roccoschili Chapter 3 The Stunned Fengtian Clique Boss
Chapter 3 The Stunned Fengtian Clique Boss
Lu Da Shazi, who had just arrived in Fengtian after a day on a steam train that was even more uncomfortable than a green-skinned train, was exhausted.
Upon entering the Wu residence, he collapsed into bed and quickly entered a deep, restful sleep.
Even the tall, imposing man who had seen many important figures from beyond the Great Wall was amazed.
"No wonder the master likes him; this guy is not only reckless in fights, but also incredibly audacious!"
While Lu Xingzhou slept soundly, Wu Junsheng burst into Zhang Zuolin's residence in a flurry of activity.
Seeing Zhang Zuolin and Feng Delin arguing in the distance, he smiled helplessly and then shouted:
"Yuting, Gechen, you two, stop chattering! Your second brother is in trouble!"
Interrupted by him, Feng Delin, who had stopped arguing, grinned and asked arrogantly, "What? In this little corner of Guandong, it's already good enough if we brothers don't cause trouble for others, do you think we'd let outsiders bully us?!"
At present, the development of the Guandong region is extremely unbalanced. The largest province, Heilongjiang, has a total population of less than 200 million. Its economic scale, population size, and military strength are only a fraction of those of Fengtian. Even if Jilin were combined, it would not be able to defeat Fengtian.
The army in Fengtian with any fighting capacity was basically controlled by four major military commanders:
Zhang Zuolin, commander of the Fengtian Front and Central Route Patrol Battalion stationed in Fengtian;
Feng Delin, commander of the Fengtian Left Route Patrol Battalion stationed in Jinzhou;
Ma Longtan, commander of the Fengtian Right Route Patrol Battalion stationed in Fengcheng;
Wu Junsheng, commander of the Fengtianhou Road Patrol Battalion stationed in Zhengjiatun.
The four were sworn brothers, and whether or not things were chaotic in Northeast China was entirely up to them. No wonder Feng Delin was so arrogant.
They're so awesome, it's no wonder outsiders are wary of them.
President Yuan, who would not officially take office for another two weeks, sent a letter the day before yesterday promising to nominate Zhang and Feng as lieutenant generals to command the 27th and 28th Divisions, and Ma and Wu as major generals to command the brigade. His intention to divide the Fengtian Army was obvious.
However, this matter concerned who would become the leader of Northeast China in the future. Putting himself in Feng Delin's shoes, Zhang Zuolin knew he wouldn't back down either. To prevent the conflict from escalating, he asked his second brother, Wu Junsheng, to come to Fengtian to mediate.
At this moment, the other four sworn brothers saw that the two had stopped arguing and were finally able to join in.
Sun Liechen chimed in, "What kind of coward dares to cause trouble for Second Brother? Doesn't he know who's in charge in Fengtian?!"
Tang Yulin, like Zhang Fei on horseback, shouted, "I'll gather my men right now and let's get this hell out of here!"
Having silently observed Feng Delin and confirmed that his third brother did not want a merger, Zhang Zuolin finally spoke:
"What's with all the arguing? All you ever do is fight! Let your second brother finish what he has to say!"
Zhang Zuoxiang chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes, what exactly happened, Second Brother?"
He knew that even Zhao Erxun, the Governor-General of the Three Northeastern Provinces whom Zhang Zuolin respected, was ignored by his second brother, so this trouble probably didn't require any physical intervention.
"Hey~ about this..."
When Wu Junsheng told his brothers about how he had met Lu Xingzhou on the road, who was known for his fierce fighting skills and extraordinary appearance, and how he had taken a liking to him and exchanged the money for a check, they were not surprised at all.
These days, who among those who roam the underworld doesn't have a ton of godparents?
According to the "Historical Materials of the Beiyang Warlords: Zhang Zuolin Volume", our warlord had recognized about 40 godfathers and godmothers in his life. Wu Junsheng's decision not to take Lu Xingzhou as his godson was already quite restrained.
He then pulled out a check and revealed his true colors: "I wanted to save some money for my kids so they could go back home and live a simple life, but I ended up making a fool of myself instead!"
