20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 652: Encounter [Thanks to Qingyajian for his strong support]

Everyone responded in unison, saying they were packing up, but in fact, apart from guns and ammunition, there was not much left in the camp. There were only three or five leaky tents, a dozen or so insect-eaten bedding rolls, rusty kettles, deformed lunch boxes, and kerosene lamps without oil... It was annoying to see them, and since the old would not go and the new would not come, they simply threw them away and felt relieved.

While everyone was busy, Zhao Guoyan saw the opportunity to leave the camp, raised his hand to call Yang Lazi to his side, and whispered:

"Go and call two people, take Sun Dayan with you, and go back to Shen's store to inform the boss. No matter what arrangements are made, you have to ask them to prepare in advance, the sooner the better!"

After that, he briefly repeated the key points of the surrender process.

Yang Lazi had been there twice and was already familiar with the mountain road of Laoyeling. He nodded immediately, turned around, winked at the two soldiers, and escaped into the dense forest first.

Everyone in the camp was in high spirits, so no one paid any attention to it. In just the time it took to smoke a cigarette, they had packed up and were ready to go.

Zhao Guoyan and Liu Kuaitui gave way to Lao Mang and asked him to give the order to go down the mountain.

After several excuses, the three of them finally decided to give the order in unison - get down the mountain!
Everyone cheered and rushed into the woods. They circled around the foot of the "Niuxinding" mountain for a while, then faced west and slowly moved towards Shenjiadian.

Along the way, they were arm in arm, calling each other brothers, and they were as close as could be and as good as could be.

When they were in high spirits, they all started to sing dirty songs together. It was really like this:
Show your face and let go of old grudges, smile away your grudges.

Naturally, there was plenty of flattery of the Jiang family along the way.

Especially Erma, from his words, not to mention that Jiang Lianheng had already become a hero, he could even be called the gangster emperor of the three northeastern provinces.

"Let me put it this way. Once you leave Shanhaiguan, Marshal Zhang has the final say during the day, and Boss Jiang has the final say at night!"

Everyone nodded in agreement: "That's right, that's right."

Rumors are just for fun, so it's harmless to stop when you're ahead.

But Erma's mouth was like a jar without a brim. He was talking nonsense and became more and more outrageous. Then he raised his thumb and said seriously:

"Don't disbelieve me. What is difficult for Marshal Zhang to do, Boss Jiang can do. Not only can he do it, but he can do it beautifully and efficiently. How can you not accept it? Do you dare not accept it?"

"Erma——"

Zhao Guoyan couldn't listen any longer and immediately stopped him, saying, "Stop talking nonsense and bring trouble to the Jiang family!"

"Okay, okay, I won't say any more!" Er Ma hurriedly apologized with a smile, "I don't mean anything else, I just admire Boss Jiang!"

Zhao Guoyan frowned and repeatedly warned him not to talk nonsense anymore.

But as soon as he turned around, he heard Erma whispering to others: "See, this is called being low-key, otherwise how can people accomplish anything!"

It is difficult to hit a smiling person with a fist, so Zhao Guoyan cursed him a few more times and finally ignored him.

There are too many rumors about the Jiang family online, and it will be useless to just shut Erma's mouth.

If you have a great reputation, you will definitely suffer the burden of it!
How many underworld leaders have fought to the death with others just for a tiny profit. It was never about money, but for one simple reason - they had no choice!

Zhao Guoyan left Erma and ran to the front of the team.

Liu Kuaitui was following Lao Mang, and he never stopped talking, not for anything else but to get the whereabouts of Gao Shibin and Lu Yonggui from him.

However, Lao Mang was determined not to reveal anything and insisted on waiting until he met Zhang Xiaokun in person before he would point out the whereabouts of the two Gauls.

Several leaders had their own agenda, and the rugged mountains and forests of Laoyeling made the journey even more monotonous and boring...

…………

If there are words, it will be long; if there are no words, it will be short.

Two days and one night passed in a flash. By dusk the next day, everyone had left the mountain area and entered the river valley. After running west for another half an hour, they saw the Shenjiadian Diaolou standing alone under a sea of ​​​​fire from afar, as if waving to everyone.

"It's here, it's here!"

"Oh my god, I finally see her again!"

Everyone looked up into the distance, and needless to say, there was joy in their eyes, and even their cheeks were flushed red by the fiery clouds.

The sunset glow was so red that it was terrifying, even a little weird, making the entire Shenjia Store seem as if it was in a boiling furnace. Before you even get close, the heat is already making you feel uneasy.

Erma and the others were delighted and hurried to Zhao Guoyan's side, asking expectantly, "Brother, you finally came down the mountain, do you have any wine and meat?"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone shouted, "Damn it, no wine and no meat, then go and rob, the weapons in our hands are for this!"

"Vulgar!" Liu Kuaitui laughed, "Brothers are soldiers now. We serve in the army and fight for the people of the world. How can we call it robbery if we just eat and drink?"

Everyone laughed: "Yes, yes, it's what we should do!"

Zhao Guoyan ignored it.

He hadn't been back to Shenjia Store for several days. Looking ahead now, he saw that not far from the entrance of the Lianzhuanghui, several simple sheds had been built at some point, as if it were a buffet at a rural rich man's home. There seemed to be a temporary stage in front of the sheds.

