Chapter 65

"Rakuten Trading Company is indeed extraordinary; the merchants of the Four Seas are utterly impressed. I have 300,000 kilograms of hog bristles and want to transfer them to Manager Fan in one go... I want cash, not silver bills..."

"Protect the young miss and rush out immediately, let's fight them while we can..."

The two voices almost rang out simultaneously. At the most critical moment of Rakuten Trading Company's wealth competition, as the Four Seas' Manager Niu began to lead the merchants in a fierce attack, Dirty Rat and his subordinates also extended their dirty hands towards Fu Hui and Hu Niu.

More than twenty local ruffians, grinning wickedly, pounced on Wang Huaiyuan and his group. Behind them, Dirty Rat, who had forgotten his sore buttocks, was jumping around, shouting, "Go, go, go! Move quickly, put the women in burlap bags and take them away, tie the men with stones and throw them into the Haihe River..."

At this moment, Hu Niu and Fu Hui were filled with regret. They really shouldn't have left the merchant caravan, and they shouldn't have thrown tantrums and ignored the guards' advice. But it was too late now. The four guards, who had been drugged, even if they were veterans of a hundred battles, could not possibly be a match for more than twenty ruffians.

"Um..." Wang Huaiyuan drew his dagger and slashed his chest fiercely. The intense pain instantly cleared his mind. He then took out a yellow phosphorus flare, broke the wax seal, and shook it, sending a fireball into the sky.

There was no need for him to give orders. The other three veterans drew their knives and slashed their own faces. The pain resisted the effects of the drug, and the pungent smell of blood stirred their fighting spirit.

"Wang, you take the young miss and go, we'll cover you... Kill these bastards..." The three men charged into the crowd like tigers, their heavy steel swords instantly creating a storm of blood and gore.

To say that the disciples of Little Braid Sun were not to be underestimated, the worst of them had trained in martial arts for four or five years. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to dominate the Tanggu area for over a decade. Their daggers and axes were not to be trifled with, and they quickly surrounded the group.

But as soon as they engaged, Dirty Rat was stunned. "My God, what kind of killing gods are these..." Ruffians and scoundrels had no idea what a hellish battlefield was like. Veterans of a hundred battles were skilled in trading lives, using minor injuries to exchange for major injuries, and major injuries to exchange for the enemy's life.

The three veterans' eyes did not tolerate any sand. They did not dodge attacks that could only cause superficial injuries, allowing axes to cut their backs and daggers to pierce their muscles. Even when small daggers were deeply embedded in their abdomens, they did not flinch.

But once these three veterans made a move, they immediately became the demons of hell. The blades cut through the enemies' throats, daggers pierced the ruffians' hearts, and even the heavy hilt of the sword could easily crush their skulls.

"Come, come, come, fight with me, we don't plan on going back alive today... Brothers, killing one is a break-even, killing two is a profit... Ah!" The three enraged soldiers charged through the crowd, and after one charge, six ruffians lay in the blood, convulsing and clearly on the verge of death.

"Oh my God... These are killing devils..." The remaining ruffians scattered in fear at the sight of six dead bodies. At this moment, a sudden flash of cold light flew towards the mule cart. It was a dagger thrown by Dirty Rat, which pierced the mule's left eye. The poisoned dagger instantly killed the large animal.

The fallen mule overturned the cart, and Hu Niu and Fu Hui fell to the ground. The dizziness from the overturned cart made the two women feel as if the world was spinning, and even standing up seemed impossible.

"Don't chase the fleeing enemies, come back quickly..." In Wang Huaiyuan's shout, the three veterans, now drenched in blood, rushed back. They were no longer human, with blood covering their bodies and wounds of various sizes like children's mouths. The most severely injured one even had his left eye cut out, the white eyeball hanging by a few blood vessels.

These veterans of the Heavenly Kingdom were indeed remarkable, the first to participate in the Northern Expedition, the core military force of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. They could advance from Nanjing to Tianjin with just 20,000 troops, piercing through the heart of the Qing Empire. Such an army was extremely terrifying.

Today, the three killing gods seemed to have returned to the battlefield of their youth, their blood still hot, surging in their hearts. They helped the two young misses to their feet and, with their last strength, led them towards Tanggu City.

"Exciting, exciting! It's a pity we're not killing the Qing devils, but it's a shame I will die at the hands of ruffians..." The four guards supported the two women and ran towards the densely populated Tanggu.

At the same time, inside Rakuten Trading Company, the wealth competition had reached its most intense moment. With Manager Niu leading the front-line merchants, they had instantly increased the demand for funds to 700,000 silver dollars, far exceeding the company's cash reserves.

All the merchants and people of Tanggu were watching Xiao Letian, waiting for him to counter this overt strategy. But at this moment, Xiao Letian suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart. He clutched his chest with his right hand, a look of pain on his face.

