Under One Person: The Sea Emperor Who Shattered Heaven and Earth

The backyard of the Shanghai headquarters was brightly lit.

Red lanterns hung high, illuminating the courtyard as if it were daytime. Dozens of tables were lined up along the covered walkway, the air filled with the strong aroma of strong liquor, the rich but not greasy smell of braised pork, and the deafening sounds of drinking games played by the men of the canal gang.

With a beaming smile, Master Feng led Jiang Zhen to the venue.

"Oh ho, the two main characters have finally arrived."

"Come on! Fill up our 'Shaking River Dragon'!"

"Iron Palm Sinks the Boat" - Grandpa Zhao was the first to stand up. This old man from the Grand Canal branch was flushed, whether from the smell of alcohol or excitement, it was hard to tell.

He grabbed Jiang Zhen's shoulder and his loud voice shook the dust off the rafters: "Young Jiang! That punch was well done! It was brilliant! You have no idea how those self-proclaimed nobles look at our canal gang? They look at us like we're stinking laborers! Now that you've established your authority, let's see who dares to swagger in front of us again!"

“That’s right! I’ve spent half my life in the Three Gorges area, and what I can’t stand the most is the arrogance of those sect disciples.” Sun, the leader of the Reverse Flood Dragon Sect, also came over with his jar. “Brother Jiang, in the future, if you pass through the Three Gorges, just give the word, and all three thousand of my brothers will be your henchmen!”

Jiang Zhen smiled awkwardly but politely, skillfully responding to the toasts from various bigwigs, while feeling the heavy pressure of being recognized.

He glanced at the corner of his eye.

Lin Zhu was sitting at a table piled high with large pieces of fish and meat. She didn't touch her chopsticks, but sat upright, holding a small notebook in her hand, observing Jiang Zhen intently and taking notes.

The two looked at each other for a moment, then Jiang Zhen looked away.

After a few rounds of drinks, Jiang Zhen's thoughts drifted away.

Master Feng's bow in the pavilion just now, and that astonishing request to "integrate the canal gangs."

"Integrate the Canal Gang...and become its leader?"

Jiang Zhen took another swig of wine, secretly cursing in his heart.

This kind of thing does sound incredibly impressive. Just imagine, with a wave of your hand, thousands of ships set sail simultaneously, and the entire naval lifeline of China rests in your hands. This kind of "godfather" level experience, if it were in a fantasy novel from my previous life, could easily fill three million words.

But what about reality?

Jiang Zhen glanced around. Uncle Zhao represented the Grand Canal, Master Sun represented the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, and Director Qian was in charge of the Huai River... Which of these big shots was easy to deal with? They were being polite to him today because of his reputation, which had made them look good. They were all one family.

But what if you really want to extend your reach into someone else's territory and take over their land, resources, and allies?

Jiang Zhen thought to himself with a self-deprecating smile, "These people will probably turn on me right here and now."

He didn't believe he could command the submission of all sides with a single display of domineering power.

In terms of military force?

He truly wasn't afraid of anyone in the hall. Given the destructive power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, coupled with the fact that these hall masters usually focused primarily on business and their combat skills were mostly second- or third-rate, he was confident he could shove the heads of every single one of them into a wine jar. But what good would that do?

The Canal Gang was neither the San Yi Sect nor a relatively pure cultivation sect like the Celestial Master's Mansion. It was a behemoth of interests that spanned the country's waterways, had hundreds of thousands of members, and affected the livelihoods of countless lower-class families.

As the saying goes, the livelihoods of millions of canal workers depend on them; this is no joke.

He could kill Uncle Zhao, he could wipe out Master Sun and his gang, but what would happen after that?

The Grand Canal will be in chaos, the Three Gorges will be in chaos, and the Pearl River will come to a standstill. The minor leaders of the various tributaries will fight tooth and nail for power and profit, and the canal gangs will splinter into countless bandit strongholds. At that point, simply suppressing and incorporating these rebellions will be a massive undertaking, taking years to complete.

On political maneuvering?

Jiang Zhen chuckled self-deprecatingly. His highest level of education in his previous life was only a junior college diploma. Although he had read many novels about power struggles and intrigue, those were all from an omniscient perspective. Now, if he were to actually do it, he racked his brains, and the tricks that flashed through his mind were basically these:

“Trick the opposing leader into coming to a meeting and dinner, then kill him, so that the opposing side will be without a leader and you can take over directly,” “Bury the opposing core members and make them rebel from within,” “Use force to threaten the opposing side or the children and family members of their core members to force them to submit,” “Collect and fabricate evidence that their subordinates are disloyal or corrupt, so that they will be in internal strife,” “Use counter-espionage schemes dozens of times, and eventually one of them will fall for it, then he will mediate and take advantage of the opportunity to take over,” and so on.

