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

Chapter 404 Hua Rong: Lies Don't Hurt, the Truth is the Deadly Blade! [1st Update]

"Wa hahaha--"

On the city gate tower of Gaizhou, Song Jiang looked down at the entire city and couldn't help but laugh wildly to the sky:

I, Song Jiang, have finally met my end!

The chubby, dark-skinned boy who was bullied by Cai Fu in Shandong has finally found a second spring in Gaizhou!
Without Niu Wenzhong in charge, Gaizhou was like a hedgehog with all its quills plucked out, leaving only a lump of flesh.

What four mighty generals? Song Jiang sent Lin Chong, Qin Ming, Ou Peng, and Ma Lin to kill them and make them flee in disarray!
Of the sixteen lieutenants, four had already died in battle, and half of them died in this battle as well, while most of the rest escaped.

Lin Chong captured Cao Hong alive, and Cao Hong surrendered on the spot.

Song Jiang finally got his revenge, venting all the anger he had been feeling at Cai Fu's hands on the State of Jin.

"We finally have our own city!"

All the heroes were so excited that tears welled up in their eyes. With their own city, they were no longer just mountain kings.

"Wa hahaha--"

Li Kui was naked, his body covered in blood, and it was impossible to tell how many people he had killed; even his body hair was tangled in clumps...

Raising his two large axes, Li Kui shouted triumphantly:

"The emperor of the Song Dynasty was surnamed Song, and my brother was also surnamed Song!"
"He became emperor, but my brother couldn't."

"Why doesn't my brother declare himself king?"

"Shh-"

All the heroes turned to look at Song Jiang, who glared fiercely at Li Kui.
“Don’t talk nonsense!
"Brothers, listen to me. The current emperor is wise and enlightened, but he is temporarily confused due to the obstruction of treacherous officials!"

"One day the clouds will part and the sun will shine, knowing that we are acting on behalf of Heaven, not disturbing good people. We will be pardoned and granted amnesty, united in serving the country, and our names will be recorded in history. What could be better than that!"
"Therefore, I only wish to be granted amnesty as soon as possible, and have no other intentions!"

Those who wanted to be granted amnesty breathed a sigh of relief, while those who didn't had no choice but to accept it.

Li Kui wanted to say more treasonous things, but Lin Chong and Qin Ming each held him down, covering his mouth tightly...

……

Qingzhou, the Divine Physician Camp.

An Daoquan thoroughly inspected Hua Rong from head to toe, left to right, inside and out, 360° without leaving any blind spots:
"Alright, General Hua's health is much better now."

"Thank you, the miracle doctor!"

Hua Rong got up from the bed, stretched his limbs, and gratefully bowed to An Daoquan.

An Daoquan waved his hands repeatedly: "No need to thank me, I was just following orders!"
"If you want to thank someone, thank Brother Cai Fu!"

Now Cai Fu has become the most powerful ruler in the land. Anyone who isn't blind can see that Cai Fu is just like King Zhuang of Chu back then.

If it doesn't fly for three years, it will soar into the sky!
After three years of silence, its roar will be astonishing!
The heroes of the martial arts world originally said that among the "Four Great Bandits," only Cai Fu was unworthy of the name and was just there to make up the numbers.

But now Cai Fu has finally unleashed his accumulated power, taking control of seven prefectures in one fell swoop. Who would dare say he is unworthy of his reputation?
Cai Fu will soon declare himself King of Qi, and An Daoquan will rise in rank to become the chief imperial physician.

Back then, Cai Fu said he would repay him with immense wealth, but An Daoquan didn't believe it. What kind of immense wealth could a bandit have?
Now that An Daoquan has believed, it turns out the best days are yet to come!

Therefore, An Daoquan didn't care about Hua Rong's gratitude at all; he only cared about whether Cai Fushuang was happy or not.

"The miracle doctor is right!"

Hua Rong also felt he should thank Cai Fu, but he didn't know how to approach Cai Fu in his best spirits...

That’s all!

