274

The arrival of Cheng Xi, the leader of the Red Flag Gang, naturally caused turmoil in Panyu City. Not to mention the merchants who were frightened and kept silent, even the high-ranking officials of the aristocratic families who instigated the troops could not help but feel a little frightened.

The battle was really fought too quickly and cleanly, and there was no sense of a fight between two strong forces at all. Instead, it completely drove the Changjing Gang out of the South China Sea, allowing the Chiqi Gang to dominate the area.

At this point, relying on the imperial court and the navy to check and balance the Red Flag Gang has become a luxury. How to get along with this new maritime tycoon has become a top priority.

Unfortunately, this was a woman, Qiu Sheng's daughter, so how to negotiate became a real problem. After two days of tossing and turning, they finally chose an agent to inquire about the Red Flag Gang's intentions.

When he saw Lu Jian again, Governor Liu put on a forced smile and said earnestly, "My dear nephew, come and try this tea. Authentic Phoenix Mountain Spring Tea is priceless."

Lu Jian's face remained smiling. After thanking him, he took a sip and praised, "It is indeed top-grade. I am really enjoying it."

Prefect Liu laughed heartily: "If you like, I'll have someone pack two taels. It's not that I'm stingy, it's just that the tea is scarce and it's not easy to come by."

Phoenix Mountain tea is a tribute tea. To be able to obtain two taels of it is a feat of extraordinary skill and demonstrates the other party's sincerity. Lu Jian smiled and thanked him. Of course, the tea wasn't obtained because of his favor, but because of the people behind him. In the business world, Cheng Xi could naturally intimidate, but in the officialdom, face-to-face confrontation was impossible; someone always had to act as a proxy. Therefore, today's conversation had a different meaning.

Both of them knew each other's identities, but they still had to be polite. After talking for a while, they got to the point.

Prefect Liu coughed dryly and asked casually, "Now that the bandit problem has been resolved, I wonder if things on the sea can return to normal. If there's anything you need to smooth over, even though I'm not very talented, I can still offer a few words."

"Thanks to your efforts, the Long Whale Bandits were wiped out so quickly. I will naturally remember this friendship." Lu Jian smiled. "As for the sea, without the bandits, how can there be any trouble? Uncle, just rest assured."

Was this a promise to the Red Flag Gang to maintain the status quo and refrain from further hostilities? Prefect Liu breathed a sigh of relief, but also became increasingly nervous, as the other party hadn't responded. The so-called "clearing the way" naturally involved the matter of surrender. Did they really not consider it at all?

After a brief hesitation, Magistrate Liu said, "My dear nephew, you are a sensible man. I still want to give you some advice. Although some things may seem useless, they are always a shield when worn. Just like Xu Hei, wasn't it because of his identity as a coastal defense guerrilla that the higher-ups found it difficult to deal with him? With this layer of skin, relationships will naturally become smoother."

Lu Jian looked at the other party's sincere expression and couldn't help but smile slightly: "This matter is too complicated. How can I, an outsider, persuade them? After all, it's a blood feud. If I get involved too much, I will only anger them."

Prefect Liu's expression immediately became stern, and he asked cautiously, "What did that person reveal?"

He didn't want to address her as "that one," as it would weaken her presence, but there was no other way. After all, women were addressed based on their fathers and husbands: either Miss or Madam. But Miss Qiu had gone her own way, giving herself a nickname and even changing her last name. Calling her Miss Qiu directly would have been too sensitive. But he was also the prefect, so he couldn't just follow suit and call her Gang Leader Cheng, could he? He had no choice but to resort to this unconventional term.

Lu Jian just smiled slightly when he heard this: "Some things don't need to be explained too clearly. Let's not talk about the great revenge of the extermination of the family, just the reward is difficult to explain clearly. Are you going to grant him an imperial decree and take away his military power?"

Prefect Liu's teeth clenched, but he couldn't help but nod. That's the truth. Putting aside the Qiu family's deep-seated hatred, how could they possibly appoint a female general? Granting her an imperial decree would be a blatant attempt to seize military power. It might have been a reasonable move earlier, but when the Red Flag Gang had already taken control of the South China Sea and become a regional hegemon, it would have been an affront to their authority. After all, he was a ruthless killer, and there was no need to offend him.

After realizing this, Prefect Liu looked at Lu Jian with a touch of sympathy. After a long moment, he said, "Having said that, the current situation is still worrying..."

Although the words were cryptic, they contained countless profound meanings. Lu Jian simply sneered: "If I had just given him an official title, I would have been safe, and there wouldn't have been any trouble with the Long Whale Pirates. As long as I can do business peacefully and no one comes to provoke me, they will naturally not turn against me."

