Twentieth Century Chronicle

Page 14

In this parliament, there were radicals like Tang Caichang and Zhang Taiyan who demanded the overthrow of Manchu rule, as well as moderates like Wang Kangnian who advocated relying on governors and viceroys to unite and advise the court. However, both sides shared one common interest: they hoped to obtain some power from the court.

After Li Hongzhang accepted the court's appointment to go north to settle affairs, and the governors and viceroys of the southeastern provinces severed ties with the National Assembly, everyone felt gloomy about the future of the National Assembly. However, the members of parliament, who were just waiting for their farewell dinner, suddenly had their minds stirred again when Tang Caichang proposed a new idea.

Urging the provincial governors to ensure the implementation of the Southeast Mutual Protection Agreement indeed pointed out another way out for everyone. Although the current National Assembly has no future, as representatives of the people of the Southeast, supervising the provincial governors can still gain the support of the people of the Southeast, because they are protecting the interests of their hometown, which is also their main purpose for wanting to join the National Assembly: to rebuild their voice in their hometown.

Soon, some members of parliament stood up in response to Tang Caichang, saying, "General Secretary Tang is right. Parliament may be dissolved, but we should continue to speak out for our fellow countrymen in the Southeast. Who exactly is this Southeast Mutual Protection Agreement protecting? Foreigners? The positions of governors and viceroys? Or our fellow countrymen?"

Those foreigners burned, killed, and looted in Beijing, showing absolutely no sign of civilization. Now they have warships and troops in Shanghai—what are they trying to do? When the foreigners told us to understand each other and not let the South get involved in the war, they didn't mention sending warships and troops to Shanghai. Are these warships and troops there to protect our citizens, or are they preparing to carry out another Beijing massacre in the South…”

After Li Hongzhang went north, the members of parliament felt betrayed. They knew that many of them had been persuaded to join by Sheng Xuanhuai. Sheng Xuanhuai had told them that the court was controlled by a group of incompetent members of the royal family who were even inciting the Empress Dowager to challenge all nations. He said that if the court were to collapse, they should elect a capable person to clean up the mess and prevent China from becoming a colony like India.

However, after the National Assembly was established, everyone began to unify their thinking and prepare to elect Li Hongzhang as president if the court really collapsed, so as to ensure that China could be preserved. Although radicals such as Tang Caichang expressed their desire to overthrow the Manchu court, they could only think that powerful figures like Li Hongzhang and Zhang Zhidong would be the ones to clean up the mess afterward.

However, Li Hongzhang's journey north betrayed all of them. Since Li Hongzhang had accepted the court's appointment to go north and clean up the mess, he naturally could no longer accept the National Assembly's recommendation. Seeing Li Hongzhang's choice, the other governors and viceroys also distanced themselves from the National Assembly, turning it into a farce where the members became clowns.

Since Tang Caichang was willing to step forward and actually found a way out, everyone was naturally willing to support him. To be honest, after they dispersed, everyone was afraid that the court would retaliate later. Having a group was better than going against the court alone.

While Wang Kangnian was still pondering what Tang Caichang meant, some of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang councilors who had been standing with him stood up to applaud Tang Caichang and asked what the new group was called.

Looking at his companions who were rising one after another, Wang Kangnian was speechless for a moment. Although he was speaking up for Zhang Zhidong, he could not betray his fellow townsmen. Zhejiang and Jiangnan provinces were under direct threat from foreign warships, and foreign troops had already landed in Shanghai. At this time, they were more concerned about whether the Southeast Mutual Protection Pact could be implemented, rather than Zhang Zhidong's interests.

To put it bluntly, offending Zhang Zhidong was simply a matter of not going to Wuhan, but if foreigners were allowed to station troops in Jiangsu and Zhejiang without restraint, what would become of the gentry? Would the foreigners accept that? Therefore, the Jiangsu and Zhejiang councilors, who had originally strongly opposed Tang Caichang's radical proposals, wholeheartedly supported his suggestion for the first time, and Wang Kangnian could only follow suit and applaud.

