Black Flag Army

Chapter 192 American Arthur

After the banquet, Di Xiong, accompanied by Sean and Deng Haoxiong, went to inspect the submarine manufacturing plant and met Arthur, the 50-year-old American factory director. Arthur was originally an engineer at an American shipyard and a capable assistant to Holland, the father of American submarines. After the end of World War I, the shipyards that produced warships and submarines entered a period of depression, with large-scale layoffs and salary cuts. Although Arthur was not laid off, his salary was cut in half. He was very dissatisfied with his boss and complained a lot after drinking. When Sean heard about it, he took the opportunity to invite him to work in Beiling Province with a high salary. Arthur, the director of a submarine manufacturing plant, agreed over dinner and signed the contract. However, he was dominated by his wife. When he went home and told her about it, she opposed and scolded him. He then changed his mind. This made Sean very angry. With the help of several members of the Hunting Deer team, they openly kidnapped Arthur's wife and daughter in New York, USA, and threatened Arthur that if he did not follow the contract, they would sell his wife and daughter to a brothel. Arthur was frightened and had to follow them to Beiling Province. His wife and daughter were also taken to Vladivostok.

Di Xiong looked at Arthur seriously, and said in a firm and powerful tone: "Sean's kidnapping of your wife and daughter is too barbaric and too bad! This criminal behavior not only violates moral standards, but also seriously violates the laws of the Republic of China! Here, as a representative of the Beihai Group, I express my most sincere apologies to you. We will never tolerate or condone such behavior!"

Di Xiong paused for a moment and continued, "We have taken severe measures to ensure that Sean receives the punishment he deserves. Look at the bruises on his face, that is the result of our punishment for him. We have shown through our actions that no one can escape the punishment of the law!"

Sean also took off his hat and showed the scar on his forehead. Although Arthur was full of doubts, thinking that they might be playing a trick, he didn't dare to say such doubts in front of the most respected ruler of the three northern provinces. After all, the lives of his entire family were firmly controlled by the other party, so he could only keep thanking them and expressing his gratitude.

Accompanied by Arthur, Di Xiong not only went to his home in Vladivostok, but also paid cordial condolences to his family. This is a luxurious villa specially arranged for Arthur by Beihai Group. When Arthur's wife appeared in front of Di Xiong, although she was over 40 years old, she was still graceful and charming. And Arthur's daughter, Elena, was even more beautiful, like a blooming flower, delicate and charming.

Knowing that Arthur likes fishing and smoking cigars, Di Xiong specially prepared a beautiful gift - a box of top-grade cigars from Havana, each of which exudes a rich and mellow aroma; he also gave him a set of high-end fishing gear, including fishing rods, hooks, and baits, all of which are professional-grade equipment. Not only that, Di Xiong also did not forget Arthur's wife and daughter, and prepared a set of high-end cosmetics for each of them, so that they could feel his care and concern.

When Arthur's family opened the gifts, their faces were filled with surprise and joy. They expressed their gratitude to Di Xiong for his generosity and praised the carefully selected gifts. Seeing their happy faces, Di Xiong felt very satisfied.

Then, Di Xiong asked them with concern whether they had any difficulties or needs. He sincerely hoped to help Arthur's family solve practical problems and make their lives more comfortable and happy. Arthur gratefully said that everything was fine at the moment and there were no special difficulties. They were very grateful for Di Xiong's care and concern, and said they would cherish this emotion.

Mrs. Arthur said bluntly: "I just want to know when the commander-in-chief will let us go back to the United States?"

Mr. and Mrs. Arthur spoke English, Di Xiong spoke Chinese, and Sean acted as the translator.

Di Xiong said: "We have a group of students from the shipbuilding school in the factory. Once they have learned Mr. Arthur's technology, you can go home, or you can help us build thirty submarines."

These students were all graduates from shipbuilding schools in Fujian and Guangdong. They read the information about the urgent need for shipbuilding talents in the Justice Daily, and with a passion for patriotism they traveled thousands of miles to join the Justice Party.

Mrs. Arthur completely ignored her husband's hint and said sternly: "The Commander-in-Chief has just made it clear that kidnapping is extremely barbaric and criminal. You should release us immediately instead of forcing my husband to build thirty submarines before letting us go! If you insist on doing this, then what is the difference between you and that abominable Sean? Don't try to deceive us with some small favors and false words of concern."

