The Female Strategist's Clever Words Recruit People and Change the Fate of a Sufferi

Chapter 87 The Female Strategist's Clever Words Recruit People and Change the Fate of a Suffering Woman

Both sides temporarily stopped fighting.

The leader glanced at the dozen or twenty men who had been knocked down on his side, his anger rising. He spoke up, "I am He Jian, the evil Rakshasa, a minor leader of Qingyun Mountain. Do you heroes truly not know the power of Qingyun Mountain, daring to interfere in its affairs?"

Song Jiang of Qingyun Mountain knew that the chief was Di Lei, the Leopard with double hammers, and that his men included three leaders: Cui Hao, the Iron-Backed Wolf; Yao Shun, the Hungry Tiger; and Di Yun, the Thin-Faced Bear, and over 18,000 men. However, this group was quite controversial. Although they burned, killed, and looted, they were not entirely ruthless. They only robbed the wealthy and did not harm the common people. But they were also cruel, killing and robbing the wealthy. They had even conquered two counties in the surrounding area, looting the county government and the wealthy households, making the surrounding counties tremble with fear. However, they would also distribute some grain to the poor. As a result, the power of Qingyun Mountain grew, and the local government could only watch helplessly as they grew bigger and bigger!

Song Jiang didn't have a particularly good impression of these people, but he didn't have a bad one either. However, 18,000 men was a very large force. If he could absorb these men, Liangshan would undoubtedly become much stronger.

Song Jiang laughed and said, "I've naturally heard of the strength of Chief Di, the Leopard of Ai Ye. You must be He Jian, one of his subordinates?"

He Jian breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that Song Jiang knew of Di Lei's reputation. As long as he told Song Jiang not to meddle in this matter, the two men would be captured easily, the old man could be killed, and the woman could be taken up the mountain and presented to Di Lei, thus earning him another merit.

Thinking of this, He Jian smiled and said, "You heroes are all highly skilled in martial arts. Our Qingyun Mountain has always recruited talented people. If you were..."

""

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Before he could finish speaking, his eyes were fixed on Liu Huiniang, practically drooling. Initially, his gaze had been drawn to Wu Song and the others, and he hadn't noticed such a stunningly beautiful woman in the crowd. The woman he had initially tried to snatch was quite attractive, but compared to this woman, she was like Diao Chan compared to Fan Shi. It wasn't that Fan Shi was inferior, but rather that Diao Chan was far too outstanding, like a naturally carved piece of jade, without a single flaw.

Song Jiang naturally saw He Jian's greedy eyes, like a hungry wolf staring at a plump sheep. He felt a little disdainful and coughed. He Jian realized that he had lost his composure. He then saw a cart in front of Song Jiang. Although the cart was covered with a cloth, a corner of it was gleaming gold.

He Jian began to calculate in his mind that if this group of people joined forces, he would definitely not be a match for them no matter how hard he fought. Even if they did not join forces, the strength of the leader of this group was unknown, and there were two other experts who were far superior to his side. There were more than twenty people on his side lying on the ground, and only a few people were still standing. Even if he fought with all his might, he was afraid he would not come out on top!

The best course of action now is to keep that short, dark-skinned man in check. If he and his gang are willing to go to Qingyun Mountain with us, we can rob him of his money and women. If they are willing to work for us, we can even share some silver with them. If they are not, do we have to worry about them causing trouble once we get to Qingyun Mountain?

Even if the Black Dwarf gang is unwilling to go to Qingyun Mountain, it would be a good idea to use the pretense of making friends to find out their background and then bring our brothers to talk to them afterwards. The key is to prevent them from joining forces, otherwise we will definitely be the ones who suffer.

After thinking for a while, he looked at Liu Huiniang again and cursed inwardly, "What an injustice! How could such a beautiful woman end up with this short, dark-skinned man? Maybe it's because he's a very wealthy man?"

"Hero, what do you think?" He Jian asked, regaining his composure.

Song Jiang agreed, saying, "You're absolutely right."

He Jian was overjoyed; the matter was settled. Meanwhile, the four men beside him thought to themselves, "We're doomed. We were no match for them to begin with. If they join forces, we'll have no chance of survival."

Unexpectedly, Song Jiang changed the subject and said calmly, "If I have the opportunity, I can try to go to Qingyun Mountain, but it certainly won't be now."

He Jian's face darkened, and he said coldly, "Do you really intend to oppose Qingyun Mountain?"

Song Jiang smiled faintly: "If you die, no one will know that I am an enemy of Qingyun Mountain."

He Jian shouted, "Go!"

The henchmen immediately rushed towards Song Jiang and his men. Song Jiang guessed that He Jian wanted to escape, so he sent the henchmen to delay his pursuit and prevent them from chasing him. He also drew his Chunyang sword.

