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

Chapter 380 Zhang Qing: I'll go through fire and water for you, my esteemed minister! [1st update]

I haven't even said anything, and you've already bowed down in worship?

Cai Fu laughed so hard he couldn't close his legs, and helped Ma Ling up with both hands:
You're making me feel like I haven't accomplished anything!
Dai Zong was the top errand boy in Liangshan, but looking at the entire Water Margin, it has to be "Divine Steed" Ma Ling.

Moreover, Dai Zong is only good at running errands; he's not good at anything else, while Ma Ling has many other skills.

Putting aside the fact that it can travel a thousand miles a day, the Wind and Fire Wheels can also set fires, and Ma Ling also has a gold brick that can be used to hit people.

In addition, Ma Ling has a third eye on his forehead that can emit a beam of light, which is quite supernatural.

This Ma Ling is practically a super-weakened version of Nezha and Erlang Shen combined!
With Ma Ling, who needs Dai Zong anymore!
……

The streets of Tokyo.

"Cai Daowang has taken back Mozhou!"

"Although Mozhou is within the territory of Liao, it is now under the control of King Cai Dao, and even the Wolf Lord of Liao cannot govern it!"

"It's a pity that Cai Daowang is a traitor..."

Upon hearing this, Dai Zong, who was mingling in the crowd, quickly interjected:

"If the imperial court were to grant Cai Daowang amnesty, wouldn't that kill two birds with one stone?"

Dai Zong then steered the conversation toward accepting amnesty.

Hearing the enthusiastic discussion about the possibility of the imperial court offering amnesty to Cai Fu, Dai Zong revealed a triumphant smile:

I, Dai Zong, have really made something of myself now, managing to stir up public opinion in Tokyo all by myself!

However, before Dai Zong could be happy for long, a group of fierce-looking guards rushed over!

Seeing an opportunity, Dai Zong quickly slipped into a roadside shop and peered out the window.
Several old political commentators were taken away by the police. They shouted that they were innocent, but after being hit twice, they became quiet.

Another official, glaring at the onlookers, threatened them:

"If any scoundrel dares to spread rumors again, I'll invite him to Kaifeng Prefecture for tea!"

Good guy!
Dai Zong was dumbfounded: I was telling the truth, how did it become a rumor?
Just as Dai Zong was completely bewildered, he suddenly felt himself being entangled. When he turned around, he saw that it was Sister Hua!
A woman dressed in flamboyant and extravagant clothes, and who appeared to be quite old, clung to him.

"You rascal, come upstairs and sit down!"

Dai Zong's face turned green: "Let go! I don't get close to women!"

Sister Hua winked at him and clung to Dai Zong, her large, fleshy body bulging out.

"Hey you rascal, you're already here!"

Dai Zong's superhuman speed technique prevented him from eating meat, let alone women.

Without a second thought, Dai Zong shoved Sister Hua aside and rushed out the door, bumping right into someone.

The man, a constable, grabbed Dai Zong and demanded an explanation, his brows furrowed.
"Who are you?"

A gossipy person standing nearby, always eager to stir up trouble, exclaimed, "He's the one who suggested the imperial court should grant amnesty to the rebel Cai Fu!"

These words caused quite a stir, and a group of officials immediately surrounded Dai Zong!

"This person is spreading heresy and misleading the public; he must be an accomplice of the rebels!"

A group of constables hurriedly tied Dai Zong up, and Sister Hua immediately distanced herself from the situation:
"That bastard tried to hide in our yard, but I didn't think he was a good person, so I kicked him out!"

Dai Zong: “…”

……

In the Kaifeng Prefecture prison, Dai Zong lay on the straw, tears streaming down his face, his legs beaten bloody and mangled...

That was bad enough, but his armor and horse armor were also confiscated, supposedly as evidence of his rebellion.

"What should I do?"

Dai Zong muttered to himself, "I haven't completed the task my brother Song Jiang gave me, and I've even gotten myself involved."

If I were to die in there without knowing why, I'm afraid there wouldn't even be anyone to burn paper money for me...

