Black Flag Army

Zhou Shaoxing sighed, "Just based on these few words of Mr. Di, he is much better than those gentlemen in Beiyang. This trip to Beitang is worthwhile!" He took out a pack of crumpled cigarettes and asked them if they wanted one. Di Xiong and Wu Zhong both refused. Zhou Shaoxing took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and handed one to Jin Xiong.

Di Xiong smiled and said, "Mr. Zhou, you still smoke Laodao brand cigarettes, right? How about trying Beihai brand cigarettes?"

He took a pack of red cigarettes from the guard Liu Zhennan behind him and handed it to Zhou Shaoxing. Zhou Shaoxing took it without hesitation, lit one, took a puff, and said excitedly: "Good cigarettes! Stronger than Laodao cigarettes!"

Di Xiong gestured to Liu Zhennan, who took out two packs of Beihai brand cigarettes from his bag and placed them in front of Zhou Shaoxing. Di Xiong said, "Since Mr. Zhou likes to smoke, I'll give you two packs! You can't buy them in Beijing."

Zhou Shaoxing was surprised and said, "It's too much, right? Mr. Di is too generous. This must cost a lot of money, right?"

Wu Zhong smiled and said, "Boss Di was going to give you a box of cigarettes, but I told him that smoking is bad for your health and he wanted to avoid hurting Mr. Zhou, so he only gave you two packs. Although the Beihai Group is not large in scale and cannot compare to the big conglomerates in Britain and the United States, it also has assets worth tens of millions of dollars. This little money for cigarettes is nothing to Boss Di."

Zhou Shaoxing said, "Thank you! I won't be polite." He put two packs of Beihai brand cigarettes into his bag.

Di Xiong asked, "I heard that Mr. Zhou has something to ask me. What advice do you have?"

Zhou Shaoxing took out a yellowed old newspaper from his bag, pointed at an article on it and asked, "I heard that this newspaper and the author of the article are both from your Beitang City. I want to meet the author whose pen name is '生当做人杰'."

Seeing the newspaper, Di Xiong and Wu Zhong both laughed. Wu Zhong said, "Isn't this the first issue of the Justice Daily? It was published a few months ago, and Mr. Zhou still has it. You have actually met the author of this article today. She is Miss Lan Jinchun who invited you to dinner. She admires the female poet Li Qingzhao from the Song Dynasty very much, so she used a line from Li Qingzhao's famous poem as her pen name."

Zhou Shaoxing said: "This article, "On the Neutrality of the Beiyang Government in the Battle of Qingdao and the Neutrality of the Qing Dynasty in the Battle of Northeast China", is very profound and quotes many historical classics. Many famous scholars cannot write such a good article. I did not expect that it was written by a little girl. It is really unbelievable!"

Wu Zhong smiled and said, "Because Miss Lan Jinchun often discusses world affairs and comments on ancient and modern history with the genius Boss Di. So I am not surprised at all that she wrote such an article."

Zhou Shaoxing said, "I am so ashamed! When this talented lady greeted me today, I was in a hurry to leave and was very cold to her. It was very rude."

Di Xiong said: "She is helping out in the hotel kitchen now. After the dishes are served, I will ask her to toast you with a glass of wine. If you explain it to her, she will definitely not blame you."

Zhou Shaoxing said, "I heard that your lectures at Zhengqing School involve a lot of Mohist thought. The Justice Daily also promotes Mohist thought. For thousands of years, Chinese education has been based on Confucianism. I wonder why Mr. Di wants to use Mohist thought instead?"

Di Xiong said: "The Mohist school advocated a strong country through science and technology. Many advanced machines in the Spring and Autumn Period were invented by Mohist disciples. Mozi discovered the principle of pinhole imaging more than 2,000 years ago. The wooden bird he invented, which was the most primitive airplane, flew in the sky for three days before falling. If the Mohist school had not perished, China would have become the world's number one power long ago. How could it be bullied by foreign powers at will like it is now? Is it wrong to learn Mohist thought? The Mohist school advocated promoting the benefits of the world and eliminating the harm of the world in order to avoid the country's decline due to civil strife caused by the huge gap between the rich and the poor. This is a correct proposition in any era!"

Zhou Shaoxing said: "There are certainly things in Mohist thought that are worth learning, but there are also bad things, such as the Heavenly Ghost Chapter. Confucianism also has good sides, it is not all bad."

Di Xiong said: "Of course I know that Mohist thought is not perfect, so I only learned the good side. The Heavenly Ghost Chapter you mentioned has been deleted. As for Confucian thought, we are also teaching the essence of it. We never exclude it. It's just that you didn't hear it today."

Zhou Shaoxing also recounted to Di Xiong what happened when he was interrogated by Inspector Zhan Yiqing in Bulgan County.

