Chapter 28: The Arrival of Reinforcements (Revised)

  Chen Xiaoqi carefully sized up the guy, who was over 1.8 meters tall, with a broad waist and a round face, his smile seemed very honest, but his eyes were sharp and cunning, obviously not a simpleton, his hands were thick and rough, standing there as stable as Mount Tai, exuding a fierce aura, his hair was cut close to the head, with a iron-brush-like goatee, indeed looking like a Shandong big man.

  The second person is Wu Sheng, the younger brother of Old Wu, the accountant of Dahua Dyeing Factory. He is only thirty years old, with a honest and simple face, always smiling at everyone. The two brothers look similar in appearance and demeanor. At home, he also works as an accountant for others. Chen Xiaoqi wanted someone like him to come, so that he could feel at ease and rely on him, and also cultivate his own loyal team. People who manage finances have always been the boss's trusted confidants, otherwise it would be a big mess. However, looking at Old Wu now, it seems that he still needs to learn for a few more years!

  The third person was a young man named Zhu Dacheng, who was short and stout. Chen Shouting said in his letter that this young man from Wucheng, Shandong Province was only twenty years old. His father had been a member of the Boxer Rebellion and had gone to Beijing to "support the Qing and destroy the foreigners". However, the Qing dynasty did not survive and the foreigners were not destroyed. The whole family suffered as a result. Zhu Dacheng's father was lucky enough to escape with his life and returned home to become a farmer. This young man had learned some skills from his father, including the "Eagle Claw" technique of Shaolin Kung Fu and was quite skilled in hand-to-hand combat.

  The fourth person was a thin, monkey-like short man, who looked like he was only about 1.6 meters tall, but was compact and full of energy, with a lively spirit inside and out. He was also in his early twenties, and his whole body was agile and nimble. It was said that he was from the Jianghu school "Yanzi Gate", and had a close relationship with the late old "Yanzi Li San". He was an expert at sneaking into houses and stealing chickens, and was recommended by Miao Handong, so he should be trustworthy. This guy's name was Hu Qian, and Chen Xiaoqi thought he looked like the legendary Shi Qian.

  The fifth person was a tall and sturdy man, about 1.75 meters in height, with broad shoulders and a straight back. He stood there with his hands spread wide apart, with a square face, high nose bridge, big mouth and ears, and two thick legs that seemed to be rooted to the ground as he walked. It was said that his ancestors were generals of the Qing dynasty who had fought against Japanese invaders and had been wounded in battle. However, after the fall of the Qing dynasty, these war heroes were left to fend for themselves and eventually retired to their hometowns. But the traditional martial arts skills passed down through generations did not disappear. This man, named He Bao Wen, was very skilled with a large knife, and it was said that when he danced with it, water couldn't penetrate, and its sharpness could cut off a fly's wings. He was considered a master who had never left his hometown. Because Chen Xiao Qi offered a high price, He Bao Wen's family didn't want him to waste his talent, so they also sent him out.

  The sixth person, Chen Xiaoqi, took a closer look and found that he was a standard military man, standing upright like a pine tree, his body straight as if he had been inserted into a flagpole, not moving at all. His eyes were firm and his spirit was high, with an air of majesty emanating from him. He was called Li Junfeng, a graduate of the seventh period of Baoding Army Officer School, staff department, who understood German. They were a batch of unfortunate children under the warlord system of the Northern Government, who had undergone several years of hard work in preparatory schools and military academies, only to have everything go awry after Yuan Shikai's failed attempt to become emperor in 1916. From then on, things went from bad to worse, with constant changes in leadership and infighting among the warlords, leaving students at a loss for what to do. Li Junfeng came from a scholarly family and had entered military school with the idea of strengthening the army to save the country, but ended up being greatly disappointed by the situation. After graduating, he returned home in anger, only to be sent out again by his family, both to broaden his horizons and to take his mind off things.

