Chapter 16

Pfft! Coming out in the middle of the night with four or five hundred fully armed men to see the world? What a fine strategist, who first relied on Chao Gai to remove Wang Lun and then forced Chao Gai to his death by joining Song Jiang.

Seeing his lies flow so easily, Wang Lun merely said coolly, "Mr. Jialiang, you flatter me."

Wu Yong was not at all proud when Wang Lun called him by his name, a village teacher. Instead, he was slightly surprised, thinking that the leader of Liangshan had even figured out his background. It seemed that he was indeed well-prepared for this encounter.

At that moment, he noticed a man beside him trying to hide in the crowd. He frowned, thinking that if it weren't for this person's information earlier, he and Chao Gai wouldn't have decided to set up an ambush here. Now, seeing the situation turning unfavorable, this person wanted to back out. Does he treat the heroes of the world as mere playthings? Wu Yong frowned and suddenly had an idea. He loudly said to the opposite side, "Indeed! Not only do we villagers yearn to see the noble appearance of the White Scholar, but even the heroes of the past would not want to miss such a fine opportunity, which shows the great prestige of Liangshan!"

Wang Lun sneered inwardly, thinking that this fan-wielding strategist must be up to something. However, he also wanted to know who else was involved in this night's action against his stronghold, so he played along with Wu Yong, saying, "What do you mean, Professor? Are there any other heroes present?"

Wu Yong smiled but said nothing, only fixing his gaze on the man. Unable to bear the scrutiny, the man had no choice but to step forward and say, "I am Han Bolong from Jingxi, and I have also heard much about the White Scholar!"

It was him?

Wang Lun was not unfamiliar with this name, but he didn't know why this unfortunate man, who would later be killed by Li Kui, was at Chao Gai's manor. He replied, "So it's Brother Han. I have heard much about you from Brother Zhu Gui, but I didn't expect to meet you here!"

Han Bolong, upon hearing this, was immediately filled with shame, his eyes downcast, and he remained silent.

Wu Yong smiled slightly, not caring about Han Bolong's thoughts. Even if they gained nothing tonight, at least they had tied this man to their cause, and he wouldn't dare to waver in the future.

At that moment, a cry of battle came from the distance, and both sides turned to look. Du Qian and Song Wan, with their long knives in hand, led a group of fierce men, numbering about a thousand, rushing forward.

The group by the stream immediately fell into chaos. The sound of weapons clashing and falling to the ground could be heard, and some of the farmers who had been lured by the promise of wealth were already deserting, wading through the icy water. Seeing this, Chao Gai, the Heavenly King, frowned deeply, but at least the two hundred manor guests remained relatively calm, saving them from complete disgrace.

At this moment, Wu Yong whispered something in Chao Gai's ear. After listening to his strategist, Chao Gai nodded and loudly said, "Leader Wang, some of your brothers from the stronghold are drunk over there. They will return to the stronghold when they sober up tomorrow. Tonight, your stronghold is avenging your brothers, and we do not wish to disturb you further. We will take our leave now!"

Wang Lun, seeing that Chao Gai had first detained his brothers and then tried to take advantage of his small numbers, was not about to let him off so easily. He felt a surge of anger and, after a moment's thought, stepped forward and called out, "Heavenly King, wait a moment! I have something to say!"

Chao Gai and his men stopped, curious to hear what Wang Lun had to say. Suddenly, Wang Lun burst into loud laughter and said after a while, "Heavenly King, I have destroyed all the deeds of Xixi Village. If you are interested, consider it a small gift from me!"

Without waiting for Chao Gai's reaction, Wang Lun signaled his men, and the large group advanced toward Du Qian and Song Wan.

"Master, what does Wang Lun mean? He says he destroyed the deeds, what does that have to do with us? Why does he call it a gift?" Seeing that the Liangshan people had no intention of fighting, Chao Gai and his men did not rush to leave. Han Bolong, confused, asked Chao Gai, blaming Wu Yong for his ruthless actions earlier.

Before Chao Gai could answer, Wu Yong sighed and said, "This man is not simple. With his methods of robbing, the officials are happy to follow him and pick up the leftovers. Who would think of suppressing him?"

Han Bolong still didn't understand and looked at Chao Gai with confusion. Chao Gai sighed and explained, "Berlong, you travel much in the world, but you don't understand the corruption of officials! All the deeds of the Xixi Village headman's family have been destroyed. Do you think the clerks and bailiffs in the county office will seek justice for the victims?" Chao Gai snorted, "If they don't take this opportunity to forge deeds and seize the land, I, Chao Gai, will never engage in private trade again!"

Wu Yong, hearing this, also sighed, "Officials, when they see money, are like flies to a stench! Even those with deeds in hand, if they are targeted, will not have a good end! Now that the deeds are destroyed, they have no evidence and can do as they please. Once they forge the documents in the county office and connect with the higher authorities, the thousands of acres of land will change hands in no time. If the headman is still alive, it would be a bit of a problem, as people are still people, and the county office wouldn't dare to go too far. But I think he is most likely already dead. Without the victim, even if some family members escape, who would dare to complain to the authorities? After they divide the land, they will rent it back to the old tenants. Who would be willing to take the risk and testify for him?"

