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

Chapter 462 Cai Fu: Li Jun, I'll take care of you for the rest of my life! [1st Update]

Surely we can finally kill him this time?
Prefect Cai Jiu hid in his residence, plotting his own scheme:
Last time, not only did he fail to kill Song Jiang, but he also lost his lackey Huang Wenbing, causing Song Jiang to lose face in front of the people of Jiangzhou.

That was bad enough, but later, when Song Jiang gained influence at Liangshan Marsh, his father would complain about him every time he received a letter from home.

Although Song Jiang was not the one executed this time, Li Jun, Tong Wei, and Tong Meng were all among the eight generals of the Liangshan Marsh navy!

Li Jun is the head of the eight generals of the navy, which makes him quite influential!

In addition, Li Jun, Tong Wei, and Tong Meng were the three of the twenty-nine heroes of Bailong Temple who rescued Song Jiang from the execution ground!

If we execute them, Prefect Cai Jiu will regain the face he lost. Now it's up to Xie Kun to decide whether to give him face or not.

There shouldn't be any problem. Xie Kun was able to capture Li Jun, Tong Wei, and Tong Meng alive, so executing them should be a piece of cake for him.
"Minister Eun-sung, something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened—"

A general came running up, stumbling and crawling, but was stopped at the door by Prefect Cai Jiu's personal guards.

Prefect Cai Jiu recognized him as Xie Kun's deputy general and allowed him to enter and speak. After entering, Xie Kun's deputy general tearfully recounted:
"My lord, our commander-in-chief has already blah blah..."

"what?"

After hearing what he said, Prefect Cai Jiu's face turned pale:

"Xie Kun is dead? The traitor Cai Fu has come to Jiangzhou?"

Vice General Xie Kun hurriedly emphasized, "My lord, this humble general fought bravely, and the rebel Cai Fu was no match for him and fled the city!"

"Is this true?"

Prefect Cai Jiu finally let out a long breath, wiped away his cold sweat, and quickly issued another order:
"Close the city gates and raise the drawbridge!"

"The city gates will remain closed for three days. A thorough search for traitors and their accomplices will be conducted within the city!"

"Yes!"

Deputy General Xie Kun accepted the order and left. Prefect Cai Jiu touched his chest, his heart pounding.
Thankfully, I was careful and let Xie Kun be the executioner; otherwise, I would have been the one shot to death...

……

Inside the carriage, Li Jun, Tong Wei, Tong Meng, and Li Zhu were crammed together like sardines in a can.

Li Jun, Tong Wei, and Tong Meng were unable to calm down for a long time.

After a long while, Tong Wei and Tong Meng exchanged a glance and nodded in tacit agreement.

Tong Wei mustered his courage and asked Li Jun, "What are your plans for the future, brother?"

Li Jun was in a state of confusion and didn't notice that Tong Wei and Tong Meng were acting strangely, so he answered casually:

Let's take it one step at a time.

Tong Wei hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back, while Tong Meng couldn't help but speak directly:

"Brother, let's vote for Brother Cai Fu!"

Ok?
Li Jun's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly looked at Tong Wei and Tong Meng:
The two brothers looked determined, as if they wanted to join the Young Pioneers!
Now that Tong Meng had spoken, Tong Wei stopped hesitating:

"Yes, brother, since Brother Cai Fu came to Liangshan, it has become very prosperous and thriving!"
"If Song Jiang hadn't separated the family, we would have already achieved great things by following Brother Cai Fu!"

"Now that Brother Cai Fu has spared us from past grievances and saved our lives, we should pledge our allegiance to him!"

"Wouldn't it be great to join Brother Cai Fu in a rebellion?"

Tong Meng also said, "Why bother taking it one step at a time?"

It's over...

Li Jun could tell that Tong Wei and Tong Meng's thoughts were no longer on him.

If he did not agree with Tong Wei and Tong Meng, Tong Wei and Tong Meng might leave him and go to Cai Fu.

You know, Tong Wei and Tong Meng were his die-hard fans, yet they were also lured away by Cai Fu...

At that moment, Li Jun suddenly understood Song Jiang. No wonder Song Jiang hated Cai Fu so much!