Feng Delin looked disdainful.
"Second Brother, I'm not trying to criticize you, but have you been spending money recklessly these past few years? You're just a kid who can't make it in the US, how much money do you have in your pocket? And you've driven yourself to this point?"
Wu Junsheng had previously thought so too, and without arguing, he unfolded the check in front of everyone.
Feng Delin stared intently as he counted: "Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, 10! And it's all knives!!!??? Damn it, that's enough to pay the entire division's salaries for half a year!!"
The guys' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
At market price, 1 US dollar could be exchanged for 2.4 silver dollars, which was roughly equivalent to a month's salary for a Fengtian Army soldier. This shows how generous the Fengtian warlords were.
If it were the Sichuan Army, whose monthly salary was only half a silver dollar and was often delayed, 24 silver dollars would be enough to support an entire army!
Unable to resist the temptation, Tang Yulin blurted out:
"Let's rob him!!"
Of the eight brothers, only the eldest, Ma Longtan, had a clean background. The other seven, going back ten years, were all bandits, and robbery was their old profession, so they had no psychological burden.
Even the wealthy and powerful Feng Delin's eyes darted around.
But Zhang Zuolin, being a ruthless and ambitious man, immediately made a pointed remark:
"Stop talking nonsense! We're a regular army now, officers! How can you expect to be officials if you're always thinking about 'robbing' to make a living? If you don't follow the rules, how can you expect the people to trust you?!"
Hearing this, Feng Delin rolled his eyes: "That short Zhang is being sarcastic, who is he talking about?! I'm a division commander, would I do such a disreputable thing?"
Tang Yulin quickly pretended to have said something wrong and laughed as he slapped himself in the face.
"Hehe~ Look at my loose tongue, sorry second brother!"
Someone's child let their second brother take away a $10 bearer check—that's a huge level of trust from their boss!
The seasoned veterans present all held a certain amount of respect for the spirited young man.
If Wu Junsheng really steals this money, he'll be unable to face anyone in Guandong; his reputation will be completely ruined.
Knowing his intentions, Wu Junsheng pretended not to hear: "Stop with the nonsense, let's help Second Brother raise the money!"
He's made such a boastful claim, we can't let him lose face.
Anyway, buying weapons from foreigners is a good deal; the price of knives is higher than that of Chinese silver dollars.
"I still have 50,000 silver dollars on me."
Feng Delin was generous, and Zhang Jinghui was equally capable.
"I'll take 20,000."
"I'll take fifteen thousand!"
Tang Yulin glared and tried to appear tough. Sun Liechen and Zhang Zuoxiang, who didn't have much money, each contributed 10,000 silver dollars. Wu Junsheng, who only had 40,000 silver dollars, calculated that he was still short more than half!
So he looked to Zhang Zuolin, who was the richest.
Zhang Zuolin, who had just expanded his army, only had enough cash on hand to pay three months' wages, so he definitely couldn't raise the money.
But who was this Marshal Zhang, whose cunning made the Japanese devils, who schemed against him day and night, so angry they couldn't do anything about him?
With a flicker of his eyes, a plan formed in his mind.
"My nephew is planning to settle down at the source of the Liao River, isn't he?"
"Yeah, his hometown is in that remote place, so he's going back to his roots."
Zhang Zuolin shrugged.
"Second brother, there's no need to make things difficult for us poor folks! Just send the kids to Zhengjiatun, and all the problems will be solved, right?"
Old Zhang may not have the money, but he has a good in-law!
Let alone Northeast China, in terms of wealth and assets, how many people in China today can compare to Yu Wendou, who is known as the "Southern Rock and Northern Dipper"?
Wu Junsheng slapped the back of his head: "Hey~~ Look at my memory!"
The old buddies laughed heartily, tacitly ignoring the earlier argument between Zhang and Feng, and continued to sit together playing mahjong and chatting about military affairs until evening before dispersing.
Wu Mansion.
Unaware that Wu Junsheng had used him to defuse a conflict, Lu Xingzhou dreamt that he was back in Tianjin the day before yesterday.
