Song Jiang suddenly said angrily, "Don't mention it again! I, Song Jiang, would rather die than submit! I will no longer stop any brothers who are willing to join the mountain, and I welcome anyone who is willing to follow me and continue to serve the imperial court!"
Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged bewildered glances. This was blatant instigation of division! Li Kui hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to Song Jiang's side, and said dejectedly, "Brothers, I, Tie Niu, am a rough man and cannot lie. To be honest, I really want to follow you all to Liangshan and live a carefree life, but Brother Gongming has been kind to me, and wherever he goes, Tie Niu can only follow. I feel very sorry."
None of us expected that the first traitor would be the honest and straightforward Li Kui. Then, another veteran stepped forward and said, "I also wish to follow Brother Song Jiang." It was none other than Huyan Zhuo, the Double Whip Warrior. Huyan Zhuo looked at the disapproving expressions of the crowd and sighed, "Brothers, it's not that I'm greedy for wealth and status. You all know the hardships I faced when I first joined the Liangshan bandits. I, Huyan Zhuo, was a court official who was captured and forced to join. It wasn't that I was afraid of death; it was simply that I later became acquainted with you all, such valiant men. But you don't know that my Huyan family is full of loyal and righteous men, and our ancestral precepts are extremely strict. Since I joined the bandits, the elders of my clan have passed down the word that I am not allowed to return to my ancestral home. If we brothers had continued to live a carefree life on the mountain, that would have been fine. Since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety cannot coexist. Today, things have come to this, so please forgive me for taking this step back. But rest assured, if the court orders me to conquer Liangshan again, I will repay it with my life rather than cause you brothers any trouble." In the end, Huyan Zhuo still couldn't escape the shackles of his old ways of thinking.
Then, several more people hesitated and sided with Song Jiang, each with their own reasons.
Old Wang sighed and said, "Alas, this is the consequence of impure class."
I think that makes sense. Fang La's group was relatively simple, almost entirely composed of tenant farmers and poor peasants, hence their high revolutionary fervor and unwavering commitment. Liangshan, on the other hand, was a mixed bag. Small artisans, swindlers, and down-on-their-luck thugs were considered the better ones; they also included large landowners, gangsters, the middle class, and even high-ranking civil servants—making their revolutionary spirit waver. Especially among the 54 non-Yucai members, feudalistic ideas were deeply ingrained, and some harbored opportunistic, wishful thinking.
In an instant, the question of whether to separate or not became a stalemate. The faction led by Song Jiang, who advocated for amnesty, and the faction led by Yu Cai 54, who advocated joining the Liangshan bandits, were two irreconcilable contradictions. This was an unprecedented crisis facing Liangshan, the consequences of which could lead to Liangshan's disintegration and its eventual demise.
I was so anxious I was scratching my head in frustration. Suddenly, Tong Yuan walked up to me and whispered, "Xiao Qiang, since you were able to bring Zhenjiang here to make them believe in you, and you were able to find Lao Wang to persuade Fang La to withdraw his troops, then think of someone else you can ask to persuade Song Jiang to join the Liangshan bandits—"
I smiled wryly and said, "You knew all along?"
Tong Yuan chuckled softly: "Yes, thank you for giving me a tiger-slaying hero."
Fang Zhenjiang blushed and said, "The one who killed the tiger is my brother, so let's say we're the same person. My actions were unintentional, just like a fool killing someone."
I nudged Old Wang and said, "Is there anyone on Liangshan with more prestige than Song Jiang?"
Old Wang shook his head and said, "I can't figure it out, we're not from the same system..."
Fang Zhenjiang also said, "Yes, Song Jiang isn't a very good person, but it's strange why he's so popular."
Actually, what he said isn't entirely correct. Song Jiang can't be described as a bad person; at least before joining the Liangshan bandits, he genuinely helped his down-on-his-luck friends. His desire to be granted amnesty is unclear, but we can't simply say it was for fame and fortune; he also had a genuine desire to serve the country. Ultimately, he can only be categorized as a tragic figure poisoned by feudal ideology.
Just when they were at their wits' end, Bao Jin's eyes suddenly lit up and he exclaimed, "I have one!"
I asked him, "What is it?"
Bao Jin said, "There are people on Liangshan with higher prestige than Song Jiang!"
We all asked him in unison, "Who is it?"
Bao Jin whispered a name in my ear, and I exclaimed with delight, "That's right! How could I have forgotten this person?" It's because Bao Jin has been familiar with "Water Margin" since childhood.
Song Jiang was continuing his divisive speech when I said, "Brother Song Jiang, I have something to say to you."
Song Jiang coldly asked, "What do you want to tell me?"
I quickly walked up to him and whispered something to him. Song Jiang's face changed drastically, and he almost collapsed to the ground. Finally, he said dejectedly, "That's enough, let's go back to Liangshan!"
Everyone was overjoyed when they heard him say he was going back to the mountain, but they were also puzzled and asked me, "Xiaoqiang, what did you say to your older brother?"
I smiled enigmatically and said, "It cannot be said, it cannot be said..."
Many people secretly speculated: "Could Xiaoqiang be the reincarnation of Brother Song Jiang?"
Actually, what I said to Song Jiang was: "Do you really have to let me bring Chao Gai here before you agree to join the mountain?"