Tang Caichang was also surprised by this scene at the meeting. In the past, no matter how much he appealed to these councilors with loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, there were always those who disagreed with him. But this time, when he advocated that the interests of each province should be defended, these councilors became excited one by one.

Tang Caichang's proposal to dissolve the National Assembly was passed, and his proposal to establish the Southeast Protection Conference was also approved by the members. After the conference was reorganized, Yan Fu announced his withdrawal, and Rong Hong, who was still elected as the speaker, suggested that Tang Caichang serve as the vice speaker. Most of the members present chose to join the Southeast Protection Conference.

In the following meeting, Tang Caichang suggested establishing branches in each province and submitting a letter of opinion to the provincial governors. The main contents of the letter were: requesting that the governors not accept the imperial court's orders before the situation was resolved, demanding that the governors guarantee the implementation of the Southeast Mutual Protection Agreement, and mobilizing the people of the province to urge the governors to accept the association's demands.

This suggestion received strong support from the members of parliament, who wanted nothing more than to negotiate on behalf of the people and the governor-general. Tang Caichang's suggestion was exactly what they needed.

Tang Caichang then added, "Besides that, our primary task at present is to contact the Governor-General of Liangjiang and Shanghai's business community to discuss the landing of foreign troops in Shanghai. According to the Southeast Mutual Protection Agreement, since we have not taken any action against foreigners in Shanghai, nor have we sent troops to support the court against the Allied Forces, then the Allied Forces have no reason to land in Shanghai, unless they attempt to turn Shanghai into a complete colony..."

The provinces were not surprised by the demise of the Chinese National Assembly. Since Li Hongzhang had accepted the court's appointment to go north and negotiate with the foreign powers, the so-called Southeast Mutual Protection Pact naturally disappeared with the arrival of peace. The demise of this originally nameless and powerless National Assembly was also expected.

However, no one expected that the National Assembly would actually change its tune and genuinely defend the Southeast Mutual Protection Pact as something extraordinary. This serious attitude was clearly not well-suited to the Qing Dynasty's officialdom.

However, Liu Kunyi, the Viceroy of Liangjiang, was persuaded by Tang Caichang and Qin Lishan, who personally went to Nanjing. As the last important minister of the Hunan clique, Liu Kunyi gradually changed from a scholar-official who advocated adhering to tradition to a Westernization reformist. In fact, his thinking went further than Zhang Zhidong's.

However, his health was failing, and during his tenure as Governor-General of Liangjiang, he rarely managed state affairs, earning him the nickname "governing Jiangnan while lying in bed," meaning he spent far more time recuperating in bed than working.

This time, Liu Kunyi advocated the Southeast Mutual Protection Pact, unlike Zhang Zhidong who sought political opportunism. He genuinely disagreed with Empress Dowager Cixi's blind stance of waging war against foreign powers. Therefore, he chose to support Li Hongzhang, but unlike Zhang Zhidong, he did not shamelessly praise Li Hongzhang or suggest that Li Hongzhang become president.

He approved of Li Hongzhang's trip north to salvage the situation, but he was also deeply concerned about the repeated entry of foreign warships into the Yangtze River estuary and their approach to Nanjing. He worried that the foreign powers might break the agreement and attack Nanjing. In that case, his advocacy of the Southeast Mutual Protection Pact would become a joke. Therefore, he ultimately agreed to Tang Caichang's request for an audience.

Tang Caichang and Qin Lishan suggested to him that while they should not adopt a provocative stance towards the foreign powers' armies in Shanghai, they also could not tolerate these powers' free movement in Shanghai; otherwise, it would be troublesome to get them to withdraw after the war. They argued that they should use public opinion to force the consuls of various countries in Shanghai to guarantee the security and status of Shanghai, a view Liu Kunyi strongly agreed with.

Chapter 47 Zhi Park

On September 22, Russian troops occupied Jilin, on September 28 they occupied Liaoyang, and on October 1 they entered Shengjing. By this time, Russian troops had effectively controlled Manchuria, and Japanese media had focused all their attention on the movements of Russian troops in Manchuria. Reports on the Boxer Rebellion and its anti-foreign activities in Qing China decreased, and even voices of sympathy for the Manchurian people's resistance against the Russian army began to emerge.