With delicate features, a tall and graceful figure, wearing a lady's hat and a lace and green gauze dress, the ethereal young girl Bai Xiuzhu pleaded, "Little brother Xingzhou, will you come with me to Beiping to see my brother?"
The butler, who had come to fetch her and was familiar with her proud and arrogant nature, looked on with surprise.
Even more surprisingly, the young lady was rejected!
"Xingzhou is returning to China this time only to go back to his hometown to farm, so he will not bother Mr. Bai any further."
"How could it be a disturbance? Given our relationship..."
"Sister Bai~ What's our relationship?"
Lu Xingzhou interrupted her with a joke, which made Bai Xiuzhu turn her head away in anger.
Two months ago, while studying in San Francisco, she was nearly raped by a local playboy, but was rescued by Lu Xingzhou, who happened to be there.
After a series of thrilling and harrowing events, they finally boarded the passenger ship back home.
During this time of being inseparable, feelings gradually developed between them, but they were about to part ways. Bai Xiuzhu hadn't received a confession from him, so she was naturally anxious.
Lu Xingzhou, who had made up his mind to return to his hometown, decided to make a promise before parting, in order to prevent the swan he was about to catch from flying away.
"Is my sister going to confront Mr. Bai and come home with me to be a housewife?"
The butler glanced coldly at Lu Xingzhou, annoyed by his frivolous and rude behavior, while Bai Xiuzhu blushed and spat lightly:
"Pshaw~ Kids just talk nonsense. Who wants to be your landlady!"
"If my sister doesn't let me be the head wife now, I might only be able to be a concubine in the future!"
These words almost made the butler furious.
The eldest daughter of the prestigious Bai family in the capital is forced to become someone's concubine?
How dare he say that?!
Bai Xiuzhu frowned and scolded, "This is getting more and more absurd. I didn't even agree to be the landlady, so why are you asking me to be a concubine?"
"We can't delay in having children for the Lu family, but what can I do? I love my sister! Even if I get married, I'll make sure she's my concubine!"
Lu Xingzhou's self-righteousness made the noble lady laugh in exasperation.
Even though she is in love with him, she shouldn't be treated so disrespectfully!
"Dream on! You think I'd be your concubine? Only an iron tree could bloom!"
Lu Xingzhou could do it, but there was no Tie Shu to demonstrate it to him right now.
"Would it be possible to bring a withered tree back to life and have it bloom again?"
Isn't that all just wishful thinking?!
Bai Xiuzhu nodded fiercely: "Okay!"
"Watch closely, sister!"
Lu Xingzhou grabbed the butler's rosewood cane with one hand and gestured with the other.
With a crisp "pop," the tender green shoots stubbornly pushed open the painted surface.
Sprouting branches, growing leaves, and forming buds.
Clusters of pale yellow flowers have burst into bloom!
Under the butler's dumbfounded gaze, Lu Xingzhou broke off a flower branch and placed it on Bai Xiuzhu's hat, smiling smugly:
"Sister Bai, just wait to be my concubine~ Hahahaha!"
Bai Xiuzhu, who had been repeatedly amused by his tricks such as telekinesis and the Three Immortals Returning to Their Cave on the boat, was shocked for a moment before she 'realized' that she had been fooled by his tricks again!
She pouted and protested, "No, no, I don't agree! You're bullying your sister again!"
"Hehe~ A gentleman's word is his bond. Once I'm settled, I'll go to the Bai family to snatch the bride!"
A flutter in her heart, Bai Xiuzhu, befitting her pampered young lady nature, threatened him: "Dare to try and steal my bride? My guards will break your legs!"
But this is a dream, not a memory.
In her dream, she truly abandoned worldly constraints and eloped with Lu Xingzhou.
In a daze, they arrived at their wedding night.
In the dim candlelight, the beautiful woman sat sideways on the heated kang, hesitantly removing her clothes one by one, revealing her dazzlingly white and graceful body.
Overjoyed, Lu Xingzhou was about to mount his horse with his spear.
A knocking sound came from the door.
"Young Master, the Master invites you to a banquet!"