Chapter 686: Running Away

Zhang Yong followed the Japanese spy 'Song Fei' into the Adam's pawnshop.

This is the largest pawnshop in the entire Hangzhou City. Five shops lined up in a row, magnificent. It is obvious that the financial resources are very strong.

No matter what it is, you can use it to impress the shopkeeper here.

As long as you have it, you can name your price.

Of course, the price may be very low.

If someone else offers 30 taels of silver, they may only offer 25 taels here.

The difference is that big. But the business is just so good.

There's no other reason for it than that they dare to accept the Mingqi.

The so-called Mingqi are the burial goods of the dead that were unearthed.

If it were in later generations, it would be three years starting from the minute. The maximum is life imprisonment. But now, no one cares.

This is how a large number of treasures are lost.

Zhang Yong squinted around. He noticed that the place was packed with people. There were a large number of grave robbers.

Many of them had gold symbols on their bodies. This meant that they were carrying gold items that had been dug up from the ground. It was unclear what the items were. But they were supposed to be very valuable. Many people had exchanged them for hundreds of silver dollars. They went happily.

The shopkeeper carefully wrapped the received Mingqi in red silk and then put it away. He put it in a box and then pushed it all together to the back storage room. These are dead assets. In fact, they are bought out. The price is a bit higher. They will never be redeemed in the future. It is equivalent to a disguised sale.

The Japanese spy came to the counter and handed over the jade butterfly.

The counter here is not high and aloof. It is just an ordinary counter. It makes people feel more comfortable.

'Wait a minute.'

The clerk took the jade butterfly and went to the back.

Soon after, a tall, blond foreigner appeared.

He looked Song Fei and Zhang Yong up and down, said nothing, and made an inviting gesture. He led them out the side door and into an open area outside.

There were some simple tables, chairs, and benches made of wood. They were bulky but sturdy.

'Please sit,' the foreigner said in Chinese.

His Chinese wasn't very good.

But it wasn't bad.

They could communicate normally.

Zhang Yong sat down. Song Fei sat down. Then the foreigner sat down.

'My name is Wiggins.'

'Mr Wiggins, I have been entrusted...'

'I have seen you before. You were also present at our last transaction in Jinshanwei.'

'Yes. Mr Wiggins, you have a good memory.'

'Who is he? I have never seen him before.'

'He is the son of our boss's family. Come with me.'

'To spy on you?'

'Well...'

Song Fei didn't say anything.

Zhang Yong looked unruffled.

This Wiggins guy is pretty straightforward.

Yes, I am here to spy on the other side. So what? What's the problem?

'You Chinese have such low trust levels.'

'Mr Wiggins...'

'Just get to the point. How many of you need to get on board?'

'Fifty.'

'Five hundred dollars per person before boarding. I will take you to Shanghai. From there you can take a ship to San Francisco for five hundred dollars per person. The full amount is to be paid before boarding.'

'Understood,'

Song Fei nodded. He was clearly prepared for this.

Zhang Yong was secretly amazed.

Damn it!

This Sun Dingyuan is so rich.

One person is 1,000 US dollars! Fifty people is 50,000 US dollars!

Fifty thousand!

Wow!

That's a lot of dollars!

And he's only sending 50 people to the US. That's a real loss.

Really.

Under normal circumstances, a ticket from Shanghai to San Francisco is only about 150 US dollars.

It's not cost-effective.

It's really not cost-effective.

It's better to give it to me, Zhang Yong.

I, Zhang Yong, guarantee that every dollar will be worth its value...

Wait.

Fifty people? Not more than a hundred?

Does that mean that Sun Dingyuan only has 50 trusted followers? Are the others cannon fodder?

At this time, there were at least 100 people following Sun Dingyuan. They were all under Sun Dingyuan's spell. They thought that Sun Dingyuan would take them to America. But in fact, only 50 people could go. The others would be abandoned.

It was even unknown whether there would be 50 people who could successfully board the ship in the end. Zhang Yong always felt that this matter was not very reliable.

The Americans were asking for the moon. Sun Dingyuan had agreed now. But would he regret it later?

The answer is yes. Who is Sun Dingyuan? He is a habitual criminal.

How can a habitual criminal have any credibility? He can abandon anyone for his own future interests.

If there is a chance, he will go to the United States alone. This will save more dollars. Sun Dingyuan will definitely choose to abandon the others. He might even kill them all. After all, there is no need to waste dollars on the dead.

'Maybe...'

'There is something we can do...'

Zhang Yong tilted his head and thought about it.

