Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 318 Rules and Enemies
"tough battle?"

Sheng Changquan smiled slightly, but he didn't take Wang Bo's words to heart at all.

Of course, not keeping it to himself doesn't mean he didn't care about it.

On the contrary, he pondered those two words for a while.

Sui Er.

A cold glint flashed in Sheng Changquan's eyes!
"Uncle Wang, do you mean that the Sickle Gang will still attack us after taking the money?"

Sheng Changquan asked softly, but his eyes were filled with ruthlessness.

"Shh!"

To prevent others from seeing his eyes and guessing his thoughts, Sheng Changquan lowered his eyelids to conceal the fierce look in his eyes, trying his best to appear harmless.

"Ugh!"

Uncle Wang sighed softly, but he didn't notice anything unusual about Sheng Changquan.

"Young Master Sheng, you have no idea!"

Wang Bo's already somewhat hunched body drooped even more, and his face suddenly became very worried. He looked as if he had just drunk a cup of bitter soup, making people feel uncomfortable just looking at him.

"Based on my understanding of these people, I'm afraid they've already set their sights on us!"

Uncle Wang stated his deduction and began to speak.

"Ok?"

"Uncle Wang, what do you mean by that?"

Sheng Changquan didn't quite understand what Wang Bo was saying.

Why are they targeting us?

Was it an accident, or was it malicious?

At this moment, Sheng Changquan's mind raced, and the first thing he thought of was why this situation had occurred.

Is it because of Fu Lai Shipping?

Or is it because of the He family?

Or perhaps, for something else?

……

For a moment, Sheng Changquan was caught in a mental storm.

Wang Bo, on the other hand, had no idea that Sheng Changquan had so many thoughts in his mind. He only saw that Sheng Changquan had his eyes downcast and his face was indifferent, as if he did not care about this matter at all. Therefore, he could not help but be a little worried.

"Young Master Sheng, this matter is not simple."

Wang Bo couldn't help but remind Sheng Changquan, "If we are careless this time, it could easily lead to a major disaster!"

Fearing that Sheng Changquan was too young to understand the gravity of the situation, Wang Bo simply stated the worst possible outcome.

"If we happen to run into those people, even if we don't wipe them all out, at least one or two out of every five people on those two ships will be killed or wounded!"

Uncle Wang guessed and said, "At the same time, not to mention noble people like you, if you were caught, there would be only two outcomes in their hands: one is to pay a ransom, or..."

"An even more difficult outcome!"

Wang Bo gave Sheng Changquan serious advice, the meaning of which was self-evident.

In fact, his meaning was very simple: if Sheng Changquan and his men were captured by the enemy, there would only be two possible outcomes for them.

If you're lucky, then nothing will happen; you can just have your family pay a ransom. But if you encounter someone with a violent temper, they might just kill you.

If the latter happens, unless the imperial court mobilizes to wipe out all the bandits along the Han River, these murderers will never be exposed.

In other words, if things really come to that point, even if they wanted their families to take revenge after they died, they wouldn't be able to.

After all, it's impossible to pinpoint the enemy.

"Actually, we were just unlucky this time, as we happened to arrive at the right moment when they wanted to establish their authority."

When Wang Bo saw the change in Sheng Changquan's expression, he assumed that Sheng Changquan had taken his words to heart. So, to make sure that Sheng Changquan hadn't understood, Wang Bo simply explained in detail.

“Young Master Sheng, you’ve never done this before, so you don’t know the rules of our trade.”

"rule?"

Hearing this, Sheng Changquan found it somewhat amusing, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

"Uncle Wang, is this 'rule' you mentioned normal?"

"Ah? This..."

"...Young Master Sheng...you must be joking!"

Wang Bo was initially stunned by Sheng Changquan's words, but after realizing what he meant, he was both amused and exasperated, and had to quickly explain, "The rules I'm talking about are the rules, of course!"

Although Uncle Wang mentioned two "rules," Sheng Changquan still understood what he meant.

"Haha, Uncle Wang, I misunderstood!"

"Please continue, sir!"

