My Italy

The Italian fleet made the trip this time due to Li Zhongtang's urging, so it was not fully prepared. Then the next addition in Shanghai, the economic center of the Qing Dynasty, is very important.

Japan, which attached great importance to the departure time of the Italian fleet, received the news immediately. Tokyo even sent this telegram intact by communication ship to Aritomo Yamagata on the Weihaiwei front line. This further aroused the ferocity of the Japanese army in attacking Weihaiwei. The desperate attacks caused heavy losses to the defending Qing army.

If it weren't for Li Zhongtang's strict orders and the Italian reinforcements in sight, the Qing army, which suffered heavy casualties, might have surrendered.

After all, it is better to live than to die. If you surrender now, you can save your life. Even if you are beheaded by Li Zhongtang in the future, you will live a little longer.

It's just that this time Li Zhongtang became ruthless. After the war, as long as the Qing army surrendered from Weihaiwei, no matter who it was, they would be subject to military law, and their family members would also be sent to the frontier. Such harsh orders made the Qing army grit their teeth. After all, in Qing society, family was still valued, and not everyone would have the courage to suffer the consequences of his family if he died.

However, Weihaiwei was delayed, which made Japan very anxious. In order to buy time for the Japanese army to attack Weihaiwei, Japan used all means, among which assassination and sabotage were extremely important. Shanghai, which needs to stop to replenish supplies, has become the hardest hit area.

Zhang Shusheng took out his pocket watch and looked at the time. It was now six o'clock in the afternoon.

"Leader Zhao, let everyone eat quickly so that we can feel refreshed later in the evening."

"Mr. Zhang, please rest assured. We, more than thirty brothers, will guarantee that your warehouse will not be lost."

The strong man who spoke was Leader Zhao, whose full name was Zhao Tiezhu. Below him, more than thirty strong men were eating. There was an abundance of fish and meat, and knives, axes and other sharp weapons were placed conveniently beside them.

That's right, Leader Zhao and his group were temporarily hired by Zhang Shusheng to protect them, which cost the boss a lot of money.

It’s no wonder that Mr. Zhang doesn’t care. Although Shanghai has unreasonable planning and an influx of too many people, haphazard construction poses great safety risks, so fires occur from time to time. However, there were too many fires in Shanghai during this period. In the past ten days alone, there were more than 20 fires, and in two of them, the whole family was burned down.

Moreover, the fires that occurred during this period were very strange. Most of them burned warehouses, especially those businesses that provided supplies to Italy, which were even more likely to be burned. Even the concession, which was known as the safest, had several warehouses burned down.

Therefore, during this period, both the Shanghai City government agents and the concession patrols were patrolling day and night, trying to catch these perpetrators.

Not to mention, there was little success during this period, and we encountered a wave of arsonists. However, this gang was extremely ferocious. After some resistance, twelve people were killed, one person was seriously injured, and the police officers also lost two people. Unfortunately, the seriously injured gangster did not survive the night.

Although no one was left alive, the autopsy showed that these people had thick calluses on their right hands. In addition, the point where their big toes separated from the other toes was a bit too large, so they were probably Japanese.

Of course, this is not what the government said to the outside world, but what Mr. Zhang got through his connections. This is why Mr. Zhang spent a lot of money to hire Zhang Tiezhu and his gang. Zhang Shusheng knew all too well what it would be like to rely solely on the government.

"Leader Zhao, I entrust my life and fortune to you."

As he spoke, Zhang Shusheng took out two envelopes of silver coins from his arms. "This is the cost of treating all of you heroes to tea. I will give you a big thank you after the goods are shipped away."

Getting the heavy silver coins is not a small temptation for Zhao Tiezhu and his party, who are accustomed to licking blood with the tip of a knife.

"Mr. Zhang, please rest assured. We guarantee with our lives that the warehouse we must protect will not be lost."

Although this is the second time Zhao Tiezhu has said this, judging from the solemn expression and intensity of his tone, it is clear that he has made an oath.

Facing Zhao Tiezhu's words, how could Zhang Shusheng, who had dealt with various people as a businessman, not know this. I saw him patting Zhao Tiezhu on the shoulder and saying. "Your words are enough. My fortune and life are all placed on you."

