20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 882 The Yellow Robe Scheme

Now, let's turn to the north of Fengtian City. This area isn't the Jiang family mansion, but rather the area around the outer city gate, which is quite far from the Jiang family's residence.

This place was originally Li the Whistleman's territory. Several streets were connected together, and there were many alleys. It was a large area, but there was not much money to be made there.

It's not because this place is deserted and lacks industry; quite the opposite, it's because the industry is so large and has reached such a scale that the gang's method of collecting protection money simply doesn't work here.

Because this place is close to the freight terminal of the Beijing-Fengtian Railway, quite a few companies have set up factories here.

Those that are considered top-tier, such as Dabei Clothing Factory, Bawangsi Soda Company, and Yuhua Textile Company, are not to be trifled with.

These large companies are backed by powerful and wealthy individuals. For thugs and hooligans to try and collect protection money is like an old man eating poison – they're just asking for trouble.

Otherwise, why would Whistle Li bother to engage in highway robbery?
Fortunately, this place is close to the town center, with a lot of people coming and going. There are plenty of opportunities for outsiders to snatch a bag or cheat someone.

However, robbery is ultimately a piecemeal business, and you can't earn much money from it.

What Whistle Li loved to do most was steal raw materials from the warehouses of those big companies and sell them for money.

This wasn't exactly a Rong family craft, nor did it involve any special skills. It was simply a matter of bribing the watchman guarding the storeroom beforehand, then sneaking in under the cover of darkness, carrying two bags, leaving them at home for a few days, and then selling them off once things seemed to be going smoothly.

However, there is one thing you must never do: try to do too much at once. Trying to do too much at once will only lead to failure and may even bring disaster upon yourself.

Do you want a full meal at one meal, or a full meal at every meal? You'd better think it through before you decide.

For large companies like those, losing a hundred or two kilograms of materials is no big deal. If they don't steal, the manager will; if the manager doesn't steal, the foreman will. Before taking action, think about whether it's a long-term solution; it's better for everyone.

If you cast a net and carry away a thousand or eight hundred pounds in one go, the nature of the operation changes, and the final result will inevitably be that no one makes any money, and you will also make a few more enemies.

This can probably be considered a kind of "honor among thieves".

The Jiang family decided to temporarily hand over this territory to the Kaoshan Gang.

At first, nobody wanted to come.

Everyone has been in the South City for over a decade and knows the place well, so naturally they don't want to change. Besides, Xiaoheyan is a bustling area where the brothers can make money just by setting up shop. Why bother to start all over again and open a new business?

Undoubtedly, the fan gang still longs for the territory that was originally Lao Dou's.

This is not surprising; just look at a map of Fengtian City and you'll understand everything.

Once they swallow that territory, the Fan Gang can be considered the sole dominant force in the southern part of the city.

But Xifeng didn't think that much, or rather, he was thinking about the interests of the Jiang family, not his personal gains and losses. So he scolded his underlings, saying, "The boss kindly gave you a piece of land, why are you still picking and choosing?"
Lai Zi was sensible; seeing that no one else wanted to go, he volunteered:

"Don't let Third Brother's good intentions go to waste. If no one wants to go, then I'll take some people with me!"

Hearing this, Xifeng felt gratified and secretly thought that Laizi had grown quite a bit and knew how to consider the big picture. He might even be promoted in the future.

That being said, when he actually got to that area in the north of the city, Lai Zi was completely unfamiliar with the place and was at a loss, not knowing how to make a living.

At the very least, they don't even have a place to live, and they run back and forth between the south and north of the city all day long, which is not acceptable.

Three days later, thanks to the introduction of He Zi online, I found a decent little courtyard in "Quyi Hutong" to settle down.

As darkness fell, an oil lamp was lit inside the house.

Lai Zi and the others sat around the heated kang, their eyes coldly fixed on Shou Yunzhang.

The assassination attempt on Jiang Lianheng had already caused a great stir in the city and was known to everyone. The Fan Gang had naturally learned about the situation long ago.

Upon hearing this news, everyone online immediately assumed that the Qin family had a powerful general preparing for revenge.

Shou Yunzhang had always followed Qin Huaimeng, so he naturally knew the implications of the matter. Now, standing under the kang (a heated brick bed), he trembled like a leaf and pleaded with a deathly pale face, "Master Lai, how many times do I have to say it before you believe me? Boss Jiang's assassination has absolutely nothing to do with me!"

