Du Yuesheng nodded, without revealing a single thread of expression.

  Wang Zhenyu smiled: "I have a batch of goods that may need Brother Du's help, and I'll go to the dock at the bottom of the rental district."

  "What goods?" Du Yuesheng asked directly.

  "Gunfire" Wang Zhenyu slowly spat out these two words, and on the spot, Du Yuesheng looked at him with a few more eyes. As for Liu Hongsheng, he knew Wang Zhenyu's bottom line, but he was afraid of things that could not be stained, and when he heard it, his eyebrows jumped twice.

  "It can't be done, the arms trade in Shanghai is only handled by foreigners and Huang Laoban, you overestimate me." After finishing speaking, Du Yuesheng was about to get up and leave, this was his rule as a person, if something couldn't be done, he wouldn't drag it out.

  "Du brother is going to spend the rest of his life relying on others." Wang Zhenyu had expected Du Yuesheng to refuse, and directly dropped a heavy bombshell.

  "What virtue or ability does Du have? Boss Huang treated me well, nowadays I'm very satisfied with my life." Du Yuesheng said this with a straight face, but his butt, which had already left the sofa, returned to its original position.

  This detail naturally did not escape Wang Zhenyu's notice. A big shot is a big shot after all, and his ambition is naturally greater than that of ordinary people.

  "Mr. Du, don't get me wrong, I didn't plan to let my friend do anything disloyal or unfilial. Like you, Wang is also a man of his word." Wang Zhenyu stood up with a smile "However, Wang plans to invest in some small business in Shanghai, and just now he basically reached an agreement with Liu. But as you know, Du, the world is tough, no matter what you do, you need support from all sides. Without friends, it's hard to get by!"

  Du Yuesheng also knew the score: "That's right, with many friends on the road, it's easier to walk. However, Du is just a humble doorman at Huang Gongguan's place, and his current status relies entirely on Mr. Huang's face. I'm afraid he can't bear the weight of Brother Wang's kindness."

  The meaning is very clear, we just met for the first time, why should I trust you?

  Wang Zhenyu thought to himself, it seems that if he didn't show some sincerity, this arms deal would likely fall through. He had initially thought things were too simple when he was in Nanjing, thinking that finding an acquaintance and using his connections would be enough to get rid of the batch of arms. Now it seemed that things weren't so easy. In Shanghai's underworld, besides gambling and drugs, the most lucrative business was indeed arms trafficking. Du Yuesheng hadn't even heard the quantity yet and had already directly refused him; if he really heard there were a million guns, he would probably leave immediately.

  Thinking of this, Wang Zhenyu suddenly felt that he had to bring down Du Yuesheng today. Not to mention anything else, this man was famous for his boldness and meticulousness in history. With such a large amount of military supplies, if there wasn't someone reliable, Wang Zhenyu would rather not know or ask about it, letting it rot in the arsenal. After all, according to his own plan, he could persuade Huang Xing, and this was a risk worth 3 million taels of silver, how could he be careless?

  Besides, if it had succeeded, perhaps history would have been altered, at the very least Liu Hongsheng would have become the "Coal King" earlier and Du Yuesheng would have become the "Underworld Boss" earlier.

  Having figured this out, Wang Zhenyu immediately made up his mind.

  "Haha, Brother Du's words are reasonable to some extent, but I have a few unreasonable things to say here, everyone must not laugh." Wang Zhenyu began to show off his eloquence as a real estate agent in the future. "From the moment I saw Brother Du for the first time, I felt that both Brother Du and Brother Liu were not ordinary people, they are all capable of achieving great things. And I, being mediocre, know that only by befriending such friends can I stand firm in this world and make a living."

  Du Yuesheng's eyes lit up, but quickly dimmed, apparently thinking that this was an empty phrase. Of course, Wang Zhenyu didn't expect a few nice words to move people either, and there were still heavy bombs waiting in store.

