Do you have the strength to force me to join the Liangshan bandits?

Chapter 282 Song Jiang: The Jade Cage Shatters, the Colorful Phoenix Soars; The Golden Locks Unlock, the Dragon Unleashed [1st Update]

Seven days later, at Golden Beach.

Large ships transported all the men, horses, and provisions that Song Jiang had taken with him to the other side.

Song Jiang, wearing a cloak, stood on the golden sand beach, gazing at the familiar plants and trees of Liangshan Marsh, his heart filled with emotion.

Although he did not found Liangshanbo, it grew in strength under his leadership.

Originally, Liangshan was under Wang Lun's control, and it was just a small mountain stronghold on par with Qingfeng Mountain and Huangmen Mountain.

Later, when it came into the hands of Chao Gai, it gained some momentum, but its power was still no match for Erlong Mountain.

It wasn't until Song Jiang brought a large group of brothers to Liangshan that the area developed rapidly.

By the time Cai Fu joined Liangshan, Song Jiang's Liangshan Marsh had already become a powerful force in Shandong.

According to Song Jiang's original plan, after recruiting Lu Junyi, destroying Zengtou City, and capturing several other prefectures, he could then be granted amnesty by the imperial court.

But now it's all over. Five or six years of hard work, all gone in one night, back to where I was before I became an outlaw.

Not really, I still have more than forty loyal brothers who are willing to share my joys and sorrows!
He still has more than 20,000 men under his command!
To make a comeback, all you need to do is plant a flag!
Once I plant the banner of "Acting on Behalf of Heaven" on Erlong Mountain, I'm sure I can turn my life around!
Song Jiang tried his best to boost his morale, but looking at Liangshan Marsh, he still felt a pang of sadness...

"Brother, please!"

Cai Fu's voice interrupted Song Jiang's sorrow.

When Song Jiang came to his senses, he realized that it was the last boat, and he, Wu Yong, Hua Rong, Li Kui, and a few others were waiting to board.

“Brother…”

Song Jiang and Cai Fu held hands, their gazes complex, hesitant to speak, then finally uttering:
"We have successfully defended Liangshan Marsh..."

This was only half said; the other half was what Song Jiang thought to himself:

I, Song Jiang, will return!

Cai Fu chuckled: "Don't worry, brother!"
"Under my leadership, Liangshan Marsh will surely grow bigger and stronger, and create new glories!"

"Brother, you can go in peace!"

How the hell can I not feel at ease!

Looking at the spirited Cai Fu, Song Jiang felt a deep sadness welling up inside him.

She was already easily moved to tears, and at this moment, she couldn't help but burst into tears.

Not wanting Cai Fu to see him shed tears, Song Jiang steeled himself and turned to board the boat.

But as she turned around, a tear fell to the ground and shattered into eight pieces!

Watching Song Jiang, supported by Wu Yong and Hua Rong, limp onto the boat, Cai Fu burst into laughter:

"Brother Song Jiang, may you rest in peace—"

Song Jiang stumbled, nearly falling off the boat, and could only grit his teeth as he turned back and pointed at Cai Fu:
You surnamed Cai, you better remember this!

What are you remembering? Didn't you force me to join the Liangshan bandits?
Cai Fu laughed loudly: "Do you have the ability to force me to join the Liangshan bandits?"
Although Song Jiang didn't know what Cai Fu was laughing about, he could guess the gist of it, and at that moment, Song Jiang was filled with deep regret:

If I had known, I wouldn't have sent Chai in to coerce and bribe that Cai!

Do not!
If I had known, I wouldn't have forced Lu Junyi to join Liangshan. It's not like we can't do without Lu Junyi!

If we hadn't forced Lu Junyi to join Liangshan, and hadn't used threats and inducements against the man surnamed Cai, things wouldn't have come to this.
The more Song Jiang thought about it, the more distressed he became, and the tears that had been welling up in his eyes involuntarily spilled over...

Li Kui didn't dare to utter a word in front of Cai Fu, but once he left, he showed his true colors.

Standing at the stern with his hands on his hips, Li Kui laughed heartily.

Hua Rong couldn't help but ask him, "Tie Niu, what are you laughing at?"

He laughed first!

