Did he trick the young marshal into becoming sworn brothers and then go south to Huangpu Military Ac

Du Yisheng returned home helplessly, thinking not only about how to rescue Boss Huang, but also about his own future.

Boss Huang was defeated. While watching a play at the Gongwu Stage, he was slapped several times across the face by Lu Xiaojia in front of hundreds of people, leaving his face covered in blood. He was then dragged onto a military vehicle like a dead dog.

The entire Shanghai underworld and legitimate society were watching the Green Gang make a fool of themselves. Compradors and politicians who usually called each other brothers turned into cowards at the mere mention of the words "Governor of Zhejiang".

The rules of Shanghai are a joke in the face of a real army with live ammunition.

No, for our own sake and for the future of the Green Gang, we can't ignore Boss Huang. We need to get him out first.

"Go to the basement."

Du Yisheng made up his mind, his voice not loud, but revealing a resolute determination to burn his bridges.

"Order ten boxes of gold bars, prepare the car, and head to Longhua."

Gu Jiatang suddenly raised his head: "Sir, you can't go. Lu Xiaojia is a mad dog. If you go, and he detains you too, the gang will really fall apart."

"If Boss Huang dies inside, the business will still fall apart."

Du Yisheng turned around, his thin face expressionless: "They have guns, we only have our lives. Paying for our lives is only right and proper. Go do it! I don't believe Lu Xiaojia doesn't love money!"

……

At the same time, in the dungeon of the Longhua Garrison Command.

The air was thick with the smells of mildew and blood.

The dim incandescent light swayed overhead, and Boss Huang was tightly bound behind his back to a rusty iron pillar with thick hemp rope.

This former gangster godfather, who used to make Shanghai tremble with a stomp of his foot, now had his fine silk jacket torn to shreds, his face bruised and battered, blood oozing from the corners of his mouth, and he didn't even have the strength to groan.

Lu Xiaojia, dressed in a sharp white suit and shiny German riding boots, sat in a grand chair with half a cigar between his fingers, looking at his prey with a mocking expression.

"You old codger, where's your old manly pride now?"

Lu Xiaojia stood up, walked up to Boss Huang, and blew a puff of smoke onto the man's blood-stained face: "I'm watching a show on your turf, offering a little reward to the performer, and you dare to have someone beat me up? Do you really think this Shanghai is your Green Gang's territory?"

Boss Huang barely opened his eyes, which were swollen to slits, and gasped for breath like a broken bellows: "Young Master Lu... I was wrong... it was all my fault. Please be merciful. How much do you want? Name your price."

"Do you think I need your stinking money?"

Lu Xiaojia raised his riding boot and kicked Boss Huang hard in the stomach.

Boss Huang let out a scream, curling up like a shrimp, but the rope was tightly binding him.

"In the Jiangzhe region, my gun is the law. Don't think that just because you're a local thug, you can be a foreign devil in the concession. If you piss me off, I'll drag you out and shoot you."

Lu Xiaojia grinned maliciously and reached for a leather whip soaked in salt water from the rack of torture instruments next to him.

Just as they were about to make their move, the heavy iron door was suddenly pushed open.

The adjutant rushed in, sweating profusely, clutching a thin telegram in his hand. He stumbled and nearly fell into the mud because he was running so fast.

"Young master, urgent telegram, from Fengtian, sent with the utmost speed."

The adjutant's voice cracked, and he even forgot to salute.

Lu Xiaojia frowned, feeling somewhat displeased.

He threw down the whip, took the telegram, glanced at it, and his fingers holding the cigar suddenly stopped.

The telegram was a private, confidential telegram sent by Zhang Hanqing.

The tone was excessively polite.

"Greetings, my dear brother Jia. I am delighted to hear of your great success in Shanghai. I have a favor to ask: My sworn brother, Mr. Lin Tuozhi, is currently residing in Shanghai. He is a man of extraordinary talent, possessing immense wealth from a century-old military industry. My father and I have relied on his strategies and hold him in the highest esteem. I am far away in Manchuria and cannot reach him directly, so I entrust you with the task of being his host. If you agree, my father and I will repay you handsomely, and the friendship between our two families will be even stronger than before."

Lu Xiaojia stared intently at the words "sworn brother", "my father and brother are revered like gods", and "my father has generously rewarded me", and a layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on his back. Even the cold wind in the dungeon felt bone-chilling.

Although he is arrogant, he is by no means a brainless fool.

Among warlords, strength determines everything.

His father, Lu Yongxiang, came from the Anhui clique. Although he held the title of military governor of Zhejiang, he had only 30,000 to 40,000 men under his command and faced hundreds of thousands of troops from the Zhili clique.

What is the size of Fengtian?

Marshal Zhang commanded hundreds of thousands of Northeast Army soldiers, had his own arsenal, air force, and heavy artillery.

Not long ago, the Fengtian clique had just finished a battle with the Zhili clique. Although they retreated to the area outside the Great Wall, their strength remained.

Now, the common enemy of both the Anhui and Fengtian cliques is the Zhili clique. His father is now figuring out how to cling to Fengtian's coattails so that he can gain a foothold in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

Zhang Hanqing was such an arrogant man that he didn't even respect Wu Ziyu. Now, he actually sent a private telegram, shamelessly calling someone "Big Brother" and saying that even Marshal Zhang respected him like a god.

