Qing Yao

Chapter 29 Be More Formal
A real man, born between heaven and earth, should never allow himself to fall into depravity.

It is also said that a hero does not care about his origin.

Mr. Sun and Mr. Jianhu Qiu are both big bosses of the Hongmen, and the Qing Gang has even produced an emperor.

Thinking about it this way, Zhao An was no longer willing to belittle himself. He also thought that the millions of members of the Qing Gang were spread across both sides of the canal, directly strangling the economic artery of the Qing court. If he wanted to in the future, he might be able to use the Qing Gang to do something big.

Ideals are full and reality is feasible.

The Red Turban Army was carrying the diggers on the river, the Taiping Army was burning charcoal, and of course the coolies rowing the boats could also hold ninety-nine steel knives and not stop until all the Hu people were killed.

He was afraid to think about everything. If Li Wei could use the Qing Gang to rule Jiangnan, why couldn't Zhao An use the Qing Gang to change the dynasty?
His spirits immediately perked up, and he looked at his identity as the "little boss" of the Qing Gang with a very positive attitude.

"Little Boss" means exactly what it says, or you can say little leader, which is a respectful title in the Green Gang.

Since the Qing Gang's inheritance is a master-disciple relationship, the management of the Qing Gang is also a master leading the apprentice, and the apprentice leading the apprentice, and the seniority between them is used to determine the hierarchy.

Listen to whoever is older.

Specifically at Xiaguan Wharf, the master Zhang Baofa that Sun Rui introduced to Zhao An was of the Lun generation, and the people who actually did the work under Zhang Baofa were of the Zhi generation, and below the Zhi generation were the Hui generation and the Ben generation.

The gang members who actually do the work are also called "Daxiang" and "Xiaoxiang".

"Xiaoxiang" is a disciple who has completed a six-year probation period and usually does some grassroots work in the gang to gain experience.

"Daxiang" refers to disciples who have been in the gang for at least fifteen years. In addition to leading the gang members and being responsible for the incense hall, they can also teach and impart knowledge.

Zhang Baofa, the "uncle", is actually "Daxiang", a core member of the Green Gang. Once he outlasts the old men with more seniority than him, he will be promoted to the master's office.

Once you become a legal advisor, your status in the gang is quite high, and gang members from all over the country have to call you "Old Master" when they see you.

The old master has said that if his disciples dare to disobey, they will be breaking the first rule of the gang, which is to betray their master and ancestors. Anyone in the gang can be beaten and killed!

Although Zhao An is only Zhang Baofa's nominal apprentice and needs to undergo six years of observation before he can officially join the gang, Zhang Baofa, as the "uncle", makes his nominal apprentice start as a "little boss". Not only does he not need to be taught by the younger generations like the Hui and Ben generations, he can also directly mobilize the gang members to do things.

It is a preferential treatment, or a gift package for beginners.

Zhao An was so grateful to Sun Rui from the bottom of his heart for introducing him to the gang. However, what he didn't know was that Sun Rui's kindness was also scheming. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was sold out by Sun Rui.

You must know that the Green Gang has developed from the Yongzheng period to the present day, and has long since evolved from a simple canal operation organization into a local gang-related organization. If such an organization wants to grow stronger, it must collude with local officials and local powerful people. Otherwise, relying on the basic base of canal workers who make a living by hard labor on the canal all year round, the Green Gang would have long been unable to make ends meet and would definitely not be able to maintain its influence on the local area.

Only by operating various gray and black industries and having sufficient financial resources can the Qing Gang's "long-term stability" be ensured.

In order to achieve this goal, since the Qianlong period, many gangs have begun to recruit local officials or "important people" to join the Qing Gang, especially the third-class yamen runners and strong squads, who are the main development targets of the Qing Gang.

The truth is, the county magistrate is not as good as the current manager.

The addition of a large number of local officials can not only ensure that the Qing Gang's gray and black industries are safe enough, but the Qing Gang can also use the "funds" invested in these people to help them move up to a higher level in the local area, thereby obtaining greater returns.

Just like local gentry always like to invest in scholars with good academic performance, once those scholars pass the imperial examinations, the initial investment is insignificant compared to the returns.

As a popular figure who was recently highly regarded by the county magistrate and promoted out of turn, Zhao An, whose background was clean, had long been targeted by Sun Rui. Especially when he learned from special channels that Zhao An's certification company was specifically for making money for the county magistrate, Sun Rui's calculations became louder than anyone else.

He simply wanted to get a piece of the action. He was frustrated that although he knew Zhao An, they weren't close friends, and Zhao An reported directly to Master Ji and the county magistrate. He couldn't find a good entry point, or a good way to cooperate.

Unexpectedly, Zhao An came to the door himself.

Just coax this kid into the Qing Gang, and they'll become your brothers. In the future, you can't leave out his share of the business in your certification department.

It is a clear rule in the gang that you cannot be disrespectful to the younger generation.

Of course, it was impossible for Sun Rui to reveal his true intentions immediately after recruiting Zhao An into the gang. Instead, he first mobilized a hundred gang members to meet him in the name of his uncle Zhang Baofa.

These gang members are not coolie canal workers, but professional thugs, and their seniority is not high.

Each of them was either big and strong, or sloppy and unserious, which made Zhao An frown, but he could do nothing about it.

Yes, it's better than nothing.

"Listen up, brothers! This is my uncle's new disciple, Ambassador Zhao."

Sun Rui introduced Zhao An to everyone, and then saw the gang members collectively clasped their fists towards Zhao An and shouted, "Greetings, little boss!"

"You're welcome, brothers,"

This was the first time Zhao An had seen this situation and he was not quite used to it.

Sun Rui smiled and said a few words to him, saying that these people were absolutely trustworthy brothers in the gang, so Zhao An could use them without worry.

After saying this, he turned to the gang members and said sternly, "Don't say that I, Sun Lao Si, have spoken out in advance. If any of you dare to disobey the little boss, or cause trouble for the little boss, go to the incense hall and learn the rules! If I ask you to come to me personally, you know the consequences!"

"Don't worry, Fourth Master. The brothers know the rules!"

The gang members almost patted their chests to make the promise.

Sun Rui nodded and asked Zhao An and others when they would start working at the Certification Department.

"Tomorrow, call them early."

After the matter was settled, Zhao An said goodbye to Sun Rui, but did not go back to the company directly. Instead, he went to a tailor shop on Caiyi Street.

The next morning, when the "employees" of the Certification Department arrived at the office door, they saw a large group of people waiting there. If Ambassador Zhao had not said that he had hired people to help, the employees in the department would have thought that these people were there to cause trouble.

"Everyone lined up to get their stuff,"

Liu Xiaolou followed Zhao An's instructions and distributed one hundred red armbands that were hastily made by the tailor shop to the group of Green Gang members. He also asked them to put the red armbands on their left arms, with five big words sewn on them - "People's Inspector".

The Green Gang members were also obedient, putting the red armbands on their arms one by one, and then lined up as Liu Xiaolou instructed. When Zhao An came over with the gang roster that Sun Rui had given him, his eyes lit up and he nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad, that's the feeling."

Regular feeling.

(End of this chapter)