The whole mountain is my hunting ground.

Chapter 1651 Cliques Engage in Covert Infighting, Each with Their Own Hidden agendas

Chapter 1651 Cliques Engage in Covert Infighting, Each with Their Own Hidden agendas

There are only three jeeps in the entire Yong'an forest area.

The forest farm has two vehicles, and Zhao Jun has one.

The Pang family has been running the business for three generations, so they are certainly wealthy, as evidenced by the Pang family mansion.

The Pang family's courtyard and house were slightly inferior to the Zhao family's courtyard, but in Yongsheng Village, they were definitely the most luxurious mansion.

But when it comes to prestige and strength, the Pang family is no match for the Zhao family.

In this area of ​​Yong'an, although not as focused on secure jobs as Shandong, there are still widely circulated anecdotes about two sons-in-law moving in at the same time, with the father-in-law and mother-in-law favoring the postman son-in-law while looking down on the son-in-law who had earned ten thousand yuan.

Pang Gaosheng was the only one in the Pang family with a government job, but he was just a junior technician under Zheng Quan. His status in the forest area was not much different from that of Zhao Jun, who used to be a surveyor at the forestry station.

This identity might carry some weight in the forest area, but it doesn't make you a big shot.

As for the Pang family gang's reputation as the largest ginseng gang in Yong'an, it's hardly a respectable title. Ginseng gangs and hunting gangs are only recognized by those who frequent mountain areas. It's hardly something to be proud of in a formal setting.

Otherwise, Pang Zhendong wouldn't have sent the club to the former Secretary Zhang and arranged for Pang Gaosheng to work as a technician in the forest farm. If it weren't for Pang Gaosheng's support, those forest rangers could have crushed the Pang family.

Over the years, no one driving a car had been in contact with the Pang family. So, when a car horn sounded outside, the Pang father and son were somewhat surprised.

They looked out the window and saw a jeep parked outside the yard. The father and son's first reaction was: Zhao Jun is here!

"Father!" Pang Gaoming exclaimed in a panic, asking Pang Zhendong, "Does Zhao Jun know that we're plotting against that old Xing?"

"No way!" Pang Zhendong frowned and looked out the window, saying, "This matter is known only to the three of us!"

"What should we do then, Dad?" Pang Gaoming asked. Pang Zhendong said in a deep voice, "What else is there to do? Let's go out and take a look."

After speaking, Pang Zhendong went first, followed closely by Pang Gaoming.

The father and son were taken aback when they went outside, because they recognized Shao Tianpeng and Shao Zhiqiang standing outside the courtyard.

Upon seeing that it wasn't Zhao Jun, the Pang father and son immediately perked up and calmly walked towards the courtyard gate.

Although the Shao family gang was powerful, the Pang family gang was no less formidable. Moreover, Yong'an was the Pang family's territory, and as the saying goes, even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. Pang Zhendong was confident that even if the Shao family came, they wouldn't dare to cause trouble in Yong'an.

Just as Pang Zhendong walked to the door with his hands behind his back, he saw Shao Jun open the passenger door and help an old man with white hair and beard out.

The Pang father and son knew who the old man was just by looking at the fact that he had no hand on one arm.

"Oh dear!" Pang Zhendong's expression changed, and he hurriedly clasped his hands in greeting to Shao Yunjin, saying, "Old Master."

Shao Yunjin is almost ninety years old, and after two days of this, he is really exhausted.

At this moment, Shao Yunjin slightly raised his eyelids, glanced at Pang Zhendong, and asked, "What is Pang Sanyanzi to you?"

“That’s my father.” Pang Zhendong’s tone wasn’t overly respectful, but it was still proper. Shao Yunjin’s seniority was undeniable; his reputation in the mountain hunting business was just as renowned as Zhao Jun’s in the hunting world.

The key point is that Pang Zhendong's father was once Shao Yunjin's apprentice. With this relationship, even if Pang Zhendong claims to have a different master, Shao Yunjin is still his grandfather's generation.

Since the Chinese have always valued respect for teachers and elders, as long as Shao Yunjin did not do anything excessive to the Pang family when he arrived in Lingxi, Pang Zhendong had to be respectful.

"Hmm." At this moment, Shao Yunjin looked Pang Zhendong up and down, but didn't mention Pang Sanyan again. Instead, he asked directly, "You're just letting me talk to you outside?"

