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

"Not entirely. He was originally a member of the National Salvation Association. He Ze joined the association, so taking him away is perfectly reasonable." Lin Ji shook his head, his gaze following the small fishing boat.

"However, what he reminded me of at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was quite interesting. He was... betting on both sides."

Jiang Yunhe was a member of the National Salvation Association, but he was not necessarily loyal to He Ze.

He's a typical江湖人 (jianghu person, a person of the martial arts world) – cunning as a rabbit with multiple burrows, never putting all his eggs in one basket.

"And Du Qingyi," Lin Ji suddenly spoke up. "You just said that some businessmen entered Jiang Yunhe's house this afternoon, and Du Qingyi even helped cover for them?"

"Hmm." Li Shuwen nodded: "That old fox Du Qingyi is as cunning as an eel."

"He's not covering for Jiang Yunhe; he's observing the situation," Lin Ji said calmly. "In Jiangcheng, several forces are entangled: He Ze, the government, and us."

Du Qingyi is a local tyrant; he aligns himself with whichever side is in power. Now that Jiang Yunhe is making connections, he'll offer a way out. If it succeeds, he'll get a share; if it fails, he can wash his hands of the matter.

As they were talking, Shen Jinluan's voice came through the earpiece:

"Old man, Du Qingyi's side has made a move. The Qingyi Gang members are gathering at the ferry crossing south of the city, all armed, a dark mass of them. I don't know what they're up to. Should I take the water patrol team to go around and keep an eye on them?"

"No need," Lin Ji replied in a low voice, turning to face the sandbag.

"Let them make their move. You just guard the house and the inner harbor. Don't do anything rash. No matter what Du Qingyi plans, it doesn't matter if his small group of men starts fighting."

"I understand," Shen Jinluan replied, without asking any further questions.

……

Heze's heavy artillery was still bombarding the cargo warehouses on the shore intermittently.

Five or six small sampans emerged from the side of the old ship under the cover of artillery fire. The boats were crowded with soldiers in gray uniforms, and some people started jumping into the water when the boats were still a dozen steps from the shore.

"Commander, what should we do?! Commander He's men are about to attack!" The adjutant in charge looked distressed and at a loss.

"Damn it! When are we going to call back Commander He? Attack! Attack him!"

Chen Tianze glanced at the government ship in the distance and shouted at the top of his lungs.

The heavy machine gun roared, its bullets sweeping across the river and splashing up bursts of water.

The soldiers at the forefront of the beach suddenly burst open their chests in bursts of blood and plunged into the water.

The bright red blood spread along the ripples on the sea surface, only to be washed away by the waves in the blink of an eye.

Those behind them stepped over the bodies of their companions and continued to rush forward. Some people were shot but still took two steps forward before crashing heavily into the water.

The river water at the beach quickly turned a pale red.

Chen Tianze squatted behind the largest sandbag, clutching a pistol in his hand, the handle of which was soaked with sweat.

He had fought in countless wars, but he had never seen such a reckless fighting style.

He Ze was throwing human lives onto the beach just to force him to open the city gates?

"Mr. Lin... can this stop it?" He turned his head and leaned close to Lin Ji, his voice trembling.

Lin Ji didn't speak, his gaze sweeping across the river and landing on the largest old ship in the middle.

Despite the fierce artillery fire and the rapid landing, which seemed impressive, he still felt something was amiss.

If we really wanted to launch a direct assault, the heavy artillery of the three ships would have bombarded the beach fortifications at the same time, turning the entire beach upside down long ago. There's no need to sacrifice lives.

This is for show!

It's for the people in the city to see!

If the National Salvation Association wins this battle, they will proclaim in the city that it was to save the people of the city! It was to let the people see the true face of the ruling government.

As for firing cannons into the city, they can simply say it's to sabotage the government's secret facilities.

This is also a way to win people's hearts.

……

Inside Heze's flagship cabin.

The oil lamps hanging on the bulkhead swayed gently with the hull.

The dim light cast long shadows of people inside the cabin.

Jiang Yunhe sat imposingly in a chair next to the square table, twirling a copper-mouthed pipe in his hand, the burning tobacco wisps of smoke rising gently.

Standing opposite him was Zhou Biao, the naval commander of the National Salvation Association.

Dark-skinned, with a thick beard, he exuded a fierce aura honed from battles.

He had his hands behind his back, his face tense.

"What does Mr. Jiang mean by boarding the ship at this time?" Zhou Biao's voice was deep and gruff, with a hint of hostility: "You approached Li Shuwen in the provincial capital, and you actually hid in Jiangcheng for so long. When it came time to take action, you didn't even give me a definite answer. I almost ran headfirst into the muzzle of the Jing-class ship's cannon."

Jiang Yunhe chuckled and tapped his pipe lightly against the edge of the table, leaving a small clump of ash on the rough wooden table.

"I've gotten what the organization needed." He looked up at Zhou Biao, his usual playful smile gone, replaced by a shrewdness. "But we can't just hand the information out carelessly. If word gets out, can you handle the consequences?"

Zhou Biao frowned. Another cannon shot rang out outside the cabin, making the oil lamp flicker violently three times. He steadied himself before asking, "Have the Xinghua Society people arrived?"

"Yes." Jiang Yunhe nodded, then stood up, walked to the map on the bulkhead, and pointed to Jiangcheng's location: "What are your plans next? Enter the city?"

Zhou Biao nodded: "You have a way?"

Jiang Yunhe continued, "Opening the city gates and letting people in is not difficult, but let me be clear from the start, I don't know exactly what the situation is inside the city, and whether the plan can be successfully implemented is still unknown."

"Don't worry about that!" Zhou Biao sneered. "At worst, we'll just bomb it!"

Jiang Yunhe stepped onto the deck via the gangway, and the river breeze rushed towards him, carrying the smell of gunpowder and the salty stench of the river.

The firelight from the shore reflected in the water, making half of the area bright and the other half dark.

He looked up toward the dock and, across half a stretch of churning river water, saw a figure standing atop the pile of goods.

He was tall and straight, wearing a gray cloth robe. Even standing in the firelight, he stood as tall as a mountain!

It is Lin Ji.

Jiang Yunhe smiled meaningfully, raised his hand, and gestured towards the dock as if raising a glass.

It was like a toast, but also like a provocation.

On the dock, Lin Ji stood at the highest point of the cargo pile, the river wind whipping his clothes in the wind.

In the firelight, the two people, separated by half a river, met each other's gazes.

One was on the ship, and the other was on the shore.

One smiled knowingly, the other's eyes were cold.

Li Shuwen, holding his gun, followed Lin Ji's gaze and muttered a curse under his breath:

"Are we really going to cooperate with this kid? We never expected He Ze to become the head of the National Salvation Association!"

Lin Ji didn't speak, his brows furrowed.

How exactly should this battle be fought?

As he was thinking, a muffled metallic scraping sound suddenly came from the river.

Heze's three old ships slowly turned their bows around.

The cannons, which were originally aimed at the cargo warehouses on the shore, gradually turned around, and the dark muzzles were now aimed at the Jing-class ironclad warship downstream.

The soldiers who were charging on the beach stopped and retreated to their sampans, rowing back.

"What's going on?" Chen Tianze poked his head out, looking at the commotion on the distant sea, completely bewildered. "They... stopped fighting?"

Li Shuwen was also stunned: "The cannons have turned... Are they going to fight the government's warships?"

However, the sound of cannon fire did not arrive as expected.