“I know this has nothing to do with you. You’ve been with us the whole time these past three days, so of course you couldn’t arrange the assassination.” Lai Zi lit a cigarette, looked up and said, “I just want to ask you, do you know who did it? Are there any other brothers in the Qin family?”

Shou Yunzhang thought for a moment and said, "As for the other brothers, there are definitely still some. When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. There will always be a few who escape. But everyone comes out to make a living just to make a living. Now that Qin Huaimeng is dead, who would avenge him? How much of a relationship would that require?"

"Think it over again!" Lai Zi threatened. "If you deliberately conceal something, I'll have no choice but to hand you over to the Jiang family!"

Shou Yunzhang dared not delay, and racked his brains again, but still had no clue.

Given the current situation, seeking revenge for Qin Huaimeng would be a thankless and arduous task.

All he could think of were Lao Ye and Zhang Shuo, his two henchmen, who might disregard the consequences and be determined to avenge Qin Huaimeng.

The problem is that these two people are already dead. What's the point of talking about revenge when they're dead?
After a moment's consideration, Shou Yunzhang finally shook his head and said, "No, even if they did, they wouldn't assassinate Boss Jiang. To put it another way, the Jiang family claims to have a thousand or eight hundred brothers. If Boss Jiang really dies this time, how many members of the Jiang family would be willing to risk their lives to avenge him?"

That's a good question.

Lai Zi and the others couldn't help but think about it carefully for a while.

If Jiang Lianheng were to die from his injuries, Zhao Guoyan would have no ties to him and would be highly regarded by the Jiang family, so he would likely repay the favor with his life. Although Li Zhengxi has a wife and children, he is a man of great loyalty and righteousness and would certainly not let the matter rest.

These two people will definitely seek revenge.

As for the other brothers, although Dongfeng is loyal, with Jiang Lianheng dead, the Jiang family's wives and descendants will surely be entrusted to him. In order to preserve the Jiang family's lineage, he may not seek revenge, but instead lead Jiang Ya and the others to flee far away to avoid being killed.

Bei Fengguan was the most suitable person to seek revenge alone, but he was a soldier. Although his rank was not low, he was not yet powerful enough to command troops. On the battlefield, one is ultimately not in control of one's own destiny. When he could return was another matter. Even if he arrived in time, given his official rank, he would not have much influence in Fengtian City. If he wanted to take revenge, he would probably have to retire to his hometown first.

Of course, these are just speculations by Lai Zi and others, and whether they are accurate or not remains to be seen.

Some people mentioned Wang Caishen and Manager Xue again.

Lai Zi curled his lip and said, "They're both businessmen, the kind who're obsessed with their accounts—they value their lives!"

Everyone agreed that there was some truth to it, so they nodded and fell silent.

Shou Yunzhang continued, "See? The Jiang family has such power and so many brothers. When the empire collapses, you can count on your fingers the number of people willing to risk their lives to avenge their master. Others may not know Qin Huaimeng's capabilities, but do you think I don't? If he really had so many brothers who would die for him, he would have escaped Fengtian in the chaos long ago. Would he have been killed? Master Lai, I think this matter is mostly unrelated to the Qin family. We need to find another way to approach it."

Unexpectedly, Lai Zi waved his hand and said, "I don't care who did it, as long as it has nothing to do with the Qin family. If it really was the Qin family, I'm afraid I'll be implicated if I take you in."

Shou Yunzhang was taken aback, thinking to himself, "I thought you guys were going to avenge Boss Jiang. Turns out, this is what happened!"
In fact, Lai Zi and the others were more concerned about whether Jiang Lianheng was dead or not than about revenge.

People are discussing this extensively, and some are even itching to do something about it.

Now that the Fan Gang has been split in two, those who are willing to follow Lai Zi to settle down in the north of the city are naturally his loyal brothers.

This afternoon, many brothers went out to gather information, and now they are returning with all sorts of rumors circulating in the streets.

The man with the mole said, "The boss got shot twice; he's probably dead for sure."

Zhenzi said, "That's not necessarily true. I heard from the brothers on Shitou's side that they went to Shi Hospital to donate blood at noon. The boss is in a coma and his life is unknown."

The tinea man said, "The foreign doctor changed the blood of my employer, so my employer will no longer be the same employer."

Ma Zi asked, "Whether the boss is dead or alive, let's put that aside for now. Even if he comes back to life, he probably won't recover in a few months, right? So, can we go and take revenge on Tang Wenbiao?"