He simply couldn't grasp those sophisticated techniques of strategic planning, decisive victories from afar, and meticulous, step-by-step maneuvers.

Integration? What can we use to integrate them? These old men are all regional warlords; who would be willing to relinquish power? Replace him? He wouldn't agree either.

Jiang Zhen rubbed his temples, completely clueless.

"Ugh……"

Just as Jiang Zhen was lost in thought, the topic at the dinner table gradually shifted.

Under the influence of alcohol, the original boasting and praise gradually turned into complaining.

“Brother Jiang, you say our canal gang is famous, but can fame put food on the table?” Chief Qian sighed, holding his wine glass. “Things on the Huai River have become increasingly difficult these past two years. Japanese merchant ships have sailed directly into the inland waterways, relying on treaty protection to drive freight rates down to less than half of ours. When our brothers try to reason with them, they just pull out machine guns.”

“It’s the same where I am.” Master Sun said with a gloomy face. “The Japanese warships on the Yangtze River are getting more and more audacious. A couple of days ago, a small Japanese steamship rammed one of our cargo ships and not only did they not pay compensation, they also threw our brothers who fell into the water… Sigh, those beasts don’t treat us like human beings at all.”

"The Japanese influence has also infiltrated the ports in Shanghai quite a bit." Bai Fu leaned over, his face also grim. "Fifth Master, Third Master, the latest news from the concessions says that the Japanese troops are making a lot of moves in Hongkou."

Old Zhao exhaled a breath of alcohol, his eyes filled with indignation. "Along the canal, Japanese trading companies are multiplying. They not only steal our freight business, but also bring those scoundrels to cause trouble everywhere. The other day in Tianjin, a few Japanese thugs actually tried to seize our dock warehouses. My brothers fought them, but... someone from above stopped them, saying they couldn't ruin international relations. Bah!"

Hearing these words, Jiang Zhen's hand holding the wine glass trembled slightly.

A strong sense of unease and dissatisfaction arose in his heart.

Jiang Zhen slammed down his wine glass, splashing wine all over the table.

"Fifth Master!"

Jiang Zhen suddenly raised his head, the blankness in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a chilling aura that silenced the entire room.

Jiang Zhen's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a strange tremor that made the wine glasses in the hall hum slightly.

Master Feng was startled by his appearance: "Xiao Zhen, what's wrong? Have you had too much to drink?"

"Fifth Master, I have a question for you." Ignoring the stares of others, Jiang Zhen grabbed Fifth Master Feng's sleeve and asked, word by word, "What time is it now?"

Upon hearing Jiang Zhen's question, the hall fell silent for a moment, then burst into a few scattered laughs.

"Jiang Housheng, your alcohol tolerance is terrible! You've already blacked out?"

"Yeah, yeah, we still need to practice. We've gotten confused so quickly."

"You've only had a few bowls and you've already forgotten the date, huh?"

……

"Quiet down!!!"

Before everyone could finish their banter, Jiang Zhen roared and stormed off. They felt an invisible wave of energy rushing towards them, as if a ferocious beast from ancient times was roaring at them. Many of them instantly turned pale, felt dizzy, and could barely sit still.

"Fifth Master, tell me, tell me the exact date!"

Master Feng was stunned. He didn't understand why Jiang Zhen suddenly asked this question, but seeing the fear and urgency in Jiang Zhen's eyes, he instinctively answered:

"The 26th year of the Republic of China. In the Gregorian calendar... it should be 1937. As for the date... today is the end of June."

Lin Zhu, who was standing to the side, also put down her notebook, a hint of doubt in her eyes. After spending some time with him, she had become somewhat familiar with Jiang Zhen's Qi and the fluctuations of his innate ability. At this moment, she could feel that the Qi in Jiang Zhen's body and the fluctuations of his ability were pulsating wildly at an extremely unstable frequency.

Late June, 1937.

Jiang Zhen's mind exploded with a bang.

Chapter 24 The Throne is Vacant, Time Waits for No One (4000)

Late June, 1937.

77?

These words struck Jiang Zhen like a blow to the head, leaving him stunned for a long time, with countless horrific images playing in his mind.

He needed a moment to process this, staggered a step, and sat down again in a daze.

"Little Zhen?" Fifth Master Feng asked with concern.

But Jiang Zhen raised his hand to stop him from asking the question.

