20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 629: Laoye Ridge

"Someone sent by Fengtian Headquarters?"

Jiang Lianheng was a little nervous, mistakenly thinking that the news of Zhang Xiaokun's private recruitment of soldiers had leaked out.

But when you calm down and think about it again, you will realize that so far, recruiting soldiers is just an idea and has not been put into action. Marshal Zhang is not easily influenced by others and is far from believing everything he hears.

Perhaps because he knew the truth but didn't report it, and because he felt guilty, Jiang Lianheng felt a little uneasy, and asked tremblingly: "Brother, is Lao Zhang going to send someone to inspect the work?"

Zhang Xiaokun immediately shook his head and said, "I have just taken office and have not started my work yet. What is there for me to inspect?"

As he spoke, he stood up and closed the door, then sat down, leisurely lit a cigarette, and continued, "Marshal Zhang signed a secret agreement with the Japanese devils and is planning to send me to Vladivostok to purchase the arsenal left by the Japanese devils there."

At the beginning of the civil unrest in the North, the great powers wanted to intervene, and the little East was particularly active.

Now that the overall situation has been determined, the arms previously stored in Vladivostok need to be cleared out and sold urgently.

Zhang Xiaokun once served as the armed leader of the Chinese Merchant Corps in Vladivostok, so this job naturally fell on him.

Jiang Lianheng felt relieved, nodded blankly, and muttered, "That's good, that's good."

Seeing this, Zhang Xiaokun couldn't help but laugh and tease.

"Brother, you were so arrogant in Fengtian, how come you have become so timid after coming to my side? Don't worry, the sky won't fall, I'm your brother and I'll hold it up for you!"

Jiang Lianheng didn't know how to explain, so he just played dumb and smiled, saying yes repeatedly.

Zhang Xiaokun added: "I know you also have some arms business. How about this trip to Vladivostok? Can I help you to connect with some people and expand your supply channels?"

"That's great, big brother will definitely get his share then."

"Haha, that's right, let's make money together! However, this trip is supervised by someone sent by the headquarters, and he is a secret envoy, so I can't take you with me."

"of course!"

Jiang Lianheng said hurriedly: "Brother should have avoided this kind of thing."

Zhang Xiaokun nodded and suddenly asked, "By the way, what do you want to talk to me about? Which store do you like?"

"No, no, no!" Jiang Lianheng explained immediately, "Thanks to big brother's hospitality, I've had a good meal and fun these past two days. It's just that there's still no news about the robbery. I plan to go to Laoyeling tomorrow to ask Master Shen about the situation."

"Well, why rush? Just let the scouts find it."

"I'd better go there myself. My eldest brother is going to Vladivostok, so I can go there to avoid suspicion and just treat it as a trip to enjoy the scenery."

Zhang Xiaokun thought about it and said, "That's fine, but the rebellion has just been pacified and there are still many bandits roaming around. It's not safe on the road. If you insist on going, I'll assign you a battalion to escort you on the road."

"Don't—"

My goodness, there is a battalion of soldiers, about two or three hundred people. Who will take care of their food and drink expenses along the way?

Jiang Lianheng immediately declined, "Brother, too many people will attract attention. We don't need such a big show. If it's not difficult, just lend me ten men."

"Twenty!" Zhang Xiaokun said decisively, "It's better to be prepared. Don't make any mistakes. I'm still waiting to come back and play with you again!"

Jiang Lianheng couldn't persuade him, so he nodded and agreed.

Zhang Xiaokun did not hesitate for a moment, and immediately opened the door and shouted loudly: "Liu Kuaitui, come here, I have something to say."

Not long after, a series of "thump thump thump" footsteps were heard.

Liu Kuai Tui ran into the house and saluted with a very unstandard military salute, almost sticking his eyes out, and shouted with full energy: "Here!"

This young man was in his twenties, had single eyelids and a thin body, which made his military uniform look bulging and ill-fitting, but his hands and feet were surprisingly large, with a thick layer of calluses on his palms and muscles developed around his thumbs.

Jiang Lianheng had seen countless people, and at first glance he immediately sensed the banditry in this man, and thought that he had been recruited not long ago.

"Do you know who this is?" Zhang Xiaokun asked.

"Yes, this is Boss Jiang."

"Then who is Boss Jiang?"

"Boss Jiang is General Zhang, and General Zhang is Boss Jiang!"

“Hahahaha!” Zhang Xiaokun turned his head and looked at Jiang Lianheng. “What do you think, brother? Isn’t this kid smart?”

Jiang Lianheng nodded silently without commenting too much.

Zhang Xiaokun then ordered, "Early tomorrow morning, Boss Jiang is going to Laoyeling. Go to the guard company and select 20 good men to escort my brother to arrive safely. If the job is done well, I will reward you handsomely. If the job fails, I will hold you accountable!"

