Chapter 1141: The New Order Here
Jiang Daliang stood on the city walls of Jiangbei, clutching the crude long spear his foreman had given him, staring stonily at the northern forests.
Chongqing was also known as Mountain City, and mountains were everywhere. Looking north, one couldn't even discern a patch of flat land; the view was continually obstructed by rolling hills.
But Jiang Daliang knew that just a few miles north, on Longtou Mountain, the forces of the formidable bandit Er Zhi Hu were stationed. He was simply waiting for those forces to arrive, to seize an opportunity to open the city gates, and then his part would be done.
He knew this was incredibly dangerous; the rebels might very well turn on him, cutting him down, the very insider who had aided them.
But he didn't care. If he died, he died. As long as he could get rid of the foreman, dying would still be a victory.
Just as he was thinking this, a flurry of shouts erupted from the docks. A fellow worker ran past Jiang Daliang, whispering, "A large fleet of boats has arrived! Looks like militia reinforcements from somewhere else. There are a thousand of them!"
Jiang Daliang scoffed, thinking to himself: *Reinforcements? A thousand men? What good would that do? What could a thousand militiamen accomplish against ten thousand rebels? Once I throw open these gates, ten thousand rebels will hack every last one of you to shreds.*
The worker nudged him. "Daliang, what are you spacing out for? Come on, let's go move goods at the South Gate and earn some money."
Jiang Daliang replied, "What? Help the foreman earn money? I'm not going."
At this news, Jiang Daliang couldn't help but be taken aback: "Such a thing? The foreman isn't fighting the cargo owner over it?"
The worker said, "They are, actually! They're clashing right now. Hurry, let's go see the commotion."
With that, Jiang Daliang's interest was piqued. He immediately rushed towards the docks by the South Gate.
When Jiang Daliang arrived at the docks, he found two groups of people glaring at each other.
On one side stood the foreman's men. The foreman's name was Wang Wen. His name had a scholarly air, but his demeanor was entirely thuggish. He was leading a large contingent of house guards, bodyguards, and hired thugs, arrayed in a formidable formation on the dock.
Opposite him were the newly arrived militia. Their leader was none other than Cheng Xu, who watched Wang Wen with a strange smile on his face.
The two factions had just started their confrontation!
Apparently, as soon as Cheng Xu's forces arrived at the docks, he prepared to distribute supplies to aid the common people, as was his custom. Naturally, this work of moving supplies would be given to local dockworkers, allowing them to earn some wages.
However, no sooner had Cheng Xu announced the wages, eliciting cheers from the dockworkers, than foreman Wang Wen rushed over: "All the workers on this dock belong to my Wang family. All wages will be collected by my Wang family and then distributed by us."
The moment he said this, Cheng Xu understood. He spoke well, saying "unified collection, unified distribution," but in reality, wasn't it just a way to take a cut? This wasn't particularly unusual, and Cheng Xu hadn't intended to cause trouble at first, having actually planned to give him the money, figuring a small cut was acceptable.
But just as he was about to pay, a worker standing nearby looked quite troubled.
Cheng Xu became wary and asked, "What percentage do you take?"
Wang Wen chuckled darkly: "Eighty percent."
When those two words, "Eighty percent," came out, Cheng Xu visibly recoiled, taking a sharp, disbelieving breath. He quickly pulled back the silver he was halfway to handing over, refusing to give it to him, insisting on distributing it directly to the workers himself.
Wang Wen was naturally displeased. *How dare an outsider provoke me, the local kingpin?*
So, with a shout, a large crowd instantly gathered behind him.
Cheng Xu was certainly no coward. With a shout of his own, his militiamen immediately filled the space behind him.
And just like that, the two groups squared off at the docks.
When Jiang Daliang ran over, this was the scene he witnessed. He paused, slightly stunned, and immediately felt a flicker of worry for this newcomer.
It wasn't as if outsiders hadn't challenged Wang Wen before, but without exception, Wang Wen had dealt with them all. Wang Wen had the backing of the local government, and more importantly, the 'local bandits'.
These local bandits were powerful, reportedly numbering two to three thousand men, hidden on Tieshan Ping, not far from Jiangbei City, where they maintained a formidable mountain stronghold.
These local bandits were ruthless and cruel, killing without a flicker of remorse; they were truly fearsome.
Any outsider who dared cross Wang Wen would be eliminated by these local bandits within days, their bodies tossed into the river.
Jiang Daliang's desire to let the rebels into the city stemmed from his knowledge that the thousands of local bandits backing Wang Wen couldn't be dealt with by the authorities, only by the rebels...
Wang Wen sneered: "All hiring of workers on this dock must be overseen by me. Otherwise, you're breaking the rules, and don't blame me for showing no quarter."
Cheng Xu scoffed: "Are these rules of yours self-made, or mandated by the government? If they're self-made, what gives you the right to enforce them?"
Wang Wen declared proudly: "My fists give me the right."
Cheng Xu smiled: "Well, isn't that interesting? If the biggest fist makes the rules, then I'm the one making the rules here now."
He suddenly bellowed, calling out to all the dockworkers: "Starting today, the rules here have changed. Anyone hiring dockworkers will pay them directly, without Wang Wen's involvement. These are the new rules. If anyone has a problem with it, they can come find me."
Wang Wen was furious: "You son of a bitch!"
Cheng Xu retorted, "Swearing? You think I can't do that? I'll savage your entire ancestry, eighteen generations deep, without distinction for age or gender."
Wang Wen roared: "Men, attack!"
Two of his house guards behind him stepped forward simultaneously, swinging their fists at Cheng Xu.
But Cheng Xu was no pushover. Even a group of Jinyiwei couldn't take him down. What were a mere two house guards?
With a swift, fluid motion, Cheng Xu dodged both fists. At the same time, he hooked his leg, and both house guards tumbled down with dull thuds. He followed through by stomping twice, hard, on each of their backs, leaving clear, massive boot prints.
"Rebellion! Pure rebellion! How dare you strike my men on my own turf!" Wang Wen roared in outrage.
"Rebellion? Those aren't words for you to utter," Cheng Xu laughed. "Do you think yourself the emperor of this place?"
Wang Wen snarled, "Attack, attack, attack! Kill this son of a bitch!"
Behind him, house guards, bodyguards, and local thugs surged forward with a roar.
Seeing the other side making a full-scale move, Cheng Xu's militiamen didn't stand idly by, charging forward with a unified roar.
The two large groups clashed with a cacophony of blows.
Less than five minutes into the fight, the disparity was already clear. The militiamen, seasoned by years of drill and coordinated combat training, made short work of a mob of house guards, bodyguards, and thugs; it was almost ridiculously easy.
Wang Wen's men were pummeled, retreating again and again.
In the chaos, Cheng Xu deftly maneuvered, appearing before Wang Wen in a flash. He swung a fist the size of a mortar, and with a resounding smash, smashed Wang Wen squarely in the face, leaving his features a pulpy, blossoming mess.
Comments