20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 545: A Cloud on the Bund
At the same time as the sun was setting, Wang Laojiu was also sending people to inquire about Jiang Lianheng's whereabouts, but after five or six days, there was still no news.

Although the Axe Gang has many informants, Shanghai is an international metropolis after all. How easy is it to find three homeless people in such a huge city?
Since the Zhabei assassination, Wang Laojiu has been furious and has been secretly preparing for revenge in recent days.

However, the Axe Gang has been busy dealing with various investigations by the police station recently, and they also have to stay out of the spotlight, which has temporarily delayed their revenge plan.

Moreover, Wang Laojiu always suspected that there was a traitor among his brothers, so he took this opportunity to reorganize the core backbone of the Axe Gang.

Now the disturbance has calmed down a little, and hundreds of sharp axes are ready. However, the Zhang and Du mansions are heavily guarded, and the brothers are ready to fight, but they can't find an opportunity to take advantage of. As time goes on, their fighting spirit is inevitably worn out.

As the sun sets outside the window, the Anhui Hometown Association Hall becomes quieter than usual.

The brothers gathered in the hall. The chandelier above their heads was dazzlingly bright, but it could not illuminate the gloom on Wang Laojiu's face.

"Keep looking."

Wang Laojiu put down the tea bowl in his hand and said to his brothers in a deep voice: "We must be conscientious. Brother Jiang helped us a lot before. Now one of them is dead and one is injured, and the rest is missing. This is a shame for our Axe Gang. If this matter cannot be settled, who will be willing to help us in the future?"

Everyone nodded, but there was no confidence in their eyes.

Chen Lixian thought for a moment and said, "Master Jiu, we have been looking for four or five days. Will Boss Jiang and the others..."

"Impossible!" Wang Laojiu interrupted sharply, and then questioned, "What kind of face does Zhang Xiaolin have? If he caught Brother Jiang, would he keep silent?"

Chen Lixian quickly explained: "No, no, no, Master Jiu, what I mean is, could it be that Boss Jiang and the others have already left?"

After these words were spoken, the others nodded in agreement.

Everyone felt that if Jiang Lianheng was not dead and still stayed in Shanghai, he should have taken the initiative to contact the Axe Gang. Even if they were worried that there was a traitor in the gang, they could have asked someone to call the Anhui Provincial Association and find a chance to talk to Jiu Ye in detail, instead of losing contact with him completely, unless -

"Master Jiu, do you think... Boss Jiang and the others don't trust us?"

Finally, someone spoke frankly and expressed the brothers' confusion.

As soon as someone started to talk here, dissatisfaction was immediately heard over there.

"That's impossible? Several of our Axe Gang members have died!"

"Not only was the camel broken, but Jiu Ye and Li Xian also risked their lives to help them send Wen Tingge to the hospital. If that's the case, it's so chilling!"

"Maybe there's a spy among them. I think Li Zhengxi left in a strange way. Why does he suspect us?"

Facing all the chatter, Wang Laojiu remained unmoved, snorting coldly and saying, "As long as Shop 16 is still in our hands, I would also be suspicious if it were me."

Everyone was speechless.

The most difficult thing in this world is to prove your innocence.

Wang Laojiu lit a cigarette, pondered for a while, and suddenly looked up at the two brothers sitting on his right, and asked, "Du Yong and Zhang Xiaolin haven't made any moves yet?"

Both of them are in their late twenties.

One has a thunder god's mouth, his name is Huang Xiansheng; the other has an overbite, his name is Wen Jinhua.

When the two men were wearing clothes, they didn't look like anything special, but when they were shirtless, they were stiff and full of tendons.

They were the backbone personnel promoted by Wang Laojiu from the dock, so all matters related to Shiliupu were naturally handed over to them.

Now, hearing Master Jiu's question, Huang and Wen immediately straightened their backs and replied in unison, "Shiliupu is calm and peaceful, there is no movement at all."

Wang Laojiu immediately frowned and cursed in a low voice: "Damn it, don't blame me for taking action first!"

Huang Xiansheng quickly persuaded him, "Master Jiu, the Zhang and Du mansions have been on high alert recently. Not only have more people guarding the gates, but they are all armed with guns. We only have a few guns. If we can't find a suitable opportunity, we can't just let the brothers rush forward with axes, right?"

"Then we'll beat Yin Baokun first!" Wang Laojiu said bitterly, "In short, the Axe Gang must take action immediately to show their stance. Otherwise, my brothers in the underworld might really think that I, Wang Laojiu, am the kind of bastard who would destroy the bridge after crossing it!"

Wen Jinhua replied: "Master Jiu, the brothers have been stalking the plate in Hongkou District recently, and the people from the 'Yue Gang' are also on high alert right now!"

