xymnovel Chapter 35 Yanggu County, Wu Song
Chapter 35 Yanggu County, Wu Song
Lei Heng's mouth was agape, and he couldn't close it for a long time.
Song Jiang's eyes lit up.
Wu Yong, fanning himself, said, "Captain, what my brother says makes sense. Rather than letting these people cause trouble everywhere, we should recruit them. We can pay them monthly wages and establish rules. Anyone who causes trouble again will be dealt with according to family law. This way, we can both reassure the people and give us more manpower."
Lei Heng scratched his head and thought for a long time.
"No one has ever thought of this idea before, brother. But... what about Meng Zhanpeng? He smashed up the rice shop, are we just going to let it go like that?"
Liu Bei smiled.
"Let it go? Of course not. Meng Zhanpeng is the toughest nut to crack among this group of hooligans. Once we take him down, the rest will be easier. But to crack him down, we need to find a sharp enough knife."
Lei Heng's eyes lit up: "Brother, do you mean to hire an expert?"
"Yes," Liu Bei said. "You've served in Yuncheng County for many years, do you know of any such person?"
Lei Heng thought for a moment and shook his head: "I'm afraid there isn't such a person in the county."
Liu Bei then looked at Sun Sheng: "You're well-informed, do you know?"
Sun Sheng scratched his head, which aggravated his wound, causing him to wince in pain.
He thought for a while, and then his eyes suddenly lit up.
"Got it!"
Liu Bei looked at him with great interest: "Who?"
Sun Sheng's face held an expression of near-adoration.
"In Yanggu County, a hundred miles away from here, a new constable recently arrived. His surname is Wu, and his given name is Song."
"I've heard that this man is incredibly strong, possessing the strength of ten thousand men. Some time ago, he single-handedly, bare-handed, killed a large, white-browed tiger on Jingyang Ridge!"
"The magistrate of Yanggu County admired his bravery and specially appointed him as the infantry captain."
Lei Heng's eyes widened: "My goodness, he killed a giant tiger with his bare hands? Is this a human or a god descended from heaven?"
The people inside were all taken aback.
Only Liu Bei's eyes flashed with a sharp light.
Fighting a tiger with bare hands!
"There are such people?" he asked again in surprise.
"Absolutely true!" Sun Sheng nodded vigorously. "These days in Shandong, who doesn't know Wu Song, the tiger-slaying hero of Jingyang Ridge!"
Liu Bei stood up and paced around the room a couple of times.
He stopped and clapped his hands hard.
"Let's go to Yanggu County and meet this tiger-slaying commander, Chief Wu."
……
Yanggu County.
The county town is not large, but it is lined with shops and bustling with people.
Liu Bei, Song Jiang, and Wu Yong rode their horses and inquired along the way, and soon found the county government office.
Instead of going in, they sat down at a tea stall across the street.
"Shopkeeper, I'd like to ask you about someone." Wu Yong called out to the tea server who was refilling the water.
"Please tell me, sir."
"Do you know where Wu Song, the newly arrived constable in your county, is now?"
Upon hearing that the question was about Wu Song, the tea server immediately perked up, and his face showed some reverence.
"You mean Wu Erlang, the tiger-slayer? He's a hero of Yanggu County! Normally, at this time, he'd be training soldiers in the barracks west of the county. But today…"
The tea master pointed to a spot not far away.
"Look, isn't that it?"
The three of them looked in the direction he pointed.
A large crowd had gathered at a street corner not far away.
A quarrel broke out in the center of the crowd.
A burly man stood there, listening to two men tearing at each other and blaming each other.
The burly man was eight feet tall, with a dignified appearance, eyes that shone like cold stars, and eyebrows as black as if painted with lacquer. He wore only an ordinary blue cloth robe, yet he possessed an aura of heroic stature that made the surrounding noise seem three parts less loud.
It was Wu Song.
One man pointed at the other's nose and cursed, "You scoundrel, you bought three catties of pig's head meat on credit from my butcher shop yesterday, saying you'd pay me back today. Why are you pretending not to recognize me now that we're face to face?"
The other man retorted, "Bullshit! When have I ever eaten your flesh? You're trying to extort money from me in the street!"
The two were arguing and it looked like they were about to come to blows.
After listening, Wu Song didn't ask any questions, but simply walked up to the butcher.
He reached out and gently patted the man on the shoulder.
The butcher was a big, burly man. When Wu Song slapped him, he cried out "Ouch!" and half of his body went limp.
Wu Song then spoke, his voice steady and calm.
"Your hands, worn from years of wielding knives, have calluses on your thumbs and knuckles. The stench emanating from you can be smelled from three feet away. You're a butcher, no doubt about it."
He then walked up to another man.
"Look at him again," Wu Song pointed at the butcher, "He's a whole size bigger than you. If it really came down to a fight, you wouldn't stand a chance against him. Why doesn't he hit you, but instead drags you here to judge?"
"Because he is in the right."
"And you," Wu Song's gaze fell on the man's face, "your eyes are evasive, your words are evasive, you clearly have something to hide."