Han Bolong finally understood and said urgently, "Heavenly King, this fat piece of meat can't just fall into the hands of the officials!"

Chao Gai nodded and said, "We will seek out Brother Gongming tomorrow and make plans! Seeing that Wu Yong and Han Bolong returned empty-handed and were dejected, Chao Gai sighed. He himself was also disappointed, as tens of thousands of strings of cash had slipped through his fingers. However, as a leader, he had the grace to hide his disappointment and smiled at the two, comforting them, "Tonight, I thought we would have a great fortune to share with the two of you, but the Liangshan stronghold is much stronger than we expected. Although we didn't gain anything, at least we didn't lose anything. Don't be discouraged, brothers. Tomorrow, I will go to the city to find Brother Song Gongming and secure some land for the two of you!"

Wu Yong and Han Bolong both thanked him, saying, "How can we let you spend your own money?"

Chao Gai shook his head and said, "You are my close brothers. Don't be so formal! Mr. Wu, stay the night at my manor and drink with us. The manor guests have worked hard all night and should be treated well. Please join us as company!"

...

"Brother, you were right! I never thought that this Chao headman would have no sense of honor and would try to rob us! Pfft, what a so-called hero of the world!" Du Qian said angrily.

"When black becomes white, white also becomes black!" Wang Lun shook his head and sighed, "Honor? We have no connection with him, and the tens of thousands of strings of cash are more practical! If our leaders had fallen into his hands, we would most likely have been silenced, and our men handed over to the authorities. He would have gained the wealth and a reputation for protecting the people!"

"Brother, you are right! But Chao Gai is so ruthless. Why did you stop us just now? I wanted to cut him down with one stroke! At least let him have a taste of our blade!" Song Wan was also furious and cursed.

"Killing a thousand, losing eight hundred! If we had fought to the death, what would happen to the stronghold? Brothers, we must not act on impulse and lose everything!" Wang Lun shook his head and advised the two.

Du Qian and Song Wan were not unreasonable. They understood that if they had fought, the best outcome would have been a Pyrrhic victory. However, they were still frustrated and vented their anger along the way.

When they calmed down, they said, "Brother, you think long-term! To be honest, if it weren't for the villagers' support, scaring Chao Gai, we would have had another fierce battle! Thanks to Brother, we are grateful!"

Wang Lun waved his hand and sighed, "As the ancients said: those who follow the right path have many helpers, those who do not have few. What is the right path? It is to have more people support us and fewer oppose us!" He always remembered the elder's explanation of politics. This simple statement contained profound truth.

Du Qian and Song Wan were stunned for a moment and then said happily, "Brother, your words are truly enlightening!"

Wang Lun felt a bit embarrassed, thinking that these were not his own insights but rather standing on the shoulders of giants to see further than the people of this era.

At this moment, Du Qian said, "Brother, when we distribute the money, let's give each household ten strings of cash, regardless of whether they provided men or carts, to avoid disappointing the villagers!"

Wang Lun was pleased to see that Du Qian understood the importance of maintaining the support of the people. He felt that the example he had set tonight had not been in vain and said with a smile, "Brother, you are in charge of the stronghold's finances. If you say it, who would refuse?"

Du Qian, delighted, bowed to Wang Lun and said, "Understood!" and hurriedly rushed to the front of the group. Song Wan, seeing this, also had some ideas and stood awkwardly, looking quite comical. Wang Lun, seeing a burly man acting like a woman, couldn't help but ask, "Does Brother Song Wan have any suggestions? Please speak up!"

Du Qian, seeing Wang Lun ask him, stopped being coy and said, "Brother, we have gained a lot of wealth this time. Let's restore the three meals a day for our men! Don't keep them on two meals, making them weak and unsteady!"

Wang Lun breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Song Wan, as a new leader, wanted to do something practical for the men. He was happy to give him this face and, considering that improving the men's diet was something he had thought about many times, he immediately agreed, "Agreed! Also, I see that we have captured many cattle and sheep. There must be no less than four hundred sheep. Starting today, we will slaughter ten sheep each day to add to the men's meals!"

Song Wan, seeing Wang Lun not only agree but also add to his suggestion, felt that he was quite important to Wang Lun. He thanked Wang Lun happily, and the two walked along, chatting and laughing, in a very harmonious manner.

Soon, the two led the rear group to the lake. The lakeside was bustling with nearly a hundred boats crowded together. The water army brothers were spontaneously joining the grain transport team, enthusiastically helping to load the night's rich spoils onto the boats.

The tall and imposing Du Qian stood on a makeshift platform, proudly distributing money to the villagers. He often walked into the crowd, enjoying the gratitude of the villagers as he handed out strings of copper coins, looking very content.

On this cold winter night, a warm and joyful scene unfolded in the corner of the lake.