The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

The twenty-second year of Yonghe, the White Dew season.

Zhou Xing sat on a small stool by the window, holding a piece of osmanthus cake in his hand, taking small bites, his gaze passing over the palace wall and landing on a row of wild geese flying south on the horizon.

The eight-year-old Ninth Prince has grown taller again. A few days ago, Chunlan measured his height and carved a third mark on the door frame, which was two fingers higher than the two marks from last year.

His features have matured since childhood, and he looks less childish and more handsome.

But his timid demeanor remained unchanged, and he still habitually lowered his head when he saw people.

He still spoke softly and preferred to walk close to the wall along the palace path.

The summoning icon for the large supergroup has been lit up on the system panel for some time now.

He didn't rush to summon them, not because he forgot, but because he was waiting for the right opportunity.

White Dew is the third solar term of autumn. The weather is clear and crisp, and the affairs of various government offices in the capital are entering the final sprint stage of the second half of the year.

Everyone's attention was drawn to the power struggles in the imperial court and the undercurrents surrounding the upcoming imperial examinations.

Doing something at this time is the least likely to be noticed.

The light screen unfolded before my eyes, and golden words appeared like flowing water.

"A six-star super team."

"Group Name: Tongzhou Wharf Workers Association"

Zhou Xing paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.

The system's quirky naming habits never disappointed him.

First came the trainees from the Imperial Household Department, then the entrepreneurial team from the Beggars' Sect, then a Shanxi merchant bank, and now a workers' association.

But as he laughed, his heart skipped a beat when his eyes swept over the words "six stars".

A large, top-tier six-star team, ranked in the same category as the Hidden Dragon Guard and the Three Talented Scholars from Humble Beginnings.

The last time he summoned someone of this star level was Xu Chu and his three companions. These four powerful individuals of the seventh and sixth ranks completely made up for his weakness in martial arts within the Imperial Guard.

This is a large-scale supergroup, with at least twenty people. What does a six-star supergroup mean?

This means that the overall combat effectiveness, organization, and strategic value of this group far surpass all previous large-scale elite groups.

The light screen continued to flicker, and member information appeared.

"Gang Leader: Shangguan Jin Hong".

"Cultivation level: Rank 7 martial artist. In his previous life, he was the leader of the Money Gang. He had extremely strong leadership skills and was good at organization, operation and large-scale scheduling. The Golden Thread Business Network he built once covered the entire martial arts world."

"Core members: former members of the Money Gang, about one hundred people."

"Cultivation level: ranging from unranked to third rank, with the majority being second rank. They are all direct descendants of the Money Gang from their previous lives, well-trained, obedient, and absolutely loyal to Shangguan Jin Hong."

"Implanted identities of the members of the super team: a new batch of porters at Tongzhou Wharf. Led by Shangguan Jin Hong, they established a mutual aid organization for dockworkers, the Tongzhou Wharf Workers Association. All members carry memories of their past lives and are absolutely loyal to the host."

Zhou Xing stared at the three characters "Shangguan Jin Hong" for a long time.

In the martial arts novels he had read in his previous life, the Money Gang was a very special gang.

Unlike the Beggars' Sect, which relies on chivalry and tradition to unite people, or Shaolin and Wudang, which rely on sectarian inheritance to continue their lineage, it is bound together by interests, rules, and iron discipline.

In terms of personal martial arts cultivation, Shangguan Jin Hong is someone who can rival Tianji Laoren.

In terms of organizational and operational capabilities, the money-making network he built covers the entire business world.

He doesn't talk to you about chivalry and honor; he only talks to you about rules.

On his turf, everything is done according to his rules.

This almost ruthless pragmatism and strong organizational skills are exactly what Zhou Xing needs right now.

"Workers' Association" is such a great name.

Tongzhou Wharf was the vital waterway for the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty. More than 70% of the goods coming and going from the south and north were loaded and unloaded at Tongzhou Wharf, and thousands of cargo ships, merchants, porters, and carts entered and exited every day.

Controlling the stevedores at Tongzhou Wharf was tantamount to installing a valve on the throat of the canal transport.

They can block whomever they want, and release whomever they want.

Moreover, the docks are a melting pot of all sorts of people, and all kinds of information can be found there; a dock is a natural goldmine of intelligence.

More importantly, although Lu Changfeng's Beggars' Gang covered the intelligence of the nine gates and thirty-six wards of the capital, the streets were still just streets.

The Beggars' Sect can find out which official has taken which concubine, and which business is currently stockpiling what goods.

It's possible to know which government department has recently had any personnel changes, but gossip from the streets has two fatal limitations.

Slow and scattered.

By the time news you hear from a beggar squatting at the entrance of a teahouse reaches the palace, it's already too late.

With Shangguan Jin Hong stationed at Tongzhou Wharf, the flow of goods between the north and south could be deduced from the cargo throughput.

The unusual flow of any bulk commodity, such as grain, cloth, ironware, or horses, may conceal information about border military affairs, local disasters, or the covert machinations of a certain faction in the imperial court.

But the value of this elite team goes far beyond intelligence.

Shangguan Jin Hong himself is a seventh-rank martial artist.

What is the concept of the seventh rank?

The commanders of the three major battalions of the Imperial Guards were only of the sixth or seventh rank. Xu Chu, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard Battalion, was a seventh-rank official, and Qin Wu, the commander of the Zhenwu Division, was a ninth-rank official.

A seventh-rank martial artist in the martial arts world is already a combat force equivalent to the leader of a first-class sect.

More importantly, the hundred or so former members of the Money Gang under Shangguan Jin Hong were all well-trained and obeyed orders. This was not a rabble, but a well-trained small private army.

Those members who didn't qualify were all rigorously selected and trained by the Money Gang in their previous lives, so their physical strength, discipline, and obedience were not a problem.

Shangguan Jin Hong led them to carry bags at the dock, but what they were carrying was not bags, but the roots they were establishing at the Tongzhou dock.

The last line of text on the system's light screen slowly dissipated into the air.

Zhou Xing waved his hand to disperse the light screen, walked to the window, and opened it.

The cool breeze of White Dew, carrying the fragrance of osmanthus, wafted towards him. He took a deep breath, his eight-year-old chest brimming with a heart far more mature than his age.

It is beating at a steady and powerful rhythm.

His strategy, as it stands today, resembles a vast net, with every thread extending silently, creating yet another excellent opportunity to place a piece outside the palace.