20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 558: A Ripple in the Stagnant Waters

Li Guodong died suddenly on the street, and even his body was not found, leaving only gossip everywhere.

Upon hearing the news, the family rushed to the police station to report to the authorities.

Even though so many people witnessed the shooting, the police still classified it as a missing case due to insufficient evidence, and naturally, there was no trace of the two bodyguards and the driver of the Li family.

Did anyone hear gunshots?

Does a gunshot necessarily kill someone?

When the police investigate a case, they must pay attention to evidence. Testimony, physical evidence, motive, and method are all indispensable. How can they allow rumors in the market to influence public opinion?
This case still needs to be investigated as appropriate. Go back and wait for news.

Lao Chai made up a few words casually, knowing that his words were ridiculous, but what could he do?

It turns out that the police station has always followed the principle of "small cases rely on relationships, medium cases rely on public opinion, and major cases rely on politics" when handling cases. The case is the basis, and there is no fixed law.

The pillar of the Li family collapsed. His parents were old, the mother was a widow and the son was weak. There was really no place to seek justice, so he had to cry and make a scene in the court.

Mrs. Li burst into tears and cried, "It must have been done by Lou Jingyuan from the Qing Gang. My husband told me that if anything happened to him, it was their trick."

When she shouted like that, the faces of the two old Chai brothers suddenly darkened. Not only did they not comment on her accusation, but they also said coldly, "You don't know how to be polite."

Fortunately, there was a young patrolman nearby. Although he had been immersed in many evil tendencies, he still had some good intentions in his heart. So he found an opportunity, pulled Mrs. Li aside, and persuaded her kindly:
"Sister-in-law, please don't talk nonsense. How could you see that it was the Green Gang who did it? Listen to my advice, go home quickly, protect your property and live a peaceful life. Don't ask nonsense questions, don't talk nonsense, and don't even think about suing the authorities. Be careful that you will end up with nothing. Even if not for yourself, think about your children."

One sentence can wake up the dreamer.

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Li's sadness immediately turned into fear. She looked terrified and hurriedly thanked him a few times before leaving the police station in a hurry.

As for who the mastermind behind the execution of Li Guodong was, the speaker has no evidence and the listeners have no confidence, and it seems difficult to reach a conclusion.

However, one thing is certain:
The China Merchants Steam Navigation Company Building is located on the Bund. According to old rules, it should belong to the British Concession.

……

As the old saying goes: Good fortune never comes alone, and misfortune never comes alone.

The news of the execution of Li Guodong was still hot when conflict broke out again at the Shilipu Wharf that evening.

Lou Jingyuan seemed to have been prepared. As soon as the Bund shooting broke out, he personally led more than 30 strong brothers and headed straight for Jinyuan Wharf.

It happened to be dark at that time, and there were no more boats on the river. Most of the dock laborers had finished work and went home. Huang Xiansheng and Wen Jinhua noticed something was wrong, so they had to gather more than 20 members of the Axe Gang on the spot, picked up sticks and machetes, and hastily fought back.

The two sides met face to face, head to head, face to face, and without hesitation saw that they were enemies. They immediately started fighting, vowing to shed blood on the spot.

However, they didn't expect that after the two sides had just fired three or five rounds, they suddenly heard a police whistle. They looked in the direction of the sound and found that it was a collusion between the black and white forces, using the same old trick again.

Shiliupu is located between the Chinese area and the French Concession. It was originally a "no man's land" and the law and order were lax in the past. But today it is very different. Looking from a distance, one can see the county government and the French police station mobilizing together, with Chinese and foreigners working together to hunt down the criminal and compete for credit. It is truly a wonder in Shanghai.

Police officers from both sides arrived on horseback, fired warning shots, and arrested more than 20 gang members on the spot, including members of the Green Gang and the Axe Gang.

Such remarkable and fruitful public security "results" will surely be reported in the newspaper tomorrow, commending the officials' achievements and strengthening their determination to eradicate evil.

Unfortunately, they had the same fate but different destiny. The Green Gang disciples were sent to the torture cellar just to go through the motions, drink some tea and enhance their resumes, and after a few days, they were released. The Axe Gang had no money or power, and after being in the torture cellar, whether they could ever get out was another matter.

From this, we can see how difficult it is for a foreigner to start a business and snatch food from the mouths of powerful rivals in such a prosperous place as Shiliyangchang.

The police from both sides took sides in the dispute, and the Axe Gang members were unable to cope with it and scattered in an instant.

Huang Xiansheng and Wen Jinhua led the remaining people and fled in the chaos, running for their lives all the way until their legs were cramped. Only then did they finally return safely to the Anhui Provincial Association Hall.

As soon as I entered the door, I looked for Jiu Ye, but he was not there.

When asked where Jiu Ye had gone, the brothers just shook their heads in confusion.

