Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 435: The Fall of the Old Northeast Gang

Hu Zi didn’t eat well on weekdays, and his main diet was steamed bread with pickles.

It's a rare opportunity to break into a hard kiln, so we must eat and drink to our heart's content and not go hungry.

As a wealthy landlord, the Liu family was well-off, and even if they only had four or five hundred beards to feed and drink, it would be enough for them to enjoy themselves for quite some time.

I cooked pot after pot of glutinous rice with pork vermicelli, and it tasted so delicious.

The greasy pancake was just taken out of the pan and was still hot when the bearded men grabbed it in their hands.

He rolled up a big piece of fat meat and gobbled it up in no time.

Old Northeast led the four pillars and other backbone members, as well as the leaders of several other small gangs, and played Pai Gow steadily on the warm kang, with the women of the Liu family serving them tea and water.

They were having fun when the food was served, so everyone stopped and started eating and drinking.

The best kaoliang liquor is poured directly into a large bowl, and you can have a sip of wine and a bite of meat. What a wonderful life.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they were still craving for cards, so they continued playing.

But this time, there is no need for a card table.

The most beautiful girl in the compound was dragged over, her clothes were torn off, revealing her white belly, and then she used her belly as a card table and started playing cards.

Of course, the stakes are no longer gold, silver or jewellery, but these beautiful pointed fruits, which will belong to whoever wins.

This group of bearded men were eating, drinking and having fun, enjoying themselves to the fullest, forgetting everything else.

However, they did not know that the crisis was coming quietly.

Qu Shaoyang, with about a hundred men, rode fast horses and came in from the west of the village.

As soon as they entered the village, everyone fired shots into the sky in a bluffing manner and rode back and forth on horseback at the west end of the village.

At the other end of the Liu family compound, Lao Dongbei and others, who were hugging Jian Guo and panting, were so scared when they heard the intensive gunfire coming from the west end of the village that they pissed their pants.

At this moment, they didn't know how many people had arrived, but from the sound of the gunshots, they could tell that they were all rapid-fire. It was obvious that the officers and soldiers had arrived.

No matter how rampant and domineering the bandits are, due to their nature, they are afraid of the officers and soldiers from the bottom of their hearts.

So everyone hurriedly pulled up their pants, put on their clothes, grabbed their guns and ran outside.

He went to the yard, took his horse, mounted it, and rode in the opposite direction of the gunshot.

Hu Zi was running in front, and Qu Shaoyang led his team to chase him from behind. They didn't run fast, but always followed Hu Zi about a mile behind him, firing a few shots from time to time.

This frightened Hu Zi so much that he ran eastward for his life.

It turns out that this old man from Northeast China is really capable. The cavalry was divided into three groups, front and back.

The first group of cavalry quickly arrived at Miaozigou and entered the ambush circle of Zhou Chuanyong and others.

At this time, the Dingbian Army had occupied three hilltops and fired at them from a high position. The bearded men in front fell off their horses one after another.

At this time, the second cavalry led by Lao Dongbei, which was also the main force, arrived.

This old man from the Northeast had seen big battles, so he did not panic when he saw this situation. Instead, he led fifty or sixty people to dismount from their horses and swarm forward, trying to seize a hilltop.

Zhou Chuanyong and his men were outnumbered, so how could the bearded men gain the upper hand? After a fierce shooting, the old Northeastern man had no choice but to lead his men to retreat.

At this time, the third wave of cavalry, also from other small gangs, arrived.

These people immediately opened fire back and at the same time covered the retreat of Lao Dongbei and others.

The fighting power of this group of bearded men is quite strong, especially their horses, which are all good horses brought from the Khorchin grassland and are very fast.

With the help of fast horses and the cover of his men, Lao Dongbei led a group of people and finally broke out of the encirclement.

In this battle, nearly a hundred bandits were killed or wounded, and various guns, horses, and a large number of gold, silver and other valuables that the bandits carried with them were seized.

Some people were left here to clean up the battlefield, while Qu Shaoyang led the cavalry to continue chasing Hu Zi.

It’s no wonder that these old people from the Northeast are quite good at running. They ran out of Huaide in one breath and entered Xi’an (now Liaoyuan).

Qu Shaoyang led his troops in pursuit, and at dusk, they engaged in a firefight with the Huzi in the Huangtulingzi area.

After a fierce battle, many members of the Old Northeast Gang were killed or wounded, but they escaped again under the protection of the four beams and eight pillars. This time, they fled to Dongfeng.

Qu Shaoyang led his troops to continue the pursuit, always following behind Hu Zi.

At this time, the old people in Northeast China had been driven out of their jobs and were suffering terribly.

In the past, they could use the advantage of horses to quickly escape the pursuit of the patrol team, but this time it didn't work.

The Dingbian cavalry behind them was like a leech on their tarsal bones, and they could not get rid of it.

The worst thing was that they ate and drank to their heart's content in the Liu family compound, and then began to flee in panic, filling their stomachs with cold wind.

