#210 - Chapter 210: Convening

With Cheng Feng's family matters settled, the Hongmen were troubled by the county magistrate's summons.

Previously, before the Hongmen became the leading gang in the south of the city, Peng Yu'an, representing the gangs in the south, had already promised the magistrate to send men to help the magistrate's army suppress bandits.

Originally, it was thought to be a simple matter of cooperation, but the Hongmen unexpectedly rose to prominence, and Cheng Feng even disregarded martial ethics by deploying unconventional robot dogs, leading to the Green Bamboo Gang's demise.

Therefore, the responsibility of sending men fell upon the Hongmen.

Wang Hu and the others were racking their brains, as their connections weren't that extensive. They feared being used as pawns, gaining no benefits and ending up in trouble.

Inside the Hongmen's main hall, everyone's faces were filled with solemnity. Cheng Feng sat in the main seat, his fingers gently tapping the table, his eyes deep as if he could see through people's hearts. Wang Hu, Li Yang, and other core members sat around, the atmosphere so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

"This summons from the magistrate, on the surface, is to suppress bandits, but in reality, there are undercurrents," Wang Hu took the lead in breaking the silence, his voice low and powerful. "Although our Hongmen is strong, a big tree attracts the wind. If this matter is handled carelessly, we may become the target of public criticism."

"That's right," Li Yang nodded in agreement. "The Green Bamboo Gang's incident has already made the other gangs wary. If we act rashly again, it may lead to unnecessary trouble."

Cheng Feng smiled slightly, a hint of subtle sharpness hidden in that smile. "What you all say is true, but precisely because of this, we cannot back down. What the Hongmen needs to do is not passively respond but actively plan and turn the crisis into an opportunity."

He stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, and scanned the crowd, continuing, "First, we need to be clear that the magistrate's move is just to use us as a knife to kill, using the Hongmen's strength to suppress bandits. But why can't we turn this opportunity around, consolidate our position, and even expand further?"

"What's your brilliant plan, Master?" Wang Hu's eyes lit up, and he asked eagerly.

Cheng Feng slowly paced back and forth, thinking for a moment before saying, "First, we need to carefully select the personnel to participate in the bandit suppression. We must show the Hongmen's strength and not let the other gangs think we are monopolizing the credit. In this kind of situation, disciples from the Ren branch must take action."

"Second, we must show our benevolence and righteousness in action. For example, for those civilians who are forced to become bandits, we can give them a chance to turn over a new leaf. This way, we can win the hearts of the people and increase the Hongmen's positive image."

"Third," Cheng Feng changed his tone, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, "We can use this opportunity to secretly investigate all the news about Black Wind Fort. If we can uproot it completely, we can not only eliminate future troubles but also make the Hongmen's position in the south of the city as stable as Mount Tai."

After listening to Cheng Feng's words, everyone was invigorated, as if they had seen the key to breaking the situation. Wang Hu even slammed the table and exclaimed, "Master is truly farsighted! We are willing to follow you to the death!"

Li Yang and others also expressed their approval, and the main hall was revitalized with life and energy. Seeing this, Cheng Feng nodded secretly in his heart, as long as the Hongmen is united, there are no difficulties that cannot be overcome.

Cheng Feng was also very troubled when he received such news from Wang Hu at home. In the past two days, various forces had sent people to attend his wedding banquet, and the gifts were also in line with the Hongmen's status.

As a result, in less than two days, they began to ask him, the newly appointed leader of the Hongmen, to be their pawn. He couldn't refuse.

Outside the city, there were displaced people everywhere. It was rumored that some villages had been attacked, all for a bite to eat. Cheng Feng wanted to help, but he was powerless. This large-scale man-made disaster could not be solved by Cheng Feng alone, or even by a single force or county.

Qingxi County had high walls and strong horses, and they would occasionally go out to suppress some ferocious displaced people, but it was of no avail.

That's why Cheng Feng was working hard to climb up. What if the people of the Red Lotus Sect really came to Qingxi County and the city was broken from the inside out? What would happen then?

This was also a factor in Cheng Feng's active development of the Hongmen. Now the price of food is still slowly rising. Cheng Feng felt that there was still time. When the Hongmen disciples were strong and well-equipped, they could really make a breakthrough.

Cheng Feng stopped looking at the situation of the displaced people outside the city after seeing it a few times. Seeing such a tragic scene once was enough.

He was currently powerless and it was good enough to take care of himself.

Fortunately, after the robot dog stayed in the Hong Mansion's cave for a month, it continued to go out to survey the terrain for Cheng Feng, just in time to take a look at the situation of the Black Wind Fort gang according to the location given by the government.

The displaced people's area outside the city was like a forgotten wasteland. Whenever it was late at night, the wails and cries coming from there could always penetrate the thick city walls and attract the attention of the patrolling soldiers in the county.

The robot dog, this seemingly cold mechanical creation, had become Cheng Feng's most capable assistant. After resting in the cave for a month, it was back in action, using its extraordinary speed and keen perception to shuttle through the mountains and forests, collecting the most front-line intelligence for Cheng Feng.

According to the clues provided by the government, the robot dog quietly approached the territory of Black Wind Fort.

Black Wind Fort's walls were high and the defenses were strict, but all of this was useless in front of the robot dog. In its high-tech eyes, which only had infrared thermal sensation,

it could see everyone around, even through the walls, and the pitch-black night was its best cover.

It deftly bypassed the patrolling sentries and went deep into the fort, sending back clear images to Cheng Feng via the communicator.

In the pictures, the bandits of Black Wind Fort were either drinking and making merry, or practicing martial arts, and more often, they were ravaging the women beneath them.

The bandits guarding and patrolling around seemed scattered, but in fact, they were hiding murderous intentions.

The look in their eyes revealed a kind of ruthlessness and cunning, which made people shudder.

What made Cheng Feng even more uneasy was what the bandits in the fort were saying.

In those seemingly ordinary rooms, there were a large number of weapons, brand-new weapons, emitting a cold light, as if they could take people's lives at any time.

These weapons were obviously not something that ordinary bandits could possess, but came from a mysterious person - a friend of the Black Wind Fort's chief.

"A friend? Sending weapons?" Cheng Feng frowned, and an ominous premonition rose in his heart.

He realized that there might be more complex forces supporting Black Wind Fort, and may even involve some levels that he could not reach at present.

These newly emerged information made the already full of variables task become more confusing.

Cheng Feng took a deep breath, calmed down and began to analyze the situation.

He knew that he had to act cautiously and could not easily reveal the news.

"Robot dog, monitor remotely, but be careful not to startle the snake." Cheng Feng issued instructions to the robot dog through the remote communicator.

At the same time, he also secretly planned his next course of action.

This mission was far more complicated than he had imagined, and Cheng Feng needed more time to gather information and understand the enemy's strength and background.

Only in this way could he formulate a perfect plan to ensure the successful completion of the mission.

But before that, perhaps he had to find a way to figure out who the mysterious chief's friend was and what his purpose was in sending weapons.

These questions troubled Cheng Feng, and he couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

He knew the danger of this operation, and if he was a little careless, he might really be in a life-and-death situation...