Newborn 1927

Money Rat was cleared of suspicion, but the incident of the gang of thugs fighting and slashing people in the street still needed to be dealt with. Although no one died, dozens were injured. Money Rat was supposedly acting in self-defense, but the police station didn't release them easily and brought in Huang Jinrong and Zhang Xiaolin to negotiate a settlement. In the end, with their guarantees, all the thugs involved in the fight were released.

Du Yuesheng and four of his trusted henchmen were murdered, and there was still no clue as to who the killer was. However, the ownership of the businesses Du Yuesheng left behind was now out in the open. Huang Jinrong and Zhang Xiaolin were forced to sit down and discuss the matter. Money Rat was naturally present. Before anyone else could speak, he stepped forward and loudly proclaimed, "Brother Rui Qingrong and his three confidants were willing to bring these businesses to my mentor's tutelage. Although some details haven't been finalized, we're all brothers, so let's talk it out. Their sudden murder must be because someone wanted to oppose their actions, and when their attempts to dissuade them failed, they decided to kill them." In other words, anyone who voiced opposition was suspected of murdering Rui Qingrong and his companions. How could Du Yuesheng's men possibly refute this? They all cursed Money Rat as shameless.

Zhang Xiaolin reprimanded, "Xiao Jin, Boss Huang hasn't spoken yet, what right do you have to speak?" Jinqianshu quickly admitted his mistake and stepped aside. Zhang Xiaolin turned back and said, "Boss Huang, Boss Du's men are leaderless right now, this can't go on. Please say something!" Hearing this, everyone fell silent and turned to look at Huang Jinrong.

Huang Jinrong, who already had a plan in mind, said, "Everyone knows that making a living in Shanghai isn't easy, so we need to stick together. It's not good for anyone if Boss Du's men just scatter like this. But it's also not appropriate for us to forcibly recruit them. I think we should do this: those who are willing to follow us will be taken in; those who are willing to find their own way will not be forced to stay. What do you think?"

Zhang Xiaolin replied, "That's excellent. But what should we do with those properties?" Huang Jinrong answered, "How about we two chip in and buy them? That money can be used to settle his men." While the words sounded nice, it was nothing more than using a small sum to appease the thugs and then legitimately taking over Du Yuesheng's businesses. Zhang Xiaolin immediately agreed, saying, "I think that's best. I wonder if any of the men have any objections?" Du Yuesheng's thugs dared not object; they each considered their own options. Then, Huang Jinrong and Zhang Xiaolin had them choose sides: those willing to follow Huang Jinrong stood on one side, those willing to follow Zhang Xiaolin stood on the other, and those who wanted to find their own way stood in the middle.

Du Yuesheng had a considerable number of men, but not all of them could be present; those present were mostly minor leaders. They made their choices and lined up on either side of the path. In the end, only Huang Quan and Qinglong, leading their group of minor leaders, remained standing still. Zhang Xiaolin was somewhat displeased and asked, "Are you all unwilling to follow us because you intend to seek other opportunities?" Huang Quan replied, "Not at all. Boss Du and I have a mentor-disciple relationship. His body is barely cold, and I do not wish to change allegiance for the time being. Please allow me to observe the seven-day mourning period for him before considering this matter!" These words drew praise from everyone.

Huang Jinrong spoke up, "It's rare to see such filial piety! How about this? I'll entrust this part of the business I've acquired to you. It'll be good for you brothers to have a way to make a living." Huang Quan quickly replied, "Thank you, Boss Huang!" Huang Jinrong continued, "Boss Du's murder can't just be left like this. Everyone, go back and investigate carefully, find the mastermind behind it all as soon as possible!" Everyone agreed. The meeting then concluded.

Then, Huang Quan sent his men out to contact the former thugs under Du Yuesheng who hadn't participated in the gathering, recruiting them to his cause. Some minor leaders who had initially chosen to side with Huang Jinrong and Zhang Xiaolin changed their minds and joined Huang Quan's ranks. Huang Jinrong had no objection to this; he was already planning to take over Huang Quan's gang.

Zhang Xiaolin, however, could not tolerate those people's betrayal and immediately ordered his men to kill the traitors as a warning to others. Money Rat, having received the news, informed Yellow Dog beforehand. Yellow Dog, using those individuals as bait, led a large force to ambush them. Zhang Xiaolin's men were immediately surrounded as soon as they appeared. After a chaotic battle, they not only failed to kill their targets but also suffered dozens of injuries. How could Zhang Xiaolin swallow this insult? He immediately ordered even more men to seek revenge.

Yellow Dog led his gang in a resolute counterattack. For several days, fights broke out frequently in the streets and alleys of Shanghai. Battles ranged from a few people to dozens or even hundreds. Even thugs have their rules; they generally don't kill on the spot. However, after several days of chaotic fighting, quite a few people were injured.

