Chapter 211
Xie Wendong returned to the hall. Early the next morning, he gathered many officials for a meeting. Now, the four leaders each brought their subordinates and confidants to Nanjing, and Dong Xinlei as well as Nie Tianxing had arrived. Xie Wendong had a large army at his disposal, so he was not at a disadvantage compared to the Nan Hongmen. Since he already knew that the Tai Hongmen planned to get involved, he decided to take the initiative and launch a surprise attack. During the meeting, Xie Wendong informed everyone of the possibility that the Tai Hongmen might ally with the Nan Hongmen. He stayed neutral for now, waiting to see everyone’s reactions.
Everyone was shocked after hearing this. The terrifying aspect of the Tai Hongmen was their assassin group, Hongye. In the scorching heat of June, red leaves flew southward. Hongye was the hallmark of the Tai Hongmen, renowned far and wide; few in the underworld didn’t know of it. Dong Xinlei said gravely, “If Hongye gets involved, things will get difficult.”
One of the four leaders, Huang Shurong, hurriedly added, “Exactly! With Hongye involved, even if we manage to defeat the Nan Hongmen, we’ll still suffer heavy losses. I think we should focus on defense first.” Fang Guodong shook his head strongly at his words. After Wan Fu, the leader of the two-province group, died, Fang Guodong took his place. He was one of the outstanding younger generations in the Hongmen, with exceptional strategic thinking. Fang Guodong said, “Defending only makes us passive and gives the Nan Hongmen ample time to prepare. In my opinion, we should attack quickly, drive Xiang Wentian out of Nanjing before Hongye arrives. That way, we won’t have to worry about anything behind us. Even if the Nan Hongmen and Hongye truly ally, we won’t be afraid.”
Hmm! Xie Wendong nodded inwardly—Fang Guodong was good, with some foresight. Huang Shurong scratched his head, chuckled, and praised, “Brother Fang truly has great insight!” But although he spoke that way, his suggestion was immediately dismissed by Fang Guodong’s long list of arguments, leaving him somewhat displeased.
Nie Tianxing also agreed, “Brother Fang is right. Holding our ground passively is indeed not ideal; it’s better to take the initiative. If we’re going to attack, we must act fast, not giving Xiang Wentian any chance to counterattack. We should drive him out of Nanjing in one go. If Xiang Wentian fails again, the Nan Hongmen’s morale will surely drop. Then, we can pursue them and deal them a heavy blow.”
Xie Wendong sighed inwardly. Well, everything he wanted to say had already been said by Nie Tianxing. He looked around and asked, “Does anyone else have any opinions?”
Ren Changfeng said urgently, “Of course there’s no problem. We’re just waiting for Brother Dong’s word—then we and Xiang Wentian will engage in a final battle!” The others also nodded in agreement. Xie Wendong stood up and waved his hand, saying, “Very well! Tonight, we’ll launch a full-scale counterattack against the territories occupied by Xiang Wentian.” He paused, glanced at everyone, and added, “We’ll divide into two groups. One group will be led by Lao Lei and Lingmin to strike at the South Hongmen forces in the urban area. They don’t have many bases or troops there—two thousand men should be enough for you two, right?”
Dong Xinlei and Lingmin replied in unison, “It’s enough!” Xie Wendong nodded and said, “The rest of you follow me. We’ll head straight to the southern suburbs to confront Xiang Wentian. That’s their temporary headquarters, where most of their forces are concentrated. I hope everyone acts carefully and withdraws immediately if anything goes wrong.” Everyone bowed and clasped their fists, saying, “Understood!”
Finally, Xie Wendong discussed the attack plan for the night with everyone again and came up with the best approach. To keep things confidential, he reminded everyone at the end of the meeting not to reveal the plan to anyone, not even their closest subordinates. Knowing the importance of the night’s attack, they went back and instructed their men to rest well, as the leader would organize a “feast” that night.
Xie Wendong returned to his room and pondered for a long time, shaking his head as he felt something was still off. Within the Hongmen, the only one who could truly offer him advice was Nie Tianxing. He ordered one of his scouts to bring Nie Tianxing over. After a while, Nie Tianxing entered, looking puzzled. Seeing this, Xie Wendong smiled and waved him in. “Tianxing, come and sit,” he said. Nie Tianxing sat down beside him, unsure of what the leader wanted. Xie Wendong frowned slightly and said, “Just now, the secret agents reported that word is spreading quickly among the gangs. It seems everyone knows that the South Hongmen has allied with the Tai Hongmen, and Hongye wants to get involved in the conflict between the north and south.” Nie Tianxing nodded, looking at Xie Wendong skeptically—he didn’t see anything wrong. Xie Wendong continued, “I keep feeling something’s not right, but I can’t figure out what. Tianxing, what do you think?”
