Chapter 22: Reputation Soars

  After taking down Wu Laohei's gambling den, Song Qing began to categorize the spoils. The first person he needed to take care of was, of course, Baihu Wang Chang, as this official belonged to the county government and was also his father's superior, and it was said that he would be promoted to Qianhu soon. If he really could get promoted, his own father's promotion to Baihu might also require some trouble from him. Moreover, due to Wang Jian's relationship, sending a share to his family was the right thing to do. In the future, many things would likely depend on this official's care, so it was better to establish a good relationship with him early on.

  Then it's about recruiting people, and now there are only those ten kids under his command. This time, six of the soft eggs didn't dare to go, although they will have opportunities in the future. For now, there are only four people who can be used. Although Ding Kui's side has a few men who can be called over despite having things to do, they are not under his own command after all, and it's uncertain whether they can be used smoothly.

  So Wei Suo and the idle men in the surrounding villages became his primary targets, and letting Ding Kui and others go out to spread their own fame was also for the purpose of recruiting more people, preferably those who would come over voluntarily.

  Then there are those with some reputation in the village, they don't need to be treated as carefully as Wang Chang, but it's still necessary to buy something and visit them from time to time, build some relationships, so that when something happens in the future, there will be more people speaking for our family. However, this is a long-term process and doesn't need to be rushed.

  As for the Director of Thousands, it's still too high to reach at present. Moreover, this Director is about to be promoted and may be in charge of some place later on. It's not worth rushing to build a relationship with him for the time being. Instead, focus on building connections with those around you who can be useful.

  Because things were a bit busy, Song Qing simply didn't go to the training ground the next day. He only went to find Luo Xiaobei and asked him to lead the nine children in continuing their practice. As for himself, he ran to Wang Chang's house. This Wang Baihu was someone who rarely left his home, but he had a very keen sense of what was happening. Before Song Qing had even taken down the gambling den, Wang Baihu had already received news of it. He was just thinking about seeing how this suddenly risen young man would act next when Song Qing brought chicken, duck, fish, and meat, as well as a bag of silver money to his doorstep, truly startling him.

  Since he took the thing, and Song Hu was his subordinate, they naturally chatted warmly. Song Qing was very good at talking, without any arrogance of young people, keeping his attitude as a junior all the time, every word was a show of respect from a younger generation to an elder, making Wang Chang laugh loudly.

  After chatting, Song Qing left without even eating dinner, which made Wang Chang look at him with a new perspective. Previously, he thought Song Qing was just brave, and at most, another Song Hu, but now it seems that Song Qing is much more mature than Song Hu was when he was young, and even more so than the current Song Hu. If things continue to develop like this, his future prospects will naturally be bright. Wang Chang also instructed his son Wang Jian to often interact with Song Qing, and if there's an opportunity, the two can formally become sworn brothers or something.

  Song Qing's victory over Wu Laohei quickly spread throughout the area, after all, this is a small place where everyone usually keeps their heads down and doesn't see each other often. If something happens in someone's family, unless it's intentionally hidden, it will be known by everyone within a few days. Song Qing had specifically gone to beat up Wu Laohei, making quite a commotion, and with Ding Kui and others deliberately spreading the news, within two days, the entire Qianhu So knew about it, with different reactions from various places.

  Although the military household has a word for the military, it has been passed down to the present day, and most of them are honest farmers. For this kind of bloody knife head-licking thing, they usually just stay in the discussion category, hoping that they will really pay something on this matter. It's obviously not very realistic.

  However, those idle men did not think so. Song Qing's reputation was originally great, but before that, he was only brave when suppressing bandits, and had nothing to do with ordinary life. Even if he became a small flag, at most, his status would be elevated by one level, and everyone would make a bow when they met, and it would be over. His reputation was great, but there was no practical benefit.

  Now that they've taken down Wu Laohei, it's a different story. Who doesn't know that Wu Laohei is a ruthless boss in the neighborhood? Song Qing led four and a half big guys, plus Ding Kui's four men, and without much effort, they took over the entire gambling den. This incident has great significance for those idle rascals.

  In short, a new figure is about to emerge in this thousand-household village, and since this person has just risen to power, they will definitely lack personnel around them. If I go over to join forces with them at this time, it's just the right moment, and if Song Qing becomes really powerful in the future, I can also rise with him like a boat on a rising tide.

  The thoughts of the idle men were quite simple, in this place where the big fist was the father, Song Qing's charm was undoubtedly great, and with Ding Kui and others intentionally or unintentionally revealing a few pieces of silver, the onlookers' hearts itched, and their expectations rose even higher.

  On the third day, Song Qing had just left his house and hadn't walked a few steps when three or five idlers came over to pay their respects. They exchanged pleasantries as if to announce their presence first. Song Qing knew that these were all errand boys, and those with some real skills were still waiting in the wings, wanting to see how he would make his move. He chatted with the crowd for a few sentences, casually mentioning the events of the previous day at Wu Laohei's gambling den, then pretended to be nonchalant and left, heading straight to the training grounds to continue training the ten young men under his command.

  Those ten young men are different now, the four who followed and received silver money are naturally full of energy, after seeing blood, their entire temperament is also different. The six who didn't go are all a bit regretful, after all, no one thought Song Qing could take down Wu Laohei at first, thinking that in the end it would still be Song Laohu who would make an appearance, either to apologize or lead his men to cause more trouble again, and in the end both sides would fight to a draw.

  Unexpectedly, Song Qing won and it seemed quite easy. The four people who followed him only had some minor injuries and bruises, but on the contrary, each of them got a lot of silver money. Among the young men of the same age, their reputation also rose greatly. Yesterday during training, they were envied by others, all regretting not having gone with them.

  With this thought, today when I saw Song Qing again, the other six children all straightened their bodies and slightly raised their chins, afraid that this Brother Song wouldn't see their majesty. As for Luo Xiaobei and the others, they didn't even need to be mentioned; after seeing blood once and getting a lot of silver, they admired this superior leader with utmost respect.

  Song Qing didn't say much, after all, the basics had already been taught, and continuing to practice according to the old rules was fine. First, he led the ten children in running a few laps around the school field, then began having them stand at attention. He accompanied them for a while, seeing that it was almost time for lunch, and was just about to dismiss the team when suddenly he saw a few people coming from the other end of the field. Before he could get a clear look, Luo Xiaobei had already spoken up: "Sir, Hua Taosui has arrived!"

  New book seeking recommendation votes and collection, thank you everyone!