20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 790 Jiang Family Kiln Faces Peril

To understand what exactly went wrong at the Jiang family mansion, we need to go back a few steps.

Meanwhile, Jiang Lianheng took his family to the South Railway Concession to escape the chaos. Not long after the convoy left, Li Zhengxi returned with the Kaoshan Gang.

Upon learning that his elder brother and sister-in-law had already left, Xifeng dared not delay and immediately led his men to Xiaoxiguan to provide assistance.

Yuan Xinfa led the remaining brothers to stay and guard the Jiang residence.

Song Ma and Yingzi returned to the house. Two lookouts were placed on the roof, and people were also seen peeking out from the four corners of the courtyard wall.

The other brothers took turns standing guard between the gatehouse and the courtyard.

Although the Jiang family had no shortage of guns and ammunition, they only had a dozen or so brothers guarding the house. Scattering them all out would inevitably lead to a lack of mutual support, but if they gathered everyone together in one place, it would be difficult to attend to everyone. So they had no choice but to leave it as it was for the time being and adapt to the situation.

Yuan Xinfa was conscientious and dared not be careless. He quickly closed the gate and then patrolled the courtyard.

As the snow in the courtyard gradually rose above their ankles, they suddenly heard someone softly call from the rooftop: "Old Yuan, someone's coming from the alley!"

Yuan Xinfa frowned and quickly looked up to ask, "How many have come?"

The two brothers on the roof stood with their guns at their sides, looking out into the distance. They could only make out the shadowy figures deep within the snow curtain, unable to discern the exact number of people. They could only sense that there was a dark mass in the distance, and that the approaching group was definitely hostile.

Upon hearing the news, Yuan Xinfa immediately ordered everyone to draw their guns and load them, but dared not make any rash moves.

Although Fengtian is in chaos right now, not everyone is necessarily targeting the Jiang family. If we rashly start a fire, we might accidentally damage the harmony.

The task is to guard the house and protect the property, not to kill and establish authority. Therefore, it is natural to avoid fighting as much as possible in order to preserve strength.

After a brief discussion, they decided to follow the online rules first: test the waters and find out the purpose of the visit.

The brother on the roof whistled and shouted at the top of his lungs into the distance: "Side by side, it's pitch black and we can't see well, so please give us your names so as not to damage the harmony on the line!"

As soon as the spring lights came on, the crowd in the distance suddenly stopped in their tracks.

They were hesitant to move forward or retreat, all gathered at the entrance of the alley, looking somewhat indecisive, yet offering no response.

Yuan Xinfa then quietly summoned a few brothers, set up a ladder, and stealthily climbed the courtyard wall, waiting for the situation to unfold and ready to fight at any time.

Seeing this, the two "sneak thugs" on the roof also raised their rifles, aimed into the distance, and warned sternly: "Fengtian Ligui, Laman'er's kiln, let's go wander off somewhere else!"

The snowy night was quiet and still, and the sound carried far.

The group of people in the alley clearly heard what was happening, but they still didn't make any rash moves, seemingly deep in conversation.

Yuan Xinfa stood in the courtyard, unaware of the situation outside, but silently calculating the time in his mind.

Upon hearing that the other party did not respond for a long time, he suddenly looked up and shouted, "Never mind, shoot!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than several gunshots rang out in succession!

It turned out that at the same time the Jiang family decided to open fire, the other side had also decided to smash the kiln and launch a strong attack.

Gunfire erupted immediately, and a fierce battle broke out as kilns were smashed and people fought each other!

"Bang bang bang—bang bang bang!"

The two brothers on the roof had a commanding view. Despite the darkness, heavy snow, and obstructed vision, they managed to pull the trigger several times towards the alley entrance, killing several men instantly. However, this was immediately followed by a concentrated counterattack from the enemy.

A barrage of bullets whistled past their ears, startling the two gunmen into a hasty crawl to avoid them and reloading.

Unexpectedly, the enemy's firepower did not diminish, and the glass windows on the second floor of the mansion shattered one after another with a "crashing" sound, like a torrential downpour, immediately scattering countless fragments.

Terrified screams erupted from inside the mansion!

At the same time, Yuan Xinfa and others quickly leaned over the courtyard wall, raised their guns to return fire, and defended the mansion to the death.

Unexpectedly, just as the brothers peeked out, a burst of bullets came straight at them, scattering snowflakes and making a clanging sound against the walls of the Jiang family compound.

