20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 626 Old Mang
Sun Xiangyang was holding the large bowl, unwilling to put it down. He turned around and put a clove of garlic into his mouth. He finished all the noodles with gravy. Then he picked up the box firecracker on the table, put it between his waist, gulped down a few mouthfuls of cold water, burped twice, and finally calmed down.

During this time, the shopkeeper Da Tiaoer also changed into a long gown and hurried into the room to keep them company.

The four of them sat down one after another around the small square table.

Jiang Lianheng sat opposite Sun Xiangyang, knocked out a cigarette, and threw it at him.

"Ah-ho--"

Sun Xiangyang didn't notice that his cigarette had fallen on the table, but he didn't mind it. He immediately picked it up, put it in his mouth, and said with a smile: "Thank you, Boss Jiang!"

After saying that, they struck a match, leaned over to light each other's fire, and finally shook their hands, wiping the sweat from their greasy hair while complaining about the evil spirits.

"This day is really unbearable, it's almost getting hot!"

Jiang Lianheng nodded and asked with a smile: "Brother, why do you want to go into the city today?"

Sun Xiangyang took a deep puff of his cigarette and said, "Not long ago, the boss had a big business in the next county. Now that the storm has passed, he sent me here to exchange some things. Unexpectedly, I ran into Lao Zhao on the road. After chatting for a while, he dragged me here."

"You are quite valued!"

"Well, the key is that those kids are really careless and playful. If we let them into the city, they won't be able to go back!"

"Is the gang red?"

"Just make do with it, that's all!"

Jiang Lianheng leaned on the table and asked in a low voice: "Where are you settling down now?"

Sun Xiangyang waved his hand and said with a worried look on his face: "Boss Jiang, I didn't mean to hide it from you. Recently, the brothers have been moving around the mountains and not pressing on the ground."

"Oh?" Jiang Lianheng was slightly surprised, and then asked solemnly, "I heard that there were several rebellions in the Suifenhe area recently. Your family has nothing to do with it, right?"

"How is this possible! Those people are fucking crazy. They want to rebel against Marshal Zhang. Why don't they take a piss and look at themselves?"

Sun Xiangyang denied it immediately, and then began to complain in a deep voice.

"They rebelled, and the other hilltops were forced to follow suit. Because of this, the other hilltops in that area are now forced to move. Don't you think this is immoral?"

Although the gangs are a group of rabble, as long as they are well-known and can stand for many years, their leaders must be knowledgeable.

When the Zongli Socialist Party rebelled, at least they had the support of the small Japanese.

Now that the Suifenhe mountain guerrillas are rebelling, there is no other force behind them except Wu Xiucai who verbally supports them. What future do they have?

After they make a fuss, when Lao Zhang has time to spare, he will definitely launch a severe crackdown on the banditry in Jilin Province.

"Boss Jiang, tell me, why don't you just keep quiet and make money? Why do you have to make such a fuss?"

Sun Xiangyang cursed and stamped out his cigarette, gritting his teeth and said, "Now that group of people is purely a public enemy on the line. Not to mention that the government wants to suppress the bandits, even the big bosses of the other mountains are also eager to deal with them!"

Jiang Lianheng nodded. This kind of people are indeed hateful.

But if you want to change your fate, how can you do it without taking any risks?

After a moment's silence, Jiang Lianheng asked again: "Besides the mountain guerrillas in Suifenhe, which other mountaintops have joined the group?"

Sun Xiangyang's eyes were filled with disdain, and he snorted coldly, "They are just a bunch of rotten fish and shrimps, half-open-eyed, and don't understand shit! After hearing what the boss said, anyone who looked at them straight in the eye would feel that they were cheap. I don't know how they were fooled. I guess they must be regretting it now."

At this point, he suddenly asked half-jokingly, "Why, I just heard that the goods that Boss Jiang was protecting were robbed?"

"Oh, I made a fool of myself."

"It's over, it's nothing. Even the emperor has his own problems. I heard that Marshal Zhang was defeated in the interior of the country. It's normal. It's all normal!"

Jiang Lianheng chuckled and asked, "I just heard from Guo Yan that you seem to have some information. For the sake of our friendship, can you give me some advice?"

"No, no, no, Boss Jiang is too polite." Sun Xiangyang waved his hands repeatedly and said, "I can't guarantee this information. It can only be regarded as a guess."

"It's okay, just tell me."

Previously, Zhao Guoyan had briefly told Sun Xiangyang about the lost goods.

Now that a few more details had been added, Sun Xiangyang seemed even more certain of his original guess.

"If the goods were lost in Laoyeling, then there is probably no insider involved."

"What do you mean?" Jiang Lianheng asked.

