Although Chao Gai was far behind Song Jiang in terms of vision, talents, abilities, etc., there was one thing that was much better than the latter, and that was his emphasis on love and righteousness. In his eyes, brotherhood is much more important than anything else. For this reason, he can abandon anything. Especially old brothers like Ruan Sanxiong who followed him up the mountain early in the morning are the people he cherishes the most.
So when Wu Yong made this statement, Chao Gai's momentum suddenly dissipated. Although he was still unwilling, he was no longer as determined as before. After hesitating for a moment, he said: "You... you mean if we stick to the end Will it harm the lives of many brothers who fell into the hands of the army before? Didn’t you say that Sun Tu would not kill indiscriminately? "
"Sun Tu is indeed not a person who kills indiscriminately, but the Ruan brothers and others may have angered him out of loyalty. Heavenly King, you know the tempers of the three of them best. If they see that my brothers in the village are unwilling to surrender, then We will never bow to the officers and soldiers. If we are disrespectful in our words, the consequences will be unpredictable." Wu Yong said with a serious expression.
Most of these words were true. He also understood Ruan Xiaoer's and others' characters who would rather break than bend. He knew that unless he saw Chao Gai and others surrendering, they would definitely fight to the end. But this was also Wu Yong's method of prescribing the right medicine after he figured out Chao Gai's temperament. Like Song Jiang, he actually had no intention of holding on, so he had to persuade Chao Gai to make the decision to surrender to the imperial court.
Chao Gai was conflicted again. If he had his own way, he would not surrender even if he died in battle. But now that the life and death of many brothers were at stake, he couldn't be so cruel. In the final analysis, Chao Gai was just a hero. He was still far from being a real hero and could never achieve great things.
"King of heaven, all the brothers in our village are very loyal. If you really want to fight to the end, I believe that no one will have any complaints. Now, I'm just waiting for you to make the final decision!" Song Jiang also understood Chao Gai's temperament and personality. Seeing this weakness, he simply took a move to retreat in order to advance, entrusting the life and death of the entire village to his hands.
At this time, many brothers were also excited, and they said cooperatively: "King of Heaven, let's just fight. We don't believe that even though brothers are risking their lives, they still can't defeat the army at home!"
"King of Heaven, if you die, you will die. At worst, we will be brothers again in eighteen years!"
"King of Heaven..."
Many of Liang Shanbo's old brothers expressed their determination loudly. Even the minions outside the Juyi Hall were inspired to have their last fighting spirit and shouted: "King of Heaven, we will not surrender. We will fight the officers and soldiers to the bitter end!"
The sound became louder and louder, spreading farther and farther, and was faintly transmitted to the military camp below, which made many soldiers become vigilant. Only Sun Tu still looked confident. He smiled and said, "It's just a reflection of the past. I'm sure they will compromise and surrender." What he knew was Song Jiang's character. This person would never allow himself to be a thief and bandit. His identity died on the mountain!
Listening to the roars outside, Chao Gai felt that the pressure on his heart was even greater, and his original determination to fight to the end was completely shaken. Finally, he clasped his fists solemnly and gave a deep salute to the brothers around him: "Every brother is loyal, Chao Gai is deeply grateful. But it is related to the life and death of thousands of brothers up and down Liangshan, Chao Gai
Don't act willfully because of your own likes and dislikes. Since that Sun Tu is indeed honest and reliable, we don't have to risk our lives anymore. My brothers and I have been bandits for so many years. If we can have a decent background this time, after all... it will be a good thing after all..." At the end of his words, his voice was trembling.
"King of Heaven..." Liu Tang took a step forward to persuade him, but was interrupted by Chao Gai with a wave of his hand: "You don't have to say anymore, I have made up my mind. Considering the lives of my brothers, I decided to go down the mountain and surrender. But before that, I still need to see Sun Tu in person and explain everything to him."
"King of Heaven..." The brothers spoke out again. This statement contained too many emotions, including admiration and gratitude. At the same time, many people also had some shame and self-blame. Thinking about all the words and deeds of the owner of the copycat that he openly and secretly looked down on before, and then looking at the decisions he made for the copycat now, many people really felt ashamed.
Even Wu Yong and Song Jiang lowered their heads and did not dare to look at Chao Gai at this time, because they also felt guilty in their hearts. If there hadn't been a rift between Song Jiang and Chao Gai that prevented the copycat brothers from uniting as one, maybe things wouldn't have ended up like this.
There were only a few people at the scene who were not moved by this. Chen Cang felt greatly relieved at this moment. He was about to retire with success and no longer had to worry about it in the village all day long. Lu Junyi, on the other hand, looked at the brotherly relationship between them with cold eyes. When the truth of the matter was completely revealed, he no longer regarded himself as a member of Liangshan. What does the life and death of these people have to do with him
Early the next morning, Chao Gai took several brothers down the mountain and met Sun Tu in the military camp.
