Chapter 396: Songjiang
Songjiang, as one of the major cities in the Jin Kingdom that opened its port to trade, concentrated the essence of the wealth of the southeast, and has now become one of the most economically developed cities in China. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info
A thriving economy and an open and inclusive culture make the city vibrant. In April, the temperature in Songjiang was already quite hot, and the workers on the docks, wearing short shirts and shirtless, were carrying goods or waiting to carry their luggage for others.
In this part of Songjiang, the wharf is a key pass, and storage and handling contain huge profits, which also brings strong competition. The Songjiang Cao Gang, which has a strong strength and a long heritage, has mastered the coolie workers of the entire wharf. Everyone who wants to carry bags here to make money must get permission from the Cao Gang and pay the help fee, otherwise they are absolutely not allowed to find food here.
There are a total of one hundred and twenty-eight and a half gangs of the Cao Gang, of which the gang is the counting unit of the Cao boat in the past. There are a total of nine gangs in Songjiang, and later Caoyun gradually fell into disuse, and the children of the Cao gang still count on the water to beg for a living, or for the salt lords, or not for the soil owls. The power of the nine gangs in Songjiang on the dock still covers the sky with one hand. Even the officers leading the troops of the water defense battalion, there are many people who are helping, and the officials and bandits are really one and the same, and they are their own families, regardless of each other.
If a guest from a foreign country has a lot of luggage and has no strong relationship, he will be missing a few things in his luggage. It doesn't matter whether it's a big wool coat or a silver dollar bill, there is always something missing, even if it is reported to the patrol room, it is not of much use.
Today, sitting on the dock are several little bosses in the Songjiang Cao Gang, all wearing black silk trousers, snow-white spun silk sleeves rolled up high, the chest is not buttoned, the chest is open, revealing the axe handle in the waist, standing in two rows on the dock like a guard on duty.
The old man of Songjiang knew at a glance that there must be a big man from the Cao Gang coming to Songjiang today, so the local elder should put on a big scene to receive him so as not to be rude.
These dozen or so station shifts are all the leaders of the big characters in the nine gangs of the Songjiang Cao Gang, who wear long shirts and horse coats on weekdays, but today they wear short fights to stay here, so it can be seen that they must be the seniors of the gang. And the one who is hidden in the back must be the general leader of the Nine Gangs of the Songjiang Local Cao Gang, the leader of the Lizi generation, Shen Baosheng.
The highest ranking of the Songjiang Cao Gang is Cao Dingxiu, an old man of the Xingzi generation, but he has been closed for many years, and he believes in foreign religions, and he only preaches scriptures with missionaries every day, and will not come out to help them.
One really came out to do things, one is Shen Baosheng in the public concession, and the other is Zhao Abao in the Capet concession. Zhao Abao is in the black soil business, although he has strong financial resources, but his deeds are similar to bandits, and the government and foreigners have to arrest him, and he rarely shows up in public. The only person who can put such a big scene on the dock is Shen Baosheng, a big person.
This big character is his student, and the power of the Songjiang Cao Gang is very great, even Songjiang Dao and Shen Baosheng are also changing stickers, but I don't know who came this time, and he wanted to alarm him to come to the town in person. A Swire Albion ship docked, and the boats began to pull the people on board towards the docks, and the coolies began to move their goods.
A man in his thirties went up to the dock with a wrench in his hand, and after a shake in front of everyone, a man in a black silk robe immediately greeted him and saluted, "This friend, my master has been waiting in the teahouse behind for a long time, and I will take you up." ”
"No, I'm not from your gang, I'm just a handsome officer of my family. The marshal is still behind, and he will not get off the ship until the end. ”
"Oh, I see, that's a good friend, please come and rest for tea and snacks."
After this man disembarked, he was followed by more than a hundred entourage guards, all of them strong and uniform, and it was clear at a glance that they must be well-trained officers and soldiers.
The white-faced people here in Songjiang have seen a lot of foreign soldiers, and it is not surprising to see the golden soldiers, when Zhang Tong led the troops to Songjiang to fight long hair, he was ridiculed because the army was ugly.
But today, seeing the behavior of these subordinates, these white-faced people also secretly turned their heads and ears, listened to the origin of these troops, and looked at their actions, compared to foreign soldiers, they were not a few points worse. I heard that there are six Beiyang towns in the north, could it be these people?
Disembarking after these entourages was a group of women with three children in their arms. Most of these ladies are extremely outstanding, and the clothes they wear vary from gorgeous to foreign, even those girls who wear people's clothes, their appearance is all in the past. It is not uncommon for Songjiang to be an open port, well-informed, and with many beauties. And among these women, it is a man surrounded by stars holding the moon.
The man wore a top hat on his head, a snow-white suit, a pair of citrine glasses, white gloves on his hands, and a cane in his hand. He looks like he is only in his early twenties, and he looks like a comprador in Songjiang Shili Yangchang with a capital letter.
