Chapter 87: 86, Fang Wen’s Small Team Officially Forms, Axe Gang Leader Visits
Listening to Sun Debiao’s words, Fang Wen opened the brochure.
He immediately frowned.
It said on it.
His original name was Sun Dewu. Five years ago, he was the third boss in a bandit den. Because he coveted the silver dollars at Juyuanheng Money House, he was told to use the alias Sun Debiao and infiltrate it.
He stayed there for five years. Although he never found an opportunity to act, the daring and resolute Sun Debiao became someone the patriarch took notice of.
Later, he followed the patriarch to Beiping. The original plan was to team up with accomplices to kidnap the patriarch in exchange for a lifetime of worry-free silver dollars.
But unexpectedly, the Japanese occupied the Northeast, and all his brothers lost contact as a result.
Therefore, the things written on this certificate of affiliation were even more serious than Shopkeeper Liu’s. Once the Eight Great Families found out, it would definitely end with tying a large stone around him and sinking him into the Huangpu River.
Fang Wen remained calm. He took out the windproof kerosene lighter and lit both brochures.
After they burned clean, he spoke up: “Alright, I believe you two. From now on, we’re ‘our own people’.”
What the two wanted was exactly those three words ‘our own people’. They had finally boarded Fang Wen’s ship and were immediately delighted.
The others watched their reactions thoughtfully.
Pan Jiafeng stated directly: “The general manager is my master. I absolutely will not betray my master.”
Fang Shouxin said: “Young Master knows my affairs. I’ve been with the Fang Family for twenty years, all on the basis of one word of trust. Besides, without the Young Master, how could the children of my fellow disciples live good lives? My son wouldn’t even dream of getting ahead. So, the father and son can rest assured about the Young Master.”
Shunzi scratched his head: “I don’t know how to say it, but anyway, I’ll always stand by the Young Master’s side.”
Shao Sishen and Howard were left.
Shao Sishen poured himself a glass of wine and downed it in one gulp.
“I’m a cripple. Without the general manager, the latter half of my life might just be as a useless person. Now I can teach students and fulfill my dream of flying. As long as it’s possible, I’ll stay here for life. I think this can count as trust.”
Howard opened his mouth to speak but was stopped by Fang Wen waving his hand: “I know what you want to say.”
At this point, all seven core members of Taishan Airlines had expressed their stance to Fang Wen.
Only then did Fang Wen state the purpose of this gathering meal.
“I want to go to the Northeast again.”
“What?” Sun Debiao’s eyes widened, blurting out: “Isn’t it about taking over Taishan Airlines?”
This was said too directly, but it was the common thought of all seven.
In this world, all the hustle and bustle is for interests. Taking over Taishan Airlines would be the most beneficial for this small group.
But they still couldn’t keep up with the unconventional thinking and boldness of Fang Wen, this transmigrator.
Under the gaze of the seven, Fang Wen smiled and said:
“I have a plan. The target is the wealth in the inventory of the Northeast Young Marshal’s Mansion. Not long ago, didn’t the Young Marshal say in the newspaper that he didn’t want that sum of wealth? I thought, if the Young Marshal doesn’t want it, it can’t benefit the Japanese. Why not let us take it.”
What Fang Wen was talking about was big news that had spread throughout China.
Everyone present except Howard knew about it.
Sun Debiao immediately became gossipy: “How much wealth is in the Young Marshal’s Mansion?”
Shopkeeper Liu knew more about this gossip: “I’ve heard people say it’s supposedly enough to fill three trains.”
Everyone’s breathing suddenly became heavy. Not three carriages, but three trains!
Shopkeeper Sun continued: “During the September 18th Incident, some accounts from border banks fled from the north. He said there might be over ten million silver dollars, gold deposits of ‘47,800 taels’, and various antiques and calligraphy.”
The crowd was shocked by the Zhang family’s wealth.
This is what it means to be rich enough to rival a country.
Seeing this, Fang Wen continued to explain the plan.
“The Japanese are still pretending now, saying they won’t touch this wealth. The items are all preserved inside the Young Marshal’s Mansion, but after a long time, it’s uncertain. My plan is to organize a group of people to retrieve the treasure from there and transport it away using a Boeing 247. With the carrying capacity of the modified Boeing 247, it can load 2.5 tons of cargo. These valuable items brought back will have profit sharing for all participants, and everyone can live worry-free for half a lifetime.”
After speaking, Fang Wen looked around.
He asked.
“Raise hands to vote. Those who are willing, raise your hand.”
Sun Debiao raised his hand first, but his other hand gripped the chopsticks. If anyone disagreed, he would act on the patriarch’s intent for real.
Howard raised his hand, Shopkeeper Liu raised his hand, Fang Shouxin and Shunzi raised their hands.
Pan Jiafeng hesitated: “Master, this money, are we all splitting it?”
“Of course not. We’ll keep half to deal with the Japanese. What do you all think?”
