Chapter 31: The Power Struggle (Part 1)

  As a visionary with the potential to evolve into a philosopher, Ding Kui spends a considerable amount of time thinking every day. This time is not fixed and may occur while walking, eating, or in various other situations. In short, he dedicates a certain amount of time each day to thinking about problems, a habit that has remained unchanged over the years. Now that he's slightly older, his thoughts on the future have increased, and so has the time he spends thinking.

  Fortunately, he is not yet married, otherwise, chatting with his wife and suddenly becoming distracted would easily lead to suspicion of having an affair outside, thus generating some family conflicts that would have a counterproductive effect on the prosperity of the Ding family, and if the consequences were extended, they would be very serious.

  At this moment, Ding Kui was thinking about his future path in life. To put it simply, he had to choose between continuing to live a tight but absolutely safe life, or going with Song Qing to experience a life of adventure and danger, but one that would get better and better.

  This is a difficult problem, especially for the military households who are struggling to make ends meet but have not yet reached the point of starving. If Song Qing had only invited him to do business, he would have agreed without hesitation. If his family was so poor that they couldn't even afford to cook, he would also agree without hesitation. But now, the problem is that he is stuck in a middle position, unable to move up or down, and faces a difficult choice between using a knife to improve his life and exchanging poverty for peace.

  Actually, when Song Qing first came over, Ding Kui was still very happy because they were really too familiar. Ding Kui knew Song Qing's roots and knew that this young man who had recently risen to fame in the Wei Suo, two months ago was just an otaku, although he didn't know the word, but roughly it meant that.

  As an otaku, it's impossible to know too much about Xuzhou, so even though Song Qingwu is incredibly skilled and has a group of brothers under him now, when something really happens, they'll still come to him for advice, because whether from their relationship or his abilities, he's the best choice.

  As expected, Song Qing came and asked him to explain the distribution of forces inside and outside Xuzhou. Ding Kui knew that the other party would not let himself lose out, so he naturally explained it carefully. He thought that after finishing the explanation, there was nothing more to do, and he could just wait at home for his share of the spoils. At most, he might occasionally go over to help with a battle or two. But Song Qing actually suggested that he join in.

  Ding Kui, although he doesn't usually stir up trouble, is quite familiar with those rascals and gamblers. He's half in the game, but hasn't fully committed because he wants to keep his options open, able to move freely between the world of decent people and the underworld. If he takes on Song Qing's job and really gets mixed up with him, it might be okay if he comes out on top, but if not, his days will be numbered, and who knows when someone will cut him down somewhere, leaving him without a grave to call his own.

  It would be beneficial to join him, Song Qing's skills were evident to his own eyes, his martial arts were astonishing and he had people under his command. Moreover, he seemed to have a talent for military strategy. When interacting with brothers from the Jianghu, even if not speaking of long sleeves dancing, he could still manage to get along with everyone, and it seemed like things were about to take off. If one were to join him at this time, with their own identity and position, as well as their relationship with Song Qing, in the future, if they truly became powerful, they would be treated as a veteran, or even the number one person under Song Qing.

  Being an elder in a powerful force is much better than being loosely associated with the force and only earning some money from running errands, which is also why Ding Kui has never been able to refuse. This dilemma made him hesitant for a long time, fortunately, Song Qing didn't rush him, just letting him think slowly, and he would give him an answer after one day.

  Ding Kui was thinking about things at home, while Song Qing sat in his room drawing a map. He wasn't drawing flowers, birds, fish, or insects, nor was he drawing majestic mountains and rivers. Instead, he was drawing a map of the internal and external forces of Xuzhou's Jianghu. Although he had a good memory, it was still more convenient to draw a flat diagram, especially since the external city's various forces were complex and interconnected, with some places twisting and turning in all directions, connecting multiple forces together. If he couldn't make a map, relying solely on his brain would be too tiring, so it was better to get everything sorted out at once.

  The forces within and outside Xuzhou City are extremely complex. Inside the city, it's relatively better, after all, that's where the government is located. Although the world has already become chaotic, the Ming Dynasty hasn't reached the point of collapse yet, so the prestige of the officials is still high, with the officials in charge, making things seem a bit better. However, outside the city, it's truly a complex web of various forces. If it weren't for Ding Kui, who has a deep understanding of Jianghu affairs, guiding him, relying solely on Song Qing's original memories and the guesses of his subordinates, it would be very difficult to figure things out.

  First of all, it's the northern part of the city. The biggest boss in the north is Sun Manxiang, who runs an inn. He's called a "big brother" because he used to be a mountain bandit. In the past two years, he has given many benefits to the county magistrate and led his brothers to surrender and settle down. After that, he was appointed as a bailiff in the government office, which is equivalent to a police assistant nowadays. He also has many followers who have gained legitimate status by following him. Many things that were difficult to do before are now easy, and he has gradually established his own sphere of influence in the northern part of the city.

  Sun Manxiang ran an inn, but this inn had many varieties. The original small gambling houses in the north of the city were all merged by him and placed in the backyards of various inns. Some even directly set up gambling tables in the outer hall, compared to Wu Laohei's small gambling house, it was unknown how much stronger.

  Apart from this, Sun Manxiang also collaborated with the brothels in the city, occasionally calling over those courtesans to serve his wealthy guests who came from all over the country. As a result, business was booming. These two years coincided with poor harvests, and many refugees came from the north, among whom he recruited many strong and capable fighters. Now, in Xuzhou, he is considered a local tyrant.

  There are also people like him who have arch-enemies, and the city of Xuzhou has powerful families on all four sides. However, the one with the most conflicts with Sun Manxiang is Liao Hong from the east of the city. Although this Mr. Liao is not a bandit by origin, he is also a local tyrant. It's said that he was involved in a homicide case and eventually settled it with money. Since then, many notorious thieves have come to seek refuge under his wing. Relying on his wealth and influence, he has always been able to get away with it. Later, as the number of his followers increased, seeing the prosperity of the inn business in the north of the city, he also started doing this line of work.

  As the saying goes, people in the same trade are bitter enemies. What's more, neither of these two were running legitimate businesses. The guesthouses that were visible to outsiders were just for show; what was inside was what really mattered. Although Xuzhou wasn't a small place, there were still only so many guests to go around. If one family got an extra customer, another would lose one. And those big spenders were the main source of customers that both families were fighting over. As a result, their conflicts escalated and they frequently clashed, each thinking about how to eliminate the other.

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