20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 573: A War Without Kindness and Justice (VIII)
The collision between the two cars, although not at a fast speed, still caused quite a shock.

Jiang Jia Xiangzi rushed out of the car, intending to assassinate Zhang Xiaolin; the Qing Gang disciples followed closely behind, and naturally they would not stand by and watch, so they immediately raised their guns to cover and delay Zhang Xiaolin.

In the chaos, Lao Niu got out of the car with a gun. Before he even stood firmly, he had already raised the gun and pulled the trigger.

The remaining three Jiang family members, in the spirit of "sacrificing the car to save the king", did not pay any attention to Zhang Xiaolin's car. They just lined up and fired at the Qing Gang disciples to cover the heavy firepower in Lao Niu's hands.

At the same time, Zhang Xiaolin in the carriage naturally refused to surrender.

Compared with other tycoons in Shanghai, Zhang Xiaolin has his own strengths: he is not like Huang Mapi, who relied on the trust of foreigners to get to the top; nor is he like Laiyang Li, who relied on clever tricks to get to the top; he was able to join the ranks of the "three tycoons" because of his own hands and feet when he was young, and he fought for his position with real swords and guns.

Although he is in his early forties now, he is far from being old and weak.

As soon as the car stopped, he immediately put his head in his hands and leaned on the back seat, hurriedly pushing open the door on the other side.

Just at this moment, gunshots suddenly rang out.

"Bang bang bang!"

"Da da da!"

Both sides opened fire almost at the same time!
Under the cover of night, gun flames flashed like spotlights in the dim alley!
The Jiang family's original plan had already encountered some changes. The bodyguards of Zhang Mansion could not be transferred away, so this assassination had a sense of desperation.

Now, when the gunshots sounded, I realized that man proposes, God disposes.

The distance between the two sides was only six or seven steps.

Even though Jiang Jia Xiangzi was holding a large mirror, he was helpless against the enemy who outnumbered them. After a burst of gunfire, many Qing Gang disciples fell, but the three Jiang Jia Xiangzi were only mortals after all, and they all fell down in the blink of an eye.

Lao Niu ignored this and focused on shooting at Zhang Xiaolin's car.

This machine gun was really powerful. I had just pulled the trigger for less than half a second before the muzzle couldn't be stopped from jumping up.

Fortunately, Lao Niu was strong enough, so he released the trigger and switched to firing in bursts.

I heard a few crisp "clang clang clang" sounds, and a row of bullet holes immediately appeared on the car body. However, the sound sounded a little wrong, as if the car was much harder than that of ordinary vehicles. Fortunately, the distance was close enough and the machine gun was powerful enough, and the bullets still penetrated the car body.

The driver was a loyal man. Before the gunshots were heard, he had already opened the car door and exchanged fire with the assassin with his pistol.

It's a pity that with bullets flying everywhere, besides losing his life, this move was tantamount to trying to stop a chariot with a mantis arm.

However, one of the two bullets he fired just now happened to hit Lao Niu's left lower abdomen.

Lao Niu groaned, staggered two steps, and leaned against the car door. Although he managed not to fall down, the muzzle of his gun floated diagonally upwards due to the recoil.

The bullet swept across, passed the back of the car, and hit near the corner of the wall.

In a panic, Zhang Xiaolin was seen groaning and crawling out from the other door.

Upon seeing this, several Qing Gang disciples rushed over to support and cover him.

Lao Niu's eyes were wide open and his back teeth were clenched. Just as he was about to move his gun around to intercept, a disciple of the Qing Gang not far away fired several shots in a row.

The street lights were dim, and I didn't know where Lao Niu was shot again. I only saw him fall to his knees with a plop, looking extremely painful.

The remaining Green Gang disciples, upon seeing this, feared that the other party would stand up and shoot again, so they rushed over in a hurry, ready to take advantage of the situation to kill them.

Lao Niu was shot twice and staggered to his knees. Knowing that he was in great danger, he did not even think of escaping death. He only regretted that he had not been able to kill Zhang Xiaolin with his own hands.

Now, seeing everyone rushing towards him, he still tried to stand up with his gun in hand, making one last attempt.

Just at this moment, the shouting of Zhao Guoyan and others was heard in the distance.

"Lao Niu, fuck Zhang Xiaolin!"

When people arrived, they saw Zhao Guoyan leading a group of bandits. They had broken through the blockade of Yan Chaosheng and others by relying on their firepower advantage, and were rushing towards this side to provide support!

"Bang bang bang!"

Several more Qing Gang disciples in front of him fell down.

Not to be missed!
Taking advantage of this gap, Lao Niu gathered all his strength and forced himself to stand up.

When he was about to grab Zhang Xiaolin, he looked up suddenly and saw that the other party was already running away hurriedly, supported and surrounded by several disciples.

Judging from his posture and gait, Zhang Xiaolin had probably been shot, but for some reason, the injury did not seem too serious.

Lao Niu didn't care about many things. He just knew that if he aimed and shot, no one could escape from the muzzle of the gun.

However, just as he was about to chase after him, a bullet suddenly hit the car door next to him.

