Water Margin: I am Zhu Biao

Chapter 105 A mere drinking session, and they've already resorted to cavalry tactics!

Night falls at the Zhu Family Inn.

The fairly spacious front hall was now packed with a group of burly men, but no one spoke; they were all focused on eating.

The snoring sounded like thunder.

This was the first meal the militiamen had after leaving the Zhu family, and it was also the sick man's meal after everyone had been beaten.

Zhu Biao kept his promise and got to eat meat.

Each person received a small bowl of dark red braised pork, a large bowl of fragrant pork offal soup, and piles of white, soft steamed buns like small mountains.

In short: Plenty!

This kind of hard-to-eat food was something that most of the local soldiers might not even get to eat during holidays.

Everyone was wiping away tears while stuffing their mouths full.

Tongniu, in particular, who had never had a full meal in his life, would sit by the steamed bun basket, eating two buns at a time without stopping.

The front yard was bustling, and the backyard was just as lively.

Zhu Biao set up a separate table in his small courtyard, but the dishes were much better than those in the main hall.

The meal included eight meat dishes and four vegetable dishes: chicken, duck, lamb, fish, pork, and beef—everything you could want. A bottle of Zhujiazhuang's specialty wine was also placed on the corner of the table.

Drunken Immortal.

Famous generals of the past often slept and ate with their soldiers as a means of winning over the army, but Zhu Biao scoffed at this idea.

Bullshit!

The military has always been a place with the strictest hierarchy, so why does everyone want to become a general and a marquis? Isn't it all to cross the insurmountable barrier and enjoy the treatment of the elite?

Damn!

After working tirelessly and finally becoming a general, he ended up eating and living with ordinary soldiers. What hope was there left?

Zhu Biao believed:

The leader enjoys fine food and wine, while his subordinates can barely get a bite of meat. This disparity is precisely what fuels their determination and drives them to climb the ranks.

Zhu Biao's table only had five people accompanying him:

Luan Tingyu, Pang Qiutang, Lin Chong, Wu Song, and Instructor Zhang.

The first four were all his subordinates, but Instructor Zhang was a bit out of place. He didn't want to come, but Zhu Biao dragged him over.

"Old coach, let me offer you a bowl first."

Moreover, his first bowl of wine was offered to Instructor Zhang.

"My lord, I am deeply indebted to you, but I have done nothing to repay your kindness. Now I am old and frail, and I am truly unworthy of your praise."

Coach Zhang was flattered and quickly stood up to decline.

"Heh~ Instructor Zhang, don't be modest."

Zhu Biao chuckled.

"Firstly, among those present, the old instructor is the oldest and should drink the first bowl of wine. Secondly, our regiment's first tough battle will depend on your efforts."

"what?"

Instructor Zhang was taken aback upon hearing this, and the others were also astonished. Only Lin Chong seemed to understand, and then revealed a knowing smile.

"Wasn't the old instructor once the deputy commander of the border army?"

"Uh, yes."

"Did the old instructor ever oversee construction and defense?"

Upon hearing this, Instructor Zhang was taken aback for a moment, then stroked his beard and smiled, turning his head to give Lin Chong a feigned angry glare.

"I see. Does Your Excellency intend to appoint this humble old man to oversee the construction of the militia camp at Tiger Sorrow Gorge?"

"Exactly!"

Zhu Biao raised the wine bowl and handed it to him.

"I wonder if the old coach would be willing to step down and take on this task?"

This little old man is a treasure. Before becoming the instructor of the Imperial Guards in Tokyo, he served in the border army for ten years, holding the position of deputy commander and in charge of setting up camp.

Setting up camp is a complex skill; you need to be familiar with wind direction, water sources, terrain, soil type, and construction methods.

However, the old man was extremely tight-lipped, and he didn't mention such important news at all. It was only when Lin Chong casually mentioned it during a chat that it came up.

Recently, Zhu Biao had been thinking about setting up a camp at Huchoujian. Unexpectedly, the capable person he had been dreaming of was right under his nose.

How could he possibly let it go?

Although Coach Zhang has old injuries, he is not actually old; he is only fifty-two years old this year.

In the local dialect of Zhu Biao's hometown, he was at the age where he should be making his way in the world.

"Phew~"

Instructor Zhang remained silent for a moment, then raised his wine bowl and clinked it against his, before drinking it all in one gulp and letting out a long breath of alcohol.

"Since you, sir, are so trustworthy, this old man certainly wouldn't dare to refuse!"

"good!"

Zhu Biao was overjoyed, downed the wine in his bowl in one gulp, and quickly pressed his advantage, saying, "Old Instructor, you're as sharp as ever!"

"The camp will be under construction as soon as the year ends. I will trouble the old instructor to go there in person tomorrow. Please list out what materials are needed and how many craftsmen are required as soon as possible."

"tomorrow?"

Instructor Zhang raised a brow with his graying eyebrows.

"My lord, tomorrow is already the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, is it in such a hurry?"

