Republic of China era: A hundred-year-old still practicing martial arts? Is that right?

Seven days to save the people of Jiangcheng

The provincial commander was in a terrible predicament. He dared not offend the foreigners, yet feared inciting a popular uprising, so he could only vent his anger on Jiangcheng.

An urgent call was made directly to the residence of Chen Zetian, the garrison commander of Jiangcheng.

Chen Zetian had just gotten up and was still holding a teacup when he received the phone call, looking completely bewildered.

He's been busy reinforcing the city's defenses these past two days and has no idea that such a big thing happened at the consulate.

"Chen Zetian! Look what you've done in Jiangcheng!"

On the other end of the phone, the provincial commander's voice was filled with overwhelming rage:

"The president of the FAMAS Chamber of Commerce died on your territory! Colonel Zacks also died in the provincial capital! The foreigners are now blocking the governor's mansion demanding an explanation! I'm giving you seven days. Within seven days, you must find the murderer! Otherwise, you can forget about being a commander!"

"Commander, what... what exactly is going on?" Chen Zetian was completely bewildered, and almost dropped his teacup.

"Stop playing dumb! In seven days, the provincial investigation team and the Western commissioner will arrive in Jiangcheng. If you can't hand over the person by then, you'll be court-martialed!"

The commander slammed down the phone, leaving only a busy tone on the receiver.

Chen Zetian stood frozen in place, holding the phone, his back instantly soaked with cold sweat.

The sky is about to fall over Jiangcheng.

Meanwhile, at the Sea Dragon Gang's stronghold, Lin Ji was sitting in the main room, leisurely sipping his tea.

Shen Jinluan sat to the side, listening to his account of breaking into the consulate at night. Her beautiful eyes gleamed with admiration, then she frowned.

"You deliberately let Zack go, aren't you afraid the foreigners in the provincial capital will turn on you?"

Lin Ji put down his teacup and smiled faintly:

"Afraid? If they don't come, how do we break this deadlock?"

"Seven days is enough."

He looked out the window, the morning light falling into his eyes, surging with the sharp edge of strategic planning.

The seven-day deadline weighed heavily on the heads of the Jiangcheng officials.

Upon receiving the order, Chen Zetian immediately declared martial law throughout the city. Military and police were mobilized everywhere, conducting door-to-door searches for martial artists and gangs, causing a great uproar and widespread panic.

But no matter how hard he investigated, all he found was that a mysterious old man had broken into the consulate that night. Apart from that, he couldn't find any clues about the man's identity, background, or whereabouts.

The more Chen Zetian investigated, the more alarmed he became.

The ability to infiltrate a heavily guarded consulate without a sound is something that ordinary gangs in Jiangcheng could never achieve.

He had already guessed who it was.

He dared not investigate any further.

If you really push the other party too far, you might lose your own head first.

But with the pressure from the provincial capital looming, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and cast his net wide, stumbling around like a headless fly.

In stark contrast to the official frantic situation, Lin Ji's plans were progressing steadily.

The next morning, Lin Ji met with the core members of the Tongmenghui.

Inside the courtyard, everyone's eyes fell on Lin Ji, who was sitting at the head of the table, with respectful expressions.

After the previous incidents, no one regarded him as an ordinary old man in the martial arts world anymore. Everyone knew that this Mr. Lin was the backbone who could lead them out of the predicament.

"I have summoned you all here for only one thing."

Lin Ji's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable weight: "I hope everyone will exert their efforts to ensure that all Chinese residents within the concession are evacuated."

Everyone was taken aback upon hearing this.

"Mr. Lin, the concession is now under tight lockdown, with foreigners stationed every three or five steps. Evacuating several thousand people would be as difficult as climbing to heaven," Zhao Qiaosheng couldn't help but say, his face showing difficulty.

"It's difficult, but we have to do it."

