Jiuxi

Chapter 177 Chapter 176 [Wine in the World]

Among the six leaders of the Seven Star Gang, Shi Changsheng has always been a maverick. He is neither completely loyal to the gang leader Lin Jie like Ran Xuanzhi and Dong Mian, nor will he follow Shang Benyi and desperately move closer to the conservative forces headed by Jiang Houming. .

He is used to being a loner, he is upright and tough in his actions, and he does not have many confidants around him. Logically speaking, this kind of temperament cannot support his position in the gang, but for many years no one has dared to look down upon him because he always adheres to the principle of truth. .

Lei Tang was responsible for the financial and food affairs of various villages and fields in Bangzhong. Shi Changsheng couldn't tolerate any sand in his eyes. He had kept everything in order for many years. Even Shang Benyi, who had always disliked him, found it difficult to find mistakes.

No matter which force it is, they all hope to win over Shi Changsheng and the Lei Tang he controls. Even if they don't get a positive response, they are not willing to offend this temperamental man easily.

Under this premise, Lin Jie readily attended the banquet invitation from Shi Changsheng.

Shi Changsheng's residence is located in the southeast area of ​​the main village. It is surrounded by houses belonging to members of the Lei Tang Gang. From the outside, there is not much difference.

Lin Jie arrived at Shi's house at nightfall and saw Shi Changsheng waiting in the alley outside the gate, so he smiled and said, "Why should we be so polite between brothers?"

Shi Changsheng smiled honestly, touched his forehead and said: "My mother-in-law forced me to go out and wait. She said that it was rare for the gang leader to come to the house for a simple meal, and she must not lose her etiquette. Gang leader, please."

"it is good."

Lin Jie took the lead and walked into the atrium when he saw a woman in her 30s standing in the corridor. She was Shi Changsheng's wife, Sun Shi, nicknamed Sun Sanniang.

"Hello, Mrs. Sister-in-law." Lin Jie bowed his hands.

Sun Sanniang has a lively and outgoing personality. After returning the gift, she smiled cheerfully and said: "I have told my husband many times that I would like to invite the gang leader to come and sit at home, but he always shirks it with various reasons. I don't know if I have changed my gender today. I have been urging me to prepare wine and food early in the morning, and I want to treat the boss to a few drinks in the evening. I am not a good craftsman, and I have no time to prepare the dishes. It is just some home-cooked food, so please don’t dislike it, the boss. "

Lin Jie said warmly: "Sister-in-law, you are so polite. Home-cooked food is especially delicious."

Sun Sanniang wanted to say more, but Shi Changsheng glared and said: "Okay, okay, where are all the nonsense? You bring the food and wine, and the gang leader and I eat and chat. The two boys at home have been very disobedient recently, you go to the west wing Discipline them well.”

Sun Sanniang was not afraid of him and rolled her eyes at him. If Lin Jie had not been present, there would have been another quarrel.

People in the mountains are not so particular, so Shi Changsheng did not invite tea, but instead invited Lin Jie to the main room with a smile.

The two sat across from each other, and soon the food and wine were ready. Although Sun Sanniang spoke very modestly, the table was still filled with all kinds of dishes.

Lin Jie looked at the chicken, duck and fish in front of him and sighed: "It's too expensive."

Shi Changsheng filled the wine pot for him and said with a smile: "Don't worry, leader, I'm not greedy for the money and food in Mo's account."

Lin Jie shook his head with a smile, picked up the wine cup and said, "You know that's not what I meant."

Shi Changsheng responded: "Gang leader, please drink this cup to the full."

He raised the wine cup and drank it in one gulp, then opened the bottom of the cup.

Lin Jie drank the wine and then said meaningfully: "The reason why you invited me to the banquet tonight is not just for drinking. If you have something to say, you might as well say it directly. After all, you are not the kind of person who is good at beating around the bush."

Shi Changsheng's movement of pouring the wine stalled, and his expression gradually became grim, and he said in a deep voice: "I invite the gang leader to come tonight. I, Old Shi, do have a few words that I am unhappy with."

Lin Jie nodded and said, "You say it."

Shi Changsheng said: "Gang leader, do you plan to keep watching like this?"

Lin Jie's eyes were gentle, and he stared at the wine bottle at hand, then filled his empty wine cup, and said calmly: "What do you mean by this?"

Shi Changsheng said slowly: "I want to ask the gang leader first, will we not accept Yan Chao's recruitment and will we fight to the end in the future?"

Lin Jie was not covered by the clouds and fog, and said simply and directly: "Yes."

Shi Changsheng clenched his right hand into a fist and lowered his voice: "In this case, the gang leader cannot let Jiang Houming and his gang fish in troubled waters. A few days ago, they coerced Uncle Gui and other gang elders into the palace, and they will obviously try their best to sabotage the gang leader's plan." Maybe, these people have already secretly colluded with the powerful people in Yanjing!"

Lin Jie looked at the angular face of the man across the round table and said slowly: "Brother Shi, this kind of speculation needs to be based on real evidence, otherwise it will be easy to wrong one of our own. Hall leader Jiang is the nephew of the old gang leader, although he is sure that I will take over as gang leader. There is dissatisfaction, but he has contributed a lot to the Seven Star Gang to achieve its current scale, so he should not collude with outsiders."

Shi Changsheng took a sip of strong wine, then put down the cup and frowned: "Gang leader, can't you see that Jiang Houming doesn't take the foundation of the Seven Star Gang at all. During the previous discussions, he repeatedly encouraged everyone to accept Yan If he said that he did not get the benefits promised by the powerful officials of the Yan Dynasty, I will never believe it!"