Di Xiong said to Wu Zhong, "I will ask the Supervisory Office to issue a document to remove Zhan Yiqing from his position as Supervisor. As his uncle, you won't have any objections, right?"

Wu Zhong said: "Of course I have no objection. Zhan Yiqing is not suitable to be an inspector and should adjust his work."

Zhou Shaoxing was stunned and said, "I just made a suggestion and asked you to criticize and educate him. I didn't ask you to remove him from his position!" He suddenly realized that this young man with a gentle tone could decide the fate of others' lives with just one sentence.

Di Xiong said solemnly: "If there is a mistake, there must be punishment, and the law must be enforced strictly. If I can't do this, then what is the difference between me and the corrupt and incompetent Beiyang officials?"

At this time in the kitchen, Lan Jinping said to Lan Jinchun who was washing vegetables: "Has Di Xiong been to your dormitory recently?"

Lan Jinchun sighed and said, "No, a few nights ago, when he passed by my dormitory, I thought he was coming to see me, but he didn't stop at my dormitory and went straight to Sister Bai's dormitory. He has too deep feelings for Sister Bai."

Lan Jinping said: "We can't delay this any longer. If time goes on, he will really marry Bai Xiuling, and then you're doomed."

Lan Jinchun said: "If it really doesn't work, let Sister Bai be the legal wife and I can be the concubine, as long as I can be with Brother Di."

Lan Jinping said, "No! I used to be Lu Jianzhang's concubine, and I was almost killed by his wives and concubines several times. I know how cruel the fights between wives and concubines are. Such a tragedy must not happen to you. Even though Bai Xiuling is kind now, she will change when she has a child. Di Xiong must marry you, and he is not allowed to take concubines."

Lan Jinchun said: "This is too much. My engagement with Brother Di was fake. You used this as an excuse to forcibly break us up. You also forbid me to take a concubine. Will Brother Di be angry?"

Lan Jinping said: "Don't worry, I have my own way. I will go find Bai Xiuling now."

At this time, the peak period of the hotel had passed, and the Lan sisters went to Di Xiong's box. Lan Jinping, as the deputy leader of the Justice Party, toasted Zhou Shaoxing with a glass of wine, and then left, leaving Lan Jinchun to accompany them for a drink and talk.

Bai Xiuling dragged her tired body and just returned home from school, Lan Jinping knocked on the door and came in. After she greeted Lan Jinping, she quickly took the teacup, tea leaves, and poured hot water.

Lan Jinping said, "Don't worry. I just want to ask you, didn't you agree to break up with Di Xiong last time? Why are you two together again a few days ago?"

Bai Xiuling lowered her head, like a child who had done something wrong. She explained, "I no longer go to his office, and I haven't been to his house for a long time. But he took the initiative to come to me a few days ago. How could I refuse him?"

Lan Jinping asked: "Who do you think is more suitable to be his wife, you or Lan Jinchun?"

Bai Xiuling said: "Of course it's Lan Jinchun. She is younger than me, more elegant, and has more knowledge and culture than me."

Lan Jinping said, "Then why don't you just break up with Di Xiong? Lan Jinchun is already nineteen years old, how long does she have to wait?"

Bai Xiuling's eyes turned red, and she said with tears in her eyes: "If he took the initiative to break up with me, I would break up with him without hesitation, but he has been so good to me, and I can't bring myself to break up with him!"

Lan Jinchun said, "But if you drag it on like this, you will not only hurt yourself, but also Di Xiong and Lan Jinchun, as well as Leng Hanbing who is deeply in love with you. If Di Xiong takes the initiative to break up with you, he will be branded as a man who abandoned you after having an affair with you. He is a leader of the Justice Party and the chairman of the Beihai Group. How can he bear such a bad reputation? This will be a heavy blow to the image of the Justice Party."

Bai Xiuling said with tears streaming down her face: "Am I going to bear such a bad reputation?"

Lan Jinping said, "Yes, someone has to make sacrifices. When Liu Xikui was forced to break up with Mei Lanfang, the newspaper commented that there is a kind of love called giving up. Now it is time for you to give up, or make sacrifices. After you break up with Di Xiong, you can marry Leng Hanbing who has been pursuing you. Leng Hanbing will never let you suffer any grievances, and you will live a happy life in the future."

Bai Xiuling wiped away her tears and said, "Okay! I'll go talk to Di Xiong tomorrow morning."

Lan Jinping said, "I know you have the key to Di Xiong's dormitory. Give it to me and I will pass it on to my sister."

Bai Xiuling took out the key and handed it to Lan Jinping.

