A few days later, the water stopped in Liangshan.
Today's Liangshan Bo has undergone great changes compared to a year ago. It has changed from an ordinary village when Chao Gai and others replaced Wang Lun, a scholar in white, into a village with dozens of big and small bosses and more brothers. It is a large-scale mountain stronghold with three to four thousand people. Let alone Shandong, even in the entire Song Dynasty, there are very few unofficial and powerful armed groups of this size.
More than half of the credit goes to Song Jiang and Song Gongming who were rescued from the mountain by Chao Gai and others earlier this year. Compared with others, Song Jiang, who was born in a government official, knew how to run a cottage well. At the same time, relying on his famous name that spread all over the world, he also attracted countless heroes to Liangshanbo. In just half a year, no less than ten people had fled to Liangshanbo. Many heroes came here because of its reputation, which also attracted more desperate local people to seek refuge in the village.
Song Jiang's contribution to Liangshanbo was not only to attract more talents, but also to have a set of management strategies that made the entire village more systematic. Although it has not been fully achieved because time is still short, some things have begun to take shape. For example, there are already dedicated naval troops and horses in the eight hundred miles of water. For example, although it is not easy to raise horses in the mountains, Song Jiang still deliberately They either looted or spent a lot of money to get two to three hundred horses from other places, and let the brothers who were good at horse fighting start training the cavalry team.
For another example, in addition to the main village of Liangshan, they also specially sent a lot of people to be stationed on the main roads outside the mountain, or opened taverns, or pretended to be merchants. Anyway, they were able to let people in the village know what was going on outside in the first place. Whatever happens, so you can be prepared...
In addition to these large and small arrangements, Song Jiang also paid special attention to the training of his men and horses. Although it was impossible to train every day like Sun Tu did in Qingzhou, every three to five days, thousands of men and horses would gather in the huge village of the mountain village. Conduct large-scale drills on the martial arts field to maintain and continuously improve Liang Shanbo's combat effectiveness.
If Chao Gai and the others were just a group of bandit leaders who were small-time, wealthy and had no ambitions, then Song Jiang truly regarded Liangshanbo as an armed group independent of the government. It is precisely because of his careful training that Liangshan Bo is now more than twice as strong as before. Just the murderous aura brought about by the training of thousands of people is enough to make outsiders feel chilled.
It was in such an environment that Han Benshan and Qi Liu came to Liangshanbo. When they saw the thundering roar in the school ground, even Han Benshan's heart tightened. No wonder Liangshanbo's name is getting bigger and bigger now. Such an elite Master, even attacking a state capital is not too difficult.
As for Qi Liu, his face turned pale. Only then did he realize that what his brothers in Erlong Mountain had been thinking was just looking at the sky from a well. The combat power of the men and horses in Erlong Mountain was completely incomparable to those of Liangshan. . As for the terrain advantage that Erlong Mountain is proud of, it is nothing compared with the eight hundred miles of water surrounding Liangshan Lake.
With a sense of awe in his heart, when Qi Liu entered the Juyi Hall and saw Chao Gai, Song Jiang and other Liangshan leaders, he appeared extremely polite, bending much lower than usual when saluting.
After hearing their self-reported identities, Chao Gai laughed and said, "Actually, we have heard about the names of Erlongshan and Deng Village Master for a long time. Why did he actually think of sending someone here today?"
Am I in trouble? But do you need any help from my copycat brother? "
Seeing that he got to the point so quickly, both Song Jiang and Wu Yong, who was dressed as a scribe beside him, frowned slightly. It was hard for them to refuse the request if the other party took advantage of the situation. But Chao Gai is the master of the village after all, and it is difficult to regret what he said. Song Jiang could only smile and add: "But we know that Erlong Mountain has strong troops and horses, so it shouldn't be too much trouble, right?"
"It's a joke to all the leaders. This time, the two of us came here to ask the heroes of Liangshan to save me, Erlong Mountain. It won't be long before the Qingzhou army will attack the mountain with all their strength, and we, Erlong Mountain, encountered an accident before. , I’m afraid we may not be able to defend it.” Qi Liu no longer cared about his own face at this time, and immediately told the truth, with a pleading look on his face: “I hope all the leaders can do it for the sake of you and me, both of us being people in the forest. Give me a helping hand." As he said that, he bowed his head towards the people around him.
"This... could Erlongshan be in such a disadvantageous situation? What exactly is going on? Please tell me in detail." Wu Yong also spoke immediately.
This time it was Han Benshan who answered him. He was not from Erlong Mountain, so he didn't have much worries this time. He defeated the Qingzhou Army in Taohua and White Tiger Mountains, and defeated the Erlong Mountains. Everything about Longshan people was revealed.
After hearing these long words, everyone in the hall changed their expressions. In fact, relying on the tips from the contact points outside the village, they had heard about what happened in Qingzhou, but what they knew was not so detailed. Now it is also the first time that I know that this Qingzhou army that suddenly rose up is so powerful. It can actually break through two mountains, defeat one mountain, and even flatten Erlong Mountain in just one month. This is even It all makes people feel a little unreal, and feels that it is a bit exaggerated.
