Chapter 9

18 Dali Road, Tianjin.

This is a four-story Western-style villa, complete with high walls and a garden, which would still be considered a luxury mansion in the 21st century.

The previous owner of this luxury mansion was Lu Zhonglin, a general of the Northwest Army and a trusted aide of Feng Yuxiang. It was he who expelled the last emperor, Puyi, from the palace. The "March 18" massacre, which occurred recently, was also carried out by his troops firing on student crowds.

After Lu Zhonglin's defeat, this house was taken over by Chu Yupu.

At this moment, Chu Yupu was receiving a visitor in the living room.

A ragged ruffian was led in by Chu Yupu's adjutant, who announced, "This is the Great Marshal!"

"Thud!"

The ruffian's knees buckled, and he fell to his knees, kowtowing and shouting, "Commoner Wang You Tian pays respects to the Great Marshal! Long live the Great Marshal, ten thousand years, ten thousand, ten thousand years!"

"Ha ha ha ha!" Chu Yupu laughed, delighted, and said, "I am not an emperor, so where does the 'ten thousand years' come from?"

Wang You Tian was quick-witted and immediately replied, "When the Great Marshal leads his troops into the capital, it is like occupying the imperial palace. In ancient times, this would mean ascending the throne and becoming emperor."

"Interesting," Chu Yupu nodded in satisfaction and asked, "From your accent, you are from Wenshang. Where in Wenshang are you from?"

Wang You Tian said, "My hometown is in Wenshang Zaoxing Village."

Chu Yupu put down his crossed legs and said to his adjutant with a smile, "Oh, this boy is actually a relative of my wife's family."

"I dare not claim kinship with the Great Marshal," Wang You Tian hurriedly kowtowed.

Chu Yupu asked, "Have you read any books?"

Wang You Tian replied, "I dare not deceive the Great Marshal. I haven't read any books, but I can recognize a few characters."

Chu Yupu asked again, "Do you want to join the army and fight?"

Wang You Tian said, "I have an elderly mother at home. If I die in battle, there will be no one to take care of her."

"Hmm, you are a filial son," Chu Yupu nodded and said, "Are you familiar with Tianjin City?"

Wang You Tian said, "I have lived in Tianjin for five years. I won't get lost even with my eyes closed."

Chu Yupu said in satisfaction, "Very good. The Tianjin police department is short of personnel. You will be appointed as the deputy director."

Wang You Tian kowtowed loudly, shouting, "Thank you, Great Marshal, for your cultivation! I will serve you with all my heart and soul, alive or dead, I am yours!"

Chu Yupu waved his hand, and the adjutant led Wang You Tian away. The new deputy director of the Tianjin police department was thus born.

Chu Yupu was a man who cherished his hometown. Most of the officers in his army were from the same region. Since occupying Tianjin, people from Wenshang County, including scholars, gentry, and unemployed ruffians, have been coming to seek his favor. He accepted them all, granting them official positions and making promises. A few distant relatives with the surname Wang were even appointed as county magistrates in Zhili Province.

In Chu Yupu's mind, only fellow townspeople were trustworthy; everyone else was unreliable.

A popular joke in Tianjin now goes: "If you can speak Wenshang dialect, you can carry a saber!"

After dismissing the ruffian, Chu Yupu said to his adjutant, "Go and call Yuan Zhenqing."

Yuan Zhenqing, the commander of the 25th Division of the Zhili-Shandong Allied Army, soon came to pay his respects. Chu Yupu asked, "How is the military funding coming along?"

Yuan Zhenqing replied, "We have raised 30,000 silver dollars."

"Only 30,000? That's not enough," Chu Yupu patted the armrest of his chair and said with a sense of righteousness, "We came to Tianjin to fight for the country and the people. We must be a righteous army that does not harm the people. We cannot push the people too hard; after all, life is hard for everyone. Here's what we'll do: a head tax of 3 silver dollars per person, and the tax on shops will be doubled, collecting next year's taxes in advance. In times of national crisis, everyone should contribute to the country, and the people will surely be willing."

"The Great Marshal is benevolent. I will go and take care of it," Yuan Zhenqing said, accepting the order.

"By the way," Chu Yupu called him back, "Tianbao Troupe's Xiao Qing is quite good. Take 2,000 silver dollars to redeem her. I want to marry her as my fifth concubine with a proper wedding!"

Tianbao Troupe was initially just a theater troupe in Tianjin's Nan Shi area, a female troupe where all the performers were women. Later, it gradually turned into a high-end brothel, where the clientele were all celebrities, wealthy merchants, and high-ranking officials.

Chu Yupu's intention in marrying a fifth concubine with a proper wedding was to use the wedding to raise money. Anyone who dared not give a generous wedding gift would be asking for trouble.

After Yuan Zhenqing left, Chu Yupu was bored. None of his concubines had accompanied him on the campaign, and there was no one to entertain him in Tianjin. He immediately called his advisor and asked, "What interesting things have been happening in Tianjin recently?"

The advisor thought for a moment and said, "Mei Lanfang was invited to Tianjin yesterday to perform 'The Legend of Taizhen.' The audience was so large that the doors of the Xinming Grand Theater were almost broken."

"What's so special about a theater performer?" Chu Yupu clearly had no interest in Peking Opera.

The advisor said, "Mei Lanfang is no ordinary performer. He is a master of Peking Opera. Two years ago, he received the Indian scholar Rabindranath Tagore, and this year, he received the Prince and Princess of Sweden."

Chu Yupu nodded and said, "That's quite impressive. I am getting married in a few days. Go and invite Mei Lanfang to perform for the occasion."

The advisor said, "Mei Lanfang lives in Beiping. It might take some time to invite him."

Chu Yupu asked, "Are there any other interesting things?"

The advisor racked his brain and said, "Recently, a martial arts novel has become popular in Tianjin. The newspaper that publishes the novel has been sold for a sky-high price of 50 cents."

"Go and get the novel for me to read," Chu Yupu said.

The advisor was very capable and managed to find all the published content of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" in less than half an hour. Chu Yupu was too lazy to read it himself and said, lying on the sofa, "Read it out loud!"

The advisor did not dare to be negligent or sit down, so he stood in the living room and read the novel from the newspaper.

Chu Yupu was soon engrossed in the novel, even during lunch, he had the advisor continue reading beside him. The poor advisor was starving, and it wasn't until mid-afternoon that he finished reading the novel.

"Keep reading, why did you stop?" Chu Yupu was still enjoying the story.

The advisor said, "Great Marshal, the novel is only serialized up to this point. The next chapter will be available tomorrow afternoon."

"That's too much trouble," Chu Yupu said impatiently, "Take a few men to the newspaper office and bring... what's the author's name?"

The advisor quickly said, "The author's name is Jin Yong."

"Right, take people to bring Jin Yong here and have him live in my house to write!" General Chu had become a die-hard fan of Zhou Hexuan and was determined to follow the updates in a direct and forceful way.

The advisor did not dare to disobey the order and led a group to the newspaper office, using guns to force the address of Zhou Hexuan out of them, and then immediately went to his house in a military vehicle.

"Bang!"

The gate of the courtyard was kicked open, and seven or eight soldiers rushed in. The advisor shouted, "Where is Jin Yong? The Great Marshal has summoned him!"