aircannonsinc Chapter 210 Only two pounds, what kind of life-threatening situation is this?
Chapter 210 Only two pounds, what kind of life-threatening situation is this?
In the study of the Chen mansion, the telephone rang urgently.
Just as Chen Zijun received the second phone call from Shen Li at the dock, Mo Huixin handed him the account book.
Chen Zijun looked at the row of numbers and his lips twitched.
"Building banks, fortresses, and warships all at the same time, and catching snakes all at the same time. Sister Huixin, why do I feel like my life is so miserable, it's just like..."
A typical Republic-era version of a chairman working overtime!
He didn't say this aloud, because even after saying it several times, Mo Huixin still didn't get the point.
Mo Huixin chuckled softly, "Well, what can we do? Young Master, you're the king of these five southeastern provinces!"
"The king of the five southeastern provinces?"
Chen Zijun clicked his tongue.
"No, this is called family business. Anyone who dares to stick their dirty hands in here, I'll chop them up."
Shen Li's cold, hard voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Young Marshal, the five-step snake has been taken off the ship. The remaining blueprints have been confirmed to be in the hands of the second mate of the British merchant ship Victoria. The British captain is obstructing the search."
Chen Zijun leaned back in his chair.
What was his reason for moving?
"The British flag, according to international law, represents the territory of the British Empire, which is sacred and inviolable."
Chen Zijun smiled.
"The same old thing. Those officials in the late Qing Dynasty were sick of hearing it, and he's still bringing it up as a family secret?"
Mo Huixin pushed the teacup towards them: "Should we greet Balton first?"
"Need not."
Chen Zijun picked up the teacup.
"Let Shen Li search. If Baldon is not satisfied, let him come to the Chen mansion to find me. Shanghai is no longer a place where they can open up extrajudicial channels just by sticking on a ship's flag."
"Brother Li is stuck in a fixed mindset; he doesn't understand the intricacies of this. They were talking about warships, warships flying the national flag represent a country's territorial sovereignty. What's he doing, a mere merchant ship, trying to use their nationality to his advantage!"
The morning mist had not yet dissipated at the Shiliupu Wharf.
The Victoria was anchored on the riverbank, its black smokestacks billowing white steam. The British flag flew from the ship's side, and the sailors on deck were pale-faced; no one dared to move.
Below the suspended ladder, Feng Yong stood on the dock with his arms crossed.
He was surrounded not by soldiers in uniform, but by a group of peddlers carrying loads, porters carrying bags, and tea sellers.
But the look in these people's eyes was off.
He carried the load on a shoulder pole, with a short stick hidden underneath.
When the tea box was opened, a Mauser pistol was inside.
Next to the wonton stall, two young laborers held up the pot lid, with two submachine guns pressed down on the bottom of the pot.
Su Guiying sat on the second floor of the dockside teahouse, wearing a short trench coat over her cheongsam, with a small leather suitcase beside her.
Looking down at the British ship, she said calmly, "Director Feng, your entourage is just like the Green Gang's raid on the docks back in the day."
Feng Yong grinned.
"Sister Gui, that's outdated. Now it's not called seizing the docks, it's called legally sealing them off. We have to hold onto the job the Young Marshal gave us."
Su Guiying's lips twitched slightly.
"You said the phrase 'lockdown in accordance with the law' quite smoothly, so it seems you have nothing to hide."
"How could I go against my conscience? Sister Gui's words left me speechless. But there's no way around it; following the young marshal means we have to follow the rules."
Downstairs, British Captain Harold's face turned red.
He was tall with a neatly trimmed beard, but his forehead was covered in sweat.
"This is a British merchant ship! You have no right to search! I protest! I protest to the British Consulate!"
Shen Li stood at the top of the suspended ladder, his military boots on the wooden planks.
He did not raise his voice.
"Get out of the way."
Harold retorted, his neck stiff with disbelief, "Impossible! This is a British ship!"
Shen Li glanced at him.
"In Shanghai, the Young Marshal allowed you to do business, not to hide Japanese soldiers."
Harold's expression changed.
"What Japanese devils? I don't understand!"
