20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 723 Undercurrent
The West Tower arson case has finally come to an end.

The investigation of the case went smoothly. The suspect Qi Maochun and his six apprentices confessed to their crimes and were immediately handed over to the Chinese and foreign communities for negotiation and judgment.

As expected, Qi Maochun and others were sentenced to death by both the Chinese and Western sides due to their heinous crimes, and the Eastern Police Department immediately executed them.

This case is a model of cooperation between the Fengtian authorities and the Japanese police in maintaining public security, and it deserves special mention.

For a time, public opinion in the provincial capital was surging, and relevant details of the case were gradually revealed.

Some people applauded because the fire burned a Korean tobacco shop; others felt sorry for the tragic plight of the overseas Chinese who lost their country.

In fact, no matter what kind of "details" they are, they are all intentionally revealed by the government. As for the real secrets, I am afraid that very few people know about them.

Three days later, a scandalous novel titled "The Mysterious Hero" appeared in the newspapers, signed by: Bedxia Peng.

It is said that in the early years of the Guangxu period, there was a strange man outside the Great Wall named Sha Zihao.

This man possesses unique skills and has been roaming the world for twenty years without ever meeting an opponent. He loves to be chivalrous and rob the rich to help the poor, and he deserves the title "There is a code of conduct for thieves."

At that time, there were fierce and vicious foreign bandits in the territory of Andong. They bullied the common people, robbed people, smuggled opium and poisoned the people of Guandong. Their underworld name was "Hongyun Society".

Upon hearing the news, Sha Zihao was furious and cursed the imperial court for being incompetent. He also told them not to blame the bandits for breaking the law, so he led a group of disciples to fight the bandits.

However, when Sha Zihao arrived in Andong, he was unfamiliar with the place and did not dare to act rashly, so he sent a disciple to find out the details of the Hongyun Society.

But the disciple was not good at learning the skills and entered the Red Cloud Society, where his true identity was exposed and he was brutally beheaded and dismembered by the foreign bandits.

After many twists and turns, Sha Zihao finally recovered his disciple's head.

After opening the cloth bag, I saw that the head was staring with eyes wide open. Although it was dead, it could still speak. When it saw the master, it burst into tears and said only one sentence with its lips and teeth moving slightly:

The disciple is incompetent and has brought disgrace to the master!
As soon as he finished speaking, he died and his soul returned to the underworld.

Sha Zihao was filled with grief and indignation, and he and his disciples swore an oath immediately: If we don't avenge this, we will not be human beings!

After going through countless hardships and losing countless disciples, he finally wiped out the Red Cloud Society. However, the dead cannot be resurrected, and Sha Zihao was disheartened. He escaped and lived in anonymity from then on, not caring about the grudges in the martial arts world...

Although what is said in the book is fictitious, everyone who has read it knows that the novel is clearly about the Sita arson case.

This is a vendetta!

The story of the master avenging his disciple was mixed with many national emotions. The story of the master avenging his disciple was well received by the people and naturally spread quickly.

Whenever people talk about Qi Maochun after dinner, many of them even secretly give him a thumbs up and say, "Old Qi is a man of integrity!"

Although I feel unworthy of it, at least I have earned some reputation.

Unfortunately, the big flagpole will never hear these false praises.

On the day of the execution, which was around the Qingming Festival, there was a drizzle in Fengtian, which looked like a mountain fog from a distance.

Daqiganzi and others were taken to the wilderness of Tiexi. After a few gunshots, the arson case was declared closed.

The Japanese patrol police pulled several bodies to the crematorium in the northern section of the railway station and cremated them on the spot. They then issued a notice asking if anyone wanted to claim the remains.

After waiting for half a day and seeing that no one came to claim the ashes, he simply took a shovel and shoveled all the white ashes into the boiler.

But then again, who doesn’t have a few friends in their lifetime?

After all, Daqiganzi is the head of the Rong family in the Daxiguan area. He is an old hand and has seen a lot, so he must have three or two brothers who can be considered true friends.

Of course, expecting friends to sacrifice their family fortunes to help out in times of difficulty is unlikely to happen, and it may also be considered as asking too much, but this does not mean that all of my friends are indifferent.

It’s just that the Jiang family was too powerful, and everyone was afraid of offending Jiang Lianheng, so no one dared to claim the ashes, and they could only stay at home and mourn in secret.

Now, the person is dead, and it is the Qingming Festival, but there is not even a grave for worship. So Lao He, who is on the line, took advantage of the dawn and rushed to the deserted suburb where the big flagpole was executed to burn some paper treasures for Yin wealth, as a small act of kindness.

