Chapter 50 A road never imagined

Chapter 50 A road never imagined

If a "normal" Qing official asked Liao Rong this question, he would be scared to death.

What followed was basically the personal soldiers coming up to tie him up, throwing him into the death row, and then beheading him in the autumn.

Liao Rong absolutely did not believe that the person introduced to him by Rong Hong would harm him. Seeing that Shao Quanzhong did not seem to be about to summon the ambush swordsmen, he calmed himself down and answered in a more artistic way.

“I am the first mate on a ship of a British company. Due to my work, I have a lot of interactions with the forces at the Hong Kong docks.

They were all poor people working as laborers at the docks. My family was relatively well off, so I would sometimes help them out.

As a result, I have some influence at the docks in Hong Kong, and the triad coolies working at the docks respect me quite a bit.

However, I did not participate in the rebellion activities in Hong Kong organized by the Triads in cooperation with Taiping rebels.

Chen Kai, the leader of the Tiandihui, started an uprising in Guangxi and established the pseudo Dacheng Kingdom. He asked me to bring people to join him and promised me the title of King of Zhennan, but I refused.

The Hongmen is a loose organization. The Triads and the Tiandihui are both branches of the Hongmen. They are not subordinate to each other, but are considered to be from the same sect.

No matter how much Liao Rong tried to evade blame, he could not get rid of the fact that he was connected with the Hongmen. In fact, he was one of the big bosses of the Triad.

Shao Quanzhong had no intention of investigating whether he was a traitor or not, as there were many traitors in his own barracks.

His most trusted idiot, Zhang Ersha, was always thinking about equalizing the rich and the poor. His sworn brothers, the eldest and third brothers, even tried to kill Emperor Xianfeng directly.

The rebels are not to be feared. I have never ruled out the option of becoming a rebel. What is to be feared is the Hongmen, the future Hongmen...

Shao Quanzhong picked up the teacup and said, "Brother Haichang is so talented that he is willing to condescend to help my small temple. I feel deeply honored.

You've worked hard on this journey, Brother Liao, go and take a rest first. I need to think carefully about what kind of burden would be most appropriate for you to bear, and I will give you an answer tomorrow."

After tea was served, Liao Rong took his leave and went to the guest room to rest under the guidance of Zhang Siwen.

Shao Quanzhong sat in the main room for a long time but couldn't figure out the problem.

Half an hour later, Tian Xing, Hai Qing, Zhang Siwen, Shao Hengzhong and Le Sen were all called to the study in Shao's house.

These five people basically constitute the backbone of the current "Shao faction". Everyone is busy with their own tasks. Now they are called together and look at each other. I wonder what important matters Shao Quanzhong wants to discuss.

Shao Quanzhong kept covering his forehead with his hands. When he let go and looked up at everyone, his face was full of fatigue and helplessness.

Hai Qing had never seen Shao Quanzhong like this before. "Second brother, you can predict the fate of the next sixty or seventy years. What could make you so worried?"

Tian Xing, Hai Qing and Zhang Siwen were all sure that Shao Quanzhong was a man of destiny with innate wisdom. Le Sen didn't know yet, and Shao Hengzhong, who had just joined the Shao faction's decision-making level, had never heard of such a statement.

Shao Quanzhong never concealed this matter from his brothers. He sighed and said, "I am undecided about the arrangement for Liao Rong. I want to hear your opinions."

Tian Xing believed in Shao Quanzhong's ability to predict the future. "Is this guy a rebellious Wei Yan? Will he rebel against you in the future? Just ignore it."

"It's not that simple. To be honest with you brothers, this Hongmen will be very powerful in the future..."

Tian Xing's eyes sparkled, "Second brother, are you saying that the Hongmen's great cause of overthrowing the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty will be successful in the future? No, I want to have a good drink."

Shao Hengzhong had just arrived and had not yet seen the true face of Shao Quanzhong, his sworn brother and die-hard traitor, so he trembled with fear when he heard this.

Seeing the other people acting as if they were used to it, I thought to myself, I'm on a pirate ship.

Shao Hengzhong was also a Han Chinese. If the anti-Qing and restoration of Ming could really succeed, he would support it. However, he would not participate if he was asked to rebel on his own.

But the blood of sworn brothers is thicker than water. If the eldest brother who has sworn brotherhood with him wants to be a loyal minister of the Qing Dynasty, he will be a loyal minister. If the eldest brother becomes a rebel, he will follow him without hesitation.

Shao Quanzhong nodded and then shook his head.

"That was something that happened in my previous life. In this life, as our brothers rise up, the situation will definitely be different.

In my previous life, I was a great commander who commanded the entire country, and in the end, the ones who fought with me for the world were the descendants of the Hongmen.

At that time, I had more soldiers and generals, my strength was three times that of theirs, and my equipment was better than theirs, but in the end I did not dare to fight them.

Although they only had 100,000 soldiers and horses, the appeal of the Hongmen was extraordinary at that time, and the whole world responded.

The warlords under my command each have their own concerns and cannot work together. The situation is stronger than the people..."

"Don't worry, second brother. Since God has allowed you to reincarnate, it means that God is on your side. Why don't you just kill them before they get going?
Second brother, just call out the names. I'll lead the marching team over and kill them one by one. That Liao Rong is one of them, right?