"That Mr. Shen is no ordinary person." Sun Xiangyang said, "Boss Jiang, don't underestimate him because he is a landlord. As far as I know, when he was young, he was also a half-sighted man. There is a village association in Laoyeling, and he is the president of it."

Then again, what exactly is a village association?
As the old saying goes: Imperial power does not extend below the county level, only clans rule below the county level.

Although this statement is exaggerated, it is not groundless.

Since ancient times, counties have mostly been governed by local gentry. Even if the county magistrate comes, he has to show courtesy to them.

Clans in the south are powerful, and century-old families are not uncommon. The power of the old clan leader may even surpass that of the county magistrate.

However, it has only been a few decades since the ban on the outside of the Great Wall was lifted, and although there are still clan forces, most of them are not significant.

When you go to the Baishan and Heishui regions, the people two generations ago are either disaster victims or military households. Nine out of ten are like this. How can there be a large clan with tens of thousands of people?
Unfortunately, banditry was rampant in the three northeastern provinces, and the government was ineffective in suppressing it. As a result, the villages in the countryside formed alliances and prepared armed forces to protect themselves, and the government acquiesced.

The village association is different from the insurance team.

The insurance team only does things for money, and from time to time they collude with bandits to make a profit from both sides.

But the people of the Lianzhuang Association were guarding the deeds to their own land, and if they encountered bandits smashing their kilns, they would defend them to the death and not give anyone face.

"That area is a tough nut to crack," Sun Xiangyang said, "especially their armed captain, who is quite fierce. Most of the other hilltops don't go there to cause trouble."

This is not considered cowardice.

When the bandits smashed the kilns, they also had to consider the profits. They couldn't even eat all the ready-made meat, so why bother looking for bones to grit their teeth.

Jiang Lianheng nodded and said thoughtfully, "According to what they said, this guy was robbed when he was about to reach the train station. Who is doing business there recently?"

"I do know someone." Sun Xiangyang glanced at the beams and muttered in a low voice, "This man is called 'Lao Mang'. He started the game about half a year ago. It's the time to establish his prestige."

Jiang Lianheng suddenly laughed when he heard this, and said, "Well, OK, using me to establish your authority is quite tactful."

This is not sarcasm.

If they want to establish their authority, they have to find a big guy to touch, otherwise they will be bullying others. In the future "whip-dressing" conference, the bandits will have to sit at the last seat according to seniority.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, Sun Xiangyang also laughed. "Boss Jiang, don't talk about you. He was planning to have a fight with our boss before!"

"Haha, Li Zheng won't indulge his bad habits."

"Of course."

Sun Xiangyang then started talking about a past event, which was not too long ago, just last winter.

At that time, the bandit gangs in the Baishan area of ​​Jilin held a "whip-beating" meeting, and the big bosses of each gang went to the provincial government to prepare to draw a clear line between the two.

Lao Mang had just opened his shop not long ago, but through someone's connections, he came here with a shameless face.

Over the past few years, the gang of "Yanwang Li" has long been a huge bandit group in Changbai Mountain. They are well-known on the line. If not the best among them, they are also one of the most powerful gangs.

Old Mang was obsessed with Xiang Maner and was obviously a little crazy. In front of everyone, he put his arm around Li Zheng's shoulder and said with a smile:
"Brother, you have divided the land too much. If you really do this, I will have no food to eat. You have to give me some. When there is a harvest in the future, I will give you half. Let's just consider it as making friends!"

When Sun Xiangyang said this, even Zhao Guoyan was stunned.

Jiang Lianheng laughed loudly and asked, "And then?"

"What else can we do?" Sun Xiangyang laughed. "The big boss immediately turned hostile and slapped him in the face in front of all the 'bosses' and said, 'Kneel down and call me dad, and I'll give you two acres of land!'"

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As soon as he finished speaking, the room was immediately filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

"Didn't they fight?" Zhao Guoyan asked.

Sun Xiangyang smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Someone stopped them."

Jiang Lianheng could understand this. After all, it was a "whip-beating" meeting where the big bosses from various factions gathered together. If things got out of hand, the government might take care of them all.

"but--"

Sun Xiangyang went on to say: "After the 'whip-beating', the big boss went back and called his brothers to fight with Lao Mang, but unfortunately, the kid finally escaped."

Having said that, Jiang Lianheng finally understood why Lao Mang joined the rebels and why he robbed the goods that he had guaranteed.

The reason is simple.

At the "whip-beating" meeting, Lao Mang was slapped in the face by Li Zheng in public and lost all face.

Under the law of the outlaws, he had no chance of turning things around in Jilin Province, so he could only hope that the rebels would succeed, and by then he could transform himself into an officer and soldier, which would be a different matter.

