Chapter 150 Scheme

In fact, Yang Jiekai had no intention of blaming Zhang Hua by saying those words. He was subtly pointing out and correcting Zhang Hua's weaknesses. As the tactician of the Dragon Hall, Zhang Hua was essentially the brain of the entire syndicate. If his weaknesses were not corrected in time, they could very well become the root cause of disaster for the entire Dragon Hall.

Yang Jiekai never doubted Zhang Hua's ability or his loyalty to the Dragon Hall. He was certain that if it were necessary, Zhang Hua would not even blink if asked to die for the organization.

However, Zhang Hua's weakness was that he was overly cautious—cautious to a fault.

This was inseparably tied to his upbringing. Growing up in a poor family where he was constantly met with cold stares and disdain, he later ventured into the big city and fought his way up step by step until he finally made something of himself.

For someone like him, the most prominent trait was excessive suspicion; he simply could not trust anyone.

While caution was essential when walking the path of the underworld, being overly cautious was a serious flaw. Moreover, there was something far more important than caution, and that was trust.

If one could not even trust one's own sworn brothers, how could one possibly establish a foothold in the underworld? The strength of a single individual could never surpass the power of a collective.

That very afternoon, Yang Jiekai once again gathered Long Xiaoman, Old Cudgel, and Red Boy. He had Zhang Hua explain his strategy in front of everyone, and they all nodded in agreement.

Furthermore, Yang Jiekai refined Zhang Hua's strategy, turning it into a plot within a plot.

With the tactics confirmed, the only thing left to do was to go to war.

Yang Jiekai first approached Zhou Dongcheng, claiming that he was lacking in firepower and asking Zhou Dongcheng to provide him with some equipment.

At the same time, he laid out his strategy—though naturally, not the one Zhang Hua had devised.

"Brother Zhou, aside from borrowing some gear from you, there is a matter I might need to trouble you with."

"Brother Yang, feel free to speak your mind. As long as it is something within my power, I, Zhou Dongcheng, will certainly do my utmost."

Seated on a spacious sofa, Zhou Dongcheng poured a cup of tea for Yang Jiekai. While surprised by this visit, he also found it within reason.

Naturally, Zhou Dongcheng was pleased that Yang Jiekai was willing to have the Dragon Hall act as the vanguard for this event, which was why he spoke to Yang Jiekai with such courtesy.

"Just how strong Wu Lianhai's forces are is something Brother Zhou surely knows better than I do. Our Dragon Hall lacks manpower; if we were to simply charge blindly over there like that, I'm afraid we wouldn't stand a single chance of winning," Yang Jiekai said.

Zhou Dongcheng nodded and replied, "Brother Yang is being too modest. Everyone has witnessed the rapid growth and momentum of the Dragon Hall recently."

Yang Jiekai continued, "If we were dealing with a mere mob of ordinary ruffians, I wouldn't come to trouble Brother Zhou. However, this time we are facing Wu Lianhai, one of the ten sharp blades of the Triumph Corporation. To be on the safe side, I would like to ask Brother Zhou for a favor."

"Brother Yang, please state your request."

Yang Jiekai nodded. "I would like Brother Zhou to dispatch a portion of your men to help me."

"This..." Hearing this, Zhou Dongcheng immediately lost his enthusiasm. The only reason he had been polite to Yang Jiekai was because the other party was willing to serve as the vanguard. If he was going to be asked to provide manpower directly, he might as well handle the matter himself.

Yang Jiekai quickly added, "Brother Zhou, please do not misunderstand. Asking you for men does not mean I want you to go fight Wu Lianhai directly."

"Oh?" Zhou Dongcheng asked with a puzzled expression. "Then who are we fighting?"

"The Dragon Hall!" Yang Jiekai pointed at himself.

"What, the Dragon Hall?" Zhou Dongcheng was completely baffled, wondering if he had misheard.

Yang Jiekai nodded and continued, "That's right. I want Brother Zhou to dispatch men—the more, the better—and launch a frenzied attack on the Dragon Hall over the next few days."

Feeling slightly dizzy, Zhou Dongcheng furrowed his brow and said, "Brother Yang, please speak plainly. Why do I feel like I don't understand a single word?"

Yang Jiekai took a sip of water before explaining his "strategy" from beginning to end.

His plan was as follows: first, have Zhou Dongcheng dispatch men to feign a fierce and frantic assault on him, creating a public facade of extreme turmoil. This would cause Wu Lianhai to lower his guard and divert his attention. Finally, at the opportune moment, they would strike and take down Wu Lianhai in one fell swoop.

"Brilliant strategy! Let's do it!" Zhou Dongcheng laughed heartily after hearing the plan, clapping his hands. "Brother Yang is truly a young hero, possessing both courage and wit. Come, let us toast with tea in place of wine!"

"Wait a moment."

Interrupting Zhou Dongcheng, Yang Jiekai said, "Brother Zhou, I have one more favor to ask. For now, only the two of us know about this. If word gets out, our entire plan will likely fall through, and the consequences would be unimaginable."

Zhou Dongcheng nodded heavily. "Rest assured, I will keep this buried in my stomach. I guarantee no third person will ever find out."

"Then I must trouble Brother Zhou!"

On the second day following the secret meeting between Yang Jiekai and Zhou Dongcheng, a property controlled by the Dragon Hall erupted into a fierce brawl after a "verbal dispute" with Zhou Dongcheng's men.

Furthermore, the Dragon Hall "detained" several of Zhou Dongcheng's men. After negotiations failed, Zhou Dongcheng flew into a rage that very night and officially declared war on the Dragon Hall.