Zhang Shusheng was not bragging, although the over 10,000 cotton-padded clothes in the warehouse were only worth two to thirty thousand taels of silver, which was nothing to Zhang Shusheng, who was worth hundreds of thousands. But this cotton-padded coat is still related to his wealth and life, because it is a military uniform purchased by Italians. As Zhang Shusheng, who is mainly engaged in trade between the Qing Dynasty and Borneo, what is the difference between this and his wealth and life.

That's why in addition to hiring Zhao Tiezhu and his team, he also wanted to come and watch in person.

And since Zhao Tiezhu has received a heavy reward from Zhang Shusheng, he must do something.

He asked, turning to look at his brother. "Is everyone eating well?"

"Everything is eaten!"

"Now that you've eaten, get ready to work. Keep your eyes open and don't let snakes, insects, rats, or ants take advantage of you."

Following Zhao Tiezhu's shouts, more than 30 men wiped their lips and left the table, leading their own affairs to replace their brothers who had been guarding him for most of the day.

As for Zhao Tiezhu, he handed over to Zhang Shusheng. "Master Zhang, just rest here, the brothers outside will be watching."

After saying that, Zhao Tiezhu went out for inspection. This bowl of rice looked delicious, but only those in their line of work would know how difficult it was and how risky it was.

It is common to send a dozen urns back to your hometown every year, and there are even cases where no one is able to collect the bodies because their eyesight is not bright enough.

Therefore, to be in their profession, in addition to being brave enough, you must also have a keen eye. Not everything can be accepted.

And this time Zhao Tiezhu took this order with great risk. Of course he knew what he had to face, but he had to take this order. If he wanted to get ahead in Shanghai, for people like them who had no capital, they could still get it without risking their lives. What.

But even so, some people still feel uneasy.

"Master, I can't figure it out."

A team member saw Zhang Tiezhu approaching, pulled him aside and asked in a low voice.

"Huzi, what's wrong with you?"

Zhao Tiezhu took a closer look and saw that this was Zhao Hu from the same village as him.

"Brother Zhuzi, the risk of this job is too high. I got the news that the people who caused trouble this time are Japanese people. Brother Zhuzi, you also know how ferocious these Japanese people are. Although we are not afraid, the casualties will definitely be huge. This It’s a hard life.”

"Huzi, are you scared?"

"Brother Zhuzi, you don't know Zhao Hu's character yet. If I were afraid, I wouldn't go out with you at all. The main question is whether it's worth it."

"Then Huzi, listen up. The risk of this life is indeed high, but since I took it, I naturally have my own reasons."

As he spoke, he looked at Zhao Hu calmly. "Now that we have eaten this bowl of rice that we have worked hard for, we must eat it well. Now Mr. Zhang's matter is an opportunity, a good opportunity for us to become famous. Everyone knows that recent events have been The Japanese are causing trouble. As long as we can protect Mr. Zhang’s goods, others will look down on us. Once our reputation is established, we won’t have to look for jobs everywhere.”

Although Zhao Hu was the only one looking for him, Zhao Tiezhu knew that he was not the only one who thought this, so he patiently explained it.

"Brother Zhuzhu, I understand, this is to make us famous. Just be optimistic, we will not let those Japanese people be inferior."

Zhao Tiezhu didn't say anything after hearing Huzi's words, and patted him on the shoulder to encourage him.

As time went by, night fell, and today it was dark and windy. Except for the brightly lit warehouse, the surrounding area was plunged into darkness.

After the moon climbed over the branches, some sneaky figures appeared in a wasteland outside the warehouse.

These figures number in their thirties or forties. Although they are all dressed like ordinary people, after careful identification, it can still be seen that they are different from ordinary people. In addition to each of them having a fierce look, their bow-legs are more serious.

"Sato-kun, is this the warehouse where Yiren's uniforms are stored?"

"Yes, Mr. Takeda, the 15 pieces of winter clothes prepared by Zhang Shusheng of the Qing Dynasty for the Italian army are all in this warehouse."

"Yoshi!"

Takeda glanced at the brightly lit warehouse, turned around and said to his subordinates who were waiting behind him. "Everyone, get ready, for the Empire of Japan!"

"Hi!"

Following his order, these silent murderers silently picked up knives, axes and other weapons and headed towards the warehouse. In order to conceal their identity, these ronai did not even use their favorite samurai swords, but instead picked up Chinese swords and axes.

"Sato-kun, follow me."

Takeda took out a revolver and called for Ito to follow him.

More than thirty figures took advantage of the darkness and made their way towards the warehouse. Although they were able to avoid being discovered with various obstacles at first, once they got closer, it was not easy to get past them.

