The ship of the British merchant Swire Shipping Company docked at the provincial capital pier.
This thousand-ton steamship carried a large amount of cargo and passengers, including 10,000 rifles ordered by Chen Zikun.
Shanghai to Jiangdong Provincial City is one of the fixed routes of Swire Shipping Company.
Swire is a long-established British shipping company.
It has dedicated berths and warehouses at various ports on China's inland rivers.
This ship anchors in the provincial capital to disembark passengers and unload cargo, but it is hidden in the The more than 800 boxes of firearms in the bottom cabin have not been moved.
After adding coal, the ship will continue to head north.
The people responsible for escorting this batch of goods were Mu Yichen, the deputy general manager of Springfield Foreign Company, and Gong Zijun, the logistics director from Jiangbei.
The two highly educated young people hit it off and chatted happily.
It would take some time for the ship to load coal and unload the cargo.
Gong Zijun He warmly invited Mu Yichen to visit his alma mater.
Just as I was about to get off the boat, I suddenly heard a commotion and then a gunshot.
I leaned on the railing and took a look.
I saw a person lying on the dock.
His white sailor uniform was dripping with blood.
His head was half opened by a bullet.
He was already dead.
Gong Zijun and Mu Yichen looked at each other, secretly thinking that something was wrong.
Sure enough, sirens rang out, and patrol police followed the sound, blocking the pier and strictly prohibiting people on the ship from moving around.
The British captain hurriedly disembarked and negotiated with the police before returning.
Mu Yichen hurriedly stepped forward to ask when the ship could sail.
The captain said that a sailor died and the case was serious.
He might have to stay here for a few days.
"How can this be done?
We are eagerly waiting for this batch of goods."
Gong Zijun said anxiously.
The captain shrugged: "Sir, it's useless for you to be anxious.
This is the regulation of the shipping company.
We are obliged to cooperate with the local authorities in investigating the case."
Gong Zijun still wanted to argue, but Mu Yichen patted him on the shoulder: "Forget it, it's useless to talk."
Returning to the cabin, the two discussed it and became convinced that this was the plan of Commander Sun.
The purpose was to prevent the shipment of these firearms to Jiangbei.
If the ship stayed in the provincial capital for one more day, the danger would increase.
"At this point, we can only hold on to the cargo while putting pressure on the shipping company to let them lift anchor and sail the ship as soon as possible," Gong Zijun said.
Mu Yichen said: "There are experts in the provincial capital.
They can definitely think of what we can think of.
The British ships are not safe either."
Gong Zijun changed his expression and said, "How dare they take action against British property?"
Mu Yichen sneered and said nothing.
The two of them didn't want to get off the ship for fun, so they stayed on the ship to guard the cargo.
They were worried that the provincial army would board the ship and rob it.
At midnight, suddenly there was a loud ringing outside.
Mu Yichen, who was lying undressed, jumped up and said, "No, that's not good." , it’s on fire.”
What was ringing was the ship's fire alarm.
Smoke billowed in the corridor, choking people and they couldn't get out.
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The two of them covered their noses with tea-soaked handkerchiefs and rushed out.
They saw the sailors extinguishing the fire with water hoses under the command of the captain.
The location of the fire Probably in the engine room, the fire was not that big and was extinguished quickly.
But unfortunately, the machine was burned out and could not be repaired locally.
It needed to be towed back to Shanghai by barge for repair.
The captain made a prompt decision and moved the 40 tons of cargo in the bottom hold to the shore.
Gong Zijun and Mu Yichen tried hard to persuade each other.
The captain explained to them that the shipping company would send another cargo ship to transport this cargo, so you don't have to worry at all.
The two of them could only watch helplessly as the coolies carried the wooden boxes containing rifles to the warehouse on the shore.
Gong Zijun sighed: "It's over, this time the meat bun is beating the dog."
The warehouse does not belong to Taikoo & Co., and the British can no longer help themselves.
The two of them got off the ship with their luggage and moved to the warehouse to personally take care of the goods.
They didn't sleep for half the night.