The key problem is that the government has no evidence whatsoever; they probably just want to "kill innocent people and claim credit for it."

As it turned out, by sheer luck, they actually caught this Liangshan rebel.

Moreover, Dai Zong heard that the Duke meant to solidify his image as a rebel from Liangshan and have him executed in the autumn...

Just as Dai Zong was in despair, the cell door was suddenly opened, and a prisoner was kicked in:
"You scoundrel! Talk or you're dead!"

The prisoner fell down in front of Dai Zong. He had just been flogged, and his buttocks were covered in blood and gore!
"HE—TUI!"

That prisoner had guts; he turned around and spat out a mouthful of saliva.

"I won't tell you even if you kill me!"

Dai Zong initially didn't think this prisoner had anything to do with him, but to his surprise, the prisoner exclaimed upon seeing him:

"Dean Dai? What are you doing here?"

"Who are you?"

Dai Zong was taken aback and carefully examined the prisoner, finding him very familiar.

The prisoner quickly brushed aside the messy hair covering his face, revealing a greasy, large face:

"It's me, 'Vegetable Garden'!"

"hiss--"

Dai Zong couldn't help but gasp for breath:
"Brother Zhang Qing, what are you doing here?"

"Oh! Don't mention it!"

Zhang Qing lay dejectedly on the straw, complaining to Dai Zong in a low voice:
"My wife is gone, and Brother Yan Shun doesn't like me. He's always trying to cause me trouble. I can't stand it anymore, so I want to quit the martial arts world."

"Who knew that after leaving Liangshan Marsh, I would have nowhere to go, nowhere to go either, and could only wander the world."

"I thought Tokyo was a bustling metropolis where I could find a job, but I was arrested as a rebel!"
"I don't know what's wrong with them today, but the officials in Kaifeng are acting like madmen, arresting anyone they see!"

"Dean Dai, what are you doing here?"

"I see……"

Dai Zong was too embarrassed to say that the Kaifeng government officials were arresting everyone they saw because of him, so he simply changed the subject:

"Brother, you don't know this, but after you left, Liangshan Marsh is now divided in two."

"Brother Song Gongming led our group of brothers to Erlong Mountain to open a branch village, and now it's doing quite well..."

"Is there such a thing?"

Zhang Qing quickly asked, "Dean Dai, who went to Erlong Mountain?"

Dai Zong, without suspicion, truthfully replied: "Besides me, there's also the strategist, General Hua, Instructor Lin..."

Zhang Qing was stunned after hearing this: "Yan Shun didn't follow Brother Song Gongming to Erlong Mountain?"
"Mu Chun didn't go either?" That's really awkward...

Dai Zong stammered, "Yan Shun and Mu Chun broke the rules and were beheaded by Brother Cai Fu as a warning to others..."

"hiss--"

Zhang Qingqing couldn't help but gasp:
"So, Cai Fu is now in charge of Liangshan Marsh?"

Dai Zong nodded helplessly. Zhang Qing was filled with regret; he should have sided with Cai Fu instead…

However, he's doing quite well now, much better than when he was running a hotel in Liangshanbo.

Zhang Qing then inquired with Dai Zong about the recent events at Liangshan Marsh and Erlong Mountain, and Dai Zong answered all his questions without reservation.

The main thing is the "Four Irons of Life," and Zhang Qing and Dai Zong possess three of them.

Having fought side by side and shared the spoils together, and now having studied together, Dai Zong naturally had no suspicion of Zhang Qing.

As an aside, iron bars are still windows.

Zhang Qing deliberately flattered Dai Zong, saying only what Dai Zong wanted to hear, so the two had a very pleasant conversation.

Dai Zong regretted not discovering Zhang Qing's loyalty sooner...

After an unknown amount of time, the cell door suddenly opened, and two junior jailers rushed in, dragged Zhang Qing away, and started to leave.

"Behave yourself during the interrogation, sir!"

"If you still refuse to tell even if I beat you to death this time, you really will be beaten to death!"

elder brother--

As Zhang Qing was dragged out by the jailer, she struggled to turn back and look at Dai Zong with reluctance.

brother--

With tears in his eyes, Dai Zong watched helplessly as Zhang Qing was dragged out.