However, Lin Xinyi stopped paying attention to the changes in China because he began making final preparations for his graduation exams in October. Although he was still suspended from school, he still attended the graduation ceremony in August and passed the school's registration exam, meaning that the school still considered him a student of Tokyo Prefectural First Junior High School, but refused to let him attend classes at the school.

What might be bad news for others was, for Lin Xinyi, a chance to gain freedom. Since transmigrating to this era, he had been confined to a school, reviewing elementary school material from his previous life—a true nightmare. However, he did discover an unexpected, little-known fact: the progress in education during the 20th century was roughly greater than that of the previous millennia combined.

The science studied in universities during this era was still largely confined to the technological realm of the Industrial Revolution. Physics was still built upon Newton's three laws of motion from the 17th century, chemistry hadn't even fully proven the periodic table of elements, and mathematics had made some progress, but it was still too far removed from the lives of ordinary people.

Far removed from Europe, Japan was even further removed from science. Therefore, even after its enlightenment, the Japanese still believed that the unbroken imperial lineage was Japan's unique national polity, and that it was precisely because of this polity that Japan was able to complete the Meiji Restoration. It is only because Japan has not yet defeated a white-majority nation that this theory of a unique national polity has become even more prevalent.

If a person from the 21st century were to travel back to the early 20th century, the difference wouldn't actually be 100 years, but rather a completely different set of civilizational concepts—it would be as if they had arrived on another planet.

Lin Xinyi's quiet acceptance of the school's arrangements relieved the school officials. Although they didn't know why someone from a higher position would come to greet this boy, they really didn't want to jeopardize their own futures by dealing with the boy's issues. This was a public high school, and the teachers and school leaders here were all civil servants, meaning that they could be sent to some rural area in Shikoku to teach for the rest of their lives at any time.

However, when graduates began filling out their college applications, the school faced another headache. The secretary to the Minister of Education praised the school's education during a visit, but expressed dissatisfaction with the low number of students applying to the navy, suggesting that other options should be listed besides the school's top choices.

The naval academy was listed as his second choice, instead of other ordinary high schools. Before leaving, the man also hinted to the principal that the minister was very interested in Hayashi Shin-yi's application.

This straightforward hint made the principal understand that someone should go to the Shanghai Naval Academy. However, Lin Xinyi's application was different from others. He filled in the first high school as his choice. There were actually students like this. Students who filled in their applications either felt that they were sure of getting into the first high school or meant that they would not study anything other than the first high school.

In the past, the school would have asked a teacher to persuade the student, but faced with Lin Xinyi, a stubborn student who would rather be suspended from school than admit his mistake and apologize, the principal decided it would be easier to take matters into his own hands. After all, whether he went to school or not was his own business, and the principal was just giving him another option. No one would think he had done anything wrong.

Lin Xinyi was completely unaware of this. After finishing his graduation exams at the end of October, he excitedly spent a few days having fun in Tokyo with Ogawa Eijiro and Takenouchi Yutaka. It happened to be Emperor Meiji's Tencho Festival, and Tokyo was bustling with activity. It was the first time the three of them had ever strolled around the streets so carefree.

However, a small incident occurred during the trip. On the day of Tencho-setsu, Hayashi Shinyoshi did not want to participate in any ceremonies celebrating the Emperor, so he went to Changsho-ji Temple with two friends.

Changzhi Temple was actually the family temple of the Tokugawa clan, and thus it was extremely prominent during the Edo period. However, it began to decline after the Meiji era. After the Meiji government issued the edict separating Shinto and Buddhism, Buddhist destruction occurred throughout Japan, and Changzhi Temple was not spared. A large number of buildings within the temple were burned down, and the destroyed parts were eventually separated and used to build Shiba Park, Tokyo's first park.

It is precisely because of Edo's more than two hundred years of protection of this place that Shiba Park has such outstanding scenery, basically preserving the natural landscape of the early Edo period. The temple that was destroyed by Changsho-ji was actually a temple dedicated to the Tokugawa family. This was also done by the Meiji government in order to weaken the Tokugawa family's influence in Edo. They even changed the name of Edo to Tokyo.

