: Why is it said that even a celestial strategist is not as good as a mortal Zhuge Liang?

Knowing that Song Jiang's martial arts skills were not very good, Chao Gai waved to Song Jiang, signaling him to move aside to avoid getting hurt. Then he shouted, "Hey, who are you, bandits, and what are you doing in Dongxi Village?"

It must be said that Chao Gai was a gentleman. If it were anyone else, it wouldn't have been difficult to simply step forward and seize the big man without saying a word. But Chao Gai truly disdained to do something that was not honorable!

The burly man was having a sweet dream when Chao Gai's loud shout startled him awake! Enraged, he yelled, "Who dares disturb my sleep, you scoundrel!"

Chao Gai was furious. He was a big shot in Yuncheng County and had always been the leader. No one dared to speak to him like that. This big man was arrogant and presumptuous. Chao Gai could no longer suppress his anger. He picked up his waist knife and was about to step forward to grab the big man!

The burly man laughed loudly, picked up the broadsword beside him, and attacked Chao Gai!

In fact, Song Jiang had a vague idea of ​​the big man's identity, but he did not speak up to stop him!

It wasn't that Song Jiang had any ulterior motives, but rather that he wanted to see just how skilled Chao Gai really was. After all, later assessments of Chao Gai's martial arts were somewhat inaccurate. It's worth noting that Chao Gai could carry a stone pagoda from Xixi Village to Dongxi Village with his bare hands—that strength was not to be underestimated! Furthermore, Chao Gai regularly trained his body, so his strength and martial arts skills were likely exceptional. While he might not be on par with Lu Wu and Liu Tang, the two top infantrymen, he was probably no less capable than Liu Tang and Shi Xiu!

However, Chao Gai never actually fought in the original story, which is one of the regrets! If Song Jiang had revealed his identity to this big man, given his and Chao Gai's reputations, the fight would have been unnecessary, and the big man would most likely have knelt down on the ground!

Chao Gai strode towards the burly man, his blade swift and agile! He launched three rapid attacks, but held back three-tenths of his strength, not intending to kill the man!

The burly man's eyes gleamed, and he let out a strange howl! He brandished his knife, deflecting Chao Gai's attacks one by one!

Then, the big man raised his sword and cleaved Mount Hua with great force. If this blow landed, Chao Gai would probably die on the spot!

Chao Gai hadn't encountered such an opponent in a long time, and he was somewhat excited, his fighting spirit soaring! He gripped his sword tightly and blocked the big man's heavy blow!

Seeing that his full-force strike had been blocked by Chao Gai, the burly man swayed and charged at Chao Gai again!

Chao Gai no longer underestimated the big man in front of him. He became serious, dodged the knife to the side, and continued his attack!

The two fought back and forth, attacking and defending, for fifty rounds without a clear winner, like two fierce tigers roaring down the mountain and eagles soaring and striking the sky!

Having witnessed a truly spectacular fight, Song Jiang knew that it would be difficult to determine a winner if the two continued fighting, so he said, "Please hear me out!"

Upon hearing Song Jiang speak, Chao Gai feigned an opening, then jumped out of the circle, dropped his knife, and sat down on the ground! To be honest, this fight was quite tiring!

The burly man put down his knife and asked, "What do you want?"

Song Jiang clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "May I ask if this brother is Liu Tang, known in the martial world as the Red-Haired Devil?"

The burly man stared wide-eyed in surprise and asked, "How did you know I was Liu Tang?"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "Who in the Jianghu doesn't know the name of the Red-Haired Devil? He's a truly passionate and righteous hero! I just wonder why Brother Liu Tang is here today?"

Liu Tang was somewhat touched, not expecting this person to understand him so well, so he politely asked, "May I ask your names?"

Song Jiang smiled and said, "I am Song Jiang, and this is my brother, Chao Gai, the head of Dongxi Village, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King!"

Liu Tang was greatly surprised and said, "May I ask if you are Brother Song Jiang, the Timely Rain, and Brother Chao Gai, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King? I deserve to die, I never expected to offend you two brothers!" After saying that, he knelt down on the ground!

