Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

After arranging all the matters here, Li Hanxiao began to think about the long-term development of Liangshan.

The first issue to address is food and supplies. An army marches on its stomach, as has been the case since ancient times. Although he has potatoes and sweet potatoes, it will take some time for them to grow and be mass-produced. Therefore, Li Hanxiao still needs to find a way to solve the food and supplies problem.

The best solution is to find a few powerful families and take them down first. Song Jiang acquired his wealth after he annexed the Zhu Family Village, Li Family Village, and Hu Family Village on Dulonggang.

However, Liangshan's current strength is insufficient to confront the three villages of Dulonggang head-on, so going to fight them is definitely not an option.

The only option is to send people down the mountain to find some wealthy and unscrupulous individuals to see who might be suitable.

In addition, Li Hanxiao also wanted to produce distilled liquor, which was a sure-fire way to make money. Ancient brewed wine had a low alcohol content, and distilled liquor appeared relatively late. As a result, it was rare and valuable. Once distilled liquor appeared, it would be like a scorpion dropping its droppings—a one-of-a-kind thing.

Distilled spirits are not difficult to produce; with skilled workers, mass production is not a problem.

Li Hanxiao suddenly remembered that Zhu Gui, the "Dryland Crocodile," had a younger brother named Zhu Fu, the "Smiling Tiger," who ran a tavern in Yizhou. In the original story, Zhu Fu was in charge of brewing wine and vinegar at Liangshan Marsh. Why not ask Zhu Gui to bring his brother up the mountain to be in charge of this matter?

Therefore, Li Hanxiao kept Zhu Gui there and told him about the matter. Zhu Gui had no objections and sent someone to write a letter, asking Zhu Fu to also come and join Liangshan.

Unfortunately, Liangshanbo doesn't have many technical talents right now. Li Hanxiao also has many industrial product ideas about glass, sugar, etc. that he can't put into practice. He also has so many personal chores that he can't take care of these things. He can only recruit more talents.

This is also Li Hanxiao's second top priority: recruiting talent.

At this point in time, during the early stages of "Water Margin," a large number of talented individuals are currently without a master. It can be said that whoever seizes them first will own them. This is the best time for Li Hanxiao to recruit talent.

Most of the talented people near Jizhou Prefecture had connections with the government. Song Jiang, the "Timely Rain" from Yuncheng County; Chao Gai, the "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King"; Wu Yong, the "Strategist"; Zhu Tong, the "Beautiful-Bearded Gentleman"; Lei Heng, the "Winged Tiger"; and Song Qing, the "Iron Fan"—they were basically either officials or local tyrants. The possibility of Li Hanxiao persuading them to come to Liangshan was almost zero.

However, during this time, two other people were going to Dongxi Village. One was "Red-Haired Devil" Liu Tang, and the other was "Dragon Entering the Clouds" Gongsun Sheng. Both were going to inform Chao Gai of the news about the birthday gifts.

Liu Tang, nicknamed "Red-Haired Devil," was a highly skilled martial artist and the leader of the third infantry force of Liangshan Marsh. He easily defeated Lei Heng in a fight with a broadsword.

Gongsun Sheng, nicknamed "Dragon Entering the Clouds," was an even more remarkable figure. In the original novel, he was a master of magic in Liangshan, capable of summoning wind and rain, turning stones into gold, and conjuring soldiers from beans as if it were commonplace for him.

Li Hanxiao absolutely had to win over these two people. Liu Tang was easy to deal with; he could just intercept him halfway. Liu Tang had only heard that Chao Gai was a hero, so he wanted to find him to retrieve the birthday gifts. If Li Hanxiao intercepted him halfway, he could offer him a seat on Liangshan Mountain and treat him well. He wouldn't have to worry about Liu Tang not joining the group.

As for Gongsun Sheng, it's a bit more difficult. This old Taoist is somewhat of a hermit. He joined Liangshan Marsh entirely for the creation techniques of the 108 Heavenly and Earthly Fiends, having been enlightened by his mentor, Master Luo.

However, Li Hanxiao is not without his advantages in this regard. He is also a disciple enlightened by Erlang Xiansheng Zhenjun of Guanjiangkou, and can be considered a disciple of the Chan Sect for who knows how many generations, and a disciple of the Yuxu Sect.

According to Erlang Shen, he was ordered to save the people from their dire straits. Others might not be able to see it with their mortal eyes, but Gongsun Sheng would not be unaware of it; he could see it.

So if I can meet with Gongsun Sheng, I might actually be able to win him over.

Aside from that, there shouldn't be any other talented people nearby for the time being. However, Yang Lin, nicknamed "Jin Baozi," mentioned that he had a past relationship with Zou Yuan and Zou Run, the uncle and nephew from Dengyun Mountain, so he could find an opportunity to visit Dengzhou.

