I have an endless army of warriors, rampaging across the heavens.

Chapter 46 You want me to investigate myself?

"Say!"

Lei Shijun has a lot of lice, but he doesn't need to worry. He just needs to stay calm.

"Master, look!"

The man produced a wanted poster: "Someone has spread the word in the underworld, offering a bounty on 79 members of the Lei family, led by the master. The highest bounty is on the master, 8888 taels. The lowest bounty is 100 taels!"

"!!!"

Lei Shijun originally thought he was already very composed and could calmly deal with whatever tricks the other party used.

but.

every time!
Every move these guys make challenges him to a whole new level!
"Bounty offered!"

Is this something a human could come up with?
Public reward offered!

Money can buy lives!

This is utterly lawless and outrageous.

This is utterly contrary to public order and good morals; it is an evil act that everyone should condemn!
"They stole money from the Lei family."

"A bounty has been placed on the heads of my people."

good good!
That's really something.

But that's not how the world works.

"If everyone played like this, would there be any order left in the world?"

Lei Shijun knew that his opportunity had arrived.

After his initial rage, he calmed down and returned to his study, writing furiously in handwritten letters. He then had these letters delivered to various powerful factions in Shangyang City: "Today, the bounty on this lawless scoundrel belongs to the Lei family. In the future, it could be any family or individual in Shangyang City!"

This trend.

It must be stopped!

Faced with such terrorists, all those who benefit from the system and the rules in Shangyang City and even the entire Shangyang Prefecture must unite to resist and strike them together.

Only in this way can we nip this bad trend in the bud and prevent ourselves from being put on so-called 'underworld bounties' in the future.

Lei Shijun wrote furiously without stopping.

suddenly.

At this time.

Another person came to report—

"Master, master, something terrible has happened!"

"Lei Xuanyi, the third son of Lei, had his head chopped off. The murderer was Yao Wentian, the notorious thief from nine provinces known as 'Silent Landing'!"

Lei Shijun paused.

Lei Xuanyi.

This is an outstanding member of the third branch of the family. If he remembers correctly, this person should currently be the head manager of the four silver jewelry stores that the Lei family has set up in Shangyang City, and can be considered one of the middle-level members of the Lei family.

Wow.

Lei Shijun unfolded the bounty list on the table, found Lei Xuanyi's entry, and saw that the corresponding reward was—

"One hundred taels!"

Lei Shijun's face darkened: "A notorious thief from nine provinces, a wanted criminal by the government, dares to commit crimes openly, and all for a mere 100 taels of silver. What is he after?"

What is the picture?

Little did this Mr. Lei know that the 100 taels he considered insignificant were the money that many ordinary people could only earn after working tirelessly for ten years.

note!

This is 'earned', not 'saved'.

If we're talking about savings, 99% of ordinary people in the world wouldn't be able to save 100 taels in their entire lives.

The 'small change' that Master Lei looked down on.

It's actually a huge sum of money.

Lei Shijun didn't understand.

There was still one thing he didn't understand—

"How do you collect the reward after committing murder?"

The group that issued the bounty has never made a public appearance.

Does anyone actually believe that?

Lei Shijun felt that the world had gone mad.

The messenger replied, "No sooner had Yao Wentian killed someone in the street than someone delivered one hundred taels of silver notes to him."

The banknotes issued by Datong Bank were valid in the seven southern provinces, and could be cashed in any provincial capital in the south.

but!

why?

Why would Yao Wentian trust an anonymous bounty?
Why were those people able to offer a bounty at the exact time and place that Yao Wentian killed Lei Xuanyi?

I couldn't figure out the first point.

But the latter point—

"I see!"

Lei Shijun had a sudden inspiration: "There are 79 people on the bounty. We just need to send 79 people to keep an eye on them one by one, carrying the corresponding bounty. We can cash out the bounty as soon as the person is killed."

This method is simple and direct, yet its strength lies in its practicality.

Unpretentious.

But at the same time, it is also full of flaws.

"Brother Lu!"

"Take a team and check each person on the list. If you see any suspicious persons around them, especially strangers, arrest them immediately and search them. If they don't have any banknotes, interrogate them on the spot. If they do have banknotes, bring them back immediately without fail!"

Lei Shijun summoned Lu Kentang, a guest elder of the Lei family. Lu Kentang had once been a renowned constable in Shengjing City, but had come to Shangyang Prefecture to seek refuge after offending a powerful figure. Lei Shijun rescued him, and Lu Kentang had remained with the Lei family for ten years, enjoying Lei Shijun's deep trust. Lu Kentang clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Brother Lei, please have a seat. I'll be right back!"

He turned around and led his team away.