Chao Gai waved his hand and said, "We are all men of courage and integrity, so there's no question of conflict. But why has Brother Liu Tang come to my Dongxi Village?"

Liu Tang glanced at Song Jiang, then at Chao Gai, and after a moment's thought, finally spoke up: "I've come to seek refuge with King Chao!"

Song Jiang had a bad feeling, not because Liu Tang came to join Chao Gai instead of him, but because Liu Tang's early arrival seemed to have changed the course of history!

This is very likely a butterfly effect caused by himself! However, Song Jiang was not too worried. If he knew everything in advance, what would be the difference between that and playing a game with cheat codes? Wouldn't that be much more boring?

Setting aside his own jumbled thoughts, Song Jiang said, "Brother Liu Tang, with King Chao right before us, it can be said that we've become friends through this unexpected encounter!"

Liu Tang looked at Song Jiang gratefully, and Song Jiang smiled back at Liu Tang! If it were anyone else, they might have tried to win over a fierce general like Liu Tang, but Song Jiang didn't do that. After all, Chao Gai would also be one of his men, so why would he be afraid that Liu Tang would leave?

In fact, when Song Jiang praised Liu Tang at the beginning, it was not just flattery, but his true feelings!

Although Liu Tang was somewhat impulsive and reckless, he was indeed a truly loyal and courageous man. In Song Jiang's eyes, Liu Tang was a bit simple-minded, but his martial arts skills were genuinely quite good, absolutely worthy of his rank among the Heavenly Stars!

Although Chao Gai had never heard of Liu Tang before, he was very happy that Liu Tang had come to him. After all, Liu Tang was a master whose martial arts skills were no less than his own, and he did not seem to be the kind of treacherous villain!

Chao Gai laughed and said, "Brother Liu Tang, what brings you here to see me?"

Liu Tang sighed and said, "I injured several thugs while trying to stand up for justice. I'm afraid of being sued, so I had no choice but to flee here. I hope you'll take me in, brother!" It turned out that it wasn't that Liu Tang thought Chao Gai was more righteous than Song Jiang, but rather that Song Jiang was, after all, an official, which made things a bit inconvenient for him!

On the other hand, although Chao Gai was a village head, he didn't need to deal with government officials every day, which must have made his life much more convenient and comfortable!

Chao Gai was overjoyed and said, "In that case, it seems you are a good man. Come to my manor, and the authorities will certainly not come to arrest you!"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "Brother Liu Tang, when we travel the world, we don't value anything else, but loyalty and righteousness are always in our hearts and we never forget them. Now that you're here with King Chao, relax completely and don't think about anything else!"

Liu Tang bowed to Song Jiang, moved, and said, "Brother Gongming, I, Liu Tang, have been wandering the world without anyone to rely on. Although I have now taken refuge with Brother Chao Gai, I still respect you, Brother Gongming. Whenever you need my help, I, Liu Tang, will do my utmost!"

Song Jiang quickly helped Liu Tang up, and the group talked for a while before continuing on their way to Wu Yong's house!

The cold wind was blowing in their faces, but they were overjoyed. Their feet were lightly frosted, and they strode forward!

Soon, the group arrived at Wu Yong's house!

It was said to be Wu Yong's home, but it was actually just a thatched hut with a half-closed wooden door and some straw piled up casually outside, which shows that Wu Yong's life was not wealthy!

The wooden gate opened, and a page boy came out. Seeing Chao Gai, he hurried forward and said, "Master is resting. Has the headman come to see you with something important?"

Chao Gai laughed and said, "It's nothing!"

The pageboy, seeing that Song Jiang and Liu Tang had come with Chao Gai but not recognizing them, said, "Why don't you invite the village head and the two gentlemen into the thatched cottage? I'll go and wake the master!"

Song Jiang said, "Don't disturb the master, the three of us will go in and wait!" In his heart, he sighed, thinking that the three of them were just like Liu Bei visiting Zhuge Liang three times. However, he was no match for Liu Bei. It was not that he favored one over the other, but Liu Bei's vision, breadth of mind, and ability to recognize people were truly outstanding. He built a foundation from scratch, while Wu Yong was worlds apart from Zhuge Liang!