Besides Zou Yuan and his nephew Zou Run, Li Hanxiao had two other people he was determined to win. There were also several heroes in Dengzhou City, including the brothers "Two-Headed Snake" Xie Zhen and "Double-Tailed Scorpion" Xie Bao, as well as "Sick Yuchi" Sun Li, "Little Yuchi" Sun Xin, and "Mother Tiger" Gu Dasao.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, Sun Li, the military commander of Dengzhou, is unlikely to easily become an outlaw. If he remains inactive, his brother Sun Xin and his wife are unlikely to follow suit either.

The only ones we can win over are the brothers Jie Zhen and Jie Bao.

As Li Hanxiao was pondering this, Lin Chong walked over.

"What is the chieftain thinking?"

"Ah, it's Instructor Lin. It's nothing. Let's think about the mountain stronghold."

Lin Chong explained his purpose. His family had already settled down in a small courtyard behind Liangshan Marsh. Lin's wife was grateful for Li Hanxiao's kindness and specially prepared a banquet to invite Li Hanxiao to attend.

"Since it is my sister-in-law's kind offer, I must go."

Not wanting to offend Lin Chong, Li Hanxiao followed him to his home. Lin Chong's wife had already prepared a meal there, with Instructor Zhang joining them.

Li Hanxiao took a closer sniff of the food and found it to be very fragrant, so he couldn't help but praise it.

"Such delicious food, Coach is so lucky!"

"Haha, the chieftain is truly blessed! Besides my wife, Miss Li also contributed a great deal to this meal!"

Lin Chong said.

Li Hanxiao was surprised to find that the meal was cooked by Li Shishi. No wonder, she and Lin Niangzi had become like sisters along the way and could talk about anything.

"Sister Shi's cooking is so good. After seeing it, I feel that my own cooking skills are not up to par."

Lin Niangzi also spoke.

"Since this meal is also thanks to Shishi, why don't we invite her over too..."

Although Li Hanxiao had agreed to take Li Shishi as his wife, the emotional foundation between the two was still relatively weak, and Li Hanxiao was somewhat unsure how to get along with Li Shishi.

"Sister Shi said that she shouldn't get involved in men's affairs. Whenever the chieftain is tired, he can go to her place to sit, listen to the zither, and drink some soup!"

Hearing what Madam Lin said, Li Han smiled and understood. The couple was using the banquet as an opportunity to help Li Shishi get together!

"Brother, let me offer you a toast to express my gratitude for your deep kindness and righteousness!"

Lin Chong picked up his wine cup and said with a sincere expression.

"Instructor, we are brothers, from now on we should address each other as brothers, there's no need to be so formal!"

"Chief, I'd also like to offer you a toast!"

Lin Niangzi also picked up a cup of wine, but Li Hanxiao stopped her.

"Sister-in-law is a woman and should not drink alcohol, but your heartfelt wishes are enough."

Seeing this, Instructor Zhang stood up and offered a toast on behalf of his daughter, after which Madam Lin left her seat.

"Instructor, I've heard that you have a disciple named Cao Zheng. Is that true?"

Li Hanxiao knew that Lin Chong had another apprentice, "The Knife-Wielding Ghost" Cao Zheng. If he could get Cao Zheng to come up the mountain through Lin Chong, they would have another leader.

“That’s right. He is one of my unnamed disciples. He was originally from Tokyo. His ancestors made a living by slaughtering livestock. He was known as ‘The Butcher’ Cao Zheng. He left Tokyo a few years ago, and I haven’t seen him for some years.”

"I heard that he married into a family in a village near Erlong Mountain in Qingzhou and opened a tavern. Why don't you write a letter and send it to him, and invite him to Liangshan as well?"

Li Han smiled and explained his meaning. Lin Chong nodded. "My disciple has the same temperament as me. If I write a letter, he will definitely come. Speaking of which, I have someone else to recommend to the chieftain. I wonder if the chieftain would be willing to accept him?"

"Please speak freely, Instructor."

“I have a close friend who was originally a military officer under General Zhong of Yan’an Prefecture. Later, he shaved his head and became a monk with the Dharma name Lu Zhishen. He saved me from danger several times and is a true hero. He was sued for saving me and fled into the world. If I can find him, I wonder if the chieftain would be willing to accept him?”

Li Hanxiao naturally knew that the person Lin Chong was talking about was "Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen, and laughed loudly, "Is the instructor talking about Lu Zhishen, who killed Zhen Guanxi with three punches in Weizhou City, and the Flowery Monk who uprooted the willow tree in Dongjing? Master Lu's chivalrous name is renowned throughout the martial arts world. Even if the instructor didn't say it, I would still go to find him. What, does the instructor know his whereabouts?"

Lin Chong was overjoyed to hear Li Hanxiao say this and said, "Although I haven't seen him since I joined Liangshan, I've heard that he seems to be constantly moving around in Qingzhou. Now that Cao Zheng is also in Qingzhou, why don't I ask him to look for my brother Lu Da in Qingzhou and invite them to come together?"

"That's perfect, that's perfect!"

Li Han thought to himself that if Lu Zhishen also came to Liangshan, Liangshan would immediately have one more top-notch land combat expert. Moreover, Lu Zhishen had a wide social circle. He was acquainted with Shi Jin, the "Nine-Tattooed Dragon" of Shaohua Mountain, and also had some connections with Li Zhong, the "Tiger Slayer" of Peach Blossom Mountain, and Zhou Tong, the "Little Overlord". Perhaps through Lu Zhishen, he could persuade them all to come to Liangshan.