  Chen Xiaoqi's heart was racing with excitement. The Baoding Military Academy, this is the pioneer of China's modern military revolution! The achievements they made are far beyond what the Whampoa Military Academy achieved later on. Among them, countless talents and heroes emerged, such as Xiong Bingqi, Wu Peifu, Qi Xieyuan, Li Jinglin, Sun Chuanfang, Chiang Kai-shek, Li Jishen, Shang Zhen, Ye Ting, Deng Yanda, Jiang Guangnai, Zhang Zhizhong, Fu Zuoyi and many more. Later on, in the history of the Republic of China, they became prominent figures and giants. Chen Xiaoqi finally met one today, and he was exactly what he needed. How could he not be excited? This is definitely going to be a loyal and reliable team!

  The seventh person was the youngest, a 17-year-old young man with a slender build but handsome looks and an innocent smile. He was the third child of the Jinan Zhou family, but being from a collateral branch, he didn't receive much attention from the family. On the surface, this kid seemed like a good boy, but Chen Xiaoqi learned from his letters that he wasn't someone to be trifled with either. Since childhood, he hadn't been serious about studying and was always getting into fights and brawls, with an air of a spoiled rich kid. After growing up, he would often get into violent altercations, and once he saw blood, he became even more ruthless. His family couldn't manage him anymore, so they sent him to this unfamiliar place in America to see if he could change his ways, and at the same time, let Chen Xiaoqi, the "little god of wealth", influence him a bit.

  Chen Xiaoqi looked at Zhou Yunpeng with interest, thinking to himself: Indeed, you can't judge a person by their appearance! Who would have thought that this seemingly shy and innocent young man was actually a troublemaker? Among these seven people, except for Old Wu, not one of them is a good egg. This kid has got his work cut out for him.

  After matching the seven people one by one, Chen Xiaoqi smiled and said: "Everyone has traveled thousands of miles to come to the United States to help my brother. I am very grateful! We are all in a foreign land, hoping that in the future we can work together with one heart and create a career, not in vain on this earth. Your family should have been arranged properly? Is there anything you want me to do, just speak up."

  Huang Zhen Shan, this old soldier, sat in his chair with a lazy look on his face, glancing around the room before speaking. The older men exchanged glances, but it was Zhou Yunpeng, the youngest among them, who spoke up with a smile: "Ah, I've heard so much about Brother Chen's great reputation at home! He's only been out in the world for two years and has already accomplished so much with nothing but his bare fists. Our family's old men are all full of praise for him! It seems that Brother is quite an influential figure here too. If you can take care of me, your little brother, I'll be eternally grateful."

  Good kid! Don't look at the harmless appearance, when it comes to talking, not a single word is minced, and the praise is spoken so naturally and smoothly, very slick!

  Wu Sheng smiled and bowed: "I don't know what to say either, but before I came, my brother said that everything here listens to Young Master Qi, I know that the Qi family's business is now much bigger than ours, it's probably going to take some time to get things done, please forgive me, Young Master Qi."

  Chen Xiaoqi smiled and said, "Brother Wu is being polite. Your brother and my sixth brother as well as Jiaru are all old friends who know each other's roots. Whatever the matter is, we can discuss it among ourselves. Don't worry about financial matters, you can first learn from the foreign accountants, or if that doesn't work out, go attend a training class or something. After all, it's family taking care of business, so there's no rush."

  Wu Sheng nodded repeatedly, smiling and laughing. Chen Xiao looked at Huang Zhen Shan with a thoughtful expression, then glanced at the others who were silent, and vaguely understood that these people had undergone internal integration struggles during their time at sea. The oldest and most experienced Huang Zhen Shan was likely to have become the leader of this group, after all they were all outsiders about to face an unfamiliar boss, it was impossible for them not to be a little cautious in their hearts, they couldn't completely trust Chen Xiao immediately, this was human nature.

  Here, Wu Sheng's situation is different, so it doesn't matter. Zhou Yunpeng's family has a good relationship with Miao Handong, so they are still in between. Zhu Dacheng is obviously a straightforward and honest person, he won't easily take charge or make decisions. Li Junfeng, who has the highest level of education, is a military man, not involved in politics, doesn't fight for power, listens to orders when there's something to do, although he studied at the Staff College, it's not certain that he can outsmart Huang Zhenzhan this old sly fox.

