The Legend of Song Jiang in Water Margin

Chapter 129 The old drunkard's intention is not in the wine, but in the scenery.

Actually, Song Qing's idea was quite simple: the store was extremely busy this month, always full of customers, and many people were willing to wait for a table to dine there!

The existing staff were really too busy, so Song Qing wanted to find a few more helpers. Also, the fabric shop next door wasn't doing too well. Song Qing thought he should take over the shop together to expand the hotel's scale and improve business!

Without any hesitation, Song Jiang laughed and said, "You can make this decision yourself; there's no need to tell me!"

After thinking for a moment, he added, "Si Lang, we are brothers. No one knows your talents better than me. I plan to continue expanding our business, and you will be in full charge. In the next few days, I will have Han Bolong and Wang Dingliu at the restaurant. By then, we will have restaurants not only in Yuncheng, but also throughout Jizhou Prefecture and even the whole of Shandong!"

Song Qing felt a warmth in his heart. Although he was the young master of Song Family Manor, all he did every day was follow Old Master Song to farm or have some servants do chores. There was nothing else to do!

But ever since Song Jiang taught him how to brew wine, he seemed to have a new way of thinking. He had never thought that brewing wine could be so interesting!

Next, Song Jiang wanted to take charge of the restaurant and become its manager. Song Qing originally wanted to bite the bullet and complete the task assigned by Song Jiang, but he did not expect that after taking charge of the restaurant, everything seemed to go smoothly, as if he was born to do business!

Song Jiang never expected that Song Qing could be such a good manager. In business, Song Qing was indeed better than him. Sometimes he could only come up with an idea, but Song Qing could implement it very well!

For example, when Song Jiang proposed the Nine-Turned Intestines, Song Qing didn't question it at all!

After all, pork was considered a low-grade meat in ancient times, and no one ate pig offal!

The main reason is that the pigs were not castrated, so they have a strong fishy smell. In addition, the cost of raising pigs is not low, so very few people have ever eaten them!

However, Song Jiang had the veterinarian castrate the pigs, thus eliminating their fishy smell. In addition, he fed the pigs a lot of food, so making the pork delicious was not a difficult task for Song Jiang!

It's just that people in ancient times didn't eat offal much. They only started eating it later on. But offal is indeed a good thing. Whether it's heart, liver, kidneys, or pig stomach, it won't be cheaper than meat in later generations, not to mention large intestines!

Unfortunately, the large intestine was looked down upon and even disdained by them, so when the Nine-Turned Large Intestine was first introduced, many high-ranking officials and nobles didn't even glance at it!

It's ridiculous to give food that even beggars wouldn't eat!

Some things smell bad, but taste amazing!

Song Qing didn't force them. Every day, he would put a plate of braised pork intestines on his table and a pot of good wine, and eat the intestines while drinking the wine!

At first, those people were dismissive, but as time went on, seeing how much Song Qing enjoyed the food every day, they couldn't resist trying it themselves!

As it turns out, no one can escape the "it's so good" phenomenon. After trying it, no one can resist the Nine-Turned Intestines. Instead, this dish has become the best-selling delicacy every day. Sometimes, if you arrive late, you can't get any at all!

Song Qing also instructed the kitchen staff to ensure that every dish was delicious, visually appealing, and clean. This is one of the reasons why Song Jiang Restaurant has always been so popular!

Ever since Song Qing became the manager, he took all the money he earned each month, leaving only enough for the employees' salaries and daily expenses. He then had the rest sent to Song Family Village and then to Liangshan! So it has to be said that Song Qing was truly a good younger brother, supporting me to the best of his ability without any complaints!

Song Qing and Song Jiang chatted for a long time until late at night before they stopped talking and went back to their rooms to sleep.

The next morning, Song Jiang first made a brief appearance at Shi Wenbin's place, and then went up Liangshan!

This trip to Qingzhou and back, including the trip to the seaside and everything that happened, took about a month. It's almost September now, and there are only three months left until the New Year!

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it's been almost a year since I came to the Song Dynasty. I wonder how my family is doing in the future!

Without time to think about such things, Song Jiang returned to Liangshan and his first priority was to continue expanding the army!

When it comes to expanding the army, Song Jiang has never been reckless. He only disperses the Liangshan troops and incorporates them into various units when the Liangshan army has truly reached the goal he set in mind.

The reserve soldiers also had to meet very strict standards before Song Jiang would allow them to be transferred to the regular army!

In this way, although the number of soldiers in Liangshan's army was not large, each unit was composed of elites, which was exactly what Song Jiang needed!

Of course, they haven't experienced any major battles yet, and they are still somewhat lacking in experience and skill, but there's nothing that can be done about it, there aren't many major battles for them to fight right now!

Upon arriving at the council hall, all the leaders, big and small, were present, except for those brothers who were not currently at Liangshan!