  "Some feelings can't be proven with words. Mr. Wang is happy today, thinking about it, and can only treat you sincerely, hoping that both of you won't worry too much. For Liu's business, Mr. Wang invested 2 million yuan. As for the shares, Mr. Wang only took half, while Liu took 30% and Du took 20%. As for the management rights, Mr. Wang will act on behalf of Du, handing it over to Liu. I think by the end of the year when we distribute the dividends, Liu won't disappoint us either, right, Liu?"

  As soon as Wang Zhenyu finished speaking, the room fell silent. Du Yuesheng and Liu Hongsheng were both deep in thought with their heads bowed, while Ye Zuwen looked at Wang Zhenyu with a shocked expression. Only Ma Xi remained seated on the sofa, her face calm and composed, seemingly oblivious to what was happening around her.

  "Is this true?" After a pause, Liu Hongsheng finally came to his senses and said: "What kind of good thing is this in the world? Don't deceive us."

  Du Yuesheng hastily said: "Mr. Wang, you're being unreasonable, there's no reason to give away money for nothing, I, Du, dare not accept it."

  Hehe, it's just that you don't dare to take it, but not saying no means you're tempted. It seems that money is indeed a good thing, with this 2 million, maybe I can really make a breakthrough in Shanghai.

  "Gentlemen, at this gathering, don't you two understand King's intentions yet? King is a straightforward person, and this wealth to him is nothing but dirt. I'm being sincere in befriending the two of you. Brother Liu, Brother Du, if you refuse again, that would be looking down on me. King also has self-respect, if it's really looking down, then so be it, I'll leave."

  Du Yuesheng hastily said: "That's the way it is, Brother Wang has a generous heart, and that suits my temperament. Hongsheng, don't you think so?"

  As he spoke, Du Yuesheng glanced at Liu Hongsheng, who was already somewhat excited. Who wouldn't be out of control when encountering such a windfall?

  "Yes, yes, I Liu Hongsheng have been struggling in this Shanghai for several years. Originally thought that the only one who was urgent and righteous in this world was Brother Yuexia, but unexpectedly there is also Brother Zhenyu such a hero."

  "Wang brothers' great kindness, Du certain doing big brother also cannot be perfunctory. Today, Du certain will make a high climb once and become sworn brothers with Wang brothers for life and death. From now on, wherever there is a place that needs Du certain's help, if it's to help his brother frown slightly, let me die miserably with three knives and six holes!"

  "It's great, I also think that Brother Wang is a good person. The three of us are similar in age, why not follow the example of the Peach Garden Oath and become sworn brothers? As the eldest, I will naturally take the lead, followed by Moonlight." Liu Hongsheng was also inspired by the atmosphere and proposed the idea of the three men becoming sworn brothers. He is a sentimental person, it's rare for everyone to get along so well. As for Wang Zhenyu's military identity and Du Yuesheng's hooligan identity, he naturally ignored them."

  Wang Zhenyu was taken aback for a moment, Liu Hongsheng was still okay to say, he actually had to follow Du Yuesheng this big hooligan to make a vow, which is a very interesting thing. Originally planned to recruit two people to do things for themselves, did not expect that after a play, three visits to the thatched cottage didn't finish singing and directly jumped back to the Peach Garden Oath of the Three.

  "Du Erge said so, what else can Wang Mou say? The two brothers are above, and the younger brother pays his respects." Wang Zhenyu immediately bowed to the two of them. "From now on, we are brothers, and if there is anything, we should not keep it from each other. In fact, my true identity as the third brother is a military man, the commander of the 9th Division of the Xiang Army. From now on, we are brothers, regardless of status or position, whether rich or poor, for one day, for a lifetime, we are all brothers."

  "Well said! Well said! Bring wine!" Du Yuesheng shouted loudly.

  Liu Hongsheng's steward brought up wine with great understanding, and the three of them made a blood oath in their cups, drinking together to seal their alliance.

  Ye Zuwen was left speechless and could only admire Wang Zhenyu's generosity and social skills.

  After the swearing-in ceremony, things became easier. Liu Hongsheng accepted Wang Zhenyu's 20 million yuan investment and established the Hongsheng Company, but he only agreed to hold a 10% stake personally. Du Yuesheng also only held a 10% stake, with the remaining 80% going to Wang Zhenyu. Wang Zhenyu then decided to give up another 10%, which greatly pleased the two brothers.