Over the next few days, the underworld in Anhai City was plunged into a storm of blood and rain. Several establishments of the Dragon Hall, and even its territories in the suburbs, came under frantic assaults by Zhou Dongcheng.

Word of these events eventually reached Wu Lianhai, but he paid them no mind whatsoever. In his eyes, organizations like the Dragon Hall or the Snake Hall were nothing more than mobs of street thugs. He even looked down on Zhou Dongcheng; in his view, the underworld of Anhai City would sooner or later belong to the Triumph Corporation, and small-time characters like Zhou Dongcheng would inevitably be wiped out by him sooner or later.

However, that very night, one of Wu Lianhai's subordinates approached him, reporting that someone from the Dragon Hall was asking for an audience.

"Throw him out! Every stray cat and dog is coming here now, how annoying!" Wu Lianhai was currently holding a sexy, alluring woman in his arms and looked thoroughly impatient.

The lackey hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and whispered something into Wu Lianhai's ear.

Wu Lianhai frowned slightly, patted the woman on the bottom to tell her to wait in the inner room, and then threw on a jacket. "Let him in."

The moment Yang Jiekai first set eyes on Wu Lianhai, he almost failed to hold back his laughter.

Despite being one of the ten sharp blades of the Triumph Corporation, Wu Lianhai was a skinny, wiry little old man. Standing at most four feet tall, he was as thin as a bean sprout and completely bald. A pair of small, mung-bean-like eyes blinked unceasingly, looking utterly comical.

However, Yang Jiekai kept a completely straight face, wearing an expression of desperate entreaty. "I have long heard of Brother Wu's great reputation. Today, this younger brother comes to seek an audience out of sheer desperation."

Wu Lianhai lit a cigarette, exhaled a plume of smoke, and said to Yang Jiekai, "My men just told me you prepared a welcome gift for me?"

Yang Jiekai nodded, reached into his pocket, and produced a check, handing it over. "Just a small token of my sincerity. I hope Brother Wu won't find it too meager."

Wu Lianhai took the check and, upon seeing the figure of five million printed on it, his brow relaxed immediately. He promptly motioned for Yang Jiekai to sit down and talk.

"Speak, what brings you to me?" Wu Lianhai tucked the check away, his tone growing considerably more cordial. Ever since arriving in Anhai, various local minor factions had occasionally offered him tributes, but five million at once was a first. Furthermore, such income did not need to be turned over to headquarters; it went straight into his personal assets.

Yang Jiekai sighed heavily. "Some things have happened recently within our Dragon Hall, and Brother Wu must have heard about them. That bastard Zhou Dongcheng is trying to drive us to our deaths!"

"I've heard," Wu Lianhai said, blinking his tiny mung-bean eyes. "I'll deal with Zhou Dongcheng sooner or later, but not right now. If you think a mere five million is enough to buy my intervention, then you might as well leave."

Wu Lianhai was no fool. Although he didn't hold Zhou Dongcheng in high regard, he knew the man's influence in Anhai. The Triumph Corporation had sent him to Anhai precisely to gradually expand their foothold in the city.

If he went to war with Zhou Dongcheng at this juncture, the trouble would likely be substantial. If any missteps occurred and the higher-ups blamed him, he wouldn't be able to bear the consequences.

Anticipating this reaction, Yang Jiekai hurriedly said, "Brother Wu has misunderstood. I am not asking Brother Wu to directly fight Zhou Dongcheng. Instead, I am begging Brother Wu to grant the Dragon Hall a place to take refuge and establish a foothold. As Brother Wu knows, we are being driven out of our minds by Zhou Dongcheng. If this continues, we won't even have a patch of ground left to stand on in all of Anhai City."

"So that's how it is."

Hearing this, Wu Lianhai adopted a grandiose air and declared, "That's no problem at all! If you truly find yourselves with nowhere else to go by then, you can come straight to me. I can allocate two establishments to you, provided you give me sixty percent of the monthly profits."

"Then I thank Brother Wu!"

Yang Jiekai immediately put on a look of ecstatic joy, then looked at Wu Lianhai and said, "Brother Wu, aside from this matter, I have one more favor to ask."

"Name it." Wu Lianhai's tiny mung-bean eyes gleamed brightly.

Putting on an expression of grinding hatred, Yang Jiekai said, "That bastard Zhou Dongcheng has driven our Dragon Hall to the brink of destruction and wants to swallow up all our properties in one bite. I know I can't beat him, but I refuse to let that scumbag have it all so easily!"

Faking a surge of anger, Yang Jiekai continued, "So I'm not willing to just hand over our properties on a silver platter. I have to fight him tooth and nail. Even if he devours all our businesses, I'm going to knock out a few of his front teeth in the process!"

"Oh, so you mean..." Wu Lianhai looked at Yang Jiekai. "You're planning to fight him to the bitter end?"

Yang Jiekai nodded. "That's right. I intend to fight him one last time. Three days from now, I will wage a decisive battle against Zhou Dongcheng. I know I cannot win, but I will make him pay a heavy price."

Lifting his gaze to meet Wu Lianhai's, Yang Jiekai added, "When we lose that battle, I hope Brother Wu will look after us."

How could Wu Lianhai fail to grasp Yang Jiekai's underlying intent? He boldly waved a hand. "That's a minor matter. Go ahead and fight to your heart's content. Once the battle is over, just run straight to my territory. I refuse to believe that Zhou Dongcheng has the guts to pursue you into my backyard."

"Then I thank Brother Wu in advance!"

As Yang Jiekai walked away from Wu Lianhai's stronghold, a trace of imperceptible, cunning mischief curled the corners of his mouth.