Xiang Shaolong quickly supported Xiao Letian, "Sir, what's wrong? Do you need a doctor..." Xiao Letian forced a smile, "Nothing, I'm just stunned by the grand gestures of the gentlemen..."

Xiao Letian pushed Xiang Shaolong away and bowed to Manager Niu, "It seems the gentlemen want to test my financial strength. I understand, of course I do. You are doing me a favor, indirectly reminding me that maritime trade is different from land trade, requiring a huge amount of capital... I thank you all for your good intentions..."

"To be honest, I have prepared 400,000 silver dollars in cash today. But from the looks of it, you gentlemen are planning a million-dollar deal... I have no objections, I'll take whatever you offer. I promise to settle the silver today, but it will be by noon. Surely you won't deny me a couple of hours, will you..."

At this moment, Fan Lian interjected, "The auspicious time has arrived, please cut the ribbon, and after the ceremony, the gentlemen will surely join us for a few drinks at the Coastal Building. The pig bristle transaction will take place in the afternoon..."

Huang Juren and Little Braid Sun were finally relieved. This was a delay tactic, and Xiao Letian and Fan Lian were backing down! You want to open for business? You want to delay until the afternoon? Dream on, today I'll make you completely fail.

Just as Xiao Letian was about to step out of the store to cut the ribbon, and the assistants were preparing the incense and fireworks, a guard rushed to Xiao Letian's side and whispered urgently, "Military advisor, there's an emergency flare from the west, it's the one we customized for our hideout..." As if to confirm his words, three more flares lit up the western sky.

Xiao Letian was stunned. He couldn't imagine what could be happening in the west, but the flares were indeed the alarm flares from the hideout. It was broad daylight, and it couldn't be a prank. Xiao Letian gave Xiang Shaolong a nod, and Lord Long quickly left the company with several subordinates, heading west.

Xiao Letian took several deep breaths, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart. He felt that some variables had appeared in today's plans, and these variables could be fatal. As he was lost in thought, Fan Lian whispered, "Don't just stand there, quickly cut the ribbon and start the ceremony, let's get through this first..."

At this moment, a faint wailing sound suddenly came from the north and south of the main road. At first, it was barely audible, but soon the wailing became continuous, and before long, the crowd could see paper money flying in the air.

"Is it a funeral? No, there are so many processions, so many people... Damn, there are no coffins, just a group of people in mourning clothes, six processions in total..."

At this moment, the wailing was deafening. "Give me my son's life... Blood for blood, Rakuten Trading Company is the murderer, they are criminals..."

"Xiao Letian set the warehouse on fire, the evil one threw my son into the flames, burning six people to death..."

"Injustice, heaven, why don't you take this murderer, he is a butcher..."

What was to come would come. Xiao Letian had long suspected that someone might cause trouble at a funeral, but when it really happened, he was so angry that his vision turned black.

"Form a human wall, protect Mr. Xiao..." Xiao He Xin led the guards to form three layers of human walls at the company's entrance, each holding a hastily made wooden shield. When the shield wall was up, a barrage of stones hit it.

The opening ceremony was now impossible. The people on the street rushed into the shops on both sides, leaving the street to the warring parties. Women and children with urns were crying and shouting, old men and women were kneeling and bowing. The strong men were already pushing against the shield wall, and the street was in chaos.

At this moment, Huang Juren and Little Braid Sun were completely alive. They jumped up and cursed, "Xiao, it was you, you bastard, who burned my grain warehouse! How evil you are, what grudge do you have against me..."

"Great, my disciples died at your hands, if you don't give me an explanation today, the people of Tanggu won't let you off, I'll fight you to the death even if I can't beat you..."

Little Braid Sun, as if high on opium, was completely excited. He jumped around and shouted to the merchants in the room, "Fellow countrymen, look, this outsider has killed and set fires as soon as he arrived in our area, is there any justice left, how can we do business, report it to the authorities..."

Xiao Letian stood at the entrance, looking at the shield wall formed by the guards, the flying stones, and the two clowns behind him cursing and inciting the crowd. His anger gradually subsided.

"Nothing has changed, all the plans are exactly as I predicted. These scoundrels have only these tricks. What's next, a civilian uprising? Just like what they did to Uncle Qing..."

At this moment, Xiao Letian's eyes shot like lightning at Huang Juren and Little Braid Sun, and he scanned the merchants present, saying coldly, "Is the next step a civilian uprising? Where are the incited villagers? Aren't they waiting for lunch now!"

Xiao Letian suddenly roared, "Is this all you can do in front of me? A firefly trying to compete with the moon, you despicable worms..."

No one expected Xiao Letian to be so defiant at this moment. Didn't he know what death meant? But for