20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 585 The Temptation of Revenge

Takeda Nobuyuki walked slowly into the house.

Like many young Japanese, there was a unique sense of humility in his words and deeds; he lowered his head, looked humble and submissive.

However, when he raised his head, he looked like an eagle and a wolf, and he was definitely not a good person.

Jiang Lianheng was slightly surprised to hear that the other party was a Japanese kid, but he didn't make a fuss about it.

He had experienced similar situations countless times when he was in Fengtian.

The only difference is that this is a foreign land.

The infiltration of Xiao Dongyang has never been limited to the government, but is all-encompassing.

From cultural celebrities to opera actors, anyone with a little fame in the industry could not escape their coercion and inducement, without exception.

After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Lianheng finally stood up, shook hands with Takeda Nobuyuki, and then led him to the tea table by the window.

At this time, the sky was already getting dark and the sounds of hawkers could be heard faintly outside the window.

There is a solitary lamp on the table, reflecting the tranquility in the space.

The two men sat down side by side across the tea table and exchanged a few polite words.

Then Jiang Lianheng asked, "Mr. Takeda, I have been in Shanghai for about two months. I don't remember having any dealings with you. You came to see me at mealtime. You are not planning to let me treat you to a meal, are you?"

As he spoke, he lit a cigarette without offering it to others.

Takeda Nobuo was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and smiled, saying: "Mr. Jiang is really humorous. However, if we can get along well, it is only natural to have a few drinks to celebrate, right?"

He spoke Chinese extremely fluently, just like any Chinese person. If he had not announced his origins in advance, his Chinese language would have been indistinguishable from the real thing.

Jiang Lianheng frowned, then remembered the previous advice of the Yilietuan, and couldn't help but secretly speculate on the other party's intentions.

"Since you have heard of me, you should know that I do not cooperate with Japanese people, unless you want to sell guns. In that case, we can talk, but it is limited to buying and selling."

"I see... Unfortunately, I don't deal in arms business."

"Then there's nothing to talk about." Jiang Lianheng shrugged, pretending to sigh, "It seems that we are not compatible, so let's not force ourselves together, Guo Yan——"

Before he finished speaking, Zhao Guoyan and Li Zhengxi pushed open the door and walked in.

Just as he was about to send the guests away, Takeda Nobuyuki hurriedly bowed his head and raised his hand to appease everyone, but said, "Wait, Mr. Jiang, I haven't told you what it is yet, and you dare to be sure that you are not interested?"

"Don't say anything. I'm not interested in you as a person. So no matter what you say, I'm not interested in talking to you. Guo Yan, get out!"

Jiang Lianheng retorted, and it seemed that he no longer had the patience to continue to argue with the other party.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the word "see you off" was uttered, Takeda Nobuyuki's next words made the three people present freeze in place.

"Mr. Jiang, are we going to let Liu Yansheng's blood feud go just like that?"

Takeda Nobuyuki's voice was very low, but in Jiang Lianheng's ears, it suddenly sounded like a roar.

The three of them turned their heads at the same time, their eyes filled with surprise, suspicion, and a little taboo.

Seeing this, Takeda Nobuyuki smiled, then sat down with peace of mind, picked up the half-pack of cigarettes that Jiang Lianheng had placed on the table, lit one as if no one was around, took two puffs, and then put it out.

"Mr. Jiang, I am here to help you solve your problems."

Takeda Nobuyuki seemed to understand Jiang Lianheng's temper very well, and he made great efforts to please him.

Money can't impress Jiang Lianheng at all.

He was not short of money, so he was particularly concerned about his reputation. Thinking of his aunt's past, how could he be willing to bear the stigma of a "traitor".

However, the temptation of revenge is not illusory.

Jiang Lianheng was a vengeful person by nature. He was well aware of the pleasure that revenge brought, which was probably one of the most primitive and passionate emotions of human beings.

Once you taste it, you will never forget it.

He did not deny that for a moment, in order to vent the anger in his heart, he was indeed shaken.

Not only Jiang Lianheng, but also Zhao Guoyan and Li Zhengxi seem to be the same.

Takeda Nobuyuki was a man of quick thinking. In this moment of hesitation, he found an opportunity and immediately pursued the opportunity relentlessly and began to lobby with his eloquent voice.

"Mr. Jiang, I have been in the Far East for more than ten years and have traveled to many cities, including Harbin, Fengtian, Beijing, Shanghai... I have been to these places frequently and of course I have heard of and seen many Chinese people, but I am most interested in you. You are different from them. You are a man of blood."

Jiang Lianheng listened quietly without saying anything.

Takeda's lobbying continues.

"Mr. Jiang, putting aside the positions of our two countries, I personally admire your way of doing things. In fact, you and I are essentially the same kind, so I really want to make friends with you. If you are willing, I can offer you Zhang Xiaolin's head as a gift for this meeting."

similar?

