Magical Water Margin: They all call me brother

Page 39

“Your Honor, Song Jiang is willing to share your burdens and solve the Liangshan problem.”

"Oh? Does the clerk have a brilliant plan?!"

Shi Wenbin quickly helped Song Jiang up. This woman was the eldest daughter of the local Song family magistrate. Because she was the third among her brothers in the clan, she was called Black Third Sister. She was quite wealthy and charitable. Whenever someone in trouble in the Jianghu found Song Jiang, she would always give them money.

Over time, he gained widespread respect and was known as "Timely Rain" by the people of the martial arts world.

“As long as the magistrate trusts me, Song Jiang will surely be able to solve your biggest problem.”

Song Jiang spoke with confidence, his face, which was as innocent as a child yet as beautiful as a mature woman, with a pair of peach-colored pupils that radiated a deadly cold light.

"Then, how many soldiers do you need, clerk? Last time, the militia commander Huang An lost a lot of his militia, and this time, Captain Lei Heng lost his infantry as well. I can only send you the cavalry captain Zhu Tong and more than ninety cavalrymen."

"No, I don't want a single soldier."

Song Jiang shook his head confidently.

“Song Jiang only needs a small boat and a boatman to go to Liangshan. At that time, with just a few words, Song Jiang will surely make the Liangshan bandits retreat and the magistrate’s worries will be completely dispelled.”

"Oh? That's good. Then, clerk, please be careful."

The magistrate had no other choice at the moment. Seeing Song Jiang's confidence, he nodded in agreement. The next day, Song Jiang boarded a small boat and headed to Liangshan. He was discovered almost the instant he set off and the news was reported to the leaders of the southern stronghold.

"Chief! Something terrible has happened! Government ships have been spotted in Liangshan Marsh and are approaching the main camp to the south!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd celebrating in Dazhai was immediately startled.

"How many people came?"

Liu Hong calmly said that only when the leader is not afraid can the people below remain calm. If the leader is afraid and becomes anxious, the others will only become more anxious.

"Just one boat, two people, carrying the banner 'Timely Rain Song Gongming,' it seems to be Sister Song Jiang, known in the martial arts world as the Timely Rain. We have already sent out boats to intercept them, I just came to deliver the message first."

The scout said hesitantly.

Song Jiang? Coming alone?

Liu Hong was also somewhat bewildered.

"Boss! We've intercepted Song Jiang's boat! She says she represents Yuncheng County and wants to negotiate with you!"

At that moment, another messenger rushed into the room to report the latest situation.

"Then let her in. I want to hear what this famous Timely Rain has to say."

Liu Hong was also somewhat curious at this moment, so he nodded and allowed Song Jiang to enter his stronghold.

After a while, Song Jiang entered the stronghold under the escort of a group of soldiers. The petite and slender girl was confident and composed, and her youthful and beautiful face was mature and gorgeous.

Standing over a meter tall, he remained unfazed by the imposing presence of a group of 2.1-meter and 2.5-meter tall men present. What a timely rain from Shandong!

"So it's Clerk Song. I've long admired your name. May I ask what brings you here, Clerk Song?"

Liu Hong sat in the main seat, looking down at Song Jiang below the stage. To his right were Wu Song, Pan Jinlian, Lü Fang, and Du Qian, all sitting upright. To his left were Suo Chao, Li Cunxiao, Guo Sheng, and Song Wan, lined up in a row. Nine leaders, twenty pairs of eyes, all stared at Song Jiang, creating an astonishingly oppressive atmosphere!

To be fair, Song Jiang, the Heavenly Star, was undeniably capable, but her actions were truly disliked. For the sake of official robes, she accepted the imperial amnesty, causing the deaths of countless brothers, and ultimately even leading to her own demise. Liu Hong had no good feelings towards her.

"You must be Liu Hong, the Great Sage Who Conquers Heaven. I've heard so much about you. Brother, you have twice defeated the government army and your name is known throughout Jizhou. I admire you greatly."

Song Jiang bowed respectfully, praising Liu Hong's achievements, then changed the subject to attract Liu Hong's attention.

"But this time, I'm here to save my brother's life. He's in big trouble!"

"how do I say this?"

Liu Hong frowned.

"I've heard about my brother's plundering of the birthday gifts and his righteous killing of the wealthy landowners. Now, everyone in Yuncheng praises my brother and gives him a thumbs up! There's no doubt about his loyalty! But the direction he's taken is wrong."

Song Jiang first flattered Liu Hong to make him happy before changing the subject.

