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Since that well-known riot, Panyu City has been in turmoil for some time. The government has conducted strict investigations from house to house and arrested many gangsters with little background, making all merchants, big and small, feel insecure.
This is no joke. How can you do business in Panyu City without involving maritime merchants? The court's maritime ban is no mere decoration. If they really investigate, I'm afraid many people will get into trouble.
After two or three months of such depression, the government office finally calmed down. The disputes thereafter moved behind the scenes, and on the surface, things were peaceful.
The merchants then breathed a sigh of relief and resumed their business as usual.
However, a fish stall quietly opened near the pier.
In a place like Panyu City, seafood is a serious bulk trade, and not everyone can enter the fish market.
However, this fish stall named "Guangfa" came in with a big presence. Judging from its size, it is not a small shop.
Who is so bold as to pluck the hair from a tiger's head!
Every household tried their best to find out who was so unruly, but after searching for a long time, everyone kept silent.
It was no other reason, this fish stall was actually set up by the Red Flag Gang! Anyone dealing in seafood was well-informed. Even the most ignorant knew about the Red Flag Gang's previous annihilation of over ten pirate gangs. Who could afford to offend such a vicious gang?
If you can't afford to offend them, you have to spend time and energy to exclude them.
After all, seafood is seasonal. Let's not talk about dried goods. There are also many considerations on whether fresh fish can be obtained, at what price, and how to sell them. If you don't have some connections, you may die without knowing how you died.
If you can’t beat him, can you still kill him?
A group of people were eager to show the "newcomer" what they were capable of, but unexpectedly, after a few days, bad news came.
That group of boat people actually started selling fish to the Red Flag Gang.
How powerful could a gang be that they could even coerce the boat people? Could it be that they're raising the price just to grab the fish? Aren't they afraid of losing all the fish?
It turns out that they are not afraid at all. In addition to dried goods, the most common item in Guangfa Fish Stall is pickled fish. This thing is in short supply. Once it reaches the inland river, its price is the same as that of illegal salt.
Unfortunately, the Red Flag Gang also has salt, and it is said that they have occupied a large area in the Dongmen Salt Field.
Without some connections and some skills, how can you do this?
The shops in the fish market were in dire straits. If they lacked financial resources, they would be forced to close down if their supply channels were cut off. If they lacked connections, they would be ripped off by the government. At worst, they could resort to some trickery. If you make a living from seafood, you need a boat, right? If you encountered pirates, there was nothing you could do.
However, facing the Red Flag Gang, all of these were in vain! They held the catch of several counties, and the orders were on credit. They couldn't be robbed. Now even the boat people have been subdued. It can be said that even if all the fish stalls in Panyu City were out of stock, these people would not be out of stock.
He wanted to start with the government, but after a little inquiry, he found out that the Red Flag Gang even had connections with the prefect. At least in Panyu, no one dared to make things difficult for him.
As for the forces at sea, forget about it. If they do something bad in secret, their own ship might sink the next day. Who would dare to do that?
The only thing to be thankful for is that this fish stall is relatively well-behaved. The goods are not discounted, and the weight is sufficient. There is no intention of bullying or dominating the market.
But the more this happens, the more frightening it becomes. It's obvious that they are planning to do long-term business. In the future, they will be the ones to collect all the fish from the boat people. That will be the time when they become the king of Panyu.
Who would have thought that such a gang would actually start a business like running a fish stall? They can’t be moved or driven away. It’s really frustrating!
As the head shopkeeper of the new store, Zhong Ping was neither arrogant nor impatient at this moment, and implemented the arrangements of the gang leader step by step.
"Will the money from selling goods go through the fish stall in the future?" Lu Jian asked with interest, looking up and down at the shopkeeper Zhong.
"That's right," Zhong Ping explained with a smile. "This is the only shop our gang has in Panyu right now. The gang leader told me to be in charge of the money first, but I'm afraid I'll have to hand it over to someone else in the future."
"Oh? It will be handed over to Minsheng Bank in the future?" Lu Jian asked immediately.
