Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

The Zhu Family Village was successfully captured. As for the Hu Family Village, it posed no threat whatsoever under the Liangshan army. Hu Taigong even had the idea of ​​currying favor with Li Hanxiao, so the old man didn't even ask for the Hu Family Village troops that had been mixed into the Liangshan army back.

Now, Li Hanxiao is preparing to deal with Li Ying, the "Sky-Soaring Eagle" of Li Family Village.

Li Family Village is also very wealthy, and it is said that in terms of financial resources alone, it is even greater than Zhu Family Village. Moreover, "Soaring Eagle" Li Ying is indeed a talented person, and Li Hanxiao is determined to get him.

Li Hanxiao wasn't attracted to his martial arts skills, but rather to his financial management abilities and business acumen.

There is truly no business talent at Liangshan Marsh right now. The high-proof liquor trade with Chai Jin, as well as the sugar, cotton, and even the soy sauce that Li Hanxiao has been preparing to brew, all need someone to coordinate and take charge of this area.

This time, Li Hanxiao harvested over 100,000 jin of soybeans from Zhujiazhuang alone. They were plump and juicy, high-quality soybeans that could be pressed into soybean oil and used to make soy sauce.

Wen Huanzhang is currently in charge of all these matters, but he has too many important positions. Li Ying, the "Star of Wealth" in the original novel, has always been in charge of money and provisions and has never made a mistake, making him an excellent candidate.

If Li Hanxiao doesn't take over Li Family Village, then this trip won't be considered a success at all.

However, Li Ying, nicknamed "Soaring Eagle," might not be willing to go up the mountain on his own initiative. Li Hanxiao still needed to persuade him. So, after roughly appeasing the Zhu Family Village, the first thing Li Hanxiao did was to take Lin Chong, nicknamed "Leopard Head," Lu Zhishen, nicknamed "Flowery Monk," and Du Xing's old acquaintance, Ou Peng, nicknamed "Golden Wings on Clouds," to Li Family Village to visit Li Ying.

"Li Hanxiao, the master of Liangshan Marsh, has come to pay his respects to Master Li. Open the door immediately!"

Du Xing, nicknamed "Ghost Face," immediately opened the gate when he heard Li Han laugh and call for the door. They had witnessed the overwhelming fighting power of Liangshan Marsh in the past two days; they had seen the Zhu Family Manor reduced to ashes.

Originally, "Soaring Eagle" Li Ying wanted to send "Ghost Face" Du Xing to comfort the troops, but after thinking about it, he didn't know what Li Hanxiao's attitude would be. What if he wanted to kill two birds with one stone? The current Li Family Village could not stop the Liangshan army.

Therefore, Li Ying, nicknamed "Soaring Eagle," wanted to wait and see. Later, he heard that Li Hanxiao was pacifying the people in Zhu Family Village and Hu Family Village without committing any offenses. Only then did he realize that the Liangshan army was truly not those mediocre people, and only then did he dare to open the gate.

"Brother Du Xing, it's been so long!"

Upon seeing his old acquaintance, "Golden-Winged Cloud Mooring" Ou Peng greeted him first.

"It's Brother Ou Peng! It's been a long time! This imposing hero must be Chief Li, right? I've forgotten all my manners in front of such a true hero. Please come in. My master is waiting inside. May I ask how the other two are addressed?"

"I am Lin Chong, 'Leopard Head'."

"I am Lu Zhishen, the 'Flowery Monk'!"

"So it's Instructor Lin and Commander Lu! Du Xing is truly fortunate to meet so many heroes today!"

As Du Xing spoke, he led everyone to see "Soaring Eagle" Li Ying.

Li Han smiled when he saw "Soaring Eagle" Li Ying, only to find that the man was emaciated with dark circles under his eyes, clearly indicating that there was still poison in his body and that his body had been severely damaged.

"Chief Li, I have long admired your name. Chief Li has come to help me, Li Ying, resolve my troubles. I should have personally greeted you, but unfortunately, I am seriously ill and unable to do so. Please forgive me, please forgive me!"

Li Ying said weakly.

"It's alright. I've long admired Master Li's reputation. What's wrong? Are you still feeling unwell?"

Li Hanxiao sat down in the guest seat and asked Li Yingdao.

"Alas, I didn't listen to advice, and as a result, I was poisoned by the Zhu Family Manor. Although I wasn't killed, the poison hasn't been completely cleared, and I'm afraid my future is uncertain..."

Li Ying, nicknamed "Soaring Eagle," was full of regret, but where in this world can you find a medicine for regret?

"Master Li is blessed with good fortune and a long life. With proper care, he will be fine. I have come here today to discuss the matter of the three villages of Dulonggang with you."

