Chapter 114: Hurricane (6k)

Duan Jingzhu was a petty horse thief, and originally he had no place in Liangshan. However, this fellow had a sharp tongue, and not only did he flatter Song Jiang to the point of being very happy, he also brought out Zeng Toushi, his enemy.

Just when Song Jiang wanted to take back the military power, Duan Jingzhu gave him this excuse, so he kept him.

About half an hour later, Chao Gai brought his victorious army to the waterside. From his expression, it was clear that he was in a good mood.

After a brief greeting, Song Jiang led the leaders across the river to Jinshatan and went straight to the Juyi Hall without stopping. Song Qing and Zhu Fu had already arranged a celebration banquet.

When they arrived at the Juyi Hall, Chao Gai formally introduced Fan Rui, Xiang Chong and Li Gun to the leaders who stayed behind. Song Jiang also brought Duan Jingzhu to pay homage to the leader of the stronghold.

Soon, the minions brought in dishes and wine, and the hall became a sea of ​​joy.

Chao Gai spoke a few words at the beginning, then sat down to share his joy with Song Jiang (sitting down to show off). He put on a smiling face and pretended to listen, but he felt very uncomfortable in his heart.

Song Jiang was like a student waiting for the get out of class to end. Every second sitting there was torture, but Chao Gai kept talking over and over again.

After Chao Gai finally drank to quench his thirst, Song Jiang brought up Duan Jingzhu to change the subject, saying, "Brother, the hero Duan Jingzhu I just introduced to you also brought important news. He said that there is a Zengtou City in the southwest of Lingzhou, and they want to harm our Liangshan."

"Zengtou City? Another Zhujiazhuang?"

Seeing Chao Gai frowning and thinking, Song Jiang hurriedly added: "I don't know the specific situation, why not let him come forward and tell us in detail?"

"never mind."

Chao Gai suddenly stood up, put his hand on Song Jiang's shoulder, and said calmly: "Hearing is believing, seeing is not. If you are interested, you can send someone to Zengtou City to find out the details before making any plans. I will go and have a few bowls of wine with my brothers."

"Brother, go by yourself."

Song Jiang also stood up. He knew that Chao Gai didn't like thieves. This was his attitude towards Shi Qian before, and it was still the same towards Duan Jingzhu now.

However, small people have small uses. If Shi Qian had not stolen the armor to deceive Xu Ning, what would you use to break the chain armor horse?
Song Jiang also didn't like small people, but he didn't have a broad mind. He criticized Chao Gai a little in his heart and walked towards Dai Zong's position.

You have no interest in Zengtou City? I will be disrespectful to you. I will take advantage of the next gathering to regain the right to command.

Chao Gai was in a good mood today, so he drank a lot of wine and went back to his room to sleep after the banquet.

Song Jiang did just the opposite. For the first time, he did not go to each table to propose a toast. No one else noticed this unusual, except the careful Hua Rong, who was secretly observing.

After the banquet, the leaders left in twos and threes, and Song Jiang also came out of the house with his hands behind his back.

At this time, Hua Rong quietly leaned over and whispered, "Brother, are you drunk? I will take you back to your room to rest."

"I am fine."

As soon as Song Jiang finished speaking, he suddenly added: "Do you want to go back to your room? We can go together. I'm going to have tea with Wu Xuejiu."

"Ok."

Hua Rong responded and supported Song Jiang, and they left the Juyi Hall side by side.

When they reached a secluded place, Hua Rong looked around and saw no one around, so he asked quietly, "Brother, do you have anything to ask me?"

"How's the investigation going?"

"I've been trying to investigate, but he has been in contact with so many people so often that he's afraid of alerting the enemy if he's too obvious, so he hasn't figured out who gave him the advice yet."

"Then change your thinking and lock the target in the opposite direction."

After Song Jiang gave his advice, he saw Hua Rong looked puzzled, so he had to explain: "Given his rough personality, if someone helps him a lot, shouldn't he thank them properly? The key is to see what he does when he returns to the mountain, and among them is the person we are looking for."

"Wonderful."

Hua Rong clapped his hands and cheered.

Seeing this, Song Jiang patted his arm and gently warned him, "You don't have much time left. When Dean Dai returns from Zengtou City, I must know the answer so that I can resolve it in a targeted manner."