The "Whistle Li" in the northern part of the city is the familiar figure, friend regardless of age difference, and best buddy on the flagpole line.

However, "Whistle Li" is not the Buddha of the Rong family.

The trick he played was to rob people on the road in the city. He was not as good as a bandit, but better as a thug, and he had more than a dozen brothers under him.

This man's business does not involve any technical skills, it is purely robbery, but he is very good at light work, although he cannot be said to be crossing the river on duckweed, he is able to move high and fly over eaves and walls.

People called him "Whistle Li" because in his early years, you could often see a group of old men chasing him on the street, blowing whistles as they chased, but they couldn't catch him.

As time went by, people began to jokingly say that wherever Lao Li went, there would be constant whistles on the streets and alleys, so he got the nickname "Whistle Li".

But people’s legs age first, and if you walk by the river often, how is it that your shoes don’t get wet?

After Shaozi Li turned thirty, his steps became heavier and he was inevitably caught by Lao Chai several times.

As soon as I entered the prison, I was surprised to see that all the prisoners there were "talented people". They were all good at chatting and could broaden my horizons.

Whistle Li and Flagpole are friends I met in prison.

Later, the big flagpole said to him: "Brother, to be frank, you are still relying on your youth and strength to get so high. I'm afraid it won't last long in the future."

Whistle Li also agreed and nodded, saying, "Yes, I plan to save more money in a few years, and then retire."

This is bullshit.

Few robbers can save money. They make money by chance without any hard work and are used to spending lavishly. If you want them to tighten their belts and live a hard life, it would be more painful than killing them.

The big flagpole smiled and said, "Brother, stop kidding. I'll show you a way!"

When Whistle Li heard this, he hurriedly asked where the road was.

The big flagpole said, "You can't do this kind of business without a backer. I say, when you get out, you should find a way to pay respect to the Jiang family! As long as you can see Jiang Lianheng, kneel down and kowtow, and call him 'boss', you will be able to live comfortably here even if you are caught in a crime. You may even be released in two days."

Whistle Li suddenly became interested. After he was released from prison, he looked for people to ask for help from their connections and finally got a job at the Jiang family's dock.

From then on, although he had to pay the Jiang family every month, he was fearless online. He was caught by Lao Chai several times and asked about his origins. When he met him again, he often dealt with him perfunctorily, symbolically chasing him for a few steps and then letting him go.

It is true that Whistle Li is grateful to the Jiang family, but he also often visits his friend Big Flagpole and they have a special relationship.

On the morning of Qingming Festival, he carried a bag of paper ingots and came alone to the wilderness of Tiexi, ready to pay his respects.

He picked up a tree branch, burned it black, drew a circle on the spot, prepared for any wandering ghosts that passed by, and then burned paper money on the flagpole.

"Brother, I have sent you some money. Don't be reluctant to spend it over there. If you have any questions, please send me a dream..."

Whistle Li Zheng was still muttering to himself when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. He turned around in surprise, squinted his eyes to look carefully, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.

The person who came was the shopkeeper Yu from "Guangutang", a big buyer of smuggled goods online.

"Old Yu, are you trying to scare people to death?" Whistle Li was a little surprised. "I thought someone was coming!"

Shopkeeper Yu was not close to the big flagpole, they were just acquaintances. Originally, there was no need for him to come all the way to mourn, but he felt uneasy, after all, it was he who gave the clue about the big flagpole to "Jiang Family Guardian".

Daqiganzi's apprentice broke the rules of the underworld, and Manager Yu did not blame himself at first. However, he never expected that Daqiganzi would be inexplicably sentenced to death in the end.

As a result, Shopkeeper Yu felt a little uncomfortable, and always felt that he was the one who killed the big flagpole. So he came here to burn some paper money during the Qingming Festival, not for anything else, but just to feel at peace.

However, in front of Whistle Li, Shopkeeper Yu naturally refused to reveal the truth. He only said that death is the most important thing, and it happened to be the Qingming Festival, so he came by to show his respect.

Afterwards, the two of them gathered together to burn paper and chatted for a while.

Unexpectedly, just after talking for a while, there were footsteps approaching.

The two of them turned around in a hurry and squinted their eyes at the same time, only to see three figures approaching from a distance. After carefully identifying them, they couldn't help but curse: "Hey, old man, are you trying to scare me to death? I thought someone was coming!"

The man who came was the "old man who made baskets" in the southern part of the city. Of course, the nickname "old man who made baskets" was only used by acquaintances. He would get angry if strangers called him that, because the nickname was related to his history of making a fortune.

My dad is a "glutton".

