A Great Battle is Brewing: Be a Warrior, Not a Martyr

Chapter 90 A Great Battle is Brewing: Be a Warrior, Not a Martyr

After leaving the Chen family residence, Song Jiang bowed to the group and said, "Gongming has some matters to attend to and will return to the city within three days!"

After bidding farewell to Shi Wenbin and Wu Song, Song Jiang rode off on horseback!

Watching Song Jiang's departing figure, Shi Wenbin murmured, "Gongming!"

Song Jiang first returned to Song Family Village, discussed the matter with Song Qing, and then immediately returned to Liangshan.

On Liangshan Mountain, Song Jiang took a sip of water and said, "There is something we need to prepare for."

Song Jiang recounted in detail what had happened in Dancheng County. After listening, the Liangshan people remained silent, mainly because they didn't know what Song Jiang was thinking.

In fact, Song Jiang's idea was very simple. After Chen Dahu refused Qingyun Mountain, given Qingyun Mountain's vengeful nature, they would definitely send people to rob Chen Dahu. At this time, as long as they waited for them to come to their doom, they could wipe them out in one fell swoop. Of course, the final result would be that Qingyun Mountain might send a large force to attack the city and county, plunder it, and then return to Qingyun Mountain.

Song Jiang was certain that Yuncheng County, a small town, would have fallen without his and Liangshan's support. As for relying on Jizhou Prefecture for rescue? Putting aside whether Jizhou Prefecture would even come to the rescue, relying on others was a gamble, extremely unreliable. Song Jiang would not allow his fate to be controlled by others.

Of course, there's another option: Song Jiang could stand by and watch, and directly bring Wu Song to Liangshan. But the consequence of doing so would be that Dancheng County would likely be massacred after being captured by Qingyun Mountain. What would happen to Wen Bin then? What about Zhu Tong and Lei Heng? These are all his friends. They might not go to Liangshan with Song Jiang to hide. Would he just stand by and watch them die?

To be selfish, if he forcibly brought them to Liangshan, what about the others in Yuncheng? The officials were all gone; wouldn't that be pushing others to their deaths? Song Jiang wasn't a cold-blooded person, and he couldn't bear to watch these innocent people die unjustly. As for seeking help from the imperial court?

Unless the fundamental interests of the court are threatened, the court will not send a large force to suppress bandits. This is why there were so many uprisings at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty. In the original story, no matter how much trouble Liangshan caused, the court was too lazy to care. If it weren't for the capture of Gaotang Prefecture and the killing of Gao Qiu's brother Gao Lian, the court would probably have continued to turn a blind eye. There's nothing we can do about it; that's just reality.

Wu Yong waved his fan and pondered for a moment before speaking, "The main problem right now is that Liangshan is short-handed. This matter needs to be discussed carefully."

Wu Yong's words are exactly what Song Jiang is worried about right now. Luo Zhong, Shan Shiqi, Zhu Jing, Pang Wanchun, the two Ruan brothers, Zhang Heng and Zhang Shun, and Liu Tang have all gone to take the birthday gifts. Li Zhu and his nephew He Sheng have gone to Huaixi. Shi Xiu has infiltrated the Zhu Family Village. The only real masters on the mountain right now are Bian Xiang and Gongsun Sheng!

The strongest and most trained group in Liangshan is the rookie group. Although they are scattered like stars now, this time we still need to take them through real battles!

Song Jiang selected 150 men each from Xue Ren and Qi Lin, led by Bian Xiang, and they went down the mountain together with Jiu Wan!

Before descending the mountain, Song Jiang whispered something to An Daoquan. An Daoquan nodded and gave Song Jiang a large bundle of things. No one else knew what it was. Song Jiang handed the bundle to Qin Jiuwan and then whispered something to Qin Jiuwan. Qin Jiuwan bowed to Song Jiang and then led two "Shadowless" men down Liangshan first.

Afterwards, Song Jiang approached Wu Yong, Yang Zhong, and Gongsun Sheng, saying, "I haven't been at Liangshan for some time now. Liangshan is our place of refuge, so we'll have to trouble you, sir, Taoist priest, and senior!"

Yang Zhong laughed and said, "Don't worry, sir. No matter how many soldiers come, my spear will make sure they never return!"

Wu Yong, abandoning his usual nonchalant demeanor, solemnly declared, "The scholar will surely protect Liangshan!"

Although Gongsun Sheng didn't speak, Song Jiang was relieved to see the determination in his eyes!

Liangshan is their main base. The only people left who can fight are Yang Zhong and Gongsun Sheng. With Wu Yong in charge, there won't be any trouble!

In fact, Liangshan was perfectly safe, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Song Jiang wanted to ensure that Liangshan was completely safe, lest his own home be stolen. In that case, even if he had thousands of troops, he would have nowhere to put them, and he would be truly devastated!

At Song Family Village, seeing Song Jiang bring so many people, Song Taigong and Song Qing had no idea what Song Jiang was planning.

