Chapter 64: Three Mighty Warriors Join Mount Liangshan

"Leader, how is my unworthy disciple doing now?"

In the end, Wang Jin learned of Shi Jin's situation. The next day, ignoring that he was still applying medicine to his wounds, he came to find Ren Yuan.

"Rest assured, Master Brother, Shi Family Village was not implicated this time. The Black-Clad Guard only confiscated the property, and everyone is safe. I have already dispatched extra personnel there to provide covert protection. When the time comes, Master Brother can write a letter to bring them up the mountain."

"As for Shi Jin, he should have gone to Weizhou. That is the territory of the Junior Prefect, and Gao Qiu's reach is not that long."

The Song Dynasty's Zhong Family Army was truly a legendary force. Spanning three generations from Zhong Shiheng to Zhong E, and then to Zhong Shidao and Zhong Shizhong, it was a major banner of the Song Dynasty's Western Army!

Among them, Zhong E was revered as the "Old Prefect." Even though he had passed away for nearly thirty years, people still remembered him by the title of Old Prefect and Excellency.

Meanwhile, Zhong Shiheng's grandson, Zhong Shidao, was currently known as the Junior Prefect and was stationed in Weizhou (according to the *History of Song*: "At that time, Shidao was advanced in age... through successive promotions he became the Commander of the Four Quarters of the Dragon Spirit Guards, Defense Commissioner of Mingzhou, and Prefect of Weizhou"). Therefore, if Shi Jin headed toward Weizhou, he was going to the Junior Prefect's domain. (There is an amusing historical detail here: because Zhong Shidao later achieved great merit, in his later years, people also called him the Old Prefect, exactly the same as Zhong E.)

Ren Yuan was not worried about Shi Jin. Even if Gao Qiu issued a nationwide warrant, it would be useless; the Junior Prefect was an exceptionally stubborn and upright man who would not give Gao Qiu any face.

Furthermore, Lu Da was also in Weizhou, so Shi Jin would not be isolated and helpless. In any case, the two of them hit it off immediately upon meeting in the original text.

"Alas, it should have been me going there, but who would have thought he would go instead. Fate plays tricks on people!"

Wang Jin felt a mix of emotions. Currently, no one in the martial arts world knew he was on Mount Liang, nor did they know he was "dead." Ren Yuan had not even sent word to Shi Jin's side, fearing it would once again disrupt Shi Jin's growth trajectory.

He had already intercepted the Three Heroes of Mount Shaohua ahead of time; if he interfered blindly again, Shi Jin might never mature properly.

Yet, what he had not expected was that Gao Qiu, utterly devoid of shame, would force Shi Jin into such a plight.

"Leader, I will go write the letter right now, and leave a copy with our scouts at Shi Family Village. The moment Shi Jin returns to the village, he can immediately ascend the mountain." Wang Jin still cared deeply for his disciple and went off to make preparations at once.

Ren Yuan naturally agreed. Shi Jin was a growing martial artist and his own martial nephew—this was a must!

"Call Shi Qian and Bai Huang here. The Scout Battalion needs to step up its efforts!"

The martial world was changing, and Ren Yuan's advantage of foresight was steadily shrinking. He had to seize the time to secure more advantages.

A few days later, at the foot of Mount Liang, a troop of more than four hundred men, driving over thirty carts, was braving the heavy snow as they hurried toward the mountain.

"Big Brother, why are we in such a rush? This is heavy snow we're talking about."

Among the three men walking at the very front of the procession, one could not help asking.

"Indeed, Big Brother, we were doing just fine at Mount Baodu. Why must we come to Mount Liang?"

Another man looked equally puzzled.

"Because Mount Liang is different from other places. Moreover, to avoid Tian Hu, if we must choose a place, this is the best one."

The leading man stood eight feet tall, brave and upright, radiating a heroic spirit of peerless might. In his hand, he carried a refined iron spear that flashed with a chilling light!

This man was none other than the chief leader of Mount Baodu, nicknamed the Mountain-Uprooting Hercules, Tang Bian. Originally a military officer in Pudong, he had been framed by powerful local gentry, killed his enemy, and was forced to wander the lakes and rivers. He was an old acquaintance of Guan Sheng, possessed formidable martial arts skills, and was at the level of the Five Tiger Generals (in the 120-chapter version, he fought Mo Sheng and Ma Jiong alone for a long time before being exhausted and killed by Mo Sheng).

The two men beside him were the other two leaders of Mount Baodu: the Mountain-Moving Hercules, Cui Ye, and the Mountain-Shaking Hercules, Wen Zhongrong (Tang Bian and his companions varied across different versions; in the abridged version, they were the Four Hercules of Returning Wild Goose Peak: Tang Bian, Cui Ye, Wen Zhongrong, and Nie Gong. In the 120-chapter version, they were the Mount Baodu trio: Tang Bian, Cui Ye, and Wen Zhongrong. The 120-chapter version's Mount Baodu combination is used here).

These three men, known as the Three Hercules of Mount Baodu, had been making quite a name for themselves on Mount Baodu over the past half year. Yet shortly before, the chief leader Tang Bian had made an astonishing decision: to lead the entire stronghold in defecting to Mount Liang.

"Brother, doesn't Mount Liang just have a big lake? Why is it so great?"

Wen Zhongrong still felt reluctant to leave his own Mount Baodu.

"First, last year I originally wanted to join Mount Liang, but I met you two good brothers and settled on Mount Baodu instead. But what you don't know is that with this big lake, Mount Liang has natural defenses to rely upon—something our Mount Baodu simply cannot match."

