Chapter 47: Slaughter
As the leaders fell one after another, the slaughter in the courtyard gradually reached its conclusion until it quieted down completely.
Out of the nine Nine Bends Association leaders, six died in the end, with the remaining three wounded and captured.
Most of the core gang members were eliminated, with some captured and a few escaping over the walls.
As for the hundreds of ordinary gang members outside the grand mansion, they were just a rabble driven by profit, lacking any loyalty to the gang.
Seeing the gang bigwigs either dead or captured, they scattered like birds and beasts.
And thus, the battle came to an end.
However, even though the Patrol Armor Bureau emerged victorious, it was just as everyone had anticipated beforehand.
The Nine Bends Association was indeed a tough nut to crack; forcing it open cost two teeth.
The Patrol Armor Bureau also paid a heavy price in this battle.
At least twenty patrol guards died.
Additionally, more than a dozen were severely injured, likely to retire with missing arms or legs.
As for the lightly injured, they were too many to count.
These numbers alone were enough to demonstrate that the Patrol Armor Bureau was severely wounded.
Liang Chuan Mountain, just in distributing the compensation funds, was facing a considerable amount.
"Thank you so much, Brother Zhou, for tonight. I’ll definitely prepare a gift and visit your residence sometime soon," Liang Chuan Mountain approached Zhou Sixin to express his gratitude.
"No worries. After tonight, Brother Liang, I fear you have many matters to handle," Zhou Sixin, looking slightly fatigued, waved his hand.
The thirty chief patrol guards he had brought were still intact after the battle, at most only wounded, with no casualties.
It could be seen that in terms of controlling battle losses, the General Department surpassed the Patrol Armor Bureau in the city, minimizing casualties.
"Moreover, your subordinate, Song Xiaodi, greatly exceeded my expectations in strength. His future is limitless. It seems I was shortsighted before. When I was his age, I was nowhere near his level."
Zhou Sixin turned his head to look at Song Changming, who was resting on the ground, couldn’t help but admire again.
Tonight, Song Changming had truly impressed him.
"As long as this young man remains modest and continues to patiently hone his martial skills, if he’s given an opportunity, he will undoubtedly soar, reaching heights even I can’t aspire to!"
"I agree." Liang Chuan Mountain nodded, sincerely agreeing.
From the beginning, he had high hopes for Song Changming and recruited him under his wing, nurturing him into a trusted aide in just two years.
Even if Song Changming doesn’t work under him in the future, this nurturing grace will keep them closely tied, not distant.
"I should take the brothers out for a drink and then head back to rest. Tonight has been exhausting," Zhou Sixin smiled and took his leave, leading his people away.
The cleanup work on the battlefield that followed was left to Liang Chuan Mountain to handle himself, understanding the rules, having taken his share without overstepping.
On the other side, Wang Xianwen was sitting restlessly.
Until the end of the battle with the Nine Bends Association, he hadn’t found another opportunity to harm Lv Gang.
Lv Gang wasn’t stupid. After realizing Wang Xianwen’s malicious intent, he kept a close eye on him, summoning his patrol guards to his side.
After seeing Song Changming finally finish off Scarface, he relaxed and retreated with his injuries to Liang Chuan Mountain’s side, not giving Wang Xianwen any chance to harm him.
Now, Wang Xianwen even considered disappearing, like those Nine Bends Association gang members, escaping altogether.
But human nature always harbors a fluke mentality.
What if, without concrete evidence from Lv Gang, while Wang Xianwen was discreet, and considering Liang Chuan Mountain’s current shortage of manpower, he might not be severely punished?
If he could just get through this hurdle, he might continue to stay in the Patrol Armor Bureau and make long-term plans.
Ultimately, he didn’t want to give up the position he currently held.
Wang Xianwen’s eyes flickered, but in the end, he stayed calm and didn’t take any action for the time being.
By the second half of the night, the bodies on the ground were cleaned up, cart by cart, to the morgue at the city gate.
Then, box after box of items plundered from the Nine Bends Association mansion were all laid out in front of Liang Chuan Mountain.
An accompanied comprehensive inventory booklet was also presented.
Song Changming looked over, seeing several large boxes of money and silver, both brass and silver.
The amounts were enormous.
Besides that, there were plenty of antique jade and porcelain, valuable writing and ink supplies.
There were also many martial training herbs, the batch value of which might even exceed the boxes of money and silver.
It’s hard to imagine how much black money the Nine Bends Association had made in the past two years to feed so many gang members and still have so many valuable items left.
Liang Chuan Mountain glanced over, after reading the items and numbers on the booklet, his brow relaxed instantly.
It was evident that he was pleased with these abundant spoils.
Soon, everything was loaded into trucks and transported back to the Patrol Armor Bureau.
The entire mansion, along with all the properties under the Nine Bends Association, was sealed overnight with government papers and warrants.
Seeing these familiar procedures, Song Changming sometimes couldn’t help but ponder.
The city Patrol Armor Bureau ostensibly maintains local order and stability, yet tacitly agrees with those gang powers, setting rules without crossing borders.
Privately, past Guard Captains often collaborated with gang powers, scheming together.
Seemingly harmonious, it was like raising pigs and sheep.
The gangs like pigs and sheep, fattened ones would be slaughtered and their assets confiscated by the Patrol Armor Bureau, gaining money and credits.
The former Qinghe gang, now the Nine Bends Association, how similar they were.
As for the feed that continually raised pigs and sheep, it seemed inexhaustible.
Where did this feed come from?
Most people probably understood, certainly not from the Patrol Armor Bureau and the government.
Understanding is one thing; the world is as it is, whether prosperity or chaos, it’s always the same group of people who suffer.
Ultimately, this world’s entire picture is survival of the fittest, big fish eat small fish.
To avoid being oppressed, one must grow strong, constantly seeking ways to climb upward.
Rising higher than anyone else means no one can oppress you.
Father Song was unwilling to endure poverty, resolutely leaving the village to strive in the County City, in search of change, to find opportunities, with a passionate heart to revive the Song Family.
Later, the elder and second brothers joined the military, also in search of changing their fate.
However, regardless of whether it was Father Song or those two brothers of Song Changming, they ultimately failed in their quest for change.
Success, after all, belongs to the few, and the path is more frequently filled with remnants of the failed.
Song Changming’s entry into the Patrol Armor Bureau was another attempt by the Song Family at transformation.
This time, from Song Changming becoming a Guard Captain, ultimately, it was undoubtedly a successful reversal.
They moved the Song Family from Baiyi Street to Houli Street, truly achieving a class leap, at least leaving the lowest stratum, no longer easily oppressed.
Toward the various conduct of the Patrol Armor Bureau, whether good or bad, Song Changming neither critiqued nor arrogantly wanted to change it.
This phenomenon, this societal atmosphere, was not unique to Donglai County City; it was likely the same in other towns and even the entire Imperial Dynasty.
The ones truly needing to worry about this were the high-ranking officials and acclaimed knight-errants, for only they had the energy to act.