Chapter 6: Homemade Wine (Part 1)
After killing Yan Kuan, he also wiped out all the other younger brothers and finally seized three streets of his territory, a total of four streets. He finally had a place to settle down. Although the territory he occupied was only one-third of the Nanmen Market, as for the whole Yangzhou, it was not even one-tenth of it, but he finally had a piece of land that could be developed.
Zhang Xuanning took his brothers to inspect the territory and saw merchants and travelers coming and going continuously. There were dozens of shops open on every street, and Suan Sicao was leading the way in front.
It has to be said that if it weren't for the local tyrant Suan Si Cao, it would have been difficult to quickly control the four streets. Now, wherever he goes, the shop owners call him "Master Zhang" respectfully, and even the brothers behind him have earned the title of "Master".
All the gangsters looked proud and arrogant.
We walked to a relatively high-end restaurant, so we went up to it and said a few words. The eight of us went in. There were about ten tables inside, so we got a table separated by rough wood. We didn't need to order anything, as the owner came up and served us food and wine.
Zhang Xuanning said nonchalantly, "You've done a good job, it seems that almost all the shop owners here know the situation. But, can you tell me what kind of rules the former Boss Yan had?"
After hearing this, Suan Si Cao heaved a sigh of relief and said, "The original rule is that each family will receive 1-5 taels of gold per month, depending on the situation. As for the restaurant, each brother can have some home-cooked meals, and the money will not be counted. But if you order too much, like now, it's only once a month..."
"What? It's too much. Does the store owner want to ask us for money?" Gui Xiliang opened his eyes wide. He was born in a poor family and had been stealing and robbing in the market since he was young. Now that he has become a little rich, he is naturally a little arrogant. This is human nature and nothing surprising.
"This..." Suan Si Cao had a bitter face, not knowing what to say.
"I know this rule. Fishermen always catch the big ones and let the small ones go. Otherwise, what will you eat next year?" Zhang Xuanning glared at Gui Xiliang and said, "You're dead. From now on, you'll be our Xiangkou 's master. Let me give you a bamboo stick. We won't change Yan Kuan's rules. There will be standards for eating and taking. We must follow the rules of the underworld."
"Thank you, Master Xiang. Thank you, Master Xiang." Suan Si Cao was overjoyed. Although he was quite proud of Yan Kuan, Yan Kuan was after all a small gang leader without any backing. Now he had the support of a big shot in the Bamboo Flower Gang. Unexpectedly, this time, he turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
"No need to thank me. In the future, there will be places for you to do business." Zhang Xuanning said. At this moment, the owner came over personally with the dishes, one plate after another. Suddenly, the aroma was overwhelming. The hooligans present had never tasted this before, and they all drooled. Even Gui Xiliang, who wanted to say something, kept silent.
"Eat!" Of course, the first person to pick up the food with chopsticks was Zhang Xuanning, and then his younger brother desperately picked it up with chopsticks.
Zhang Xuanning did not accept Yan Kuan because he simply could not do so now. Yan Kuan was originally the leader, and he would not be grateful even if he was still in charge of three streets. If he deprived him of his position as a younger brother, he would feel resentful, and once he became an insider, things would become much more difficult to deal with, and he might even get a reputation for being mean and ungrateful - rather than doing that, it would be better to kill him directly when the enemy appears.
However, it would be wise not to recruit Yan Kuan and his twenty-odd men, but to simply recruit Si Cao. He is a local tyrant, and it is a small matter for him to settle the local affairs and consolidate his territory. The key is that he has other uses.
Zhang Xuanning ate silently but was calculating in his mind. Over the past few months, he had learned some news from the underworld. After all, some of the news was not a secret.