Chen Lixian waved his hands and said, "What are you afraid of? Yin Baokun has no real power. The Guangdong Gang can't protect him all the time. They will always find a chance."

Everyone looked at each other, and then looked at Wang Laojiu hesitantly.

"Master Jiu, the Green Gang issue has not been resolved yet. It might not be a good time to provoke the Yue Gang now, right?"

"Yes, the Three Friends Society also sent a message saying that they didn't know anything about it. Is it actually a misunderstanding?"

"Misunderstanding!" Wang Laojiu cursed, "I don't care whether that old man knows about it or not. No one forced him to come out. Since he volunteered to guarantee the peace talks, he must take responsibility to the end. Whether Du Yong played a trick on him or not is none of our business."

Everyone bowed their heads in silence.

Wang Laojiu continued to curse: "Struggles in the underworld, peace talks over tea, this is child's play, is the guarantor for nothing? Now that there is trouble, Yin Baokun wants to distance himself from it? No way! If everyone is like him, even beggars on the street can come forward to be guarantors!"

"Yes, yes, that's true."

Wang Laojiu added, "It's not like I didn't give Yin Baokun a chance. If he really didn't know what was going on and was fooled by Du Yong and Zhang Xiaolin, he should have shown his attitude with actions instead of just talking. Now it's been five or six days, and that old guy still hasn't taken action with the Green Gang, so don't blame me for being rude."

"Yes, yes, what Jiu Ye said is right, but to deal with the Qing Gang and the Yue Gang at the same time, it is really..."

Everyone was worried and reluctant to speak out.

"What the hell, you bastard! I'm not afraid of you!"

Wang Laojiu immediately slammed the table and stood up, angrily scolding: "Can't you see the situation clearly now? Don't be cowardly when encountering problems. The more cowardly you are, the more trouble you will encounter. Tricks outside the game can only be icing on the cake. If you want to gain a foothold in the foreign land, in the final analysis, you have to fight. Fight until everyone is afraid of us, then we can be considered to have a firm foothold in Shanghai!"

The brothers were finally convinced by Master Jiu.

The underlying nature of the underworld is still fighting and killing - there is no shortcut other than this.

……

……

At the same time, in the British Concession, Hongkou District.

At the Sanyouhui Restaurant, Yin Baokun sat by the window of the private room as usual, looking gloomily at the setting sun in the west. The fiery clouds made his face look particularly scarlet.

The business in the place is good. Through the door of the private room, you can hear the constant shouting coming from the lobby downstairs.

Although the streets are bustling, it does not feel boring.

The old man was in his seventies and there was no need for him to be in the restaurant all day long to look after the place. But once people get older, maybe because they are hard of hearing or for some other reason, they no longer mind noise.

Yin Baokun has been in the underworld for his entire life, which has delayed his marriage. He still has no children. Every day when he returns home, even though he has a nanny and servants to take care of him and is often visited by gang members, he still can't help feeling lonely in his empty nest.

So, the old man usually likes to sit in his own restaurant, listen to the noise around him, watch the pedestrians on the street, and have a little entertainment, that's all.

Because of this, he was keen on coming out as a guarantor frequently. It was not to show off his status, but just to take the opportunity to meet those younger generations and try his best to persuade them to value peace.

Only in this way would Yin Baokun feel that the rest of his life was not just waiting to die. The bad thing was that he no longer had any real power.

After taking a sip of tea, the old man turned his gaze from the window into the house and looked at the dark-faced man sitting next to him.

"Abao, has Mr. Liu's body been taken care of?"

"Don't worry, Uncle Kun. Siyanzi has asked someone to get the body. It is now in the coffin of our association. I have personally visited it."

Yin Baokun nodded. Although the expression on his face was not sorrowful, it was still a little regretful.

"What a pity, what a pity! There are not many young people who understand the old rules!"

The dark-faced man remained indifferent and silent.

He didn't care who the dead person was, he only cared about whether the Axe Gang would attack Uncle Kun.

This man has a ferocious face but a festive name, Lai Chunbao. His nickname in the underworld is "Black Ghost", not because of his black face, but because of his black hands.

Lai Chunbao was born a thug. In his early years, he was involved in gangs and was just a small thug who collected protection fees on the street.

Compared to Cheng Maoling, the reason he could get to his current status, apart from Yin Baokun's appreciation many years ago, was all due to the reputation he earned through his own efforts.

Although the underworld is full of intrigue and betrayal, He Zi, who came from a former thug, always values ​​the word "righteousness" more or less.

If the Axe Gang wants to attack Uncle Kun, Lai Chunbao will definitely not let it go.

Yin Baokun was still muttering to himself: "Alas, I don't know where in eastern Guangdong Liu Sheng is from. Fallen leaves cannot return to their roots. What a pity... He seems to have a master. What's his name?"

