Is there something you need?
"Mr. Song, the Flower Street Gang has contacted local gangs such as the Cato Gang, the Clover Gang, the Pincer Gang, and the Black Hill Gang, preparing to cause trouble for the Civil and Martial Association," the Asian man said expressionlessly.
Song Tianyao nodded slightly. "What does that have to do with me? They're not planning to cause me any trouble. Oh, and remember to help me destroy the Whistle Restaurant so I can renovate it."
"Whistle Restaurant?"
What kind of crimes are Britain gangs committing now? Handguns? Knives? Claw hammers?
"Sir, actually, nitroglycerin explosives are all the rage in Glasgow right now; various gangs are using them to rob banks."
"Great, could you also please blast the Whistle Restaurant while you're at it?"
Chapter 460 Civil and Martial Association
On the stage of the July Bar, singer Beatrice, dressed in a beautiful low-cut gown, sang Patty Page's classic "All My Loves " with deep emotion. In the past, when she reached the climax of her song, she would always receive applause and cheers from the entire audience. But tonight, the gentlemen in suits or the bad boys in baseball caps in the audience did not give her any response. It seemed that her tip for the night was going to be wasted.
"Thank you for your song, Beatrice." A middle-aged man wearing a top hat walked in from the wooden door of the bar, stood quietly by the door, and only took off his top hat and clapped after Beatrice finished singing.
Beatrice recognized him: Charlie, the leader of the Flower Street Gang.
She had previously sung for Charlie at Charlie Barn Bar for twenty pounds. Of course, that night involved more than just singing, but she didn't dare offend him. But why was he here tonight? This was Cato Gang's territory. These gangs always disliked others trespassing on their land.
Charlie took a five-pound note from his wallet and handed it to the waiter, indicating that he should give it to Beatrice. After Beatrice left the stage to go backstage, Charlie went back on stage and tapped the microphone twice with his fingers, and a series of banging sounds came from the bar's speakers.
"Gentlemen, thank you very much for gracing the July Bar with your presence. I was chatting with Mr. Liam of the Cato Gang about a recent little incident, and he generously offered me a chance to speak—yes, a speech." Charlie smiled as he glanced at the other gang leaders seated below, "To save our Glasgow."
That last sentence made most of the people in the audience laugh, and Charlie laughed too on stage:
"That sounds funny, doesn't it? But what I'm about to say might make you all sad: Asians are coming to Glasgow to steal our business."
These words made the people below even happier.
"Charlie, thanks for your speech. I think you could be a stand-up comedian in London, my friend. You'd be famous nationwide." Alan, the leader of the Pincer Gang, took the beer from the beer girl, casually pinched her ample buttocks, and then said with a smile, "You can't just declare that Asians are invading Glasgow because the Flower Street Gang had a couple of fights with some Asians."
"That's true, Alan. Those aren't ordinary Asians. I paid the police to do some research. Do you know what organization those Asians who've been giving me trouble are? The Civil and Martial Association, the Civil and Martial Association that even the Cray Brothers didn't dare to mess with in London. Now they've come to Glasgow," Charlie said seriously.
Upon hearing this name, the expressions of some of the people below became serious, except for Alan from the Pincer Gang, who still asked in bewilderment, "What the hell kind of gang is that? London gang? An Asian gang? How could anyone in Eastern District London make the Cray Brothers wary? Don't be ridiculous."
"Alan, I'll say it again, that's not your average Asian gang. They're not in Eastern District London London; they're in the wealthy West End, a place even the Cray Brothers wouldn't dare mess with," Charlie said. "They're a bunch of leeches."
The Civil and Martial Association that Charlie mentioned was a gang that had been around for a while and whose actions were feared by local Britain gangs. In fact, the history of Britain gangs in real life is not very long. It was only from the 1920s and 1930s that organized crime on a relatively large scale began to emerge. By "relatively large scale," I mean that the gang members were generally only a few dozen or a little over a hundred people.
For example, in Glasgow, although there are more than a dozen gangs of varying sizes, the largest gangs, such as the Cato Gang, the Flower Street Gang, and the Pincer Gang, have a combined membership of no more than three thousand. Moreover, these gangs have all sorts of ways of making a living. Some run illegal casinos, bars, loan sharking, and protection money collection, which seem to conform to Glasgow's gangs have no code of conduct. They do whatever makes money, regardless of whether their actions are shameful.
All Britain gangs follow the Cray Brothers in London's Eastern District because the Cray Brothers were successful gangsters and businessmen who started their Cray Brothers in this way, so they all do the same.
The problem is that while the Cray Brothers were indeed very powerful in London, almost making other gangs bow down to them, and even the United States Mafia who came from afar had suffered a setback, they had never dealt with an organization in London called the Civil and Martial Association. Of course, the Cray Brothers would not mention such a shameful thing, so Alan from the Pincer Gang, who was not very well-informed, had never heard of the Civil and Martial Association.
The Civil and Martial Association was initially established during World War I by 140,000 Chinese laborers who went to Europe to participate in the war. Its rules were derived from the China Hung Mun, but later it developed into its own. Of the 140,000 Chinese laborers at the time, 40,000 were employed by France and nearly 100,000 were employed by Britain. Apart from those who died in battle or returned home after the war, some Chinese laborers remained in Britain. The Civil and Martial Association, an organization established during the war to call on Chinese laborers to strengthen themselves, also remained in Britain.
Compared to local gangs, the Civil and Martial Association had a strict hierarchy and were more efficient. Moreover, they did not rely on crime for a living. The Chinese laborers had their own normal jobs throughout Britain and did not need to rely on illegal activities to earn income. However, they would immediately appear when the organization needed them.