Di Xiong talked with Zhou Shaoxing for a long time at Lanji Hotel that night and drank a lot of wine. He slept until 7:30 the next morning. After washing up, he opened the door and saw Bai Xiuling standing outside with a pale face. He was about to ask, but Bai Xiuling spoke first: "I came here today to formally propose to break up with you. Please don't blame me for changing my heart. Although I promised to be your mistress until I am old and ugly and you abandon me, I regret it now. I'm sorry!"

Di Xiong looked at her in shock, and after a long pause he said, "I should be the one to say sorry. You have been with me for three years, but I have not given you a legitimate status. It is reasonable for you to choose to break up, but do I know the reason?"

Bai Xiuling said, "I have decided to marry Leng Hanbing. Leng Hanbing has been pursuing me and has never given up. I cannot let him down. Besides, I am not qualified to be your mistress. I should have been sneaky, but I openly lived in your house, which is not good for your image, so I decided to give up. If you think I am a woman who abandons her lover, you can scold me. I won't blame you."

Di Xiong said: "How could I scold you? I can only wish you and Leng Hanbing the best."

Bai Xiuling said, "There is one more thing. I gave the key to your dormitory to Lan Jinchun without your consent. Since you have agreed to break up, can you please return the key to my dormitory to me as well?"

Di Xiong took out the key and returned it to Bai Xiuling. Bai Xiuling took the key, forced a smile and said, "I wish you and Lan Jinchun happiness." Then she turned and left.

That morning, people who went to Di Xiong's office to report on their work found that Di Xiong was in a very bad temper today. Several people were severely scolded by him for making minor mistakes, and everyone was scared.

Lan Jinping couldn't help it, so she walked into Di Xiong's office and said, "I know why you are in a bad mood today. If you want to scold someone, just scold me. It was me who persuaded Bai Xiuling to break up with you. I am the culprit, and everyone else is innocent."

Di Xiong looked at her coldly, and after a long while he said, "Isn't it too easy for you to scold me?"

Lan Jinping was surprised and asked, "Are you going to kill me to be satisfied?"

Di Xiong said: "You are Guiguzi of the Justice Party. How could I kill you? I won't scold you either, but I will definitely take revenge on you. Just go back and wait!"

Lan Jinping said in horror: "You must tell me when and how you will retaliate against me, otherwise I will not be able to sleep."

Di Xiong said: "I won't tell you, you deserve it for not being able to sleep!"

After flying back to Beitang City from Baotou, Leng Hanbing's leg injury had not healed yet, so he was admitted to Beihai Hospital. When Lan Jinping knocked on the door and came in, Leng Hanbing was sitting on the bed reading documents. After reading each document, he signed and handed it to the guard Tang Liang. After Tang Liang collected them, he sent them to the office of the Supervisory Department.

Lan Jinping placed the fruit on the table beside the bed. Leng Hanbing said, "Sister Lan, I am very grateful that you came to see me. You are so polite to bring fruit with you. Please take a seat!"

Lan Jinping said, "I have good news for you. Bai Xiuling has broken up with Di Xiong. You can now openly pursue her. It was only after I persuaded her repeatedly that she proposed to break up with Di Xiong."

Leng Hanbing said, "Then I really have to thank Sister Lan. This has helped me a lot, and also helped Bai Xiuling. After all, it is not a long-term solution for her to be Boss Di's mistress."

Lan Jinping asked, "You really don't care about her past and present?"

Leng Hanbing said, "I don't care! She was forced before, and although she was with Boss Di voluntarily later, Boss Di is indeed a genius, much better than me, and I have no right to compete with Boss Di for her."

Lan Jinping asked, "Why did I hear that you were dating a female bank employee a few days ago?"

Leng Hanbing said, "You women just like to gossip about this kind of gossip. Bi Wenhui just treated me to a meal to thank me for returning the money to her. She is indeed very beautiful and has a good impression of me, but after thinking about it, I decided to give up on her."

Lan Jinping asked, "Why give up on her? And not Bai Xiuling?"

Leng Hanbing said, "Because of my job, I am a person who can die at any time. As the director of the Supervision Department, I am a very powerful person in the eyes of outsiders, but I have made countless enemies. Even in the Beihai Company and the Justice Party, there are people who hate me to the core. Especially after assassinating Hioki Masu, I ranked second on the Japanese assassination list, second only to Boss Di. If Bi Wenhui marries me, she may become a widow at a young age, or even be killed with me. Why hurt her?"

Lan Jinping asked, "Will it be okay if I marry Bai Xiuling?"

Leng Hanbing said: "Bai Xiuling, as the president of Zhengqing Guild and the principal of Zhengqing School, and a member of the Justice Party, is already on the Japanese assassination list, but she is ranked lower. It doesn't make much difference whether she marries me or not."