20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 526 The dispute over Shiliupu ends [Thanks to the support of the leader of Submarine Street]

The Shilipu Wharf has been shut down for the fifth day.

The original Green Gang leaders at the major ferry ports left one after another, and the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company once again held a shareholders' board meeting.

It was early in the morning and the conference room was packed with wealthy people. Only the seat of Mr. Tang, the general manager of mining, remained vacant, and it seemed that he would not come again.

Everyone looked worried and anxious, hoping that a savior would arrive to rescue them.

The directors who had previously advocated a tough stance had long lost their arrogance, but the directors who advocated a moderate stance did not seem complacent either.

In fact, when it comes down to it, we are all family.

Hawkish directors are not necessarily executioners, and dovish directors are definitely not philanthropists. Both sides are just using the excuse of workers calling for a strike to attack each other and fight for power.

Now that the Green Gang has voluntarily withdrawn and the government has demanded resumption of work, the major shareholders of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company have also reached a consensus to meet the workers' demands as soon as possible.

The directors waited for three to five minutes before Li Guodong finally arrived.

As soon as they saw him come in, everyone immediately smiled and stood up to greet him.

"Hey, Director Li, you're finally here, please take a seat!"

Li Guodong sat down in the center of the crowd. After a few pleasantries, he asked knowingly, "Everyone, today is the company's board of directors meeting. You asked me to come here... Is there anything you want to tell me?"

Several hawkish directors hurriedly laughed foolishly: "Director Li, let's stop joking. The dock has been on hiatus for five days. If it continues like this, I'm afraid it will never end. We still have to ask you to mediate!"

"Yes, yes, yes. The labor representatives have already sent someone to inform you that they only agree to negotiate with you."

Everyone hurriedly flattered and praised him, "It's all thanks to Director Li's generosity and reputation. We hope Director Li can put aside past grudges and come forward to help the company through this difficult time, both for the sake of public and private interests!"

Whether hawks or doves, none of you here are fools.

General Manager Tang, who had previously advocated a tough stance against the workers' strike, disappeared mysteriously and his life or death is unknown. Once this "signal" was sent, everyone's attitude immediately softened.

At the same time, the leader of the Green Gang took the initiative to withdraw from the dock, which also put the board members at ease.

But what is really important is that by this time, all major shareholders have already realized that the workers’ strike this time must be secretly supported by other wealthy people.

Otherwise, this break at the dock would never have lasted so long.

You have to know that dock workers are the lowest level of laborers. Not only do they receive meager wages, but they are also exploited by the foremen in every way. They earn piece-rate wages, which are paid daily. Most of the laborers at the bottom are addicted to gambling, and they cannot save much spare money on a regular basis.

Based on past experience, it is rare for hundreds of workers to call for a break that can last for more than three days.

The dock has been shut down for five days now, and the workers have no intention of leaving, which is enough to show that someone is secretly supporting them.

Each laborer could live on one dollar a day, but if the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company stopped operating for one day, it would lose tens of thousands of taels of silver, which was unaffordable.

Although the major shareholders suspected that Li Guodong was deliberately using the workers' strike to threaten the board of directors, the most urgent task was to quell the incident as soon as possible. Otherwise, they would sooner or later suffer the same fate as General Manager Tang. Since there was no solution to his conspiracy, they had to give in for the time being.

Li Guodong smiled and put on a humble attitude: "Everyone, I have always obeyed the arrangements of the board of directors. Now that the company is in trouble, everyone trusts me, I shouldn't refuse, but... in what capacity should I go and talk?"

"Of course it's the chairman of the board and the plenipotentiary representative of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company!"

"I'm afraid this is not a good idea. Mr. Tang may be back in two days..."

"There's nothing wrong with that. As the old saying goes, a country cannot be without a ruler for a day, a family cannot be without a master for a day, and a company cannot revolve around one person!"

"It's not appropriate, it's not appropriate." Li Guodong waved his hands repeatedly.

Seeing that this guy was still pretending, all the major shareholders felt uncomfortable but had to hold their noses and cooperate with him. Someone immediately proposed that they should vote immediately to let Li Guodong return to the board of directors, resume his original position, assist in mining operations, and mediate the closure of the dock as soon as possible.

From proposal to voting, and then to passing the resolution, the process was so smooth that it was a little unbelievable.

Li Guodong followed the traditional "virtue" and declined the position three times, and finally returned to the ranks of directors amid hypocritical praise.

"Thank you for your kindness, I will have no choice but to obey your orders."

"It's well-deserved and popularly accepted. Director Li, please stop being so modest." Everyone said hurriedly, "The situation is urgent now. Director Li, please go and mediate with the workers this afternoon. I hope that the Shiliupu Wharf can resume work immediately."