Zhong Ping shook his head calmly: "I'm just a fish stall owner, how would I know about these things?"
Your fish stall is not small. Lu Jian smiled and said, "Manager Zhong is too modest. You only subdue the boat people. This shows your ability."
Zhong Ping smiled and said, "Thanks to the leader's guidance, we, as subordinates, only need to follow orders. This fish stall is also newly built, so Master Lu will need your continued care in the future."
His words were just like him, well-balanced and flawless. Judging from his background, it was quite remarkable for a boat captain from a small fishing village to be like this. Cheng Xi's ability to judge people was the same as before, which was admirable.
However, for Lu Jian, what impressed him most was Cheng Xi's control over the overall situation. Just by conquering the boat people, he was able to allow the Red Flag Gang to gain a foothold in the South China Sea. Unfortunately, no one could figure out what benefits he promised to the boat people.
Just some money is probably not enough to make so many homeless people obey. Besides, no one knows the current financial resources of the Red Flag Gang better than him, and the other party probably doesn't have that much money to buy people's hearts.
Could it be that Minsheng Bank had fallen into his trap? Of all the Red Flag Gang's tactics, this "bank" was the only one he couldn't fathom. The interest rates on loans were too low, while the interest rates on deposits were too high, leaving them with no means of making ends meet.
For the sake of the Red Flag Gang's reputation, Cheng Xi wouldn't suddenly change his mind and destroy its reputation, right? So what exactly did he want to do?
However, these things could not be asked from Shopkeeper Zhong. If he said too much, it might arouse the other party's vigilance. So Lu Jian did not say much. He just chatted for a few words and then served tea and sent the guest away.
After everyone left, he summoned Lu Nan and asked, "Did you miss anything in the previous list?"
Lu Nan's scalp tightened, and he quickly replied, "How could I have missed anything? I've written down all the goods on board, big and small, even the smuggled goods. Oh, and by the way, if someone hid some money, I wouldn't know about that."
Then the numbers he calculated should be correct. Ordinary goods were handed over to him, and he knew exactly how much money he would get.
Just like pepper, it was probably given to the Qingfeng Gang. It’s not surprising that it was bought well by the Qingfeng Gang.
Nodding slightly, Lu Jian continued, "So what do you think of Gang Leader Cheng?"
Fear flashed in Lu Nan's eyes, and he hesitated and said, "Boss Cheng is a strange man. If we didn't know him beforehand, I'm afraid no one would be able to guess his identity..."
Lu Jian looked at the other person and said coldly: "Tell the truth."
Lu Nan choked, stole a glance at Lu Jian's expression, and said carefully: "He has a cunning mind and vicious means. Given time, he will surely become a powerful leader."
Lu Jian smiled: "You have a good eye, but it's a pity that you realized it a little late."
Seeing that Lu Jian didn't reprimand him, Lu Nan boldly added, "Master, such a person is not easy to control. Who knows, he might become an obstacle in the future..."
Lu Jian glanced at him calmly: "Are you asking me to be on guard against him?"
Lu Nan felt a chill down his spine and nearly fell to his knees. He quickly lowered his head and said, "The Patriarch has his own arrangements. I dare not say anything more."
If he had to choose, then Lu Jian would definitely be much scarier than the Cheng guy! No matter how powerful he was, the Cheng guy was just a pirate on the sea. Lu Jian came from a respectable family and was so crazy, how could he be provoked? He had suffered a lot recently and had seen countless people's heads. For the sake of his own life, it was better to keep quiet.
Seeing the once high-spirited Boss Lu in this state, Lu Jian chuckled: "The Red Flag Gang and I are allies now, Bo Qiao should be careful with his words and actions."
Lu Nan was sweating so much that he kept nodding in agreement.
Lu Jian didn't even look at him again. He had tried many times to find out Cheng Xi's background and wanted to recruit him to serve him.
However, the more he came into contact with it, the more Lu Jian realized that this was impossible.
He is not someone who is willing to be inferior to others. No matter what "handle" he has, the other party probably won't take it to heart, and most likely he will end up in a quarrel with him because of it.
