20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 814 A cloud-piercing arrow
The kerosene lamp was gradually brightened and placed on a wobbly little square table. Immediately, shadows filled the four walls, which also began to sway gently.

"Brother, sister-in-law, use this for now!" Li Zhengxi folded two newspapers and placed them under the table legs. "The chandelier in the room hasn't been replaced yet, so we'll have to make do with this!"

Jiang Lianheng and Hu Xiaoyan nodded without saying anything.

As dusk approached, it was still relatively bright outside the window, but the room was already dark.

The once luxurious living room now appears empty and desolate. Many large items have been destroyed, and the grandfather clock and sofa are no longer usable. So, they had to piece together chairs and stools from various places and sit down to make room for each other.

After a busy day, everyone finally settled down completely.

The meeting was quite well-attended. In addition to Xue Yingqing, Wen Tingge, and Zhao Zhengbei, Jiang and Hu, Zhao Guoyan, Zhang Zhengdong, Wang Zhengnan, Li Zhengxi, and Hai Xinnian were all present. Even Chuang Hu and Fang Yan were exceptionally asked to attend.

Chuang Hu goes without saying. In the past few days, he has been staying by Jiang Lianheng's side the whole time.

Fang Yan was summoned by Hu Xiaoyan at the last minute, which surprised everyone, because before this, Fang Yan had only been in charge of the Jiang family's public social interactions.

The reason we specifically invited him to the meeting is not only out of trust, but more importantly, to ensure his personal safety.

After all, Fang Yan, as the chief secretary, had served Jiang Lianheng for many years and was very familiar with the Jiang family's connections and financial situation.

This kind of character can act as a messenger for the Jiang family during peacetime, but in a hostile situation, because he knows too much and is not a weapon, he must never fall into enemy hands.

Hu Xiaoyan insisted on calling him over precisely because of this consideration.

Before the meeting, to ensure that everyone had a clear understanding of the current situation, everyone briefly summarized the information they had.

Then, we got down to business.

Jiang Lianheng lit a cigarette, took two deep drags, and tried not to be swayed by his emotions. He said in a low voice, "Whistleman Li and Old Dou, I have a pretty good idea of ​​their capabilities. But I've been a bit negligent about Qin Huaimeng, who has been making a fortune quietly all these years."

After saying that, he turned to look at Fang Yan and asked, "How many businesses does the Qin family actually have now?"

Fang Yan looked ashamed and said in a low voice, "Master, this matter is really hard to estimate. I only know that when the Qin family was setting up the rickshaw business, they came to pay their respects. In principle, they are our 'helpers'. Over the years, they have paid the due amount and made the required insurance on time. However, after he started his business, he has only been investing in stocks and has not added any real assets. It will probably take some time to find out about his family business."

"check!"

Jiang Lianheng said, "We not only need to find out about his assets and connections, but also find out as soon as possible where this kid is hiding!"

Li Zhengxi replied, "Brother, I have already sent quite a few scouts to the concession to gather information. If there is any news, they will definitely report back in time."

"and many more--"

Hu Xiaoyan suddenly interrupted and asked, "Xifeng, how many people did the Kaoshan Gang lose that night?"

Li Zhengxi was taken aback, thought for a moment and said, "This... I haven't calculated it carefully yet. Everyone was scattered that night. The best-fighting brothers were all injured and have been carried to a nearby clinic. I've already spoken to the clinic about how much the medical expenses will cost. They can pay me the bill after they settle it."

Hu Xiaoyan pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, "You don't need to do anything else these two days. Go and comfort the brothers who are injured. Prepare a red envelope for each of them. The family will pay for their medical expenses. If there is too much, don't return it. If there is too little, make up for it. If they need anything else, just tell them to ask."

“Sister-in-law, there’s no need to rush this. We’re all good friends. We can discuss and reward each other after we’ve dealt with Qin Huaimeng.”

"I told you to go tonight, don't you understand?"

