Outnumbered? I'll conquer America with an unlimited number of suicide soldiers.

Su Song looked at the presidents, directors, and leaders who stood motionless in front of the temple and raised an eyebrow: "Why aren't you all moving? Perhaps you're not welcoming me?"

As if waking from a dream, everyone hurriedly forced awkward smiles and made way for each other, leaving a path leading into the temple.

Su Song nodded in acknowledgment, his expression calm, and followed by two bodyguards as he stepped into the main hall of the Tianhou Temple.

The people at the entrance looked at each other in bewilderment before returning to the Tin Hau Temple.

Su Song stood in front of the Mazu statue, turned around to look at the most powerful group of people in Chinatown, and showed a friendly smile.

"I'm sure many of you seniors here don't know me yet, so let me introduce myself first."

"My name is Su Song, and I cannot say where I come from. I recently settled in San Francisco and opened a small shop in Chinatown, mainly selling firearms and weapons, and also doing some mining, machinery, and timber business on the side."

"When I first arrived, I was preoccupied with trivial matters and busy settling in, so I forgot to greet you all. I was truly rude and apologize to you all."

As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face. Seeing his humble posture and polite words, everyone in the hall, no matter what their inner turmoil was, forced smiles and exchanged polite greetings with clasped hands.

"Mr. Su, you're too kind."

"It's alright, it's alright, everyone's busy."

"From now on, we'll be neighbors, so let's keep in touch."

Chen Wenhan, the president of the San Yi Association, was getting impatient. After the pleasantries subsided, he coughed lightly and said, "Boss Su, I have something to say, but I don't know if I should."

Su Song smiled slightly, but his words were anything but polite: "If Chairman Chen knows it's inappropriate to say something, then he shouldn't say it, lest it ruin the current atmosphere."

Chen Wenhan was taken aback, his goatee trembled slightly, and he swallowed the rest of his words, his face turning somewhat pale.

Su Song stopped looking at him and turned his gaze to the others: "Cai Pei wanted to use the foreign gang's knife to kill me, so his current predicament is entirely his own fault, and justice will prevail."

Western gangsters...

Meng Chuan, the leader of Danshan Hall, seemed to remember something. He raised a thick eyebrow and tentatively asked, "According to what Boss Su said before, the Hound Gang was completely wiped out in the Clark Point dock area a few days ago. Was that a major case that shocked the whole city? Was it your doing?"

"Yes."

Su Song made no attempt to hide anything, "They came looking for trouble, so I just took care of them that night."

A collective gasp filled the hall.

They've been in San Francisco for so many years, and they can still understand some English newspapers.

Therefore, they also knew just how bloody and insane this refined young man had done.

Overnight, forty or fifty foreigners were slaughtered on their own turf, and their leader was tortured to death in his own villa.

Explosions roared, gunfights were fierce, and those who carried out the attacks were said to be mostly white!

What kind of terrifying power would it take to accomplish this?

Meng Chuan stared intently at Su Song and asked in a deep voice, "Boss Su, are you someone from the Qing Dynasty?"

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom forces were besieged in Nanjing and could not send anyone here. Lanfang in Southeast Asia was fighting the Dutch and was too preoccupied to help them.

Aside from that colossal entity they both hated and feared, he couldn't think of any other power that could afford to send hundreds of elite troops across the ocean to this place at once.

"The Qing Dynasty?"

Su Song chuckled and shook his head. "Of course I'm not one of those Tungusic boar-skinned people. I hate those alien races to the core, just like you."

He paused, then slowly said, "Since the Jia Shen Incident, when China was submerged, the Manchus stole our Chinese artifacts and enslaved our Yan and Huang people. It has been 211 years since then."

"Violence has been passed down through generations, and tyranny has been rampant. The imperial court is filled with the scurrying of boars and deer, while the fields echo with the cries of jackals and wolves. The beasts laugh and snort, and the barbarians have no foresight. Neglecting to conceal their wealth invites theft, leading to the forced opening of doors and the abandonment of ancestral lands, all in an attempt to prolong their lives. Long-held promises have not been reclaimed, and now they have been utterly destroyed – a tragedy that will haunt us for millennia!"

This scathing rebuke, delivered in classical Chinese and filled with indignation, left many of the less literate members of the gang in the hall bewildered and confused.

However, the presidents and directors of several associations changed their expressions slightly, and a complex light flashed in their eyes.

Seeing this, Su Song sighed softly, toned down his slightly agitated tone, and changed the subject: "In short, I've come here for only two things."

"First, take Cai Pei and other members of the Xieyitang away for further processing."

"second……"

"Fellow disciples, do not believe his words!"

Suddenly, Sun Tianbao's hoarse, desperate roar came from outside the door: "Don't you guys think that person behind Su Song looks familiar? He was there at the wedding banquet too!"

