20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 810 Value

"Mr. Takeda——"

Jiang Lianheng strode over, and before he even got close, he laughed loudly, "I've been looking for you! Come, let me introduce you, this is my third son, Zhuang Shuning!"

Zhuang Shuning was different from Sister Hua. She was worldly and knew how to socialize. She immediately extended her hand gracefully and said with a smile, "Hello, Mr. Takeda. I have heard of your great name for a long time. It is nice to meet you today. Thank you for your care."

"Hmm, Madam, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

Takeda Shin was very gentlemanly; he held Zhuang Shuning's fingertips and gently shook them twice.

Jiang Lianheng's composure and calmness puzzled him, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Perhaps, the Jiang family's losses last night were not as severe as he had anticipated.

After all, Takeda Shin was also extremely busy last night, and he had only heard a little about the robbery of the Jiang family, and had not yet had time to assess it carefully.

Everyone knows that someone in the Jiang family has died, but how many people died and who they were are still only speculations and conjectures.

After exchanging pleasantries, Jiang Lianheng turned his head slightly, and upon seeing Kawada Shinpei's shoulder insignia, his gaze lingered for a moment before he asked with a half-smile, "And this gentleman is...?"

"Oh, this is Kawada Shinpei, my old classmate!" Takeda Shin quickly introduced, "Kawada, this is Mr. Jiang, a prominent tycoon in Fengtian's business world!"

"Takeda, Kawada... you two are a perfect match, a match made in heaven!"

Jiang Lianheng smiled and joked as he gestured, "Mr. Kawada, it's a pleasure to meet you. I haven't yet asked about your position in Fengtian. I hope you can take care of me in the future!"

Kawada Shinpei had a cold expression and was unwilling to shake hands with Jiang Lianheng. He simply pressed down on the brim of his hat and said in broken Chinese, "Military matters are confidential, so I cannot disclose them."

Then, he said to Takeda Shin in Japanese, "You guys talk first, I'll take my leave."

After saying that, he turned and walked away without looking back.

He didn't look down on Jiang Lianheng, but rather on all Chinese people; his belief in racial superiority was deeply ingrained in his heart.

In his eyes, the once-admired China had long since decayed and died, and these Chinese pigs were nothing more than maggots born from the rotting flesh of the fallen giant.

In fact, it's not just Japanese people who think this way; even many Chinese scholars seem to be bewitched, busy proving the inferiority and depravity of their own race.

Jiang Lianheng's hand froze in mid-air as he watched Kawada Shinpei slowly walk away, his lips twitching slightly.

Zhuang Shuning noticed this and, just then, a hotel waiter happened to be passing by, so she quickly raised her hand and called out, "Hello, over here!"

"Hello, how can I help you?" The waiter came over with a tray in response.

Zhuang Shuning didn't say much, but took two glasses of champagne from the tray and handed one to Jiang Lianheng.

Jiang Lianheng took the champagne, smiled nonchalantly, and said self-deprecatingly, "I think this stuff is no different from soda, it has no potency at all!"

Takeda Shin clinked glasses with him, and said somewhat awkwardly, "Mr. Jiang, Mr. Kawada is a soldier, and his Chinese isn't very good, so you don't need to worry about it."

"Hey, I'm not that petty. If I had to take this to heart, I wouldn't be able to do anything else all day but worry!"

"That's best!"

Takeda Shin looked around and then suggested, "Um... Mr. Jiang, could we speak in private for a moment?"

"Sure!" Jiang Lianheng readily agreed, waving his hand and saying, "Shuning, why don't you go take a look around over there first!"

Zhuang Shuning naturally had no objection, nodded, and then turned to join the group of ladies in the banquet hall.

Takeda Shin watched Zhuang Shuning walk away until he was out of sight, then led Jiang Lianheng to the window and whispered, "Mr. Jiang, forgive my bluntness, but I heard that something happened at your home last night. How is it? Is it serious?"

Jiang Lianheng feigned surprise, shaking his head and smiling wryly, "It's true what they say, good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast! Something went wrong at home, and even you, a foreign sir, have heard about it?"

"Stop joking, I care about you!"

Are you concerned about me, or about whether I'm still of any use to you?

Takeda Shin was taken aback. Since the matter had come to this point, he decided to be frank: "Mr. Jiang, we are both practical people. If I said that I was only concerned about your personal safety, would you believe me?"

Jiang Lianheng smiled and nodded: "Well said, at least you're very honest!"

“I didn’t want to be so blunt, but you always played dumb with me in the past!” Takeda Shin sighed. “The situation is different now. Do you remember what I told you? Commander Zhang is just an iceberg. I think we should have a serious talk!”

