20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 719: Face Project
In the north of Fengtian City, there is the Jiang family mansion.

It was already getting dark, and the evening breeze was blowing gently in the courtyard.

In the study room on the second floor, Hu Xiaoyan’s silhouette was printed on the warm yellow glass window, and the sound of an abacus clacking could be heard.

Qingqiu Society had been burned down by a fire, and with such a big commotion, the Jiang family naturally had to make arrangements.

In the past, Nanfeng had always been responsible for giving red envelopes to Lao Chai. It was just a small favor, and there was really no need to calculate carefully.

But this time is different. Hu Xiaoyan is making a budget. It seems that her family is preparing to spend a large sum of money, and the purpose of it is still unknown.

In the living room downstairs, Jiang Lianheng was sitting on the sofa in a suit with his hair combed neatly. From morning to night, he was always ready to go.

Song Lucheng provoked the Jiang family and has now paid the price, but Jiang Lianheng did not show the slightest sign of complacency.

After all, murder and arson are the "easiest" tasks for the current "Jiang family". How to end it next is what he, the head of the family, needs to consider - the one who can settle the matter is the leader.

After dinner, they sat quietly for a while, and Nanfeng was the first to come and report.

"Brother, I just received a telegram saying that Yang Lazi and his men have already arrived in Liaoyang, and they told us not to worry, there will be no problems along the way."

Wang Zhengnan sat down on the sofa, panting. Without even having time to drink a sip of water, he hurriedly began to explain the situation.

Although the Jiang family is powerful, the arson case involves many people after all. Even if it is for the sake of saving face for the government office, they still have to stay out of the limelight. At least in the past month, Yang Lazi and others have had a long vacation.

Jiang Lianheng nodded, and then asked: "What about Dongfeng and Xinnian?"

Wang Zhengnan smiled and said, "Everything has been settled in the outer house, and we will be able to go home in two days."

Hai Xinnian has not left his room since he came back from Shenjia Shop. In other words, he is not "there" in Fengtian at all. When the fire broke out in Qingqiu Society, Zhang Zhengdong was not at the scene at all. With the help of the Jiang family, he could naturally avoid going out and avoiding the limelight.

"In that case, the person in charge of investigating the case now is Lao Chai from our side?" Jiang Lianheng asked again.

"Yes!" Wang Zhengnan responded quickly, "I heard that during the daytime today, Mr. Jiang and his men were arguing with Xiao Dongyang. After the afternoon, all the Dongyang patrolmen withdrew. I guess after the two sides negotiated, the Dongyang Police Department gave in."

Jiang Lianheng took a deep breath and immediately felt a lot more relaxed.

Wang Zhengnan did not dare to neglect the conversation and asked immediately, "Brother, has Xifeng found out the situation of Qingqiu Society? Park Tae-hoon is still waiting for news!"

Jiang Lianheng shook his head and said, "I don't know yet. Let's wait a little longer. It should be soon."

"How about I go to the river bank to urge them?"

"No, no one of you can go to him now. The more people go, the more attention they will draw. Just wait patiently."

In this case, Wang Zhengnan was no longer in a hurry. He finally found time to pour himself a glass of water. While drinking, he asked, "Brother, has the government office sent anyone to look for you yet?"

Jiang Lianheng glanced at the grandfather clock and saw that it was almost seven o'clock. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "It should be soon. I've been sitting here waiting for a whole day, just waiting for someone from above to come and question me!"

Sure enough, not long after he finished speaking, Yuan Xinfa walked quickly into the living room and whispered to Jiang Lianheng:
"Boss, someone from the Marshal's Mansion is here to look for you."

"How many people are here?" Jiang Lianheng asked subconsciously.

Yuan Xinfa hurriedly replied: "Only one person came, it was Adjutant Chang."

After hearing this, Jiang Lianheng's face finally showed a hint of pride - this time, revenge on Qingqiu Society was almost certain.

If only one person came to the Marshal's Mansion, he was "called" over for questioning, which meant that Lao Zhang was not too angry; if several people came to the Marshal's Mansion, he was "taken" over for questioning, and although the plan would not collapse immediately, it would inevitably be criticized by the Marshal.

Jiang Lianheng took a deep breath, wiped his greasy hair with his hand, and then walked out of the mansion.

Adjutant Chang was also an old acquaintance of the Jiang family. He came in a military vehicle, so Jiang Lianheng naturally had to follow him. The Jiang family's driver and bodyguards had no choice but to follow him in an empty car.

Inside the car, Adjutant Chang looked relaxed. He was steering the wheel while chatting with Jiang Lianheng.

