Chapter Twenty-Four: Expansion of Patrol Police

  "Shun Qing, you're really bold! With just one move, you've caught the leader of the Gu Jinlong gang. The prefecture didn't misjudge you - the safety of Chongqing is now all up to you!"

  Niu Chuan Shan had also heard about the situation at the Chamber of Commerce election, and originally thought that Qiao Yu would not be able to withstand the pressure from the Ge Lao Hui. After all, it's hard for a strong dragon to suppress a local snake, and Gu Jin Long was almost as powerful in Chongqing. But unexpectedly, Qiao Yu quickly had Gu Jin Long taken away by the authorities. It seemed that Niu Chuan Shan's plan to have Qiao Yu deal with the Revolutionary Party had been completely successful, and it also showed that there was a huge rift between the Chongqing business community and the Ge Lao Hui, as well as between the Revolutionary Party. As long as these two factions fought each other, Niu Chuan Shan's position would be secure.

  "Sir, Gu Jinlong is actually just a hoodlum. Normally, you are kind to people and didn't take him down. Now he's getting out of hand, daring to cause trouble at the meeting, and on top of that, he's also colluding with the Japanese. If we can't take him down, who knows what might happen if the Elder Brother Society gets support from the Japanese with their weapons? It'll be a disaster!"

  Qiao Yu also guessed a thing or two about Niu Chuan Shan's thoughts, so Qiao Yu also treated the symptoms and expanded the power of the Ge Lao Hui, intimidating Niu Chuan Shan. As expected, he dragged the Ge Lao Hui and the Japanese together, and Niu Chuan Shan's face suddenly turned ugly.

  "Shun Qing, do you think capturing Gu Jinlong will cause any trouble? If the Japanese intervene, it won't be easy to handle."

  "Sir, rest assured that those Japanese are just ordinary ronin with no power or influence. The Yangtze River region is under British control and the powers are vying with each other. As long as you stand firm on reason, there's no need to worry about the Japanese causing trouble. What I'm worried about is that there are too many members of the Elder Brother Society, which may lead to unrest! Moreover, sir might not know that the Revolutionary Party has already formed an alliance with the Elder Brother Society. The person brought by Japan today is likely a member of the Tongmenghui, but he's also the principal of Chongqing Middle School, so his identity is special and we can't arrest him without solid evidence!"

  Niu Chuan Shan's understanding of the Alliance's power was also insufficient, and he didn't expect them to thoroughly collude with the Ge Lao Hui. This made things difficult. Niu Chuan Shan seemed to see a group of desperate people rushing towards the Chengdu government office under the instigation of the revolutionary party, quickly capturing him, and then those rioters all turned into red-haired, green-eyed evil spirits tearing him apart. Thinking of this, Niu Chuan Shan felt his whole body turn cold.

  Niu Chuan's expression turned solemn as he lowered his head in contemplation for a moment, before secretly making up his mind: "Shun Qing, are you confident that you can control the security situation in Chongqing?"

  "Sir, although I have recruited a thousand patrolmen, they have just started training and are still very immature. It will probably take some time before they can be used. Moreover, the patrolmen's equipment is not complete, and it would be difficult for them to accomplish anything."

  Although Niu Chuan Shan had promised to give Qiao Yu firearms, he only sent 200 Hanyang-made rifles and 20,000 rounds of ammunition for the time being, still owing a large sum. Taking this opportunity, how could Qiao Yu not get these things in his hands? Although the Hanyang-made rifle was not a good gun, having them was better than nothing!

  "Shun Qing, I will immediately petition the Governor-General to promote you as the Chief of Police in Chongqing and also give me an additional 1,000 patrolmen. We will thoroughly eliminate the revolutionary party in Chongqing, maintain local stability, and I will also immediately provide you with weapons!"

  At the end of the Qing dynasty, with the establishment of the police system, a patrol circuit was also established under the governor-general, responsible for policing, firefighting, household registration, and health affairs. In theory, all police work in Sichuan should be managed by the patrol circuit. However, due to Sichuan's unique situation with two centers - Chengdu and Chongqing - and Chongqing being a special commercial port in the entire southwest region, maintaining stability in Chongqing was extremely important, especially since it had been an area of high activity for revolutionary parties since the late Qing dynasty.

  So it's still possible to set up an independent police department separate from the patrol path, and the current Sichuan governor Zhao Erxun has a good impression of Qiao Yu. Moreover, since Qiao Yu has been engaged in industry and commerce, he has already obtained a sixth-grade official hat, making him fully qualified to manage the Dongchuan police affairs, without fear of gossip.

  "Thanks to your trust, Shunqing will definitely go all out to stabilize Chongqing and absolutely not give those rioting party members any opportunity!"

  "Everything is up to you now, Shunqing! You must get the patrol training done as soon as possible!"