This is the most crucial issue. With such huge profits from maritime trade, countless people are greedy and would never give it up. They just want to use their power to win over and lure, hoping to tame the dragon of the sea. However, the Red Flag Gang is completely different. Their foundation is different from that of ordinary pirates. They are impossible to defeat and impossible to pull out, which is really unsettling.

However, these matters were beyond the control of a mere prefect like him. With a sigh in his heart, Prefect Liu smiled again, "Who doesn't want peace and stability? The world is so chaotic, and places like Panyu are rare. It's even more important that my nephew take the trouble to mediate and ensure a peaceful and stable life."

The high-ranking official's kind words and requests did not make Lu Jian feel proud. On the contrary, the sense of loss became even stronger. This was because he was not looking at himself, but at the people behind him.

In this battle, whether it was mobilizing the base in Jiaozhi or showing up to maneuver in Panyu, Lu Jian put in a lot of thought and staked all his wealth. If it had been according to the original plan, just these would have allowed him to have the final say in Panyu City. He would no longer be a descendant of the Jiangdong Lu family, nor the unfilial son of Minister Lu, but a person who controlled the business world and could call the shots in the area.

Unexpectedly, the Red Flag Gang's victory was too decisive and complete, with all the attention focused on that woman, leaving his mind and hand in the dust. Shen Feng's arrival further shattered his "uniqueness," placing him in an awkward position and forcing him to rely even more on her. Was this all she had planned?

However, now, no matter how much he said, it was useless. He had already invested too much, and the Red Flag Gang had become too large. He had no choice but to continue to increase his investment. With a proper smile on his face, Lu Jian continued to chat with the prefect Liu, but his mind had long been elsewhere.

After these negotiations, no matter how those important figures feel about it, they will tacitly acknowledge the existence of the Red Flag Gang, and maintain peace for a while, right? Cheng Xi's goal has been achieved, and he will probably return to clean up the mess and calm the people. He can't stay in Panyu any longer; he must go and make a strong presence known. At the very least, he can't let Shen Feng take advantage of the situation and reap the benefits.

As Lu Jian expected, after several rounds of negotiations and confirming that Panyu would not change again, Cheng Xi prepared to return home. Seeing the opportunity, Lu Jian also followed her openly and boarded the ship for the return trip.

…

"I heard that this time Mr. Lu and Shen Sandao will attend the celebration banquet." A group of big and small leaders gathered together to discuss business, and Li Niu couldn't help but change the subject.

Zhong Ping chuckled and said, "Look at what Chief Li said. Gang Leader Shen is our ally, and Young Master Lu has also made great contributions. Isn't it only natural for him to attend the celebration banquet?"

As the head shopkeeper of the fish stall, Zhong Ping was Sun Erlang's deputy in this battle. He was well aware of Lu Jian's actions in Panyu and was amazed. Now that Li Niu mentioned it, it was inevitable that he would say a few more words.

Someone started a conversation, and Li Niu immediately perked up: "I heard that these two have known each other for many years. Tsk tsk, I wonder what their relationship is like and whether they will have a fight."

Sun Erlang coldly interrupted his gossip: "We just won a great victory, what's there to make a fuss about? We're all allies, so just treat them well."

Li Niu disagreed when he heard this: "Mr. Lu can't be called an ally, right? No matter how you look at it, he is one of our own. Of course, it would be great if we could also make Shen Sandao one of our own."

He had followed Cheng Xi all the way here, so he was naturally aware of Lu Jian's changing status. The once high-ranking nobleman had now become one of their status. The Qingfeng Gang was also in a precarious position. It would be a good idea to use some means to take them in.

They were all old acquaintances, so how could Sun Erlang not know what this guy was thinking? His expression became more serious: "Aniu, do you think you can talk nonsense about the gang leader's affairs?"

Li Niu shrank his neck and muttered, "I'm doing this for the boss's sake, I don't mean anything else."

Zhong Ping also stepped in to smooth things over: "Chief Li's concerns are not without reason. The situation has changed after the war, and many things need to be reconsidered."

"It's not our turn to consider this kind of thing." Sun Erlang said directly.

This silenced the crowd for a moment. Li Niu coughed dryly, "Alright, alright, alright. I've been a bit too talkative. Brother Yan, have you arranged everything over there?"

Yan Yuan, who had been silent the entire time, seemed to have just come to his senses and simply said, "It's done."

"That's good. This celebration party must be lively and we must appease people's hearts..." Li Niu returned to the main topic.

Sun Erlang glanced at Yan Yuan for a moment longer, but without saying anything, he turned his gaze away silently.