Moma Liangshan

Chapter 188 Recruiting Warriors in Shijie Village, Gongsun Sheng's First Arrival in Jiaozhou

Lu Dashou was invited into the banquet. Ruan Xiaoer brought a wine cup, filled it with wine himself, and said, "This hero is my sworn brother, Chao Gai, the Heavenly King Chao, from Dongxi Village outside Yuncheng County!" Lu Dashou smiled broadly and said, "I know Chao Baozheng!" Chao Gai was somewhat surprised and said, "Brother Lu, where have you seen me before?" Lu Dashou replied, "Young Master Wang's winery is in Dongxi Village. I often go there to get some lees to feed my pigs!" Chao Gai laughed and said, "From now on, we brothers will not only have fish to eat, but also meat. Come, cheers!" Everyone drank it all in one gulp. Chao Gai gave Ruan Xiaoer a wink, and Ruan Xiaoer brought a money bag and placed it in Lu Dashou's hand. Lu Dashou, unaware of the reason, opened the money bag in great surprise and found that it contained fifty taels of official silver. Lu Dashou looked at Chao Gai and Ruan Xiaoer with a face full of fear, and stammered, "Why is this?" Chao Gai said, "We're all brothers, it's just a small token of our appreciation!"

Lu Dashou hurriedly placed the money pouch on the table, saying, "This is fifty taels of official silver, no small sum!" Ruan Xiaowu, somewhat disdainful of Lu Dashou's timidity, said, "Brother Dashou, no need to be so polite. We brothers have already obtained 100,000 strings of cash; we won't be bothered by this little bit!" Lu Dashou unconsciously took a sip of wine, panting as he said, "100,000 strings?" He even held up his ten fingers as he spoke. Chao Gai remained calm, saying, "We robbed Liang Zhongshu of the 100,000 strings of birthday gifts he was sending to Cai Jing, and they're all currently stored in that thatched hut to the west!" Lu Dashou could hardly believe his ears, saying, "That's a serious crime punishable by imprisonment!" Ruan Xiaowu slapped Lu Dashou on the shoulder, saying, "Many people have tried to arrest us over the years, but who has the ability?"

Lu Dashou gradually came to terms with reality, and his mind quickly calmed down. He said, "Before, we only robbed passing merchants. Those people didn't have much backing, so they had to accept their losses! But this time, you're robbing the birthday tribute that Liang Zhongshu, the garrison commander of Daming Prefecture, is sending to Grand Tutor Cai Jing. How can it be the same?" Ruan Xiaoqi was very confident and said, "What's the difference? The money is there, and the people are there too, not a single one is missing!" Lu Dashou also got angry and said, "Old Qi, don't be unconvinced. It's all over Yuncheng County. I heard that Liang Zhongshu is mobilizing troops from Daming Prefecture!"

Chao Gai took a sip of wine and said, "Even if Daming Prefecture mobilizes 100,000 troops, they can't do anything to us. Brother Lu, there's no need to worry!" Lu Dashou thought everyone in front of him was crazy and said, "Although Chief Chao has the nickname 'Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King,' he's still just a mortal. How can he possibly defeat an army of 100,000?" Chao Gai shook his head and said, "The troops of Daming Prefecture are either infantry or cavalry. If they come to Liangshan Marsh, they'll only be fish food!" Lu Dashou couldn't refute this and said, "But we can't just hide on the water forever!" Chao Gai said, "Liangshan Marsh is eight hundred li wide and boundless. What's wrong with staying a little longer?" Lu Dashou sighed and looked at the three Ruan brothers. He said, “You know better than I do that, apart from Liangshan’s stronghold, which is truly a strategic stronghold, the rest of this marshland is just sandbars, nothing that can amount to anything!” Chao Gai said, “We were planning to go to Liangshan’s stronghold!” Lu Dashou looked at Ruan Xiaoer and said, “Now, Young Master Wang is an official of the imperial court, but you are criminals who have broken the law. If you force your way to Liangshan, you will inevitably cause trouble for Young Master Wang!” Ruan Xiaoer gripped Lu Dashou’s shoulder and said, word by word, “Do you know that last year, Young Master Wang sent us to rob Liang Zhongshu’s birthday tribute? Moreover, Liang Zhongshu even sent his generals to chase us all the way to Mingzhou. We fought him fiercely and finally repelled the powerful enemy!”

