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

Just as he now hopes that Zhao Yuan will accept the elderly and weak from his village,

For a typical bandit camp, only the strongest and most physically capable henchmen are the main force of the camp.

The elderly and infirm are usually left to fend for themselves.

Although Deng Fei wanted to join Liangshan, he still couldn't let go of his old brothers, which is enough to show his loyal and affectionate character.

"Brother, don't worry, my Liangshan isn't a cold-blooded place either,"

Zhao Yuan reassured him, "As long as they are brothers on the mountain and their families, regardless of age or strength, the stronghold will provide for them."

“Brother, if you lead your men to join Liangshan, your old brothers will also be treated equally.”

Hearing this, Deng Fei was finally relieved and immediately knelt down on the ground.

"Fire-eyed Lion Deng Fei greets elder brother!"

"Brother, please get up!" Zhao Yuan quickly helped him up.

Deng Fei then invited, "Brother, please rest at my mountain stronghold. Although it can't compare to the big strongholds, it still has its own unique scenery!"

Zhao Yuan nodded, and Deng Fei led the way.

Everyone followed him up the mountain.

Along the way, one could see rolling mountains and streams all around, a truly magnificent sight.

As Deng Fei introduced the various scenic spots to everyone, he said to Zhao Yuan,

“Brother, there is another brother on this mountain, named Yu Fan Gan Meng Kang.”

"This Brother Meng Kang was originally a shipwright from Zhen Ding Prefecture. He was skilled at building ships of all sizes. He was originally in charge of building large ships to escort the tribute of flowers and stones. However, due to the pressure and punishment from the supervisor, he killed the supervisor in a fit of anger and had no choice but to wander the world."

Deng Fei pointed to the streams surrounding the mountain as he spoke.

"Although there is water in Yinmachuan, it is all rivers and streams, and boats cannot travel on it. Therefore, Brother Meng Kang's skills cannot be displayed. However, I have heard that the Liangshan Marshland, which spans eight hundred li, requires boats of all sizes, which is the perfect place for Brother Meng Kang to showcase his talents."

As they spoke, the group arrived at Deng Fei's camp.

Before they even got close, a tall, slender man with fair skin came out to greet them.

"Brother, this is Brother Meng Kang!"

Deng Fei first introduced Zhao Yuan,

Only then did he tell Meng Kang that he had already joined Liangshan.

Upon hearing this, Meng Kang hurriedly stepped forward to pay his respects to Zhao Yuan.

"Brother, please get up!"

Zhao Yuan laughed and said, "If Brother Meng Kang had joined us earlier, Liangshan might not have wasted that money."

Seeing that Deng Fei and Meng Kang both seemed somewhat confused,

Zhao Yuan then recounted how he had gone down the mountain to borrow grain before the New Year, only to find that the boats were all small and insufficient, forcing him to purchase more.

"Once you're on my Liangshan Mountain, I'm afraid Brother Meng Kang will be the one to keep you busy!"

"Don't worry, brother, I will do my best!"

Meng Kang quickly clasped his hands in greeting, his face beaming with joy.

As the saying goes, a hero laments having no place to use his talents; Meng Kang was staying at Yinma River.

Although he was the second-in-command, his martial arts skills were mediocre, and he couldn't be of much help to Deng Fei.

The real shipbuilding skills are not yet needed.

Meng Kang was naturally frustrated, especially after hearing Zhao Yuan ask him to build a ship.

He was naturally overjoyed to have the opportunity to showcase his skills.

Deng Fei and Meng Kang welcomed Zhao Yuan and his men into the stronghold.

Zhao Yuan introduced Lin Chong and the others to them one by one.

After everyone had greeted each other, Deng Fei ordered his henchmen to serve wine and meat.

The group ate and drank while chatting.

“Brother, apart from food, everything else in our village is doing alright. We have a couple hundred people, several thousand strings of cash, and over a hundred fine horses!”

Deng Fei gave a brief introduction to the situation of the counterfeit operation.

"Brother, you have so many horses?" Zhao Yuan asked in surprise.

His Liangshan bandits only have twenty or thirty horses in total, and most of them are inferior horses.

This time, apart from Zhao Yuan, who was a big dark horse, everyone else came out.

The remaining horses were all those that Qiongying and Sun An brought to Liangshan back then.

"Brother, you may not know this, but this place is near the Liao Kingdom, and horse traders often smuggle horses here,"

Deng Fei explained for a moment, then suggested, "If Liangshan is short of horses, why not set up a branch here to rob horse traders and supply them with horses?"

"Brother Deng Fei, the matter of dividing the village is exactly what I wanted to do,"

Zhao Yuan nodded in approval, saying, "This place is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Leaving two or three hundred soldiers here will ensure the safety of the stronghold."

"But the robbery of horse traders 020 must not be repeated,"

Seeing Deng Fei's confusion, Zhao Yuan asked with a smile, "Brother, how long did it take you to accumulate these hundred-plus fine horses?"

"About two years."

"That's it. If I want to strengthen Liangshan, a cavalry force is indispensable. At that time, I will need at least a thousand horses. If you continue to plunder like this, how long will it take to gather enough?"

Zhao Yuan said slowly, "Instead of scaring away those horse smugglers with robbery, it would be better to take out money and trade with them openly. In time, if this place can become a horse market, Liangshan will never have to worry about not having enough horses!"

"My brother has a much longer-term vision,"

Deng Fei scratched his head and said, "I was so focused on making a small profit from a business with no capital that I forgot that you are destined for great things."

"By the way, brother, how much does a good horse cost in the north these days?" Zhao Yuan asked.

