A Republic-era tycoon started as a secretary at Tianjin Railway Station

At this time, although Tianjin was in ruins after the war, it was still one of the few large cities in China.

Mrs. Ma's house is located on Binjiang Road in the former French Concession, with Western-style buildings scattered along both sides of the smooth asphalt road.

The pedestrians on the street were dressed smartly, with long gowns and suits standing side by side, rickshaws shuttled swiftly, and occasionally a black sedan would drive by.

The scene before him, set in the Republican era, was something Hong Zhong had never seen in his previous life, but unfortunately, he had no time to appreciate it now.

He walked quickly across two streets, stood by the roadside, and waved to flag down a rickshaw.

"The one pulling the rubber sheet!"

In Shanghai, a rickshaw is called a "huangbaoche" (洋车). In Beijing, it's called a "yangche" (洋车), while in Tianjin, it's called a "jiaopi" (胶皮).

Although Hong Zhong is from Shanghai, he has already adapted to local customs.

"Sir, would you like a ride?"

A burly man in his early twenties parked his car in front of Hong Zhong.

The man was sturdy and dark-skinned, wearing a patched-up shirt, black cloth shorts and leggings, with a white towel draped over his shoulder, and he smiled ingratiatingly.

"Young master, to Horse Racing Road!"

"Okay, please!"

After Hong Zhong got into the car, the young man smiled and said:

"Sir, you're too kind. You called me 'Little Master,' but you can call me Xiao Mo or Ali, either is fine!"

The rickshaw driver named Ali was flattered by Hong Zhong's polite words.

"Okay, Master Mo!"

Hearing Hong Zhong address him like that, Ali felt a little awkward, but he didn't care much and immediately grabbed Hong Zhong and ran.

As a secretary, Hong Zhong usually accompanies the stationmaster in his car.

Although he wasn't high enough to be assigned a car, he could easily borrow one if he really wanted to.

He might not be able to borrow a Stipunk, but he could easily borrow a Ford V8 like the one Yu Zecheng drove.

But he was here on personal business, so how could he drive so conspicuously?

You should know that in the current city of Jinhai, cars are still a rarity, attracting far more attention than Ferraris and Lamborghinis on the streets in later generations!

It must be said that when it came to having an affair, the predecessor was quite thorough in his actions, saving himself a lot of trouble!

Could it be that he put all his skill points into this area?

Having lived two lives, this was Hong Zhong's first time riding in a rickshaw, and he couldn't help but look around after getting in.

The rickshaw was about 60% new. The brown wooden frame was a bit whitish and the rubber black wheels were a bit worn, but it was very clean, which showed that the rickshaw driver was quite meticulous.

After a brief period of novelty, seeing Alila's composure, Hong Zhong stopped focusing on her and began to consider the current situation.

According to the original plot, both Zuo Lan and Yu Zecheng were prepared to deal with the trap set by Li Ya.

The reason why Zuo Lan ultimately died was due to Ma Kui, a variable that no one had anticipated.

After all, who would have thought that the clumsy Ma Kui would actually try to capture Zuo Lan to prove his innocence?

He had no idea why he had ended up in this situation.

The person who wronged you will always know how wronged you were!

Therefore, if he wants to save Zuo Lan, he needs to remind Zuo Lan of Ma Kui's existence!

Hoping to stop Zuo Lan from going is basically impossible, unless Yu Zecheng personally tells Zuo Lan that he is fine.

But how can I remind Zuo Lan?

He can't exactly rush into the Military Mediation Office now and tell Zuo Lan to be careful of Ma Kui, can he?

Otherwise, they'd be riddled with bullets by the BL army, or cut into shreds by the Secret Service!

"Creak!"

Just as Hong Zhong was deep in thought, a sudden sound of tires screeching against the ground rang out, followed by a sudden stop of the rickshaw, almost throwing Hong Zhong off.

"Sorry, sir, are you alright?"

Ali quickly parked the car and turned to look at Hong Zhong with concern.

"How do you pull the cart?"

Hong Zhong said with dissatisfaction.

"Excuse me, sir, those military vehicles are driving recklessly; I can't afford to mess with them!"