I will chop off his head right now and see if he can still go against you, my second brother, without his head."

Shao Quanzhong actually had this idea, but he rejected it without further thinking.

Even Yung Wing supported the Hongmen, so would he want to kill his future father-in-law?
"My eldest brother's loyalty to me is beyond words. In order to support me, he even ignored the Hongmen who were fighting against the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty.

What I am worried about now is not Liao Rong alone, but what attitude I should take towards the Hongmen forces represented by him.

They are the elites of our China, pioneers who have opened their eyes to the world, but they just want to go against me——"

Scholar Le had been listening in, and was pleasantly surprised. His lord actually had the ability to see through the secrets of heaven. No wonder he could rise so quickly in such a short time and become the leader of the Huai Army. It was time for him, the military advisor, to show off, and Le Sen shook his head.

"My lord, you can first accumulate strength, pretend to be friendly with the Hongmen, and watch from the sidelines.

Build high walls, store up grain, slowly declare yourself king, and use the Hongmen to overthrow the imperial court.

Then join them when they are about to succeed, seize the fruits of victory, and take the lead with the strongest strength.

Once he gained control of the world, he would inherit the orthodoxy of the Ming Dynasty, declare the Hongmen as traitors, and wield the butcher knife... This was the wisdom of Taizu in dealing with Manichaeism. "

Shao Quanzhong pointed at Le Sen and laughed, "You scholars all know how to play this tune, even more ruthless than a warrior like me.

There are people who have done this before. But the Hongmen sect can never be wiped out, and they will revive again in the spring breeze, and finally become powerful, right? "

Hai Qing understood and rolled his eyes, "Second brother, I don't understand national affairs, but the way of the martial arts world is, if you can't beat them, just join them.

You haven't gone against the Hongmen yet.

Since the Hongmen will be powerful in the future, and you, second brother, have the ability to see through the secrets, why not join the Hongmen when victory is approaching, and you can be the leader..."

Huh? This is a path that has never been imagined. As expected, listening to both sides will lead to a clearer understanding. Even a little eunuch like Haiqing can come up with such a good idea.

I was limited by the ideas of my previous life and had never thought of this option.

Thinking carefully, why can't I join the group of my rival in the previous life? Is there any essential difference between us? Anyway, I don't see it.

Shao Quanzhong slapped his forehead and said, "Okay, let's adopt Third Brother's suggestion. Brother Le's suggestion also has its merits.

First, do as Brother Le said, pretend to be nice to them, preserve your strength, use them, let them rush to the front, and bleed and sacrifice.

When victory was almost won, I used the method of my third brother to join them forcefully. Instead of trying in vain to wipe them out, I simply joined their group and became the boss in a brilliant turn. "

Le Sen added, "At that time, we only need to kill those in Hongmen who can threaten your position, which is easier than destroying Hongmen.

Now you can give Liao Rong a high-ranking position but without real power. Then, he can be your contact person for joining Hongmen. Isn't that great?"

Everyone laughed together, except Zhang Siwen, who remained silent.

"Old Four, do you see what's wrong?"

Zhang Siwen said something shocking, "I think, second brother, you can use Liao Rong without any worries right now."

Le Sen shook his head. "When the Hongmen revolts, my lord will be the first to come out. Your idea is not a good one."

Zhang Siwen stared at Shao Quanzhong and said, "Second brother, I don't know whether this is smart or not.

I remember when we were begging together, you told me that your ideal in life was not to conquer the world. "

Shao Quanzhong was stunned. What was my original intention when I came here?

"Second brother, you said at the time that first we had to kill the Japanese bully, and second we had to ban opium in China. Have you forgotten now?"

Shao Quanzhong sat there in a daze, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head.

Power is so dazzling. I stepped into this chaotic world and made progress step by step. Now that the Huai Army has been formed and the situation of competing for hegemony over the world is imminent, I have actually forgotten my original intention.

Shao Quanzhong stood up and held Zhang Siwen's shoulders with both hands, "Brother, thanks to you for reminding me, thanks to having a good brother like you."

If we want to beat the Japanese and ban smoking in China, we must of course first gain control.

But the ultimate goal is different, so the methods are very different.

Emperor Meiji is now eight years old and will ascend the throne in seven years. The Orientals will soon rise.

If he only cared about his own wealth and glory, and the iron-clad empire of the Shaw family, and waited for the Hongmen to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and then steal the fruits of victory, the rise of the Japanese would be unstoppable.

Shao Quanzhong was essentially a pragmatist and opportunist, and he did not have the passion to fight for China's rise.

But in order to avenge himself, China needs to rise quickly in order to suppress the Japanese.

To rise quickly, we must utilize all the talents we can and unite all the forces we can unite, including the Hongmen, and even... ahem, we will do whatever it takes.

Nothing is more important than avenging yourself.

As for what China will look like in the future and whether Shaw Brothers can still maintain its dominance, we will tell when the time comes.

Anyway, the Japanese must be killed, otherwise my thoughts will not flow smoothly.

Shao Quanzhong's mind suddenly became clear, and he laughed loudly, "I have made a decision."

He kicked the table over and said, "Everyone, go away!"

(End of this chapter)