Long Dongqiang took off.

The news that he had the eunuch as his adoptive father spread quickly, and he was the one who secretly fueled the spread of the news.

Many people in the underworld despise the Cao Gang, but the Cao Gang has become the most powerful gang.

Eunuch Li himself has the power to supervise the Champa navy. Although he cannot intervene directly, his influence is still great.

Of course, Jin Kaishan would not offend Li Youwei for some trivial matters.

Then Long Dongqiang's younger brother Long Chunsheng came over and gave the bottom line directly, and finally said that one-third of the revenue of the Cao Gang could be turned over to the navy.

In the end, Jin Kaishan only collected 20%. In fact, the original idea was to collect 10% from all the gangs near Bin Tonglong.

It is naturally impossible for the navy to investigate the bottom line of every gang, this is just an approximation.

A fixed amount is charged.

For example, the monthly net income of the Cao Gang was about 50,000 strings of treasure notes, which could be calculated as 10,000 strings based on a 20% share.

In the future, this number will be used as a reference. The Caobang will pay things worth 10,000 strings of treasure notes every month. If there is no money, other things can be used to offset it.

This is not fixed at all times and changes every quarter.

After all, gang warfare is fierce, and today's small gang may become a big gang tomorrow, and vice versa.

"Brother, why do we have to pay three months' bill at once? Wouldn't it be better to keep some money?" Long Chunsheng said in some confusion.

Although the Cao Gang has grown rapidly, its monthly surplus is actually not that much.

There are tens of thousands of strings of cash on the books, but a lot of it is wages for gang members.

The gang members also need to make a living. Most of them are lower-class people in Champa. They live in poverty and have trouble even getting enough food to eat. How can they make any money?

The gang’s biggest source of income still comes from protection fees from shops within its territory.

The Cao Gang controlled the docks, and those who moved goods at the docks had to hand over some money.

The Cao Gang itself also needs to develop, and there are countless places where money is needed. If gang fights develop, they will have to pay pensions to gang members who die.

But for the people of Champa, this is already a very good thing.

After all, the nobles of Champa completely exploited the people. They were not paid for their work, and when they died, they died. They were no different from private slaves.

Joining a gang can provide protection while earning money to support the family.

This is why the gangs from the Ming Dynasty quickly absorbed a large number of Champa population. Even a fool would know how to choose.

The local government of Champa, including the nobles, also tried to suppress it.

Apart from the royal capital Indrapura, there are several other relatively developed important cities of Champa such as Vijaya and Pindonglong.

In other places such as Yueli, Weirui and Banong, local government offices have already been attacked by the Ming Dynasty gangs.

The army was used to maintain the situation.

But the gangs already controlled a large population, and the army could not stay in the city forever, so in the end they had no choice but to negotiate.

You were out of my reach in the past, and now I just ignore you.

This is the best description of the current relationship between low castes and high castes in Champa.

Among the tens of thousands of members of the Cao Gang, there are probably only about a thousand people from the Ming Dynasty, and the rest are almost all Zhan people.

Bintonglong Port is the most prosperous port in Champa. Originally, the Cao Gang could only become the largest gang if it controlled two-thirds of the area.

And Ananya's father is the governor of this port.

"Expand your horizons. Although I haven't read much, there are many things that are not in books. Now is the time to spend money. I have already sent a visiting card to the Governor, and he has agreed to my visit."

"If there is no problem with the Governor, the entire Bintonglong Port will be controlled by our Cao Gang in the future. Whether it is the Qing Gang or the Sanhetang, if they still want to move goods here, they will have to pay."

"The navy will definitely not stop us for the sake of my adoptive father. From now on, the opportunity for our Cao Gang will come."

When Long Dongqiang spoke, his tone was inevitably a little excited.

Long Chunsheng frowned and said, "Brother, he is just a eunuch. There is no one around here, so there is no need to call him godfather."

In Long Chunsheng's heart, he felt very uncomfortable about his elder brother recognizing a eunuch as his godfather.

The former commander of Zhenhaiwei was different. Long Chunsheng also called out willingly.

But he really couldn't call out this eunuch.

No matter what, he was a scholar of the Ming Dynasty with great achievements. How could he recognize a eunuch as his father?