What exactly are the rules here?

Sheng Changquan laughed and changed the subject, continuing to ask.

"Cough cough!"

However, Sheng Changquan's interruption eased Wang Bo's previously gloomy mood considerably.

"Ok?"

Upon realizing this, Wang Bo immediately understood the meaning behind Sheng Changquan's words.

The purpose was simply to make him feel more relaxed and comfortable.

Thinking of this, his feelings toward Sheng Changquan improved.

"Thank you for your understanding, sir!"

Wang Bo cupped his hands in thanks to Sheng Changquan and sincerely expressed his gratitude. Then he continued, "However, the rules of our profession are indeed not respectable and would not meet your standards, sir!"

"It's called a rule, but it's just an agreement we made with those thugs and bandits out of desperation!"

Uncle Wang gave a wry smile, realizing that he himself found it difficult to bring up such a thing.

"Although this agreement is not written down in black and white, it is upheld by everyone in the shipping industry."

"If anyone dares to deny it, they will be ostracized by everyone, as if they were to be condemned by the whole world!"

After explaining the implications, Uncle Wang continued, "If either the legitimate or illegitimate side wants to raise or lower the toll for a ship, they must defeat the other side in terms of strength; otherwise, it won't work!"

"beat?"

Upon first hearing those two words, Sheng Changquan was taken aback. But after careful consideration, he understood the implications.

So, Rang simply asked Uncle Wang directly, "Uncle Wang, if it's as you say, wouldn't the Han River have already been in chaos long ago?"

"If you hit me, I'll hit you; how can this turmoil possibly stop?"

Looking at the boundless Han River before him, Sheng Changquan couldn't help but ask himself this question.

"But, look at this, sir, things are like this now..."

Sheng Changquan hesitated before raising his doubts.

"Hehe, young man, you have a good eye!"

"He saw through it at a glance."

Hearing Sheng Changquan's question, Uncle Wang was not angry. Instead, he first praised Sheng Changquan before continuing, "However, I haven't finished explaining this rule yet."

"Actually, there are still some limitations here."

"That is, this kind of competition has a time limit, depending on the situation. If the amount of silver changes significantly, the test will last longer, and vice versa." Uncle Wang shook his head and said, "Just like this time, they actually dared to double the toll, so this contest will definitely not be short!"

"At the very least, it will last for a year!"

Wang Bo confidently predicted, "If these river bandits can completely block the fleets that refuse to pay tolls in the next year, and prevent anyone from breaking through the waterway and landing on the other side, then their goal will be achieved."

"From then on, each fleet had to spend more money than before."

At this point, Uncle Wang's expression inevitably turned somewhat unpleasant.

"However, even if they succeed this time, we can still win next time!"

"I believe that the owners of major shipping companies will not allow these people to set such a precedent so easily!"

Uncle Wang had a lot of confidence in his employer.

"I see!"

Hearing what Uncle Wang said, Sheng Changquan finally understood. It turned out that the two sides were competing for profits by passing challenges to each other.

However, Sheng Changquan was not interested in any of this. Right now, he just wanted to know why someone was making things difficult for them when they had already paid the money.

"Lang Jun!"

Seemingly sensing Sheng Changquan's doubts, Uncle Wang continued, "Right now, this is the beginning of a power struggle between the two sides. So even if we pay the silver and tolls, those river bandits will still teach us a lesson!"

"The purpose is to establish authority and make an example of someone!"

Sheng Changquan frowned, but he completely understood what Uncle Wang meant.

"So the money we paid earlier is completely useless?"

Sheng Changquan remembered the bag of silver from before and couldn't help but ask.

Although he showed no reaction on the surface, as if he didn't care about the money, in reality, his heart was aching terribly!
"That silver isn't entirely useless!"

Upon hearing Sheng Changquan ask this question, Uncle Wang shook his head and gave a wry smile.

"Because we paid the toll, those bandits who took our money will no longer attack us."

"Just like the Sickle Gang this time, they will definitely not attack us on the rest of the journey!"

"However, besides them, the only ones most likely to make things difficult for us next are those lone wolves."