"There is another matter I need to discuss with you, Instructor. Liangshan was originally funded and established by Master Chai. Now that I have taken over Liangshan, I am afraid that Master Chai will be displeased. I intend to pay a visit to Master Chai. Instructor, you know Master Chai. I wonder if you can come along?"

Li Hanxiao understood perfectly well that Chai Jin, as a descendant of the royal family of the Great Zhou Dynasty, should have been a wealthy man with an imperial edict and a life of luxury. However, he chose to emulate Lord Mengchang of ancient times by taking in various criminals and keeping them as his servants and retainers, which was clearly malicious.

Because this is similar to raising assassins, and if that's not enough to prove anything, then his funding of Wang Lun's gang at Liangshan Marsh is even clearer evidence. This is blatant defiance of the Song Dynasty.

Back then, Zhao Kuangyin's Chenqiao Mutiny bullied the orphans and widows of the Chai family. It's normal for Chai Jin to have resentment towards the court. His keeping retainers and funding bandits were simply paving the way for the future, and Liangshan was his way of preparing for the future.

Now that his escape route is gone, he is naturally unwilling to accept it. Li Hanxiao wants to explain to him that if he is willing to befriend Li Hanxiao, then Li Hanxiao will always leave him a seat on Liangshan Marsh, so that he will still have such a way out.

If he's unwilling, Li Hanxiao has no choice but to fight him head-on.

"Master Chai once did me a favor, so I can accompany the chieftain, of course. However, Master Chai might not be willing to..."

Lin Chong understood that most of the foundation of Liangshan was built by Master Chai, and since Li Hanxiao had taken it away, Chai Jin would most likely not let it go peacefully...

"I'm not afraid, as long as the instructor accompanies me."

Li Hanxiao's confident demeanor put Lin Chong at ease. After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the banquet ended, and Li Hanxiao returned to his lodgings. Before he could even lie down and rest for a while, he saw "Dry Land Crocodile" Zhu Gui rushing over.

"Reporting to the chieftain, a group of constables have come to my tavern, escorting a burly man. The man has a cinnabar mark on his temple, which makes him look like no ordinary person. When I questioned the constables, they said that this man was a thief captured at the Lingguan Temple at the entrance of Dongxi Village. He claimed to be the nephew of Chao Baozheng of Dongxi Village. As a result, the two sides confronted each other. The people from Chao Baozheng's manor said that Chao Baozheng had no nephews, so they arrested him as a thief and were going to send him to the prefecture. This burly man seems to be a Jianghu person. He knows that our Li Family Road Tavern is Liangshan Marsh territory. He has been trying to get help from me, saying that if I can save him, I will be rewarded with 100,000 strings of cash."

Li Hanxiao immediately understood. Wasn't this "Red-Haired Devil" Liu Tang? He had been arrested by Lei Heng for being a thief while drunk in the Lingguan Hall.

However, unlike in the original story, after being arrested, he falsely claimed to be Chao Gai's nephew. In the original story, Chao Gai helped him cover it up, but this time it seems that Chao Gai did not help him, which led to his arrest.

What Li Hanxiao didn't know was that Chao Gai was indeed a man of honor. If he had really met Liu Tang, he would naturally have helped him. However, he had gotten drunk that day and had been lying in bed all day. When Lei Heng sent his men to inquire, Chao Gai couldn't even get up, so Lei Heng only asked the servants.

The servant didn't think much of it and told Lei Heng that Chao Gai didn't have any sisters, so how could he have a nephew? This really put Liu Tang in a difficult position!

"Go and drug them with sleeping pills first, then deal with them. I'm going to see that big man."

After Li Hanxiao finished making the arrangements, he told Zhu Gui to deal with the officials first, and then he went to see Liu Tang.

When they arrived at Zhu Gui's tavern at the entrance of Lijiadao, Zhu Gui was very efficient. The constables were already lying in a row, and several of Zhu Gui's men were taking them out of the shop.

At this time, Liu Tang was still in shackles and chains. Li Hanxiao asked someone to bring a knife, and with just one stroke, he cleaved the shackles open.

"Good sword skills!"

Liu Tang was also a master of the knife. Seeing Li Hanxiao easily cut through the shackles with a single stroke without harming himself, he couldn't help but look on with admiration.

"May I ask if the leaders of Liangshan have arrived? Where is Chief Wang?"

Liu Tang clasped his hands in greeting and asked.

"There is no more Chief Wang. I have recently taken over Liangshan Marsh. I am now the master of Liangshan Marsh. I am Li Erlang from Guankou."

As soon as Li Hanxiao finished speaking, Liu Tang exclaimed in extreme surprise.

"So you are Li Erlang from Guankou? I've long heard that you broke through four passes at the Imperial Fragrance Pavilion in Dongjing City and beat up the playboy Gao Yanei. I was ignorant of your dignity and offended you!"