"Okay! You go first, I'll listen!"

"My proposal is simple—cooperate with me, you provide me with intelligence, and I'll guarantee you a life of wealth and luxury."

Jiang Lianheng nodded silently. After a moment of silence, seeing no further developments, he asked, "And then? That's it?"

Takeda Shin frowned and said in a low voice, "Or, if you have any requests, feel free to make them."

"I don't have any specific requirements, but what you just said was too general. Could you be more specific and tell me exactly what kind of wealth and luxury I'm looking for?"

"Uh... specifically, whatever business plans you have in the future, I can use all my connections to cooperate with you. The Jiang family's various businesses all inevitably involve bribing government officials, right? As long as you cooperate with me, you can avoid these harassments. When the empire fully controls the three northeastern provinces in the future, I can also recommend you for important government positions in the Chinese sector. I dare not promise too high a position, but county magistrate, police chief, or finance official, these positions are up to you."

Takeda Nobu had no reason to hide it.

Because the aggressive intentions of the Great Eastern Empire were already written all over its face. Even in the three northeastern provinces alone, the common people felt that a war between the two countries was inevitable.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lianheng shook his head with feigned difficulty and muttered, "Tsk, this official position is a bit low!"

"Then what do you want to be?"

"I want to be Commander Jiang!"

Good heavens, what an outrageous demand! Takeda Shin almost fainted.

Jiang Lianheng, however, had his own explanation: "This request isn't too unreasonable, is it? Back when Old Zhang cooperated with you, he only had a hundred or so bandits under his command, and now he's a commander-in-chief, so why can't it be the same for me?"

Takeda Shin waved his hands repeatedly, clearly not wanting to talk to him anymore.

"What, you doubt my resolve?" Jiang Lianheng hurriedly said, "Mr. Takeda, I can also betray my country!"

Takeda Shin wasn't stupid; he knew Jiang was acting crazy. So he suddenly became serious and said, "Mr. Jiang, I need to remind you of the current situation. The Nantie Independent Garrison is about to take over the defense of Fengtian. In the near future, our military and police will take over all affairs in Fengtian. If you don't cherish this opportunity, it will be too late when you want to join us again!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lianheng asked nonchalantly, "Has anyone already defected to you?" "I won't tell you who it is, but I can tell you that not all Chinese are as stubborn as you, and not all Japanese are as patient as I am." Takeda Shin, holding his wine glass, glanced around the banquet hall and said ambiguously, "This banquet is definitely more than just a banquet."

"I wasn't asking about the people in this room."

"I know, but I won't tell you."

Takeda Shin turned around again and said in a low voice, "I can only tell you that you are in danger right now. Everyone is looking for partners. You are someone I hope to partner with, but that doesn't mean others want to partner with you. If you block someone's path to wealth, they will cut off your path to survival. If we cooperate, it will benefit both of us."

Jiang Lianheng chuckled to himself.

To be honest, in the past, he might have been hypocritical and outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, and thus cautious in taking advantage of the situation and avoiding risks.

However, the situation has changed now.

Xu Ruqing's words before his death were like a branding iron, piercing his heart deeply. He dared not forget them, nor could he forget them.

He had completely abandoned even the idea of ​​feigning compliance; even if he were to say one thing and do another, he would see Xu Ruqing's disappointed and questioning gaze before him.

That gaze was like a chain, binding him tightly, restraining his words and actions, so that he wouldn't stray too far from the right path, or even fall into the abyss.

However, because his wife and family were still at the Nantetsu Hotel, he had no choice but to stay here and deal with Takeda Shin's various attempts to win him over.

Seeing that he did not respond for a long time, Takeda Shin said again: "Mr. Jiang, to put it another way, you will not let what happened last night go, will you? Since you want revenge, you must deal with our police. As long as you agree to cooperate with me and only with me, I can help you get through all the channels and ensure that those who are against you will be punished as they deserve. At that time, they will be afraid of you. Not only them, but even the officials of the Fengtian Public Office will be afraid of you!"

Jiang Lianheng shook his head and said, "Mr. Takeda, you think too highly of me. I don't have any intelligence at all."

"No, you are someone who can enter the Marshal's Mansion. Based on that alone, you are far more valuable than those other gang leaders."

"So what if I can get into the Marshal's Mansion?"

Jiang Lianheng retorted, "Look, during the turmoil in the provincial capital last night, wasn't I completely clueless too?"

Takeda Shin replied, "This is an unexpected incident. I won't force you to help me with intelligence. If I need information from you, you can definitely provide it to me."

"Hiss! No, what exactly do you want to know?"

