20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 708 Intrigue and deception
Fengtian West Tower, Qingqiu Society.

The shop door slowly opened, and the clerk at the counter raised his eyelids in response, only to see two figures standing outside the door.

The two men walked into the house, and their attires were reflected in the dim light.

A black uniform with a stand-up collar, a large peaked cap, a single row of copper buttons, a short sword at the waist, and the police badge with the words Sakuraba Rinchu flashed a bright light.

The waiter saw this and jumped down from the stool as if he had been switched on. He put his hands on his trouser seams, straightened his back, and shouted in Japanese with great energy:
"Hi! Mr. Saito!"

Saito Rokuro remained calm and led his junior Yamazaki Yuta to the counter.

The detective captain of the South Railway Police Station is in his late thirties, with a sharp face and a tough expression. The brim of his hat is pulled down low, and his eyes are hidden in the shadows.

"Where's your boss?" he asked in a commanding tone.

"I'm waiting for you in the back hall!" The clerk came out from behind the counter and said with a flattering smile, "Mr. Saito, please! I'll take you to see him right away!"

Saito Rokuro nodded, then turned around and told his companion, "Wait for me here."

"Hi!"

Like all Japanese people, Yamazaki Yuta treated his seniors with great respect. He stood beside the counter and watched his superior walk towards the back hall of Qingqiu Society.

Then he glanced at the Chinese smokers in the store with a look of disdain.

…………

It is getting dark, the moon and stars are dim.

Saito Rokuro walked through the backyard of Qingqiu Society and just arrived at the door of the hall, he saw Song Lucheng standing there obediently with his hands hanging down.

"Wow--"

Song Lvcheng pulled open the sliding door and bowed to greet him respectfully, "Mr. Saito, please come in!"

The Qingqiu Society's servant gave a few instructions and then left tactfully, leaving the two men to have a secret conversation.

Inside the hall, the thugs from Qingqiu Society had already dispersed.

Song Lvcheng led Saito Rokuro to the main seat. The two sat down on the tatami one after another, separated by a small table, and talked in low voices in Japanese.

"Has the jade carving been returned to the Jiang family?"

"Well, you called last night and I gave it back to them right there and then."

"That's good. There was no dispute, right?" Saito Rokuro asked calmly.

"Uh..." Song Lvcheng's brows furrowed before he could even speak. "We did have a few arguments at the time, but luckily, there was no physical conflict."

Saito Rokuro didn't say anything, his eyes were still hidden in the shadow of the hat brim, but his breathing was a little heavy.

Song Lvcheng could not help but feel confused. After hesitating for a moment, he could not help but ask, "Mr. Saito, this Mr. Jiang in Fengtian... can't we provoke him?"

Saito Rokuro snorted coldly, and said: "Humph, what is there to not provoke? I have long wanted to teach him a lesson, but it is just that Takeda-kun wants to protect him!"

"Takeda-kun?" Song Lvcheng was a little confused. "Does he also work at the Police Department?"

Saito Rokuro shook his head: "No, he is the director of the investigation department of the Southern Railway Company."

Song Lvcheng was stunned for a moment, and seemed to find it even more incredible.

He was originally a Korean who had just arrived in Fengtian and was not familiar with the administrative structure here.

Although the peninsula had fallen long ago, Japan's rule over the peninsula was simple and crude, far less deliberate and cautious than its treatment of Manchuria.

Could it be that in Manchuria, the power of the Southern Railway Company is greater than that of the Toyo Police Agency?
Saito Rokuro sighed and explained, "That's not the case. If it were someone else, I wouldn't be manipulated by them. But Takeda-kun is different. He is not only a director of the Investigation Department, but also a member of the Black Dragon Society. His connections and influence are far greater than those of the previous directors of the Investigation Department."

"But...why does Mr. Takeda insist on winning over Jiang Lianheng?" Song Lucheng asked.

"Who knows what he's thinking!" Saito Rokuro suddenly got a little angry. "That guy is always weak and incompetent when dealing with Chinese people!"

Song Lucheng didn't dare to respond, he just huddled into a ball and listened quietly.

Saito Rokuro went on to say: "I also know that Jiang Lianheng is very prestigious in Fengtian, but Takeda-kun is too accommodating to him. He is simply bringing shame to the empire!"

The detective captain's resentment was not without reason.

In the past few years, there have been several major cases in the South Railway Concession that have not been completely solved so far. Some of them even involved Japanese expatriates. The police department all reasonably suspected that the Jiang family was the mastermind behind these major cases, but due to the lack of evidence and the fear of the impact of public opinion, which would lead to more violent anti-Japanese sentiment, they chose to endure it.