When the time comes, facing a tiger that is ready to eat anyone, it is no joke. One day, it might send an assassin and you might die inexplicably in your bed.
Since you can't control it, why not change your thinking and become a bettor.
The world is about to be in chaos, and who knows how many heroes will rise up. He can make friends with the Suoyi Gang, and naturally he can also place some bets on the Chiqi Gang.
Moreover, compared to the蓑衣 Gang which is thousands of miles away, the South China Sea will probably be the territory fought over by the长晶 Gang and the赤旗 Gang in the future. Although the outcome is clear now and there is no need to say more, Lu Jian still hopes that the赤旗 Gang can win. After all, the长晶 Gang is an out-and-out bandit, and their credibility is far inferior to that of the赤旗 Gang.
However, things are unpredictable, so he always needs to make more preparations.
After being beaten, Lu Nan was still frightened when he left.
Lu Jian spared his life, but it was not known when he would be able to take charge of the fleet again.
However, despite the hardships, he couldn't help but feel a little fortunate in his heart. If he had still been caught by the Red Flag Gang, he might not have survived.
Alas, I don’t know what happened to those crew members now. The Red Flag Gang can’t just kill hundreds of people and be done with it, right?
When Lu Nan thought of this possibility, he couldn't help but shudder and quickly lowered his head and retreated.
…
"Chief Lin, I saw an oil palm in the forest in the southwest. I have seen this tree in Southeast Asia. It blooms in June and bears fruit in September. Although the fruit is hard, it contains a lot of oil. I heard that some people use the bark to weave ropes. I am not lying..." said a ragged, bearded man pitifully.
Lin Hu listened to him patiently and then ordered, "Send a few people to go with him to see what the oil coconut is."
The man said quickly, "It hasn't turned out yet, but it's definitely an oil palm. Don't worry, boss. I will definitely..."
Lin Hu waved his hand and said, "Go ahead. If it's a really useful fruit tree, you can go to Luoling Island."
The man almost cried, choking and knelt, "Thank you, Chief Lin!"
Seeing how the people were being tortured, Lin Hu felt a little bit sorry. This Wuyuan Island was really a good place to imprison people.
Since defeating Lu's ocean-going fleet, all the surrendered soldiers and crew members have been imprisoned on the island.
However, unlike in the past, the gang leader had no intention of immediately subduing and recruiting these people, but instead made them do hard labor on the spot.
Although Wuyuan Island is not as big as Luoling Island, it is not small either. There are many forests on the island, with all kinds of strange trees growing on them.
These captives became the best labor force for logging. They got up early and went to bed late every day, either chopping wood or searching the forest. If they saw anything rare, they just had to report it, which would give them a chance to escape from the island.
Having food, drink and a place to sleep sounds okay, but being on an isolated island in the sea is a completely different experience, it can drive you crazy.
Even more terrifying was the fact that there was no end to the imprisonment. How could anyone endure it? Consequently, there had been two major disturbances on Wuyuan Island. Lin Hu had killed a number of them as a warning to others, and had taken away a number of the obedient ones as rewards. The rest had then become obedient.
What's the big deal about working? As long as I can survive, I can do any kind of work! Besides, those who dare to go out to sea these days are all hanging their heads on the waistband of their pants. Don't worry about your wife and children at home, just take care of yourself!
After everyone calmed down, Lin Hu let some people go into the mountains to search and survey the terrain.
The gang leader said that this island will be taken over by the Red Flag Gang in the future. It can form a corner with Luoling Island to strengthen the defense. We can no longer stay on the island in the dark.
The houses that need to be repaired must be repaired, the terrain that needs to be checked must be checked, and the trees that need to be used must be used.
These experienced sailors would not waste their time chopping wood. Once the people become obedient and are told they can get on board, they would probably rush to join them.
The gang leader's methods, hey, are really amazing!
Looking at the camp that was beginning to take shape, Lin Hu smiled with satisfaction.
I don’t know when the new ship will be built. The Red Flag Gang still has too few ships. We need to get a few more!
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