The Baling Gang is the largest organization in Baling County. It has a huge influence, with 300 gambling houses and 200 brothels across the country. It has rich intelligence and is well-connected to both the black and white worlds. Of course, it has a very bad reputation. Everyone knows that they are engaged in human trafficking. The leader is Lu Kangshou and the second in command is Xiao Xin. When Zhang Xuanning thought of Xiao Xin, who would later become emperor, and the famous villain Xiang Yushan in the book, and the unclear relationship with the Demon Sect, his scalp tingled, and he once again understood that the gangs in this world are huge paramilitary political groups.
Both the Haisha Gang and the Shuilong Gang are mainly engaged in the salt business, but the Haisha Gang is backed by the Yuwen Clan, one of the Four Clans, while the Shuilong Gang is backed by the Song Clan. As a gang backed by two major clans and with one of the highest , one can imagine their power and wealth.
The Jukun Gang, its leader Yun Yuzhen, its deputy leader Bu Tianzhi and Chen Laomou. The character Yun Yuzhen did not attract Zhang Xuanning's attention because her foundation was very shallow, but to be honest, she was secretly supported by the Dugu clan, one of the four major clans.
After all is said and done, the Bamboo Flower Gang that Zhang Xuanning is in now is actually the worst. Currently, the Bamboo Flower Gang is considered a big gang in Danyang and Jiangyin, but its strength is still average. That’s not all, the shallow foundation is difficult to make up for. Gang leader Yin Kaishan was killed for a woman on the pretext of something... Of course, this is something for the future, and it can also be seen that the Bamboo Flower Gang basically has no strong backing, so it is so easy to solve.
The Nanyang Gang, the Yellow River Gang, the Luoyang Gang, the Luliang Faction, the Pengliang Society, the Yingyang Faction, the Qingshuang Faction, the Poyang Faction, the Huangshan Faction, the Qishan Faction, the Dajiang Society, the Tieqi Society, the Nanhai Faction, etc. are all powerful organizations.
This level is certainly not something Zhang Xuanning can reach at the moment, but even in this world, every gang needs huge funds to support it, and these cannot be accomplished by fighting and killing. Although dead grass is just a piece of land, it is still more than enough to do something on this small piece of land.
After finishing the meal, Zhang Xuanning was taken by Suan Sicao to prepare a gift for Master Su. No matter what, maybe they didn't need to report to the court after conquering a few streets, but they should still explain it to Master Su in detail and present gifts - don't let people think that they have forgotten their roots after becoming a little rich.
To know the details, we have to entrust Suan Si Cao to do it. Speaking of this, Suan Si Cao immediately perked up. He was an acquaintance and bargained with the shopkeeper. As a result, he bought several pieces of fine silk and supplements for Master Su, a silver hairpin for Madam Su Ling, and even expensive and rare candies for the two children at that time - although it was considered a cheap purchase, the whole package still cost one hundred and twenty taels of silver!
Zhang Xuanning walked in, and Suan Sicao followed him with a gift in his hand. When he entered the house, he saw Master Su. Zhang Xuanning quickly ran two steps, called out "Father", and went forward to pay his respects.
" Why do you need this great gift, my son? Get up quickly."
"Father, thanks to you, I won a small victory in this battle. I came here specially to pay my respects to you and to present you with a few small gifts to thank you for your guidance and promotion." Zhang Xuanning said respectfully.
Suan Si Cao hurried forward and held up the silk high: "Greetings to Master Su."
Master Su also had good taste. When he saw the elegant colors and soft luster of the silk, he knew it was the best silk. He took a look and said, "Well, my son is really thoughtful. Get up quickly. There is no need for such a big gift between us."
Zhang Xuanning was no longer an outsider, and the morals in this world were quite open; women could walk around freely and hold power, so Su Ling and his wife came out.
"Thank you, uncle." Mrs. Su Ling saw the two children happily holding candies and walked up to them and said.
"We're a family, it's only natural. Why should you be so polite, sister-in-law?" Zhang Xuanning said as he took the things inside.
"Well said. We are family now, so there's no need to be so polite. Come, go get some meat. My family wants to drink more today to celebrate." Grandpa Su said with a smile.
