Chapter 456: Cherish the Jade, Bear Its Sin! Forced onto Liangshan!

The scene fell silent for a moment, and the expressions on people's faces varied.

There was suspicion, excitement, fear, and also… bewilderment.

What is a Warlord?

In the age of warlords dividing the realm, they command heavy troops to guard a region, calling it protection of the local people and land, while using the area to train and station soldiers.

In reality they plunder the people's flesh and blood, like locusts in a disaster, leaving nothing but barren ground wherever they pass.

The common folk are left with no means to live, suffering beyond words.

The heavy taxes are like a mountain on their backs, crushing them so they cannot straighten their Waists.

No one knows the Warlord's cruelty better than the members of the Six Harmonies Association.

The Pin Min Ku is right beside it, inhabited by those who cannot pay the massive taxes and have ended up here.

They are either those who have lost the pillar of their household or those who have lost the ability to work.

Or they have had their families shattered and lives lost due to accidents.

Who would want to be a leper?

It is no exaggeration to say that while Warlords are publicly revered, they are deeply despised behind their backs.

Yet at this moment, Su Yang declares that the Six Harmonies Association will transform into a Warlord.

Setting aside other factors, does the dragon slayer ultimately become a vicious dragon?

After a long silence, Zhao Xian slowly raised his head, glanced at the faces of the Hall Masters, and hesitantly said, "…Gang Leader, you have always been decisive; I, Old Zhao, have never uttered the word 'no'."

"But today, I think this matter still needs discussion; it is a weighty issue that must be thoroughly debated."

With the first voice speaking, Feng Jingchu added, "Gang Leader's decision, I, Feng Niangzi, naturally raise both hands in support; however, the transformation cannot be completed overnight—we lack both people and money right now."

Ceng Yunzhong, usually shrewd and greedy, also began to count his own Abacus, "I agree with the two Hall Masters; after the transformation we will not know how to manage, and we will have to find someone knowledgeable to take charge, which could easily chill the spirits of the brothers below."

On the surface he urges Su Yang to think twice, but in truth he worries his own position is at risk.

The Gang and the Warlord are completely different in nature; one only needs to skim some gold each month to live comfortably, wandering around, eating and drinking for free under the Six Harmonies Association's name, without having to work.

The latter is different, employing militarized management, training troops daily, and strictly adhering to regulations for food, clothing, and expenses.

For the brothers accustomed to idleness, it is like a bird trapped in a cage.

Their essence is also fundamentally different.

Within the Gang one only needs to maintain order in one's own territory and protect the shopkeepers and vendors who have paid the Protection Fee.

At most there are only brawls: win and you drink and chat, lose and you go to the hospital for stitches.

But becoming a soldier is different; the assignments are battlefields, and missing arms or legs is commonplace.

It can even easily cost one's life.

Once you step onto the battlefield, as deep as the sea, it is like hanging your Brain on your Waist; at any moment a head may fall to the ground.

On the scene, Zi Huai and Lei Cheng offered no comment.

To both of them, whether a Warlord is a Warlord or not makes no difference.

The former now works for King Weiwu; by ancient standards, that is akin to a palace eunuch holding the imperial seal, one person below the emperor and above ten thousand.

Having tasted power and witnessed the strict Warlord system, he knows that no matter how powerful a Gang becomes, it can never match even a single branch of the army.

Lei Cheng, on the other hand, is indifferent; he has never fought for anything, merely following the rules.

And the Gang Leader's word is the rule.

As for Shadow, need not say more; he only obeys the Gang Leader's orders.

Su Yang quietly watched them speak, then tapped his Finger on the table, "Anything else? Put all your opinions forward at once."

Senior Master, sitting nearby, leaned in and whispered, "Gang Leader, this matter is of great consequence; it cannot be resolved overnight—better to eat the rice bite by bite."

Su Yang turned his head slightly and asked, "Tell me, how many brothers below died in this Warlord's blockade?"

"Zhao Xian, you speak first."

At that moment, hearing his full name called, Zhao Xian's heart trembled slightly, and he gritted his teeth, "Twenty‑five."

"How many were injured?"

"Twenty."

Su Yang narrowed his eyes, "These dozens of brothers have been by your side for over a decade; you needn't I say how deep the bond is."

"You all understand the principle that possessing a precious jade brings sin; the Six Harmonies Association will become a target of countless arrows, and if we do not change, we will sooner or later be butchered like fish."

"Do you wish to see the few remaining brothers trampled like ants?"

Zhao Xian recalled in his mind the brothers falling before his eyes during the escape, the look of utter despair he will never forget in his life.

Many were boys of sixteen or seventeen who grew up with him, knowing each other inside out.

It would not be an exaggeration to say they were like sharing a pair of Underpants.

"I do not want that!" Zhao Xian declared resolutely.

Su Yang looked at Feng Jingchu, "Feng Niangzi, as Hall Master of Fengyun Hall, surely no one knows better than you how brutal torture torments a person's spirit and flesh."

"The brothers below do not concern King Weiwu, but you Hall Masters are different; ask yourselves, if you fall into a Warlord's hands, what would be the outcome?"

Feng Jingchu replied without hesitation, "Naturally, endless torture."

Su Yang nodded, "Human hearts are flesh; I believe you are all tough men, but they do not share that belief."

"Moreover, Hall Master Zeng Tang Zhu, your worries are needless; I, Su Yang, may lack other abilities, but I will never forget my roots."

"You follow the lands my father fought hard to secure; how could I abandon a donkey after using it, and forget you after the transformation?"

"I have gathered everyone today to discuss this; here I make a guarantee: after the transformation, your positions will be upgraded accordingly, and you will receive every entitlement without loss!"

"And the brothers below, they are all at the Elder level; their allocations will be generous, not stingy at all!"

With those words, the suspended hearts of the crowd eased a little.

But Lei Cheng still harbored doubts, "Gang Leader, what did you mean by 'cherishing a jade and bearing its sin' just now?"

In his Vision Perception, the Six Harmonies Association has nothing a Warlord could covet.

Su Yang showed a Smile, "Everyone present is family, so I won't keep it hidden any longer; I'll tell you the truth, the real Jinshan is not in Xicheng District, that's just a veil that deceives the world."

"The real Jinshan is right at the Foot of the Six Harmonies Association!"

"To be precise, it's located beneath the Zhuangyuan!"

"Its area is the largest I have ever seen in my life, and the gold reserves are enough to keep you fed and clothed without worry for ten generations!"

Sss!

At that moment, Lei Cheng and the others all inhaled a breath of cool air.

Excitement and agitation instantly burst forth in their eyes.

"Leader, what you said is true?" Ceng Yunzhong said, his face flushed.

"No falsehood at all." Su Yang said with a Laugh: "Zeng Tang Zhu, could you have forgotten the gold I gave you? You should have examined its purity, could it be fake?"

Ceng Yunzhong, instantly excited and panting heavily, said: "So our Six Harmonies Association is the one that actually possesses Jinshan?"