xymnovel Chapter 108 Wang Lun Punishes the Salt Gang in Luzhou
Chapter 108 Wang Lun Punishes the Salt Gang in Luzhou
Upon hearing Lu Zhishen speak, Wang Lun burst into laughter, leaving the others bewildered.
The Song Dynasty was in a state of great chaos under the rule of Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji), and such incidents were happening all over the country.
Gongsun Sheng advised, "You should know that the salt gangs in Huainan are local tyrants. Not only are they numerous, but many of them are also highly skilled. There are only four of us, so we may not be easy to deal with."
Zhao Si opened his eyes wide and counted, saying, "Daoist Master, no matter how I count, there are five people, not four."
Gongsun Sheng laughed and said, "Your mediocre skills don't count."
Zhao Si refused to accept this and said, "We must fight! Chief, since we've encountered this old man, we should naturally help him out of injustice."
Knowing that both Lu Zhishen and Wu Song were capable of intervening in such matters, Wang Lun said, "Since we've encountered this, we should naturally intervene. Old man, tell me in detail, what kind of people are the Salt Gang here?"
When the old man heard that the group was willing to help, and saw that they were all Taoist priests and monks, dressed in fine clothes and generous in their spending, he knew that he had met his saviors. He quickly pulled his granddaughter down to kneel and kowtow.
Zhao Si helped the two up, and the old man then said, "There used to be several salt gangs in Luzhou, but they were later merged by a group of people. The gang leader was called Li Jun, nicknamed 'River Dragon,' and his two deputy gang leaders were surnamed Tong, named Tong Wei and Tong Meng respectively. In addition to managing the salt gang, Li Jun was also the leader of a mountain stronghold in Jieyang Ridge, with hundreds of people."
Wang Lun suddenly realized that it was Li Jun.
Li Jun is the character with the best ending in the original Water Margin. After defeating Fang La, he took Tong Wei and Tong Meng and went to sea, heading south to Siam. With his own abilities, he built up his own power in Siam, and then pacified various forces in Siam, becoming the ruler of Siam.
According to the original text, Li Jun and others would also go to Jiangzhou to rescue Song Jiang, and then they would all go to Liangshan together.
Li Jun was a man of great wisdom and martial arts skills, and he also had a keen eye for the battlefield. He was one of the heroes that Wang Lun liked when he read "Water Margin".
Unexpectedly, we ran into each other here.
With this in mind, Wang Lun became even more determined to meet this "River Dragon" and win him over.
The group then stayed at the inn again to discuss their next move.
Dealing with local bullies is naturally not easy, especially since there are only five people here. If it were a one-on-one fight, Wu Song and Lu Zhishen would not be afraid of anyone. However, when the other side attacks in groups, it is said that two fists cannot fight four hands. No matter how high their martial arts skills are, they cannot defeat the opponent's numbers.
After discussing it for a while, Wang Lun summoned the old man and made some detailed arrangements.
It is said that the leaders of the Luzhou Salt Gang were indeed Tong Wei and Tong Meng. Although Li Jun was the head of the Salt Gang, he was often not in Luzhou, so the two of them were in charge of the affairs of Luzhou.
Just a few days ago, Li Jun met Song Jiang and happened to hear that Song Jiang had been captured and was about to be beheaded.
Li Jun was determined to rescue Song Jiang, but rescuing Song Jiang would inevitably offend the government, and he would naturally be unable to stay in the Huainan area.
According to Li Jun, he had heard that there was a bandit leader named Wang Lun in Liangshan Marsh in Shandong. He was a chivalrous man who had gathered a group of men and had now captured Jizhou, and even the imperial court could not do anything about it.
They planned to rescue Song Jiang and then head to Shandong to join Liangshan.
During this time, they sold off their properties in Luzhou, planning to distribute the proceeds among their brothers in the Salt Gang, after which everyone would go their separate ways.
