Qing Yao

Chapter 158 The Canal: I Am Supreme

"Uncle Ding is right. Without our brothers from the Canal Gang, they'd be carrying dead people out of Beijing!"

Xu Lin was so audacious as to say such a thing that Uncle Zhang Baofa was completely baffled, but many of the gang members felt that Xu Lin's words were absolutely correct.

If it weren't for the Grand Canal Gang spending nine months each year transporting grain from all over the country to the capital, what would the emperor, princes and ministers, and the Eight Banners soldiers and bondservants eat?
If the Grand Canal were to be cut off, Beijing would starve to death in three months at most, and the Qing Dynasty would be doomed even without moving the capital!

How did the Ming Dynasty come to an end?
It was just that Li Zicheng's peasant army invaded Shandong and cut off the grain transport!
Thinking about it this way, it's not that the Grand Canal Gang couldn't do without the Qing Dynasty and the government, but rather that the government and the Qing Dynasty couldn't do without the Grand Canal Gang.

"Damn it, let's do it! Why does the canal transport authority treat us like dirt? If we don't suppress them this time and make them call us 'father,' then our canal transport gang will have to be their grandson for life!"

When the impulsive Xu Lin started shouting, half of the gang members in the hall got excited and started talking back and forth, full of heroic spirit.

The effect was exactly what Zhao An wanted.

If the timing weren't so unfavorable, he would surely have raised his arms and shouted: "If we, the brothers of the Grand Canal Gang, unite, we can even overthrow the Qing Dynasty! In the future, brothers, we'll hold incense offerings in the Forbidden City! We'll sing folk songs in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, play dominoes in the Hall of Literary Glory, and open handkerchief drawers in the Palace of Heavenly Purity!"

Who is afraid of whom!

Your Qing Dynasty has a million Manchu bannermen, and my Canal Gang also has a million members!

If Zhao An truly succeeds in completely controlling and transforming the Green Gang, then it's hard to say who will be the boss.

Ren Chaoyang, who had invited Zhao An, also joined in the fun, shouting at Xu Lin, "Young Master, the grain transport boats are official government vessels. If those merchants' cargo ships refuse to stop and insist on heading north, I'll lead the brothers to ram their boats and say they've damaged government property and demand compensation! If they don't pay, the brothers will stab their boats!"

He's just a reckless young punk who's fearless.

Xu Lin, his eyes lighting up with excitement, exclaimed, "Good lad, you've got guts!"

Having received praise from his little boss, Ren Chaoyang straightened his back, feeling very proud.

Zhuang Yingjiu, who was standing nearby, had more to consider and interjected, "Gentlemen, it's easy to stop the merchants' cargo ships, but there are also ships from the Imperial Household Department and the Textile Bureau on the canal. We can't just stop these official ships too, can we? These ships are delivering tribute to the palace."

Upon hearing his words, some people immediately calmed down: "That's right, it's easy for merchants' ships to dock, but it's probably not so easy for ships that deliver tribute to the palace to dock. They might really be accused of rebellion."

If the official ships weren't also stopped, the impact would be much smaller, and the canal transport authorities might not feel the pressure.

There's no pressure on the canal transport side, but there's big trouble at the branch headquarters.

What if the Grand Canal mobilizes troops to suppress the three gangs of Yangzhou?
Zhao An spoke up: if you want to stop, then stop everything. Whether it's a merchant ship or an official ship, as long as it's heading north, even if it's empty, stop it.

But you definitely can't use a cargo boat to ram someone's official boat; you have to use your brain.

How to move?
Shipwrecks in canals are a natural phenomenon; isn't it normal for several ships to collide and run aground at key points in the waterway?

The canal gang members may not be good at much else, but when it comes to the Grand Canal, they're just like the three Ruan brothers from Liangshan Marsh—each one a master of navigating the waters.

Ding Jiu shook his head and said, "Young Master, there's no need for such trouble. Just have the brothers secretly set up iron chains in the canal, and I guarantee that not a single boat can get on! Outsiders will never be able to tell that we did it."

Zhao An nodded, then looked at the group of gang members who were discussing how to secretly set up the iron chain link. As they discussed, they became even more enthusiastic.

