Ranks

Lu Shan gathered his men on this side, bringing over forty members of the Mighty Gang, and set out hastily under cover of night.

A gang operation on this scale was rare—once every four or five years at most—and for it to be spearheaded by the lowliest Boatman Gang made it even more extraordinary.

Yet these forty-odd men carried a faint, almost military air about them.

They kept their mouths shut, pressing close together, lurking through the narrow alleys, avoiding the main roads as they crept outward with caution.

Almost no sound escaped them. Among forty men, only the occasional breath or the accidental kick of an object broke the silence.

After all, they were boatmen, not real soldiers; their discipline still fell far short.

Still, the Mighty Gang's discipline was far better than the Wave-Pushing Gang or the Water-Horse Gang—it was clear they had put in the effort.

The Mighty Gang wound their way through the back alleys.

Along the Li River, small docks dotted the banks everywhere. Though modest in scale, they were numerous, handling a steady flow of cargo ships and travelers. This place was a melting pot of chaos—gangs clustered thick, and everywhere there were boatmen, sailors, laborers, and passengers.

In the layout around the Li River, the paths and alleys were tucked behind buildings, away from the main streets, to ensure that trash and beggars wouldn't inconvenience the merchants. After all, commerce was the lifeblood of this place.

So, due to financial constraints, most buildings here were low, square structures, some with slanted roofs. Since stone was expensive and hard to come by in large quantities, most structures near the docks were built from wooden planks. Only a few were made of stone, and finer residences simply didn't exist here.

The streets and lanes by the docks were cramped and filthy, littered with garbage everywhere. These paths twisted together like a haphazard knot; unless you'd lived here for years, you'd never find your way through.

Such conditions bred plenty of shadows in these alleys, making the area's public security poor, but that also made it a good place to hide.

By threading through these crooked lanes, one could reach the Wave-Pushing Gang's territory directly without passing through the main roads.

Concealed, safe, and without alerting the authorities.

He had envisioned this plan for a surprise attack on the Wave-Pushing Gang and the Water-Horse Gang more than once, and had even had his brothers in the gang practice it.

All for the day he could strike successfully.

Lu Shan had always been an ambitious man. Like Li Qi, he had never been content to remain a boatman. He wanted to climb higher, and he had put in a lot of effort to that end.

So, when the temptation of sorcery was dangled before him, he agreed without hesitation, not caring whether it was a hook or not.

Even if it was a hook, he would eat the bait first.

The Mighty Gang moved silently—no, not quite silently; there was still a little noise—as they walked through the alleys.

No one spoke. They all knew what they were here to do tonight.

Occasionally, a faint sound came through, but it didn't affect them at all.

Until they had covered two-thirds of the distance and reached an open space.

This clearing was where the dock laborers usually piled goods temporarily. Large amounts of cargo that couldn't be moved right away were stored here, but never overnight—they were always hauled away within a day. So by night, the place was empty.

It could hold a crowd, and Lu Shan had arranged it as a temporary assembly point for a headcount.

According to his plan, once they reached here, he needed to gather the boatmen, say a few words to boost their spirits, let them rest, and then, in one surge, take advantage of the darkness to break through the Wave-Pushing Gang's ranks!

"Everyone, today—do you know what we're here for?" Lu Shan stood in the center of the clearing, addressing the men around him.

It was pitch black all around, and he couldn't see clearly. He could only make out a few dozen figures, so he just spoke up.

"To kill Li Qi, because he stole our sorcery!" a boatman replied.

"That's right. This time, Li Qi stole the sorcery that belongs to us. He has to die," Lu Shan said.

The way of war lies in boldness of spirit.

What they call 'striking while the iron is hot' is all about keeping the soldiers' morale high.

And to keep morale high, you need to stand on solid ground.

Standing on solid ground means having a reason to march and a shared goal—that's how you build morale.

So, what could unite the boatmen of the Mighty Gang was common interest, and the righteous cause of 'taking back the stolen technique.'

With this righteous cause to justify them, and common interests driving them, the boatmen's strength could be forged into a single rope, transforming them from a rabble into a fighting force.

"Do you still remember what I taught you?" Lu Shan asked again.

"We remember!" the boatmen nodded at once.

"Good. Then tonight, use those tricks, and aim to catch them off guard—take them down in one go! The Wave-Pushing Gang just held their River Opening today, they're exhausted from a full day's work, and then they had wine and meat. They'll be full and drunk, resting early. It's already late at night, so they're sure to be asleep," Lu Shan instructed the boatmen of the Mighty Gang.

"So, be fast, be ruthless! But no weapons—only wooden clubs. Don't leave any evidence for the authorities. Aim to kill only Li Qi, and don't cause too many deaths."

"Don't say I didn't warn you—this is life-or-death. Anyone who holds us back, don't ever call yourself a member of the Mighty Gang again, or I'll break your legs!"

He drilled the warnings into the boatmen.

Watching the men nod one by one, even though he couldn't make out the faces of those in the back, they should all be able to hear him.

After explaining what to do and laying down the law, he softened his tone:

"Kill Li Qi, and then we'll practice sorcery for a year. By then, there'll only be one boatman gang left in the city. We can raise our prices, eat meat every day, every one of you can get a wife! And we can build new houses!"

"If Li Qi survives, that means the Wave-Pushing Gang has sorcery too. They'll compete with us, and we'll have no good days ahead! You all know how much the customers squeeze us when two gangs bid against each other, right? We earn our money with blood and sweat—who wants to be undercut?"

"Tonight, if we succeed, good days are coming!"

As Lu Shan said these words, he swept his gaze over the boatmen, carefully studying the faces of those he could see, reading their expressions.

Threaten them with danger, tempt them with profit—that's how you ignite their drive, how you make men forget death and fight.

After saying this, he finally clenched his fist. "Now, is everyone here? I'm counting heads—don't want anyone getting lost."

With that, he went to count heads.

This had happened before.

In the pitch-black alley, the trackers couldn't see a thing at night, suffering from severe night blindness. They often got lost while moving through the alley.

The Mighty Gang members stood in a cluster. Counting heads was something they did often.

Mountain Boss seemed to enjoy counting heads, so they'd gotten used to it.

Lu Shan began counting the people.

But the more he counted, the more his expression shifted.

When he reached the last one, he took a deep breath.

"Only twenty-six! Where are the other dozen or so!? All lost!?" He roared in fury, stomping his feet in rage!