20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 666 Avoiding Disaster
Jiang Lianheng was speechless - Zhang Xiaokun's proposal was exactly what Hu Xiaoyan was most worried about.

These days, selling opium is nothing.

Although the three provinces in Kanto have issued a clear ban on smoking, in reality they have only imposed heavy taxes and added a few more regulations to exploit tobacco farmers. People can still grow tobacco if they want to, and some people grow it secretly. In times of chaos, it is all right. There is nothing that is impossible. The place that produces the most tobacco in each province is none other than the anti-smoking bureaus set up by the government.

As long as you can get the "stamp", it is a legal product and is not subject to any official restrictions.

With the Jiang family's connections and influence, it is easy to get "stamps". There are even many opium dens in Fengtian that got the franchise thanks to the Jiang family.

However, Jiang Lianheng never touched the opium business.

How could he touch opium?
He is a decent man, a well-known philanthropist and entrepreneur in Fengtian, a progressive person who advocates saving the country through industry and revitalizing the people's livelihood. He is honest and does not tolerate any dirt in his eyes!

He has loudly called out countless times: If opium is not banned, the country will be ruined!
How could such a strong man, who is not short of money, be willing to be involved in such a foul smell?
He is just an insurance salesman, not a man with connections. With such a large family and a huge business, it is inevitable that he cannot take care of everything. There are often some scoundrels who take advantage of the Jiang family, pretending to transport medicinal materials, but actually smuggling opium. It is really despicable!
Jiang Lianheng was completely unaware of all this.

Once discovered, report it to the authorities immediately and punish them severely!
On the other hand, although there are tobacco farmers in the three provinces of Kanto, they are generally restrained. It is true that the Feng Zhang Group does not rely on opium to maintain its huge military expenditures.

If we ask whether there were any Fengtian clique officials who opened opium shops in their jurisdiction to make money, there were definitely some, but they were not serious.

Marshal Zhang has always been a bit pampered towards his subordinates. As long as you are loyal and don't interfere with important military matters, Marshal Zhang will mostly turn a blind eye and let you do whatever you want.

If Zhang Xiaokun was just greedy for money, then that would be nothing.

It’s not that Jiang Lianheng has no way to help him underwrite the sales. Even if someone reports him, Marshal Zhang will probably just call him over and scold him, reminding him not to ruin the Zhang family’s reputation.

To talk about beheading someone for this matter is obviously not Lao Zhang's style.

The key point is that Zhang Xiaokun was not doing this for personal gain, but for power, to recruit soldiers and expand his territory. Coupled with his intimidating appeal, how could Marshal Zhang not become suspicious after hearing this?
Jiang Lianheng couldn't help but feel a little troubled.

Although he is a person who will turn his back on people, there is often a prerequisite, that is, the other party has let him down.

Friendship lasts a thousand days, but in one day the friendship turns to ashes.

But Zhang Xiaokun not only never let him down, but also did him a great favor.

Therefore, the words of refusal were clearly rolling around in my throat, but I just couldn't bring myself to say them for a long time.

Seeing this, Zhang Xiaokun couldn't help but ask: "What's the matter, brother? It's just a small matter, and you are still embarrassed? Don't worry, I can't let you work in vain. I will give you this amount as commission. What do you think? Don't be embarrassed. Brothers have to settle accounts clearly! You are different from them. I have to give you a goal!"

Jiang Lianheng smiled bitterly and said, "Brother, you have just taken office and you are making such a big fuss. Be careful that someone will get jealous and try to trip you up in secret!"

"Well, this is a problem!" Zhang Xiaokun took two puffs of his cigar. "After all, I am an outsider and I am not welcome in Fengtian, especially Yang Zhuge and Guo Guizi. Damn it, they always dislike me!"

"Yes, these two are not easy to deal with!" Jiang Lianheng seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw, "Brother, think about it, one is the old marshal's confidant, and the other is the young marshal's mentor. If they don't like you, how can you survive in our border areas in the future? In my opinion, you should keep a low profile, proceed step by step, and accumulate strength for a breakthrough!"

"wrong!"

"wrong?"

Zhang Xiaokun nodded and said, "Brother, the opportunity is rare and will never come back. It is precisely because they look down on me that I have to hurry up and not waste a single moment. Otherwise, I might be transferred away from my position as the garrison commander before I even have a chance to sit in. I must take the initiative."

Jiang Lianheng was stunned and speechless.

At this time, Zhang Xiaokun's gambler nature was finally exposed.

"Brother, when I had 200 people under my command, they treated me like a fly and shot me away at will; but when I had 20,000 people under my command, they had to consider the consequences of removing me; and when I had 100,000 people under my command... hehe, that's too big to be broken, even if the old man wants to find me again, he has to be polite!"

