20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 836 Goal
Qin Huaimeng was flattered.

He had long heard of Takeda Shin and knew that this director of the investigation department was well-connected and a key figure in the Japanese side's liaison with Chinese merchants.

When he first decided to join the Japanese, he thought of climbing the social ladder, but his strength was limited and he was not good enough to be noticed by Takeda Shin. So he had to settle for second best and turn to the Japanese Police Department to seek cooperation with Saito Rokuro.

Unexpectedly, the other party has now taken the initiative to strike up a conversation, which is exactly what Qin Huaimeng wanted.

It seems that his abilities have been recognized by the Japanese.

The only downside was that this meeting was not part of his plan.

Qin Huaimeng pondered for a moment, weighed the pros and cons, and after careful consideration, he had no choice but to turn around and smile apologetically at Meng Duo: "Mr. Meng, I'm so sorry, I'm afraid I'll have to excuse myself."

Meng Duo initially wanted to say he could wait, but then felt that it would be too abrupt, so he took out his notebook and changed his words, saying, "It's alright. Since Mr. Qin is busy, why don't you leave me your phone number and we can reschedule for another day?"

“Great!” Qin Huaimeng laughed. “I’ll give you another address, No. 207 Ping’an Tong. I’m usually free at home after 6 p.m. If Mr. Meng doesn’t mind, you are welcome to come over anytime!”

Meng Duo wrote down Qin Huaimeng's phone number and address, nodded, and said, "Okay, we'll meet again another day."

After saying that, he suddenly turned to look at Hou Chuanyan and asked, "Are you leaving or not?"

"Me?" Hou Chuanyan hesitated for a moment. "Uh... old classmate, why don't you go first? I need to go to the restroom!"

"Then I'll wait for you for a while?"

Meng Duo wanted to extract more useful information from him, but the other party seemed a little hesitant.

"Let's forget about it!" Hou Chuanyan said, "My stomach is acting up really badly right now, and I might have to stay in the bathroom for a long time. We can meet up another day."

Meng Duo frowned, not wanting to press the matter, so he nodded and said, "Alright, then I'll take my leave."

Qin Huaimeng cupped his hands and said, "Mr. Meng, please take care, goodbye!"

"Goodbye, goodbye!"

Meng Duo turned and left, and Hou Chuanyan didn't linger either, immediately slipping out through the back door of the venue.

After the two left, Qin Huaimeng quickly bowed and apologized, saying, "Mr. Takeda, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting."

Takeda Shin didn't seem to mind. His gaze followed Meng Duo as he walked away, then suddenly turned back and waved his hand, saying, "It's nothing. It's not convenient to talk here. There's a reading room downstairs. Let's talk there!"

"Alright, I will follow your arrangements."

"Then come with me!"

After saying that, the two went down the side staircase to the second floor.

Because the Japan-China Friendship Association was being held today, the reading room was not open to the public. However, Takeda Shin's identity was special, and he had a spare key in his pocket, so he was able to open the door easily.

This is not surprising.

The biggest financial backer behind the Manchuria-Mongolia Cultural Association was the South China Railway Corporation. The association's initial purpose was to implement the colonial strategy of the first president of the South China Railway Corporation, which emphasized "civilian and military preparedness."

The two entered the reading room, drew the curtains, and sat down opposite each other against the wall.

The surrounding bookshelves were filled with publications from the Manchu-Mongolian Cultural Association, such as "Manchu-Mongolian Culture," "Datong Culture," and "Northeast Culture."

Takeda Shinya was also a master of adapting his words and expressions to different people.

He understood Jiang Lianheng and was well aware of the Jiang family's strength and status. Therefore, when negotiating with Jiang Lianheng, he often addressed him as a friend in order to save face for this leader of the underworld, so as to relieve his psychological burden and gradually win him over to his side.

But when facing Qin Huaimeng, his attitude was not so polite.

It's easy to imagine that one is a powerful figure in the underworld whom they are trying their best to win over, while the other is a rising star who is throwing himself into their arms. Naturally, the two will be treated very differently.

Takeda Shin cut to the chase and asked directly, "I heard you've been dealing with Jiang Lianheng lately?"

Qin Huai was taken aback, unsure of the other party's intention in asking the question. He nodded and pondered for a moment before smiling and saying, "Mr. Takeda, I've always believed in making money through harmony and dislike fighting the most. If the Jiang family hadn't been so domineering, why would I have taken such a risk? In the end, wasn't I forced into this situation?"

