Brother’s Meeting

Brother Laohui.

Also known as the Pao Ge Society, together with the Hongmen and Caobang, they were known as the three major secret societies of the former dynasty. The rituals and charters of the three were similar.

At first, most of its members were ordinary people at the bottom, as well as bandits, mountain bandits, and urban gangsters under the banner of anti-Qing and Fuming.

In the late years of the previous dynasty, the government's ability to control local areas declined, and the chaotic environment provided conditions for the semi-openness of the Ge Lao Hui.

After the failure of the Taiping Tian (Separation) Kingdom and Li Lanqi (Separation) Uprising, the social order in the cities in the Changjiang River Basin became even more turbulent.

A large number of refugees and retired military personnel joined the Ge Lao Association. These poor and powerless people became Pao Ge in order to seek support and mutual aid.

Rich and powerful landowners also actively joined Pao Ge's team, with the purpose of colluding with each other to control the local area or to avoid robbery.

Under this social atmosphere, it would be difficult to gain a foothold in society without joining the Ge Lao Association, so the Pao Ge organization has expanded greatly.

Their influence even extended from bandits to the new armies founded by the previous dynasty. For example, the Hunan Army contained many members of the Ge Lao Hui.

As a result, the common people no longer regarded Pao Gehui as a local (separated) bandit organization. Instead, they regarded Paoge as their backer and regarded joining the Ge Laohui as an honor.

Visit the pier?

Wu Chunyang was stunned when he heard this. Their military commander wanted people and guns. Do they need people to pay homage to the dock? Then he suddenly thought of the Ge Lao Hui, and he couldn't help but feel happy.

There are rows of shops near the pier, densely packed ships, long queues of passengers waiting to ferry, people rushing in and out, and long-distance buses that are hard to see in other places can be seen everywhere.

When Gui Youguang arrives, I will go out with that boy. If there is anything urgent, you can go to Haitang Creek Pier to find me. Okay, you can continue the investigation."

The reason why the road protection movement aroused a response from all over Sichuan was because of the appeal of these people, otherwise the impact would not have been so great.

The other type is Qingshui Paoge who does not engage in theft, robbery, or using force to plunder other people's property. This type of people accounts for the majority of the Paoge organization.

The man looked around, fiddled with the stone twice with his feet to turn it into an inverted triangle, and then shouted four lines of poetry in Shancheng dialect.

The people in the mountain city who were hiding in their houses from the rain also walked out of their homes one after another, taking advantage of the last daylight hours before the sun set to get busy, and the market returned to its usual bustle.

——If you can't beat it, join it.

It can be said that the basis of the Guo Party's rule in the southwest is based on the Ge Laohui organization. No wonder the outside world always says that the Guo Army is a bandit army, and it truly belongs to it.

After speaking a few words into the phone, he put the phone back and thought about it again, making sure there were no omissions and then looked up at Wu Chunyang.

For a moment, I couldn't tell whether the governor was an official or a nobleman. The scene was magical. If the top officials of the government were like this, you could imagine what was going on at the lower levels.

"Yes, just one person will do. In addition, let them count the original places of origin of all the people in the bureau, including parents and grandparents. Well, good."

Zuo Zhong didn't lift his feet. The incision just made showed that he came to the door for business, but if he came in, he would be pretending to be Brother Pao, which was the most taboo behavior of the other party.

Tell those gangsters to make more friends with people from all walks of life and root their intelligence network to the bottom, otherwise the Military Reunification Council will recommend that the Ministry of Internal Affairs streamline its ranks.

Seekers must use stones, handkerchiefs or umbrellas to form special (separated) patterns at the door or in the store according to relevant customizations, called road signs, and the local Pao Ge will come forward.

Zuo Zhong recalled the relevant information about Brother Pao's association in his mind, and felt more and more that it was necessary for the military commander to recruit, or at least contact, some people from Brother Pao, so that the work situation could be opened up as soon as possible.

"Vice-in-Chief, what are we doing?"

The middle-aged man with a goatee had no expression on his face and tried again: "Three eight and twenty-one, together they make a total of one case."