Song Jiang sighed inwardly. Others had more and more brothers around them, but when it came to him, every time he went out, he lost a few brothers. Last time, Shi Xiu and Ma Ling all left, and this time when he went to Qingzhou Prefecture, Pang Wanchun also stayed in Qingzhou Prefecture. He was afraid that if he went out again, he would lose a few more men!

Wu Yong spoke first, saying, "There are currently over 20,000 people on Liangshan. Besides the fellow villagers and families of the brothers who came up the mountain before, there are also many people from surrounding villages who couldn't survive, as well as people who fled due to natural disasters!"

Twenty thousand people, that's quite a lot! Although Liangshan is developing rapidly, its population is also growing rapidly. If not handled properly, it could cause trouble!

The families and fellow villagers were fine, but the main problem was the refugees. After they came to Liangshan, Song Jiang always insisted on treating them well. Of course, not all refugees were good citizens, and Song Jiang would not indulge them. In Liangshan, one had to obey the rules, follow the arrangements, and be loyal to oneself. Otherwise, what would Song Jiang do with so many people?

Anyone who dared to cause trouble or disobeyed discipline was directly punished with labor reform. If they were weak and wanted to resist, there were plenty of people in Liangshan. It wouldn't matter if a few died or were injured. So at first, some people thought they could do whatever they wanted. But after suffering losses, everyone obediently followed orders!

After all, being in Liangshan was a far cry from the previous days of hunger and cold. At least there was food to eat, no freezing, and the ability to work and earn money. Compared to the oppression and hunger of the past, it was like heaven!

Most people were too grateful to be dissatisfied! People have a conscience, and everyone was grateful to Song Jiang and the other leaders, wishing they could dedicate all their strength to staying on Liangshan!

Song Jiang nodded and said, "I plan to expand Brother Bian Xiang's Qilin Cavalry to five hundred men, with Brother Bian Xiang as commander and Brother Zhu Jing as deputy commander. The vanguard battalion will be increased to eight hundred men, with Brother Ou Peng continuing as commander and Brother Ma Lin as deputy commander. The infantry Blood Blade will be expanded to fifteen hundred men. The first battalion will still be commanded by Brother Liu Tang. Since the commanders of the second and third battalions, Pang Wanchun and Deng Fei, are not at Liangshan, they will be temporarily commanded by Deputy Commanders Ji Ji and Li Yun!"

With the army expansion complete, the next step was his personal guard. Song Jiang pondered for a moment and then said, "The additional five hundred men in the personal guard will still be led by the Li Kui brothers as captains, and the Jiao Ting brothers as instructors!"

Next is the navy. Song Jiang said, "The navy will be divided into five battalions. In addition to the three Ruan brothers and the Zhang brothers, the Zhang brothers will also form a navy battalion called 'Jinfan'! Each battalion will have three hundred men, totaling one thousand five hundred!"

Looking at the various leaders seated at the table, whose names had been called, Song Jiang laughed and said, "Brothers, do you have the confidence to build an invincible army?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Bian Xiang and the others shouted!

This time, Song Jiang expanded his army to 4,800 men, which is neither a large nor a small number!

The main reason is that although Liangshan is good, its capacity is still too small. Song Jiang also urgently needs another place to develop together, and military strength is even more indispensable. So this time, Song Jiang expanded his troops a lot!

Looking at the spirited Bian Xiang and the others, Song Jiang smiled and said, "I believe in each and every one of you. The road ahead will become increasingly difficult, but as long as we brothers are united, there is no road we cannot travel, no task we cannot accomplish!"

Shi Qian stood up and said, "The brothers from the Zouji Battalion in Liaodong have sent word that we should prepare to go to Liaodong to pick up Duan Jingzhu and the others. It seems that their situation has been resolved."

After hearing this, Song Jiang looked at Meng Kang!

Meng Kang stood up and said with a smile, "Brother, I have good news! The ship has been built, and based on my and Ye Chun's personal experience, it's ready to set sail at any time!"

Song Jiang exclaimed with delight, "This is a fantastic opportunity! Now that the ships have been built and Duan Jingzhu and the others are returning, we can send the ships to fetch them! We can also send several large ships, connected by iron chains, to go together!"

After thinking for a moment, Song Jiang said, "I'll trouble Brothers Wu Lang and Zhang Shun to make the trip, and Brother Shi Qian to send someone to tell Duan Jingzhu this news!"

Tao Zongwang also stood up and said, "Brother, we've already used cement on the city walls, and we've started using cement on the houses too!"

Song Jiang's eyes lit up, and he said happily, "You really have one piece of good news after another! I admire you more and more!"

Tao Zongwang shook his head and said, "If my brother hadn't told us we had this amazing thing, how could we have made it!"

Song Jiang praised, "Next, we must continue our research and development. In this way, Liangshan will surely be able to build a solid city wall, and even if the imperial army comes, they will be unable to do anything to us!"