Takeda Shin waved his hand and said, "You don't need to complain to me about how the Jiang family is. If you become the head of the gang, you'll probably end up like him."

Unexpectedly, Qin Huaimeng shook his head firmly: "No!"

Takeda Shin narrowed his eyes and leaned forward to ask, "What makes you say you won't be like him?"

Qin Huaimeng hurriedly said, "At least one thing is certain: I am a pragmatic person and know whose territory Fengtian is and who I should serve!"

Upon hearing this, Takeda Shin smiled, seemingly satisfied with the answer. He then changed the subject and continued, "Mr. Qin, let me remind you, that young man just now, his name is Meng Duo, a graduate of Tongwen Commercial School. He has been supported by the Jiang family since childhood. Although he works at the Commercial Bureau now, he is actually the Jiang family's eyes and ears."

Qin Huaimeng feigned surprise, but did not delve further into the matter. Instead, he asked, "So, Mr. Takeda is willing to help me?"

Instead of answering directly, Takeda Shin sighed and said, "I have given Jiang Lianheng many chances, but he is unwilling to cooperate, and I cannot force him. However, I always need someone like him to serve the empire."

"The Jiang family hasn't grasped the situation yet."

"Heh, he sees things more clearly than you do, he's just unwilling."

"They are even more stubborn. With Mr. Takeda's help, I will be more confident in dealing with the Jiang family."

However, Takeda Shin said, "I won't help you directly."

Qin Huaimeng frowned: "Then what is this...?"

"What I need is someone with enough prestige in Fengtian to cooperate with. If I forcibly elevate you to that position, you will not have Jiang Lianheng's status. If you want to take his place, it will depend on your own abilities. Of course, considering the Jiang family's power, I will also provide you with corresponding assistance if needed."

"I'm already very content with just Mr. Takeda's words, but..."

After a moment of hesitation, Qin Huaimeng tentatively asked, "Would you mind revealing exactly what kind of assistance you can provide me?"

"Firearms and ammunition, intelligence leads, military and police assistance..." Takeda Shin casually gave a few examples. "It depends on what you specifically need. Of course, it also depends on what you can provide for the Empire. The more outstanding the contribution, the richer the reward."

"That's right, that's right!" Qin Huaimeng nodded repeatedly. "Right now, what I need most is a safe enough place to hide. As you probably know, Jiang Lianheng does have a few loyal brothers. These people must be eradicated completely. Otherwise, even if I successfully assassinate Jiang Lianheng, they will haunt me. Only by eliminating them all can I feel at ease."

"If you can really assassinate Jiang Lianheng, I will provide you with a safe place until the storm passes."

"Could it be a prison?"

Qin Huaimeng's expression was grave as he muttered to himself, "While the Eastern Prison is safe, it's not absolutely safe. As far as I know, the Jiang family has spies in every prison in Fengtian. They might even deliberately send people in, so—"

Before he could finish speaking, Takeda Shin raised his hand to interrupt him and asked, "Is the consulate safe enough?"

Qin Huaimeng was stunned: "Wait, what you just said was..."

"The Imperial Consulate in Fengtian!" Takeda Shin reiterated. "I've investigated. If you can assassinate Jiang Lianheng, you'll likely become the head of the underworld in Fengtian. I'll help you with the arrangements." ...

Half an hour later, Qin Huaimeng left the association building.

As soon as he reached the steps at the door, six or seven bodyguards rushed over and surrounded him, fearing that he would be assassinated by the Jiang family.

The group escorted him toward the car by the roadside, glancing around warily as they asked in hushed tones, "Mr. Qin, why did it take you so long to come out?"

"Let's talk about it when we get back!"

People are happy when they are happy.

Although Qin Huaimeng couldn't suppress the smugness in his smile, he didn't get carried away and was still thinking of asking, "By the way, that kid Hou Chuanyan, he didn't go through the main gate just now, did he?"

“No, he wouldn’t dare disobey your orders!” said the brother beside him. “I didn’t see him just now; he’s probably still in the building right now!”

"Yes, I'll take the Jiang family's spies away in a bit, then he can come out."

"Mr. Qin, are you sure the Jiang family has sent someone over?"

“Nonsense, if the Jiang family wants to find out about me, they will eventually find out about the ‘Manchu-Mongolian Cultural Association’. Meng Duo is Hou Chuanyan’s classmate. The fact that he came to see me today shows that the Jiang family has already taken notice. Look at the small vendors around here, they might be the Jiang family’s spies.”

"Okay, I understand. Please get in the car first."

Qin Huaimeng suddenly stopped, looked at his car, and asked, "Are all the people ready?"