Everyone's eyes lit up, and they all said, "That's a good idea. Let's strike while he's down and kill him. Under the guise of avenging our master, Third Brother probably won't stop us. While things are in chaos, let's just take over all of Tang Wenbiao and Zeng Shouyi's territory. Then who will dare to look down on us?"

Shou Yunzhang felt increasingly uneasy as he listened, and he had the feeling that these people were hoping for Jiang Lianheng's death.

He hadn't known the Kao Shan Gang for long and didn't understand the grudges between them, so he couldn't help but interject, "Um... heroes, are you actually a branch of the Jiang family?"

"Nonsense! We all follow Third Brother. Third Brother is the backbone of the Jiang family, so of course we're part of the Jiang family's faction!"

"So you're... planning a rebellion?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

For some reason, everyone inexplicably held their breath, their throats clenched, afraid to exhale easily, and all turned their gazes to Lai Zi. Shou Yunzhang also looked at Lai Zi and asked, "Master Lai, what's the explanation?"

Lai Zi looked around, shook his head, and said, "My third brother has been incredibly kind to me, how could I possibly rebel? I just feel that the Jiang family is unfair!"

Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said, "That's right, that's right!"

Shou Yunzhang was puzzled, but after asking a couple more questions, he finally understood.

It turned out that the fan gang believed they had made a great contribution but had not received the reward and promotion they deserved. They also felt quite resentful because Tang Wenbiao had been pardoned by the Jiang family.

Ma Zi said resentfully, "We first helped escort the Jiang family's wives and relatives, and then we helped scare away the puppet regime. Such a great contribution, and we only got such a small reward. If you ask me, even if the Jiang family gave us half of their property, it wouldn't be too much, would it?"

Lai Zi immediately added, "Money doesn't matter, I mainly feel it's unfair to Third Brother!"

Everyone quickly replied, "That's right, that's right!"

Upon hearing this, Shou Yunzhang almost lost his composure. He thought to himself, "It is indeed your credit for escorting the Jiang family's convoy, but let's not talk about the puppet regime. That was all just a show for you. Do you really think that Lao Dou and the others are afraid of relying on the fan gang?"
Even so, given his current situation, he dared not reveal the truth, so he could only suppress his laughter and nod in agreement repeatedly.

Actually, this kind of thing is very common.

Whether it's a company or a gang, once the scale gets big, there will always be people who feel they've been treated unfairly.

You can't expect the top leader to always accommodate his subordinates, just as you can't expect the boss to always be considerate of the company's employees. Their interests are different, so their ideas will naturally differ. If the business is too big, those in positions of power and those in positions of power may even become strangers, with no one recognizing anyone else.

Ultimately, it all comes down to whether the person caught in the middle can coordinate the relationship between those above and below.

When coordinated well, everyone works together with one heart and one mind; when poorly coordinated, people become divided and disunited.

Lai Zi continued, "Third Brother is a good man in every way, except he's too righteous and a bit blindly loyal. He's wholeheartedly thinking about the Jiang family, but in the end, it's us brothers who suffer. Now I can see that the Jiang family doesn't respect us poor brothers at all. So let's just slack off from now on!"

Everyone nodded.

Shou Yunzhang never expected that although Qin Huaimeng was dead, his plan to sow discord among the Kaoshan Gang had already begun to show results.

This seems to be the inescapable fate of all gangs in the world—fratricide!
Shou Yunzhang nodded: "I understand, then we still have to rebel!"

Everyone immediately frowned and said, "Tsk! Why are you talking so rudely? What do you mean by rebelling? We're not going against the Jiang family, nor are we disowning Third Brother. We just want to find something to do. The Jiang family looks down on us, so can't we just stop bothering them?"

"Oh, so Li Shimin established his own government and military headquarters. Was it useful? In the end, didn't the Xuanwu Gate Incident still lead to his father being overthrown?"

"Who does Li Shimin think he is, to be so outrageous?"

Shou Yunzhang clicked his tongue, thinking to himself that he couldn't understand a conversation with these lousy bastards.

After thinking it over, he turned his attention to Lai Zi, went over, and sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). He then jumped up suddenly and asked, "Uncle Lai, may I sit here?"

"sit!"

Lai Zi tossed him a cigarette and continued, "Mr. Shou, I won't lie to you. We brothers are all illiterate and clueless. All we know is shit. We have no ideas. I invited you here because I wanted you to give me some advice. If you sincerely help me, I'll put in a good word for you with Third Master."

"Thank you for your kind offer. May I be so bold as to say a few words?"

"Just tell me!"

