20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 762: Fortune and Misfortune

Xiaoxiguan, Juxiang Building.

Jiang Lianheng made an appointment with Sun Yixin to meet in a private room.

Mr. Sun was originally from Jiangzuo. He was once an official in the Communications Department and a member of the National Assembly. He was a serious Beiyang politician.

The Fengtian clique rose to power through many coincidences.

Marshal Zhang was able to get along with everyone and take advantage of every situation. It is difficult to count how many noble people he benefited from and how many opportunities he took advantage of.

How good is Lao Zhang at leveraging external forces?

Let’s put it this way, even if a fly flies near him, he has to move over to cool down.

The Fengtian clique and the Communications clique have been exploiting each other for many years.

During the Qinhuangdao arms interception case, the Communications Clique secretly helped the Fengtian Clique expand its power.

In recent years, with the replacement of the old and new communications factions and the continued expansion of the Fengtian faction, although the two sides have many contradictions, there are still times when they flirt with each other.

If Zhang wanted to build railways, he could not do without the experience and technology of the Transportation Department. Therefore, after the fall of the Liang cabinet, he won over many of the old members of the Transportation Department who had resigned.

Sun Yixin came to Fengtian at that time.

He had no real power in the provincial council and often called himself a "clapper". In the Fengtian political arena, which was full of factions, he had no qualifications to be a councillor.

But precisely because of this, Jiang Lianheng values ​​his vision so much.

After all, a bystander sees more clearly. If there are factions, it is inevitable that people will speak with their butts.

What's more, no matter what, Sun Yixin is also a veteran politician who has been in the capital, and his insights into current affairs are naturally far superior to others.

The results of the negotiations between the Office and the students have been announced:

Fengtian was preparing to send a formal telegram of condolences and allow private fundraising to aid Shanghai workers. In exchange, all schools in the provincial capital were suspended and students were not allowed to gather in large numbers to cause trouble. Those who violated the rules would be punished under martial law.

However, what Jiang Lianheng wanted to find out was naturally not the superficial information, but the intentions behind the Feng Zhang Group.

To this end, he specially arranged a fine banquet and invited Mr. Sun to come over to humbly seek advice on the current situation.

Sun Yixin was not pretentious. He was half a retired official in Fengtian. He was very pleased when someone looked up to him. How could he not respond?

As soon as the two sides met, Jiang Lianheng personally poured wine for him and said with a smile: "Mr. Sun, the current situation is too chaotic, you have to give me some advice!"

Hearing this, Sun Yixin quickly declined, saying, "Boss Jiang, you are too polite. It is an honor for me to be your consultant!"

"Don't worry, Mr. Sun. Different professions are like different worlds. You are a former congressman. In terms of knowledge, I am far inferior to you!"

"Shame on you! Being a member of Congress is a sin!"

"Huh, what do you mean?" Jiang Lianheng frowned.

Sun Yixin explained: "You mentioned Congress just now. Is that Congress? That's a stage! I'm not a member of Congress, I'm just an actor!"

Jiang Lianheng smiled but said nothing, thinking it was just a humble remark from the other party.

However, Sun Yixin said: "When I was young, I took it as my mission to save the nation and strive for survival, and I devoted myself to the great cause of overthrowing the Qing Dynasty. What was the result?"

"The Qing Dynasty is gone!"

"Dead?"

Jiang Lianheng was startled, and thought carefully: "If you say so, then the abdicated emperor is indeed still here..."

"No, no, no, that has nothing to do with it." Sun Yixin waved his hand and said, "Whether there is an abdicated emperor or not, the Qing Dynasty has not perished, it just changed its clothes."

Jiang Lianheng heard the hidden meaning, but did not intend to respond.

Sun Yixin was quite emotional, and then said: "After more than ten years in the officialdom, I now understand that I have only done two things in my life."

"What two things?"

"To be an accomplice to a tiger brings disaster to the country and the people!"

After he finished speaking, the room suddenly fell silent. After a moment, the two men burst into laughter.

"Mr. Sun is really humorous!" Jiang Lianheng picked up the wine cup and said with a smile, "But, let's take care of the things at hand first, shall we?"

Sun Yixin also realized that the topic had gone a bit off topic, so he quickly drank a glass with them and then got back to the point.

"Boss Jiang, since you treat me as a person, I will speak frankly. In my opinion, you should not interfere in this case in Fengtian."

"Yes, yes, a foreigner came to me a few days ago and wanted me to talk to the workers. I didn't agree, but -"

Jiang Lianheng glanced at the door of the private room, suddenly lowered his voice, and continued: "You see, the Marshal has recently gone to the capital again, the Young Marshal is not in Fengtian, and there is no backbone in the provincial capital. Today they said they would strictly enforce martial law, and tomorrow they compromised with student representatives. They wavered back and forth, and there is really no definite news."

