Black Flag Army

At around 7:00 p.m. on September 6, at the Weili Hotel on Xiheyan Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, General Manager Wu Zhong was assigning tasks to Manager Du Magan and Foreman Chen Xianglian in the second-floor office when waiter Zhan Yiqing walked out the door.

The waiter Zhan Yiqing was one of the young Taoist priests who was almost starving to death in Qingyun Temple. The other young Taoist priest was called Zhan Erqing. He reported to Wu Zhong: "General Manager! Manager Tuo said that the mysterious old man who came last time came to eat again, and he brought four bodyguards with him."

Wu Zhong stopped talking and opened the window to look down at the hall. He saw two men standing in front of the counter talking to the deputy manager Tuo Qingyun. One was an old man in his fifties, thin, with gray hair, wearing a black gown, and had the aura of a superior. The other was in his forties and seemed to be a personal follower. There were also four strong men dressed as bodyguards in tight clothes and short jackets standing three meters away.

When Wu Zhong saw him, he was pleasantly surprised and said, "It turned out to be him. If we could keep him longer, perhaps this bloody battle tonight could have been avoided."

Chen Xianglian said: "He is not the president or one of the three great men of the Beiyang government. How can he scare the Ghost Shadow Gang?"

Wu Zhongdao: "In the eyes of the president, he is more important than the three Beiyang heroes."

Du Ma Gan asked, "Does the general manager know him?"

Wu Zhong said: "I used to be a guest at Minister Duan's house. He visited Minister Duan's house several times. Of course, he knew Xu Ge Lao. He was the chief adviser to the president. He used to be the governor of the three northeastern provinces and the chief minister of the cabinet. Before the Qing Dynasty abdicated, his official position was higher than that of President Yuan."

Chen Xianglian said happily: "It would be great if this senior official could help us."

Du Magan said: "Is this old man the president's confidant? What's his name?"

Wu Zhong said: "This man is called Xu Shichang, also known as Juren. After the founding of the Republic of China, he resigned from his official position. I heard that he might go to Qingdao, Shandong to live in seclusion."

Tuo Qingyun originally planned to invite Xu Shichang to the second floor, but Xu Shichang refused and sat down at a table in the hall. He ordered a few dishes. Wu Zhong hurried downstairs and walked towards Xu Shichang, but was immediately stopped by the bodyguard. He saluted Xu Shichang from a distance and said, "I am Wu Zhong, the general manager of Weili Company. Nice to meet you, Governor Xu!"

Many people called Xu Shichang "Xu Ge Lao", but Wu Zhong knew that Xu Shichang preferred to be called Governor-General Xu, because when he was the governor-general in Northeast China, it was the most glorious time of his life. Being the chief minister of the cabinet was just a nominal position with no power.

Xu Shichang didn't know Wu Zhong, but he had been a high-ranking official, and people he didn't know often greeted him. He was not surprised. He smiled and said, "You are the general manager? How come I heard that the general manager is a foreigner? The food in this restaurant is good and suits my taste. After eating here last time, I couldn't help but want to come again."

He signaled the bodyguards to move aside and let Wu Zhong come closer to talk.

Wu Zhong said: "To be honest with you, Governor Xu, that foreigner was just a handyman, but if he hadn't announced to the public that he was the general manager, this hotel might have ceased to exist long ago."

Xu Shichang sighed deeply and nodded, "I understand! In troubled times, survival is difficult and sometimes one has to rely on others to bully others. Although the Qing Dynasty was replaced by the Republic of China, the lives of ordinary people have not been easy and are still very difficult. The head of the Beiyang government has a responsibility!"

Wu Zhong smiled and said, "Only you, Governor Xu, would dare to say that. If we, the common people, say it and the government's plainclothes detectives hear us, we will go to jail."

As they talked, the sumptuous meal was placed on the table. Xu Shichang and his housekeeper Xu Lu began to sit down to eat dinner. The four bodyguards sat at another table not far away. Xu Shichang's thoughts seemed to have returned to the past. He lost his father at a young age and his family was poor, but his mother taught him very strictly. In his early years during the Qing Dynasty, he always wanted to pass the imperial examination. Later, he made friends with Yuan Shikai and received his sponsorship to participate in the provincial examination. Finally, he passed the imperial examination in his thirties and was appointed as a Hanlin editor by the Qing court, a seventh-rank official.

However, Xu Shichang served as a seventh-rank official for nine years. In the tenth year, he was finally promoted by Yuan Shikai, who had already risen to prominence. He eventually participated in the military training at Xiaozhan with Yuan Shikai and became his chief strategist. It can be said that Yuan Shikai was Xu Shichang's benefactor, and the rapid growth of Yuan Shikai's Beiyang New Army was also inseparable from Xu Shichang's advice and suggestions.

After the defeat in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, Xu Shichang and other officials impeached Li Hongzhang, but during the Reform Movement of 1898, he also suggested that Yuan Shikai surrender to Empress Dowager Cixi, betray the "Six Gentlemen of the Reform Movement of 1898" and other reformists in order to gain promotion and wealth by using the blood of the reformists.

