20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 804 Certificate of Surrender

Jiang Lianheng's expression froze instantly.

He stared at Nakamura Ichiro for a moment, then slowly walked to the table, picked up a teacup, warmed his hands with it, and asked, "How did you know I was staying at the Nantetsu Hotel?"

"What, don't rich people like you all live there?"

Ichiro Nakamura remained relaxed and at ease, not appearing to have made a slip of the tongue; his tone even carried a hint of teasing.

Jiang Lianheng shook his head and said, "Nakamura, you didn't answer my question."

Ichiro Nakamura picked up his teacup. Seeing his serious attitude, he frowned slightly, but then smiled casually.

I thought he had prepared a flawless explanation in advance, but the result was completely the opposite.

Ichiro Nakamura's answer was quite frank.

“After I received your call last night, I waited for you here. But not long after, I heard that the concession had been closed and many people were stuck in the commercial area and couldn’t get in. I was worried that you would run into trouble, so I called my friend to ask if he could help me arrange a place for you to stay.”

"In that case, I should thank you properly?"

"You're welcome, we're friends!" Nakamura Ichiro smiled, took a sip of tea, and then looked up to ask, "Jiang-kun, why aren't you drinking?"

Jiang Lianheng brought the teacup to his lips, took a deep sniff, then put it down and said, "It tastes cheap; I don't like it."

"idiot……"

Nakamura Ichiro muttered a few words and then said, "Later, I called your family several times, but the phone line in the city was down and I couldn't get through. I waited until midnight and then called the Nantetsu Hotel, but the line was always busy. I guess they were too busy last night. Finally, I heard from a friend that your family had already checked into a hotel."

As Jiang Lianheng listened, he walked to the vicinity of the counter.

Looking around, the walls of the photo studio were covered with black and white photos, including portraits, natural landscapes, and famous historical sites.

Jiang Lianheng examined several portraits carefully but couldn't find the familiar face among them, so he simply asked, "Is the friend you're talking about Takeda Shin?"

“That’s right, it’s Takeda-kun!” Nakamura Ichiro asked. “You’ve already met, haven’t you?”

Jiang Lianheng did not answer.

Ichiro Nakamura glanced at him, his gaze suddenly freezing. He quickly realized something and asked, "Did you two know each other before?"

Jiang Lianheng nodded and said, "Yes, I've had the pleasure of meeting you a few times."

"How strange!" Nakamura Ichiro muttered to himself, "Takeda-kun has never told me this before!"

"I find it strange too!"

Jiang Lianheng leaned against the counter and said, "If I remember correctly, Takeda Shin should be the director of the research department at Nantetsu Corporation, right?"

Ichiro Nakamura made no secret of it: "Yes, when he first came to Fengtian, I was the one who took his work ID photo!"

"Logically speaking, he should have considerable power."

"Of course, the South Railway Company is the number one company in the Manchurian Concession. Its president can directly meet with His Majesty the Emperor. Do you think he has a lot of power?"

"Then I find it even stranger. You're just a photographer, what gives you the right to call him brother?"

"Baka... Takeda-kun isn't that arrogant. He's a frequent visitor to my place, and over time, we naturally got to know each other. Besides, we're compatriots; we both came to Manchuria from the mainland, so we feel close to each other. What's so strange about that?"

Jiang Lianheng nodded and said with a smile, "That's right, you are the true compatriots!"

Nakamura Ichiro said, "You've never left your hometown, so you don't understand this feeling. I've known Takeda-kun for a while now."

"What's he doing here? He can't be taking pictures every few days, that would be too damn narcissistic."

“We share common interests; he also likes photography and often comes to me to buy photos.”

As he spoke, Ichiro Nakamura excitedly went to the back room and took out a brand-new camera. It was exquisitely designed, portable, and looked quite valuable.

"Look, this is what Takeda-kun gave me. The photos he took are incredibly clear. Would you like one? I'll give you a discount."

"No need, I didn't bring my face with me today."

"Nani? What do you mean?"

“Last night, I completely lost face.” Jiang Lianheng waved his hand, then asked, “You just said that Takeda Shin often comes to you to buy photos?”

"Yes!"

What kind of photos does he buy?

“There are no fixed requirements,” Ichiro Nakamura said nonchalantly. “People, landscapes, gatherings, whatever kind of photo it is, he will buy it as long as he is interested.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lianheng had already guessed most of what was going on. He patted Nakamura on the shoulder and asked very seriously, "Nakamura, tell me the truth, did you sell him the photos I took here?"

Ichiro Nakamura immediately denied it, saying, "It's been so long since you've been here. Even if I wanted to sell, there aren't any photos of you here!"