There are a lot of such characters in Songjiang, which is not unusual, and being surrounded by such a group of women inevitably reminds people of a young man who is young and golden, and does not know the taste of fat powder. But looking at his demeanor, he looked forward to his self-pride, not to be despised by people, and then looked at the dragon heads of those big characters, and saw that people knelt down and saluted, calling Uncle Shi, only to know that the original master was this young man.
Songjiang Cao Gang is different from Jinmen, the age of the Lizi generation is already older, and there are more big characters when they come out to fight the world. Everyone originally thought that since it was a rite word, how could it be over forty years old, but they never expected that it would be such a young man. Don't ask, you can know, it must be that the family has a way and power, and worshiped a senior of the Xingzi generation who received the mountain gate as a teacher, and became a little ancestor in the Cao Gang.
Below the three ancestors of the Cao Gang, Wang Jianzu is a disciple of Pan Zu to open the door, and his arm Xiao Jianzu is a disciple of Pan Zu to close the door, and he is the big disciple who left the rules and opened the mountain gate, and the younger disciple of the mountain gate is far above the other same door. Therefore, such a young uncle who closes the mountain gate is a little more flattering than ordinary etiquette.
With the relationship of the Cao Gang, there is no need to worry about the luggage, even if a towel is missing, someone will send it back as it is. Zhao Guanhou followed a group of disciples of the big character generation all the way to a teahouse near the wharf. This teahouse has been taken over by the Cao Gang, and from the door to the second floor, all of them are disciples of the Cao Gang. All of them are black trousers, white shirts, and axe handles stuck in their waists, which is also a bit imposing.
When I got to the second floor, the seats had been rearranged, the tables and chairs had been moved to all sides, and a large square table was left in the center, with one person in the center. He was in his fifties, not tall, but very stout. The appearance is not outstanding, and the two eyes are extraordinarily bright. He wore a black jacket robe, a satin shoulder jacket, a row of coral buckles on the flat shoulders, rolled up the sleeves, revealing the snow-white spun sleeves, a pair of walnuts in his left hand, and a short cigarette pouch inlaid with bamboo and emerald in his right hand.
At the head of the old man, sitting is Cao Zhongying, who is also dressed in satin robes and satin shoes. Zhao Guanhou is engaged in wind and rain in Shandong, and the future is unknown, so he did not dare to stay for a long time as the general office of the Anti-Smoking Bureau, so he went to Songjiang to be the front station first. Although he himself is not in the threshold, he has a strong social ability, and he is responsible for contacting the Cao Gang.
As soon as he saw Zhao Guanhou coming up, the old man had just come together, and Zhao Guanhou had already stepped forward, threw away his cane, and bowed his hand, "Senior brother, it has always been good, and the younger brother is polite." This time, the younger brother went to the land of the elder brother, and I hope that the senior brother will take care of it more. ”
This old man is Shen Baosheng, the principal of the Songjiang Cao Gang generation, although he is not an official or a wealthy businessman, but he is a very prestigious and prestigious person in the Songjiang Chinese Boundary and the Concession.
Thousands of Cao Gang disciples obey his orders and act, success may not be enough, failure is more than enough, regardless of official and business, for this Shen boss, there must be a respect. Even in the concession, the Cao Gang still has a strong influence, and the Chinese detectives who patrol the house in the concession also have to buy some face for the Cao Gang, and even some of the detectives themselves are also children of the gang.
As the governor, Zhao Guanhou left his station without authorization, which was actually a big crime, and Songjiang Dao could also be arrested. If Shen Baosheng said that he had to buy his face, he wouldn't be able to talk about it.
But on the rivers and lakes, the sedan chair carries people, and Zhao Guanhou personally came forward to give himself a salute with the respect of a handsome, which is to give face to the sky, if he doesn't know how to be a man, Shen Baosheng is not qualified to be the leader of thousands of Cao Gang disciples.
He hurriedly got up and saluted back, "Dashuai, you are going to torture the old age." The old man is just a flat-headed people, you are the governor of the court, let's go together, one official and one people, if you want to worship the people, how can there be officials who worship the people, upside down, upside down. ”
"Senior brother, my master is the same as your master, we are real brothers. Before I came to Songjiang this time, Master and his old man also said that there were only these two of his generation's fellow staff left. I went to Songjiang this time, and I specially wanted to visit my uncle and his old man, I don't know if the old man is in good health? ”
"It's okay, it's okay, I eat and sleep well, I can fight all the way every day, and my body is really not bad. If there is something to sit down and say, sit down and say. ”
Zhao Guanhou glanced at Gao Sheng, who followed him, and Gao Sheng handed over the package in his arms, Zhao Guanhou smiled: "A little meaning, not a respect, senior brother smiled." ”
"I don't dare to say this, when Fourth Master Cao came, he had already given a lot of gifts, how could he still receive them."