"Our Great Song Dynasty has 800,000 Imperial Guards and 3 million Garrison Troops, a powerful and mighty army! If you can defeat 1,500 Garrison Troops, can you defeat 15,000, 150,000, or 1.5 million Garrison Troops?!"

Song Jiang was deeply worried and began to offer advice and strategies to Liu Hong.

"The only reason these local troops haven't been mobilized is that Emperor Zhao doesn't think you pose a significant threat and it's not worth wasting such extravagant resources. However, your current actions are challenging Emperor Zhao's most sensitive nerve—that is, taxation."

"There is a saying in the Song Dynasty that only death and taxes are unavoidable. You have now conquered fifteen villages under the jurisdiction of Yuncheng County, distributed the land to nearly ten thousand villagers, and even driven away our newly appointed landlords."

But have you considered the consequences? If the taxes aren't collected by autumn, the county magistrate will report to the prefect, the prefect to the transport commissioner, and the transport commissioner to Emperor Zhao. To recover these taxes, Emperor Zhao will do anything. All that awaits you is endless retaliation and trouble.

"So you mean you want me to relinquish control of fifteen villages? Even Zhu Tong and Lei Heng's government troops couldn't make me retreat, and you're just going to spout off something you've already got?"

Liu Hong frowned.

"No, no, no, quite the opposite. What I mean is, Brother Liu Hong, you should become the steward of these fifteen villages. You should be responsible for collecting grain from these fifteen villages and handing over one-tenth of the tax revenue to the imperial court."

Song Jiang shook his head repeatedly, revealing his true purpose, which surprised Liu Hong.

"You see, the magistrate of Yuncheng County is just a minor official sent here by the imperial court, and I am just a minor clerk selected from the local scholars. As long as we can maintain appearances, we are already doing right by the salary given by Emperor Zhao."

"Our Song Family Village is renowned far and wide for its care for the villagers and its benevolence towards the common people. I've long been displeased with those wicked landlords who prey on the people, but unfortunately, I lack the power to deal with them. Great Sage's actions have certainly pleased Song Jiang!"

"If you could become the landlord of fifteen villages, firstly, the local people would live in peace and prosperity under your rule, and would not be oppressed by other landlords. Secondly, the officials of Yuncheng would be able to perform their duties without being punished by their superiors. Thirdly, after collecting taxes, the higher-ups would not investigate, allowing you to continue to live a carefree life in Liangshan. This is truly a win-win-win situation."

Song Jiang explained his plan, attempting to create a peaceful coexistence between officials and bandits in Yuncheng County, making both sides feel comfortable.

Chapter 83: Development of Bamboo-to-Iron Firearms

"Of course, if you can release the captured militia commander Huang An, infantry captain Lei Heng, and the two hundred garrison soldiers from Yuncheng, we can better conceal the true situation of Liangshan from our superiors. This would be beneficial to both of us, wouldn't it?"

Song Jiang spoke again.

After careful consideration, Liu Hong realized that Song Jiang's suggestion was indeed reasonable. Apart from releasing the prisoners, he could accept the other conditions.

But this could also be a delaying tactic—it is said that the prefect of Jizhou resigned and returned to the capital to apologize, leaving the entire Jizhou leaderless. A mere magistrate of Yuncheng County is no match for her, and she may be waiting for the prefect to return.

"Clerk, the future you described is indeed wonderful, but how can I trust you? Once the governor of Jeju takes office, won't he come looking for trouble with me?"

Liu Hong countered with a question.

"I vouch for it with my reputation in the underworld."

Song Jiang spoke with neither arrogance nor servility, saying that in the Song Dynasty, loyalty and integrity were paramount in the world of martial arts. That's why Du Qian immediately switched sides the moment Wang Lun decided to betray them; she didn't want to tarnish her reputation as a "righteous man."

If even a lowly bandit leader like Du Qian was like this, the renowned Timely Rain would be even less willing to tarnish his name with such a thing—it's like the oath sworn by the Luo River; if you break it once, the title of Timely Rain will be completely ruined, and mentioning it again will be useless.

“Great Sage, there’s no need to be so anxious. In fact, the county magistrate is unwilling to report it.”

Song Jiang patiently and skillfully guided him.

"Look, the prefect of Jizhou commanded such a large-scale attack on Liangshan, and after one failure, he lost his post and went to the capital to be punished."

"Does the magistrate of Yuncheng really want this defeat to be exposed and cause him to lose his official position? On this matter, our interests are aligned."

