lerbook Chapter 5: Even if I have money, how can I not stand up straight?
Chapter 5: Even if I have money, how can I not stand up straight?
Chapter 5: A £30 million sell-off – is this considered an unequal status?
"So, Mr. Chen, please excuse me, please..."
Baldon's condescending tone, accompanied by his impatient waving of his arm, echoed in the extremely luxurious drawing room of the British Consulate General in Shanghai.
His eyes were filled with undisguised disdain, as if the person standing in front of him was not Chen Zijun, who had just won the Jiangzhe War and commanded hundreds of thousands of troops, but a street beggar who could be dismissed at any time.
In Baldun's view, no matter how capable local warlords were, they were still just peasants.
The British Empire was truly an empire on which the sun never sets!
Even the central government in Beijing has to show deference to the British consul. How dare a mere young marshal from a local area come here to talk about extrajudicial governance? It's an absolute joke.
Chen Zijun did not get angry; he simply stood up quietly.
He even casually reached out and adjusted the collar of his military uniform, a dangerous smile playing on his lips.
"Sir Baldon, I hope you get a good night's sleep tonight." Chen Zijun's tone was calm, but every word was like a knife.
After saying that, he didn't even glance at Baldun again, ignoring the other man's "who do you think you are?" look, and strode out of the reception room.
"Arrogant yellow-skinned monkey."
Bardon snorted coldly behind Chen Zijun, picked up the black tea on the table, took a sip, and seemed to think that the tea leaves were not fragrant enough.
Outside the consulate, the night breeze from the Huangpu River carried a hint of saltiness and dampness, brushing against people's faces.
"Young Marshal!"
Zang Keping, who had been waiting outside, saw Chen Zijun come out expressionless and knew that the talks had definitely broken down. He immediately waved his hand and ordered the entire guard company to cock their rifles.
For a tough, battle-hardened general like Zang Keping, who had survived countless hardships, he didn't care about any foreign powers.
With just a word from his nephew, the young marshal, he would dare to lead his troops to charge forward and take a piece of the enemy's flesh, even if it were the Heavenly King himself.
Click! Click! Click!
The uniform Mauser 98k rifles gleamed with a ghostly blue light in the night, exuding a murderous aura and radiating an intense aura of battle-hardened elites.
The synchronized clanging of machinery immediately caught the attention of the red-haired Indians and white police officers standing guard at the entrance. They gripped their batons and old-fashioned rifles warily, but under the watchful eyes of the guards, who resembled wolf cubs, the officers were so nervous they swallowed hard, not daring to take a single step forward.
Chen Zijun stood on the steps, without looking back at the carved European-style gate.
He merely narrowed his eyes slightly, and with a gentle thought, he made a decision.
[Unlimited Pay-to-Win System]
Host: Chen Zijun
Identity: Shanghai Garrison Commander, local warlord of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai and Anhui under the Beiyang Government
Current funds: £31276542.87 (increases by £1 per second)
Unlocked technologies:
- Army: Mauser 98k rifle, MG-34 general purpose machine gun, Krupp 75mm infantry gun, etc.
- Military industry: Sulfonamide mass production technology, steel smelting technology, etc.
More than 31 million pounds.
What does this money mean?
At that time, a pound sterling was more valuable than gold!
This astronomical fortune could buy all the capital ships of the First Expeditionary Fleet of the British Empire, and could even make Chiang Kai-shek's Nanjing government's fiscal revenue for several years seem like a joke!
With this money, you can roam freely in this concession and, incidentally, make that so-called Buckingham Palace kneel down and sing "Conquer"!
After all, the British Empire, which had just finished the European war, was not having an easy time either. The construction of the Singapore fortress, which was originally planned, was halted due to lack of funds and budget!
Back when China had neither money nor technology, it had to stretch its legs and crane its neck to see a warship.
Now I'm rich, over thirty million pounds!
Am I so rich that I can't stand up straight?
"Uncle Zang," Chen Zijun lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled a string of white smoke.
"Young Marshal, what are your orders?"
Zang Keping was like a tiger ready to descend the mountain at any moment. As long as Chen Zijun gave the order, he could rush in with a machine gun and riddle that damned consul with bullets.
"Go to the telephone exchange immediately and call our garrison command directly!"
"yes!"
"I need you to transfer the 1st Armored Company and the 3rd Reinforced Infantry Battalion of the Tax Police Corps!"
Zang Keping was startled, but his eyes immediately blazed with fanaticism: "I obey!"
Chen Zijun's voice didn't tremble even slightly, sounding chillingly cold in the sweltering autumn night: "Completely block off this street. Not a single fly is allowed to enter the consulate!"
"Furthermore, if any of the police officers in the concession dare to say a word, dare to put their hands on their holsters..."
Chen Zijun stubbed out his cigarette and then used a bayonet to sew their mouths shut.
"clear!"
Less than twenty minutes.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
That's the sound of a steel monster crushing the asphalt road!
The heavy roar of the diesel engine tore through the night sky over Shanghai, and the ground seemed to tremble slightly.
The Tax Police Corps, fully equipped with German weaponry, makes its appearance!
The unit that had just been described as tax police in the news and newspapers now had an armored company—equipment that was rare not only in China but also in the world.
When a line of twenty-two fully equipped Renault FT-17 light tanks appeared on the streets of the International Settlement, the whole of Shanghai was in an uproar!
Reporters all over Shanghai were asking the same question: Is this the tax police you were talking about?
The massive Renault FT-17 light tanks blocked the intersection at both ends of the street where the consulate was located.
Squads of elite infantrymen wearing M35 steel helmets, like death in the night, swiftly occupied all the high ground with their neat and powerful steps.
Dark gun barrels and cold, menacing bayonets lined the streets.
Even someone who doesn't understand military affairs can tell that this is an absolutely terrifying army armed to the teeth.
Those Indian and white police officers who had been swaggering around on the streets were now completely terrified.
Their legs trembled as they stared at the dark muzzles of the MG-08/18 air-cooled light machine guns. They couldn't even hold their batons steady, and they fell to the ground with a few thuds. No one dared to step forward to protest the so-called "crossing the boundary into the concession."
Protest? Protest with tanks? Protest with machine guns?!
This was Chen Zijun's confidence, and it was also the first lesson he taught the foreign powers: In Shanghai, the greater the caliber of the artillery, the greater the scope of the truth!
Chen Zijun let out a cold laugh in the darkness.
He took a black leather briefcase from the back seat of the car and then walked back up the English marble steps.
"Halt! This is British territory! You barbarians..."
Two British guards mustered their courage and were about to step forward to stop them.
boom!boom!
Without hesitation, Zang Keping drew his Browning pistol and fired two shots at the ground in front of the two men!
Gravel flew everywhere, hitting the gatekeeper's leather boots.
"You all get down on your knees with your hands behind your heads! Move another inch and I'll use your heads as chamber pots!"
Zang Keping roared, like a raging beast.
The two guards were so frightened that they let out a howl, immediately knelt on the ground, covered their heads, and trembled.
Chen Zijun didn't even glance at them, and walked straight to the carved door that had just been closed to him.
He raised his right foot, which was clad in a leather boot, and kicked it hard.
Clang!
The heavy door slammed against the wall with a loud crash, sending splinters flying.
In the reception room, Baldon, who was leisurely listening to the gramophone and drinking his second cup of black tea, was startled by the loud noise and jumped up.
The bone china teacup in his hand fell onto the Persian carpet, spilling tea all over the floor.
"Chen! Are you crazy?! What are you doing?!"