Chapter 181 Destined
Chapter 181 Destined
"Sister Xiu'er went to Shanghai with 20 retired Huai Army veterans, all of whom were equipped with the latest breech-loading rifles and revolvers, as well as five Mianquan guards led by Yang Jianhou..."
Hearing that everything was fine, Shao Quanzhong was relieved. He sneered contemptuously, "The twenty breech-loading musketeers I trained personally will be a big loss even if Li Hongzhang leads a battalion to attack. It will take a while to defeat them. The Qing Gang is a bunch of ruffians. Humph, what a bunch of bullies."
"It's still very dangerous. Sister Xiu'er's guards saw that the warning shots didn't work, so they just opened fire. But those Green Gang thugs with knives were offered a huge reward, so they kept coming forward without fear of death. By the time a large number of police officers came to intervene and control the situation, more than 40 hooligans had been beaten to death. On our side, two retired veterans were hacked to death, and Yang Jianhou and another Mianquan disciple were also seriously injured."
"I'm going to fuck his grandma's legs."
Shao Quanzhong kicked over the table. "What the hell is this? You call this nothing happened? Did I just kill my people randomly? Tell Li Hongzhang that my people died in Shanghai. If you don't give me a satisfactory explanation, I, Ma Hualong, will stop fighting and will return to pacify Shanghai."
Shao Quanzhong threw his military cap to the ground. "At worst, I'll rebel now. The Huai Army Intelligence Department didn't detect the attack plan against us in advance. Jiang Chunlin will be dismissed but retained, demoted two levels, and will be punished for meritorious service. If he doesn't find out who is behind this, I'll kill him!"
…………
In Hongkou, Shanghai, Li Hongzhang, who was inspecting the newly established "Jiangnan Manufacturing General Bureau", was stunned when he received a report from his subordinates and stood there for a long time.
Suddenly he jumped up and said, "Come here, Shanghai is under temporary martial law, all ports and land transportation are closed. All Shanghai troops are dispatched to arrest all Green Gang disciples. If anyone escapes, you will bring your head to me!"
Li Hongzhang had just been conferred the title of First-Class Suyi Earl by the imperial court. Because Zeng Guofan had just joined forces with Zhang Zhidong's Ziqiang Army to wipe out Chen Decai on the border of Hubei and Henan, and was immediately transferred to Shandong to suppress the Nian Rebellion, he had already been appointed Governor-General of Liangjiang, acting on behalf of Zeng Guofan to manage the traditional territory of the Hunan Army.
Seeing that the provincial governor who was on the road to glory was so out of control, his subordinates were quite puzzled.
Ding Richang, the head of the Jiangnan General Manufacturing Bureau, disagreed. "It was just two retired veterans of the Huai Army who died. There are always public security incidents. Is it necessary to make such a big fuss?"
Li Hongzhang flicked his sleeves and said, "Stupid, what do you know? Did you know that Shao Yuting's wife was frightened this time? Butcher Shao has always been protective of his people. This happened in my jurisdiction. If we wait for them to come to our door, we will be in a passive position."
Liu Mingchuan, who accompanied the inspection, was indignant, "Our Shanghai Army is not a pushover, let Shao Yuting fight with us."
"Report, the Nanyang Navy has suddenly sailed to the outside of the Huangpu River, with its guns pointed at Shanghai. Ministers from various countries have sent people to protest. Please give an explanation, Governor."
Li Hongzhang was thinking about the lawsuit. "I can't explain anything. Even though the Nanyang Navy is in Zhenjiang, can I mobilize it?"
"Report, the British and American ministers have withdrawn their protests, and the British and American fleets have announced that they will conduct joint military exercises with the Nanyang Navy in the Huangpu River. At the same time, 5,000 British troops stationed in Shanghai and 800 US Marines have entered level one alert."
"What the hell is this exercise? Why are you just standing there watching? Go and catch them!"
Now Liu Mingchuan was scared, the Shanghai army gathered urgently, and Shanghai was in chaos.
"Report, Huai Army Lieutenant Colonel Jiang Chunlin wants to see you."
Jiang Chunlin, dressed in military uniform, strode into the Jiangnan General Manufacturing Bureau. When he saw Li Hongzhang, he saluted and said, "Lieutenant Colonel Jiang Chunlin of the Huai Army pays respect to the Governor-General."
Li Hongzhang shook his head and sighed. This soldier who dared to be so angry and arrogant to this governor, is he one of the three famous poets of the Qing Dynasty? I don't think he is like that. The Huai Army is really good at transforming people.
Jiang Chunlin was extremely furious. He had already found out that the leader of the Green Gang was bribed by someone for 100,000 silver coins. The decision was made suddenly and it was totally unexpected. He was fired from his position, which was really an unexpected disaster.