"Oh dear!" Pang Zhendong's expression changed upon hearing this, then he stepped aside and raised his hand, saying, "Grandpa, come on in."

And so, the Shao family of four followed the Pang family father and son into their home.

After sitting down on the kang (heated brick bed) in the east room, Pang Zhendong called to his wife and daughter-in-law to pour water for the guests.

After he sat down opposite the Shao family, he heard Shao Tianpeng say, "Chief Pang, it's been a few years since we last met, hasn't it?"

"Indeed," Pang Zhendong laughed. "It's been about twenty years, hasn't it?"

"I've got it." Shao Tianpeng nodded slightly in agreement, but then his next sentence shocked the Pang family father and son so much that their expressions changed drastically.

Shao Tianpeng clasped his hands in a fist salute to Pang Zhendong and said with a smile, "We'll see each other often in the future, but we'll have to rely on Boss Pang to take good care of us."

Even the two local ginseng-producing families don't see each other often. Besides, the Shao family lives in Lingnan and the Pang family in Lingxi, separated by that ridge, how could they possibly meet frequently?

The mountain runners of today are completely different from those of thirty years from now. These days, mountain runners adhere to the rules.

The Pang family has been guarding the eighteen posts for years and has never crossed the Zhangguangcai Ridge.

Judging from Shao Tianpeng's words, it seems that the Shao family gang is planning to develop in Lingxi.

This is something Pang Zhendong absolutely cannot tolerate, nor can he allow.

"Old Master Shao." Pang Zhendong cupped his hands in greeting to Shao Tianpeng. Shao Tianpeng was more than ten years older than him and was also Pang Zhendong's senior, so Pang Zhendong was very polite.

Seeing Shao Tianpeng clasp his hands in response, Pang Zhendong said, "Your old man is here, so we have to be reasonable. Although your family was originally from Lingxi, you established your business and set up shop in Lingnan. You can't overstep your bounds like this!"

When Shao Yunjin was still here, he was a member of the Bearded Gang, not the Ginseng Gang. The Shao Family Gang started out as a group of people gathered by Shao Tianpeng in Lingnan. According to the mountain rules, the Shao Family Gang was not allowed to plunder in Lingxi.

Of course, it should be like that year, with the Shao family gang sneaking in, then no one can stop them. But the key is that this matter cannot be discovered by the ginseng gang in Lingxi.

It was discovered that year, when Pang Sanyan was still around. Pang Sanyan went to Lingnan and said a lot to Shao Yunjin. Although Pang Sanyan didn't say a single harsh word, that's how he managed to embarrass Shao Tianpeng.

Pang Zhendong was not Pang Sanyan; he had no other connection with the Shao family. So when Shao Tianpeng said those words, although Pang Zhendong's words retained some politeness, he effectively shut Shao Tianpeng down.

"Hehe." Pang Zhendong didn't say anything extreme, and Shao Tianpeng also smiled and didn't say anything.

At this moment, Shao Zhiqiang picked up the conversation and said to Pang Zhendong, "Boss Pang, you don't know what our Shao family does, do you?"

"Huh?" Pang Zhendong was taken aback by Shao Zhiqiang's question. Who in the Fangshanxing group didn't know the Shao family's background? Why did Shao Zhiqiang's question sound a bit provocative?

At this moment, Shao Zhiqiang said, "Chief Pang may not know, but our Shao surname is a Manchu surname that was changed. Our family used to be surnamed Wusu, and we belonged to the Plain Yellow Banner."

Shao Zhiqiang's few words left the Pang father and son bewildered, exchanging bewildered glances. What utter nonsense! It was like a storyteller's rambling; the father and son couldn't understand a word he said.

Seeing the bewildered expressions of the Pang father and son, Shao Tianpeng smiled slightly and asked Pang Zhendong, "Chief Pang, you're young, so you might not know. But you should have heard your father mention General Dasheng Wula, right?"

Pang Zhendong blinked twice, and then heard Shao Tianpeng continue, "The last four Ula generals were all from the Shao family."

At this point, Shao Tianpeng gestured to the side and said, "My father was the last Ula General, the same general we're talking about in the mountain expedition."

Shao Zhiqiang and Shao Tianpeng, father and son, talked back and forth, leaving the Pang family father and son completely bewildered.

Pang Gaoming had heard the older generation talk about the general. He only knew that the general in the mountain expedition was an old leader whose skills had reached a certain level and who had the ability to observe the mountains and judge the scenery.

