"Hey, our protagonist today is here, come on, Mr. Li, Mrs. Li, please take a seat!" As soon as Li Qiang and Haitang came in, the host Kong Xiangxi immediately took the initiative to greet them.
Li Qiang was a little surprised, because besides Kong Xiangxi, there were several familiar faces in the private room, including the former Qing Gang leader Du Yuesheng, Dong Jianchang who had just parted ways, and a man who looked about the same age as himself.
young people.
As if he could see the surprise in Li Qiang's heart, as soon as the two of them sat down, Kong Xiangxi immediately said: "I'm sorry, Mr. Li, originally I wanted to be as low-key as possible, but when I heard that I wanted to show off to you,
After we had a drink to see them off, Brother Dong and Yuesheng had to come over together. I really couldn’t shirk it, so..."
"Master Kong, you don't have to be like this. How could I be so kind and capable as to trouble three of you to personally serve me a drink to see me off? It's really a shame."
"Mr. Li, there is no need to be humble. Although you and we are our own masters, heroes cherish heroes." After saying this, Kong Xiangxi paused, and the other two nodded in agreement.
"Master Kong is so complimentary."
Just as he was talking, there was suddenly a burst of loud footsteps outside the door, followed by a burst of hearty laughter, and a fat man with a big belly and a special military uniform opened the door and walked in with a smile.
"Oops, I'm so sorry, but Cheng Yaojin suddenly appeared on the way, which delayed me for a while. Otherwise, I would have punished myself with three drinks..."
As he said that, the fat man reached for the wine bottle on the table.
However, before he could pick up the wine bottle, Kong Xiangxi, who was sitting on the main seat, slammed the table and couldn't help laughing and scolding: "Hey Fan Ha'er, didn't I remind you repeatedly to pay attention to the time last night?
, you have to go out early and don't be late? But it's better for you. You don't say you are late, but you still want to cheat on food and drink. How can anything be so cheap in this world? Pay back to Cheng Yao, I think you are the Cheng Yao
Gold it!”
As soon as these words came out, the fat man was stunned for a moment, then he grinned and looked at Du Yuesheng aside.
However, Du Yuesheng's tone was exactly the same as Kong Xiangxi's, "Don't look at me. It's useless to look at me. Being late should be punished. This is the rule everywhere, but I can't punish you with alcohol. That would be a disguised benefit to you."
"As a punishment... I'll pour a glass of wine for everyone." Du Yuesheng said while paying attention to Kong Xiangxi's reaction with his peripheral vision. He was relieved when he saw that the other party didn't express anything.
Looking at the fat man again, even though he had the same military rank as Dong Jianchang on his shoulders, he didn't have any airs. He agreed directly without any hesitation, "No problem!"
Then, regardless of whether they recognized him or not, he picked up the wine flask and walked around the round table, filling everyone's glasses with wine.
However, just when he walked to his seat and sat down to get himself a drink, Kong Xiangxi's voice rang again, "Wait a minute, you can't drink this wine!"
"Why?"
"No reason, just because you came late, so you don't deserve this bottle of wine!" Kong Xiangxi replied categorically, leaving no room for maneuver in his words.
The expression on the fat man's face was uglier than crying. He muttered for a long time, "...then you're going to starve me to death?"
"That's all your own fault! Fortunately, you are still leading soldiers in war, and you have no sense of time at all!"
"No, it's that Cheng Yaojin... No, it's... Oh, forget it, I won't drink if I don't want to! Humph!"
But the fat man said he didn't want to drink, but he kept glancing at the wine bottle and smashing it in his mouth from time to time, almost drooling on the spot.
Upon seeing this, Li Qiang quickly picked up his wine glass and asked in a nonchalant manner: "This officer looked unfamiliar and didn't ask for advice?"
"The surname is Fan, the given name is Shaozeng, and the nickname is Haiting."
Although the fat man said it so casually, it had already set off huge waves in Li Qiang's heart.
Who is this Fan Shaozeng? Most people probably don't know much about him, but when it comes to the famous Commander Fool in Sichuan, almost everyone in the entire Sichuan-Sichuan region knows about him.
Speaking of which, this silly commander who has been called "Fan Haer" since he was a child can be regarded as a wonderful person. He was born in a well-known landowner family in Dazhu County, Sichuan. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He could have settled down with peace of mind.
