Brother Laohui.
Also known as the Pao Brother Society, it was known as the three major secret societies of the former dynasty along with Hongmen and Caobang. 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, 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 turbulent (separated) environment provided conditions for the semi-openness of the Ge Lao Hui.
After the failure of the Taiping Tianguo (separation) uprising and Li Lanqi (separation) uprising, the social order in cities along the Yangtze River Basin became even more turbulent.
A large number of refugees and retired regiment training soldiers joined the Ge Lao Association. These poor and powerless people became Pao Ge in order to seek support and mutual assistance.
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 is difficult to gain a foothold in society without joining the Ge Lao Association, and 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 was mixed with many members of the Ge Laohui.
As a result, the common people no longer regard Pao Gehui as a bandit organization. Instead, they regard Paoge as their backer and regard joining the Ge Laohui as an honor.
In terms of status, there are two types of Pao Ge. One is Hunshui Pao Ge who maintains the style of the green forest, dominates the mountains and becomes king, and makes a living by robbing.
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The other type is Qingshui Paoge who does not engage in theft, robbery, or use force to plunder other people's property. This type of people accounts for the majority of the Paoge organization.
After all, robbery (separation) is a technical job. Most people join the Ge Lao Association simply because they don't want to be bullied, so there is no need to take risks.
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.
As for whether this will have 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.
The road protection movement, the cause of the Xinhai (separation) that led to the demise of the previous dynasty, could not have been separated from Brother Pao's participation and help.
Most of the initiators of this movement had dual identities, including the leader Pao Ge, or Uncle Pao Ge, or Uncle Gunlong.
The reason why the road protection movement aroused a response across Sichuan was because of the appeal of these people, otherwise the impact would not have been so great.
When the blood (separation) incident occurred in Chengdu, the elders from all over the country were filled with indignation and led their men to revolt and support the separation of lives.
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 is worthy of its name.
Today, the other party's power has penetrated into all aspects of the mountain city and even Sichuan Province. The local people are either Pao Ge or on the way to becoming Pao Ge. This can be seen from one incident.
In the first year of the Republic of China, the then governor of Sichuan Province thought of a genius method after taking into account Pao Ge's active role in the Revolution of 1911 and the difficulty of controlling Pao Ge's team.
——If you can’t beat it, join it.
The Duke first established the Sichuan Pao Brother General Hall in the military government, named Dahan Gong, and then appointed himself as the chief helmsman. He called all the Pao brothers brothers and sisters, so that they could not be close (separated).
At that time, all government offices and police stations in Sichuan Province had set up branch halls. Every time a hall was opened, gongs and drums were beaten, suonas were blown, and firecrackers roared.
The police officers dressed themselves in heroic uniforms, with chicken feathers on their heads, loyalty belts around their waists, straw sandals on their feet, painted faces, lined up to welcome the chief helmsman and hung red hairpins on them.
For a moment, I couldn't tell whether the governor was an official or a wealthy man. 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.
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.
The number of participants in the Ge Lao Association among urban residents accounts for about 90% of adult men, and about 70% of rural participants. This is only an average figure.
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.
Of course, things usually have two sides. Most Pao Ge still inherited the original philosophy of Ge Lao Hui and put patriotism, loyalty, and defense of their family and country first.
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.
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 clearly revealed.
That's why Wu Chunyang is so distrustful of spies from southwest China, because no one knows whether they and their families are from Brother Pao.
Compared with Ge Laohui, Ma Tianchang, the boss of the Jinling Cao Gang, is a younger brother. They are both well-known figures in the world. Why is there such a big gap?
After Zuo Zhong recalled the information, he walked around Caoting's study a few times, then raised his hand to pick up the microphone on the table and connected the internal circuit of the attendant's room.
"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, 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, okay."
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.
"Just do what you want, go to Bai Wenzhi and ask him to disperse all the people, get familiar with the mountain city in the shortest possible time, and cooperate with your actions.
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 commander will suggest that the Ministry of Internal Affairs streamline the team.
I'll go out with that guy when Guangdong arrives. If there's anything urgent, you can go to Haitang Creek Pier to find me. Okay, you can continue your investigation. "
"yes."
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?"
"No, that's enough." Zuo Zhong noticed that his shirt was dry, so he buttoned up his collar and said with squinted eyes, "We're going to pay homage to the pier. If there are too many people, people will think we are insincere."
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 a flash of inspiration came to him, and he couldn't help but feel happy.
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.
"I understand."
He replied with a smile, saluted and turned around to leave. Smart people are smart people, and they guessed Zuo Zhong's intention without saying anything.
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.
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 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.
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.
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. Business is extremely prosperous.
Shops are lined up near the pier, ships are crowded along the river, passengers waiting to ferry are queuing up, pedestrians are rushing in and out, and long-distance buses that are hard to see in other places can be seen everywhere.
Countless vendors took advantage of the geographical location to start small businesses. They placed bamboo baskets on the roadside and shouted in clear voices unique to Sichuan people.
"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..."
"Roasted rice, sugar, boiling water... lotus root powder, noodle tea... salt tea, eggs..."
"Selling-white sugar cake!"
Such a market atmosphere full of life attracts passing outsiders to stop and buy a piece of local snacks to fill the Five Zang Temple or satisfy their appetites.
Among the people coming and going, two young men wearing double-breasted cotton coats and large trousers squatted 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.
The two of them were Zuo Zhong and Gui Youguang, who was called by his phone. After looking at it for a long time, Gui Youguang found nothing and asked a question with some confusion.
"Vice-in-charge, what are we doing?"
"Be patient, this is called asking for directions."
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.
"The other party is a secret society, and the meeting places have their own rules and locations. Teahouses like this one near the docks and stations are mostly Pao Ge's public offices, which are the external contact points.
Seekers must use stones, hand towels or umbrellas to form special (separated) patterns at the door or in the store according to relevant customizations, called road symbols, and the local Pao Ge will come forward.
For example, if I arrange the stones into a regular triangle, and knowledgeable members of 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. "
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 skin hat walking slowly to the road signs.
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.
"As soon as you see the treasure on the road, please come here to visit the hero. In the past, the Taoyuan Three were sworn brothers, and later to pay homage to Zhao Zilong."
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."
The middle-aged man with a goatee had no expression on his face and tried again: "Thirty-eight and twenty-one, together they make one case."
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."
This kind of gap between brothers is called the right road. After the right road is completed, the owner will basically agree to ask for help whether he is in trouble or lacks money.
After receiving the correct answer, the middle-aged man with the goatee finally smiled: "You know it without asking. Everyone has their own reasons. Why do you guys come to the mountain city? Just tell me."
After speaking, he stretched out his hand to signal Zuo Zhong and the two of them to talk inside. When a commoner next to him heard these words of conversation, he quickly lowered his head and left. This clearly shows the great power of the Ge Lao Hui in the mountain city.
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.
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 a visit.
As a new arrival, it is 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 his intention in the standard mountain city dialect, his words were full of quackery, and then he 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 faded little by little until it became cold.