Sun Tu was slightly surprised by this. However, his attitude towards this person was quite friendly. Not only did he not create a tense and threatening atmosphere, he also asked someone to bring out some food and wine to entertain this old friend.
Yes, Sun Tu not only had friendship with Song Jiang, but also met Chao Gai and was regarded as an old friend.
Chao Gai didn't take any precautions against the food and wine arranged by Sun Tu. He drank until the glass was dry, but after drinking two glasses, he coughed loudly and took a while to suppress it. Then he smiled bitterly and said: "The legacy of the First World War in Dongping is still there today." , which made Sun Dujian laugh."
"King of Heaven, please take care of yourself. To be honest, I don't want to get into such trouble with you and Song Yasi. After all, you guys helped me a lot back then." Sun Tu smiled and patted him again. Had a glass of wine.
"I didn't expect that Superintendent Sun would still remember what happened back then. Hey, things are really unpredictable. Who would have thought that a young man selling alcohol in Yuncheng County back then would be one of the few famous generals in the world today. I, Brother Liangshan, They are far from your match." Chao Gai sighed and smiled bitterly again: "If you, Sun Dujian, really miss your old relationship and still remember that I, Chao Gai, helped you with a few small favors, please tell me directly, Does the imperial court plan to eradicate us all this time, or can it be lenient?"
"I don't know what the imperial court thinks. I can only say what I mean. I will definitely save the lives of the brothers in Liangshan. I also want to take you all under my command and make you become a lieutenant general with a decent background. !" Sun Tu gave his answer without any hesitation.
"Are you serious?" Chao Gai's spirit immediately perked up and he stared at the other party.
asked.
"Of course, I will never prevaricate on such a big matter."
"Okay! I can lead my brothers down the mountain to surrender, but before that, you must agree to three conditions."
Sun Tu smiled. In fact, he had guessed their decision from the way the other party walked down the mountain. He nodded again: "You say. As long as it is reasonable, I will not refuse."
Chao Gai's expression also became solemn: "First, I want you to ensure the safety of all your brothers and their families. After we come down from the mountain, your troops are not allowed to harass or harm any of them."
"Of course. As long as you surrender to me, you are a family. How can your brothers have another conflict?" Sun Tu responded immediately.
"Second, before I go down the mountain, I will give all the property in the village to my brothers. You are not allowed to take it by force."
Naturally, Sun Tu would not object to this. He was interested in Liang Shanbo's soldiers and horses. As for the property they had looted for many years, he really didn't interest him. Anyway, since Chai Jin surrendered to him, Liangshan's greatest wealth has already been in his pocket, so he is naturally happy and generous at this time.
Seeing that Sun Tu agreed to the two conditions so happily, Chao Gai was a little moved. But he quickly made a third request: "The third point is also the most critical. Some brothers in my village cannot be restrained, and I am afraid it will be difficult for them to join the army. If they want to leave, I hope Sun Dujian you will not do so." Make things difficult for them.”
It wasn't until he faced this request that Sun Tu frowned slightly: "Well... if everyone in the village says they want to leave, I can't just let them leave, right?" This approach is different from opening up a way for everyone in Liangshan to escape. What's the difference? Who knows when these people will run back to Liangshan and rebuild the village.
Chao Gai also knew that this was the hardest thing to accept, so he said, "If Sun Dujian feels embarrassed, we can make a compromise. Only the leaders in the village who really can't help you and have no intention of fighting anymore can leave. As for the following Brother, you can't leave a thousand people at most, how about that?" This was the biggest concession he could make.
After Sun Tu pondered for a while, he finally nodded slowly: "Okay. But I also have two requests. If these people do things that harm the people after they leave this place, I will definitely get rid of them and will never tolerate them. And also , before they go down the mountain, I need to meet with them first, talk to them, and finally let them decide whether to stay or go."
Seeing that he agreed, Chao Gai breathed a sigh of relief, and then nodded: "Yes, as long as Sun Dujian you can keep your promise, I, Chao Gai, will be willing to follow you from now on and do something for the Song Dynasty court." .”
"Okay, then you and I will swear this wine. After drinking this bowl of wine, we have made a promise!" Sun Tu raised his glass as he spoke. Chao Gai didn't hesitate. He raised his bowl and touched it lightly with Sun Tu's wine bowl. Then the two of them drank the wine in one gulp, which was regarded as a vow between men!
As the agreement was made, Chao Gai went up the mountain again, and Sun Tu finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the smile on his face became brighter. It's the best outcome for things to come to this point. He was able to capture thousands of soldiers and horses from Liangshanbo at the minimum cost. This not only allowed him to give an account to the court, but also laid a solid foundation for future plans!