Zhao Guoyan and Li Zhengxi looked at each other, who was the same kind as him?
But if you think about it carefully, this seems to be true.

After all, evildoers must be punished by evildoers.

Jiang Lianheng frowned, squinted his eyes at Xiao Dongyang, and asked in a low voice: "How much do you know?"

"Since the day of the Zhabei assassination, I know almost everything that happened." Takeda Nobu said with a smile, "Of course, I also know who commissioned you to come to Shanghai this time."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lianheng and others were all stunned.

Seeing this, Takeda Nobu hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, I won't hinder your mission. If necessary, I will even try my best to help you. After all, Marshal Zhang is a warlord we supported."

This is true.

Although the small Dongyang people did not quite support Zhang's entry into the Pass, they would naturally be happy if Lao Zhang could really defeat Wu Xiucai.

Takeda Nobu smiled and explained, "In fact, a lot of the intelligence information about Marshal Zhang was originally provided by us. From this perspective, Mr. Jiang, we are actually colleagues. Now that my colleague is in trouble, of course I am willing to help. I just don't know if Mr. Jiang is willing to accept my kindness."

There was silence for a moment.

Jiang Lianheng said: "What I just asked is how much you know about my family."

"A lot, much more than you can imagine." Takeda Nobuyuki still had a humble look on his face. "Mr. Jiang, you are a smart man. You don't think that if no one talks about something, it means that everyone knows about it, right?"

As he spoke, a hint of threat suddenly flashed in his eyes, but it was so fleeting that it was difficult to detect.

Immediately, he forced out a friendly smile and said, "But that's a thing of the past. There's no need to pursue it. Let's just focus on the matter at hand!"

"Can you kill Zhang Xiaolin?" Jiang Lianheng asked.

"Of course, but I won't do it myself. Someone professional will do it."

"What about the conditions?"

"There are no conditions. It's just that when there is an opportunity, we can have a meal together, chat and discuss business. That's all."

"Really? But I heard that things that have no price are often the most valuable."

Takeda Nobu laughed dumbly, shook his head and said, "Mr. Jiang, you are worrying too much. He is just Zhang Xiaolin. He is not qualified to be put on the table for me to bargain with you. If we want to kill him, we don't need General He's consent at all."

Jiang Lianheng raised his hand and told Zhao Guoyan and Li Zhengxi to close the door. Then he turned around and looked at Xiao Dongyang for a few times, and suddenly changed the subject.

"Mr. Takeda, if I reject you today, will you go to Zhang Xiaolin and discuss with him how to get rid of me?" "I'll go to Zhang Xiaolin?"

Takeda Nobuyuki laughed and said, "No, I only deal with Chinese people I admire. He is not qualified yet."

"Oh? Zhang Xiaolin is not qualified, then why am I qualified?" Jiang Lianheng asked.

"Mr. Jiang, you are different from them. Your influence is in Fengtian." Takeda Nobuyuki looked out the window and sighed, "Shanghai is a good place. It is the estuary of major rivers and the economic lifeline that runs through half of the Far East. Whoever controls Shanghai controls the purse strings of the Far East, but——"

He suddenly retracted his gaze, looked at Jiang Lianheng, and said word by word:
"Manchuria's position is irreplaceable. The three northeastern provinces are related to the fate of our country. We would rather lose our homeland than lose Manchuria."

Hearing this, Jiang Lianheng's eyebrows jumped.

Compared with the small Japanese countries he had come into contact with before, Takeda Nobuyuki did not hide anything, nor did he use "common prosperity" as an excuse, but directly stated his ambitions of aggression.

Jiang Lianheng firmly believed this.

After all, he had witnessed the Russo-Japanese War with his own eyes as early as the end of the Guangxu period.

The little Japan fought with the blood of 100,000 young men before it finally snatched the operating rights of the South Manchuria Railway from Tsarist Russia.

If he hadn't coveted it for a long time, how could he be willing to pay such a huge price?
Takeda Nobu said: "Mr. Jiang, as long as you nod now and are willing to accept my friendship, then Zhang Xiaolin will get the retribution he deserves, and the people in Shanghai will understand how stupid it is to go against the Jiang family. By then, they will be afraid of you."

"Of course!" he continued, "If Mr. Jiang feels that this is not satisfying enough, I can also hand him over to you and let you deal with him as you wish."

Just a nod and a verbal agreement, Liu Yansheng's blood feud could be easily resolved.

However, Jiang Lianheng was slow to speak.

People are more valuable in having self-knowledge.

He knows exactly where his ceiling is.

Marshal Zhang can argue with Xiao Dongyang and act like a rogue to him because Marshal Zhang has the qualifications to sit at the table and negotiate.

Jiang Lianheng didn't have that, so he didn't dare to make a verbal promise easily. The deeper his relationship with Xiao Dongyang, the more difficult it would be to get rid of him.