In fact, he was also a little curious about whether the Jiang family was behind the arson case on Gaoli Street in Xita, so he kept trying to find a way to make excuses in his words.

But Jiang Lianheng was a master at pretending to be confused. No matter how the other party tested him, he kept saying the same few words - I don't know, I just heard about it, how is it possible?

Fortunately, the Jiang family was not far from the Marshal's Mansion, and the car arrived at the destination in just a few minutes.

Jiang Lianheng jumped out of the car quickly, and on the pretext that he did not dare to neglect the Marshal, he quickly walked towards the brothel.

…………

In the study on the second floor of the Marshal's Mansion, Old Zhang had a rare moment of leisure after a busy day of official duties. He was wearing a long gown and a pair of round-bottomed glasses. He stood in the room with his hands behind his back, carefully examining a jade carving on the bookshelf - Old Monkey Offering Peaches.

After a while, the guard knocked on the door and came in to announce that Jiang Lianheng had arrived.

Marshal Zhang did not turn around, but grumbled something in his throat, which sounded like he was coughing up phlegm, but could also be considered a response to his subordinates.

The guard stood at attention and saluted. The door was closed for a short while, and when it was opened again, a cautious face appeared on his face.

"Marshal, are you looking for me?" Jiang Lianheng closed the door, stood still with his hands hanging down, and his back arched.

Marshal Zhang took off his glasses and kept his eyes on the jade carving for a while. Then he turned around and glanced up and down at Jiang Lianheng. His nostrils puffed up and he curled his lips towards the desk.

Jiang Lianheng didn't dare to delay and immediately stood over properly.

Marshal Zhang held up his long gown, walked slowly to the desk, sat down, pointed at the door, and asked in a hoarse voice: "Xiao Jiang, there are only two of us in this room now. Tell me the truth, did you send someone to set the fire in the West Tower?"

Jiang Lianheng was stunned. He didn't expect Lao Zhang to ask so directly. But after thinking it over and seeing the situation before him, he had to nod and admit it.

"boom!"

Zhang Dashuai slammed the table and immediately asked, "Fuck you, what the hell are you thinking?"

"General, calm down, General, calm down..." Jiang Lianheng bowed and apologized hurriedly. Obviously, Lao Zhang was not really angry. If he really wanted to punish the Jiang family severely, why would he call Jiang Lianheng to the study and scold him when they were alone?
However, although he was not really angry, he still felt a little dissatisfied.

Marshal Zhang waved his hands and then scolded, "Why should I calm down? What do you want to do? Do you think I'm too idle to bother with those little devils? You've made such a big fuss that the Japanese consulate has come to ask me about it. Don't you have to restrain yourself too?"

"Yes, yes, the Marshal is right!"

Jiang Lianheng was not in a hurry to explain himself, he just bowed his head and admitted his mistake.

Marshal Zhang immediately scolded again: "Xiao Jiang, don't think that you can do whatever you want in Fengtian just because you got some intelligence for me! I turned a blind eye to you because I want you to do things for me, not to make trouble for me. Do you think I am a nanny who cleans your ass?"

"No, no!" Jiang Lianheng knelt down immediately, "Marshal, how dare I do this!"

Marshal Zhang was still not satisfied, and kept on cursing for three to five minutes, until all the saliva in his mouth had sprayed out and his throat was smoking. Then he stopped, took a sip of tea, thought for a moment, and finally raised his hand.

"Okay, stop kneeling there, get up!"

"The guilty person dare not stand up."

"Fuck you, you're trying to talk to me!" Marshal Zhang sneered and ordered impatiently, "Get up if I tell you to. Don't talk nonsense to me!"

Jiang Lianheng stood up in response, without making any excuses, and waited to be questioned.

Marshal Zhang calmed down and the anger on his face gradually turned into confusion. He raised his hand and pointed to a chair for Jiang Lianheng, then asked, "Xiao Jiang, you are also in your thirties. This is not your style! What are the consequences of setting fire to Gaoli Street in Xita? Don't you know?"

"I know." Jiang Lianheng lowered his head.

"If you knew that, why did you set the fire?" Marshal Zhang asked, "You must have a reason, right? Don't tell me it's just because of some personal vendetta!"

"Alas, Marshal, those Koreans are really too bullying." Jiang Lianheng sighed and pretended to be aggrieved. "They are rampant in Xita, buying up land and selling opium everywhere, forcibly annexing shops, and even killing us Chinese. This is really hard to swallow!"

"Did they kill anyone?"

"Yes, there was a young man of about sixteen or seventeen, a good kid, who offended them because of a mistake. As a result... well, his gourd was plucked by someone else."

Jiang Lianheng told the truth, and every fact can be verified.

