Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 320 Bai Ye's Serendipitous Encounter
However, unlike the infighting and backstabbing of other gangs, the atmosphere in the Cao Gang was very good.

Whether they are the gang leader, elders, the nine deacons, or ordinary members, everyone gets along peacefully and amicably.

Of course, even the tongue and teeth inevitably collide, let alone humans.

Therefore, although there may be some friction and disputes among individuals within the canal gang, the overall situation is good.

It is precisely because of this that the cohesion of the Canal Gang is so strong. While other forces, large or small, along the Han River have been influenced, subdued, or even taken over by the powerful families in the capital, the Canal Gang is the only one left that remains a tough nut to crack and continues to hold on.

Of course, it wasn't that those people didn't take action against the canal gang; they did indeed make a move. However, because the entire canal gang was determined, almost everyone was fighting to the death, refusing to surrender no matter what!
For the members of the canal gang, freedom is better than death!

In fact, the yearning for freedom is the most fundamental pursuit of every living being.

However, this was not the case for the canal gangs.

They desire freedom, yet they don't care about it.

They don't understand grand principles, and few of them understand what dreams or pursuits are. However, there is one thing they understand very well: they want to survive.

However, the reason why the members of the canal gang were able to survive in this world of suffering was because of their mutual dependence and support.

If they were to be subdued, the very foundation upon which the Grand Canal Gang stood would naturally disappear.

They may live a very comfortable life, with plenty of meat and fish and plenty of money to spend as they please, but for their descendants, it means losing security and the ability to pass on their legacy forever.

As mentioned earlier, the succession of the canal gang depends on bloodline and the order of master and apprentice. Therefore, only with a stable canal gang can these people protect the interests of their descendants for generations, ensuring the stability of their succession and providing security for them no matter how difficult the future may be.

Therefore, for the sake of their descendants, the members of the canal gang were naturally determined to fight to the death and refuse to submit.

Because of the unique nature of the canal gangs, they had a large number of members. The entire canal gang was a family-based gang established by people from nearly a dozen villages. Although the number of people from these villages was not sufficient, their total number was still quite large.

Moreover, these people are stubborn and unwilling to submit. So, unless the army is used to completely cripple the gang, they will never change their minds if only some of their members are injured.

However, if that's really the case, then there's nothing more to say. The canal gang will certainly be subdued, but the person who did this, and even the family behind them, will definitely be thoroughly investigated.

After all, even if someone has connections and can conceal the movement of troops, they cannot hide the massacre of villages and hamlets.

Once this matter is done, it will inevitably be leaked and exposed. At this time, the censor still has a lot of pride, so in the end, this matter will definitely be presented to the emperor by the censor.

Although the current emperor is benevolent, he is not without a heart for killing. Otherwise, do you really think that after the Zhenzong incident, the emperor only sat on the throne because of his benevolence?
Of course, there was a sense of righteousness involved, after all, the emperor was already the crown prince at the time, but more importantly, Emperor Renzong also had a ruthless streak in his heart.

It was precisely because of this ruthlessness that he was able to repel the invasion of Liang Kingdom, stabilize the situation in the court, suppress the four evil forces, settle the people, and finally sit firmly on the dragon throne.

Moreover, Emperor Renzong was no ordinary man. To outsiders, he appeared to be a benevolent ruler, kind and tolerant, seemingly without any guile and only knowing benevolence and righteousness.

However, a closer analysis reveals that the current government is far more complex than people imagine.

He was able to pull a crumbling empire back on track, and while constantly defending against border invasions, he could steadily improve the foundation of the nation, enrich the pockets of the people, and ensure that everyone in the world could live a life with clothes to wear and food to eat.

Such a prosperous era could not have been achieved by just the high-ranking officials in the court.

There must be officials involved.

Moreover, the Emperor's benevolence extends not only to his court officials but also to the common people; in fact, the benevolence in his heart is primarily directed towards the people.

Therefore, if anyone dares to do such a thing, they will have to be prepared to face the guillotine of the law!

Therefore, after several attempts to test the waters, the major families in Bianjing City all failed, and gradually, they gave up.

It was precisely because of this that the reputation of the Canal Gang gradually spread throughout the martial arts world. It was said that they relied on their own strength to forcefully defeat several prominent noble families in the imperial court, thus earning them, these commoners, a great deal of face.

Furthermore, the Canal Gang fought several battles with their enemies over resources for survival, and won all of them decisively. Over time, the Canal Gang firmly established itself in the martial arts world, gained a great reputation, and became a powerful and influential force.

Yes, a major gang or force in the martial arts world.

……

"what?"

"There seems to be some noise over there?"

On the lead boat of the canal gang, a young man dressed in coarse linen clothes was gazing into the distance and whispering.

The lead ship, meaning the most important ship in the entire fleet, is usually the most luxuriously decorated and located in the safest and most central position.

However, things were different for the canal gangs.

Although the lead boat is still the most important, it is not the safest, because the lead boat of the canal gang always belongs to the gang leader, and it is always at the forefront.

The leader of the Caobang (Grass Canal Gang) always led by example, charging ahead on the front lines.

"movement?"

What's that noise?

Behind the young man stood a burly, robust man who touched his thick hair and asked in a deep voice, "Could it be that a fight has broken out over there?"

Being on the Han River, they were naturally aware of what was most likely to happen in the vicinity.

"Ah."

The young man standing at the front, with his hands behind his back, looked up into the darkness and said slowly, "Judging from this commotion, it seems that Liang San and his group's affair has already begun to unfold."

Liang San was the most famous of the bandits on the Han River, and could be considered the leader of all the bandit chiefs.