Therefore, Lin Xinyi and his two companions spent half a day strolling around Changzheng Temple and Zhi Park, but they had only explored less than a quarter of the area. Just as the three of them sat down to rest and chat, a girl suddenly rushed down the stairs and scolded them, "You bastards, don't you feel ashamed?"

Lin Xinyi, who had his back to the stairs, didn't react at first. He frowned and looked at the round-faced girl with big eyes, saying, "Are you sure you're not mistaken? We don't know you."

The round-faced girl retorted angrily, "You were peeping under the stairs, and you still won't admit it?"

Lin Xinyi subconsciously looked behind the girl and found two other women of similar age standing in front of the stairs with flushed faces. Looking at their kimonos and the angle of the stairs, Lin Xinyi turned to look at his companions and found that Takenouchi and Ogawa had both looked away, but the panicked expressions on their faces were obvious.

Lin Xinyi then understood. The two had been peeping. After all, in this era, people wore kimonos without underwear, so busybodies in Tokyo often squatted in front of long staircases to spy on women. They'd been caught red-handed. Looking down, he realized he was still wearing his school uniform. No wonder the girl dared to rush over and accuse him; if the police arrested him, it would be truly embarrassing.

Seeing more and more tourists gathering around, Lin Xinyi knew that if he didn't come up with a clever plan, he really wouldn't be able to escape. He grabbed the girl's hand and said, "Actually, I came here specifically to wait for you. I like you, Miss Mei."

The round-faced girl stared wide-eyed at Lin Xinyi, completely bewildered. However, Lin Xinyi's loud declaration of love eased the tension among the surrounding tourists, who glanced at the young couple and then left with smiles.

Seizing the opportunity, Lin Xinyi said to the round-faced girl, "I'm really sorry for making Miss Mei misunderstand. It seems that today's situation is not suitable for confessing. I'll come back another day. Goodbye for today."

Taking advantage of the round-faced girl's dazed state, Lin Xinyi quickly grabbed his two stunned companions and ran away. The round-faced girl's older sister walked up to her and gently asked, "Aiko, do you know this person?"

Noda Aiko finally understood, and she said angrily, "No, this bastard doesn't know who I am at all. He just wants to get away."

However, the three had already run far away, so Noda Aiko had no choice but to give up and leave with her sister and friend. On the other side, although the three had successfully escaped, Takenouchi was still complaining indignantly on the way: "Girls in Tokyo are really ill-mannered, actually yelling at men."

Ogawa echoed this sentiment, saying, "Girls from our countryside are so much better; they're not so pretentious. The Western influences have really ruined Japanese traditions."

After hearing what the two said, Lin Xinyi felt a little itchy to do something, but he finally sighed and said, "There seems to be a ramen stall over there. Let me treat you to ramen."

The two men immediately forgot what had just happened and happily embraced Lin Xinyi as they went. To be honest, Lin Xinyi couldn't really blame his two friends, because that was the custom in Japan. In fact, the Japanese concept of chastity had been influenced by Christianity. In rural Japan, young girls were seen as sacrifices for the family. The practice of selling daughters to brothels during the Edo period persisted until the Meiji era. Therefore, Japanese women didn't have much of a concept of virginity; their goal was to become virtuous wives and mothers.

This is why Japanese men take matters of the heart lightly. For example, Takenouchi and Ogawa, both of whom had experienced sexual relations, even shared this with Hayashi Shin-yi. Hayashi Shin-yi's observation was that the difference between Chinese and Japanese people is actually greater than the difference between Chinese and Europeans.

However, the day's incident didn't end there. As the three of them prepared to cross Zhi Park to take the horse-drawn carriage home in the afternoon, they heard a woman's angry shouts in front of a grove of trees. Lin Xinyi thought the voice sounded familiar, but he still led his two friends to investigate and found two ronin harassing three girls.

