Timely Rain : Liangshan Marsh's Wise Strategist Plans to Seize the Birthday Gifts

The Yellow River, the mother river of China, is a sight to behold for Song Jiang, who sits on a boat and gazes upon its magnificent and ceaseless flow!

My state of mind is completely different from when I arrived!

When I came here, I had some confidence, but I was also a little confused about the future!

But since he gained more brothers and received some guidance from Master Luo, Song Jiang's state of mind has indeed improved a lot, and every step he takes on the road ahead will be firm and powerful!

After traveling for some time, the boat finally arrived at Liangshan Marsh, a place that stretches for eight hundred li, and then docked!

The newbie patrolling Jinsha Beach immediately became alert when he saw a boat approaching the shore!

Immediately, more and more people approached Jinsha Beach. Liu Tang shouted, "Who are you people? How dare you come to Liangshan Marsh? Explain your purpose immediately, or I will make sure you all die, leaving no one alive!"

Song Jiang stood up and said with a smile, "Brother Liu Tang!"

Upon seeing Song Jiang, Liu Tang was overjoyed and shouted, "Brother is back! Put down your weapons!"

Once everyone was ashore, Li Kui ran over and said, "Brother, you're finally back! You wanted to kill me, Tie Niu!"

Li Kui's words sounded strange, and the people around him burst into laughter!

Song Jiang smiled without saying a word, and the group continued walking towards the Hall of Righteous Gathering!

Deng Fei looked at Liangshan Marsh and exclaimed, "This place is truly a chosen land! Who dares to disturb it? How could our mountain stronghold possibly compare!"

The boat was moored by someone. Song Jiang had been away for over a month, and everyone was overjoyed to see him return today!

Song Jiang first let the henchmen from Yinmachuan rest, then had the grain carried to the granary and the horses led away. Afterwards, he went to the newly built Hall of Righteous Gathering!

This hall was recently built. Although it is not luxurious, it is still quite impressive and can accommodate hundreds of people!

Song Jiang looked at Wu Yong and said, "Where's Wang Lun? Call him over!"

Wu Yong nodded and then sent someone to call Wang Lun. Wang Lun was still under investigation and naturally did not have the right to come to the hall!

Soon after, Wang Lun came over, wondering why Song Jiang had called him, and he was a little uneasy!

When he saw Qiangwei standing next to Song Jiang, he thought he was dreaming and couldn't believe it!

Until Rose softly called out, "Cousin!"

Wang Luncai snapped out of his daze, looked at Song Jiang with gratitude, and then knelt on the ground, pleading, "Brother, I truly don't know how to repay your immense kindness!"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "If there's anything I can do to help you in the future, you'd better serve me well. Take your cousin down with you now!" Actually, this was a simple matter for Song Jiang, but Wang Lun was so grateful that he sincerely wanted to serve Song Jiang, which was a wonderful thing!

Wang Lun kowtowed again, then led Qiangwei out of the hall, intending to find a secluded place to pour out his heart!

Now for the important business: Liangshan has amassed a great deal of goods and its population has increased significantly, so it needs to be reorganized!

Seated in the Hall of Righteousness were Wu Yong, Gongsun Sheng, Liu Tang, Li Kui, the three Ruan brothers, Xiao Rang, Deng Fei, Jin Dajian, Meng Kang, Zhu Gui, Jiao Ting, Han Bolong, Bian Xiang, Ma Ling, Pang Wanchun, Lei Jiong, Ji Ji, and several people whom Song Jiang did not recognize!

As for Wu Song and Yang Zhi, they were dragged by Cao Long and the others to visit Liangshan!

Wu Yong spoke first, saying, "Brother Zhu Gui, please introduce a few of my brothers to me!"

Zhu Gui stood up and pointed to the man beside him with a broad, Buddha-like smile, saying, "This is my brother, Zhu Fu, known as the Smiling Tiger!"

He then pointed to a man next to Zhu Fu and said, "This is my brother's master, Li Yun, the Blue-Eyed Tiger. He was originally a constable, but he offended his superior by capturing a scoundrel and returned home in a fit of anger. Brother Li Yun is upright and righteous, and I have long admired you and wish to follow you!"

Then, pointing to the last person, he said, "This brother is someone I met on the road. He is exceptionally skilled in martial arts and is known in the martial arts world as Yang Lin, the Leopard. He is determined to follow you and achieve great things!"

Upon hearing that it was Yang Lin, Song Jiang gave him a special look!

Yang Lin is indeed a talented person!

Is his martial arts skill high? Not high, but not low either; it's just average.

But he was able to kill Qiu Yue, and when he encountered Deng Fei at Yinma River without knowing his identity, he dared to go alone to fight hundreds of henchmen just to get Dai Zong to look at him with a higher opinion. His courage is truly commendable!

Moreover, Yang Lin is very good at seizing opportunities. Although he is only a Di Sha, he has a strong presence and is definitely not the kind of person who just plays a minor role!

Whether it was Zhujiazhuang or Gaotangzhou, Huyan Zhuo's linked horses or even when he went to the north with Duan Jingzhu to collect horses, he had been there!