Hu Zi usually doesn't have anything good to eat, and his stomach is empty, so he can't stand a sudden meal of meat.

Add to that the bumpy ride on horseback in the wind and snow, what good can it have?

The result was that they all had diarrhea and were so exhausted that they could hardly stand up straight.

That evening, the bearded men really could not run anymore and arrived at a village near Yangjia Ferry.

Feeling as if the pursuers were not catching up, Lao Dongbei breathed a sigh of relief and simply took his men to suppress the village.

There are no wealthy families here, so the bearded men have no choice but to live among more than twenty households.

I really can't bear this suffering any longer. I have to rest.

After dinner, Shuixiang arranged people to take turns patrolling and standing guard, while the others slept in a mess.

Nothing happened that night and the pursuers did not catch up.

The next morning, when everyone woke up, they found that the night had been very peaceful. They were all very grateful, thinking that they had finally escaped from the pursuers.

Lao Dongbei gave the order to hurry up and make breakfast, then set out to hide somewhere else.

So, everyone started to work busily.

This village cannot compare to the Liu Family Courtyard. There are not so many good things to eat. In the morning, we just cook some rice porridge, flatbread, and some pickles and soybean paste to make do with.

At this point, I don’t have time to be picky, as long as there is something to eat.

When the hot corn porridge and golden pancakes were served, the bearded men started to eat them with a clamor as if they were starving ghosts.

However, at this moment, gunshots were heard outside, and Qu Shaoyang led his team into the village.

Last night, Qu Shaoyang and his men were lying in ambush not far from the village.

Qu Shaoyang deliberately did not enter the village to encircle and suppress the rebels at night, mainly because he wanted Hu Zi to relax his vigilance.

Sure enough, Hu Zi thought that the pursuers had not caught up with him, so he withdrew his sentry post in the morning and went into the house to eat and drink.

Qu Shaoyang ordered Zhou Chuanyong to lead a team to launch an encirclement from Beigangzi, and Zheng Tiezhu to lead a team to launch an encirclement from Nangangzi.

Qu Shaoyang himself led the rest of the people, rushed into the village from the front and launched an attack.

The barbarians in the village had just taken two bites of their biscuits when they heard gunshots outside. They were so scared that they dropped what they were holding and ran away.

At this time, Hu Zi had lost all his courage and naturally could not organize an effective counterattack.

In an instant, they were defeated by Qu Shaoyang and his men, and could only flee in panic.

However, the cavalry on both sides also surrounded the group of bearded men. In the end, none of them could escape.

Qu Shaoyang was no longer merciful this time and ordered his men to chop off the bearded man's head. In the end, the head alone filled several trucks.

It is already the end of October, and winter is approaching, and the weather is getting colder.

At that time, the gangs that had smashed the kilns were basically defeated by Qu Shaoyang and his men, and most of the other gangs also went down to the mountains to hibernate during the winter.

So after wiping out the old Northeast gang, Qu Shaoyang led his troops back to Jilin City.

When they rushed back to Jilin City, it was already the beginning of winter. At this time, the general of Jilin had been replaced by Changshun.

In late September, the Qing army recaptured Jinzhou City, and in October, the Japanese army withdrew from various places in southern Liaoning.

Changshun led his troops back to Jilin City and continued to serve as the General of Jilin, while Enze was transferred elsewhere.

When Qu Shaoyang ordered people to deliver gifts to the Jilin General's Mansion, Changshun had just returned.

The person who sent the gift was smart. Upon learning that Chang Shun had taken over the position of General of Jilin again, he immediately stated that this was a gift from Inspector Qu.

When Changshun heard this, he was naturally overjoyed.

After further inquiries, it turned out that Qu Shaoyang was leading troops to suppress bandits, and it was quite effective. All of Dong Dabiao's gang members were killed.

He immediately praised Qu Shaoyang for his bravery and fighting skills, calling him a rare talent.

When Qu Shaoyang led his troops back to Jilin City and brought back so many bandits' heads, Changshun was extremely happy and quickly invited Qu Shaoyang into his house for a chat.

Qu Shaoyang selected fifty good horses from the captured horses, prepared some generous gifts, and went to meet Changshun.

When they were in Haicheng, Qu Shaoyang met Changshun twice.

At that time, Qu Shaoyang was only the commander of the Dingbian Army. He had no official rank or title and was inconspicuous among the high-ranking officials.

Less than a year later, Qu Shaoyang had become a fourth-rank inspector general based on his military achievements.

Although this rank was nothing compared to the first-rank general of Jilin, it also allowed Changshun to see Qu Shaoyang's ability.

Therefore, Changshun treated Qu Shaoyang very well. He asked about his well-being, inquired about the progress of the bandit suppression, and praised Qu Shaoyang repeatedly.