No, they were discovered about thirty meters away from the warehouse.

"who?"

A loud roar exposed Takeda and his group.

"rush!"

Seeing that he couldn't sneak in, Takeda waved his hand and insisted on forcing his way in.

At the same time, he also aimed his revolver at the guard who found him.

"Pah, pah!"

The two gunshots were more like an explosion, cheering everyone up.

The vigilant guard covered his chest and slowly fell down.

"not good!"

The sound of gunfire made Zhao Tiezhu, who had just sat down, stand up immediately.

"A thief is attacking!"

Zhang Shusheng, who was sitting with him, was also asked to stand up. But looking at his shaking body, you can tell how scared Mr. Zhang is inside.

"Don't worry, Mr. Zhang. I will gather the brothers to kill the thieves right away."

Zhao Tiezhu first comforted the proprietor, then turned around and shouted. "Huzi, wake up the resting ones immediately. I will lead my brothers to withstand the thief's attack first."

Zhao Hu had obviously experienced a lot of this kind of thing, so he immediately answered. "Chief, I'm going to summon the big guys right now."

After saying that, he hurried away.

Just when Zhao Tiezhu also wanted to leave, he saw a trembling Master Zhang reaching out and giving him a hand.

"Mr. Zhang, is there anything else?"

Facing Zhao Tiezhu who asked, Zhang Shusheng took out two pistols from his body and said. "Leader Zhao, the thief has a gun. Use these two pistols of mine to deal with them."

Zhao Tiezhu also knew that now was not the time to be polite, so he cupped his hand, took the pistol and left.

After Zhao Tiezhu walked away, Chang Sui behind him asked worriedly. "Master, if you give them the gun, what will you do?"

Faced with Chang Sui's concern, Zhang Shusheng pointed at himself and said. "With my current appearance, I am of no use to Leader Zhao with a gun. Besides, since we have asked the other party to protect us, we must do our best. After all, this matter is related to my life and fortune."

Now that Zhang Shusheng said so, the man behind him stopped talking.

"Kill me!"

After Zhao Tiezhu went out, he summoned the patrolling brothers and immediately pointed at Takeda and his party towards the warehouse door to kill them.

Zhang Shusheng's warehouse was built extremely solidly, with thick walls made of bricks and stones that Takeda and others could not pry.

The window is four or five meters high from the ground. In addition to the glass, it is also covered by a thick fence because of the danger these days. Although this will make the warehouse a bit darker, it can also prevent others from entering through the windows and causing damage. With all the above measures, Takeda has no other way to deal with this warehouse except through the door.

Therefore, when facing Zhao Tiezhu and his entourage, Takeda could not give in. He raised his pistol and fired several shots at Zhao Tiezhu and his entourage.

"Leader, be careful!"

The sharp-eyed guard saw that Takeda had a gun and immediately pushed Zhao Tiezhu away. Instead, he was shot twice.

"Liang Zi!"

Zhang Tiezhu's eyes turned red when he saw the guard blocking his gun. I brought this all from my hometown. Although I know the danger of eating this bowl of rice, who can not be angry when seeing this.

Zhao Tiezhu took out the two guns Zhang Shusheng gave him, and also fired at the rushing Takeda group.

In fact, Zhao Tiezhu had few opportunities to come into contact with guns and only knew how to shoot. However, Takeda and his group rushed close and forced him to knock down several of them despite his extremely poor marksmanship.

However, Zhao Tiezhu's reckless shooting accidentally suppressed the momentum of Takeda and his group.

However, as the person involved, Zhao Tiezhu didn't care so much. He threw away the bullets and raised his steel knife to kill Takeda and his party who were attacking.

Under the leadership of Zhao Tiezhu, the guards worked hard and fought with Takeda Ika's men.

"die!"

Zhao Tiezhu, who was leading the way, still had some skills as a leader. He turned sideways to avoid the incoming knife, swung his knife to hold another knife, kicked it down with his big foot, and then slashed on his opponent's arm. Cut it down with a knife in hand. It caused the opponent to scream and lose their fighting ability.

Led by Zhao Tiezhu, other guards stepped forward to catch their opponents and fight for a while.

As for Zhao Tiezhu, because of his heroic performance, he attracted three opponents.

"ha!"

One opponent couldn't keep his composure and launched an attack first, his ax pointed straight at Zhao Tiezhu's head.

Following his lead, the other two men slashed at the waist and the shoulder, and all of them were quick and accurate.