Pang Zhendong had heard Pang Sanyanzi mention some things, but the Qing Dynasty had been gone for so many years, and Pang Sanyanzi, at his age, had only heard a few words from the older generation. By the time it reached Pang Zhendong, there were only a few fragments left.

The main problem was that what the Shao family said was beyond the comprehension of the Pang family father and son. If the Li family were here, apart from Li Xiaoqiao, even Li Ruhai wouldn't be someone the Shao family could fool.

The Qing Dynasty hasn't lasted that long, has it? No matter how old you are, Shao Yunjin, how old were you when the Qing Dynasty didn't exist?

A general? More like the Mud-Melting General, perhaps?

Seeing that the Pang father and son remained silent, Shao Zhiqiang laughed and said, "Chief Pang, General Wula's seal and command flag are still enshrined in our home. If you have the chance to come to Lingnan, I can bring them out so you can see them."

What Shao Tianpeng and Shao Zhiqiang said was half true and half false; the last few Ula Generals were indeed from their family. By then, the Qing Dynasty was already in decline, and the position of Ula General was passed down within the family.

When the throne was passed down to Shao Yunjin's father, he said he wanted to pass it on to Shao Yunjin. But before Shao Yunjin could even grow up, the Qing Dynasty was over.

"No?" Pang Zhendong, being a man of some stature, reacted quickly and said to Shao Zhiqiang, "Chief Shao, whether I see your treasure or not is irrelevant. The key question is, what do you mean? Just because your family has generals, you think you can get your hands on us in Lingxi?"

"Chief Pang, don't you know that?" Shao Zhiqiang asked with a smile, "Aren't those mountain rules all set by the general?"

“This…” Pang Zhendong was speechless. He had heard his father mention this before.

To be fair, Pang Zhendong is a man who follows the rules; otherwise, he wouldn't have been fooled by the Shao family.

Of course, this deception is only temporary, and Pang Zhendong will definitely realize what's going on afterward.

However, Pang Zhendong had been influenced by the ginseng gang's culture since childhood, and he valued the rules of the trade very much. When he led his men up the mountain to graze, he had dozens of men under his command, and none of them dared to speak out of turn.

“Boss Shao.” Pang Gaoming, young and quick-witted, realized something was wrong and interrupted Shao Zhiqiang.

Immediately afterwards, Pang Gaoming looked at Shao Tianpeng and said, "Old leader, I'm a junior, I don't quite understand, I want to ask you. That year, when my grandfather came to Lingnan to talk to you and the old man about the mountain rules, why didn't you mention this matter?"

After saying this, Pang Gaoming smiled and added, "If you had said so earlier, we wouldn't have been able to stop you."

Upon hearing Pang Gaoming's words, Shao Tianpeng and Shao Zhiqiang were both taken aback, while Pang Zhendong's eyes lit up.

Pang Gaoming's words made perfect sense.

He made it very clear: back then, your Shao family gang sneaked into Lingxi to hunt in the mountains, and after we discovered them, my grandfather went to Lingnan to reason with you. Out of respect for your grandfather, we didn't make you apologize, but you haven't been to Lingnan for almost twenty years.

If your claim of being a general was useful, why didn't you mention it to my grandfather back then? Now that my grandfather is gone, you come here to lecture us younger generation about rules and history—isn't that just fooling us?

"Hehe." Shao Tianpeng smiled bitterly and said, "Back then... the regulations were strict, and we didn't dare to mention it."

"Ah..." Hearing Shao Tianpeng say this, the Pang father and son realized what was going on.

Indeed, twenty years ago, if the Shao family dared to claim they were descendants of some general from the Qing Dynasty, they were simply asking for trouble.

"Old leader." Pang Zhendong, having regained his senses, smiled at Shao Tianpeng and said, "Back when my father went to Lingnan, he made a pact with your two gangs to stay within their respective borders and not interfere with each other. Since you've agreed, we should continue to follow that approach. What do you think?"

Pang Zhendong's statement is perfectly reasonable. Regardless of the circumstances, the Shao family agreed to the agreement when it was made. Now, unilaterally breaking the contract is unethical and will make it impossible for them to survive in the business.

After Pang Zhendong finished speaking, the four members of the Shao family fell silent.

