Fortune

by Ian Hamilton

  Uncle wasn’t sure he had a problem or, even if he did, that it would have a negative impact on the businesses in Shenzhen. What he did know was that if it did and he hadn’t warned the family, the repercussions would be unpleasant in the extreme.

  The phone in Beijing rang five times. Uncle was preparing to leave a short message when Liu Leji finally came on the line.

  “I apologize for calling so late, but there’s an issue here that I thought you should know about,” Uncle said.

  “My wife and aunt are in Shenzhen. Has something happened that should cause me to be concerned about them?” Liu asked.

  “No, the issue is here on the Hong Kong side. There is restlessness among some of the triad gangs, and it’s threatening to turn into a broader and perhaps more violent confrontation.”

  “That isn’t how you operate. Why are you involved in something like that?”

  “Nothing has happened yet, but there are signs that it might,” Uncle said. “And our involvement won’t be voluntary. I have a hunch we’ve been targeted for an attack. If that happens, we’ll have to defend ourselves.”

  “We can’t afford to lose you,” Liu said quickly. “Personal feelings aside, it would cause massive disruption to our businesses.”

  “That’s why I’m calling,” Uncle said. “My hunch might be wrong, but in case I’m right, I want you to know that the business end of things on our side will continue. If for any reason I’m taken out of circulation, Hui, my White Paper Fan, will take over. And if anything should ever happen to him, John Tin, president of the Kowloon Light Industrial Bank, has delegated authority.”

  “John manages my aunt’s financial affairs.”

  “That’s correct. I introduced him to your aunt and he has performed well for her. I know she has confidence in him.”

  “Even so, she wouldn’t like his direct involvement in our business to become necessary. Like me, she would much prefer the status quo,” Liu said. “What’s behind this triad restlessness?”

  “One of the Mountain Masters from a large Kowloon gang believes the triads could be targeted by the PLA or some other Chinese security force after the handover by the British,” Uncle said. “He claims the best way to prevent that is to create larger gangs, and the best way to create larger gangs is to take over smaller ones. All the large gangs are on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon. The smaller ones are in the New Territories. We could all be targets.”

  “That’s an absurd assumption,” Liu said angrily.

  “Which part?” asked Uncle.

  “The notion that triads would be threatened by the PLA or any other Chinese force,” Liu said. “Has no one bothered to read the basic terms and conditions of the handover?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “If they did, they would see that under the ‘one country, two systems’ policy, the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China will have no enforcement role in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Police Force will be officially independent from it.”

  “Maybe there’s some skepticism on this side.”

  “More like foolishness.”

  “I’m not in a position to argue with you,” Uncle said. “All I can tell you is what’s being used as motivation. If I had a way of disproving it, I would.”

  “I’ll poke around here,” Liu said. “If there’s the slightest fact to justify your colleagues’ fears, I’ll let you know. If there isn’t, I’ll see what I can come up with that might convince them they’re wrong.”

  “I didn’t call to ask you to get involved.”

  “Uncle, we’re partners. Over the years you’ve shouldered most of the responsibilities that entails. Let me do this for you.”

  “Okay, and thank you,” Uncle said.

  “Let’s stay in touch,” Liu said.

  Uncle put down the phone. Maybe Leji could come up with something that would debunk Man’s rationale for expansion, but even if he did, would Man listen? Uncle thought not. He had wanted to say that to Leji, but it would have sounded unappreciative.

  He rested his head against the back of the chair, closed his eyes, and wondered what things would be like in a week. “Gui-San,” he muttered, “I think I’m going to be tested again. The past ten years have been peaceful, and I’m afraid that’s about to end. I just hope we’re up to meeting whatever challenge is thrown at us. I don’t doubt our determination, but the gang hasn’t been involved in real conflict since the last time Wu tried to move into Fanling. Now we’re all older and we have more to lose. Will that make us hesitant? Have our comfortable lives dulled our instinct to survive? Help me, Gui-San. Help me make the right decisions. Help me keep this family intact.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Uncle spent the night in his chair. After talking to Liu, he had another beer and smoked half a pack of cigarettes as he thought about Man and Wu and the problems they might present. At some point he fell asleep. When he woke, the sun was up and it was almost eight o’clock. “Damn it,” he said, annoyed at the disruption of his normal routine. He made an instant coffee, drank it quickly, and hurried into the bathroom. Twenty minutes later he left his apartment to walk to Jia’s Congee.

  He stopped at the newsstand to buy his newspapers and flinched when he saw the headlines. Nearly every paper had some variation of Sing Tao’s “Triad War Erupts in Kowloon and Young Female Dies in Macau.” He wondered if he’d hear from Zhang Delun again. The HKPF and the OCTB were notoriously sensitive to media proclamations about lawlessness. Would these be enough to push the force into action?

  “You’re late,” Jia said when he reached the restaurant. “I was beginning to wonder if you were coming.”

  “I went to Happy Valley last night and then I had to deal with a few problems when I got back.”

  She looked at the newspapers, nodded, and said, “According to them, things seem to be getting out of control.”

  “Sensational headlines sell papers.”