"boom--"

The gunshot was so clear that even the echo seemed unusually loud—it was the sound of a rifle!
Everyone's heart trembled, and they looked hurriedly in the direction of the sound, only to see, in the dim moonlight, several figures squatting on the rooftop of the Du Mansion.

"boom--"

Immediately afterwards, another gunshot was heard!
The bullet passed through the crowd and knocked down a bandit.

At the same time, a roar was heard in the courtyard of Du Mansion, and twenty or thirty Qing Gang disciples, led by Ye Chaosan, came to support.

The timing was neither too early nor too late, it was just when the two sides had just finished a round of fire and were about to change magazines.

The story was not over yet. Another strange noise was heard from the streets in the distance.

"Rumble--"

Lao Niu raised his head following the sound, and saw another black car driving sideways at the intersection in the direction where Zhang Xiaolin was desperately running.

The car door opened, and someone got out, waving frantically at Zhang Xiaolin: "Marshal, get in the car, get in the car!"

"I'm going to your mother!"

Old Niu cursed, braved the sniper fire from the rooftop, and ran towards the wall, stumbling and turning back to shout, "You guys go ahead, I'll go!"

Zhao Guoyan and others were powerless. They had to deal with the sniper on the rooftop and fend off the Green Gang disciples in Du Mansion. They wanted to reload bullets, but the other party didn't even give them the chance, so how could they have the time to support Lao Niu?

"Bang bang bang!"

The three parties met and suffered casualties on each side.

One of the bandits shouted loudly: "Old Zhao, stop it! If we keep dragging this out, we'll all die here!"

You Xiangzi quickly echoed: "The key is that there are people on the roof, there is no point in fighting!"

"Fuck it!"

Zhao Guoyan cursed in a low voice, then snatched the submachine gun from the bandit's hand, raised his gun and fired a burst of shots, emptying all the remaining bullets in the magazine, and immediately forced back the reinforcements from Du Mansion.

He is not a greedy person, but he doesn't want to die in vain.

Forced assassination is inherently risky. If Zhang Xiaolin can be replaced, it will certainly not be a loss. However, if we resort to aggressive tactics now, there will be no benefit.

Moreover, if all these brothers died here, the safety of the boss would become even more unpredictable, so he had to take advantage of this opportunity and order everyone to evacuate immediately.

However, what Zhao Guoyan did not expect was that the retreat process was much smoother than expected.

Although several brothers were killed in the Du Mansion just now, they seemed to have no intention of pursuing them. They just held one side and after driving away Zhao Guoyan and others, they just stayed where they were and guarded the house.

On the contrary, Yan Chaosheng and others, perhaps because of the heavy casualties or because of anger, saw the momentum reverse and could not hold back their anger. They immediately called a few people to regroup and chased after them again at a desperate speed.

However, they had not gone far before Zhao Guoyan and his men unexpectedly took advantage of the moment to catch their breath and reloaded their magazines, and then turned around and attacked in the streets.

"Da da da!"

"Bang bang bang!"

Unlike the previous situation, this time, the bullets swept through the narrow alley like cutting leeks, and immediately knocked down the Qing Gang disciples who were chasing them.

Yan Chaosheng was shot in the abdomen and curled up on the ground, struggling and groaning.

Zhao Guoyan stepped forward angrily, grabbed the man by the collar, swung his arms and punched with great force, all as a helpless way to vent his anger.

But if we were to fight back now, apart from shooting a few minions, the situation would be irreversible.

On the other side, Lao Niu staggered, hanging on to his last breath, trying to chase Zhang Xiaolin.

Seeing that the other party had a car to pick him up, he quickly leaned against the wall and shot with his gun.

There were three or five gunshots, and it was not known whether they hit the target or not. Anyway, Zhang Xiaolin was seen staggering and falling to the ground. Immediately afterwards, disciples of the Qing Gang carried him into the car.

Lao Niu wanted to shoot again, but the magazine was empty. He was so anxious that he hurried forward a few steps, changing the magazine as he walked.

Unexpectedly, when he was walking to the corner of the back wall of Zhang Mansion, he heard a rustling sound. Looking up, he saw a handful of quicklime being spread towards him.

Lao Niu raised his hands to block the dust, but was unable to stop it from flying. He was immediately blinded and hurriedly stepped back two steps, feeling the pain from the two gunshot wounds on his body penetrate into his bones.

Before he could come to his senses and fight back, he suddenly felt a chill in his lower back and a dagger pierced his waist.

Then came the second, third, and fourth...

Lao Niu swung the butt of his gun and tried to block left and right, but his vision was blocked and he was injured. Suddenly he felt like he was being bitten by insects and rats all over his body, like a tiger being eaten by wolves. Before long, he was gradually exhausted and slowly sat down against the wall, resting there and then, without having to run around any more.

Soon, I heard a strange sound coming from the corner of the wall:

"Hey, you don't really think that all the gangs in this foreign land are just sitting there doing nothing, do you?"

A figure flashed by, and the leader of the "Chao Gang", Wan Youyuan, walked out slowly while picking his ears. He shook his head and sighed, "What a pity. You guys, you can obviously settle this with money, why do you have to mess with the Qing Gang?"