The word "godfather" is not just a casual title.

I humbly hope that the holy dynasty governs the world with filial piety. If I worship you as my adoptive father, then you will be like my real father.

There is an order of seniority. This is not the past, and if an adopted son is unfilial, he may be reported to the authorities, arrested, and put in jail.

"Xiao Sheng!"

Long Dongqiang's voice rose in pitch, and he was obviously angry.

"I know you are proud, but I have already accepted Eunuch Li as my adopted father, so you are also my adopted son."

"If you are still willing to call me brother, then let go of the gap in your heart."

In fact, the relationship of adopted son only depends on the individual, and Long Chunsheng does not have to be an adopted son.

But Long Dongqiang knew that the eunuchs' inner sense of hierarchy was extremely fragile, and they were only shouting at him verbally. If he really wanted their help, he had to agree from the bottom of his heart, instead of being hypocritical.

Li Youwei is the highest-ranking official that Long Dongqiang can come into contact with, and he comes from the Crown Prince's Kunning Palace.

As long as Li Youwei truly treats himself as his son, the future of Cao Gang will surely be bright.

And he is strong in the winter and will soar into the sky.

"Okay, I'll listen to you." Long Chunsheng said reluctantly, with the frustration in his eyes extremely obvious.

Long Dongqiang couldn't care less and continued, "Go check recently to see if there are any good large courtyards in East City. If there are any, buy them."

"If not, we can buy two adjacent courtyards, connect them together, and rebuild and cast them according to the style of the capital."

"Now that my adoptive father lives in the navy camp, it is very inconvenient. As his adopted sons, we should be filial and buy a house for him. This is also our filial piety."

"Remember, it must be in East City, close to the port, so it doesn't matter if it costs a little more money."

Long Dongqiang is a thoughtful person and has made up his mind to establish a relationship with Li Youwei and make him his biggest backer.

"Okay brother, I'll listen to you."

Long Chunsheng said somewhat helplessly.

Although he was reluctant in his heart, he knew that if he could really establish a relationship with Eunuch Li, he would definitely become prosperous in the future.

…

Bin Tonglong, Governor's Office.

Unlike other cities, Bintonglong is a port city, and the highest official is the governor, who is equivalent to the city lord.

Naturally, Bacchus was able to become governor thanks to his daughter Ananya.

Who made her daughter the concubine of the Ming Crown Prince?

When Bin Tonglong was at his most chaotic, the Governor's Mansion was peaceful and singing and dancing went on as usual.

Because no one is so blind as to come to the Governor's Mansion to cause trouble.

It was just that his business was hit hard, so Bucks wrote to his daughter and asked for help.

"Sir, Long Dongqiang from the Cao Gang has arrived." The servant reported.

Bucks, who was hugging two scantily dressed women, looked up and said, "Let him wait in the front yard."

After saying this, without paying any attention to the guards around him, he hugged the women on both sides and walked to the bathing pool in front.

Long Dongqiang waited quietly in the front yard of the Governor's Mansion, not showing any impatience because of the long wait.

Finally, the sound of footsteps was heard, and Bacchus came over with a group of guards.

"The Cao Gang is strong in the winter, and we meet the Governor."

Long Dongqiang immediately stood up and saluted respectfully.

Seeing this scene, Bucks looked calm and nodded slightly as a greeting.

After Bacchus sat down, the servant who had previously led Long Dongqiang hurried forward and whispered in Bacchus' ear.

This is to report the gift that Long Dongqiang brought.

After hearing this, Bacchus' eyes lit up and he immediately shouted, "Foolish thing, didn't you see the distinguished guest coming? Hurry up and serve tea. Use the best Ming tea of ​​this Governor."

Bucks shouted this sentence in Chinese, and it was obvious that he was speaking to Long Dongqiang.

Long Dongqiang was not surprised by this. This time, he brought a gift worth three thousand strings of precious coins.

"Do you have anything that I can help you with? I like making friends with generous people. If you have any difficulties, just ask me." Bucks said with a smile.

Seeing the governor's direct words, Long Dongqiang did not beat around the bush and said, "Most of Bintonglong Port is controlled by my Cao Gang. I came to meet the governor this time to get his support and make the rest of the port part of my Cao Gang's territory."

