Zhu Gui Meets Friends at Liangshan Marsh, Bo Long Shares Heart-to-Heart Talk at Jinsha Be

The next morning, Song Jiang woke up from his sleep, and the rookies, without Song Jiang having to call them, spontaneously started their morning run!

Today was a holiday, and there wasn't much to do, so Song Jiang went to see Song the blacksmith!

After arriving at Liangshan yesterday, Song the blacksmith chose a place far from any open space to forge iron, a request that Song Jiang naturally granted!

Although they managed to extract over a hundred steel knives from Shi Wenbin, it was still far from enough for Liangshan at that time!

Song the blacksmith was a clever man. Although he didn't know why Song Jiang wanted him to forge weapons, he wouldn't ask unless Song Jiang said so. He just focused on his work. Anyway, he would still get paid every month, so it was better to do less trouble!

"Clerk!" Seeing Song Jiang walking towards him, Song the blacksmith put down his work and went up to greet him!

"No need for formalities. Some items still need to be crafted by the master craftsman first!"

Song the blacksmith guessed that Song Jiang wanted to forge some strange object again, but he was used to it by now: "Since it's urgently needed, let's forge it first!"

Song Jiang took out some blueprints and handed them to Song the blacksmith!

When Song the blacksmith opened it, he indeed found some strange items inside. He asked, "Clerk, what's this?"

Song Jiang pointed to a stick on it and laughed, "This is called a barbell. Using this will make them even stronger!"

He then pointed to another, slightly smaller item and said, "This is called a dumbbell, similar to a barbell, and it also makes them exceptionally strong!"

"And what about this?" Song the blacksmith asked, pointing to a small object that resembled neither a gun nor a knife nor a thorn.

"This is called a Mitsubishi bayonet! It's a close-combat weapon, convenient, durable, and extremely fast!" After thinking for a moment, Song Jiang added, "We can forge one bayonet first. If it's durable, we'll continue forging; otherwise, I'll go find some fine iron to forge another one!"

Song the blacksmith clicked his tongue in amazement; the scale of this forging with fine iron was simply too extravagant!

But Song Jiang wasn't concerned about the cost of steel; equipment was crucial for a novice's survival on the battlefield, so he couldn't afford to be careless!

After exchanging a few more words with Song the blacksmith, Song Jiang decided to go and see the selection of new recruits for Liangshan today!

"Captain, Captain!" A rookie who was patrolling the Golden Beach rushed over!

Something must have happened, so Song Jiang quickly walked over!

"Captain, a man claiming to be Zhu Gui is on Jinsha Beach, saying he's come to join our Liangshan!"

"Oh? Come with me to take a look!"

Why was he here? Although Song Jiang found it a bit strange, he still decided to go and see him!

Six rookie patrollers, each wielding a gleaming steel knife, surrounded a young man on the Golden Beach, preventing him from making the slightest move!

Upon seeing Song Jiang arrive, the six men remained vigilant, still surrounding him to prevent him from making any moves that could harm Song Jiang.

Song Jiang nodded secretly; these rookies had made visible progress. Without showing any emotion, he asked the man, "Are you Zhu Gui?"

The young man quickly nodded and said, "I am Zhu Gui!"

Song Jiang observed that the man was tall and imposing, with a broad face, thick fists, and a three-pronged yellow beard, not too different from the description in the original story. He guessed it was Zhu Gui, who was probably an unknown figure at the time, and under normal circumstances, no one would impersonate him. So he asked, "How did you come to join my Liangshan?"

When Song Jiang met Zhu Gui, he had murderous intent towards him. This was because, in the original story, Zhu Gui ran a black inn that not only robbed people of their money and killed them, but also defiled corpses by burning fat meat as sky lanterns and using lean meat as weapons!

Although Song Jiang could tolerate the flaws of some people, as long as they were insignificant, he would turn a blind eye. However, this does not mean that Song Jiang had no bottom line and could blindly condone evil!

