The arrogance started from Chinatown

Chapter 455 I Want to Take Back What I Lost

"Now all of San Francisco is Chen Zhengwei's territory! Lord Liu, if you go there and fail to handle it well, even the body won't be found in three days at most!" Gong Yanyong said to Liu Xihong.

The person Liu Xihong hired was Gong Yanyong, who had one leg broken by Chen Zhengwei and now walks with a limp.

Whenever it’s cloudy or rainy, that leg starts to ache.

Over the past year, he has been making a living by treating patients in Hawaii. From time to time, he would hear sailors on passing ships talking about things in the United States, and one of the people they could not avoid was Chen Zhengwei.

The greater Chen Zhengwei's power and the more famous his name becomes, the more resentful he becomes.

"Doesn't that guy have any sense of the court's laws?" Liu Xihong asked with a frown.

"Which court? Which law?" Gong Yanyong asked. "Sir Liu, he is on American soil, he doesn't even care about the American government, he doesn't even follow American laws, do you think he will take the laws of the Qing court seriously?"

Although he had been away from the United States for a year, he had heard something about the situation in the United States, and he also knew that Chen Zhengwei had defeated the US Army.

This news spread throughout the Chinese community in Hawaii.

Chen Zhengwei is now at the peak of his career in San Francisco.

"So what do you think?" Liu Xihong asked.

Since the other party came to San Francisco with me, he must have some ideas.

And he also needs to rely on the other party's familiarity with San Francisco.

"Chen Zhengwei is a ruthless and overbearing person. Since he arrived in San Francisco, countless people have died at his hands and countless families have been ruined because of him. Many people hate him in their hearts, but they dare not speak out. In their hearts, they wish they could skin him alive."

"Also, although he has no father or mother, his subordinates are not! Most of his subordinates are from the Chen family of Wencun, the Yan family of Haiyan, the Rong family, and some others... their families are all in the Qing Dynasty! As long as we arrest the people in those families first, and then threaten them with this matter. Lord Liu can also promise that they will not pursue the past, and then we can persuade some people."

"As long as Lord Liu can convince some people to arrest Chen Zhengwei, Chen Zhengwei will definitely not be on guard against his own men..."

"So you must lower your posture when you arrive in San Francisco. Chen Zhengwei is narrow-minded and arrogant. If Lord Liu puts on airs, he will definitely be angered. If Lord Liu lowers his posture and pleases him, he will be safe."

Liu Xihong thought for a long time and stroked his beard. Although he was unhappy, he had no choice but to do so.

After all, those bandits were powerful, and he only brought his concubine and a dozen servants with him. If he couldn't handle one of them well, he would lose his life.

He is just conservative, but he is not stupid. He certainly knows what is most important.

"It's an emergency! We have no choice but to do this!"

"I know nothing about the situation in San Francisco, and I will need your help when the time comes! Of course, I won't let you work in vain. I still have the right to recommend consulate officials. You will be an assistant first, and after the bandit leader is overthrown, I will recommend you as vice consul, an eighth-rank official. This is like a fish leaping over the dragon gate, no longer a commoner. When you return to the Qing Dynasty in the future, you will also have a chance to be promoted."

"Thank you, Lord Liu!" Gong Yanyong said happily. Although he was interested in being an official, he was more interested in overthrowing Chen Zhengwei.

Take back what he lost.

Let the old confused master and those fellow apprentices see that there will be no good ending if they follow Chen Zhengwei.

……

On February 1880, 2, this passenger ship departed from Guangzhou and finally arrived in San Francisco after 6 days.

Everyone on the ship stood by the side, looking at the port in the distance with excitement.

Finally arrived.

Even if you board the ship in Hawaii, the journey will still take nine days.

"Master Liu, it looks like we're going to celebrate the New Year in San Francisco this time!" A man in his thirties with a few wisps of long beard on his chin smiled to Liu Xihong beside him.

"That's true. People are shaped by the land and water they live in. I wonder what's different about the local customs and practices here." Liu Xihong said.

"But I heard that the Chinese in America were sold here as hard laborers. There is a word called piglets, which refers to them. They have not even been to school for a few days. Naturally, the culture here cannot compare with that in China."

"That's true, but after all, the climate and soil are different, so there should still be some unique scenery." The man smiled and then reminded:

"Master Liu, this appointment is fraught with danger! I also need to meet the man in San Francisco before I can go to New York to take up the post. Master Liu, you must be especially careful in San Francisco."

"The imperial court has its own ideas, but this is not the country after all. Lord Liu should put himself first."

