I am a master in India

Chapter 247 Forming Alliances
"I'll have my family send some more people over." Ratan felt that his personal defenses were still insufficient.

"Don't worry about the factory, and there are plenty of people on the estate. The newcomers haven't even touched a gun before, so they won't be of much help."

“One finger is enough to fire,” Ratan gestured. “Don’t expect them to be sharpshooters. Uttar Pradesh people only fire when they’re within five meters.”

"Why?" Ron asked curiously.

"Because the pistols here are crudely made, they're inaccurate if you stand too far away." Ratan found a homemade pistol from somewhere.

It was very rudimentary, with severe grinding marks on the gun body and no smooth parts; it looked like a lump of iron.

"Is this thing really a gun?" Ron picked it up and examined it. The barrel was heavily rusted, barely better than an ordinary iron pipe.

“Most people use this kind. Do you think they all have imported ones?” Ratan pulled out his standard-issue pistol and twirled it.

"The chance of it exploding is quite high, isn't it?" Ron's homemade gun had no rifling; it was just an iron pipe.

“It depends on luck,” Ratan shrugged.

"Is this what the Tripatty family's arms business is like?"

"One to two thousand rupees apiece, used and then thrown away."

"So it's a consumable item." Ron's eyes lit up.

These homemade pistols had no serial numbers, making them impossible to trace. After using them, the killer simply tossed them into a ditch, and who knows who the murderer was?

"Homemade pistols are in high demand throughout India. They are used for robbery, kidnapping and extortion, and even shooting political enemies. They have a wide range of uses."

“It’s a hot commodity,” Ron chuckled, “but the Tripatty family’s business must be doing quite well.”

“I’m going to take down their military factory.” Latan clicked the bolt back.

"What are you going to do?"

"Of course, we should just lead our men and charge straight over there."

"That would be a huge loss. They're not two idiots like beasts. The Tripatty family is in the arms business; do you think they'd be short of guns?"

"The Suer family must avenge this humiliation!" Ratan said without backing down.

"Yes, that's right, but we don't need to be so reckless. If we rush in now, we'll definitely suffer heavy casualties. We need to find the perfect opportunity, such as luring them away from the mountain first."

Does Ron not want revenge? Of course he does. He's not a saint who can remain indifferent to joy or sorrow.

However, the Tripati family had too deep roots in Mirzabul. Ron and his team had already investigated and found that most of the town's residents had vested interests with them.

How the hell are we supposed to fight like this? If we just charge straight in, we might get taken down by a stray bullet from some hidden corner.

They arrived too late. Despite Muna's efforts to promote their cause several times, their popular support was still too weak.

"Do you have an idea?" Ratan asked.

“Just as you thought, let’s set off a big firework display at their military factory,” Ron laughed.

"Ok?"

“An eye for an eye. He made my cement factory miserable, so I’ll send his military factory to its knees.”

"How to do it?"

“The Tripati family has plenty of enemies, even when they use other people’s hands.”

Ron doesn't do unprofitable deals; it's best to let others explore first.

To be honest, Ron didn't know how many men or guns the Tripatty family had.

Because their men are all hidden in the town, they might be street vendors most of the time, but when it really matters, they can just turn around and pull out a gun from under their clothes.

It's tricky, so Ron decided to send someone else to test the waters first.

"Brother, this is too much trouble, and it's not convenient at all."

“I’m worried you’ll get taken advantage of,” Ron rolled his eyes at him. “Besides, we can use violence, but we shouldn’t rely on it. We can hire thugs, but we shouldn’t become thugs.”

If every time it escalates into a violent confrontation, how will we do business in the future? We can't just show up at gunpoint every time and force people to sign contracts.

Aggressive militarism only isolates us from others. Although the Northern States are in chaos, the general order still exists.

Do you really think the state government and military are useless? Most gang fights are carried out with the tacit approval of politicians, provided that the scale is controlled.

Ron doesn't mind using non-violence, but becoming a thug isn't a long-term solution.

Even Tata and Reliance, which later became giants, did not engage in widespread violence; they acted within the framework of civilization.

This time is special; the Sue family needs to establish their authority, otherwise Ron wouldn't even be willing to use a gun.

The greater the power in your hands, the more you must know how to exercise restraint.

"By the way, we also need to send someone to find out the whereabouts of the Tripati family."

"Hey bro, what are you planning to do?" Ratan perked up.

"Send it to those who need it."

"Who?"

“Sumbadra, we should also go and check out the coal mine that Yadav promised in the next couple of days.”

Sumbadhra is located in the southeastern corner of Uttar Pradesh, bordering the states of Taman Taung, Chhattisgarh, Jharkham, and Bihar.

It's easy to imagine that this border region is anything but simple. Chaos is inevitable, and all sorts of illegal trade are rampant.

Unfortunately, the closer to the east in India, the richer the mineral resources become.

For example, Bihar and Odisha are rich in coal, iron ore, and bauxite.

Sonbadra is geographically close to the east, and its coal resources are decent.

However, in northern India, apart from a few major cities and state capitals, industrial development is almost non-existent.

Coal resources are limited by policies, so few people are interested in them, and they are basically in the state of open-pit mining.

Locals would secretly sell the ore to other places, mainly for use in boilers of small workshops.

Tea shops at the entrance of villages like Kana use coal from Songbadra as fuel.

That thing was completely unprocessed; it was too big and needed to be broken up by hand before it could be put into the furnace.