  Hu Qian is the kind of person who may have a sense of justice and can take charge, but he's not good material for being a leader. He's still okay as a frontline soldier, but as for He Bao Wen, don't even get me started. People who practice boxing respect those with real skills and strength, you can't just try to win someone over with a few words, that's just wishful thinking. But people like this are easy to deal with, once they respect you, everything else is easy to discuss.

  So, after some consideration, it seems that Huang Zhen Shan is the one who needs to be taken down first. Chen Xiao Qi doesn't have time to waste on trivial matters, so he directly and decisively grabbed Huang and said: "Huang, considering my age and experience, I'm probably the oldest among us, having seen and learned a lot from traveling around. So let's not beat around the bush today. Since you've come all this way, it means you trust my sixth brother and his people, but if you have any doubts or thoughts about me, that's understandable."

  Here is the translation:

  "Ah, Chen brother, what are you talking about? We're all fellow villagers from afar, and we've managed to gather here together - that's fate! What's with this talk of trust or not? You spent a lot of money to find us, that means you value us old guests. How about it, what do you say we do? Let's just be straightforward and happy about it. Now that we're all here, if you don't speak up, we'll all get lost - haha, too polite!"

  Chen Xiaoqi didn't let him get away with this, nodded and still didn't let him off the hook, saying clearly: "I've never liked beating around the bush, if we're going to be brothers, then let's put everything on the table. I'll make my position clear, you guys can state your stance too, then everyone can do their thing without any hidden agendas or looking for excuses later, got it? A real man makes a decision with one word!"

  Huang Zhen Shan smiled and didn't answer immediately, instead he scratched his short hair with one hand and glanced at Li Junfeng beside him. Li Junfeng sat upright, his body straight, his eyes fixed on Chen Xiaoqi without any expression. Noticing Huang Zhen Shan's gaze, he lowered his eyelids for a moment, then opened them again to look directly at Chen Xiaoqi: "Mr. Chen, the matter has reached this point, please forgive me for being blunt. Before coming here, we only heard rumors about you and didn't know much, so we didn't dare make any judgments. Today, in the midst of our busy schedule, we took a glimpse and also realized that your foundation is not trivial. We brothers have come from afar, although it's just to assist and escort, but after all, the future is uncertain. I hope Mr. Chen can first tell us the truth, what are your plans for the future? Please speak frankly."

  "Good! Brother Li is indeed a true military man, quick-witted and straightforward. I understand that you must have had doubts about me gathering so many people with different backgrounds and skills to work together. It's only human nature, as throughout history, those who do such things are not small-minded, and recklessly getting involved may lead to a tragic end. Before coming here, I'm sure you had some guesses and estimates about what I wanted to do, whether I could succeed, and what my abilities were. If I didn't explain, it would be dishonest of me. And if I let you blindly enter danger without understanding the truth, that would be betraying our friendship."

  "So, I'll now thoroughly explain everything to you. But before that, I need to confirm whether you're fully prepared to know the truth, because what I'm about to say absolutely cannot be leaked to anyone else, including your family and friends. If it gets out, it will be a catastrophic disaster that will destroy your entire clan. Don't blame me for being ruthless later on. Will you listen or not? Make up your minds."

  As soon as Chen Xiaoqi finished speaking, the reactions of the seven people were vastly different. Huang Zhen Shan had an "I knew it" expression, looking calm and composed as if he had expected this all along.

  Li Junfeng's eyes flashed with a hint of light, but years of strict training allowed him to remain calm and composed, though his face looked very heavy, yet he still didn't speak.

  Zhu Dacheng had a bewildered expression, as if these things had nothing to do with him at all.

  He Bao Wen's face turned bright red with excitement upon hearing this, his body slightly trembling.

  He rolled his small eyes, looking restless and uneasy, shaking his head and scratching his ears, clearly struggling with internal conflicts.

  Wu Sheng's face turned pale, a layer of fine sweat appeared on his forehead, and his eyes darted around in all directions, looking somewhat disoriented.

  The youngest Zhou Yunpeng, on the other hand, had an eager and reckless attitude, as if Chen Xiaoqi was talking about a very fun and exciting game. Chen Xiaoqi often saw such expressions on the faces of young people who were enthusiastically playing CS in internet cafes.