Su Xin entered the hall first,while Dǒng Chéngwǔand the others took a moment before following inside.At this moment,there was no sign of ShāFēiyìng in the hall,but all the major leaders were present.
Seeing Su Xin enter,they greeted him quietly,their eyes carrying a curious expression,wanting to know Su Xin's thoughts.However,Su Xin was not in a hurry.He took his seat,sitting calmly and not saying a word.
This made the other leaders anxious.Liu Shèngmíng,who had a good relationship with Su Xin,approached and asked,"SūTángzhǔ,how should we handle this situation?Please give us some guidance.We've lost an entire district.In the decades since the establishment of Feiying Gang,we've never suffered such a significant loss."
Su Xin didn't answer,just glanced at Xu Cháng,who was sitting in the corner,and said indifferently,"I heard,Boss Xu,you ran quite fast yesterday.You even left the Deputy Gang Leader behind.Aren't you afraid the Gang Leader might hold you responsible later?"
Xu Cháng's face immediately displayed an ugly smile worse than crying.He had even thought of dying at this point.Originally,Xu Cháng didn't intend to abandon ShāYuándōng,but the situation was too perilous.There was a huge fire on one side,and members of Qingzhu Gang were attacking on the other.In his fear,Xu Cháng didn't consider much,and he ran immediately.It was only halfway that he remembered ShāYuándōng was still inside.Later,when he tried to secretly return to save ShāYuándōng,he found out that ShāYuándōng had already escaped.Thus,he was unjustly accused of abandoning him.
Xu Cháng was about to say something to Su Xin when the door of the hall was pushed open.ShāFēiyìng,with a gloomy face,entered along with ShāYuándōng and four of his disciples.
Seeing everyone present,ShāFēiyìng's expression darkened."Why aren't you all staying in your own territories?Why did you come to the main hall?"
ShāFēiyìng still carried an imposing aura.Even though some leaders had come with intentions to question him,a single rebuke from ShāFēiyìng left them at a loss for words.
Su Xin sighed inwardly.These people were really indecisive.Since they didn't speak,he had to take the initiative.
"Gang Leader,do we still have a territory to return to now?Moreover,if Feiying Gang continues like this,we might lose even the place to stand.Yesterday,how many people do you think we lost under the attack of Qingzhu Gang?Over five hundred!The number of injured is even greater!When the gang didn't have centralized authority,such significant events never occurred.Now,shouldn't someone be held responsible?"
Hearing Su Xin say this,ShāYuándōng immediately became furious."Are you implying this is my fault?"
Su Xin sneered,"Blame you?Whom else should we blame?The leaders of those businesses in Yongle District conspired with Qingzhu Gang.They set fire to divert attention and directly seized Yongle District amidst the chaos."
Zhuāng Líraised his doubts,"Those businessmen don't want their lives anymore?They dared to conspire with Qingzhu Gang against us?Who gave them the courage?"
Su Xin coldly snorted,"Under normal circumstances,they wouldn't dare.However,they've been driven to a dead end.Is there anything they wouldn't dare to do now?When ShāYuándōng managed Yongle District,his subordinates extorted and blackmailed these businessmen.The boss of Dongsheng Tavern,in just one month,was extorted tens of thousands of taels of silver.Moreover,the reputation of Dongsheng Tavern was completely ruined.It has now become defunct.This time,it was the boss of Dongsheng Tavern who took the initiative to contact Qingzhu Gang.But that's not all.ShāYuándōng didn't even know how to manage the gang.In such a large district,there was no arranged patrol at night.It's laughable!"
"Nonsense!You're just spouting nonsense!"ShāYuándōng's face turned pale,hastily defending himself.
However,everyone present had already been convinced by Su Xin's detailed account.
As the saying goes,if you cut off someone's livelihood,it's akin to killing their parents.These businessmen were cowardly and risk-averse,but if pushed to their limits,they were capable of anything.
"I might be talking nonsense,but you can investigate it directly.There were many people involved in this matter initially,and Qingzhu Gang had no intention of concealing anything,"Su Xin said,a hint of cold laughter playing on his lips.
ShāFēiyìng turned to look at ShāYuándōng and sternly asked,"Is what Su Xin said true!?"
ShāYuándōng,with a pale face and no way to deny it,had to admit,"Who could have expected those damn merchants to be so cunning?If I knew,I would have found a reason and dealt with them directly!"
By saying this,he essentially admitted his fault.This made the leaders and the three hall masters present shake their heads,showing a disdainful look in their eyes.
Though ShāYuándōng was slightly older than Su Xin,compared to Su Xin,he appeared to be quite naive.They had witnessed Su Xin's rise.When the old Huang of the Happy Forest Gambling House tried to play tricks with Su Xin,he was directly disposed of.Even the gambling house became the site of Su Xin's hall.
For these businessmen,either you leave them be,or if you choose to act,you need to eliminate them entirely!They didn't even understand the principle of cutting the grass and removing the roots.Pushing the opponent to a dead end without preparing for the desperate counterattack was a result of their own miscalculations.Su Xin sighed in his heart.He was willing to believe that ShāYuándōng simply lacked experience,rather than acknowledging him as such a waste.
"Yuándōng lacks experience in managing the gang,and he's bound to make some mistakes.Consider this a lesson.I will teach him rigorously until he is fit for the position of the Gang Leader,"ShāFēiyìng said.
The expressions of the people present were not good.The Gang Leader's actions this time were a bit too much.ShāYuándōng forced the merchants of Yongle District to rebel,lost an entire district,and more than five hundred gang members died.All of this was concluded with a single lesson?
Su Xin laughed loudly,"Joke!It's simply a joke!ShāYuándōng made such a huge mistake,and if there's no punishment,what's the point of the gang rules?"
"How do you suggest?"ShāFēiyìng coldly snorted.
Su Xin's attitude today was quite different,his words pressing and forceful,giving ShāFēiyìng a somewhat ominous feeling.
"It's simple.When you're in this world,you have to acknowledge your mistakes and stand straight to take the hits.No matter your identity,if you make a mistake,you should accept the punishment!Because of ShāYuándōng,we lost an entire district.Adding to that,over five hundred of our brothers lost their lives.According to the gang rules,what should be the punishment?"Su Xin pointed to the ground."Gang Leader,you created Feiying Gang,and we all respect you.But Feiying Gang is also the result of our hard work!We can't just watch it being ruined by ShāYuándōng.Today,he lost an inexperienced Yongle District,and tomorrow he might lose another one.Even if our family business is big,can it withstand his repeated mistakes?If you want to take back our rights,we have no objections.As long as Feiying Gang survives,we can at least secure a prosperous life for the next generation.But if Feiying Gang is gone,we won't even have the qualification to exist!"
Su Xin's words struck a chord with many of the major leaders and Dǒng Chéngwǔ.Last time,when ShāFēiyìng wanted to centralize power and demanded them to surrender territories and rights,they didn't resist.It wasn't just because there was no leader leading them,but also because ShāFēiyìng hadn't pushed them to the edge.
These major leaders and hall masters of Feiying Gang were generally older,mostly over forty-five years old.At this age,they no longer had the psychology of climbing up.They just wanted to maintain their current positions,and that was what mattered.