Jiang Lianheng still doesn't understand what kind of intelligence was worth Takeda Shin going to such lengths for.

After all, even if he was a secret agent and advisor in the provincial capital, he couldn't possibly have complete control over Fengtian's military and political affairs.

Such intelligence should have been obtained from high-ranking military and political officials. Fengtian is not without pro-Japanese officials, especially the Fengtian clique officers, who clearly have a greater affinity for the Japanese.

Jiang Lianheng couldn't understand it at all. If the other party had used the same patience they had on him on other people, the cooperation might have been finalized long ago.

Upon hearing the question, Takeda Shin assumed that the cooperation was on the horizon, so he lowered his voice and said, "I urgently need to understand the situation of the militia and local security forces around Fengtian City, including their numbers, equipment, leaders, and the location of their ammunition depots. Of course, it's not just the local security forces, but also bandits, insurance teams, and village associations... In short, I hope to obtain the most detailed information on all grassroots armed forces. If Mr. Jiang is willing to provide it, I can reward you handsomely right now!"

If asked about other things, Jiang Lianheng might only have a superficial understanding.

But when it comes to unofficial armed forces, Jiang Lianheng knows all too well.

It's no exaggeration to say that he knows more about local militias than provincial government officials. As for bandits, insurance teams, and village associations, they are even more well-known. More than half of the guns and ammunition they possess probably originated from arms handled by the Jiang family.

The Baojia system has existed since ancient times.

Until the end of the previous dynasty, when the Qing government promoted the replacement of constables with patrol police, the Baojia system still existed and gradually evolved into a joint police-Baojia system to maintain local security.

This is why powerful families are called powerful families.

Having money but no guns is just being a nouveau riche.

Only those with money and guns are worthy of being called local strongmen; otherwise, they are nothing more than fish to be slaughtered.

The Qing Dynasty was in turmoil for decades, which led to the gradual shrinking of government power and the growing expansion of local militias.

Banditry was rampant in the three northeastern provinces, and the government's efforts to suppress bandits were ineffective. In order to protect themselves, local militias naturally became more and more aggressive, and the line between the two became increasingly blurred.

Take Zhang Dashuai before he rose to power, for example. You could call him a bandit or a security force, and that would be perfectly reasonable. Security forces actually did the work of local militias, so calling them militias is also understandable.

Even after moving to the city, the Baojia system still existed.

The police force of the government offices is mostly concentrated in the main urban area and commercial districts. In other remote areas, civilian security forces are formed according to the organization of ten households per bao or ten bao per jia.

However, the city's militia didn't carry many guns, so they looked more like messengers.

Moreover, due to the convenient railway transportation, the Baojia system in the city is relatively loose, unlike in the rural areas where the same people have lived together for generations, know each other well, and are willing to protect each other. People in the city are indifferent to each other, many of whom are from other places, rent houses, and move every few days. As a result, the Baojia system is very loose, and no one is willing to put in the hard work.

Therefore, the government ordered merchants and wealthy households to take the lead in forming a security system to assist the government in maintaining public order.

Although Jiang Lianheng was not a member of the Baojia system, all the Baojia in Fengtian City, including the leaders of the local militia, were Jiang's "gang" brothers. They had all taken guns from the Jiang family and addressed each other as "Master" when they met.

Not to mention, the big bosses of those mountain bandits in the three northeastern provinces were all Jiang Lianheng’s acquaintances. Although their relationship might not have been that close, he could still call them by name.

To the Chinese, they were nothing more than bandits and outlaws; but to the Japanese, they were grassroots armed forces in the three northeastern provinces, a potential resistance force that should not be taken seriously but should not be underestimated.

Takeda Shin had done his homework on this.

He knew that Jiang Lianheng was one of the few leaders who could contact various bandits, militias, and security teams.

In other words, as long as he can win over the Jiang family, he can immediately understand the vast majority of the grassroots armed forces in Fengtian, and even the major bandits in Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces.

Considering Jiang Lianheng's reputation, his status as a secret agent advisor in the provincial capital, and his relationship with important military and political figures in the provincial government, Takeda Shinji was unwilling to give up the opportunity to win over the Jiang family.

In comparison, the value of Qin Huaimeng and Whistle Li is negligible.

"How about it?" Takeda Shin hurriedly asked, "Mr. Jiang, as long as you are willing to provide relevant information—any request, any request! Just say the word and I will do my best to meet it!"

Jiang Lianheng clicked his tongue, pondered for a long time, and then said, "Well... then I'll tell you."

"Speaking!"

"I still want to be Commander Jiang!"

(End of this chapter)