When Marshal Zhang heard this, his expression changed immediately: "Damn it, these bastards are just taking advantage of others to come to our three northeastern provinces to act like bullies. We should have taught them a lesson long ago!"

Jiang Lianheng immediately echoed, "General, you are in a high position. Although you understand a lot of things, you don't feel them deeply. The evil deeds done by those Koreans in Qingqiu Society... How do you say it? They are simply too numerous to mention!"

Marshal Zhang smacked his lips and said, "Of course I know that those Koreans are not easy to deal with, but the problem is that the Japanese are just trying to use them as pawns to disgust us and use them as hooks to fish. You are so happy to set the fire on fire, how can the Japanese let it go?"

"General, allow me to ask you a question. Who is in charge of investigating this case?"

"Negotiations are over. The investigation and trial of the case will be carried out by the provincial government, but the final verdict needs to be negotiated by both parties. What do you plan to do?"

Jiang Lianheng said respectfully: "Marshal, I can hand him over, and he should have been tried in the government office now."

Marshal Zhang was stunned, then smiled with some emotion and said, "You are such a cruel guy!"

"Marshal, I'm just following the rules of the line. No one can find fault with me. Besides..." Jiang Lianheng suddenly turned a huge crime into a rare achievement. "Marshal, in my opinion, this fire may not be a bad thing for our Fengtian authorities."

"Oh, good news?" Marshal Zhang frowned in response, not understanding for a moment, "What do you mean by that?"

Jiang Lianheng said, "Marshal, Xita has never prospered in recent years because the Japanese have always been meddling in it, insisting that it is a disputed area. In fact, the so-called dispute is nothing more than that Xita was located in the suburbs, without even a street market. Later, Koreans gathered there and built a few houses. The Japanese used the excuse that it was their national property, so they always wanted to take it over by force. Now that the fire has burned down half of the street, their excuse is no longer tenable."

Marshal Zhang nodded: "Go on."

"So I think we should start construction on Gaoli Street in the name of disaster relief. This will not only add to your reputation as a benevolent ruler, but also use public property as a barrier to prevent the Japanese from encroaching on our territory. At the same time, we can also use it to monitor and manage those illegal immigrants from the peninsula. It can be said that we kill three birds with one stone—"

At this point, Jiang Lianheng paused, and then asked in a low voice: "Marshal, what do you think?"

After explaining the pros and cons and thinking about it carefully, it seems that this fire was not only started in the right way, but also started too late.

Zhang Dashuai was stunned for a moment, then the corners of his mouth gradually curled up, and he couldn't help but laugh: "Hey, Xiao Jiang, don't mention it, you really don't mention it... It's quite interesting!"

Jiang Lianheng did not dare to take credit for himself, and only said in a low voice: "Please let the Marshal decide."

"However, if we use the provincial government's tax revenue to provide disaster relief to overseas Chinese on the peninsula... I'm afraid the people will complain!"

"That's not a problem. If the Marshal can trust his subordinates, I can take the lead and raise funds for disaster relief in the name of private charity. As long as the Marshal can issue an official document and order the Municipal Government to approve the land and start construction, it will be fine."

Upon hearing this, Marshal Zhang's anger turned into joy and he immediately laughed out loud.

"Xiao Jiang, it's you! I told you that it's not like you to care about the whole thing, but the whole thing doesn't seem like you. I guess you've figured it all out!"

"No, no, it's just that I have been following the Marshal for these years, and I have learned a lot from him."

"Good boy, you are praising me again!" Marshal Zhang said with a smile, "Okay, tomorrow morning, I will call the Municipal Office and ask them to issue you an official document. You must start the construction as soon as possible. After the house is built, don't just think about collecting rent, you have to keep an eye on those Koreans!"

"Of course. I understand clearly that collecting rent is just a hobby. Monitoring those traitors is the fundamental thing." Jiang Lianheng agreed with a smile.

Although Marshal Zhang was happy, he did not celebrate early. Instead, he groaned for a moment, as if he had some doubts.

Jiang Lianheng hurriedly asked the reason.

Marshal Zhang said, "However, the Japanese may not be able to accept our wishful thinking here. After all, more than 20 lives are involved. I have negotiated with Consul General Yoshida. Although he agreed not to interfere in the investigation, he still needs to give the necessary explanation. It may not be the truth, but no matter what, they have to be able to report it."

Jiang Lianheng asked with a smile: "Marshal, if in Xiao Dongyang's eyes, these twenty or so people deserve to die?"

Hearing this, Lao Zhang couldn't help but smile, but asked, "Why, have you even thought about this?"

(End of this chapter)