed according to the circumstances.

But when they thought that they were going to the Qing Gang's territory after all, the more tools and weapons the better, so they stopped refusing, thanked for the kindness, and accepted all of them.

Tong Saner sighed to himself, "If the boss hadn't protected me back then, my little power would have been wiped out because of the relationship with the Zongshe Party. Now that the Jiang family is in trouble, I should return the favor. Even if I don't send people, I should at least help."

As he spoke, he suddenly reached into his arms, fumbled for a moment, and then took out two folded pieces of paper.

Zhao Guoyan became curious again.

Tong Saner placed two pieces of paper on the table and unfolded them:
One was a map of the two worlds of Shanghai, dotted with dots and marked in red; the other was a list of more than a dozen Shanghai businesses.

Apparently, it must have been prepared in advance two days ago.

"Although our Liaonan port is not as good as the foreign market, it is at least a land and water gateway outside the Great Wall, and there are many merchant ships traveling with Shanghai."

Tong Saner pointed at the map with one hand and the list with the other: "These businesses have trade with us outside the Great Wall. Their goods have to pass through my hands. Although I may not be able to use them, if the boss needs them, please let me know at any time."

Although it may not work, at least it provides a way to check and balance others.

Zhao Guoyan looked at it carefully for a few seconds, then nodded, folded the two pieces of paper again and put them in his arms.

"Third Master, thank you for your hard work!"

"Come on, stop slandering me."

The few of them laughed out loud for a moment. They had been friends for many years, and it would seem fake to continue being polite.

Then, he counted and sorted out the large mirror of the Golden Rooster Hook, the flower mechanism, and some ammunition, ready to be used tomorrow.

After finishing the work, Tong Saner said earnestly: "Old Zhao, Shanghai is a long way from us. There are only 20 of us. Even if we are good at fighting, we can't keep fighting with them. Let's fight as quickly as possible."

Zhao Guoyan waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "I am a member of the Jiang family, and I will follow my boss's arrangements in everything. As for how to fight, how long to fight, and what the result will be after arriving in Shanghai, I don't need to worry about these."

"Okay, then I'll set out a celebratory drink here to welcome you guys back soon."

"Thank you very much for your expense, Master San!"

Several people bowed to each other.

As they were talking, there was a sudden loud commotion in the yard.

Hearing the noise, Zhao Guoyan and others guessed that the brothers had returned, so they left the empty west wing.

Following the sound, I passed through the moon gate and came to the front yard. I stopped and looked, only to see a group of black shadows swaying under the eaves.

More than twenty brothers, completely drunk, were arm in arm, stumbling into the yard, laughing, cursing, and teasing each other, making an extremely noisy noise.

At this moment, the moon was bright in the sky, the lights were dim, and people were swaying left and right in the deep courtyard, like the embers of a charcoal fire, appearing and disappearing from time to time.

Not only were the bandits in Lianqi particularly unbridled, but even Jiang family's "Xiangzi" was also drunk.

The Jiang family’s new rules have long stipulated that “Xiangzi” is not allowed to drink alcohol when on business trips outside.

If this situation happened under normal circumstances, Zhao Guoyan would probably fly into a rage and scold loudly on the spot.

But not tonight.

Before leaving, the eldest sister-in-law Hu Xiaoyan said in advance that an exception could be made tonight before the brothers arrived in Shanghai.

Therefore, Zhao Guoyan did not criticize them any more. He just stood in the front yard, facing the screen wall, and looked around at everyone present. He wanted to say something to cheer them up, but seeing that the brothers were being unrestrained due to the alcohol, he hesitated for a moment and said nothing in the end.

(End of this chapter)