At this point, he suddenly lifted his buttocks twice, leaned forward to look out the window, then sat down and smiled again: "Brother, we two brothers are quite predestined, don't make this public, only God and the earth know it, you and I know it."

Jiang Lianheng was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat and asked hurriedly, "Brother, you don't want to..."

"No, no!" Zhang Xiaokun interrupted immediately, "The old man is a capable man. To be fair, I can't beat him. Besides, he has been very kind to me. Not long ago, he sent me to Vladivostok to buy a batch of arms from the Japanese. It was top secret. This is a favor, and I have to repay him! Besides, I am young and strong now, why should I be in such a hurry!"

The more Jiang Lianheng listened, the more he felt something was wrong, so he simply pretended to be deaf and dumb and stopped talking.

Zhang Xiaokun hurriedly continued what he had said, "Brother, don't hesitate. I won't treat you unfairly. Just go and listen to what I am like and you will know."

The struggle between factions has always been a life-and-death contest where the winner takes all.

This was a matter that could easily cost him his life. Jiang Lianheng did not want to get involved, let alone dare to get involved. However, Zhang Xiaokun was sitting in front of him, and he never opened his mouth to refuse.

The reason is simple. Let's put loyalty aside for now. Even though it seems easy to talk and negotiate now, once you open your mouth to refuse, it may immediately lead to a deadlock. Even brothers will tear each other apart over trivial matters, let alone sworn brothers?
Jiang Lianheng had no choice but to delay, thought for a moment, and said, "Uh... Haha, big brother is indeed not an ordinary person. His opinion just now made me look narrow-minded!"

"That's right, a man should have some ambition!"

"Yes, yes, but... you see, it's almost autumn now. It's cold outside the Great Wall, and there's only one crop a year. If you want to grow tobacco, you have to wait until next spring before you can switch from rice to tobacco. So we have to think about it carefully and not rush into anything, lest the news leak out. Wait for me to return to Fengtian, and I'll think about it carefully and give you a plan."

When Zhang Xiaokun heard this, he thought to himself that was true. No matter how anxious he was, he would not be able to catch up this year. He would have to wait at least half a year, so there was no need to rush.

"That's fine!" He laughed loudly, "Anyway, when it comes to business, my brain is definitely not as good as you guys who work online. Brother, take your time to make arrangements. I'll be waiting for your good news here!"

Jiang Lianheng responded with a few words and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At this time, there was a knock on the door, and an adjutant came in and reported: "Sir, the dinner scheduled for tonight is almost here. Shall we prepare the car now?"

Zhang Xiaokun nodded, then turned around and said, "Come on, brother, I'll introduce you to some businessmen."

…………

After leaving the General's Office, the car slowly stopped in front of the most popular restaurant in the county.

Zhang Xiaokun let the hangers-on surround him, laughing loudly and slowly walking up the stairs. Everywhere he looked, there were people who were trying to curry favor with the powerful, calling him "Xiaoshuai" one after another. The scene was quite lively, but Jiang Lianheng just followed silently behind, intentionally keeping a distance.

The hall was also crowded. After visiting everyone one by one, he turned into the corridor and went to a private room.

When he pushed the door open, he saw all kinds of people sitting at a large round table. There were Japanese merchants who were fluent in Chinese, shrewd and capable Chinese compradors, a prostitute who spoke in "Maozi dialect", and a slightly shabby White Russian officer. The vacant main seat was naturally waiting for Zhang Xiaokun to take a seat.

After several introductions, although Jiang Lianheng had heard of quite a few people, most of them were his first meeting, so he couldn't help but say a lot of polite words and compliment each other.

As soon as Zhang Xiaokun took his seat, the whole room burst into applause, and everyone was complimenting him on his great achievements in pacifying the "Anti-Feng Army".

"General Zhang, the king's army has gone wherever the righteous flag points, and he has defeated the enemy without fighting. I'm afraid only a military god can achieve such a result. Congratulations, congratulations!"

Zhang Xiaokun never felt bored listening to all the flattering words, which were all varied and never repeated. However, he was naturally not here just to celebrate today.

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

Zhang Xiaokun then began to steer the topic towards "military expenditure".

Undoubtedly, those who could enter the private room and sit down had some ability themselves, and everyone also planned to share the soup while he ate the meat. After all, collusion between officials and businessmen could make the fire turn.

Zhang Xiaokun was indeed very considerate and did not forget his brother. He would say from time to time: "This is my brother. If you have any good stuff, remember to take care of him!"

