#120 - Chapter 120 Development

After occupying the new territory, Cheng Feng quickly gained a deep understanding of the actual situation in this area. He found that it matched the previous investigation: the previous gang's fees were chaotic and arbitrary, even disregarding the lives of the surrounding people. This was also the reason he chose this place as the new base for the Hongmen—it was easier to fish in troubled waters in the chaos.

Now that the Hongmen was here, it naturally needed to have its own rules. Cheng Feng gathered his subordinates and conveyed his decision to them: "Our Hongmen is not here to oppress the people; we are here to bring true fairness and justice to this place. From today onwards, all previous fee regulations are abolished, and we will formulate new rules."

"Every half month, merchants and residents need to pay a protection fee," Cheng Feng continued, "However, this fee will not exceed 30% of their half-month's income. They can use the remaining 70% for their own lives and businesses without worry."

"I see that there are quite a few uninhabited old buildings there that aren't too expensive. In a few days, the Hongmen will buy all the old houses. Pay attention to ensuring that all procedures are complete so that the government won't find any faults. Our Hongmen also needs a brand-new base."

"In addition, gather the gang members we captured before and let everyone pick some people. Train them according to the previous training methods and have them act as a construction team to build the Hongmen's base. Promise them that if they perform well, they can join the Hongmen."

Wang Hu, Sun Gui, Zhou Hai, and Li Yang all nodded, expressing their agreement.

With a larger territory, more manpower was also needed.

Li Yang's good performance was also recognized by Cheng Feng, who brought him into the leadership.

Wang Hu was the chief steward, responsible for unified management. Cheng Feng was only in charge of command and force. The remaining three each led a team to open branch halls, just like ordinary gangs.

Three streets, three branch halls: Gui Hall, Hai Hall, and Yang Hall. Cheng Feng found it troublesome, so he simply took one character from each of their names to name them.

To ensure Wang Hu's safety, two dedicated personnel were specially assigned to be his close bodyguards.

The three hall masters each led ten members to take on street business. The remaining personnel stayed at the training ground, responsible for teaching those who had been captured.

However, many of the captured people were rebellious and unruly.

Cheng Feng had no sympathy for these people. They were all hoodlums and ruffians who had done countless bad things. Did they still expect Cheng Feng to treat them with respect?

For those disobedient fellows, Cheng Feng would not hesitate to send Cheng Yi to execute them.

You have to be more ruthless than them—this was Wang Hu's suggestion.

The entire execution process was extremely cruel, and no one was spared from watching. Those selected rebels screamed, cursed, and finally cried bitterly as Cheng Yi dragged them out of the crowd.

With a raise and fall of the knife, each strike left its mark, but it was never fatal.

After a period of torture, they were dismembered, burned, and boiled, and their flesh was finally fed to a pack of hungry wild dogs.

The Hongmen disciples were forced to stand aside, watching this tragic scene unfold, their hearts filled with fear and shock.

The wild dogs tore at the pieces of flesh, making bone-chilling gnawing sounds. The air was filled with the smell of blood and burning, making people shudder.

However, Cheng Feng stood there expressionlessly, his eyes revealing a cold and firm light.

Until the end, when the wild dogs had eaten every last piece of flesh, Cheng Feng ordered the eight hundred to kill the wild dogs. His voice echoed in the night sky, carrying an unquestionable majesty and coldness.

The Hongmen disciples who witnessed this scene were filled with fear and awe. They knew that Cheng Feng was not simply punishing the rebels but showing everyone his determination and power.

He wanted to use this cruel method to warn everyone that any behavior that dared to challenge his authority and the Hongmen's unity would be severely punished.

Although Cheng Feng himself felt a burst of nausea and discomfort, he still forced himself to endure this feeling.

Cheng Feng had no choice; only through this method could he make those captives learn true fear and awe.

They must not only fear Cheng Feng's lofty status and power but also fear Cheng Yi's cold-blooded, ruthless, and unwavering decisiveness.

Cheng Feng himself felt a burst of nausea when he witnessed this scene, but he still forced himself to endure the discomfort.

Fortunately, because of the distance and the fact that Cheng Feng had suppressed his own keen senses, this discomfort was relatively easier for Cheng Feng to bear.

After the brief turmoil, Cheng Feng experienced the difficulty of being a gang leader.

Strength as the core, management as the means, psychology, money, scheduling, goals, results, and a one-stop digestion service all had to be done.