Tao Zongwang clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "I will certainly not let my brother down!"

Nothing much happened after that. Everyone else did their job well, and Liangshan did a great job in both planting and raising livestock. The school was always full of students, which reminded Song Jiang of his school days!

After the meeting, Song Jiang, as if possessed, went to Liu Huiniang's residence. He intended to knock on the door, but his hand stopped halfway through its reach!

A soft voice drifted from inside the room: "Since you're here, why not come in?"

With a wry smile, Song Jiang pushed open the door and went inside!

Inside the room, Liu Huiniang seemed to be practicing calligraphy again. Song Jiang wanted to see what she was writing, but he felt it would be a bit presumptuous, so he found a stool and sat down.

Liu Huiniang put down her pen, turned around, and said, "Mr. Song is truly an extraordinary person, to have managed to rob the birthday gifts in such a clever way!"

Song Jiang was taken aback. How did Liu Huiniang know about this? Apart from a few leaders and the brothers who went there in person, not many people in Liangshan knew about the theft of the birthday gifts!

Liu Huiniang smiled sweetly and continued, "Since you know I'm a female strategist, how could you possibly hide such a thing from me!"

Song Jiang remained silent, and Liu Huiniang sighed, "How long are you going to stay silent!"

Song Jiang shook his head, calming himself before speaking, "I was just figuring out how to bring this up, but I didn't expect you to already know. Several months have passed, yet you still remember it!"

"Is that so?" Liu Huiniang said with a half-smile.

Not wanting to press the matter further, Song Jiang changed the subject, asking, "Are you getting used to living in Liangshan?"

Liu Huiniang said softly, "It's alright, but I'd rather be alone every day; it gets a bit boring!"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "Baoyan and the others are all at Liangshan. If you have nothing to do, you can ask them to join you for some fun!"

Liu Huiniang also laughed and said, "I don't really like playing!"

Song Jiang was momentarily speechless, unsure of what to say, when he saw Liu Huiniang turn around, pick up a brush, and say, "I wonder if my calligraphy meets Mr. Song's standards!"

Song Jiang was also curious about what Liu Huiniang was writing. After hearing what she said, he stood up and walked to the table to watch Liu Huiniang write!

Liu Huiniang's handwriting is delicate and beautiful, but her strokes are powerful and vigorous, displaying a magnificent and majestic style, as if she could swallow the clouds and chase the sun!

But none of that matters. What matters is that Liu Huiniang wrote, "The area surrounding Chuzhou is all mountains. Among the peaks to the southwest, the forests and valleys are especially beautiful. The one that appears lush and deep from afar is Langya Mountain..."

This is "The Story of the Drunken Old Man's Pavilion" by Ouyang Xiu, a poet of this dynasty!

Song Jiang glanced at Liu Huiniang with a complicated expression, wondering why she wanted to write this "Record of the Drunken Pavilion"!

Liu Huiniang wrote that the drunkard's heart was not in the wine, but in the scenery, but then she stopped writing and looked at Song Jiang with a meaningful smile!

Song Jiang felt a little uncomfortable and wanted to turn around and leave, but Liu Huiniang took out a crossbow that was more than a meter long from the cabinet!

She smiled sweetly and said, "Mr. Song must be familiar with this crossbow!"

Song Jiang was somewhat stunned, and asked in surprise, "Could this be the Divine Arm Crossbow?"

Liu Huiniang nodded and smiled, "This is my self-made and improved Divine Arm Crossbow, and the modification is successful. Take a look!"

Song Jiang was overjoyed, knowing the power of the crossbow, and took it to gently stroke it!

Liu Huiniang smiled and said, "I made the Divine Arm Crossbow when I was a child. Now, after the improvement, its power is even greater than before. However, the greater the power and the higher the accuracy of the crossbow, the heavier it is, and the longer it takes to wind it. This one is the most balanced one after comparison. Its maximum range can reach 270 paces and can penetrate all heavy iron armor. One person can fire it."

It should be noted that the maximum range of crossbows at that time was about 240 paces, with each pace being about 1.5 meters. The crossbows made by Liu Huiniang had a range that was 40 to 50 meters longer than that of the time. This was definitely a powerful weapon. Having such a talented person by your side certainly gave us a significant advantage in invention!

Song Jiang believed that Liu Huiniang's abilities were far more than that, and after thinking for a moment, he asked, "Could it go even longer?"

Liu Huiniang said, "Then it needs to be increased in weight, otherwise one person will not be able to use it."

T

Song Jiang said, "May I take it back and study it at my leisure?"

Liu Huiniang smiled and said, "Please go ahead!"

Once outside, Song Jiang stroked the crossbow and sighed. "The drunkard's heart is not in the wine," a saying often quoted in later generations. Could Liu Huiniang be implying something? Most importantly, his surname before he transmigrated was also Ouyang!