Chapter 7

The noisy feast will continue, but Wang Lun’s mind was no longer on it. He couldn’t join in the merriment with everyone else and instead pulled Zheng Qian to one side, whispering, "How much money and grain do we have left in the stronghold?"

"Chief, we did a full inventory a few days ago. We have about 2,600 strings of cash in total, including gold, silver, jewelry, copper coins, silk, and goods. A lot of it was used for the recent construction of the three passes and the city walls. We also spent 1,000 strings on Zhu Gui’s group. This year’s end will be tough. As for the grain, we have less than 900 shi left. If we continue to consume without replenishment, it will only last for three months," Zheng Qian replied in a low voice.

Wang Lun’s face turned heavy upon hearing this. Although the money was scarce, he wasn’t too worried, as the stronghold didn’t have many expenses. However, the grain was a big problem. As the saying goes, without grain, there is no stability! Even if you sit quietly on the mountain, you can save money, but you still need to consume grain.

Wang Lun silently converted the amount in his mind. He vaguely remembered that a shi in the Song Dynasty could hold about 59 to 60 kilograms of grain. If 900 shi of rice was to last for three months for the entire stronghold of about 1,000 people, it would average out to less than 1.2 kilograms per person per day. This was far less than the modern daily food intake of 3 to 4 kilograms (including staple foods, vegetables, meat, oil, fruits, and snacks)! No wonder they had switched to two meals a day; it was truly a case of having no choice!

"What do we usually have for the two meals besides the staple food?" Wang Lun frowned and asked.

Zheng Qian, knowing that his master had some memory loss, cautiously replied, "We usually have pickled vegetables with the rice. On festive occasions, we slaughter some cattle or sheep to celebrate, which happens about once or twice a month." Seeing Wang Lun’s furrowed brows, he added, "Chief, this is much better than when we were in the lowlands. In the Jingdong region, the land is scarce and the population is dense. A thin plot of land can barely yield one and a half shi of grain, which is hardly enough to eat. Even in a good year, after working hard for a year on ten or more acres of rented land, getting 20 shi of grain is considered good. After paying the landlord’s share, there’s not much left! Who hasn’t experienced hunger? I’ve been through hard times too. The children understand your decision to reduce the meals to two a day. Everyone is supportive, as it’s all for the good of the stronghold!"

"Let’s not talk about the past!" Wang Lun sighed lightly. At that moment, Zhou Zhi led Du Qian, Song Wan, and Zhu Gui, the three leaders, toward them. Wang Lun, seeing this, put aside his concerns and greeted them, "Why did the three of you come out without finishing your meal?"

"Without you, brother, we can’t eat in peace! We heard that the children offended you earlier, so we came to see who was so bold as to dare to do such a thing!" Du Qian replied, looking around the table, ready to confront the offender.

Wang Lun waved his hand to stop Du Qian, "It’s not the children’s fault. They are truly suffering, bringing their families up the mountain only to face hunger. There’s nothing to say; it’s all my fault!"

"Don’t say that, brother! How is it your fault? Since winter, the opportunities around the stronghold have decreased, but things will naturally improve after spring. If you keep saying this, it will embarrass us!" Du Qian shook his head.

"Brother Du Qian is right. Without mentioning the distant past, in recent months, I’ve noticed significant changes in the stronghold. If it weren’t for your foresight, how could the three passes and the city walls have been built? We are all rough men with little knowledge. The stronghold’s current scale is all thanks to your leadership. Don’t blame yourself; the entire Water Margin relies on you for decisions!" Zhu Gui added.

Wang Lun, hearing this, clasped his hands and said, "I appreciate your kindness, brothers. As the saying goes, 'If a man has no long-term plans, he will have immediate worries.' I just heard from Zheng Qian that our grain will only last for three months, even with two meals a day. Our treasury has only about 2,000 strings of cash. We are truly at a critical point with both money and grain. Now that all of you are here, let’s come up with a plan to address this urgent situation!"

"Brother, just tell us what to do, and we will follow!" Du Qian said, with Song Wan and Zhu Gui nodding in agreement.

At this point, Wang Lun didn’t mince words and shared his thoughts, "The way to increase wealth is to either increase income or reduce expenses. Reducing expenses is clearly not an option now, as the stronghold is already very frugal. If we cut more, the children will go hungry. I think we need to focus on increasing income. Since the winter has reduced the number of passing merchant caravans, we can’t just sit here waiting! We need to actively go down the mountain to find opportunities!"

"Exactly! It’s good that you’ve come to this realization, brother! There are many wealthy households around the stronghold. I’ve always thought we should go down and 'borrow' some grain. It’s better than everyone sitting in the stronghold and starving!" Song Wan said excitedly.