Li Zhengxi frowned, but seeing his sister-in-law's serious expression, he didn't dare to say anything more and quickly nodded in agreement: "Yes, I understand."

Hu Xiaoyan said, "The most important thing in being in charge is to establish rules and to be clear about rewards and punishments. Punishments can wait, but rewards cannot. There are no brothers who are truly loyal in this world. We must never neglect the benefits that are due. If we are even slightly late, rifts will grow in our hearts. Especially at times like this, we must immediately make the Jiang family's stance clear: the Jiang family will never mistreat our brothers who have lived up to our expectations."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Hu Xiaoyan continued, "Fang Yan, tomorrow you and Guo Yan go to all the bank counters and withdraw all the cash you can to send money to the hometowns of all the brothers who died in the disaster. If you can't send money in time because of wartime restrictions, you should still send a telegram to them to put their minds at ease. Give more to old servants like Song Ma. It's not just about money. If any of their children need help with their studies or jobs, you can't easily refuse them. If you're really unsure whether you can do it, come back and ask me before giving them an answer."

Fang Yan nodded and said, "Understood!"

Hu Xiaoyan then asked, "Xifeng, I haven't had enough energy these past few years. I don't really know much about the people from the Fan Gang, but judging from their performance that night, you certainly didn't spoil them for nothing. They did live up to your expectations. How do you think the family should reward them?"

Li Zhengxi thought for a moment, then said with a wry smile, "Sister-in-law, the fan-making gang is divided into two groups. Some of them are getting on in years and now they have jobs to make a living, but there are others, like Lai Zi and his gang, who mainly make money by setting up stalls along the riverbank. Although they have enough to eat and wear and have recently bought houses, they always like to complain to me about being poor..."

"Money isn't the issue. They're risking their lives for us, so talking about friendship alone isn't realistic. What else is there besides money?"

"Then there shouldn't be anything wrong, right?"

Li Zhengxi scratched his head, unable to think of any other demands Lai Zi and the others might make, since most of the trouble they had caused before was for money.

At this moment, Wang Zhengnan couldn't help but remind him, "That Lai Zi guy is a bit vain."

"vanity?"

Hu Xiaoyan frowned. Since she had never dealt with Lai Zi and his group before, she had no choice but to turn to Xifeng for confirmation.

Li Zhengxi pondered for a moment and said, "Actually, it can't be called vanity. It's just that Lai Zi and the others always want to be the 'leaders' in the sect, but I know their capabilities. They simply don't understand that kind of dirty work, so I'll just give them some reward money and explain to them later."

Upon hearing this, Hu Xiaoyan was immediately in a dilemma.

Although the Kaoshan Gang is a branch of the West Wind Gang, it is not a monolithic entity. Lai Zi and others clearly want to advance further, but unfortunately, they lack the ability and experience. If they are forcibly promoted, it may end up harming themselves and others.

Of course, in the past, they could have openly and legitimately rejected their demands.

But now is precisely the time when we urgently need to unite people's hearts and minds, and we must carefully consider everything.

"According to you, they still can't be reused?" Hu Xiaoyan asked.

"No, we really can't reuse him!"

Li Zhengxi knew perfectly well how capable Lai Zi and his gang were. He could cover up the trouble caused by the fan gang, but he would never dare to deceive Hu Xiaoyan on this matter. "Sister-in-law, I've watched them grow up since they were little. If they were really capable, I would have vouched for them long ago. Why would I have waited until now? They are brave and loyal, but they are too stubborn. They're fine with getting them into a gang fight, but if they have any other requests, then it's hard to say."

"I understand what you mean, but I'm afraid it won't please them and will end up making your men feel disheartened and dissatisfied."

"No way!" Li Zhengxi waved his hand and said firmly, "I'll go and explain to them, and I guarantee they won't have any complaints!"

This wasn't just boasting; after all, the city was in utter chaos that night, yet Xifeng still managed to gather 120 brothers, which was enough to prove that his control over the Kaoshan Gang was beyond doubt.