Song Jiang recounted the whole story in detail. Afterward, he instructed Song Taigong that no matter what, Songjia Village, Dongxi Village, Xixi Village, and other surrounding villages must be temporarily relocated to the city in the next few days. Everything that can be packed should be packed and brought into the city. Anything that cannot be packed should be left behind for the time being. Under no circumstances should people be left behind, otherwise, their lives would be in danger.

Old Master Song rarely saw Song Jiang so serious. After a moment's thought, he replied, "Third Brother, you don't need to worry about these things. I can handle this."

Song Jiang said anxiously, "The sooner the better."

Song Taigong nodded. Seeing that Song Jiang seemed to have something else to say, he took Song Qing and left first. Song Jiang believed that with his father's prestige and reputation, he should be able to do it. Moreover, Chao Gai was also in Dongxi Village, so it shouldn't be a problem to ensure the villagers left safely.

The atmosphere was somewhat somber, and no one knew what to say. After all, this was Liangshan's first real battle. Although they trained very hard, they were still a little apprehensive when they actually went to the battlefield.

Song Jiang coughed, breaking the eerie silence, and said with a smile, "Don't be nervous, everyone. This is a good practical test for you. You are all warriors of Liangshan, and I believe you will not fail."

Sometimes, morale is extremely important before a battle. High morale can elevate the combat effectiveness of a unit to a whole new level. Therefore, it is essential to boost the morale of soldiers before a battle.

Sure enough, after Song Jiang finished speaking, the Liangshan army's morale improved significantly.

Song Jiang continued, "I've been training you all this time for our sake. As long as you perform to the level you've been trained for, you'll be fine. Remember, on the battlefield, show no mercy. Mercy to the enemy is cruelty to yourself. Don't pity the enemy. No matter what, sometimes, only if they die can you live."

Bian Xiang shouted, "Have you remembered what your brother said?"

The Liangshan soldiers answered loudly, "We've got it."

Song Jiang laughed and said, "Some of you are from Songjia Village, some are from Dongxi Village, and some are from Shijie Village. After this incident, if your parents, family members, or children have not joined Liangshan, you can bring them up the mountain. If they are unmarried, Mr. Wu and I will act as matchmakers."

The Liangshan soldiers were overjoyed to hear this, as it meant they would have no worries about the future. They knew that Liangshan had a school where many refugee children could study, and if they got sick, Liangshan would have doctors who would treat them for free. The key was that these doctors were legendary healers, and their cures were legendary. All of this was thanks to Song Jiang's management. If they could also find a wife and settle down in Liangshan, their lives would be worthwhile.

The purpose of life is simply to live a meaningful life, to provide for one's parents in their old age, to raise successful children, and to have a good wife. Such a life is without regrets. Song Jiang, on Liangshan, fulfilled all their hopes. With no worries about the future, why should they be afraid to fight to the death?

The morale of the Liangshan army has risen, and Song Jiang is very satisfied with their fighting spirit and energy. However, this is still not enough. Training soldiers is not easy, and Song Jiang is not willing to let them fight the enemy head-on like this.

Three hundred men against twenty thousand—no matter how well-trained or how many men could fight ten against one—would surely die in a direct confrontation. Song Jiang also had his own selfish motives; he couldn't let all his brothers die for the sake of the people. Therefore, these three hundred brothers could only resort to ambush, which still carried considerable risk. So Song Jiang had to devise a foolproof plan to protect them!

He took out a brocade pouch and handed it to Bian Xiang, saying, "When Qingyun Mountain besieges Yuncheng County, we will act according to the plan in this pouch."

Bian Xiang nodded, and Song Jiang took out a brocade pouch and handed it to Jiu Wan, saying, "Act according to the plan in the pouch, and be sure to inform Bian Xiang as soon as you have the chance after it's done."

Qin Jiu nodded as well.

Song Jiang pondered for a moment and continued, "In the next few days, Brother Bian Xiang will lead the villagers of Songjia Village to accompany my father in evacuating the villagers from other villages. All the livestock in the village, such as cattle, horses, and sheep, will be purchased from the villagers and transported to Liangshan. In short, not a single one will be left for Qingyun Mountain. Zhu Gui will send people to help with the transportation. In the next few days, Brother Bian Xiang will need to familiarize himself with the surrounding terrain. As for the others, bring enough dry food and water, disperse and hide, and wait for Bian Xiang's summons."

Bian Xiang laughed and said, "Don't worry, brother, I've got it covered."

"Fourth Brother," Song Jiang called out Song Qing's name.

Hearing Song Jiang call him, Song Qing pushed open the door, entered the hall, and asked, "Brother, what brings you here?"

Song Jiang said, "Although it's getting late, could you please get some wine and meat? A large quantity, please."

Song Qing nodded and said, "Okay, I'll take care of it right away."

Song Jiang whispered, "Try to be as discreet as possible, and don't let anyone know they're there."

Song Qing also whispered, "Understood." Then he went out first.

