roccoschili Chapter 101 Objective: Military Funding for the British Garrison in Hong Kong
Chapter 101 Objective: Military Funding for the British Garrison in Hong Kong
Chapter 101 Objective: Military Funding for the British Garrison in Hong Kong
Boom!!!
Just as dozens of soldiers rushed into the building, a deafening explosion suddenly rang out.
The entire building was like a volcanic eruption, with flames and thick smoke spewing out from all the windows and doors. The shockwave knocked nearby people to the ground, and wood and stone fragments flew in all directions like bullets, killing and injuring several unlucky people on the spot.
Then, human remains and fragments fell from the sky; heavier arms and legs landed among the nearby crowd, while lighter intestines and internal organs hung on distant trees or rooftops.
"My God!"
Charles Merry, looking at the hellish scene before him, felt his limbs go weak and couldn't help but groan, "Madmen, these gangsters are all madmen!"
The lieutenant, who was standing not far in front of him, brushed the blood and flesh off himself and asked, "Sergeant George, Sergeant Richard, are you still alive?"
"Sir, I think you don't need to shout anymore."
The soldier beside the lieutenant, pale-faced, pointed to the burning ruins ahead and said, "The buildings are all gone, and now there's a huge fire. Only God could survive an explosion of that power."
Just as the British soldiers were preparing to clean up the mess, a crow on another street watched them through a monocular and clicked its tongue.
"The power was a bit too weak; it only killed a few dozen British soldiers."
"These casualties are enough."
A gangster next to him laughed and said, "When the British attacked the Qing Dynasty more than ten years ago, only sixty-nine people died."
We killed forty or fifty this time, enough to make the Governor and General of Hong Kong furious.
The crow sneered, its eyes filled with malice: "These bastards forced us to fake our deaths to escape, and these few deaths aren't enough!"
"What do you want to do?"
The crow was silent for a moment, then suddenly grinned and said, "What do you say, how about we rob the British troops stationed in Hong Kong of their pay?"
According to intelligence from Harvey's side, just two days ago, the military pay allocated by the British War Office, escorted by a warship, had been transported to the East Coast Bank in Hong Kong and stored in the innermost vault.
The amount of military pay transported this time is a full £400,000, more than double that of last year!
"Our lord said that Britain will launch a second attack on the Qing Dynasty next year, so this money must have been sent over in advance as preparation."
His gaze swept across the faces of the crowd, and he said, "What's more, the vault contains the money that the Dongfan Banque de l'Indochine has earned over the years from handling the opium trade. Why not seize it while we can!"
"The British will go crazy," one of the assassins murmured excitedly.
"But how do we rob it? By digging tunnels?"
The assassin nicknamed "Chicken" raised a question: "Should we have Harvey rent a house near the bank, then find a way to get the bank's architectural blueprints, and then dig there day and night?"
"The idea is great, but it's not technically feasible."
One of the assassins shook his head and retorted, "The underground around the Dongfan Banque de l'Indochine is all granite and hard clay. Without using gunpowder, digging those dozens of meters by hand alone would take two or three months."
"Also, how will we transport the excavated soil away? Hong Kong has so much groundwater; what if it flows into the tunnel during excavation?"
"Oh, and there's the noise from the construction at night; the police will definitely come."
"Alright, alright, that's enough. I know it won't work."
Pheasant waved his hands repeatedly and clicked his tongue, saying, "Then what do you suggest? We can't just rob it by force, can we?"
Unexpectedly, the crow raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and said, "Why can't we just steal it by force?"
Are you sure?
Chicken was surprised and said, "The East Coast Bank is located in the heart of Central, just a few hundred meters from the police station, two kilometers away from the army barracks, and across the sea from the navy in Victoria Harbour."
"If we choose to forcibly seize it, the British will rush over and fight us like their balls have been squeezed. There are hundreds or even thousands of them. Unless we mobilize all our manpower in Hong Kong."
"But if that's the case, what's the point of faking our death?"
A lean man nodded and said, "That's right, and if there are too many people, the Royal Navy might just use the ship's heavy cannons to bombard them."
The assassin on the other side said, "In the end, let alone robbing a bank, even taking over Hong Kong would be a very simple matter for us."
