20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 673: Priority Issues

"What everyone said just now is all very good and reasonable, but whether it is repairing the online relationship, changing the appearance, or maintaining the status quo - in the final analysis, it is just our wishful thinking."

Hu Xiaoyan carefully weighed her words and expressed her opinion in a logical and orderly manner:
"If you want to repair the relationship, the other party may not appreciate it; if you want to change the appearance, it may be difficult to achieve your wish; even if you want to maintain the status quo, you still have to adapt to the situation in the end."

Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but frown, thinking that this is just nonsense, it's the same as saying nothing, how can it have any practical significance?
Hu Xiaoyan said, "The Jiang family is a dangerous place, and only the fittest survive. The Jiang family has been established for ten years, and it is indeed time for some adjustments. Everyone can have their own ideas and plans, but they cannot change for the sake of change. They should prioritize according to the current situation, and must clarify their goals and not lose their composure."

Xue Yingqing and Wang Zhengnan looked at each other and both felt that their own direction was the most urgent task.

Hu Xiaoyan continued, "It's true that the online characters have complaints against the Jiang family, but I might be a little crazy. The Jiang family has accumulated a lot over the past ten years, and it's not something that can be overturned by just a random troublemaker online. Even if there is no official support, we have enough financial, material and human resources to maneuver in a head-on confrontation. There's really no need to be afraid of them."

Xue Yingqing leaned forward but did not express his opinion, obviously waiting for Hu Xiaoyan to finish her words.

"Secondly, regarding General Zhang's commission: secretly growing opium and recruiting soldiers privately. Although it is a serious matter, the severity of this matter is actually only related to Old Zhang's trust in him. If Old Zhang trusts him, this matter can be reduced to a small matter; if Old Zhang does not trust him, even if he behaves himself, his position as the governor of Suining will still be in jeopardy. Although I do not agree with the Jiang family helping him to sell opium, I believe that General Zhang's current position will not change for at least a year."

"Why?" Everyone was puzzled.

Hu Xiaoyan said: "Government appointments are no joke. Old Zhang also wants to save face. It is impossible for him to promote someone and then remove him. That would be like slapping himself in the face. Unless General Zhang has committed an unforgivable crime, then he will not be removed, but executed directly."

"Secretly growing opium and recruiting soldiers privately, these are not considered serious crimes?" Wang Zhengnan exclaimed.

"Yes, but when!" Hu Xiaoyan explained, "Don't forget, General Zhang just suffered a defeat and is preparing to regroup and take revenge! He is in urgent need of capable generals. Let's not talk about whether General Zhang can fight or not. Let's just say that he can mobilize a troop of several thousand people in two months without enough military pay. Tell me, among the senior officers in Fengtian, besides him, who else has this ability?"

Everyone thought for a while but couldn't find any other candidates.

After all, General Zhang not only has charisma, but can also deal with the Russians, which is a unique ability within the Fengtian clique.

"Of course, I think the same as everyone else. The Jiang family shouldn't get involved in party disputes. One wrong step will lead to more mistakes. It's a thankless task and will also shake the foundation of the family. But then again, is the Jiang family worthy of getting involved in party disputes?"

No one said anything, and it suddenly felt a little ridiculous.

Indeed, apart from the so-called "rumored matters", the Jiang family did not have any real power. Even if they helped to underwrite the opium, it was at best just a pair of white gloves.

Even if this kind of people are accidentally involved in party disputes, they can be killed or not, and there is still room for maneuver and remedy.

The death penalty is the worst possible outcome.

Although the turmoil of "military reorganization" is still ongoing, the Jiang family will most likely avoid disaster by losing money, thanks to their filial piety to the government over the years.

Of course, after losing money, the Jiang family is bound to lose power, and they may suffer a counterattack online, but that is a story for the future. The Jiang family is still not without the possibility of preserving itself.

What's more, the Jiang family has Beifeng, Meng Duo and others to help them.

At this point, Hu Xiaoyan paused for a moment, and then made a firm judgment:
"In the entire Fengtian, the biggest threat to the Jiang family, the force that can make all of the Jiang family's countermeasures ineffective, is the Japanese!

"If the Jiang family wants to make targeted adjustments, they should prioritize and first be on guard against the Japanese and the traitors, then avoid falling into party disputes, and finally mediate the relationship with the online team."

This time, everyone understood and no longer had any objections.

Hu Xiaoyan said: "Don't forget, our family once cleared out two Japanese devils, Miyata Ryuji and Miura Kumasuke."

This incident happened many years ago, and the Jiang family has never been traced back to this incident. However, this does not mean that the Jiang family can sit back and relax. Any potential clues may lead to retribution later.