Yang Lin was also the only hero who held two positions: the cavalry commander and the leader of the scouts!

Moreover, Yang Lin was always lucky and indifferent to fame and fortune. During the campaign against Fang La, a severe plague struck Hangzhou, and many heroes died from it, including Zhu Fu, who was guarding Zhu Gui. They all eventually died from the plague, but Yang Lin recovered from it. In the end, he refused any reward from the court and returned to Yinma River with Pei Xuan to live a carefree life in his later years!

Song Jiang quite admired Yang Lin and planned to cultivate him properly. Yang Lin was a jack-of-all-trades, capable of doing anything well and could be of great use!

At this moment, Yang Lin did not recognize Deng Fei, but the two had a sense of mutual respect and appreciation!

After introducing themselves, Wu Yong continued, "Brother, on this trip to Qinghe, you brought back a total of 30,000 taels of silver, 2,000 taels of gold, five chests of pearls and gems, and over 100,000 taels of silver notes!"

Song Jiang was speechless. He hadn't counted how much stuff they brought back before. It was all carried by Bian Xiang's brothers and the men led by Ruan Xiaoer, so he knew quite a bit, but he didn't expect there to be so much!

I never expected that Wu Qianhu, that guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, would embezzle so much silver. He's a real corrupt official!

However, Song Jiang wronged Commander Wu. Commander Wu did embezzle a lot of silver, but much of it was given to him by his son-in-law, Ximen Qing. Of course, Commander Wu often ordered his soldiers to kill civilians and pretend to be thieves. As for the civilians' only possessions, they were all taken. Therefore, Commander Wu's death was not unjust!

However, thinking about those antiques and paintings, Song Jiang still felt a little pained. Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy, Wu Daozi's paintings, and Tang tri-color glazed pottery horses were all rare treasures. It was a pity that they were given away to the magistrate of Qinghe County. But since it was a matter of dividing the spoils, it was impossible not to give them any!

Wu Yong paused for a moment, then continued, "We still have eighty good swords, which have been equipped, and ten shi of provisions have also been used up. (Not counting Chai Jin's)."

Liangshan currently has ninety fast boats, including forty small boats, forty medium boats, and ten large boats. Of course, the large boats are relative and far fewer than the two given by Chai Jin!

After repairs by the craftsmen, forty houses have been built, which can accommodate a thousand people (the larger houses are like dormitories with bunk beds). The rest are under intensive repair. The city walls and fortresses have also been reinforced. Although it is far from enough, it is still much stronger than before!

Fifteen mu of new farmland have been reclaimed, bringing the total farmland to twenty-five mu. Liangshan will not experience drought, which is very conducive to the reclamation of fertile land. However, there are too few farmers. There are also three hundred chickens, ducks, and geese, thirty pigs and sheep, five oxen, and ten dogs.

The main reason is that there are carnivorous animals such as foxes and weasels in Liangshan. It would be a real pity not to keep dogs, as they would snatch away chickens and ducks. In addition, dogs can be used as sentries, so a few were kept!

Song Jiang didn't want to kill these animals; natural selection and the survival of the fittest are normal, but he wouldn't say that he wouldn't take precautions because of these animals!

Wu Yong reported on the general situation during Song Jiang's absence from Liangshan. Song Jiang understood that although he was not there, everything was developing steadily and rapidly!

The population of Liangshan already exceeded one thousand. With the addition of Wang Lun's group, Yinmachuan, and Zhu Gui's more than two hundred people, as well as Bian Xiang and his group from Qinghe County, the total number exceeded two thousand!

Seeing Liangshan becoming increasingly prosperous, Song Jiang was genuinely happy!

After thinking for a moment, Song Jiang finally spoke up: "Liangshan is surrounded by water on all sides, so the demand for boats is enormous. Boats are a necessity. Then there are oxen and poultry. Liangshan is too far from the market, making it very inconvenient to buy supplies. Therefore, self-sufficiency is even more important."

Then we'll buy a large number of pigs, sheep, chickens, ducks, and geese. We'll consume some daily, but most will be used for raising livestock. We'll also buy twenty oxen for cultivating wasteland.

This was also based on the experience of later generations, which Song Jiang summarized. Especially in wartime, food storage and strategic materials are extremely important. There have been too many battles lost in history because of insufficient food supplies.

Eggs and cooked meat are also foods that increase strength, which is of great benefit to the training in Liangshan and to improving physical fitness, so they must be bought. However, with so many livestock, they also need to eat and drink, and the amount is not small. Fortunately, there are many forests in Liangshan, so there is not much to worry about!

Wu Yong waved his fan as if he had something to say, and Song Jiang smiled and said, "Sir, please speak frankly."

Wu Yong slowly said, "Although we brought back a lot of money and food this time, as the number of people gradually increases, our daily expenses are also much higher than before. We can't just sit around and do nothing."

Wu Yong's words suggested he had an idea, and Song Jiang nodded, saying, "It seems you already have a plan, sir."

