Chapter 18

The sudden scene by the shore startled Du Qian and Song Wan, who had worked hard all night but could hardly hide their excitement.

On the dock, Zhu Gui, the land-based bandit, was kneeling on the sandy ground with his head bowed, motionless. Zheng Qian and Zhou Zhi, standing beside him, were sweating profusely, yet dared not rashly approach to help. Seeing this unusual sight, the surrounding bandits were even more confused, peering and whispering to each other.

At this moment, Wang Lun was dozing at the stern of the boat. Hearing the commotion, he quickly rose and looked around. Suddenly, he saw Zhu Gui's actions on the shore and immediately thought that this might be related to the attack that night. Recalling how Wu Yong had pressured Han Bulong, Wang Lun sighed inwardly.

Before the boat even reached the shore, Du Qian and Song Wan had already jumped off, disregarding the bone-chilling cold of the lake water, and rushed to Zhu Gui, forcibly lifting him up. By the time Wang Lun arrived, Zhu Gui was already in tears, unable to speak. Wang Lun sighed, patted Zhu Gui's shoulder, and comforted him gently. Seeing Zheng Qian and Zhou Zhi standing helplessly to one side, he gave them a meaningful look, and they immediately understood, quickly dispersing the surrounding bandits. Taking advantage of this moment, Wang Lun pulled Zhu Gui aside and said, "Brother, why do you do this to yourself? Han Bulong is Han Bulong, and you are you. What does it matter? Am I so muddled that I can't see the whole picture?"

Hearing this, Zhu Gui felt a warmth in his heart, and his expression eased slightly, but he still said, "It's all because I couldn't see through people, putting the three of you in danger. Zhu Gui has nothing more to say today, but I beg you to deal with me according to military law!"

Du Qian and Song Wan exchanged puzzled looks and asked, "Brother Zhu Gui, what are you talking about? Why bring up military law?"

Zhu Gui sighed deeply, as if trying to expel all the evil in his heart, and began to recount his friendship with Han Bulong. The listeners were all indignant, and when he finished, Du Qian burst out, "What a heartless scoundrel, so despicable! You, Brother Zhu Gui, treated him with sincerity, but he treated you like dirt, doing such inhuman things. Is he even human?"

Song Wan also consoled him, "Brother, although you are involved in this, it's not your fault! I will catch this scoundrel one day and cut him up for you!"

Zhu Gui shook his head, looking despondent, and said, "This is all because of me. If the three of you had any mishap tonight, I would be guilty for the rest of my life. I only ask that you punish me according to the rules to ease my regret!" After saying this, he fell silent, sobbing.

Seeing this, Wang Lun glanced at Du Qian and Song Wan, who both looked helpless and shrugged, waiting for Wang Lun to make a decision.

"Painting bones and skin is easy, but painting tigers is hard; knowing a person's face is easy, but knowing their heart is hard!" Wang Lun sighed deeply, paused, and seeing that no one was moving, finally said, "Alright! The country has its laws, and the stronghold has its rules. Since this has happened, we must give an account. Since Du Qian and Song Wan are both here, let's discuss a plan!"

As Wang Lun spoke, Du Qian and Song Wan sighed. They knew that with over a thousand people in the stronghold, if actions were not clearly rewarded or punished, it would be hard to gain the trust of the masses. Poor Zhu Gui had only been a leader for a day, and the chair was still warm when this happened. No matter how this was handled, it would affect his future authority in the stronghold.

Wang Lun understood this situation. After a long moment of thought, he said, "Since someone has come to join the stronghold, it is proper to treat them with hospitality. However, leaking information about the stronghold is a mistake. If we don't punish, it will be hard to maintain order. But since Zhu Gui did not act intentionally and did not cause any loss, and it was due to a mistake in judgment, and considering it is his first offense, we will punish him lightly. He will be charged with negligence, and he must reflect on his mistake for a month, during which his rewards will be halved. What do you think?"

Hearing this, Du Qian and Song Wan were relieved and had no objections, but Zhu Gui was still sad and said it was too light.

Du Qian laughed and said, "Too light? Wait until you get your share of the gold and silver, and then you'll know the weight. Don't complain that the punishment is too severe later!"

Although Zhu Gui couldn't laugh, he felt a bit relieved and no longer felt as heavy as before. He looked at Wang Lun with gratitude. Wang Lun patted Zhu Gui's shoulder and advised, "Don't let one bad experience ruin everything. In the future, when someone comes to join, be strict in questioning them! If you let a small mistake lead to a bigger one, it will only make the heroes cold-hearted!"

Hearing this, Zhu Gui seemed to be deep in thought. Seeing this, Wang Lun felt reassured, knowing that he didn't need to repeat himself. He was most afraid that Zhu Gui, after this big loss, would overcorrect and become too cautious, which would be counterproductive.

Seeing that the matter was settled, Zhou Zhi, who had been waiting on the side, quickly stepped forward and reported, "Chief, all the brothers, the feast has been prepared for a long time. Where shall we set it up?"

Seeing Song Wan looking to him for a decision, Wang Lun smiled and said, "You decide! Since the kitchen matters were handed over to you yesterday, you must take care of the cooking! Since you are the kitchen god, you say when to start, and we will follow. If you say to wait, we will all go hungry!" This made everyone laugh, and Du Qian even joked, "Kitchen god, kitchen god!"