Li Han smiled and revealed his purpose. Li Ying had anticipated this and nodded, slowly saying, "Yes, as we agreed before, if Chief Li can come to rescue my Li Family Village from its crisis, I am willing to repay you with generous gifts. I have prepared 500,000 taels of gold and silver as a token of my appreciation to the troops."

Five hundred thousand taels of gold and silver—Li must be incredibly wealthy. The fact that he could produce such a sum of money means that it was indeed a small amount for him.

This made Li Hanxiao wonder: Just how much wealth does this guy have?

However, Li Hanxiao didn't come here for this small amount of money. If he didn't devour "Sky Eagle" Li Yingquan, his trip would have been in vain.

"No rush. Let's talk about the Hu Family Village and the Zhu Family Village first. Now that our Liangshan army has captured the Zhu Family Village, we will naturally take all of its grain and wealth. As for the people of the Zhu Family Village, many are willing to follow our Liangshan army. As for the remaining land of the Zhu Family Village, we have no use for it, so we will distribute the land deeds to the other people and divide it equally!"

Upon hearing this, Li Ying was startled. Zhu Family Village had nearly 10,000 acres of fertile land. If Li Hanxiao couldn't take it and sold it, it wouldn't be a loss. Li Ying was even prepared to buy more.

But Li Hanxiao is giving it away to the people for free...

This isn't how you do business...

"Nearly 10,000 acres of fertile land, just like that, divided up?"

Li Ying was a businessman with a knack for business. Although he admired Li Hanxiao's generosity, he was still somewhat skeptical.

“That’s right, it’s been divided. It was taken from the people, used for the people, and returned to the people. Much of this land was seized from the people by the Zhu Family Village through trickery and force. It originally belonged to the people of the surrounding area. Now it’s just right to return it to them, so that they can have land and support themselves. This is far better than being exploited by the Zhu Family Village.”

Li Hanxiao spoke with righteous indignation, making Li Ying pale in comparison. He couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement, "Chief Li is truly a benevolent and righteous gentleman. Li Ying is ashamed of himself!"

"Although my ancestors were the governors of Shu County, they were also responsible for water conservancy projects and allowing the people to rest and recuperate. They loved the people the most. For many years, I have been a descendant of the common people. I often lament the corruption of time, sigh deeply and weep, and grieve for the hardships of the people's lives. I will do what I can!"

Upon hearing Li Hanxiao's words, Li Ying thought of his own vast wealth, yet he had never done anything for the people, merely hoarding his riches. He felt that in terms of moral character, he was far inferior to Li Hanxiao.

He was a proud man and didn't want to be outdone, so he said, "How about this, I, Li Ying, will also contribute money to buy a thousand acres of fertile land and give it away to the people of Zhujiazhuang for free! It can be considered a celebration for them to escape their suffering!"

"No rush. It's good that you have this idea, but it's not time to talk about these things yet. After talking about the Zhu Family Village, we will naturally talk about the Hu Family Village."

"Very well, what does the Hu family want?"

Li Ying looked at Li Hanxiao with amusement, because Li Ying had also considered that if "One-Zhang-Qing" Hu Sanniang went to Liangshan Marsh for help, there was a high probability that something would happen between her and Li Hanxiao.

Otherwise, Li Hanxiao might not have been so quick to send troops to relieve the siege, considering his own price.

Therefore, he now regards Hujiazhuang as an affiliated faction of Li Hanxiao. It is even possible that Hujiazhuang will not be able to survive in Dulonggang and will join Liangshanbo.

"As for Hu Family Village, Old Master Hu said that their village is relatively small and now they are involved in the conflict with Zhu Family Village. They are afraid that the government will come to investigate in the future, so they are preparing to sell the land and lead the people to Liangshan Marsh with us. If anyone is unwilling to go, they will be dismissed."

This is what Hu Taigong just told Li Hanxiao this morning. Li Hanxiao understands his choice very well. With the strength of their Hu family village, they are the weakest among the three villages of Dulonggang. Even if the Zhu family village is gone, they will have to rely on the Li family village afterward.

Moreover, even without Zhujiazhuang, such a large piece of fertile land as Dulonggang might still be coveted by others. But no matter what, Hujiazhuang will always be at the bottom of the ecological niche.

Moreover, Old Master Hu also discovered that many young people in Hu Family Village now admire Li Hanxiao and want to follow him to Liangshan. If they leave, won't they have to take their families with them? As a result, the population of Hu Family Village will probably be halved.

Now that the people of Hujiazhuang have turned to Li Hanxiao, there is no need for him to stay on Dulonggang any longer. He might as well join Liangshan on his own initiative, which would be considered as investing with his own capital and would also allow him to get better treatment for his children.