Lu Dashou was so shocked his jaw almost dropped to the ground. He exclaimed, "Young Master Wang is an official of the imperial court!" Chao Gai said, "The world is no longer a bright and just place. What's wrong with Young Master Wang doing a few things to uphold justice?" Lu Dashou understood that a nobody like him couldn't possibly know the thoughts of a powerful figure. He said, "I'm just an ordinary commoner with no strength to even kill a chicken, while you are all skilled heroes. If I join you, I'll only be a burden!" Chao Gai said, "Brother Lu, don't underestimate yourself. There are some things you're better at than us!" Lu Dashou couldn't believe it and said, "Lord Chao, you must be joking!" Chao Gai said, "Brother Lu..." "Tell me, which of us is as well-informed as you?" At this point, Lu Dashou unconsciously straightened his back, his voice becoming much louder, and said, "When it comes to gathering information, if I, Lu Dashou, consider myself second, no one dares to claim first!" Ruan Xiao'er, sensing Lu Dashou's overconfidence, coughed involuntarily. Lu Dashou then glanced at Ruan Xiao'wu and Ruan Xiao'qi, sensing a hint of hostility in their eyes, and quickly shrank back, saying, "From today onwards, I will follow Chao Baozheng's lead!" Chao Gai laughed loudly, saying, "You are Xiao'er's brother-in-law; from today onwards, we are brothers!" Lu Dashou was secretly delighted, but repeatedly said, "I dare not! I dare not!"

Gongsun Sheng arrived in Jiaozhou seven days later, but by then Wang Hao had already gone south to Fujian and had not yet returned. Zhu Gui and Chao Gai were sworn brothers, but Zhu Gui did not know Gongsun Sheng. Upon receiving Gongsun Sheng's visiting card, Zhu Gui was greatly surprised and immediately went to the gate to greet him. There stood a distinguished man in a Taoist robe, who said, "You must be Brother Gongsun!" Although Gongsun Sheng was a monk, he adapted to local customs and replied, "I am indeed Gongsun Sheng!" Zhu Gui said, "Brother Gongsun, let's talk inside!" The two entered the living room one after the other. Zhu Gui immediately closed the doors and windows and asked, "Brother Chao Gai mentioned in his letter that you robbed Liang Zhongshu's birthday gifts. Is that true?" Gongsun Sheng nodded and said, "Absolutely true!" Zhu Gui suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "Foolish! How could you put yourself in danger for a mere 100,000 strings of cash?" This was the first time Gongsun Sheng had heard someone refer to "a full 100,000 strings" as "a mere 100,000 strings," and he was both shocked and angry. Gongsun Sheng said, "The 100,000 strings of cash are all the blood and sweat of the people that Liang Zhongshu has plundered. What's wrong with us acting on behalf of Heaven? Besides, didn't Young Master Wang do the same thing last year?" Zhu Gui realized his lapse in composure and said, "Brother Gongsun, please don't misunderstand. I meant no harm! Brother Gongsun hasn't met Young Master, so you wouldn't know his wisdom. But Jiaozhou City was still a wasteland a little over a year ago!" Gongsun Sheng found it hard to believe and said, "Brother, don't joke around. The roads here are wide, the houses are neat, and the population is dense. Even if Young Master Wang has extraordinary abilities and could build these structures in a little over a year, it would be extremely difficult to relocate so many people!" Zhu Gui's lips curled up slightly and he said, "Brother Gongsun, don't you think most of the people on the street have smiles on their faces?"

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