He spoke with a calm and composed expression, showing no sign of guilt.

Jiang Lianheng couldn't tell whether what he said was true or false for the time being, but one thing was certain—the other party had personally admitted that he had contacted Takeda Shin last night.

Nakamura Ichiro did not shy away from this, but instead said frankly, "Mr. Jiang, I am very grateful for your trust, but you overestimate me. Since you know Takeda Shin, why didn't you ask him for help directly last night? As far as I know, he is very friendly to you Chinese and has a lot of manpower at his disposal. Why did you have to come to me?"

"What kind of manpower can he mobilize?" Jiang Lianheng asked.

Ichiro Nakamura shook his head and said, "I don't know either, but when I called him last night, he told me not to worry and that he would notify the military police and the police station to keep an eye on the Jiang family's cars to ensure that you can enter the concession smoothly."

"So that means other Japanese people knew my itinerary last night?"

"Probably. There are so many intersections leading into the concession, and I didn't know which way you came from. Before I could finish speaking, the phone line was cut off. It's impossible for Mr. Takeda to check every intersection, so he must have asked someone else to keep an eye on things!"

At this point, Nakamura Ichiro couldn't help but laugh and say, "Anyway, you've now arrived safely in the concession. Remember to give my regards to your family."

"I never realized you cared about me so much."

"Of course, you are the first Chinese friend I made after I came to Manchuria."

Jiang Lianheng nodded thoughtfully, glanced at the wall clock, then turned and walked towards the door, saying as he went, "Thank you, I have something to do, I'll be going now!"

"So anxious?"

The farewell came too suddenly. Nakamura Ichiro was not prepared when he saw Jiang Lianheng already outside the photo studio. So he quickly followed him out to see him off, saying, "Jiang-kun, come and visit often when you have time. It's been a long time since we had a proper chat."

"There might be a chance, but I've been quite busy these past few days."

Jiang Lianheng walked onto the street, stopped abruptly, turned around, and asked unexpectedly, "By the way, Nakamura, when did you meet Whistle Li and the others?" "Who?" Nakamura Ichiro frowned. "Spoon Li? Who's that?"

Jiang Lianheng stared at him for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "It's nothing, just a few dead people."

After saying that, he quickly started walking towards the car parked by the roadside.

Slightly puzzled, Nakamura Ichiro stood in front of the photo studio, watching Jiang Lianheng leave quickly, muttering to himself, "In a spoon? What kind of insult is that?"

…………

Back in the car, before Jiang Lianheng could even settle in, Zhao Guoyan and the others rushed over to ask him all sorts of questions.

"Master, how is it? Was it that little Japanese guy who caused the trouble?"

"It's him!"

"Fuck him!" Li Zhengxi was furious and immediately declared, "Brother, leave this to me. I'll go and fuck that bastard tonight!"

Jiang Lianheng hurriedly stopped him, saying, "Wait, the news did leak from him, but he doesn't seem to have done it on purpose. It's more like he was being used."

Li Zhengxi said, "Whether he did it on purpose or not, the news leaked from him, so he'll have to pay with his life!"

"He saved your sister-in-law."

"It's not good that he saved anyone..."

Li Zhengxi was suddenly stunned. In his heart, the fact that he had saved his sister-in-law was a debt of gratitude as heavy as a mountain.

Jiang Lianheng's temperament has always been: "A thousand days of friendship will last a thousand days, but a single day can wipe out all kindness and turn righteousness to ashes."

The problem was that he couldn't see that Ichiro Nakamura was hiding anything.

Nakamura Ichiro's notification to Takeda Shin also seemed to be aimed at helping the Jiang family pass through the concession smoothly.

The car started slowly and moved along without any clear destination.

Jiang Lianheng sat in the back seat and carefully recounted what had just happened.

Upon hearing this, Li Zhengxi immediately blurted out, "That must be the fault of Takeda's messenger, for sure!"

Zhao Guoyan nodded in agreement, muttering to himself, "First slap us, then offer us some sweet treats, forcing us to join him?"

"Does he really need to do this?" Jiang Lianheng countered. "Takeda Shin is not Miyata Ryuji. He's more inclined to use bribery. It's not just with me; he uses this method with all the gentry in Fengtian. Besides, if you wanted to win someone over, would you do it this way?"

Zhao and Li remained silent, each silently trying to put themselves in each other's shoes.

Jiang Lianheng continued, "Give someone a slap first, then a couple of sweet dates. Is that called winning them over? That's fucking training a dog!"