Chapter 48 Yuichiro Tachibana

This place is a relatively quiet path, shaded by trees, but today is a holiday, so there are quite a few visitors in the park, and it's not that no one passes by on this path. However, upon seeing two thugs harassing a girl, the passersby immediately detoured, as if they hadn't seen what was happening.

Lin Xinyi grabbed Takenouchi, who was about to rush forward, and whispered to his two companions, "These are probably gangsters. They'll definitely be carrying knives. We'll be at a disadvantage if we go in unarmed. You two go find some weapons. I'll lure one over. We'll take one down first, then deal with the other. That'll be much easier."

Takenouchi agreed and went to find a suitable weapon. Ogawa hesitated for a moment and asked, "Shouldn't we call the police?"

Lin Xinyi glanced at the increasingly aggressive ronin, shook his head, and said, "Zhi Park is so big. If we call the police, who knows where they'll take the girls. We'll take one down, making it three against one, much simpler."

Ogawa agreed and went to find weapons. Lin Xinyi watched as the two found suitable sticks and branches, then emerged from the woods and stood seven or eight steps behind the ronin, scolding, "Uncle, what are you doing in broad daylight?"

The ronin, who had already grabbed a girl's hands, turned around and saw that it was just a student. He immediately roared angrily, "Kid, this is none of your business. Get lost, or I'll make you regret it."

Lin Xinyi glanced at the two of them and said disdainfully, "Looking at your appearances, is it because you lacked maternal love when you were young that you're now looking for your mothers to nurse you?"

Finally, one of the ronin couldn't take it anymore. He turned around and walked towards Lin Xinyi, cursing and swearing, determined to teach this foul-mouthed brat a lesson. However, as the ronin approached, Lin Xinyi suddenly raised his left hand, which was hidden behind his back. The ronin, anticipating this, dodged a handful of sand and said disdainfully, "Kid, when I was out on the streets, you weren't even weaned yet... Ouch... You bastard, don't let me grab you..."

Taking advantage of the ronin's dodge, Lin Xinyi kicked him in the shinbone. As the ronin instinctively tried to protect his leg in pain, Lin Xinyi's right hand flung sand in his face, blinding him. While the ronin cursed with his eyes closed, Lin Xinyi kicked him hard in the groin, finally causing him to collapse with a howl of pain.

The ronin, who had been holding the girl's hands, was enraged by his companion's fate. He dropped the girl, pulled a short sword from his pocket, and charged at Lin Xinyi. Lin Xinyi immediately ran into the woods, leaving only three girls and the ronin lying on the ground.

Seeing this, Noda Naoko quickly grabbed her sister's and classmate's hands and said, "Let's hurry up and leave. It'll be troublesome if we wait for that ronin to come back."

Kobayashi Haruko trembled all over and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yes, let's run quickly and not stay here."

But Noda Aiko, whose hands had just been grabbed by the ronin, refused to accept it. She broke free from her sister's grasp and said seriously, "Someone saved us, and we're just going to run away like this? That's not fair. You guys go find the police, I'll go check if that senior is alright."

Naoko Noda couldn't grab her younger sister and watched her stride away. She didn't dare follow, but as her sister passed the fallen ronin, she kicked him a few more times, which terrified Naoko. She could only take Haruko's hand and say, "Let's go find the police. I remember there's a police station near the entrance..."

As expected, the ronin who rushed into the woods with Hayashi Nobuyoshi was tripped by Ogawa. Takenouchi knocked the ronin's dagger out of his hand with a wooden stick, Hayashi Nobuyoshi kicked the dagger away, and then the three of them rushed forward and subdued the ronin, tying him up with the sashes from their kimonos. When Noda Aiko rushed into the woods, the ronin was already lying on the ground, angrily threatening the three boys.

Lin Xinyi, riding on his back, said in a serious tone, "We're tourists from Osaka. If you're so capable, come to Osaka and seek revenge. I'm Yuichiro Tachiko from Yodogawa Ward, Osaka. My two brothers are Okamura Yasuji and Tojo Hideki. Don't forget them."

The ronin, pinned to the ground, roared furiously, "You, Yuichiro Otsuko? You just wait, don't think there aren't any Genyosha members in Osaka..."

