Chapter 49: Let’s Begin
The murder of the South Manchuria Railway Investigation Bureau agent instantly exploded across the whole Shanghai.
The dead man was Japanese, and surprisingly it happened in Japanese-controlled Shanghai, moreover in broad daylight where he was publicly shot dead.
This behavior was already nakedly slapping the face of the Great Japanese Empire left and right.
As soon as the matter broke, the Gendarmerie Headquarters Criminal Investigation Division, Joint Special Higher Police Affairs Information Investigation Office, South Manchuria Railway Investigation Bureau, and all organizations under the Expeditionary Army Special Affairs Office were mobilized.
After comparing the wounds and some so-called eyewitness testimonies from the wharf.
The cause of Hirata Jizaburo’s death was determined to be an assassination by a Military Statistics Bureau agent.
Pretty strange, right? Not only that, the reason they gave was even more absurd, because a Japanese spy team undercover in Chongqing sent news of the Military Statistics Bureau’s establishment.
And attached a telegram they intercepted from Chongqing to Shanghai.
The telegram content was an order to change the original Revival Society Shanghai Action Team to the Military Statistics Bureau Shanghai Station, with the new Station Chief Zhao Lijun arriving in Shanghai soon to preside over the overall situation.
The Joint Special Higher Police Affairs used this telegram as evidence to classify this attack as a Military Statistics Bureau action to establish authority.
Of course, no one cared why the Military Statistics Bureau would use some obscure investigation agent to establish authority.
Anyway, this was the conclusion after discussion by the superiors, and the subordinates just needed to carry out public security purge missions according to this conclusion.
Thus, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Yamada Yasushi, Captain of the Gendarmerie Headquarters Public Security Brigade.
A grand public security purge operation targeting the major and minor wharves in Chinese Territory unfolded with great fanfare.
From March 23 to March 26, in just three short days, the temporary prison set up by the Japanese in the HK zone was overcrowded.
The leading figures of the four major wharves in Chinese Territory were all rounded up within a few days.
The result of doing this was that all the major and minor gangs in Chinese Territory became jittery, and they didn’t know what had gotten into the Japanese, suddenly starting to target Chinese Territory.
You know, in the whole Shanghai, Chinese Territory was a notorious slum, and even Shanghai’s largest gang, the Green Gang, had no interest in the place.
While these major and minor gangs were baffled, the hoodlums at Sixteen Rows Wharf were quietly preparing.
Sixteen Rows Wharf night market stall, still the familiar two-story small building, but the owner inside had changed.
From last October to this March, in less than half a year, it had already changed three owners.
From the earliest Ye Zhuoshan to the previous Xu Biao, these people were all well-known hoodlums in Shanghai.
Suddenly switching to someone like Lin Xueyi who was nothing special, everyone really wasn’t quite used to it.
After all, Lin Xueyi was absolutely an eccentric existence in everyone’s eyes.
How to put it? One sentence can describe it.
Stupid is truly stupid, but steady is also truly steady.
Who knows if it’s because his brain is missing a string or he’s naturally slow on the uptake.
After these major events happened, many people were eyeing the positions at the four major wharves in Chinese Territory, but Lin Xueyi seemed not anxious at all.
He seemed already certain that these few wharves were in his pocket.
While others were planning how to stick their feet in, Lin Xueyi just lightly said one sentence.
“Prepare all the weapons, then wait for the telephone.”
Wait for what telephone? Wait for whose telephone? No matter how the subordinates asked, Lin Xueyi remained as steady as a rock sitting on a fishing platform, unmoved.
Shanghai, Sixteen Rows Wharf Warehouse.
The usually quiet warehouse was now brightly lit with bustling voices.
Sixteen Rows Wharf was originally only somewhat famous in the underworld, after all, this wharf wasn’t robbed by that fool Xu Biao, but was entrusted by Boss Du to Boss Cao, and Boss Cao handed it to him.
The Green Gang originally had a gang rule that brothers’ entrusted matters must be helped with all effort.
So, Xu Biao’s reputation was only so-so, nothing outstanding.
But today is different, Lin Xueyi stepped on Zhang Xiaolin’s venue, killed Xie Yuankui, and robbed Zhang Xiaolin’s Xinkaihe Wharf.
Yet Zhang Xiaolin had no reaction at all, which meant Lin Xueyi rose to power stepping on Boss Zhang’s name.
When you’re out mixing, it’s all about chasing that “name,” Lin Xueyi became famous overnight, and naturally more people came to join him.
The hundred or so people in this warehouse right now were the elites he recruited during this period.
Eighty percent of these people could shoot, and even those not very proficient with firearms at least knew a couple of ultimate techniques for getting by in the underworld.
In the corner of the warehouse, several men sat around the table.
On the table was a big plate of peanuts, and the few peeled them while chatting idly.
“Boss, Shanghai’s money is really easy to make,” the man on the left gulped down some liquor and sighed: “When we were soldiers, we only got two silver dollars a month, and even that wasn’t every month.”
“Here, just sitting one night gives five silver dollars, these people seem to treat money like it’s not money.”
“With so many people, several hundred silver dollars go out in one night.”
“Hmph, if you want to get rich, don’t be a soldier.” The one called boss coldly rebuked, silent for a moment, then picked up the wine jar in his hand and took a fierce gulp.
That man sighed: “Boss, when we went out to be soldiers back then, it was to fight the Japanese devils, but as you saw, we wanted to join the army camp, but they despised us.”
The leading man was surnamed Liao, named Liao Ruyuan, formerly a lieutenant platoon deputy company commander of the 79th Division’s 3rd Company.
This unit was almost wiped out during the Battle of Shanghai last year, and after the Battle of Shanghai ended, the troops retreated to Nanjing.
Because the remaining numbers were too few, and all officers above company level had already died in battle, the rest were casually assigned to the rear to transport supplies.
Sometimes it’s also a matter of luck, during the fall of Nanjing, those in the rear were able to evacuate to the other side at the fastest speed.
After these few evacuated, they also encountered troops, but people saw them in ragged clothes without even decent weapons, plus the chaos at the time, everyone was wary, almost no troops would take them in.
Helplessly, Liao Ruyuan could only risk finding two small boats to lead twenty or so brothers to flee to Shanghai.
When Liao Ruyuan joined Lin Xueyi, his thinking was also simple: settle these brothers, and once they were stable, he would leave Shanghai and continue looking for troops to fight the Japanese devils.
But things don’t always go as planned…
Thump thump thump, thump thump thump. Suddenly, intense knocking sounds came from the warehouse second floor, instantly interrupting his thoughts…
Everyone looked up toward the warehouse upstairs upon hearing the sound, Lin Xueyi stood on the second floor looking down and said in a deep voice: “Brothers, tonight is the good day for us to show our skills.”
“Brother Liao, you have experience leading troops, tonight’s action is handed to you to plan.”
“I don’t want to know how you arrange it, I just want to see the result, starting tomorrow, the four major wharves in Chinese Territory all belong to us.”
“If this matter is done well, good food and drink, everyone will be rewarded.”
“If you mess it up, there will be no place for us in all of Shanghai, consider the consequences yourselves.”
Liao Ruyuan took a gulp of wine, pushed through the crowd, stepped forward a few steps, and cupped his hands toward Lin Xueyi: “Fifth Master, rest assured, Liao will not disappoint.”
“If the matter is messed up, I’ll bring my head to see you.”
