Chapter 5: Small Battle (Part 1)
There is wind and rain in this season.
Zhang Xuanning finished his meal and stared outside. The stronger the wind, the heavier the rain. He looked into the distance solemnly. The wind blew the heavy rain, spraying his face, but he remained unmoved.
"My son is full of murderous intent and awe-inspiring spirit. Is he ready to take action?" Master Su asked suddenly while he was sitting.
"My lord father, that's exactly what happened. I don't know how you could tell that. I was just about to report it to you!" Zhang Xuanning seemed to change color suddenly, and he looked as if he was very surprised.
Staring closely at Zhang Xuanning, Master Su had a hint of smile in his eyes: "I have been in the underworld for decades, so I still have some good eyesight. When you officially assigned the brothers, I knew you were going to take action."
After all, he is an old hand. Although he doesn't directly manage things, he keeps an eye on everything.
After four months, the expenses on the street were no longer sustainable.
The reason is very simple. At the beginning, he only recruited small thugs. They used to be insecure and had no food to eat. Naturally, they were easy to satisfy. For the time being, he did not need to pay them monthly salaries or consider rewards.
Originally, training was a huge expense, but at present, we had a temporary house to live in, and with Master Su to practice martial arts, we did not have to pay for weapons and treatment, so we could still get by. Those who could train hard would naturally be accepted, and those who could not would be abandoned.
But this is not a long-term solution.
After a period of consideration, Zhang Xuanning divided his subordinates into three types within his authority:
First, the rewards for the gangsters who are being tested, or the people on the street who tip off the outside, are very simple. The gangsters can get five steamed buns a day, and the people on the street can be protected.
The second is to be a formal member of a bamboo gang , who is allocated a long sword every year, two sets of spare clothes every season to be made into a uniform, and one string of money every month.
The third is the small leader of Ergenzhu, who is in charge of a street and earns five strings of cash a month, and 20% of the street's income is at his disposal.
Of course, in the underworld, no matter which era or world, the real income comes mainly from bonuses and power. Salary is actually a guaranteed minimum. Once you fight with real guns and swords, win, and the brothers who survive will of course get several times or even ten times the bonus.
With such a distribution, for the sake of the organization's prestige and Zhang Xuanning's own status, there is no reason to go back on his word. In order to be able to clearly distinguish between rewards and punishments, the first thing to do is naturally to seize the resources.
"But, my son, why don't you try to win him over instead of just taking action? Although you sent someone to contact Yan Kuan, your conditions are too harsh." Master Su looked at him and said, "After all, Yan Kuan has no intention of opposing our gang. He has always been close to us."
This is not an accusation, but simply a question of reason.
Zhang Xuanning pondered for a long while before saying, "Father, to be honest, Yan Kuan actually wanted to give in, but I rejected him. The reason is very simple. Our new Xiangkou is not stable yet, and many things are not on track. If an outsider suddenly joins, and an old veteran, how should we treat the new and old? After all, there are only a few positions, and we can only choose one side. Without sufficient prestige and strength, this choice will do more harm than good."
"Secondly, for Xiangkou's sake, we have to gain a foothold in Yangzhou, so we have to kill. Although it is the best strategy to defeat the enemy without fighting, it depends on the timing. We must not do it now. Father, please understand." Zhang Xuan's eyes sparkled. "Besides, it is not clear who among us brothers can be used and who cannot be used, but it will be clear when we pick up the knife to chop people."
"Do you think those people can be used?" Su Ye thought about it and felt that there was no need to continue with Yan Kuan, after all, he was just an outsider, so he changed the subject. He was quite familiar with Xiangkou's recent movements.
Although there were only thirty gangsters, it was very troublesome to organize them. After the reorganization, it took a month to form three groups. Gui Xiliang was the acting leader of the first group, Zhou Feng was the acting leader of the second group, and Wang Chengzhi was the acting leader of the third group. Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong, although they were treated the same as the acting leaders and temporarily had the title of street patrollers, were excluded from the power organization .
"In terms of intelligence, Xing Rong and Jiang Feng both have great potential. I have prepared to let them study more. In terms of martial arts, Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong have the best talents and will achieve the most in the future." Zhang Xuanning said slowly, "But the selection of team leaders requires a brave character, a strong will, and obedience to orders. These three are the most suitable at the moment."
"Well, you made a good choice. Go ahead. As your father, this is all I can do now. As for whether you can stand out in the gang in the future, it depends on your own ability!" Master Su nodded and said.
After watching the young man disappear in the wind and rain, lightning streaked across the sky. For a moment, the room was very quiet. After a while, Master Su's real son, the disabled Su Ling, came out from the inner room. He whispered, "Father?"
"Don't say anymore. Your father has his own arrangements and considerations." Turning around, Master Su interrupted his son and cast his gaze on his son, his heart filled with pain and regret.
"In fact, you had a great hope of becoming the leader's disciple, but you were injured in the battle that year and fell into a trap, so this path was cut off. The leader actually knew something about this, so he has taken extra care of my family over the years. However, such care is very dangerous, and human feelings will always fade, not to mention that you have been away from the gang for so many years? Therefore, someone in my family must stand up for the gang."
After listening to his father, Su Ling lowered his head and thought for a moment: "Father, I understand, but even so, there is no need to treat Zhang Xuanning like this, right? I think he is a bit arbitrary in some things, and he doesn't seem to be respectful enough to you! For example, he didn't ask you for instructions on this matter."
"Oh, I know that Zhang Xuanning doesn't respect the hierarchy in his bones, but at least he seems to be fine on the surface. My son, you have to understand that my family has no strength now. It is impossible for you to work in the gang anymore. There are no relatives in the sect who can make a name for themselves. They rely on influence. Now it's nothing more than a matter of mutual benefit. Keeping a little bit of face will make it easier to talk in the future."
"He's just a small servant, is he worthy of his father's attention?" Su Ling still said with a bit of disapproval.
"No, my son, this boy is definitely different from ordinary people. If he didn't have martial arts before, then even if he had potential, it would only take a word from me. But he already had martial arts, and he was still forbearing in the store. Look at his behavior in the past few months. He knows when to advance and when to retreat, and he understands power tactics. Although he is still childish, do you think he is really an ordinary person? His father has been working for decades, and what he has gained is just like this. I suspect that he is a collateral branch of a noble family, otherwise it is difficult to explain his literary talent, martial arts and knowledge." Master Su said: "Moreover, this boy is extremely talented. Without me, he can also make a name for himself with his martial arts talent. It's just a matter of more twists and turns. In this case, why not make friends with him? No matter what, he is from our school after all, and there will always be some incense in the future. Unless he doesn't want to do anything, he will never burn bridges after crossing the river and get a reputation of being heartless and unfeeling."
"Father, you are indeed thoughtful. I admire you."
Laughing, Master Su said, "He is far from being able to cause any trouble at the moment. Even if he does, if necessary, I can kill my relatives for the sake of justice. I believe the gang leader will pay more attention to my family. Besides, if he can make a breakthrough, you will have a chance to avenge yourself."
At this point, a trace of murderous intent flashed in Master Su's eyes: "If it weren't for this, why would I risk my reputation to go to the gang leader and ask him to make a Yangzhou incense mouth?"
