Courtyard House: I Have Countless Bodyguards

Liu Jianguo paused, then lowered his voice:

"Also, judging by the time, the people from the Municipal Bureau will be here tomorrow, and I'll go to greet them. At that time, you and I will pretend to be strangers. You are the leader of the Longxing Gang, and I am just Director Liu who happens to be here. You will have to do whatever I say."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes. "As for Lianghe Rice Shop, since they've come knocking on our door, don't blame us for being ruthless. Go and prepare; we'll make our move tonight. Let the Sword Group lead the main attack. They've all been drugged; dealing with that rabble is a piece of cake for them. We must wipe them out with lightning speed, minimize casualties, and show the might of our Dragon Rising Gang."

"clear!"

Xu Wenqiang accepted the order, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

He immediately summoned all ten swordsmen, from Sword One to Sword Ten, and issued battle orders:

"Jianyi, each of you ten men will lead ten elite brothers, divided into ten teams, like ten sharp knives, to simultaneously penetrate Lianghe Rice Shop's territory."

Remember to use harassment and raid tactics. Take down a gambling den or opium den, then immediately move on to the next target.

If you encounter large-scale resistance, do not fight it out; immediately retreat to your stronghold and call for reinforcements.

I'm stationed at the headquarters, and there are twenty brothers ready to provide support at any time.

While taking action, we also announced that the Longxing Gang is recruiting "blue lanterns"—those who are brave and willing to fight will have food to eat in the future.

Upon receiving the order, the ten members of the sword team silently obeyed, quickly mustered their forces, and, like ghosts, disappeared into the night, rushing towards the various locations of Lianghe Rice Shop.

After sending out ten elite squads, Xu Wenqiang turned around and returned to the ice room, which served as the temporary headquarters.

Under the flickering kerosene lamp, Liu Jianguo was looking at the simple hand-drawn map of the western district on the wall.

Without turning his head, he said in a calm voice:

"Tell your subordinates not to be greedy for quick success and act rashly. We have plenty of time. The right thing to do is to proceed steadily and take over the West District bit by bit. After all, we still don't have enough capable people at our disposal."

As he finished speaking, a subtle hint of seriousness crept into his voice.

Liu Jianguo rubbed his temples, genuinely feeling worried.

In Beijing, at the steel rolling mill, he had never felt the embarrassment of a manpower shortage so acutely.

Back then, it was within the system, about protecting state property, and it emphasized having elite troops and capable generals.

But in Kowloon Walled City, a lawless place, the key to rapidly expanding territory and establishing absolute authority lies in having a large and powerful force.

If we had thousands of absolutely loyal and ruthless assassins, why would we need to scheme so carefully and gradually erode our strength?

He could simply sweep through and change the ownership of the West District overnight. But the reality is, he only has a little over a hundred core loyalists, so he has to be very careful with his resources.

The ice room fell silent for a moment, with only the inferior tea leaves floating in the coarse porcelain bowl.

Liu Jianguo and Xu Wenqiang sat facing each other, seemingly enjoying tea, but their minds were actually focused on the ten squads fighting in the night outside.

The faint sounds of shouting and fighting drifted from the distant streets, making the silence and oppressive atmosphere inside the house even more palpable.

Neither of them felt sleepy. Tonight was a crucial night for the Dragon Rising Gang to establish its authority in the West District. Any unexpected event could render all their previous efforts futile. They had to stay in the central command and be ready to respond at any time.

"Just sitting here and waiting won't solve anything."

Liu Jianguo put down his teacup and instructed Xu Wenqiang, "Send ten of the more alert brothers out. They won't participate in the fighting, but just keep an eye on things from a distance and report back on the situation in a timely manner. We're sitting here, not even knowing whether they're winning or losing, advancing or retreating outside. We're like deaf and blind people."

This feeling of losing control of the battlefield made him very uncomfortable.

Xu Wenqiang accepted the order and immediately selected ten of the most capable-looking men from those who remained behind. He whispered a few words of instruction to them and sent them to disperse and sneak into the night.

Soon, news began to come back intermittently. A little while later, a brother ran back and said that he saw Jian San and his men smash up a small gambling den in Lianghe Rice Shop and were quickly moving on to the next target.

A little while later, someone else reported that Jianwu's team had run into a tough opponent. There were too many people in the arena, so they didn't launch a strong attack and instead turned around to find an easier target.

Listening to these fragmented yet crucial battlefield updates, a slight smile finally appeared on Liu Jianguo's tense face. He shook his head and sighed:

"Good heavens, these guys have put our signature guerrilla tactics—retreating when the enemy advances and attacking when the enemy is tired—into practice in the street fighting in Hong Kong."

However, the relaxed atmosphere did not last long.

One of the scouts sent out scrambled back, his face filled with panic:

"My lord, something terrible has happened. Brother Jianyi's group has been blocked at the intersection of Fulong Street by Liang Guihe and his large army. There are too many of them, and they are being surrounded and killed. Brother Jianyi has ordered me to risk my life to come back and report that they need reinforcements."

Liu Jianguo's pupils suddenly contracted, and he stood up abruptly, but instantly forced himself to calm down.

He quickly gave the order: "Wenqiang, you immediately take the remaining ten men from the gang and take the shortcut there. Remember, your mission is to create an opening and let Jianyi and the others out, not to engage in close combat."

He then looked at the messenger and said urgently, "You, go find the other teams immediately. No matter where they are fighting, abandon your current objective and gather at the intersection of Fulong Street. Go now."

"yes!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Xu Wenqiang grabbed the machete leaning against the wall and waved to the ten remaining assassins:

"Come with me!"

Eleven figures shot into the dark alley like arrows released from a bow. Liu Jianguo thought for a moment and then followed behind Xu Wenqiang with Li Bing at a distance.

The messenger gritted his teeth, turned around, and disappeared back into the night.

This was once a relatively open intersection, but now it has become a bloody slaughterhouse.

Jian Yi and his ten assassins stood back to back, forming a small circular formation. At their feet lay more than twenty groaning or dead thugs from Lianghe Rice Shop.

However, what surrounded them was a dark, endless crowd, numbering no less than two hundred, each wielding a machete and iron bar, their faces contorted in a ferocious grimace.

Liang Guihe stood at the back of the crowd, a cruel and triumphant smile on his face, pointing with his cane at Jian Yi, who was surrounded at the center, covered in blood but still standing tall like a pine tree:

"So you're Jian Yi, the one who led the destruction of the Longjin Heyi Society, right? I heard you're pretty good at fighting. Come on, let me, Liang Ye, see just how good you really are."

"Charge them! Kill them all! There will be a hefty reward!"

Liang Guihe, too lazy to waste words, suddenly swung his cane. The thugs, who had been waiting impatiently, roared and surged towards the small circle from all directions like a flood bursting its banks.