20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 624 Keenness
Brother Lian Heng:

I am glad to see your letter. It has been more than half a month since we parted from Fengtian that day. Now our masts, oars and sails have been reduced to ashes, and our mission is accomplished.

It is not convenient to go into details about the various events in this letter.

My foolish brother now lives in Ning'an County, which was the place of exile in the old days. It is desolate everywhere, so I often feel nostalgic for the ancient times. However, the people around me are so crude and vulgar that I have no friends to share the joy with.

There is only one flaw in the ointment, but I am thinking of my dear brother.

When life is good, one should enjoy it to the fullest, so I am sending you a special telegram. I sincerely hope that you will come as promised to discuss current affairs, count heroes, appreciate poetry, admire beauties, and drink plum wine with me. I am looking forward to it.

That’s all I have to say. I hope everything will be handled as soon as possible.

I wish you a peaceful summer and follow Kun’s example.

…………

After reading the telegram, the expression on Jiang Lianheng's face was more confused than happy.

On the day when the great poet Zhang led his troops to suppress bandits, he personally saw them off. There were only two or three hundred people, but they had the audacity to go to war under the banner of the "Fengtian Army First Division."

I had thought that it was already quite commendable that such a small number of people could reach the front line, preserve their strength, and find out the details of the rebels. How did they suddenly succeed?

Admittedly, it is impossible to say too much about the bandit suppression in a plain text telegram, but this victory report is still surprising.

Lying about military intelligence is a capital crime, so Zhang Xiaokun would definitely not dare to talk nonsense. Even if he did brag a little, he would have to have evidence to support his statement.

"hiss--"

Jiang Lianheng couldn't help but groan, and said in amazement: "It's quite interesting!"

Chuanghu stretched his neck and looked at him eagerly, asking, "Boss, are you going on a business trip?"

Jiang Lianheng did not comment, and turned to ask Fang Yan: "Is there anything else the company is going to do recently?"

"No, the rest are just routine business." Fang Yan checked the schedule carefully and said, "I met with everyone I needed to meet during the Joint Parliament a few days ago."

Jiang Lianheng nodded, then stood up and said, "I'm going to go to the Military Governor's Office to ask around. Ask Nanfeng to come over and keep an eye on it. I won't be back this afternoon."

Fangyan responded and accepted the order.

Chuanghu corrected him without thinking, "Isn't it called the Security Headquarters now?"

This is true. After the closing of the Joint Parliament of the Three Provinces, all the original military and political offices were reorganized into the "Three Eastern Provinces Security Command", but many people are not used to it yet.

Jiang Lianheng immediately frowned and said, "Chuang Da Mingbai, do you have anything else to say?"

Chuanghu shrank back, and quickly waved his hands with a smile: "No more, no more. If the boss has no other instructions, then I will go back."

After that, the two left the office one after another.

Jiang Lianheng asked as he walked down the stairs: "By the way, Huzi, how is the movie theater business?"

"That's great. Our film source is the fastest and most comprehensive in the provincial capital. As long as there is a new film, if we don't upload it, others won't dare to upload it either!"

The film source for Jiangjia Cinema has always been managed by Chuanghu. When Jiang Lianheng suddenly asked about it, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

"Boss, don't worry. I will definitely not let my writing affect our family business. If there is any problem, I will definitely blame Lin Qi."

"Is he still making movies now?" Jiang Lianheng asked.

"Yes, he didn't listen to my advice. His skills are wasted. He is ashamed of his master. It's a pity for his good voice. He just imitates whoever he wants. It's all wasted. He has a great talent but is not being used well enough."

Talking about this, Chuanghu couldn't help but sigh.

Jiang Lianheng had never seen the ability of "Wu Ming Cuckoo", so naturally he couldn't understand it, let alone feel regretful.

He only knew that the world was changing and many old men were changing their livelihoods actively or passively.

Survival of the fittest, it doesn't matter if it's a pity.

Everyone seemed to be placed in the wrong position, just like Li Zheng always believed that Jiang Lianheng should not stay in the city; Chuang Hu also always believed that Lin Qi should not go to the movies.

"You're still talking about others!" Jiang Lianheng snorted coldly, "You Buddha, aren't you also writing a novel?"

Chuanghu immediately argued: "This is my hobby, it doesn't interfere with my studies, I haven't lost my skills."

"They may not be left behind either." Jiang Lianheng walked to the gate and turned around. "The skills learned since childhood are like swimming and walking. They are not so easy to forget."

"I hope so!" Chuang Hu asked, "Boss, why do you suddenly want to ask about this?"

"Take some time to bring the movie player home tomorrow. Your sister-in-law stays at home all day, so give her some to cheer her up."

"Well, that's it. It's easy to handle."

Chuanghu agreed readily, Jiang Lianheng nodded, then got into the car and slowly drove towards the Security Command of the Three Northeastern Provinces.

…………

That night, there was another sumptuous meal at the Jiang family mansion.