"It's very likely that they were the ones who killed the Yixingtang members!"

Before he could finish speaking, a muffled groan came from outside the door, followed by silence. Clearly, Sun Tianbao, who had been speaking, had been physically persuaded in some way.

Upon hearing this, the people in the temple became wary once again.

They could remain uninvolved by eliminating the Hound Gang, but if they eliminated the Yi Xing Tang and now wanted to take action against the Xie Yi Tang, they would feel a sense of shared fate.

"Boss Su, we know you have a strong army and impressive skills. But in the underworld, there are always rules to follow."

Dai Heng of Guangde Hall stepped forward, his face grim. "Xieyi Hall broke the rules first, so we have no objection to your retaliation. But Yixing Hall has never provoked any of you. You inexplicably wiped out their entire family and then drugged us. Doesn't Boss Su owe us an explanation?"

"Yes! We must give an explanation!"

"If we act this way, won't we all live in fear in the future?"

"Please explain yourself clearly, Mr. Su!"

Voices echoing the demands rose and fell, mainly from people from the three branches, and the atmosphere began to tense.

Faced with the barrage of questions, Su Song remained calm: "Yi Xing Tang sold thousands of our compatriots to foreigners like pigs, and countless people died from exhaustion in the mines. Don't they deserve to die? Xie Yi Tang, in cahoots, forced women into prostitution and harmed our compatriots. Don't they deserve to die?"

"This kind of scum who only knows how to oppress his fellow countrymen must be killed to appease public anger."

"Furthermore, gentlemen, if I wanted to harm you, you would have been dead yesterday when you were unconscious."

"The fact that you all stand here and speak loudly to me is proof of my goodwill."

As soon as Su Song said this, everyone present felt like they were being pricked by needles.

The presidents of the major clubs didn't show any change in expression. After all, they were doing legitimate business, and they had nothing to fear.

Chen Wenhan was about to say something when Director Chen behind him quietly tugged at his sleeve, shook his head slightly, and gestured for him to wait and see.

However, the faces of Dai Heng, Meng Chuan, and Ran Shaohua, the three leaders of the gang, turned completely gloomy.

While they didn't engage in selling piglets, they were involved in brothels, opium dens, and casinos.

In these professions, oppressing fellow countrymen, forcing women into prostitution, lending money at exorbitant interest rates, and setting traps to swindle others are commonplace.

Su Song is meddling in so much things; who knows if he'll use the same excuse against them in the future?

"It seems that Boss Su intends to establish some rules for the Hongmen branches in Chinatown?" Ran Shaohua, the leader of Ansong Hall, narrowed his eyes.

"Yes."

Su Song frankly admitted, "This is my second purpose for coming today. I'm not just here to set rules for the Hongmen branch, I'm here to set rules for the entire Chinatown!"

What a boastful tone!

The same thought popped into the minds of Dai Heng and the other two almost simultaneously, and their anger surged.

But looking at the two imposing guards behind Su Song, and thinking of the large, well-trained group outside the temple, he swallowed back the curses that were on the tip of his tongue.

Circumstances dictate our actions; let's feign compliance for now and hear what he has to say. Once we're back on our own territory, we can gather our forces and devise a more comprehensive plan!

Su Song seemed to see through their schemes, but he didn't care at all, and simply said in a matter-of-fact tone:

"From this day forward, all opium dens in Chinatown must be closed. Opium is a poison that destroys families and causes death; it must never be allowed to remain."

"Casinos may be retained, but lending is absolutely prohibited, and setting up scams is strictly forbidden. They should only be used for ordinary entertainment, and each casino should be responsible for its own profits and losses."

"As for brothels, I will not interfere if any of the women there voluntarily stay to continue this business."

However, all those who refuse must be immediately released from their restraints and allowed to leave freely. From this day forward, it is strictly forbidden to force any woman into prostitution through deception or coercion.

After these words were spoken, many people from the guild nodded slightly, especially the older-school businessmen who had children and abhorred gambling, prostitution, and drugs; some even showed signs of agreement. These rules had little impact on them and might even have helped keep the streets quiet.

But the people in the gang looked increasingly grim.

Meng Chuan spoke up, "Boss Su, you're trying to cut off our livelihood!"

The vast majority of income for the opium dens in Chinatown comes from these three sources. Forbidding opium dens from operating at usurious rates or lending money is tantamount to taking their lives.

Dai Heng added gruffly, "Exactly. Even if we close the opium dens as you say, you can't stop those opium smokers. If they can't get it in Chinatown, they'll go to the foreigners' territory to buy and smoke it!"

Ran Shaohua sneered, "Alright, you surnamed Su, stop pretending to be some kind of philanthropist. All this talk is just about wanting money, isn't it?"