In the chaos, someone was unlucky enough to be shot right in the face. Before he could even scream, he fell backward, ladder and all, sprawling on his back.

Yuan Xinfa pulled his head back and turned around to see that the brother was silent, but a patch of crimson had already spread on the snow behind his head.

Seeing this, no one dared to peek out again. Instead, they raised their guns over the courtyard wall and fired wildly into the alley.

The two brothers on the roof rushed to provide support, returning fire while loudly reporting the enemy's movements.

However, while rifles are powerful, their rate of fire is somewhat slow.

After several exchanges of fire, some oversights were inevitable.

Moreover, with the enemy attacking in groups, no one could guarantee a perfect shot. Gradually, several reckless men risked their lives and charged towards the vicinity of the mansion.

The brothers on the roof hurriedly shouted a warning: "Old Yuan, someone's charging over!"

Yuan Xinfa and his men responded by peeking out, raising their guns, and firing several shots at the east side of the courtyard wall. Although they killed several of the enemy's men, some of their own brothers also fell to the ground.

The enemy's firepower far exceeded expectations.

Although the Jiang family's courtyard wall was sturdy, upon closer inspection, there were several cracks, and rubble and debris frequently fell from the top of the wall.

"Damn, something's not right!" one of the brothers crouched down, leaning against the wall, and asked with a bewildered expression, "Where did they get so many guns?"

Others immediately chimed in, "This is unbelievable! Our boss is the one who smuggles the most guns from Fengtian. Where did they get these trolls from?"

"Damn it, whose person is this anyway?"

"In Dabeiguan, Whistleman Li is one of the top gunmen, but I've never heard of him having this many guns!"

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation!
The brothers had no time to ask questions, so they could only fight back desperately. Although the enemy kept falling, two or three people from the Jiang family were also shot and wounded.

Seeing this, Yuan Xinfa had a bad feeling and hurriedly turned around to ask, "How many more people do they have?"

"Can't see clearly!" the two brothers on the roof shouted back. "There are at least fifty more, and there might be more behind!"

"broken!"

Yuan Xinfa's face stiffened. He thought to himself that if the enemy continued their offensive like this, the Jiang family mansion would definitely not be able to hold out. If it were a watchtower in the fields, with a wide field of vision and plenty of ammunition, perhaps these dozen or so brothers could still defend the mansion.

However, street fighting is difficult because there are too many blind spots. Even from the rooftop, it is difficult to see the surrounding situation. Moreover, with heavy snow falling, how can one hold out?
At this point, some people might ask:
The Jiang family is a powerful and influential family, so why is it that when faced with this crisis, while other families can call for help, the Jiang family alone cannot summon those so-called thousands of brothers to help them?
Sigh! As the saying goes: those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who have something to lose!

The Jiang family is rich and powerful, so how much do they have to do with those "helping" brothers?
How much benefit can one gain from desperately helping to protect the Jiang family mansion?
You mentioned a reward, how much is the reward?
No matter how much reward money is given, it is still a limited amount of silver!

The other members of the gang didn't talk about rewards. They didn't care about past grudges or resentments. All the gang leader had to do was say one sentence: "Smash the Jiang family kiln, and the brothers can take as many gold bars and silver coins as they want from that house!"

Kill the wealthy and powerful, and divide their property!

This appeal was far more effective than any reward money, and people went on a frenzied attack on the Jiang family mansion.

The trees fell and the hozens scattered.

At this moment, it is already extremely difficult for the Jiang family to gather these brothers to obey orders.

As they were talking, a whistle suddenly came from outside the courtyard wall.

The worst happened.

The two brothers on the roof hurriedly shouted, "Old Yuan, they've scattered. Keep an eye on the backyard!"

Deep within the snow curtain, they saw the enemy suddenly split into several small teams, flowing like mercury across the ground, immediately crowding into the narrow alleys and lanes surrounding the Jiang family mansion. They did not attack one place at a time, but instead quickly surrounded the area from all directions.

Before long, several figures appeared on the west side of the courtyard, attempting to climb over the wall.

Yuan Xinfa and his men had no choice but to immediately send two of their brothers to rush over and intercept them.

However, the Jiang family mansion was simply too large. If you had to run from the east wall to the west wall, the distance would be at least eighty meters, if not a hundred.

Before the two brothers could even run over, several more men rushed up from the east wall; before the east wall was dealt with, gunshots rang out again from the main gate of the mansion; before the gunshots from the main gate had even subsided, "Xiangzi" on the roof said that there were many figures moving around in the backyard and the situation was extremely dangerous.