There was a faint movement of figures, but it was strangely quiet.

The place was decorated with lights and big red lanterns were hung high, but it was still early and they hadn't been lit yet. What was going on?
Xiaoqing from the Hai family got married?

Zhao Guoyan was stunned, not understanding why such a thought suddenly popped up in his mind.

At this time, Lao Mang suddenly turned around and asked, "What's going on?"

Zhao Guoyan came back to his senses, thought for a moment, and said, "It's probably a banquet arranged by my employer to welcome all the brothers!"

"Oh, Boss Jiang is really thoughtful. He is worthy of being a big businessman!" Erma flattered him as usual and laughed, "Well, then let's not just stand here and go over there!"

Even without him saying anything, everyone was already extremely impatient. If they hadn't been traveling along the mountain road for two days, they would have rushed over there right away.

"Please come in, everyone!" Zhao Guoyan stepped aside and said, "Let me take you to meet my boss!"

Lao Mang hesitated for a moment, turned around and winked at a few of his confidants, asking them to be more careful, then he took a step forward and walked slowly towards the direction of the Shenjiadian Lianzhuang Association.

The closer I got, the more suspicious it seemed.

Compared with the past, the blockhouse in front of me seemed much gloomier and quieter, as if the building was about to collapse and a random shout could cause the blockhouse to collapse; and the sunset shining down made the entire blockhouse look like a red iron, making people instinctively want to stay away from it.

However, the aroma of food wafted in, and the pace of progress finally quickened, as if irresistible.

In a flash, everyone had walked into the shadow of the blockhouse.

Looking up, I saw several armed members of the Lianzhuang Association standing on the wall, armed with guns, and on guard. Their expressions were somewhat tense, so much so that one was worried that their rifles would suddenly go off.

At this moment, two figures were seen walking quickly from the direction of the stage.

Liu Kuai stretched his legs and looked over, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he said happily: "Boss Jiang is here to pick us up!"

"Where, where?" Erma squeezed over, "I have to go to the pier quickly!"

As he was about to step forward to greet him, Zhao Guoyan immediately pulled him over and shouted at him, "Stand here, it's not your turn to pay respects yet!"

The old Taoist glared at Erma with a look full of contempt.

Lao Mang stood at the front of the team, without saying a word, just quietly looking at Jiang Lianheng who was gradually approaching.

Jiang Lianheng walked out from the deep red, followed closely by Yuan Xinfa and a wave of crimson clouds.

Looking against the light, the expressions of the two people were blurry, but their figures were clear.

Jiang Lianheng held up his long gown with both hands, took small steps, and followed closely, just like a servant who came when summoned and left when dismissed.

Seeing this, Lao Mang and the wild old Taoist couldn't help but look at each other and subconsciously straightened their backs.

Soon, Jiang Lianheng walked up to the crowd. He looked up blankly and was about to ask a question when Zhao Guoyan hurried over to him.

"Boss, let me introduce you, this is Lao Mang!"

"Oh, this is Brother Mang, I've heard a lot about you!" Jiang Lianheng immediately clasped his fists to apologize, "The mountains are high and the road is long, I am sorry for not welcoming you from afar, I hope Brother Mang can forgive me! I have asked Master Shen to prepare a banquet, and I have also specially called a nearby opera troupe to entertain everyone!"

Everyone stammered, "Boss Jiang is too polite!"

"Of course, of course!" Jiang Lianheng waved his hand and said with a smile, "Today is a happy day, I shouldn't make do with it, but the conditions are limited, so please bear with me!"

You see, Boss Jiang is quite approachable!

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and the slightly tense atmosphere immediately eased.

Only Erma was a little disappointed. Compared with the Jiang Lianheng in front of him who he had imagined to be the leader of the underworld in his mind, it could not be said that the difference was too great, but it could be said that they were a million miles apart.

However, he was just mixed in the crowd and took a quick look but did not react. Lao Mang, who was standing in front of the team, never spoke.

Lao Mang frowned and looked at Jiang Lianheng in front of him. He felt an indescribable discomfort all over his body.

Especially when their eyes met inadvertently, that awkward feeling became particularly strong, and the feeling of heat just now disappeared.

Jiang Lianheng seemed to have noticed something, and was stunned for a moment, a little puzzled: "Brother Mang, what are you doing..."

Lao Mang shuddered in response, waved his hands, looked into the distance, and asked calmly, "Boss Jiang, where are the brothers I sent down the mountain to smash the kiln?"

"there!"

Jiang Lianheng pointed to the pergola not far from the entrance of the Lianzhuang Association and laughed, "Brothers, we heard that the banquet will start today. We have been hungry since morning until now and are so hungry. We are just waiting for everyone to come down the mountain!"

Lao Mang squinted and looked around, and saw that there were indeed more than a dozen tables of people sitting under the awning at the end, but the distance was too far and it was still a little blurry.

"Can I... send someone over to take a look first?" he asked.

Jiang Lianheng grabbed Lao Mang's wrist, came forward, and suggested with a smile: "Brother Mang, this is too much trouble. Why don't I take you to see it myself?"

(End of this chapter)