"Don't worry, brother. I will definitely do my best. That's right."

Hua Rong clasped his fists in assurance, and suddenly thought of something strange that had just happened, so he added to Song Jiang: "Just now in the Juyi Hall, I found that Chao Tianwang toasted everyone but missed Yang Chang's table. My brother praised him for his meticulousness."

"Yang Sanlang?"

Song Jiang was shocked when he heard this. He opened his eyes and thought about it, then frowned and said, "It's unlikely, but this is indeed strange. He was sitting at the same table with Erlang and Brother Zhu at the time. You shouldn't miss them. You should focus on checking."

"I obey your orders, little brother!"

Watching Hua Rong turn and leave, Song Jiang frowned even more tightly. Could it be that Chao Gai was guilty of something?

If he really dragged Yang Chang over, Wu Song, Lu Zhishen, Lin Chong, and Zhu Tong might be implicated.
Song Jiang didn't dare to think about that scene again.

It should have been sunny in early spring, but it was cloudy in Liangshan that day. The gray sky above was just like Song Jiang's gray mood.

When they arrived at Wu Yong's residence, the two of them sat side by side facing the door.

After the servant prepared the tea, Wu Yong sent him to keep watch outside the door, because he knew that Song Jiang had something to say to him.

"Brother, please drink it while it's hot. If you soak it for too long, it will become bitter."

"It's okay if the tea is bitter."

Song Jiang was about to take the tea bowl, but when he heard the reminder, he suddenly retracted his hand.

Wu Yong finished drinking and took another bowl. Then he stroked his beard and said with a smile: "It seems that my brother is not drunk. I heard that strong tea can sober up. I should send some to King Chao."

"Chao Tianwang is drunk and lying in bed. I think we should not disturb him. Chao Tianwang was talking very happily just now. Sir, since you have participated in the expedition to Mangdang Mountain, what do you think of the Tianwang's military tactics? Is it better than my Tianshu Military Strategy?"

"Brother, you are too modest." Wu Yong shook his head and said softly, "To be fair, Chao Tianwang is a good general, but he lacks experience in commanding a general."

"What do you mean?" Song Jiang was delighted.

Wu Yong smiled bitterly and said, "King Chao is brave in battle and always leads the troops in battle, which makes it difficult for him to control the overall situation. If it weren't for Mr. Yiqing's magic, the troops of Mangdang Mountain would not be strong, and we might have suffered a great loss."

"That's not good."

Song Jiang stroked his beard with a heavy face, muttering to himself: "King Chao likes to lead his troops into battle. If we meet a tough enemy next time, won't he lead his brothers into the abyss? It's not easy for Liangshan to maintain its current situation."

"Brother, you are right. Most of this is due to you."

"What do you mean by yours and mine? It's all thanks to everyone, sir."

Hearing Wu Yong's words, Song Jiang felt relieved. He immediately stood up, clasped his fists and saluted, begging, "To save Liangshan from eternal damnation, please help me, sir."

"What are you talking about, brother?"

Wu Yong hurriedly supported Song Jiang and said sternly, "I have always followed my brother's lead, but Chao Tianwang is the leader of the stronghold after all. If he forcibly leads the troops like this time, we can't stop him even if we want to."

"Don't worry, sir. Song Jiang will find a way to stop it. You just need to cooperate with me."

"For the sake of Liangshan's overall interests, Xiaoke will definitely cooperate with you fully."

"Sir, you are so righteous. When the imperial court recruits us in the future, we brothers will serve our country together and seek a good outcome of being given a title and having children."

"I appreciate your words, brother."

Coming out of Wu Yong's residence, the sky, which was originally gray like a quilt, had been pierced by golden light. The sunlight shone through the gaps onto the earth, shining on people with a comfortable and warm feeling.

Song Jiang's mood at this moment was like the changing weather, which cleared up in an instant and made the sun appear. Even when he was sleeping soundly at night, he had a rare sweet dream.

In the dream, he was wearing a purple robe, holding a tablet and standing in the front row of the court.

The colleagues next to him were friendly and had fox-like smiles on their faces. They should be Cai Jing, Gao Qiu, Yang Jian and others. Song Jiang had no impression of these people.