However, Li Jun doesn't have as many brothers as Song Jiang. Even after so many of Song Jiang's brothers were kidnapped, he was still able to rebuild his army.

With Tong Wei and Tong Meng abducted, Li Jun is now all alone!

Not only was he now all alone, Li Jun also owed Cai Fu his life! Wait!

Li Jun thought for a moment: But why shouldn't I agree?
I could be kidnapped by Cai Fu too!

Li Jun is merely a miniature version of a warlord; in the original novel, he always placed his hopes on Song Jiang.

Having realized that Song Jiang was utterly useless and having encountered the "Four Heroes of Taihu Lake," he finally decided to become the leader himself.

Now, pressured by Tong Wei and Tong Meng, Li Jun finally made a decision that went against his ambitions:

"That's right! Brother Cai Fu saved our lives, so joining Brother Cai Fu is our way of repaying his kindness!"

Tong Wei and Tong Meng breathed a sigh of relief and said in unison:
"That's how it should be!"

Li Zhu, who was squeezed to the side, heard everything clearly and also figured out the relationship between Li Jun and the others and Cai Fu.

It turns out that Li Jun and the others had betrayed Cai Fu, yet Cai Fu saved their lives despite their past grievances...

This is the magnanimity of a king!

The more Li Zhu learned, the more he realized that Cai Fu was a treasure trove of talent, with so many things to discover about him...

……

Cai Fu found a village inn to stay in and invited a barefoot doctor from the village to treat Li Jun and the others' injuries.

Tong Wei and Tong Meng's injuries looked terrifying, but in fact, the young soldier had shown mercy and had not damaged their internal organs.

Li Jun's legs were truly broken, and even the barefoot doctor was powerless to help in this situation.

"Am I beyond saving?"

Li Junru was struck dumb. He had originally thought that by joining Cai Fu, he could become one of Cai Fu's top generals!
But I never expected that he would become a cripple. What's the point of casting a ball now? What use is a cripple to anyone?

"elder brother--"

Tong Wei and Tong Meng lay on the edge of the bed, tears welling up in their eyes. No matter what, Li Jun was their elder brother.

The two of them were originally just boatmen on the Xunyang River. It was Li Jun who taught them how to smuggle salt.

Although they had already decided to pledge allegiance to Cai Fu, they couldn't bear to see their former leader become a cripple...

Li Zhu lay unconscious on the bed next to him, only listening intently to how Cai Fu would deal with Li Jun.

"Brother, don't worry!"

Cai Fu comforted Li Jun without hesitation:
"The doctor's medical skills are divine; he will surely be able to cure your legs!"

"Even if it can't be cured, since you call me brother, I'll take care of you for the rest of my life!"

"Brother, I..."

Li Jun looked up at Cai Fu with a mixture of surprise, joy, and shame, knowing that Cai Fu no longer needed to act with him.

Cai Fugui is the King of Qi, holding ten states in his hands. Is it worth putting on an act with a cripple like him?

Therefore, Li Jun believed that Cai Fu was sincere, which made Li Jun feel ashamed and embarrassed...

Large tears rolled down Li Jun's face as he grasped Cai Fu's hand, tears streaming down his face.
"Thank you, brother!"

"Thank you, brother!"

Tong Wei and Tong Meng banged their foreheads against the bed frame wildly:
"I am willing to die for you, brother!"

This is the demeanor of a true king...

Li Zhu was so moved he almost cried, but he was unconscious and could only perform a live performance.

When it was time to eat, the food was brought to Li Jun and the others' bedside, and Cai Fu sat on the bedside and ate with them.

Only Li Zhu was there to smell the aroma; he was skilled in Taoist arts, so he could pretend to fast.

The so-called "pretending to fast" simply means not eating or drinking in front of Cai Fu and the others, without arousing suspicion.

While eating, Li Jun explained to Cai Fu why he left Song Jiang, and also recounted the events at Poyang Lake:
"A young general with a face like a silver plate, wearing silver helmet and armor, and wielding a tiger-headed spear suddenly appeared out of nowhere!"
"None of the three of us could match him; he's so young yet possesses the strength of ten thousand men..."

(End of this chapter)