It remains to be seen whether the Communion Society can develop into a “black hand party” and whether Wei Changtian can become the “underground godfather” of Shuzhou. But one thing is certain – the Thunderbolt Gate will be annihilated today.
An hour later.
Under the leadership of several five-star experts, hundreds of Communion Society members broke through the defenses and charged into the Thunderbolt Gate’s main hall, triggering another brutal battle.
The Communion Society’s people, despite being outnumbered and outgunned, managed to hold their ground for a while before gradually becoming overwhelmed. Many of them turned to flee, but were quickly intercepted and killed by the Communion Society’s ambushers hiding in the woods.
The cries of the wounded echoed through the Jiagu Mountain, with the scene resembling a bloody and terrifying purgatory.
Under such intense pressure, aside from a small group of die-hard warriors, most of the Thunderbolt Gate members eventually surrendered, abandoning their weapons and begging for mercy.
Chu Xianping’s approach to dealing with these people was simple.
Want to surrender? Fine.
First, go kill those who refuse to surrender.
This demand was somewhat excessive, but most people were willing to do whatever it took to survive, abandoning their comrades and turning against them.
From friends to foes in an instant.
Although such betrayal was despicable, it greatly shortened the battle time and reduced the Communion Society’s casualties.
Another hour passed, and the sounds of slaughter gradually subsided. The brutal battle between the two factions, involving nearly a thousand people, finally came to an end.
The bodies of the dead lay scattered across the mountain top, with the stench of blood hanging heavy in the air.
The Communion Society’s people worked efficiently, dividing their tasks with clear roles, demonstrating a set of rules different from those of ordinary gangs.
After a series of tasks, including finishing off the wounded, treating injuries, and plundering, someone came to report to Wei Changtian and Chu Xianping.
“Master Wei, Captain.”
The messenger stood before them, his body stained with blood.
“Except for those who have surrendered, there are no survivors left in the Thunderbolt Gate. Our brothers have lost over a hundred men, and several dozen are severely injured, likely beyond saving.”
“We’ve found the Thunderbolt Gate’s treasury, and another underground prison, containing over a hundred people, mostly women, who were likely kidnapped and brought to the mountain…”
After hearing the report, Chu Xianping simply nodded and said, “I understand,” without issuing further instructions.
After all, they had already eliminated several factions, and their subordinates knew exactly what to do next.
“Master, it should be safe inside now.”
Pointing to the mountain gate with the “Thunderbolt” inscription, Chu Xianping turned to ask Wei Changtian, “Do you want to take a look?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
Wei Changtian was nonchalant, dismounting his horse and following Chu Xianping into the blood-stained mountain gate.
The Thunderbolt Gate’s stronghold, built into the mountain, was similar to those depicted in TV dramas. Although not enormous, it was still quite impressive.
The prisoners, now disarmed, stood bare-chested, surrounded by several dozen burly men.
The bodies of the dead were dragged to the ground, arranged on either side.
The pile of corpses on the east side belonged to the Thunderbolt Gate, likely to be buried in a mass grave soon.
The neatly arranged bodies on the west side were those of the Communion Society, to be taken back for proper burial.
In the open space, several wooden tables were set up, with people seated behind them, wearing long robes.
“What are these people doing, Brother Chu?”
Wei Changtian’s curiosity was piqued as he watched them pull out pens, ink, and paper from their boxes, along with several ledgers.
“They’re responsible for statistical work, Master,” Chu Xianping explained in detail.
“This one is responsible for counting the number of enemy heads, using them as evidence, making it convenient to reward achievements later.”
“This one is responsible for counting the number of fallen and injured brothers, with each deceased person worth twenty taels of silver. If they have family, the silver will be sent to their families. If not, a decent coffin will be prepared.”
“That one is responsible for counting the number of surrendered enemies, and that one is responsible for counting the plundered wealth…”
“…”
“Good grief, are you setting up a statistics company here??”
“This is the underworld, old master. Do we really need to be so professional?”
Wei Changtian stared in shock, taking a long time to squeeze out a sentence.
“Brother Chu… even the military might not be able to do this.”
“Without rules, there is no square inch, young master.”
Chu Xianping replied solemnly, “Setting rules early on will prevent them from becoming a disorganized mob and help you achieve great things.”
Achieve great things? What great things do I want to achieve?
Isn’t this level of organization only necessary for a rebellion?
“Brother Chu, you really are… thinking for me.”
Wei Changtian reluctantly praised him, giving up on questioning this issue and following Chu Xianping to the treasure vault of the Thunderbolt Gate.
The gold, silver, and jewels were indeed plentiful, but aside from that, there was nothing else.
Wei Changtian naturally didn’t care about these riches, but he finally understood why Chu Xianping had never asked him for money.
Just one Thunderbolt Gate had a family fortune of several tens of thousands of taels of silver.
The Mutual Aid Society had already eliminated six such gangs, plundering at least a hundred thousand taels of silver…
To think that Chen Bo had told him before that the annual profit of the entire Suspended Mirror Agency’s Sichuan branch was only ten thousand taels of silver!
Not to mention those small merchants and farmers who toiled in the fields…
This really proved the saying: “Kill and plunder, and you’ll be rewarded with a golden belt; build bridges and repair roads, and you’ll be left with nothing.”
……
Not finding any treasures, Wei Changtian soon lost interest.
After leaving the treasure vault, the corpses in the open area had been mostly dealt with, and the several wooden tables had each started their own queues, clearly beginning their respective statistical tasks.
The man carrying human heads, the trembling prisoners, the boxes upon boxes of silver ingots……
Among the teams, one stood out, consisting mainly of women who were barely clothed.
They must be the ordinary civilians captured by the Thunderbolt Gate and brought to the mountain.
These women had suffered who-knew-what in the Thunderbolt Gate, with some still knowing to use their tattered clothes to cover their vital areas, while others had already become numb, exposing their bodies to the gaze of others.
This scene left Wei Changtian feeling sorrowful; others might have different thoughts, but at the very least, they would restrain their gazes, trying not to look in that direction.
Perhaps this was also one of Chu Xianping’s rules.
“Ah…”
Sighing, Wei Changtian asked as he walked away, “Brother Chu, what will happen to these civilians?”
“We’ll give them clothes, record their names, and then let them go.”
Chu Xianping replied truthfully, “After that, whether they live or die is none of the Mutual Aid Society’s concern.”
It was indeed a benevolent act.
Wei Changtian nodded without saying a word, continuing to walk towards the mountain gate.
However, in the next moment, he and Chu Xianping suddenly stopped in their tracks simultaneously.
“What’s going on?”
“Who is it?”
“King… King Qian.”
“Uh… uh? You’re… Wang Biao Tou?”
“Good, good fellow, you… you recognize me?”
“Wang Biao Tou? Is it really you? Didn’t you die three years ago when you walked into an ambush?”
“This… this is a long story. I’ve been imprisoned on this mountain for three years…”
As he spoke, the disheveled man seemed to recall something and suddenly asked in a trembling voice:
“Do you know if my wife and child are safe?”
“Home… lives in Fu Lu Alley, Li family, named Su Yue…”