Suddenly, someone called out "Song Shumi" from behind. Song Jiang looked closely and found it was Su Yuanjing.

Why is General Su standing so far back?

While he was deep in thought, the eunuch in front of the palace shouted "dismiss the court", and all the officials immediately bid farewell to the emperor.

Song Jiang hastily bowed with his tablet in hand. When he looked up, he couldn't help but glance forward, wanting to see the emperor sitting on the dragon throne, but he was blocked by the fog in front of him and couldn't see clearly. He just felt that the figure was somewhat familiar.

"Song Qing, do you have anything else to say?"

"minister"

"Come closer and speak."

"The minister obeys the order."

Song Jiang stepped forward in response, and came to the bottom of the imperial steps, where he immediately stood still in shock.

Because the official sitting on the dragon throne looked exactly like Yang Chang.

"Song Qing?"

"I'm here."

"What do you want?"

"Your Majesty."

Song Jiang, who was still meeting the emperor in his dream, was actually talking in his sleep at his residence in Liangshan.

It was already daybreak. Hua Rong came to look for him for something and happened to hear the voice of "minister, minister" in the room.

Chen? Shen?
What do you mean?
"Brother, are you there? I am Hua Rong."

"what?"

Song Jiang was awakened by the knock on the door. He opened his eyes and realized that it was just a dream. He immediately responded, "Wait a minute, I'll change my clothes and open the door."

After a while, Hua Rong was welcomed into the room, and immediately asked: "What did you call just now, brother? I only heard the word Chen."

"I just had a dream that the boat was leaking"

Song Jiang made up an excuse and then changed the subject and asked, "Why did you come to see me so early? Is there something urgent?"

"I have actually found out something about what my brother told me yesterday. When King Chao summoned all the leaders last time, except for Bai Sheng who was sent to the back mountain to deliver the message, the other villages asked their minions to deliver the message."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Hua Rong spread his hands after saying this, as if this wasn’t obvious enough?

Song Jiang was troubled by the dream just now, wondering if there was any special meaning, so he did not think deeply about it. He waved his hand and said, "Bai Sheng is just a marginal figure. His running errands and delivering messages does not mean anything. You should check it carefully."

"Yes." Hua Rong nodded in response and offered a suggestion: "The back mountain is far away from the main camp. If you want to find out the details of this matter, it is best to ask the people in the back mountain. I heard that Yang Chang's cousin Yang Jian is working with Si Lang in the mountain. I suggest you."

"What did you say? That's not right."

Song Jiang waved his hands when he heard this. He pinched his chin and thought for a while. Suddenly, he remembered someone and said, "Although Yang Jian is young and easy to get things to say, it is also easy for him to pass on the words. So we need to find a more reliable person. Your new deputy general Li Zhong and the deputy general Zhou Tong in the back mountain are both from Taohua Mountain. Why don't we ask him to invite his old friend to have a drink and ask him indirectly?"

"Great! Brother, this is a great idea. I can't match it."

"Don't flatter me, my dear brother. Go and make the arrangements. I'm still a little tired and want to sleep for a while."

"well."

Hua Rong took the order and left, not forgetting to close the door before leaving. Song Jiang returned to the couch, intending to continue his beautiful dream.

However, no matter how hard he thought about it, he could never return to the palace he longed for. After tossing and turning for about half an hour, he had no choice but to sit at the head of the bed with the quilt in his hand.

The sun was already high outside, but Song Jiang didn't want to get up yet.

He was influenced by the strange dream and planned to prepare for the worst in advance. If Yang Chang really turned to Chao Gai, what strategy should he use to deal with it? At that time, he really couldn't stop Chao Gai.

This troublemaker is no longer the same as before. Wu Song can control half of Erlong Mountain. Targeting him too much will be detrimental to the overall situation, but he will be used by Chao Gai anyway.

Why don't I just go with the flow?

Then solve the problem from the root?
Song Jiang's eyes suddenly lit up and an ingenious plan came to his mind. He thought to himself that it would be better if Chao Gai was not won over, otherwise he would not blame his brothers for being ruthless.

These days, Chao Gai prepared small banquets almost every day, inviting different leaders to have drinks and parties. The second-in-command, Song Jiang, was very low-key. He went to bed early and got up late every day, like an idler with nothing to do.