After careful consideration, Liu Hong realized that Song Jiang's words made sense. Liangshan was indeed still developing. As long as he gave the government some face and the magistrate of Yuncheng could report back to his superiors, he could gain a lot of stable development time, allowing him to train troops, educate bandits, and advance technology.

The officials in Yuncheng may make a small profit from this deal, but I will definitely not lose out.

Thinking of this, Liu Hong took a deep breath, immediately changed his expression, and personally got up from his chair and came to Song Jiang's side.

“My sister is a lifesaver! She has saved your brother from an urgent crisis! Good! I am willing to guarantee that fifteen villages will pay taxes to Yuncheng, but I have four conditions.”

"Brother, please speak freely."

When Song Jiang heard Liu Hong agree, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"First, I will only release the local militia. In the end, you are an official and I am a bandit. I need a guarantee. In case you go back on your word, I need to have hostages. Huang An and Lei Heng are those two hostages."

Liu Hong gripped a Heavenly Star and a Militia Commander tightly, refusing to let go.

"Yes, but you must treat them with the courtesy due to a hostage, and you cannot put them in a cell."

Song Jiang frowned. Although it was hard to accept, this was probably the bandit's bottom line. He had to keep the hostage to put his mind at ease.

"Secondly, Liangshan is currently lacking everything. My men need to enter the market in Yuncheng County to buy daily necessities. My sister must protect the merchants of Liangshan. As long as they do not openly cause trouble, Zhu Tong cannot arrest them on the spot just because they come from Liangshan."

Liu Hongyi spoke with righteous indignation.

"Of course, my sister agreed. She'll tell Zhu Tong and Lei Heng when we get out."

Song Jiang nodded in agreement.

"Third, my people will continue to expand—but rest assured, in the future we will conquer more villages and continue to implement the policy of redistributing land to wealthy landowners, but we will pay every penny of the taxes due to the Song Dynasty court, and will not make things difficult for my sister."

Liu Hong continued to state his conditions.

"This—will work too."

Song Jiang thought about it for a moment and decided it didn't matter. Even if he refused, the troops in Yuncheng County were no longer able to stop these madmen in the wild.

"Fourth, Liangshan lacks skilled workers, especially blacksmiths. Most merchants and businessmen are gathered in the county town. I will send my men to Yuncheng County to recruit blacksmiths and purchase blast furnaces. You must not obstruct me. If my sister knows of any good blacksmiths, please supply them to me. That would be the best outcome."

“That’s no problem either. I have a few good blacksmiths in Songjiazhuang. If you need one, I can give you one.”

The last and most important issue for Liangshan was actually the least important to Song Jiang: a few blacksmiths, let them go wherever they want.

"In that case, I will grant all of my sister's requests."

After the two sides reached an agreement, they were both very satisfied. Liu Hong quickly released the two hundred prisoners and, under Song Jiang's watchful eye, moved the infantry captain who had been whipped for several days and forcibly stopped before each climax from the dark prison to a bedside confinement.

Lei Heng glared fiercely at Liu Hong, his eyes so sharp they seemed capable of tearing a piece of flesh from his skin.

Song Jiang first introduced all the blacksmiths from his own manor and Yuncheng County, one by one, to Liangshan, and promised that from then on, Yuncheng County would be undefended against Liangshan. As long as you don't go too far, we won't cause you any trouble. Both sides were very satisfied, and a state of collusion between officials and bandits was formed.

With the blacksmith at his disposal, Liu Hong could finally begin working on what he had always longed for—the fire lance.

This thing is the ancestor of all firearms; even Song Wan's rat-men used it. It's just a straight stick. The front part is a hollow, thick bamboo tube; the expanded middle part is the gunpowder chamber, with a small ignition hole on the outer wall; the back part is a straight wooden stick for holding. The wooden stick and the hollow bamboo stick are connected by glue, cloth, or wedges, and there are many other methods.

When it was fired, gunpowder was first loaded into the muzzle, then stones were inserted, and a burning torch was inserted into a small hole in the outer wall to ignite it. With a loud bang, the shock wave of the gunpowder explosion burst forward along the hollow thick bamboo tube, launching stones or projectiles. The maximum range of the projectiles could reach 200 meters, but the power was only so-so.

“Great Sage, what are you going to do with this? The Divine Arm Crossbow is several times more powerful than the Fire Spear. Instead of wasting time, we should build a few Divine Arm Crossbows and try them out. There are blueprints for Divine Arm Crossbows on the market. Although we haven’t built any before, we know the basic principles.”

