Luan Tingyu Returns Defeated, Song Jiang Recruits Talented Individuals

Every step was taken with utmost care, for fear of disturbing the henchmen. When they were halfway up, there was no unusual noise, so it seemed that the lookout had already fallen asleep.

After climbing a little higher, suddenly torches were lit on the pass, illuminating Luan Tingyu's face. Luan Tingyu was utterly shocked. It turned out that the bandits had been prepared, deliberately remaining silent, waiting for him to die.

The foreman on the pass grinned maliciously and said, "Bring him up!"

The henchmen on both sides swung down their grappling hooks, ready to grab someone. Luan Tingyu grabbed the rope with one hand, drew his waist knife with the other, cut the grappling hook, and slid down a little.

Seeing Luan Tingyu's skill, the squad leader shouted, "Send him on his way!" Immediately, arrows rained down on Luan Tingyu, but Luan Tingyu was no ordinary man. He wielded his waist knife with unparalleled skill, knocking the arrows to the ground.

"Throw the rolling stone."

Seeing the rolling stone coming, Luan Tingyu immediately pushed off with his feet, controlling his body to swing to the right, thus avoiding the dangerous blow.

"Keep firing arrows."

Luan Tingyu had no choice but to continue swinging his waist knife.

This was arguably the most dangerous moment of his life. If he had jumped directly down, the arrows above would have turned him into a pincushion in an instant. So he had to control his descent speed while wielding his sword to block the arrows.

Although Luan Tingyu was brave, there were simply too many arrows. In a moment of carelessness, an arrow pierced his shoulder. Luan Tingyu groaned, his hand slipped, and he fell off the pass. At the critical moment, he gripped the rope tightly. Just then, a log fell. Luan Tingyu had no way to dodge, so he could only block the log with his sword. With a bang, the huge impact of the log made Luan Tingyu lose his grip on the rope hook and fall heavily to the ground. His waist sword broke in two, and the log struck Luan Tingyu in the chest.

Luan Tingyu felt as if he had been struck in the chest by a giant hammer. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and his internal organs felt displaced, as if they were no longer his own. If it weren't for the waist knife deflecting some of the force and the breastplate he was wearing, he would have died on the spot.

He endured the pain, stood up, and ran towards the ambush site. The small leader on the pass was dumbfounded, never expecting that Luan Tingyu had survived such severe injuries.

"Should we kill him?" a henchman asked.

The squad leader thought for a moment and said, "Forget it, we might fall into an ambush if we go out. It's better for him to go back and let these soldiers know how powerful we are."

Seeing the severely wounded Luan Tingyu, Huang Xin could no longer sit still. He waved his hand and shouted, "Pass on my order: retreat tomorrow."

Zhu Biao helped Luan Tingyu, who slumped to the ground dejectedly. This time, he truly regretted it. If it weren't for his greed for credit, Luan Tingyu would never have come. If it weren't for him, Luan Tingyu wouldn't have sneaked out under the cover of darkness. You see, Luan Tingyu was not only the strongest fighter in Zhu Family Village, but also his master. The master-disciple relationship was genuine and without any entanglement of interests.

He was really afraid that Luan Tingyu would just die like that.

Luan Tingyu patted Zhu Biao and said, "I'm not seriously injured, but my internal injuries are quite severe, and I may not be able to fight for a year."

Zhu Biao knew perfectly well that Luan Tingyu was just trying to comfort him. Luan Tingyu's injury this time could be described as a devastating blow, and half a year of recuperation would be the least he could manage.

He said earnestly, "Master, don't worry, no matter how precious the medicine or how expensive the doctor, I will definitely cure you."

Luan Tingyu smiled, closed his eyes, and after a long while slowly said, "Help me to rest for a while! I'm really tired this time."

Song Jiang went to Liangshan again two days after Yang Zhi left Yuncheng County. This time, Wu Song and Gongsun Sheng saw Song Jiang off to Liangshan again. Also accompanying him were Jiu Wan's mother and three siblings!

Only after seeing Song Jiang board the boat did Wu Song feel relieved and return to Yuncheng County!

Liangshan's population has increased significantly, and there are many more generals. Song Jiang also plans to reorganize and expand the army and redistribute resources!

Inside the Hall of Gathering Righteousness, Zhu Fu and Shi Xiu were not present. The last time Song Jiang returned to the stronghold, Zhu Fu took Shi Xiu and his uncle with silver to Qufu to seek out the divine physician Kong Hou to treat Shi Xiu's uncle's tuberculosis!

Inside the Hall of Gathering Righteousness, everyone took their seats. Previously, Song Jiang had many things to attend to in Yuncheng County that he hadn't had time to take care of, but now that everything was resolved, he could stay at Liangshan with peace of mind!

