Chapter 231: Catch all the Liangshan bandits

Not long after, Master Zhan sensed a small boat coming over from the mooring. He could clearly see two people surrounded by colorful lights in it. They were obviously Du Qian and Song Wan.

At that time, Zhu Gui was not yet a leader, but just a small boss in the hotel at the foot of the mountain, so the ones who had the final say were Du Qian and Song Wan.

Du Qian was the first to join Wang Lun in the manor of Master Chai, so he was the most trusted by Wang Lun. He was the leader of the group going down the mountain this time.

As Master Zhan was observing, he saw Du Qian jump off the boat, grab Zhu Gui, and whisper:

“Have you checked it out? It’s really not those hard stuff, right?”

Zhu Gui patted his chest and assured:
“Don’t worry, brother. I know that Brother Wang Lun is the most cautious and has always only targeted lone travelers. If it weren’t for the fat sheep being so fat, I would never have thought of doing this.”

“Brother, you will know after taking a few glances from the back. Among this group of people, half are women, maids, and servants. The only ones who actually wield swords and guns are the escorts.”

“They have already eaten a lot of the wine and meat I sent them before, and they don’t have any suspicion at all. I just need to send another jar of wine in a while and mix some knockout drugs in it, and they will definitely be knocked out without anyone noticing.”

“I specially asked someone to invite the two brothers down the mountain to provide an extra layer of protection, in case any of them accidentally escape and leave the first and the last one behind.”

After hearing this, Du Qian and Song Wan quietly walked to the backyard and took a few looks. As expected, they saw that most of the people were unarmed, and there were a lot of female servants. The two men in shackles were also fierce and could be considered their helpers.

The two of them immediately felt relieved, looked at each other, and felt that this deal was worth doing, so they turned around and winked at Zhu Gui.

Zhu Gui understood, and immediately took out several jars of wine that had been drugged, and walked out from the backyard with a smile.

“Haha… I don’t usually have many customers in my shop, but it’s rare to have so many distinguished guests passing by today. I’ll give you a few jars of homemade wine as a token of my appreciation.”

He went straight to Mr. Zhan’s table, while the other waiters, holding jars of wine, went to the other two tables.

Wu Song and “Song Jiang” were completely unprepared. They took the jar with a smile, broke the seal, filled the bowl with wine, and were about to drink a bowl with Zhu Gui. But Master Zhan held the bowl down and said with a smile:

“I heard that there is a group of thieves in Liangshan Lake. They always like to rob passing merchants and travelers. They often use anesthetics to make people unconscious, and then sell the human flesh as beef. The fat ones are cut into steamed buns, and the thin ones are thrown into the lake. I wonder if this is true?”

Zhu Gui was shocked when he heard this, and he waved his hands and laughed dryly:
“Sir, you are joking. How could such a thing happen in broad daylight?”

“Besides, this wine is sealed. I just broke the seal. How could I have the chance to put the anesthetic in it?”

“Song Jiang” himself had little experience in the underworld, but he had always known his master’s ability, so of course he didn’t believe what he said.

Wu Song was also a careful person. He put the wine bowl in front of him and looked at it carefully in the sunlight. As expected, he saw that the wine was a little cloudy. His eyebrows immediately stood up. He handed the wine bowl to Zhu Gui and said:

“If you drink it, I will believe you!”

Seeing that he could not get away, Zhu Gui jumped back and whistled. Du Qian, Song Wan and others in the backyard rushed out with their followers, each holding a sword, and surrounded the crowd.

Wu Song was immediately furious when he saw this. He threw the wine bowl and drew his sword with one hand, ready to rush forward to fight. However, Master Zhan gently stopped him, pointed at “Song Jiang” with a smile, and asked Zhu Gui and others:
“You guys are robbing passing merchants, don’t you even ask who they are?”

“Do you know who this hero is?”

Du Qian and the others saw that the drug had failed, and they knew that the matter would not be resolved peacefully. They were worried that if it was not handled properly and the news leaked out, it would definitely attract the government troops to encircle and suppress. Seeing that Master Zhan had not allowed anyone to fight, they also wanted to keep things peaceful and avoid this bloody battle, so they bowed their hands and apologized:

“We didn’t know you were my friends from the martial arts world. We apologize for any offense we may have caused. I hope you will forgive us.”

“But I don’t know what to call this hero?”

“Song Jiang” then clasped his hands and gave his name skillfully, “I am Song Jiang Song Gongming, from Songjia Village, Yuncheng County, and I am glad to meet all of you heroes.”