Two days before Dai Zong returned to the mountain, Hua Rong found Song Jiang at night and brought relevant evidence.

Hua Rong encouraged Li Zhong and Zhou Tong to drink together, and then asked the drunken Zhou Tong all kinds of questions, and found out that Ruan Xiaoqi had gone to the back mountain twice late at night, and he went up the mountain with Yang Chang. Afterwards, he checked with the guards of Wanzi City and confirmed that Yang Chang had gone up the mountain late at night.

The fact is clear that it was this person who gave advice to Chao Gai, but Song Jiang unexpectedly did not get angry after hearing it, which made Hua Rong very confused.

"Yang Chang has a quick mind. If he helps with all his strength, King Chao may have trouble suppressing him."

"I know."

"What are your plans, brother?"

"Leave it alone for now."

"what?"

Seeing Hua Rong's incredible expression, Song Jiang leaned over and whispered, "Go back and tell General Qin."

"Brother, what are you doing?"

"I have an idea."

After seeing Hua Rong off that night, Song Jiang went out to meet Wu Yong, Hu Yanzhuo, Xu Ning and others. They chatted for a long time before returning to his residence.

At the end of February, Dai Zong traveled for several days and returned to the mountain to find Song Jiang first.

Song Jiang, who was usually lazy, suddenly became energetic after hearing the information from Zengtou City.

He immediately ran to the Juyi Hall and told Chao Gai about the Zeng family's arrogance.

Chao Gai slammed the table and stood up, angrily saying, "How dare you! This beast is so rude. I must go and catch him myself. I will not return to the mountain until I catch him."

"Brother is the leader of the stronghold, how can you move rashly? I am willing to do it for you."

"Brother Gongming is right. Lingzhou is a long way away. Brother has just returned from Xuzhou. He is exhausted from the battle. He needs to take a rest first. He cannot rush down the mountain. Ahem."

Faced with Song Jiang's clichés and Wu Yong's support, although Chao Gai despised them in his heart, he developed a perverted pleasure.

Are you anxious? You are right to be anxious.

Last time I just tried my hand at it, this time I will show my skills on the big scale. Once I capture Zengtou City and establish my authority, the world will know who is the leader of Liangshan.

Chao Gai stared at the two men for a long time, and finally his eyes fell on Song Jiang's dark face, and he said seriously: "It's not that I insist on going, but it's really that my dear brother has been down the mountain many times. This time I will go to Zengtou City again. It won't be too late for my dear brother to go next time."

"Brother, Zengtou City is not weaker than Zhujiazhuang. Besides, it is too far away to provide support. Why don't we gather all the brothers to discuss this and make a decision later?"

“That’s okay too”

Seeing that Song Jiang was about to use his old trick again and try to seize the right to speak by using his numerical advantage, Chao Gai was secretly happy but looked hesitant. He pretended to be conflicted and reluctantly agreed. He thought to himself that he was looking forward to your expression later, which was exciting just thinking about it.

The two of them had their own ulterior motives and acted so well that Wu Yong, who was standing next to them, looked embarrassed.

Song Jiang informed him in advance and said that if he could not stop Chao Gai this time, he would ask him to claim illness and not go with them, so he deliberately coughed from time to time just now.

After waiting for half an hour, the leaders of each village arrived one after another. This time even the deputy general came, and they stood in the gathering hall, which was crowded with people.

After Chao Gai looked at everyone, he secretly glanced at Song Jiang and thought, "You kid, you are holding back your fart, you want to use the advantage of numbers to suppress me? It's just a foolish dream, brother has a secret weapon!"

After Wu Yong made a brief introduction, Chao Gai and Song Jiang took command and refused to give way to each other.

After several rounds, Chao Gai still refused to listen and wanted to go down the mountain.

Song Jiang frowned and stroked his chest, looking at him seriously, and sighed: "Brother is determined to go down the mountain, and it is useless for me to persuade him. You'd better ask everyone's opinions and listen to both sides."

"Is it?"

Chao Gai had been waiting for this moment for a long time. He looked around at the faces in the hall, paused for a moment on Yang Chang's face, and finally stretched out his right hand and said proudly: "Zengtou City is making wild threats to Liangshan. As the leader of the stronghold, how can I live in peace in the mountains? This time I must flatten Zengtou City and spread the reputation of Liangshan. Which brothers are willing to lend a hand?"

