In the Public Concession, the British General Assembly building at Three on the Bund, where a grand ball is being held.

Under the giant chandelier emitting a brilliant light in the banquet hall on the second floor, foreigners standing in a circle with champagne in hand gathered in a circle to talk.

John Davidson, the British Consul General in Shanghai, was chatting and laughing with an American female reporter with a beautiful face and a very hot body with a red face.

The content of the talks between the two sides is precisely the current stormy situation in Shanghai.

"Mr. Davis, what is your opinion on the current reaction of the Japanese side? Will this incident be the trigger for the deterioration of Sino-Japanese relations and eventual war? Ruth, who works for The New York Times, looked at John Davis with a smile.

"Dear Ruth, before answering this question, I would like to state first of all that according to our investigation of this incident, it is obvious that the Japanese side provoked first, and those humble and poor Chinese only passively counterattacked, so on behalf of the British Empire, I have sent solemn representations to the Japanese Consulate General in Shanghai, their behavior has seriously disrupted the normal order in Shanghai, if the Japanese side reacts more violently, we will consider severely punishing the Japanese side for all kinds of transgressions."

John Davis shook the champagne in his hand and said in a righteous and awe-inspiring manner, but the afterglow of his eyes lingered on the towering breasts of the female reporter for a long time.

Sensing the greedy gaze of the Consul General, the female reporter named Ruth did not show any dissatisfaction, but inadvertently pulled the sideburns in her ears behind her ears, revealing her tempting cleavage.

John Davis looked along Ruth's slender hand, and saw the jade man lightly baring his teeth and smiling slightly, as if a hundred flowers were in full bloom, extremely charming and charming.

John Daviston felt short of breath and his mouth was dry.

With a secret cry of "goblin" in his heart, John Davis tried to take his eyes off Ruth, and suddenly showed a look of surprise on his face, apologized to Ruth, and went straight to a white man with a hint of melancholy on his face: "Hey, Bowetes, I didn't expect you to come to the ball too"

The 43-year-old Baldette has been in China from French Annam for five years, and he succeeded Brionval, who had returned to China the year before last, as French Consul General in Shanghai.

John Davis opened his arms and gave Bowtes a warm hug.

Bautais, who had recently been a little uneasy by the situation in Shanghai, did not smile and greeted him politely, and then entered the beautifully decorated lounge on the side of the banquet hall with John Davis.

Ruth wanted to follow up, but was stopped by the waiter at the door, and had to leave in disgrace to find a new interview target.

In the room, after sitting down on the sofa, Bautes was the first to speak: "The situation in the eastern and northern districts of the public concession is extremely delicate now...... Although most of the area there was obtained from cross-border road construction, it has been fully incorporated into the jurisdiction of the public concession over the years, and has reached a certain tacit understanding and balance with the national government, making the Shanghai concession a paradise for adventurers from Europe and the United States, creating many myths of sudden wealth. ”

It is a pity that since the Songhu War five years ago, the Japanese have been trying to break this tacit understanding and balance, and a large number of Japanese have migrated from the narrow archipelago in the northeast to Shanghai, settled in Hongkou, Yangshupu and other places, and gradually lost their size. If we allow them to get additional privileges from the Chinese government this time, our interests will inevitably suffer."

After listening to Baudetis explain his opinion, John Davis said with a wry smile: "It is true, the ambitions of the Japanese are getting bigger and bigger, but the current international situation is tense, and our government is tired of dealing with German expansion, and it is simply unable to contain the Japanese...... I wonder what Mr. Bowtais thinks about this incident? ”

Baltes sighed: "Although we lack the means to effectively sanction the Japanese government and military, there is a limit to our forbearance...... Before coming here, I had reached a consensus with the American consul, Mr. Clarence Goss, that if the Japanese side did not send troops, we would not interfere, and if Japan used the marines, we would have to use the French and American marines in the concession in the name of maintaining peace to resolutely suppress the Japanese ambitions. ”

John Davis frowned, clearly a little unhappy with the result.

As the consul general of the empire in Shanghai, John Davis was more radical than the French consul Baudes and the American consul Clarence Gauss.

After the 128 Incident, the Nationalist Government and the Japanese Government signed a treaty, and Shanghai became a demilitarized zone, and Chinese troops could not be stationed in the Songhu area.

Under these circumstances, the Japanese became more and more arrogant, and at their strong demand, the Japanese marines replaced the patrols in the streets, and even the Ministry of Public Concession had to join two Japanese directors. It has been learned that the Japanese are seeking the Ministry of Industry Bureau to designate Hongkou as a new police district, which will be under the full authority of the Japanese district chief.

If the Japanese are not properly beaten this time, the eastern and northern districts of the public concession are likely to become private gardens for the Japanese in the future.

