River tide surging

Merchant ships in the distance appeared as tiny black dots, appearing and disappearing on the sea surface. The Huangpu River shimmered under the lights, like a pool of scattered silver.

Many workers stood up and gathered in twos and threes, chatting and stretching their waists and legs to loosen up. All sorts of vendors mingled among the crowd, selling cigarettes, matches, flatbreads, and other items.

Almost exactly as in the morning, the salty, fishy smell of the river water seeped into her nostrils on the evening breeze, mixed with a few whispers and sighs. Kiyosumi took a deep breath, stood on the iron mooring bollard, and quickly scanned the area.

At a smoking spot, five men dressed in shorts looked around restlessly, their eyes darting about as if searching for someone. They took a few puffs of their cigarettes, exchanged glances, and then dispersed.

When we relax, that's when the enemy will counterattack. Qingcheng waved to a boy selling pancakes, who was the liaison officer Dapeng. While buying pancakes, she whispered to him, "A few spies have just infiltrated and scattered to the north. Have the disciplinary team deal with them, but don't make too much noise."

"Okay, sir, here's your change." Da Peng received the order, closed the basket, and was about to leave when he was bumped aside by the crowd.

Hungry workers, without prior arrangement, stopped what they were doing and rushed towards the Riverside Hotel like water jets gushing from a broken sluice gate.

The aroma of food wafted from the restaurant entrance, and Qingcheng immediately understood. At that moment, several suspicious-looking faces mingled in the crowd, shouting and laughing, making everyone think that there was a free meal.

The water was already stirred up; with each step they took, it became more turbid. Qingcheng withdrew her sharp gaze and urged Dapeng to quickly find the comrades from the disciplinary team, then head to the teahouse to proceed according to plan. They would meet force with force, and water with earth; who was afraid of whom!

The closer they got to the aroma, the more crowded the crowd became. The workers, who had been starving all day, shouted, "Why can't we eat?"

The police captain blocked their way: "This was given to the Green Gang brothers by Mr. Du. Why don't you switch sides now?"

"Get the hell out of here! You little bastard, I'll beat you up!" The crowd erupted instantly, with shouts of abuse filling the air. The workers' anger, fueled by their fervor, was on the verge of exploding.

*Beep* The policeman put down his whistle and said sternly, “What’s all the noise about? Nobody’s forcing you to change. But Mr. Du is kind-hearted. He also instructed that if the Axe Gang brothers stop causing trouble and give up the strike, they can get a bowl of hot soup noodles, considering we’re all in Shanghai.”

"This is bullying! We're all on strike, why do they get to eat? Does Mr. Du only support the Green Gang's resistance and not our resistance against the invaders?" someone shouted.

“Yes, how could Mr. Du do that? Does he want the Green Gang to shine and make himself look good?” the people around him chimed in.

The policeman raised his eyebrows and jabbed the ground with his baton, making a loud thud: "What are you talking about? Who is Mr. Du? Does he need to show off? Besides, Mr. Du has no relation to you. Why should he give you food? He may be rich, but he doesn't owe you anything. If you dare to gossip again, you'll be coming to jail with me for tea."

Forced by authority, everyone was speechless and lowered their heads.

A single meal was enough to sow discord between the Green Gang workers and the Axe Gang workers, and even shift the blame onto herself. Qingcheng gave a cold laugh. Mr. Du, Mr. Du, I gave you a chance to be a hero, but you chose to be a spittoon. Don't blame me for being ruthless.

She asked, "Hey, you all talk about gangs, while we're just poor laborers, we don't belong to any faction. Mr. Du, what policy do you have for us?"

The policeman gave a disdainful snort, then pulled out a large silk bag and shook it: "Of course we have some. Mr. Du said that if any non-gang members are willing to give up the strike, we will give everyone a five-dollar subsidy on the spot. If you want any food, buy it yourself."

The clanging and clattering were most clearly heard by the workers at the front. They stared intently at the money bag in the policeman's hand, swallowing hard, but no one was willing to be the first to step forward.

"The top ten will each receive six silver dollars!" the police captain shouted, increasing the stakes.

"One price, twenty silver dollars, I'd be the first." Qingcheng squeezed through the crowd, grinning like a coward bowing to profit.

The crowd gasped. Twenty silver dollars was enough for their household expenses for two years. The policeman couldn't help but sneer, "You little bastard, who do you think you are, trying to bargain with me?"