The three craftsmen looked at Liu Hong's request with utter bewilderment.

"This fire lance was just an experimental product. Its power was so-so, but its rate of fire was even slower than that of a crossbow. The time it took to reload was enough for a crossbow to fire three or four times. The army was too lazy to equip it with anything. This thing was a waste product that was abandoned because it was a misguided attempt to advance technology."

"No, listen to me, replace bamboo with iron, and glue with welding. This will greatly increase its power. Can you forge hollow, thick iron pipes? The thicker the better!"

Liu Hong confidently offered his suggestions for improvement: "This thing isn't useless; it's just that people in the Northern Song Dynasty didn't figure out how to use it. A bamboo barrel? It would be a miracle if this fire lance was powerful."

"It's not impossible. We can try to make a sheet of iron, roll it into a cylinder, heat the two ends of the iron sheet, melt them, stick them together, and let them cool and set."

After some thought, a craftsman provided a solution.

"Alternatively, we could create a mold, melt the iron into molten iron, pour it in, and directly cast this hollow iron pipe, which would be much faster."

"That's right, that's it. You guys figure it out. After replacing bamboo with iron, the gunpowder capacity will be greatly increased, and the power of the bullets will also be greatly increased!"

After Liu Hong showed the blacksmith the real way to play with the fire lance, he arranged for someone to take money to Yuncheng County to buy a large quantity of fireworks and gunpowder. If all else failed, they could directly buy raw materials such as charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter—buy as much as they could!

My Liangshan army is only at the level of a local militia, so there's no need to be afraid if the Northern Song's local militia comes to fight.

However, if they wanted to defeat the armored Imperial Guards and the swift-moving Zhu Tong's cavalry, they could only rely on these fire lances.

Chapter 84: Glue Replaced with Welding and Embedded into the Stone Edge

Three skilled blacksmiths, with the help of twelve apprentices from Liangshan, started working on the bellows, added firewood, and began forging the fire spear in a great hurry.

Strangely, all twelve blacksmith apprentices were Song Wan's ratmen. These guys weren't good at fighting and were even kicked out of the combat ranks to be transferred to logistics, but when it came to making these firearms, each one showed extraordinary talent.

Soon, the first fire lance, modified from bamboo to iron and from glue to welding, was completed according to Liu Hong's vision. Several craftsmen carefully tested the amount of gunpowder loaded and were surprised to find that the gunpowder explosion limit that could withstand after the bamboo was replaced with iron was ten times greater!

After the blacksmiths carefully loaded ten times the amount of gunpowder into the gun barrel, they fired a bullet and aimed at the target 100 meters away. With a thunderous roar, the steel-forged gun barrel suddenly trembled, and two dazzling bursts of light erupted from the muzzle and the chamber, followed by a plume of white smoke.

A bullet, carrying the ferocity of a fiery dragon, tore through the white smoke of sulfur and saltpeter, whistling as it hurtled toward its target! Even the blacksmith who fired the shot was jolted back a step by the recoil!

The group rushed forward to check the test results and found that the bullet had not hit the target at all; it had missed by a full foot, but had embedded itself deeply into the rock behind the target.

"My God! Legend has it that only a legendary figure like General Li Guang could draw his bow and shoot an arrow into a stone! But now, we've actually replicated General Li Guang's divine power with our fire-spear lances?!"

The craftsmen were stunned to see the weapon they had developed possessed such power, while Liu Hong was simply used to it.

It was the Song Dynasty, not the Han Dynasty. Fire muskets didn't face any insurmountable technological barriers in this era. The only problem was that people at the time didn't know how to develop the technology for firearms. In addition, the technology of crossbows was already very advanced, crowding out the space for early firearms. Song Dynasty craftsmen felt that it was pointless to play around with them, which is why they didn't promote them for a long time.

Liu Hong, however, used his modern knowledge to point them in the right direction.

With his burning vision, he could even see the specific attributes of the fire lance.

A very basic wooden crossbow has 1 to 8 points of physical damage.

A Huanghua crossbow, commonly used by the Song army, has a penetration damage of 1 to 12 points, which is already terrifying. This thing doesn't deal physical damage that can be resisted by armor, but rather the much more valuable armor-piercing damage! It can already pose a threat to heavily armored soldiers.

A single crossbow, embodying the Song army's top technology, deals an astonishing 2 to 24 points of armor-piercing damage. Even a fierce general like Suo Chao was terrified when faced with a barrage of twenty crossbows and was nearly shot dead on his way to the front.