Nie Tianxing scratched his head and lowered his gaze in thought. After a while, he said with a bitter smile, “If even the sect leader doesn’t know, how could I possibly guess?” He paused briefly, then asked doubtfully, “Maybe the news spread too quickly and too easily!” Xie Wendong took a breath, narrowed his eyes, snapped his fingers coldly, and said with a laugh, “Exactly, it was too easy. Such important news should definitely be kept confidential—how could it just spread wherever it wants?! It’s a pity that the person who first spread this news in the food stall yesterday is no longer here; otherwise, I would have asked him for answers.” Nie Tianxing felt a stir in his heart and said, “This might be a trap set by Xiang Wentian on purpose. I can’t figure out what tricks he has in store, but I think we should cancel the plan to attack at night.” Xie Wendong pondered for a moment before shaking his head and saying, “That’s not right. Suddenly canceling a planned attack would greatly dampen the morale of our troops. If we’re going to attack, we must go all the way. Besides, I want to see what kind of person Xiang Wentian is and what tricks he might have up his sleeve. Still, we must be wary of any ambushes he might set. So, Tianxing, I’ll give you three thousand men to stay in the city area. No matter which group encounters trouble, you must rush to provide support immediately.” Nie Tianxing nodded and said, “That’s no problem, but…” But he was afraid both groups might encounter trouble! He didn’t say this, only sighing inwardly. Xie Wendong was so clever—he understood his meaning at a glance. He patted his shoulder and said with a laugh, “If both sides really encounter trouble at the same time, go help Old Lei first, and then take care of me.” Nie Tianxing was thrilled and secretly gave a thumbs-up—Xie Wendong was indeed extraordinary.
There was no conversation during the day. Around 10 p.m., at Xie Wendong’s command, most of the Northern Hongmen disciples gathered together. Everyone was puzzled—wasn’t it supposed to be a carnival? Why was the sect leader leading the way, with all the officers fully armed and radiating a murderous aura? It seemed like they were going to war. Only then did the officers reveal the plan to attack the Southern Hongmen that night. Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked and thought to themselves: What an amazing “carnival”!
Xie Wendong took Ren Changfeng, Wei Zidan, along with the four top leaders and the thousands of men they brought, and headed south in batches. The thousand men gathered at a hidden location in the southern suburbs. Only after everyone arrived did Xie Wendong arrive by carriage. He stepped forward among the crowd, scanned them with his eyes, and thought to himself, Not bad! Most of these men were around twenty-three or twenty-four years old, tall and strong, with bulging muscles—clearly they had received special training. It seems the four top leaders really brought their best troops! Xie Wendong sighed inwardly. He pulled at his robe and drew his sword from beneath it, then asked loudly, “Does everyone know who we’re going to fight tonight?”
The crowd exchanged glances and shook their heads. The four leaders hadn’t told their men much in advance. Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes and smiled faintly, saying, “It’s Xiang Wentian!”
Upon hearing this, everyone gasped. They hadn’t expected to face the leader of the Southern Hongmen clan tonight. Xie Wendong continued, “But there’s no need to worry. Xiang Wentian is just a man, not a god—he’s nothing to fear. The conflict between the North and South has lasted for decades, with everyone claiming to be the legitimate faction. But legitimacy isn’t determined by words—it’s proven by action!” He waved his fist forcefully and added, “It’s time to settle this. Today is a starting point. Starting from Nanjing, we’ll drive Xiang Wentian back to Guangzhou, proving to the world, to the martial world, and to all those in the sect that we are the true legitimate heirs of the Hongmen clan! Those who want to join me in proving this—draw your swords!”
Hearing this, the crowd’s blood boiled, and they drew their swords, ready to shout loudly. Xie Wendong quickly raised his index finger to his lips and said with a smile, “Quietly. Don’t alert them.”
The group split into five teams and moved swiftly toward the hotels in the southern suburbs. The teams kept in constant contact by phone, so if one group encountered enemies, the others could come to help. Xie Wendong and Ren Changfeng led one team of about two hundred men—each of them elite chosen by Xie Wendong from these thousands. As they approached the hotels, Xie Wendong took a detour, avoiding the hotels and heading straight for the villa where Xiang Wentian was staying. The location of the villa had been discovered by his secret agents, and it was Xie Wendong’s first time seeing it. From afar, a three-story building was faintly visible in the darkness, barely discernible. As they got closer, he looked closely and nodded in approval, exclaiming, What a strategic location! The villa was built on a hillside, with a narrow, winding path leading to the foot of the hill—only a little over two meters wide, just wide enough for a car to pass. Seeing this, Xie Wendong stopped and stared at the villa on the hillside.