But what happens next? We don't have control of the sea. And our primary task in Hong Kong is to ensure a steady stream of compatriots travel through here to San Francisco to replenish our manpower, not to cause chaos and turn this place into ruins.
"I know your concerns, but please let me finish."
The crow made a downward pressing gesture with both hands, signaling everyone to shut up.
He said slowly, "So in my plan, only thirty people will be dispatched this time, and they will be under the banner of pirates."
"The process is quite simple. Tomorrow morning, we'll rush straight to the bank entrance, kill everyone inside, blow open the vault door, and then use the Lord's subspace teleportation skill to teleport everyone and the money away."
"That's it?" The others were stunned.
The crow spread its hands, puzzled, and said, "Otherwise what? Why are you making it so complicated? It's just a simple act of revenge."
"Now, let's vote by raising our hands."
The fire at the explosion site burned for half the night.
By daybreak, the three-story old building had been completely reduced to a smoking pile of ruins.
Charles Merry stood at the edge of the ruins. He was pale and listless after a sleepless night, but he insisted on staying there.
After all, he really didn't dare go back to report before the investigation was complete. If he reported something wrong, he would really lose his position as police chief.
"Sir."
A police officer jogged over, saluted, and reported, "We've recovered seventeen sets of remains from the rubble, but they're all charred and blown to pieces, making it impossible to identify their faces."
"Can't you recognize any of their faces?" Merry frowned.
The police officer shook his head: "We can't identify any of them, but given the power of the explosion, it's impossible for anyone to still be alive."
Merry was silent for a moment, then said, "You continue cleaning, I'll go report to the governor."
Spring Garden.
Governor Sir John Bowring sat in his study with the morning paper spread out in front of him.
Newspapers have already reported on last night's explosion, with headlines in large print: "Chinese Gang Destroyed! Police Crack Down, Gang Den Annihilated."
"Charles, is this the final result you've given me?"
Bao Ning put down his newspaper and looked at the police chief across from him. "Six hundred people searched for a gang, and you're reporting only a few dozen casualties?"
"Do you know what Major General Sterling said to me last night? Do I need to repeat it to you?"
Merry kept her mouth shut and didn't say a word. When your boss is in a bad mood, it's best not to say anything.
Bao Ning sneered and continued, "Furthermore, I said I wanted to see the person alive or dead, and then you gave me seventeen mutilated and charred corpses?"
Answer me!
Merry forced a smile and replied, "Governor, the explosion was too powerful. All the bodies pulled out of the rubble looked like this."
Bao Ning sneered and said, "Where did all that explosives come from? Did that Xinghantang gang have any leaders who didn't go last night and thus survived? Have you investigated these things thoroughly?"
Melly was speechless, and stammered, "Not yet, I'll try my best to investigate when I get back."
"Then hurry up and go. I don't want to hear any news of organized Chinese gangs making a comeback!"
"Yes, Governor."
Just as Meili was about to take her leave, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the door. The Chief Secretary for Administration, Ma Che, pushed the door open and entered without even knocking.
"Governor, something terrible has happened!"
Bao Ning frowned: "What is it?"
Ma Che, panting heavily, said, "The Dongfan Reichsbank has been robbed!"
Upon hearing this familiar name, Bao Ning stopped holding her coffee cup.
"What?"
Rewind time by ten minutes or so, outside the Dongfan Banque de l'Indochine.
As the morning sun shone down, many Chinese laborers carrying loads on their shoulders were already working on the streets.
As soon as the bank doors opened, several Indian security guards stood ramrod straight, their eyes fixed on the people coming and going on the street.
The Indian security guard on the left saw a Chinese man carrying a shoulder pole getting closer and closer, as if he was about to enter the bank. He quickly reached out to stop him and said in heavily accented English, "Hey, this is not a place for Chinese people."
Unexpectedly, the Chinese man swayed like a ghost, dodging the Indian man's arm, and a hunting knife, seemingly pulled from nowhere, pierced his chin and throat.
The second Indian security guard reacted quickly, opening his mouth to shout while raising his baton to smash it down on the Chinese man's head.
But the next second, another Chinese man rushed out of the street and appeared beside him like lightning. Then, a knife was plunged directly into his ribs.