Qingcheng narrowed her eyes and looked coldly at the greedy police captain: "Officer, you can't even part with a few dollars? I bet Mr. Du gave you more than that. Don't be too greedy. That's how people are. They like to follow the crowd. Now you just need to take the lead and their beliefs will crumble. What a profitable deal."

The policeman smirked, "Ten yuan, ten yuan, stop bothering me."

"One price, not a penny less." Kiyosumi stood firm, hands in his pockets.

“You…” The police captain quickly scanned the group of workers, seemingly looking for someone.

"I, I only need ten yuan!" a suspicious man shouted, raising his hand, but was swallowed up by the crowd in the next second. Where no one could see, he was twisted by a strong arm and dragged away limply.

"Who's bidding? Come out and claim your reward!" The police captain's forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat. After a long while, no one responded. It was like a stone thrown into a lake; all that could be seen were ripples, not the stone itself.

Qingcheng quickly added fuel to the fire: "It seems the officer doesn't really want to go back and report, so we'll just have to continue."

"Here you go, consider it a bonus." The police captain reluctantly conceded, counting out twenty silver dollars from his purse. "Take the money and get out of here."

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Qingcheng slowly walked over, took the silver dollar, weighed it in her hand, looked at the policeman, and smiled, "Thank you, officer."

Whoosh! The spreading ocean, like silver meteors, drew beautiful parabolas in the air, leaving everyone stunned.

Clang! Clang! The falling ocean made a crisp impact sound, scattering into the crowd, who instantly swarmed together, scrambling to grab the ocean.

A clear voice followed: "Fellow workers, today I'm throwing away silver dollars, so grab them. But what about the bullets the enemy fires tomorrow? Will you still grab them then?"

One sentence successfully intimidated everyone, and no one dared to grab anymore. A warm blush crept up the back of their ears, and they held the silver dollar tightly in their hands, unsure whether to throw it away or not.

After all that, things didn't go as planned, and we ended up back where we started. The police captain was furious, his face flushed, and he pointed at Qingcheng's nose and yelled, "You little brat, are you trying to cause trouble?"

“Officer, once the money is in my hands, I can do whatever I want with it. What law says I can’t throw money around?” Qingcheng flicked his epaulettes and said calmly, “On the contrary, you have broken a huge law and don’t even know it.”

"Bullshit! What law did I break?" The police captain glared angrily, but cold sweat was streaming down his forehead.

"Traitor!" The word came out of Qingcheng's mouth with perfect ease. She suddenly pressed against the police officer, "Ask yourself, who made the clothes you wear? It was Chinese workers. Who grew the food you eat every day? It was Chinese farmers. Even your monthly salary is tax money that we squeezed out of our hard-earned money. Everything you eat, wear, and use is given to you by the Chinese. Why would you be a traitor and cover for the invaders?"

The crowd buzzed with discussion, their eyes filled with admiration as they looked at Qingcheng. But the way they looked at the police was like steel thorns, piercing straight into them.

These words left the police captain speechless, and he waved his hands repeatedly: "No, I am not a traitor, I am acting on orders from above, and I am just following orders."

"Ha, orders? Don't you have a brain? While you were haggling, the Japanese pirates were advancing towards Jinzhou City. Wherever they went, they raped, looted, burned houses, and left no one or livestock alive." Qingcheng's words had barely finished when...

Some people in the crowd threw leaflets into the air, and newspapers from the day were continuously being tossed down from the rooftops across the street. The newspapers drifted into the concession area on the evening breeze.

The leaflet contained no text, only a photo of a Japanese soldier beheading someone. The beheaded man was wearing a short jacket like a dockworker, and the overlapping patches on his pants made him look like an ordinary villager.

The newspapers contained few words, but were filled with descriptions of the atrocities committed by the Japanese invaders: villagers tied up in pits awaiting burial, piles of naked women's corpses forming small mountains, and rows of burning houses...

The overwhelming visual impact needed no explanation; the workers were slapped in the face by reality, completely erupting in anger, their boiling resentment reaching the heavens. The junior police officers, terrified, pulled out their batons, some even drawing their service pistols, assuming defensive stances.

"Don't send it! Go and arrest them!" the police captain shouted, but none of his officers moved.

Seeing that the effect was good, Qingcheng shouted again: "Police brothers, I know that you all became police officers just to make a living. Our brothers at the dock also came out to do hard labor for the sake of their families. We are all compatriots who make money together and just want to live a peaceful life, but the enemy will not agree."