“Ah!” Du Qian and the others heard his name and immediately threw away their weapons, fell to their knees with a plop, and bowed their heads. “I didn’t know it was Song Yashi who came here, otherwise, even if you beat me to death, I would not dare to have such evil thoughts towards you, brother.”

This was the second time that Song Jiang had been asked to bow down and kneel down. He was already used to it, so he hurriedly stepped forward with a smile to help them up, and politely said,

“I am now wandering around the world, and I am no longer a bailiff. Please get up quickly, my hero, and don’t let Song Jiang down.”

After Du Qian and others got up, they exchanged a few polite words with Song Jiang and then asked the names of the other people.

Song Jiang introduced Wu Song to them. When Du Qian and the others heard that Wu Song was the famous tiger-fighting hero, they became more enthusiastic. On the contrary, they were lukewarm towards Mr. Zhan from the capital.

There was no way. Master Zhan brought so many beautiful ladies with him, and they all looked delicate and tender. They didn’t look like people from the underworld at all, and they had no fame at all. It was obvious that they were not the same kind of people as them.

They just thought that Mr. Zhan was a young man who was traveling with everyone, and did not take him seriously. They just enthusiastically invited Wu Song.

“If the Zhao emperor doesn’t treat the generals as human beings, why should Brother Wu Song stay in the county and be bullied by these big turbans?”

“I think Ximen Qing and his servant are a good pair. Why don’t we just give up this job and go up the mountain together? We can eat meat and drink wine together. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

Wu Song heard this and shook his head repeatedly, refusing:

“No, no, I am now valued by the county lord and entrusted with an important task. How can I be ungrateful and abandon my post to become a bandit?”

“Wouldn’t that just bring disaster to the county lord and make him extremely disappointed?”

“Besides, I have a brother who lives in the county. If I go to the mountains and become a bandit, won’t my brother also be implicated?”

Du Qian and others urged:

“How can that turban really treat you as a human being? He just summons you and sends you away at will. Why do you care about him?”

“As for your brother, he is also our brother, so bring him up the mountain and let him sit on the throne.”

After hearing this, Wu Song disagreed in his heart and just shook his head. Seeing his firm attitude, everyone had no choice but to turn to persuade Song Jiang.

“I have heard about Brother Gongming’s affairs in the mountains. I never thought I would meet him here.”

“Brother Wu Song has concerns, that’s fine. But now that Brother Gong Ming is facing a lawsuit and has escaped from prison, why don’t we go up the mountain together? Wouldn’t it be great if we could spend time together day and night?”

“This one……”

Song Jiang didn’t know what his master had arranged, so he turned to look at Master Zhan. When Master Zhan saw him, he smiled and said:
“I heard that Wang Lun is now the boss of Liangshan. After Brother Gongming goes up the mountain, who will be the senior and who will be the junior?”

“Uh……”

At this point Du Qian and the others were speechless.

Although Song Jiang is famous, Du Qian and others don’t mind having him as their brother, but they can’t make the decision for Wang Lun!

Moreover, they have been with Wang Lun for many years and know him quite well.

Wang Lun was a sour scholar who appeared to be generous but was actually jealous of talented people. Not to mention giving up his position to Song Jiang, he probably would not even let Song Jiang go up the mountain to become a bandit. He would most likely pay some money and send Song Jiang off with courtesy.

Seeing that everyone had fallen silent, Master Zhan laughed and waved his hand, saying:
“Brother Gongming wants to go to the capital with me to seek a decent life, but he will not go to the mountains and become a bandit with you.”

Wu Song also nodded and agreed:

“That’s right, Brother Gongming should take the right path and become a high-ranking official in the future, and take care of the people. That is much better than going up the mountain.”

Du Qian and the others breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly smiled and said:
“It’s not that we don’t want to keep you, but we really don’t want to ruin your future.”

“If all officials in the world were as kind as my brother, why would we need to become bandits?”

“Brother, since you are here, why don’t you go up the mountain and sit down, drink a little, and chat about your friendship.”

Considering Wang Lun’s attitude, they didn’t talk about keeping him, but there was no problem in inviting him to the mountain for a drink.

Mr. Zhan also wanted to check in at the mountain and visit this famous scenic spot, so he agreed with a smile.

Among this group of people, Master Zhan had the final say. Once he nodded, naturally no one else had anything to say.

At this point, Du Qian and others realized that Master Zhan’s influence on Brother Song Jiang and Brother Wu Song was great and should not be underestimated.

Originally they only wanted to invite their two brothers Song Jiang and Wu Song, but now they had to invite Master Zhan to the mountain as well.