Immediately, Pan Jiafeng and Shao Sishen also raised their hands in agreement.
At this point, the small group reached a consensus, and everyone began to discuss.
“The Japanese will definitely guard the Young Marshal’s Mansion tightly. How can we sneak in?”
“We still need to recruit people, those with unique skills, familiar with the terrain, and those with connections to the Japanese.”
“We definitely need the topographic map of the Young Marshal’s Mansion. We also need to plan when the guards inside change shifts and how our people can sneak in.”
“How about digging a tunnel and going from underground?”
The discussion became increasingly chaotic and didn’t achieve the effect Fang Wen wanted.
He then spoke up to stop it.
“The action plan shouldn’t be formulated by us. For professional matters, we need professional people to handle them. What you need to do is oversee the entire process to prevent accidents. For example, for this action, we first need to find someone from the underworld who is proficient in this and see how he designs it.”
Fang Wen’s words calmed everyone down. This kind of thing indeed wasn’t their specialty. To succeed, it was best to find people who could get things done.
The Taishan Airlines small group gathering ended, and everyone remained unchanged because of it.
But in their free time, everyone started to get busy.
Except for Fang Wen, the other seven took turns going to Shanghai and the surrounding areas to inquire about the situation.
Searching for the legendary king of thieves.
How could outsiders possibly find out about such things? Even Northeast bandit Sun Debiao had no leads.
Finally, Fang Wen thought of Green Gang’s Zhao Jiu and Axe Gang Leader Wang.
Zhao Jiu was someone to whom Fang Wen still owed a life-saving favor. Plus, given his attitude toward the Japanese, perhaps they could talk.
Axe Gang’s Wang Yaqiao was openly against the Japanese. He would definitely approve of this plan.
He then sent Fang Shouxin to the urban area to seek out the two.
Zhabei District. Because of the ceasefire agreement, there were more and more Japanese here.
Drunken Japanese ronin wearing wooden clogs could often be seen on the streets, some with women from East Ocean brothels, hugging and embracing in public.
At a street corner, three youths in short jackets watched coldly and talked in low voices.
“Brother Jiu, after these Japanese came, they’ve lost all shame.”
“They’re treating this place like their own territory, throwing tantrums.”
“Keep your voice down. These people are from the Black Dragon Society. If they hear us, there’ll definitely be trouble.”
After Zhao Jiu finished speaking, he was about to leave with his two underlings. Life in Zhabei was getting harder and harder. Not long ago, one of his partners had been taken down.
He had thought about leaving here and making a living elsewhere.
But the Green Gang rules were strict. Crossing into other territories meant heavy punishment under gang rules.
Zhao Jiu wasn’t afraid of the Japanese, but he feared the gang rules.
He glared fiercely at the drunken ronin in the distance, spat a mouthful of saliva, and led his underlings into an alley.
Unable to deal with the Japanese openly, there were plenty of ways to do it secretly.
As long as a Japanese ronin came over, it was just a matter of two sticks to the head, drag him into the alley, strip him clean, and there might be several days’ worth of easy money.
Although this would attract pursuit from the Japanese, Zhao Jiu wasn’t afraid. Nothing was more frustrating to him than having no money.
The ronin staggered over.
Just as Zhao Jiu was about to make his move, an underling ran in from outside.
He had to stop and glared angrily at the underling who had ruined his source of wealth.
“Brother Jiu, someone wants to see you. He says he’s from Taishan Airlines.”
Hearing Taishan Airlines, Zhao Jiu immediately thought of that person.
That person’s days were getting more prosperous. He’d heard two more airplanes were about to take off, and someone above had instructed that if anyone tried to move against him, report it immediately to the higher-ups.
This showed someone above was protecting him, and Zhao Jiu couldn’t help but envy it.
But he hadn’t thought of using his life-saving favor to seek repayment. After all, it was the one thing he could be proud of.
But this time, since the other party had come looking for him, perhaps there was something he needed help with, and Zhao Jiu was willing to assist.
He then threw away the wooden stick and followed his underling away.
At a small teahouse in a corner of Zhabei, Fang Shouxin in plainclothes was waiting there.
Zhao Jiu came in and said in a low voice: “I know you. You call him Young Master.”
“Yes, the Young Master sent me to ask you to come talk.”
“If there’s something, you can find me. Let’s go right now.”
“Wait, the Young Master said we also need to find someone else. Do you know where to find Axe Gang Leader Wang?”
“Gang Leader Wang has offended the Japanese. Lately, the Japanese have been trying to kill him, and the Axe Gang has lost several good hands because of it. He’s gone into hiding. But I know where to send a message to him. Follow me.”
Then, Zhao Jiu led Fang Shouxin out of Zhabei District toward the French Concession.
He didn’t need any ID to go to the French Concession. He just found an unguarded alley and slipped through.
After walking for a while, Zhao Jiu arrived outside a Western-style house. There were some men in black shirts guarding it. Zhao Jiu said a few words to them, and then someone went inside to report.