"You have the numbers and the power, so I admit defeat. We'll split the profits from Ansongtang's businesses with you every month."

He held up four fingers and announced the numbers: "The casino gives you $1,200 a month, the brothel gives you $500 a month, and the opium den gives you $800 a month, totaling $2,500. Enough to fill your stomach, right?"

"If each branch pays me two thousand dollars a month, wouldn't three branches cost me seven thousand five hundred dollars?"

Su Song was slightly taken aback.

That's why gambling, prostitution, and drugs are incredibly profitable.

The monthly income of each branch should not differ too much, so we can estimate that the monthly profit of each branch is around five thousand US dollars.

Including the already defunct Yi Hing Tong and the soon-to-be-defunct Xie Yi Tong, the Chinatown branches generate a profit of about $25,000 per month, or about $300,000 per year.

That's enough to buy a small gunboat for near-shore defense.

The two gold mines that Yuan Guang was in charge of only produced about $10,000 a month, and he still had to pay nearly half of that in wages, which was the same as the profit from the gold mines.

Seeing Su Song's somewhat surprised expression, the three gang leaders felt reassured.

If the other party is interested and willing to negotiate, then let's concede some profits. There's plenty of time in the future; we'll always have opportunities to make up for it.

Su Song sighed softly: "A very appealing proposal."

"But I refuse!"

"The thing I love most in my life is saying no to those who can't see the bigger picture!"

Dai Heng and his two companions could no longer control their emotions and drew their weapons. The guards behind them also drew hand axes, daggers, and other melee weapons, pointing them at Su Song.

"Good, good, good, it seems Boss Su is determined to fight us to the death!"

"Hey, with the combined strength of our three factions and hundreds of brothers, we might just be able to put up a fight against the Su family!"

"Stop wasting time with words, just take him hostage and make his men hesitate to act!"

Su Song listened to their words, smiled, and shook his head.

"Stubborn to the end!"

The atmosphere inside the Tin Hau Temple suddenly turned somber.

The people in the guild hall hurriedly retreated until they reached the edge of the wall, clearing out the space in the middle.

A few seconds later, a burly man from the gang shouted and rushed over with a hand axe, the sharp blade aimed straight at the guard beside Su Song.

At the same time, a gaunt man from another branch of the gang gripped a dagger in his backhand and slashed it at another guard at a sinister angle.

puff!

The sound of a sharp instrument piercing flesh was heard.

In the blink of an eye, the dagger in the thin man's hand was taken away and plunged into his own throat.

Blood splattered, staining the blue brick floor red.

boom!

Another gunshot rang out, and the burly man with the hand axe was shot dead before he could even get close.

The revolver, still smoking, was pointed at the gang members who were charging towards him, and several more shots were fired, hitting their weapons precisely.

The remaining assassins who heard the gunshots outside rushed in, pointing dozens of revolvers at the people in the hall, immediately making them afraid to make any rash moves.

"What era are we living in? I really don't understand why the gangs in Chinatown are still using cold weapons."

Su Song looked at the three dragon heads opposite him, somewhat puzzled.

"You make so much money every year, haven't you ever thought about buying some weapons?"

With his arms bound by the assassins, Meng Chuan gave a bitter laugh and muttered, "What other reason could there be? Those foreigners just won't sell us weapons in bulk."

"Even for a single gun, Chinese people have to pay twice as much as foreigners to get it at gun stores."

"Plus, everyone was already used to using knives and axes, so it gradually became like this."

Su Song shook his head and said disdainfully, "So you guys are only good at bullying your own kind, bullying those weaker than yourselves. And you're so stupid."

"Hey Su, don't get too cocky. You're just ganging up on us!"

Ran Shaohua struggled desperately, but the assassin's hands were like iron clamps, rendering him unable to move.

"Once all the brothers from our three branches get the news and rush over, you won't be in a good position either!"

"Oh? This?"

Su Song suddenly laughed, a laugh that seemed particularly jarring to Ran Shaohua.

"There's no need for Ranlong to worry about that."

"Soon, everyone will be able to see the people from their own branch."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a commotion erupted outside the door.

The assassins escorted the three dragon heads, whose hands were bound, out the door and placed them together with Cai Pei, whose mouth was gagged and hands were tied.

The scene on the street in front of the temple was appalling.

Teams of assassins were driving and escorting a large number of men with bruised faces and their hands tied behind their backs from all directions of Chinatown to this open space.

One, two, ten, twenty...

Fifty, one hundred...

In just a few minutes, the once spacious street was crammed with more than two hundred captured gang members.

Su Song had his assassins remove the burlap from Cai Pei's mouth and then gave the four leaders a kind and amiable smile.

"Four leaders, would you please count the number of people?"