Unfortunately, he didn't come up with anything in the end. He had to put it aside for the time being.

'By the way...'

Wiggins suddenly said.

He glanced at Zhang Yong. It seemed that he was in the way.

However, Zhang Yong's expression did not change. He remained seated and motionless.

He did not need to speak.

He was here to monitor Song Fei. Why speak?

"Mr. Wiggins, you go ahead.'

'There is also a security deposit of another $5,000.'

'Why?'

'To ensure that nothing unpleasant happens during your journey.'

'Fine,'

Song Fei agreed.

Zhang Yong sneered inwardly.

This Wiggins is also a greedy man. Asking for money.

What security deposit. That's a nice way of putting it. In fact, it will go into his own pocket. If you give it away, you definitely won't get it back.

How?

By then, Sun Dingyuan will have already disembarked in San Francisco. Wiggins will still be in Hangzhou.

Would the Americans in San Francisco give Sun Dingyuan US$5,000? Dream on.

When Sun Dingyuan and the others arrived, the Americans there didn't extort them for a landing fee.

No. They definitely would have.

A landing fee was a must.

All Chinese people who arrived on the other side of the ocean, as long as they didn't have official status, would have to pay another sum of money.

Otherwise, they would be lost in a strange place, not knowing what to do. They would die without knowing how.

At this moment, the other side of the ocean is still in the rough times of the 'American West', growing wildly. The folkways are 'simple', everyone is armed, and if there is a disagreement, they will use American-style dueling to solve the problem. Most Chinese people, when they get there, are the ones being bullied.

After thinking about it, Zhang Yong spoke up, 'Mr. Wiggins, where in San Francisco do we disembark? After disembarking, is our safety guaranteed?'

'Of course,' Wiggins replied firmly. 'We'll send a telegram to San Francisco to have someone come and pick you up.'

'After we get ashore, won't we have to pay any more fees?'

'Of course not.'

'Really?'

'If you don't even trust us, how can we cooperate?'

'I'm sorry. I was just asking. I'm worried that after we get to San Francisco, we'll have to spend a lot of money to get ashore smoothly.'

'There's no such thing,'

Wiggins flatly denied. But he knew it was the truth.

All Chinese people arriving in San Francisco were extorted by the locals. It was inevitable.

If they didn't have money, they would be beaten up. And then sent to do hard labour. Build the railway. Dig the mines. If anyone dared to resist, they would be killed outright. And thrown into the Pacific Ocean. Or thrown into a deep mine shaft. No one would ever know.

'Five thousand dollars is too much...'

'You can refuse. But I can't guarantee that nothing will happen to you on the journey.'

'Okay...'

Zhang Yong pretended to be reluctant.

Five thousand dollars is not a small sum. You can buy a backward Hawker 2 with that.

Seriously, the only reason the Air Force Department was interested in the Hawker 2 from Curtiss and now the newly released Hawker 3 is probably because it is cheap. If you buy an aircraft from another company, you can only buy 50 for the same amount of money. But if you buy one from Curtiss, you can buy 100.

Those 100 planes will definitely look better than 50!

If Chiang Kai-shek asks how many planes the Air Force has, if you answer 100, it will definitely sound more impressive than if you answer 50.

Chiang Kai-shek doesn't know anything about planes himself. And he's not likely to constantly ask about his wife's affairs.

What if his wife gets upset?

"Deposit,'

Wiggins added.

Song Fei turned his head and looked at Zhang Yong.

The banknotes he brought were all taken away by Zhang Yong.

If a deposit was to be paid, it could only come from Zhang Yong.

However, how could the silver notes that had fallen into Zhang Yong's pocket be easily taken out?

Having just lost Ding Furong's three million, Zhang Yong was already heartbroken. At this moment, he would not part with even ten silver dollars, let alone ten thousand.

'Mr. Wiggins, where is your promise?' Zhang Yong said slowly.

The other party did not have a gun. He was not afraid.

There were actually guns inside the pawnshop. But they were not on anyone's person.

Zhang Yong was confident that he could still win against such a target without a gun.

No matter how fierce Wiggins was, he could not withstand the firing of the Colt M1911 large-calibre pistol. If you use up all seven rounds of 11.43 mm bullets, you can kill a bear.

'What promise?' Wiggins's face began to look bad.

'Your word is not enough. We can't trust you.' Zhang Yong was calm and collected, 'At the very least, you should tell us when to board the ship. What ship. We can't be expected to know everything. Otherwise, if you take the money and run, we'll be left empty-handed.'