Wang Bo saw things very clearly and knew which enemies he and his companions were about to face.

"In that case, may I ask what you wish to say to me, Uncle Wang?"

Upon learning that the enemy was bound to come, Sheng Changquan actually felt somewhat relaxed.

"Uncle Wang, should we stay on the third floor and not come down, so as not to disturb your arrangements?"

"Ah? This..."

Meeting Sheng Changquan's trusting gaze, Uncle Wang felt a little embarrassed this time.

However, the situation was urgent, and no one knew when the river bandits would arrive, so he didn't mince words and said directly, "My lord, actually..."

"Actually, I think we might not have enough manpower at our shipping company, so..."

"so……"

"I'm afraid we'll need your help!"

……

On the other side, the frail, pitiful little fishing boat swayed precariously on the dark, icy river.

On the vast, deserted, silent, and pitch-black river, this small boat, lit by a single, cold windproof lamp, drifted like a lonely ghost...

Wandering...

"Whoo~"

"It's so cold right now!"

"Yes! Yes!"

"Who says it isn't?"

"..."

The two boatmen chatted quietly about the weather while vigorously rowing their boats toward their own side.

"Crash!"

"Crash..."

The sound of rushing water echoed continuously as the small fishing boat sped towards its nest with a swift yet graceful speed.

It must be said that these water bandits are much better at doing things on the water!
"Brother Mao, now that you've completed your mission, you're probably going to receive another reward from the gang leader!"

Of the two boatmen, the more clever one carefully turned around and respectfully flattered Mao Cai.

Because although the Sickle Gang is called a gang, it is actually just a mountain stronghold composed of river bandits.

No, it should be called an island village.

Therefore, outsiders cannot distinguish their nature and call their leader "Big Boss," but they are called "gang leader" by their own people.

Although it's hard to explain, everyone knows that calling someone "gang leader" sounds better and more imposing than calling them "big boss"!
"Yes! Yes!"

"Brother Mao is probably going to get promoted this time and become the head of our gang!"

Another boatman, who thought "me too," foolishly followed his companion's example and showered Mao with flattery, hoping to get a promotion.

Unfortunately, Mao Cai, who had been abandoned, had no time to deal with these two guys.

"no!"

"This time, I will definitely get my revenge!"

Although Mao suffered many lessons and humiliations in the Sickle Gang, some of which were even worse than before.

However, times have changed!
Back then, he was just a lowly subordinate, with no status whatsoever. He could endure being bullied...

No wonder!
But what can you do if you can't bear it?

Mao Cai unconsciously touched his anus, feeling a dull ache within, and secretly vowed revenge!
"I said I would never let anyone bully me again!"

"Fulai Shipping, this time, I'm going to take you on!"

Actually, for Mao Cai, being ridiculed and despised was nothing, but there was one thing he could not tolerate!

That is, to take action against him!

Needless to say, it was about hitting his butt!
Don't get the wrong idea. When we were throwing away the coins, there were many people involved, so it's understandable that some things might have gone wrong at that time.

Perhaps someone inadvertently touched a "flaw" in Mao's talent and hurt his dignity, so he made his decision.

Next, after returning to his gang, he went to gather people and invited those who were independent members of their own gangs to avenge him.

For those who work independently, they are not afraid of hardship or fatigue, but they are afraid of not having any business.

Now that Mao has revealed the location of Sheng Changquan's fleet, these independent gangs will naturally be willing to attack them.

There's no other reason than that this is the way of life for those who work independently, and at the same time, this plan is also Mao's open scheme.

……

"coming!"

After discussing with Sheng Changquan, Wang Bo immediately took over the manpower of the Sheng and He families, dividing all the manpower into two halves and placing them on the two ships respectively.

However, since the Sheng and He families were all on the same boat, all the people from their households were also arranged together and placed on the passenger ship.

I'm asking for leave on September 10th. By the way, how do I write a leave request for a single chapter? I wrote one before, but it was counted as a paid chapter, so I'm afraid to do it again...

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(End of this chapter)