Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

I'll probably need to increase my staff to sixty or seventy.

Only then will his position as the head of intelligence in Liangshan be truly deserved!

“Brother, the other three sides of this lake are used as hotels, so we need to rebuild the buildings. In addition, the preparation of other drinks, meat, and vegetables will cost about one or two hundred strings of cash.”

Zhu Gui pondered for a moment and replied, "As for the hotels in Jizhou and Yunzhou, we can rent existing buildings, but the cost of wine, meat and vegetables in the city is also high, and each hotel will probably need five hundred guan."

"So that means it will cost about 1,600 strings of cash?"

Zhao Yuan thought for a moment: "Here's what we'll do. The stronghold will allocate two thousand strings of cash to you so you can open these five more hotels. Just make sure they're open as soon as possible, ideally by next spring when the flowers bloom!"

"Don't worry, brother, with two thousand strings of cash, I will definitely handle this matter well!"

Zhu Guixin happily assured him.

"By the way, regarding manpower, you can pick anyone you like from the mountain stronghold,"

Zhao Yuan smiled and said, "The hotels in various places also need someone to look after them. If you have someone you like, you can promote them with confidence."

"elder brother......"

Zhu Gui mumbled something, and his eyes immediately turned red.

By saying this, Zhao Yuan had clearly handed over all the hotel's personnel and finances to him.

How could Zhu Gui, who had been a marginal figure in Liangshan since the time of Wang Lun, not be moved!

"My brother trusts me so much, I...I..."

Seeing that Zhu Gui was so agitated that he could hardly speak,

Zhao Yuan chuckled and said, "Brother Zhu Gui, don't get excited. From now on, you will be the eyes and ears of Liangshan. Just as people cannot see without eyes and cannot hear without ears, so too can Liangshan. Your position as the intelligence chief is a crucial one that concerns the survival of Liangshan. You must not make any mistakes!"

"Don't worry, brother, I will definitely not let you down!"

After Zhu Gui finished making his promise, he looked hesitant, as if there were some things he couldn't bring himself to say.

After Zhao Yuan told him to speak up if he had any difficulties, he was told to do so.

Zhu Guicai said, "Brother, I have a younger brother who runs an inn in Yishui County. He enjoys practicing martial arts and loves to associate with heroes. I would like to invite him to join Liangshan and take charge of an inn in the prefecture. Is that alright?"

Zhu Gui's younger brother, isn't that the smiling tiger Zhu Fu?

Zhao Yuan remembered this and nodded.

"Since he is Zhu Gui's own brother, he is naturally trustworthy. So, after he joins Liangshan, he will serve as your deputy first. After he makes contributions in the future, we will give him a seat of honor. How about that?"

"Thank you, brother!"

Zhu Gui, beaming with joy, quickly clasped his hands in agreement.

The intelligence problem of Liangshan was solved.

Next, the three Ruan brothers hoped that the mountain stronghold could have one or two cargo ships added.

The Nguyen brothers were utterly exhausted from this military campaign.

All of this is because Liangshan's previous activities were all small-scale.

The largest boats on the mountain are fishing boats.

Previously, Liangshan relied solely on robbing passing merchants.

These ships are still usable, of course.

But now that Zhao Yuan is in charge, these ships are not enough.

This time, with only 300 soldiers deployed and a harvest of only 10,000 bushels of grain, they were already overwhelmed with work.

When Liangshan prospers in the future, it will send out tens of thousands of soldiers every time. How will we be able to manage them?

For example, if we could get one or two large ships this time,

They carried people when they went out to war, and goods when they returned.

This would save the three Ruan brothers some effort.

However, it can also reduce the time spent transporting grain and troops.

"The Ruan brothers are right, the stronghold really does need one or two larger ships,"

Zhao Yuan nodded and agreed immediately.

Next, Lin Chong, Lu Zhishen, Du Qian, and Song Wan raised questions.

Everyone discussed it and resolved everything.

Seeing that everything had been resolved, Zhao Yuan summarized,

"Brothers, one man's plan is short-sighted, but many men's plans are long-sighted. What just happened is the best example. The growth and expansion of Liangshan cannot be separated from the support of all of you brothers. In the future, whenever you discover a problem, you should speak frankly and openly, just like you did this time!"

"Don't worry, brother, we understand!"

Everyone stood up and responded in unison.

......

A meeting was being held at Liangshan to summarize the experience gained from the military campaign.

At Chao Gai's manor, however, a gloomy and desolate atmosphere prevailed.

"Before we set off, the magistrate instructed us to be careful in everything we did and not to lose too many men,"

Lei Heng said with a bitter face, "Now we have lost twenty-five men, which is a third of the county government's soldiers. How are we going to explain this to the county magistrate when we go back?"

Zhu Tong, standing to the side, also remained silent.

"Boys, please don't be anxious,"

Chao Gai comforted them, saying, "This matter is not the responsibility of the two captains. I believe the magistrate will be able to distinguish right from wrong at that time."

Seeing that the two of them still had sullen faces and didn't say anything,

Chao Gai then told them the information he had just gathered.

“I’ve already found out from Xixi Village that the current leader of Liangshan is not Wang Lun, but Zhao Dalang from Dongjing! He was the one who raided Xixi Village to settle the grievances of the tenants and nearly killed Li Baozheng’s entire family!”

