Siheyuan: Hang Jia Dongxu, smash Banggeng to death!

The morning mist over Shanghai had not yet dissipated, but the neon lights had already gone out.

Newsboys waved extra editions and ran through the streets, shouting slogans such as "Extra! Extra! The Chinese Independent Brigade has taken over Shanghai."

Pedestrians took the newspapers and glanced at them quickly; some shook their heads, some sighed, and some remained expressionless.

No one dared to say anything.

The tanks were still parked on the street, their cannons pointing to the sky, like sleeping behemoths, and no one knew when they would wake up.

Lin Tian stood next to a Type 99A tank, holding a map of the entire Shanghai area.

The map marks the locations of opium dens, gambling dens, brothels, clubs, dance halls, and more.

The dense cluster of red dots was a startling sight.

The opium addicts in the opium dens, the young girls locked in the woodsheds in the backyards of brothels, and the gambling addicts who have lost everything in the gambling dens.

"Commander."

Brigade Commander Chen jumped down from the command vehicle and walked up to him.

"Um."

Lin Tian raised his head and looked at Commander Chen's square face. "Let's begin."

"Yes."

Brigade Commander Chen turned around and raised his hand.

Behind him, the soldiers raised their guns in unison, the muzzles gleaming coldly in the morning light.

"First group, opium dens. Second group, gambling dens. Third group, brothels."

Brigade Commander Chen's voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a nail driven into the ears of everyone present.

Soldiers surged into the streets like a tide, heading towards the places marked with red dots.

The pedestrians who were still discussing it on the street were stunned.

They watched as fully armed soldiers stormed into opium dens, gambling dens, and brothels, not knowing what was happening.

Gunshots rang out, crackling and popping like firecrackers.

Screams came from under the door, one after another.

Someone rushed out of the opium den, disheveled, pale-faced, and shouting "Spare me!"

Before he could finish speaking, a gunshot rang out, and he fell to the ground.

Someone jumped out of the gambling den window, broke his leg, and lay in a pool of blood howling in pain when another shot rang out.

The back door of the brothel opened, and several female managers dressed in cheongsams ran out, their hair disheveled and their faces full of terror.

They ran a few steps before being caught up.

The soldiers didn't fire; they just stopped them.

What are you people doing?

"The officer in charge asked."

The women trembled and dared not answer.

The officer looked into their eyes and understood something.

He sent someone to check the backyard.

The door to the woodshed was locked, but it was kicked open.

There were more than a dozen girls locked inside, the youngest being only eleven or twelve years old, and the oldest no more than seventeen or eighteen.

They huddled together, their eyes filled with fear.

The officer clenched his fists, his nails digging into his flesh, and turned to leave the woodshed.

"Where is the madam?"

"Upstairs..."

The officer went upstairs and kicked open the door.

The madam was hiding in the wardrobe, trembling all over, her lips quivering as she begged for mercy. Without hesitation, the officer pressed the muzzle of his gun against her forehead and pulled the trigger.

Gunshots echoed in the narrow room.

The madam's body fell limply to the ground.

The officer went downstairs and said to the soldiers, "Take these girls out and settle them in."

The soldiers nodded and led the girls out of the brothel.

The sunlight outside was blinding, and the girls covered their eyes, walking unsteadily.

Lin Tian's orders were clear and unambiguous.

Those who sold opium in the opium dens were dragged to the street and executed one by one by firing squad.

Their family members rushed over, crying, but were stopped by soldiers.

Some begged for mercy, some cursed, and some collapsed to the ground.

No one will let anyone off the hook because of these things.

"Sir, the opium dens have been cleared. A total of 337 people have been killed."

"The gambling dens have been cleared, and a total of 205 people have been killed."

"The brothel has been cleared. A total of 68 people, including the madam, manager, and thugs, were killed, and 41 trapped girls were rescued."

Brigade Commander Chen reported in detail.

Lin Tian nodded. "Find a place to settle those girls. Send those who have homes back home, and arrange jobs for those who don't. We can't let them fall into that hell again."

"Yes."

Opium dens, gambling dens, and brothels in Shanghai were all shut down.

When the news reached the Green Gang headquarters, Huang Jinrong was drinking tea.

His hand trembled, and water from the teacup splashed out, dripping onto his silk robe.

The tea was very hot, but he didn't realize it.

Du Yuesheng stood up from his chair, his face ashen, and paced back and forth in the office, his leather shoes making a rapid sound as they stomped on the floor.

Zhang Xiaolin slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacup on the table to jump up and smash into pieces on the ground.

"Mr. Du, what should we do now? Our opium dens, gambling dens, brothels, clubs, and dance halls have all been raided."

"Those are all our hard work, our money!" Zhang Xiaolin's voice trembled, both from anger and fear.

Du Yuesheng stopped, looked at Zhang Xiaolin, and then glanced at Huang Jinrong. "Now is not the time to be stingy with money."

You saw those soldiers too; they kill without blinking an eye.

They dare to kill even ordinary people, they dare to kill foreigners, what are tens of thousands of us in their eyes?

Huang Jinrong put down his teacup and leaned back in his chair.

"Mr. Du is right."

He had been in Shanghai for decades and had seen countless storms, but he had never been as afraid as he was today.

The tank cannons and the soldiers' gun barrels were aimed not only at ordinary people and foreigners, but also at the Green Gang.

"Let's fight them!"

Zhang Xiaolin slammed his hand on the table again. "We have tens of thousands of members in the Green Gang. Are we afraid of him? I don't believe he would dare to kill us all."

Huang Jinrong glared at him.

"Fight? Go ahead and die if you want. Are you blind? Didn't you see those soldiers?"

Their equipment is better than the Americans', better than the Nationalists', better than the Japanese's. What do you have to fight them with? Your head?

Zhang Xiaolin's face turned ugly after being rebuked, but he couldn't refute it.

Those words I just said were spoken in a fit of rage.

Now that Huang Jinrong has scolded me like that, my mind has cleared up a bit, and cold sweat immediately broke out on my back.

"Then... what do we do?"

Du Yuesheng stopped and remained silent for a moment. "We should think about our escape route now. The dragon has crossed the river, and we local bullies have been caught red-handed. We need to make a move, or we'll be crushed."

Huang Jinrong nodded.

"I agree. Lu Yongxiang has already run away. The foreigners in the British Concession are a bunch of useless people. Sir, we must get in touch with them."

Otherwise, just the fact that those opium dens, gambling dens, and brothels are our businesses will make us a target. It's better to proactively seek refuge than to be passively waited for.

He paused for a moment, then said, "As long as we offer real money, they will see our sincerity."

Du Yuesheng gritted his teeth, "Fine, that's the only way, but it's too painful."

His heartache was genuine.

Those opium dens, gambling dens, and brothels were the lifeblood of the Green Gang.

All the family fortune they had accumulated over the years vanished overnight.

Nowadays, people even have to spend real money to show their respect to others.

Zhang Xiaolin sighed in frustration, "Sigh!"

Huang Jinrong stood up. "Let's go, let's go meet that young master."

Du Yuesheng stood up, and Zhang Xiaolin also stood up. The three of them walked out of the office and went downstairs.

A black sedan was parked at the entrance, and the driver had already started the engine.

The three people got into the car.

The car drove out of the Green Gang headquarters and headed towards Lin Tian's command post.

……