Sure enough, He Jian took advantage of the moment the henchmen rushed up and ran in the opposite direction. Song Jiang was prepared and threw out the Chunyang Sword as a hidden weapon. A red light streaked across the sky like a shooting star. With a thud, He Jian was stabbed in the back and then in the chest. He fell to the ground, dead beyond any doubt.

However, he never expected that he would be killed by a sword used as a hidden weapon.

When the henchmen saw their leader was dead, they panicked and tried to run away. But Song Jiang shouted, "Drop your weapons and surrender to save your lives. Otherwise, this is what will happen to you."

Without their leader, the henchmen dared not run away, fearing they would suffer the same fate as He Jian. They could only drop their weapons and stand still. Song Jiang shouted, "All of you, lie down on the ground and put your hands behind your heads!"

The henchmen had no choice but to comply. Song Jiang left Wu Song to watch over the henchmen, while he himself came to the side of the four men. Liu Huiniang also came over. Song Jiang was somewhat helpless, but he didn't say anything.

The man with the steel knife stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Hero, you are truly righteous. Thank you for saving my life."

Song Jiang returned the greeting and asked, "May I ask your name, brother?"

The man bowed and replied, "My name is Ou Peng, and this is my brother, Tao Zongwang." As he spoke, he pointed to the man next to him holding an iron rod.

Tao Zongwang also bowed.

Song Jiang was delighted. These two, especially Ou Peng, were among his loyal fans. But he was also puzzled as to why Ou Peng and Tao Zongwang were here.

They should have gathered at Huangmen Mountain, but this place is far from Huangmen Mountain. Could it be that they did not gather at Huangmen Mountain at this time?

Seeing that Song Jiang remained silent, Ou Peng bowed deeply again and said, "I still don't know your honorable names, brothers, so that I may know who saved me?"

Song Jiang returned the greeting and said, "When you see injustice on the road, you should speak out; when it's time to act, you should act. I am Song Jiang."

Ou Peng was taken aback, then overjoyed and laughed, "So it's Brother Song Jiang, the Timely Rain! I have long admired you, Brother. Please accept my bow." He then knelt down on the ground, and Tao Zongwang also knelt down!

Song Jiang quickly helped Ou Peng and Tao Zongwang up, laughing, "After such a fierce battle, you must be quite hungry. I happen to have some wine and meat here; let's all have a bite together. I'll treat you to wine and meat when we get to the inn up ahead!"

Ou Peng laughed and said, "Then Tao Zongwang and I won't stand on ceremony!" But his laugh sounded a little strange.

Song Jiang felt that Ou Peng's smile was a bit stiff and seemed somewhat unnatural, but he wasn't one to dig deep into the details of the group, and it was only their first meeting, so he couldn't possibly turn the person upside down.

After the three sat down, the old man and the woman were still trembling slightly, as if they hadn't quite reacted yet.

Song Jiang looked at the two men with some confusion, and Ou Peng quickly said, "We met this old man and woman on the road."

Song Jiang found it even stranger; Ou Peng's speech was somewhat evasive, so his words didn't quite fit together.

Song Jiang knew he was hiding something, but he didn't expose him; he just smiled!

Ou Peng wasn't stupid, and for a moment he didn't know what to say, creating a rather awkward atmosphere. Song Jiang shook his head and sighed, "Brother, there's no need to worry. Although I'm not some great figure, I value loyalty above all else. Even if you really have something to do, I'll pretend I haven't met you all today. If it's inconvenient, I'll take my leave." After saying that, he stood up, bowed, and prepared to leave with Liu Huiniang.

Song Jiang was gambling that Ou Peng would say something to keep him. After all, Ou Peng was skilled in martial arts and loyal, making him a reliable subordinate. It would be a real pity to miss out on him!

Ou Peng hurriedly said, "It was my fault, brother, please wait."

Song Jiang stopped, a smile spreading across his face, then turned around, his expression returning to its harmless state.

Ou Peng said in a low voice, "Brother, please don't be offended. I was just being petty and judging you by my own standards."

1

Song Jiang remained silent, gesturing for Ou Peng to continue.

Ou Peng bluntly stated, "Brother, I'm actually a thief from Huangmen Mountain!"

Song Jiang nodded and said, "I know about this. Those who joined you in this righteous rebellion include the strategist Jiang Jing and the iron flute master Ma Lin!"

Ou Peng stared wide-eyed in disbelief, saying, "Brother really is... really is..." He wanted to call him a god, but felt it wasn't appropriate; for a moment, he couldn't think of any words to describe Song Jiang!

Song Jiang laughed and said, "Although you brothers are outlaws, you have a reputation for chivalry in the Jianghu, which Song Jiang is well aware of!"

""

Ou Peng said, moved, "I won't hide it from you anymore, brother. Have you ever heard of the Birthday Gifts?"

Song Jiang hesitated slightly, then immediately nodded and asked, "Is it the birthday tribute from Liang Zhongshu of Daming Prefecture?"