As it happened, Tong Wei was calm and experienced, while Tong Meng, as the younger brother, although he was also an upright person, was moved by the old man's little granddaughter. He thought that he was about to leave Luzhou, so even if he took the woman, he could just leave and who would know?
Without informing his elder brother Tong Wei, he secretly ordered someone to extort money from the old man and his grandson.
Tong Wei was busy dealing with their businesses in Luzhou all day long and had no time to care about him, so he was happy to enjoy his freedom.
While drinking at a restaurant that day, I saw the old man looking up at the top of the stairs.
Tong Meng was overjoyed and waved, saying, "Old man, come here. Were you looking for me?"
The old man then stepped forward with a bitter face and knelt down, saying, "I have thought about this for many days. Chief Tong is a hero of this region. Giving my poor granddaughter to you is a good match. I only ask that you treat her well in the future."
As she spoke, tears streamed down her face.
Tong Meng laughed and said, "Don't worry, old man, I will definitely treat her well."
The salt gang servants beside him were also overjoyed and kept urging him to drink.
After drinking several more large cups, Tong Meng, consumed by lust, said, "Old man, where is your granddaughter? Why don't we get married today? I promise I won't treat you unfairly."
The old man wept and said, "Isn't this a bit too fast? Chief Tong, my granddaughter's parents died early, and she has a hard life to begin with. Please, at least four people in a sedan chair, will carry her to your door."
Tong Meng waved his hand and said, "I am a man of the martial world, what do I need these customs for? Besides, I am about to move, which family should I marry her into? It would be better to do good deeds first, and then take her with me when I move."
He took out a gold ingot from his pocket, threw it to the old man, and said, "Take this first. When I leave, I will give you some more gold and silver. I won't treat you badly."
The old man was about to speak again when Tong Meng's face darkened. He said, "I've already said so much. Don't refuse a polite offer and then suffer the consequences."
The old man quickly shut his mouth, not daring to say anything more. He carefully put the gold into his pocket and said, "My granddaughter and I live in the small house at the very end of Mud Alley in the west of the city. Chief Tong, don't worry. I'll go back and buy some red cloth and make a simple arrangement. It will be a way to give my granddaughter some peace of mind."
Hearing this, Tong Meng nodded in satisfaction, then took out a piece of silver and said, "Take this, buy some red cloth to decorate, change the bedding, and prepare some wine and meat. I will get married tonight."
The old man accepted the silver and left, expressing his gratitude profusely.
Tong Meng was overjoyed and drank a lot of wine with several servants. As it was getting dark, he drunkenly went out with the others and headed towards Mud Lane.
They were all drunk and staggered as they walked. They finally reached Mud Alley, where Tong Meng led them to the innermost part of the alley.
When we arrived at the last room, sure enough, there was a red cloth pasted on the door, which gave it a slightly festive feel.
Tong Meng pushed open the door; the inside was pitch black. He called out, "Wife, why aren't you lighting a candle?"
Several servants behind him also went in to look, but Tong Meng pushed them out and scolded, "You all stay outside. No one is allowed to come in unless I give the order."
The group quickly nodded and smiled in agreement.
Tong Meng slammed the door shut and grinned as he groped his way to the bed in the dim light.
Upon getting closer, they indeed saw a dark figure sitting by the bed, wearing a red cloth on his head.
Tong Meng praised, "I hadn't noticed it a few days ago, but I never imagined that my wife would be so tall."
He casually ripped off the red veil and lunged at the person on the bed, only to be caught by that person.
Tong Meng said happily, "Wife, what's the rush? Let me go and let me get closer to you."
But then the person on the bed used force and threw Tong Meng out like a chick.
Tong Meng cried out "Ouch!" and involuntarily fell over. Before he hit the ground, he was caught by another person.
Tong Meng looked up and, by the faint moonlight, saw that the man was bald and as tall as an iron tower.
He called out, "Who are you?"
He was then thrown off by the monk and caught by the person on the bed. As if playing a game, the person spun him around in the air, making him dizzy and nauseous.