When did such a powerful figure, seemingly able to reach the heavens, quietly arrive in Shanghai?

If even a single hair on the head of such a person were to fall, let alone Zhang Hanqing, my father would personally skin him alive to apologize to the Northeast Army.

On the other hand, if he could take this opportunity to befriend this man and win him over, he would have made an unparalleled contribution in front of his father and in the entire Jiangzhe warlord circle.

"Screw those yellow-haired bastards!"

Lu Xiaojia immediately realized what was happening and carefully folded the telegram and put it in her pocket.

"Young master, what should we do with this old man?"

The adjutant pointed to the half-dead Boss Huang.

"Keep him locked up, don't kill him, just leave him alive."

Lu Xiaojia didn't even glance at Boss Huang, and strode towards the prison gate: "Prepare the car immediately, and have the guard company change into their best uniforms. Go to the Astor House Hotel. Quickly."

An hour later, on the Bund, at the Astor House Hotel.

The rain continued unabated, and three Ford sedans were parked in front of the restaurant.

Lu Xiaojia did not order the army to block the streets, nor did he even take many soldiers upstairs.

He knew that it would be foolish to visit such a powerful and influential person and put on airs like a warlord.

The corridor outside the presidential suite on the top floor is covered with thick, handmade wool carpets that make no sound when you walk on them.

Zhao Sihai, dressed in a sharp suit, stood with his hands folded in front of his lower abdomen, like a guardian deity standing outside the suite door.

Seeing Lu Xiaojia approaching with his adjutant, Zhao Sihai lowered his gaze slightly. Having worked in the intelligence station for so long, he naturally recognized this number one playboy of Shanghai.

But he showed no fear, only slightly raising his chin, because Zhang Hanqing had also sent him a telegram.

"Young Master Lu."

Zhao Sihai said in a calm tone: "Mr. Lin is taking a nap and has instructed that no one is allowed to disturb him."

Lu Xiaojia's adjutant's eyelids twitched, and his hand instinctively reached for the holster at his waist. In Shanghai, who would dare to keep their young master out?

"presumptuous."

Lu Xiaojia turned around abruptly and slapped his adjutant across the face. His voice was deliberately low but filled with ruthlessness: "You're asking for trouble by drawing a gun outside Mr. Lin's door. Go downstairs and wait."

The adjutant covered his face and slunk into the elevator.

Lu Xiaojia turned around, put on an extremely humble smile, took out a gold-embossed business card from the inside pocket of his suit, and handed it to Zhao Sihai with both hands: "Please inform him that I am Lu Xiaojia, and I have come to pay my respects to Dr. Lin on the instructions of Brother Hanqing. Dr. Lin should rest, so I will wait for him outside the door."

This wait lasted a full twenty minutes.

The corridor was so quiet that the only sound was the ticking of the old-fashioned wall clock.

Lu Xiaojia, who usually gets impatient even waiting for his father to start a meeting, stood ramrod straight at this moment, his mind racing with various possibilities.

Who exactly is this person who commands such respect from that old bandit from beyond the Great Wall?

Twenty minutes on the bench was, in Lu Xiaojia's view, to be expected.

Click.

The heavy mahogany door was finally pulled open halfway from the inside, and Zhao Sihai turned to the side and gestured for them to enter.

Lu Xiaojia took a deep breath, straightened his tie, and tiptoed into the reception room.

In front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, Lin Qizheng sat on a leather armchair, wearing a dark blue silk nightgown, holding a glass of whiskey in his hand, and with a copy of the day's English edition of the North China Daily on his lap.

Hearing footsteps, Lin Qi did not look up, nor did he even take his eyes off the newspaper.

"sit."

He spoke a single word, his tone as flat as plain water, without any pleasantries or formalities, completely ignoring the warlord's son who held the power of life and death in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

Lu Xiaojia didn't feel slighted at all; on the contrary, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This was the true demeanor of a big shot. Those who greeted him with a smile and tried their best to befriend him were all lowly people who wanted something from him.

But this person was too young, and he was a little confused.

"Hanqing just sent me a telegram, mentioning Young Master Lu."

Lin Qi finally turned a page of the newspaper, picked up his wine glass and took a sip: "He said you're his good friend and asked you to take care of me."

"I wouldn't call it taking care of him. I'm just relying on my grandfather's influence and also want to get to know Brother Lin."

Lu Xiaojia quickly seized the opportunity, lowering her posture as much as possible.

"Hanqing's friends are my friends."

Lin Qi closed the newspaper and tossed it onto the coffee table. His unfathomable eyes finally turned to Lu Xiaojia.

With just one glance, Lu Xiaojia felt as if she had been stripped naked and thrown into the freezing cold, with all her thoughts exposed.

Lu Xiaojia quickly smiled and said, "Hanqing's elder brother is naturally also my elder brother, Lu Xiaojia's elder brother. Now that Brother Lin is in Shanghai, I should do my best to be a good host. Brother Lin is new here, and although the Li Cha Hotel is luxurious, it is too Westernized. The food, drinks and entertainment are not down-to-earth. I have already booked a place on Fourth Road and would like to invite Brother Lin to do me the honor of having a drink with me as a welcome feast."

Inviting someone to dinner is the quickest way to build a closer relationship.

Lin Qichen nodded slowly.

"That's good. Staying cooped up in the house all day is making me feel rusty. Let's go and see the glamour of Shanghai."