Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 116 The Iron Fist of Imperialism

In the morning at Dongshi, soldiers stood at each dock. The dockworkers looked up as these neatly dressed soldiers walked past them, and they restrained the foreman who had assigned them tasks. For a moment, they put down their work.

But soon, these foremen who managed the laborers became the managed. The arriving soldiers rudely rebuked these foremen, dressed in cotton and carrying teapots: "Get back to work, and keep your counting rods in your hands!"

While carrying sacks, dockworkers were given a bamboo tally. Upon reaching their destination, they would carve a mark on the tally to calculate their wages. For these dockworkers, as long as their work was still counted, they wouldn't cause trouble.

As for the tables at the dock where the counting and tallying are now being handled, the managers are being threatened by soldiers with knives and guns, forced to work obediently and not allowed to leave the tables—let alone collude with the leaders of the various branches.

Before scouting the site, Wu Fei had investigated the docks. If these dock leaders wanted to incite the dockworkers to riot, they would have to go through the people "distributing bamboo tallies at the tables" on the dock construction sites. — If the entire dockworkers' riot was like firing a cannon, then these tables distributing "tallying tallies" were the fuse that ignited it.

The new army has cut off the possibility of these "table managers" leaving their posts, which is equivalent to cutting off the possibility of these gangs causing big trouble in the upcoming negotiations to gain leverage.

Standing on the rooftop with a knife at his side, Wu Fei looked down at the still-operating dock and sneered inwardly, "(When negotiations don't go well) isn't it all about striking? And then forcing me to give in? I'll take away your bargaining chip right here (before negotiations even begin), let's see what cards you have left."

When Wu Fei designated "Dongshi" as his defense zone, he had already determined who his opponents were in the game. He wouldn't wait for these opponents to play their cards; instead, he would directly take the cards away.

Wu Fei reminded the newly appointed military officers who were following him of the origin of "this strategy" in military texts: After identifying the opponent, one should "strike first" to lock down the opponent's vital points, otherwise one should not act rashly.

…The emergency relief notices posted in various alleyways were all intercepted…

The minor disturbance lasted only a short while. The dockwork began again, and the foremen at the receiving and shipping tables, sweating profusely, distributed counting rods while carefully recording information in their ledgers. Occasionally, they would glance around to see if any gang leaders' informants were nearby, offering coded signals. However, such "looking around" was immediately met with a beating on the back with a gun butt, forcing them to continue their honest work.

A group of young men dressed in military uniforms—the wild boys Wu Ju had recruited from the East Market over the past ten days or so—were now staring intently at the managers.

Don't underestimate these young men. As the most clever group in this market, they're like "Yun Ge" from Yanggu County in the Water Margin. While Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian were doing things behind closed doors, Yun Ge, unable to sell his pears, found out about Ximen Qing's affair and demanded compensation from Wang Po. When he failed, he spilled the beans. Then he went to Wu Dalang and Wu Song to prove his "united front value."

Wu Fei might not know the situation of those mid-level managers in Dongshi, but these "Brother Yun" definitely have the ability to check household registrations.

The dockworkers passed by the abacus, took the counting rods, and were initially quite apprehensive, but after carrying them a few times, they began to treat it all with a sense of spectatorship.

Because, before, these laborers had to carefully watch the moods of their supervisors, fearing they would be cheated out of their wages; but now, everything is done properly. The supervisors are watched over by soldiers with rifle butts, and dare not make any sneaky moves.

Anyone who skimped on the money, even a single scratch, was whipped by the soldiers, who were also former boatmen, and then stripped off their shirts and beat them.

So when the first batch of porters received their counting rods and rushed over to collect their copper coins, they discovered that their wages for the day had not been deducted at all.

Of course, there was no skimming. Wu Fei directly mobilized the army's accounting department and advanced these laborers with military copper coins. Afterwards, he would use the account books to collect the money from the guilds and gangs. —As for what would happen if these gangs refused to pay?
Wu Fei didn't directly seize the docks, not because he lacked strength, but because he was concerned about appearances! These gangs were paying tribute to certain officials in the capital city of Da Yao. Logically, they should also pay tribute to Wu Fei, the local "military leader," to ensure their safety!
If these gangs dare to deny it, then the new army will have a legitimate reason to act! If they can monopolize the operation of this dock, then when any gang wants to take it back, it won't be as simple as just paying these "laborers' wages for a day".

Back to the present, now that the dockworkers were certain that all the work they did today would go directly into their pockets, without the usual excuses from their foremen—like "the sow gave birth," "it's my mother's birthday," or "my four-year-old son can write poetry"—their shouts on the docks became more energetic.