"Brother, I am willing to go!"

"And I."

"Count me in."

As expected, the three Ruan brothers and Liu Tang were the first to stand up and support Chao Gai. Song Wan and Du Qian spoke in a low voice, but also raised their hands in the back row.

With just these few kittens, it is obvious that they cannot take over Zengtou City.

Chao Gai frowned and looked at everyone, then asked meaningfully, "Is that all?"

At that time, the Juyi Hall was so silent that even a pin drop could be heard, but someone soon broke the silence.

"The troops in the back mountain camp have been stationed there for a long time, and have been absent from the battles in Huazhou and Xuzhou. I am willing to go with my wife and brother."

"Very good."

Chao Gai immediately responded by clapping his hands, praising him and saying, "With the help of a virtuous couple, why worry about the demise of Zengtou City?"

Yang Chang suddenly jumped out, and Wu Song beside him was stunned. He thought, "Why don't you support Chao Gai in a more subtle way? If you insult Brother Gongming in public, their relationship will become more and more strained."

Wu Song secretly glanced at Song Jiang, and sure enough, there was no smile on his dark face. He probably didn't expect you to be so brave.

However, what happened next was even more incredible to Wu Song.

"I am willing to go with you."

"I wish to follow the king down the mountain."

"Tear down Zengtou City."

"Take back the Jade Lion of Zhaoye!"

"I am coming too!"

Yang Chang was like a faucet valve, turning the mechanism to bring out gusts of water, and the sound of water responding in the hall came one after another.

Wu Song was dazzled and wondered how Sanlang could have such power?
Chao Gai, who was selecting generals at the front, was also surprised. It was not surprising that Hu Yanzhuo, Sun Li, Mu Hong, Ou Peng and others followed suit, because he had contacted them many times to win them over and show goodwill.

But Huang Xin, Yan Shun, Zheng Tianshou, Deng Fei, Shi Xiu and others obviously had Song Jiang's name all over them, so why did they stand up and respond to Yang Chang at this time?
Is it because Yang Chang is too charming, or are they not valued by Song Jiang, and now they realize that the paper tiger is unreliable, so they turn against him and join his side?

Whatever the reason is, it is good for you.

Chao Gai glanced at Song Jiang out of the corner of his eye, and Heisablang's expression was just as expected, a cold and gloomy face like iron.

So cool!

"Brother, it seems that all the brothers support me. You can rest assured that I will go down the mountain."

Chao Gai deliberately called Song Jiang to show him his battle record with a smile, and then acted proudly, "It's just a city called Zengtou, there's no need for so many brothers to go, just pick a few and you can win. Those who are called, please stand in front, the first one is Instructor Lin."

In addition to the few confidants he already had, there were more than twenty people who responded to Yang Chang's request, including some leaders close to Song Jiang. If he didn't use one, he would appear stingy, but if he used too many, he would be afraid that they would do bad things in secret.

Chao Gai considered again and again, eliminated those with relatively poor martial arts skills, and finally selected twenty leaders.

They are Lin Chong, Hu Yanzhuo, Xu Ning, Mu Hong, Sun Li, Yang Chang, Hu Sanniang, Yang Xiong, Shi Xiu, Ou Peng, Yan Shun, Huang Xin, Yang Lin, Deng Fei, Liu Tang, the three Ruan brothers, Du Qian, Song Wan, and Bai Sheng.

Chao Gai finished selecting his generals in high spirits, and immediately told all the leaders to return to the camp as soon as possible to reorganize the troops. They should arrive at Yazui Beach in one hour and reach Beishan Hotel in two hours to complete the assembly.

The leaders turned around and left one after another. Chao Gai turned to look at Wu Yong and said, "I didn't ask for a special military advisor. Sir, go and get ready."

"Cough cough."

Wu Yong immediately coughed to remind him, and politely refused, "I caught a cold last night, and it's getting worse. I'm afraid I can't accompany you on your journey."

"Sir, can't you really go?"

"I know a little about medicine, and I know that it's hard to recover from a cold in a short time. Rather than joining the army and causing trouble for my brother, I'd rather stay in the mountains to recuperate. I hope you'll forgive me."