Song Wan's purple face turned slightly red from the laughter, but he was in high spirits and said, "With the support of the brothers, I can stand firm! I think everyone is tired, and we have all been busy all night. Let's set up the feast on the Golden Sand Beach and have a good meal!"

Du Qian immediately shouted in agreement, and Wang Lun also nodded with a smile. Seeing the chief's approval, Zhou Zhi hurried back to prepare. In less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the sound of pots and pans could be heard from a distance, and the cooks, led by Zhou Zhi, carried the prepared round tables and benches to the flat sand.

The leaders watched from a distance and saw that there were many women among the group, carrying all kinds of steaming hot food and wine. The aroma of the food and wine wafted in the air, making the bandits who were moving supplies along the road drool.

Seeing Wang Lun's puzzled look at this unusual kitchen team, Zhu Gui coughed and explained, "These are the family members who came to help voluntarily. After you said yesterday that the kitchen would provide their meals, they were all very grateful and came out to help with the supplies overnight! I couldn't stop them, and since the supplies were heavy, I assigned them to help in the kitchen. Since the three of you were out on a mission, I made the decision myself, hoping you won't blame me!"

Du Qian laughed and said, "Why would I blame you! I'm just afraid that women in the kitchen are inauspicious and might offend the kitchen god!" He then winked at Song Wan.

Wang Lun, not knowing that this rough man had so many superstitions, smiled and shook his head, about to scold him, but then heard Song Wan say, "Is it only in your house that women don't cook? I think it's fine!" This made everyone laugh.

Wang Lun laughed along, seeing so many family members willing to help, and after some thought, he said to Song Wan, "Brother, the population of the stronghold is increasing, and the kitchen may not be able to handle it with the current scale. Since the family members are so enthusiastic, we shouldn't discourage them. We can find some older and reliable women to take care of the children during the day. The other willing family members can be assigned to the kitchen to help with the shortage of labor! Of course, they shouldn't work for free. In the future, when the stronghold distributes rewards, they should also get a share."

Song Wan nodded and said, "I will give the orders!" He was about to go down to arrange it.

Wang Lun held Song Wan back and said, "Brother, wait a moment! I have more to say!"

Song Wan laughed and stopped, and Du Qian and Zhu Gui also perked up, waiting for Wang Lun to speak.

Seeing everyone's attention on him, Wang Lun cleared his throat and said, "After last night, the stronghold has added three to five hundred people. To manage them better, we need to add some junior leaders. If any of you have suitable candidates, please suggest them for discussion!"

Hearing this, Du Qian and the others' eyes all flickered with a strange light. Wang Lun saw their expressions and smiled, waiting for their suggestions.

However, after a long wait, none of them moved, just rubbing their hands but not speaking.

Wang Lun found their behavior unusual, like a bride getting on a sedan chair for the first time. After some thought, he smiled and said, "Let me suggest some candidates first, to set an example! The one who found the bailiff's hidden gold, Leon, I think he is not only righteous but also smart, so let's include him! The scout who warned us on the road, we owe a lot to him tonight, so let's include him too! And Li Si, since many people from Xixi Village have joined the stronghold, it would be better to have a leader to help integrate them, so let's include him as well!" Wang Lun, not knowing much about the lower ranks, only suggested the three who stood out tonight, leaving the other positions for Du Qian, Song Wan, and Zhu Gui to fill.

The reason he was so open about personnel matters was twofold: first, he was unfamiliar with the people in the stronghold, as evidenced by his not knowing the name of the scout. Second, he had no intention of isolating Du Qian and the others. By giving the nomination rights to the three old members of the stronghold, he was directly showing his trust in them.

As the chief, he knew that the most important thing was to firmly hold onto the three deputy leaders. As for the junior leaders, he neither had the energy nor the need to control everything. He didn't want to overextend himself and make a mess, which would be embarrassing.

After Wang Lun finished speaking, it took a long time for Du Qian to finally say, "Since you trust us so much, I won't be coy!" He then suggested three names, which Wang Lun immediately agreed to. Seeing that Wang Lun was serious, Song Wan and Zhu Gui's concerns were gone, and they quickly suggested their candidates. Song Wan, like Du Qian, suggested three names, and Wang Lun, knowing they didn't want to exceed his number, smiled and agreed to all of them.

When it was Zhu Gui's turn, he hesitated for a while, then bit his lip and suggested five names, almost matching the total number suggested by Du Qian and Song Wan. Wang Lun understood Zhu Gui's position, as he had just been instructed to open four new taverns, plus the existing one at Li's Gate, making five in total. One leader for each tavern was reasonable, so Wang Lun agreed without hesitation.

Seeing how smoothly this went, Du Qian and the others were all very pleased and shouted to call the new junior leaders to pay respects to the chief and offer him a drink. Wang Lun let them have their fun, but four of the five people Zhu Gui suggested were at the taverns in the mountains and not present. In the end, ten big men stood in a row, each holding a bowl of wine, looking happy and waiting for the chief's words.

Wang Lun smiled and encouraged each of them, then opened a jar of good wine. After some polite exchanges, he first filled the bowls of Du Qian and the others, then filled everyone else's, and finally raised his own bowl, saying with great enthusiasm:

"Cheers!"

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