It was not a big party. There were only Jiang Lianheng and his wife, their two children, Xu Ruqing, Sister Hua and Dongfeng in the restaurant.

Hu Xiaoyan sat upright in a wheelchair, holding an empty plate in one hand and chopsticks in the other. She took a few bites of each dish, filled two large plates, and then put them into a wooden lunch box.

"Mother Song——"

She called softly, "Go to the door and call two people to take the food to Xiaobei and Xifeng."

Song Ma came in and answered, then picked up the lunch box and walked out of the room quickly.

Jiang Lianheng saw this and couldn't help but shook his head and said, "If you don't mind the trouble, just ask Xifeng to go to the restaurant and order two dishes."

"That's not enough, but you can't have a table full of food in the hospital. It's good to have food delivered, and there are many kinds of food." Hu Xiaoyan said, "Go on with your story, I'm listening!"

"Oh, Zhang Xiaokun did succeed in suppressing the bandits."

Jiang Lianheng took a sip of wine and said in amazement, "I asked Lao Cai from the Military Governor's Office this afternoon, and he said that Zhang Xiaokun had contacted Wu Dasoutou in Harbin and asked for two mountain cannons. He pushed them eastward from Harbin and broke through nine stations in a row. Lao Zhang was very happy."

"Where did he get so many people?"

"Haha, when you mentioned that, it reminded me of it. No wonder he said I was an amateur."

"What's wrong?"

"Old Zhang gave him a number to suppress bandits. He set out from Fengtian, stopping at every station. As soon as he got off the train, he began to recruit soldiers and horses. He also specially paid a lot of money to hire a lot of "stooges". He made a big fuss. By the time he arrived at Harbin, the original two or three hundred people had grown to more than a thousand."

"So powerful?" Hu Xiaoyan was also a little surprised, "What about the military pay?"

"Who knows how he fooled people? Anyway, the military pay hasn't been allocated yet, but he has already formed a regiment."

Jiang Lianheng couldn't help but smile with joy.

He had every reason to be excited. His sworn brother was doing very well, so even if he didn't help the Jiang family in the future, at least he wouldn't have an extra enemy.

"A person's reputation is like a tree's shadow. It's just a coincidence." Jiang Lianheng explained, "When he was young, he was building a railway here. It just so happened that many of the bandits had worked for him before, and most of them were from Shandong. They didn't want to fight, so he took the opportunity to recruit them."

"He's quite popular."

"Of course, Brother Zhang is very loyal. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become a foreman under Maozi!"

Zhang Xiaokun has a reputation for being greedy and lustful, but he is definitely not a miserly and petty person.

Everything has its reason. I spent all my money back then, but in the end I got so much support today.

Jiang Lianheng said cheerfully: "I really didn't expect that he would turn the bandit suppression into a recruitment campaign. I heard from Lao Cai that Brother Zhang expanded three regiments in one go. Even if we estimate the minimum, there must be at least four or five thousand people." After he finished speaking, everyone at the table was stunned.

Zhang Xiaokun's promotion speed is much faster than Zhao Zhengbei's.

It seems that those who can fight tough battles will ultimately be no match for those who can rally people's hearts. There is a difference between talented generals and talented commanders.

The bird flies high with the phoenix, and Jiang Lianheng once again hooks up with a powerful official.

This was a huge happy event for the Jiang family, but when Hu Xiaoyan heard it, she frowned for some reason.

After thinking for a while, she asked, "Then...which faction should he belong to?"

"Which faction do you mean?" Jiang Lianheng was in high spirits and was caught off guard.

"Which faction do you belong to in the Fengtian Army?"

Hu Xiaoyan explained it again, but Jiang Lianheng couldn't help but be stunned.

Yes, which faction of the Feng-Zhang Group should Zhang Xiaokun belong to?

He was obviously not a member of the old school. Compared with Marshal Zhang's eight sworn brothers, he was a generation behind in both seniority and age.

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Not to mention being one of the eight Zhang brothers, even compared with Wang Tiekan and others, he is not considered old-fashioned.

Zhang Xiaokun had never attended the Military Academy, so the Lu Da faction looked down on him, and the non-commissioned officer faction didn't take him seriously either. Naturally, he was not tolerated by the new faction either.

After much thought, his status is probably equivalent to that of Marshal Zhang to the Beiyang government, and can only be considered a side branch.

"The soldiers he has are not given by Old Zhang, but recruited by himself." Hu Xiaoyan asked, "If you were Marshal Zhang, would you trust him?"

Jiang Lianheng was stunned, then gradually realized the hidden meaning.

"Wife, do you mean that I should keep some distance from him?"

Hu Xiaoyan did not comment and looked at the silent dining table. The family members could only listen quietly and could not say anything, so she waved her hand.

"Forget it, let's talk about it after dinner!"

Both Jiang and Hu have more or less traces of their fathers.

Back then, the old man didn't like to talk about current affairs at the dinner table.