Wang Zhengnan shook his head, but said, "Even if they have any complaints, they wouldn't dare say them in front of you!"

Li Zhengxi was quite dissatisfied and immediately replied, "Second brother, even at this point, why do you still look down on them? If it weren't for those bastards, our family's caravan would have been stopped by Skyhawk at the city gate long ago. Later, we fought with Lao Dou and the others, and all the brothers were injured. Is it appropriate for you to say such things?"

"Hey, I didn't say anything! I just wanted to remind you that the wounded brothers are all in the infirmary. Lai Zi and the others aren't wounded. Don't cry at the wrong grave!"

"Let me tell you, that night, Lai Zi and the others went to watch the grain store for you."

"Really? Then I'll have to check the accounts when I have some time."

"Second brother, is that even human language you're speaking?"

"Whether it's human speech or not, you'll know after I finish investigating." Wang Zhengnan didn't want to argue. He turned to look at his sister-in-law and then said, "Sister-in-law, I think if all else fails, we can give Laizi and the others a nominal title, let them have a taste of it, and then we'll be done with it without giving them any real power."

Hu Xiaoyan immediately refused, saying, "No, the Jiang family isn't an official government, so they don't have any honorary titles. If you give them a title, you have to acknowledge their status. Otherwise, what kind of talk will the Jiang family have? If you don't give them real power, who will be responsible if they cause trouble outside based on this title?"

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Here's what we'll do, Xifeng. If they keep asking you, just say that you're short-handed at home right now. Let them compete fairly and give them a chance to improve. We'll figure out a solution later."

Li Zhengxi naturally had no objection and quickly nodded, saying, "Understood!"

Jiang Lianheng, growing impatient, waved his hand and said, "Alright, let's put this matter aside for now! The most urgent thing is to find Qin Huaimeng's whereabouts. Also—"

He turned to look at Zhao Guoyan and then asked, "How many brothers are left in the sect?"

Zhao Guoyan glanced out the window and said, "Fifteen of them are on standby, waiting for revenge! If we had notified them in advance, there would still be two or three hundred of the other 'gang' members at the counters. But when there's a real battle, they might not be reliable. They'll probably side with whoever wins. Add to that Xifeng's fan gang and Manager Xue's men, and there are dozens of them in total. Unfortunately, it's wartime now, so the brothers from other branches probably can't come to support us. Also, Li Zheng and Tong San, who have close connections, probably can't come to Fengtian anytime soon. The attitudes of the other 'gangs' are still unclear."

Jiang Lianheng then asked, "Including both inside and outside the city, how many of your family's 'supporters' are from the militia and security forces of Fengtian?"

Zhao Guoyan was stunned for a moment, then murmured, "This... surely none of the local militias and baojia around Fengtian are not our 'supporters'?"

Fang Yan nodded and said, "That's right. There were a few who were dissatisfied before, but we replaced them all. The remaining ones, at least on the surface, have all paid their respects, but now we probably don't know what they really think."

Jiang Lianheng said, "The Japanese want to investigate the police and militia in Fengtian. Director Chen asked me to make things difficult for them. I agreed to this task, not for any other reason than that the Jiang family is, in a sense, also a militia. How many guns and how many men I have is none of the Japanese's business. So we have to do official business and settle personal scores. As long as we do official business well, we can settle personal scores. If we want to settle personal scores, we can't refuse official business. Everyone understands, right?"

Everyone nodded.

Zhao Guoyan asked in a low voice, "Master, so you mean... to manage the whip?"

“That’s right!” Jiang Lianheng said, “This time, we won’t hold a big meeting. We’ll just call all the gangs and local security forces over and talk to them one by one. If anyone dares not to come, I’ll assume they’ve already sided with the Japanese. Since they’ve sided with the Japanese, they’ll probably collude with Qin Huaimeng sooner or later. Then don’t blame me for striking first.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhengnan quickly tried to dissuade him, saying, "Brother, I'm afraid this isn't appropriate."