They were all prisoners; he couldn't even protect himself...

Zhang Qing was dragged out of the cell by two junior jailers. Once outside, the two jailers quickly apologized to Zhang Qing:

"Lord Yu, I'm sorry to offend you!"

"Humph!"

Zhang Qing rolled her eyes at them and lay down on the stretcher.

Everything else was fake, but this beating was real...

It's a ruse, how can it work if we don't actually fight?
Zhang Qing was carried out and brought before Gao Qiu, where he struggled to his feet and bowed to Gao Qiu.
"My lord, I have not failed you!"

"No need to get up, talk while lying down!"

Gao Qiu sighed and pressed Zhang Qing onto the stretcher, saying, "You've suffered so much!"

"I am willing to go through fire and water for my benefactor!"

Zhang Qing lowered his voice and told Gao Qiu, "I've already found out everything..."

"it is good!"

Gao Qiu waved his hand, and the two jailers left.

Only Gao Qiu's right-hand men, the commanders of the Imperial Guard, the two brothers Dang Shiying and Dang Shixiong, remained in the room.

Zhang Qing then told Gao Qiu everything he had learned from Dai Zong.

"Did Cai really take Mozhou?"

Gao Qiu found it unbelievable and began to pay attention to the Erlongshan branch village again:
"Two dragons from the same root in the marshland, red flowers and green leaves are one family!"
"This means that Liangshanbo and Erlongshan are one family!"

"Moreover, although Erlong Mountain is a branch stronghold, it was personally established by the chief stronghold leader Song Jiang!"

"So... Erlong Mountain should be the main stronghold, right?"

what?
Zhang Qing hadn't expected Gao Qiu to interpret things this way, but seeing Gao Qiu's expression, he could only nod.
"probably……"

"it is good!"

Gao Qiu slapped his thigh with a broad smile:
"To catch the thief, first catch the king! I'm going to attack Erlong Mountain!"

Zhang Qing was stunned: This works?
"Zhang Yuhou, how have I treated you?"

Gao Qiu's small eyes darted around, and a plan came to him.

Ah this...

Zhang Qing thought it was really bad; he had betrayed his brothers and joined the imperial court, yet he was only assigned to be a minor official.

But at this moment, he certainly couldn't speak his mind. Zhang Qing said with a grateful expression:

"Your kindness is as heavy as a mountain!"

"it is good!"

Gao Qiu reached out to pat Zhang Qing, but Zhang Qing was lying down and he couldn't reach him.

Zhang Qing quickly propped himself up, and Gao Qiu patted Zhang Qing's shoulder with satisfaction:

"I have decided to send you to Erlong Mountain as an undercover agent!"

"When my army arrives, you will cooperate with me from within and without to break through Erlong Mountain. At that time, you will be credited with the greatest merit!"

Can't we get down to something more practical?
Zhang Qing looked at Gao Qiu expectantly. Gao Qiu knew what he wanted, so he casually offered him a rosy picture:
"When we return to the capital in triumph, I will promote you to the position of Military Commander of Jizhou. What do you say?"

Zhang Qing was overjoyed and immediately kowtowed:
"I'll go through fire and water for you, my esteemed minister!"

……

Erlong Mountain.

"Dean Dai should be back soon..."

Song Jiang had mentioned this to Wu Yong more than once or twice: judging by Dai Zong's pace, he should have returned long ago.

"Could it be that something happened to Dean Dai?"

Wu Yong had no choice but to comfort Song Jiang:
"Dean Dai can walk 800 meters a day, he should be fine..."

Just then, "Young Star" Kongming suddenly came in and reported:
"Master, we have caught a suspicious person!"
"When the disciple looked at that person, he realized it was an old flame!"
"Master, can you guess which one it is?"

How do I know your old flame?

Song Jiang, rarely smiling, asked Kongming, "Who exactly is it?"

Kongming: "Zhang Qing, the 'vegetable gardener'!"

(End of this chapter)