'What do you want to know?'

'First, how we're going to leave Hangzhou.'

'I'll use a caravan to hide you in the middle of the group.'

'There are checks everywhere...'

'I'm American. You Chinese won't dare to search me.'

'And what boat will we take when we get to the docks?'

'The American Goddess freighter.'

'But as far as I know, there are no American merchant ships at the Qiantang River docks.'

'Not at the moment. But it will be here in three days.'

'That means we still have to wait three days.'

'Three days will pass quickly.'

'The place where we are currently hiding is not safe. I'd like to move to your pawnshop.'

'No way,'

Wiggins resolutely refused.

He knew what kind of person Sun Dingyuan was. He absolutely could not let the wolf into the house.

It was no problem simply sending them out of Hangzhou. However, if the other party were allowed to stay at the Adam's Inn, then there would be endless trouble.

No one knew what would happen when that group of bandits arrived here.

He had dealt with Sun Dingyuan before and knew very well Sun Dingyuan's bottom line. That guy simply had no bottom line when it came to doing things.

'The place where we are hiding now is not safe,' Zhang Yong frowned.

'That's your problem,' Wiggins still refused flatly, 'we're only responsible for getting you out of here.'

'We can pay extra.'

'No.'

Wiggins still refused.

His tone was quite firm.

Zhang Yong then judged that this guy definitely knew Sun Dingyuan and probably knew a lot about the other person.

Otherwise, Wiggins would not have been so resolute.

'There are five other British people over there. You can trust them...'

'Shut up! You're talking about Greig and the others. They're warmongers. They're rascals. I don't want to have anything to do with them.'

'Mr. Wiggins, you're exaggerating...'

'Sorry. I definitely won't meet Greig and the others. They're pirates...'

'Okay.'

Zhang Yong pretended to be helpless.

At the same time, he noted the name Greig. These five British people seem to be a bit evil?

Wiggins even mentioned that they were pirates. This is interesting.

Pirates. No wonder they can disappear so mysteriously.

Hangzhou Bay really is no risk at all for pirates. They can just jump in and escape.

It seems that the five Englishmen Kong Fansong was worried about before were not exactly legitimate. They just came to Hangzhou on a passing ship. And then they quietly escaped by water. To find Sun Dingyuan. It made Kong Fansong think something strange had happened.

Haha. Should I call Kong Fansong and tell him the truth?

Of course not.

If I tell him the truth, there won't be any more US dollars.

Just tell Kong Fansong that the five Englishmen were found. Safe and sound. That's enough.

Then, the rewards will be rewarded. The favours will be owed.

After a moment's hesitation, Zhang Yong said slowly, 'But Mr. Greig said...'

'Don't you dare mention that pirate Greig to me,' said Wiggins, his face beginning to turn ugly, 'what he says has no credibility.'

'But...he said...'

'Even if he offered me $10,000, I wouldn't take him on board. You tell him to go to hell!'

'Mr. Wiggins...'

'You tell him, just because he's from the Far East Fleet, I won't give him face. I don't want to see him. And he mustn't show his face in front of me. Otherwise, I'll shoot him dead. Even if MI7 intervenes, it's useless.'

'Okay...'

Zhang Yong reluctantly agreed.

Then he was secretly surprised.

So much information.

These five British people are actually from the British Far East Fleet? And they are still connected to MI7?

Anyway, before the outbreak of World War II, the power of the British Empire was still somewhat residual. It had not completely died out. The strength of the Far East Fleet was also considered formidable. There was one super battleship and three ordinary battleships. There were also seven cruisers. More than 30 destroyers and the like. Based in Singapore. Indeed, it was quite formidable.

The name of that super battleship is the Prince of Wales, isn't it? It has a standard displacement of 35,000 tons and a full displacement of 40,000 tons. It is equipped with 10 14-inch main guns. 14 inches is 356 millimeters. Compared to the Yamato battleship, it is indeed lagging behind.

Wait...

Zhang Yong fell into deep thought.

Soon after, he remembered. It seemed that the two were related.

The HMS Prince of Wales was also built in 1937, launched in 1939, completed and commissioned in early 1941, and then sunk by Japanese aircraft at the end of the year.

It seems so...

I can't remember the details. It was more or less like that.

Its rapid sinking marked the fact that battleships were almost defenceless in the face of aircraft.

What is puzzling is that the ship that sank the Prince of Wales was a Japanese plane. However, the Japanese high command did not realise that the era of battleships was over. Instead, they continued to strengthen their battleships. They ignored aircraft carriers. This can be considered a mysterious move. In the end, the battleship Yamato was also destroyed by planes.