The old man was getting old and had a bad memory. He had only heard Tan Renjun's name once, at the dinner table, and now he had completely forgotten it.

Lai Chunbao whispered, "Uncle Kun, the person is gone, why are you still thinking about those things? It's better to think about what to do!"

"What else can I do?" Yin Baokun's tone was particularly stiff. "I've already said it before. Zhang Xiaolin broke the rules. I'm the guarantor. I should have gone to him to ask for an explanation before Jiang Sheng and Wang Sheng. They both disagree. What else can I say?"

Lai Chunbao shook his head: "Uncle Kun, this can't be blamed on them. If it was someone else, it would be fine, but that was Zhang Xiaolin!"

"Then I have even less to say. In the underworld, all people care about is money!"

"Uncle Kun, even though there is no movement now, the Axe Gang will definitely not give up. In my opinion, you should not come out casually recently."

Lai Chunbao tried to persuade him kindly, but he didn't expect Yin Baokun to snort coldly.

"Abao, I would rather Wang Sheng come to me now."

"Why, why is this necessary?"

"I was in the wrong in the first place!" Yin Baokun explained in a deep voice, "As a guarantor, I failed in my duty. If they come to me, I won't be able to say anything. I'm already so old, and you're asking me to hide from you. I can't afford to lose face."

"Uncle Kun——"

"Don't persuade me anymore. You've been very busy these past few days. You also have business to take care of. Don't waste your time here any longer. Mr. Cheng said he will send someone over tomorrow. Go and do your thing."

Lai Chunbao wanted to persuade him again, but Yin Baokun immediately interrupted him by raising his hand. It seemed that he had already made some kind of decision.

The old man has a cold and hard temper, and he usually behaves in an old-fashioned way. Once he sets his mind on something, no one can dissuade him.

Seeing this, Lai Chunbao had no choice but to give up. He immediately stood up and walked to the window. He looked around vigilantly, only to see a surge of people on the street and could not find anyone suspicious for a while.

However, just as he was about to close the window, he glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw two people walking towards him from the corner of the street, tilting their heads and looking over here.

The two sides' eyes met, and in just a moment, the two men immediately turned their heads away as if guilty, turned a corner, and hurried away.

Lai Chunbao frowned - this was not the first time this situation had occurred.

He was very sure that the Axe Gang members were always lurking nearby, just waiting for the right opportunity to take action against Uncle Kun.

Now, he leads people to look after the Sanyouhui Restaurant, and he can confidently protect Uncle Kun, but the problem is that he also has his own business to take care of, and it is impossible for him to always be around Uncle Kun.

Thinking of this, Lai Chunbao couldn't help but ponder.

In the blink of an eye, the two Axe Gang members who were in charge of surveillance had turned the corner and disappeared.

Lai Chunbao looked towards the northeast for a while, but when he couldn't find anyone, his gaze gradually turned to the south bank of the Huangpu River in the distance.

Looking from afar, a cargo steamer was slowly approaching the ferry on the shore. Looking from that direction, it seemed to be Jiangshan Wharf.

At this time of year, the sunset glow was at its brightest, the red setting sun shone on the river, and in a trance it seemed as quiet as a river of blood.

It is spectacular and also has a solemn atmosphere.

Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. It seemed like just a blink of an eye, and the setting sun had completely sunk below the horizon to the west, and the sky instantly became hazy and dark.

"beep--"

A shrill whistle suddenly sounded from the cargo ship steamer at the ferry.

Lai Chunbao followed the sound, looked into the distance, and couldn't help but frowned slightly.

However, the steamer at the ferry approach bridge was clearly a cargo ship, but it seemed to have twenty or thirty passengers on board.

At a quick glance, I saw that the group of people were all wearing black suits, windbreakers and hats, and they were crowded together, like layers of dark clouds sweeping in.

Lai Chunbao stretched his neck and was about to take a closer look when the sky suddenly darkened and the passengers who looked like a merchant group naturally became blurred.

……

……

The Bund in the Concession, Jiangshan Wharf.

Zhao Guoyan, carrying a suitcase and with his hat pulled down low, walked slowly down the approach bridge with his twenty-four brothers.

Yang Lazi followed at the end, looking a little unhappy. He vomited a few times into the river on the approach bridge and was actually a little seasick.

Finally, he walked behind Zhao Guoyan, put a cigarette in his mouth, lit it, took a deep breath, and glanced at the Western-style buildings on the Bund Avenue. He saw bright lights shining everywhere, as dense as stars, and cars speeding by, which was dazzling.

It is a land of decadence, debauchery, and luxury, and its prosperity is unparalleled in the country.

However, when the brothers saw it, they did not feel much emotion.

Only Yang Lazi praised him in a swearing manner:

"Oh, so this is fucking called Shiliyangchang!"

(End of this chapter)