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The ambitions set by a little girl are nothing in a big shipping gang.
The family affairs of a big boss can only be discussed in private.
What really deserves attention are the guests who come in a hurry.
"I am Yang Qing, your humble servant, and I am here to greet Boss Cheng." After putting away all his banditry, Yang Qing bowed obediently upon seeing Cheng Xi, even more respectful than when he met his own boss.
Cheng Xi smiled and said, "Shopkeeper Yang arrived quite quickly. Has Gang Leader Shen heard the news?"
You sent someone specifically to pass on the message, how could the gang leader not know about it? He complained in his heart, but he didn't dare show it on his face. He smiled and said, "Thanks to Gang Leader Cheng's reminder, the boss finally learned about the Tingzhou incident. It's a pity that the gang was busy with various matters and couldn't get away, otherwise he would have come to thank you in person."
This was said politely, but Cheng Xi didn't believe a word of it.
After all, sending a leader here has a very different meaning from Shen Feng coming in person. I guess this guy still doesn't want to be at a disadvantage.
However, Cheng Xi didn't care about this little thought. As long as the person came, she didn't follow the meaning of the other party's words. She just said, "It's just a small favor, not worth mentioning."
Yang Qing had been waiting for Cheng Xi to ask about the current situation of the Qingfeng Gang, but unexpectedly, the other party didn't mention it at all. He coughed dryly and quickly got to the point: "The Ye family had ulterior motives and even wanted to join forces with the Changjing Gang. Fortunately, they failed. The boss was also furious when he heard about it, and felt that the Ye family must be eliminated. With the chaos in Tingzhou, it is better to take advantage of his illness and kill him, and also launch a siege at sea..."
As Yang Qing said this, he looked towards Cheng Xi carefully, and saw that the other party nodded slightly and said with a smile: "Boss Shen is really smart."
He didn't want such a superficial compliment. Seeing that he couldn't avoid it, Yang Qing had to blurt out the answer: "So the boss wants to invite the Red Banner to help. If there is any gain, your help will naturally be included."
Cheng Xi raised an eyebrow: "The Ye family is quite powerful. I only have a few ships here. I'm afraid we are not strong enough. Besides, there is also a civil war in Japan behind this. The Red Flag Gang is just starting out and we don't want to get involved."
If you really didn't want to get involved, you shouldn't have made such a big fuss in Tingzhou, and you shouldn't have sent someone to deliver the letter. It's obvious that you want to raise the price.
Yang Qing had also received Shen Feng's instructions and knew he couldn't escape this, so he hurriedly said, "Japan is Japan. Our fight with the Ye family has nothing to do with them. Besides, the news hasn't spread yet, so even if those Japanese wanted to intervene, it would be too late. Tingzhou is currently plagued by banditry, and the coastal garrisons are all sending troops to support it. Without the support of the garrisons, it will be a perfect opportunity to wipe out the Ye family. The boss also said that as long as Gang Leader Cheng is willing to help, the Qingfeng Gang is also willing to lend a hand when facing the Changjing Gang in the future."
Cheng Xi chuckled when he heard this: "The Ye Clan has even invited the Ghost Scholar to take charge. Could it be that Gang Leader Shen still thinks the Changjing Clan will let you off? Talking about this alone is a bit perfunctory, isn't it? It's summer now. If we go to Fujian, we might encounter a typhoon. Sending troops is not cost-effective."
As soon as these words came out, Yang Qing knew that these empty words alone would not be enough to persuade this great god. He gritted his teeth and placed his final bet: "Boss Cheng, you are being polite. Since both our gangs are enemies of the Long Whale Gang, we must work together to overcome this difficult time. The boss said that as long as the Red Flag Gang is willing to form an alliance with the Green Phoenix Gang, we will also provide convenience to ships flying your gang's flag in the East China Sea to prevent the pirates from invading."
What Yang Qing said before were all empty promises, but the last one was a real benefit.
This means that the power established by the Red Flag Gang can expand slightly towards the East China Sea without having to worry about the Green Phoenix Gang, which is a local tyrant.
Once this line is opened, ships leaving Panyu Port and heading to Quanzhou or even Jiangnan will be able to travel freely in half of the sea area without being threatened by pirates as long as they have certificates issued by the Red Flag Gang.
