You believe that your gun is no match for my fist?

Zhang Zhenwu looked at Tang Liu, who was taken aback.

"Not bad, he's quite capable." Zhang Zhenwu nodded.

He had been dealing with Tang Liu for a week. Before that, Tang Liu had said goodbye to Gao Zhan and returned to the dock to handle Zhang Zhenwu's business.

"What mischief are you up to now, you little rascal?" Tang Liu asked, frowning.

Gao Zhan didn't look at him, but looked at Zhang Zhenwu: "Brother Zhang, my sixth uncle has been working in Pucheng for ten years. I think you've seen what level he's at these past few days."

"He's reliable in his work, and his mouth is..." He paused for a moment, "...well, it's very tight."

Then he added, "Putting everything else aside, he handled every single thing at the dock well that day. Master Tang was very satisfied with him, otherwise he wouldn't have entrusted such a large dock to him."

Zhang Zhenwu listened without saying a word, only stroking his chin with a faint smile on his face.

Tang Liu tapped Gao Zhan's forehead with his knuckles: "Stop spouting nonsense. My affairs are none of your concern."

At this moment, Zhang Zhenwu spoke up: "What he said is not wrong."

He turned to Tang Liu, his tone becoming more serious, "You are indeed a capable person. So, have you ever thought about working somewhere else?"

"Pshaw!" Tang Liu waved his hand. "I'm this old, can I still join the army? Don't be ridiculous!"

Zhang Zhenwu smiled and didn't say anything more.

It was clear that Gao Zhan had more to say.

Gao Zhan finally sat up, leaned against the headboard, and held a glass of water in his hand.

He took a sip and then put the cup down.

"Sixth Uncle, sit down. I have something serious to say to you."

Tang Liu glanced at his expression, hesitated for a moment, and then pulled up a chair and sat down.

Gao Zhan pulled the blanket up a little higher, looked at Tang Liu, and asked, "How long do you think the Great Qian Dynasty can last?"

Tang Liu's expression froze, seemingly not expecting Gao Zhan to suddenly say this.

"I can't explain it either," Gao Zhan said before Tang Liu could answer.

"But look, foreign ironclad ships are sailing in and out of the Huangpu River, concessions are being carved out piece by piece, and towns are recruiting soldiers and horses, and taxes are no longer being paid to the imperial court."

"It's still uncertain whether Commander Pei has even opened and read the imperial edict sent to Jiangdong last year."

"This world looks peaceful, but it's actually pretty much like walking on ice."

"You never know when you might step into the river and drown."

Zhang Zhenwu crossed his arms and listened to Gao Zhan's words, then slowly nodded: "That's true."

Gao Zhan then shifted his gaze back to Tang Liu's face: "Sixth Uncle, you're a smart man. You've worked at the docks for ten years and earned quite a bit of money."

"But you rely on Mr. Tang for your livelihood. He might give you a sum of money today if he's in a good mood, but he can transfer you away tomorrow if he's not."

"You've worked so hard to build up that business at the docks for so long, and all that effort has been wiped out by just one sentence from them, even if they didn't say it outright."

"Five hundred silver dollars, that's not much money at all!"

Gao Zhan smiled and said, "Although I didn't say it, I'm thinking that this is probably not much for you, Sixth Uncle."

Tang Liu didn't say anything.

Because that is indeed the case.

His various miscellaneous incomes each month add up to about two or three hundred silver dollars, which is a very, very high income.

In good times, earning five or six hundred a month is not uncommon.

Being a dock manager is no ordinary lucrative job.

"Uncle, you're still young, only in your thirties, the perfect time to get things done," Gao Zhan's voice followed.

"If you spend your whole life working at the docks, at best you'll be a manager with a little bit of family wealth when you get old."

"Going to someone else's place is just another boss and you'll still have to bow and scrape to them."

"But if you follow Brother Zhang..." He gestured with his chin toward Zhang Zhenwu, "then it will be different."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhenwu chuckled and said, "Wow, you're quite the advocate for me."

Gao Zhan smiled and said, "I'm paving the way for my sixth uncle."

He turned to look at Tang Liu: "In this world, those who risk their lives are probably going to live longer than those who hide behind paper windows counting their money."

"Master Tang has power and money, but in the end he still has to live at the mercy of the military governors."

"But the military governors, as the leaders of a region, have unlimited power."

"If you help the gang, the gang can survive."

"And destroying a gang is by no means difficult."

"Their power is so immense."

Tang Liu remained silent.

"Sixth Uncle," Gao Zhan shifted his posture, "Today you're with Brigade Commander Zhang, next year he might be the Commander-in-Chief."

"What about the year after next? The year after next, he might become the deputy military governor, and a few years later, he might become the General of Fengtian and the military governor of Liaodong, in charge of the military and political affairs of a town."

As he finished speaking, he turned his gaze to Zhang Zhenwu and slowly began to count down:

"Above the military governor is the inspector and procuratorial commissioner. Above that is the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, and above that is the Chancellor, who is a prime minister."

"Come out as a general and become a prime minister."

When he mentioned the words "entering the prime minister's office," Zhang Zhenwu's breathing became noticeably more rapid.

The room fell silent; no one spoke.

Zhang Zhenwu's hands, which were originally placed in front of his chest, have been lowered and are now hanging at his sides.

The smile was still on his face, but it was no longer as relaxed as before.

He glanced at Gao Zhan but didn't reply.

Gao Zhan didn't say anything more. He just glanced at Zhang Zhenwu and then turned his gaze back to Tang Liu.

"Sixth Uncle, I won't say much more about these things. Think about it yourself."

Tang Liu remained seated, his gaze fixed on the ground, seemingly looking at something.

After a long while, he finally gave a soft "hmm".

"What the hell?!" Gao Zhan said, somewhat annoyed. "I've said so much, and you're acting like a coward!?"

"Go to hell!!" Tang Liu was enraged by Gao Zhan's insult, and then he suddenly looked at Zhang Zhenwu.

"Commander Zhang! I, Tang Liu, am willing to follow you! If you don't mind, I'll give you my life!!"

Zhang Zhenwu leaned against the windowsill, paused for a moment, and then burst into laughter.

The laughter was quite loud and echoed in the ward for a while before subsiding.

He strode over and grabbed Tang Liu's shoulder, yelling, "Damn it! Weren't you just this old? How come you're so easygoing now!"

"Ha ha!"

He hugged Tang Liu tightly twice, looking at him, "And you son of a bitch, we're already calling each other brothers, why are you being so reserved with all this talk about whether you mind or not?!"

"Don't worry, if you work for me, you'll have a bright future. As long as I have meat to eat, you'll have soup to drink."

After saying that, Zhang Zhenwu looked at Gao Zhan again, "What do you want to do now, kid?"

"I'll be there a bit longer," Gao Zhan replied, while Zhang Zhenwu raised an eyebrow. "Damn it, what are you thinking?"

"I need to practice martial arts," Gao Zhan said. "Practice. Pucheng is indeed a good place."

Seeing that Zhang Zhenwu was about to speak, Gao Zhan smiled and said first, "Brother Zhang, you can actually ask your new subordinate about my situation." He pointed to Tang Liu.

"Um," Tang Liu said, after organizing his thoughts as Gao Zhan pointed at him.

"Zhan is indeed fine."

This time, it was Zhang Zhenwu's turn to be stunned.

"What did you say?"