Lin Xinyi didn't take the names the ronin mentioned to heart. Since the First Sino-Japanese War, the Genyosha had become famous, and every ronin liked to claim that he was a member of the Genyosha, but in reality, they were just peripheral members.

He tapped the other man's head with the hilt of his short sword and said, "You're a man of honor. Well then, I'll be waiting for you in Osaka. This short sword is my token. If you dare come to my door, I'll return it to you. Otherwise, this is my trophy..."

Lin Xinyi uttered a few polite words, then winked at his two friends and left the woods. Even as he left, he didn't forget the girl who was still staring in a daze. Once out of the woods, the four quickened their pace. Lin Xinyi, grabbing the girl's hand, ran while scolding her, "Are you an idiot? Why aren't you running? Why are you going into the woods? Where are your two companions?"

While struggling to keep up with Hayashi Shinji's pace, Noda Aiko replied with a rather aggrieved tone, "I wanted to help you. My sister and the others have already gone to find the police. As long as we delay them for a while, we'll be safe. Why are we running? Weren't those two ronin defeated...?"

Lin Xinyi ignored his beloved son's complaints and led the girl forward, saying quickly, "The Chinese say, 'A wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall.' Who knows if these vagrants have any companions nearby? We can't beat these street thugs who make a living on the streets. Let's get away from danger first."

Aiko recalled the miserable state of the two ronin and realized that the boy beside her was the real danger. After running for a while, they finally reached the main road where there were more people. Lin Xinyi stopped and let go of the girl's hand to let her rest for a while. As the four of them walked towards the gate, Aiko suddenly waved to the people in the crowd.

Two girls ran through the crowd, anxiously looking Aiko up and down. Relieved to see she was alright, they thanked Lin Xinyi and the other two. Just then, two middle-aged policemen finally arrived, panting. Hearing that the girls and boys were unharmed, the two officers immediately wanted to head home.

Aiko objected again, blocking the two police officers and saying, "Officers, shouldn't you be arresting the bad guys?"

The two policemen exchanged glances, and the older one chuckled and said, "Since you're alright, let's just let it go. Even if we take them back, we won't detain them for more than a few days, but you'll have to go back and give statements to me. Wouldn't it be more troublesome if those thugs found out your addresses? You three students certainly don't want the school to know about the fight, right?"

Aiko suddenly remembered the name Lin Xinyi had given in the woods and hesitated. Lin Xinyi and Takenouchi Yutaka quickly shook their heads and said, "Forget it, let's not take any statements. We're so busy today, it's better if you two officers go back to oversee things..."

The two police officers breathed a sigh of relief, told them to go home and not stay in the park, and then turned and left. Watching the police officers leave, Aiko said angrily, "Those two uncles were so irresponsible! How could they just let it go like that..."

Naoko Noda ignored her sister's complaints, thanked Shin-Yi Lin, and invited them to her home. When Shin-Yi Lin said it was getting late and he had to go home, Naoko could only say that they were a little scared and hoped that Shin-Yi Lin and the others could take them to the nearby shopping street, where their home was located.

Upon hearing that the Noda family owned an eel restaurant, Takenouchi and Ogawa immediately exclaimed with interest, "Ah, an eel restaurant! This must be the last time we can eat eel now. Kobayashi, why don't we have some eel rice before we go back? We won't be able to eat it again until next spring."

Seeing the two girls' eager expressions, Lin Xinyi had no choice but to agree. The journey was uneventful. The shopping street near Shiba Park was actually a commercial area outside Changsho-ji Temple during the old Edo period, serving worshippers. It had a distinct Edo-era atmosphere, with rows of old-fashioned wooden houses. When the three girls entered the shopping street, their expressions visibly relaxed. The shopkeepers greeted them warmly and inquired about their backgrounds, clearly indicating that the residents were long-standing neighbors.

Noda's eel restaurant was located in the center of the shopping street, and its storefront seemed rather spacious for that era. After hearing the three girls' story, the owner and his staff were initially quite angry and wanted to go out and settle scores with the ronin, but they eventually stopped after being persuaded by the lady of the house. Lin Xinyi and his two companions were also treated to Noda's finest eel rice. Lin Xinyi ate the eel rice with the secret sauce and felt very satisfied.