None of them knew what had gotten into Jiang Zhen, but they knew that he had been incredibly fierce just now, and even they, a group of seasoned veterans, were frightened.

To ease the shock and embarrassment of being frightened, the noise in the hall continued, with the sounds of drinking games, clinking glasses, and unrestrained laughter all mixed together.

But to Jiang Zhen, these sounds seemed to have been pulled far away to the horizon. His vision became somewhat blurred, his mind was a blank, and only that tragic and suffocating historical scene was churning wildly.

As someone from a later era, he knew all too well what the days to come meant.

Less than a week later, the gunfire at Lugou Bridge shattered the last vestiges of peace in this nation. What followed was the fall of Beijing and Tianjin, the Battle of Shanghai, and the horrific Nanjing Massacre… Those were the darkest, bloodiest, and most resilient periods in the unprecedented upheavals of the Chinese nation's history. It was the blood of 35 million compatriots, a shattered land, and a scene of utter devastation.

"Absolutely not allowed!"

"Now that I've come to this era, and now that I've grasped this power, how can I just stand by and watch it happen?!"

Jiang Zhen's expression changed as he looked around.

Grandpa Zhao was still stroking his beard and showing off his iron palms, Master Sun was boasting about how dangerous the Three Gorges waterway was, and Chief Qian was complaining about how unethical the Japanese trading companies were...

These men were powerful figures on the canal, the breadwinners of countless brothers at the docks. But in Jiang Zhen's eyes, they were now just a disorganized mob. If he didn't unite them, most of them would die in the raging war or become the invaders' lackeys when the invasion came.

"The plan has to be changed," Jiang Zhen muttered to himself, his voice extremely soft, yet carrying an undeniable decisiveness.

There's no time left.

There was no time for playing those political games of "bribing key personnel," "a trap," "a counter-espionage plot," or "gradually plotting." The window of opportunity given to him was so short that it suffocated him.

He needed the Canal Gang, he needed to take complete control of it as soon as possible, he needed this massive behemoth that spanned the country's waterways, had hundreds of thousands of members, and controlled the nation's logistics lifeline. At the moment all-out war broke out, the Canal Gang's transportation capabilities and intelligence network would be the best war machine.

Jiang Zhen slowly stood up.

"crunch-"

The chair behind him, unable to withstand the energy he unconsciously emitted, instantly shattered into dust.

The sharp sound was particularly abrupt in the bustling hall. The previously noisy crowd gradually quieted down, and everyone looked at the world-renowned young man with confusion.

What is he planning to do now?

"Gentlemen."

Jiang Zhen spoke, his voice steady, yet the force of his voice resonated in everyone's ears, making their hearts tremble.

Then Jiang Zhenxian picked up a wine glass and a wine pot, walked to the center of the venue, toasted everyone three times, and then exhaled a breath of wine before speaking.

"I just heard you all complaining that the Japanese are bullying us too much, that business is difficult, and that the docks are in danger." Jiang Zhen sneered, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "But I want to ask you all, since we are all brothers of the Canal Gang, since we pride ourselves on being the largest gang in the world, why are we being bullied at our doorstep by a bunch of shorty?"

"Jiang Housheng, what do you mean by that?" Old Zhao frowned and put down his wine glass.

Jiang Zhen ignored him and continued, "The reason is simple. It's because our canal gang has been scattered for too long. The Grand Canal belongs to the Zhao family, the Three Gorges to the Sun family, the Huai River to the Qian family... Everyone sweeps the snow from their own doorstep, and they even stab their own brothers in the back over the toll fees for a few waterways. Such a canal gang is nothing more than a group of nouveau riche guarding their food bowls. The Japanese only need to knock on them one by one, and none of us will get any benefit."

As Master Feng listened to Jiang Zhen's words, his back straightened involuntarily, and suddenly a bad thought arose in his mind.

He had just mentioned the idea of ​​integration to Jiang Zhen in the backyard. He had planned to wait until after this drinking session, when the gang members got to know each other, and then slowly take Jiang Zhen around to different places over the next five or even ten years to establish his authority, make a name for himself, and wear down the old guys' arrogance.

Finally, they all respected Jiang Zhen as their leader.

"Is Jiang Zhen planning to lay his cards on the table right here and now?" Feng Wu's hand holding the wine glass began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Under the heavens, all waters flow to the sea." Jiang Zhen's voice suddenly rose, causing dust to fall from the ceiling. "The Canal Gang can no longer have multiple voices, only one. That throne hanging in the sky has been empty for far too long. These rivers, lakes, and seas should welcome their true master!"