The so-called "good stuff" is nothing more than people, guns, soil, and occasionally things like gold, silver, and jewelry. Their origins are unknown and their whereabouts are suspicious.

Vladivostok is a major port in the Far East, and many foreign goods are loaded and unloaded here. Due to the chaos in the north, there are naturally loopholes everywhere in the customs. Many White Russian nobles retreated here, all wanting to escape as quickly as possible, and were inevitably blackmailed and extorted on the way. There were also many arsenals left over from the "International Coalition", which had to be sold off because they could not contain the red-haired people.

The Jiang family is well-known online, and with Zhang Xiaokun acting as an introduction, the business would naturally be easy to come by. However, Jiang Lianheng only agreed casually and had no intention of really discussing anything.

He knew very well that he could no longer stay in Ning'an County.

If I stay any longer, I will have no way to defend myself and will truly become Zhang Xiaokun's "staff member".

So, that night, he drank a thousand cups but did not get drunk, but his head was always tense, and he did not talk about any business or say a word of nonsense.

After the banquet, he did not go to the brothel with everyone else, but immediately returned to the hotel to win over his brothers.

"Pack your things and prepare to return to Fengtian!" Jiang Lianheng ordered while sitting in a chair, "Leave tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow at the latest!"

The incident happened suddenly, and everyone had just settled down, so it was inevitable that they were too hasty, so they hurried over to ask: "Boss, it's still early before the end of the month, what happened?"

"I can't tell you!" Jiang Lianheng waved his hands impatiently, "Anyway, just leave quickly!"

"Then...what should we do about Li Zheng's job as the whip master in Kuanchengzi? Should we postpone it?" Zhao Guoyan asked. "General Zhang has recruited so many bandits. The lines must be redrawn. If we don't go, we may not be able to see the situation clearly in the future."

"I can't care about that anymore. I have to go home. You go for me!" Jiang Lianheng suddenly remembered something and pointed with his hand, "Oh, take this kid with you too. Let him open his eyes!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Hai Xinnian stood up immediately, looked at Zhao Guoyan with a squint, and said unwillingly, "Godfather, can I just go with you?"

"No." Jiang Lianheng refused, "What did you say when you kowtowed? You forgot it after just two days?"

"I haven't forgotten. I just don't want to hang out with him..."

"If you haven't forgotten, then listen to me and do whatever you are told to do."

Hai Xinnian had no temper, he had a sullen face and his eyes were full of disgust.

After hearing this arrangement, Zhao Guoyan had no choice but to obey. The only hesitation was that he didn't understand why it was so hasty.

Jiang Lianheng did not explain further. The most important thing at the moment was to avoid disaster.

…………

The next morning, Jiang Lianheng immediately took people to the general's office in the west of the city to bid farewell.

As expected, Zhang Xiaokun had no intention of letting him go. It was not out of any ill will, but he felt that he was not having fun and wanted to continue having fun. Besides, the location of the army headquarters had not been chosen yet, so he felt that he was leaving too hastily, so he forced him to stay for another day.

It was hard to refuse such a kind invitation, and Jiang Lianheng didn't want to show it too obviously, so he stayed one more night.

It was not until he claimed that he wanted to go back as soon as possible in order to arrange the sale of opium that Zhang Xiaokun finally agreed to let them go. He called a military vehicle and sent them to Mudanjiang Railway Station. Although he had good intentions, it was also a bit high-profile.

All of this was seen by the naive Hai Xinnian. Although he said nothing, he felt more respect for his godfather in his heart, and at the same time, he became more curious about Fengtian.

They returned along the same route and took the train south. When they passed Kuanchengzi, Zhao Guoyan and Hai Xinnian got off the train first, preparing to attend the whip-beating ceremony on the mountain in Jilin Province.

Before leaving, Jiang Lianheng reminded him, "Boy, don't cause trouble for me. Watch more and talk less!"

Hai Xinnian, carrying a lot of bags, nodded, waved goodbye to his godfather, turned around, and immediately frowned, not even looking at Zhao Guoyan.

The two of them left the platform silently, and the atmosphere was inevitably a little awkward.

It was not until they passed the first ditch and were about to reach the branch of "Zongheng Insurance Company" that Zhao Guoyan suddenly called Hai Xinnian, "Boy——"

Hai Xinnian refused to say anything and just hurried on his way in silence, as if he was just completing the task assigned by his godfather.

I thought Zhao Guoyan would explain the engagement, but unexpectedly he said:
"Boy, you will be going to Fengtian in a few days. I have to remind you that if you want to have a place in the Jiang family, don't think that you can just listen to your godfather. You still have a godmother at home, so behave well..."

(End of this chapter)