"Stop dilly-dallying!"
"Come and kill me, and today you can take back both face and substance!"
"If you can’t kill me, today I’ll return a clear sky over the eight hundred miles of the Bian River!"
His temper hadn’t been like this before.
Since turning twenty-five, he’d never made the mistake of getting involved in a brawl and suffering the indignity of eating cabbage and radish soup with rice.
Even his mother had often worried that he was too honest and kind, that he would be bullied by others.
That he had become like this now...
Perhaps it was something on the verge of dying, still twitching.
Very few people can resist such pervasive force.
Yang Ge wasn’t among that minority.
But some things, even in death, can become a thorn in one’s heart.
A thorn that might not hurt, but just makes you uncomfortable no matter how you shift!
Not perishing in silence.
But erupting in silence.
...
Facing Yang Ge’s harsh words,
the eight men on the small sampan all fell silent.
Men who have survived the underworld to this extent aren’t fools.
At least, whether the other party is bluffing or is genuinely challenging and unafraid to fight...
They could all still tell the difference!
Clearly, the embroidered uniform guard commander at the bow of the ship was the real deal: challenging and unafraid, even somewhat... desiring a fight!
This outcome was beyond the eight men’s expectations before they arrived.
Or rather, they had never heard of such a headstrong official!
As for starting a fight...
They truly weren’t afraid!
Even if four hundred embroidered uniform guard fighters from the eight Ten Thousand Dan Boats were to gang up on them, they wouldn’t be intimidated.
This was their home turf at Lianhuan Fort; they could temporarily avoid the heat and immediately call in hundreds or thousands of competent fighters...
The issue was, how would things end after starting a fight?
Embroidered uniform guards were no ordinary soldiers.
If they truly left behind this troop of embroidered uniform guards, Lianhuan Fort might as well pack their bags and scatter to the winds.
But if they didn’t respond to the challenge after the commander of the embroidered uniform guards at the bow of the ship had spoken his piece... wouldn’t that mean they were really delivering the face of Lianhuan Fort to be slapped by the embroidered uniform guards?
The eight men fell silent for a long time before the man in black finally replied in a deep voice, "If Lord Yang insists on using his power to bully others, our Lianhuan Fort will accompany him to the end!"
"But let it be clear..."
"First of all, although the three thousand brothers of our Lianhuan Fort are people of the underworld, we have never harbored the slightest rebellious intentions. It is truly because Lord Yang is being unreasonable, forcing our Lianhuan Fort to be destroyed, that we have no choice but to oblige!"
"Furthermore, although our Lianhuan Fort is a gang from the waterways, we have never engaged in any act of oppression against the good. While passing merchants often pay Lianhuan Fort a little toll for crossing the river, our Lianhuan Fort has also dispatched competent brothers to ensure their journey is smooth and their families are safe!"
Upon hearing this, Yang Ge sneered and interrupted, "By your logic, all the passing merchants should present a banner of gratitude to Lianhuan Fort for your supposed protection along the way, huh?"
The man in black was taken aback, seemingly trying to understand what "a banner of gratitude" meant.
After a moment, he sternly said, "If by what you’re saying, Lord Yang, the passing merchants really should present a banner of gratitude to our Lianhuan Fort... do you, Lord Yang, know what the situation on the Bian River was like before our fort established itself here?"
Yang Ge said, "Out with it!"
The man in black answered, "Back then, all along the Bian River were checkpoints set by various local governments. Wherever merchants went, they had to pay, and if they didn’t pay, they couldn’t pass."
"There were also soldiers from the Poyang Naval Force who, when they ran out of money, would remove their flags, change clothes, and become bandits on the river, robbing ships and sinking them along with the people!"
"Then, there were all sorts of river bandits and major thieves crowding onto the Bian River. After their misdeeds, they’d flee with the money, and the officials wouldn’t even be able to find out who did it..."
"Back then, the most frequent ships on the water were government ships. Merchant and civilian ships had to spend a fortune to hire security escorts for protection on their travels or else hope for divine intervention!"
"Even the old river families and fishermen didn’t know whether they’d live to return home each time they went out on the river..."
"It was our Lianhuan Fort that sorted out the Poyang Naval Force, that dealt with the various local governments!"
"It was our Lianhuan Fort that put a stop to the river bandits and major thieves from everywhere!"
"Once they hit the water, if their cargo was lost, Lianhuan Fort compensated it; if people died, Lianhuan Fort pursued the matter and sought revenge..."
"Even when the river was silted up, it was our Lianhuan Fort that organized manpower to clear it up!"
"I, Ma Liu, can say with assurance: it is because of our Lianhuan Fort that the Bian River now boasts a bustling scene of a hundred ships competing, with merchants coming like rain!"
"Lord Yang, do you think passing merchants should present a banner of gratitude to our Lianhuan Fort?"
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Having said that, and seeing Yang Ge’s expression turning ugly, he also very considerately added, "Of course, there are some subordinate gangs that help our Lianhuan Fort manage the waterways—those who are dishonest, who act wickedly behind our backs, bringing disaster to the area. That certainly exists, and for Lord Yang’s efforts in cleaning up the scum of the Haihe Gang, our Lianhuan Fort should indeed thank Lord Yang!"
He formally bowed and gestured a fist salute toward Yang Ge.
It was as if these "dangs," these two fist salutes, were actually striking Yang Ge’s face.
He turned around with an ugly expression to look at the group of deputy commanders and commanders behind him.
They all showed hesitant expressions.
"Damn!"
Yang Ge cursed angrily, turned back and with one fierce pull, ripped off his heavy coat and tossed it to Fang Ke without looking back. Then he drew his Gold-Inlaid Ox-tail Saber, leapt onto the bow of the ship, and proclaimed, "You wanted to set what terms? I, Yang Erlang, accept them, win or lose, I shall personally present a banner of gratitude to your Lianhuan Fort!"
What’s more annoying than fallacious sophistry that tries to brainwash?
It’s that the fallacious sophistry actually has a point!