Chapter 49 Feeding Eels

"Obi Yuichiro, Oba Yuichiro..."

Lin Xinyi and his two companions, who hadn't reacted at first, stopped when they saw more than ten ronin surging out of the street ahead. Although the sun was already setting, the light was still bright, and seeing that some of the ronin blocking the street were even carrying knives, Lin Xinyi knew that something was terribly wrong.

At this moment, Ogawa, who was standing next to him, remembered something and reminded him, "Isn't Yuichiro Tachibana the name you just mentioned in the park?"

Without Ogawa's prompting, they turned around and saw a group of ronin slowly approaching from behind. Two ronin with bruised and swollen faces were following a young man wearing a kimono embroidered with his family crest, pointing at the three of them. "These three bastards ruined our plans. The tallest one in the middle is the one who claims to be Yuichiro Tachiko from Osaka..."

The ronin nearby burst into laughter. "These three greenhorn brats beat up Saburo? You've really made something of yourselves. Don't ever call yourselves members of the Ogura Group again. We can't afford to lose face like that..."

The young man walking among the ronin stopped, raised his hand, and the ronin beside him stopped as well. The young man looked at the three boys and said, "Each of you cut off a finger to apologize to our Ogura Group, and we'll let you go today. Otherwise, you can prepare to die."

Seeing this group of ronin openly blocking people's way in the street, and pedestrians scrambling to avoid them, Lin Xinyi knew these people must be a local gang; otherwise, the locals wouldn't have been so adept at avoiding them. He assessed the situation and knew that showing weakness was pointless, and fighting was even less likely to lead anywhere.

He reached out and stopped Takenouchi Yutaka, who was about to fight to the death, and then shouted at the young man opposite him: "These two guys are using the name of our Genyosha to bully girls and insult the reputation of our Genyosha. Are we not allowed to do anything about it? Is your Ogura-gumi going to declare war on our Genyosha?"

The ronin opposite were immediately stunned, and one of them couldn't help but reprimand, "Kid, what nonsense are you talking about? Our Ogura-gumi is also part of the Genyosha..."

The young man in charge stopped his men from making a fuss, frowned and looked at Lin Xinyi, saying, "You say you're from the Genyosha, which group are you from? If you're lying, it won't just be a matter of cutting off a finger."

Lin Xinyi glanced at him disdainfully and said, "You're not worthy to ask about my background. Send a message to Mr. Tomiyama, telling him that Lin Xinyi has been captured by you. He will naturally come to pick me up. I won't say another word to you until Mr. Tomiyama arrives. You don't even know how to contact Mr. Tomiyama, do you?"

The atmosphere at the scene froze instantly. The ronin all turned their attention to Murata Keiichi, who was leading the group. Murata Keiichi also felt the pressure. He had stepped forward to protect the face of the Ogura Group. His men had been beaten by a few students. If he didn't make a statement, how could he continue to live in this area?

However, when Lin Xinyi mentioned Tomiyama Mitsuru's name, the question became whether or not he should give Tomiyama Mitsuru face. Although he didn't know what relationship these teenagers had with Tomiyama Mitsuru, since they had mentioned Tomiyama Mitsuru's name, any action he took now would be slapping Tomiyama Mitsuru in the face.

Even within the underworld, there are hierarchical levels. People like Mitsuru Toyama belong to the upper echelons of the underworld; they could run for or be business owners of politicians. Meanwhile, those at the bottom of the underworld would immediately lose their place if they angered those above them. After all, the hierarchy in the underworld is even stricter than in the legitimate world, because it forms the basis of the underworld's order.

Murata Keiichi didn't want to jeopardize his future for the sake of the three boys, but he also didn't want to lose face in front of his subordinates, so he stared coldly at Lin Xinyi and said, "Don't think you can just use Mr. Tomiyama's name to intimidate people. This could lead to someone's death, kid."