Lin Jie held the wine cup and pondered in silence.After a long time, he raised his sword eyebrows slightly: "Brother Shi, you have to know that Hall Leader Jiang is not an isolated individual. There are at least 2000 people in the gang who obey his orders. The few remaining elders of the older generation also value him very much. In Without conclusive evidence, if I take action against him, the Seven Star Gang will inevitably fall apart. By that time, the Yan Dynasty will no longer need to worry about recruiting, and we will be defeated without a fight if we only use an elite army to enter the mountains."

It is true that Shi Changsheng has a broad-minded temperament, but this does not mean that he has no brains.

With Lin Jie's martial arts, it was easy to kill Jiang Houming, but the problem was how to clean up the situation after killing him.

Thinking of this, Shi Changsheng couldn't help but sigh angrily, and then he raised his wine cup to Lin Jie and said: "Gang leader, I'll toast you another glass."

Lin Jie calmly drank the wine from the glass, then smiled and said: "Actually, I'm a little surprised today. I didn't expect you to be so heartfelt."

"I have never been gregarious, and I don't want to get involved in those bad things. It's rare that the gang leader doesn't dislike my temper and allows me to always be in charge of Lei Tang."

Shi Changsheng was drunk and said with emotion: "I know that the people the gang leader really values ​​​​are Ran Xuanzhi, Dong Mian and Qi Lianfu. I just don't want the brothers in the gang to gossip, so I kept Jiang Houming and Shang Benyi, a pair of idiots with impure minds. , and you still have me, Old Shi, a reckless man who is ignorant of the world. Over the years, you have watched with a cold eye, and the gang leader has been fair and generous. Under your leadership, the Seven Star Gang has grown increasingly prosperous. Anyone who is not blind can understand the wisdom of the old gang leader. Including me, Lao Shi.”

Lin Jie sipped the strong wine in his glass and listened quietly.

Shi Changsheng looked up at him and continued: "If there hadn't been such a thing as recruitment, maybe I would have watched in silence, but now that Qixing Help has reached the critical point of deciding fate, I can't just watch those people stir up trouble and ruin. Lose the inheritance of tens of thousands of brothers."

Lin Jie said calmly: "Do you think they have such ability?"

"Normally, they definitely don't have this ability. Even if they have ideas in their hearts, they can only obey the gang leader's orders honestly, but it's different now."

"What is the difference?"

"Captain Lu of Southern Qi is in danger, and the gang leader asked Hall Master Dong and the eldest lady to lead people to rescue. This decision is understandable, but it will cause an obvious problem, that is, the loyal subordinates around the gang leader will probably be [-] or [-] in a short time. The guard force was quite weak at that time. Shan and Yin Hall have always been the gang leader’s confidence to take charge of the main village, but now they have left the gang leader..."

"You think I'm going to be in crisis because of this?"

"The gang leader has great martial arts skills, so he is not afraid of villains, but there is no guarantee that some people will not take risks. Although Jiang Houming and monk Benyi are not as good as the gang leader in martial arts, their confidants are all in the main camp. As the saying goes, it is difficult to defeat four hands with two fists. If they are determined If you take that road, the gang leader will definitely be in danger."

Shi Changsheng's words were sincere and gradually smelled of alcohol.

The wine jug in front of the two of them had reached the bottom, so he took two more jugs of wine and took the initiative to fill them up for Lin Jie. Then he returned to his seat and sat down. He said resolutely: "But please don't worry, Gang Leader, Lei Tang and I All brothers will never sit back and let such an accident happen."

Lin Jie smiled and said: "Of course I believe you, otherwise I wouldn't go to the appointment tonight."

The smile on Shi Changsheng's face was a little forced, but also a little solemn, and he said in a deep voice: "Gang leader, instead of waiting passively, it is better to strike first. With the martial arts of the gang leader and me, Old Shi, we can mobilize and stay in the main village Some of our brothers will easily capture Monk Jiang Houming. As long as these leaders are controlled, the people below will not dare to rebel."

"Let me think about it again."

Lin Jie raised the wine cup and poured the clear wine into his stomach. His expression remained unchanged, which showed that he had an astonishing amount of alcohol.

Shi Changsheng couldn't persuade him anymore. After all, this matter was related to the fate of the Seven Star Gang, and careful consideration was the right way.

Lin Jie changed the topic and said: "I still remember when you defected to Shanmen, you defeated Shang Benyi and completely defeated him, which shocked everyone."

That was a story ten years ago. At that time, Shi Changsheng was just a knight-errant. He was hunted by his enemies and had no choice but to join the Seven Star Gang. With his sharp martial arts, he won the favor of Lin Jie and became one of the many deacons of Lei Hall.

Over the long years, he took root in the Seven Star Gang, married a wife and had children. Seven years ago, he was promoted to the leader of the Lei Hall and officially entered the core high-level leadership of the Seven Star Gang.

Hearing Lin Jie mention the past, Shi Changsheng couldn't help but sigh with emotion, and finally dissolved all his complicated thoughts into the wine.

A bright moon hangs on the treetops, and the cold moonlight fills the world.

Lin Jie put down the wine cup and said slowly: "Actually, I have always had a question in my mind, and I asked Brother Shi to help me with the details."

Shi Changsheng nodded and said, "Gang Leader, please tell me."

Lin Jie put his hands on the edge of the table and said unhurriedly: "Lu Chen's reply said that he was very careful. He kept disguising himself in Heluo City and did not take action himself. Regardless of the death of Chen Qifu or Chen Jingtang, at least There is no apparent connection with him, so I really want to know why the Yan Kingdom issued a reward order against Lu Chen?"

(End of this chapter)