gnovel Chapter 34 Liu Bei's Plans
Chapter 34 Liu Bei's Plans
Before he could finish speaking, Meng Zhanpeng raised his hand and shoved Sun Sheng aside like parting a curtain. Sun Sheng staggered a couple of steps, bumped into the door frame, and felt a sharp pain in his shoulder.
Six hooligans rushed up and blocked the doorway.
Sun Sheng said urgently, "Chief Meng, this is Chief Chao's business, please give him some face..."
Before he could finish speaking, Meng Zhanpeng slapped him across the face.
The rogue flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing into the rice jar, shattering it, and spilling white rice all over the ground.
The person was lying on the ground, blood trickling from the corner of their mouth, unable to get up.
The remaining five ruffians exchanged glances, grabbed the carrying poles by the door, and pounced on them all at once.
Meng Zhanpeng didn't even back down.
The first carrying pole came crashing down, and he grabbed it. With a tug, the rascal was pulled over, and his knee struck him squarely in the chest.
The ruffian screamed, released the carrying pole, clutched his chest, and curled up on the ground, gasping for breath.
The second carrying pole swung from the side, and Meng Zhanpeng dodged it, the pole grazing his shoulder and missing its mark.
He reached out and grabbed the ruffian by the collar, lifted him up like a chick, and slammed him onto the counter.
With a crash, the counter collapsed, and the copper coins on it rolled all over the floor.
The third, fourth, and fifth carrying poles were brought up together.
Instead of retreating, Meng Zhanpeng advanced, closing in on him.
He moved with lightning speed, punching the nearest thug in the stomach. The man bent over, spitting out bitter water.
Another elbow struck another thug in the back, sending him sprawling to the ground, unable to get up for a long time.
The fifth rascal was kicked in the back of the knee and fell to his knees. Before he could get up, Meng Zhanpeng's big hand pressed down on his head, and with a "bang," his forehead hit the floor tile, and he passed out on the spot.
Sun Sheng leaned against the door frame, his shoulder aching so much he couldn't lift it. Looking at his six brothers lying on the ground, his heart sank to the bottom.
Meng Zhanpeng dusted off his hands, turned around, and looked at him.
"Is there anything else?"
Sun Sheng gritted his teeth and remained silent.
Meng Zhanpeng waved his hand behind him.
"Go inside and move it."
The Black Tiger Gang members flooded into the rice shop.
Some people grabbed rice bags and carried them out, while others overturned rice jars, spilling white rice, yellow rice, and wheat all over the ground, mixed with broken tiles and sawdust.
The men were so frightened that they hid behind the pillars, their faces as white as paper.
Zhang Shi stood in the corner, his hands shaking so badly he couldn't even hold the abacus.
A henchman from the Black Tiger Gang came out of the back room carrying a sack of rice. As he passed the counter, he saw the money box that had fallen to the ground and bent down to pick it up.
Meng Zhanpeng kicked him in the butt.
"What are you picking up? A few measly coins, no ambition whatsoever!"
The henchman got up and sheepishly withdrew his hand.
Sun Sheng's eyes reddened as he watched all this.
He took a deep breath, propped himself up from the door frame, and limped over to Meng Zhanpeng.
"Chief Meng, this rice shop belongs to Chief Chao. Chief Chao has a life-or-death relationship with Clerk Song and Chief Constable Lei in the county government. Aren't you afraid of what you're doing today...?"
He hadn't finished speaking.
Meng Zhanpeng turned around and punched him in the face.
Sun Sheng felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, a metallic taste in his mouth, and he was thrown into the air, flying seven or eight feet away before crashing onto the threshold.
He hit the back of his head on the edge of the threshold, and blood immediately gushed out.
He lay on the ground trying to get up, but couldn't.
Meng Zhanpeng shook the blood off his hands and looked at Sun Sheng on the ground, expressionless.
"Chao Baozheng? Hmph."
He bent down, picked up a grain of white rice from the ground, and rubbed it between his fingertips.
"This rice is good. It's a pity that from today onwards, no one dares to buy it."
He waved his hand.
"Walk."
The Black Tiger Gang members carried their rice sacks and swaggered away.
It left behind a mess.
Broken tiles, rotten wood, and white rice were scattered all over the ground, leaving footprints everywhere.
Six ruffians lay sprawled in the pile of rice, some groaning, others unconscious.
Zhang Shi slowly walked out from the corner, his legs trembling.
He looked at the blood and rice scattered on the ground, his throat bobbed a few times, then bent down and righted an overturned rice jar.
The rice container had a crack, and there was still a little less than half a container of rice left at the bottom, mixed with broken porcelain shards and dust.
He squatted down and picked out the broken pieces of porcelain one by one.
……
When the news reached the inner hall, Liu Bei was talking to Wu Yong.
The messenger was a rogue, with blood at the corner of his mouth and bruises all over his face. When he ran in, his legs went weak and he knelt on the ground.
"Brother! The Black Tiger Gang has come and smashed the rice shop! Brother Sun Sheng and his brothers have all been injured! The rice has been stolen, the grain jars have been smashed, and the counter has collapsed!"
Liu Bei put down his teacup and stood up.
"How is he?"
"Sun Sheng had a gash on his head and was bleeding a lot. Some of the brothers had broken ribs, and some were knocked unconscious. They're all...lying in the front hall."
