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

Bai Fu looked at the boxes of opium soaked in river water and emitting a nauseating stench, and said in a deep voice, "What should we do with this opium?"

"Prepare quicklime and destroy them all," Jiang Zhen said coldly. "Pile them up like mountains right here by the dock and destroy them all." Jiang Zhen deeply loathed this kind of stuff.

"But... this is worth a lot of money..." Yao Zhong muttered softly, feeling a little distressed.

Immediately as if realizing something, he hurriedly said, "Chief, that's not what I meant. I meant that we definitely can't bring disaster upon our own people and use these things to torment foreigners..."

Jiang Zhen glanced at him coldly, and Yao Zhong felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, swallowing back the rest of his words.

"No, I absolutely will not allow these things to remain on this land for even a moment!"

"Yes!"

……

"Report—!!!"

An elite member of the Demon Capital Hall dragged several corpses ashore from a distance, his face extremely grim.

"Boss, Fifth Master, Master Bai! We retrieved these things from the interception net in the middle of the river!"

Several bodies were left in the mud.

They were a few short men. They were not wearing the short shirts typical of the canal gangs, nor were they made of silk, but rather Japanese kimonos, with some kind of family crest faintly visible on the collar.

Even after one of them died, he was still clutching a broken, eerie talisman in his hand.

Bai Fu walked over, examined the corpse, and his face grew increasingly grim: "It's a Japanese freak. It seems Sun Da Yantong really did become a traitor, even inviting these guys into his water fortress."

Jiang Zhen looked at the corpses, a hint of anticipated disgust flashing in his eyes.

“Master Bai,” Jiang Zhen said.

"Your subordinate is here."

"Hang the corpses of these Japanese on that flagpole." Jiang Zhen pointed to a wooden pole with the flag of the Canal Gang that had just been erected in the ruins, his voice so calm it was chilling. "And send a message to the rest of Cao's gangs. Tell them that Sun Da Yantong colluded with foreign traitors and harmed our compatriots. Today, I, Jiang Zhen, am cleaning house on behalf of the founder of the Canal Gang."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the busy gang members.

"By the way, tell Zhao Yuan about those old fogies who are still watching from the sidelines."

"This is the last time I, Jiang Zhen, will have enough patience. If they feel they haven't seen enough of the waves of the Yangtze River, I can personally go to their headquarters and stir up the river again."

Bai Fu stood at attention and bowed deeply.

He knew that from this moment on, no one in the entire canal gang would dare to say "no" to Jiang Zhen.

At the same time, Jiang Zhen looked toward the nearest mountain peak, where he could vaguely see figures moving about.

Chapter 33 Grandpa Zhao's Noble Character

On an unnamed hilltop closest to the Yangtze River wharf, withered grass shivered in the cold wind.

Zhao Yuan suddenly shivered, and the binoculars in his hand almost slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground.

The others shuddered.

Just now, through those narrow lenses, they felt Jiang Zhen's gaze strike them like a heavy hammer on the head.

"He...he saw us." Zhao Yuan swallowed hard, his voice hoarse. A bead of cold sweat slid down his temple and into his collar, chilling him to the bone.

Behind him stood the leaders of the canal gangs who had once held sway over the waterways.

These people, who usually live in luxury and are always surrounded by servants, are now like a pack of drowned dogs drenched in cold water in the dead of winter, huddled among the rocks on the hilltop, not daring to even breathe loudly.

"Uncle Zhao, please give me some advice!"

A short, stout gang leader broke the silence with a sob in his voice, "Old Fatty Qian is gone. Now even Big Smoker Sun... Big Smoker Sun built a business that had been built up over generations! In just one moment, it was all drowned in the river to feed the fish! Who's next to become the god of death?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze immediately fell upon Zhao Yuan.

Zhao Yuan felt uneasy under their gazes and wanted to slap each of these idiots on the spot.

"What are you looking at me for? Do I have flowers on my face? Sun Da Yantong has foreign cannons, Japanese monsters, and a river full of mines, but he still couldn't stop them, could he? He didn't even see them. I only have about two thousand men under my command. How many times can that Jiang Zhen make a fuss?"

Hearing this, everyone felt even more sorrowful.

"How about... we vote?"

From the crowd, someone weakly called out.

Upon hearing this, the previously noisy hilltop instantly fell into a deathly silence. This silence lasted for a long time, with only the whistling of the wind against the rocks.