But even after making such a fool of himself, he was still able to gather a group of brothers together. It must be quite impressive.

Da Tiaoer was listening intently and suddenly interrupted, "No, why do I feel that this person is not normal? Even if he doesn't know the rules, he wouldn't do this!"

"You're right!" Sun Xiangyang responded, "This old guy seemed to be a 'senior brother' in the past, who knows what he has!"

The Boxer Rebellion happened only more than twenty years ago, but when I think back on it now, it seems like I was looking back into ancient times.

"Big Brother?" Zhao Guoyan frowned and asked, "He used to be a 'boxer'? Then this year... he must be at least forty years old, right?"

"Almost. I haven't seen him. I heard that he looks quite old. He seemed to be a fortune teller in the past."

"That's not surprising." Jiang Lianheng said, "If a shaman wants to fool people, he'll always be right. No wonder he can still pull people out like this."

Sun Xiangyang nodded and said, "Well, that is a possibility."

"Then why do you think he robbed my goods?" Jiang Lianheng asked.

"It's mainly because there are so many stupid people like this. Even if you hold a lantern, you can't find another one on the street. Moreover, when the Suifenhe Mountain Guerrillas first started the uprising, they were most in need of food and fodder."

After saying that, Sun Xiangyang felt something was wrong, so he quickly added, "Of course, as I said just now, it's just a guess. Now all the families on the hills try to avoid the area of ​​Laoye Ridge, for fear of being accidentally injured by the soldiers, so I don't know the specific situation."

Jiang Lianheng bowed and said, "I understand. Thank you for your advice, brother!"

"Well, it's just a small matter. No matter how polite Boss Jiang is, I feel embarrassed."

Of course Sun Xiangyang didn't dare to climb up the pole.

Over the years, the reason why "Yanwang Li"'s hilltop has been able to evade pursuit by officers and soldiers time and time again is thanks to Jiang Lianheng's reminders.

In comparison, revealing the slightest disturbance in the green forest is really not worth mentioning.

"It's my duty. Unfortunately, I have to take a bus to Ning'an early tomorrow morning, so I can't stay with you for long. Da Tiao'er, please entertain Brother Sun for me for the next two days!"

Jiang Lianheng whispered his instructions, and Da Tiaoer nodded repeatedly. He turned around and asked, "Brother, which one do you like? I'll go and arrange it for you right now!"

Sun Xiangyang smiled and said, "No, no, I can't stay for long. Didn't I just say that the boss is circumambulating the mountain recently? If I go back late and can't find the top of the mountain, it won't matter if I make a fool of myself, but I'm afraid the boss will punish me."

"Is that so... Li Zheng is doing well now?"

"It's okay. It's just that I had a fight with Mao Zi before and suffered a little loss. If Boss Jiang has anything to say, can I take it back to the boss?"

Jiang Lianheng hadn't seen Li Zheng for nearly five or six years. Although he couldn't say that he missed him, they were friends after all, and he could never forget them.

After thinking for a while, he didn't know what to say, so he said, "Nothing much, just tell him to take it easy for now."

It was just a simple sentence, but to the bandit Hu, it was priceless - this time it was not a bluff.

"Okay, I will definitely convey it!" Sun Xiangyang nodded repeatedly, and then asked, "Boss Jiang went to Ning'an this time. If I'm not mistaken, he should be going to seek revenge, right?"

Jiang Lianheng laughed and said, "It's not that I'm looking for revenge, I just want to find an opportunity to have a good chat with the Hu Zi who robbed me."

"Hahahaha, I see, I see. Then I wish you all a successful start!"

Sun Xiangyang bowed his hands, clasped his fists, and said a few words of congratulations, but had no intention of staying for a moment. He casually put his short coat around his neck, stood up and was about to leave.

"Okay, Boss Jiang, I'm just passing by today. If you need me, I'll just chat with you for a while. If there's nothing else, I'll leave first."

"Well, why are you in such a hurry? Just wait a few more days."

Jiang Lianheng and others immediately tried to persuade him to stay, but seeing that he was determined to leave, they had no choice but to see him off.

Sun Xiangyang led his horse and took his luggage in the stable in the backyard. Without saying much, he hurriedly said goodbye through the back door before the sun set.

The sound of horse hooves was crisp. He turned around on horseback and waved to everyone, then tightened the reins. In the blink of an eye, he was getting farther and farther away.

Jiang Lianheng kept things simple. After nightfall, he just had a simple meal in his own semicolon.

The next morning, he took Zhao Guoyan, Yuan Xinfa, Yang Lazi and others to the train station to accept the invitation to go to Ning'an County...

(End of this chapter)