Easy to Bow One's Head, Hard to Quell One's Resentment
Bai Qishan stared at Chen Weilun for a while before lighting his cigarette with a match, taking a puff, and saying:
"You've always been obedient, and you've paid your dues. It's so dark on the ship, you're afraid to show your face! What kind of cargo is it?"
Chen Weilun smiled ingratiatingly, "I got some expired medicine to sell at a high price."
Bai Qishan paused for a moment, then suddenly glared at him. "Are you even human?! Selling expired medicine? People will die from it!"
Chen Weilun's expression remained unchanged, Bai Qishan suddenly laughed, "What does eating dead people have to do with us! But this time you have to pay protection money at the price of the real goods! You know, the ships at the big docks are all honest, and I'm taking a risk by letting you sail out to load goods on a rocky beach like this."
Chen Weilun breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "Yes, definitely, definitely."
One of Bai Qishan's henchmen watched the ship for a while, then turned and asked, "Brother Shan, do you want me to go aboard and check the goods for you, so that Ah Lun won't underpay later?"
Chen Weilun showed no nervousness whatsoever. Using the light from the gas lamp in front of him, with his back to the others, he made a preparatory gesture towards the boat.
Bai Qishan waved his hand, "Alright! Ah Lun is always sensible. I won't look at the goods anymore. It's dark on the ship, what's there to see? Go and take this lamp up so they can use it for lighting. That way, I won't feel bad when I collect the money from Ah Lun later."
Bai Qishan's men took the gas lamp, walked step by step onto the ship, shone the lamp on Zhang Yizhi, A-Kuan, A-Zhong, and the others, then casually hung the gas lamp on the cargo ship's railing and nodded to the three men.
"The sea is rough, may the winds be favorable. Don't risk your life at sea for money!"
Zhang Yizhi smiled and nodded, "Thank you, thank you for your concern."
The other person disembarked and returned to Bai Qishan's side. Bai Qishan patted Chen Weilun on the shoulder and sighed, "Although my dock is small, it's not without Marine Police patrolling. Let the boat go."
Chen Weilun quickly thanked Bai Qishan, "Thank you, Brother Shan."
Chen Weilun walked to the shore, smiled at the three people on the boat, and waved. "Have a safe journey, and I'll be waiting for your good news."
Zhang Yizhi, A-Kuan, A-Zhong nodded. "Take care."
The cargo ship slowly sailed away from the dock, the gas lamps hanging on the railings drifting further and further away.
Chen Weilun waved his hand, and suddenly the cargo ship on the dark sea in the distance exploded into a fireball!
Chen Weilun put his hand on his waist, but before he could draw his pistol, his body jolted violently!
Bai Qishan spoke in a sinister tone behind Chen Weilun: "Ah Lun, someone has offered a high price to give you a ride tonight."
Bai Qishan pulled the dagger out of Chen Weilun's back. Several of his men behind him quickly stuffed Chen Weilun into a sack, added a few stones, and tied the sack shut.
Several people carried burlap sacks along the pier to the sea, then threw the sacks into the dark water. The surface churned, but quickly returned to calm.
Bai Qishan, a cigarette dangling from his lips, faced the sea breeze and gazed at the distant smoke and flames of the slowly sinking cargo ship. He spoke calmly, "Ah Lun, don't blame me. You can only blame your bad luck."
During the standoff between the Shanghai and Hong Kong shipping guilds at the docks, a small smuggling cargo ship from Hong Kong was sunk by a bomb in the waters Tsim Sha Tsui Pier. This occurred four days after a Hong Kong shipping tycoon met with Yu Shiting of the Shanghai Shipping Gang shipping guild, demanding that he hand over Zeng Pingsheng.
Chapter 471 Head bowed easily, but the heart remained uneasy.
"Mr. He, perhaps I should make a trip there." Huang Ziya lit a cigarette, looked up, and said to He Xian, who was frowning across from her.
He Xian waved his hand, somewhat irritated, and said, "What's the difference between you going and me going? Everyone in Hong Kong and Macau knows that Xunzheng is one of my men. We can't directly get involved in this kind of thing. It's not like the chaotic times back then, when we led a bunch of brothers to Hong Kong to smuggle banknotes. In this situation, what if the other side doesn't give us face? Are we supposed to start a war? Both sides are well-equipped and powerful, and... I've already put Taiwan on the list. Who knows how many of those people in the Shanghai Shipping Gang are secretly colluding with Taiwan? If you go there and they set up a trap, it'll be like He Xian off one of my arms."
"Then I'll contact some friends in Malaya, the Philippines, or Indonesia to see if we can arrange for some ships to come over temporarily as an emergency?" Huang Ziya paused for a moment before speaking again.
He Xian stood up from his desk, stretched his neck and shoulders, and stood in front of the French windows looking outside. "Distant water can't quench immediate thirst. Even if someone is willing to help send ships over, it will take time. The reason I, He Xian, am here to mediate is because I can't wait that long. These merchants are really damn fools. The people inside are tightening their belts and working desperately, waiting for all kinds of emergency supplies, and they're going on strike over this. Hong Kong, Shanghai, Ningbo, Guangzhou —aren't China person?"
Huang Ziya stopped speaking. He was He Xian's head bodyguard, not He Xian strategist. He had tried twice to satisfy his boss, so he stopped bothering to think of a solution. This was something his boss should consider himself. He only cared about He Xian's personal safety.
He Xian turned around and looked at Huang Ziya after she had finished Huang Ziya cigarette. "Where is Song Tianyao from Hong Kong now?"
Huang Ziya stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray without hesitation. "Glasgow, Britain. He said he was going to visit his Foreign Girl's family, but I've heard that he's hired the Britain Civil and Martial Association to help him out, so it doesn't seem like a family visit."
"Give him a call. I don't care what he's thinking or planning. Tell him to come to Macau and meet me within four days at the latest. It's inconvenient for me to show up, but he can," He Xian said to Huang Ziya.
Huang Ziya nodded. "Understood, Mr. He. I'll call A-Liu later and have him contact Song Tianyao. However, it's difficult for Song Tianyao to get both sides to agree."
He Xian stroked his chin and laughed, "Of course he's not qualified to get both sides to agree, but it's precisely when neither side agrees that I can speak up again. I call him A-Yao; he's my junior. Besides, that guy isn't like Lei Guantai. Lei Guantai is too upright; Song Tianyao is more cunning."