"You voted?"

An old, bearded gang leader snorted coldly, his eyes filled with sorrow. "Surrendering might save your life, but look at Jiang Zhen's ruthless killing. Is that how he accepts surrender?! How many 'remnants of the previous dynasty' have you seen who have a good ending? Besides, we all have some shady businesses to run. If we surrender, we'll probably be hung on a flagpole as a warning."

This statement struck a nerve with everyone. They were afraid of death, but they were also afraid of losing their current life of privilege, and even more afraid of Jiang Zhen's unscrupulous purge.

Although they are terrified, in the eyes of these seasoned veterans, even if they are to sell themselves, they should sell themselves for a good price, or rather, "If I give you what I have, you can't kill me anymore, right?"

"How about we send someone to talk to him?" someone suggested.

"Who's going? I'm not going. Jiang Zhen's aura is like that of the King of Hell right now. What if he punches someone into mush without warning? Who would we be able to reason with then?"

All eyes turned back to Zhao Yuan.

"Uncle Zhao, you see, you are the most senior and the strongest here right now."

A gang leader approached, smiling obsequiously, and said, "Although you had a slight disagreement with the Shanghai gang and Jiang Zhen before, nothing serious happened. Since you're representing us, you have a lot of influence, so Jiang Zhen should give you some face, right?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuan jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on: "Bullshit! What do you mean I'm at odds with Jiang Zhen? Who spread this rumor? Step forward, and I'll kill him right now!"

He glanced around, his face trembling slightly, but his voice rose eight octaves: "At the banquet in Shanghai that day, I was the first to congratulate Jiang Zhen on becoming a hero of my gang! I praised him for his youthful talent and his dragon-like potential; I wished I could worship him! You bunch of bastards, don't even think about throwing mud at me!"

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, inwardly cursing Zhao Yuan for changing his expression faster than flipping through a book.

"Yes, yes, yes, Master Zhao is right." The hall master quickly changed his tune. "That's why only someone as 'far-sighted' as you is the most suitable to make contact with Chief Jiang. You see, the lives of us old bones are all in your hands."

Zhao Yuan wore a bitter expression, as if he had swallowed fly excrement. In his mind, he cursed the ancestors of these people for eighteen generations.

But he also understood that, judging from Jiang Zhen's posture, there was no way to avoid it at this point. Rather than waiting for Jiang Zhen to come knocking on his door, it would be better to take the initiative and perhaps preserve some of his assets.

His eyes darted around, as if he had thought of something. He sighed deeply and adopted a righteous and awe-inspiring posture: "Alright! Since you brothers trust me so much, for the sake of everyone's livelihood, I, Zhao Yuan, am willing to risk my old bones to meet that Chief Jiang! I don't seek wealth and glory, I only ask to leave a glimmer of hope for our old canal gang!"

"Master Zhao is truly righteous!"

"Grandpa Zhao is truly a role model for us all!"

Amidst the chorus of praise and eulogy, Zhao Yuan turned his back, secretly wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, and cursed inwardly: Damn it, you're all going to die.

......

A few days later, Bai Fu transferred another group of people from Huaihe Brigade and Modu Hall.

The silt at the Yangtze River dock has been mostly cleared away, so at least you won't drown if you go down there.

But it was no longer the golden beach; instead, it was a desolate graveyard covered with silt, broken wood, and corpses.

Bai Fu led his men, trudging through the mud, meticulously counting the items. Besides the gold and silver treasures, the most shocking sight was the corpses caught by the interception nets.

"Boss, the initial count is complete."

Bai Fu walked to Jiang Zhen's side, his voice a little dry, and handed him a list, "...There are nearly six hundred corpses in total. This does not include those who were swept to the bottom of the river and could not be found, as well as the Sun family's henchmen patrolling the perimeter."

Jiang Zhen looked into the distance.

In the open space not far away, the corpses were laid out in rows by the gang members. From a distance, they looked like a dense mass of black dots; up close, however, they were a ghastly white and gruesome sight. Some of them had their spines broken by the giant waves, while others had their hearts and lungs shattered by the blast.

Even Jiang Zhen, who possessed such destructive power, frowned slightly at this moment. He was not a bloodthirsty person at heart. Having lived two lives, he sought peace and a solid defense against external enemies. But the sight of corpses piled up like mountains still made him feel physically uncomfortable.