Police generally don't interfere in fights between gangsters, and in fact, they rarely manage them. Unless the conflict escalates and disrupts Shanghai's public order. Therefore, the police pressured Huang Jinrong and Zhang Xiaolin to resolve the matter quickly. Reluctantly, Huang Jinrong intervened again, bringing Zhang Xiaolin and Huang Quan together to discuss the matter and mediate. Although Zhang Xiaolin was unwilling, he had to give Huang Jinrong face and agreed to stop. At this time, Huang Quan was already showing signs of replacing Du Yuesheng as the third major gangster force.

Everyone thought the matter was over and Shanghai would return to peace. However, that very night, Zhang Xiaolin was murdered. Like Du Yuesheng, his residence, Zhang Mansion, was attacked by a group of unidentified armed men. Unlike Du Yuesheng, Zhang Xiaolin had recently strengthened his security and engaged in a fierce firefight with the attackers, resisting for some time. A team of police officers patrolling nearby rushed to the scene, but were ambushed on their way. Several were shot down on the spot, and the rest were overpowered and fled in panic. Zhang Xiaolin ultimately did not survive until police reinforcements arrived; he and his bodyguards were all killed. The police investigation later confirmed that the same group that killed Du Yuesheng was involved. However, the identities of this group remained a mystery.

Money Rat lobbied everywhere, trying to recruit Zhang Xiaolin's men for his own use. Of course, not everyone was willing to follow him. At this time, Yellow Dog struck again, seeking revenge on Zhang Xiaolin's men. Now that Zhang Xiaolin's men were leaderless, individually they were no match for Yellow Dog. They were all brutally defeated. Whenever this happened, Money Rat would arrive in time with a gang of thugs and drive Yellow Dog's men away. Then, one by one, Zhang Xiaolin's men would defect to Money Rat's side. Those who were unwilling to join Money Rat's side would be taken in by Bao Ziqiang using Huang Jinrong's name. Otherwise, they would be slaughtered with no way to escape.

Within a short period, the men originally under Du Yuesheng and Zhang Xiaolin were absorbed by Bao Ziqiang and his two companions. Then, Bao Ziqiang, using Huang Jinrong's name, arranged to meet Huang Quan and Jin Qianshu to mediate and hopefully reach a settlement. In reality, the thugs themselves disliked the constant fighting and insecurity. With the thugs as witnesses, Bao Ziqiang, Huang Quan, and Jin Qianshu swore brotherhood.

Huang Jinrong had been keeping a low profile during this time. He gradually realized that the group that had assassinated Du Yuesheng and Zhang Xiaolin didn't seem like gangsters; they were more like an army. This immediately brought to mind a group of people who shared ties with the Nationalist government's army. These three notorious gangsters had obtained their titles as Major General Advisors in the National Revolutionary Army Headquarters by using the blood of those people. Now, two of them were gone, and he knew without a doubt that he would be next. Only he knew the dreadful feeling of constant anxiety he was experiencing.

After Bao Ziqiang completed his sworn brotherhood ceremony, he visited Huang Jinrong to inform him of the matter. Huang Jinrong looked at the young man before him, and suddenly seemed to grasp a clue. Based on his years of experience in the underworld, whoever benefited the most from this affair was undoubtedly the mastermind behind it. The murders of Du Yuesheng and Zhang Xiaolin undoubtedly benefited the three who had just become sworn brothers. But these people had clearly joined the cause before that incident; they couldn't possibly be connected to the other side. For a moment, he couldn't understand it.

After some deliberation, Huang Jinrong said, "Little Bao, I'm getting old, and my energy is waning. I'd like to hand over all these businesses to you. Are you willing?" Bao Ziqiang immediately replied, "I'm too inexperienced; I'm afraid I won't be able to command respect. You should find someone else!" Huang Jinrong shook his head and said, "I never look at seniority or experience when hiring; I only look at ability. If I think you're capable, I'll entrust the work to you. I won't let anyone else take it." Bao Ziqiang immediately responded, "With such a generous offer from my mentor, it would be ungrateful of me to refuse. Then I'll manage these businesses for you. Rest assured! I will keep a clear record of every month's income, and I won't waste a single penny except for necessary expenses." Huang Jinrong laughed and said, "My savings are enough for my retirement. Don't hand over this money to me anymore; share some with the brothers below. These days, it's not easy for anyone to make a living."