  "Don't worry about it!"

  Qiao Yu obtained permission to continue expanding the patrol, and he was overjoyed in his heart. However, he also knew that the burden on his shoulders would be even heavier, and since he had taken Gu Jinlong today, he feared that the Ge Lao Hui in Chongqing would soon make a move. Fortunately, the 300 young guards were already taking shape, and when they returned to the White Mansion, Bai Kuan had just returned from the Li Mansion and officially became the president of the Chongqing Chamber of Commerce. There didn't seem to be any joy on Bai Kuan's face.

  "Shun Qing, you've taken down Gu Jinlong, that's a relief. But I heard the gangsters in Chongqing are now stirring up trouble and planning to attack our factory, think of a countermeasure quickly!"

  "Uncle, don't worry. As the saying goes, 'train soldiers for a thousand days, use them in one moment.' The guards have been trained for over a month, and although they are not yet a regular army, they are enough to deal with some mobs. Moreover, Niu Chuan Shan has promised me to become the head of the Chongqing Police Department, responsible for maintaining law and order in Chongqing. These gangsters will serve as a good opportunity for me to establish my authority." Qiao Yu said, turning to Han Yong.

  "Big Brother Han, first select 100 people from the Youth Guard, divide them into teams of 10, and then pull out 1,000 patrol police. Each team will have 100 people, led by the Youth Guard. Now, deploy them to patrol Chongqing immediately. Anyone who dares to cause trouble will be arrested on the spot. If they resist, shoot them dead! The remaining 200 guards will be concentrated for use. As soon as we find out where the Ge Lao Hui people are gathering, I'll have you kill them immediately. Whoever dares to resist will be slaughtered without mercy!"

  After giving the order, Han Yong immediately went to make arrangements. Qiao Yu turned to his uncle Bai Kuan and said, "Uncle, we also need to trouble you to communicate with the major merchants and ask them to cooperate with our actions against the Gelao Hui. Let's mobilize their guards as well. I don't believe that a small organization like the Gelao Hui can still turn things around!" Bai Kuan nodded in agreement. In the past, the Qing court had thought about taking action against the Gelao Hui, but there were two reasons why they hadn't succeeded. Firstly, there were no secrets within the officialdom, and as soon as the military was mobilized, the news would already be out. Secondly, the relationships between the powerful merchants and the secret societies were unclear, and with their protection, coupled with the corrupt and incompetent officials of the Qing court, it would be a strange thing if they could deal with the Gelao Hui!

  However, this does not mean that the Gelao Society will be very powerful. In essence, the Gelao Society is just a gang organization. There are also many theories about the origin of the Gelao Society, which seems to have been developed from the branch of the Tiandihui, and it seems to have been covered with a layer of anti-Qing and pro-Ming color. However, from what Qiao Yu knows, this is just sticking gold on his face. The Gelao Society was initially an industry association, mainly composed of boatmen and dockworkers. However, by the Xuantong period, the Gelao Society had become similar to the underworld of later generations, engaging in all sorts of base activities such as opium trafficking, kidnapping and selling women, extortion, and robbery.

  Qiao Yu has no good impression of this underworld gang, and to establish a good social order, such rubbish must be eliminated. This time, the Ge Lao Hui also made a mistake by directly interfering with the Chamber of Commerce election. If they had succeeded, it would have been fine, but if they failed, the problem would become serious. This is equivalent to offending the commercial forces in Chongqing. Normally, individual businessmen and financiers do not dare to make things difficult for Ge Lao Hui. After all, those who are barefooted are not afraid of those who wear shoes. No one wants to step on dog shit with new shoes. The weak forces also need to rely on their power. Moreover, the businessmen in this era have some unsightly things, and it's not worth tearing their faces apart.

  Merchants themselves yearn for order, and only in a stable and orderly society can they do business and make a fortune. They naturally reject the destruction of order, and since Qiao Yu has shown sufficient strength, these merchants immediately turned to him, uniting to suppress the Ge Lao Hui. The Youth Guard, accompanied by police patrols on the streets, with their strict military bearing, neat pace, dignified appearance, and gleaming rifles, instantly made everyone feel a sense of pressure.

  Originally, the people of the Elder Brother Society had already made contact with each other and some even gathered on the streets, shouting and wanting to rush into the Qiao family's factory area. However, as soon as the patrolmen appeared, they quickly dispersed them. The newly recruited patrolmen also matured rapidly under the leadership of the young guards. Although most people were not yet equipped with guns, they all carried batons and made arrests at the slightest resistance. In the end, the Elder Brother Society was just a gang organization that could not be mentioned in public, with very limited firearms, and they were quickly dispersed from the streets.

  Two recommendation tickets are needed to save face, ladies and gentlemen, please give some.