The Ge family is quite diverse. Broadly speaking, anyone who makes a living by wandering around can be called "Ge Nian"; strictly speaking, the Ge family does not have a fixed livelihood. They do whatever can make money. They mainly make a living by cheating, but when they meet a tough guy, they can take on the responsibility alone. In short, they are cruel and ruthless.

Lao Dou has done everything: beggar, pimp, sell fake medicine, and set up street stalls, but he really made his fortune by collecting rags.

In his early years, he ran around with a woven basket on his back, collecting scrap copper and iron to make a living. Later, he felt that the income was too little, so he turned to stealing and robbing, and inevitably fought with people on the land. With his ruthlessness, he gradually won over a group of adopted sons, and he was considered to be doing well in his life.

But he was in Fengtian, and if he wanted to set up his own business, he had to go to the Jiang family's dock and get the nod of permission from the head of the family before he could gain a foothold in the provincial capital.

Without the Jiang family's support, my father would not have the family business he has today.

As long as the Jiang family exists, Lao Dou will never be able to make any further progress.

Success and failure are all due to Xiao He. Whether he admits it or not, this is an indisputable fact.

"You two are here too?" The old man walked forward and told his adopted son to burn paper on the spot.

"Just arrived!" Whistle Li said with some emotion, "I thought I was the only one here. That's great. Old Qi has not lived in vain in this life."

Shopkeeper Yu shook his head and sighed, "Alas, you said that this matter caused a lot of trouble, and so did the big flagpole. How could one be so blind when accepting a disciple? This time, the disciple broke the rules and implicated the entire master."

"What kind of rules are these?" The old man curled his lips. "If we really follow the rules, everything will be fine once the things are recovered. How could it come to this?"

"Oh my!" Shopkeeper Yu panicked, "Old man, don't talk nonsense. His apprentice sold all the goods. This is a crime of betraying the master and destroying the ancestors. Besides, the boss had already warned him in advance, but he still knowingly violated the rules. Can you blame the boss for being angry?"

"No, that one shouldn't die, right? Well, even if that little disciple deserves to die, is it necessary for the big flagpole and the others to be shot as well?"

"Say less, say less."

"I was just saying, what's wrong?" Old Dou said angrily, "The Jiang family has gone too far in this matter, and they don't want people to say a few words? Now that the person is dead, we have to be sneaky here to burn paper money, why? When Mr. Zhou was around, he didn't act like this!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the young adopted son beside him asked, "Godfather, who is Mr. Zhou?"

Things change with time. In just over a decade, Zhou Yunfu, who was once famous and powerful in Fengtian, has gradually lost the evidence of his existence among the younger generation.

Everyone will be forgotten, and history books will only record Lord Zengqi, not Zhou Yunfu; in time, even Lord Zengqi's reputation will disappear like smoke.

This also seems to be a common problem.

When people are dissatisfied with the current situation, they always miss the past unconsciously. In fact, it was the same in the past, but some people only remembered to eat and not to be beaten, and gradually forgot about it.

After all, when Zhou Yunfu was the boss, Lao Dou was just a small character. He had never seen the boss, let alone dealt with him. All the stories about Zhou Yunfu were just hearsay.

But the old man didn't think so. He just felt that the Jiang family was bullying too much. He was too lazy to explain to his adopted son, so he waved his hand and scolded impatiently: "Don't ask around, just burn paper for your Uncle Qi!"

Then he raised his head again, with an attitude of risking his life.

"You all don't dare to say anything, so let me say it. Isn't the Jiang family getting more and more outrageous? Forget about the distant past. Just two years ago, the Jiang family wanted to set up a sand and gravel factory. How come the old ship that was originally used to mine sand in Shenshui disappeared without a trace? Don't you think it's strange? And this time, the big flagpole was set on fire. Do you believe it?"

Whistle Li heard this and slowly shook his head: "I know Lao Qi. He doesn't look like someone who has the guts to set a fire."

"There must be something going on here!" Old Dou said confidently, "Qingqiu Society is challenging the Jiang family, so it's not the turn of the big flagpole to set fire!"

"But... the disciple of the big flagpole was indeed stabbed by someone. Several old men saw his head." Whistle Li suddenly asked, "Hey, Manager Yu, you usually collect antiques and come into contact with many people. Do you have any news?"

"Uh... this..."

Shopkeeper Yu's eyes rolled and he suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, what time is it? Look at my brain! Lao Li, thank goodness you reminded me, I have a business appointment today!" Then he smiled and clasped his fists, "Time is in a hurry, I will not accompany you two any longer, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

After saying that, he left the two of them behind and headed towards the city in a panic.

