20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 597 Independence Army

After bidding farewell to the Marshal's Mansion, Jiang Lianheng immediately set off for the head office of Xiaoxiguan Insurance Company.

It has been more than two months since he left the counter. Although Hu Xiaoyan and managers from various offices help to take care of business matters, there are still many meeting invitations that require him to attend in person.

I have to say that Fangyan is a very competent assistant.

No matter how complicated and tedious the schedule is, it seems to be in order in his hands.

Come to think of it, he taught himself to write at the dock when he was young. It must be a good thing that he was supported and valued by foreigners.

Over the past few years, as Jiang Lianheng's assistant, Fang Yan has not only been diligent and conscientious, but also has a close rapport with the master and servant. They understand each other very well and no one can find any fault with him.

As the year was coming to an end, Jiang Lianheng was flipping through the account books and schedules. Fang Yan stood beside the table, carefully observing his boss's expression, and gradually noticed something was wrong.

"Boss, are you unhappy?"

After checking the account book, Fangyan asked, "Did I not write something clearly?"

"Oh, it has nothing to do with you." Jiang Lianheng threw down the account book and said, "Well, ask them to take out the insurance policy for the Jingfeng Line and send it to their home as soon as possible."

"it is good."

"Also, the freight insurance on the Jingfeng Line will increase in price next year. If there are any business coming to your door recently, tell the managers not to accept them yet and send them all to their homes for evaluation later."

"understood."

Fangyan took out a notebook and immediately wrote down his boss's instructions.

Jiang Lianheng lit a cigarette, scratched his head and asked, "Don't you have anything urgent to do recently?"

"Oh, you were not here yesterday, and Madam sent Brother Dong to the counter to withdraw some money." Fang Yan quickly put away the paper and pen, "She said that she wanted to give the victims of the disaster a resettlement allowance."

"It's my duty." Jiang Lianheng nodded, his tone slightly gloomy.

Fang Yan then took out a note, handed it over and said, "Also, Madam, I don't know when you will be back. When I see you, please tell them that these three are the elderly in the family. If you are free, it would be best if you go to visit them in person to express your condolences."

Jiang Lianheng took it and looked at it. Seeing that the first person on the list was Lao Niu, he couldn't help but sigh.

"How about this!" he said, "Help me prepare some gifts in the next two days, and I'll take some time to visit their homes before the New Year."

Fang Yan responded and walked to the bookshelf, bent down and opened the door at the bottom, and said, "Boss, the mistress has prepared the apology gifts, which are packaged separately, three in total."

Jiang Lianheng was stunned. He stood up and walked over to take a look. He saw three stacks of gift boxes, each of which was different and had a label on it. They were all paid according to work and need, which was fair and just.

"Boss, you see, according to their respective situations, each family's apology is different. Some are given to children, some are given to the elderly and sisters. Madam is very thoughtful."

Fangyan praised to himself, not to flatter, but because he was glad from the bottom of his heart that the Jiang family had such a sister-in-law.

A man dies for a man who knows himself, and a woman looks good for a man who pleases her.

Put yourself in other people's shoes and you will gain something in return.

Jiang Lianheng nodded, and had to admit that his wife was very meticulous and thorough.

"As long as you are ready, please help me find a day when I am free. I will go to each one of them and come on one day," he said.

"Okay!" Fang Yan responded, "Then I'll check the arrangements for the next few days."

"Is there nothing to do today?" Jiang Lianheng asked.

Fang Yan opened the notebook, looked through it carefully for a moment, shook his head and said, "Boss, I don't have any plans this afternoon, but those Koreans arranged by Zhao Guoyan..."

"Where are they staying now?"

“Near the West Tower.”

"West Tower?" Jiang Lianheng was stunned. "What is Guo Yan thinking? Isn't that just running away under the eyes of the Japanese?"

Fangyan explained: "The place was chosen by those Koreans themselves. They said there are many Koreans over there, and it might be safer to mix in there."

If you think about it carefully, there is nothing wrong with it.

Although the West Tower is located in the South Railway Concession area, Koreans had already started to live there twenty years ago.

Xita Hutong is not far from Shijianfang. In the late Qing Dynasty, it was full of Korean brothels and Korean restaurants. It might be easier for the members of the Righteous Group to hide their identities if they lived in Fengtian City. Even if they didn't speak Chinese well, they would be more conspicuous.