The second Indian security guard's eyes widened, and without uttering a sound, his body went limp.
"Put on a face mask."
The crow dropped the corpse in front of it and casually pulled up the red scarf around its neck to cover its face.
"Remember, leave no survivors!"
The laborers on the street dropped their tools, pulled up their face towels, took out their revolvers, and rushed into the bank.
There weren't many people in the bank at the moment, except for a few employees behind the counter and a manager who was reprimanding them.
Upon seeing a group of masked men rush in, one of the employees' pupils constricted, and he shouted without hesitation, "Robbers!"
boom!
A gunshot rang out, and a hole appeared in the employee's head.
Several assassins beside Crow also opened fire, and after a few shots, there were no survivors left in the hall.
"Keep pushing in. Chicken, take half the men, find good positions, and guard the main hall."
The crow looked at the pheasant beside it and said, "If you really can't hold on, then slowly retreat, but at least delay them for an hour."
Pheasant nodded: "It's only an hour, no problem."
The thirty people then split into two teams. One team, led by Crow, continued to advance, eliminating anyone they encountered. The other team began moving tables, chairs, and other items to build a defensive line.
Soon, the crows and their crew arrived at the vault.
The vault of the Banque de l'Indochine was located on the basement level, with extremely thick granite walls, further reinforced by an additional layer of iron plates. The doors were forged from 1-foot-long wrought iron, and there were multiple doors, making it virtually impregnable.
"So thick? How much explosives would that have taken?" one of the assassins exclaimed as he knocked on the door.
"There's no need to blow up the door, just blow up the hinges."
Crow took five pounds of explosives from the assassin behind him and placed them on the door hinges. "Once the hinges are gone, the door will fall down automatically."
"Alright, everyone, move back outside, at least twenty meters, it'll be quite a commotion."
boom!
Thirty seconds later, a loud bang shook half the street, and pedestrians could even feel the road beneath their feet vibrating.
The police station, which heard the commotion nearby, rushed over to the bank like monkeys whose bottoms had been scalded.
Hearing the commotion outside the bank, Chicken began aiming his revolver: "Brothers, get ready to fire!"
Inside the basement.
After most of the dust had settled, the crows saw the scene behind the gate: a heavy iron gate.
boom!
Another loud bang, like muffled thunder, made people's ears ring.
On the streets, the white people also understood what had happened.
"Could this commotion be a bank robbery?"
"It looks like there were two loud bangs in a short period of time. It must have been the bandits blowing up the vault door."
"Which bank? It can't be the one where I deposit my money, can it?"
"Are the police just sitting around doing nothing? Allowing criminals to rob people in Central?"
The police officer, who was being called a good-for-nothing, had no way to express his grievances.
More than half of the dozen or so police officers sent to scout the area died as soon as they met the enemy. The rest of them only dared to hide under pillars or steps, occasionally firing a shot to announce their presence, and praying that the army's support would arrive soon.
After a few minutes of this stalemate, a third loud bang erupted in the street.
The last vault door was also blown up.
Inside the vault, a crow perched on the shattered door and lit a kerosene lamp hanging nearby, illuminating the interior.
The first thing that catches the eye is hundreds of wooden crates wrapped in sheet metal, neatly stacked in piles.
One of the assassins carried a box down, cut the lock on it with a knife, and opened the box.
Stacks of gold coins, neatly arranged in rolls of kraft paper, appeared before everyone's eyes.
"Sowerlin gold coin, one pound."
The crow leaned over for a look and laughed, "Fifty coins per tube, eighty tubes in total, this wooden box is worth four thousand pounds!"
Holy crap.
One of the assassins couldn't help but swear: "There are hundreds of alleys in here, that's over a million pounds!"
"The idea is beautiful, but reality is cruel."
One of the assassins broke the lock on another wooden crate, and said, "This crate contains Mexican silver dollars. I estimate that a large portion of the crates are filled with these."
"Alright, never mind what's inside."
The crow said, "Get moving. Two boxes each, prepare for teleportation."
"Leave two more people with me to break open the other safe, and don't leave anything for the British!"
3
One of the assassins rubbed his hands together, saying, "We definitely won't leave a single penny. This bank is in the opium trade; robbing all its money would be doing a service to the people."