These new and busy things often gave Cheng Feng a headache, but they also allowed Cheng Feng to begin to adapt to everything.

People always have to learn to grow.

Currently, Cheng Feng had registered the information of these fifty people one by one and required Baibai and Cheng Yi to keep corresponding records. These people would become the core strength and backbone of the Hongmen in the future.

Soon, the new rules of the Hongmen spread throughout the entire street. The merchants and residents all ignored it.

After all, no matter how it changed, it was still a gang that would suck their blood, wasn't it?

Cheng Feng would not deliberately try to understand what the people below were saying.

His own rules had already been established.

Time will reveal people's hearts.

With long-term accumulation, many people would see the benefits of the Hongmen's territory.

After all, Cheng Feng had instructed his subordinates, so the Hongmen would really take action when something happened.

Thieves and pickpockets who were caught would have their dominant hand broken directly.

Those who gathered people to stir up trouble would be suppressed by the Hongmen.

If the monthly salary was sufficient, including room and board, and they still wanted to play tricks, steal from the Hongmen, and ruin the Hongmen's reputation, then they should be prepared to die!

Cheng Feng would not show any mercy to disciples who violated the rules. It was all money that Cheng Feng had provided, so how could they think of rebelling?

Since that bloody demonstration, Cheng Feng felt that he had undergone some inexplicable changes, and his subordinates also had more respect for him.

The three streets taken over from the three small gangs looked dilapidated from the outside, and they were indeed core areas for the movement of grassroots personnel.

This was also Cheng Feng's intention. Wang Hu's previous inquiries were not in vain.

Those with connections and backgrounds would not be touched for now.

Those with weak strength, bad reputations, and good terrain were carefully selected by Cheng Feng.

The three small gangs formed a U-shape around the Hongmen. Previously, the Hongmen was in the freight business, so it naturally had nothing to do with these gangs, but if the Hongmen wanted to expand, these small gangs with no strength and no background would block the Hongmen's path.

Cheng Feng looked at the Green Bamboo Gang, which occupied the best location in the south of the city, and his heart was filled with ambition.

The selling price of dilapidated streets and old houses was pitifully low. A two-room house with a courtyard only cost three taels of silver.

This price was also the result of the previous small gangs' chaotic management.

Those with strength and ability had already left.

The remaining people were basically the old, weak, sick, and disabled, a gathering place for thieves and pickpockets, without the slightest bit of resistance.

Cheng Feng's decision also caused quite a stir within the Hongmen. Some of the older disciples felt that this was a waste of resources and that the Hongmen's territory should be used to obtain greater benefits. But Cheng Feng insisted on his decision.

The experiences of his previous life told him that even if his methods were dark and his people were despicable, as long as people said good things about him, then he was good.

This is called public opinion.

As time passed, the Hongmen leader's orders were issued in a timely manner.

The action manual that had been mutually referenced with Wang Hu, also called the Hongmen Rules, was enshrined in a small book under the Renmen Cauldron.

Three sticks of incense were burned every day, one each in the morning, noon, and evening.

The three halls began to patrol their territories as usual.

Eight connected courtyards were bought in this lower-class street, covering an area of about 400 square meters. After being opened up and slightly decorated, it became the main base for the Hongmen's formal disciples.

The old site of the Tiger Head Gang was kept as a training base.

As for the former Nie Mansion, now hanging the plaque of the Hong Mansion, Cheng Feng planned to use it as the Hongmen's private land, a place to store materials, or perhaps a scripture depository?

Looking at the small treasury of more than seven hundred taels in his hand, Cheng Feng thought, "It seems that the time to bring my parents over is not far away."

The Cheng residence was still as peaceful as ever, and no one even knew that Cheng Feng was now the leader of a small gang of fifty people.

Perhaps they would definitely know in the future, but the longer it was delayed, the better.

A house full of women and children, saying too much would only make them worry.

Since Cheng Feng had decided to take this path, he was naturally mentally prepared.

The poor start and his own panel made Cheng Feng only able to choose this path.

Because this path was the fastest way to make money.

Don't talk about risks. He was so poor that he couldn't even afford to eat. What face and risks were there? Reality was the most important thing, Cheng Feng said.

Although life was much better now, Cheng Feng was still worried.

Thinking that if something went wrong, he would have a chance to run away.

With the panel in hand, Cheng Feng didn't believe that he couldn't create a foundation.

As the Hongmen established rules and gradually moved towards prosperity, an undercurrent was quietly surging.