Ou Peng smiled slightly and said, "I intended to take such ill-gotten gains, but Huangmen Mountain is quite far from Bianliang. My brother Tao Zongwang and I came here to scout out the location, but we never expected to run into people from Qingyun Mountain!"

He took a sip of wine and continued, "That man named He Jian, seeing that Brother Tao Zongwang and I had some skills, earnestly invited us to Qingyun Mountain. Brother Tao Zongwang and I discussed it and originally planned to use Qingyun Mountain's strength to intercept the birthday tribute, and then return to Huangmen Mountain halfway. Who knew that He Jian would encounter this father and daughter on the road and insist on taking her back to Qingyun Mountain to be his wife. Although Brother Zongwang and I are outlaws, we disdain such a thing as abducting women, so we spoke up to stop him, which is why the conflict occurred!"

Song Jiang praised, "Brother, you are truly a hero, possessing both righteousness and courage." Song Jiang still admired Ou Peng for saving the father and daughter he didn't know in their time of need, but he admired even more his idea. Doing so was equivalent to robbing the birthday gifts and setting a trap for Qingyun Mountain, which completely offended Liang Zhongshu and Qingyun Mountain. With Huangmen Mountain's strength, it was feared that it would be unable to withstand the imperial army's elite troops and Qingyun Mountain's wrath!

Ou Peng sighed and said, "But now that we don't have the help of people from Qingyun Mountain, relying on Huangmen Mountain to ambush us halfway may not be enough to succeed!"

""

Song Jiang laughed and said, "Why go to such lengths to take the birthday gifts? If you trust me, brothers, come with me. When we rob the birthday gifts, you can take half back to Huangmen Mountain."

Ou Peng hesitated for a moment and said, "Brother, you're from an official family, is this something you'd do?"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "As long as I, Song Jiang, act in accordance with the four words 'above heaven and earth and a clear conscience,' that's enough. As for the rest, what do they have to do with me?"

,

Ou Peng was very moved, but he also knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch. Song Jiang was probably trying to win him over. Obviously, Song Jiang dared to rob the birthday gifts, so he couldn't be as simple as the clerk he appeared to be. Should he take Huangmen Mountain and go directly to Song Jiang? Ou Peng was immediately conflicted.

It wasn't that I was worried about losing my position as the leader, but rather how Song Jiang would deal with me and my brothers!

Liu Huiniang suddenly spoke up: "Does this hero know the principles of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness?"

Ou Peng nodded subconsciously. He was from a military family and knew this, but he was literate and could not articulate his reasoning.

Liu Huiniang pointed at Song Jiang and said, "Although the man before you is dark-skinned and short, he is a man who embodies the five virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. He prioritizes benevolence and righteousness, values ​​relationships and loyalty, treats people with courtesy, and wins people over with virtue. He is also intelligent and resourceful, and his word is his bond. As the saying goes, if there is a good place to go, why bother guarding a small plot of land?"

Just as Ou Peng was about to speak, Liu Huiniang continued, "Since we are destined to meet, missing each other may mean forever."

Ou Peng no longer hesitated and nodded, saying, "I'll go back to Huangmen Mountain first and lead the brothers to find my brother. Brother Tao Zongwang will accompany him!"

Song Jiang hurriedly said, "I will not fail my brother's trust. You can disguise yourselves as government troops and take the Li family road. There is no way around it."

Liu Huiniang suddenly turned to the father and daughter and said, "After hearing so much, there's absolutely no way we'll let you go. You have two choices: first, die here; second, come with us."

The father and daughter trembled, but dared not refute. After all, having heard so many secrets, they were lucky to avoid being killed if they followed along.

Song Jiang felt that Liu Huiniang's change was a bit too fast. After all, in the original story, Liu Huiniang was intelligent, well-educated, and had a very clever mind. But now Liu Huiniang seemed to have a fiery temper, was a bit sharp-tongued, and had a much stronger personality. He didn't know why she had such a big change. Was it because of the butterfly effect brought about by his time travel, or because he was almost turned into a dumpling at Ganzi Slope?

Song Jiang was also completely baffled, but it didn't matter anyway; he wouldn't dwell on things he couldn't understand.

Song Jiang walked up to the father and daughter and said with a smile, "May I ask how you are addressed, sir, and how you came to encounter bandits here?"

The old man replied, "My surname is Jin, and I am the second son. This is my daughter, Jin Cuilian. My daughter and I are originally from Dongjing (Kaifeng), but because of our poor circumstances, we planned to go to Nanjing to seek refuge with our relatives. There was also a woman left at home to stay with us. We were waiting to find our relatives so we could send a letter to her to come with us. However, we got lost on the way and encountered bandits. If it weren't for the help of you heroes, my daughter and I would probably not have survived." After saying this, he looked at Song Jiang nervously.

The foreshadowing here about the pear will explain why Liu Huiniang's personality changes, and we will unravel the mystery little by little later!

Regardless of the results of this book, I will definitely finish it, so don't worry!