"Don't think that just because Jinzhou is a hundred and eight thousand miles away from Shanghai, you can pretend that nothing happened. Once the Japanese pirates have killed and looted enough in the Northeast, they will cross the Great Wall and the Yangtze River, and you, your parents, wives and children will become the people in the photos."

"Do you think those important people and foreign dignitaries will take a knife or a bullet for you then? They won't do anything. The only ones who will do that are us poor brothers who aren't afraid to die." Qingcheng paused and looked around at everyone.

"Because...we don't want to be slaves of a conquered nation! We want peace! Brothers, let's point our weapons at the traitors and the enemy. If we don't kick the enemy hard in the chest now, they will be stepping on our necks and refusing us breath in the future."

As Kiyosumi raised his arm in a rallying cry, most of the police threw down their weapons and joined the workers in shouting in unison: "We will not be slaves of a conquered nation! We want peace! Punish the traitors! Resolutely resist Japan!"

Under the pressure of the crowd, the police captain crawled out of the angry mob like a drowned rat, staggering towards the phone booth: "Hello, is this the Du Mansion? The docks have gone mad, everyone's gone mad."

Inside the Du mansion, Mr. Du held the receiver, his face growing increasingly grim: "Hello, hello, speak louder, hello. What's wrong? Why is the phone silent?"

"Sir, I heard the operators are on strike too." Butler Du rushed in, looking embarrassed.

Mr. Du held his forehead, looking utterly exhausted. Butler Du hesitated for a moment before finally reporting, "Sir, we have a guest...it's..."

"No, no, no," Mr. Du interrupted the butler, waving his hand dismissively. "Just tell them I'm already asleep and they can come back tomorrow."

The butler beside him advised, "You should still meet him; it might be urgent."

Mr. Du jumped up in frustration and roared, "I won't see him! I won't even see the Heavenly King himself!"

"Mr. Du's airs are getting bigger and bigger." A soft Wu dialect voice drifted in from outside the door. Sister Gui entered gracefully, fanning herself with a fan. Master Wu, dressed in plain clothes, stepped across the threshold immediately after her, followed by six tall disciples, their heads bowed so their faces could not be seen.

"Master's wife, you've arrived! And Junior Brother Wu, please have a seat. Prepare tea for Madam and Master Wu!" Mr. Du's expression hardened, and he dared not be negligent.

Sister Gui nodded and walked straight to the main seat. Mr. Du asked cautiously, "Master's wife, what brings you here so late?"

While playing with her sandalwood fan, Sister Gui said casually, "Little Du, I heard you took on a thankless job. Ha, you're like a duck egg pretending to be a diamond drill, you've messed it up. Have you thought about how to clean up your mess?"

"Madam, which matter are you referring to?" Mr. Du frowned, looking wary.

"I am old, but I am not deaf or blind yet." Sister Gui's voice was sharp. "I taught you a long time ago that you need to know your place, go with the flow, and act according to the situation. When dealing with foreigners, you need to be evasive, and when dealing with high-ranking officials, you need to be more careful about exchanging benefits. Look at you now, you like being a dog so much. Now kneel down and bark, bark to your heart's content."

Faced with the humiliation, Mr. Du remained calm and composed, saying, "Your wife is absolutely right. It is my incompetence that I failed to handle things properly."

"Holding a grudge? Guess why they came to you? Because if you, Mr. Du, stomp your foot, Shanghai will tremble?" Sister Gui sneered coldly. "Let me tell you, they contacted Commander Xiong first, but Commander Xiong said he was in closed training and ready to go north to fight the Japanese at any time, so it was inconvenient for him to send troops. Listen to their smooth talk, so elegant, they easily extricated themselves from the situation."

Mr. Du suddenly raised his head, then slumped down weakly: "Master's wife, it's always been like this. I'm not the one who does the dirty work. In the past, when workers went on strike, I was always the one who stepped in and resolved the situation for them. How about I prepare some food for the Axe Gang brothers first, so they can calm down a bit?"

"You only realize it now? Too late!" Sister Gui glared at him fiercely. "Before I came out, I had Xiaomi distribute meals in your name, but unfortunately, those dockworkers didn't appreciate it. They thought you were scared, so they distributed meals because they had to fight for them. They ate the food cleanly and didn't even say anything good about it."

A ruthless glint flashed in Du Xian's eyes: "These Jiangbei bastards."

"You want to get rid of all the people at the dock who oppose you and curse you, is that it?" Sister Gui frowned unhappily, her tone becoming more forceful.