The Duke first established the Sichuan Pao Brother General Hall in the military government, named Dahan Gong, and then he appointed himself as the chief helmsman and called all the Pao brothers brothers, so that they could not be close to each other (separated from each other).

That's why Wu Chunyang is so distrustful of spies from southwest China, because no one knows whether they and their families are from Pao Ge.

At this time, the heavy rain outside the window finally subsided, and the fiery red sun emerged from the clouds. People's vision suddenly became clear, and it felt like the beauty of late autumn after fresh rain in the sky.

According to statistics from the period of the Secret Service, taking a county in western Sichuan as an example, except for those with unclear financial status and unknown personal affairs, as well as bearers, barbers, illegitimate children, actors and other people who are not eligible to participate in Pao Ge.

"Be patient, this is called asking for directions."

When the blood (separation) case occurred in Chengdu, the elders from all over the country were filled with righteous indignation and led their subordinates to initiate (separation) righteousness and support the separation of lives.

Wu Chunyang whispered back, and then asked curiously: "Vice-in-Chief, you and Youguang are the only ones going out. Are there too few people?"

As an important town in the southwestern part of the country, the most prosperous area of ​​the mountain city, apart from the main urban area, is the Haitang Creek Wharf in the south bank area.

After Zuo Zhong recalled the information, he walked around the Caoting study a few times, then raised his hand and picked up the microphone on the table to connect the internal circuit of the attendant's room.

Countless vendors took advantage of the geographical location to start small businesses. They placed bamboo baskets on the roadside and shouted in the clear voices unique to Sichuan people.

Zuo Zhong took a few steps forward, raised his hands and faced each other in a formal manner: "If we don't meet on the opposite side, I'm afraid of the wind for a long time."

"I understand."

For example, when the Sichuan Army came out of Sichuan, its generals and soldiers were basically Pao Ge. They wore straw sandals and bamboo hats, and carried the worst swords and rifles on their backs, but they fought the most bravely.

The road protection movement, which was the trigger of the Xinhai (Partition) that led to the demise of the previous dynasty, could not have been separated from Brother Pao's participation and help.

This place is the southern gate of the mountain city, the starting point of the Sichuan-Guizhou and Sichuan-Hunan highways, and the only way from surrounding towns to the urban area. The business is extremely prosperous.

Today, the other party's power has penetrated into every aspect of the mountain city and even Sichuan Province. The local people are either Pao Ge or on the road to becoming Pao Ge. This can be seen from one incident.

If the members of the Ge Laohui can really be recruited as intelligence informants, even if they are just a few small gang members, then the entire mountain city and even Sichuan Province will have no secrets from them.

"The other party is a secret society, and its meetings have its own rules and locations. Teahouses like this one at the docks and near the station are mostly Pao Ge's public offices, which are the external liaison points.

In the first year of the Republic of China, the then governor of Sichuan Province came up with a genius idea after taking into account Pao Ge's active role in the Revolution of 1911 and the difficulty of controlling Pao Ge's team.

"Hey, I'm Zuo Zhong. I'm informing the Military Command Office and asking Gui Youguang, the captain of the special operations team, to come to Huangshan's official residence."

"yes."

Zuo Zhong glanced at the three stones on the ground in the distance and the pedestrians walking around. He was ready to contact the people from the Ge Laohui at any time, and explained to the big bald head in a low voice.

Among the people coming and going, two young men wearing double-breasted cotton coats and large trousers were squatting on the side of the road with their hands folded, stretching their heads to look at the ground in front of the "Qingya Tea House" more than ten meters away.

At that time, all yamen and police stations in Sichuan Province had set up branch halls. When each hall was opened, gongs and drums were beaten, suonas were blown, and firecrackers roared.

"As soon as you see the treasure on the road, please come here to visit the hero. In the past, the Taoyuan Three became sworn brothers, and in the end, they paid homage to Zhao Zilong."

Zuo Zhong did not hesitate, straightened his back and gave a thumbs up: "We don't know each other, but we meet each other for the first time today."

"Selling-white sugar cake!"

"Just do what you want, go to Bai Wenzhi and ask him to get everyone out, get familiar with the mountain city in the shortest possible time, and cooperate with your actions.

