Zhang Pengcheng was frightened: "Who?" Who's calling? ”

The officer stammered: "The gunboats, two of them, with American flags and barrels so thick, are facing our provincial capital." ”

Zhang Pengcheng was also anxious, and suddenly stood up and said, "Really? ”

The officer said: "I have a few who dare to tell nonsense, if you don't believe it, you will know when you go to the riverside." ”

Zhang Pengcheng asked again: "Then you didn't ask why the Americans drove the gunboat over." ”

The officer spread his hands: "We want to ask, but we don't know how to speak foreign." ”

Zhang Pengcheng suddenly came to his senses, opened the drawer and took out a telegram, and flew to report to Sun Overseer, who was playing mahjong with his aunt and wife in the inner house, and was slightly surprised when he saw the adjutant and the director come in in a lost soul: "Pengcheng, what's the alarm?" ”

"Dashuai, take a step to speak." Zhang Pengcheng said in a low voice.

"What's the secret, say." Sun Kaiqin is on the rise, and he is reluctant to leave the table.

Zhang Pengcheng was helpless, so he had to whisper close to his ear: "Big marshal, the Americans' warship has sailed to Jiangxin to ask for the guilt." ”

Sun Kaiqin's face changed greatly, and he said to the fifth aunt: "Little Wu, you will fight for me for a while." After that, he left the table and went to the front hall and carefully asked Zhang Pengcheng what happened.

Zhang Pengcheng took out the telegram and said: "It was all delayed during the Chinese New Year, and the backlog of telegrams was in my hands, and the American Springfield Foreign Company sent a telegram saying that we had detained their goods, and we wanted to give an explanation. ”

Sun Kaiqin immediately said: "Xiao Xia, come here, call Adjutant Xia over." ”

Xia Jingqi arrived quickly, read the telegram and said in surprise: "Impossible, Chuntian Foreign Company is just a leather bag company opened by Chen Zikun, how can it alarm the US ** ship." ”

Sun Kaiqin furrowed his eyebrows and said, "So you already knew about it?" ”

Xia Jingqi said: "The day before yesterday, there was indeed an ancient cargo ship that came to the provincial capital, saying that it was going to transport away the firearms, and the humble reply said that this was a prohibited material and had been detained, and they didn't say anything." ”

Sun Kaiqin said: "Now that the American gunboat has driven to the doorstep, no one can resist if it really wants to make trouble, you hurry up and solve the matter for me, Lao Tzu still wants to have a good life." With that, he brushed his sleeves and left.

Zhang Pengcheng and Xia Jingqi looked at each other, and hurriedly drove to the wharf, the old calendar year was approaching, the wharf was deserted, and even the coolies went home to prepare for the New Year's goods, and from a distance they saw two gunboats cruising in the center of the river, the muzzles of the black holes were raised high, and the flags were fluttering on the mast.

The Marine Police's boat didn't know where it had slipped, the fishermen's sampan couldn't be found, and the officers of the Overseer's Office were in a hurry on the docks, unable to talk to the Americans, how to solve the crisis, but fortunately, the people on the warship saw the situation with binoculars, put down a rubber boat, and carried a few people over.

The rubber boat leaned on the trestle, and the officials swarmed around, nodding their heads and asking for warmth, and a foreigner in a suit and leather shoes, a US Navy lieutenant, and two Chinese, Gong Zijun and Mu Yichen, came down from the boat.

The foreigner in the suit was the first secretary of the American consulate, and he read the consulate's strong protest and ultimatum to the officials of the Overseer Office in English with a straight face.

"The U.S. Consulate and the U.S. Navy hereby strongly protest and reserve the right to take further measures by seriously violating the inland waterway shipping agreement and related laws signed between the United Kingdom and the United States and your country by seizing the cargo of an American merchant carried by the British Steamship Company without any reason, and that you still have no good faith in resolving the matter positively after repeated representations."

The officials panicked, and the other party's diplomatic rhetoric made them very clear, the further means is nothing more than gunboat diplomacy, if you don't return my goods, I will bombard you, and the Overseer's Office is just under the guns of the Americans, and if it really starts, the provincial army will not even have the strength to fight back.

"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding, there must be a misunderstanding here." Director Zhang hurriedly snorted, and the first secretary said coldly: "The British cargo ship has been parked on your dock for several days, and the telegrams have been taken one after another, and you have turned a deaf ear, I don't see any misunderstanding here." ”

Director Zhang said: "Isn't this busy for the New Year, besides, what we are seizing is the prohibited materials purchased by Jiangbei, and it has nothing to do with the merchants of your country." ”

The first secretary said: "I have all the business letters and contracts here, which are enough to confirm that this shipment belongs to the American Springfield Company. ”

Adjutant Xia couldn't help it, and said: "Don't use American companies to scare people, the behind-the-scenes boss of Springfield is Chen Zikun, and he has nothing to do with the Americans."

The first secretary was a little surprised, turned his head and whispered a few words to Mu Yichen, and said: "Oh, I think I understand a little, there is indeed some misunderstanding here, this batch of goods belongs to the Springfield Company of the United States before arriving at the destination, please note that it is Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, which is an arsenal that produces army weapons for the US government, not Springfield Foreign Company in the Shanghai Public Concession." ”

Now everyone came back to their senses, it turned out that they really offended people who should not be offended, this spring field is not another spring field, the Americans' state-run arsenal is also called this name, no wonder the consulate and the US Navy gunboats are alarmed.