Huang Xiansheng suddenly recalled Wang Laojiu's instructions before he left, and immediately said, "I know where Master Jiu is. Jinhua, you stay and take care of the injured brothers. I'll go and call Master Jiu back."

After saying that, he stood up and was about to leave the guild hall.

When he reached the gate, he was stopped by several brothers.

It turned out that not only Huang and Wen were eager to see Master Jiu, but the brothers in the guild hall had also been waiting for a long time.

Huang Xiansheng asked the reason, but heard a brother say: "Not long after Jiu Ye left, the Du Mansion suddenly sent someone to deliver a letter, saying that it must be delivered to Jiu Ye. We have been waiting here for a long time."

"Give me the letter."

Huang Xiansheng put the envelope into his arms and hurried out of the guild hall. He had only walked two steps when he suddenly felt his legs go weak and numb. He tossed and turned, thinking that the small courtyard was quite far away, he stole a bicycle from the guild hall and pedaled towards the southwest corner of the French Concession.

In a hurry, I lost my balance and kicked the chain off halfway. I had to pick up a branch from the roadside, put the chain on, and then continued to pedal hard.

Huang Xiansheng walked through the streets and alleys and went very quickly.

In the dark night, I could only hear the sound of wind in my ears and the bright lights in front of me faded away in a flash. Soon, I had left the prosperous area of ​​the French Concession.

After riding southwest for another fifteen or sixteen minutes, the buildings on both sides of the road have mostly become warehouses, cargo warehouses, workshops, or even small factories, with a few desolate graves occasionally adding some embellishment.

Although there were street lights all around, there were only dark shadows of trees and swaying withered grass. Occasionally, I saw a person standing on the side of the road, but I didn't know if he was a person or not, because he was alone. Even though I was riding a bicycle, I felt a little creepy.

Soon, a warm yellow light was finally seen not far away.

Huang Xiansheng breathed a sigh of relief and looked up. Among the shadows, he saw Jiang Lianheng, Wang Laojiu and others standing under the eaves in front of the door. It seemed that they had just arrived when the two sides were saying goodbye to each other.

"squeak--"

Huang Xiansheng tightened the brakes, and the bicycle immediately screamed in pain.

"Master Jiu." He got out of the car and hurried to the gate of the courtyard.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Lianheng and Wang Laojiu didn't seem surprised at all that he came on a bicycle.

Huang Xiansheng didn't know that the "wandering ghosts" he had just met on the road were actually the "Shuixiang" deployed by Jiang Lianheng. They had already discovered his movements and informed the courtyard in advance.

Although the bandits didn't know him, they could see that this idiot came alone and was riding a bicycle on the street, so they let him go.

Wang Laojiu saw Huang Xiansheng was in a hurry, so he frowned and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Master Jiu, Li Guodong is dead!" As soon as the words fell, everyone's expressions suddenly froze and they couldn't help but look at each other.

Wang Laojiu's eyes widened with anger, he pushed his glasses down, and asked anxiously, "When did it happen?"

"It happened just tonight," Huang Xiansheng explained quickly. "I heard someone at the dock say that he was shot dead by his own bodyguards in front of the China Merchants Building."

"Alas, I have advised him before to use my people as bodyguards, but he still didn't believe it and insisted that his two bodyguards have been with him for several years."

Wang Laojiu beat his chest and stamped his feet. Before he could get angry, he suddenly remembered something and asked hurriedly, "Is there any movement at Shiliupu Wharf?"

Huang Xiansheng nodded: "Lou Jingyuan just brought people over there."

"What's the situation?"

"Master Jiu, we can't fight them at all. The police station and the old man from the county government are all in cahoots with the Green Gang. They have arrested many of our brothers!"

"Fuck them, why can't we fight?" Wang Laojiu cursed, "Those bastards are bullies who only bully the weak and fear the strong. If we kill a few of them, they will behave themselves immediately. He must have been the one who killed Li Guodong. Come on, follow me back and grab some weapons."

Seeing this, Jiang Lianheng raised his hand and tried to dissuade him: "Brother Jiu, don't be impulsive."

Wang Laojiu was not unwilling to listen to advice, but he was extremely anxious, so he said: "Brother, you always say that I am impulsive. Now my brothers from the Axe Gang have been detained by them. Can I pretend to be deaf and dumb? If I sit back and do nothing, how will my brothers look at me in the future?"

Jiang Lianheng shook his head and said, "Brother Jiu, if this happened in Fengtian, I would be more impulsive than you, but this is Shanghai, the territory of the Green Gang. Our two families really have no room for error. If we are not careful, we will lose everything. We must be careful, be extra careful."

Hearing this, Wang Laojiu and others looked at each other.

Everyone understands this principle, but the problem is that being careful is not enough, you still have to fight when you need to.