Zhao Guoyan quickly realized what was going on and nodded, saying, "That's right. If that's really the case, then Takeda Shin should be waiting for us to come and beg him, instead of taking the initiative to help. Anyway, if it were me, I would do that. That's the only way it would make sense."

"If it wasn't Takeda Shin, then who else could have done this?" Li Zhengxi pressed.

“It’s not certain yet,” Jiang Lianheng said in a muffled voice. “However, Nakamura just said that Takeda Shin had notified the military police and the police department to keep an eye on our convoy so that they could let us pass. I’m wondering if it was some other Japanese devil who was directing the sentries, Li and his men, behind the scenes.”

"Brother, is it really that complicated?"

"Of course, the Japanese are not a monolithic group. Takeda Shin's approach is one way, while the approach of Miyata Ryuji in the past is another way."

Jiang Lianheng frowned and muttered to himself, "I suspect there are other people involved."

Li Zhengxi was even more direct, and simply suggested: "If you ask me, it's better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free. Let's eliminate them all, one by one, and save ourselves the trouble!"

Jiang Lianheng stared at him for a while with a stern face, then suddenly said earnestly, "Xifeng, if you don't change your temper, you'll suffer a great loss sooner or later! You're just thinking about venting your anger, and you've already interfered in everything. How are you going to clean up the mess? If you want to muddy the waters, you have to be able to see things clearly. If you're completely in the dark, how can you take revenge?"

"Brother, I'm in a hurry!"

Li Zhengxi did not argue, but frankly expressed his concerns.

“It’s already daylight. The longer we drag this out, the less chance we’ll have of getting revenge. What if Whistle Li and Old Dou run away? Where will we find them then?”

"Don't worry, they can't escape!" Jiang Lianheng said. "The railway is completely shut down now, and with such heavy snow last night, where could they possibly run to?"

It is currently the dead of winter, and the cold outside the pass is no less severe than inside. If you are alone outside, with heavy snow falling and no village or shop in sight, you can truly freeze to death.

Jiang Lianheng then added, "To put it another way, Lao Dou and his men aren't stupid. They wouldn't have smashed my kiln without even making a filing, would they? It's all or nothing. If they have the chance to kill me, they'll make a name for themselves. If they fail, they'll run away immediately. Putting their entire fortune and life on this one move, would you do that?"

Li Zhengxi thought for a moment, then finally fell silent.

Jiang Lianheng said with absolute certainty, "Someone has vouched for them. Even if they fail, they can guarantee their personal safety in Fengtian. The three of them acted at the same time last night. Although it would be best if they could kill me, it doesn't necessarily mean they want my life. Or rather, even if I escape, they can accept it."

"No, then what are they after?"

Li Zhengxi frowned and asked, "Brother, whether it's Whistle Li or Basket Weaver Dou, both of their groups lost a lot of their men trying to surround us, especially Old Ghost Huo, who even sacrificed himself. They went through so much trouble, and they didn't even expect to get the dragon's head and ladle handle? This... this doesn't make any sense!"

"A pledge of allegiance!"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhengxi and the others suddenly understood.

Jiang Lianheng continued, "Neither Whistle Li nor Old Dou, the basket weaver, fought to the last man. Old Dou, in particular, had already caught up with our convoy. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Logically, he should have pressed on and fought to the last bullet, instead of giving up the chase after being intercepted by your fan-wielding gang. His behavior of only caring about the process and not the result can only mean one thing—he was putting on a show for others. Fighting the Jiang family was his way of showing his loyalty!"

"Then... to whom did they submit this pledge of allegiance?" Zhao Guoyan asked.

Jiang Lianheng was unwilling to speculate, so he turned and asked, "Xifeng, how many prisoners do we have now?"

“Five!” Li Zhengxi said. “One of them was one of Whistle Li’s men, and the other four were Huo Laogui’s men. Lao Dou and his men were making noise on the street at the time, but the scene was too chaotic, and they didn’t catch any of them alive.”

"Where are people?"

"The mansion in the north of the city, he brought people there to watch over it during the New Year, and there are also a few 'kei' on the cabinet."

Jiang Lianheng pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized and said, "Go home, let's go!"

The driver dared not delay. Upon hearing this, he immediately stepped on the gas, and the engine roared to life.

Unexpectedly, at this time, the security at various checkpoints in the South Railway Concession had changed. Although it was said that entry was strictly controlled and exit was lenient, the Japanese police seemed too lazy to investigate the few vagrants who occasionally slipped in through the alleys.

Even more surprisingly, when the car passed through the border and drove back into the Chinese territory, there was an old man, Chai, patrolling the streets with a gun.

Although most shops along the street are still closed, order seems to be quietly returning to normal in the provincial capital...

(End of this chapter)