And some of the bolder dockworkers, out of the foreman's sight, secretly asked the soldiers on guard duty, "Sir, are you coming back tomorrow?"

Wu Fei happened to witness this scene, paused slightly, and then left. —The laborers here need a "union," but that's not something that can be established in this era.

…Modern warlords needed a controllable commercial port…

In the local underworld, the leaders and deputies of gangs such as the Iron Chain Gang, the Snake Soaring Society, and the Lingtong Escort Agency in the East Market were still surprised to hear that the docks had been taken over by the soldiers. However, just a short while later, they received an invitation from Wu Fei.

They rushed to the largest restaurant in the East Market to wait for the main character.

At the dinner table, after they took their seats, the central seat was prominently displayed. Although Wu Fei was not present, no one dared to utter a sound, because the entire restaurant had been booked, and it was guarded from top to bottom by soldiers with guns.

Although the soldiers standing ramrod straight at the entrance weren't looking at these martial arts figures, the feeling of being "protected" still made them feel flattered.

The wooden door creaked as it was pushed open.

With a shout of "General has arrived!" the soldiers saluted at the door.

Then six officers in bright uniforms came in. Wu Fei, with a toothpick in his mouth, stood in the middle with an arrogant and smug look.

The military leader, who was walking at the front and had a gold bar on his shoulder but only one star, pulled out a chair for Wu Fei, stared at the sect leaders, and said in a Shen Du accent, "Keep your eyes peeled and recognize us. When we show up, it means we're going to take over the East Market!"

This military leader was a distant relative of one of the emperor's concubines. He used to indulge in drinking, gambling, and whoring in the capital, but he was taught a lesson. Now, under the orders of his superior Wu Fei, he was arrogant in front of these martial arts sects, and he showed off the spoiled brat he had been strictly suppressing for the past few months.

He pointed to the epaulets on his shoulder: "Recognize this gold bar!" After saying that, he pulled out a five-kilogram revolver from his waist and said, "In the past few years, in the entire East City, no one's word carries weight except ours!"

The group of underworld leaders looked embarrassed. They had originally planned how to politely offer their respects and how to explain their powerful connections after they were seated; who knew that Wu Fei and his gang would come up to them and make them feel like "scholars meeting soldiers".

Just as they hesitated, another dark-faced military officer suddenly roared, "Are you deaf? Make a sound!"

Such arrogance would have been unthinkable in the past, and the leader of the Iron Chain Gang would have thrown a dart that smashed into the wall to intimidate the naive young men. But now, behind these arrogant officers from the capital were menacing soldiers.

Finally, under the intense malevolent aura, the local leader of the Iron Chain Gang was the first to yield, saying, "General, if you need anything here, we will certainly serve you."

Then the other five local sect leaders also nodded in agreement.

Wu Fei looked at them, nodded, and said, "Well, recently, I have something to test you guys!"

Just as these江湖人士 (jianghu figures) thought something serious was going to happen, Wu Fei said, "My brothers are all hot-blooded, and I've been beating and scolding them a lot lately, so they're all a bit irritated and need to vent. Tonight, I'll book an entire building and gather a hundred prostitutes for me. They can't be sick; they need to come and serve my brothers."

As these江湖人士 (jianghu figures) stared in disbelief at this shameless imperial officer demanding women, Wu Fei glanced at the soldiers beside him. Soon, a rough, uncultured man who had been responsible for shouting work chants when he was a boatman stepped forward and, in his distinctively loud voice, berated the jianghu heroes: "What do you mean? Are you worried we won't pay?" The leader blushed and quickly waved his hand—out of pride, he himself had never stooped to such pimping before, but he couldn't understand why this imperial officer was now ordering them to a banquet, just for women.
Wu Fei demanded that everyone's respective gang headquarters bring their elite forces to the scene to maintain order.

One of the helmsmen said, "Please enjoy yourself, sir, but I have to deliver koi fish to Lord Wang tonight, so I cannot come."

"Bang!" A gunshot rang out. Locked onto by the murderous aura, the leader's martial arts skills were rendered useless; his forehead exploded. Wu Fei coldly nodded: "Hmm, he's busy tonight. Are you free?"

"General, you!" A shocked and incredulous voice came from an old gang leader, who circulated his blood energy to form a protective aura!
With a snap, the gun fired again, and the guy's leg was broken. Then, Wu Fei rushed up and pressed the muzzle of his gun against the gang leader's forehead.

The gang leader was about to make a threat, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. Even the excruciating pain in his leg was suppressed by fear. He was like a small insect facing the approaching bird that was about to peck at it.

The gang leader urinated, and Wu Fei frowned, then slammed his leather boot into his crotch: "Hold it back!" This immediately made the gang leader's eyes pop out of their sockets from the pain.