In the morning, their faces were tired and their beards were stubbled, but what was supposed to come still came.
A group of soldiers surrounded the warehouse, led by Xia Jingqi.
His riding boots were polished, his military uniform was straight, and his face was radiant.
Without even looking at Mu Gong, he walked into the warehouse, picked up the crowbar with his white-gloved hands, and personally He pried open a wooden box, took out a rifle from inside, and laughed loudly: "All the hard work, in the end, it's not just making wedding clothes for others."
Gong Zijun said: "Adjutant Xia, what do you mean by this?
Do you know whose goods this is?"
Xia Jingqi pretended to be surprised: "Oh, isn't this my old classmate Gong Zijun and Master Gong?
What gust of wind brought you here?"
Gong Zijun said: "Don't get too close.
I tell you, these are the arms ordered by the Jiangbei Protector's Office.
Your provincial army can't get involved."
Xia Jingqi sneered: "Of course I know that these are the arms bought by Envoy Chen Hujun, so I came to seize them.
The commander-in-chief has an order prohibiting all departments of the provincial army from purchasing arms privately.
You are knowingly committing the crime, come on."
The soldiers shouted: "Yes" "Seal it for me."
Adjutant Xia ordered.
The soldiers rushed forward like wolves and tigers, took Gong Zijun and Mu Yichen out, and put a seal on the large iron door of the warehouse.
Mu Yichen said solemnly: "Adjutant Xia, no matter how you seize my goods today, you will have to return them obediently tomorrow."
Xia Jingqi smiled and said: "This must be Manager Mu from Shanghai.
He is not old and has a good tone.
Go back and tell Chen Zikun that these firearms have returned to the provincial army.
Governor Sun asked me to send him a message, just two words: thank you. ” After saying that, he laughed wildly and left, leaving a platoon of soldiers guarding the door of the warehouse.
Gong Zijun was so angry that he said, "The arms I finally bought are so cheap for these guys.
I'm really angry."
Mu Yichen said: "Let's go, there's no point staying here."
"Where to go back" "Go back to Shanghai."
Gong Zijun was puzzled: "We should go back to Jiangbei and report to the commander-in-chief."
Mu Yichen said: "There is no need to report it to the commander-in-chief.
What they robbed was not our goods, but the goods of an American businessman.
The Americans will file a lawsuit with Sun Kaiqin."
Gong Zijun was even more surprised: "I don't understand why I don't understand more and more."
Mu Yichen said: "I was on guard against this trick when I signed the contract.
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I specially added an additional clause.
The goods only become ours after they are shipped to Nantai Terminal and go through the delivery procedures.
Before that, they still belong to the American merchants. ” At the Governor's Office, Sun Kaiqin was standing in the back garden wearing a black satin mandarin jacket with a fox fur collar.
There was a large wooden box brought from the dock warehouse on the ground.
Several American-made 1917 rifles with markings had been cleaned and placed in front of him.
Governor Sun was born in the army and served as a standard-bearer in the New Army in his early years.
He has used everything from 11mm black powder Mauser rifles to the latest Japanese Type 38, but this was the first time he saw this American rifle.
He played with it and played with it. of the rifle, praising it repeatedly: "The walnut stock is so beautiful, the workmanship, the bluing, it goes without saying that foreigners' stuff is really good."
Adjutant Xia said flatteringly: "You have ten thousand of these good things."
Governor Sun deliberately asked again: "How much?"
"Ten thousand are all brand new and unopened," Xia Jingqi said.
Governor Sun said: "Then, where do all these guns come from?"
"Come back, Marshal, it's that boy named Chen from Jiangbei who paid tribute to you.
The market value of these firearms is at least one million oceans," Xia Jingqi said.
The back garden burst into laughter, and Duan Haixiang, commander of the Second Division, burst into tears: "I thought Chen Zikun was a person, but he turned out to be a stupid donkey."
Sun Kaiqin said: "I think highly of him too.
This guy is just a second-rate guy.
He may have a few more chances to charge into battle.