Later, Xu Shichang relied on various connections to become the governor of the three northeastern provinces. During his term, Xu Shichang implemented new policies, reused new talents, cracked down on corrupt officials, and gave the stagnant political landscape of the northeast a new look. At the same time, Xu Shichang also vigorously promoted the modernization of the northeast. Roads, electric lights, police and other popular things in the West have appeared in the northeast one after another. In addition, Japan's influence in the northeast was quite strong after the Russo-Japanese War. Xu Shichang had been confronting the Japanese on the issue of territorial sovereignty. Feng Jishan, who was a battalion commander in the northeast at the time, spoke highly of him.

After Cixi's death, Zaifeng, who had a grudge against Yuan Shikai, suppressed Yuan Shikai, and Yuan Shikai was forced to resign due to illness. Xu Shichang was also affected and was transferred back to Beijing to serve as a cabinet minister. Not long after, the Wuchang Uprising broke out, and more than a dozen provinces declared independence. Yuan Shikai and Xu Shichang felt that the opportunity had come, and they worked together to make the Qing Dynasty re-employ Yuan Shikai. After Yuan Shikai came back to power, Xu Shichang continued to advise Yuan Shikai until Yuan Shikai became the president of the Republic of China. He resigned and lived in seclusion, because Yuan Shikai had appointed Tang Shaoyi as prime minister. With Xu Shichang's status as the chief minister of the Qing court, any position other than prime minister would be a demotion, so he could only live in seclusion and wait.

Wu Zhong went to the counter and ordered Tuo Qingyun to waive the bills for the two tables of meals for Xu Shichang.

After returning to the second floor, Du Magan said to Wu Zhong: "Now that he has no official position, how can he help us avoid this gang attack?"

Wu Zhong said: "Although Mr. Xu is no longer an official, his prestige is still there, and the leader of the Ghost Shadow Gang, Duan Zhixiong, is a distant relative of Minister Duan. If Mr. Xu is willing to help us, the Ghost Shadow Gang will have to give him face. Of course, you and squadron leader Xiao Zhao must also be prepared to take action, and cannot rely solely on Mr. Xu."

While they were talking, there was a sudden commotion outside the restaurant. Two waiters at the door were knocked down inside the store. Duan Gang, the leader of the Ghost Shadow Gang, came to the door of the restaurant with more than a hundred men. Many members of the Ghost Shadow Gang were holding knives, sticks, ropes, and torches. Captain Zhao of the security squadron also ambushed nearby with his team, with their guns pointed at Duan Gang and others.

Du Magan already knew that Xu Shichang was here, so he plucked up his courage, walked to the door, and shouted to Duan Gang: "Sir, you have brought so many people with you, do you want to eat or stay in the hotel?"

Duan Gang ignored him and shouted to his men, "Charge in and grab all the valuables. Don't let go of the pretty waitresses, especially the one named Chen Xianglian. Finally, set the whole place on fire!"

When Chen Xianglian heard this, she was horrified and quickly reached into her arms and grabbed the Browning pistol.

It turned out that they brought ropes with them, which they used to tie up women and stolen items.

The gang members were about to rush in when they heard an old voice saying, "Stop!"

The person who spoke was Xu Shichang who had just had dinner. Several gang members were annoyed and rushed in with samurai swords. One of the big men with a crooked mouth yelled at Xu Shichang: "Old man, who do you think you are? How dare you confront me..." Before he finished speaking, he was punched in the face by one of Xu Shichang's bodyguards. Several teeth flew out with a string of blood. He fell to the ground with a crooked mouth and was then picked up and thrown out. Xu Lu and the four bodyguards drew their pistols. The other gang members were stunned.

When Duan Gang heard the old man speaking, he felt that he sounded familiar. He ignored his injured subordinates and slowly walked towards the old man. After taking a look, he said, "Are you Lord Xu?"

Xu Shichang replied: "The young man under Duan Zhixiong actually recognized me. Now I remember, aren't you Duan Gang, the cousin of Duan Zhixiong? But he died a long time ago, and I am no longer a minister."

Then he continued, "Now is a new era of regime change. The Republic of China was founded not long ago. It's time for young people to contribute to the new country. But this year, there are riots everywhere in Beijing. Countless restaurants and hotels have closed down. This is the last good restaurant I found in Beijing. Are you going to destroy it too?" There was a hint of blame in his words.

Duan Gang was already timid when he recognized Xu Shichang. After all, Xu Shichang's prestige was so great that even Army Minister Duan Qirui had to give him face, not to mention Duan Zhixiong. If a small character like him offended him, he might not know where he would die tomorrow. So he hurriedly said, "Mr. Xu, you misunderstood. We were ordered to dismantle a black shop, but now it seems that we have found the wrong place. We will leave immediately." After that, Duan Gang led the Ghost Shadow Gang and left in a hurry.