Bao Ziqiang was momentarily confused, not understanding Huang Jinrong's intentions. Huang Jinrong's smile faded, and he stared intently at Bao Ziqiang, leaning closer to say, "There are no outsiders here today, so I'll speak frankly with you. Don't be fooled by my outward appearance of power; in the world of martial arts, I'm often forced into situations beyond my control. Many things, right or wrong, I have no choice but to do!" Bao Ziqiang replied, "I understand." Huang Jinrong, however, stared into his eyes and shook his head, saying, "You still don't understand. I want to retire and live out my remaining years in peace; I don't want to suffer the same fate as Du and Zhang. Do you think that's feasible?" Bao Ziqiang gradually understood the meaning behind his words, nodding and saying, "Rest assured! I will definitely send more men to surround Huang's mansion, ensuring you are not harmed again!" Huang Jinrong withdrew his gaze, sat up straight, and said, "Then I'll trouble you." Bao Ziqiang replied, "It's my pleasure."

Bao Ziqiang left Huang's residence and returned to his liaison point, immediately drafting a telegram to send back to Yantai. The telegram was quickly presented to Yang Jiefang. Yang Jiefang knew that Huang Jinrong was begging for mercy. After some thought, he immediately telegraphed back, agreeing to spare Bao's life for the time being. Bao Ziqiang's power base was still weak, and he still needed to rely on Huang Jinrong to establish connections with the Nationalist government.

Upon receiving the telegram, Bao Ziqiang immediately summoned Jinqianshu, Huangquan, Gui Liqiu, Liu Yishou, and others to discuss the matter. Gui Liqiu immediately shook his head, saying, "This is difficult! After killing Du Yuesheng and Zhang Xiaolin, the thing these workers want to do most now is kill Huang Jinrong. They're so enthusiastic right now, we might not be able to persuade them." Jinqianshu said, "Baozi, aren't you their special envoy? Why don't you just give them the orders? They'll surely listen!" Bao Ziqiang said, "Even if we give orders, we need a reasonable explanation. Besides, if we just give up like this, wouldn't that be blatantly telling Huang Jinrong that I killed those two?" Jinqianshu also realized the situation and said, "In other words, the revenge operation still needs to continue, but we can't actually kill them." Bao Ziqiang nodded in agreement, "That's my idea."

Money Rat immediately had an idea and said, "That's easy. Last time when they killed Zhang Xiaolin, didn't he resist for a while? The nearby patrol officers all arrived. This time, he resisted for even longer and ultimately the attackers didn't succeed. That way, we can appease both sides."

Everyone agreed with Money Rat's idea, but putting it into practice wouldn't be easy. The key was to strike the right balance, without letting either side of the battle see through their plan. After refining the details, they split up to prepare.

The next day, Bao Ziqiang personally selected a group of skilled men to serve as Huang Jinrong's bodyguards. Bao Ziqiang assured them that these men would be loyal to Huang Jinrong, but wouldn't hold him in high regard. He intended to use Gui Liqiu and others to help Huang Jinrong clear out some obstacles, reducing resistance to his future control of Huang Jinrong's power. Bao Ziqiang meticulously surveyed the surrounding terrain, arranging both overt and covert sentries at various intersections. He made sure Huang Jinrong could sense his thorough preparation.

For the first two nights, Bao Ziqiang played mahjong with Huang Jinrong until dawn without incident. On the third night, just when everyone thought nothing would happen, a firework suddenly shot into the sky, exploding into colorful bursts. Everyone immediately understood that this was a signal from a nearby sentry. A gunshot followed, confirming an enemy attack. Then, a continuous barrage of gunfire erupted.

A bodyguard rushed in to report, "A group of unidentified gunmen are attacking. The brothers hiding in the shadows are fighting back desperately." Huang Jinrong and Bao Ziqiang asked simultaneously, "How many are there?" The man replied, "Not sure yet, at least several dozen." Huang Jinrong shouted, "Hold them off! If you hold them off, I'll reward you handsomely!" The man agreed and turned to leave. Bao Ziqiang said, "Don't worry! I've already contacted the police station. They should be here in less than ten minutes. They want to catch these guys too, they won't delay." Huang Jinrong seemed relieved and said, "I hope so."

On Gui Liqiu's side, progress was not going smoothly. Firstly, Bao Ziqiang's arrangements were indeed very effective. Secondly, Gui Liqiu had deliberately slowed down the attack. If they launched a full-scale assault, these thugs would be no match for the worker-armed force trained by the special forces. The firefight lasted for more than ten minutes, and although many resistance fighters were killed along the way, they had not yet breached the Huang mansion. Gui Liqiu felt that time was up and immediately ordered a retreat.

But Li Jin disagreed, saying, "The Huang mansion is right in front of us; we can break through with just one charge. Fellow workers, avenge our fallen comrades! Charge with me!" With that, he led the charge. Seeing their captain leading the charge, the armed workers around him were unwilling to back down and followed suit.