Imperial warlords: Cannons are the only truth

Southern part of Qianzhou—within the territory of Ganla Protectorate. (Previously, Qianzhou was mistakenly written as Dongzhou; this is now being corrected.)

A camp in a dense forest.

"Hmph! Don't think that just because Fang Borong, Li Siyuan, Zhao Jin, and Wu Zhengshan admitted defeat to the Great Qian Dynasty, everyone else is a coward!"

"The army of Daqian is powerful, we don't deny that—but if someone tries to cut off our brothers' source of income, that's a different story!"

"Now that the entire Qianzhou has become the territory of the Great Qian, what else do they want?"

"If you don't leave us a way out, then don't blame us for not giving face to anyone!"

With a fierce look on his face, Li Shenghai sat back in a rattan chair, a cigar dangling from his lips, acting as if he were the most important person in the world.

"What a loud tone!"

A middle-aged man sitting opposite Li Shenghai glanced at the heavily armed and menacing militants around them and sneered, "It really does prove that saying true."

"When the tiger is away, the monkey is king!"

"If I'm not mistaken—you, Li Shenghai, were just a lowly company commander under Fang Borong and his men before, weren't you?"

"Oh! No, to be precise, you're just an acting company commander!"

"right?"

"Good heavens! Now they even dare to call Fang Borong and the others by their given names!"

"You've really improved your skills and abilities!"

"As expected of the secret intelligence agency, these spies are really well-informed. They can keep even the smallest things from you!"

Li Shenghai's expression changed after his secret was exposed. He quickly suppressed his anger and jokingly said to his subordinates, "We all have to be careful!"

"What Commissioner Zhao and his gang love to do most is eavesdrop!"

"Hey Zhao! Don't think we're afraid of you just because you're from the Secret Intelligence Bureau!"

"If you dare to be disrespectful to our general again, I'll shoot you right now!" Liu the One-Eyed, the adjutant next to Li Shenghai, said, placing his hand on the holster at his waist, the threat clear.

"Oh dear! I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it."

"Acting Company Commander Li is now self-proclaimed General Li!"

"My apologies! My apologies!" Zhao Yuanyi, representing the Secret Intelligence Bureau, deliberately cupped his hands in apology to Li Shenghai.

Li Shenghai is currently the leader of the largest criminal armed group in the Ganla region.

Since Fang Borong, Li Siyuan, Zhao Jin, and Wu Zhengshan, known as the Four Heavenly Kings of Southern Qianzhou, surrendered to the Great Qian Dynasty and retired from the martial world to enjoy their later years.

Faced with enormous profits, new underground forces quickly emerged in the southern part of Qianzhou, where shady businesses were prevalent, to fill the void.

Just as Zhao Yuanyi just said—Li Shenghai, who now holds the most powerful underground influence in Ganla, was merely an insignificant nobody under Fang Borong and his gang.

When he was with Fang Borong and the others, Li Shenghai was just a junior company commander.

Moreover, it's said that this company commander position is only temporarily held by an acting officer...

Unexpectedly, after Fang Borong and others went into hiding, Li Shenghai, who had stayed in Ganla with dozens of people and successfully evaded the encirclement and suppression of the Lanxi army, quickly seized the opportunity.

In a very short time, they regained their footing in Ganla.

Furthermore, Li Shenghai rapidly expanded his forces by leveraging a secret arms depot left behind by Fang Borong's former subordinates when they withdrew from Ganla.

Currently, Li Shenghai has gathered more than 2000 desperate armed men under his command!

Li Shenghai quickly monopolized Ganla's underground business with his ruthless methods.

It can be said that all the shady businesses left behind by Fang Borong and others in Ganla have now fallen into Li Shenghai's hands.

For a time, Li Shenghai enjoyed immense prestige in Ganla.

He is also widely recognized as the underground emperor of Ganla.

Nowadays, Li Shenghai's reputation in Ganla is even more resounding than that of the four "Four Heavenly Kings of the South"—Fang Borong, Li Siyuan, Zhao Jin, and Wu Zhengshan—back then...

There was no way around it; Li Shenghai displayed the true colors of a nouveau riche to the fullest extent, and his arrogance and disdain for others were unmatched!

Li Shenghai, who had snagged a bargain and was riding high, made one thing clear in Ganla: he was high-profile!

This missed opportunity made Li Shenghai subconsciously believe that his current achievements were due to his own incredible talent...