……

……

The clouds are parting and the moon is about to be full.

The official residence of the chief director of the French Concession Municipal Council is a pure white Western-style building with a protruding half-cylindrical window sill in the middle.

This place is far away from the downtown, with French guards guarding the gate, and it is exceptionally quiet.

A foreigner's face appeared on the glass window. He was the general manager of the Municipal Council. Not far behind him, Du Yong stood politely with his hands hanging down, looking servile and fawning.

This is the source of the "legitimacy" of Sanjin Company's business. Both parties get what they need and make a fortune, so the atmosphere is naturally happy.

As the profits of Sanjin Company doubled, the tax revenue in the French Concession also increased, and the general director's personal pocket naturally became fatter.

The foreigner was quite happy. He turned around and said with a smile: "Du, you are different from them. You are a businessman. I would rather talk to you. Your reputation and word of mouth are very good. I can meet you directly and you can be my guest. But if they come to me, I will have to consider the impact."

Du Yong nodded and smiled quickly, then flattered him a few more times.

Soon, the two chatted for a while.

Seeing that it was getting late, the foreign gentleman waved his hand, made some simple arrangements, and went back to rest.

Du Yong came to discuss company business with the general director and deliberately stayed late, taking the opportunity to stay here for a night, also to avoid the limelight.

Since the foreign master had already rested, it was naturally inconvenient for him to hang around in the living room, so he followed him back to the guest room.

He closed the door, turned off the lights, and lay on the bed, thinking about something. After a long while, he finally fell into a deep sleep.

Even though the foreigner's official residence is not impregnable, it always seems to have an indescribable power that makes people feel at ease.

Du Yong therefore slept particularly soundly.

In the huge house, there was no other sound except the ticking of the grandfather clock.

I didn't know how much time had passed in a daze, but suddenly I felt a numbness on my neck. I raised my hand and scratched it twice, and there seemed to be something cold.

After feeling around again, Du Yong's heart suddenly skipped a beat and he woke up immediately.

I suddenly opened my eyes and saw a blurry figure standing at the head of the bed.

Just as Du Yong was about to scream, the sharp knife at his throat immediately sank into his flesh. Just a slight scratch would probably kill him on the spot!
"Shh-"

The visitor made a gesture to keep quiet.

Du Yong nodded blankly. The other party did not take action directly, which naturally meant that there was still room for negotiation.

He concentrated all his attention and tried to open his eyes wide, trying to see the other person's appearance clearly, but the other person was wearing a nightgown and his face was covered with a black cloth. Apart from the slightly drooping corners of his eyes, he could not see any facial features.

"Boss Du, you don't know me, but I know you." The man asked quietly, "Do you understand what I mean?"

Du Yong nodded and asked, "Are you... from the Axe Gang?"

The visitor did not make any comment, but just made his own request, saying: "I am usually lazy, so I will only say it once, please listen carefully."

Du Yong pretended to be calm and said, "Okay...then, go ahead."

"I don't care about others, but I will protect Jiang Lianheng. You can't touch him."

"You, are you from the Jiang family?"

"Don't ask any more questions. Do you think I like to get involved in your mess?"

"Then what are you..."

The man pressed the sharp knife down slightly, and Du Yong immediately closed his mouth.

The man continued, "Not only can you not touch Jiang Lianheng, but if others want to touch him, you have to intervene to resolve the situation. I know you have the skills, so don't say you can't do it."

This request sounded somewhat unreasonable, but the visitor didn't care at all and continued to talk to himself:
"Listen carefully. I don't care whether that kid offended the Green Gang, the Chaozhou Gang, or the Yue Gang. I don't care whether he choked to death while drinking water, choked to death while eating, or was hit by a car while going out. As long as he gets into trouble in Shanghai, I will blame you."

"He was the first to kill my people," said Du Yong.

The visitor waved his hand and said, "That's between you two. It has nothing to do with me. Anyway, if anything happens to Jiang Lianheng, I will make you pay with your life. There is no room for negotiation. Don't think that I won't find an opportunity if you hide in a foreigner's house. I mean what I say. If you don't believe me, you can go and try."

silence.

After a while, Du Yong suddenly said, "I don't know who you are to Jiang Lianheng, but you underestimate him. The bigger the incident, the safer he will be. No one in Shanghai will touch him. I won't, Zhang Xiaolin won't, and the old man won't either."

Hearing this, the visitor couldn't help but frown, seeming a little puzzled.

However, everything that needed to be said had already been said, and since both parties were able to reach a consensus, he was too lazy to dig deeper.

"There is one more thing." After thinking for a moment, the visitor said, "Don't mention what happened tonight to anyone, especially Jiang Lianheng."

This time it was Du Yong who frowned in confusion: "Huh? Why, why can't even he——"

Before Du Yong finished speaking, the man suddenly took out a handkerchief and pressed it against Du Yong's mouth and nose, knocking him unconscious. Then he slowly disappeared into the shadows like a ghost...

(End of this chapter)