Shou Yunzhang stroked his beard and nodded, then said in a low voice, "Master Lai, please don't mind my harsh words. With your current strength, becoming a regional warlord is basically just a matter of four words!"

"Just around the corner?"

"wishful thinking!"

"Hey, why are you looking down on people?" Pockmarked man said indignantly, slamming his hand on the kang table. "Let me tell you, our brothers in the fan gang, if we prepare in advance, can easily muster two or three hundred men. How can you be so delusional?"

Shou Yunzhang frowned and immediately retorted, "Are those your men? They're Master Li's men!"

Ma Zi wanted to argue a bit more, but Lai Zi immediately interrupted, "Don't talk nonsense, let's hear what Mr. Shou has to say first!"

Shou Yunzhang is now a stray dog. The only reason he survived is because Lai Zi didn't betray him. In other words, the better Lai Zi does, the safer he is. So, he is naturally doing his best to assist him.

"Brother Lai, if you want me to offer some advice, then you have to tell me the truth: what exactly is your relationship with Third Master Li?"

"He's the elder brother, and I'm the younger brother. As long as I can make a name for myself, I'll do anything you ask, just don't make me become Tang Wenbiao!"

As the leper spoke, he looked around, which made the brothers nod in agreement.

Shou Yunzhang squinted for a moment, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Alright! Now that things have come to this point, I can see that you are all loyal and righteous heroes like Master Li. Based on my understanding of Master Li, he is definitely not the kind of person who would discard someone after they have served their purpose!"

"Of course!"

"In that case, if you all want to go further, you'll have to rely on Master Li as your backer!"

"Keep talking!"

"Look at the current situation. Boss Jiang is seriously injured and will need to rest for at least three to five months. A country cannot be without a ruler for a day, and a family cannot be without a head for a day. In the near future, the Jiang family must elect someone to take charge. Am I right?"

Lai Zi nodded without interrupting.

Shou Yunzhang continued, "Now that Boss Jiang's life or death is uncertain, you cannot act rashly. If Boss Jiang dies, what do you think will happen next?"

“The Jiang family will definitely seek revenge!” Lai Zi said matter-of-factly.

Shou Yunzhang smiled and said, "Master Lai, it seems you are still young and do not understand the ways of the world. I will put it out there today: if Boss Jiang dies, the first thing the Jiang family will do will not be revenge, but to divide the family property! With the backbone broken, the wives and concubines will definitely fight for the family property for their children. The brothers will not submit to each other, and the family will fall apart sooner or later!"

"But what if the master comes back to life?"

"Then you should show your loyalty even more. The world is divided into three, and it all belongs to the Sima. Don't you think about why this is the case?"

"why?"

"Because he's the best at pretending!"

Lai Zi scratched his head and asked, "But... what does this have to do with my fame and fortune? If the Jiang family wanted to promote me, they would have done it long ago. It's not something you can fake. I know perfectly well that they don't think much of me!"

“But surely they’ll think highly of Third Master Li?” Shou Yunzhang said with a smile. “If Third Master Li can take a step forward, seize power, and replace Boss Jiang as the person in charge, then our status will rise accordingly!”

"The problem is that Third Brother won't take another step forward!"

"If he won't go in, you must carry him one step forward!"

Shou Yunzhang suddenly asked, "Has Master Lai ever heard the story of Emperor Taizu of Song donning the yellow robe?"

Lai Zi shook his head: "Never heard of it. I've heard of Guan Yu uprooting the willow tree and Sun Wukong attacking the Zhu Family Village three times."

"Who told you all this?"

“There’s a storyteller along the riverbank who tells tales in a lively and engaging way, and I always go to listen to him.”

"Uncle Lai, do me a favor. Next time you pass by, give his storytelling stall to Zhou."

"What do you mean?"

"Hey, that's not important!" Shou Yunzhang said. "All you need to know is that Emperor Taizu of Song wanted to wear the yellow robe, but he was too embarrassed to say so. Even if Master Li didn't want to wear the yellow robe, you still have to force him to wear it. As it stands, only when Master Li takes control of the Jiang family can you have a chance to rise in the world!"

The leper, still somewhat skeptical, frowned and asked, "You... can this really do it?"

Shou Yunzhang waved his hand and said, "What I'm telling you is the general direction, which can't be achieved overnight. Before that, you need to gather your brothers together. The Kao Shan Gang is now split in two. Do those people in the South City share your thoughts? If so, that's fine. If not, do you think we should first... Sigh, you know, there are always some people in this world who are against the grain and love to contradict everything!"

(End of this chapter)