"I'm afraid that as soon as you go to attack Lou Jingyuan, someone will take down your lair right after you do that." Jiang Lianheng explained, "The Li Guodong incident must be related to Lou Jingyuan, but it may not be directly ordered by him. If I remember correctly, the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company building is in the British Concession, right?"

"Cantonese Gang?" Everyone reacted.

"It's possible. I'm just guessing." Jiang Lianheng confessed, "But as long as there is such a possibility, you'd better not move for the time being."

Father, like son.

It's a very simple trick to lure the tiger away from the mountain. Once Wang Laojiu really transfers his men to fight Lou Jingyuan, the Guangdong Gang will probably come to smash the kiln.

Everyone was silent.

Everyone knows that "a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake", and today we finally see just how difficult it is.

Just during this moment of silence, Huang Xiansheng suddenly remembered something, and hurriedly reached into his arms, took out a crumpled envelope, and quickly handed it to Wang Laojiu.

"Master Jiu, before we came here, the brothers said that Du Yong sent someone to deliver a letter to our mansion. Please take a look."

"At this fucking time, he still has the nerve to write to me?"

Wang Laojiu was very surprised. He frowned and opened the envelope with a look of disgust. He unfolded the letter, turned sideways, and with the help of the light from the corridor, he looked the letter up and down. He became furious.

"Fuck him, he wants to get out now, let him dream!"

After saying this, he pretended to tear up the letter to vent his anger.

Jiang Lianheng rushed to the rescue, lowered his head, and glanced up and down quickly.

The general idea of ​​the letter was that it was inevitable that people would act on impulse in the chaos of underworld disputes. Du had no intention of getting involved in gang disputes. He just wanted to find an opportunity to have a disciple of the Du family pay him a visit, meet Master Jiu in person, clarify the interests, and explain the whole story, so as to avoid deepening misunderstandings between each other and causing hatred.

Towards the end of the letter, Jiang Lianheng was also mentioned.

It is said that there has been no news about Lian Gong recently. If Master Jiu knows his whereabouts, please let him know so that we can meet again in the future and put aside our old grudges and smile.

It’s no wonder that Wang Laojiu was so furious. After reading the letter, Jiang Lianheng was so angry that he shook his head and sneered.

"Fuck you, sitting on the mountain and watching tigers fight?" Jiang Lianheng folded the letter and muttered to himself, "Nineth Brother, Du Yong treats us brothers as actors. Do you think he wants to watch the show for free?"

Wang Laojiu was still angry. He nodded and cursed, "Du Yong has a lot of tricks up his sleeve. He really thinks we are fools. I have nothing to discuss with him. I won't see you."

Unexpectedly, Jiang Lianheng said, "Forget it, let's meet. I'll show up too."

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhao Guoyan stepped forward to dissuade them without waiting for Wang Laojiu and others to express their opinions.

"Boss, is it appropriate for us to show up now?" Zhao Guoyan said, "This small courtyard belonged to Li Guodong. Now he is dead. Although this place is quite remote, there is no guarantee that his family will come to look for him at any time. This place is no longer safe."

"Yes, but because this place is not safe right now, I have to show myself in front of Du Yong's disciples. If they see me in Jiu Ye's guild hall, they will probably not look for me somewhere else."

After explaining, Jiang Lianheng emphasized again: "However, more people can go, but only Xifeng and I can show our faces."

Li Zhengxi nodded in response without any fear.

"What about me?" Chuanghu pointed at his nose.

"Du Yong and the others haven't seen you yet, what are you going to do?" Jiang Lianheng ordered sternly, "Stay here until I need you."

Chuanghu responded, lowered his head, and began to worry again.

Having said that, Jiang Lianheng still had to ask Wang Laojiu for his opinion, so he said, "Brother Jiu, can you arrange something in the next two days? Clear out the idle people in your clubhouse, and I'll go in through the back door. Let's listen to what Du Yong has to say."

Wang Laojiu waved his hand and said, "It's okay to meet his people. I'm still thinking about what happened at the dock."

Jiang Lianheng pondered for a moment and suggested, "Brother Jiu, it's not impossible for you to send someone to do it, but you'd better tell the brothers to make them lose a few games and give up the Shiliupu Wharf first. Anyway, once Li Guodong dies, Lou Jingyuan will definitely get the contract with China Merchants Group again."

"Lose a few games on purpose?"

"Yes, the more realistic the performance, the better."

"Brother, why are you still thinking about setting up a show?"

"Well, this time, the purpose of this show is not to gain an advantage, but to paralyze him. How does the phrase go... Chuang Hu?"

"If God wants to destroy someone, he must first make him crazy." Chuang Hu replied.

"Fuck, you're so long-winded. What's the point of using such foreign words?" Jiang Lianheng turned to look at Wang Laojiu, "Brother Jiu, the arrogant will be defeated!"

(End of this chapter)