The bodyguard nodded and said, "Of course."

"Mr. Shou also went to Shenshui?" Qin Huaimeng asked again, "Are you sure those gang members who rely on fans are at the Jiang family's sand and gravel plant?"

“It’s confirmed. In the past few days, we’ve looked through all of the Jiang family’s businesses. The Fan Gang isn’t even in the city anymore; they’ve already been sent out by the Jiang family.”

"That's fine, that's fine..."

Seeing that he seemed distracted, the others asked, "Master Qin, the Jiang family is a big target. We already know how many key members they have. What are you still worried about?"

"It's nothing," Qin Huaimeng chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Things have been going really smoothly lately, which is making me a little uneasy. I'm afraid there might be something I haven't considered."

After saying that, he buried his head and crawled into the carriage under the cover of the human wall formed by the bodyguards.

Two bodyguards then got into the car, one into the back seat and the other into the front passenger seat, while the rest of the passengers ran alongside them.

The car started, its black body reflecting the snow on the roadside. To ensure the safety of the family, the curtains in the back seat were tightly closed, making it look like a coffin slowly driving down the street.

Vendors lined both sides of the road.

The crisis in Fengtian City has been resolved, let alone the Japanese concession. It is also the time of year when people are preparing for the New Year in the dead of winter, and the cries of vendors on the streets are even more frequent.

There were little kids selling newspapers, old peddlers selling cigarettes, and of course, many homeless people begging along the streets.

The car was not going fast, and after about ten minutes, it stopped at No. 207 Ping'an Road.

Looking across the street, this appears to be a mansion. The two-story building doesn't occupy a large area, but its exterior looks quite unique. If you didn't know better, you might think it was a house given to a mistress by some nouveau riche!

The car came to a stop in front of the yard, and the Qin family's bodyguards rushed to the back door, forming a human wall as usual, facing outwards with wary expressions.

A moment later, the car door opened.

Qin Huaimeng, dressed in a black long robe and with his right hand on his top hat, climbed out of the car and entered the mansion under the escort of a group of bodyguards.

Then, the car slowly drove around the Western-style building and headed towards the backyard.

……

Across the street, two small fans sat in the corner, taking in the entire scene in front of the mansion.

A short while later, another companion came running from the west, panting as he squatted down. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the Qin family's car just around the Western-style building and asked, "Did he get out of the car?"

The two little fans nodded, gestured towards the other side of the street, and said, "Look, it's this building."

His companion quickly stood up and said, "Okay, I'll go find Third Brother. You two keep watch here!"

Before he could finish speaking, he started running and hurriedly headed towards the eastern part of the city.

To my surprise, after running only a few steps and turning a corner, I felt as if I had bumped into a wall and fell flat on my backside with a loud thud.

"You unlucky kid, watch where you're going!"

"hiss--"

The little guy rubbed his bottom, looked up, and saw a strange person in front of him. The person was facing away from the sun, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, looking boneless, and leaning limply against the wall. It seemed that the person knew he was going to run over, but refused to give way, just waiting for him to bump into him.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I really didn't mean to!"

Xiao Kaoshan apologized repeatedly, saying tremblingly, "Um... I have something urgent to attend to, I have to go now!"

Upon hearing this, the strange man waved his hand impatiently at him.

Unexpectedly, this action startled Xiao Kaoshan quite a bit. He thought the other person was going to raise their hand to slap him, so he quickly closed his eyes and curled up into a ball.

This is understandable; even old beggars are often bullied on the streets, let alone young beggars.

Let alone if he hit someone, even if he is honest and law-abiding, those spoiled brats often take it out on him, slap him across the face, and then make him apologize.

What apologies?

People say they get annoyed just seeing you, and if you don't apologize, they'll slap you again. There's no way to reason with them.

The west wind couldn't protect them all the time, so the little guy with the fan had no choice but to resign himself to his fate and plead, "Don't hit us, don't hit us!"

Unexpectedly, after waiting for a long time without any movement, he cautiously opened his eyes and saw that the strange man was indifferent and just kept waving his hand, saying, "Hurry up and go, are you waiting for the reward?"

"Thank you sir, thank you sir!"

The servant quickly stepped aside to avoid him, saying as he went, "May you live a long and healthy life, and may you be promoted and become wealthy. Thank you, sir!"

After saying that, as if afraid the other party would go back on their word, they immediately ran off into the distance.

He hadn't run far when he turned back to look, but he couldn't help but frown. The strange man had vanished without a trace...

(End of this chapter)