This person is Ouyang Ming, Ouyang Geng’s cousin, who is currently serving as the Chinese ambassador to the United States.

Ouyang Geng had previously mentioned San Francisco and Chen Zhengwei in a telegram he sent home.

That was in March last year.

This time he came here, he was also very cautious and planned to meet Chen Zhengwei first and then go to New York to take up his post.

After all, when serving as a minister in the United States, one cannot avoid the Chinese leader Chen Zhengwei.

"Lord Ouyang, we are just working for the court and doing our best!" Liu Xihong turned around and bowed in the direction of the Qing Dynasty.

Not far from the two of them, Gong Yanyong was looking at the dock ahead with a little excitement in his eyes.

He's finally back.

As the ship docked, Ouyang Ming and Liu Xihong disembarked with their concubines and entourage. Both of them brought their concubines with them when they came to the United States to take up their posts.

The two of them kept observing while passing through customs.

I’ve heard before that many Chinese women coming to the United States are stopped and not allowed to enter.

However, at this time, the foreigners at the customs would just glance at the Chinese and let them go, without any distinction between men and women.

On the contrary, the inspection of those foreigners who were dressed in ordinary clothes was extremely detailed.

This made many foreigners who were disembarking from the ship dissatisfied. They pointed at the backs of the Chinese in front of them and said, "Why do they let us go after just one look? Why do I have to check for so long?"

"Such a lot of talk... Go wait in the back. We'll check your certificate after everyone else leaves." A pot-bellied customs officer threw his entry certificate back to him.

"You..." The foreigner who tried to stop him was immediately furious, but he managed to hold it back.

When it was Ouyang Ming, Liu Xihong and the others' turn, the customs officer took a look at the group and waved his hand: "Go ahead."

He didn't even look at the identity information of several people.

The difference in treatment made Ouyang Ming feel absurd. After leaving the customs, he kept looking back, only to see the customs officer checking the foreigners behind him in a very strict manner.

Ouyang Ming has worked in Tianjin for a long time... and Tianjin has the British Concession, the French Concession, and the American Concession.

He felt that the treatment he and his group had just received was the same as the treatment the foreigners had received in Tianjin, but here it was completely the opposite.

This made him feel very strange.

"These American customs officials are just perfunctory!" Liu Xihong said from behind, asking Gong Yanyong. "Have they been like this before?"

"A little stricter than it is now!" said Gong Yanyong.

He just felt that this time back in San Francisco, it seemed very different from the past. When he was driven away, Chen Zhengwei's power was far less powerful, and those foreigners did not give Chen Zhengwei much face.

Not to mention the customs, where Chinese people are almost always allowed to pass directly.

Soon, everyone noticed the Chinese workers who were carrying things at the port, as well as the groups of Chinese youths wearing gentlemen's suits and soft hats walking in the streets in the distance.

"Who are those people?"

"Those people are Chen Zhengwei's men!" Gong Yanyong reminded, clenching his fists.

Before the group passed by, some young Chinese men wearing soft hats noticed them and walked over to them.

After all, the way these people were dressed was very special. They had braids on their heads and wore long gowns and jackets, but they were not made of rags. It was obvious at first glance that they were not those kind of people.

More like a businessman.

"Who are you? Are you from the Qing Dynasty?" Several thugs came over and asked with a smile.

Gong Yanyong's eyes swept across the faces of these people, but there were no familiar faces.

"Yes, we are from the Qing Dynasty and just got off the boat!" Ouyang Ming said with a smile.

"From the looks of you, you seem to be doing business? A merchant ship? Why did you arrive only now?" the thugs asked again.

"That's a wrong guess. We came to the United States for other things. Are you Mr. Chen's people in San Francisco?" Ouyang Ming asked.

"I thought it was a merchant ship. Do you want to see Brother Wei? Brother Wei will definitely not see anyone today. It's New Year's Day, and at least you got off the ship. You are lucky to be able to spend the New Year on shore and have a New Year's Eve dinner!" When the thug heard that he mentioned Mr. Chen, he smiled and started chatting with them.

"We can visit Mr. Chen again in two days! Where are the hotels and Chinatown here?" Ouyang Ming asked again.

"Just follow that road and keep going. But you don't look like you can walk! Lame man, go and call the carriage over there! How come you don't have any good eyesight at all? Your master is standing here, and you don't even know to call a carriage?" The henchman glanced around and pointed at Gong Yanyong.

Gong Yanyong clenched his fists in his sleeves. He hated it most when people called him a cripple.