Of course, none of these river bandits were easy to deal with, so Liang San was naturally not a leader that everyone sincerely respected; he was just a target deliberately pushed out by the river bandits.

However, although it's a target, it's not entirely without its advantages.

At the very least, Liang San also benefited greatly. Not only did his reputation soar, but he also gained many new followers, increasing the strength of his stronghold.

More importantly, he also used this opportunity to make contact with influential people in the capital.

That's right, Liang San was the first Han River bandit to collude with the powerful families in the capital, and he was also the first traitor to defect to them.

However, some people despised him, while others envied him. But it is undeniable that, under the banner of righteousness, Liang San became a highly influential figure in the Han River region.

This "price increase" incident was actually initiated and orchestrated by him.

"Ok?"

"Is it about Liang San and his group?" The sturdy man behind seemed to trust the man in front very much. After hearing his deduction, he agreed without hesitation, "In that case, should we go up and take a look?"

"No matter what, we have to see if we can get something out of it!"

Although the Grand Canal Gang primarily focused on transporting goods by canal and would never engage in robbery or plunder, it is undeniable that while canal transport provided them with a livelihood, it did not make them wealthy. Therefore, it became a habit for the Grand Canal Gang to seize goods during occasional water battles.

Of course, the canal gangs were ultimately part of the lawful camp, so they would not side with the river pirates to seize boats. On the contrary, if the two sides clashed and were locked in a fierce battle, the canal gangs would often stand with the boatmen and fight alongside them to repel the river pirates.

However, if the Canal Gang were to intervene, the other party would have to pay a price, which would be money in addition to the fact that they were the people involved.

Besides, there is another possibility: if the bandits had already robbed the boatmen's boats when the canal gang arrived, they would have taken a different approach.

That is, they will transform into even more powerful "water bandits" and directly attack these real water bandits to take back their loot.

Therefore, over time, as the behavior of the canal gangs became more and more well-known, their reputation became increasingly legendary, and both merchants and river bandits kept their distance from them.

The former didn't want to lose money, having already invested money and incurred favors. But if they were truly facing dire straits, these merchants would still ultimately have some hope for the Grand Canal Gang.

As for the latter, I absolutely hate it!
They were truly no match for the Grand Canal Gang; otherwise, only one of them would have survived in this world!
"Brother Shi, let's just forget about it this time!"

"The situation now is quite different from before!"

The young man who had been standing at the front suddenly turned around, revealing a rather handsome face, and said to the burly man behind him, "This time, Liang San and the others are really serious!"

"If our canal gang really wants to get involved, then the other side won't back down."

Perhaps because the young man had spent so much time outdoors, exposed to the elements, his handsome appearance was now largely obscured, leaving only his bright, sparkling eyes to betray his good looks.

"At that time, they will definitely all come out together to cause us trouble,"

"I'm afraid they'll come after us to settle those old scores!"

The young man, whose good looks had been sealed away, was both amused and exasperated.

Speaking of which, Liang San's stronghold had also suffered greatly at the hands of the Canal Gang. Several times, the Canal Gang had double-crossed them and robbed them of their spoils, causing those river bandits to work for nothing several times!

"Ha ha!"

"Let's settle the score!"

"Do you think our canal gang would be afraid of them?"

The burly man behind him, Brother Shi, laughed heartily, completely unconcerned.

He waved his hand with extreme pride and shouted, "How dare these cowardly cowards confront us head-on?"

"Let's not talk about the past. Even if those watchdogs come with their masters in the future, we, the Canal Gang, are not afraid!"

These words were spoken with resounding force, as heavy as a thousand-pound cauldron.

However, these words only made the man in front even more dumbfounded.

Speaking of which, Brother Shi not only speaks boldly, but also has an extremely rugged appearance.

Putting aside his towering height, which is more than half a head taller than the average person, and his dark complexion, what makes him truly unique is his full beard.

Each thorn sticks outwards, standing straight up, making it look as if he had stuffed a hedgehog into his face, creating an indescribably funny effect.

"Alright, bro, stop bragging!"

No sooner had Brother Shi finished speaking than another remark that exposed someone's past was suddenly heard in the air.

"Brother, if you were really willing to go that far, this ship would have already changed course!"

"Where can we still follow the old routes like we do now?"

Shi Xiaodi walked over from behind the two of them, shaking his head and swaying.

"Young Master, Rong'er has woken up and is now crying for you!"

Shi Xiaodi completely ignored his older brother's angry and glaring appearance, and simply spoke softly to the young man at the front.

"what?"

"Is Rong-jie awake?"

Upon hearing this, the young man's previously serious expression suddenly relaxed, and a light smile appeared on his face.

"Perfect, since that's the case, let's head straight back!"

The young man grabbed the somewhat indignant Brother Shi and said with a smile, "Let Liang San and the others make a scene for now!"

"Anyway, there's no rush for this kind of thing!"

……

Soon, the three returned to their cabin and went their separate ways.

Because the young man needed to look after the child named Rongjie, he apologized to the Shi brothers and quickly left.

After all, children need constant care.

The situation was much more interesting with the brothers from the other family. The burly eldest brother, Shi, suddenly frowned and stared intently at his younger brother.

He glared at her with a cold expression, his hair standing on end in anger—no, he was more like a beard!
Brother Shi stroked his beard, which was as thick as steel needles, and coldly reprimanded him, "You good-for-nothing, Brother Shi!"

"You've only studied under Young Master Bai Ye for a few years, yet you dare to speak to your elder brother like that!"

"It seems that your skills have improved a lot over the years!"

"What, do you still want to have a proper spar with your older brother?"

It turned out that the young man was Bai Ye.

At the same time, he is also the legitimate son of the Marquis of Ningyuan, Gu Tingye.

(End of this chapter)