At this point, Takeda Nobuyuki still wanted to win over Jiang Lianheng.

This move naturally caused a lot of dissatisfaction among the police.

Saito Rokuro was extremely angry.

Song Lvcheng, however, was more concerned about his own interests, so he hurriedly asked: "Then what should I do next?"

Saito Rokuro frowned, but said, "You still act according to the plan. I'm here just to tell you to try not to provoke Jiang Lianheng, but treat other Chinese people as usual, and you must be tough!"

"But... last night, we had a quarrel with the Jiang family because of that jade carving. Will they take revenge on me?"

"Baga, are you scared?"

"No, no, it's just that they are so numerous and powerful, and this is Fengtian. I'm worried that if I don't handle it properly, it will cause trouble for you!"

"Asshole! Didn't you hear what I just said?"

Saito Rokuro shouted sternly: "I just asked you to try not to provoke Jiang Lianheng. If he comes to Xita to cause trouble for you, we will naturally come to your rescue!"

When Song Lucheng heard this, he immediately felt relieved and quickly changed his face to say with a smile: "Thank you, Mr. Saito!"

Seeing this, Saito Rokuro could not help but remind him again: "Remember, as long as you are willing to be loyal to the empire, the empire will never treat you unfairly. If Jiang Lianheng dares to send people to provoke you, just fight back. Don't be afraid of making things worse. Even if you shoot in the street, I will help you get rid of the crime at the police station, and the Fengzhang police will not dare to detain you easily."

As he was speaking, he suddenly lowered his voice and added: "The police department has recently confiscated several illegal guns. After ten o'clock tonight, send someone to get them. I'll leave them for you to use."

Song Lvcheng immediately smiled and knelt down and said, "Hi! Thank you for your care!"

Saito Rokuro grinned, but his eyes were still hidden in the shadow under the brim of his hat.

"Okay, that's all I have to say. You need to keep working hard and don't let us down for our trust in you."

"Hi!"

"You must try to gain a firm foothold as soon as possible and help us investigate the rebels hiding near the West Pagoda. We cannot let those lunatics destroy our hard-earned 'Japan-North Korea unity'."

"Hi Hi!"

"In addition, I still say that you must be tough in your attitude towards the Chinese, buy out their land, and annex their shops. If you have any trouble, you can always come to me."

"Hi hi hi hi!"

Song Lucheng agreed to all the requests made by Saito Rokuro without any hesitation.

The two of them each got what they wanted, and it seemed like a match made in heaven. But this was actually a strategy of the Toyo Takushoku Co., Ltd., which used the Koreans to implement a cannibalization plan, slowly and orderly, step by step, and eventually completely annexed the three provinces of Kanto economically.

The Japanese devils eat meat and the Koreans drink soup.

Hawks and dogs are far more active, more greedy, and even more rampant and brutal than their masters.

Song Lucheng was quite excited. When he saw Saito Rokuro getting up to leave, he hurriedly followed him with a smile. When he reached the door, he went over and pulled open the sliding door.

"Mr. Saito, walk slowly, be careful with the steps, be careful with the steps!"

While he was trying his best to please the customer, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps. He looked up and saw the clerk at the counter hurrying towards him.

"Boss, boss——"

"You bastard! Mr. Saito is still here, how can you speak Korean? Do you have any manners?"

The clerk was startled and quickly changed his words to Japanese: "Boss, someone from the Jiang family is here."

"What?" Song Lvcheng immediately widened his eyes and asked, "How many people are there?"

"one!"

"several?"

The clerk at the counter raised a finger and reiterated, "Only one person came, the guy who sold jade carvings yesterday."

"Damn it, that kid played a trick on me yesterday, and he dared to come here today?" Song Lvcheng cursed loudly. Although he gnashed his teeth in hatred, he still turned around and asked Xiao Dongyang for instructions, "Mr. Saito, in this case, does it matter if he is beaten to death?"

Saito Rokuro seemed very calm and simply asked, "What is he doing here?"

"Uh... He said he wanted to come and join our Qingqiu Society."

"What?" Song Lvcheng scratched his ears. "What does he want to do?"

The clerk at the counter knew that it was useless to say more, so he pointed to the store in the front hall and said, "Boss, you will know everything if you go over there and take a look."

…………

Inside the Qingqiushe store, Sheng Mancang was slumped in the corner between the counter and the wall, his clothes ragged and his appearance dishevelled. He seemed to be exhausted to the extreme.

It seemed that the young man had been badly beaten. There were bruises on his face, whip marks on the back of his neck, his limbs felt heavy, he was dying, and he was gasping for breath in his throat. Not to mention the two shocking broken fingers on his right hand!