"How many people do they have now?" Jiang Lianheng asked.

Fang Yan thought for a moment and said, "There were more than a dozen people on the list that was sent at the beginning, but in the end only ten came. Four of them went to Shanghai, and there are still six here. Two of them came to say hello a few days ago, saying that they had something to do in Jilin Province."

"Why are there only ten of them?"

"I don't know about that. I guess he was detained by the Japanese when he was crossing the border. You'll have to ask Mr. Zhao for the details."

"It seems that this matter is not handled very well!"

"No, no, no, Boss, there's nothing to complain about. We just need to support them in Fengtian. If they are detained in Goryeo, it can't be blamed on us!"

"I have another list here!" Jiang Lianheng took out an empty cigarette box from his pocket and turned it around in his hands. "Put it in the safe first. Ask Guo Yan to come over later. Let him handle this matter from now on."

Fangyan took the cigarette box, put it in the safe and locked it, then turned around and said, "Boss, those Koreans have been looking for an opportunity to thank you in person!"

"I don't need to meet them all, right?" Jiang Lianheng said, "It will be good for both of us if we stay away from each other."

"They have a representative named Park Tae-hoon." Fang Yan persuaded, "Boss, we are not profitable in this business to begin with, so we should at least try to show some favors to them, at least to let them know what's going on. If you want to see him, I'll call him now, he'll be there anytime, it won't take long."

Jiang Lianheng thought about it and saw that there was only one representative, so he nodded and agreed.

Fangyan then asked for a phone call.

Time passed quickly, and around noon, there was a knock on the door as expected.

When the representative of the Righteous Corps pushed open the door, Jiang Lianheng looked up and was stunned.

The man looked too young. I thought he was a generous and righteous man in his early thirties, but he looked like he was not even twenty years old, just like a student who had not yet graduated. Park Tae-hoon was tall, with narrow eyes, and had a typical appearance of a Goryeo people - of course, this could also be due to preconceived notions.

Despite his young age, he has an indescribable air of maturity, which is not innate, but a kind of tragic feeling that only those who have experienced great joys and sorrows, honor and disgrace, and ups and downs can possess.

The reason why the Righteous Group chose him as their representative was simple—he spoke Chinese the best.

But even so, when he met Jiang Lianheng, he still respectfully handed him a letter of thanks.

After opening the envelope, there was no need to elaborate on the contents of the letter. It was full of words of gratitude. However, the signature was crookedly written with the name of every member of the Righteous Corps who had been taken care of by the Jiang family.

After counting carefully, there were ten people in total, no more, no less.

Park Tae-hoon bowed and said a little embarrassedly, "I can only express my gratitude through a letter. I am really ashamed. I hope Mr. Jiang will forgive me."

"It doesn't matter how expensive a gift is, as long as the thought is there." Jiang Lianheng handed the letter to Fangyan, then turned around and said, "You speak Chinese well. I can't even tell you have an accent."

Park Tae-hoon explained: "My father was an official in the court and was proficient in Chinese studies. I started learning Chinese when I was very young."

"You guys are learning Chinese too?" Jiang Lianheng greeted them with a smile, "Come on, come on, sit down quickly."

Like everyone who came to the Jiang family for help, Park Tae-hoon sat down at the desk and Fang Yan immediately poured him tea.

"How is it? Are you used to staying in Fengtian for some time?" Jiang Lianheng asked.

Park Tae-hoon nodded and said, "It's okay. I'm used to it. There are many compatriots in Xita Hutong. It feels no different from being in Goryeo."

"How is that possible? No matter what, this is still Northeast China, not your Goryeo!"

"Of course, but the problem is...Goryeo is no longer the same Goryeo as before."

Jiang Lianheng lit a cigarette, leaned back in his chair, and asked, "How many of you are planning to come to our Northeastern China in the near future?"

Park Tae-hoon thought for a moment and said, "There should be many more, but it is not certain whether they will come to Fengtian. Maybe they will go to Shanghai or Yanbian."

"Are these all members of your Yilietuan?"

"No, our Yilie Group is just one of the teams. There are many other groups. Everyone has their own ideas and sometimes they quarrel, but the goal is the same, to defeat the little East and long live independence."

"Is it very chaotic over there recently?" Jiang Lianheng asked. "I've been in Fengtian for almost 20 years. Although there were Korean sticks before... ahem, although there were Koreans running here before, it seems that there were not as many as this time!"