Sun Yixin asked, "Boss Jiang is worried that the Office will not speak in the same tone, so he dare not make a rash statement?"

Jiang Lianheng nodded.

In the past, Fengtian had suppressed many protests, but there were not so many disagreements within the office at that time. Only this time the situation was extremely complicated.

For example, after the Shanghai case broke out, Marshal Zhang sent a telegram to the Beiyang Capital, asking Duan to severely deal with the Shanghai case, reduce the privileges of the British and American concessions, and raise 20,000 yuan to comfort the dead laborers.

At the same time, he issued an order to prohibit merchants from engaging in "deviant" behavior.

The young marshal's actions are even more contradictory.

On the one hand, he donated 2,000 yuan to the workers in his personal name. At the same time, he led troops into Shanghai to protect the workers wanted by the concession and protested with Britain and the United States.

On the other hand, he ordered martial law in Shanghai and launched a large-scale hunt for the leaders of the protest.

When Wang Tiekan arrived at the Fengtian Provincial Government, he did not want to harm the students, but at the same time he was searching for them, and in the process he condoned the atrocities committed by the Nantie garrison.

The policies are contradictory and conflicting.

The Shanghai tragedy has already affected the entire country. Faced with the complicated situation, Jiang Lianheng is indeed a little undecided.

Sun Yixin saw it clearly and said directly: "Boss Jiang, the Shanghai case concerns national justice. This is an absolutely correct thing. If you don't hurry up to support it, what are you waiting for?"

"I would like to show my support, but you see, the martial law in the city has not been lifted yet. I am worried that if I stand out rashly, I will attract attention!"

"No, no, no, you should just be a tall tree that attracts the wind. The bigger the wind, the safer you will be!"

Jiang Lianheng frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"

Sun Yixin smiled and said, "Boss Jiang, please don't be offended by my frankness. You have such a large business, so many disciples and followers, and countless connections in the government. You should have money, people, and power, but you are still missing one thing."

"right?"

"No, it's reputation!"

"I don't have a reputation?" "You have a reputation, but no reputation."

Jiang Lianheng seemed to have realized that the Jiang family was indeed not lacking in fame, but most of it was online fame rather than reputation among the people.

The merchants and people of Fengtian feared him, but did not respect him.

Of course, there are some loopholes, some of which regard Jiang Lianheng as a good man and the leader of a gang who speaks for the workers.

But Kongzi's reputation carries too little weight, and no one takes the words of the village idiot seriously.

In many cases, true reputation can be used as a golden ticket to immunity from death, and this is not an exaggeration.

Sun Yixin explained: "Boss Jiang, the Shanghai case has long been a gimmick for various warlords to gain prestige. Look at those warlords, who didn't verbally support the workers? Aren't they just afraid of being called traitors? The Green Gang came out to support them, also to gain prestige. If they really hated foreigners, why would they stay in the concession?"

Jiang Lianheng nodded but said nothing.

Sun Yixin went on to say: "This is a rare opportunity! Throughout history, the underworld and the government have always been clearly separated, and only in today's world can the two be integrated. If you express your stance at this time, you will transform yourself from a 'gang boss' to a 'patriotic entrepreneur'!"

"That being said, you also know what I do. The public office wants to quell the riots, but it is inconvenient for the officers to take action, so they must send these dirty jobs down."

"Boss Jiang, only by being prudent can you protect yourself. Some tasks should be pushed aside when necessary, otherwise people will give you something to criticize in the future."

"I have thought about this as well."

"Yes, otherwise you wouldn't have come to see me."

Sun Yixin said: "You mentioned power just now. Power is of course important, but no matter how great the power is, without reputation, it is just a castle in the air. The power of the Qing emperor was great enough, but he fell at any time. Why didn't the president detain Dr. Sun back then? In the final analysis, it was because he was afraid of his reputation!"

"That makes some sense." Jiang Lianheng had to admit.

"So, I suggest you express your support as soon as possible. Once this storm is over, how can you earn reputation? Besides, the provincial government has agreed to private fundraising to support Shanghai. You are not the leader of the crowd, nor have you disobeyed the orders of the public office. Unless the commander-in-chief asks you to do it, you'd better refuse other people's orders as soon as possible!"

Sun Yixin’s suggestion is very clear.

Considering the Jiang family’s current wealth and power, whoever becomes the head of the family will consider changing their status.

As for how to make the transition, the South Congress Party has already figured out the way.

Starting out with a gang, accumulating wealth, making friends with the powerful, expanding influence, improving reputation, and moving from business to politics, this is a clear experience of success.

If I don't leave, do I have to wander online for the rest of my life?

Jiang Lianheng was willing to accept his fate of dying in the underworld, but his children should always have a safe arrangement.

When Zhou Yunfu was in power, he even donated money to become an official. He couldn't use the title of "provincial spy consultant" for the rest of his life.