Liu Zhennan, who was standing behind Di Xiong, was furious when he heard this. He shouted, "Our boss is so polite to you, but you don't know what's good for you and dare to push your luck! Let me tell you, even if there are no brothels in Vladivostok, we can still sell you! You know, Jilin Province and Heilongjiang Province are very close to here, and there are many brothels there!"

Sean was very angry and even a little annoyed by Mrs. Arthur's arrogant attitude. He thought to himself: "This woman is so arrogant!" However, at this moment, Liu Zhennan suddenly said these words, so Sean translated them without hesitation without Di Xiong's consent.

After hearing this, Arthur and his wife's faces turned pale, as if all the blood had been drained out of them. They stared at each other with wide eyes, full of fear and despair. Arthur's daughter Elena was even more overwhelmed and burst into tears. Her tears rolled down like beads from a broken string, and her voice trembled, obviously she was frightened.

When Di Xiong saw that his efforts were in vain, he immediately gave Liu Zhennan a severe lecture, as well as a lecture on Sean. He comforted Arthur and his wife for a long time, saying that he would never sell Mrs. Arthur and Elena to a brothel. Only then did Arthur and his wife return to normal. Arthur said, "It takes too long to build 30 submarines. It will take at least ten years. I can guarantee that I can teach those students the process of making submarines within three years. I hope that after three years, Mr. Commander-in-Chief will let our whole family go back."

Di Xiong said, "I can definitely do this. In Beihai Group, there are already many American engineers who have worked for three years and returned home with their savings. If you don't believe me, you can ask your compatriots."

Arthur said, "No need to ask. I believe what the Commander-in-Chief says."

When leaving Arthur's house, Di Xiong said to the captain of the Vladivostok inspection team who was accompanying him, "Arthur was forced to work for us. He must have resentment in his heart. We must keep a close eye on him. If we find him sabotaging factory equipment or colluding with American and Japanese agents, we must stop him immediately. In an emergency, we can kill him on the spot."

The captain of the inspection team said, "Please rest assured, Mr. Juzi. I have placed an inspection team in the submarine manufacturing plant to closely monitor everything he does. If there is any problem, he will be eliminated immediately."

Yang Lushuang frowned and said with sympathy: "Arthur's family was kidnapped to this place. Not only were they forced to work for us, but they were also under strict surveillance and control. They are really pitiful. Are we really going too far by doing this?"

Di Chun retorted without hesitation: "Senior Sister, how can you think like that? The goal we pursue is just and legitimate. In order to achieve it, sometimes we have to take some necessary measures." His eyes were firm and decisive.

Di Xiong went on to say: "In fact, it is no longer feasible to purchase submarines today. The chaotic era of German arms smuggling has passed, and we cannot buy them even if we want to. Therefore, the only way out is to make them ourselves. In order to enable the navy of the three northern provinces to rise rapidly and become stronger, using some shameless means or enduring some infamy is nothing to me." His voice revealed a kind of firmness and decisiveness, as if he was showing everyone his determination to achieve his goal.

Di Xiong really has no psychological burden about kidnapping Americans, because in history, there are too many cases where the United States kidnapped scientific and technological personnel from all over the world to work for them, so the United States has become the most technologically powerful country in the world.

After sending Di Xiong and his group away, Sean finally breathed a sigh of relief. He reached out and gently wiped off the fake scar on his forehead, then walked into a nearby bar. His three old friends were sitting in a private room in the bar waiting for him.

The orange light in the box was a little dim. As soon as Sean entered, Maria was the first to see him and greeted him enthusiastically. Maria was squeezed between Martin and Baker. Martin was holding her head affectionately, while Baker was holding her legs tightly. Maria herself was smiling and seemed not to care about the situation at all.

Martin poured a full glass of wine, then carefully handed it to Sean and whispered, "Has Mr. Di left? This carefully planned show has finally come to an end."

Sean took the glass without hesitation, raised his head and drank it all, then he let out a long sigh: "It's getting harder and harder to do this job! Not only do we face huge risks all the time, but we also have to learn superb acting skills. To be honest, I'm a little tempted to quit and just be an ordinary clerk."

Martin spread his hands helplessly and said, "But how can I make as much money as a clerk? To tell you the truth, my savings are almost gone. It seems I have to take on new tasks."

