Chapter 12: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 12 Merchant Corps Market Strike

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

"Old Chen, you're so familiar with this place—I don't think it's your first time here, right?" Lv Muzhi looked suspiciously at Chen Geng leaning by the window.

Knowing the geography here so well, even the start time of basketball matches, he must have done his homework in advance.

Chen Geng turned around: "Oh, Brother Muzi, why stand so far away? Come look together. I originally applied to Guangzhou Army Lecture Martial Arts School, then transferred to our Whampoa Military Academy, but that's old news."

"When I first came to Guangzhou, the school arranged for me to stay nearby for a few days, so it's normal I know this area. As for the basketball games, they're arranged every summer vacation—I heard about them from asking around."

To be honest, Chen Geng was a talent at gathering intelligence; now he could get intelligence on female students, and who knew what intelligence he'd gather in the future—too frightening to imagine.

Song Xilian looked puzzled: "Brother Chen, we came together, didn't we? You go out to gather intelligence and don't even tell me?"

"Nonsense, if you knew, would it still be intelligence? Eat up, eat up!" Chen Geng grabbed another chicken leg from the table and stuffed it into Song Xilian's mouth.

The three moved their chairs to the window, eating and watching.

The women's basketball game had finished the first half, and Song Xilian suggested they stroll inside the Normal Academy for a few circles—it was better to watch from beside the basketball court.

Chen Geng agreed wholeheartedly: "Brother Muzi, hurry and pay the bill; Brother Xilian and I will go first!"

Chen Geng got up and went downstairs, and also called the shop assistant over to settle the bill.

The shop assistant came up bowing: "Sir, are you finished eating?"

Lv Muzhi lacked confidence, squeezing out a smile: "Ah... finished. How much?"

The assistant held out two fingers: "You're the first table at our shop today, so I'll give you a discount—exactly two silver dollars."

Lv Muzhi felt somewhat relieved, glad he hadn't overspent, though he still sighed that the meal wasn't cheap. He gave the assistant two silver dollars: "Pack up the uneaten dishes for me; I want to take them back."

The assistant took the money, beaming, and brought several sheets of oil paper from the back kitchen, soon wrapping up the uneaten roast goose and white-cut chicken.

Leaving the winehouse, they detoured to the Normal Academy's school gate, only to see Chen Geng and Song Xilian stopped by the gatekeeper at the school gate, both sides negotiating.

"This is a women's normal school; what are you two men doing here?" the old gatekeeper said, looking speechless.

Lv Muzhi shook his head, feeling it was embarrassing, and was thinking of calling the others back to go straight home, when a clamor of gongs and drums came from behind.

He turned around—truly, enemies meet on a narrow road!

Soldiers of the Guangzhou Merchant Corps surged onto the street, guns on their backs, rushing into the shops along the street, and inside immediately there was chaos.

Lv Muzhi hurriedly pulled Chen Geng and Song Xilian back, watching what these Merchant Corps soldiers were up to.

Every time the soldiers entered a shop, not long after, the shops all put up boards and closed.

"Mr. Chen of the Merchant Corps said that from today on, all merchants and citizens within Guangzhou City must close their businesses and strike the market; without word from our Merchant Corps, no one may operate privately!"

This Mr. Chen was Chen Lianbo, the commander of the Merchant Corps, who had recently gone to the Whampoa Military Academy gate to negotiate.

A soldier with a weasel-eyed look rushed into a rice shop, ordered it to stop business, and on leaving even stole one sheng of rice from the owner.

Shops along the street closed one by one; among the merchants in Guangzhou City, no one dared disobey the Merchant Corps' orders.

Chen Lianbo's family had been merchants in Guangzhou for generations, with deep-rooted power, and four thousand armed men under his command; in the local business world, one call brought a hundred responses.

In such a prosperous street market of Guangzhou City, Chen Lian said close and it closed.

Even the winehouse where they had just eaten began to put up boards.

Strangely, some shops opened by the British also cooperated with the Merchant Corps to close and cease business—truly unreasonable.

The three were seeing the power of this great merchant Chen Lianbo so directly for the first time.

"This... this is a market strike!" Lv Muzhi exclaimed.

Just like workers striking and students boycotting classes, merchants could also threaten the authorities through a market strike.

Once the market struck, the people's lives would be greatly affected; not to mention big things, even going out to buy rice and vegetables would find no place, and the money shops and banks controlled by Chen Lianbo would also stop operating, producing an extremely bad effect on the social economic order.