Everyone in the restaurant breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that all the gangsters had left. Wu Zhong, Tuo Qingyun, and Du Magan thanked Xu Shichang again and again. Xu Shichang smiled and said, "You're welcome. It was just a few words."

Wu Zhong said: "For you, it's just a few words, but for us, it's like walking through the gates of hell!"

The waitresses were relieved and started to joke around. One waitress named Xu Meixi said to Chen Xianglian, "Boss Chen! You are very famous! The gang leader Duan Gang knows you and wants to take you away by name."

Chen Xianglian replied: "You are quite famous! Otherwise why does Wu Chunfeng always talk to you alone every time she comes to the hotel? They all say that you are almost my sister-in-law."

Just when the crisis at the Weili Hotel was resolved, a gunfight broke out at Huangcaoling near Nankou Town. It turned out that Zhang Zhenyang had led more than 300 people from the patrol battalion to support Di Xiong's three factories that were besieged by the Ghost Shadow Gang at around 6 o'clock that evening, but found a group of bandits with the same number as theirs attacking the Huangcaoling Pass and trying to enter Nankou Town from the main road, so they had to arrange their formation on the spot and start a gunfight with them.

The leader of this gang of bandits is called Du Yan Long. He actually doesn't know Di Xiong, but the people who instigated him to attack the patrol camp are Di Xiong's old enemies Fei Bao and Gou Zongwei. Du Yan Long is the new backer found by these two people. The Japanese had previously joined forces with three gangs to attack Di Xiong. This matter was leaked in the gang meeting. It was not only Guan Qier from Di Xiong's side who got the news. Fei Bao's spy also knew the news. After hearing about it, he hoped that Di Xiong could die soon. He also knew that there was Di Xiong's patrol camp in Nankou, so Fei Bao deceived Du Yan Long and said that the people from the patrol camp would escort several boxes of silver dollars to Nankou Town today to pay the workers' wages, which triggered such a gunfight.

Zhang Zhenyang took over the training of the patrol battalion in June. Now it has been three months. The patrol battalion has grown from a group of new recruits to a unit with certain combat effectiveness. They are not at a disadvantage in fighting against the bandits. After the gun battle lasted for about ten minutes, more than 300 bandits had been killed and dozens of them were injured. They were gradually losing the upper hand, but Zhang Zhenyang was very anxious because he knew that if he arrived at the textile factory one minute later, Di Xiong and his men would be in more danger.

Zhang Zhongzhi, the company commander of the first company, was the elder brother of Zhang Hei Lian who was killed in the attack on Zhang Ade's mansion. When Di Xiong founded the Xihe Society, he joined the Society under the introduction of Zhang Hei Lian. Because of his outstanding performance in training and being an old brother of the Xihe Society, he was quickly promoted to company commander. He ventured behind the enemy and fired several shots at several horse-riding bandits who looked like leaders with a five-shot rifle. He was also counterattacked by the enemy and shot twice. He was seriously injured and was rescued by his soldiers.

Zhang Zhongzhi didn't know that his shots killed Du Yan Long's military advisor and deputy. Du Yan Long was also shot in the thigh, bleeding profusely, and his men quickly bandaged his wound. Seeing that the situation was not good, he ordered a retreat. Fei Bao wanted to come up to dissuade him, but was scolded by Du Yan Long. Fei Bao suddenly felt cold and thought of seeking refuge elsewhere.

After the bandits retreated, Zhang Zhenyang left one company to guard Huangcaoling, and the rest of the people rushed to rescue the textile factory where the Weili Company's headquarters was located. Halfway through the journey, the company commander Zhu Anbang said to Zhang Zhenyang: "Battalion Commander! We can't just save the textile factory, we have to save the other two factories too! Should we split the troops into three groups?"

Zhang Zhenyang said, "We only have two companies, with more than 200 people. How can we split into three groups? We can only split into two groups at most. There are more than 80 armed personnel in the pharmaceutical factory, and only more than 30 people in the textile factory and the ironware factory. Let's go to these two factories."

Although there are many small roads leading to Nankou Town, the only main road for cavalry and baggage is through Huangcaoling.

Zhang Zhenyang's analysis was correct. Among the several battles in Nankou Town, the pharmaceutical factory was the first to end. Although the North Wolf Gang had 300 people, half of them were third-rate gangsters hired temporarily. Seeing that the situation was not good, they scattered and ran away. Moreover, their weapons were backward, with few guns, and most of them were swords and sticks. The gang leader Ding Heigui fought with Hong Tianlie for more than ten rounds, and was hit in the neck by Hong Tianlie, and fell to the ground and died. But before he died, he also stabbed Hong Tianlie, and a cut was opened on Hong Tianlie's shoulder, and blood flowed. As soon as Ding Heigui died, his men fell into chaos. One of the four hall masters of the North Wolf Gang had died and one was seriously injured. The remaining two hall masters wanted to stop the chaos. Li Fei, who was wearing the clothes of the North Wolf Gang, mixed into the crowd of the North Wolf Gang and suddenly fired repeatedly, killing the two hall masters. The North Wolf Gang quickly collapsed.