Liu Bei strode out.
Wu Yong followed behind.
Upon reaching the front hall, Liu Bei stopped in his tracks.
People were lying haphazardly on the ground.
Sun Sheng leaned against the corner of the wall, his head wrapped in a strip of cloth that had turned completely red.
Zhang Shi was squatting on the ground, sweeping up broken rice with a broom.
Liu Bei walked up to Sun Sheng and squatted down.
"Sun Sheng."
Sun Sheng opened his eyes, saw Liu Bei, and his eyes reddened.
"Brother... I'm useless... I couldn't stop them..."
Liu Bei looked at the wound on his head.
"Don't speak. Focus on healing."
He stood up, his gaze sweeping over the mess on the floor.
Spilled rice, broken jar, collapsed cabinet, broken stool.
There was a bloodstain on the wall; it was unclear whose it was.
The sound of boiling water came from the kitchen, and steam rose from behind the curtain, casting a hazy glow on the lights in the back room.
Zhang Shi was still sweeping rice, the broom making a rustling sound as it swept across the ground.
Hurried footsteps came from outside the door.
Lei Heng and Song Jiang walked in one after the other.
Lei Heng, with a broadsword at his waist and dressed in official uniform, entered the room and saw the mess on the ground and the injured lying there. His face darkened.
Song Jiang followed behind, his usual smile gone.
"Who did this?" Lei Heng's voice was low, but everyone could hear the anger in it.
Sun Sheng leaned against the corner of the wall, his head wrapped in a strip of cloth that had turned completely red.
"Chief Lei, it's Meng Zhanpeng from the Black Tiger Gang."
Lei Heng kicked away the splinters of wood at his feet and cursed, "That bastard, I'm going to get him right now!"
He turned to leave.
"Brother Lei, wait a minute."
Song Jiang spoke.
He walked over to Lei Heng and pressed his arm down. "Don't rush."
Then he turned to Liu Bei and said, "Brother, the wounded are the most important. I'll send someone to fetch a traditional Chinese medicine doctor to treat our injuries."
Liu Bei nodded.
Song Jiang called over a yamen runner and whispered a few instructions to him.
The yamen runner trotted out.
Song Jiang then walked up to Sun Sheng, squatted down, and looked at the wound on his head.
"Bear with it, the doctor will be here soon."
Sun Sheng's eyes reddened, and he nodded.
Lei Heng patiently walked back and stood in front of Liu Bei.
"Brother, this matter cannot be left like this. Meng Zhanpeng has gone too far, smashing your rice shop and injuring people. I, Lei Heng, am the head constable of Yuncheng County, I cannot stand idly by."
Liu Bei ignored Lei Heng's question and instead asked, "Brother Lei, don't be in such a hurry. Let me ask you a few questions. In Yuncheng County, how many ruffians like Sun Sheng are there in total?"
Lei Heng was stunned for a moment.
Song Jiang also raised his head and looked at Liu Bei.
Lei Heng thought for a moment and then held up five fingers.
"Brother, there are five or six gangs, big and small, inside and outside the city. The Black Tiger Gang in Xiawazi, north of the city, has sixty or seventy men under Meng Zhanpeng. Zhao Si in Changlefang, east of the city, has fifty or sixty men. Qian Wu, the Mountain Wind Gang, south of the city, has thirty or forty men. Sun Biao, the Rolling Dragon Gang, west of the city, has forty or fifty men. Wang Gang, the Iron Head Gang, is in the north of the city, next to the Black Tiger Gang, with thirty or forty men. Adding the original men of Brother Sun Sheng, there are at least four or five hundred men in total."
Liu Bei nodded.
"What do these people do on a daily basis?"
Lei Heng said, "What can they do? Petty theft, extortion, and market manipulation. Some run casinos, some lend money at exorbitant interest rates, and some collect bad debts. Reputable people avoid them."
"Does the government have any jurisdiction over this?"
Lei Heng gave a wry smile: "How can we manage them? We arrest them and release them, release them and arrest them again. They don't commit serious crimes; they're only locked up for a few days and then released. They go back to their old ways. There are only a few people in the county government; how can they possibly manage everything?"
Song Jiang stood up and walked to Liu Bei's side.
His expression was more serious than usual.
"Brother, what Brother Lei said is true. These people are like a stubborn skin disease, impossible to cure. But the fact that Meng Zhanpeng dared to come and smash up the rice shop today suggests there's more to him than meets the eye. He runs a casino, has no grudge against the rice shop, so why should he stand up for someone else?"
Liu Bei glanced at Song Jiang.
Song Jiang's words hit the nail on the head.
"What does my brother mean?"
Song Jiang lowered his voice: "Brother, if you sell grain at a fair price and cut off anyone's path, then that person is the one who is causing trouble behind the scenes."
Liu Bei nodded, then looked at Lei Heng.
"Brother Lei, do you think it's feasible for me to recruit these four or five hundred people?"
Lei Heng was stunned.
"Brother, what did you say?"
"I said I want to bring all the ruffians in Yuncheng County under my command," Liu Bei said calmly. "They have hands and feet, strength and courage. It's just that no one has disciplined or taught them, which is why they've gone astray. Give them a bowl of rice, teach them to follow the rules, and they'll be the most useful soldiers."