"One case is one case, these few little things are not valuable, as long as the senior brother likes it. and this cane, which was also given to the senior brother. ”
The disciple next to Shen Baosheng opened the gift box and saw that there were twelve Luzon cigars inside. In the other gift box, there is a gold watch inlaid with pearls, and in the third gift box, there is a ginseng.
Zhao Guanhou introduced: "This gold watch was used by Wenzong when he was alive, and this ginseng is also an offering. As for this cane, please take a look, brother. ”
Zhao Guanhou picked up a cane to demonstrate to Shen Baosheng, this cane looks the same as an ordinary Si Dike on the surface, but in fact, there is a hidden mechanism inside, and there is a short spear. The trigger is near the gripper, and it can be fired after loading, which is an excellent self-defense weapon and a weapon for plotting against others.
Shen Baosheng eats the rice of the rivers and lakes, and he likes this weapon very much, and more importantly, these four gifts are not only precious but also heartfelt, obviously the other party regards himself as a very respectable friend, not a general friend.
If the previous gift made Shen Baosheng feel that Zhao Guanhou would be a man, these four gifts at this time made him quite flattered. Just take a Wenzong relic, no matter how big his face is and how many means he means, it will be difficult to get his hands on it, this favor, he can't deny it.
He also knows a little about Zhao Guanhou's way, and knows the relationship between the other party, which can lead to the rich and beautiful widow in the Warby Bank. The widow also has a lot of face in the Ministry of Industry of the Concession, and she may not have to buy her own account. If the other party doesn't contact him and lives in the concession like this, the Cao Gang may not have the courage to go to him for trouble.
Now to send such a heavy gift, it is not to ask for yourself, but purely in accordance with the rules of the rivers and lakes, and the guests worship the guests. They intersect with each other according to the rules in the threshold of the Cao Gang disciples, and they do not involve official forces or official ranks. If you don't know how to advance and retreat, and turn your good friend into an enemy, then you don't deserve to eat this bowl of rice.
Standing up for the second time and taking the gift, Shen Baosheng turned back to his apprentice and said a few words, and then asked, "Senior brother, have you chosen a place to live when you went to Songjiang this time?" ”
"The younger brother brought his family here, and everyone was bored in Shandong, so they went to Songjiang to take a look. The place to live was chosen in the Licha Hotel, and I heard that it was not bad. ”
"It's not bad there, it's in the concession, it's a good place. There are some to eat, some to gamble, but there is one, there is no flower wine to drink. You just got off the boat today, and Senior Brother is going to pick up the wind for you, so I'll arrange this meal tonight. At six o'clock, I'll send a car to pick you up. ”
"Then I have to thank the senior brother for his hospitality, the younger brother has two lives on the people and the land in Songjiang, and everything depends on the senior brother."
"No matter what, you are in Songjiang, just like at home, if you have anything, come to me directly, and Shen will do it for you."
The white-faced people in Songjiang pay attention to gossip, and as soon as he said this, he actually assumed the responsibility for the safety of the Zhao family's family in Songjiang. He is responsible for any mistakes.
The two drank tea for a while, Zhao Guanhou got up to say goodbye and went to arrange for his family, and Shen Baosheng also went to arrange the evening reception. Zhao Guanhou traveled with his family this time, and even Zou Xiurong went to Songjiang together, and here at the Licha Hotel, even if he didn't count the sentry guards he brought, it took a full three floors to be arranged.
When he entered the room, Jenson was already waiting for him, and as soon as he saw him coming, he immediately stepped forward, and the two embraced each other warmly. Sai Jinhua coughed a few times on the side, "You two pay attention, there are outsiders here, so you have to talk about decency." ”
Zhao Guanhou smiled, "Second sister, I don't treat you as an outsider." ”
Sai Jinhua puffed up her chest, "You say that, do you treat the second sister as an insider?" That relationship is good, the second sister really made a fortune with Mrs. Jenson this time, and she is very rich, if she enters your door, she is guaranteed to bring a large sum of silver."
Zhao Guanhou went to Songjiang this time, although he had the incident of Yushan as an introduction, and he took the opportunity of leaving Shandong to lure out all those who were brave enough to oppose him, and then deal with it.
But just for this reason, he didn't need to really go far to Songjiang, and the biggest reason for coming here was the telegram that Jensen sent him. Their investment in Songjiang encountered a very important challenge, the chairman of Tiele Daosheng Bank, and had to make a capital bet with Jensen.
The scale of this gambling is huge, and in front of Zhao Guanhou, the amount is enough to hit Warby Bank hard, and it is even in danger of bankruptcy. And Warby Bank, which is closely related to Zhao Guanhou, is that Jensen did not dare to assert himself, so he had to invite Zhao Guanhou to host the scene.
The two sides of the bet, one is Warby Bank, and the other is Tieler's Daosheng Bank, and the target of the bet is the trend of Langezhi's stock, and the funds involved in the bet are three million Albion pounds. (To be continued.) )