Director Zhang laughed dryly: "Sure enough, it was a misunderstanding, since it is the goods of the American merchants, we will return them after asking the Overseers." ”

Adjutant Xia said: "Yes, yes, yes, it's all a misunderstanding, what, if you don't fight, you don't know each other, since you are here, let's stay for a few days and let us enjoy the friendship of the landlord." ”

The first secretary discussed with the lieutenant and agreed to Adjutant Xia's invitation, but they did not stay for tea, but to supervise the return of supplies.

Director Zhang left Adjutant Xia to deal with the Americans, and returned to the Overseer's Office on his own Pegasus, reporting the matter to Inspector Sun, and the 10,000 rifles had to be sent back to others before they were hot, and the Overseers were furious, but they had to admit that they were unlucky, and the Americans all issued ultimatums, which really annoyed them, and these foreigners really dared to open fire.

"That's it, you guys deal with it, don't bother me." After losing his temper, Sun Kaiqin shook his sleeves and said impatiently.

Zhang Pengcheng took the order and went back to the official room of the port authority where the Americans were entertained, and found that the atmosphere was not quite right, and the American guests were even more ugly than when they first arrived.

"Xiao Xia, what's going on?" Zhang Pengcheng was a shrewd person, and immediately guessed that it was his subordinates who angered Lord Yang.

Xia Jingqi rubbed his hands and said: "Didn't the foreigners say that if the goods don't arrive in Nantai, they won't be surnamed Chen, I said that I was willing to buy these guns at twice the price, and then give each of them a point rebate, I don't know why the foreigners were angry." ”

Zhang Pengcheng said: "Xiao Xia, how do you let me say hello, foreigners are different from us Chinese, they admit death reason, how can there be a reason to break the contract after signing the contract, you still want to bribe them, isn't this scolding them in public." ”

Xia Jingqi said: "Then what should I do, can I still let these 10,000 guns fall into the hands of Chen Zikun?" Otherwise, if we don't do it twice, we will burn the goods with a fire, and it will be a big deal to lose money, and we will not let the arms fall into the hands of the surnamed Chen. ”

Looking at Adjutant Xia's gritted teeth, Zhang Pengcheng sighed and patted him on the shoulder: "Xiao Xia, family feuds can't be mixed with official affairs, you are doing this to roast the Overseers on the fire, and offend the British and Americans together, who is so bold." ”

Xia Jingqi sighed: "Then return the goods to them?" ”

Forty tons of munitions were still transported to the British cargo ship, of course, the handling costs and liquidated damages had to be paid by the Overseer's Office, and Swire & Co. also suspected that the murder and fire on the previous cargo ship were a conspiracy of the Jiangdong side, and demanded a huge amount of compensation, and endless troubles awaited Adjutant Xia.

When the last box of munitions was loaded onto the ship, Mu Yichen had a victorious smile on his face, and said to the disgraced Xia Jingqi: "Adjutant Xia, the military envoy has asked me to bring you a word, three words: you're welcome." ”

The whistle sounded, the ship left the wharf of the provincial capital, went upstream, and started a new voyage, Gong Zijun and Mu Yichen looked at the distance by the railing, the river was surging, and the waves were magnificent.

"As soon as the foreigners came forward, Sun Overseer's people were frightened, and it was ridiculous to think about their servile and sincere fear." Gong Zijun said with a smile.

Mu Yichen let out a long sigh: "I have to rely on the strength of foreigners to protect myself, for a Chinese, how sad it is." ”

The Taikoo Steamship Company has not been able to open up the business in the middle and upper reaches of the Huaijiang River, on the one hand, because of public security reasons, and another important reason is because the rapids and rapids are not suitable for large-tonnage ships to pass, in order to successfully transport the 40 tons of arms to Nantai, Chen Zikun also made a bloody investment, sent people to blow up the largest reef in Laohutan, and this project alone sacrificed four brothers, and finally it was the Chaojianglong who sent a few brothers with good water quality to complete it.

After going through difficulties and obstacles, the river ship finally arrived at the Nantai wharf, but the wharf in the small county town was too simple, and could only moor sailing ships and small-tonnage steamships, and the thousand-ton cargo ships were fortunate to anchor in the middle of the river and use sampans to transfer goods back and forth to the shore.

The county government requisitioned hundreds of people, and was busy all day in the form of ants moving, and finally unloaded the 10,000 rifles, and 100 tons of high-quality white coal from Nantai were sent into the cargo hold of the ship.

At the same time, a batch of Browning .30-06 bullets from the Springfield Arsenal arrived in Nantai by land, and unlike the rifles sold as surplus supplies, these bullets were purchased at a high price of $100 per thousand rounds, unloaded by sea to the port of Tianjin, and then taken to Xuzhou by Jinpu Road, and then escorted by Chen Tiaoyuan, a total of 500,000 rounds.

In order to thank his brother for giving guns last time, Chen Zikun gave Chen Tiaoyuan 200 M1917 rifles and 10,000 rounds of ammunition in return, and later Chen Tiaoyuan bought 1,000 second-hand rifles from Jiangbei at a "low price" of 60 oceans each, so that Chen Zikun made some price difference, which is a later story.

Overnight, the officers and men of the Jiangdong No. 7 Mixed Brigade changed their guns from old miscellaneous guns to brand-new American-made ones, giving them a completely new look.

At this time, there were still two days left before the old calendar year.