In this case, are you still worried that you won’t be able to collect the toll?
Cheng Xi finally had a genuine smile on his face, but his words still had some hooks in them: "Boss Shen is willing to make friends, so I will naturally not reject you. However, Fujian is not our territory, and we don't know the situation if we start a war. I'm afraid we need the Qingfeng Gang to provide some sea charts to help us familiarize ourselves with the terrain."
The nautical chart is the key to sailing at sea, and no one will easily pass it on. However, if you need help from others, and you are facing a large shipping group that has the ability to explore the sea area, it would not be a good idea to really care about this.
Yang Qing also risked his life: "As long as Boss Cheng is willing to help, these little things can be easily discussed."
Cheng Xi laughed heartily: "Shopkeeper Yang is really straightforward! So if we win the battle, how will the wealth be divided? It's not that I don't trust Boss Shen, but it's just that when we fought Luoling Island before, we didn't make things clear beforehand, and it caused some unpleasantness."
Yang Qing's teeth started to ache. When the boss came to Luoling Island, he didn't gain much advantage. He still had to bring up old grudges for such a small matter. Boss Cheng was really too narrow-minded.
However, despite this, he couldn't help but answer. Yang Qing laughed dryly and said, "That's easy to say. As long as the ships your gang captures are owned by you, they will belong to you. If you capture the Ye family's camp, no matter how much wealth you get, you can get 30% of it."
This is the bottom line given by the boss. He didn't even keep any of them. He will probably be beaten when he goes back.
Seeing Yang Qing's expression, Cheng Xi knew that this was Shen Feng's bottom line. To be able to risk so much, Shen Sandao was really willing to spend a lot. It seemed that he was determined to win this time.
Now that things have come to this, Cheng Xi stopped being pretentious: "Brother Chen is sincere. If I continue to refuse, it will inevitably damage the friendship between us. Well, I will help you, but it may take a day or two to arrange the boat. Manager Yang may stay on the island first. I will definitely give you an answer tomorrow."
Yang Qing's heart, which had just been put at ease, was lifted up again. He could not help but say, "Boss Cheng, the Ye family is not an ordinary powerful family. If we want to wipe out the roots, we must have a boat."
He was really afraid that the young gang leader would agree straightforwardly and only send a few boats in the end, which would be a huge loss for them.
Cheng Xi smiled slightly: "Manager Yang, you're joking. Since we're going to join forces to deal with the Changjing Gang, it would be best to get rid of the Ye family in advance. How could I not know the importance of this?"
Yang Qing: “…”
So you also know that to deal with the Long Whale Gang, you have to get rid of the Ye family first. Why are you still pretending to be so arrogant and asking for so many benefits? However, after making things clear, he felt relieved. As long as the other party didn't have the intention of perfunctory treatment, this trip would not be in vain.
After all, the task given to him by his boss was to get reinforcements as soon as possible. With the strength of the Red Flag Gang, as long as they were willing to contribute, they would be a strong reinforcement.
After everything was explained clearly, Yang Qing did not stay any longer and followed his personal guards to the guest room.
After everyone left, Cheng Xi said to the people who were listening, "It seems that the battle will come earlier than expected."
Yan Yuan immediately said, "It's better to go sooner rather than later. If we delay for too long, we might run into a storm or a tidal wave. Even this time, we can't send out all our troops. We have to be on guard against the Long Whale Gang plotting something bad behind the scenes."
Li Niu snorted, "The Long Whale Gang is still in Qiongzhou. How could they possibly attack us so easily? Boss Yan, are you worrying too much?"
Yan Yuan said solemnly, "It's always better to be more prepared. Besides, we are here to lend a hand, not to show off our strength. If we have too many and too strong troops, Shen Feng might get wary."
This was also the words of an experienced person. Cheng Xi nodded slightly and said directly: "Then send fifteen brigs and thirty small boats, and let A Yuan take the lead as the flagship."
This is almost a fleet directly under the gang leader, and its combat power is absolutely outstanding. Now Cheng Xi's flagship has been replaced with the newly repaired three-masted warship, which can even gain the upper hand.
The leaders nodded in agreement. Cheng Xi continued, "The recent cleanup of the sea area cannot be stopped. We need to deploy all the boats and expand the security area. Ah Niu will lead this. Mengzi, take your men back to assist in the defense of the main camp. All matters will be under Mr. Tian's command."