On the other hand, in recent years, the reason why the Jiang family has been able to resolve the many disturbances caused by the mainland ronin is that Jiang Lianheng controls the trade union. In order to avoid delays in production, representatives of the Japanese chaebols usually try their best to restrain Japanese overseas Chinese groups and are unwilling to provoke the Jiang family easily.

After all, capital is profit-seeking, there is not so much hatred, and only money is in its eyes.

"So, the Jiang family can give in on everything, except their position in the Xijia Bank. They must be the head of the bank, otherwise the Jiang family will have no room to deal with the Japanese." Hu Xiaoyan said coldly, "Whoever dares to make a move in this industry and wants to pry the Jiang family's position, no matter how much money they spend or how many people they sacrifice, the Jiang family will never give in."

Everyone nodded.

Li Zhengxi immediately agreed, "That's right. Whether it's the underworld or the government, at best it's an internal fight. Even if they really fall out, at least they know each other well and have a clue. They can grasp the key. But it's another story with the foreigners. They are totally unreasonable. Once they start fighting, it's a life-and-death struggle."

"No, no, no, what you said is biased." Wang Zhengnan said, "Foreigners are not unreasonable, but they don't follow our logic. You just don't understand their thinking. If you want to deal with foreigners, you have to follow their rules. Then you will find that they don't want to fight to the death, they just want to make money. They are businessmen at heart."

"This is our territory, why should we follow their rules?"

"You are acting on impulse and are immature. If you want to broaden your horizons and make more connections, you need to know who to meet and what to say. It's useless to be too serious. What's important is the result. You can be more flexible in your approach. Look, haven't we changed to shaking hands now?"

"So what you mean is that sister-in-law was wrong just now?"

"Hey, you're accusing me!" Wang Zhengnan quickly explained, "I meant to say that foreigners cannot be generalized. From my personal experience, the two most important things in the minds of Westerners are: making money and preaching! However, the Russians and the devils are exceptions. They are too close to us, so they have a lot of thoughts in their minds!"

"Then it's settled. Why are you arguing with me?" Li Zhengxi was puzzled.

Wang Zhengnan said, "I don't agree with what you said just now. You can't regard all foreigners as enemies. Instead, you should use the relationship between them to protect yourself. Let me tell you this, Mr. Li San from Xiaoheyan, if the Japanese want to kill you, they won't even blink an eye; but Mr. Li, the big comprador of a British foreign company, if the Japanese want to kill you, he won't have to think twice."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze to his sister-in-law: "Sister-in-law, I think the same as you. The Jiang family's position in the union cannot be shaken, but at the same time, we must also maintain our relationship with other foreigners. What's that word called? Anyway, we each get what we need. The closer this need is, the more room we have to deal with emergencies."

"That makes sense!" Hu Xiaoyan nodded. "Besides, what you just said is also true. The Jiang family is not what it used to be. We should give way to some businesses. It's not that we are worried about the money, but some things really damage the reputation of the Jiang family. It's not worth it for such a small profit."

"Sister-in-law..." Li Zhengxi was a little restless, but before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Hu Xiaoyan.

"For example, there are several small shopping streets in Fengtian. The shops can't afford our fire and water insurance. So we should stop collecting protection fees. There's not much money in total, and it makes the Jiang family look low-class. We can give up this part of the business and stop competing with the online partners."

Xue Yingqing and Wang Zhengnan expressed their agreement.

"But..." Hu Xiaoyan continued, "We can't give up the business of selling things on the riverside."

After hearing this, Li Zhengxi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Wang Zhengnan was puzzled and asked: "Sister-in-law, why is that? We really can't get much money from those street performers!"

"Second brother, no matter how much money it is, this is the livelihood of the brothers under me. Can you please stop thinking of taking advantage of me?" Li Zhengxi was very dissatisfied.

"I didn't say I was going to use you as a scapegoat. I was just thinking about the Jiang family. If it doesn't work out, I can help you find another way out for them, right?"

Hu Xiaoyan raised her hand to interrupt the brothers' quarrel and said, "I never expected to make money in this business. The Jiang family doesn't lack this money, but those artists who make a living from nothing. They come from all over the world, and they are knowledgeable and have heard a lot along the way. This is an important source of intelligence, so we can't give it to others. However, what Manager Xue said is not wrong. We should try to ease the relationship online..."

She looked at Li Zhengxi and then ordered, "Xifeng, from now on, let your people take 20% less and stop collecting protection fees."

"sister in law……"

"At the same time, I don't have to pay money back home anymore. Is that okay?"

The sister-in-law was still reasonable, so Li Zhengxi naturally had nothing to say.