Zhu Gui's cannibalism might be overlooked by many in the original story, but I remember it very clearly. His only advantage over others was that he only targeted the rich, while letting the poor go. This made him a bit better than the other cannibals, but that doesn't mean he was exempt from death!

Zhu Gui looked at Song Jiang, and Song Jiang's gaze sent chills down his spine, as if a mountain was pressing down on his heart, making it impossible for him to struggle. Composing himself, he said, "I am from Yishui County, Yizhou. I used to run a tavern with my father, but unfortunately, he passed away, and the tavern failed, resulting in financial ruin. I ended up wandering the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world). A few days ago, I met a scholar named Wang Lun, who invited me to Liangshan for a feast and a gathering of righteous men. I was delayed by saying goodbye to my brothers, and today, upon arriving at Liangshan, I did not see Wang Lun, but instead met Your Majesty!"

It turns out that although Zhu Gui lost money, he had been a shopkeeper before and had seen many people. He was good at dealing with people and was used to speaking to people in a way that suited them. He was very shrewd, perceptive, and quick-witted.

He had originally planned to follow Wang Lun up the mountain, sit in a high-ranking position, eat meat and drink wine to his heart's content—a truly delightful prospect. If the stronghold prospered, he could even invite his younger brother, Zhu Fu, to come along! But he had only arrived a day late, and couldn't even find Wang Lun's whereabouts. It seemed Wang Lun didn't know Liangshan was under a control; he had run into a brick wall and was already dead! Therefore, he dared not conceal anything and told everything in detail, like spilling beans!

"Have you ever done anything wrong in your life?" Song Jiang suddenly asked, his eyes fixed sharply on Zhu Gui. This was a test; if Zhu Gui lied, Song Jiang would not be able to hide it from him.

"Ah," Zhu Gui said, somewhat bewildered, puzzled by Song Jiang's words. After thinking for a long time, he finally spoke, "In my life, besides running a restaurant with my father, I seem to have done nothing else. The restaurant business is quite good, and I certainly wouldn't bully customers because of my size. I wonder if going to Liangshan to become a thief is a guilty conscience?"

Song Jiang shook his head and said, "This matter doesn't count!"

Zhu Gui shook his head and said, "Although I'm not some great figure, I've never done anything wrong in my life, so I'm not afraid of ghosts knocking on my door in the middle of the night!"

Song Jiang stared at Zhu Gui intently for a moment. Although Zhu Gui was a little uneasy due to Song Jiang's aura, he met Song Jiang's gaze without fear!

After a while, Song Jiang nodded and said, "I'll trust you this once! If I find out you've been deceiving me, I'll make sure you die a horrible death!"

Song Jiang's words sent a chill down Zhu Gui's spine, but he still breathed a sigh of relief and knelt on the ground, saying, "Then, Your Majesty, may I join Liangshan?"

Song Jiang helped him up, saying, "Don't call me 'King,' just call me 'Brother.' Liangshan is not a bandit stronghold!"

Zhu Gui immediately changed his tune, saying, "Brother, I have a good friend named Han Bolong who is currently waiting for me in Shijie Village. I wonder if you could take him along? If you don't agree, I'll go to Shijie Village and tell him to leave first, so he won't keep waiting for me!"

Song Jiang found it somewhat amusing. Wasn't that just the unfortunate fellow who had been chopped to death by Li Kui's axe? He laughed and said, "Our Liangshan has made friends with heroes from all over the world. Since he has such intentions, how could I refuse?"

Zhu Gui said with delight, "This man has some ability; he will surely live up to your expectations, brother!"

In fact, Song Jiang did intend to kill him at first, but in the end he spared his life. Zhu Gui, of course, did not know that he had already been on the verge of death several times before he met Song Jiang!

