The Thief Prince

At the top of Liangshan Mountain, Li Zheng, wearing a short-sleeved shirt, straightened up and wiped away his sweat.

In recent days, Liangshan has been bustling with activity as Li Zheng leads everyone in a vigorous infrastructure construction campaign.

A large number of trees on the mountaintop were cut down, weeds were cleared away, and stones were piled up to the side, revealing a large area of ​​flat land.

A wooden fortress is beginning to take shape, entirely designed by Shen Zhang.

This was the first time Li Zheng had ever seen authentic ancient architecture, and he found it quite amazing.

The entire village is mainly constructed with horizontally laid-out roof frames. Each roof frame consists of longitudinal columns, horizontal beams, and rafters, which are then assembled using mortise and tenon joints.

This construction method was something Li Zheng had never seen before, and it consumed a lot of timber, but fortunately there was no shortage of timber on Liangshan Mountain.

Not far away, seven or eight men carried a thick log, chanting as they moved forward step by step.

Li Bao walked past them, carrying a piece of timber of the same size on his shoulder and munching on half a pancake, his steps quick.

Li Zheng's lips twitched involuntarily as he watched this outrageous scene.

Who says there were no excavators in ancient times?

"Brother, have some water."

Li Zheng took the water bottle from Yan Yun, looked around the construction site, and felt at ease.

Overall, the construction of the stronghold was progressing quickly, and in just a few days, everyone would no longer need to live in tents.

However, this stronghold doesn't have much defensive capability. When building the water stronghold, the dry stronghold, and the pass, we'll need to use stone materials, which will likely slow down the progress considerably.

Just then, a group of people came walking along the mountain path; it was Wu Anqing and Han Zhu returning.

These past few days, the two of them have been responsible for going down the mountain to buy grain and maintain the daily expenses of the mountain village.

But the two of them didn't look well today, so Li Zheng knew that something must have happened again.

Sure enough, when the two approached, Han Zhu said, "Brother, I'm afraid we won't be able to buy any more food for the next few days."

Li Zheng handed over a pot of water: "No rush, take your time."

Han Zhu took the bag, drank a mouthful, wiped his mouth, and said, "When I bought grain in Yuncheng before, I used the connections of the two captains, and everything went smoothly."

"But when we went again today, even the constable's influence didn't work. All the grain merchants had the same story: they wouldn't sell to us no matter what."

Wu Anqing added from the side, "It was the county magistrate who intervened. We've bought too much grain these days, so he probably won't be willing or dare to sell it to us anymore."

Li Zheng nodded, already having made up his mind.

A county's territory is only so big. Suddenly, more than a thousand more mouths to feed are added, so fluctuations in grain prices are inevitable.

It's understandable that the county magistrate wouldn't dare sell it again if he couldn't figure out where it came from.

Tang Meng, who was listening nearby, couldn't help but sneer: "So what if he's a county magistrate? The prefect is locked in a cage!"

"I think he's got a death wish. Brother, give me five hundred men, and I'll go and take Yuncheng County right now!"

Li Zheng glanced at him: "If we're going to fight at the drop of a hat, why bother leaving Black Wind Stronghold? We can just fight the government troops to the death."

Upon hearing this, Tang Meng sheepishly retreated.

Li Zheng lowered his head and thought for a moment. He did not want to start a war with the government army in the short term unless absolutely necessary.

The gold, silver, soldiers, armor, and refugees looted this month haven't been fully utilized yet. At least these things need to be converted into combat power before we can plan the next step.

Li Zheng had rarely dealt with officials in his past and present lives, and he began to wonder what he would do if his boss were here.

In the end, it all boils down to diplomacy first, then force.

Hua Zi and Tai Zi, let's start by offering them. You can't hit someone who's smiling.

The county magistrate wasn't very bold; it was simply because he didn't have enough incentive. So I lent him that courage!

What Liangshan has no shortage of now is 'courage'. Qingya counted the money they obtained from Changfeng Temple, Dang County, and Zhang Pin's family, and it amounted to a total of 300,000 strings of cash!

What does 300,000 strings of cash mean?

