PFC Chapter 11 No Heroes Within Liangshan Marsh
Chapter 11 No Heroes Within Liangshan Marsh
With the wheels rolling, Li Chong was spared the hardship of walking while sitting inside the carriage.
However, the tension he felt inside was something he could not express to anyone.
He was heading straight for Xucheng to meet the prefect of Yunzhou, but he still felt uncertain and couldn't feel comfortable.
"Whoa~~~"
The coachman cracked his whip, reining in the horses, and Wu Dalang's voice came from outside the carriage.
"My lord, the sun is rising soon. There's a tavern by the roadside. Would you like to stop and rest for a while, and have a meal?"
Li Chong lifted the curtain and glanced at the sky: "Alright, after such a long ride, I'll get out and get some fresh air."
"Thank you for your understanding, sir."
Several people nearby thanked him in unison.
These men were all constables from Yanggu County, sent to escort Li Chong to the prefectural capital to report for duty. Of course, there was also an element of surveillance involved.
Upon entering the tavern, the waiter warmly greeted them, and the group took their seats in twos and threes, loudly ordering food.
Li Chong sat alone at a table, with Cui Shi standing behind him.
Seeing that no one was around, Cui Shi carefully bent down and said, "Sir, I just tried it, and there's quite a bit of silver in that bundle, probably tens or even hundreds of taels."
Li Chong knew without even looking that the kid had a smile on his face, from the joy in his tone.
He secretly shook his head; what a greedy fellow.
"Where's your bag? Do you carry it with you?" Li Chong asked.
Cui Shi quickly nodded: "Of course, I can't leave so much silver on my person, what if I lose it?"
"Go." Li Chong waved his hand. "Tell the shopkeeper to bring out as much good wine and meat as he wants, and let Wu Dalang and the others eat to their hearts' content. We'll pay the bill."
"what?"
Choi Si was taken aback by what he heard, and was clearly somewhat unwilling.
"My lord, why is that? These people have huge appetites. According to you, the journey alone wouldn't be enough to cover their expenses."
Li Chong glanced at him: "What? Have you forgotten what I said about the way to survive? If you want to be buried with all this silver, then don't give me a single penny. When it's time to be beheaded, let's see if this silver can save your life."
"this......"
Choi Si was speechless, her face turning pale and then red.
Hearing that Li Chong's words didn't seem to be a lie, he finally gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and went directly to the shopkeeper.
Li Chong poured himself a cup of wine and drank it. He figured he should spend the money; it might just save his life someday.
Anyway, this money came for free. If he couldn't get through this hurdle, all the silver would be worthless, so Li Chong didn't care.
Soon, cheers erupted in the tavern.
"Sir, you are truly magnanimous!"
"Thank you for your generous gift, sir!"
"Come on, come on! Brother Cui, have a drink with us!"
Many people enthusiastically pulled Cui Shi aside, insisting on toasting him.
These constables did not doubt Li Chong's identity. They just felt that they had met a good leader. Considering that they would be working under Li Chong for the next three years, they thought it was important to take the opportunity to build a good relationship with him.
Directly currying favor with Li Chong would be inappropriate, so Cui Shi would naturally be the best choice.
Li Chong instructed Cui Shi to blend in with them, while he himself pondered how to adapt to changing circumstances.
"Should I copy down a good poem?" Li Chong thought to himself. "What are some famous poems from after the Jingkang Incident...?"
The Northern Song Dynasty placed great emphasis on literature. Although Li Chong had never heard of Wang Shiru, the prefect of Yunzhou, he was probably a scholar. Using poetry to pave the way would make things easier.
After finishing their meal, everyone set off again in high spirits, while Li Chong continued to ponder how to handle the situation in the car.
The journey was tedious. Although Li Chong was riding in a carriage, carriages of this era were obviously not comfortable, not to mention the uneven road beneath his feet.
After traveling for two days, Li Chong looked rather listless.
On this day, the monotonous scenery along the roadside finally changed.
The once continuous mountain range gradually disappeared, and more water appeared on both sides of the road.
Li Chong curiously lifted the curtain and looked outside, and suddenly the view opened up before him.
The boundless water stretches to the horizon, where the blue sky and the water merge into one, shimmering in the sunlight.
It looks like we've arrived at the seaside.
But the swaying reeds by the roadside reminded Li Chong that this was not the sea, but a large lake.
"Sir, is there anything you need?" Wu Dalang urged his horse forward and asked solicitously.
After Li Chong's several acts of generosity, the group developed a very good impression of him and became increasingly attentive.
Li Chong pointed ahead and asked, "Where are we? There's such a vast expanse of water."
Wu Dalang smiled and said, "My lord, you may not know, but this place is called Liangshan Lake. It is a body of water that was carved out by the Yellow River. Half of it is in our Yunzhou, and the other half is in Jizhou to the south. This lake is more than 800 li in circumference, which is indeed very large."
"Liangshanbo?" Li Chong almost cried out.
However, having gone through so much, he had long since developed composure.
Li Chong had inquired and found that there was no Ximen Da Guanren in Yanggu County, so this Liangshan Marsh should not be the Liangshan in the novel.
Looking at the boats coming and going on the lake, Li Chong tentatively asked, "Judging from the direction, are we going to cross the lake? This lake is so big, what if we encounter bad guys? This is not like on land, where we can find a way to hide."
"Don't worry, sir," Wu Dalang reassured him. "Although Liangshan Lake is large, there are no bandits here. Those who come and go are mostly fishermen and boatmen, all very honest people. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare take this route, would I? It's just that..."
"What is it?" Li Chong pressed.
Wu Dalang cupped his hands in greeting: "We'll be changing boats soon. Once we reach the other side, we won't be far from Xucheng."
"Hmm." Li Chong nodded slowly. "As long as there are no thieves, that's fine."
He maintained his persona, and as long as he hadn't been exposed, Li Chong couldn't reveal himself.
Wu Dalang patted his chest and assured him, then went down to arrange the transfer.
Looking at the lake in front of him, Li Chong's mind wandered far away.
There are no thieves in Liangshan Marsh, so it seems this isn't the plot of "Water Margin".
However, according to official history, Song Jiang was indeed a real person.
"I wonder if Song Jiang is still at Liangshan Marsh. The Song Dynasty doesn't have many years left; shouldn't Song Jiang's uprising break out soon?"
Li Chong thought to himself silently.
If we could actually gather a group of people, Liangshan Marsh would be a good place to go.
Under Wu Dalang's arrangement, Li Chong and his group boarded a large ship and sailed to the other side.
Shortly after abandoning the boat and going ashore, Sugihara came into view.
Compared to Yanggu County, Xucheng was much more lively. Even before entering the city, the roadsides outside the city were crowded with people.
The sounds of buying and selling could be heard all along the way.
However, the closer Li Chong got to Xucheng, the faster his heart beat.
"How about we try to slip away when we enter the city?"
He started to have second thoughts.
Before Li Chong could make up his mind, Wu Dalang led his troops to the city gate.
"Make way, make way! My husband is here to report to the prefect, please make way!"
A bitter smile appeared on Li Chong's face.
Alright, now there's no point in thinking about it anymore, there's no way to escape.