"I'll ask you one more time, did you eat those three pounds of pig's head meat, or not?"
When the man was stared at by Wu Song, he felt as if he were being stared at by a fierce tiger. His legs went weak and he knelt down on the spot.
"Sir, spare me! I... I ate it! I was momentarily bewitched, please forgive me!"
Wu Song snorted.
"Paying back debts is a matter of course. Pay back the money and apologize to this man."
"Yes, yes!"
He resolved the dispute clearly in just a few words.
The surrounding people cheered loudly.
At the tea stall, Liu Bei clapped his hands and praised, "Courageous, resourceful, and insightful. What a fine Commander Wu!"
He stood up, led Song Jiang and Wu Yong through the crowd, and walked to Wu Song.
"Captain Wu, would you do me the honor of having a cup of tea?"
Seeing that the newcomer was imposing and that the two people accompanying him were also no ordinary people, Wu Song cupped his hands in greeting.
"May I ask who the three of you are?"
Liu Bei laughed and said, "Dongxi Village, Chao Gai."
Song Jiang also cupped his hands in greeting: "Song Jiang, from Yuncheng County."
Upon hearing these two names, Wu Song's face immediately showed a mixture of surprise and delight.
Chao Gai, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King! Song Jiang, the Timely Rain!
These were all heroes he had long admired!
"So it's Brother Chao Gai and Brother Song Jiang!" Wu Song quickly returned the greeting with a deep bow, his face beaming with genuine joy. "I, Wu Song, am truly sorry for my rudeness!"
"I've heard your names so many times during my travels that I'm practically sick of them! To meet you today is truly an honor!"
Liu Bei quickly helped him up, saying, "Wu Erlang, you're too kind. Your feat of slaying the tiger on Jingyang Ridge is a true heroic act!"
The group complimented each other, creating a lively atmosphere.
Wu Song, being straightforward, said, "This isn't the place to talk. If you two gentlemen don't mind, please come to my home, where I'll prepare some wine and water to show you the hospitality of a host!"
Liu Bei had the same idea, and immediately smiled and said, "In that case, I'll have to trouble you."
Wu Song led the way, and the three followed behind.
After crossing two streets, we arrived at a building facing the street.
It was a two-story wooden building; the ground floor was a shop, and the upper floor was for living quarters.
At that moment, a short man was carrying a load on a shoulder pole as he returned from outside.
The man was ugly, had a ridiculous mind, and was less than five feet tall. The locals gave him a nickname: "Three-Inch Dwarf, Tree Bark".
He was Wu Song's elder brother, Wu Da.
When Wu Da saw Wu Song leading three guests back, he quickly put down his load and put on a hurried yet warm smile.
"Erlang, who are these people?"
Wu Song stepped forward, took the load, and said to Wu Da, "Brother, let me introduce you. This is Chao Gai, the head of Dongxi Village; this is Song Jiang, the clerk of Yuncheng County; and this is Wu Yong, the scholar. They are all renowned heroes of the Jianghu!"
Upon hearing this, Wu Da was startled to hear that he was both a baozheng (village head) and a yashi (clerk), and immediately tried to bow.
Liu Bei quickly stepped forward and helped him up.
"Wu Dalang, there's no need for such formalities. We are Erlang's friends, so we are your friends as well."
Wu Song said to Wu Da, "Brother, go to the street and buy some good wine and meat, and have my sister-in-law prepare some delicious dishes. Today, I want to have a good drink with you two!"
Wu Da readily agreed, then took out several strings of copper coins from his pocket and happily went out to buy them.
Wu Song invited the three men into the house.
The house wasn't big, but it was very clean.
The group took their seats as host and guests, and Wu Song personally poured tea for the three of them.
Looking at Song Jiang and Liu Bei, he said with emotion, "To tell you the truth, my parents died when I was young, and I was raised by you."
"He worked from dawn till dusk every day, selling steamed buns. He would spend every single copper coin he earned on food and clothes, not on himself. If anyone bullied me, he would use his thin body to shield me."
"In my heart, he is my elder brother in name, but in reality, he is my father."
His eyes reddened slightly as he spoke.
Upon hearing this, Song Jiang repeatedly exclaimed, "Brother Wu is a man of great righteousness, and Erlang is also a loyal and righteous hero."
As the group was talking, they heard the stairs creak, and a woman came down from upstairs carrying a plate of sliced cooked beef.
"Uncle, the meat is here."
The woman walked to the table and put the plate down.
Liu Bei looked up and saw that the woman's eyebrows were like willow leaves in early spring, often carrying a hint of sorrow and resentment; her face was like peach blossoms in March, secretly harboring charm and allure. Her eyes were sparkling, and her lips were luscious and tempting.
However, when she saw three unfamiliar male guests sitting in the hall, her hand holding the plate paused slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed across her face.
Liu Bei's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
He had seen countless people in his past life and could tell at a glance.
The beautiful woman before me, with the lingering resentment and longing in her eyes, was clearly a long-suffering, resentful woman.