Shen Li raised his hand.
Two plainclothes officers stepped forward and dragged out a second mate whose face was bruised and swollen.
The second mate's legs were so weak he could barely stand, and his mouth was still trembling.
"Captain, save me! They've gone mad! They say I took money from the Japanese!"
Su Guiying came down from the teahouse and slapped a stack of papers on Harold's chest.
"It's not what they say, it's the evidence."
Her voice was very flat.
"Japanese Military Attaché's Office, two hundred pounds. Payee: John, Second Officer of the Victoria. Purpose: Transfer of goods."
Harold's lips twitched: "That doesn't prove he hid your things!"
Su Guiying then took out a second piece of paper.
"Dockworker's testimony. Last night, around midnight, the second mate personally stuffed an oilcloth package into the interlayer of the coal box in cargo hold number three. There are a hundred pairs of eyes at the Shiliupu Wharf; did he think he was playing a double agent?"
Feng Yong didn't understand "Infernal Affairs," but he found the phrase interesting.
He stepped forward and slammed his large hand on the cargo door.
boom!
The door panel shook.
"Captain, you foreigners used to be so arrogant at the docks because our brothers had no food. Now the Young Marshal is providing food, wages, and positions. If you still want to intimidate people with your ship's flag, you're intimidating the wrong people."
Harold gritted his teeth: "I uphold international law!"
Shen Li raised his rifle butt and slammed it against the brass lock on the hatch with a bang.
The latch was deformed, and debris flew everywhere.
"international law?"
Shen Li said coldly, "When you were hiding Japanese spies, why didn't you talk to them about international law?"
Harold took a half step back, his face pale.
Plainclothes officers immediately rushed into the cargo hold.
The sound of rummaging through drawers and cabinets could be heard from inside.
The smell of coal ash wafted from the hatch, choking a British sailor who coughed repeatedly.
A moment later, a soldier came out carrying a bag of oilcloth.
"Chief of Staff, we've found it!"
Shen Li removed the oilcloth.
Inside are three stacks of blueprints.
A map showing the outer perimeter of Ma'anshan's defenses, a table outlining the defenses of the transport lines, and an incomplete sketch of the underground ventilation system for a warehouse.
When Feng Yong saw the blueprints, his face darkened.
"Damn it! If this is really sent out, how many brothers in Ma'anshan will suffer?"
Su Guiying looked at the second mate.
"Two hundred pounds, and that's how many lives are being sold?"
The second mate knelt on the ground, cold sweat dripping down his chin.
"I don't know! I just thought it was a business document!"
Feng Yong kicked him over.
"Business documents? You hide your business documents in a coal bin? Do you think we dockworkers are so unsophisticated?!"
Shen Li put the blueprints away.
"Take them away. Detain the ship. Take the captain back for questioning as well."
Harold panicked: "You can't seize the ship!"
Shen Li turned to look at him.
"The young marshal said, 'The ship stays, and so do the people.'"
Harold's throat tightened, and he finally dared not utter another sound.
The interrogation room in the basement of the Chen mansion was dimly lit.
Takeo Takahashi was tied to a chair, his face covered in dock coal dust.
He is the Five-Step Snake.
Having lurked in Shanghai's intelligence network for so long, I thought I was as slippery as an eel. But now, my wrists are purple from being pulled so tight by the leather belt, and my forehead is covered in sweat.
When Chen Zijun walked in, he still tried to put on a brave face.
"Chen Zijun, you have no evidence to prove that I work for the military."
Chen Zijun sat down, and Mo Huixin stood beside him, placing three items on the table.
The first thing was the recovered blueprints.
The second item is the second mate's testimony.
The third item was a small briefcase.
Chen Zijun pointed to the table.
"You Japanese are quite efficient these days. Stealing blueprints, buying crew, running away—it's a one-stop service. It's just that your after-sales service isn't great. A second mate who costs two hundred pounds—you confess as soon as you ask."
"And that's incredibly stingy! Such an important item is only worth two hundred pounds. No wonder they won't bail you out; the money is far too little!"
"Only two hundred pounds, why risk your life like that..."