Ali pointed with a wry smile to a military jeep that had just parked on the side of the road.

"Alright, slow down!"

As a secret agent of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, Hong Zhong naturally knew what kind of people these thugs were. In addition, he had important matters to attend to, so he immediately stopped being angry and comforted Ali.

Then he looked at the jeep and saw a big man in military police uniform get out of it.

This man was burly and had a fierce appearance, but what was most striking about him was his bald head, which resembled a deep ravine.

The man glared at the rickshaw driver and himself, then walked into the general store.

"Oh no, it's King Yama Han!"

When Ali saw the other person's appearance, his expression changed drastically.

"Judging from his attire, he should be from the 20th Military Police Regiment, right?"

Hong Zhong was drawn to Ali's words and carefully examined the man's appearance, feeling that he was somewhat familiar with him.

"Sir, you have a good eye for people. That's Captain Han Tieshan of the Military Police. He usually patrols the train station and dock area and has extorted a lot from the local vendors. Everyone calls him 'King Yama Han'!"

Ali lowered his voice and said.

"The military police? Wait, don't leave yet!"

After a moment's thought, Hong Zhong stopped Ali from continuing to pull the cart.

Ali gave Hong Zhong a look of pity for someone with intellectual disabilities: I already told you that guy is so awful, why do you still insist on going over there?

A short while later, Han Tieshan came out of the grocery store carrying two bottles of wine. Seeing that Hong Zhong and the others were still there, he couldn't help but sneer:

"Hey, you're blocking my way. I won't bother with you, but you're still here? You've got guts, kid!"

Ali looked at Hong Zhong nervously, only to see Hong Zhong get out of the car, walk up to Han Tieshan, and take out his identification from his pocket, saying:

"Captain Han, right? From the Secret Service!"

Upon hearing Hong Zhong's self-introduction, Han Tieshan's expression immediately changed, and his tone became much more subdued:

"Oh, it's one of our own. That's good then!"

As Han Tieshan was about to leave, Hong Zhong reached out and stopped him:

"Wait, Captain Han, there's something I'd like to ask you!"

"What is it?"

"Do you know Ma Kui, the former captain of our secret service's action team?"

"We've crossed paths before, but we're not close!"

Han Tieshan replied casually, then added, "I have important matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now!"

Seeing Han Tieshan flee in disarray only confirmed Hong Zhong's suspicions.

The military police were under the Ministry of Military Affairs, and their main duties were to maintain military discipline and carry out military trials.

Their intelligence bureau also had similar tasks. Previously, when Boss Dai came to Tianjin to deal with Yang Wenquan, the deputy commander of the 94th Army, taking a concubine, it was a task of this kind.

This results in overlap in their responsibilities, leading to frequent checks and balances and mutual supervision between the two systems, resulting in a poor relationship between them.

Therefore, Han Tieshan had absolutely no reason to be afraid of himself.

But he still left, which shows that Han Tieshan felt guilty!

As for why he felt guilty, it was because he was the one who harbored Ma Kui, a criminal wanted by the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics!

In the original storyline, after escaping, Ma Kui sneaked back into Jinhai and hid thanks to a friend in the military police.

The most distinctive feature of that person was his unsightly bald head.

The alcohol he bought at the grocery store, and the lunch boxes and canned goods he had just peeked into the jeep, further convinced him that the man was Han Tieshan.

"Sir, you're truly remarkable! A few words from you and you've made King Yama fear you. You really are a big shot!"

When Hong Zhong returned to the rickshaw, Ali looked at him with admiration.

Ah Li didn't hear what Hong Zhong and Han Tieshan were saying because their voices weren't loud.

But then he saw Hong Zhong pull something out, and Han Tieshan was so frightened that he immediately left. It was too impressive.

"Who do you think I am!"

Hong Zhong smiled, adjusting his glasses, then got into the rickshaw pull: "Turn right ahead!"

"Sir, Horse Racing Road is a straight path!"

"I know, I need to go somewhere else first!"

Upon seeing Han Tieshan, Hong Zhong suddenly had an idea.