Ultimately, the subordinates of both sides couldn’t stand the hair-raising atmosphere any longer and came forward to mediate.
"Lord, please calm down, calm down! We can’t force good people to turn bad... no, I mean, we can’t kill the good and claim their achievements!"
"Young Master, please calm down, calm down! Commoners should not fight against officials, they shouldn’t!"
On the small sampan, the man in black who had just spoken forcefully pushed Li Jincheng back and said with a fist-palm salute, "Lord Yang, I will speak the truth before a real person. We are indeed here on account of the Haihe Gang. With Lord Yang newly entering Jianghuai, you picked a fight with a gang under Lianhuan Fort. Both morally and reasonably, we should seek justice from Lord Yang, otherwise how would the martial brothers in jianghu see Lianhuan Fort in the future? What do you think, Lord Yang?"
Lianhuan Fort was the first to lower its head.
Yang Ge’s face finally looked better.
With a wave of his hand, the dozens of strong crossbows that had been poking out from both sides of the ship were all simultaneously withdrawn.
In the end, he pointed to the man in black who had spoken and said to Li Jincheng in a tone that was neither hot nor cold, "Learn a bit more, see how your family’s elders solve problems, instead of creating more troubles on top of problems. Young man, don’t be so rash, it won’t do you any good!"
Li Jincheng was furious and turned to face off against Yang Ge again, "You..."
Several quick-thinking men in black grabbed him and whispered words of persuasion from all sides.
Truth be told, these men who mixed in the jianghu were not usually afraid of officialdom.
After all, barefooted ones are not afraid of those wearing shoes, and a desperate man can bleed three feet when enraged!
The reason they were wary of bumping into Yang Ge was that he seemed even more barefooted and more recklessly audacious than they were!
You’ve struggled so hard to climb to the position of a thousand-household military commander of the Brocade Guards; aren’t you supposed to think about how to make money, rather than risking your life?
And your family has finally hoped for a descendant who can bring glory to your ancestors; aren’t you supposed to consider them?
After all, they have the guts to kill an official.
But to rebel... there really aren’t many among them who dare!
And the officials of the Brocade Guards are too sensitive and too easily linked with the words ’rebellion’.
...
After the commotion on the small sampan settled down, Yang Ge spoke again, "You want to seek justice for the Haihe Gang, I must discuss this matter thoroughly with you all!"
"In principle, I am a soldier, they are bandits; taking action against them is not a problem!"
"As for sentiment, it was they who came after me first; dealing with them is likewise unproblematic!"
"Your Lianhuan Fort is a martial faction, even if we don’t talk about the law, you still ought to have some sense of morality and rules, right?"
"What, do you think the Brocade Guards are so easy to bully that you can cast morality and rules aside?"
The man in black, although an old hand in jianghu, couldn’t help but whisper under his breath, "Which eye of yours saw us thinking you are easy to bully?"
The 𝘮ost uptodat𝑒 novels are pub𝙡ished on freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.
Yang Ge cleaned his ear and said, "What? Say it louder!"
The man in black hurriedly said, "Lord Yang, I would like you to understand, jianghu rules aren’t discussed the way you do."
Yang Ge sheathed his knife and stood with arms folded: "I’m all ears."
The man in black made a bowing gesture, "Lord Yang, you are an official with power and authority, and Lianhuan Fort is also a respected name in jianghu."
"It is the Haihe Gang’s bad luck to run into you, and they deserve their fate. Lianhuan Fort shouldn’t have come speaking out of turn."
"But according to the rules of jianghu, Lord Yang, you shouldn’t take down the signboard of the Haihe Gang. That’s not just disciplining the Haihe Gang, it’s losing face for Lianhuan Fort!"
"Think about it, everyone in jianghu knows the Haihe Gang is under Lianhuan Fort. If you wipe out the Haihe Gang, and Lianhuan Fort doesn’t even dare fart in your presence, who would give face to Lianhuan Fort in the future?"
"In this world, one person cannot have all the advantages."
"If someone gets face, they ought to give others the ’inside’ benefits."
"If someone gets the ’inside’ benefits, they ought to give others face."
"Even the Emperor has to share the world with the gentry, doesn’t he?"
"Lord Yang, what do you say to that?"
Yang Ge nodded, "I understand, so you mean to say I should now take your ’inside’ benefits and give back your face, right?"
The man in black made a bowing gesture: "That’s exactly the principle!"
Yang Ge shook his head, "Sorry, but the face of your Lianhuan Fort is one thing, and the face of my Brocade Guards is another... Otherwise, how about I give you a thousand taels, and you sell me a face for the Brocade Guards?"
Taking the seat of a thousand-household military commander of the Eastern Depot was indeed not his wish.
But to enjoy privileges, one must shoulder responsibilities; he could not ignore the more than a thousand stout fellows in the Eastern Depot who addressed him deferentially as "Lord" and hustled about on his orders, braving life and death; he couldn’t act as if they didn’t exist.
Moreover, although Shen Fa propped him up into the position, there were elements of calculation, there was still some affection involved.
Morally and reasonably, he could not afford to lose the face of the Brocade Guards in Jianghuai!
Seeing his refusal, the man in black slowly straightened his back and said with a light sigh, "Why bother making things difficult, Lord Yang?"
"You are an upright official, and you rely on the official seal in your hand to earn your keep. Giving us face won’t interfere with your ability to remain an official."
"And we are just struggling jianghu fellows trying to make a living; face is our rice bowl. If anyone smashes our rice bowl, even at the risk of dying without a complete corpse, we must strike back!"
"Don’t you agree that’s the principle?"
Yang Ge, hearing such a mix of soft and hard tactics, couldn’t help but chuckle coldly, "Listening to your story, I almost truly believed you were innocent fishermen earning a living."
"When bullying passing merchants, you show your tough side."
"Negotiating with an official like me, you still fucking play tough!"
"I’m fucking puzzled how those few pieces of scrap iron of yours are so damn effective?’