The dock belongs to the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company, but the coolies carrying large packages on the dock have their own stories.

  The gang is neither mysterious nor arrogant. Its essence is nothing more than a laborious mass at the bottom of society, forming an organization for self-protection. Fathers and sons pass down gangs, brothers pass down societies.

  Although the Shanghai gangs were mostly under the name of Qingbang, they also used the 24-character hierarchy of Qingbang. However, in actual operation, it was not as close-knit as one family. Just like the later Hong Kong Triads, although they all originated from Tiandihui, there existed independent organizations such as Xin Yi An and Lianying She, and even within the same organization, there were different factions, with a united front externally but also internal conflicts and power struggles.

  Jin Yongtai Wharf has existed for nearly half a century and can be said to have changed hands eight hundred times. In this half-century, the gang forces of the wharf have undergone several changes.

  Good people don't become dockworkers; if they do, they have to find a good boss. This is the truest reflection of our society.

  Don't look down on dockworkers, although their work is hard and the pay is low. That bowl of rice isn't something just anyone can eat. Let me put it this way: if you're from Shandong province and you want to run to a dock controlled by people from Subei to beg for a job, sorry, it's absolutely impossible. It's like in later generations, when people were picking up trash or stealing things in the city, they had to draw boundaries and define their territory. Any outsiders who came here to make a living would be taught a lesson without exception. So, some people in later generations would mock poor people by saying, "Don't you know how to pick up trash? You can even get rich from picking up trash!" But the guys who say this are on the same level as Emperor Hui of Jin, who asked, "Why not eat meat porridge?" - they're ignorant of worldly affairs and don't understand human emotions. It's laughable, really laughable.

  The topic returns to the gang, if the Jiangbei people want to maintain their regional ethnic group's long-term monopoly on the dock, then they must form a gang and unite against outsiders. Under the drive of these interests, the gang's power has further expanded. The gang may be evil, not in line with the moral code, but its existence is reasonable, precisely because the survival needs of the grassroots people, under the vicious cycle, the gang can't be killed, can't be exterminated, and passed down from generation to generation, unless humanity really has a day when all classes are eliminated.

  The greatest foundation for the formation of a gang is the hometown association, which is also one of the lowest-cost combinations of various interests. In the early days, different gangs often fought each other to seize territory, resulting in countless deaths and injuries. To this end, foreigners who pursued harmony and stability had no good solution, and in order to effectively maintain stability, foreigners who could not eliminate class differences had to rely on the Chinese detectives in the police station, letting these big hooligan leaders deal with these suddenly violent coolies.

  The golden glory of the French concession was just like that, although it was only a detective, but Huang Jinrong used various means to divide the territory, set rules and fees, and put all kinds of gang forces in the French concession under his control. Whether it was the dockworkers or the street vendors selling goods, they were all under the control of Old Master Huang. In the French concession, even foreigners had to give Old Master Huang a bit of face. Of course, there were also some French people who didn't know better and tried to suppress Old Master Huang, but then, sorry, the big filth in the concession wouldn't be cleaned up, and the goods at the dock would pile up like mountains with no one to load or unload them. Over time, Huang Jinrong went from being a small detective to becoming the local emperor of Shanghai's French concession, famous throughout the land.

  Du Yuesheng's actions today are strictly speaking risky, as all the docks have already been divided into spheres of influence and have paid their protection fees to Huang Laoban. Now, intervening in the docks, especially without Huang Laoban's knowledge, could have unpredictable consequences if not handled properly.

  However, wealth and honor are hard to come by. Although Du Yuesheng was timid since childhood, a big boss is still a big boss, and he didn't lack courage when doing things. Moreover, this frame can't be fought or not, Du Yuesheng after all is a Jianghu person, not a soldier, so on the dock issue, he is also polite first and then military. The big boss of Jinye Tai Dock, Fei Lao Rong, has an ordinary status in the Green Gang, with no high or low generation, and there are no special relationships with Huang Laoban, relying only on himself behind his back. Such a dock, theoretically speaking, is easy to take.

  But this is just a theory, and in practice it's not that simple.

  Our Mr. Du found Fei Lao Rong with great enthusiasm, hoping that the other party could hand over this venue to himself, of course not for free, and naturally there was also a good fee waiting.

  Unfortunately, Fei Lao Rong didn't have much reputation in the underworld, but he was arrogant. As for Huang Jinrong's subordinate, he really wasn't interested. So he didn't even give him half a face and directly told Du Yuesheng that there was no way.

  Du Yuesheng didn't mind, still smiling and said: "We're all from the same school, brothers really have things to do, temporarily borrowing the dock for a few months, I'll return it to you after use, and the good fee will still be given to you."

  Fat Rong suddenly became furious, thinking that he hadn't seen the Three Kingdoms before. You want to learn from Liu Bei and borrow Jingzhou, right? I'm not Sun Quan, you immediately roll back where you came from, this place doesn't welcome you.

  Having lost face, he naturally wanted it back, and Mr. Du's hooligan nature soon came out.

  "Third brother, wait and see a show later." Du Yuesheng said with a smile after taking a sip of tea.

  Wang Zhenyu glanced at his sworn brother: "Don't be fighting and killing, little brother can't stand the sight of blood!"