But he didn't dare to get angry, so he forced a smile and walked away.

"Chinatown is very lively these two days, you can go there more often. If you want to meet Brother Wei, ask someone to pass a note and see when Brother Wei is free to meet you!" The thugs said a few casual words and left.

It was obvious at first glance that these people were not the kind who made an ordinary living, so they were too lazy to ask more questions.

San Francisco has the largest port on the West Coast. It is a turbulent place with all kinds of people.

It’s just that this group of people looked too eye-catching, so I came over to chat with them.

Seeing these people leave like this, Ouyang Ming was a little surprised. He thought these people were trying to extort outsiders at the dock, and he was just about to ask someone to take care of them.

After all, he had heard since the beginning that Chen Zhengwei's men were a group of gang members.

Even if he had never seen what those gang members were like, he had heard about them.

Unexpectedly, the other party just said a few words in a very kind attitude and then left.

After a while, the group found a few carriages at the port. Ouyang Ming, Liu Xihong and their families sat in the carriages and looked outside, while the others walked behind the carriages.

"There are so many Chinese people here!" Ouyang Ming looked outside and said, "They look much more respectable than many people in China!"

"The people on this street are all Chen Zhengwei's men. Those low-level laborers are all in those factories!" Liu Xihong said on the side.

I've heard before that Chen Zhengwei is very powerful here, but now that I'm here I realize how powerful he is.

He has been to the UK, France and Germany, and this is not the first time he has gone through customs.

This is simply the Chinese concession in the United States. Chinese people don't need to be checked when entering or leaving customs here.

On the contrary, the foreigners will be checked in detail several times.

The group found a hotel to stay in San Francisco, and Ouyang Ming sent a telegram directly to Ouyang Geng to explain the situation.

……

Ouyang Geng, who was far away on the east coast, was chatting with Huang Kaijia and others. Today was Chinese New Year, and they didn't like staying in the host family, so a group of Chinese students gathered together.

"There are far fewer people celebrating the New Year this year. Zhan Tianyou, Zhang Kangren, and Tan Yaoxun all went to San Francisco. Actually, I want to go there too," Huang Kaijia sighed.

San Francisco is much more fun than this place.

"The Dounan family is different. It's not a good idea to get too close to Mr. Chen. Otherwise, if Supervisor Wu sues us, it will be troublesome." Ouyang Geng said with a smile.

This is the reason why these people did not go to San Francisco.

At this moment, a young man of about fifteen or sixteen ran over and said, "Ouyang Geng, your telegram!"

This person is a child in Ouyang Geng’s boarding family.

"Telegram?" Ouyang Geng took the telegram with a smile, glanced at it and was startled, "Cousin?"

"broken!"

"Zhao Ting, what happened?" Huang Kaijia and others gathered around when they saw this.

"My cousin is now the American minister!" Ouyang Geng said.

"This is a good thing! Now we have someone to back us up. We don't have to worry about Supervisor Wu suing us!" Everyone was delighted when they heard this.

"The problem is that he is in San Francisco now!" Ouyang Geng said.

"So what? We are afraid that Supervisor Wu will complain, but your cousin is the American minister. What can he do to your cousin?" another student said nonchalantly.

"That's not the question! My cousin has to visit Mr. Chen before he can take up his post. He has always had an official air since he was a child!" Ouyang Geng said anxiously: "You know who Mr. Chen is!"

"He is not a good guy. The previous Lord Chen was blown to death because he angered him!"

"I have to send him a telegram back! And I have to send one to Chen... as well!" Ouyang Geng ran away. He wanted to go home to find Chen Zhengwei's telegram address - Chen Zhengwei had left it for them before.

Then go to the telegraph office and send the telegram.

He was really afraid that his cousin would subconsciously put on airs in front of Chen Zhengwei... and then he wouldn't even be able to leave San Francisco!

Others quickly followed and said with regret: "It's a pity that there is no telegram address for Vice Minister Rong, otherwise it would be most appropriate to send a telegram to him!"

They all knew that Yung Wing had gone to San Francisco, but unfortunately there was no telegraph address.

Soon, Ouyang Geng went to the telegraph office and sent a telegram, mainly explaining Chen Zhengwei's character and repeatedly reminding him that the United States was different from the Qing Dynasty, and that he must keep a low profile and never anger Chen Zhengwei.

Then another telegram was sent to Chen Zhengwei, stating that his cousin had arrived in San Francisco and would visit him.

Although he didn't know whether this telegram would be useful, Chen Zhengwei had always been nice to students like them, which gave him some hope.

(End of this chapter)