Moreover, this old man, Hu Taigong, is a wise and experienced man who has seen countless people. After observing Li Hanxiao these past few days, he felt that this young man had bright eyes, was of noble character, possessed great talent and potential, and was a talent that was one in a million. With Liangshan Marsh so prosperous, he might very well achieve great things in the future.

He had his daughter's marriage in mind. His eldest son, "Flying Tiger" Hu Cheng, was an incompetent man, and there was no hope in relying on him. However, if his daughter, "One-Zhang-Qing" Hu San Niang, married well, their Hu family could have a chance to rise to prominence.

Although he had made many inquiries and learned that Li Hanxiao already had a fiancée with whom he shared a deep affection, he thought to himself that it was normal for a grown man to have multiple wives and concubines. Moreover, the old man believed that with his daughter's looks, as long as she was favored, it didn't matter whether she was the principal wife or not.

Therefore, bringing the entire village to join Liangshan was only the first step in Hu Taigong's plan. There was a second step and a third step. The second step was to marry off his daughter Li Hanxiao, and the third step was to see if the next generation could be produced, preferably a grandson, and preferably a son before that woman could produce one...

"Has Grandfather Hu made his decision? It seems I'm all alone on this Dulonggang Hill..."

Li Ying also felt rather lonely at this moment. If only their Li Family Village remained on Dulonggang, they might not be able to gain an advantage if they faced outsiders alone in the future.

"Yes, that's why I've come today to ask Master Li, how does your estate plan to deal with the impending disaster?"

Li Hanxiao's words completely baffled "Soaring Eagle" Li Ying. "Chief Li, what does this mean? What calamity has befallen us?"

Li Ying was confused. The Zhu Family Village had been wiped out, and the Hu Family Village had also left. Only his Li Family Village remained in Dulonggang. Even if there were outsiders, they wouldn't pose a threat to his Li Family Village in the short term!

What did Li Hanxiao mean by those words?

"Master Li, how could you not understand the implications of this?"

Li Han clapped his hands with a smile, feigning a profound expression, which made "Soaring Eagle" Li Ying even more curious, but also increasingly confused.

"You, Chief Li, must share your brilliant insights with me!"

Li Ying asked.

"It's very simple. We from Liangshan attacked the three villages of Dulonggang. The Zhu Family Village was gone, and the Hu Family Village followed suit. With such a great commotion, will the government find out?"

Li Han asked with a smile.

"Of course we'll know, but what does that have to do with my Li Family Village?"

Li Ying remained completely clueless.

"Master Li, I've made moves against the Zhu Family Village and the Hu Family Village, but I'm not taking any action against you. Why should I?"

Li Hanxiao used reverse thinking to deduce the meaning of what he meant, and immediately made "Soaring Eagle" Li Ying understand what he meant.

Yes, the government doesn't care about so much. Your Li Family Village is the only one that survived the Liangshan bandits, so you're probably an accomplice to them!

Otherwise, why would they attack the other two companies but not you? It doesn't make sense!

Moreover, the Zhu family had been paying tribute to the Yunzhou government, and now such a large source of wealth for the Zhu family was gone. In addition, it was also related to the Li family. Do you think the Yunzhou government would not focus its attention on Li Ying's Li family?

In other words, Li Ying's Li Family Village is now in an awkward and unsafe situation, and under these circumstances, it is feared that they will find it difficult to remain unscathed.

If the government comes to investigate and finds out about Li Family Village, they will either destroy Li Family Village; there will be no room for negotiation.

Li Ying finally understood what was going on, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

This is truly terrifying to think about. Even if Li Ying is incredibly wealthy and willing to spend money, it probably won't work. After all, in the eyes of the officials, he's a fat sheep. If they can bring him down, they'll probably get even more.

It's a hopeless situation now!

"Chief Li, now that you've seen through this, please show me the way forward..."

Li Ying lowered his stance at this moment, asking Li Han with a somewhat pleading tone.

"This matter is difficult. If we confront the government head-on, I'm afraid you, sir, will not be able to prevail, unless..."

"how?"

"Master Li, would you be willing to join the Liangshan bandits? I guarantee you a seat in the top chair."

After Li Hanxiao said this, Li Ying remained silent for a long time.

To be honest, Li Ying had thought about joining Liangshan, but it was just a fleeting thought. If there was a way to avoid joining Liangshan, he would still hope to avoid it.

However, it seems that if he doesn't join Liangshan, his fate won't be good either. But he's not entirely willing to join Liangshan, so he's in a dilemma.

“Our Liangshan Marsh is also a place that acts on behalf of Heaven. We recruit talented people, and naturally we hope that there will be more outstanding people like you, Master Li. However, I will not force you. I will not accept the money for now. Master Li, please consider it for a day and I will come to visit you again.”