Amidst the adoration and praise, Li Shenghai completely ignored the fact that the main reason he was able to quickly become the underground emperor of Ganla and monopolize the underground business was that he happened to be caught up in the war between Daqian and the Western Luo Kingdoms.

Neither side had time to pay attention to Li Shenghai's petty, low-level antics, which was one of the main reasons why Li Shenghai managed to take advantage of the situation.

However, the overconfident Li Shenghai completely ignored the main reason behind this historical context.

Its tail was practically pointing skyward!

Even after Ganla became the Ganla Protectorate of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Li Shenghai also publicly stated that no matter who comes to manage Ganla, he will still be the local emperor of the Ganla underground empire.

Li Shenghai still has the final say on all the shady businesses in Ganla!

No one can change that!

Moreover, the arrogant Li Shenghai even openly boasted about whether the security situation in Ganla Protectorate was good or not, or whether it was chaotic or not.

That's not up to the Ganla Protectorate sent by the Great Qian Dynasty, but rather up to Li Shenghai!

Li Shenghai's arrogance is evident...

-------------------------------------

"Commissioner Zhao, you talk too much!"

"Do you know how upset I am by your attitude right now?!"

Faced with Zhao Yuanyi's sarcasm, Li Shenghai's face darkened, and a fierce killing intent flashed in his eyes: "I'd be happy to call you Commissioner Zhao."

"If I'm not happy, I don't care what kind of damn secret intelligence agency dog ​​you are!"

"Look carefully—this is Ganla, not the Qian Kingdom's mainland!"

“Once we get to Ganla, no one can change my mind. My rules, Li Shenghai’s rules, are the rules of Ganla!”

"Li Shenghai, are you addicted to opium?"

"Do you know what you're talking about?"

Zhao Yuanyi frowned slightly and said coldly, "Truly, the student has surpassed the master!"

"Even Fang Borong and his ilk weren't as 'brave' as you, daring to challenge the imperial court!"

"Holy crap..."

"You're bringing up those four cowards, Fang Borong, again!"

"Are you unable to understand human speech, or are you hard of hearing?"

"You don't really think that just because you're some damn secret intelligence agency member, I won't dare kill you, do you?"

"I don't know if you guys have lost your minds!"

"They actually want us to support your policy of banning opium."

"Do you know how profitable smuggling opium is?"

Do you even know which of all the shady businesses is the most profitable?

Do you know what the pillar industry of Ganla is? Do you know what the farmers in Ganla grow to make money?

"Other matters are still negotiable. Casinos, brothels, human trafficking, and arms smuggling can all be scaled down appropriately."

"I can give you face in these matters."

"But if you cut off our opium trade, there's absolutely no room for negotiation!"

"You're clearly testing my limits!"

As he spoke, Li Shenghai picked up a dagger from the table and slammed it into the wooden table: "Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents!"

"Do you think I can just stand by and watch you kill the parents of the thousands of men under my command?"

"Is this appropriate, Commissioner Zhao?"

"You've made us cut off all our opium trade as soon as you open your mouth. Did you come all this way just to amuse me?"

"Opium is a scourge to the country and its people. It is a poisonous substance that the Western Luo people have been devouring and harming the people of Qianzhou."

"Now, the entire Qianzhou belongs to the territory of my Great Qian, and the people of Qianzhou are now my subjects."

"Banning smoking and eradicating the scourge of opium was a directive personally given by the Chief of Staff and a national policy!"

"I'm talking to you now because you came from Daqian and I want to give you a chance."

"Isn't it much better for me to come than for the Daqian Zhenguo Army to come and 'talk' to you?"

"Hahaha.............."

Li Shenghai laughed wildly, "What? Are you trying to scare me by bringing out the Great Qian Zhenguo Army?"

"A cunning rabbit has three burrows; do you know how many dens I have in Ganla?"

"Ganla is full of mountains. I can just casually lead my brothers into these mountains and see what you can do to me."

"Back then, Lanxi's army deployed a lot of planes and tanks, but I didn't get a single hair on my head!"

"To be honest—if Fang Borong, Li Siyuan, Zhao Jin, and Wu Zhengshan hadn't been so focused on cooperating with the court and had voluntarily withdrawn, it wouldn't have been my turn to step forward."