The scene was chaotic and out of control; it was truly a case of "pressing down one gourd only to have another pop up."

The brothers were overwhelmed and disoriented, running back and forth trying to salvage the situation, and several more were injured and fell to the ground.

Of course, the enemy suffered heavy losses after such a desperate siege.

Inside and outside the walls, blood flowed freely, and the snow was littered with the dying and the dead, the number of both sides countless.

The gunfire gradually subsided.

The enemy's ammunition seems to have been almost exhausted. Although the Jiang brothers have no shortage of guns, they have lost more than half of their manpower.

If things continue this way, without external assistance, the Jiang family mansion will undoubtedly fall.

Seeing this, Yuan Xinfa quickly retreated to the center of the courtyard and shouted, "Don't scatter, everyone come here!"

Upon hearing this, everyone gathered together, preparing to concentrate their firepower.

Unexpectedly, just as everyone gathered around, they heard a muffled thud behind them!
Turning his head, he saw that the brother on the roof had fallen down seriously injured, while another was still shouting from above, "Old Yuan, there are people outside!"

"Focus fire! Open fire!"

Yuan Xinfa shouted angrily, and his brothers responded by raising their guns and pulling the triggers at the same time.

"Bang bang bang!"

"Bang bang bang!"

The bullet pierced through the black iron door, leaving countless holes in it in the blink of an eye.

However, Yuan Xinfa and his men had already lost their momentum, and their little resistance was nothing more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot in the eyes of the enemy.

In the lulls between gunshots, several robbers had already scaled the walls on the east and west sides of the mansion, as well as in the backyard, preparing to launch a coordinated attack from within and without, and wipe out Yuan Xinfa and his men in one fell swoop.

At the same time, the sound of shattering windows rang out one after another, and several more people took advantage of the chaos to climb through the windows and break into the Jiang family mansion, wantonly smashing and looting.

The screams and wails of the Jiang family servants immediately echoed from inside the house!
Yuan Xinfa panicked, but before he could turn around to check, he heard a loud crash from the courtyard gate.

It turned out that the firefight between the two sides was quite fierce, and the iron gate's frame and bolts had already been riddled with bullet holes. Now, the robbers outside had managed to force it open.

Dear readers, there is no such thing as an impregnable fortress in this world.

No matter how high the walls of the Jiang family's courtyard are, they can't be higher than the hurdle in everyone's hearts.

If one has power, there is no need for high walls to protect them. Even if the doors are wide open, probably no one would dare to overstep their bounds.

If power is lost, even with iron gates locked high, it can vanish in an instant.

Power is both a tangible and an elusive thing.

If everyone online agrees that Jiang Lianheng's power is waning, even if Lao Zhang personally intervenes, he can only protect him temporarily, not permanently.

With the courtyard gate wide open, the Jiang family mansion was no longer protected, and the interior was in complete chaos.

Just then, someone shouted from outside the courtyard gate: "Jiang Lianheng, your Jiang family has been flaunting its power for over a decade, it's time to come out and pay your debts!"

Immediately afterward, another voice chimed in, "Listen up, everyone in the compound! We each serve our own masters, and whatever grudges we may have, it's not your fault. Now hand over your weapons, and we'll see each other again. After tonight, we'll still be comrades on the same side. Why hang yourself on one tree?"

The visitor had a pretty good plan.

Little did they know that those who remained in the Jiang family were either extremely loyal or had deep blood debts and were already bound to the Jiang family. How could they risk giving up the fight?

The brothers were blinded by rage and refused to surrender their weapons; they only wanted to take a few more people down with them before they died.

Before the newcomer could finish speaking, the gunman on the roof immediately pulled the trigger, killing one of them on the spot. He then cursed angrily, "Fuck your mother, stop spouting nonsense. Do you think I like listening to your babbling?"

A gunshot rang out, and the negotiations broke down!

The fighting and the smashing of kilns erupted once again!
However, this time, the two sides were mixed together in the courtyard, resulting in a chaotic battle. One side had guns but lacked men, while the other side had men but lacked guns, which gradually turned into a hand-to-hand combat.

In the chaos, more robbers scaled the high walls, sneaked into the backyard, broke through windows, and stormed into the Jiang family mansion. They looted anything they could find and killed anyone they encountered, turning the mansion upside down with screams of agony...

(End of this chapter)