Chao Gai thought to himself, "What a coincidence that you got sick. Are you completely on Song Jiang's side? Didn't you see that Hei Sanlang was 'betrayed by his friends and relatives'? How dare you call yourself Mr. Jia Liang with your brain?"
Thinking of the past events such as the Seven Stars Gathering, Chao Gai decided to give him another chance, so he said to himself: "Without a military advisor, I always feel like something is missing."

"Zhu Wu is nicknamed the Divine Military Advisor. Brother, why don't you ask him back?"

How could Wu Yong not hear the hidden meaning? He played dumb and led the charge to Zhu Wu. Chao Gai was disappointed when he heard the reply, and said "forget it" and left from the back hall.

Zhu Wu didn't come forward just now, and now he is no longer in the Juyi Hall. Should he send someone to ask privately? Chao Gai felt embarrassed.

The leaders left the Juyi Hall and went their separate ways. Hu Sanniang and Yang Chang took the road north of Wanzi City and went straight to the military camp in the back mountains.

During the journey, Yang Chang said nothing. Hu Sanniang endured for a long time before finally speaking.

"What's wrong, sir?"

"nothing."

"But you seem to be worried. Are you worried that Song Jiang will bear a grudge against you?"

"no."

"That's what I think!"

Before Yang Chang finished his words, a dark shadow suddenly appeared from the side. It was his sworn brother Wu Song.

"Second brother?"

"You were too reckless just now. Have you ever thought about the consequences?"

“I have my reasons.”

"I know you want to be grateful. After all, I helped you find your uncle and reunite with him, but you don't have to do this. Sigh."

Wu Song sighed deeply, and then whispered to comfort him: "But the matter is done, and we can only accept our mistakes. You and your sister-in-law should take care of yourselves, and don't be greedy for credit. Come back safely, and we'll talk about the funeral."

"It's saved for me, little brother."

Yang Chang nodded in agreement and was about to say goodbye to Wu Song, but he could not help asking, "Second brother, Zhujiazhuang was conquered with the help of an insider. It will not be easy to march into Zengtou City this time. Sanniang and I will not rush into anything, but what if Chao Tianwang does not listen to our advice?"

"How do I know this?"

Wu Song was stunned at first, and then immediately added, "There are many leaders with you, including Master Lin, Hu Yanzhuo and other generals. There will be no mistakes if you discuss it carefully. If you are really unable to defeat the enemy, you can retreat to Liangshan."

"Ok."

After all, it is the plot of Zengtou City. Yang Chang is worried that Chao Gai will be in danger, and wants to ask Wu Song whether he should save him, but he can't say the words when they come to his lips.

“Go early and come back early.”

"Brother, I want to ask you for a favor."

Wu Song took the initiative to wave goodbye, but was suddenly stopped by Yang Chang, so he frowned and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Without Sanniang and I guarding the back mountain, I'm worried that someone will take advantage of the situation and infiltrate the camp. I want to ask my brother to help me keep an eye on someone."

"Hmm? Who are you watching?"

"Little Li Guang Hua Rong!"

Yang Chang's words were so sonorous that Wu Song's eyes widened and he asked in confusion, "Why is it him?"

"His deputy general Li Zhong and his younger brother, deputy general Zhou Tong, are brothers from Taohua Mountain. Zhou Tong came back drunk a few days ago. I heard that he went to Hua Rong's camp. I guess he wants to reach out to the back mountain."

"I see. I'll help you keep an eye on it."

Wu Song thought to himself that Hua Rong might have done this on Song Jiang's orders. No wonder he behaved abnormally today.

In fact, this was not Yang Chang's original intention. He deliberately found an excuse to ask Wu Song for help in order to shed a pair of eyes behind Hua Rong.

In the original novel, Chao Gai was shot and killed by Shi Wengong, but many book lovers analyzed that the murderer was someone else, and the biggest suspect was this Liangshan sharpshooter.

Today, Song Jiang's face was as dark as a cloud. He thought that he had offended Hei Sanlang badly. Perhaps it would be more beneficial to Yang Chang to save Chao Gai.

The gun is easy to hide, and the dark arrow is hard to prevent.

It’s never a bad thing to buy insurance for Hua Rong in advance.

(End of this chapter)