Li Kui pointed at Cai Fu's increasingly smaller figure and said smugly:
"I'm going to laugh even louder than him!"

Hua Rong: (_)
After Li Kui finished speaking, he turned around and looked at Song Jiang, and was greatly surprised, blurting out:

"Brother, why are you crying?"

Song Jiang quickly rubbed his eyes: "There's sand in the wind..."

Don't let Li Kui's usual foolishness fool you; he's got a clever look on his face right now.

"It's the lake breeze, but why is it howling in the lake breeze..."

Hua Rong quickly covered Li Kui's foul mouth, and Qin Ming and Lin Chong together dragged him into the cabin...

Upon reaching the other side, Li Jun, Tong Wei, and Tong Meng disembarked and looked back to see large ships returning to Liangshan Marsh.

Li Jun, Tong Wei, and Tong Meng felt as if they had lost their roots...

At that moment, the three of them became even more determined.

With that, Song Jiang's 20,000-strong force no longer needed to conceal their whereabouts and set off in a grand manner, passing through prefectures and counties towards Erlong Mountain.

Along the way, they flew the Liangshan banner, and no government troops dared to get close to them.

Song Jiang felt incredibly happy, as if he were "breaking the jade cage to let the colorful phoenix fly away, and suddenly unlocking the golden lock to let the dragon run free".

When Liu Bei escaped Cao Cao's control and led his troops to Xuzhou, his feelings were probably no different.

On this day, they arrived at Gunzhou.

As night fell, Song Jiang and his group set up camp outside the city.

Inside the central command tent, Song Jiang asked Wu Yong with concern:
"Strategist, our march to Erlong Mountain is quite a spectacle. Won't the imperial court misunderstand something?"

Wu Yong, fanning himself with a goose feather fan, remained unconvinced:
"I'm afraid the imperial court won't even know we've arrived at Erlong Mountain."

Song Jiang was taken aback: "Why is that?"

Wu Yong picked up the teacup and took a sip:
"We traveled through prefectures and counties along the way, and none of them dared to question us."

"If this matter is reported to the imperial court, and the court is furious, which prefecture can bear the responsibility? Which prefecture is willing to bear the responsibility?"
“If we do not attack the prefectures, the prefectures will surely pretend to be deaf and dumb, communicate with each other, and help cover it up.”

"So brother, there's no need to worry. The imperial court is kept in the dark!"

Song Jiang fell silent.

After a long pause, Song Jiang slammed his fist on the table in anger:
"That's outrageous!"
"How can they live up to the trust placed in them by the government?"
"How can we live up to the imperial court's cultivation?"
"How can I face..."

"Brother Song Gongming!"

A man's voice suddenly came from the entrance of the main tent:

"Tong Wei requests an audience!"

Song Jiang took a deep breath to compose himself and said with a smile:

"Brother Tong Wei, please come in!"

Tong Wei, nicknamed "Emerging Dragon," entered with a worried expression.
"Brother, Brother Li Jun and my brother are sick!"

Song Jiang was taken aback: "How did you get sick?"

Tong Wei shook his head: "Brother Li Jun and my brother don't know what we ate wrong, we started vomiting and having diarrhea all afternoon today."

"After walking for half a day with great effort, I can no longer get out of bed."

"Brother Li Jun sent me to tell you that we must take this opportunity to go into the city and find a doctor to treat our illness..."

Song Jiang became anxious upon hearing this:

"What should we do?"
"Quickly find a doctor, lest you two brothers suffer!"

"Thank you, brother!"

Tong Wei breathed a sigh of relief, bowed to Wu Yong again, and hurriedly left.

Song Jiang looked at Wu Yong with a sullen expression:
"Strategist, how come Brother Li Jun, who is so strong, fell ill?"

Wu Yong's eyes gleamed:

As the saying goes, even a hero can't withstand three bouts of diarrhea.

"Besides, Li Jun and Tong Meng are from the South..."

"It makes sense."

Song Jiang nodded: "When the three brothers Li Jun, Tong Wei, and Tong Meng first arrived at Liangshan Marsh, they suffered from acclimatization problems."

"Now that the environment has changed, and with the long journey, they're likely to suffer from acclimatization problems again."

Wu Yong remained silent: You said it yourself, it has nothing to do with me!

(End of this chapter)