Chapter 162

The Green Gang, suppressed and kept under the thumb of the Old Ancestor for fifty years, still possessed considerable hidden strength. The operation to "paralyze" both the northern and southern sections of the Grand Canal in the Yangzhou area was executed effectively. A slight complication arose during the southern section's execution, however; reports indicated that a high-ranking official had been knocked into the water during the collision. Fortunately, his subordinates managed to haul him onto the bank in time. He did not die, though he likely swallowed quite a bit of water. The exact identity of the official had yet to be confirmed by the command center. The gang members who orchestrated the collision quietly withdrew after staging their own "drowning." The patrol guards at the lock likely assumed the victims had drowned and their bodies had drifted out into the Yangtze River. This sudden collision resulted in all ships heading north through the Guazhou section being "intercepted," including official vessels from the Textile Bureau carrying tribute and New Year goods to the Capital. At least two or three hundred ships were forced to dock at Guazhou. While both official and merchant vessels were filled with complaints, no one suspected the "accident" was man-made.