Hu Xiaoyan is doing the same thing right now. She spends dinner time with her family, listening to her children talk about what happened at school, and temporarily forgetting the unpredictable world outside.

Now that Jiang Ya was able to speak, the atmosphere in the restaurant immediately became much more lively.

After dinner, Jiang and Hu returned to the bedroom. Yingzi brought them some cold tea and helped them digest the food for a while before continuing the topic about Zhang Xiaokun.

"It's always best to be deliberate." Hu Xiaoyan said, "No one is stupid. If you deliberately stay away from him, it will inevitably make people feel disappointed. It's not good to lose friends in the future."

Jiang Lianheng nodded and said, "I think so. Since I have received a letter and I have nothing else to do, I should go over and take a look, and ask about the bandit Hu."

"I'm afraid he'll keep you here."

"What do you mean?"

"There is only one Marshal named Zhang in Fengtian. You are a spy in the provincial capital, and he recruits his own troops. It is inappropriate for you two to be too close."

"That depends on Lao Zhang's attitude."

"No matter what Lao Zhang's attitude is, we must be clear about who is the master and who is the friend." Hu Xiaoyan reminded again and again.

Jiang Lianheng also thought that what he said made sense, and he could not help but hesitate, so he asked: "So should I go or not?"

"Go quickly and come back soon. It would be best if you can deal with the rebel bandits."

Jiang Lianheng nodded and said, "Then I will leave in the next two days."

"Let's go, but who are you going to take with you?" Hu Xiaoyan asked.

Having said that, I suddenly realized that the Jiang family is actually a little short of manpower.

Of course, there is no shortage of "Xiangzi" who can do the dirty work, but what is lacking is a second-in-command who can give advice or even take charge.

Xue Yingqing was obviously not suitable to deal with the bandits and the soldiers.

If Jiang Lianheng leaves, Wang Zhengnan will need to take care of the family business.

Li Zhengxi is taking care of Zhao Zhengbei in the hospital. Of course he can replace him, but brothers are brothers and nurses are nurses. After all, they cannot be compared.

Wen Tingge is in Shanghai recuperating from his injuries and is also busy setting up a branch, so he has not yet returned.

Zhao Guoyan is available, but he is currently in Kuanchengzi and needs to join us.

It’s not that the Jiang family is short of manpower, but that they have taken too big steps in the past few years and need people everywhere, but they cannot rashly use people.

Back then, when Zhou Yunfu took the helm, the railway had not yet been opened to traffic and his influence was limited, so he only had to manage Fengtian.

Now that the railway is open, it is convenient, but if it wants to maintain its reputation, it will inevitably dilute itself.

"Or, you can take Dongfeng over there!" Hu Xiaoyan suggested.

"No!" Jiang Lianheng refused without a second thought, "He has to stay at home. I don't feel comfortable leaving Jiang Ya and Cheng Ye's affairs to others."

"It would be nice if Yan Sheng was still here, so he could give you some advice..."

"Hey..."

Although they were somewhat sad, neither of them realized that Liu Yansheng's death was not just the loss of a brother, but also the loss of a dove for the Jiang family.

Among the Jiang family, Zhao Guoyan and Li Zhengxi are both warlike in nature, while Liu Yansheng and Wang Zhengnan prefer peace.

Zhang Zhengdong only knows how to follow orders, Xue Yingqing likes to be a hands-off boss, and Wen Tingge is good friends with Liu Yansheng, so whenever something happens, he naturally supports Yansheng's views.

However, this subtle change has not yet fully manifested and is therefore difficult to detect.

"How about I go to Kuanchengzi first and call Guoyan?" Jiang Lianheng asked.

"Yes!" Hu Xiaoyan nodded. "If you want to deal with the bandits, Guo Yan is the most suitable person. But you have to bring someone else with you on your way to Kuanchengzi."

"It will take a long time to get there by train, so it's not that long."

Jiang Lianheng had also been a leader before, so he was not that weak. Besides, he was still in his prime, so he did not take it seriously.

Hu Xiaoyan said, "Why not? How are you worth now? Do you think you are the same as before? Don't take your status as a leader too seriously. They are bandits. As long as the hostage is valuable, they dare to kidnap anyone."

"Then call a few more 'Xiangzi'."

"Call Yuan Xinfa as well!"

Hu Xiaoyan's proposal was a little sudden, but her reasons were sufficient.

"The couple from the Yuan family have been eating a lot of our food. It's a waste for such a tall guy to be guarding the door all day. It's time for him to do some work."

Jiang Lianheng thought about it and realized that his family didn't have any enemies in Fengtian, so he agreed, "Okay, let him go with me. When we get to Kuanchengzi, I'll send a telegram home."

Only then did Hu Xiaoyan feel relieved.

Nothing happened that night, and the next day, Jiang Lianheng was ready to leave.

But before leaving, Hu Xiaoyan still reminded him again and again that a gentleman should be in a group but not in a party, and should not get bogged down in factional disputes because of brotherhood...

(End of this chapter)