“More than six hundred people…” Jiang Zhen repeated softly.

“Xiao Zhen, don’t feel guilty. If you’re worried about your reputation, you don’t need to worry about that either. Sun Dayong’s reputation is already infamous, and the Sun family’s water fortress is a major cancer.” Master Feng had walked up to him at some point.

Jiang Zhen shook his head, looked at Fifth Master Feng, and asked the question that had been bothering him: "Fifth Master, since the Yangtze River Gang is his core stronghold, why does it only have a few hundred people? Isn't something wrong?"

Upon hearing this, Master Feng was taken aback for a moment, then quickly explained:

“Xiao Zhen, you don’t know this. You’ve just blown off the ‘head’ of the Yangtze River Rudder, but its ‘body’ is still huge.”

He pointed to the rushing river and said earnestly:

“The Yangtze River rudder and the Huai River rudder are different. The Sun family started out in the opium business, and behind opium are foreigners. Foreigners don’t care who’s in charge. Water transport can’t stop. As long as the opium can be transported out and the money can be collected, that’s all that matters. So the Sun family’s business is a long chain.”

"The Yangtze River Detachment has over three thousand men, but Sun Family Village is the leader. Sun Family Water Village is the ancestral property of Sun Dayantong, and has been run for generations. Those who live here are basically related to the Sun family, and they are his most loyal core fighting force. As for the remaining two thousand or so men that you are concerned about..."

"The Yangtze River meanders through the land, with countless tributaries. The Yangtze River Ship has stationed troops at various passes, warehouses, and on transport fleets. Most of these people are either just trying to make a living or are scattered soldiers tied down by the Sun family with opium and money. Now that you have shattered the biggest cancer of the Sun family with one punch, the remaining scattered troops will not be able to cause any trouble."

Seeing Jiang Zhen's still deep gaze, Fifth Master Feng thought he was hesitating about whether to continue the pursuit, and quickly added:

“Xiao Zhen, when it comes to killing, it’s best to stop while you’re ahead; but most of the remaining people are skilled on the water, they know the Yangtze River’s waterways better than their own homes. As long as we recruit them properly, cut off their opium supply, and give them a stable job, they will be the most capable members of our shipping guild. Don’t have any more murderous thoughts, the Yangtze River can’t withstand another ‘river dragon turning over’ like this.”

After listening, Jiang Zhen's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, revealing a helpless, bitter smile.

"Fifth Master, what are you thinking? I'm just curious because the number of people doesn't match up, and I'm afraid there might be an ambush."

Jiang Zhen turned to look at the gang members who were busy destroying opium, his eyes regaining their resolve. "Since I said I wanted to integrate the Canal Gang, I naturally wouldn't kill for the sake of killing. As long as they stop selling this kind of thing that harms our compatriots, as long as they are willing to stand firm on matters of principle, I, Jiang Zhen... can tolerate them."

Just then, Bai Fu rushed over from behind, a strange smile on his face.

"Boss, someone's here."

"Who?"

“It’s Zhao Yuan,” Bai Fu said with a low laugh. “It seems that this Mr. Zhao has really become ‘sensible.’ He said he wants to see you to discuss the grand plan of ‘merging the canal gangs and jointly resisting foreign aggression.’”

Jiang Zhen's lips curled up slightly when he heard the words "jointly resist foreign aggression".

These old foxes are truly masters of opportunism. They were all harboring their own ulterior motives before, but now they've all become "patriots."

"Let's go and meet this old man Zhao."

Chapter 34 This guy has a really thick skin

The air at the former Sunjiashuizhai wharf was filled with an extremely strange smell—the acrid stench of opium that had been nitrated with quicklime, mixed with the earthy smell of silt left after the river receded.

Jiang Zhen stood with his hands behind his back on a relatively flat bluestone platform on the shore, followed by Master Feng and Bai Fu. A few hundred meters in front of him, a figure was slowly walking towards him.

That's Zhao Yuan.

Surprisingly, this old man, who usually swaggered along the Grand Canal with hundreds of elite guards always by his side, was actually all alone. He wasn't wearing his usual ostentatious silk jacket; instead, he had changed into a low-key blue long gown and was walking alone on the messy riverbank.

"He's really daring." Master Feng narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice. "Xiao Zhen, this old fox came alone, without even a guard dog. He's offering his allegiance to you."