He was a rich second generation, but because he listened to too many books in teahouses, he always wanted to become a hero who traveled around the world.
It was precisely because of this chivalry that when the Anti-Japanese War broke out and he accepted the Eighty-Eighth Army, he without hesitation spent his family wealth and re-armed the army at his own expense.
Although in the eyes of outsiders, his commander was somewhat unworthy of his name, he didn't care at all and instead enjoyed it.
Of course, what is more talked about are two other things. One is the brotherhood between him and Qinggang leader Du Yuesheng, and the other is his wife's love affair. It is said that this idiot commander is surrounded by
The number of wives and concubines at his peak was more than forty, which is truly astonishing.
Kong Xiangxi, Du Yuesheng and Fan Shaozeng, almost all three circles of politics, business and military are gathered together, plus Dong Jianchang who is good at buying flower cloths. What does Kong Xiangxi want to do? Isn't he trying to collude secretly with the Japanese and puppet government?
?
Although he had mixed feelings in his heart, Li Qiang still said calmly on the surface: "It turns out to be Commander Fan. I'm disrespectful. I'd like to give you a drink, Li!"
"Hahaha, Minister Kong, I have to drink now, right?" After Fan Shaozeng finished speaking, seeing that Kong Xiangxi had no objection, he took the wine glass and drank the wine in just one sip. He couldn't bear it anymore.
He smashed his mouth and said, "It's really a good wine! Hehehe, I'm really here today..."
However, Kong Xiangxi just snorted and didn't pay much attention to it.
Li Qiang took the opportunity to turn his attention to the young man who was sitting at the last seat and did not dare to say a word during the whole process. He quietly brought the topic to the young man beside him, "Master Kong, who is this?"
Before he finished speaking, before Kong Xiangxi could speak, the man immediately stood up like a spring and replied tremblingly: "In reply to the chief, Xiao... Xiao Xiao... Xiao Xia Wu... Wu Fangzhi, was at the Central Trust Bureau before going abroad.
Served in the Hong Kong Branch.”
After hearing this, Li Qiang was almost amused by this little brother who didn't understand the situation yet. He quickly waved his hand and corrected him: "Wrong, wrong, I'm not a commander."
After saying that, he looked at Kong Xiangxi with a surprised expression.
The latter naturally hurriedly explained, "The thing is like this. Two years ago, I sent Quanzi to study for a master's degree at Harvard University in the United States. I was worried that he would not adapt to the life there, so I agreed to Quanzi's request and brought Xiao Wu as well.
I sent it over to be a companion and take care of the dog's life."
Before he finished speaking, Fan Shaozeng wiped his mouth with his hand and said: "If you say Lingkan, this kid is really smart. In just two years, he got a master's degree from Harvard! I said Minister Kong, you
What method was used to make that kid suddenly change his gender? Tell us about it so that we can learn from it!"
It would have been better if he didn't say this. After he finished speaking, Kong Xiangxi's face turned green. This was not asking for advice humbly. He was clearly exposing his own shortcomings!
As an outsider, Li Qiang naturally saw this clearly, and had to sigh secretly: This Fan Haer is really a vengeful master. Although he looks naive and silly, he is actually shrewd.
Quite frankly, ordinary people may not be able to do this weird act of ridiculing Kong Xiangxi in person, and even if they could, they probably wouldn't have the courage like him.
Although there was something wrong with the atmosphere in the room, Du Yuesheng beside him remained as steady as a rock, with a look of not being surprised, as if he had long been used to it.
Kong Xiangxi also knew that Fan Haer was angry with him, so he ordered the waiter to bring a jar of high-quality Jingzhi special wine, which finally stopped Fan Haer's foul mouth.
"Ahem!" Kong Xiangxi coughed lightly and continued: "Now that Quanzi has completed his studies in the United States and has basically adapted to the life there, he no longer needs special care, so he left Xiao Wu
I sent him back, and as luck would have it, Hong Kong happens to be short of manpower, so I would like to ask you to take him with him via Guangdong and Guangxi and back to Hong Kong. What do you think of Mr. Li?"
As soon as these words came out, Li Qiang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After arguing for a long time, Kong Xiangxi's move was not to betray the country, but to protect the Hong Kong branch of the Central Trust.