Song Jiang was very satisfied with the current situation of Liangshan. In about two months, there were more than two thousand strategists and generals, and the gold, silver, grain and horses were enough for the brothers to develop well!

Wu Yong stood up and spoke first: "Brother, Dean Dai has written a letter about Cai Dezhang, the prefect of Jiangzhou!"

Previously, Pang Wanchun had gone to Jiangzhou to find Dai Zong and invited him to join the Liangshan heroes!

Dai Zong originally wanted to set off with Pang Wanchun immediately, but Cai Dezhang asked Dai Zong to go to Bianliang to deliver a letter to Cai Jing!

Dai Zong was somewhat helpless. He could simply leave and ignore Cai Jiu, but Pang Wanchun had a different idea!

Liangshan is in the midst of its development, but Song Jiang has his sights set on conquering the world. It would be better for Dai Zong to stay in Jiangzhou to gather intelligence and learn about the movements of all sides than to go to Liangshan now!

After discussing it, Dai Zong told Li Kui and Pang Wanchun to go to Liangshan first, and to the outside world, Li Kui would go back to his hometown to take care of his mother, while Dai Zong would stay in Jiangzhou!

Unlike before, he now had a mission, so he went into hiding!

The second letter is a detailed record of the route and departure time of Prefect Cai Jiu's birthday tribute!

After reading the letter, Song Jiang understood!

He looked at the crowd and said, "Brother Zhu Fu, I'm writing you a letter. Go to Dongchang Prefecture and find a veterinarian named Huangfu Duan. Be sure to invite him to join us on the mountain!"

"Brother Li Yun, I'm writing you a letter. Go to Jieyang Town and find a man named Li Jun, the 'River Dragon,' and invite him to join us at Liangshan!"

"Brother Lei Jiong, you should also go to Jieyang Town and find a man named Zhang Shun, the White-Striped Wave, and invite him to join Liangshan!"

"As for Brother Yang Lin, go to Jinling and find a man named the Divine Physician An Daoquan. Make sure he joins Liangshan!"

Although Song Jiang hoped that Zhang Shun and Li Jun would join Liangshan, he did not make a strong demand. This was mainly because the two men were capable and had their own personalities and ideas, so they might not come immediately when invited. Moreover, Song Jiang's sense of urgency did not necessarily mean that they had to join Liangshan. In short, he did not force them.

However, An Daoquan and Huangfu Duan were different. Both of them were outstanding doctors, one treating people and the other a veterinarian!

The roles of these two individuals are self-evident and irreplaceable!

First, let's talk about Huangfu Duan. Liangshan needed a lot of horses, and Huangfu Duan was an expert in judging horses. He was also skilled at treating horses and other livestock. With him on Liangshan, there was really no need to worry about the animals!

As for An Daoquan, needless to say, he deserves the title of a miracle doctor, whether in internal medicine or surgery!

Just like during the campaign against Fang La, many heroes died because they were seriously injured and could not receive help. However, this did not happen during the campaigns against Tian Hu and Wang Qing. This was because An Daoquan was taken to the palace by Emperor Huizong of Song to serve as his private imperial physician before the campaign began!

The final result was that Yang Zhi, Yang Xiong, Zhang Heng, Lin Chong, Zhu Fu, Zhu Gui and others died of illness!

Xu Ning, Ding Desun, and others died from their serious injuries!

An Daoquan's departure was a major loss for Liangshan at that time!

Zhu Gui, Lei Jiong, Yang Lin, and Li Yun stood up and responded!

Next up are Shi Qian and Jiu Wan, whose abilities Song Jiang has already experienced firsthand!

In the original novel, Shi Qian went deep behind enemy lines and was a master at both combat and intelligence gathering!

When it comes to fire attacks, Shi Qian is definitely the best in the Water Margin, even surpassing Wei Dingguo, the Divine Fire General!

Whether it was the burning of Cuiyun Tower, the burning of Baoyan Temple, or the burning of Dusong Pass and Yuling Pass, these all played a crucial role in the battle. Shi Qian also made great contributions to the capture of armor, Zengtou City, Fahua Temple, and Gaizhou City!

To put it bluntly, without Shi Qian, many battles of Liangshan would not have been won so easily. Yet, this hero who risked his life for Liangshan was only ranked second to last because of his background and other reasons!

Even a good-for-nothing like Bai Sheng could surpass Shi Qian, let alone mediocre people like Wang Dingliu and Yu Baosi!

But now everything is different, and no one knows Shi Qian's value better than himself!

Besides Shi Qian, there is another such talent, Jiu Wan. The two are fellow disciples, and Jiu Wan's skills are probably no less than Shi Qian's!

Song Jiang addressed the two men, saying, "Brothers, I'd like to establish a secret intelligence unit centered around you two. All of Shi Qian's disciples can join, and you can also choose anyone from Liangshan besides the main group to join. What do you say?"