The page boy brought tea to the three of them. Song Jiang picked up a cup of tea, pondered for a moment, and then recited in a clear voice: "Who awakens first from the great dream? I know myself best. I've had a good spring nap in my thatched cottage, and the sun lingers outside the window."

Although this poem was recited by Zhuge Liang when Liu Bei visited his thatched cottage three times, it was not Zhuge Liang's original work. Instead, it was written by Luo Guanzhong in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Now that it is being recited by Song Jiang, it has a unique artistic conception!

Chao Gai pondered the poem for a moment, then said to Song Jiang, "Gongming, what a fine poem!"

Although Liu Tang was a rough and uncultured man, his eyes were also gleaming with shrewdness!

Just then, a voice came from inside the hall: "What a fine poem! Is that the village headman?"

Chao Gai laughed and said, "It is indeed me, Scholar. Did you sleep well?"

Wu Yong said to his page, "The village head is here, why didn't you announce it sooner!" After saying that, he went to the back room to change his clothes and put on his hat.

After a while, Wu Yong finished dressing and slowly walked out!

Song Jiang looked at Wu Yong and saw that he had delicate features, a fair complexion and no beard, wore a turban, a blue and white striped robe, silk shoes and clean socks, and held a goose feather fan. Judging from his appearance alone, he was very handsome and had a bit of the look of Zhuge Liang!

Wu Yong bowed to the group, then sat down and said to Chao Gai, "I wonder what brings you to my humble abode, Chief Administrator?"

Chao Gai pointed at Song Jiang and said, "It's not that I need to see the professor, but rather that my virtuous brother here wants to find the professor!"

Wu Yong glanced at Song Jiang, whom he didn't recognize, but judging from Chao Gai's tone, this man seemed to have a close relationship with him. His face was as black as charcoal, and Wu Yong already knew who he was. He slowly asked, "May I ask if this is Song Jiang, the clerk? Was that poem you just recited?"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "I am indeed Song Jiang; you can't hide it from me, sir!"

Wu Yong shook his fan and said, "That poem really pleased me. I deeply admire your talent, Clerk. I have long heard of your reputation as Timely Rain. As the saying goes, one doesn't visit a temple without a reason. May I ask what brings you here to see me today, Clerk?"

Song Jiang countered, "May I ask what kind of business you usually make?"

Wu Yong did not answer directly, but instead smiled and asked in return, "Does the clerk have some wealthy matter to discuss with the scholar?"

Song Jiang then asked, "May I ask what your aspirations are, sir?"

Wu Yong frowned before slowly saying, "The scholar doesn't quite understand what the clerk means!"

Song Jiang remained silent, only staring at Wu Yong!

Wu Yong felt a little uncomfortable being stared at. He glanced at the group and sighed, "I'm just a country bumpkin. My ambitions don't lie in fame or fortune. I just want to teach some mischievous children in my thatched cottage, watch the sunrise and sunset, and enjoy the simple pleasures of family life!"

Song Jiang didn't believe a word Wu Yong said! If Wu Yong were truly as indifferent to fame and fortune as he claimed, and willing to live a mediocre life, then he wouldn't have taken the lead in persuading the three Ruan brothers and offering advice when Liu Tang instigated Chao Gai to steal the birthday gifts. It's clear that he also desired wealth and status, rather than living this miserable life of toiling in the fields!

Song Jiang shook his head and said, "Sir, you are mistaken! With your ambition, are you really content to be a schoolteacher in the countryside, wasting your life away like this?"

Song Jiang's words touched on something deep within Wu Yong's heart that he was unwilling to face!

Chao Gai added, "Scholar, you teach the mischievous children in the village every day, yet you don't charge tuition. Seeing how hard you live each day, and how you refuse money, I'm very anxious, but I can't persuade you!"

Wu Yong gave a wry smile and asked, "What brings the village head and clerk to see me today? Please speak frankly!"