When Song Jiang heard that the Kong brothers in Baihu Mountain were actually killed by Sun Tu, Song Jiang's face became even more gloomy. However, he didn't say much at the time, but Wu Yong saw it and asked casually. : "Since Qingzhou's official army is so powerful and Erlong Mountain can no longer be defended, why don't you try to get out of there?"
"This... It's not because our village leader is reluctant to part with the foundation of the mountain village, but it's actually because it's more dangerous to go down the mountain at this time than to defend on the mountain. Previously in Dongshikia, we had the superior force and it was an ambush, but we were easily defeated by the army. This The news about going down the mountain was leaked, and the officers and soldiers took the opportunity to pursue and kill us. I am afraid that we will die without a burial place. Of course, if the leaders of Liangshan can lead their troops to protect us, our troops from Erlong Mountain will definitely defect here. , obeying the orders of King Chao Tian and the leader of Song Dynasty." Qi Liu hurriedly explained.
"This is a serious matter, and we are fighting head-on with the army. We are also asked to go on an expedition to Qingzhou. It is not possible to give you a clear answer at once. How about you go to the guest room to rest for a night? Let's make a decision in two days?" Because he was afraid that Chao Gai would agree to this matter out of loyalty, Wu Yong said hurriedly, regardless of the difference between superiority and inferiority.
Song Jiang also understood at this time and followed up: "Yes, this kind of thing is not something we can just deal with casually. If we really want to send troops, we must be prepared. You two, please relax in our village. Stay for a few days."
Qi Liugang was about to say something, but Han Benshan beat him to it: "In this case, the two of us should obey our orders. But before that, I still have a few
I have to say from the bottom of my heart that once Erlong Mountain is really lost, Liang Shanbo will not have an easy life in the future. Perhaps the officers and soldiers of Qingzhou cannot threaten Liangshanbo, but if this happens, the officers and soldiers of other state capitals in Shandong will have to give an explanation to the court. They cannot let Qingzhou be more beautiful than before. By that time, even if they knew they could not break Guizhai, the officers and soldiers would still use troops against Liangshanbo. This is not to say that the lips are dead and the teeth are cold, but helping others is also helping yourself. I hope all the leaders can think twice. "
Qi Liu, on the other hand, could not explain many of these reasons. He just pleaded a few words again as Comrade Lu Lin, and then left the Juyi Hall with Han Benshan.
It wasn't until the two of them exited that some of the other leaders spoke up. Some were gearing up and felt that this was a good opportunity to show off their power and advocated sending troops, while others felt that they should stay in the stronghold and not take risks. Anyway, they all had their own reasons. In the end, everyone turned their attention to Song Jiang and the three of them.
"Brother, as far as I know, the Kong brothers from Baihu Mountain are the two disciples you took in before, right?" What Wu Yong said was a topic that stunned everyone.
Song Jiang sighed: "Yes, I did teach them some boxing and kicking skills. However, it is not my fault that they are able to achieve what they are today because of other people's teaching skills. Of course, they have a real relationship with me. Yes, there were letters exchanged before, and the two brothers even mentioned that they would like to bring everyone to join me at Liangshan."
"Damn it, those thieves from Qingzhou dared to kill my brother's apprentice. They are our enemies. We should send troops to capture Qingzhou City and kill them to avenge the two Kong brothers!" Li Kui jumped out first and shouted, then Some people who were close to Song Jiang and had bad tempers said similar things.
Seeing this, Song Jiang hurriedly dissuaded him and said, "Song Jiang understands the good intentions of all brothers, but publicity is public and privateness is private. We must not let all brothers take big risks just because of Song Jiang's personal enmity."
At this time, Chao Gai also spoke: "Actually, it's not just for your personal vendetta, Brother Song. What Brother Han said is also reasonable. If we sit back and watch Erlong Mountain being leveled by the Qingzhou army, the consequences will be hard to predict. In addition, since Brother Song went up the mountain, our army in Liangshan has been strong and our life has been prosperous. It’s time to do something great and show it to the heroes of the world."
Song Jiang still frowned slightly and seemed to be worried. Wu Yong saw it and said: "What the King of Heaven said is reasonable, but sending troops to rescue Erlong Mountain should not be too public, otherwise the Song Dynasty court will be completely annoyed. , our situation is worrying. Fortunately, Han Benshan said before that he had burned down the Qingzhou official warehouse early in the morning, and they must be short of food. As long as we can seize this flaw, we can suddenly kill the Qingzhou army when they are short of food. If we go out and defeat them, we can get the maximum benefit at the minimum cost. So what we have to do next is to send more people to the Qingzhou area to investigate the news. Just wait for the two sides to start a war, then break them into pieces and sneak into Qingzhou territory, and give them The officers and soldiers attacked head-on. I wonder if the two brothers think this plan is feasible?"
Chao Gai was still frowning, but Song Jiang had already put his hands on his hands and said with a smile: "The military advisor is worthy of being called a wise man. Such a strategy is indeed the most appropriate. If the real thing cannot be done, we still have a chance to escape unscathed. "
Seeing that even Song Jiang had said this, Chao Gai finally did not insist anymore, but he always felt in his heart that doing so was not fair enough and was not the behavior of a hero.