In a few words, the big bosses made all the arrangements. Li Niu couldn't help but ask, "Boss, won't Luoling Island be left empty now? Will someone take advantage of this opportunity to launch a surprise attack?"
Cheng Xi smiled slightly: "Didn't you say that the Long Whale Gang's army won't be able to arrive in a short time. But the whereabouts of the Ghost Scholar are unknown, and he might be planning something bad. We must first eliminate the hidden dangers nearby. And I asked you to sweep the sea, not to let you go out and wander around. If there is any unusual movement nearby, return to the island immediately and assemble."
The fleet brought to Fujian is as much as half of the Red Flag Gang's combat power. The deployment of such a large fleet should have been noticed by all the nearby forces, big and small.
At times like this, we must take the initiative to attack, so as to prevent those small gangs of bandits from having any ideas.
Similarly, the more troops that are put on alert, the more likely they are to detect unusual movements in advance. Luoling Island is an island on the sea, and several nearby small islands are controlled by the Red Flag Gang. It is basically impossible to sneak over quietly.
This is how to turn passivity into initiative and form active defense.
Since the gang leader had given the order, Li Niu immediately patted his chest loudly and accepted the order promptly and decisively. The other leaders felt relieved.
Looking at a group of sincerely convinced men, Yan Yuan breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, feeling that all the romantic feelings in his heart had completely disappeared.
He had indeed overthought it. For a woman like this, what did her appearance matter? Her heart and mind, her strategies, were more real than that momentary impulse.
As a respected deputy general who can lead the flagship, he only needs to complete his mission well and expand the territory for the gang leader. As for the rest, they are all fleeting and not worth mentioning.
The chaotic thoughts before were finally gathered at this moment. Yan Yuan said nothing more and just bowed and accepted the order.
After all matters, big and small, were arranged, Cheng Xi sent someone to inform Yang Qing.
Yang Qing was overjoyed to learn that the Red Flag Gang could send out fifteen brigs and more than thirty small boats this time.
This is much more than the ships that the Qingfeng Gang sent to Luoling Island at the beginning, and there is also a three-masted ship as the flagship. It really cost a lot of money!
Of course, Yang Qing was still a little surprised that Gang Leader Cheng did not lead the troops himself.
The boss had said before that it would be better if they could invite Chief Cheng, but now that Chief Yan had been replaced, the boss might be a little disappointed. But after thinking about it carefully, Yang Qing felt that this was not a bad idea. When the boss mentioned Chief Cheng, there was always something wrong in his tone, as if he was quite amused.
If this frivolous habit comes back and offends others, it will be more trouble than it is worth.
Feeling a bit nervous but also a bit relieved, Yang Qing quickly gathered his thoughts and went ahead to report the news. The fleet rested for another two days, stocked up on military supplies, and finally set sail.
As the fleets left Luoling Island, Cheng Xi breathed a sigh of relief.
Now that the Red Flag Gang is fully prepared, it all depends on whether the Ghost Scholar has a backup plan and how he will use it...
In Panyu City, Lu Jian stepped down from his carriage and ascended the steps of Jinxiu Pavilion. A business partner had invited him to a drink there today, and Lu Jian hadn't declined. Now was the perfect time to launch an offensive, with the Lu family in disarray. He needed more help.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the elegant pavilion, before he even greeted anyone, Lu Jian's eyes fell on the man next to the businessman.
His self-control was naturally impeccable, and his concentration was extraordinary. He should not have stared at a strange guest like that, but at this moment he could not control himself. The man was dressed in white and holding a folding fan. He was obviously dressed elegantly, but there was a hideous scar on his chin. The skin was torn and the flesh was red. It was obviously a new wound. It looked both strange and terrifying.
Who is this person and why is he at such a banquet?
The merchant across from him was already laughing. "I'm so grateful to you for your presence today, Brother Lu. Since you're such a distinguished guest, I'll let you be the middleman. This is none other than Mr. Ning, the second-in-command of the Changjing Gang. Brother Lu, this is a rare figure."
Lu Jian's gaze suddenly became sharp, fixed on the white-robed scholar, but the other party didn't care at all and bowed casually: "I am Ning Fu, and I have long heard of the name of Mr. Lu."
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