The scene on the mountain might be bloody, so Master Zhan did not let Yan Poxi and the other girls go up. He only left them with a few magic weapons for protection and let them rest in the tavern. He left the soldiers behind to take care of them, and only four of them followed the Liangshan people on a small boat and went straight to the berth.

Wang Lun was waiting in the village for Du Qian and others to bring gold and silver to the mountain. But instead of gold and silver, a group of guests came. He could not help but feel unlucky and calculated how much money he would need to pay to send off these beggars. However, he did not show it on his face. He welcomed them with a cheerful face and invited them into the village.

After the host and guest took their seats, Du Qian introduced the guest’s identity to him.

“Let my brother know, this is the famous Hu Baoyi, the timely rain, the filial and righteous Black Sanlang, and Brother Song Gongming.”

“Ah… I have heard of you for a long time. Nice to meet you…” Upon hearing Song Jiang’s name, Wang Lun’s expression changed instantly. He clasped his hands and said politely, “Wang Lun has known the name of Song Yashi for a long time. It is a great honor to meet you today.”

As soon as Du Qian saw Wang Lun’s attitude, he knew what he was worried about and explained quickly:
“Brother Gongming had killed someone, so he was about to follow Master Zhan to the capital to seek a career. He was passing by here and happened to be bumped into by Brother Zhu Gui, and some misunderstandings occurred.”

“Fortunately, Brother Gongming was generous and did not blame me, so I boldly invited Brother Gongming to the mountain and held a banquet to apologize.”

When Wang Lun heard that Song Jiang was not coming to the mountain and that it would not affect his position, he immediately became generous and praised him seriously:
“Brother Du Qian did the right thing!”

“It’s a good thing that Gongming discovered this. If I had accidentally killed Gongming, I’m afraid my friends in the martial arts world would have blamed me, the Liangshan brothers.”

“Since Gongming is planning to go to the capital, he will need money to help. I, Wang Lun, don’t have too much money, but I can still give him a hundred or so strings of cash. When Gongming comes down the mountain, I will personally present it to you as a token of my appreciation.”

Du Qian then recommended Wu Song to him. When Wang Lun heard that Wu Song was now a county lieutenant, he felt extremely envious and jealous. He only hated that he was a man of great learning and scholarship, but could not even match a rough man who could kill a tiger. He felt very unhappy.

Fortunately, this person was not here to take his place, so Wang Lun smiled dryly and welcomed him:
“I have heard of your name as a tiger-killing hero for a long time. It’s a pity that you are not a brother from my village, otherwise I would definitely reserve the position for you.”

When Du Qian arrived at Mr. Zhan’s place, he didn’t know where he came from, so he just said vaguely:

“This is Mr. Zhan, the nobleman from Tokyo. He was the one who saved Brother Gongming, and he had to go through his connections to get involved in the activities in the capital.”

Wang Lun came here to live as a bandit because of the favor of Mr. Chai, so he was much more polite to Mr. Zhan and his words were full of flattery.

Seeing him like this, Master Zhan smiled and asked:

“It is said that those who kill people and set fires will be recruited. If the village leader Wang is willing to recruit, I can introduce you to him.”

“Uh……”

Wang Lun was immediately tempted, but he looked around at the kittens and the dilapidated village. He knew that his village was not worried about being wiped out, so it was not worthy of being recruited. He could only smile bitterly and refused:

“Thank you for your appreciation, Mr. Zhan. However, the reason why I went to the mountains and became a bandit is that I couldn’t stand the idleness of the corrupt officials. It is better not to recruit An.”

Seeing that he had given up his last chance, Mr. Zhan stopped talking and just sat down at the table, waiting for the wine to be served.

As for the last Earl Ying, he was just a bonus, just a few polite words and that was it.

Although the village was small, it was well-stocked with wine and meat. It didn’t take long before a banquet was prepared, with chicken, duck, fish and meat. It was quite sumptuous, and jars of wine were laid out for everyone to enjoy.

Everyone was a generous person, and they immediately started drinking and chatting during the table, making everyone happy.

In just over an hour, everyone was drunk with cups and plates all over the place.

At this point, Master Zhan clapped his hands and shouted:

“Yes, yes!”

Wu Song and the others were stunned. Before they knew what was going on, they saw that as Master Zhan spoke, the people from Liangshan fell to the ground and fell asleep.

When they were drinking just now, Master Zhan got some medicine out and added some seasoning to their wine.

With his skills, no one could detect him.

Seeing this sudden situation, Wu Song couldn’t help but screamed:
“Sir, what are you doing?”

Master Zhan crossed his legs and said with a smile:
“Ji Lang, isn’t this obvious?”

“Master, I’m catching a thief!”

