What do you mean by quitting the business? I'm not a big shot.

Chapter 614 Gangs and Cliques
After the meeting, Gao Laosen stayed behind and came to the mountain lord to apologize with his hands clasped: "I'm sorry, Ah Tang, I secretly made an appointment with Lao Mo and the other two to ask them to hand over their power."

"Unexpectedly, they wanted to leave the gang and switch to another gang."

Yin Zhaotang waved his hand, not caring much: "Forget it, you meant well by advising them. If someone wants to leave, you can't keep them. Just don't make things difficult for Lao Zhong after you leave, and then we'll be even."

Gao Laosen breathed a sigh of relief and lamented, "What a disgrace."

"Heh, three good-for-nothings, whether they stay or go, it won't affect the development of the gang." Yin Zhaotang held his teacup and said softly, "Uncle Liao and the others are coming to play cards this afternoon, wanna join us?"

Gao Laosen nodded: "Okay, I'll go downstairs to watch Marseille first. This year's January Cup is really intense."

After seeing off his uncles, Zuo Shou returned upstairs and whispered, "Boss, should we call a few men to take care of Old Mo and Street Market Yong?"

Yin Zhaotang had already made up his mind, and shook his head, saying, "Forget it, three cuts and six holes are not easy to endure, and it's uncertain whether they still have the energy to cause trouble."

"If it doesn't affect the triads, spare their lives; that would make us seem magnanimous. However, keep a close eye on them, and keep track of which triad they join and what kind of business they do."

Zuo Shou nodded knowingly and said, "Understood, boss."

Any triad that dares to take in Lao Mo and Jie Shiyong is likely to cause trouble for Lao Zhong. Those triads that truly dare not offend Lao Zhong will refuse both of them simply to avoid suspicion.

Larger companies like Sin Kee, Number Gang, and Wo Shing Wo need to be more careful about their influence. Smaller companies are more likely to accept two people transferring ownership, as they are trying to take a chance.

Don't underestimate Old Mo. He's survived the tough times of the street market and the old Chung family. He has a wide network of connections and rich experience in the underworld. Who knows, he might still have some hidden ways to make money.

Talented individuals emerge quickly in large clubs, and everyone is willing to work hard, leaving them with no opportunities. However, if placed in a declining club, the two of them would be pillars of strength.

There's no need to publicly blacklist the two in the martial arts world. Firstly, they've already repaid their debt of gratitude to the sect. Secondly, some people in the martial arts world are rebellious and like to go against the grain; they might be deliberately recruiting these two to gain attention.

The best way to not give outsiders any opportunity is to do nothing.

In the afternoon, Liao Runchen, Liao Zhihong, Ge Zhixiong, Dapu Niu, Liang Chaoying, Dong Jianhua, Hu Bochao, Ren Darong, and Huo Zhengting arrived at Chaoyi Restaurant.

Yin Zhaotang and the guests who arrived earlier went up to the attic to play cards and chat. After all the guests had arrived, he gave his seat to Gao Laosen and personally brewed tea to entertain everyone.

These nine individuals, spanning the police force, business community, rural council, and municipal council, are his most steadfast political allies and the most valuable asset of the entire Chung Yee Tong.

Their faces ranged from old to young, and their bodies from fat to thin. Some came from poor families and fought their way to the top, while others were born into wealthy and powerful families.

But as long as they are there, Lao Zhong will not fall! As long as their family exists, their reputation will not be ruined! In a sense, they and Yin Zhaotang are already one, not members of the Hongmen, but members of Lao Zhong.

They both wanted the Chung Yi Tong to realize their political ambitions and acted as the Chung Yi Tong's power tentacles, governing the police, government, and business sectors on Hong Kong Island.

Of course, the development of a city is determined by much more than just the police, government, and business sectors; it also includes the legal, financial, scientific, and industrial sectors.
However, Hong Kong Island is small and inherently disadvantaged, and its industrial and scientific sectors have always been weak. It is also influenced by colonial rule and the port economy, while its legal and financial sectors are strong.