He's far behind because of his brains."
As he spoke, he nodded his big fat head complacently.
Everyone was flattering: "The commander is wise, the commander is wise."
Governor Sun smiled reservedly, weighed the rifle in his hand and said, "Let's play around with two rounds.
I'll try the accuracy of this gun."
Everyone cheered loudly, and flattering words such as "A Hundred Steps Can Cross the Yang" and "Li Guang was reborn as a beautiful woman" poured in.
The guard handed over a row of shiny Mauser 79 bullets.
Sun Kaiqin gestured and said, "It's not like this."
Xia Jingqi suddenly realized something.
Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.
He quickly checked the writing on the wooden box and said, "The bullets used are 3006 caliber bullets."
After all, Governor Sun was an old soldier.
He said with a sigh: "It's the same as the British."
The Jiangdong Army's firearms were very miscellaneous, including British, German, Japanese, and Italian goods.
They quickly found five rounds of British standard 30-inch bullets.
Governor Sun skillfully pulled the bolt of the gun, loaded the bullets with a leaky clip, and pushed it up with a clatter.
I pushed and pushed again, but the bullet still didn't enter the chamber, and I couldn't pull it out anymore.
"Xiao Xia, look what's going on."
Governor Sun was a little disappointed and threw the gun to Xia Jingqi.
Xia Jingqi struggled for a long time, but could not pull out the bullet stuck in the barrel of the gun.
The shell hook could not grasp the tail of the British bullet case at all.
"Commander, maybe the British bullets can't be used."
Xia Jingqi gave up his efforts.
He went to school and knew there was a difference between 30 and 3006.
"Then let's try some Japanese 65 bullets."
Sun Kaiqin was not eager to test the gun, but wanted to find out whether this kind of firearm could be used by his own army.
Xia Jingqi swallowed hard and said: "Commander, this gun uses bullets of Qimi 62.
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Neither 65 caliber nor 77 caliber can be used."
Sun Kaiqin was not an unlearned person.
He knew some common sense about ordnance.
He said: "Oh, that's the same as the Russian bullets."
Xia Jingqi gritted his teeth and said: "Although they are all bullets with a seven-mile radius of sixty-two, the length and bottom edge of the bullet cases are different, so they still cannot be used."
Sun Kaiqin was a little angry: "Then tell me what kind of bullets can be used."
Xia Jingqi said: "American guns can only use American bullets."
"Then go buy it.
Buy him a million rounds first.
You can't let these ten thousand guns become fire sticks."
Sun Kaiqin finally understood that he had no use for these guns at all, and his ecstasy was replaced by frustration.
His eyebrows were furrowed and his voice was a little stern.
"Yes" Xia Jingqi quickly stood at attention and saluted.
Duan Haixiang said with some disdain: "Brother, how about you use the box cannon to show the brothers how to shoot."
Sun Kaiqin waved his hand: "Forget it, I'm not in the mood today."
Just as he was about to leave, the adjutant chief Zhang Pengcheng arrived.
He observed the situation carefully and found that the commander had a displeased look on his face, so he hid the telegram and said nothing.
The next day was the New Year's Eve, and every household in the provincial capital was busy cleaning, paying homage to the Stove Lord, and preparing New Year's goods.
The Governor's Office was not at work, and Director Zhang was busy buying New Year's goods for Governor Sun's house, forgetting the telegram as he went back and forth.
After the Little New Year, the Lunar New Year will be celebrated in six days.
All agencies in the provincial capital have entered a semi-holiday state, and the telegraph office has also closed.
Only one person on duty is left to send and receive emergency messages.
Firecrackers can be heard from time to time on the street. , the New Year's goods in the store are piled at the door, and the smell of the New Year is getting stronger and stronger.
In the Adjutant's Office of the Governor's Office, Zhang Pengcheng was racking his brains to figure out which brand of rouge and gouache to buy for the aunts and wives of the Governor.
Suddenly, the door of the official room was pushed open, and an officer rushed in and said: "Oh no, the American gunboats are coming
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