The 100,000 strings of cash for the birthday gift enabled Chao Gai to develop Liangshan into a first-class outlaw force, and now Li Zheng's first pot of gold is three times that of Chao Gai!

So Li Zheng said, "Brother Han Zhu, go and talk to the two constables. Tell them I want to see the county magistrate and ask them to introduce me."

Han Zhu was startled: "Brother, you're going to the county? Isn't that far too dangerous!"

Li Zheng smiled and said, "I've always covered my face with a black veil. The authorities don't have a wanted poster for me, so how could I be in danger?"

Han Zhu thought it made sense, and said, "I'll go down the mountain now, but I'm afraid the magistrate won't appreciate it."

Li Zheng patted him on the shoulder: "There's no such thing as an ungrateful person. It's just that you're not polite enough."

"Go find Old Geda and give him one hundred taels of silver to the two captains. They will surely introduce you to them."

Han Zhu was speechless. So this was the kind of politeness he was used to.

Politeness, politeness, good manners make one look good.

In other words, for people like them who live off the government, they only give you face after you give them gifts; without gifts, you're nothing.

. . . . . .

The two commanders of Yuncheng County were surnamed Du for the infantry and Luo for the cavalry.

Low-ranking military officers like the head constables always dealt with various Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world) forces, and these two were no exception.

Han Zhu was known for his generosity and had a close relationship with Du and Luo, who were like brothers.

But when Han Zhu came to their door this time, he immediately offered a hundred taels of silver, which still surprised the two of them.

Du, the head constable, weighed the silver ingot in his hand. He exchanged a glance with Luo, and they both understood what was going on.

Han Zhu has been saying lately that he has been following a shrewd and unscrupulous person (see note 1), and it seems that it is indeed true.

Having received the money, the two dared not delay. Firstly, they felt indebted to the man, and secondly, they were wary of the person behind Han Zhu. So, they went to Magistrate Liang He that very night to deliver a message for him.

With money to pave the way, Liang He had no reason to refuse, and the two agreed to meet in a secluded teahouse in Yuncheng County.

Li Zheng changed into the clothes of a wealthy man and took Yan Yun, Wu Anqing, and Han Zhu with him to the appointment.

Upon arriving at the teahouse, we were led up to a private room on the second floor by a waiter. Inside, we found three people sitting.

The leader was a plump, fair-skinned man with a steady and composed demeanor. He had a stern face and looked them over with indifferent eyes.

Li Zheng cupped his hands and asked, "May I ask if it was Lord Liang in person?"

The term "相公" was originally used to refer to a prime minister who had entered the Secretariat, but over the years it has evolved into a term of flattery and respect for officials.

Liang He was just a county magistrate; who would normally address him like that?

Upon hearing these three words, Liang He's expression faltered, and a slight smile appeared on his lips: "I am indeed Liang He. And you are?"

Li Zheng smiled and said, "My surname is Li. I come from the south and do some general merchandise business."

"We encountered a storm on the river and the boat was blown to the territory of Guixian County. We wanted to rest here for a while."

Upon hearing this, Liang He frowned slightly: "It's fine for your merchant caravan to rest at Liangshan Marsh while passing through. However, this rest will last for half a month, and you'll be buying large amounts of grain every day. This puts me in a bit of a predicament."

Li Zheng slapped his forehead: "My bad, my bad. I forgot to tell my husband. The cargo on my boat got wet from the waves and needs to be dried for a while. I really can't leave."

"As for the grain..."

He glanced back at Yan Yun, who then took out a brocade box from her sleeve and handed it to him.

Li Zheng took the gift and placed it beside Liang He, saying with a smile, "This is just a small token of my gratitude. I will present you with a more generous gift when I leave your county."

"Nonsense!" Liang He scolded sternly, but his hand involuntarily picked up the brocade box, his fingertips prying open a crack. "How could I possibly..."

When I looked down, my eyes almost popped out.

(Note 1: A common word used in Ming and Qing dynasty novels to describe characters, meaning outstanding or excellent, which can be seen as the modern equivalent of "awesome".)