"Okay!" Li Guodong nodded. "But before that, I have a small request that I hope the board of directors can agree to."

Hearing this, several hawkish directors immediately frowned, looking somewhat dissatisfied, thinking in their hearts: You have been asked to assist in the mining affairs, and you still have requests? This is too much.

Without waiting for anyone to ask, Li Guodong spoke up, "Manager Xu Huaimin was helpless regarding the two previous contracts at Jinyuan Wharf, and he shouldn't be held responsible for the shutdown of Shiliupu, so I want him to rejoin the company. What do you think?"

The board members discussed it for a while and agreed that Xu Huaimin was somewhat wronged and that the request was not excessive. After several discussions, they agreed to it.

Li Guodong was naturally very satisfied with this.

Xu Huaimin was originally his man. He was previously expelled from the board of directors, but now he has brought him back. Xu Huaimin will definitely work harder in the future and become his direct subordinate. The more subordinates like him he has, the more stable his position in the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company will naturally be.

After the resolution was passed and the board of directors adjourned, Li Guodong, as the plenipotentiary representative of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company, went to the dock to negotiate with the labor side.

Needless to say, the negotiation process went quite smoothly.

Li Guodong made huge concessions for his fellow Anhui province workers, and after the workers and the Axe Gang took control of Shiliupu, they would become his most solid off-field backup in the struggle for power in the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company.

Both sides got what they needed and hit it off immediately.

That afternoon, the Shilipu Wharf resumed work smoothly, and both the Chinese and foreigners, as well as the business community in Shanghai, all breathed a sigh of relief.

Under Du Yong's instruction, as the Green Gang leaders at major ferry ports voluntarily withdrew, the core members of the Axe Gang successively signed contracts with the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company and became shipping managers of various docks. The gang dispute in Shiliupu seemed to have finally come to an end, and everything was settled.

……

……

That night, the sky was pitch black and the moon was haloed in the wind.

A grand banquet was held at the Anhui Hometown Association Hall, and all the core members of the Axe Gang were present. Six tables of food and wine were set up in the backyard, and the brothers drank heartily, with lights flickering, and the atmosphere was extremely lively.

As the founding military advisor of the Axe Gang, Jiang Lianheng, at the invitation of Wang Laojiu, also called his brothers to come to the door to congratulate and share the joy. Unexpectedly, not long after the banquet started, an acquaintance came to the door.

The Axe Gang disciples led him to the backyard. The brothers looked up and saw that the person coming was none other than Xu Huaimin from the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company.

The older brother came alone and when he entered the backyard he felt like a lamb in a tiger's mouth. His calves cramped and his throat tightened. He stood there in a daze, not knowing whether to move forward or backward. He could only grin foolishly to hide his inner uneasiness.

Jiang Lianheng turned his head and winked, and Liu Yansheng immediately stood up to greet him, smiling and bowing.

"Manager Xu, nice to see you again. How are you doing recently?"

Xu Huaimin hurriedly returned the greeting, stammering, "Not bad... It's just a game, a dream!"

The crowd roared with laughter.

"Manager Xu is our great benefactor!" Wang Laojiu waved at him, "Come on, come on, please take a seat!"

"No, no!" Xu Huaimin shook his head like a rattle and apologized with a smile, "Um... Master Jiu, Director Li said that it would be inconvenient for him to be here tonight, so he sent me here to congratulate the brothers."

Li Guodong had just mediated a break at the dock, so it was obviously not appropriate for him to celebrate with the workers. Xu Huaimin was reinstated, but without the consent of the Axe Gang, he would not be able to keep his position.

Wang Laojiu laughed out loud: "Since Manager Xu is here to congratulate you, you should sit down and have a drink. Come on, please take a seat!"

Xu Huaimin was a little hesitant.

Seeing this, Liu Yansheng bowed and apologized with a smile: "Manager Xu, I have offended you before. It was really helpless. I hope Lord Huai will not bear grudges against me. Let's have a few drinks with the brothers and forget the grudges with a smile!"

Everyone spoke sincerely, and Xu Huaimin's doubts were alleviated a little, so he tremblingly found the last seat at the table and sat down.

He looked around, seeing only faces reflected in the candlelight, and suddenly felt that the room was full of demons and monsters. Only a short monkey-like figure next to him looked kind. He swallowed his saliva secretly and asked the man quietly:
"My dear fellow, may I ask who is Mr. Jiang Lianheng?"

Hearing this, Chuang Hu straightened his back and felt relieved. He immediately shouted to the opposite side: "Boss, Manager Xu is looking for you."

Jiang Lianheng put down his chopsticks and asked with a smile, "Manager Xu, what do you want me to do?"