Seeing that the ronin's momentum was suppressed by the name of Mitsuru Tomiyama, Lin Xinyi couldn't help but sigh. Nowadays, gangsters are really like an army. If this were in the future, and the other party said, "My brother's brother is not my brother," then the three of them would be really finished today.

Lin Xinyi stopped provoking the other party. After glancing at the sky, he directly gave a place name and said, "Mr. Tomiyama is at this shop almost every night. Even if he's not, just notify the owner, and he'll help you contact Mr. Tomiyama. What do you think? Should we send someone to ask Mr. Tomiyama what to do?"

Hearing the name of the shop, Murata Keiichi was already having second thoughts. Savvy yakuza figures knew where Toyama Mitsuru liked to hang out, and they avoided clashing with him in those places to prevent unnecessary trouble. The fact that this young man could immediately name the shop meant either he knew Toyama Mitsuru himself, or his family was very familiar with him—clearly, he was not someone to be trifled with.

Just as Murata Keiichi was trying to find a way to back down, one of the ronin behind him suddenly spoke up: "Alright, Kenta, go to that shop and ask Mr. Tomiyama if he knows Hayashi Shin-yi. If that kid dares to deceive our boss, we'll send him to feed the eels in Tokyo Bay today."

Lin Xinyi and Murata Keiichi's expressions both changed. The former immediately changed his view of these gangsters; gangsters were still gangsters, ultimately different from the military. This kind of disorganized and undisciplined behavior was truly deadly. Murata Keiichi, on the other hand, was planning to send the bastard who spoke up to some corner when they got back, but he couldn't speak up to stop it now, otherwise wouldn't it be as if he had been intimidated by a student?

Lin Xinyi was confident that Tomiyama Mitsuru would come upon hearing his name; otherwise, he wouldn't have given him this address. The problem was that he didn't know if Tomiyama Mitsuru was even there today. He didn't want to stand there like an idiot with a group of gangsters on the street, and these low-level gangsters were too stubborn to communicate with. So he relaxed and said to the ronin leader opposite him, "We can't just wait here on the street, can we? Doesn't your Ogura-gumi have a place where we can sit down and have some tea?"

Murata Keiichi glanced at the boy. They were always the ones inviting people for tea; this was the first time someone had proactively suggested going to the Kogura-gumi for tea. However, Lin Xinyi's words were indeed correct. He had come to establish his authority, but since he hadn't succeeded, it was best not to lose face in public.

Keiichi Murata stepped aside and gestured to Shinichi Lin, saying, "Please."

Lin Xinyi did not start immediately, but calmly said to Murata Keiichi, "My two companions don't need to go. Mr. Toyama probably wouldn't want to see them involved in such matters."

Murata Keiichi glanced at the two boys beside Lin Xinyi. At this moment, he had no mind to avenge his men. Getting through the current trouble was the most important thing. Regardless of whether Lin Xinyi was deceiving him or not, he was unwilling to get entangled any longer. So, before his subordinates could speak, he said, "As long as you come back with us, your two companions can do as they please."

Takenouchi Yutaka was somewhat dissatisfied with Hayashi Shinichi's decision. He said to Hayashi Shinichi, "How can we abandon you and run away?"

Although Xiaochuan was afraid, he nodded in agreement and said, "We should stand together through thick and thin."

Lin Xinyi turned around and muttered a curse to the two men, "Idiots, go back to Uncle Ogawa and tell him I've been kidnapped by the Ogawa Group. Ask him to help rescue me. He graduated from the University of Tokyo's law school and has connections in the Ministry of Justice. How can these gangsters fight against the bureaucrats of the Ministry of Justice? What good are you three staying here? Are you going to feed the eels together?"

Ogawa's face turned pale, and he couldn't help but say, "Can we not talk about eel? I don't want to eat eel rice anymore."

Lin Xinyi and Takenouchi Yutaka both glanced at him speechlessly. In the end, Takenouchi and Ogawa stayed behind and watched helplessly as Lin Xinyi was taken away by the ronin. Just as the two were about to find a carriage to go back, they saw another group of people rushing over from the street. They looked closely and realized that it was the manager of the Noda family, along with his employees and people from the shopping district.