Wu Yong pondered for a while while fanning himself before saying, "This year, Cai Jing was impeached in February. Some time ago, he resigned from his post and intended to retire to his hometown. However, Emperor Daojun was unwilling for his teacher to leave like this and allowed him to stay in Kaifeng in a sinecure. Even so, Emperor Daojun still kept submitting memorials demanding that Cai Jing be punished."

Song Jiang's heart skipped a beat, wondering if Wu Yong was after the birthday gifts. He never imagined that, despite all the changes in history, Wu Yong's covetousness for the birthday gifts remained unchanged.

As expected, Wu Yong continued: "June 15th is his birthday. He is no longer the Grand Tutor, so it's normal for people to become distant after leaving. Many officials dare not associate with him, and his former cronies have also severed ties with him. However, his good son-in-law, Liang Zhongshu, still prepared 200,000 taels of silver for his birthday, and his son, Cai Jiu, the prefect of Jiangzhou, also prepared 200,000 taels of silver for his birthday."

Song Jiang asked with some confusion, "Wasn't it supposed to be 100,000 taels of birthday tribute?"

Wu Yong shook his head and said, "In the past, when Cai Jing was still the Grand Tutor, many people sent him gifts every year, so Liang Zhongshu sent 100,000 taels of silver for his birthday. But this year, Cai Jing was dismissed and lost power, so Liang Zhongshu and Prefect Cai Jiu specially prepared 200,000 taels of silver for his birthday to make Cai Jing happy and to show their filial piety."

Song Jiang smiled bitterly to himself, "Ever since I came to this world, the entire plot has been a mess, and too many people have appeared prematurely, making things completely uncontrollable. But what hasn't changed is that Wu Yong has set his sights on the birthday gifts, only this time it's much earlier."

Thinking of this, Song Jiang laughed and said, "What brilliant plan do you have, sir? Why don't you tell us so we can all play together?"

Wu Yong stood up, picked up his fan, pointed into the distance, and said, "I have a brilliant plan to seize Liang Zhongshu's birthday gifts. As for Prefect Cai Jiu's, I need to think about it carefully. Once I have a foolproof plan, I will inform you all."

Song Jiang almost laughed, but he held it back. He stood up and said, "Sir, your plan is a bit risky, especially since you have to go in person. I can't lose you as a brother and let you take a risk."

Wu Yong stared wide-eyed at Song Jiang, somewhat incredulous that Song Jiang knew his thoughts.

Song Jiang recounted Wu Yong's plan according to the original text, but without Chao Gai, Liu Tang, and Gongsun Sheng.

Wu Yong smiled wryly and said, "Brother, you are truly a divine being. Before I have even uttered a word, you know what I am thinking."

In fact, Wu Yong's plan to seize the birthday gifts was really good, with each step linked to the next. However, due to Wu Yong's limited vision, there were a few flaws, which led to his identity being exposed immediately after the operation, and in the end, he had no choice but to join Liangshan.

First, there's the issue of makeup. All seven of them went with their original appearances. Chao Gai was well-known and many people recognized him. Liu Tang also had a very distinctive appearance, so he didn't wear makeup. In the end, he was recognized and people traced him back.

Secondly, there's Bai Sheng. His poor judgment in choosing his subordinates led to his arrest. Bai Sheng was a gambler and an idler. The best solution would have been to eliminate Bai Sheng, since he wasn't one of Chao Gai's own men.

Of course, neither Song Jiang now nor Chao Gai back then would do something like "crossing the river and then burning the bridge," but at the very least, Bai Sheng should have stayed with them, for example, by going to Chao Gai's manor to share wealth and prosperity, which would also prevent him from causing trouble.

Another option was to sell dates. Dates had extremely low costs and profits at the time, and they spoiled easily in the summer, so there was no reason to travel a long distance to sell them. This argument simply doesn't hold up to scrutiny.

Next comes the most important point: if Yang Zhi hadn't been so arrogant and instead treated his subordinates with respect, his prestige would likely have been much higher. When escorting the birthday tribute, the escort team was a united front. If Yang Zhi hadn't allowed the soldiers to buy wine, they wouldn't have complained; they would have simply obeyed him and refused to buy wine. So what would Chao Gai and his men do? Rob them? On Chao Gai's side, only Chao Gai and Liu Tang were truly capable fighters. While the three Ruan brothers were strong, their strength on land was ultimately limited. Could they be stronger than ordinary people, or even stronger than the carefully selected escort team soldiers?

If they rely on internal conflicts to break through, the probability is too high. If they forcibly seize it, they will increase the risk and may even be wiped out. After all, the one escorting Yang Zhi is at least as strong as one of the Five Tiger Generals. The soldiers who come with him are also not ordinary people. They are not comparable to the yamen runners or ordinary soldiers. Even if the Seven Stars can forcibly seize the birthday tribute, it is difficult to ensure that all fifteen people are not killed. If some of them leave, the birthday tribute may not even reach Yuncheng County before being seized by the government halfway.

Therefore, Wu Yong's plan is absolutely unacceptable!