radicalducati Chapter 208 The Bloody Retribution Against the Sassoon Family
Chapter 208 The Bloody Retribution Against the Sassoon Family
Chapter 161 Bloodstained Retribution! The Demise of the Sassoon Family
In the study of the Chen mansion, as soon as the telephone rang, Mo Huixin had already placed the account book on the table.
Mo Huixin said softly, "Young Master, the accounts confiscated during the crackdown have been verified. Although the Sassoon family has already been raided once, this time it wasn't too difficult. The main focus was on the warehouses, banks, land deeds, and secret accounts of the trading companies under the name of the Sassoon family. Everything that could be moved was sealed off. As for the things that couldn't be moved, people have been assigned to guard them."
Chen Zijun glanced at the numbers in the ledger, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.
"We have enough money."
Shen Li stood by the door, his military boots still speckled with mud from the night rain.
"Young Marshal, rest assured, I'm here." His voice was low. "The operations were carried out simultaneously at three locations: the Sha Wenli mansion, the Wai Du Bridge warehouse, and the Hongkou private residence. Anyone who resisted arrest with a gun was shot dead on the spot. The accountant, the steward, and the comprador—not a single one escaped."
Chen Zijun picked up his teacup.
"Only arrest the guilty. Women, children, and unrelated servants will be released after registration, and those willing to testify will be protected. What I want to settle is a blood debt, a drug debt, a debt of lives, not something for people to use as a pretext."
Shen Li nodded: "Understood. The chain of evidence has been sealed. Sister Lanzhi's people are personally overseeing it."
Mo Huixin opened the second account book.
"Young master, the first batch of confiscated cash amounted to £3.2 million, along with 27 chests of gold and 1.46 million silver dollars. There were also 17 land deeds, four dock warehouses, and shares in two ocean-going freighters. If converted to cash, this would bring in at least another £8 million."
"Hmm, it's alright."
Chen Zijun never expected that this was just one branch of the Sassoon family that hadn't been purged for its opium business last time, and whose direct lineage had been nominally cleaned up, yet still possessed such great wealth.
Chen Zijun clicked his tongue.
Good guy.
These people talk a civilized game, but their cellars are full of ill-gotten gains. In later times, they'd be making financial headlines several times over.
Hurried footsteps came from outside the study.
Moranzhi pushed open the door and came in, her gloves damp.
"Young master, Sha Wenli has been cornered at the tunnel entrance. He has six armed guards who fired first. The guards returned fire, killing all the guards. Sha Wenli has been captured alive."
Chen Zijun looked up: "Stubborn, aren't you?"
"He was tough at first. But after seeing the three-way assassination agreement and the accountant's confession, his legs went weak." Mo Lanzhi said calmly, "He revealed two secret compartments. Inside were receipts from the military attaché's office of the Japanese consulate in Shanghai, as well as contact information for Chang's secret agents."
Shen Li sneered: "This is what a tycoon of a trading company is like? He's more arrogant than anyone else when the gun isn't pointed at his head. But once the gun is pointed at him, he can't even stand up straight."
Chen Zijun put down his teacup.
"Public trial. Display all the evidence, including the opium records, human smuggling records, and assassination records. Prepare a complete set of evidence tonight, and hold the trial tomorrow morning, with sentencing in the afternoon. Those who should be executed should be executed, and those that should be confiscated should be confiscated. The day after tomorrow, I want to see a definitive conclusion on this matter in all the newspapers in Shanghai!"
"yes!"
Earlier that same night, the Chauvin estate was brightly lit.
The searchlights of the German-equipped Guards regiment shone on the iron gate, and machine guns were mounted on the roofs of armored vehicles. Just as the manor guards poked their guns out, three light machine guns swept across them simultaneously.
Da da da!
Sparks flew wildly off the wall.
"Put down your gun!"
"Chen's army has been ordered to investigate the assassination case!"
"If they dare to resist again, shoot them on the spot!"
A comprador's steward, terrified, knelt on the porch, repeatedly shouting, "I confess! I confess! There's a secret door to the underground wine cellar, and the account books aren't in the study, they're under the well behind the stable!"
Shen Li waved his hand.
"lead the way."
Twenty minutes later, one metal box after another was carried out of the tunnel. The lids were pried open, and the gold bars gleamed coldly under the light.
A young staff officer took a breath.
"Chief of Staff, so many?"
Shen Li did not smile.
"Is it a lot? Every single gold bar here is stained with the blood of the people. Register it, seal the box, and send it to the garrison command. Anyone who dares to take it will be court-martialed!"
"yes!"
At 2 a.m., at the British Consulate General.
Bardon burst into the office in his bathrobe, his face deathly pale.
There are three things on the table.
A copy of the tripartite assassination agreement.
A stack of remittance receipts from the Sullivan & Co.
There was also a military badge taken from a Japanese assassin. Fortunately, these fanatical and die-hard militarists in the military thought it was just training and didn't take it seriously, which is why they were able to capture it.
The secretary whispered, "Consul General, the Chen family army says they want an answer before dawn."
Baldon's mouth twitched.
"Attitude? They've put a knife to my throat!"
The secretary didn't dare to respond.
The phone suddenly rang.
Bardon shuddered and grabbed the receiver.
"General Chen?"
On the other end of the phone, Chen Zijun's voice was very calm.
"Mr. Barton, the evidence that Chauvin hired someone to assassinate a Chinese military and political leader, colluding with the Japanese military and Chang's secret agents, is already on your desk. British Consulate, will you protect him, or will you sever ties with him?"