Wu Fei asked the people around him, "What do you think is wrong with me? Am I brilliant and powerful?"

The gang leader nodded hurriedly: "Your Excellency is wise and mighty."

Wu Fei glanced around, and his soldiers all loaded their guns. All the gang leaders collectively flattered him: "Your Excellency is wise and mighty, invincible under heaven."

Wu Fei smiled and said, "Not bad, not bad. Get me some paper and pen and write down all the compliments you've given me."

…obedience test…

In fact, Wu Fei had already selected all the red-light districts, and the biggest den of iniquity in the East Market was also surrounded.

Wu Fei is currently training an army with a full strength of two thousand men, but the current total number is only nine hundred.

There were three hundred people in front of the brothel. They lined up, formed a square, and counted off. After receiving orders, one-third of them went in first, while the rest stayed in the surrounding watchtowers. Another third went in an hour later.

The soldiers who hadn't gone in were itching to go, but dared not leave their posts, for any movement would result in a beating. Those who had already gone in waited quietly after they came out.

As for Wu Fei himself, he remained outside the brothel, resting with his eyes closed. He seemed completely detached from the situation, simply settling accounts.

Then, seeing Wu Ju's burning gaze, she slapped him and cursed, "What do you think you're doing?"

Wu Fei had investigated all of his "Yun Ge" men to see if any of their sisters or relatives were trapped in brothels, and he had done his work in advance to rescue them all.

Wu Juwang shook his head, his face flushed. Wu Fei stared at him intently: "Remember, this isn't something you should be enjoying. You're going to marry a woman who's a good match for you."

…These absurd things are the reason for helplessness…

Why do they do this? Do imperialist troops need to be restrained by some saintly morality? Imperialist generals want to precisely control all destruction within a manageable range.

Blood rewards inspire blood labor! — Without the encouragement of upward mobility, don't expect to inspire "death to serve".

Wu Fei couldn't provide these soldiers, who came from humble backgrounds as boat trackers, with land and means of production. Even if he did, their status as "self-sufficient farmers" wouldn't motivate them to work hard. They had all of that before, but it had been easily taken away; so whether they had land or not, it wouldn't make them feel that it was "worth risking their lives."

To get them to work hard, you have to give them a sense of "social mobility." Right now, Wu Fei is giving these people, who were originally boatmen, a sense of leapfrogging.

In the capital city of Da Yao, poverty is mocked, but prostitution is not. On the Da Yao Canal, pleasure boats are pulled by boatmen below, while prostitutes laugh atop them. The boatmen call out, "Sister, sit at the bow!" while the prostitutes, dressed in brocade, spit down at those below.

Therefore, no matter how well a boat tracker is trained, if he doesn't break free from the sense of "baseness" in his heart, he will have no will to fight on the battlefield.

Human beings always need a reason to fight to the death; those who despise themselves will not have the courage to face a blade.

From today onwards, these soldiers will no longer be timid boat trackers. They can feel that, relying on their new identities, they can now boldly do things they dared not do before! The so-called heroes of the martial arts world who used to bully them (the boat trackers) will have to serve as their pimps.

Wu Fei: Only in this way, in order not to lose this newly acquired feeling of "climbing to a higher level", will people be willing to die for it.

It wasn't just the boatmen; some of the young men from noble families and relatives of the emperor selected by Wu Fei also discovered, through this day's arrogance, that they had gained a newfound sense of power and influence.

You should know that although their family has spoiled brats, these collateral relatives are actually very careful and observant at home, not daring to utter a sound. Now Wu Fei is making them wear masks, and he'll cover for them if they cause trouble.

The Third Reich also consolidated its power by creating a "new identity" that allowed it to openly do things it previously dared not do.

Xuan Chong sighed: "It would be better to bring all the feudal nobles here to trial. Because when all the royal power and wealth are overthrown, it means the toiling masses won't have to bow down and will receive the blood reward of upward social mobility. But—that's not possible right now. The emergence of this new army is a privilege granted by the Great Yao Imperialist leader, Emperor Xu."

…cowardly to the point of being cold-blooded…

After everything was over, Wu Fei asked the soldiers who had finished, "Did you all enjoy yourselves today?" and made a gesture to ask them to "respond to the slogan".

After months of training, these soldiers responded reflexively: "To die for His Majesty, to die for His Majesty, to die for His Majesty."

In the past, this slogan was a conditioned reflex instilled by the whip, but today it carries a different meaning.

The bricks and tiles on this street in the capital city vibrated and creaked.

The sound was so loud that it could be heard even in the palaces high in the clouds.

(End of this chapter)