"Zhao Dalang of Tokyo?"

Zhu Tong and Lei Heng were both taken aback.

Song Jiang, with his dark face standing to the side, also asked in surprise,

"But what about Zhao Dalang from Dongjinggang, who killed a tiger with one punch on Jingyanggang, then killed the county magistrate, and caused a great disturbance in Yanggu County?"

"Who else could it be but him?"

Chao Gai nodded and sighed, "Such a heroic figure was forced to wander the world because of the magistrate of Yanggu County. It's truly a sad story."

“With such people joining Liangshan, Shandong is likely to be in turmoil,” Wu Yong said.

"This matter should be reported to the magistrate so that he can make preparations as soon as possible."

Song Jiang pondered for a moment, then said to Zhu Tong and Lei Heng,

"Both captains, do not panic. Although we lost some soldiers from the county government this time, you two captains also repelled the bandits and rescued all the villagers of Xixi Village, along with the kidnapped villagers. To be honest, you two are not only without fault, but have actually done a great service!"

What? Didn't the bandits leave Xixi Village on their own?

And those villagers, they actually agreed to help the bandits transport grain!

They're clearly accomplices of the thief 993!

Lei Heng was still somewhat stunned.

Zhu Tong, standing to the side, had already understood Song Jiang's meaning.

"That's right. When we arrived at Xixi Village, we saw the Liangshan bandits abusing the villagers and robbing them. We were so enraged that we launched an attack!"

"After a fierce battle, although we drove away the bandits and rescued the villagers, more than twenty brothers were lost in the battle!"

After Zhu Tong finished speaking, he subconsciously reached out to stroke his long beard.

But to my surprise, my hand touched nothing.

Only then did he realize that he had personally cut off his beautiful beard.

His expression immediately turned somewhat awkward.

Lei Heng also realized what was happening at this moment.

He hesitated and asked, "Will the magistrate believe us if we say that?"

"Rest assured, my dear brother, even if the magistrate has doubts, he will surely accept this explanation,"

Zhu Tong laughed and said, "If we have made a contribution, the greatest credit will naturally go to the county magistrate! But if we suffer losses, the county magistrate will also be punished by his superiors. Which do you think he will choose?"

Lei Heng suddenly realized what was going on.

Seeing that what was originally a disaster was turned around by Song Jiang's words,

But it instantly turned into a merit.

Lei Heng and Zhu Tong quickly bowed down to express their gratitude.

Song Jiang helped the two up, smiling and comforting them.

"Gentlemen, please don't stand on ceremony. We are colleagues, so we should naturally be of one mind and one heart!"

After agreeing on their story, the group from the county government hurriedly returned to Yuncheng County to report.

Chao Gai and Wu Yong stood at the village entrance to see Song Jiang off, watching his retreating figure.

Wu Yong couldn't help but exclaim, "This Clerk Song truly lives up to his reputation as a timely rain! With just a few simple words, he has made both Captains Zhu Tong and Lei Heng deeply grateful."

Chapter 88 New Year's Eve, Qiongying is Drunk

A few days later, it was almost New Year's Eve.

This year's Lunar New Year's Eve in Liangshan was undoubtedly exceptionally lively.

With ample provisions and funds on the mountain, people naturally ate and drank to their hearts' content.

They even got a lot of firecrackers and firecrackers.

From the leaders to the ordinary soldiers, everyone was jubilant.

On New Year's Eve, after drinking with his brothers in the Hall of Righteousness, Zhao Yuan...

He then went to the inner courtyard to find Li Shishi, intending for the two of them to spend New Year's Eve together.

Arriving at the door, before even entering the house,

Then they heard this famous courtesan from Tokyo playing the zither and singing lyrics.

"When will the moon be clear and bright? I raise my cup to ask the heavens. I wonder what year it is tonight in the celestial palace... People have sorrow and joy, separation and reunion; the moon has its phases of waxing and waning, and this has been so since ancient times. I only wish that we may all live long and share the beauty of the moon, even though we are thousands of miles apart!"

Zhao Yuan listened to the entire piece quietly.

Then he asked in surprise, "Why is Shishi singing this song on New Year's Eve? Is she missing her family?"

"My dear brother, I am all alone now. Where can I find any family to miss?"

Li Shishi came forward and said, "My only family now is you, Dalang. We can be together day and night, so what is there for me to miss?"

Zhao Yuan led Li Shishi into the house.

Only then did they realize that there were wine and dishes on the table inside the room.

Chunmei and Qiongying were sitting nearby.

Chunmei was Li Shishi's maid, so it's not surprising that she was in the house.

Qiongying was also there, her face slightly flushed.

"It was only because Sister Qiongying said she missed her family that I sang her a song,"

Li Shishi offered an explanation, then pulled Zhao Yuan to sit down at the table.

Na Chunmei quickly got up to warm the wine for Zhao Yuan.

Qiongying, however, looked drunk and said with a grin, "Brother Zhao is here!"

"How did she get so drunk?"

Zhao Yuan asked in surprise, "I saw her leave the Hall of Righteousness just now, and she wasn't drunk."

"Brother, Qiongying is a girl after all. How can she be so embarrassed as to get drunk in front of a bunch of men?"