  Du Yuesheng laughed: "You're teasing your second brother again, if you can't stand the sight of blood, then shouldn't we be vegetarian and chant Buddhist scriptures? Haha..."

  At this time, one of Du Yuesheng's attendants ran up from downstairs and whispered a few words in his ear.

  Du Yuesheng nodded and said to Wang Zhenyu: "He's here."

  Wang Zhenyu followed Du Yuesheng's gaze out of the window and indeed it was a magnificent sight.

  A large group of robust men with yellow scarves wrapped around their heads stormed towards the Kim Yong-tae dock, each holding a wooden club as tall as a person.

  These sturdy men were all from Shandong, the leader nicknamed Knife Scar. These men had all come to Shanghai from Shandong to make a living. However, without any backing, they had been unable to get on their feet and could only scrounge up some leftover food, barely scraping by. But just a few days ago, Du Yuesheng found them.

  As mentioned earlier, the Jin Yongtai Wharf belongs to the Wheel Steamship Company. This place has always been a gathering spot for people from Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, who come here to eat and socialize. The leader of the Taizhou gang is nicknamed "Fatty Rong", a big fat man with a cruel heart and ruthless methods. He has many followers under his command, and they have dominated Jin Yongtai Wharf for five years.

  Du Yuesheng chose to move this dock for various considerations. Firstly, this dock is owned by Chinese merchants and will not attract the attention of the concession's high-level authorities; secondly, Huang Laoban and Fei Lao Rong have a bad relationship, even somewhat unpleasant, if he really moves him, there will be suspicion of violating Huang Laoban's rules, but Lin Guisheng is also taking care of that side, Du Yuesheng believes the consequences won't be too severe; thirdly, the Taizhou gang has always relied on its large numbers to bully others, and almost all other Zhejiang gangs will not lend a hand.

  But no matter how well one plans, there is still an important prerequisite for achieving the goal, that is, the Shandong gang he hired can take down this dock.

  Inside the dock, the people of Taizhou were not idle either. Fei Lao Rong personally arrived at the dock today, with dozens of trusted followers carrying in over a dozen large wooden boxes. The more than 300 brothers from Taizhou who usually hung around the dock all gathered together, without a single one showing any fear. As soon as those large wooden boxes were opened, they were all filled with knives. One person, one knife, and the Taizhou gang quickly transformed into the "Chopping Knife Gang". These people all tied red scarves on their left hands, so when the fight started, they would be able to distinguish friend from foe.

  Wang Zhenyu looked at the two groups of people with distinct formations, without saying a word, his eyes fixed on the dock. Such a scene is rarely seen even in movies of later generations, how could he let it slip away.

  On the dock, the idle crowd had dispersed.

  The dockworkers who were usually full of vigor and energy are now all hiding in their own offices, sipping a cup of strong tea, watching the two groups of people outside through the glass.

  The rules of the rivers and lakes, anyway, no matter which group wins, it won't affect their own interests, and everyone is happy to watch the show.

  Fei Lao Rong is now sitting upright on a Ba Xian table, holding a purple sand pot in his hand, from time to time sending a mouthful into his own big mouth.

  "Scar, it's only been a few days and you've become so bold! You dare to take charge on our Alatai State territory, aren't you afraid of our Nai Ze?"

  There was a deep scar on the face of Dāo Bā, which was left when he first came to Shanghai to make a living. Carefully counting, Dāo Bā had been mixed up in Shanghai for nearly ten years, from initially being a porter to now being the head of a gang. The hardships and difficulties during this period are naturally not worth mentioning. However, even if it was a matter of life and death, over these years, he and his fellow Shandong brothers were unable to gain a foothold in Shanghai. After all, they didn't have any backing, so they could only be used as pawns by others.

  But unexpectedly, a few days ago, Mr. Du, a subordinate of Old Master Huang, found himself and said he would support him in taking down the Jin Yongtai dock, and even gave him a substantial sum of money. To be honest, the risk of this job is well-known. Not to mention anything else, the Taizhou gang has over 300 people who are not very big in size but extremely ferocious, and ordinary people do not want to provoke them. Moreover, there are only more than 200 reliable brothers under his command, and it's uncertain whether they will have the upper hand if things get out of hand.

  But after mixing in Shanghai for a decade or so, even if he didn't have any accomplishments, he had gained some experience. Dao Ba was unwilling to miss this opportunity and immediately expressed that if he could successfully take down the dock, he would definitely look up to Mr. Du from then on.

  To ensure a win, Dào Bāo also gathered over 200 fellow Shandong villagers to support him, so this time he brought more than 400 people, at least having an advantage in numbers.

  With so many brothers supporting him, Knife Scar gained some confidence: "Fei Lao Rong, everyone is out here to make a living, why should you monopolize the entire dock? Fei Lao Rong, don't blame me for not giving you a chance today. This dock belongs to Knife Scar from now on. If you know what's good for you, hand over your territory."

  Fei Lao Rong heard this, got up from the Eight Immortals table, stood up with a smile all over his face, and his eyes were squeezed into a slit by the fat on his face: "Your words mean there's nothing to talk about."

  Fat Ron immediately shouted: "Brothers!"

  Over three hundred Zhejiang brothers shouted: "In!"

  "Let's go, Nike!"

  The Taizhou gang rushed out first, and more than 300 people surged forward like a tide.