"Mr. Jiang, don't you know the reason yet?" Park Tae-hoon was a little surprised.

"I did read about it in the newspaper, but there wasn't much coverage. I'm usually pretty busy, so I didn't ask any further questions."

Jiang Lianheng put it more tactfully.

The reality is that he didn't care what happened in Goryeo at all.

It's not just him who doesn't care. There aren't many people in the entire Far East who really care. Their own country is in a mess and they are at the mercy of others. How can they have the time to care about other countries?
For the people of a weak country, even the loudest cries seem so silent.

Park Tae-hoon's eyes suddenly dimmed. He sat quietly for a while, drank a sip of tea, and then said, "Mr. Jiang, this matter has to start from two years ago..."

It turned out that two years ago, the Goryeo Kingdom suddenly launched the "Long Live Movement" against the rule of the Little East.

At first, this "turmoil" was just a petition rally composed of Goryeo Christians and young students, but it soon swept across the country, and the struggle intensified. Finally, before the summer, it was brutally suppressed by the Little East, and many righteous people were ordered to be wanted.

However, although the "riot" in the city was ended, the guerrilla resistance in the countryside was never completely extinguished.

These voluntary scattered soldiers and guerrillas then raised the banner of the "Independent Army" - in fact, it was just a ragtag army composed of bandits.

No one was willing to submit to the other, there was no unified command, and no clear strategy. Although their morale was high, their equipment and discipline were too poor. Whenever they met and exchanged fire with the Japanese, they had to fight and retreat. It was not until the end of last year that they finally retreated to the foot of Mount Paektu.

Even the war of pursuit and suppression had affected the border areas outside the Great Wall to a certain extent.

From then on, more and more Koreans began to flee to the areas outside the Great Wall.

Although Park Tae-hoon was not a soldier of the Independence Army, he also ended up with his family broken up and becoming homeless because of the turmoil.

Now that we have escaped to Fengtian, it is a blessing in disguise. I don’t know how many of my former classmates who fought together with me are now in prison or even killed.

Jiang Lianheng couldn't help but sigh after hearing this, but after all, it had nothing to do with him, so it was difficult for him to feel the pain deeply.

After a long silence, he said to comfort him: "Brother, you are a man now. If you need help in Fengtian, you can always come to me. Just come, don't bring too many people, otherwise I will be in trouble."

These were just a few polite words from the host, but unexpectedly, after hearing them, Park Tae-hoon immediately became energetic.

"Mr. Jiang, to be honest, I have something I want your help with."

"Cough cough!"

Jiang Lianheng almost choked on his tea. He wiped his mouth and said with a smile, "Is there really something going on? OK...if you have something to say, just tell me. I'll listen first."

Park Tae-hoon sat upright and said, "Mr. Jiang, although I am not a soldier of the Independence Army, I have connections with them. We want to get some weapons recently. I heard that Mr. Jiang has great power in Fengtian. I wonder if you can find a way to get us some guns? Of course, it would be even better if we have cannons!"

Hearing this, Jiang Lianheng frowned immediately, pondered for a long time, and then said earnestly:
"Brother Park, to be honest with you, I am taking care of you in Fengtian, which is already very risky. I hate the devils just like you do. I can help you settle down here, but if you want me to help you fight the devils again... It's not that I don't want to take this risk, nor that I don't dare to take it, but there must be some benefits, right?"

Park Tae-hoon nodded hurriedly and said, "I understand. We certainly won't let Mr. Jiang take the risk in vain. We can pay for it!"

Jiang Lianheng couldn't help but smacking his lips - this is not about money, if you have the life to make money, you also have to have the life to spend it.

Park Tae-hoon and others were originally wanted targets by the Japanese. If we continue to sell arms to them, the matter will be exposed sooner or later, and we will inevitably become enemies with the Japanese again.

However, Park Tae-hoon didn't care too much. After he finished speaking, he started rummaging around in his pockets.

Seeing this, Jiang Lianheng couldn't help but look at Fang Yan.

Soon, Park Tae-hoon stretched out his arms and opened his palms without hesitation.

Jiang Lianheng looked down and saw that it was a pair of gold bracelets. He immediately frowned and asked, "What is this... Do you have a wife?"

"This is my mother's." Park Tae-hoon still had a determined look on his face, "It's my mother's relic."

(End of this chapter)