  As for the military supplies, Du Yuesheng took the initiative to take charge of this transfer. He was so generous that he didn't even ask about the quantity, saying that whatever San Ge had, they would take that much, and everything would be taken care of by Er Ge. Wang Zhenyu paid him a commission of 10%, which was already very low. According to Du Yuesheng's temperament, he wouldn't have wanted this 10% in the first place. It was only because Wang Zhenyu persuaded him, saying that they were good brothers and that the younger brothers who did the legwork would need some expenses, that he reluctantly accepted.

  At that time, the sworn brotherhood of the three was actually based on interests. It takes time to form a true fraternal bond. Fortunately, later history proved that there is genuine affection between people.

  The next day, Liu Guojun rushed to Shanghai and temporarily stayed in Shanghai as Wang Zhenyu's agent to participate in the management of Hongsheng Company. Wang Zhenyu also made it clear that he should learn more, observe more, and understand various industries in Shanghai, which would be useful in the future. Liu Guojun was a man who knew what was good for him, and not only did Wang Zhenyu promise to invest and help him start his own company later on, but also paid him 200 yuan every month during his learning period at Hongsheng Company. At that time, even customs officials in Shanghai earned only 40 yuan per month, so Wang Zhenyu really treated himself as a talent, and there was no choice but to do his best.

  As for Wang Zhenyu, Du Yuesheng and Liu Guojun's sworn brotherhood, it was not included in the official history later, but it has been widely spread among the people, and has become an important material for the Shanghai Beach series of films and TV works, which has been remade countless times.

  The mighty Huangpu River rushes into the Yellow Sea. What flows is not the turbid river water, but the heroic blood that has been pulsating for a hundred years.

  Every person who comes to Shanghai to make a fortune has dreams and hopes, and getting ahead is their greatest motivation. However, in the cycle of rising and falling, some people become wealthy and successful, while others remain poor and lowly, and still, others end up with nothing, mediocre until the end, and even more so, fail and become someone else's stepping stone, sink into the Huangpu River, turn into a pile of white bones, and finally enter the belly of a fish.

  This is Shanghai, the Paris of the East, a paradise for adventurers, bearing the glory, dreams, suffering, failure and so on of countless people.

  The dock is where countless outsiders who come to Shanghai to make a living take off with their dreams.

  From the 16th pier to Yangjiadu, there are thirteen large and small docks in the French concession concentrated within this range. The piers here have Japanese ones, British ones, American ones, but among them, a larger one, Jinyongtai Pier belongs to the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company.

  The history of China Merchants Steam Navigation Company goes back a long way, all the way to the time of Li Hongzhang's Westernization Movement.

  Du Yuesheng brought Wang Zhenyu and his entourage to this historic dock today, but they didn't come to admire the history. Not far from Jin Yongtai Dock is a three-story teahouse, which has been around for so many years that it's hard to say exactly how old it is. Anyway, Du Yuesheng and Wang Zhenyu chose a window seat with a view of the entire dock while chatting and laughing, and sat down. The entourage also took their seats, but they were all very cautious, positioning themselves in such a way that they surrounded Du Yuesheng and Wang Zhenyu.

  Although he agreed to replace Wang Zhenyu in this arms deal, there was an objective difficulty. In 1912, Du Yuesheng was not yet the big shot who would make Shanghai tremble with a single sentence, his power at this stage had not yet formed a climate, and at least it had not developed to the point where everything was just a casual remark. Du Yuesheng's current position in the underworld was entirely supported by Huang Jinrong's great banner, or in more colloquial terms, he was relying on the tiger's prestige.

  But in the entire process of arms trafficking, the most critical part is to have a dock, a dock completely under one's own control. However, before meeting Wang Zhenyu, this great god of wealth, Du Yuesheng's power was pitifully small, limited only to the casino handed over by Huang Jinrong.

  In order to develop himself and also to prove his skills to his newly sworn brother, taking over a dock had become Du Yuesheng's top priority.