Chapter 48: The Dragon King

  On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Wan Mulin secretly returned to Shanghai from Wuxi and met with Lin Xiaotang in the French Concession as soon as he arrived. Wan Mulin brought Du Yuesheng's message, which was that Zhang Ailin's aggressive behavior must be countered head-on, but his life must not be harmed.

  At this point, Lin Xiaotang felt very embarrassed. At this time, both sides had already drawn their bows and were ready to shoot. Zhang Aoling, as a Japanese representative in the concession, was bound to swallow Du Yuesheng and Huang Jinrong's forces, which was not only his personal ambition but also the intention of the Japanese people. At this critical moment when lives were at stake, Du Yuesheng made such a request, which was somewhat too soft-hearted.

  Wan Mulin explained that at this time, the French concession was already on the verge of a storm, and Du Yuesheng had been in control for a long time. He knew the pros and cons of the situation well. Currently, only Zhang Aoling was in Shanghai, while Huang Jinrong had made up his mind not to ask about Jianghu affairs. Du Yuesheng was far away in Hong Kong, unable to intervene. If Zhang Aoling were to die at this time, the concession and even Shanghai would fall into chaos. This move would undoubtedly only benefit the Japanese, who could rely on their own strength to prop up another person to clean up the mess.

  After listening to Wan Mulin's explanation, Lin Xiaotang couldn't help but feel relieved and also sincerely admired Du Yuesheng's broad vision and deep strategic thinking. These bigwigs who climbed up from the bottom were indeed not easy to deal with.

  Wang Tianmu also passed on the message through Liu Chengfeng, the Military Commission is currently under great pressure from No. 76 and cannot provide assistance for the time being, but he also asked Lin Xiaotang to rest assured that the Military Commission will provide all intelligence within the concession area for Lin Xiaotang, including Zhang Aolin's every move. This was already enough for Lin Xiaotang.

  On the third day of the Lunar New Year, the International Settlement and French Concession suddenly issued a joint announcement, declaring an anti-smoking decree, reaffirming their membership in the "Anti-Smoking Convention", and announcing that they would increase the crackdown on opium, heroin and other narcotics within their jurisdictions.

  The Shanghai public sneered at this, but in fact, as early as the early years of the Republic of China, countries such as Britain, America and France had already joined the convention. Similar actions had been carried out many times within the concessions, but everyone knew that the governments of various countries within the concessions were the biggest drug traffickers, and these actions were just a gesture. The Sanxin Company was in cahoots with the French Concession and relied on the opium trade to rise to prominence.

  To this day, except for the drug business in the British and American concessions which has been forced underground due to international public opinion, the opium dens in the French concession are still openly operating without any sign of evasion.

  So this time, the no-smoking announcement issued in the concession did not attract attention from all sides. But Lin Xiaotang clearly knew that the eye medicine he had given to Hong Zhaowei had begun to quietly take effect.

  Liu Chengfeng's side also sent a message, Lin Xiaotang had previously consulted with him about some intelligence through Huoyan, Liu Chengfeng agreed without hesitation, and later got Wang Tianmu's consent, Liu Chengfeng was even more energetic, and within one day, he put all the intelligence on Lin Xiaotang's desk.

  The intelligence is divided into two parts. The first part is the source of Zhang Xiao Lin's funds, where Wan Mo Lin provided a portion, while Liu Cheng Feng provided more valuable information, as these were Zhang Xiao Lin's most secretive business dealings. Lin Xiao Tang guessed correctly that the main one was opium, and there was also a small portion of military supplies. The second part is the structure of Zhang Xiao Lin's power, including some hidden strength in his hands, which Wan Mo Lin could not provide because they were Zhang Xiao Lin's last resort to save his life.

  After digesting the intelligence for a whole night, Lin Xiaotang summoned all his hidden subordinates and briefed them briefly. Then, everyone was divided into three small groups, led by Guo Zhu, Lin Huai and Shen Pangzi respectively, and left in a hurry.

  On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Lin Xiaotang set out early with Huo Yan and Ma Qixiang from Wusongkou to meet a crucial person in his plan.

  The Cao Bang, also known as the "Chaohu Gang" during the Qing dynasty, originated from the predecessor of the Green Gang, the "Anqing Gang". It was one of the important secret societies among the people in the late Qing and early Republic periods. The Anqing Gang split into two factions: the main faction, dominated by people from eastern Zhejiang; and the guest faction, dominated by people from northern Anhui, hence the name "Chaohu Gang". Most of its members were transportation workers who undertook grain transportation for the imperial court and government. In the late Qing and early Republic periods, as sea transportation gradually replaced inland water transportation, the Cao Bang's power declined sharply, and many boatmen lost their jobs, becoming vagrants and drifting to the Taihu Lake area and later to Shanghai. Some people engaged in smuggling salt and other contraband; another group turned to piracy on the high seas. During the warlord era, a large number of defeated soldiers drifted to Shanghai, and some joined the pirates with their weapons.

  Lin Xiaotang was going to meet the greatest pirate leader who controlled the Shanghai estuary, known as the "Dragon King".