Jiang Lianheng had never been to school, so it might be difficult for him to become an official. But even if he couldn't get into the government in this lifetime, he had to do his best to build up some momentum for future generations.

What's more, the Marshal's health was failing, and the Young Marshal's attitude towards students tended to be conciliatory.

The YMCA relies on the support of powerful figures, and General Guo’s wife has many connections with the YMCA, so she should not be easily provoked.

After considering all these, Jiang Lianheng had already made a decision in his mind.

"Mr. Sun, you just said that the storm of the Shanghai case will soon pass. May I ask how you saw this sign?"

"Alas, the truth is hard to hear. I am from the Department of Transportation and was originally in charge of railways. I know the industrial level of the Far East very well. The Shanghai workers are asking for a break, which is actually hurting the enemy by 800 and hurting ourselves by 1,000. This situation cannot last long. Sooner or later, the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce will give in."

Sun Yixin said: "Moreover, the Fengtian Army has already entered Shanghai and will never fall out with Britain and the United States."

"Isn't the main purpose to ease relations with Japan?" Jiang Lianheng asked.

"Japanese?" Sun Yixin shook his head and laughed, "No, no, no, Marshal Zhang is still planning to use the Shanghai case to bargain with the Japanese. The Fengtian clique is now trying to win over Britain and the United States!"

"why?"

"Marshal Zhang wants to build a railway to get rid of the control of the Japanese. The Fenghai Line and the Nantie Line run almost side by side. The Japanese are very unhappy. The Marshal does not have enough strength to challenge them, so he can only pull in another force to check and balance the Japanese. The Marshal's trip to Shanghai this time is definitely not just to negotiate the Shanghai case with Britain and the United States."

"Can it be done?"

"Difficult, difficult!"

Sun Yixin explained: "Jiangzuo is the sphere of influence of Britain and the United States, which is out of reach. The Japanese outside the Great Wall will not allow other powers to participate. Whether Britain and the United States can be won over in the end depends on the young marshal's diplomatic level. Whether the Fengtian Army can gain a foothold in Jiangzuo depends on the attitude of the local gentry."

Jiang Lianheng suddenly remembered that there was still a blood feud in Shanghai that had not been avenged, so he asked, "What do you think the attitude of the Jiangzuo gentry will be?"

"It's hard to say. It's really hard to say. The differences between the north and the south are too great. Although the Fengtian Army has improved its discipline in the past two years, it still has banditry in its bones. It depends on how much of a role Miss Song can play."

"Miss Song?"

"You don't know?" Sun Yixin said, "She is the daughter of a wealthy family in Jiangzuo. She is serving as an interpreter for the young commander in Shanghai!"

Jiang Lianheng really didn't understand, but he didn't ask any further.

After all, what he cares about most is the land under his feet.

Now that he had made up his mind, he would immediately return to his mansion in the north of the city after the banquet and gather his men to discuss strategy.

Jiang Lianheng planned to use the excuse of supporting the Shanghai case to improve the reputation of the Jiang family, and Zhao Guoyan and Li Zhengxi both agreed.

Both of them were experts in wielding swords and guns, and they were already unhappy with the foreigners, so naturally they agreed to express their support.

Xue Yingqing is still a bystander, unwilling to get involved in any current affairs. He just wants to do his business quietly and make a good profit.

However, her old-fashioned ideas were no longer respected within the Jiang family.

Living in troubled times, the turbulent situation will inevitably affect everyone. Whether you like it or not, you are already in the game.

Zhang Zhengdong still had no idea. Every time he encountered such a family meeting, he was like a broom, standing there doing nothing and making no suggestions.

Wang Zhengnan thought a lot and kept muttering that he should not fall out with the foreigners and should fight without breaking up.

However, he also agreed with Mr. Sun's suggestion and felt that the Jiang family should try to move from business to politics. Only in this way could they preserve their wealth to the greatest extent possible.

Finally, everyone's eyes fell on the eldest sister-in-law of the household.

Hu Xiaoyan thought for a long time, but still seemed to be unable to make up her mind. She just said calmly: "It is of course a good thing to find a way to improve your reputation, but there is always a loss. If the Jiang family does not respond to the mission sent by the officials today and ignores the foreigners coming to ask for help, there is no guarantee that they will not go to someone else."

Jiang Lianheng said, "If it was an errand ordered by Lao Zhang, I would certainly not dare not agree. But if it was the police station or the foreign company asking for help, if I agreed, at this critical moment, the result would be a bad name. Will my children have a decent future?"

Everyone sighed when they heard this.

It is not feasible to have both. After weighing the pros and cons, you must make a choice.

Blessings are where misfortune lies, and misfortunes are where blessings lie.

It remains to be seen whether this decision is appropriate.

But one thing is certain, the office's needs remain unchanged, and if the Jiang family doesn't respond to the errand, someone else will naturally respond...

(End of this chapter)