Ren Changfeng was puzzled and asked, “Brother Dong, why did we suddenly stop?” Xie Wendong pointed at the building in the darkness and said, “If there’s an ambush there, given the treacherous terrain, it will be very difficult for us to escape.” Ren Changfeng smiled and said, “Brother Dong, you’re being too cautious. What kind of ambush could there be in such a tiny villa?!” Xie Wendong shook his head and waved at his subordinates, saying, “Send two of you up to scout. Check if there’s anyone in the villa. If not, retreat immediately and call me to let me know, understood?”
The subordinate asked, “What if there’s someone up there?” Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes and laughed, “Then wait for me to come up and deal with them!” “Understood!” The two subordinates adjusted their clothes, picked up their knives, and headed up the path to the halfway point of the mountain. Still worried, Xie Wendong called the two members of the covert team leading the way over and instructed them, “You two go up too. If Xiang Wentian is indeed in the villa, there must be spies on this mountain path. Eliminate them silently—no noise allowed.” “Understood!” The two covert team members nodded in unison, shifted their shoulders, and rushed after the two subordinates ahead. The difference between the two groups was evident right away. Although the two subordinates started first, they were quickly overtaken by the covert team.
Xie Wendong waited at the foot of the mountain for news, pacing back and forth while deep in thought. He was worried that Xiang Wentian might set up a decoy to lure him, using an empty villa as a trap so that he could be surrounded at the foot of the mountain, leaving him trapped with no way to escape. Just then, Xie Wendong’s phone rang. Ren Changfeng perked up and hurried over. After answering, he heard that it was indeed his two subordinates calling, their voices excited. They said, “Brother Dong, we and the covert team members eliminated eight spies along the way and captured one alive. He said Xiang Wentian is inside the villa, and there are less than thirty bodyguards.” Xie Wendong asked cautiously, “Did you hear any voices inside the villa?” The subordinate replied, “Yes, there were quite a few people inside, judging by the sounds.”
Only then did Xie Wendong feel relieved. He shook the knife in his hand and shouted, “Go!”
The two hundred men were fierce as wolves and tigers, panting heavily, eager to storm into the villa at once. Along the way, they saw several corpses on the ground, all with their throats cut by sharp weapons—clearly the work of the Blood Killing Gang. Xie Wendong nodded, thinking to himself: Liu Bo is impressive. It’s no easy task to train the covert team to be on par with the Blood Killing Gang.
Upon arriving at the villa, the two members of the covert team along with two underlings were waiting at the door. Xie Wendong nodded to signal them, and they understood his intention. One of them stood against the wall, knees slightly bent, palms together beneath his abdomen, while the other stepped forward quickly, stepped on his palms, used the momentum to leap upward, and flipped over the wall to enter the villa. He crouched by the wall for a while, ensuring no one noticed him before getting up and quietly pulling back the door latch. Xie Wendong and Ren Changfeng exchanged a smile, surprised by how smoothly things were going.
They stepped inside the villa carefully. Voices could indeed be heard inside—the laughter and chatter indicated a lively atmosphere. Ren Changfeng narrowed his eyes, ready to break in with his knife, but Xie Wendong suddenly felt a badpremonition and quickly pulled him back, shaking his head. He then waved at his men, signaling them to wait.
These men, however, didn’t share Xie Wendong’s caution. They were all eager to prove themselves to their leader, and even more so if they could earn some merit. One of them rushed to the door and kicked it hard. The wooden door, made of rosewood, was extremely sturdy, but it wasn’t locked. With a powerful kick, the door flew open with a loud crash. The man lost his balance, stumbling forward two steps before managing to steady himself. Before he could look up, a gunshot rang out.
“Bang!” The man staggered back two steps, a red dot appearing on his forehead as blood streamed down his cheek. A red maple leaf drifted down from above. The man’s eyes widened as he saw someone standing in the center of the hall, still holding a gun that was emitting smoke. He tried to shout but collapsed to the ground. The man recognized his face, his expression darkening as he sighed in regret before jumping out through the window. By the time the others rushed in, the hall was empty, except for the man’s body twitching on the ground, with a red leaf lying beside him.