Seeing Song Wan’s strong reaction, Wang Lun smiled reassuringly, thinking that his predecessor had been too strict with the other leaders, almost like a one-man show. Even if they didn’t say it openly, they must have had some thoughts. As the saying goes, 'What you sow, you shall reap.' Now that he was in Wang Lun’s body, he had to swallow the bitter pill. He was about to comfort Song Wan when Zhu Gui interjected, "Brother, I think you were also considering the stronghold’s best interests. When we first established the stronghold, the three passes were not built, and our weapons were not complete. It was unwise to conflict with the wealthy landowners too early. Now that our foundation is stable, it’s not too late to 'borrow' grain. We can consider it as them keeping it for us for a while!"

Du Qian laughed and agreed, "Brother Zhu Gui is right! What’s the harm in the grain staying in the lowlands for a few more days? Brother Song, get a good night’s rest and build up your strength. We’ll go down the mountain at dawn tomorrow!"

Seeing that the new fourth leader Zhu Gui and the long-time follower Du Qian had spoken, Wang Lun, to save Song Wan’s face, said, "Brother Zhu Gui is too kind, but Brother Song Wan is also right. I was too conservative in the past, causing the children to go hungry. I hope the three of you will help me more in the future and prevent me from making mistakes that could harm the stronghold!" He then bowed deeply to Song Wan.

"Brother, I was just drunk and talking nonsense. I’m a straightforward person, and I speak my mind. I can’t compare to you, who always think things through. If everyone were like me, we’d really be in trouble!" Song Wan said, feeling somewhat embarrassed. He had just taken on an important role and had criticized the chief’s past actions, which he felt was not very considerate.

Wang Lun knew Song Wan’s character. This burly man was straightforward and would never do anything behind others’ backs. Based on his experience, it was better to let such people speak their minds. So, Wang Lun said, "I’m just a human, and I’m sure I’ve made some mistakes. Since we are brothers, I hope you will remind me often. It’s all for the good of the stronghold!" He then patted Song Wan’s shoulder and said, "Brother Song Wan, make sure you eat well. The stronghold will rely on you in the future!"

"Full, full..." Song Wan quickly replied. At that moment, a burp escaped him, causing the three leaders to laugh heartily, and even Zheng Qian and Zhou Zhi couldn’t help but chuckle.

Seeing the harmonious atmosphere, Wang Lun turned to Zhu Gui and said, "Brother Zhu Gui, please send more scouts to gather information around the Water Margin. If there are any wealthy households who oppress the people, investigate them thoroughly and report back to us. We will act to uphold justice and help the villagers!"

"Uphold justice!?" Du Qian was taken aback for a moment, then laughed, "That’s right! We, the heroes of Liangshan, should act this way. Brother, you’ve read many books and think things through! I suggest we make a large banner with these four characters and place it in front of the assembly hall. What do you think?"

Wang Lun smiled and nodded, "Let’s choose a fine yellow silk banner and embroider these four characters. From now on, we will follow this principle in all our actions!" In ancient times, having a just cause was important. Without a just cause, actions would lack legitimacy, and without legitimacy, nothing could be accomplished. Even as bandits, they needed to find a moral high ground and hold onto it to act with confidence and gather support.

"Since we have this banner, we should avoid certain actions! Brother Zhu Gui, in the future, the taverns in the lowlands should only be used for gathering information, recruiting heroes, and normal business. We must not use the old tricks like the knockout drug!" Wang Lun instructed Zhu Gui seriously. As a young man from the 21st century, even though he had become a bandit, he could not accept practices like the human skin inn in his stronghold.

"Brother, I will follow your orders!" Zhu Gui replied, bowing. "I will have the men gather information from the villages and counties for you to decide."

Wang Lun nodded in satisfaction. From the current situation, Du Qian and Zhu Gui were very obedient to him. Even Song Wan, who had some complaints about his predecessor’s actions, was not a fundamental issue. It was just a momentary outburst, and he was gradually aligning with Wang Lun. With Zheng Qian and Zhou Zhi, who were in key positions, also being cooperative, Wang Lun felt he had a good grasp on the stronghold.

It wasn’t easy! His strategy of lowering his stance had proven effective. He knew that only after integrating internal resources could he expand outward. Otherwise, how could he compete with figures like Chao Gai and Song Jiang, or resist the rising Jurchens in the Black Mountains and White Waters? Thinking of this, his heart filled with courage, and he silently shouted in his mind:

Song Dynasty, I, Wang Lun, am here!

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(End of the chapter)