Chapter 164

Li Xin examined the annotated map of the various forces' distribution, which was densely packed and gave him a headache, as explained by Song Zihao.

Named entities: Li Xin (Li Xin), Song Zihao (Song Zihao – a personal name; pinyin: Song Zihao).

Also, "map showing the distribution of various forces" is generic.

He had a rough understanding of Kyoto; Kyoto has 23 districts, 26 cities, 5 towns, and 8 villages.

The twenty-three wards are: New Lodging Ward, Literary Capital Ward, Central Ward, Platform East Ward, Harbor Ward, Goods River Ward, Abundant Island Ward, Kudzu Ornament Ward, River East Ward, Ink Field Ward, Bitter Valley Ward, Cedar Row Ward, Middle Field Ward, Generation Field Valley Ward, Black Eye Ward, Wild River Ward, Thousand Generation Field Ward, Plank Bridge Ward, Bay Door River Ward, North Ward, Train Horse Ward, Foot Stand Ward, Big Field Ward, the essence is in the central six wards.

Here in Little Japan, unlike Gangdao, they divide territory by the four directions, and there are several buffer zones.

The first to bear the brunt is the central six districts, and among those six, Shinjuku Ward is the most complicated.

Shinjuku Ward is one of Little Japan's most prosperous international business centers, one of Kyoto's largest districts, and one of Little Japan's most populous areas.

Shinjuku is Kyoto's main office district, and also one of its shopping and entertainment centers.

Of course, for friends, the place they're most familiar with is probably Ginza, a place that men all like, belonging to Chuo Ward.

Shinjuku Ward and Chuo Ward both belong to Kyoto's central six districts; the remaining four are Minato Ward, Bunkyo Ward, Chiyoda Ward, and Shibuya Ward.

These six districts are a mishmash of power, with dozens of large and small yakuza organizations all operating here.

Southern part: it's Sumiyoshi-kai's turf, where they have the greatest influence, plus there are many smaller forces.

Western part: it's the Yamaguchi-gumi's headquarters; there are no smaller forces here, the territory is too small to be divided!

Northern part: the Inagawa-kai calls the shots here; they and the Sumiyoshi-kai have directly surrounded the Yamaguchi-gumi in the middle, leaving the Yamaguchi-gumi unable to move.

Eastern part: the situation here is complicated, with dozens of large and small yakuza groups having divided this area.

The central six districts have been directly encircled by these forces, so no single force can occupy them, resulting in a state of warlord rivalry.

Li Xin pointed at Shinjuku with his finger and said to Haoge: 'Get a clear understanding of the forces here; you handle it personally.'

'Don't go through the Yamaguchi-gumi; after you've figured things out, open a bar here. I'll wait for your news—this will be our future base of operations.'

Haoge laughed and said: 'Brother Xin, your vision is still as sharp as ever; this place really suits us—Shinjuku Ward borders the Yamaguchi-gumi's territory, perfect for our development.'

The hotel where Li Xin is staying is far from Ginza, located in Chuo Ward; he spent the whole day studying maps, which is his habit.

No matter where he goes, he always looks for a base of operations while pondering future development.

This day was truly not wasted; he imprinted the entire map of Kyoto in his mind, gaining a rough understanding of the territories of the three major powers.

Knowing oneself and the enemy allows one to prescribe the right remedy, giving him room to maneuver.

At 6 p. m., Matsuzaka Keiko came again; the tender grass is addictive, and he didn't get enough yesterday!

Li Xin smiled happily; that night he learned quite a few foreign languages.

One must say he still needs to study seriously! After studying with Keiko for just a week, he could understand quite a bit of Japanese—he has a talent for learning.

During that week, in the daytime he was learning about Kyoto's situation, mainly researching Shinjuku.

In the evenings he studied Japanese; Little Japan is really carefree, and Miss Keiko is now infatuated with him, not going home and staying at his place.

A sturdy man is especially popular with mature women, able to give them both physical and mental double pleasure; both of them enjoy this process.

Just as he was enjoying the pleasures of love, Song Zihao arrived; he had already found a suitable place, and someone wants to sell a large bar.

Li Xin poured him a glass of red wine, then said: 'Brother Haoge, tell me the specifics—what trouble has this bar run into?'

Haoge took a sip, set down his cup, and said: 'Brother Xin, this bar indeed has some problems; the owner is transferring it because...'

'He was forced into a dead end by the boss of the Tainan Gang in Shinjuku, Gao Jie, with no way out! He can only transfer it.'

Li Xin frowned and asked: 'No way? He dared to open such a big bar without a backer? Without a backer, he'd dare to open it in the first place?'

Haoge laughed at the words, wiped his face, then said: 'The bar owner is someone who came from Wanwan, or was introduced by an acquaintance to get to know Gao Jie; his backer is Gao Jie, but this backer is somewhat unreliable.'

Li Xin immediately understood what was going on: this is a fellow townsman setting up a fellow townsman, giving him a shot in the back; the owner's acquaintance and Gao Jie are colluding to set a trap.

This is about swallowing him whole!

Li Xin immediately said to Haoge: 'Go talk to that owner, buy the bar, and you can even send him back to Wanwan first.'

'Wait until he gets to Wanwan to settle the deal, paying in Hong Kong dollars cash; he has no choice now—you name the price, save whatever you can.'

'I won't swallow him, but the price should still be lower; I'll contact Han Bin, you settle things with the owner, then bring him out of Little Japan.'

'I'll have Jianjun bring people with you; you'll get the transfer contract and come back together.'

……

Shinjuku Ward.

An izakaya; the bar owner was drinking to drown his sorrows when a few people came in from outside.

The leader stepped up to him and swept the food and drinks onto the floor with his hand.

He sneered: 'Boss Wu, have you thought it through? Our boss's patience is limited; out of fellow‑townsman sentiment, we've given you this much time—don't throw away face.'

Boss Wu downed the last sip, his eyes red, and said: 'I invested a full two million dollars, and he gave me two million Wanwan currency just to take the bar—isn't that robbery?'

'We had agreed beforehand that I would give him twenty percent of the profits as thanks; now he's doing this—will anyone still dare to cooperate with him in the future?'

The Tainan Gang's underling said disdainfully: 'I have no interest in hearing your story; I only know that besides our Tainan Gang, no one in Shinjuku dares to take over your bar—do you understand?'

'Give you two days to think it over; otherwise, think about your wife and kids—your daughter is only fourteen, right? I see she's pretty cute.'

'You must think through the consequences before deciding, or else it'll be too late to regret!'

Boss Wu, offended by this man's shamelessness, gritted his teeth, stared with blood‑red eyes, and told him: 'Don't touch my family; they're all Wanwan people—don't go too far.'

The underling stuck up his middle finger and cursed: 'Damn it! I'm a Little Japan person now—don't bring Wanwan into this; you also came here, didn't you? And you're still talking about Wanwan?'

'The day after tomorrow I'll come to get the transfer contract—don't make me angry; you can't withstand it!'

Haoge, in the corner, watched those few punks, shook his head, and muttered: 'This bunch of bastards is beyond saving!'

'We still need Brother Xin to come over and educate them; they'll definitely change—if they don't, there's no choice!'

(Brothers! From now on post at noon! This approval is too much of a hassle—what do you guys think?)