  “Still, a lot of people have been talking about the little girl.”

  “That was a tragedy. I’m sure something will be done to help compensate the family.”

  “That won’t bring her back.”

  “My dear Jia, I come here for my breakfast, not to be lectured about the failings of my colleagues,” Uncle said.

  She lowered her head. “I apologize, Uncle. That was rude on my part. What would you like with your congee this morning?”

  “Today I’ll have it plain, with just soy sauce and white pepper. That suits my mood.”

  At nine-fifteen he left the restaurant and made his way to the office. As he got to the top of the stairs, he saw that Hui, Pang, and Fong were already there.

  “Good morning, guys,” Uncle said. “Fong, is everyone available for the three o’clock meeting?”

  “Yes, boss, and Yu is back, so we’ll have the full committee.”

  “Excellent. And did you have any success finding a meeting venue?”

  “Not yet, but I’m working on it.”

  “Let me know when you come up with something,” Uncle said. “In the meantime, I’m going to make some calls from my office. I don’t want to be disturbed unless it’s an absolute emergency.”

  Uncle went into his office and settled behind his desk. He took a notepad and a Pelikan fountain pen from a drawer and began to make a list of New Territories Mountain Masters.

  Sai Kung — Ng

  Mong Kok — Poon

  Sha Tin — He

  Tai Po — Deng (Kan)

  Yuen Long — Ching

  Tsuen Wan — Chow

  Sha Tau Kok — Lee

  Mai Po — Tan

  The only name not on the list was Wu.

  Uncle’s first call was to Ng. “I spent most of the night thinking about what we discussed, and about how the gangs in the Territories should respond to Man,” h
e began. “Do you have time to listen to a few of my ideas?”

  “I have all the time you need,” Ng said.

  Half an hour later, Uncle moved on to the second name on his list. Initially Poon agreed only reluctantly to listen to what Uncle had to say, but the moment he heard what Ng and Uncle had discovered about Man’s plans, he became eager to co-operate. Conversations with He, Kan, and Ching took up the rest of the morning. Just after twelve, Uncle left his office to go to the bathroom.

  Fong saw him and walked over quickly. “I think I’ve found a place for your meeting,” he said. “The White Jade Restaurant has a private dining room that can accommodate more than a hundred people.”

  “Reserve it for the entire day tomorrow. I’m not sure yet what time we’ll actually need it for, but let’s tie it up. Also, ask the owner if he can arrange a lunch for sixty people on short notice,” Uncle said.

  “Okay, boss.”

  “And Fong, can you do me a favour? I’d love a coffee from the café across the street. Could you get me one?”

  “Sure,” said Fong.

  When Uncle returned to his office, he called Ng again. “Does the White Jade Restaurant in central Fanling at one o’clock tomorrow afternoon work for you?”

  “It does.”

  “Excellent. I’ve already spoken to Poon, He, Ching, and Kan, Deng’s Straw Sandal, and all of them are prepared to join us. Can you call them for me with the meeting details while I try to reach the other Mountain Masters?”

  “I’d be pleased to,” Ng said.

  At five to three Uncle finished his last call. He had managed to speak to everyone on his list except Lee in Sha Tau Kok, for whom he had left a message stressing that it was important for them to talk. He then walked over to the boardroom, where the six other members of the executive committee were already seated at the table.

  “I made the reservation at the White Jade,” Fong said as Uncle entered. “The owner says lunch for sixty people is no problem.”

  “Lunch for sixty people? What’s going on?” Tian asked.

  Uncle took a San Miguel from the ice bucket and sat down at the table. “I’ll talk about the lunch in a few minutes. I want to begin by saying that we are potentially facing the greatest challenge we have had as a gang since the day I took the oath.”

  “Wang mentioned something about Wu making trouble again,” Tian said.

  “I wish it were as simple as dealing with that, but Wu’s only a small part of the problem,” Uncle said. “I believe that Man and at least two other Kowloon gangs have decided that the triads in the New Territories are ripe for the picking. Yin’s foray into Macau was the start of a planned expansion. They want more turf. They want more men. They want more money. Man says that only bigger, stronger gangs will be able to fend off the Communists after the handover. Taking us over is his strategy for achieving that growth.”

  No one spoke. Finally Hui asked, in a voice full of concern, “How do you know this?”

  “Is it for certain?” Yu added.

  “There are rumours that Ng, Fong, and I have been trying to confirm. Last night Ng spoke to someone close to Man and got what he considers to be confirmation,” Uncle said. “But even if it isn’t certain, we can’t take the risk of ignoring the possibility. We have to prepare for the Kowloon gangs making a move against the Territories.”

  “I’m the oldest of us, and even I can’t remember the last major gang war,” Tian said. He stared across the table at Uncle. “You’re completely serious about all this?”

  “Unfortunately, I am.”

  “That fucking Man,” Tian said.

  “I’ve also been told that Wu has cut some kind of deal with Man,” Uncle added. “I imagine he’s been promised that his turf will be left alone and that he’ll get a piece of our action if he helps take us down.”