If we're talking about prestige on Liangshan Mountain higher than Song Jiang's, then only Chao Gai truly commands respect. Since Chao Gai's defeat of Wang Lun, he has broadly recruited followers from all directions, forming the backbone of Liangshan. Chao Gai possessed the true demeanor of a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and outlaws) leader; everyone who joined him was completely devoted to him. Early elites like Lin Chong, Wu Yong, and the Ruan brothers were his staunch allies. If Song Jiang hadn't been later killed by Shi Wengong, he would have at best been second-in-command. So when I mentioned bringing Chao Gai over—and I'm not bluffing—while we can't exactly travel to any dynasty, it's only a matter of time. Asking He Tiandou to calculate Chao Gai's whereabouts and bringing him over wouldn't be a problem at all—Song Jiang was terrified. He dared to act coquettishly and unreasonable because he knew the heroes couldn't refuse him; after all, he was their leader, and those in the jianghu valued honor and loyalty. But Chao Gai's arrival would be a different story. He knew Chao Gai's character very well. If he raised his arms and rallied the crowd, not only would he be abandoned by everyone, but he might not even have a place to stay.
With Song Jiang's compromise, Fang La and Liangshan finally reconciled completely. Former mortal enemies became best friends in this life. Everyone laughed and joked, and someone immediately changed all the banners back to their original Liangshan appearance. After consulting me, I agreed to temporarily "lend" them my flagpole to continue flying the banner of "Acting on Behalf of Heaven."
Fang La, Lao Wang, and the Four Heavenly Kings returned to Fang La's camp to pack their belongings and prepare to go up the mountain. On the other hand, the fourteen brothers also took the opportunity to have a good get-together, since they didn't know when they would see each other again after this matter was over.
Amidst the commotion, Hu Sanniang looked around and suddenly grabbed someone from under the table, exclaiming, "Haha, I've been looking for you for ages!"
The man he was holding was none other than Grand Commandant Wang. The old man was now terrified, swaying wildly in mid-air. Hu Sanniang cried out, "What do we do with this man?"
This question was actually quite redundant. These bandits could kill a couple of people like it was nothing, let alone a good-for-nothing like Wang Taiwei. But everyone was glancing at me furtively; they knew we modern people were soft-hearted and couldn't bear to see bloodshed. I waved my hand impatiently and said, "Kill them all." I'd seen plenty of battles where blood was spilled, and I didn't have time to get entangled with a third- or fourth-rate character like him. Sometimes, it was time to be ruthless.
Wang Taiwei suddenly cried out desperately, "Don't kill me! Don't kill me! I'm on your side!"
Everyone laughed and cursed, "Bullshit!"
With a sob in his voice, Grand Commandant Wang said, "It's true, I was sent to your mountain to offer amnesty because I offended that bastard Gao Qiu. Think about it, I didn't know beforehand that you would agree, otherwise why would I be made the scapegoat? Also, the court appointed me as the military supervisor but didn't even give me a single soldier. Why is that?"
Everyone thought about it and agreed, then laughed: "Then why are you still trying to act cool with us!"
Wang Taiwei said awkwardly, "I had no choice. Actually, I envy your life back then."
Hu Sanniang said, "Whether it's true or not, I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let you get lost."
Grand Marshal Wang grabbed Hu Sanniang's leg, tears streaming down his face, and said, "I won't leave. Going back means death. I want to join the group!"
Wang Ying kicked him away and angrily said, "You dare to take advantage of my wife?"
Wu Yong laughed and said, "Since he is willing to reform, he can work with you and Third Sister to manage the accounts from now on."
Well, Old Wang is quite good at calculating, as evidenced by his initial plan to exchange Wang Ying's life for Li Tianrun's—he's really going to suffer following this couple.
Thus, the "pacification" of Fang La's incident came to a successful conclusion, just as Old Wang said, it was all settled in one night.
We arrived at Liangshan the following evening. The eight hundred li of marshland was bustling with activity, even more so than before. Tianrun, being henpecked, wanted to rush home that very night, but Lao Wang, Fang Zhenjiang, and the others, having just developed feelings for everyone, were reluctant to leave. In the end, they decided to stay on the mountain for another day. Wu Song looked at Fang Zhenjiang and Tong Yuan and said, "Why don't we take advantage of this auspicious day and let Zhenjiang and his wife get married on the mountain?" Everyone immediately agreed.
Fang Zhenjiang excitedly grabbed Wu Song's hand and said, "You treat me even better than my own brother!"
Wu Song glanced at him and said, "Nonsense, who are we to each other?"
Tong Yuan blushed and said, "But... we haven't gotten our marriage certificate yet."
Wu Song said, "Don't be afraid, sister. If he dares to abandon you after seducing you, I'll beat him up for you. By the way, when you have time, you have to teach me that Tai Chi style. I'm really no match for this kid."
That night, the entire mountain was adorned with red decorations and brightly lit, as the 109+2 enhanced heroes of Liangshan, along with two Fang Las and the Twelve Heavenly Kings, gathered together. Everywhere you looked, there were pairs: two Wu Songs, two Hua Rongs, two Li Tianruns… it was enough to make one's head spin. After a few drinks, it got a little better; everyone looked like they were in pairs…