The two men, especially Jiuwan, had already received great kindness from Song Jiang. Seeing how much Song Jiang valued them, they wished they could be shattered to pieces to repay Song Jiang's great kindness!

The two immediately knelt down and said, "Brother, even if it means going through fire and water, we will definitely repay your kindness!"

Song Jiang helped the two up and laughed, "There's no need to be so exaggerated. My expectations for you are not only for the Song Dynasty, but for the Liao, Jurchen, Western Xia, and even the whole world. We can 'stand firm' even in the secret intelligence camp!" Song Jiang didn't let Shi Qian and the other man choose from the first squad not because he was reluctant to part with them, but because the first squad had followed him the longest, and their obedience and ingrained habits were hard to change!

The task of infiltrating behind enemy lines to gather intelligence is not suitable for people who are too rigid and methodical. On the contrary, people who are unruly, have a roguish air, or look ordinary are more suitable!

The special nature of their mission to secretly report to the camp is self-evident, and Song Jiang also granted them enormous power, directly managing them himself!

The two bowed and said, "Since you trust us so much, we will certainly work together to build a renowned intelligence-smuggling camp!"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "Good, from now on, your secret intelligence reporting missions will be called 'Shadowless'! Coming without a trace, going without a trace, you'll surely make everyone in the world see soldiers everywhere!"

Seeing how much Song Jiang valued the two thieves, the crowd, though silent, grew even more eager to participate!

Song Jiang said to Bian Xiang, "Brother Bian Xiang, although Liangshan is surrounded by water, a cavalry force is indispensable for conquering the world!"

"I plan to establish a cavalry battalion. You will first select one hundred men, and then you will personally train the cavalry. However, Liangshan currently has a shortage of horses, so training them may not be so easy!"

Bian Xiang was overjoyed, bowed, and said, "Bian Xiang will definitely build a cavalry battalion for you, brother, that will sweep across the world!"

Song Jiang nodded and said, "Since the secret messenger is called 'Shadowless,' from now on, the cavalry will be called 'Qilin'!"

The Qilin is the king of beasts, and its power is unstoppable!

In fact, although Bian Xiang was strong in martial arts, he was not good at training cavalry. However, there were very few people in Liangshan who were good at horse combat, so Bian Xiang could only fill the role temporarily. Bian Xiang was more good at governance, otherwise he would not have risen to the position of Right Chancellor!

When Deng Fei and Meng Kang brought their men to join, it was the first time that Liangshan had been willing to join them, so they naturally couldn't be treated badly. Jiao Ting also followed him, but although Jiao Ting was good at martial arts, he really had no ability to command troops and could only follow him as a personal leader!

The next day, in an open area of ​​Liangshan!

By this time, everyone had gathered together in the open space!

The open space was no longer a barren wasteland. After some repairs, it had taken on the size of a martial arts training ground. The martial arts training ground at Chai Jin's manor had always been on Song Jiang's mind, making him want to build one!

They had left in a hurry the day before, but this time the rookies saw Song Jiang and shouted loudly!

Song Jiang smiled and waved his hand, signaling them to quiet down, and said, "From this day forward, the Rookie Squad will cease to exist!"

Surprised, astonished, and puzzled, they looked at Song Jiang with expressions of astonishment and confusion!

A man named Wang Ce exclaimed, "Did we do something wrong? Why is the rookie team gone?!"

Some of the newbies were feeling down, and some even almost burst into tears!

Song Jiang was quite gratified. Clearly, they had found a sense of belonging and identity. Now that the rookie squad was gone, they thought he didn't need them anymore!

Song Jiang shouted, "From this day forward, you are no longer rookies! No longer rookies! From this day forward, you are called Supernovas!"

Seeing their slight confusion, Song Jiang explained, "What 'Supernova' means is that in my heart you are no longer the clueless, incompetent rookies you once were. Now, in my eyes, you are the best, the most amazing!"

During this period, the newbies have been training hard every day, and the online army, under the leadership of the three Nguyen brothers, has been constantly improving its combat effectiveness. No one is slacking off; everyone is competing to see who can work harder. Being able to work so hard proves that their efforts have not been in vain.

Song Jiang always believed that if you make a little progress every day, you can make a big leap forward after a year. Although Song Jiang's martial arts skills were only average, he had some modern fighting techniques and experience. Before he went out, he conducted obstacle training for the rookies, including eight items: crossing stakes, trenches, low walls, high platform jumps, ladders, log bridges, high walls, and low stake nets.

These exercises initially caused the Liangshan men immense suffering, but they enjoyed them nonetheless. As their physical fitness improved, the training became easier and easier to complete, so Song Jiang began having them do weight training.

Now, the hard work and training have finally paid off. The group of people who couldn't even be considered competent as ragtag soldiers are now sincerely recognized by Song Jiang!