After becoming the head of the Loyalty Hall, Yin Zhaotang's underworld career had reached its peak, and his power was unshakeable. Continuing to develop his underworld connections would be misguided; maintaining his influence and expanding into the political arena was his next goal. Therefore, immediately after the gang's general meeting, he convened a "Partners' Meeting" to discuss strategies for the election year.

All strategies will prioritize serving the "education reform." A maximum of seventy-five votes are needed to pass the education reform within the preparatory group.

Because the 50-person preparatory group list will be expanded twice, with 50 more people added each time. If it passes by the final deadline, it will be 75+1, and the last vote has been confirmed—it's the vote of the group leader, Qi Chen. If it passes before 96, it will be 50+1; before 92, it will be 25+1.

Currently, Yin Zhaotang is on the list of 50 people, with only three solid votes from Huo Guantai, Liao Runchen, and Ren Darong, and he can also win four votes from Shao Yifu, He Hongsheng, Bao Yugang, and Chen Jinfen.

Of the 50 people on the list, Li Shanfu, the original representative of the financial sector, has died and has been replaced by the newly appointed chairman of the Stock Exchange, Chen Jinfen. Including her own votes, she has a total of 9 votes, which is far from the 25 votes required.

However, if the committee can support Liu Yuen-sum to become the head of the New Territories Rural Committee and support Wu Po-chiu to become the head of a district council before 92, then it is hoped that a 50+1 result can be achieved when the list of 100 people is released.

Because the second expansion of the list will include many serving politicians.

The positions of District Council Chief and District Municipal Chief are powerful positions with access to a wide range of resources, making them a classic example of "one vote equal to ten votes".

In addition, the Four Modernizations Society behind Leung Chiu-ying is another large organization with at least five votes. If the faction can get Ge Zhixiong, Tung Kin-wah, Fok Ching-ting and others on the list, they will have more than thirty votes in hand.

Finally, leveraging the influence of the Chaoshan Chamber of Commerce to garner over a dozen votes from the business community greatly increases the chances of passing the reform plan. However, this hinges on Hu Bochao and Liao Runchen not losing their elections.

Within the team, Hu Bochao and others had already reached a consensus on "Educational Reform" and were determined to implement it!

It wasn't that they were selfless and all agreed with the policy, but rather that they had learned from Yin Zhaotang that the country hoped to promote "same language and same culture" and had made "educational reform" a political goal.

Once you're in the preparatory group, you can't just sit around doing nothing. If you're going to do something, you have to do something big. If you succeed, maybe one of them will become the leader.

It can be said that the battle for the position of leader of the Special Administrative Region began a decade in advance.

People on each mountain peak are gathering their strength to climb higher.

Dressed in a suit and tie, with a worried look on his face, Ge Zhixiong said, "Mr. Hu should have no problem running for Kowloon District Chief Executive. There are no strongmen in Kowloon right now. Speaker Wu Baochang is still an appointed member of the Hong Kong government and hasn't been doing very well in the past two years. But if Uncle Liao wants to compete with Liu Huangfa, he doesn't have enough bargaining chips right now."

In front of everyone, Ge Dashao, who had just decided to officially run for Western District Councilor, was still a political newbie.

Even those who have never been involved in politics can see how much of an advantage Lau Wong-fat, known as the "King of the New Territories," has. He not only has the full support of the Tang family, the most prominent clan in the New Territories, but also the forces of Wo Shing Wo. It is said that Sun Kee and Hop To are also cooperating with Lau Wong-fat.

Hu Bochao, however, held a different opinion: "Liu Huangfa relies on others and is ultimately just using their influence. The Deng family is powerful, but they are wise to protect themselves, only placing bets and not taking the lead, showing a lack of resolve. Liao Sheng is the head of the Liao family, and by campaigning and running for office himself, his appeal is definitely stronger than Liu Huangfa's."

“If we can win ten of the twenty seats in the Heung Yee Kuk in the New Territories, we can keep Uncle Liao in power.”

(End of this chapter)