Zhu Gui is exceptionally capable and well-liked. Moreover, he hasn't sold human flesh yet. To extrapolate from the future to the past would be very unfair to him. Besides, everyone knows what kind of people Wu Yong and he himself were in the original story! Countless people probably grit their teeth and wish they were dead right now!

But now that history has changed, we cannot decide a person's life or death based solely on an event that did not happen. Moreover, Song Jiang believed that whether human nature is inherently good or evil is not contradictory, because people have both tolerant and narrow-minded thoughts. Only the environment and teachings after birth can change a person!

Several hours later, Zhu Gui brought a burly man to Song Jiang and exclaimed happily, "Brother, this is my brother Han Bolong!"

After saying this, he turned to Han Bolong and said, "Bolong, quickly bow to your brother!"

Han Bolong hurriedly knelt on the ground, and Song Jiang helped him up, saying, "There is no need for such a grand ceremony when you come to my Liangshan!" Looking at this guy in front of him, who was killed by Li Kui before he even joined Liangshan in the original story, Song Jiang could only sigh at the impermanence of life. He never expected that he would actually join Liangshan before Li Kui!

In the original story, Han Bolong's death was definitely in vain. Song Jiang would never punish his trusted confidant and henchman Li Kui for the sake of Zhu Gui, a marginal figure!

"Brother Zhu Gui, since you have experience running inns, you can open four inns around Liangshan Marsh, in the east, west, south, and north. If any heroes want to join us, or if there is any news that is detrimental to Liangshan, send out a signal arrow to let us know. This way, we won't have to send people disguised and waiting at the ferry all the time!"

In the original story, there was only one way to get to Liangshan: from Shijie Village. Of course, the stream between Dongxi Village and Xixi Village could also lead to Liangshan, but no matter which way you went, you needed a boat! Since there was no dock on the stream, no one would use it! Chao Gai and his seven companions took a boat from Shijie Village to Zhu Gui's Lijiadaokou Inn and then traveled by water to Liangshan!

After that, if you want to go to Liangshan, you have to go through the Sifang Inn, so no matter which route you take, Liangshan will know about it in advance!

When Song Jiang went to Liangshan, there was no inn yet, so he could only go through the Shijie Village marsh. It was definitely a detour, and more importantly, he could only go at night to avoid being seen by someone with ulterior motives. But as time went on, he was bound to be seen, especially as the number of people on Liangshan increased. It was impossible to hide it any longer!

Zhu Gui's arrival was like a godsend, solving a problem that Song Jiang had been trying to solve for a long time!

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gui immediately understood how highly Song Jiang regarded him. He knelt down and said, "Thank you for your kind words, Brother. Zhu Gui will certainly not fail in his mission!"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "No need to be so serious. I'll give you a thousand taels of silver later. Make sure the inn is run well. This not only concerns the reputation of Liangshan, but also serves as our eyes and ears. We must ensure that any disturbance is under our control!"

Zhu Gui hesitated for a moment and asked, "Brother, are you really going to give me a thousand taels of silver? Aren't you afraid I'll run away with it?"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "As the saying goes, 'If you doubt someone, don't use them; if you use someone, don't doubt them.' Since I trust Brother Zhu Gui, I naturally have no worries that such a thing would happen to you!"

Zhu Gui was deeply moved by Song Jiang's words. Anyone else would probably not give a thousand taels of silver to someone they had just met. Song Jiang's boldness and trust left him speechless for a moment, or perhaps nothing he said was enough to express his loyalty!

Zhu Gui knelt down and nodded solemnly, saying, "Zhu Gui thanks you for your trust, brother. I will remember your words, brother. I guarantee I'll even know if a mosquito flies by!"

Song Jiang thought for a moment and said, "After the Li Family Road Inn in the east is repaired, go to Yishui County and bring your younger brother Zhu Futong here. It's really difficult for you to repair four inns by yourself and run back and forth!"

Zhu Gui was taken aback. He had only mentioned having a brother, never his younger brother's name. He never expected that this older brother would even know his younger brother Zhu Fu's name. He felt that this older brother was even more unfathomable! At this moment, he had no other thoughts but to join Liangshan and repay his brother's trust!