Zhu Biao nodded.

"Urgent! The sooner the camp is set up, the faster morale will settle down. Old Instructor, this is our militia's first battle!"

"Yes, I will certainly not fail in my mission!"

Instructor Zhang clasped his hands in a respectful gesture and solemnly acknowledged the order. He then sighed, shook his head, and smiled bitterly, "Alas, this old man of mine is now on a pirate ship; I doubt I'll ever have a peaceful life again!"

"Hahaha!"

Everyone laughed.

No one present was a fool; they all could see that the old man was not being sincere. Although he complained, his eyes were full of shrewdness.

Who would want to sit on the sidelines and eat for free if they could shine and generate heat?

Having resolved the thorny issue of setting up the camp, Zhu Biao felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders and was extremely relieved.

The key is that now that he's away from the Zhu family, he's surrounded by trustworthy people, so he no longer needs to hide anything or get bogged down in internal strife.

It made every pore of his body feel comfortable.

So Zhu Biao, who had never liked drinking, started drinking freely, accepting all drinks offered and emptying the bowls in one go.

He wasn't a big drinker to begin with, and with Wu Song, a big drinker who loved to drink with him, on the table, he soon became completely drunk, his body slumped, and he fell straight backward.

Fortunately, Luan Tingyu was mature and composed, and remained clear-headed, reaching out to support him in time.

"Saburo?"

"Yes, I can still drink."

Zhu Biao's body was as limp as a puddle of mud, and he couldn't even open his eyes, but he still kept his mouth shut.

Luan Tingyu helped him walk towards the bed, his gaze deep and filled with pity.

"Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I've seen Saburo drunk. It's a rare treat to have a good night's rest now."

Of all the people, Luan Tingyu had spent the longest time with Zhu Biao and was the most aware of his changes.

I almost watched him transform himself in just a few months, as if he had been possessed, his martial arts, temperament, ambition, and methods all completely changed.

In fact, what Luan Tingyu is seeing now is not the complete form of Zhu Biao.

If he had gone to Tokyo with him, it would have been even more unbelievable. To this day, he still doesn't know that Zhu Biao had personally killed Gao Yanei.

"Hey!"

Seeing Zhu Biao's embarrassed state, Wu Song, who was only slightly drunk, immediately slapped the table and laughed, "Sanlang is smart and his kung fu is not bad either, but my brother's drinking capacity is really terrible."

"snort!"

Upon hearing this, Pang Qiutang, her face flushed, slammed her hand on the table and glared at him fiercely.

"You big dummy, what's so great about your drinking skills? How dare you talk about my third brother? Come on, let's drink and see who collapses first!"

"you?"

Wu Song's tiger-like eyes narrowed, and he glanced at her disdainfully.

Without saying a word, Pang Qiutang picked up the wine bowl in front of him, drank it all in one gulp, and slammed it heavily on the table.

"What, are you just going to say whether you dare or not?"

Strangely enough, Pang Qiutang was petite and a southern woman, yet her alcohol tolerance was astonishing.

Her face flushed when she took the first sip of wine, but after drinking more than a dozen bowls, her face only became redder, and her mind remained clear.

Unable to resist provocation, Wu Song raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, grabbed the wine jar, and poured out three bowls in one go.

"Alright! Miss Pang, I, Wu Er, won't cheat you. You drink one bowl, and I'll drink three!"

"I don't need it~"

Pang Qiutang raised a brow, about to refuse.

Lin Chong, who was beside her, suddenly nudged her lightly and gave her a wink.

In the past two days, she and Lin Chong have quickly become acquainted.

A lance cavalry leader and an archer cavalry leader, facing Wu Song, the strongman leader on foot, at the banquet, naturally shared a common hatred for each other.

Pang Qiutian was stunned for a moment, then a smile appeared in his eyes. Taking advantage of Wu Song's drinking, he lowered his voice and said.

"I'll have a few bowls of wine with him, then you can launch a surprise attack, take down this big oaf in one fell swoop!"

"it is good."

Lin Chong smiled too.

Damn it, these two cavalry leaders, just having a drink, are already resorting to cavalry tactics.

After Luan Tingyu settled Zhu Biao in, he turned around and saw this scene. He was both angry and amused, and also felt a little embarrassed.

After all, he now commands the largest number of archers, and theoretically, he is also a leader of the infantry, making his position somewhat awkward.

He personally stepped in to lend a hand; after all, he's an elder, and this is an act of bullying the younger generation.

However, if they let it go unchecked and let Wu Song be knocked down, they should at least consider the dignity of the enemy's forces.

"Old Luan."

At this moment, Instructor Zhang suddenly raised his wine bowl to him and greeted him with a smile.

"Brother Luan, you are the deputy commander and an elder, so don't pay them any mind. Let the kids have their fun. Come on, let's have a drink."

"Very good."

Luan Tingyu quickly seized the opportunity and plopped down next to him.