"Why is it inappropriate?"

“Look, the Japanese have been investigating the police and militia since yesterday. Now we’re going to issue orders to summon all the militia members for a talk. Isn’t that just openly going against the Japanese?”

"What do you mean?" Jiang Lianheng asked, his tone slightly displeased.

Wang Zhengnan explained, “Brother, isn’t it obvious? The government is using us as pawns. Even if we can’t get rid of this job, we can’t put in too much effort. The officials don’t dare to challenge the Japanese, but instead they’re making us rush in as cannon fodder. It’s not worth it. If we really anger the Japanese, the government will turn a blind eye and pretend to be dead. Then we won’t even have time to regret it.”

Li Zhengxi frowned and said, "Second brother, didn't we just say that all levels of government offices, military police, and gendarmes would make it easy for us to pass through?"

"What's so convenient about it?" Wang Zhengnan quickly waved his hand. "You can't take everything the government says seriously. If they don't acknowledge it, you can only watch helplessly. You still have to take your own life into your own hands. We can't fight the foreigners head-on. There will be no good end. It's been so many years. When have those upright officials ever stood up to the foreigners?"

Zhao Guoyan said, "But Qin Huaimeng has already defected to the Japanese. If we want to take revenge, we can't bypass the Japanese forces. Now the government is tacitly allowing us to eliminate traitors. If we don't take action now, we can only swallow our anger. If you endure it, in the eyes of the online community, it's like admitting defeat."

“That’s still better than being discarded by the government after they’ve served their purpose!” Wang Zhengnan argued. “Besides, there’s still Takeda Shin. Those Japanese are clearly also vying for credit and profit. We can use this to our advantage, use one barbarian against another, make a deal with Takeda Shin, and get rid of Qin Huaimeng through him. It’s not impossible. It’s better than completely breaking ties with the Japanese!”

A hint of suspicion flashed in Li Zhengxi's eyes as he tentatively asked, "Second Brother, you haven't been doing business with the Japanese lately, have you?"

"That's ridiculous! My family used to do business with the Taiping Group. Business is business, but what does that prove? Besides, I never did business with the Japanese. You can check!"

"No, no, no, I was just asking casually."

"You'd better investigate properly, lest you accuse me of favoring outsiders!" Wang Zhengnan was genuinely angry, his face flushed and his neck thick as he emphasized, "Heaven and earth bear witness, everything I just said was entirely for everyone's good. It wasn't easy for my elder brother and sister-in-law to lead us to where we are today, and it wasn't easy for us to get to where we are today either. I just don't want to see our family ruined because of acting impulsively!"

The living room suddenly became quiet.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from the rooftop. It was probably the young master Jiang Chengzhi running around everywhere!
Then, a series of cries suddenly came, and the sound of a nursery rhyme gradually rose up. It was a little tune that Gu Yu hummed while coaxing the child.

After a moment of silence, Hu Xiaoyan said, "Alright, stop arguing. Nanfeng is right. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. There are two sets of government offices in Fengtian City now. It's no secret that the Japanese are investigating the police and militia. At this time, the head of the militia is holding a meeting and calling all the militia members in for a talk. The intention is too obvious and it's easy for the Japanese to use this as an excuse to make trouble."

Jiang Lianheng said, "No, we must take charge of the whip now. I need to understand the movements of the online 'He Zi' (a type of militia). I don't think Whistle Li and Lao Dou are isolated cases. They are very likely just the beginning. In the future, there may be more 'He Zi' who side with the Japanese, including the Baojia (local militia) and the local militia."

"I know that the order to issue the whip still needs to be carried out, but we need to find a pretext, so that at least to outsiders it doesn't seem like we're openly opposing the Japanese."

"Then what do you think we should do?"

Hu Xiaoyan hesitated for a moment, but finally made up her mind and said, "How about... we take care of Aunt's funeral first?"

(End of this chapter)