"I have already found out that the leader of the Qing Gang accepted a huge amount of money and ordered his assassins to besiege the carriage of the first-rank imperial lady. The leader fled with the banknotes, but was caught by my troops in Qingpu and shot dead on the spot. I have already found out that the mastermind behind this is Yang Fang."
"Governor Jiang, please relax. We have already sent people to arrest all the Green Gang members and will definitely give Shao Yuting an explanation."
Jiang Chunlin was appointed the prefect of Yan'an. Ahem, Yan'an Prefecture is still under the control of the bandit Li Shuangliang. Even if it is liberated, it is impossible for Jiang Chunlin to take office.
Li Hongzhang turned around and ordered, "Come here, arrest Yang Fang."
"No need, we've already been there. Yangfang Mansion is empty, everyone has run away."
Li Hongzhang was so angry that he wondered, "Am I the acting governor-general of Liangjiang or Shao Quanzhong?" How could his people openly arrest people everywhere in Shanghai? I could bear it.
"Someone, go to Ningbo and arrest the family members of the wanted criminal Yang Fang."
The men ran to execute the order.
"Report! The British and American concessions are cooperating with our efforts to capture Green Gang members, and the French Concession refuses entry to our Shanghai troops."
Li Hongzhang scratched his head. Managing Shanghai is not a job for a human being. Xue Huan, I understand you.
the next day.
"Report, the French opened up the concession under the joint pressure of Britain and the United States. Our Shanghai Army has captured more than 200 escaped Green Gang members, but they have no information on the whereabouts of Yang Fang's family."
"Report, all the brothers and nephews in Yangfang's hometown of Ningbo are missing. It is obvious that this has been planned for a long time."
That afternoon, the temporary martial law in Shanghai was lifted, and more than 2,000 human heads were hung along the Huangpu River.
The Green Gang was completely destroyed and the public security situation in Shanghai improved unprecedentedly.
On the East China Sea, a three-masted steam battleship sailed against the wind and waves. It was the French warship "Daredevil" that had returned home for a rest.
In the VIP cabin, Yang Fang bowed his head and bowed to a French lieutenant colonel in a flattering manner, "Thank you for your rescue."
The lieutenant colonel looked at Yang Fang with a smile, as if he was looking at a loyal dog. "Mr. Yang, although your plan to capture the wanted criminal in France this time did not succeed, we thank you for your kindness to France. Your family will be granted residency in Marseille, and we in France will not treat our old friends unfairly."
The Kokang warship sounded its whistle, puffed out black smoke, set sail with full sails, and headed south.
…………
Gansu, Wuzhong County, Guojiaqiao Huai Army Front Command.
This place belonged to Ningxia in later generations, but there is no such region as Ningxia now, and it is under the jurisdiction of Gansu.
Shao Quanzhong held the intelligence delivered by the express horse in his hand, with a dissatisfied look on his face, "Yang Fang was not caught? Keep investigating, and we must find this bastard. But Li Jianfu's performance is not bad, so let's end this matter first. Whoever dares to mess with us again, hmph."
Hu Liuniang chuckled, "Yuting, look how scared you made the acting governor of Liangjiang. In my opinion, Yuting, you are a star from heaven. Xiu'er and Hui'er must be blessed by the gods and Buddhas. Even the thief God will not dare to mess with them in the future. They are destined to live a safe and prosperous life."
"The British and American performed well this time. My role as agent was not in vain."
"You just spent more than 30 million taels of silver in the UK. Where can you find such a big customer? Then, Sister Xiuer signed a 20,000-kilometer railway contract with the Central Pacific Railroad Company of the United States. In the future, Stanford will own 49% of the railway in our territory. Of course, the United States will support you. Is this considered selling out your country?"
"I am obviously introducing foreign capital. Once the railway is completed, the flow of goods will be accelerated, and our development will be accelerated. I tell you, the more good things like spending foreigners' money to help us develop, the better. Only a fool would not do it. It's a win-win situation. Now the Americans have handed over both technologies to us, haven't they?"
Shao Quanzhong patted his forehead, "The rear of the country is not stable, and they have no intention of fighting. Dong Shiqiu's letter of persuasion to his son has been sent to Dong Fuxiang's camp for several days, why hasn't he made any move?"
"This Dong Fuxiang is a ruthless man. His father, brother and family members refused to surrender in your hands."
Shao Quanzhong slammed the table, "He deserves a beating. I'm already very angry, but he doesn't know the current situation. Come on, order the Lin Bozi Group to prepare for an attack. Guojiaqiao is not easy to attack here, let's kill Dong Fuxiang first. If we can't kill him——"
"Report, Lingzhou has been lost."
(End of this chapter)