It was unusually hot today. The air was frozen and there was not a breath of wind. The birds and insects all hid away and not a sound could be heard.
Liu Yue, several great elders and the managers gathered in the meeting room. Jin Bao and Yin Bao were sent away, and the job of serving tea and water inexplicably fell on Hei Muzi.
"Heizi, stop working. I'm already full. You should discuss this with the gang leader and come up with a plan."
Zhuo Yue was a straightforward person. He was the first to say what everyone wanted to say but had not said, and immediately everyone echoed him.
Hei Muzi looked back at Liu Yue, and the two of them looked at each other and nodded. Hei Muzi then retreated back to Liu Yue's side and stood solemnly with his hands hanging down.
Liu Yue remained silent while listening to everyone detailing the current status of the matters at hand, with a rare seriousness and gloom on his face.
At this time, Liu Yue restrained his expression, stood up, walked to the center of the hall, and bowed solemnly to everyone.
"Dear brothers and uncles, I, Liu Yue... would like to apologize to you all first. The Cao Gang will not be able to survive this disaster in my hands."
"I am an orphan. If it weren't for my father's care for me, the grass on my grave would have been three feet high. Thank you for not looking down on me and accepting me as your leader!"
The deep tone infected everyone, and the scene suddenly fell silent. Some of the elderly elders even raised their sleeves to wipe their eyes.
Having said this, Liu Yue bowed to everyone again, and his voice became a little choked.
"After my father left, the Cao Gang was thriving under our joint management. Who would have thought that we would run into Song Ruiyang's grandson and Zhou's lackeys this time, and they wanted to wipe out our Cao Gang. As the leader of the Cao Gang, I am incompetent and can only watch as the business and territory of the Cao Gang are eaten away bit by bit."
Several elders looked at each other, and the oldest one stood up and clasped his fist towards Liu Yue.
"Don't blame yourself too much, boss. No matter how prosperous the Cao Gang is, it cannot go against the imperial court. We all know that the arm cannot twist the thigh. Don't take all the responsibility on yourself."
Liu Yue pursed her lips and forced a smile, "Thank you all for not holding it against me. I really don't want the Cao Gang to decline like this, and I believe you all feel the same way."
"Hei Muzi and I have discussed the current countermeasures. I have gathered everyone here today to ask you to discuss it together."
Everyone looked at each other and replied in unison, "Please give us your instructions, Master."
Liu Yue opened his mouth but his eyes turned red before he could say anything. He gritted his teeth to suppress his emotions before speaking in a serious tone.
"Each flag bearer on the ship will be given a sum of silver to hide their tracks. The rest of the people should disperse and join the canal operations or other businesses that are currently doing well. As for you all, I have prepared silver here, which can be used for retirement or whatever."
As soon as Liu Yue finished speaking, someone knelt down with a plop. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the burly man Zhuo Yue.
Zhuo Yue's eyes widened as he tried to hold back his tears, "Boss, you are... you are going to disband the Cao Gang? We have grown up here, how, how can you bear to do that... We are not afraid of hardship or poverty, please don't chase us away!"
After a moment of astonishment, everyone present knelt on the ground, and even the toughest men had red eyes.
Liu Yue called Hei Muzi to help them and hurriedly explained with a smile through tears, "No, no, no, I don't want to disband the Cao Gang. I just want us to hide for a while and avoid the limelight."
"My Cao Gang has always dominated Liang State's shipping. It's normal that a big tree attracts the wind. But this time the obstacle is too big. Hei Muzi and I thought we should split up first and not confront them head-on. If we have a green mountain, we will have no worries. If they cripple all our people, the Cao Gang will be really finished. We have to preserve our strength. Don't you think this makes sense?"
"And..." Liu Yue paused, "If we send them out now, those who are willing to come back when we make a comeback in the future will naturally be loyal people."
After listening to Liu Yue's explanation, everyone suddenly understood and nodded in agreement. They immediately enthusiastically discussed the time nodes for "hiding" in batches, contracts with customers and other details.
After finishing all the work, Liu Yue was exhausted and fell asleep in his clothes without even having dinner.
When the moon was at its zenith, a tightly dressed black shadow nimbly leaped out of the window and headed towards the palace in a cold light.
(End of this chapter)