Song Jiang then said to Han Bolong, "Brother Bolong, don't be disappointed. For now, you and Brother Zhu Gui will work together to repair the inn and help him manage it. Once you're familiar with it, I have an important task for you!"

Han Bolong said, "I will do whatever my brother arranges without any hesitation!"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "Although you two are not skilled in martial arts, you are definitely promising in intelligence gathering. I hope you can help me strengthen Liangshan and recruit talent in the future. I will certainly not treat you brothers unfairly!"

Zhu Gui bowed and mustered his courage to ask, "Brother, are you Song Jiang?"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "How did you determine that I am Song Jiang!"

Zhu Gui said, "I've heard that there's a timely rain, Song Jiang, in Yuncheng County. He's generous and righteous, and all the heroes in the land praise him! I really can't think of anyone else who would trust you like this today, except for Song Jiang!"

As the saying goes, flattery will get you everywhere! Although Song Jiang didn't know how credible Zhu Gui's words were, he still found them very pleasing to the ear!

However, Song Jiang still said, "I am Song Jiang, brother, you are indeed exceptionally intelligent!" Rather than hiding it, he decided to admit it openly!

Song Jiang wasn't worried that Zhu Gui would actually run off with the silver. Zhu Gui was an ambitious man; otherwise, he wouldn't have joined the Liangshan outlaws after losing money in business. Zhu Gui was also a very capable man; many heroes joined the Liangshan bandits in the early days through his guidance, and he was extremely experienced in handling affairs. A thousand taels of silver was right in front of him. If he were a wise and insightful person, he would know that Song Jiang didn't care about a thousand taels of silver, and by following Song Jiang, he would have many more thousand taels of silver to his name!

Touching the heavy silver, Zhu Gui was overwhelmed with emotions. From joining Liangshan to being trusted by Song Jiang, and now carrying a thousand taels of silver in his pocket, everything seemed like a dream!

Walking on the golden sand beach, Zhu Gui still felt that everything was somewhat unreal!

"Brother, Brother Song Jiang really trusts you so much!" Han Bolong said enviously, startling Zhu Gui!

Zhu Gui straightened his expression and said, "A scholar will die for one who understands him. Brother, you trust us so much; even if we are shattered to pieces, we will repay your kindness!"

Han Bolong replied firmly, "Of course!"

Zhu Gui fell into deep thought again, and Han Bolong hesitated before speaking, "Brother Gongming, what is the purpose of developing Liangshan? It's neither about becoming a mountain king nor about training soldiers!"

Zhu Gui hesitated for a moment before saying, "Don't mention this matter again, and don't mention Brother Gongming's name to anyone else!"

After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke up: "Brother seems to have lofty ambitions, wanting to soar to the heavens!"

Han Bolong was startled and lowered his voice, saying, "Could it be?"

Zhu Gui nodded and said, "It has the style of Emperor Taizong of Tang and Emperor Taizu of Song!"

Han Bolong stood there, speechless for a moment!

Zhu Gui added, "This matter is of great importance; do not mention it to anyone else!"

Han Bolong, regaining his composure, exclaimed, "This is a heinous crime, punishable by confiscation of property and extermination of the entire clan!"

Zhu Gui laughed and said, "If one doesn't do something magnificent in life, wouldn't one have lived in vain? A true man dies when he should, why should he stoop to petty scheming and be trapped by the pen? It's better to die on the battlefield than to waste one's life in vain. Isn't that a hundred times better than dying in bed? If you trust me, stay and do your duty with me. I promise you won't treat us badly. If you don't trust me, you may leave. I only hope that you'll remember our brotherhood and not mention this to anyone!"

Han Bolong's expression hardened, and he said solemnly, "Brother, don't underestimate anyone. I entrust my life to Brother Song Jiang today!"