I have to say that Kong Xiangxi is indeed a figure who can compete with the other three families of Jiang, Song and Chen. His methods are really extraordinary. Although this commission seems ordinary, it is full of profound meaning.
Now in the eyes of others, he is just a follower of Du Yuesheng, but in the eyes of insiders, he is Zhou Fohai's secret envoy. Only a few people, such as Lao Jiang and his wife, Dai Li, know his true identity.
Therefore, Kong Xiangxi's move was not only a commission, but also a test. It was not only Zhou Fohai who had begun to leave a way out for himself, but also whether he, the so-called secret envoy, was sincere, which fully demonstrated Kong Xiangxi's political and business qualities.
After all, Japan's move south is basically a foregone conclusion, and the war in Hong Kong is about to break out. The worst result is that the British retreat and Hong Kong falls. If he and Zhou Fohai can come forward by then to help save the Hong Kong branch, everyone will be happy. Even if they can't, then he will bear the responsibility
The loss is insignificant to him, and it is a sure-profit business no matter how you look at it.
This abacus calculation is really brilliant. Sure enough, no one who can stand on the cusp of the storm these days is a fuel-efficient lamp!
Li Qiang couldn't help but sigh, which also explained why Dong Jianchang was also present.
What worries Li Qiang even more is that the route back to Hong Kong proposed by Kong Xiangxi unexpectedly coincides with the plan provided by Lao Wenchi. Is there really such a coincidence in this world? The answer is of course no!
But if Kong Xiangxi already knew his route back to Hong Kong, how did he know it? Dai Li? Zheng Jiemin? Mao Renfeng? Dong Jianchang? Madam Chiang? Or... Lao Wenchi himself?
Question after question popped up in his mind one after another, and Li Qiang was immediately confused.
But even so, he still had to put aside all those questions for the time being. After all, Kong Xiangxi was still sitting there looking at him eagerly, waiting for his reply!
After a long silence, Li Qiang replied with an embarrassed look on his face: "Mr. Kong, to tell you the truth, this kind of thing is no longer something I can take charge of. I must ask Mr. Zhou for instructions. Only if he nods, I can
…”
"I understand!" Kong Xiangxi nodded with understanding, "Then Kong will wait for Mr. Li's good news."
After speaking, he picked up the wine glass in front of him. Seeing this, Li Qiang quickly picked up the wine glass and drank the wine in one gulp.
However, at this moment, Fan Shaozeng, who had been immersed in drinking and eating, suddenly said, "You need to ask for permission in advance to bring people, but what about bringing goods? I think it shouldn't be so troublesome, right?"
As soon as these words came out, Li Qiang couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, and then asked a little confused: "What does Commander Fan mean?"
"Why, isn't my meaning clear enough?" Fan Shaozeng asked.
After hearing this, Li Qiang waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no, no, you misunderstood. I just feel a little surprised."
"What's so surprising about this? I'm a rough guy, and I don't know how to talk in circles. You're going to go through this journey anyway, either driving one sheep or herding two sheep. Why not take the opportunity to get more benefits for yourself?
?”
It has to be said that Fan Shaozeng spoke very directly as he said. However, what is more concerning is the reaction of the other people. Instead of saying anything to stop them, they surprisingly remained silent.
It can be seen that Fan Shaozeng's words were not a whim, but a deliberate arrangement.
While Li Qiang was still thinking secretly, Haitang on the side quietly tapped the password with his fingers, reminding him in time: "Be careful of fraud!"
Li Qiang first patted her hand gently in response, and then asked with some reluctance: "As the saying goes, it's not rough to talk, but Commander Fan just said it. I still agree with it, but I don't know what Commander, what do you plan to do?"
What is the cargo you want me to bring?"
Fan Shaozeng smiled, then took out a small, palm-sized porcelain vase from his arms, handed it to Li Qiang, and asked in a test-like manner: "Here, this is it. Can Brother Li recognize this?"
Although Fan Shaozeng used a little trick and deliberately pointed the back of the porcelain bottle towards Li Qiang to prevent him from seeing the words on the bottle, Li Qiang had already guessed what was inside through the unique smell that was faintly exuding from the porcelain bottle.