After the other party came out, Zhao Jiu returned to tell Fang Shouxin: “It’s done. Gang Leader Wang is mysterious and unpredictable. You can’t see him here, but he sent word that he’ll visit General Manager Fang’s home tonight.”
“Then we’ll head out of the city first.”
Then Fang Shouxin and Zhao Jiu left the urban area and headed to the airport.
When they arrived at the airport side, they were directly taken to Fang Wen’s residence, but the main person wasn’t there.
Fang Shouxin explained: “Today is the first day of the new flight path. The Young Master isn’t at ease, so he’s flying with his disciple. He’ll be back around five in the afternoon.”
Zhao Jiu didn’t mind. He casually found a stool, leaned against the wall, sat down, and basked in the sun.
Time passed bit by bit, from noon to afternoon.
As the sun set in the west, an airplane roared in and landed at the airport.
The plane steadied, and ten passengers happily got off.
After they left, two air mail carriers began unloading airmail and cargo from the goods yard. Although it was the flight’s first day, the air logistics business was very good, with basically all carrying capacity used up.
Unloading and inventorying a ton of cargo would take a while.
Fang Wen instructed Pan Jiafeng: “You wait here. Remember to close the cargo hold door once it’s emptied. I have something at home.”
Pan Jiafeng nodded without asking anything and continued staying in the plane.
Fang Wen got off the plane, went straight out of the airport, and returned home.
As soon as he entered, he saw Zhao Jiu leaning against the wall in the corner.
“Mr. Zhao, long time no see. Uncle Fang, how could you let a guest sit outside?”
Fang Shouxin didn’t speak.
Zhao Jiu quickly stood up instead, touched the back of his head, and said a bit awkwardly: “I wanted to sit outside. Don’t call me mister; it sounds weird.”
“Then I’ll call you Brother Zhao.” Fang Wen replied with a hearty laugh.
At this moment, a person suddenly appeared at the door, wearing a trench coat and hat, collar turned up, hat tilted forward, face unseen.
“Quite lively, General Manager Fang. I’ve come as promised.”
It was Axe Gang Leader Wang.
Fang Wen instinctively looked back at the door, confirmed no one was there, and quickly said: “Gang Leader Wang, come in quickly. The Japanese have been looking for you lately, so better be careful.”
“Yes, there might even be Japanese staking out your place. After all, the Japanese are still brooding over the sinking of the Izumo.”
Gang Leader Wang responded loudly, followed Fang Wen inside, and Zhao Jiu went in after.
The three sat down in the main hall. Fang Wen spoke up:
“I asked you two to come this time because of a plan. No beating around the bush. The plan is like this.”
After a description, the two grew more and more surprised.
Zhao Jiu’s eyes widened. “This is boldness on a heavenly scale. If we really retrieve the stuff from under the Japanese noses, it’ll be worth spreading throughout the world.”
Gang Leader Wang laughed: “Zhao Jiu, you’ve listened to too much storytelling. But this matter is good. I’m interested.”
Interest was good. Fang Wen stated his idea.
“We’ll provide the carrying capacity guarantee with Taishan Airlines, but we can’t handle the specific implementation. We need someone knowledgeable to oversee everything. Gang Leader Wang, you’ve repeatedly planned assassinations against the Japanese, so you’re an expert in this. I want to ask you to take charge. Brother Zhao Jiu is loyal and righteous, with jianghu connections. I also want to ask you to join.”
Gang Leader Wang pondered for a moment: “How will this wealth be handled after it’s brought back?”
“Half for resisting Japan, half for profit sharing among the participating brothers. If anyone dies because of it, it will be left for their families.” Fang Wen replied.
“Really?” Gang Leader Wang stared straight at Fang Wen: “I don’t need this money, but my brothers and friends do. If they join, you have to guarantee there really will be profit sharing afterward.”
“I can guarantee it.” Fang Wen met his gaze and replied calmly.
Seeing Fang Wen’s calm-as-still-water eyes, Gang Leader Wang smiled: “I believe you. With Taishan Airlines’ steady business, you have enough for a lifetime of wealth. No need for you to stir trouble. Now we can discuss the specifics.”
This time, Gang Leader Wang took the lead and shared his vision.
“Many people have fled from outside the passes, including no shortage of jianghu experts. They each have their own skills and connections. I know how to find them. These people can be used, but only for peripheral tasks like scouting, bribery, and blocking. They absolutely cannot participate in the Young Marshal’s Mansion action.”
“Why?” Zhao Jiu asked puzzled.
Fang Wen explained: “Gang Leader Wang is worried those people will get greedy. If they think of grabbing a share and running, it’ll definitely cause chaos, and nothing will get done.”
Gang Leader Wang nodded: “That’s the reason. Those truly participating in the Young Marshal’s Mansion action must be people from inside the passes. They have no roots outside the passes and won’t stay there, so they’re naturally willing to cooperate, load the wealth onto the airplane, transport it back, and share the profits.”