Just when the British and French consuls were negotiating behind closed doors to unify their external voices, the waiter knocked lightly on the door, and after receiving permission, came in and said: "Mr. Davis, Mr. Du and Mr. Huang request a meeting. ”

John Davis frowned, and introduced to Bao Taisi beside him: "These two are the current principals of the Green Gang, and the one who died at the Yulin intersection in the East District before was Zhang Xiaolin, another leader of the Green Gang. ”

Huang Jinrong started as the chief inspector of the French Concession patrol Fang Hua, and Bautes, as the French consul general in Shanghai, naturally knows this in detail:

"A gang leader who is contaminated with pornography, gambling and drugs, if he dies, he will die, there has never been a shortage of careerists in the underground world, we can just support one more when the time comes...... In fact, the whole thing is very simple, that is, the son of this gang leader and the Japanese are jealous of a singer, and then the conflict between the two sides escalates and fights, which then brings great trouble......"

"But, no matter what, this kind of hatred will not be raised to the national level, and it would be best if it could be resolved privately by them."

John Davis bowed slightly, and said, "Please come in, two gentlemen." ”

After about five or six minutes, Du Yuesheng and Huang Jinrong walked into the lounge with a smile, John Davis did not show much enthusiasm, but Bao Taisi on the side smiled and nodded to Huang Jinrong and Du Yuesheng.

"Mr. Huang, Mr. Du, you should be here for the Japanese, right?" The translator quickly conveyed Bao Taisi's meaning to Huang Jinrong and Du Yuesheng.

"Yes, Dear Mr. Consul, the Volunteer Brigade, composed of Japanese soldiers, ronin, and samurai, is now gathering in the marginal areas bordering the concession and the Chinese border, and there is a possibility of a bloody storm at any moment...... We have come this time to ask the authorities what they mean: Are the Japanese allowed to use force indiscriminately? Du Yuesheng asked unceremoniously as soon as he came.

Baudes smiled and did not reply.

After Du Yuesheng and Huang Jinrong were all seated, John Davis spoke arrogantly: "Why do we want to come forward, may I ask the Japanese marines stationed in Shanghai?" ”

Du Yuesheng frowned, and didn't know how to answer for a while. After all, the Japanese gathered in the Hongkou area now are all civilians, and they have nothing to do with the army.

Seeing Du Yuesheng's hesitation, John Davis continued: "Don't worry, if there is a large-scale movement of the Japanese army, we will get the news as soon as possible, and we will definitely come forward to stop it." Besides, they haven't made any real moves yet, have they? ”

"May I ask you, Mr. Consul, don't you know about the situation of the Japanese who have gathered in the area around Hongkou? They are in groups and fully armed, which has seriously threatened the order and safety of the concession According to the relevant laws and regulations of the concession, illegal possession of weapons is a serious crime, and the patrol house has every reason to come forward to arrest them, so that there will be nothing to do? Huang Jinrong, who is 70 years old this year, was obviously a little dissatisfied with John Davis's reply.

"Mr. Huang, you have also done patrols, don't you know the danger of doing this? These Japanese are all outlaws, many of them are gang members from the Japanese Black Dragon Society and the Yamaguchi-gumi, and they have also received weapons provided by the Japanese marines. ”

John Davis asked several questions in a row, leaving Huang Jinrong speechless.

Bautes, who was on the side, nodded, a satisfied smile on his face, clearly pleased with the change in the attitude of the British consul.

In March last year, the German Government brazenly announced the abrogation of the Locarno Convention and, in disregard of the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles, sent 30,000 German troops into the Rhine demilitarized zone and built fortifications along Germany's western border. By November, Germany and Japan had concluded an anti-Comintan pact, and the clouds of war began to hang over Europe.

For the British and French consuls in Shanghai, the best choice at present is undoubtedly to control the situation on the civil dispute, so that we can do a good job, hello to everyone, and hope to turn a big thing into a small thing.

Du Yuesheng nodded: "Mr. Consuls, I just want to ask now, if the Japanese army is dispatched, will the troops of Britain, France, the United States and other countries stationed in the concession come forward?" ”

"Of course"

John Davis confidently said: "At least until now, no country has dared to challenge the glory of the empire on which the sun never sets"

"Good"

Du Yuesheng stood up satisfied: "As long as we can ensure that the Japanese army does not move, then these Japanese mobs will be handed over to our Green Gang to deal with, as long as the Japanese are scared, they will sit down and talk obediently, I don't believe it, my second brother even gave away his life, what excessive conditions can they put forward"

"Good"

Bao Taisi high-fived and sighed: "Dear Du, I look forward to your good news, I believe that your countrymen are also looking forward to you turning the tide, and I believe that after this incident, you will become a well-deserved king of Shanghai's underground world."