Baldon was sweating.
"General Chen, this is purely Chauvin's personal crime! The British Empire will never support such despicable behavior!"
"Only verbal statements?"
"No, no!" Barton hurriedly said, "The consulate will issue a statement before dawn. Chauvin and all those involved will not receive any diplomatic asylum. The British Chamber of Commerce will also suspend their membership."
Chen Zijun gently tapped the table.
"Anything else?"
Baldon closed his eyes.
He knew what Chen Zijun wanted.
With Sha Wenli down, the Hardoon family can take over a lot of vacant businesses. For him, protecting Sha Wenli is not beneficial; cutting ties will allow him to survive, and perhaps even survive better.
The Sassoon family were merely subjects of the British Empire, not even noblemen.
But the Hartung family is his wife's maternal family!
"I have a list here," Barton said, his voice dry. "It includes Chauvin's hidden warehouses, safes, secret radio stations, and several money laundering brokers in the concession. I can give it to you."
Chen Zijun smiled.
"Mr. Baldon, your British Empire has always been very clever, and so have you Englishmen!"
The phone hangs up.
Bardon leaned on the edge of the table, his legs so weak he almost fell to the ground.
Bullshit Englishmen, I'm Scottish, Scottish, Scottish!
Seeing the consul's expression, the secretary cautiously asked, "Sir, how should the statement be written?"
Barton abruptly looked up: "Write! Write it now! Chauvin committed a personal crime, and the British Consulate respects the Chen family's decision to investigate according to the law! Also, call the Hardoon family and tell them to withdraw all their people tonight. Don't let them touch Chauvin's wrecked ship!"
At daybreak, all the major newspapers in Shanghai received the news simultaneously.
The evidence against the Chauvin & Co. firm for allegedly hiring assassins, colluding with foreign enemies, smuggling opium, and trafficking people is conclusive.
The British consulate announced that it would not grant asylum.
The British and American Chambers of Commerce announced the suspension of Chauvin's family's extrajudicial and diplomatic immunity status and other qualifications.
Even more ruthless, Chen Jiajun posted the account book summary and a copy of the tripartite agreement on the notice board in Fuxing District.
The crowd of onlookers completely blocked the street entrance.
"Pah! So they were the ones selling opium!"
"Human trafficking... Over the years, how many of our brothers and sisters have been sold like pigs? It's so evil..."
"You're even hiring someone to kill Marshal Chen? You're asking for trouble!"
"Chen's army fought well this time! These people who eat other people's food should be wiped out!"
In the afternoon, the temporary courtroom opened.
When Sha Wenli was brought in, the arrogance of the previous night was gone from his face.
The judge read out the charges.
"Opium smuggling."
"Human trafficking."
"Funding assassinations."
"Colluding with foreign enemies."
"Harboring armed guards and resisting arrest, firing shots."
Each time a statement was read aloud, the audience erupted in a chorus of curses.
Chauvin's lips trembled: "I'm British, you can't treat me like this!"
Chen Zijun sat in the first row of the audience and looked up at him.
"On my turf, you traffic Chinese people, sell opium, hire assassins, and you think you can use your foreign identity as a shield?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it silenced the entire room.
"Sha Wenli, remember this: I set the rules in Shanghai!"
The verdict has been delivered.
The ringleader, Sha Wenli, and key members involved in the assassination, smuggling, and armed resistance to arrest were sentenced to death.
All illegal assets shall be confiscated.
All family members and accomplices, including his two illegitimate children, shall be executed by firing squad!
Those who were coerced into being accomplices will be subject to review by the military court.
The accountants and servants who are willing to testify will be dealt with separately.
When the gunshots rang out at the execution ground, newsboys in Shanghai were already running all over the streets.
"Breaking News! Breaking News! The Southeastern Front Army challenges the Japanese military!"
"Commander-in-Chief Chen Yuhe personally sent a telegram questioning Japan about whether it wanted war!"
Inside the Chen mansion, Chen Yuhe's telegram was slammed on the table, and his father's voice came through the phone.
"Zijun, the telegram has been sent all over the country. The Japanese will either back down or start a war this time."
Chen Zijun looked at the Wusongkou, Zhoushan, and East China Sea shipping routes on the map, his eyes darkening.
"They'll admit defeat, but they won't behave."
Shen Li asked, "What does the young marshal mean?"
"The Japanese like to play dirty tricks. The Chang'an side won't just stand by and watch." Chen Zijun tapped the nautical chart. "Then let's not wait for them to make their move."
Mo Huixin walked in holding the latest bill.
"Young Marshal, the confiscated funds, after deducting funds for resettlement and witness protection, exceed fifty million pounds."
Current available funds: £59,360,000
[Immediately available for procurement: 6 submarines, 4 destroyers, 12 sets of coastal defense artillery, and 24 naval torpedo bombers]
Chen Zijun stared at the panel and sneered.
"Since the Japanese like to play dirty tricks, then prepare to welcome our new warships in the East China Sea!"
He turned and gave the order.
"Notify the Wusongkou Shipyard. A batch of warships and submarines I obtained through special channels are arriving soon. Tell them to prepare to receive them and begin refitting immediately!"
"Notify the Military Intelligence Bureau again to keep a close watch on the Chang-affiliated spy network."
"If they dare to lay a hand on me, I'll smash it to pieces, bones and all!"