Standing around him were the Japanese patrolman Yuta Yamazaki and a group of thugs from the Qingqiu Society.

"Get out of the way, get out of the way!"

Song Lucheng shouted everyone away, walked closer and took a look. He couldn't help but frowned and asked, "Hey, kid, is he dead or not?"

Sheng Mancang slowly opened one eye and saw that it was Song Lvcheng. He immediately sat up straight and shouted, "Boss Song! Boss Song, you have to save me!"

Song Lvcheng cursed loudly, and then the clerk at the counter translated: "Bullshit! It was you who played tricks on us yesterday, and now you come to us to complain about your grievances. Are you here to get yourself killed?"

"Boss Song, I am innocent!" Sheng Mancang wailed, "I am not trying to trick you, it's Jiang Lianheng who is such a fucking jerk!"

"Do you think that putting the entire blame on Jiang Lianheng is the end of it?"

"I'm not pushing the blame on him, but this matter was originally his fault. He was the one who insisted on taking the things back. Look at my hands, look at my face, look at my butt..."

"Fuck you, pull your pants up!"

"Take a look!"

"I won't watch!" Song Lvcheng yelled, "If you have something to say, just say it. Don't yell at me!"

Sheng Mancang had no choice but to give up, and then he sobbed and said, "Boss Song, you don't know how much Jiang Lianheng bullies people. Now I have seen that as long as Jiang Lianheng is alive, none of us will have a good life. You have lost face, and I will suffer too, all because he is the one who is playing the big shot!"

This is true.

Song Lvcheng and Sheng Mancang were both victims. In the whole incident, only Jiang Lianheng took advantage of it.

Thinking of what happened last night and Li Zhengxi's disdainful look, the Koreans present were also dissatisfied and angry, and their hearts suddenly became furious.

Sheng Mancang continued, "Boss Song, I know that Qingqiu Club is a Korean place and cannot tolerate a Chinese like me. I came here today just to remind you that you have not been in Fengtian for a long time and you don't know what kind of person Jiang Lianheng is. He is a jerk with a very narrow mind. You scolded his people yesterday, and he will definitely find a chance to retaliate against you! Boss Song, please be careful. I'm leaving first!"

After saying that, he turned around and went to the door to look for cricket pupae.

"Wait!" Song Lvcheng hurriedly called him, "Have you heard any news?"

"I can only say... Oh, forget it, you'd better wish you good luck!" Sheng Mancang said as he moved towards the door of the store.

Upon seeing this, the Qingqiu Society's thugs immediately stepped forward and lined up to block him in place.

"Hey, you guys...what are you doing?" Sheng Mancang said aggrievedly, "I came here with good intentions to remind you, why won't you let me go?"

Everyone shouted at him, "If you stop talking, it won't be unfair if you are killed!"

"Boss Song, it's not that I don't want to tell you, I just don't dare to tell you!" Sheng Mancang explained quickly, "If I tell you, and the news leaks out and Jiang Lianheng finds out, then if you don't take me in, how can I save my life?"

"If you tell me, I can guarantee your safety."

"Really?"

Sheng Mancang seemed to see hope, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

However, Song Lucheng still had to ask his master for instructions.

"Mr. Saito, if Jiang Lianheng retaliates against me, we can fight back, right?"

Saito Rokuro said nothing. He suddenly adjusted the brim of his hat and stared at Sheng Mancang with his three-white eyes for a while. Then he smiled and asked Song Lvcheng, "The Chinese have an ancient book called The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Have you read it?"

Song Lvcheng had not been educated much, and he was a Korean, so he was naturally confused, shook his head and said, "I haven't read it."

"What about you?" Saito Rokuro turned and looked at his companions.

Yamazaki Yuta nodded immediately.

The history of the Three Kingdoms period is most widely circulated in the East. Although there are often deviations and even misinterpretations in the process of dissemination, there are still many young Japanese who can accurately and correctly tell about the heroes, famous battles, and legendary allusions.

"Who do you like the most?" asked Saito Rokuro.

"Guan Yu—passed five passes and killed six generals!" Yamazaki Yuta blurted out, and then asked, "Senior, what about you?"

"Ah, it's hard to choose, every character is wonderful! However, I think Cao Cao is the most unfortunate, he originally had the opportunity to unify the world, right? But he later became a little arrogant, thinking that no one could be his opponent. The Battle of Red Cliffs was the most exciting battle, and also the most exciting intelligence war, with counter-espionage, alienation, and self-torture..."

When it comes to the Three Kingdoms, Saito Rokuro knows everything about it.

As he spoke, he walked to Sheng Mancang, slowly squatted down, and asked in extremely stiff Chinese: "Hey, are you Huang Gai?"

(End of this chapter)