Mr. Du chuckled awkwardly, "Master's wife, we don't have that kind of big budget. Based on my past experience, worker representatives will come out to negotiate later. I will set up machine guns at the negotiation point in advance to take out a few of the ringleaders. Without a leader, the strike will fall apart and the strike won't amount to anything."

Sizzle~

The bright chandeliers and wall lamps went out instantly, plunging the entire room into darkness, with only the faint moonlight filtering through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

"Hey~ the power's gone out? Did the fuse blow?" Mr. Du exclaimed in surprise, and the servants in the mansion hurriedly lit candles.

The housekeeper checked the wiring and found that the fuse wasn't blown; it was probably a voltage issue. He suggested checking if the wires had been chewed by rats.

"Stop investigating, the power plant is on strike too." Sister Gui said in an unfriendly tone, "Mr. Du is amazing. He single-handedly took on all the people in the city. He's a real tycoon. I won't dare to get close to you anymore, for fear of being killed as a traitor."

"Master's wife, how have I become a traitor! I just wanted them to stop making trouble, what did I do wrong!" Mr. Du's smile froze on his lips, and his voice cracked as he shouted.

*Slap!* Sister Gui slapped the armrest, and Mr. Du immediately dared not say another word.

"Why are you getting so worked up with me? That's what everyone outside calls you," Sister Gui scolded. "You usually seem pretty clever, but when it really matters, your brain turns to filth. You can't even understand such a simple Three Immortals Offering the Cauldron Formation? I don't know what benefits they promised you that made you so clueless. You need to remember that even if you make money, you also need to be alive to spend it."

Mr. Du fell silent in shock. No one would be happy to be used as the sacrificial vessel. Those in power need a vessel to harbor filth and transfer their conflicts. Once the vessel is full of filth, they will use public opinion and honest officials to eliminate the filthy vessel. Qin Hui, Yan Song, and the Nine Thousand Years Old were all such vessels.

Sister Gui's tone turned serious: "Xiao Du, I told you to read more books but you didn't listen. Labor disputes and national disputes are not on the same level. You finally managed to make a name for yourself in the gang, but you disregarded the bottom line and angered everyone. Isn't this handing a knife to Ren Tang's 'Awu Luan'? Maybe if we dig deeper, it's a scheme orchestrated by Ren Tang's 'Awu Luan' and those high-ranking officials."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Du's eyes cleared instantly, and he knelt down with a thud, crying out in a trembling voice, "Master's wife, save me! I was blinded by greed and didn't understand the situation."

"Get up! What kind of behavior does a leader of a hall have?" Sister Gui glanced at him sideways. "If I didn't care about you, why would I come to you? It's a pity that Mr. Du doesn't seem to believe me. He won't even reveal a reason. I guess I was just being presumptuous."

"The students wouldn't dare, please don't be angry." Mr. Du smiled and tried to ease the tension between the two sides. "Actually, I was planning to send meals to both sides, but Section Chief Zhang from CC came to me and said that the Communist Party had infiltrated the workers. Ordinary methods can't be used; we have to take drastic measures to first root out the ringleaders of the Communist Party, and then the other workers will be no threat."

"You brainless idiot, you believe everything people say? Don't you have a brain?" Sister Gui smacked Mr. Du on the head. "CC is so desperate to get involved in our business. Today they say you have Communist Party members under your command, tomorrow they can report you, Mr. Du, as a Communist sympathizer, and then raid your business, leaving you penniless and alone."

"What should we do then? I've already done as he said," Mr. Du asked hurriedly.

"Xiao Wu, tell him I'm tired." Sister Gui took a big gulp of tea and leaned back on the sofa, taking deep breaths.

“My dear Brother Du, you’ve been sold out and you’re still counting the money for him,” Master Wu chimed in. “We’re all family, so let’s not mince words. The most important thing right now is to insist that there are no members of the Communist Party in our Green Gang, only heroes of the Jianghu.”

“I understand. Even if there are people who have doubts, our family has its own way of handling things. We absolutely cannot let outsiders deal with it and give them something to talk about,” Mr. Du nodded.

"Good that you understand. If CC wants you to give the spies special treatment, just hand over the roster. I'll take care of it for you quietly, so you won't be in a difficult position." Master Wu wiped his neck.

Mr. Du nodded gratefully: "Of course, I'll write down the list for you right away."

Before long, Mr. Du had filled several sheets of paper with writing and solemnly handed them to Master Wu. Master Wu silently accepted them, everything understood without saying a word.