But Lei Shijun wasn't finished. He continued to order: "Inform the magistrates of the two counties, as well as the Longyan Gang, Shenxiu Gang, and Xiaodao Gang, to mobilize all the constables and gang members to arrest all those who caused trouble at Hongxiang Money Shop yesterday. Torture them severely, regardless of whether they live or die. I just want to know who is behind them."

Lei Shijun has two brothers.

He is the eldest son, the head of the Lei family.

The second son, Lei Shiying, guards the blessed land of Huangsha.

The third son, Lei Shichao, was an official in the imperial court with extensive connections. The two minor county magistrates in Shangyang City had to rely on him and dared not offend the Lei family in the slightest. They would never refuse any task assigned by Lei Shijun.

As for the three gangs of Longyan, Shenxiu, and Xiaodao, they are all second- or third-rate, inferior to the Flying Tiger Gang supported by Menglou, but the combined strength of the three is much stronger than that of the Flying Tiger Gang.

The magistrates and clerks of the two counties.

This is the white path.

Three gangs, a bunch of hooligans.

This is the underworld.

The Lei family was able to remain powerful in Shangyang Prefecture precisely because of their ability to navigate both the legitimate and underworld circles.

now.

Lei Shijun was truly enraged, unleashing the full power of both the legitimate and criminal worlds.

"No one showed up last time, so we couldn't track them down."

"This time, in public, there's nowhere to hide."

He wanted to see where those people could hide.

……

"Whoa!"

"Isn't this just walking right into my line of fire?"

Zuo Jing smiled.

Although he didn't send any assassins to Shangyang City this month, he had planted a total of 400 people in various gangs and industries in Shangyang City over the previous two months of April and May. His infiltration was getting deeper and deeper, and there were 'mole' in every aspect.

among them.

Longyan Gang.

Shenxiu Gang.

Little Knife Gang.

Such gangs, even those that are considered respectable, are no exception.

Even within the Little Knife Gang, some assassins have managed to secure a seat in the Hall of Righteousness.

……

"I believe everyone is aware of what has happened to the Lei family in the past two days."

"Master Lei just sent word that he wants to arrest all the people who caused trouble at Hongxiang Bank yesterday and find out who was behind it."

"Once verified, a generous reward will be given!"

In the gathering hall of the Little Knife Gang, unlike a large gang like the Green Bamboo Gang which has twenty-six chairs, there are only six here.

At the very top is Huang Siyong, the leader of the Little Knife Gang.

Last on the list is Zhou Dao, the newly appointed sixth leader of the Little Knife Gang.

Huang Siyong had just finished speaking.

Zhou Dao immediately stood up and declared, "As everyone knows, I have a lot of capable men under my command who know that area inside and out. Leave this to me!"

Zhou Daoyi said.

Everyone laughed.

This person has little experience, having joined the gang less than two months ago. How could he quickly rise to the sixth position in the Little Knife Gang, surpassing many other leaders?

Without him!

This was because Zhou Dao had many "climbing gangsters" under his command, who were skilled at climbing high to break into houses. They were further divided into "skilled gangsters" who could climb walls without tools and "skilled gangsters" who used bamboo poles and ropes.

To put it bluntly, they're thieves!

But this gang of thieves was very skilled; they were organized, disciplined, and technically proficient, and could steal three or four hundred taels of silver a month.

At first glance, it doesn't seem like much.

It's not even worth as much as the head of one of the Lei family's managers.

Even if it's only three hundred taels, it's equivalent to the total monthly income of nearly two hundred laborers.

This is no thief leader!
Clearly a little god of wealth!
The Little Knife Gang wasn't wealthy either.

With so many brothers and so many mouths to feed, who will follow you if you don't have money?
However, relying solely on the income from the two streets occupied by the Little Knife Gang, it's barely enough to maintain the current scale; it would be difficult to expand further.

The Lei family said it was to provide support.

In reality, they prioritize those who are useful and discard those who are not.

Although the scale of the operation is considerable each time it is needed, it is ultimately unstable and subject to the control of others.

to be honest.

The Lei family treats them like dogs!

How can a real man be depressed and inferior to others for long?
Huang Siyong also wanted to make a name for himself and develop the Little Knife Gang into a large gang like the Green Bamboo Gang or the Mountain and Water Gang, so that he could stand on equal footing with the Lei family and stand tall in front of Lei Shijun.

then.

He actively developed and recruited talent, and had a wide range of interests.

Zhou Dao's 'professional team' was Huang Siyong's first attempt.

Huang Siyong still trusts Zhou Dao, and seeing that he volunteered, Huang Siyong said with a smile, "Then we'll be counting on Sixth Brother!"

……

(End of this chapter)