Without saying anything, Xu Huaimin immediately took out a crumpled bank note from his pocket, handed it over with both hands, and said with a smile: "Mr. Jiang, you are a forgetful person. Look... your ten thousand yuan is still here with me."

"Well!" Jiang Lianheng waved his hand and said, "Every family has its own rules, every business has its own regulations. This is a gift to Manager Xu. There is no reason to ask for money back after giving it away."

Xu Huaimin was firm in his attitude, still holding up his hands: "No, no, no, Mr. Jiang, this is all part of my job, you must take it back. Director Li has already told me that it was you who supported me to return to the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company. This is already a favor, how dare you take the money!"

I refused three times, but I will offer it five times.

Going back and forth so many times and declining will inevitably make you seem pretentious.

Seeing that Xu Huaimin was sincere and Wang Laojiu was there to persuade him, Jiang Lianheng had no choice but to let Liu Yansheng accept the bank bill.

After two rounds of liquor, everyone was tipsy and in high spirits. Wang Laojiu couldn't help but raise his glass to toast Jiang Lianheng.

"Brother, you are indeed a veteran. Our hometown association has become famous in such a short time, and you have contributed a lot to it!"

"You're too polite, Brother Jiu." Jiang Lianheng said with a smile, "This is mutually beneficial for us. Now that you have a place, I can have a place to stay when I come to Shanghai tomorrow. I'm just helping out with ideas. Without Brother Jiu's influence, I wouldn't be able to stir up any trouble, let alone any credit."

Chen Lixian quickly took over the conversation: "Boss Jiang, you can't say that. No matter how prestigious Jiu Ye is, the brothers on the dock still have to eat. If it weren't for Boss Jiang's financial support, the Sixteenth Shop would probably not last for three days."

Luotuo and others echoed, "Thanks to Boss Jiang's help, Shiliupu has become the territory of the Axe Gang. Our fellow villagers won't have to be bullied anymore."

Everyone nodded repeatedly, as if they were full of expectations for the future.

But at this point, Jiang Lianheng suddenly remembered something, turned around and asked with a smile: "Brother Jiu, I remember what you said before was called Ke..."

"Kropotkin!" Wang Laojiu's eyes lit up. "Brother, are you interested in learning more?"

"I'm not interested, I'm just a little curious." Jiang Lianheng hesitated, "Brother Jiu, you said that 'Kropotkin' wanted to overthrow all powers and everyone should help each other. Now the Axe Gang is in charge of the Shiliupu Wharf - are you considered a power?"

Wang Laojiu was stunned for a moment, and after thinking for a moment, he slowly shook his head: "Not really. The foundation of the Axe Gang is mutual assistance among workers. I don't oppress the people, so of course I can't be considered a powerful force."

"I see. I see. I see."

"Brother, if I oppress the workers one day, someone else will naturally replace me."

"If that's the case, then there will never be a moment of peace, right?"

"Of course, revolution is not a result, but a process. We must remain young and revolutionary forever!"

Does that mean there will never be a peaceful life?
Jiang Lianheng nodded silently, but in his heart he was dismissive of such remarks.

All the underworld gangs said this and did this when they were first established, but gang rules are dead and people are alive, and in the end they will have to go back to the old ways. Even if Wang Laojiu doesn't do this, his brothers who are as ferocious as jackals and tigers may not necessarily do so.

So far, Jiang Lianheng has heard countless ways to save the nation, but none of them can convince him.

Of course, he had no intention of arguing, but living in today's world, he was always inevitably required to hear many ideologies. No matter if he was a royal noble or a peddler, no one could stay out of it.

Everyone chatted and laughed and drank a few more glasses of wine.

Jiang Lianheng was losing interest. Now that his official business was done, he gradually began to think about returning home.

Although the "three big tycoons" in Shanghai have not yet come to apologize or return the visiting cards, their reputation has been damaged, and they have not only lost the Jinyuan Wharf, but also the entire Shilipu area.

The Axe Gang's victory was remarkable, and the "Three Tycoons" probably already knew the cause of the dispute at this point.

Logically, Jiang Lianheng felt that he had gained enough advantage, yet he still felt unsatisfied. However, Shanghai was in another province after all, and if he delayed any further, complications would inevitably arise. So he secretly wondered whether he should quit while he was ahead.

After all, he is the boss. His brothers can act on impulse, but he needs to make overall plans.

Just as Du Yong chose to make concessions in exchange for overall stability, Jiang Lianheng could not help but begin to weigh the pros and cons in order to withdraw safely.

At this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from not far away, and a member of the Axe Gang ran into the backyard in a hurry, came to the main seat, bent down, and said respectfully:

"Brother Jiu, Du Yong sent someone to deliver a gift."

(End of this chapter)