"In the past, horses were expensive. Even inferior or sturdy horses cost more than ten strings of cash, while good horses cost thirty to fourteen strings of cash. Warhorses, on the other hand, were in high demand but not readily available. However, in recent years, the Liao Kingdom has been in chaos, and many ordinary Liao people have been forced by the necessities of life to sell their family horses."

Deng Fei thought for a moment: "Nowadays, inferior horses have dropped to less than ten strings of cash each, while ordinary good horses cost twenty strings of cash. Even top-quality warhorses can sometimes be sold, but the price is much higher, at least a hundred strings of cash per horse!"

Chapter 118 My sworn brotherhood with Grand Commandant Gao

The next two days,

Zhao Yuan and the others were discussing how to purchase fine horses at Yinma River.

Finally, it was decided that Lin Chong and the always cautious Yang Linxian would temporarily lead the strong and capable men of the mountain stronghold to guard this place.

Yang Linke could first spread the word to horse smugglers that he was buying horses to attract them.

Lin Chong used this time to train the henchmen at Yinma River.

The rest, including Deng Fei, Meng Kang, and the elderly and weak from the mountain stronghold,

They all returned to Liangshan with Zhao Yuan and the others.

Afterwards, select two or three hundred men from the mountain to accompany Deng Fei in transporting money and provisions back to replace Lin Chong.

At that time, Deng Fei and Yang Lin would be stationed at Yinmachuan branch village.

They simply stopped robbing passing merchants and instead bought horses directly from horse smugglers.

After discussing all matters, they packed their things and went down the mountain to Daming Prefecture.

Midway through, Jiao Ting led four or five henchmen and separated from the group.

He carried Pei Xuan's letter and was going to the Jingzhao Prefecture to bring Pei Xuan's family back to Liangshan.

As he continued on his journey, seeing his brothers gather in ever-growing numbers, Zhao Yuan was naturally in a good mood.

Leading the group, they traveled day and night, and before they knew it, they had entered the territory of Daming Prefecture.

Xu Ning had been to Daming Prefecture before and reminded Zhao Yuan, "Brother, Daming Prefecture is an important town for defending against the Liao. This place is different from other places. There are heavy troops guarding both inside and outside the city. We must be extremely careful!"

Zhao Yuan nodded and relayed Xu Ning's words to the others.

Bian Xiang hurriedly restrained his henchmen.

With Lin Chong absent and no one to train them, these soldiers have been living a carefree life for several days.

At this point, even without feigning nonchalance, they were not much different from the local militia.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Yuan frowned and ordered Bian Xiang to gather the henchmen together.

He read out the Liangshan military law to the public, and then appointed Pei Xuan as the military officer, responsible for supervising the soldiers' military discipline and law.

For two consecutive days, however, some soldiers violated discipline.

Pei Xuan then coldly enforced military law, with Bian Xiang assisting him.

Finally, the soldiers' lax discipline was brought to a halt.

On this day, the group approached the city of Daming Prefecture.

Before they even got close, a squad of imperial guards came up to block their way.

The leader was seven feet tall, with a round face, large ears, wide lips, and a square mouth, and a thick beard on his cheeks.

He wore a steel lion helmet and armor made of iron plates.

He rode a snow-white steed, with a bow on his left, a quiver of arrows on his right, and a golden axe in his hand.

He looked quite imposing and had a dignified appearance.

The imperial guard commander blocked Zhao Yuan and his entourage, shouting angrily, "..."

"Where did you soldiers come from? Do you have any documents?"

"General, we are from the Tokyo Grand Commandant's Office. We were ordered by the Grand Commandant to go to Cangzhou on official business and are now on our way back. We are passing through Daming Prefecture and would like to rest here for a couple of days."

Bian Xiang stepped forward and handed over Li Yuhou's waist token and documents.

The imperial guard commander glanced around casually, recalling what had happened four or five days ago.

Indeed, a troop of garrison troops from Bianliang passed through Daming Prefecture.

It was then known that the waist tag and documents were genuine.

In the past, this person would naturally not have pursued the matter.

But today, recalling the news I just heard,

The Imperial Guard general looked at the garrison troops in front of him again, and his expression immediately filled with disgust.

He scanned the group, finally fixing his gaze on Zhao Yuan and his companions.

"What are you, this wealthy man, and those old and weak people doing? Why are you mixing with these local militia?"

"Reporting to the general, these people..."

Before Bian Xiang could reply, he was sternly stopped by the general.

Did I ask you?

"you!"

Bian Xiang gritted his teeth, about to explode in anger, but then he caught a glimpse of Zhao Yuan's hidden gesture and could only suppress his rage.

"In response to this general's question, I had a sworn brotherhood with the former Grand Commandant Gao, and I have also met the current Grand Commandant a few times,"

Zhao Yuan smiled and explained, "This time, I am bringing my family and money with me, intending to move to Bianliang, the capital of the Eastern Capital. I am worried about encountering bandits along the way, so I have troubled the guards of the Grand Commandant's office to escort me."

"Hmph, a friend of Grand Commandant Gao!"

The general snorted angrily, then suddenly said with a stern face,

"Words alone are not enough. I now suspect you are a spy for the Liao Kingdom. Guards, seize this man!"

Upon hearing the order, the imperial guards immediately stepped forward to arrest the man.

Bian Xiang, on his side, naturally ordered his men, disguised as henchmen of the local militia, to block Zhao Yuan's path.

Xu Ning, Qiong Ying, Deng Fei, and others behind Zhao Yuan also placed their hands on their weapons.

"How dare you resist?"

The general glared and roared angrily.