Chapter 100

The evening breeze blowing over the vast lake brought a touch of coolness to the sweltering summer night. At that moment, two scholars stood on the high ground of Liang'erwa, gazing at the starlit sky, sharing their innermost thoughts.

"Is this the place where the chieftain was struck by lightning?" Wen Huanzhang looked around with great interest, imagining the scene of that night.

Wang Lun smiled and said, "Did you drag me here just to ask this?" He wondered who had told this person about the events of that night, insisting on dragging him here late at night, saying he must pay his respects.

"Extraordinary people must have extraordinary things happen to them! Although I am not good at reading faces or fortune-telling, after that long talk with the chieftain that night, I suddenly saw things clearly! Perhaps it was the heavens that favored the chieftain, bestowing a divine light upon you!" Wen Huanzhang smiled at Wang Lun.

Since that night when he heard Wang Lun's views on righteousness and benevolence, he had become very interested and puzzled. He couldn't understand why this scholar was so confident about his future. After all, to resist the entire Song Dynasty with a small territory was far more difficult than just a word could describe. Thus, during the month when Wang Lun was in Hebei, Wen Huanzhang thought hard but could not find an answer. That night, he finally waited for Wang Lun to return and sought his advice. After a night of long talk, Wen Huanzhang suddenly understood and immediately agreed to come out of seclusion, taking the position of military advisor on Liangshan, willing to assist Wang Lun.

"I hope you will continue to support me in the future. Otherwise, with my own strength alone, it will be very difficult to achieve anything!" Wang Lun looked at the starry sky and sighed.

On the day Wen Huanzhang took up the position of military advisor, his first action was to temporarily resolve the pressing issues of the stronghold. He proposed that with the number of leaders exceeding twenty, and more talents expected to join in the future, they should temporarily stop ranking the leaders. They could rank them all at once when the time was right. This proposal was agreed upon by Wang Lun and the other leaders, marking the first success of his tenure as military advisor.

"The chieftain is too modest! Although the chieftain often goes out, the leaders work together, each performing their duties, making the stronghold thrive. I can only look on with envy, wishing I were ten years younger!" Wen Huanzhang smiled. After a moment of sighing, he added, "When does the chieftain plan to take action, so I can be prepared?"

Wang Lun turned to look at his military advisor and said, "It's far too early to talk about that now! According to my plan, we need at least a hundred leaders and ten thousand elite troops to have a seventy percent chance of success! Otherwise, acting rashly would be a joke with the lives of my brothers!"

Wen Huanzhang nodded thoughtfully and said, "The number of leaders and troops is less than twenty percent of what the chieftain envisions. It's indeed not advisable to act rashly. If we draw the attention of the court, and the imperial army is sent, even if we have the best luck and defeat the local troops, the emperor will send the imperial guards. Even if we defeat the imperial guards, he still has the northern border troops. Even if we defeat the northern border troops, he still has nearly two hundred thousand battle-hardened western troops. We cannot afford to waste our resources, or we might exhaust our hard-earned foundation!"

Wang Lun nodded and sighed, "I think the same way. As the saying goes, 'accumulate grain and delay declaring kingship.' What I need most now is time. After rescuing our brothers Xiao Rang and Jin Dajian, I plan to go to Jiankang personally. There is a divine doctor named An Daoquan there, who is a person we urgently need. Besides, I have promised to help a brother in Daming, and after getting this divine doctor, I will ask him to treat the mother of that brother!"

"Accumulate grain and delay declaring kingship?" Wen Huanzhang was greatly impressed and praised, "What a great idea!" However, when Wang Lun mentioned the heroes he met in the north, Wen Huanzhang thought for a moment and replied, "Daming? Who is the hero that the chieftain values so much? Is it not the unparalleled spearman Yu Qilin?"

Wang Lun smiled and shook his head, "That Lu Yewai is living a comfortable life as a wealthy man. This person is not him, but he is no less capable! His name is Xu Guanzhong. He is proficient in military strategy, martial arts, and tactics, and is knowledgeable in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. He is a man of both literary and martial talent, and most importantly, he understands military geography and strategy!" If Wen Huanzhang is his "Xiao He," then Xu Guanzhong can be considered the "Zhang Liang" of the era.

"Such a talented person, why didn't the chieftain invite him?" Wen Huanzhang sighed. He was highly talented and broad-minded, not worried about being overshadowed by more advisors. Instead, he genuinely felt that the stronghold lacked talent and wished to gather all the capable people to achieve great things together.