"Bad, we can't stay here anymore. Whampoa Military Academy seized the Merchant Corps' weaponry; they won't give us a good look. Hurry, run—there are many people across the way; we can't be reckless."

The few who went into the city to play, for convenience, were still wearing the gray Whampoa Military Academy student uniforms.

Lv Muzhi pulled Song Xilian and walked toward the rear.

Chen Geng followed too; now was not the time to stand out. It was better to hurry back to school and report to the Principal.

Returning to Tianzi Wharf, unexpectedly not even the boatmen were in sight!

The shipping industry was also controlled by Chen Lianbo's family; even scattered small boats dared not come out to do business.

The wharf was closing; inside, dozens of Merchant Corps soldiers' shadows flickered, and they actually spotted Lv Muzhi and the other two at a glance.

"There are a few soldiers over there, looks like Whampoa Military Academy students. Chase them!"

"Chase? Didn't the higher-ups say not to draw blood?"

"Stupid or what? Just don't shoot. The captain had two teeth knocked out by Whampoa students. Let's catch a few back to vent our anger—both crush Whampoa Military Academy's prestige and earn some rewards!"

Dozens of Merchant Corps soldiers rushed out from the wharf with guns, shouting at Lv Muzhi and the other two: "Stop!"

Song Xilian: "Brother Chen, they're telling us to stop?"

No one responded to Song Xilian. Turning around, Lv Muzhi and Chen Geng had already run ten meters away.

"Run fast! He tells you to stop, so you stop?"

Chen Geng and Lv Muzhi, one on the left and one on the right, ran with all their might.

Unexpectedly, Chen Geng didn't wear leg wraps, and his speed was half a body length faster than Lv Muzhi's.

"Where are we running to?" Lv Muzhi asked while running.

Chen Geng didn't think, directly saying: "East to Dasha Tou Wharf! The market strike wave shouldn't have reached there yet!"

"Brother Muzi, Brother Chen, I ate too much, I'm out of breath!" Song Xilian ran slower and slower, hands on his waist.

Chen Geng slowed down and pulled Song Xilian up: "Muzi, keep an eye on Xilian. I'll lead the way in front—I know this Guangzhou City well!"

Fortunately he had come out with Chen Geng; otherwise, going alone and not knowing the way, he would have been in terrible luck. This meal costing two silver dollars was worth every penny!

Lv Muzhi carried the packed food in his left hand and pulled the lagging Song Xilian with his right, closely following Chen Geng who led the way ahead.

Song Xilian suffered terribly behind, clutching his stomach, gritting his teeth as he ran.

The Commercial Corps soldiers behind were originally recruited from street thugs and hooligans; they bullied merchants and common folk daily, had no strict training, and were soon left two streets behind.

But a group of Commercial Corps soldiers still doggedly followed the trio, and their numbers kept growing, as soldiers scattered across other streets and alleys heard the commotion and rushed over from all directions.

By the time they reached Dasha Tou Wharf, the wharf was indeed still open for business.

Lv Muzhi and the other two jumped onto a steamship one after another.

"Catch those three Whampoa Students, don't let them run!"

A scar-faced head led several dozen soldiers in hot pursuit, chasing them all the way to the crossroads at the wharf entrance.

"Captain, these Whampoa students run faster than rabbits; the brothers can't catch them!"

The scar-faced man was furious, stopped at an intersection, raised the Mauser Rifle in his hand, and was about to shoot at the steamship.

"Run! I let you run! Can you run faster than bullets?"

The scar-faced man rested his index finger on the trigger, aimed at Lv Muzhi and the others boarding the ship, and was about to pull the trigger and open fire.

A gray shadow suddenly slammed into him from the side, knocking the scar-faced man flat on his back and firing a shot into the sky.

It was actually He Zhonghan, who had also come into the city to stroll, being chased by another group of Commercial Corps soldiers; he came out of an alley in a panic, chose no path, and knocked down the scar-faced man!

Bang!

The bullet veered off, slicing across above Lv Muzhi's head.

He Zhonghan and the scar-faced man rolled on the ground; the group of Commercial Corps soldiers behind were stunned and rushed forward to help them up.

Suddenly another group of Whampoa Students rushed out of the alley—turns out they were Guan Linzhen, Du Yuming, Hu Zongnan, Sun Yuanlang, and others.

Guan Linzhen was actually loyal and was about to go help He Zhonghan.

But Du Yuming directly grabbed Guan Linzhen: "Hurry, don't you see so many Commercial Corps soldiers? Rather than all being caught, better to cut off the tail to save the body—go back first to get reinforcements!"

Looking back again, Sun Yuanlang had already run into the wharf first.