ATPnovel Chapter 56 Station Conflict
Chapter 56 Station Conflict
It's more convenient to take the train when visiting friends in Xinmin.
Lu Xingzhou, accompanied by Sanjiangshui and Ni Yang, rode a fast horse to Changtu.
He then had Sanjiang lead the horse back, while he took Ni Yang with him into Changtu Railway Station.
Lu Xingzhou had promised Ni Yang that he would take him along if there were any fun things to do, and he kept his word.
After entering the station, the two sat in the lobby waiting for their train.
Ni Yang stammered, "Young Master, well, I... I don't want to study anymore. Studying is so tiring!"
Learning is not an easy thing.
Many people can endure physical hardship, but they may not be able to endure the hardship of studying.
After the initial excitement wore off, Ni Yang realized that reading wasn't fun at all and wanted to give up.
Lu Xingzhou, leaning on his walking stick, glanced at him, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but instead asked a few questions.
"Do you still want to follow me around?"
"think!"
"Do you think I'll be a nouveau riche for life, or do you think I'm capable of achieving great things?"
"Young Master, you're referring to someone destined for great things!"
"Then your young master will be doing very, very important things in the future. If you don't become a decent person, I'm afraid you won't be able to stay by my side and help me all the time."
Ni Yang nodded, seemingly understanding, then asked, "Why can Sanjiangshui not study?"
"With his carefree and irresponsible attitude, he's not cut out for studying. I don't want to make things difficult for him, so my plans for him are different from yours."
"Besides, you're only in your early twenties, and most people are already settling down. But at your age, there are more possibilities. Once you've developed your skills, the young master can entrust you with more responsibilities. Wanting to follow me is no problem, but you can't just be a lackey who only runs errands for the rest of your life, can you?"
Ni Yang is still young, and even after all these years of struggling in society, his youthful spirit has not been completely worn away.
Encouraged and affirmed by the young master, he also developed some ambition.
"If the young master wants me to be his follower, I'll be his follower for life! But if the young master is willing to entrust me with more important matters, I'll do them just as well!"
"Stop flattering me, just wait for the bus."
Everyone has their own value, but a qualified leader should both utilize subordinates and enhance their value.
As long as they are willing to work hard and keep going, Lu Xingzhou doesn't want to abandon anyone.
Seeing him resting with his eyes closed, Ni Yang, feeling a surge of excitement, chuckled and tentatively asked, "Hehe~ Young Master thinks studying is so important, how about I go back to class?"
Lu Xingzhou saw through Ni Yang's little scheme, but didn't say anything:
"Now that I'm out here, I might as well give myself a break."
"Yes, thank you, young master!"
Half an hour later, the train arrived at the station, and the two people, after having their tickets checked, followed the flow of people onto the platform.
The stationmaster of Changtu Station, whom we rarely see, suddenly appeared on the platform, his eyes scanning it with wary intent.
Unsurprisingly, their gazes immediately locked onto Lu Xingzhou.
Merchants and travelers coming and going in Fengtian were either Chinese dressed as country bumpkins, peasants, or wealthy men, or Japanese dressed in kimonos and military uniforms.
Wearing a fedora, a suit, and carrying a walking stick, Lu Xingzhou, with his distinguished appearance and standing out from the crowd, was undoubtedly a nobleman.
The stationmaster didn't just make a judgment based on his attire; Lu Xingzhou's temperament was also truly unique.
As they walked, they lacked the dignified restraint or cautiousness common among Chinese people, and they also lacked the exaggerated, deliberately strutting, and pretentious air of Japanese soldiers.
It has a natural and casual feel, unique to this entire station.
In modern terms, it's the feeling of never having been bullied.
The insightful stationmaster immediately judged that the person in front of him was, and could only be, a powerful member of the Japanese Empire, and a top-tier noble!
Aside from the highest-ranking nobles of the empire, what East Asian face in this world hasn't been bullied?
Feeling fortunate to have the opportunity to meet an important person, the stationmaster quickly stepped forward, bowing and scraping as he greeted them.
