The forest farm on the south bank of the Xunsi River.
Xiao Wu, along with ten lumberjacks and twenty young men armed with machetes and steel forks, prepared to cut timber in the area belonging to the Sixth Brigade.
Song Jianhao also arrived with ten men from the gambling company. Except for Yang Jian, who had a collapsible baton hidden in his sleeve, the others were unarmed. They were there to make up the numbers and had no intention of helping Xiao Wu fight.
The forest belt in this area was full of tall, straight fir trees, at least fifteen years old. Yang Jian, being a carpenter, knew the high value of such fir trees, priced at over a thousand yuan per cubic meter. Each tree had over a cubic meter, meaning each tree was worth at least a thousand yuan.
"Brother Hao, this is more complicated than I imagined. I initially thought the trees here were all poplar and not very valuable. It was only when I got here that I realized they were all fir, worth more than double the poplar. I estimate the entire forest farm is worth over twenty million yuan. It's unrealistic for Xiao Wu to want to monopolize it alone; the other side won't let go even if it means death. We need to find a way to extricate ourselves and not get involved in this mess."
Xiao Wu was directing the workers to start, while Yang Jian pulled Song Jianhao aside to discuss quietly.
Song Jianhao also looked worried. "How can we extricate ourselves? We're already here. We can't just leave now."
Yang Jian glanced around. This forest area was by the Xunsi River, adjacent to the Sixth Brigade's fish ponds. There was only a gravel road about five to six meters wide in between. If both sides blocked the road, people in the middle would have no choice but to jump into the river to escape.
"Brother Hao, have Biao Biao and the others go a kilometer in both directions of the road to stand guard and set up some roadblocks. As soon as they see anyone from the other side approaching, they should immediately call the police. The police station isn't far from here, and the officers might arrive before any fighting breaks out between the two sides."
"Your method only addresses the symptoms, not the root cause. Even if there's no fight today, what about tomorrow?"
"As long as both sides are present and no fight breaks out, we can get them to sit down and negotiate."
"Okay, that's the only way. I'll go persuade Xiao Wu."
Yang Jian grabbed him. "Don't persuade him now. Without pressure, he won't compromise."
Song Jianhao understood Yang Jian's intentions and immediately arranged for Liang Liang and Biao Biao to go to both ends of the road to stand guard.
As the roar of the chainsaws began, tall fir trees were felled one after another, creating quite a commotion.
The start seemed smooth. After an hour of work, no one came to interfere.
Xiao Wu was very pleased. He walked up to Yang Jian and said, "Little Yang, didn't I tell you? The moment you showed up at the casino yesterday, no one dared to cause trouble today. Here's what we'll do: you stay here and keep an eye on things, and Old Song and I will head back first. We'll celebrate properly tonight."
When Yang Jian heard that Xiao Wu intended to slip away and leave him to bear the risk alone, he naturally disagreed. "Brother Xiao Wu, you can't leave. I don't know most of the people here. If someone comes to cause trouble, I won't be able to control them. If the other side brings many people, I can't handle it alone. Moreover, I haven't recovered yet and can't engage in strenuous activity."
"No problem, I've already given instructions. Everyone on site will take your orders."
After speaking, Xiao Wu got into his car. He deliberately intended to dump this mess onto Yang Jian. If nothing happened, it would be fine; if something did, Xiao Wu believed Yang Jian wouldn't back down easily.
In this situation, Song Jianhao couldn't say much. He whispered to Yang Jian, "If you sense anything wrong, retreat immediately. Don't be foolish enough to get into a fight."
Yang Jian said nothing, his heart filled with extreme disappointment towards Xiao Wu. Such a person was too selfish, incapable of achieving anything significant, and not worth working for.
Less than a hundred meters after Song Jianhao and Xiao Wu's cars drove off, they suddenly stopped and then quickly backed up, pulling over next to Yang Jian.
"Little Yang, people are coming. There are fifty to sixty people on each side."
Song Jianhao's face was very grim. As soon as he got out of the car, he informed Yang Jian.
"Did Biao Biao and Liang Liang call the police?"
"They did, but the roadblocks they set up weren't sturdy. The other side will break through soon. What should we do?"
Yang Jian pointed to a small path between two ponds. "When the fighting starts, you and Jianmin take the company's men and retreat towards the small path. That area is narrow and not conducive to encirclement. I'll cover the rear."
As he spoke, Xiao Wu also finished parking his car and got out, looking a bit flustered. "Everyone gather here, prepare for a fight."
At these words, the workers bolted towards the riverbank. They were used to such scenes. They were Xu Tao's men, the contractor's employees. As long as they didn't carry weapons and stayed a safe distance away, no one would lay a hand on them.
The remaining people quickly gathered around Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu stayed very close to Yang Jian.
Before long, a large number of vehicles appeared at both ends of the road, speeding towards them.
About thirty meters away from Yang Jian and the others, the vehicles on both sides stopped simultaneously. Over a hundred people jumped out of the cars, all armed with machetes, wooden clubs, and steel forks. They began to encircle them from both sides.
Faced with such a formation, Yang Jian's heart also grew anxious. He gave Song Jianhao a look and slowly moved towards the small path in the middle of the ponds.
"Kill them all."
The other side didn't hesitate and charged forward like a swarm. The bald man at the very front was even holding a five-shot shotgun and raised it to fire.
The shot didn't hit anyone; it was clearly meant as a deterrent.
"Brother Hao, Brother Wu, this way."
With so many people, their group of twenty-odd was no match. Yang Jian shouted and rushed onto the small path in the middle of the fish ponds, then signaled Xiao Wu and Song Jianhao to retreat behind him.
However, not everyone reacted this way. Except for Song Jianmin, who had been subtly warned beforehand and led Sixi and others to follow Yang Jian closely, the rest of them actually ran into the woods. Some even jumped into the foul-smelling Xunsi River.
The woods were overgrown with weeds and thorny bushes as tall as a person, making escape impossible.
With a few screams, Xiao Wu's dozen or so brothers were knocked to the ground. The overwhelming numerical advantage of the attackers and their aggressive momentum left these men with no will to resist. Two of them directly dropped their machetes and knelt on the ground begging for mercy.
Yang Jian, holding his collapsible baton, stood on the narrow path, forming a standoff with the bald man holding the gun. The bald man didn't fire because he had already gained control of the situation. Although the group in front of him was still holding on, their escape route was blocked. Xiao Wu had become a trapped beast.
Yang Jian had known all along that they couldn't escape. The end of the fish pond road was still more fish ponds. The bald man's men had already surrounded them, but the terrain was narrow. If they didn't fire, the bald man's men would also find it difficult to deal with them.
Yang Jian's objective was actually self-preservation, to occupy this advantageous position and wait for the police to arrive.
As for Xiao Wu, he had long lost any intention of protecting him. It was unavoidable during the retreat; he was right beside him.
Facing the dark muzzle of the gun, Yang Jian couldn't deny feeling fear, but his stubborn nature made him stand tall.