In general, the coal mines in Sonbadra are in a semi-open state, with local gangs controlling the retail business.

After arriving, Ron and Ratan didn't go to the mines first. Instead, they met with Tiraka, the local bigwig of Sumbadra. He was essentially the same as the Tripati family in Mirzabul, the head of the entire Sumbadra region.

The difference is that Tiraka ruled Sumbadra for only twenty years, far less firmly than the Tripati family, who ruled for generations.

Ron visited Tiraka first because he had a blood feud with the Tripati family.

It is said that twenty years ago, Tiraka was a capable henchman of Kalin's father.

In front of outsiders, Kalin's father treated Tiraka almost like his own son.

When the family dined at the restaurant, Tiraka ate at the same table as the rest of the Tripati family.

Through various tactics of winning her over, Tiraka mistakenly believed that she was also half of Mirzabur's successor.

Tiraka was not awakened until Kalin's father announced the family's successor in the square.

The old man mentioned Kalin's name, and even his grandson Ram's name, but he didn't mention Tirakati at all.

Oh no, his name was indeed read, but his title was "an incomparably loyal warrior".

This was unacceptable to the ambitious Tiraka, who plotted a rebellion, but failed.

The old man, mindful of their past adoption, did not kill them all.

Finally, Tiraka was driven to Sumbhadlah, a remote corner of Uttar Pradesh.

Surrounded by the other four states, there is absolutely no room for expansion, and the entrance is blocked by Mirzapur.

Tiraka considered this a great humiliation, and he secretly amassed strength, launching a counterattack a few years ago.

As a result, his son, who was just over twenty years old, died in the fight, and he also became lame in one leg.

The feud deepened, and the two families had reached a point of no return.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Ron has not forgotten the traditional craftsmanship of his ancestors, and he has formed alliances with others.

"Why have you Varanasi come to Sumbadra?" Tiraka asked calmly, his face marred by hideous scars.

"To do business," Ron replied with a smile.

"Do you need to carry so many guns to do business?" Tiraka saw them; they were all imported.

“We’re all from Uttar Pradesh, so carrying a gun is a tradition. Besides, we’re going through Mirzapur, which is Tripathi’s territory.”

Tiraka's eyes flickered, and he gradually realized what was going on.

"The Mirzabul cement plant mentioned in the newspapers a while ago, is that your business?"

“Yes, just like you see. We’re in the mining business, and that’s true in Sonbadra as well.” Ron shrugged.

"The Tripati family didn't take a cut of your share?"

“Our license was personally approved by the Chief Minister, and all the due payments have been made,” Ratan said from the side.

Tiraka scoffed, her face full of disdain. "The Tripati family will come knocking on our door. You have no idea how greedy they are."

“In fact, they have already been here,” Ron said calmly.

"And then?" Tiraka asked, intrigued.

“I’ll probably be sleeping in the mine from now on,” Ratan replied.

Tiraka laughed, the scar on her cheek resembling a centipede crawling back and forth.

“Now let’s talk about the business of Sombadra, the coal mine, right?” He stopped laughing.

“Brother, let me remind you first, the coal mine license also came from the Chief Minister.” Ratan stared at him.

“I know I’m not in the coal mining business. But so many people rely on the small workshops around here for a living. If you take them all away, they will definitely rebel.”

This is precisely what Ron is worried about; the state government is only responsible for approving the mining, and they have no say in how it is to be mined.

A large number of local residents had gathered around the wild coal mine, making a living by illegally mining. Ron couldn't just come up and chase them all away without saying a word.

The methods are too violent, and the mine will never be safe again. You can't guarantee that the locals won't secretly sabotage it.

This is one of the reasons they came to Tiraka; there are some things they are better suited to do.

Clearly, Tiraka is a smart man; he guessed it.

“Let’s get straight to the point,” Ron said, no longer beating around the bush. “The coal mine needs people to clear the site. Are you in or not?”

“Five hundred thousand rupees, and also,” Tiraka suddenly looked up at Ratan, “from now on, all your hemp will be sold through me.”

Ron and Ratan were stunned; this sudden turn of events caught them off guard.

“I’ve said it before, I don’t do coal mining business,” Tiraca said, shrugging.

Coal mining is a large-scale business that is difficult for ordinary people to get involved in. Gangs don't have the energy or patience to get involved in mining.

Smuggling, hemp, and gold—that's Tirac's main business; it makes money much faster than coal mining.

"Deal!" Ratan agreed after a moment's thought.

He used to do most of his business in the north, so moving to the south won't be a loss for him. Besides, he owns enough land to manage both sides in the south.

“The Tripati family is my common enemy, isn’t it?” Tiraka stood up.

“Of course, when they attacked my cement plant.” Ron also stood up.

“We can form an alliance. As long as the Tripati family is eliminated, whether it’s Mirzabul or Sonbadra, all the mining business will be yours.”

“I can’t find a reason to refuse,” Ron shook his hand. “Oh, by the way, here’s whereabouts of that Ram. He’s been going to Chanda Uli a lot lately.”

“Changda Uli?” Tiraka’s eyes flashed with a cold light.

“Isn’t that a good place? It belongs neither to Mirzabur nor to Sumbadra.”

"Is the news reliable?"

"I heard he became infatuated with a girl, and he used force on her."

“The Tripati family is always like this,” Tiraka said with disdain.

"Good luck." Ron shook his hand, then got up and left.

(End of this chapter)