Bacchus put away his smile upon hearing this and said, "It's hard for me to help you with this. Your Cao Gang already controls so much, and you also have to give other gangs some places to do business. Their business has little to do with you."

"I know that your Cao Gang is mainly engaged in the transportation of goods. I can promise you that your workers can go and work even if it is their territory."

Bucks is not stupid. He doesn't want to see the port being unified by a gang. It's not in his interest.

Long Dongqiang didn't care about Bucks's evasion.

In fact, the Cao Gang could have taken over those territories long ago. After all, the Bintonglong Port was the foundation of the Cao Gang.

It's just being restrained by all parties.

"Regarding the matter of the port, I hope the governor can reconsider it. I have already obtained the support of my adoptive father on this matter, and the navy will also give face to my adoptive father and not interfere in this matter." Long Dongqiang said again.

Bucks was a little confused. He had a general understanding of the news about the Cao Gang. When did the leader of the Cao Gang, Long Dongqiang, have an adoptive father?

The news of Long Dong being forced to become his adoptive father spread quickly in the underworld, but due to language differences, many Champa nobles did not know about it for just two days. Although Bacchus was the governor, he was actually addicted to pleasure every day and had no access to information about gang affairs.

"Who is your godfather?" Bucks asked directly.

Long Dongqiang smiled and said, "My adoptive father is the current Navy Supervisor, Eunuch Li Youwei."

"Eunuch Li is your godfather?" Bucks exclaimed and stood up.

Long Dongqiang nodded affirmatively: "That's right."

Of course Bucks knew Li Youwei.

When Li Youwei came, he specially sent someone to deliver a visiting card, wanting to invite Li Youwei to a banquet.

That was the eunuch in the palace where his daughter Ananya lived.

This made Bucks take it seriously, and he took a new look at the smiling leader of the Cao Gang.

At the same time, Bucks began to consider his rights and interests at the port terminal.

At first he thought that the strong midwinter was just a fantasy, but now he couldn't help but think about it carefully.

"What would you do if you unified the docks at the port?" Bucks asked in a deep voice. Compared to his previous indifference, Bucks was now obviously much more serious.

Hearing this question, Long Dongqiang felt truly relieved.

Because his adoptive father had told him before that the biggest difficulty in unifying the port terminals lies with Governor Bacchus.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has explained that since this is his father-in-law, he should take good care of him.

If Bacchus firmly disagrees, then even the navy cannot force him and must fully consider Bacchus's opinion.

There is a time lag here.

Because Li Youwei has not officially met with Bucks yet, he will not convey the news about the Crown Prince to Bucks.

If Bacchus knew now that his daughter Ananya had asked the Crown Prince for help, he would not be so lacking in confidence when facing Li Youwei, the eunuch from the Ming court.

Long Dongqiang had already prepared his speech.

"After the port terminals are unified, all cargo handling will be taken over by our Cao Gang. Naturally, the handling wages will need to increase."

"These wage increases are nothing to merchants from various countries, and they will not care about it and offend our Cao Gang. After all, there is an old saying in our Ming Dynasty that a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake."

"The Cao Gang was able to unify the Bintonglong Port, thanks to the help of my foster father, the navy, and the Governor. So, my Cao Gang will take out 30% of the total revenue from the port to honor the three of you."

The things in the beginning are just excuses; the distribution of benefits in the end is the most crucial part.

Bacchus frowned and said, "Only 10%. Isn't that a little too little?"

Long Dongqiang shook his head and said, "It's not a small amount. It's the income of the entire port. Now my Cao Gang has controlled 85% of the port. Even if we take over the remaining territory, we won't get much income."

"If the Governor disagrees, it will be a win-win for our Cao Gang."

Bucks asked in return: "If that's the case, why did you want to include the remaining 15% into the Cao Gang? Do you want to do this business at a loss?"

When Long Dongqiang heard the word "Your Excellency", he knew that Bucks was already moved.

Now it's just the bargaining stage.

However, Long Dongqiang could no longer make any concessions on this distribution.

Because in addition to the profit distribution, he also needs to honor his adoptive father and pay a share of the navy.

If there is really no profit, why work so hard?