"Filial sons come from families of loyal ministers. His mother is ill, and as a son, he must fulfill his filial duty. I cannot force him. If we have the chance, we will meet eventually!" Wang Lun sighed.

Wen Huanzhang nodded in agreement, "Let's discuss this further. As the chieftain said, if we have the chance, we will meet eventually!"

As they were discussing, two people ran up the mountain path. The leader was Wang Lun's strong and honest personal leader, Jiao Ting, followed by a robust man. Wen Huanzhang turned and said, "It seems Chao Gai has been at Erlong Mountain for some time!"

Wang Lun nodded and smiled, "Why didn't you rest for a night before returning? Why rush through the night, which is not safe?"

The man bowed to both of them and smiled, "Brother, that stronghold is now given to Chao Gai, so I am an outsider. How can I feel good as a guest? Besides, they are not comfortable with me there, making me neither a guest nor a host, which is awkward for everyone. I might as well come back!"

Wang Lun nodded and heard Wen Huanzhang laugh, "Zhipei, have you completed the handover?"

"Reporting to the military advisor, it's all done! At first, Chao Gai was very polite, saying there was no need for a handover. He said even a grain of rice or a copper coin would be a token of brotherhood. But when I led him to the warehouse, these people were stunned. That red-haired man kept shouting about brotherhood and insisted on drinking with me, almost keeping me from returning!" Jiang Zhipei laughed.

"I demanded 70,000 strings of cash from Chao Gai outside Xixi Village and cost him over a hundred lives. Although no one mentions it now, it remains a thorn in his heart. Now that our stronghold is no longer short of money, and he is in a difficult situation, I returned his 70,000 strings of cash as capital, so he has no regrets. The 2,000 stones of grain can be considered payment for the 700 laborers who worked for us for several months, enough to support him for two or three months, so he won't be in a difficult situation when he arrives at the stronghold!" Wang Lun sighed, "This way, our past grievances are settled!"

"No wonder the Tower-Bearing Heavenly King couldn't say a word when he saw the money and grain in the warehouse, just tears in his eyes. It was the Taoist Gong Sun who pulled me aside and said many words of gratitude. They just asked me to bring their best wishes to the brother and said they would be willing to die for him if needed!" Jiang Zhipei laughed.

"Alright, Zhipei, you've worked hard. Go rest now, and I'll record your service tomorrow!" Wang Lun nodded.

"What service? Working under the brother is a joy, making my heart feel open and bright. It's my good fortune! What service? Brother, don't say such formalities! I'll go down now, and you and the military advisor can chat!" Jiang Zhipei bowed and turned to leave.

"This kid is not bad, a talent!" Wen Huanzhang laughed.

"When we were in Mengzhou, we just wanted to let him go, but Lu Tixia immediately saw his potential, truly a keen eye!" Wang Lun laughed. Seeing Wang Lun laugh, Jiao Ting also laughed foolishly. Wang Lun, seeing his state, asked with a smile, "Brother, how are things with Jin'er?"

"That girl looks at me as if I have no nose or eyes! She treats everyone well but never shows a good face to me!" Jiao Ting said, feeling wronged, and sniffed, as if very aggrieved.

Wang Lun and Wen Huanzhang laughed heartily. Wen Huanzhang said, "Jiao Ting, the more she acts like this, the more she cares about you. You feel wronged, but others would be happy to feel wronged!"

Jiao Ting was taken aback and then overjoyed, "Brother, is what the military advisor said true?"

Wang Lun nodded with a smile, "I think you've known each other for over half a year. After she scolds you for another half a year, I'll personally go to Lin Instructor to propose marriage!"

Jiao Ting was overjoyed, "Hearing you say that, I'll go and let her scold me again!" He quickly ran to the back of the mountain, then suddenly remembered something and turned back, hurriedly bowing to Wen Huanzhang, "Military advisor, don't be angry with me!"

Wen Huanzhang turned to Wang Lun and laughed, then said to Jiao Ting, "Why only ask me not to be angry, not the chieftain?"

Jiao Ting blushed, "Brother has never been angry with me!"

Wang Lun laughed, "Go, go! The military advisor is family, how could he be angry with you?" Jiao Ting then left with a smile, and Wen Huanzhang shook his head and laughed, "This man is straightforward!"

The two laughed and talked for a while. Wen Huanzhang then asked, "How do you plan to rescue Xiao Rang and Jin Dajian? Do you have a plan?"

Wang Lun smiled and looked at Wen Huanzhang, "This all depends on one person!" (To be continued. Please search for Piaowen.com for better and faster updates!)

PS: The second chapter today was updated late, I'm truly sorry!

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