Qu Shaoyang took the opportunity to tell Changshun that the weather was very cold at this time of year and most of the bandits had gone down to the mountains to hibernate, so the bandit suppression mission had come to an end for the time being.

In the spring of next year, after Hu Zima has gathered his men, he will continue to lead troops to suppress bandits if the court needs him.

Changshun had no objection to this.

These are the soldiers led by Qu Shaoyang. If they were replaced by the Green Camp soldiers or the Patrol Battalion, no one would be willing to put in so much effort to suppress the bandits.

Several gangs were all killed, and hundreds of their heads were hung on the city walls in Jilin and Changchun for public display, which also served as a deterrent to other bandits.

Changshun was quite satisfied with the results of the bandit suppression campaign, and Qu Shaoyang's request was also very reasonable, so he agreed readily.

In addition, Changshun also stated that he would report to the court and request credit for Qu Shaoyang and the Dingbian Army.

Qu Shaoyang chatted with Changshun in the general's mansion for a while before saying goodbye and leaving and returning to the inn.

The next day, he went to see Dayuhuan and others who had settled in Jilin City.

Previously, Qu Shaoyang sent people to escort Dayuhuan and several gang members rescued from Dong Dabiao's gang to Jilin City.

A "yangzi" is a hostage who is kidnapped by gangsters and used to extort ransom.

These prostitutes are all young women. According to the gangsters, they are called flower prostitutes.

As the saying goes, flower tickets bring quick wealth, and fire tickets bring the lion.

After Hua Piao is kidnapped, her family will often collect money to redeem her on the same day and she cannot be kept overnight.

How many good people are there among beards? How can a young woman be good if she spends the night among beards?

Once it is left overnight, it means that the innocence is damaged and there is no point in redeeming it.

Therefore, tying beards to flowers is also a process of game.

The ransom demanded is too high. If Hua Piao’s family cannot gather the cash in one day, they may not come to redeem him.

The asking price is too low, the bearded men have worked in vain and are still not satisfied.

These flower tickets were the result of failed bargaining, and were eventually kept in the gang by Dong Dabiao, becoming tools for the gang leader to play with.

If Qu Shaoyang had not led the troops to suppress the bandits, these women would have been tortured to death sooner or later.

Dong Dabiao's gang was destroyed and these women were rescued, but they had no homes to return to and would die if they went back.

So Qu Shaoyang had these flower tickets, along with the big jade ring, sent to Jilin City to settle down.

At that time, Qu Shaoyang gave Dayuhuan a large sum of money.

As the saying goes, money makes things easier. After arriving in Jilin City, Dayuhuan and others quickly bought a house and a two-story shop facing the street in a more prosperous area of ​​the city.

When Qu Shaoyang arrived there, Dayuhuan was directing people to clean up, and several young women were also busy.

Seeing Qu Shaoyang, Dayuhuan was very happy and hurriedly called the women over to meet her savior.

Afterwards, Dayuhuan reported to Qu Shaoyang on the progress of the restaurant's renovation, and it was estimated that it would be open before the New Year.

Qu Shaoyang was very satisfied with this. He gave some instructions to Dayuhuan and others and then left.

On the tenth day of the winter month, Qu Shaoyang led his troops to leave Jilin City and return to Maoer Mountain.

It was just three days after the winter solstice, the coldest time of the year. Even though everyone was wearing thick clothes, it was still very painful to travel in the cold wind.

After a while, the breath condensed on the hat, collar, and even eyelashes, making a white patch.

It was too painful to travel in such weather. After riding for two hours, we had to stop and warm ourselves by the fire.

Qu Shaoyang's group was large in number, and most towns did not have inns or post houses that could accommodate them, so they could only find a place to camp at night, and therefore they did not move very fast.

On the afternoon of the twelfth day of the winter month, Qu Shaoyang and his party were traveling at full speed. Just after passing Guanmen Lazi, they suddenly heard gunshots in front of them.

Bang, bang, bang, the sound of gunfire rang out several times in succession, and the sound was getting closer and closer.

"Sir, there seems to be something going on ahead."

The people around Qu Shaoyang stopped immediately and formed a guard formation while talking.

They were afraid that some bandit gangs would ambush them along the way.

"Pass the order down, have everyone disperse and ambush nearby." Qu Shaoyang waved his hand and gave the order.

The cavalry at the back immediately followed Qu Shaoyang's order. About ten people in the front rode slowly on horseback, investigating where the gunshots came from.

At this moment, another burst of gunfire rang out, and then a chestnut horse came galloping over from the valley in front.

Probably because they turned the corner too fast, the man in the red cloak on the horse was thrown off and fell on the snow with a thud.

The horse was very intelligent and seemed to have noticed that its master had fallen. It quickly slowed down and turned around.

At this time, five or six horses came running from a distance.

The people on horseback wore fur coats, fur hats, and had palm-wide belts around their waists. They held guns in their hands and shot as they ran.

You can tell at a glance that these people have beards by the way they are dressed.

(End of this chapter)