Seeing this, Pang Zhendong thought that the Shao family had no way to back down. Based on the principle of making money through harmony, Pang Zhendong smiled and said, "Old man, old foreman, foreman Shao, our two families are all in the same business. My father and the old man also have that relationship, so we are practically family."

My eldest son is here, so let me make this clear. From now on, whenever you come to Lingxi, as long as you're not there to hunt in the mountains, you can do whatever you want. If you come to my house, I, Pang Zhendong, will kill any chickens I have and any dogs I have.

"If there's anything I can help you with, and I can do it, I won't hesitate. Is that alright?"

Pang Zhendong's words were very pleasing to the ear, but he knew very well that saying nice things didn't cost him anything and he didn't lose anything at all.

As for whether or not to help the Shao family if they ever need anything in the future, isn't that up to Pang Zhendong?

To Pang Zhendong's surprise, as soon as he finished speaking, he heard Shao Tianpeng say, "Boss Pang, what you said is very kind. I just wanted to ask you for a favor."

"I..." Pang Zhendong almost choked on his breath. After quickly calming himself down, Pang Zhendong smiled at Shao Tianpeng and said, "Old man, just tell me what you need. I'll do whatever I can."

“Oh dear, I’m not afraid you’ll laugh at me for telling you,” Shao Tianpeng said. “That year I suffered a loss in Lingxi. Three of my men were taken down. You guys in Tunqi Daya knew about it back then.”

Hearing Shao Tianpeng's words, Pang Zhendong nodded slightly, but his heart was filled with a sense of unease.

He knew that Xing San was the one who betrayed the Pang family gang back then, and he also learned from people inside the Shao family gang that Shao Tianpeng lost a first-class cargo during that conflict.

In the context of mountain ginseng hunting, wild ginseng is referred to as "grass immortal." A single top-quality seedling is called "great immortal child," and its value is said to be priceless.

In recent days, the Pang family father and son have discovered that wild ginseng has never been traded at this price in Lingnan or Lingxi in recent years. Therefore, they believe that Xing San kept that ginseng seedling.

The Pang father and son were not desperate criminals; they had no intention of fighting with Xing San. Initially, they wanted to buy the ginseng from Xing San with money.

They didn't think Xing San was knowledgeable, and assumed that they could get the ginseng by offering what Xing San considered an exorbitant price.

But when they inquired, they learned that Zhao Jun from Yong'an Village was a master in the ginseng trade. And since Xing San had moved to Yong'an and made contact with the Zhao family, and the Miao ginseng had been seen through by Zhao Jun, they couldn't be fooled anymore.

Just as the Pang family father and son were thinking of other solutions, the four members of the Shao family arrived.

This instantly made Pang Zhendong feel a sense of crisis.

At this moment, Shao Tianpeng said, "That man is Xing Laosan. He used to live in Xiaohonghe. You all know him."

“Ah, I know him.” Upon hearing this, Pang Zhendong first admitted that he knew Xing San, then changed the subject and said, “But he’s an old geezer. He lives in a hut in the mountains. It’s really hard to find him.”

At this time, the Shao family did not know that Xing San lived in Yong'an. They seemed to really believe Pang Zhendong's words. Then they heard Shao Zhiqiang say, "Hey, Pang, could you help us find this person?"

“This… isn’t a good idea.” Pang Zhendong hesitated, saying, “He’s quite old, and we’re all from the same village. If people find out I sold him, how can I face them?”

Pang Zhendong's words made sense, but after hearing them, Shao Tianpeng's face darkened, and he said, "If that's how you put it, then we won't trouble you."

Upon hearing this, Pang Zhendong quickly offered some words of apology. However, Shao Tianpeng seemed somewhat angry at Pang Zhendong's refusal. The two families already had little to talk about, and the atmosphere became increasingly awkward. The Shao family then declined the Pang family's offer to stay and left by car.

Watching the jeep drive away, Pang Zhendong's smile instantly vanished. He turned to Pang Gaoming and said, "Boss, don't leave yet. Let's wait for the second brother to come back from get off work, and then the three of us will discuss what to do."

Pang Gaoming nodded in agreement, while inside the jeep, Shao Tianpeng and Shao Zhiqiang showed no displeasure whatsoever.

"Dad, shall we just wait this time?" Shao Zhiqiang asked. Shao Tianpeng nodded and smiled, "Let's wait and see. Let the Pang family pave the way for us, and then we'll go for it."

(End of this chapter)