"Governor, you don't know that reputation is very important to our gang. If our Cao Gang can unify Bintonglong Port, it will prove our strength to other gangs."

"For the Governor, there will not be any loss, but he can get an extra 10% of the port revenue. This is really a win-win situation for everyone."

"In addition, the relationship between my Cao Gang, the Navy, my foster father, and the Governor has become even closer. If the Governor has any troubles, my Cao Gang will certainly not let him go and will definitely help him deal with it properly."

At this point, Bucks had no other reason to refuse.

He thought about it for a while, then laughed and said, "From now on, you Cao Gang will be my best friend."

Long Dongqiang had a smile on his face, but he was actually relieved.

Finally, the matter was settled.

What he didn't say was that after unifying the port, other gangs who wanted to pass through the port would be subject to his control.

This means that the Cao Gang will gain more benefits.

…

The Cao Gang acted quickly and immediately declared jurisdiction over the remaining territory of the port.

From now on, any unloading at Bintonglong Port must be done by workers from the Cao Gang.

Even if the merchant ship brings its own personnel, it will not be allowed.

The price of transportation was also directly increased by 30%.

As Long Dongqiang expected, the transportation fee is actually very insignificant in the eyes of maritime merchants.

The total cost of transporting a ship's cargo was only equivalent to a dozen strings of Ming Dynasty currency.

Human resources are the least valuable thing in today's era.

No merchant ship would think of causing trouble or clashing with local gangs over these ten strings of cash.

After all, the value of a shipload of cargo is at least hundreds of thousands or even millions of strings of Ming treasure notes.

At the same time, the Cao Gang also began to crack down on other gangs.

Green Gang.

"Damn it! How dare his Cao Gang seize our merchant ships?"

Xu Kexian asked his hall master in a rage.

"Boss, the Cao Gang said that there are Kunlun slaves on our merchant ship. This ship is bound for Ming Dynasty. According to Ming Dynasty law, it is strictly forbidden to transport Kunlun slaves to Ming Dynasty. Therefore, they are following the rules of the navy and detaining them according to the law."

The hall master was also a little angry. This was not the first time. Every time when it came to their Qing Gang’s boat, the Cao Gang would try every means to find fault.

"Damn it, he's the one who's in charge of my stuff, and he recognized a eunuch as his godfather. He really thinks he's an official, doesn't he?"

Xu Kexian cursed but couldn't come up with any solution.

After a long scolding, he could only say: "Bring Kunlun slave back, now his Cao Gang will have nothing to complain about."

"Damn it, if these Kunlun slaves can't be sold to Ming, I'll lose a lot of money."

The hall master said helplessly: "I'm afraid it won't work. The Kunlun slaves have been forcibly taken away by the Cao Gang. Now they are using the Kunlun slaves as an excuse to prevent us from going out to sea."

Xu Kexian's furious expression suddenly calmed down when he heard this.

The previous irritability was just a pretense.

It is not easy for Xu Kexian to become one of the three major gangs in Champa.

Xu Kexian asked with a sinister look in his eyes: "I think he is not just doing this to our Qing Gang."

The hall master nodded and said, "As long as it's a gang ship, the Cao Gang will find some excuse. Even if it's not a big deal, they will make you pay a few hundred strings of cash before letting you go out to sea."

Xu Kexian sneered, "It seems that his Cao Gang has a really big appetite. He wants all the gangs to give him benefits and force us to take the initiative to negotiate with him."

"With so many gangs, you're not afraid of being overwhelmed. I want to see how capable Long Dongqiang is."

"If I remember correctly, he has a foster father who is the commander of Zhenhai Guard."

"Send a message to the tribe and explain the situation in Champa in detail. After receiving so many benefits, it is time to do something."

Xu family.

They are not just a small family, they are well-known in the whole Jiangnan area.

Xu Kexian was able to found the Qing Gang, so he certainly wasn't helpless. In other words, almost all the gangs in Champa, big and small, had inextricable ties with the Ming Dynasty.

This is also why everyone is afraid of the Ming Navy.

If you really offend them, it is possible that even the family in the country will not be able to get any benefits.

However, Xu Xuxian doesn't have a good attitude towards his family.

In recent years, the family's appetite has been growing, asking for things without giving anything in return, and now it's time to take action.