Liu Kuai straightened his back, and his cap almost slipped off. He said in a loud voice: "Don't worry, sir. I will complete the mission!"

…………

Without further ado, the next day, Jiang Lianheng and others prepared horses, dry food, and shotguns, and went out of the east gate of Ning'an County and galloped towards Laoyeling.

Liu Kuaitui lives up to his name, he is extremely nimble and quick-witted, not only is he thorough in his work but he also has a sharp mind.

These days, he saw Jiang Lianheng and Zhang Xiaokun going in and out together, and he was very clear that the relationship between the two was unusual. So he regarded this escort mission as an opportunity for promotion, and he was flattering and fawning on Jiang Lianheng all the time.

They got along very harmoniously along the way.

Laoyeling is located in the foothills of Changbai Mountain, running from north to south. Centennial pines and cypresses can be seen everywhere. It is truly a deep mountain forest.

The Suifen River and Mudan River flow through this area. There are endless rivers in the mountains and crisscrossing valleys, so there are many strange rocks and cliffs.

In the hot summer, letting the horse run free, looking up at the majestic mountains and forests, lying down and listening to the sound of flowing springs, it adds a bit of comfort.

When they reached noon, they saw that there was no village in front and no shop behind, so they dismounted and rested by the bank of a stream, chewing grains.

Liu Kuaitui took the iron kettle and squatted on the bank of the stream. He gulped down the kettle and filled it with water. Then he walked quickly to Jiang Lianheng and said cheerfully, "Boss Jiang, drink some water."

Jiang Lianheng was not polite, he took it and took a big sip, smacked his lips, it was quite sweet, and returned it and said, "Thank you, brother."

"Haha, Boss Jiang, you're too polite. This is just a small matter!"

Liu Kuaitui found a large pebble to sit on and said bluntly, "I just hope you can remember me and say a few good words for me in front of General Zhang in the future."

"Haha, you are quite honest. It's better to be more honest!"

Jiang Lianheng didn't mind, and just asked casually: "Have you ever been a 'horseman' in the mountains before?"

"I just started working two years ago," Liu Kuaitui said. "I used to build railways with General Zhang, and later I dug coal. When times got tough, I started working on the railway to make a living."

“Where do you usually do business?”

"In this area where Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces meet, my boss's reports were 'all over the sky'. Do you still remember it?"

“I have a deep impression.”

"That's why they say you're a big businessman. You're smarter than me."

Jiang Lianheng ignored this cheap flattery and asked, "Brother, I want to ask you about someone, Lao Mang - have you ever heard of him?"

"Lao Mang?" Liu Kuaitui muttered to himself several times, with a confused look on his face.

Seeing this, Jiang Lianheng and Zhao Guoyan exchanged glances, and then briefly repeated the information they had heard from Sun Xiangyang.

This move seemed to have some effect, and Liu Kuaitui's eyes gradually brightened.

"Lao Mang...hiss, you mentioned Lao Mang, I don't have much impression of him; but I have heard of the incident you just mentioned, it's a bit like the embarrassment of Wu Da Ge."

"Think about it again?" Zhao Guoyan said, "Lao Mang seemed to be the eldest senior brother before."

Liu Kuaitui shook his head and said, "This is nothing new. I know several senior brothers."

Jiang Lianheng thought for a moment and reminded, "This old mang is not a big shot online. It is possible that they are the same person. 'Yanwang Li' has spoken to them before."

"Oh, you know Li Zheng?" Liu Kuaitui was a little surprised.

Jiang Lianheng frowned, then asked with a smile, "Why, I can't meet Li Zheng?"

"No, no, no, I didn't mean that."

Liu Kuaitui explained quickly, "It's just that Boss Jiang is a businessman who values ​​harmony over everything else. But Li Zheng is different. Just now, Brother Zhao said that 'Yanwang Li' had a fight with Lao Mang. This doesn't really mean anything. Li Zheng and his gang would have a fight with everyone. They later became brothers, but that was the result of fighting."

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"That's it..."

The clues seemed to have reached a dead end again.

Jiang Lianheng was unwilling to give up easily. With an attitude of giving it a try, he continued to ask, "Then tell me about this big guy Wu. After all, the story matches up. Maybe he changed his bandit name later, so the whole thing went wrong."

"That's also possible." Liu Kuaitui said with a hint of self-mockery, "After all, I'm just a kid, and I don't have a role in the 'whipping'. My boss is close to Big Wu, so if he calls us that, we'll follow suit."

Jiang Lianheng and others stopped talking and listened quietly.

"Come to think of it... 'Yanwang Li' seems to have suffered a loss at the hands of Big Wu. The two families have fought twice. As far as I know, both sides won and lost. The first time, Li Zheng won; the second time, I heard... Li Zheng lost. But I can't tell you the details. I can't just stand by and act stupid while the two families are fighting, hehe..."