"Tsk—coward!"

Seeing Manager Yu jogging along, the old man couldn't help but spit on the ground, then turned his head to Shaozi Li and said, "Brother, tell me the truth, don't you think this is strange? You and Big Flagpole are close friends!"

When Whistle Li saw that Shopkeeper Yu had run away, he felt a little guilty. He forced a bitter smile and said, "This... must have some real evidence, right?"

"Then let's check it out together and see what's going on here, how about that?"

"Hiss... that's fine, it's not impossible... let's wait for someday, wait for someday when I have time. Yes, I still need to investigate this matter, I'll come to you someday."

Seeing this, my father couldn't help but sigh.

He could see that Shaozi Li was a little afraid, but he did not blame him. At least Shaozi Li did not slip away like Shopkeeper Yu did. He was still standing here, which meant that Shaozi Li was indeed unwilling to accept his fate.

Faced with the tyranny of the Jiang family, some people are indignant, some are wavering, and some just want to protect themselves - everyone has their own difficulties and hardships.

It's not as if my father is forcing himself to take the lead for no reason.

He did business in the south of the city, or more precisely, in the southeast of the provincial capital, close to a small river, which was the territory of Mr. Li Sanye of the Jiang family.

Originally, the two sides had kept to themselves, and when Lao Dou saw Xifeng, he had to bow and nod, and call him "Third Master" with a smile. But in the past two years, for some unknown reason, the brothers in Li Sanye's gang, led by Laizi and Guaizi, would often go against each other near the creek, causing Lao Dou to suffer some losses.

Although the money is not much, I always feel angry when I think about it.

He was also wary of the power of the Jiang family and did not want to ruin his relationship with Mr. Li Sanye because of such a small matter, so he mostly chose to endure and give in.

Once, he went to meet with Mr. Li Sanye, who apologized to him. However, this only brought temporary peace. Before long, Laizi and others began to do business secretly again.

The old man became increasingly dissatisfied, and finally, taking advantage of the news of the big flagpole's death, he couldn't help but vent his anger.

Of course, he was just talking nonsense. If the other combination characters were as smooth as Manager Yu's, or as hesitant as Shaozi Li, he would not dare to act rashly.

The death of the big flagpole gradually became a reason on the line.

In fact, Jiang Lianheng had not originally intended to let Daqipole take the blame and die.

That was just a record: if the arson case was fully handed over to Fengtian for trial, Daqiganzi would only have to stay in jail for a few days. Even if he was sentenced to death, Jiang Lianheng would have a way to get him out. But if the final verdict was negotiated by the Chinese and foreign parties, then several people must be handed over to die, and these people certainly could not come from the Jiang family, so naturally the responsibility fell on Daqiganzi. After all, the cause of the incident was that Sheng Mancang broke the rules first.

Jiang Lianheng felt sorry about this.

After sighing for a few seconds, he began to prepare for other work.

All parties were very satisfied with this arson case: the Fengtian Municipal Government Office retained its "judicial power" and the Dongyang Police Department avoided accountability from its superiors.

The Jiang family not only severely punished the Qingqiu Society that challenged their status, but also killed the chicken to scare the monkey, and once again established their authority. At the same time, it also gave a warning to those Lao He who were ready to make a move:
In Fengtian martial arts world, the Jiang family still has the final say.

Everything is going according to plan.

In the name of charity and disaster relief, Jiang Lianheng called on wealthy businessmen in the provincial capital to donate money to help overseas Chinese on the peninsula rebuild their homes and overcome difficulties.

The Fengtian Office fully cooperated and quickly issued relevant official documents; the innocent Koreans who suffered from the disaster were completely confused. They only heard that the Fengtian Jiang family wanted to help them build low-rent apartments, so they naturally lined the streets to welcome them and called him "Mr. Jiang."

The weather was getting warmer, which was perfect for breaking ground. Relying on their own sand and gravel factory, the Jiang family mobilized several laborers under their bosses and started construction almost immediately.

Thinking back to the time, Song Lucheng's harsh words - not allowing the Jiang family to set foot on the territory of Xita - now seem to have become a huge joke.

The Jiang family's influence not only invaded the West Tower, but also won the support of many overseas Chinese on the Peninsula. They suddenly became the rent collector of half of the southern section of Gaoli Street.

As in every previous situation, Jiang Lianheng won both face and substance.

Fengtian City is still Fengtian City, Marshal Zhang is still Marshal Zhang, and Jiang Lianheng is naturally still the leader!
Being in high spirits and at the peak of one's career.

Jiang Lianheng had every reason to believe that he would continue to win...

(End of this chapter)