Lin Ji tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, his tone resolute:

"The foreigners have come here ostensibly to investigate a case, but in reality, they want to use this opportunity to completely control the concession and promote the use of the alien blood drug. If the people remain in the concession, they are their hostages, the test subjects for their conspiracy. Only by withdrawing can Jiangcheng survive."

"I have already planned out the evacuation routes, resettlement locations, and manpower allocation."

Lin Ji raised his hand and took out a map, which he spread on the table. It clearly marked the streets and alleys of the concession, the patrol routes of foreigners, the secret passages, and the resettlement area in the north of the city.

"We will operate in four groups, working day and night, with priority given to the elderly, women, and children. I will handle checkpoint checks and patrols."

In just a few words, the complex evacuation arrangements were clearly explained.

Everyone was amazed as they looked at the detailed annotations on the blueprints.

Mr. Lin even knew the rotation time and weak points of the patrols in the concession area very well, as if he had already rehearsed it countless times.

Over the next six days, a silent evacuation unfolded in Jiangcheng.

During the day, the foreigners in the concession patrolled closely and maintained a tight blockade, seemingly without any flaws.

But as soon as night fell, the members of the Tongmenghui would split up and lead the people to move north of the city in batches through hidden streets and abandoned tunnels.

When the patrol team turned back, stones and tiles would always be placed at just the right distance to distract them.

No one knows who was behind the attack; all they know is that the journey was fraught with danger but ultimately safe.

The people, with their families in tow, went from initial fear and anxiety to later feeling reassured and confident.

Meanwhile, the Jiangcheng underworld was also in turmoil.

Seeing the chaos in the foreign concessions and the government in a state of chaos, the Gelaohui saw an opportunity and took the chance to expand its territory, swallowing up small gangs everywhere, and even extending its reach into the territory of the Tsing Yi Gang.

Zheng Changsheng, the president of the Gelaohui, believed that the Qingyi Gang must have suffered considerable losses in its previous dealings with the foreigners, and now was the perfect opportunity to take their place.

Upon learning this, Du Qingyi flew into a rage.

He wanted to send someone to ask Lin Ji for his opinion, or ask the Tongmenghui to help, but Liu Qingzhu stopped him.

"Boss, Mr. Lin is currently dealing with foreigners and his mind is on the people. We shouldn't bother him with gang fighting."

Liu Qingzhu stood below the hall, his expression aloof, yet his tone remarkably confident: "The Gelaohui are nothing but clowns; the Green Robe Gang can suppress them on its own. Why bother others?"

Du Qingyi looked at her and suddenly smiled: "The advisor is right. We can handle this little matter ourselves."

On that day, the entire Qingyi Gang was mobilized, with Du Qingyi personally leading the team and Liu Qingzhu overseeing the planning from the rear.

In just three days, they destroyed seven branches of the Gelaohui, forcing the Gelaohui to retreat and cower in their headquarters, afraid to come out.

Throughout this period, Lin Ji did not show up or send a single soldier to help.

It wasn't that he didn't want to help, but in his view, the conflict between local gangs should be resolved by the people of the underworld themselves.

His gaze was always fixed on the foreigners and the people of Jiangcheng.

The fact that the Green Robe Gang was able to stabilize the situation on their own saved him a lot of trouble.

By the seventh day, the Gelaohui headquarters had been breached, and its leader had fled with serious injuries. The once arrogant Gelaohui had completely collapsed and was no longer able to cause trouble.

Taking advantage of the situation, the Green Robe Gang consolidated its territory and quickly became the largest gang in Jiangcheng, with even greater influence than before.

The evacuation of the people, spearheaded by Lin Ji, also came to a successful conclusion.

All of the more than 7,000 Chinese residents in the concession were safely transferred to the resettlement point in the north of the city. Their food, clothing, and shelter were all properly arranged, and there were no casualties or missing persons. The once bustling southern concession was now deserted except for the Western garrison and empty streets; not a single Chinese person could be seen.

On the evening of the seventh day, the delegation from the provincial capital finally arrived in Jiangcheng.