Moreover, the Jiang family's adjustment this time was not just aimed at his gang, but to stop all the businesses that were losing face. Protection fees were only one of them, and there were also commissions from many small businesses, security fees for grand openings, and so on.

Stopping these revenues will have almost no impact on the Jiang family. It can both elevate the Jiang family's style and ease the tensions among the Jiang family's peers.

In other words, these businesses are a bit cumbersome.

If the Jiang family is willing, they can certainly give in more, but obviously no one wants to play the role of a living Buddha, so the so-called concession stops here.

"Sister-in-law, what should we do with General Zhang's commission?" Li Zhengxi asked.

"I can't help!" Hu Xiaoyan refused flatly. "No matter what you say, I can't help. If I help Zhang Xiaokun sell opium, not only will this matter get involved in a party dispute, it will also make enemies for the Jiang family and bring disaster, destroying the existing situation."

"I understand that getting caught up in party strife means destroying the existing situation..." Li Zhengxi couldn't figure it out for a moment.

"Isn't it obvious?"

Xue Yingqing explained: "Since the Jiang family opened its doors, insurance business has always been a major priority. All the major local merchants in Feng Province who want to deliver goods safely have to buy Jiang's transportation insurance and fire and water insurance, which is already a bonus. You can't sit back and take the bonus while also personally taking care of the business. How can others survive?"

"Yes!" Wang Zhengnan also said, "If you do this, it is equivalent to forcing all the local merchants to join forces to deal with us. The tacit understanding and balance that was formed with great difficulty will be destroyed now. Even if others don't say it, Mr. Tong San in southern Liaoning will not agree. Think about it, Mr. Tong's local products are shipped from the sea, and the cost must be high; if General Zhang secretly grows opium, the source of goods is in Suining, not far from us, and the cost is so low. We have waived our own transportation insurance. What can Mr. Tong and his people use to compete with us?"

"It's so serious!" Li Zhengxi reacted and nodded quickly: "Then I really can't help with the underwriting. It will do more harm than good!"

"It's profitable, you can make a lot of money!" Wang Zhengnan said, "General Zhang grows opium to expand the army, so the area of ​​cultivation must be at least 18,000 acres, and you can make a lot of money just by taking commissions. But if you do this, you will offend all the tobacco merchants, so you'd better be more careful when you go out next time."

"The key is that the Jiang family will lose their words because of this." Hu Xiaoyan said seriously, "Don't forget, 'Don't touch the opium business, only accept freight insurance', this is the rule we set ourselves in the beginning, and the major tobacco merchants are willing to take the initiative to hand in insurance. We can't slap ourselves in the face just to help Zhang Xiaokun."

After this was said, even Li Zhengxi said, "Brother, let's just not tell on the secret. Let's not get involved in the opium distribution business, okay?"

"Yes, opium is not glorious after all. Even with the government stamp, it is inevitable to be criticized by the people, which is not conducive to long-term development!" Wang Zhengnan stated.

Xue Yingqing simply suggested: "If it doesn't work, just push this matter to other local merchants. Anyway, they don't have so many concerns. As long as they can make money, it's fine. There is no problem with the sale of opium, so why would they let it rot in their hands?"

After several debates, everyone reached a consensus: give up small profits when necessary to ease the relationship between the underworld; distance themselves from the government and avoid party struggles to avoid being bogged down in the mud; stick to the trade unions, use foreigners, and ensure room for maneuver.

Everyone agreed, so they turned to look at Jiang Lianheng. It was time for him to make the final decision.

Hu Xiaoyan was worried, and couldn't help but reach out and hold Jiang Lianheng's arm, and whispered to him, "Lianheng, don't be so righteous."

Upstairs, Jiang Ya and Chengye’s laughter continued.

Jiang Lianheng leaned back in his chair, pondered for a long time, and finally nodded: "Then let's do as you say. I will find a way to explain to Brother Zhang."

For some reason, everyone seemed relieved.

"but--"

Jiang Lianheng put the lighter in his pocket, glanced at everyone, and continued, "Regarding those troublemakers online who are dissatisfied with me or have complaints, I will only back off this time. If you continue to push your luck, don't talk to me about peace and other nonsense. I don't want to hear it. If anyone dares to stir up trouble again, I will stab anyone who dares to show his head."

Everyone nodded.

"Also, you three, remember to keep an eye on it for me." He pointed at Dong Nan Xi and the other two. "I may not help Zhang Xiaokun to sell the opium, but I must know who is taking over this batch of goods. Eighteen thousand acres of opium is worth a lot of money! This money will either go into my pocket or someone else's pocket. I hope it will be a friend's pocket!"

(End of this chapter)