Hua Rong gritted his teeth and glared, asking An Daoquan where Cai Fu was, and then went to look for Cai Fu himself. He hadn't gone far when, as he passed a pavilion, he heard several familiar voices talking.

"Hmph! I should indeed be dead already, but alas..."

This voice... Hua Rong felt it was somewhat familiar, but couldn't quite place where he had heard it before.

Hua Rong had originally intended to greet them, but the voice suddenly mentioned Song Jiang:

"As everyone knows, I am Song Jiang's savior!"
"If it weren't for me, he would have been arrested in Yuncheng County..."

Hua Rong immediately recognized the voice and couldn't help but gasp.
Tang Niu'er?
Wasn't he dead?

Because Hua Rong was an upright person, Song Jiang never allowed him to do anything against his conscience.

Normally, Song Jiang would entrust such tasks to Kong Ming or Kong Liang, or perhaps Lei Heng or Li Kui...

So at this moment, Hua Rong was stunned and subconsciously wanted to go into the pavilion and ask Tang Niu'er why.

Just then, Tang Niu'er was talking about this with a few others, so Hua Rong stood by the window and eavesdropped silently.

Tang Niu'er recounted how Song Jiang had plotted against him and how he had narrowly escaped death.

Finally, Tang Niu'er said bitterly, "If it weren't for Brother Cai Fu saving me, the grass on my grave would be taller than me!"

"hiss--"

A collective gasp of astonishment erupted from inside the pavilion; it felt as if all the heat in Hua Rong's body had been drained away by them…

Standing by the window, Hua Rong felt a chill run through her heart!

This is impossible!

Hua Rong could hardly believe his ears. Brother Song Jiang was the unparalleled "Timely Rain" of loyalty and righteousness!

How could he possibly kill his savior?

Hua Rong didn't want to believe it was true, but he had spent every day with Song Jiang and knew many suspicious things.

However, Hua Rong was a die-hard fan of Song Jiang for ten years, and he seemed blind to many suspicious points.

But at this moment, Tang Niu'er revealed the truth, and Hua Rong immediately understood all the suspicious points he knew.

No wonder Song Jiang sent Tang Niu'er to Qingfeng Mountain; it turned out he wanted Tang Niu'er to die there!
No wonder I haven't seen Kongming and Kong Liang for several days; it turns out they went to assassinate Tang Niu'er!

No wonder Song Jiang only cried once after his savior Tang Niu'er died, and that was the one in public...

Understood!
All understood!
After understanding everything, Hua Rong looked as if he had been shot, his face turned deathly pale, and he swayed twice, almost collapsing!
This is his idol!
Song Jiang, the "Timely Rain," was known for his unparalleled loyalty, generosity, and willingness to help those in distress.
Why is it that not only is Song Jiang dark-skinned, but his heart is even darker when you cut him open?

Hua Rong's mental support collapsed at that moment, and he even felt that he had lost the meaning of life...

He was an upright and honest son of a military family. For Song Jiang, he gave up his post as the magistrate of Qingfeng Village and even married his sister to Qin Ming, an old widower. He followed Song Jiang to Liangshan only because of the word "loyalty and righteousness" in his heart!
No matter how low Song Jiang fell in status, even if he was beheaded and his head displayed in Jiangzhou, Hua Rong would still follow Song Jiang to the death!

Even though Song Jiang did many dishonorable things, Hua Rong always had an excuse to whitewash Song Jiang's actions!
But Tang Niu'er is still alive, and he really can't clean this place anymore!
Unless Tang Niu'er is dead...

However, Hua Rong is not so morally ambiguous as to distort the truth and do such a shameless thing!
Tang Niu'er: "...Loyalty is just one of Song Jiang's weapons!"
"He used loyalty as a weapon to subdue so many heroes, all in order to achieve his goal of being granted amnesty!"

He'll only be loyal to you if you're useful to him!

"Those who are useless to him, like me, are superfluous!"

Lies won't hurt, the truth is the sharpest knife!

(End of this chapter)