"Your Excellency, I'm here to visit you. I'm here to visit you."
Lu Xingzhou frowned:
"What do you mean? I don't understand. Speak like a normal person!"
The stationmaster was astonished by the complete absence of an imperial accent in his Mandarin:
"A Chinese person?!"
"What did you say?!?"
Lu Xingzhou's eyes suddenly sharpened, and his red copper-bottomed cane was instantly pressed against the other person's throat.
The Japanese soldiers at the station realized something was wrong and quickly surrounded him.
"Weapon を下ろせ, move くな!"
Passengers in the surrounding area quickly moved several dozen meters away to avoid getting involved.
Seeing that Lu Xingzhou did not react, the leading lieutenant shouted in broken Chinese:
"Hey, put down your weapon? Who do you think you are?!"
Lu Xingzhou's cane remained firmly pressed against the stationmaster's throat as he spoke loudly:
"I am Lu Xingzhou, Wu Junsheng's nephew. I was entrusted by him to visit Zhang Zuolin's wife at his home in Xinmin."
Upon hearing this information, the crowd immediately erupted in discussion.
"Is he Lu Xingzhou?"
"That young hero who wiped out the Ocean Trench gang? He's certainly a handsome man!"
"He's so tall! He makes the Japanese soldiers look like monkeys in clothes!"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Everyone burst into laughter, then covered their mouths in fear.
The Japanese soldiers, though elite, haven't yet shown the effects of their racial improvement program. Their average height is less than 1.6 meters, and they look like a bunch of hobbits surrounding the 1.86-meter-tall Lu Xingzhou, all with tense expressions.
This made Lu Xingzhou, who remained calm and composed even when surrounded, appear even more extraordinary.
Based on this courage alone, everyone believed that the news of him killing the beard was true.
Upon hearing the names Zhang Zuolin and Wu Junsheng, the station chief and the lieutenant immediately suppressed their murderous intent.
The Kwantung Army, which is generally perceived as invincible, was not established until 1919. At present, the Japanese forces in Northeast China consist of only one main division of 8000 men, which are scattered and stationed in several of the most important cities of the South Manchuria Railway, namely Lushun, Fengtian, Liaoyang, Gongzhuling, and Changchun.
There are also six railway guard brigades responsible for guarding secondary railway stations like Changtu and surrounding areas inhabited by Japanese expatriates.
They had a total of just over 1 troops and no powerful weapons such as airplanes or tanks.
Although they can still maintain absolute control over tens of thousands of Fengtian troops, in a real battle, given the elite nature of the Fengtian troops, the casualties they would inflict on them would not be small.
One of them was the stationmaster, and the other was just a junior lieutenant in the second garrison battalion.
Even if they looked down on the Chinese, Zhang Zuolin and Wu Junsheng were not figures they could easily contend with.
"So he's the nephew of Commander Zhang and Commander Wu? What a heroic young man!"
The station manager understood the principle of "food-eaters Wei Junjie" very well, and even if he was offended by Lu Xingzhou, he did not intend to hold it against him.
"Mr. Lu, let it go this time, but you can't just start a fight at the train station again."
He took a step back, hoping the adults would be magnanimous and let Lu Xingzhou leave.
Lu Xingzhou, however, was not about to let it go, and pressed his cane forward again to press against his throat.
"Shouldn't you at least explain why I hit you? Shouldn't you apologize for your insults?"
Lu Xingzhou's history knowledge is decent.
It is very clear that the name "Shina" was originally just a transliteration of the Sanskrit word "cina".
However, when used by the Japanese, it became not only a derogatory term for China, but also a derogatory term exclusively for the Han Chinese.
Their deliberate use of this term to refer to Han Chinese, distinguishing them from Manchus and Mongols, implies an intention to divide China.
Hearing such a title, Lu Xingzhou was naturally furious.
But from the Japanese perspective, his actions were nothing short of provocation.
How dare a Chinese person make the stationmaster of the Great Japanese Empire apologize?
The lieutenant, feeling his authority over the Great Japanese Empire had been challenged, cursed loudly:
"Baka yarou!!"