The two drank in silence.
From then on, Canghe County belonged to Liu. Far from the emperor's reach, Liu Yuanhu was no different from a local emperor in Canghe County.
But what concerned Gu Sheng more was where Gu Family Village should go from here.
Whether Canghe County was ruled by Cao Shiduan or Liu Yuanhu made no real difference to him. The key lay with the Black Sand Gang.
According to what Gu Xiaojiang had said.
The Black Sand Gang had eliminated quite a few dissidents in this battle and earned merit. They would likely become even more arrogant and overbearing in the future, while Gu Family Village's situation would only grow more difficult.
Gu Xiaojiang said bitterly:
"The Black Sand Gang is so treacherous and fickle. I'd originally hoped they would both end up badly wounded, but I never expected that bastard Zhao Honglie to directly defect to county lieutenant Liu. What a..."
He gritted his teeth.
The reason everyone in Gu Family Village hated the Black Sand Gang so deeply was that the gang collected annual tribute every year—protection money!
Two thousand taels a year was practically bleeding Gu Family Village dry.
With those two thousand taels, Gu Family Village could cultivate quite a few more martial artists. But they had no choice but to pay. Otherwise, the Black Sand Gang would not reason with them. They blocked roads, ambushed travelers, murdered people, and plundered goods, stopping at nothing. The losses would be far greater than two thousand taels.
The surrounding villages and forts had learned that lesson in blood.
Yet as the Black Sand Gang perched above the surrounding villages and forts, sucking them dry, its strength only continued to grow. By now, it was even powerful enough to influence the situation in the county seat.