  After leaving Wusongkou, this small fishing boat tossed about on the sea for a full three hours before arriving at the pre-arranged location. On this winter day, with strong winds and rough waves, plus the pungent smell of fish in the boat, Ma Qixiang was almost unable to bear it. He took over the flask handed over by Huo Yan, took a big gulp, and only then did his pale face flush with some redness. "Xiao Qi, when you chat with Dragon King later, you must be extra careful. This guy may also have the name of Qingbang, but he is extremely senior, my master would still need to show respect to him, and this person has a very violent temper, often directly throwing people into the sea, so..."

  Lin Xiaotang nodded, "I'll be careful."

  At this time, a fisherman outside poked his head in and said, "Young master, they've arrived!"

  The sky was still gloomy, as if brewing rainwater. Although there was only a thin layer of fog on the sea surface, it was still blurry and unclear in places slightly further away. The cold wind mixed with the smell of seawater hit everyone's face, making each person feel a chill.

  Two fast boats emerged from the fog, and as they drew closer, it was discovered that they were motor sailboats converted from fishing boats. One of them was slightly larger, with about twenty figures standing on board, wearing old quilted jackets in different colors. Some people also wore sheepskin hats, with cotton balls exposed through the broken hat mouths, which looked very dazzling. The objects in their hands were strange and varied, some of which were even the long-unseen Hanyang-made guns. A few individuals were holding Japanese Type 38 rifles, and a old Maxim heavy machine gun was mounted on the bow of the boat, with a small-caliber mountain cannon pointing directly at Lin Xiaotang's boat.

  Everyone looked at Lin Xiaotang with an unpleasant expression, but no one came up to talk to them. The two sides were silently staring at each other, and for a moment, the atmosphere was somewhat eerie.

  A man silently placed a plank between the two boats and said in a low voice, "Whoever wants to see Old Master Long, come over!"

  Lin Xiaotang smiled slightly and bowed to the man, "Thanks." Then she boarded the other's boat. Huo Yan followed closely behind, Ma Qixiang opened his mouth but still didn't speak, so he could only follow the two onto the boat.

  The man glanced sideways at the three of them, waved his hand at the people on the deck, and the crowd dispersed, leaving a narrow path. The man stretched out his hand, "Please!"

  Lin Xiaotang and the three men followed Hanzi down to the cabin, where they found themselves in a surprisingly spacious area. The decor was also quite unusual, leaving Lin Xiaotang feeling that even the word "unusual" didn't quite do it justice - perhaps "bizarre" would be more fitting.

  The furniture in the cabin is a mix of Chinese and Western styles, with both traditional redwood tables and chairs, as well as a tea table and bar that are full of Western flavor. On the wall hangs a ferocious cow head, vivid and lifelike, with curved horns pointing upwards, looking sharp and menacing. The cow's eyes stare directly at the cabin door, giving people a chill.

  In the middle of the room, facing the door, below the cow's head, a large red wooden desk was placed. Behind the desk sat a middle-aged man wearing a thick, oversized leather down jacket, with his chest open, revealing two dark pieces of muscle on his chest. On his feet were a pair of British military long tube leather boots, looking incongruous, yet somehow he seemed to feel quite good about himself, exuding an air of confidence and disdain from head to toe.

  Behind him were four men wearing the original direct lineage army gray uniform, with two shotguns slung over their waists, and a bright red silk ribbon tied to the gun butt, coldly staring at Lin Xiaotang and his two companions.

  A long-haired woman with a shawl stood beside the middle-aged man, looking around 10 years old. Her hair fell down to cover half of her face, and one bright almond-shaped eye looked up and down at the three people.

  Across from the middle-aged man were three chairs. Lin Xiaotang and his two companions had just sat down when Ma Qixiang said, "Dragon Master, this time we've come..."

  The Dragon King waved his hand and put one leg directly on the chair. "Guests from afar, it's already noon, let's drink and talk while we eat!"

  After finishing speaking, he pointed his mouth at the man behind him without saying a word, "Serve the dishes!"

  Behind him, one of the men wearing old-fashioned military uniforms, a bespectacled man, bowed and shouted. Six burly men with bare upper bodies entered in single file, each holding a large tray, which they placed on the redwood desk before turning around and exiting.

  On the table, there were six plates, each containing a whole sea bream, tuna, mackerel, large chunks of raw beef, and black sea urchin.

  The Dragon King took a wine jar from a man's hand, poured a bowl of wine for Lin Xiaotang and the other two, and invited them to drink up, "Homemade rice wine, can't be found elsewhere, try it!"

  Watching Lin Xiaotang and the other two finish their wine, Long Wang smiled and pointed to the bowls on the table. "Eat first, we'll talk about everything else later!" After saying that, he cut off a piece of fish meat, chewed it loudly with his mouth open, and stared at the three people, with juice and blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.

  Ma Qixiang was stunned. He had never seen anyone eat like this before, although he had heard of the Japanese dish sashimi, he had never tried it personally.

  He smiled with his eyes and mouth, and casually picked up a piece of beef with chopsticks, put it in his mouth, nodded immediately, "Kobe beef, not bad!"

  The Dragon King looked at Huo Yan with satisfaction, then shifted his gaze to Lin Xiaotang and Ma Qixiang, a hint of mockery in his eyes. "You two, don't you think the dishes are not palatable?"

  Ma Qixiang had no choice but to reluctantly pick up a small piece of beef, slowly put it in his mouth, and chewed with a bitter face.

  Lin Xiaotang suddenly stood up.

  Several men in military uniforms were suddenly shocked and quickly drew their dual guns from their waists, aiming at Lin Xiaotang.