Hearing this, Baker asked curiously, "So what new job did Mr. Di assign to us this time?"

Martin said: "Kidnap a doctor named Domagk from Germany, or kidnap a doctor named Fleming from Britain. It is said that they can produce antibiotics such as sulfa and penicillin."

On December 28, 1919, Feng Huafu, the former president of the Beiyang government, died at the age of 60. The peacemaker between the Anhui clique and the Zhili clique died, and the conflicts between the Anhui clique and the Zhili clique became more and more serious. The Anhui clique had a larger territory, including six provinces including Beijing, Anhui, Shandong, Shaanxi, Gansu, Zhejiang, and Fujian, plus the capital. The Zhili clique only had four provinces, namely Zhili, Hubei, Jiangsu, and Jiangxi. When Jiangxi Governor Chen Guangyuan was attacked by the Anhui and Fujian armies, he could still ask for help from Wang Zhanyuan in Hubei. When Jiangsu Governor Qi Xieyuan was attacked by the three provinces of Shandong, Anhui, and Zhejiang, no one could save him because his territory was isolated.

When intelligence stations from various places reported intelligence to the intelligence office in Beitang City, the Justice Party's top leaders paid close attention to this war. The Justice Party's top leaders even held a special meeting, at which most people believed that the Anhui faction would win because the Anhui faction had a larger army and territory than the Zhili faction, and also had the support of the Japanese. Wu Chunfeng also said: "The first person to be eaten was Qi Xieyuan in Jiangsu. His territory was isolated and not connected to other Zhili faction armies. He would face attacks from three provinces with three times more troops than him."

Di Xiong smiled and said, "My opinion is different from everyone else's. On the surface, the Zhili clique has fewer troops than the Anhui clique, but you have overlooked a warlord, the Northeast King Zhang Yuting. He is not willing to stay in the three northeastern provinces all the time. He has always wanted to go south to the pass and occupy Beijing. If he joins forces with Cao Zhongshan of the Zhili clique, the strength of both sides will be equal. The Zhili clique also has Wu Ziyu, who is particularly good at fighting. He has always used fewer troops to defeat more. My sworn brother Feng Jishan also belongs to the Zhili clique, although he does not have a good relationship with Wu Ziyu."

Wu Zhong said: "After listening to your analysis, it does make sense. We had overlooked Zhang Yuting before."

Di Xiong added: "Qi Xieyuan in Jiangsu may not fail under the attack of the three provinces, because the Zhili clique has the support of Britain and the United States. Jiangsu is a coastal province, and British and American warships can send weapons and ammunition to them from the sea. The Japanese warships dare not stop them. Qi Xieyuan has no way to retreat, and he will fight very tenaciously. The three provinces of the Anhui clique are not united, and they all hope that the troops of other provinces will fight and serve as cannon fodder, and they will follow behind to pick up the advantage. In the end, they can't fight, so they don't fight."

Xian Yuji smiled and said, "Di Juzi should go get a fortune teller, because your predictions are always amazingly accurate."

Di Xiong asked Xian Yuji, "Have Zhang Quanfu and his Taoist priests been sent out?"

Xian Yuji paused for a moment and said, "We have sent them all out, but we are not completely dependent on them. After all, our Propaganda Department has also invested a lot of manpower and material resources. We carefully selected a group of people and asked them to disguise themselves as Taoist priests, Taoist nuns, monks and nuns, and go deep into five provinces such as Shaanxi and Henan to carry out propaganda activities. These people cleverly used various tricks to create many amazing wonders and visions. During this period, a widely circulated ballad attracted widespread attention: 'There is a severe drought in the north, and Zhi and Anhui will fight. There will be natural disasters and man-made disasters, and the people must flee.' This ballad, with its concise and clear expression, deeply depicts the difficulties and crises faced by the society at that time, making people full of worries and fears about the future."

Tian Mengxue said: "Since the Northeastern Army will intervene in the Zhi-An War, should we intervene? Whoever wins the Zhi-An War will benefit us?"

Lan Jinping said: "Neither of the two leaders is a good person. They both have grudges against us. It's just that we framed the leader of the Zhili clique, Cao Zhongshan, last time. After he came to power, he caused us more harm. Of course, we are not afraid of his revenge."

Di Xiong said: "Let nature take its course and do not interfere. Intervention may prolong the war and increase the suffering of the local people."