"By the way, the Grand Canal Administration still owes our branch money for transporting grain. Let's take this opportunity to ask them for it!"

"As long as the canal doesn't release the people, we brothers won't move the boat!"

"This time, the three gangs of Yangzhou are going to subdue the Grand Canal Administration! Every one of the six gangs and 128 gang leaders is giving us a thumbs up and saying Yangzhou has guts!"

Those who actively supported Zhao An's idea of ​​cutting off the canal were mostly from the second and third factions.

The saying goes, "Those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who have something to lose."

Those who were not very supportive were obviously the ringleaders who made their fortunes through operating shady businesses, for fear of causing serious trouble.

Ding Jiu, as the "uncle" of the Antang Sect's branch, clearly sided with Zhao An, the young lord.

With the Second and Third Gangs planning to cut off the canal tomorrow, Zhang Baofa, who was in charge, had no choice but to step in and "suppress" them. Otherwise, if they really messed things up like this, the gang members below might be fine, but he, as the head of the branch, would definitely be in big trouble.

However, the situation seemed to have slipped out of his control, as his cheap apprentice once again rallied the gang.

"The strong do not oppress the weak, the many do not rob the few, the rich do not insult the poor, the noble do not be arrogant towards the lowly, and the cunning do not deceive the foolish! The fifth of our ten rules is that we are not allowed to act recklessly in the martial world. What is this 'way'? It is morality! If our brothers are in trouble and we stand by and watch them die, that is acting recklessly!"

After saying these words with righteous indignation, Zhao An immediately turned to Zhang Baofa and said, "Master, the Ten Rules and Ten Precepts are the legacy of Anqing, passed down from the Three Ancestors. Righteousness will last for thousands of years! Sun Rui and the others are brothers in the gang. If we disregard the lives of our brothers, we will be violating the Ten Rules and the precept against disloyalty. I beg you, Master, to lead all the brothers of our gang to fight the Canal Transport Office to the end!"

"Zhi'an,"

Just as Zhang Baofa was about to reprimand him, his cheap apprentice turned to Ding Jiu and said, "Mr. Ding, I know some brothers are unwilling to stand up for their brothers in the gang, and I also know some brothers are afraid of the government like they are afraid of wolves. But today, as the young master, I will only say one thing: the foundation of our Cao Gang is brotherhood. If we turn a blind eye to our brothers' troubles, how can our Cao Gang have any face to stand in the martial arts world!"

"What you say, young lord, is absolutely right!"

Ding Jiu glanced at the gang leaders, whose faces were either troubled or fearful, and cupped his hands towards Zhang Baofa: "Uncle, if you have any difficulties, please discuss and decide on a matter!"

"Yes, let's decide through public discussion!"

Without hesitation, Xu Lin and the others from the three gangs stepped forward and threw the red beans in their hands into the jar in Ding Jiu's hand. Seeing this, the people from the second gang also stepped forward and threw in red beans.

Several members of the first gang hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and dropping off red beans.

Regardless of whether Zhang Baofa and the other leaders who did not vote lose their positions, the matter is already settled.

Because they didn't have enough votes.

Unless Zhang Baofa forcibly stops this matter in his capacity as the head of the branch, then this matter must be handled by the elders of the four major temples.

If the matter reaches the old master, Zhang Baofa, this "uncle," will definitely be unable to stay in Yangzhou any longer.

Because he can't win over the crowd, he'll be ridiculed in the gang from now on.

Helpless, Zhang Baofa glanced at the group of men and, with a grim face, threw the red beans in his hand into the jar.

Upon seeing this, the members of the second and third gangs immediately erupted in cheers, and Xu Lin excitedly waved his right fist and shouted, "Sever the canal! Sever the canal!"

"Sever the canal!"

Zhao An also threw the red beans that Ding Jiu handed him into the jar, and then directly bypassed Zhang Baofa and shouted to the crowd: "Pass on Uncle's words, starting tomorrow, no boats, no planks, and no people are allowed on the canal. Any brother of our gang who disobeys this order will be executed in the incense hall!"

(End of this chapter)