"Back then, the Lanxi people ambushed us and caused us a great loss. Fang Borong and his men lost their composure and surrendered directly to the imperial court."

"That's because they have no taste!"

"Others may fear your Great Qian Zhenguo Army, but I don't!"

"At worst, I'll just lead my brothers into the deep mountains and forests and fight a guerrilla war with you."

"If you want to play, then we'll play along to the end."

Li Shenghai said in a sinister tone, "However, I'm putting my words here!"

"If we really break off relations, the entire Ganla Protectorate will never have a moment's peace!"

"If I don't turn Ganla upside down, I'm not Li Shenghai!"

“I said it before – whether Ganla is in chaos or not is not up to the Protectorate General to decide.”

"That depends on my mood, Li Shenghai!"

"Commissioner Zhao, I'm the kind of person who responds better to gentle persuasion than force."

"I was originally going to give your secret intelligence agency some face, but you just had to be so reckless as to use the Daqian Zhenguo Army to intimidate me."

"I'm really scared right now..." Li Shenghai looked at Zhao Yuanyi with a sinister grin: "What do you suggest we do now?"

"If I just let you go back like this, where will I put my pride?"

"The last person who dared to speak to me like that suffered terribly before they died!"

"What?" Zhao Yuanyi met Li Shenghai's fierce gaze without flinching. "General Li, you want to mess with me?"

"Or are you simply planning to use me as a sacrifice?"

"Let's forget about using it as a flag offering..."

Li Shenghai shook his head, his sinister smile widening: "After all, Commissioner Zhao is a member of the Secret Intelligence Bureau."

"Moreover, this time they came on behalf of the imperial court and the Ganla Protectorate."

"We should at least give them some face."

"Although, Commissioner Zhao's performance today made me very unhappy."

"They keep challenging my bottom line."

"But I've decided to be magnanimous and not hold a grudge against a petty person—as long as Commissioner Zhao crawls between my legs, I'll pretend I didn't hear what he just said!"

"Li Shenghai, do you really not know how to write the word 'death'?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuanyi's face darkened: "Do you know what you're doing?"

Are you sure you want to challenge the imperial court?

"Holy crap..." Li Shenghai casually picked up the dagger stuck in the table, licked it with his tongue, and said, "Is this us challenging the imperial court, or does the imperial court simply not want to leave us a way out?"

"You're asking us to give up all our opium-related businesses right off the bat! You've completely cut off our source of income!"

"Do you think my brothers, who are used to eating lavish meals and living a carefree life, would be willing to go back to eating coarse food and wild vegetables?"

“We are very willing to cooperate with the Protectorate General. We will be clear about right and wrong. You can handle the matters in the open, and we will handle the matters in the martial arts world.”

“We have a clear division of labor, and everyone goes their own way. I can guarantee that Ganla will not be in chaos!”

"Isn't this situation good?"

"Li Shenghai, how much opium have you smoked? Are you still not sober?"

Zhao Yuanyi scoffed, "Do you really think you're qualified to negotiate with the imperial court?"

"I really don't know how an arrogant and stupid idiot like you got to where you are today!"

"You surnamed Zhao! You'd better kneel down right now and kowtow to our general to admit your mistake!"

"Otherwise, I'll shoot you right now!" Liu the One-Eyed, standing to the side, pulled out his pistol and pointed it at Zhao Yuanyi, ready to fire at any moment.

"Hey! What are you doing! Put the gun away right now!"

Li Shenghai grabbed Liu the One-Eyed's gun, signaling him to put it away.

"Guests are always welcome!"

"Commissioner Zhao is a distinguished guest representing the imperial court. How can we point a gun at such a distinguished guest!"

"You're so immature!"

Li Shenghai suddenly changed his arrogant attitude and his face was full of smiles: "Please forgive me, Commissioner Zhao."

"The men under my command are immature and have a bad temper."

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Commissioner Zhao..."

"Didn't I just say? Commissioner Zhao is sent by the imperial court, how can he use a gun!"

As he spoke, Li Shenghai gave a look, and two of his men immediately and in perfect unison forcibly restrained Zhao Yuanyi, pressing both of his hands onto the table.

Phew! ! !

Li Shenghai used the dagger in his hand to pin Zhao Yuanyi's right hand to the wooden table.

Immediately afterwards, Li Shenghai took another dagger handed to him by his subordinate and used it to pin Zhao Yuanyi's other hand to the wooden table once more.