The animals were the first to react. Birds stood on the branches, preening their wet feathers with their beaks, and chirped. The originally silent world became lively.

"The radish threads are thin and long. The queen eats them to wash clothes, the old man eats them to go to the factory, and the baby eats them to go to school..."

Through these materials, a behemoth that was entrenched in the southwest of the Republic of China, with influence in cities and villages, and members everywhere was revealed.

After speaking, he stretched out his hand to signal Zuo Zhong and the two of them to talk inside. When a commoner nearby heard these words of conversation, he quickly lowered his head and left. This shows how powerful the Ge Laohui is in the mountain city.

Most of the initiators of this movement had dual identities, including the leader Pao Ge, or Uncle Pao Ge, or Uncle Gunlong.

It is not uncommon to see nunpao brothers and yangpao brothers who speak fluent Sichuan dialect. Foreigners who come to Sichuan Province and want to do business can only do as the locals do.

He was just about to educate Gui Youguang about the rules of the Ge Lao Association when he saw a middle-aged man with a goatee wearing a melon cap walking slowly to the road signs.

Of course, things usually have two sides. Most Pao Ge still inherited the original philosophy of the Ge Lao Hui and put patriotism, loyalty, and protecting the country first.

For example, if I arrange the stones into a regular triangle, and knowledgeable people from the gang who pass by know the details, they will come forward and change the three stones into... I won't go into details, the connector is here."

The two of them were Zuo Zhong and Gui Youguang, who was called by him on the phone. After watching for a long time, Gui Youguang didn't find anything and asked a question with some confusion.

Such a market atmosphere full of life has attracted outsiders passing by to stop and buy a piece of local snacks to fill the Five Zang Temple or satisfy their appetite.

Among urban residents, the number of participants in the Ge Lao Association accounts for about 90% of adult men, and about 70% of rural participants. This is only an average figure.

In terms of status, Brother Pao can be divided into two types. One is Brother Pao of Muddy Waters who maintains the style of the green forest, dominates the mountains and becomes king, and makes a living by robbing.

"No, that's enough." Zuo Zhong noticed that his shirt was dry, so he buttoned up his collar and squinted his eyes and said, "Let's pay homage to the pier. If there are too many people, people will think we are insincere."

The policemen dressed themselves in heroic uniforms, wore feather feathers on their heads, belts of loyalty around their waists, straw sandals on their feet, painted faces, lined up to welcome the chief helmsman and hung red hairpins for him.

"Roasted rice, sugar, boiling water... lotus root powder, noodles and tea... salt tea, eggs..."

He replied with a smile, saluted and turned around to leave. Smart people are smart people, and he guessed Zuo Zhong's intention without saying anything.

As for whether this will cause any bad effects, it won't happen at all. In fact, the Guo Party was born out of the three major secret societies, which naturally includes the Ge Laohui.

Comparing with Ge Laohui, Ma Tianchang, the leader of the Jinling Cao Clan, is a younger brother. They are both well-known figures in Jianghu. Why is there such a big gap?

After receiving the correct answer, the middle-aged man with the goatee finally smiled: "It's natural to know that everyone has their own reasons. Why do brothers come to the mountain city? It's okay to just tell them."

This kind of gap between brothers is called the right road. After the right road is completed, the host will basically agree to ask for help whether he is in trouble or lacks money.

After all, robbery (separation) is a technical job. Most people join the Ge Lao Association just because they don't want to be bullied. There is no need to take risks.

So he didn't move where he was and made a fist-cup salute: "Brother, my prefix (official title) is my first time in the mountain city. I heard that Brother Pao can make thousands of friends, so I came here to pay him a visit.

It’s a new arrival, and it’s inevitable that things will be careless, unclear, unclean, and unclear. I hope you can help me, bring me, hug me, and carry me.”

Zuo Zhong also explained the purpose of his visit in the standard mountain city dialect, his words full of Qihu atmosphere, and then waited for the other party's response with a smile.

The middle-aged man with a goatee in front suddenly stopped and slowly turned his head. A flash of light burst out from his two cloudy eyes, and the smile on his face gradually faded until it became cold.
Chapter completed!