The Thief Prince

Meanwhile, Bei Gongjun stayed on Liangshan for seven days, getting up early every day to lead his two hundred archers in training in the open space behind the Hall of Righteousness.

Bei Gongjun truly lived up to his reputation as a professional instructor; in just seven days, he had already trained the Liangshan archers to a considerable degree of proficiency.

In fact, learning to shoot an arrow and becoming a master archer are two completely different concepts.

To become a master archer who can hit the bullseye from a hundred paces, one does indeed need three years or even longer of training.

However, a qualified archer in the army obviously does not need such high accuracy, especially for large-area projectile shooting. As long as the shot is not too far off target, it is fine.

Bei Gongjun's training for archers only had two aspects: rapid shooting and shooting at fixed targets.

After seven days of intensive training, two hundred archers were trained for Liangshan.

Most of these archers were new recruits who used to shoot arrows haphazardly. After seven days of instruction from him, although they could not hit a target from a hundred paces away, they could still unleash a rain of arrows in unison with a wave of the command flag. The sound of the bowstrings twanging and the arrows flying made them look quite capable.

It's definitely not suitable for sniping enemy generals, but it can certainly cover infantry formations.

Everyone saw this and was convinced, knowing that Bei Gongjun was not just a figurehead.

Just after the seventh day, Bei Gongjun packed his bags and came to bid farewell to Li Zheng.

Knowing that he was determined to leave, Li Zheng didn't want to keep him any longer, so he led the other leaders to personally escort him down the mountain.

As the group walked to the edge of Golden Beach, Li Zheng took Bei Gongjun's hand and said, "Brother, I don't know when we will meet again. I am really reluctant to part with you."

Bei Gongjun's heart warmed, and he replied, "Brother, don't worry. After I go back and bury my mother, I will return to Liangshan immediately after the mourning period is over and serve under your command."

Upon hearing this, Li Zheng felt even more uneasy.

He knew that the rules of mourning in this day and age were not to be taken lightly.

Civil and military officials were required to observe a three-year mourning period, unless the court issued an edict to waive the mourning period; otherwise, they were generally required to complete the full period.

Although Bei Gongjun was neither a civil official nor a military general, he was an upright and honest man. He would serve for at least three months, if not the full three years.

Three months is neither a long nor a short time, but in this world, things are unpredictable, and who knows what changes might happen in three months?

No wonder the ancients made every parting so sad; these days, parting can easily turn into a permanent separation.

Li Zheng thought for a moment and pulled Yan Yun over: "I already talked to my brother yesterday. This child will go with you. Treat him like your own nephew."

This was something Li Zheng had already discussed with Bei Gongjun, letting Yan Yun go home with him to observe the mourning period, and Yan Yun herself had agreed.

One reason is to have Beigong Jun teach him martial arts. Yan Yun has excellent talent, but there is no teacher as good as Beigong Jun on Liangshan.

He knew how to use a spear and an axe, but Yan Yun had practiced with a spear since childhood. His spear technique was unique and not the same as the spear technique.

Secondly, Bei Gongjun was from Dezhou, Hebei. This trip north was a good opportunity to ask him to inquire about the whereabouts of Yan Yun's family.

Yan Yun has been away for so long, her family must be very worried. No matter what happens in the future, she must tell her family.

Yan Yun stepped forward and bowed to Bei Gongjun, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, brother."

Bei Gongjun said, "Brother, don't worry. Although my family is not wealthy, we have a few houses and a few acres of land. Brother Yanyun will not go hungry."

Li Zheng nodded and then had his eldest son bring over a plate of gold and silver coins as a gift.

Bei Gongjun repeatedly declined, but Li Zheng insisted on giving it to him: "As the saying goes, 'A poor family needs to be rich on the road.' Take this money; it will be very useful if you encounter any trouble on the road."

Bei Gongjun couldn't refuse, so he had to accept half: "This half is enough; any more would just attract attention."

After saying this, he put the silver into his waistband, bowed to everyone to say goodbye, and rode off with Yan Yun on a fast horse towards Jinshatan.

The group stood on the beach, watching the two riders go further and further away, gradually becoming two black dots that disappeared into the horizon.

Tang Meng suddenly sighed, "This one went to find her father, that one went to stay with her mother, it makes me feel empty inside."

Li Zheng turned to look at him: "Brother Tang Meng, are you missing your parents too? Why don't you send a few clever brothers to bring them up the mountain?"

He remembered that Li Kui had also gone to fetch his mother, only to be eaten by a tiger. Instead of comforting him, the so-called Liangshan brothers mocked him.

I would never do such a bastard thing. If any of you brothers want to bring your parents here, you must send someone to escort them the whole way.

Han Zhu laughed so hard he almost fell over: "Brother, don't listen to his nonsense! His parents were shady; they sold him to a slave trader when he was six. Later, he learned some skills and went back, giving his old man a good beating."

Everyone couldn't help but laugh. Tang Meng, his face flushed, scolded Han Zhu, "You rascal, you always spill all your dirty laundry to your brother!"

Li Zheng smiled, then said seriously to Tang Meng, "If you still have any feelings for us, find a few people to bring our parents here and take good care of them."

Tang Meng thought for a moment, then shook his head: "Forget it, they are all heartless. There is no father-son relationship in this life, so let's never see each other again."

"That's good then. While it's still early, brother, you should head back to the county. I haven't asked you how those archers are doing yet."

Tang Meng patted his chest and said, "Brother, don't worry. I'm the one who has the final say in the camp now, and I've won over twenty or thirty trusted men. They can come up the mountain anytime I give the order."

Li Zheng nodded slightly, understanding the situation.

Don't underestimate these twenty or thirty people; it's human nature to blindly follow others.

If anything happens, Tang Meng only needs to raise his arm and wave it, and if another twenty or thirty people respond, everyone might end up joining Liangshan in a daze.

He looked up at the sky and saw that it was clear and sunny. So he said, "The weather is nice today. I haven't been down the mountain for quite a while. I might as well go with you to Yuncheng."

Tang Meng readily agreed, and the two of them, along with seven or eight brothers, crossed the marsh by boat and headed towards Yuncheng County.

Upon arriving in Yuncheng County, Tang Meng went to the camp, while Li Zheng headed straight for the county government office.

Currently, the county government is still under Cao Su's control. He was originally a military officer, and Li Zheng was worried that he wouldn't be able to handle the administrative affairs, so he originally wanted Wang Yuan to replace him.

Unexpectedly, Cao Su managed things very well, and every few days official documents were sent to Liangshan, explaining the affairs of the county.

Li Zheng didn't send anyone else. Since he had some free time today, he might as well go and see how the other person worked.

Upon entering the county government office, one could hear a series of greetings coming from inside; it was a junior official reporting on his work.

Li Zheng nodded slightly, preparing to go in and listen in.

But Cao Su was sitting on a recliner in the courtyard of the county government office, fast asleep.

Li Zheng's face immediately darkened.

If this guy is sleeping soundly outside, who's handling official business inside?

Will Liang He take back power again?

If that's really the case, I really need to control this stupid partridge!