"Second, I have made thorough inquiries. The rules established by Leader Ren Yuan are excellent, and they commit virtually no offenses against the common people. That is a point I deeply appreciate. Most importantly, Mount Liang operates differently from everywhere else in the Song Dynasty, especially compared to Tian Hu's faction. Mount Liang is practically a paradise on earth."

"Third, our Mount Baodu borders Tian Hu's strategically vital territory, and Tian Hu has repeatedly sent men to recruit us. Although we despise him, he commands a massive force, and Mount Baodu cannot be held for long. Rather than waiting, it is better to abandon it proactively."

Tang Bian explained in detail to his two sworn brothers.

"So that's how it is. Then I have no objections."

Wen Zhongrong merely wanted to hear Tang Bian's reasoning; after all, the past six months and more had proven that Big Brother was always right. Whatever Big Brother said, they would follow.

"But Big Brother, Mount Liang is no longer the small stronghold it used to be. Word has it they have a dozen or so leaders and two to three thousand men. If we go to join them now, will they accept us?"

Cui Ye's concern was precisely this issue.

"Rest assured, every single brother on Mount Baodu knows how to ride horses. If nothing goes wrong, Mount Liang currently lacks a cavalry force. When the time comes, our brothers from Mount Baodu will be the founding veterans of Mount Liang's cavalry. Would you say our status will be high or low?"

Relying purely on his own guesswork, Tang Bian deduced that Mount Liang must be preparing to develop its infantry, cavalry, and naval forces. Currently, Mount Liang's infantry and navy already enjoyed some renown in the martial world, while the cavalry had yet to materialize. Tang Bian reckoned that arriving at this moment with over four hundred horse-riding men and more than two hundred horses would truly be providing timely help in the snow!

One had to admit, as someone of imperial army origin, he was entirely different from the outlaws of the marshes!

"Big Brother is indeed far-sighted!"

"That's right, we just need to listen to Big Brother!"

Cui Ye and Wen Zhongrong were convinced. This felt exactly like the time Tang Bian passed through Mount Baodu and they robbed him, only to end up making him their boss.

However, Tang Bian harbored a suspicion that he had not yet shared with his two brothers.

He suspected that Ren Yuan's ultimate objective was not to accept imperial amnesty, which suited his tastes completely. He had originally broken away from the righteous path to walk the dark side of the rivers and lakes; if someone spent their time in the underworld while plotting to crawl back to the legitimate side, what kind of nonsense was that? That was like taking off one's trousers to fart!

("Achoo!" A certain clerk roasting himself by a fire in some manor suddenly sneezed.)

"Who goes there? Coming to Mount Liang's territory with so many people, what is your business?"

Today happened to be the day Mo Sheng and his Third Battalion were on patrol. Seeing such a large troop approaching, Mo Sheng instantly grew vigilant. He immediately led his battalion to form a battle array.

"I am Tang Bian of Pudong, master of Mount Baodu. I have admired Mount Liang for a long time and today bring my brothers from Mount Baodu to join Mount Liang!"

Tang Bian spurred his horse forward and cupped his fists toward Mo Sheng.

"You want to ascend the mountain? Very well, then please wait here for a moment while I report to the Brother."

Although Mo Sheng was delighted that men from another stronghold were willing to join, he dared not make such a major decision on his own given the size of the force. He immediately sent someone to fire a signaling arrow to notify Ren Yuan. At the same time, his troops maintained their formation and remained on high alert.

"Fair enough, then we shall rest here for a bit."

Tang Bian was not offended that Mo Sheng did not immediately grant them entry; instead, he felt that Mount Liang's vigilance was exemplary. Even a seemingly simple-minded leader like this was so alert, which proved that this trip was indeed the right choice.

Thus, he immediately signaled his men to settle down quietly and obediently.

"Go to our nearest tavern and fetch a few buckets of ginger soup. In this heavy snow, if they truly came to join the mountain, we cannot let them freeze."

Watching the Mount Baodu group preparing to rest, Mo Sheng thought for a moment and instructed his subordinates to prepare some cold-weather provisions. After all, it would take some time for word to reach the main stronghold and for a response to come down.

Meanwhile, inside the main stronghold.

"Report! Leader, Military Advisor, Leader Mo Sheng reports that a troop has arrived at the foot of the mountain, claiming they want to join the stronghold en masse. Their leader calls himself Tang Bian of Mount Baodu, and Leader Mo Sheng asks the Brother for instructions."

Ren Yuan was in the middle of discussing with Zhu Wu and Qiao Daoqing how to further refine Mount Liang's regulations and plan their next stage of development. Hearing that Tang Bian had arrived, he immediately laughed heartily, grabbed Zhu Wu and Qiao Daoqing, and dashed outside.

"Two Military Advisors, hurry, come with me to welcome Brother Tang Bian."

"Hey, Brother, slow down. This little brother can run, I can run on my own."

Zhu Wu was accustomed to Ren Yuan's antics. His brother seemed to have memorized the roster of every hero under heaven in his own heart; as soon as a name was mentioned, he could rattle off all their details. It seemed his brother's ambitions were truly extraordinary!

"Brother, what extraordinary talents does this Brother Tang Bian possess?"

Qiao Daoqing followed closely behind, matching Ren Yuan's pace without needing to be pulled along.

"Hehe, once he arrives, our stronghold's cavalry will be complete!"