Facing the enemy's attack, Zhao Tiezhu remained calm, took a step across his body, turned sideways to pass the axe, then used his knife to block the slash on his waist, and kicked the man in the armpit who had slashed his shoulder. The armpit is a vital part because it has a large nerve, so a hard blow can cause severe pain and partial paralysis.

The man who had exhausted all his strength was unable to dodge the kick and was kicked and rolled all over the ground.

It was obvious that Zhao Tiezhu's powerful and heavy kick made it impossible for this person to get up in a short time.

Zhao Tiezhu took advantage of this opportunity, stepped forward, and used his elbow to hit his opponent in the face. He also heard the sound of a broken nose bone. The opponent bent down in pain and threw away the weapon, holding his face with both hands.

In two or three strikes, Zhao Tiezhu eliminated two opponents. As for the remaining one, it was easy. The powerful and heavy waist knife struck several times in a row. When the opponent couldn't block it, he directly kicked him down, then stepped forward and killed the opponent with one strike.

Zhao Tiezhu's fierceness immediately greatly boosted the morale of the guards. The leader was so powerful that they also put aside a lot of worries and fought desperately against the opponent. Takeda also saw this in his eyes. After this guy dealt with a guard, he immediately focused on him.

"Kill me!"

Facing the oncoming Takeda, Zhao Tiezhu stepped forward and struck with a knife.

"Dang!"

The knife was blocked.

Zhao Tiezhu was not impatient and kicked him over.

Takeda also turned sideways and gave way, and then struck back with a knife.

"Dang!"

Takeda's sword was also blocked.

After this fight, the two had a preliminary understanding of their opponent's strength, and both knew that the opponent was difficult to deal with. Therefore, they all stared at each other, trying to find any flaws.

"kill!"

Suddenly, the two of them yelled at the same time, and then drew their swords one after another in a desperate fight.

Daodao is a desperate play that gives up defense and directly targets the opponent's vital points.

"puff!"

"laugh!"

The short but desperate fight was thrilling and thrilling. Zhao Tiezhu was stabbed twice, one on the thigh and one on the waist. Takeda also had a hard time. He was stabbed three times, one in the shoulder, one in the abdomen, and one in the thigh.

Now that both of them are seriously injured and have lost their fighting ability, it all depends on the people below.

However, compared with Takeda and the others, Zhao Tiezhu had reinforcements. While Zhao Tiezhu was dragging Takeda, Huzi finally came with reinforcements.

"Kill~"

The roar of reinforcements not only increased the morale of the guards but also greatly reduced the morale of the attackers.

Seeing the situation, Sato, who took over the command after Takeda was injured, immediately ordered. "We withdraw."

The attacker jumped out of the battle group and left Takeda at high speed.

The guards, except for cutting down a few who had no time to escape, did not leave any of them behind. After all, their job is to protect the warehouse, not to hunt down thieves.

"Brother Zhuzi, how are you?"

After Zhao Hu waited for the enemy to retreat, he immediately rushed in front of Zhao Tiezhu.

Facing the concern from Zhao Hu and other guards, Zhao Tiezhu smiled. "Don't worry, I won't die. If you idiot comes a little later, I'll be in trouble."

"By the way, some of the brothers slept and some were injured."

Of course Zhao Hu knew what Zhao Tiezhu meant. He was asking how many were seriously injured and how many died. "Seven were injured and six fell asleep. However, we were not at a loss as we knocked down the other nineteen."

"Alas, we still lost money, a big loss."

Whether you lose or not is another matter, but you will be compensated immediately.

As soon as the battle ended, Zhang Shusheng, the proprietor, appeared.

Although his legs were shaking a little when he looked at the blood all over the floor, he still spoke. "I see everyone's devotion to fighting for my Zhang family. In addition to the prescribed burial money and medical money, I will add another one thousand taels of silver as extra reward. In addition, if you don't mind it, If you are missing arms or legs and can't eat this bowl of rice, I can arrange a living."

Zhang Shusheng's words immediately attracted a burst of applause.

"Dr. Zhang is a man of great benevolence and righteousness, and he is a big business man."

"Thank you in advance, Mr. Zhang."

This attack on Zhang Shusheng's warehouse is just a microcosm of Shanghai.

Japan succeeded and failed, but this still did not affect the arrival time of the Italian fleet.

On January 2, 1895, the second day of the new year, the Italian fleet arrived in Shanghai.