He had already had a deep understanding of this when he was dealing with Miyata Ryuji.

Takeda Nobuyuki's understanding of the Jiang family made Jiang Lianheng feel vaguely fearful.

Moreover, if Liu Yansheng still had a spirit in the afterlife, would he want the blood of his enemy?

Seeing that Jiang Lianheng was a little hesitant, Takeda Nobuyuki hurriedly tried to persuade him again.

"Mr. Jiang, don't pay any more attention to those warlords. The so-called stability, balance, and moderation are just excuses for the weak. In the face of true power, only those who obey me will prosper, and those who oppose me will perish. If you work for the Great East Ocean Empire, even those warlords will not dare to touch you..."

Before he could finish his words, Jiang Lianheng raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Okay, stop talking. I can tell you the answer right now." He thought for a moment and finally sighed, "Then let me apologize to Yan Sheng."

Takeda Nobuo was stunned and asked hurriedly: "Mr. Jiang, don't you want revenge?"

"I wanted to, but my ability was limited. I failed to penetrate Zhang Xiaolin that night. I admit it."

Jiang Lianheng's tone was particularly heavy.

Zhao Guoyan and Li Zhengxi were standing at the door. After hearing this, they couldn't help but lower their heads and felt a burning pain on their faces.

Takeda Nobuyuki was anxious and said hurriedly: "Mr. Jiang, you clearly have a chance to turn defeat into victory, and it doesn't cost anything."

"No thanks." Jiang Lianheng waved his hand. "Mr. Takeda, thank you for your kindness, but I will never change what I have decided."

Takeda Nobuyuki hurriedly tried to persuade him a few more times, but seeing that Jiang Lianheng was determined not to agree, the expression on his face gradually became gloomy.

"Mr. Jiang, I thought you were a reasonable person."

"I think so too. I'm usually not confused about big things."

"No, you're too confused."

"Is it?"

"Of course!" Takeda Nobuyuki stood up suddenly and said coldly, "Mr. Jiang, I know that Marshal Zhang is your backer, but have you ever thought that your backer is actually just an iceberg?"

"Maybe!" Jiang Lianheng did not refute, nor did he have much to refute.

"Not only Marshal Zhang, but also Wu Xiucai, Cao Baoding, Lu Dujun, and Sun Dapao, they are all just icebergs and not worth relying on." Takeda Nobuyuki said loudly, "Just wait and see, when the Rising Sun Flag rises in the Far East, these icebergs will all melt away. By then, I hope Mr. Jiang will not regret it."

"Are you threatening me?" Jiang Lianheng asked with narrowed eyes.

Takeda Nobuyuki shook his head, smiled contemptuously, and said: “No, this is not a threat, but a fact that is about to happen.”

"Okay, then I'll wait."

"Well, Mr. Jiang, I'm really sorry for you."

Although the cooperation failed, Takeda Nobuyuki did not lose his composure. He still bowed to Jiang Lianheng in a serious manner, then turned around and walked out of the house.

"Wait!" Jiang Lianheng stopped him, "I have one more thing to say."

"please say."

"Although I failed to defeat Zhang Xiaolin, it doesn't mean that I'm afraid of him, nor does it mean that I'm afraid that you will go to him for cooperation. I just want to tell you that if you want to cooperate with him to deal with me, that's fine."

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Takeda Nobu just snorted coldly and said with a smile: "I said that I only cooperate with Chinese people I admire. Whether you agree or not, I will not go to Zhang Xiaolin. However... I won't go to him, but it doesn't mean that others won't. Take care, Mr. Jiang, goodbye."

After saying that, Xiao Dongyang angrily walked out of the room.

Zhao Guoyan and Li Zhengxi looked at each other, then turned to look at Jiang Lianheng, wanting to say something but not knowing what to say.

"Is there anyone else outside?" Jiang Lianheng asked.

"No, no more." Zhao Guoyan asked, "Boss, do you want to eat now?"

Jiang Lianheng shook his head: "I'm not that hungry all of a sudden. You guys go eat first. I'll stay in the room for a while."

Seeing that he was upset, Zhao Guoyan and Li Zhengxi naturally did not dare to disturb him.

I closed the door gently, and the surroundings suddenly became quiet.

At this time, it was already pitch black outside the window.

Jiang Lianheng walked to the window and stood with his hands behind his back. Under the dim light, apart from his own reflection, he could see nothing but the endless darkness.

"Your backer is just an iceberg."

Takeda Nobuyuki's words still lingered in my ears for a long time.

The disputes in the underworld and gang fights can be ended by the warlords behind the scenes with just one word.

The Jiang family, the Guangdong Gang, the Axe Gang, and the three tycoons are nothing but puppets, and those big guys don't care how many lives they lose.

In chaos, there are no winners.

The result of the warlords' melee must be the same...

(End of this chapter)