“These Liangshan bandits have killed countless merchants over the years. If I didn’t know about it, it would be fine. But now that I have encountered them, how can I let them go? Of course, I have to catch them all in one fell swoop!”

“Think about it. If I hadn’t seen through their knockout drug before at the foot of the mountain, I’m afraid you would have been chopped into pieces by now.”

Wu Song had never thought about this matter in detail before, but after hearing what Master Zhan said, he recalled what had just happened and was suddenly frightened and broke out in a cold sweat. His drunkenness had lessened a little, but he also felt a little scared.

However, he still disagreed with Mr. Zhan’s approach.

“If you wanted to catch the thief, you should have just said so. Wu Er would have fought hard and never said anything. But they clearly have no hostility. Please forgive me for not agreeing with your actions.”

Seeing Wu Song was angry, Master Zhan didn’t care and just smiled and said:

“Master, catching a thief won’t bring any credit, so I don’t care about the reward.”

“In addition to eliminating harm to the local people, isn’t it for Brother Gongming, Master?”

“Ah? Me?” “Song Jiang” didn’t know that he actually had a role in this. He was still pointing at his nose stupidly and looking at Master Zhan in amazement.

“That’s right!” Master Zhan said seriously, “Brother Gongming, you are now charged with murder. If you have no merit, it will not be easy to turn things around and clear your name.”

“But if you, my dear brother Gongming, capture all the Liangshan bandits and eliminate the banditry for the people around here, this achievement can be considered great or small. The key lies in how the superiors judge it.”

“With this merit, and with the help from me, maybe the charges against you will be cleared!”

“Maybe I can even get a job!”

Song Jiang blinked his eyes and finally understood what Master Zhan meant. He straightened his back and comforted Wu Song in a dignified manner:

“Erlang, your words are very good!”

“With the help of these thieves, I can definitely get an official position in one fell swoop. I don’t have to worry about being caught by the officials anymore!”

“Ji Lang, you will definitely support me, right?”

Wu Song looked at his idol in surprise. He knew in his heart that what Brother Gongming said was right, but emotionally he always felt that something was not right and he found it particularly unacceptable.

“Brother Gongming, the reason why we captured these leaders so easily is that they were not on guard against us. Isn’t it a bit despicable for us to do this?”

“Song Jiang” then said seriously:
“These Liangshan bandits have committed many evil deeds and have killed countless people over the years. How can I let them go just because they call me brother?”

“They are bandits, Erlang, you are an official. Officials and bandits cannot coexist. Erlang, you must stand firm!”

“This…” Wu Song was speechless when he thought of his identity.

It was inappropriate for an official to drink with a group of bandits, but he had overlooked it before because he saw these people were so loyal. But now that Brother Gongming mentioned this matter, he immediately realized it.

Master Zhan did not embarrass him and came over and said with a smile:
“If Erlang is worried that others will impeach you for this, then you can rest assured. You can say later that you pretended to be submissive in order to catch all the Liangshan bandits in one fell swoop and let them relax their vigilance. With me and Brother Gongming as witnesses for you, no one can make things difficult for you, and Li Datian will not be implicated.”

“I’m not worried about that…” Wu Song was about to explain, but when he saw that Ying Bojue had tied up everyone skillfully, he realized that it was useless to say anything, so he could only sigh and keep silent.

Unexpectedly, Master Zhan pointed outward again and said:

“Since we have captured them all, we can’t let go of those minions outside the door either. Brother Gongming, go and cut off as many heads as possible. The more heads you bring back, the better.”

“Song Jiang” then drew his sword, strode out, and started hacking and killing.

Seeing that things had already happened and could not be changed, Wu Song had no choice but to follow out with his sword in hand, guarding his idol, fearing that Brother Gongming would be hurt by the thieves.

Who would have thought that after going out, I discovered that Brother Gongming was so brave, his sword flying up and down, it must have been the result of at least ten years of hard work.

“Song Jiang” now has the “Dark Star” entering his body, and he is skilled in martial arts. In addition, he has been nourished by spiritual energy in the blessed land for many days, so his physique is far superior to that of ordinary people. This move is like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, and he kills those minions to pieces in an instant.

These minions saw that the enemy had rushed out from the Juyi Hall, and were clearly the distinguished guests of the village. They realized that the situation had changed, and when they saw that they were no match for the enemy, they whistled and fled like birds and beasts.

Master Zhan did not offer any help and let them escape, spreading the heroic deeds of “Song Gongming’s great defeat of Liangshanpo” to everyone in every corner, thus bringing fame to Brother Gongming.

(End of this chapter)