"Then you have to meet with Chief Wang and offer him some benefits, expressing your support for the anti-Japanese stance. What you did tonight was really disgusting. Originally, there was only a small friction with the Axe Gang, but now it has not only deepened the resentment between the two gangs, but Chief Wang has even threatened to establish an Iron-Blooded Anti-Traitor Team to kill traitors and Japanese invaders." Master Wu looked at Mr. Du with concern.

Mr. Du became even more anxious: "But if I go to Chief Wang now, he might not even listen to me."

"We'll try anything, even if it's a dead end. Xia has already arranged things for you. We'll set a time later. From now on, don't participate in the anti-Japanese strike. Tomorrow, publish an apology in the newspaper and sever ties with those traitors," Master Wu suggested.

"Alright, I'll issue a statement tomorrow. Please thank Mr. Xia for me. Once things have calmed down, I will definitely visit him in person to express my gratitude," Mr. Du said, cupping his hands in thanks.

“We’re all brothers here. If you get set up, how can we just stand by and watch you die?” Master Wu sighed. “I know you’ve always wanted to get into politics and become a real big shot, but aren’t all those sycophants two-faced and hypocritical? You can’t be completely trusting when you’re dealing with them. Otherwise, you’ll become fish on the chopping block, at their mercy.”

Sister Gui snorted coldly and stood up: "Xiao Du, no matter how high you climb, you can't forget your roots. That's all I have to say. You'd better take care of yourself."

"What my teacher's wife taught me is true, and I will always remember it." Mr. Du stood up and respectfully saw Sister Gui off.

The three cars disappeared one after another at the end of the street. One of the cars turned left at an intersection, with only Master Wu and his student driving inside.

Looking out the car window at the pitch-black landscape, Master Wu sighed softly, "Brother, do you think this will work?"

The student shook his head and said in perfect Mandarin, "I don't know, you should ask Mr. Xia."

“Sure, drive straight to White Tiger Hall, I’ll go have a chat with him. He seems to have three eyes, knowing someone’s up to no good behind his back.” Master Wu leaned over to the driver’s seat, ripped off his disciple’s fake beard, stuck it on his own mouth, and grinned foolishly.

Gao Junxiao, revealing his true colors, rolled his eyes and forcefully pressed his head back into the seat: "Sit still. She caught a cold and is afraid of passing on her illness to Aunt Xia, so she has already moved out."

"Then let's just go to his house and chat. We're all brothers, I don't mind." Master Wu craned his neck curiously.

But my daughter Huahua minded, so Gao Junxiao replied, "What are you nagging about? She's sick and needs to rest. Hurry up and go home. You'll be busy enough with the gang's affairs tomorrow."

Master Wu smiled calmly: "That's true. Those damned Japanese devils, I'm not on the front lines dealing with you, and you dare to bully me?"

"The front lines aren't even resisting anymore, so what front lines are we talking about?" Gao Junxiao, seething with anger, turned on the radio.

His thoughts drifted back to a week earlier. Unable to bear the humiliating situation any longer, he took a joint letter from more than thirty young officers to the Ministry of Military Affairs in Nanjing to request permission to fight. However, Chief of Staff Shi rejected the request on the spot and gave him a good scolding, telling him to prioritize the overall situation.

What a load of rubbish! The suffering and bloodshed of the lower classes are just seasonings in their daily wretchedness. When he returned to Shanghai, he felt as if his backbone had been removed, and he lay in bed, unwilling to move again.

He was in a daze and didn't know how much time had passed when the curtains were suddenly pulled open. The sunlight was so bright that he couldn't open his eyes, and he subconsciously raised his hand to shield them.

"Get up! The struggle has only just begun." He Qingcheng ripped off his blanket and threw his general's uniform at him. The moment he saw the collar insignia, he remembered his responsibilities.

"Brother~ turn the volume up, I can't hear you." Master Wu's outstretched hand pulled him back to reality.

The voice on the radio had a southern accent, and it sounded like Madame Sun Yat-sen: "All men, women, and youth of China, especially workers, peasants, students, and volunteers, unite! Strive for this liberation struggle, strive for the unification and integrity of China..."

"Wow, Madame Sun isn't sleeping at all, she's giving a speech on the radio! And the radio station even has electricity!" Master Wu asked excitedly as he listened, "Brother~ there's a volunteer army in Shanghai too, shall we go join?"

Gao Junxiao curled the corners of his mouth without answering. He recalled Qingcheng's words: the National Government was in decline, so they should learn from Go players to place stones on empty spaces, using newly emerging forms to restrain and ultimately suppress their opponents, using defense as offense, and seeking peace through struggle.