When Song Jiang first brought Bian Xiang and the others to Song Family Village, he did so by breaking into smaller groups and sneaking into his home in batches. The reason for this secrecy was that Song Jiang did not want people to know that he had such a group of people. It was not that he was afraid of anything, but for him, the more low-key the Liangshan matter was, the better, so that he could be more unexpected in the future.

The outside world was completely unaware of his secret plans and developments at Liangshan. A few people genuinely believed that Song Jiang was often away from home and was quietly brewing wine. After all, the wine was genuinely brewed, and not only Shi Wenbin but also the prefect of Jizhou had personally tasted it.

As the imperial wine to be presented as tribute, the wine brewed by Song Jiang was absolutely qualified. It was precisely because of this pretext that Shi Wenbin and the prefect of Jizhou turned a blind eye to Song Jiang's frequent absences from the county.

In their eyes, Song Jiang had contributed the imperial wine, so he was bound to receive a reward. If he could come up with something else, then whether it was the prefect of Jizhou, Shi Wenbin, or Song Jiang himself, promotion and wealth would be just around the corner.

In their view, Song Jiang was an ambitious man, at least he had been before. Shi Wenbin also knew Song Jiang's abilities. Unfortunately, if the Song Dynasty did not want to advance through the imperial examinations, other avenues were extremely difficult. Given Song Jiang's background and wealth, the possibility of him becoming an official was practically nonexistent.

Shi Wenbin kept comforting Song Jiang, saying that if he couldn't become an official, he could do something else. However, Song Jiang seemed to be only interested in an official career and had no interest in doing business. He would either associate with some people from the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world). Although Shi Wenbin did not agree with Song Jiang's approach, he did not stop Song Jiang from associating with outlaws. He just secretly warned Song Jiang to keep a certain distance from those with bad reputations or who came from bandit backgrounds, so as not to be dragged down in the future.

Shi Wenbin discovered that ever since Song Jiang fainted once, he seemed to have completely lost interest in his official career and instead devoted himself to helping him solve his problems. He even brewed such fine wine, which secretly pleased Shi Wenbin. He was even happier when he learned that Song Jiang was going to open a restaurant.

Song Jiang has always been generous, and he would definitely keep a share of the restaurant's profits. Especially if the wine really became imperial wine, his value would naturally rise, so how could he not make a fortune?

Shi Wenbin was very pleased with Song Jiang's enlightenment and didn't bother to care what Song Jiang was doing at Liangshan. The same was true for the prefect of Jizhou. In their understanding, Song Jiang was just trying to monopolize the exclusive production method of this wine, so he did a series of things. It was impossible that Song Jiang wanted to rebel. Who would believe that?

An hour later, Song Qing walked to the main hall and said to Song Jiang, "I slaughtered five sheep, two pigs, twenty fat chickens, and twenty ducks. The food is now in the manor, and I've sent the people away."

Song Qing was always reliable, so Song Jiang asked him to get ten jars of wine. Then he said to the Liangshan army, "Bring twenty brothers with good cooking skills and help me cook. We'll have a good meal tonight."

The Liangshan army cheered immediately. Ever since Wang Lun led his men to raid Liangshan and Liangshan won a great victory, Song Jiang had personally cooked a meal once. After that, the meals were all cooked by a special chef. Although they were full, the taste was just so-so, and could not compare to Song Jiang's cooking skills.

However, Song Jiang was the leader of Liangshan, not a chef, so he couldn't cook for them all the time. Therefore, they missed Song Jiang's cooking skills very much, and it was really great to be able to eat it again today.

With so many people, things moved quickly. The meal was ready in no time. It included meat and wine, but no staple food.

Watching the Liangshan army feasting and drinking, Song Jiang felt a pang of bitterness. He didn't want this to be his last meal with all of them. The hall was filled with cheerful sounds, but Song Jiang's bitterness gradually accumulated. He didn't want to stay in the hall any longer, lest his emotions affect everyone, so he quietly left and hid in the shadows without saying a word.

Before long, Jiuwan found him and, seeing Song Jiang, happily walked over and said, "Brother, they've all been looking for you."

Song Jiang followed Jiu Wan back to the hall, where it became noisy again. Bian Xiang took out a bowl, filled it with wine, and said, "Brother, have a bowl. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have gathered together, and many of us wouldn't be able to find our purpose in life."

Song Jiang finished the wine in his bowl, lowered his head for a while, and then raised his head and said, "I will be returning to the city soon to make preparations. You are all warriors of Liangshan. Even if you die heroically, you will still be martyrs of Liangshan. Therefore, please accept my bow."

After saying this, he clasped his hands together, bowed deeply, and solemnly bowed. Everyone was shocked. Li Kui, who was closest, quickly helped Song Jiang up. Song Jiang waved his hand, straightened up, and said with utmost seriousness and solemnity, "Be a warrior, not a martyr. Promise me that everyone must live, not a single one can be missing. When the war is over, I will return in triumph with you and celebrate this victory at Liangshan."