  “I have my men on alert, and Uncle has authorized me to use Blue Lanterns. So we’ll have about eighty men on the street if Wu tries anything,” Wang said.

  “Man’s gang has more than two hundred soldiers,” Yu said. “If he joins Wu, we’ll be hopelessly outnumbered.”

  Uncle held up his right hand. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” he said. “After observing what’s going on in Macau and parsing what Ng told me about Wu’s possible involvement, I don’t believe there’s any immediate threat of a direct attack. I think their strategy will be to trick us into being the aggressor. Yin’s people went to Macau and goaded the local gang into initiating the violence there. When they did, Yin used that as an excuse to retaliate by killing their Red Pole. The Macanese responded by killing a couple of Yin’s men in Kowloon last night. I think Yin will be back in Macau tonight or tomorrow to take out even more of the Macanese.”

  “A slow and steady escalation of violence that Yin can claim is justified,” Hui said.

  “Exactly, and we should expect them to adopt the same approach in the Territories. I’ve been told Man might use Wu as a stalking horse, which is why I’ve told Wang to make sure our men don’t overreact if Wu’s men make an appearance in Fanling,” Uncle said. “But at the same time I want our men to be equipped to handle anything, so I’ve asked Wang to make sure we have the best weapons we can get our hands on. Do any of you have objections to spending on weapon upgrades?”

  “None whatsoever,” Yu said. “Wang should be free to buy whatever he thinks he needs.”

  When Uncle saw the other committee members nodding in agreement, he said, “Hui, make sure Wang has all the money he needs.”

  “I won’t waste it,” Wang said.

  “I know you won’t . . . and that brings me to the lunch,” Uncle said, reaching for another beer. He opened it, took a swig, and leaned forward. “I’ve invited every Mountain Master in the New Territories — except for Wu, and Lee, who I haven’t reached yet — to attend a lunch meeting tomorrow at the White Jade Restaurant. I’ve already explained to them what Ng and I believe to be Man’s plans, and I’ve told them how I think we should organize ourselves to respond to the threat. A few of them were alarmed, but others don’t want to believe there’s a threat. However, they’ve all agreed to come.”

  “You said lunch for sixty,” said Tian.

  “I told the Mountain Masters they should bring their Red Poles and as many other members of their executive committee as they see fit,” said Uncle. “I would like all of you to be there as well.”

  “What’s the purpose of the meeting, boss?” Pang asked.

  “It may be an easy feat to pick off one gang, but it’s quite another to take on nine.”

  “You’re going to propose an alliance of all nine gangs?” Yu asked.

  “The word alliance implies a deeper level of commitment than the other gangs might be willing to make. I prefer to think of it as a mutual defence pact. Attack one of us, you attack us all.”

  “But Uncle, how can that work? The gangs are all different sizes and have different degrees of strength. How could each one’s contribution ever be equitable?” Yu asked.

  “We’ll have to come up with a formula.”

  “And some of them hate each other,” Tian said. “It’s hard to imagine, for example, Tai Po and Sha Tin coming to each other’s assistance.”

  “I know there are concerns we’ll have to address, but I’m relying on the fact that whatever problems exist among us are completely dwarfed by the threat the Kowloon gangs represent,” Uncle said. “Think of us as a large family. As with any large family there may be issues among the members, but when an outsider threatens, the family closes ranks.”

  “Uniting this group will not be easy,” Tian said, shaking his head. “But if anyone can do it, you can, Uncle. And you know you have our complete support.”

  “Thank you. Are there any more questions or comments?”

  “Yes. If sixty people actually attend the meeting, how do you expect to keep it secre
t?” Hui asked.

  “I don’t, and that’s one of the reasons I want so many to attend. Word will spread, and if Kowloon knows we’re supporting each other, it might give them pause.”

  “Or it might cause them to attack us before we’re able to reach an agreement,” Wang said.

  “That is something I’ve considered, but it’s a risk we’ll have to take,” said Uncle.

  There was a loud knock on the boardroom door, and everyone’s head swung in that direction.

  “They know not to disturb a committee meeting,” Fong said, irritated. He went to the door and opened it. Lau, Wang’s deputy Red Pole, stood in the frame. “What is it?” Fong snapped.

  “There’s been more trouble in Macau. I thought you should know,” Lau said.

  “What kind of trouble?” Wang asked.

  “There was a gun battle a few hours ago between the local gang and Yin’s men.”

  “In broad daylight?”

  “It’s worse than that. They went at each other in St. Paul’s Square, in front of hundreds of civilians. Luckily, it doesn’t seem that any of the civilians were hit.”

  Uncle knew the square in Macau. It was the historic centre of the city and a public gathering place. Any confrontation between those two gangs was bad news, but having it in front of the Ruins of St. Paul’s was foolish to the point of insanity.

  “That is absolute craziness!” Tian said, echoing Uncle’s thoughts. “When will this stupidity end?”

  Wang looked at Uncle. “This may be happening in Macau, but tomorrow the Hong Kong newspapers will be full of triad war stories.”

  “The OCTB will be all over it, and the cops will have to do something to show they’re in control here,” added Fong.