Chapter 8 The Telegram from Beijing (1)

  Xu Shaowen followed Hao Zhaoguang and Zheng Zhiming out of the Weston Club, and Captain Zhang's back was already drenched with sweat. Captain Zhang had originally intended to reprimand Xu Shaowen, but now that he knew Xu Shaowen was familiar with Li Wanqi, he felt that as a small captain, he couldn't afford to offend him, so he swallowed his anger instead.

  "This matter is finally settled, I'll send you out of the concession area." Zhang Tanlong stood at the entrance of Weston's club, accompanied by his two small subordinates, and together with Hao Jiguang's team, they headed towards the Luwan Concession Area to exit.

  Hao Lieguang walked out of Weston, not saying a word, but his face didn't look good. After leaving Huangpu Avenue, he finally sighed and said to Xu Shao Wen: "Wenyuan, your uncle is the Minister of State, you can be considered the young master of the Xu family. However, if you continue to handle things so recklessly, I really can't do anything about it, but when you return to the Military Academy for assessment, I'm afraid I won't be able to give you a passing grade."

  Zhang Tanlang, who was standing beside him, heard Hao Shaoguang say that Xu Shaojun was the nephew of Premier Xu Shichang, and he was suddenly frightened, fortunately he had not spoken out to blame Xu Shaojun earlier.

  Xu Shaowen's face looked unpleasant, but it wasn't that he felt threatened by Hao Jiguang. Someone like Hao Jiguang who knew Xu Shichang was his uncle and could still say such things was considered a straightforward and fair person. He let out a soft sigh and replied calmly: "Hao Guanda, our third battalion's duties are to handle these kinds of matters. But in all honesty, taking today's Yu Shaoyan incident for example, such trivial matters that even the police can't handle, and when we military police arrive, it's still unmanageable - what is this supposed to be?"

  Xu Shaowen's words were heartfelt, a young master and a dancing girl got entangled in the song and dance hall, which was originally something that a patrol officer could handle, but in the end, it mobilized both the patrol house and the military police team, and still couldn't be resolved quickly. What a ridiculous and absurd thing this is.

  Hao Lieguang and Zhang Tanlang were both shocked, Xu Shaowen's words were like a needle, directly piercing their hearts.

  "I know that in this turbulent time, the private forces of these places are very powerful, which greatly undermines our official prestige." Xu Shaowen continued with a disappointed expression.

  Hao Lieguang remained silent for a moment before slowly opening his mouth to say, "As Wen Yuan said, it's precisely because the current situation is turbulent that we, who wear uniforms and have the word 'official army' on our sleeves, are actually just those with power and influence."

  He said this, paused for a moment, put his hands behind his back, shook his head slightly, and then continued: "In Shanghai, these wealthy and powerful bosses, big shots, and the Green Gang's influence, their private thugs combined would be enough to form an army. If things really get out of hand, our garrison in Shanghai only has two regiments, which is no match for them."

  "Right, right," chimed in Zhang Tanlang from the side, "don't mention how these big bosses usually mind their own business, but once you offend their interests, it's no laughing matter. Moreover, the foreigners in the concession are not stupid, the more chaotic a place is, the more they can expand their power, they're also waiting for an opportunity."

  Xu Shao said solemnly, "I know this, but I just hope that in the future, things like today won't be as difficult as walking on a knife's edge and falling into an oil pot. The prestige of our government army is absolutely not to be lost, whether it's to local forces or foreigners."

  "Xu Gongzi, you have a strong backing, with your uncle in Beijing and so many bosses in Shanghai, it's no wonder you speak so smoothly." Zhang Tan Chang said with a very flattering tone, his attitude towards Xu Shao Wen was very obsequious.

  "I understand, but during my time in Shanghai, I will try to make use of my connections so that we can do things more easily in the future." Xu Shaowen said helplessly, indeed wanting to change the current situation is not something one person can achieve alone, unless one has sufficient ability.

  "With Xu Gongzi's words, we will be much more convenient in the future." Zhang Tanlang burst out laughing twice.

  Hao Lieguang remained silent for a long time, and finally said: "Wen Yuan, you must be a person who does great things, and I believe that with your sense of justice, the great things you do are all for the consideration of our China's overall situation."

  Xu Shaowen was slightly surprised, and didn't know why Hao Jiguang suddenly had such a feeling. He smiled and asked: "Hao Guanda, how did you come up with this?"

  "Hehe, just a feeling." Hao Jiguang smiled mysteriously and didn't say anything more.

  "Oh, by the way, I know that dancer from Weston's club who was involved in that incident earlier," said Detective Zhang casually, his expression becoming more lively. "Her name is Su Wan'er, and she's quite popular at Weston's club. She looks pretty good, and her style really appeals to both old and young."

  "What's this, Chief Zhang has done a lot of research on this?" Xu Shaowen also knew that Chief Zhang was just chatting casually, so he went along with it and chatted for another couple of sentences.

  "In the concession, I've been mixed up for so long, and I still know a thing or two about such romantic affairs," Zhang Tanlang said with a sly smile. "This Su Wan'er is said to be from a noble family, born as a princess during the Qing dynasty, but which royal palace she's from, that's something I've really forgotten."

  "It's indeed a case of 'one day as the ruler, one day as the subject'. These princes and nobles, during my Republic of China's glorious era, have actually fallen to such a state. It's truly a turn of fortune." Hao Zhaoguang let out a faint sigh, but his expression didn't change much. After all, the Manchu people had occupied a superior position in China for so long, now it was time for them to taste some bitterness too.

  Xu Shaowen wasn't particularly surprised by what Zhang Tanlang had said, as these were all recorded in the history books of the 21st century. Although the Qing dynasty's grand mansion collapsed overnight, its foundation had long been rotten and decayed. Many nobles of the Qing dynasty went bankrupt when the Republic was established, and these nobles didn't have any special skills to make a living. The men became rickshaw pullers, and the women became prostitutes - this was a very common phenomenon.

  What Xu Shaowen found strange was that even if Su Wan'er used to be a princess, how could she come all the way from the north to Shanghai?

  Zhang Tanlang saw that Xu Shaowen and Hao Jiguang were both interested in this topic, so he also talked a bit more. He let out a long sigh and said: "I think, from now on Su Wan'er won't be able to mix around in the song and dance halls of the concession area."

  "How could you say that?" Xu Shao asked in surprise, although he had only met the dancer once, but still felt sorry for her.