"Li Zheng lost?"

Jiang Lianheng couldn't believe it.

He knew very well how many shotguns Li Zheng had bought from him. To be able to make Li Zheng suffer a loss, the opponent must be very powerful, and he could also bypass the Jiang family to get ammunition supplies.

"Were we ambushed?" Zhao Guoyan was also skeptical.

However, Liu Kuaitui immediately denied it, saying, "This big guy Wu is not a free man. He used to be a runner. Later, he got some weapons from somewhere and became a successful man."

"So he also joined the rebels?" Jiang Lianheng asked.

"Not sure." Liu Kuaitui didn't dare to lie, so he answered truthfully, "Boss Jiang, let me tell you the truth, there are thousands of rebels this time, each one is a group, I am just one of them, how much can I know? Let alone Big Wu, I have never even seen the two leaders Gao Shibin and Lu Yonggui, so we will do whatever they tell us to do!"

"It's really fucking weird. A grown man, a bandit leader at that, is nowhere to be found."

"Maybe it's because he just opened his shop not long ago and he's not that famous online yet."

Jiang Lianheng nodded, but seeing that he couldn't get any other information, he had to give up.

Looking up, they saw that the bright sun in the sky was gradually setting in the west. After resting for a while, everyone got on their horses one after another and continued on their way towards Laoyeling.

Zhao Guoyan had contacted Mr. Shen before, and with a map in hand, he was looking for the way to the village, and he and Jiang Lianheng were the leaders.

…………

The mountain pass is right in front of us, but now we realize how long the road is.

It took another half day to walk.

Fortunately, the days were long in summer, and Jiang Lianheng and his companions finally arrived at the Shen family manor in time at dusk when the sky was filled with fire clouds.

After passing a poplar forest and looking into the distance, everyone was stunned for a moment.

In a soft orange light, there was a five-story ochre-colored tower standing majestically above a field.

When I came to my senses, I realized that there was not just one blockhouse in the distance, but a small group of well-arranged buildings.

There are also several brick and tile bungalows located in it.

The blockhouse is surrounded by a circle of earthen walls. Although there is no arrow tower on the wall, an obvious watchtower can be seen, and people can be vaguely seen walking on it. Not far outside the village, there is a row of wooden chevaux de frise arrays, which looks like a miniature urn city from a distance.

"This is too fucking exaggerated!" Jiang Lianheng couldn't help but sigh.

"Boss Jiang, is this your first time here?" Liu Kuai Tui rode over, raised his hand and pointed ahead, and said with a smile, "There are a total of three village associations in Laoyeling, and the old Shen family is the most difficult one to deal with. They are well-known online. We never came here before."

Jiang Lianheng was indeed enlightened.

On the one hand, he was impressed by Mr. Shen's financial resources, and on the other hand, he finally realized how serious the bandit problem in the mountains of Guandong was.

"Compared to this, the little 'horizontal handle' we have in Fengtian is really not impressive enough."

Jiang Lianheng and others sighed.

Zhao Guoyan looked at the sky and urged in a low voice: "Boss, it's getting dark, let's go quickly."

Liu Kuaitui immediately turned around and ordered, "Brothers, we are almost there. We are finishing the baskets and weaving baskets. Be alert and let's go!"

"it is good!"

The accompanying soldiers responded in unison, then tilted their rifles and rode their horses forward.

As usual, Jiang Lianheng and Zhao Guoyan walked in front, and everyone followed closely.

Unexpectedly, when they were less than 200 meters away from the blockhouse, something strange happened.

"boom--"

The gunshot came without warning, and the echo resounded throughout the valley. A cloud of dust rose up on the ground a few steps in front of Jiang Lianheng.

The cavalry suddenly started a commotion.

Zhao Guoyan pulled the reins to the left, and immediately stood across his horse to block in front of Jiang Lianheng. He drew his pistol, lowered his right hand, and stared at the movements on the blockhouse.

Next came Yuan Xinfa and Yang Lazi, Liu Kuaitui and others also rushed over and surrounded Jiang Lianheng.

"Boss Jiang, these people are so rude, please move back a little!" the soldiers shouted.

Jiang Lianheng was neither hurried nor retreated, just watched the situation develop.

Sure enough, the people on the village tower did not continue to fire, but a clear question came from afar:

"Who are you? Shenjiadian Lianzhuang Association, get out of here if you know what's best for you. If you want to destroy the kiln, go ask around on the street first."

Upon hearing the voice, everyone showed confusion on their faces, as if they had seen a ghost.

Jiang Lianheng also found it interesting and kept muttering to himself: "Oh, she's actually a woman!"

(End of this chapter)