Drawing a Grand Plan

"Old Wan, you didn’t know about something this major?"

Another merchant spoke up. "I heard that Lord Li of Li Commerce Company has already been elected president of the Yicheng branch of the Yangzhou Salt Merchants Association, and is preparing to…"

This man was quite well-informed and rather eloquent. He vividly described the benefits of forming militia units. Of course, the version he spoke of was the plan Gu Sheng had given Lord Li before heading into the wilderness, which seemed rather unimpressive compared with the major undertaking now being prepared.

"That’s a good thing!"

The small merchants voiced their support one after another. Their businesses were small, and they truly lacked the means to support large numbers of guards. Whenever they traveled elsewhere to do business, they could only band together and hire escort agencies. Even then, it could hardly be considered safe.

If militia units could truly be established to guarantee the safety of the trade routes around Yicheng, the ones who would benefit most would instead be small merchants like them.

"Third Master Liu!"

At that moment, Brother Liu Shui, known as Yicheng’s "Timely Rain," also came over and greeted Liu San with great familiarity.

"Brother Liu Shui!"

Liu San replied courteously. On the surface, nothing seemed unusual, but in reality, he and Liu Shui had already exchanged news in secret.

"Brother Liu San, the White Horse Gang has well-informed sources. Have you found out what kind of person this Teng Qinghu from Teng Village is?"

A group of people had also followed Liu Shui. Most of them belonged to small gangs made up of street toughs and hoodlums. Their information was even more limited; they only knew that something major seemed to be happening in Yicheng. Now that they had seen Liu San, someone wanted to ask him about it.

"So it’s Wang Da!"

Liu San glanced at the man. After recognizing him, his attitude became somewhat warmer. With a hint of warning, he said, "This Mr. Teng is no small-time figure. He is close to Miss Li of the Li family!

"The Wang Triple Fiends, renowned throughout Jiangning Prefecture and Nanxing County, fell at his hands just yesterday. Their weapons are still hanging over there! So be on your best behavior later. Don’t get too rough."

Gu Sheng had defeated the Wang Brothers only yesterday. Very few people present were truly well-informed, so not many knew that something major had happened the day before.

"What?"

Some small-time businessmen did not really know what sort of figures the Wang Triple Fiends were, so their reaction was not particularly strong. But several nearby gang members changed color at the same time. The Wang Triple Fiends were legendary First-Rate Experts, figures capable of going toe-to-toe with the White Horse Gang—and they had actually been brought down just like that.

"Thank you for telling me, Third Master. I owe you one~"

The bearded man called Wang Da broke out in a cold sweat. Just moments ago, he had thought the person who summoned everyone today was making far too grand a display, and had been planning to "liven things up" by causing trouble!

"City Guard Ni and Lord Li are here!"

"Who’s that young man between them?"

"Gasp! He’s so young!"

As the murmurs from outside drifted in, Yicheng’s various prominent figures ended their discussions. Looking at the tall, honest-looking young man walking between Lord Li and City Guard Ni, everyone felt somewhat awkward.

Gu Sheng was simply too young. Although he looked tall and sturdy, his face still had an unmistakably youthful quality that made him hard to fear. By any estimate, the fellow who had summoned them here for a meeting was not even twenty years old, right?

"Gentlemen, I’m truly grateful that you all came today to show me, Li, this much respect and support…"

Lord Li walked to the side of the main seat, his face wearing the smiling, amiable expression of a merchant who believed in making money through harmony. His words suited his status as well. After cupping his hands toward everyone, he began his introduction.

"Next, I’ll have my younger relative, Teng Qinghu, explain everything to you in detail!"

Lord Li rambled on with a string of polite formalities and gave a rough overview of the militia plan. He then brought up the even more important urban planning project supported by City Guard Ni. That part was left to Gu Sheng.

"Everyone~"

Gu Sheng let out a hearty shout. His voice rang clearly in everyone’s ears, immediately alerting several distracted men.

"Look here. This is where our Yicheng is located!"

Gu Sheng had someone hang up a complete map of the area surrounding Yicheng. "As you can see, our Yicheng has abundant waterways and convenient transportation. Whether by land or water, it is one of the best places in all of Yangzhou.

"With developed transportation, easy access from every direction, and abundant produce, it should be an excellent place for trade. But why has Yicheng’s economy never taken off?

"In my view, there are two reasons!"

Without waiting for anyone to speak, Gu Sheng continued, "First, Yicheng’s urban planning is seriously flawed. The markets, inns, restaurants, gambling houses, brothels… They are scattered far too widely, making it difficult to attract customers.

"In other words, everyone’s current arrangements are still inadequate. You have not provided outsiders with the most convenient service.

"For example, if a guest has a girl accompanying him while gambling, he will surely wager more boldly. If he wins, he’ll reward the girls; if he loses, the girls will softly encourage him and rekindle his fighting spirit.

"And when he grows tired of gambling, the food and wine at the restaurants here can be served at any time, the moment he calls for them. When he has had enough fun and becomes weary, the inns are right behind him.

"If the gambling houses, inns, restaurants, and brothels were all concentrated along one street, management would become more convenient, and everyone would earn more.

"The same principle applies elsewhere. Outside merchants need many different kinds of goods. If they have to search for them one by one, anyone would grow annoyed. But if all those goods were concentrated along one street, then~"

Gu Sheng’s words made many of the city’s merchants nod repeatedly. Even Hong Zhenjie and Liu San of the White Horse Gang fell into deep thought. The brothels and gambling houses Gu Sheng had just mentioned were gray industries whose behind-the-scenes operators were mostly connected to gangs.

In Yicheng, the White Horse Gang controlled nearly thirty percent of the brothel business and fifty percent of the gambling-house business. Their interests reached extremely far. If this matter succeeded, the White Horse Gang would gain a great deal.

"I just mentioned that this is one reason—the internal cause within Yicheng. There is another, and it is the most critical issue: Yicheng’s external cause—banditry!"

The moment Gu Sheng finished speaking, Liu San, Hong Zhenjie, Liu Shui, and the other gang leaders, who had still been smiling moments earlier, felt their hearts jolt. It’s here!

Gu Sheng continued, "Yicheng borders Chu County and lies near the territory controlled by Green Lake Island. It has dense waterways, open official roads, and routes extending in every direction. Its geographical position is excellent, one could say. Yet it has never managed to develop.

"Why? A major part of the reason is Yicheng’s rampant banditry. The official roads throughout the area are infested with bandits, making it impossible to guarantee merchants’ safety. Naturally, they will not come here.

"Worse still, even our own Yicheng trade caravans are ruthlessly attacked. If this continues, does Yicheng still have any hope of developing?"

As Gu Sheng spoke, he occasionally glanced "unintentionally" toward where the White Horse Gang was seated, implying that they were the source of the problem.

He intended to reform Yicheng, and the White Horse Gang was an obstacle he could not get around. But he had no time to slowly wear them down, so he planned to cut through the mess with a swift strike. However, this strike would not be reckless.

His method was actually very simple: draw everyone a grand plan, discuss Yicheng’s bright future, unify their thinking, elevate the banditry problem to an issue concerning Yicheng’s development, and then unite all forces against the outside enemy—the White Horse Gang—to resolve the problem.