If we are talking about a short life, the Prince of Wales was indeed short-lived.

I wonder if I can use it to make a little story?

Recovering from my thoughts,

'Mr. Wiggins, we need to go back and discuss it,' Zhang Yong said slowly.

'Hurry up then. We won't wait forever.' Wiggins was very unhappy.

He waved his hand, telling them to get lost. Then he left on his own.

Zhang Yong and the Japanese spy stood up and turned to leave.

The two of them walked out of the pawnshop.

The Japanese spy waited respectfully for Zhang Yong's orders.

'Team Leader Zhang...'

'Go back and say that everything has been arranged. We will leave in three days. However, we need to leave in batches. And, we cannot bring weapons.'

'But Sun Dingyuan may not believe it. He will continue to send people to verify it.'

'I will be waiting outside. I will catch one of them as soon as they come out. Make sure that your story is the same.'

'Okay.'

Although the Japanese spy felt a little dangerous, there was no other way.

Since he was determined to betray Sun Dingyuan, of course he hoped that Zhang Yong would catch Sun Dingyuan. And then execute this guy.

'Then I'll go first.'

'Go!'

Zhang Yong nodded.

The Japanese spy then turned and left.

Zhang Yong silently monitored the map. He noticed that the Japanese spy had not chosen to escape.

This guy really wants Sun Dingyuan dead.

Sun Dingyuan probably didn't expect that there would be Japanese spies among his own people. There were three of them, too.

He wanted to get rid of the Japanese. How could the Japanese possibly be willing to do that?

Continue monitoring.

Suddenly, a marked person entered the edge of the map.

It was Yang Lichu, who had arrived.

He hurriedly went over to greet her.

Sure enough, Yang Lichu appeared on her own.

Zhang Yong: ...

Good, you've come!

Excitedly, he went up to embrace Yang Lichu and gave her a French wet kiss.

'Don't...'

Yang Lichu tried to resist.

However, Zhang Yong was so eager that she could not resist.

In the end, he got his way.

However, Zhang Yong wanted to explore further, but she restrained him.

After all, she was a woman from a wealthy family, and she would not let Zhang Yong do whatever he wanted. She pushed the eager guy away angrily.

'You came quickly.'

'Chen Shanben has exceeded the speed limit again. He's going to the punishment room again.'

'Oh?'

Zhang Yong suddenly felt quite amused.

This Chen Shanben always exceeded the speed limit whenever he flew. He was sent to the punishment room every other day.

It's strange. He's grounded, but it doesn't affect his flying. It's as if there's no such thing as a grounded pilot. He can fly again as soon as he gets out of the punishment room.

'Actually, it's not Chen Shanben who's speeding, it's the plane that's too slow.'

'Yes. These planes are all outdated. But the Germans won't talk to us about the Bf 109, so we can't buy a better plane.'

'A better plane...'

Zhang Yong fell into thought.

Indeed, this was the most difficult time in the aviation industry.

It was even a bit dead.

Due to the economic crisis, major airlines were half dead.

Even well-known companies such as Boeing and McDonnell Douglas were now dying. Lockheed, the future giant of fighter jets, was still a small company.

The P-38, P-40, P-47, P51 and the like had not yet been released.

Even the Zero carrier-based fighter hadn't yet been invented.

If you wanted to buy a fighter, there really weren't any good options.

However, it so happened that in July of the following year, the Japanese would invade China en masse and the full-scale war would break out. It was necessary to have a sufficient number of fighters.

It was impossible to defeat the Japanese in the early stages. However, at the very least, it was necessary to make the Japanese air force pay a higher price. This would allow the rear to be better protected. It was even possible to avoid tragedies like the Chongqing bombing as much as possible.

Hey, what do we do now?

I can't think of anything.

I'll just change the subject for now.

'What's the situation with the statistics from the docks? Do you think Xuan Tiegu would falsify the accounts?'

'He wouldn't dare.'

'So how many have been counted so far?'

'3.7 million.'

'All in cash?'

'Yes.'

'Ah...'

Zhang Yong's heart was bleeding.

More than 3 million in cash! Damn it. Just how rich is Ding Furong?

He is almost on a par with Yuan Wenhui and the others from Tianjin.

What a loss...

What a real loss...

He has intercepted a mountain of gold. But in the end, he only got a piece of gold leaf.

Ohhh...

I want to cry. Really.

I want to explode right here.

Fortunately, Yang Lichu's words brought him back to reality.