Liver in Water Margin, outlaw madman

Arrows rained down on Lu Zhishen's heavy armor, making a series of crisp clanging sounds and sending sparks flying, but not a single mark was left.

Lu Zhishen grinned broadly, feeling inexplicably pleased upon hearing the familiar sound, as if he had returned to the days when he fought on the battlefield with the Western Army.

At that time, he was young and vigorous, full of passion, and charged into the rain of arrows without fear.

"Well done!" he shouted, gripping the water-milled Zen staff tightly with both hands, and with a burst of strength, smashed it down on the wooden door of the Wang family compound.

"boom--"

With a loud crash, the wooden door was smashed to pieces by the monk's staff, wood chips flew everywhere, and the door panel crashed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

Watching from the sidelines, Ruan Xiaoqi was filled with excitement and immediately roared, "Brothers, charge with me!"

Before he finished speaking, he gripped the harpoon and dashed into the courtyard like an arrow.

As he rushed out, he secretly rejoiced that the chieftain and Commander Lu had arrived in time. If they had been any later, he might have really perished here, not only failing to achieve any merit but also implicating his brothers.

Ruan Xiaoer and Ruan Xiaowu stood there, letting out a long sigh of relief as their tense nerves suddenly relaxed.

Having seen Lu Zhishen and Zhang Shan act so decisively, I thought I could easily take over the Wang family compound. But when I actually took the field myself, I realized how big the gap was between us, and I couldn't help but feel ashamed.

Zhang Shan slowly walked forward, and Ruan Xiaoer hurriedly went to meet him, then knelt down with a "plop," bowing his head and saying with a guilty tone, "Chief, this is all my fault. I was too hasty and attacked prematurely, almost causing a disaster and implicating the brothers."

Zhang Shan looked at him, feeling a bit angry, but he also knew that everyone has their own ideas, and no one is born knowing how to lead troops into battle.

Besides, he himself didn't have much experience.

In my past life, I was just a low-level manager, stuck in a huge organizational structure, never having the opportunity to make my own decisions, let alone rebel or become a mountain king.

He knew nothing about how to win people's hearts, how to establish authority, or how to lead troops into battle; he could only learn by trial and error.

But he understood that in the early stages of Liangshan's establishment, the people's hearts could not be scattered. Only by treating people with sincerity could he gain the trust of his brothers and support Liangshan.

"Erlang, please get up quickly." Zhang Shan hurriedly bent down and reached out to help Ruan Xiaoer up, his tone calm and without a trace of blame.

"To be honest, I don't know what to do either." Zhang Shan patted him on the shoulder and said frankly, "You have no experience in leading troops, and neither do I. This attack on Wangjia Village is just a trial and error for us. We'll review it and learn from the lessons when we get back."

He had never attended a military academy, and even if he had, he wouldn't know what it was like to lead troops in ancient times. He would have to start from scratch and learn step by step.

Hearing this, Ruan Xiao'er felt a warmth in his heart, nodded emphatically, and said firmly, "Don't worry, Chief, after we return, Xiao Qi, Xiao Wu, and I will definitely give you an explanation!"

"I'm not giving you instructions." Zhang Shan smiled and waved his hand. "After we get back, we'll invite Commander Lu, Instructor Lin, Instructor Zhang, and all the experienced brothers to give us lessons so we can learn how to lead troops in battle."

He paused, then turned his gaze to the bustling courtyard, his tone serious: "Now is not the time to talk about these things. First, we need to completely control Wangjia Village, take stock of the supplies, and reassure the people."

Zhang Shan looked up and saw that Lu Zhishen had already led his brothers into the courtyard, with soldiers following closely behind, surrounding the entire Wang family compound so tightly that not even a fly could get out. Zhang Shan's tense expression gradually relaxed.

Knowing that the matter at hand was of utmost importance, Ruan Xiaoer said no more, nodded, and followed Zhang Shan into the Wang family compound.

As soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw Ruan Xiaoqi punching and kicking a person lying on the ground, cursing incessantly: "You bastard! You dare shoot me! You dare shoot me! I'll beat you to death!"

Lu Zhishen, standing to the side, frowned and looked sullen, holding his water-milled monk's staff. Seeing Zhang Shan enter, he immediately approached and complained:

"Third brother, these bandits are too weak! I just rushed in and swung my staff a few times, and they're all down. There's not a single one who can fight back!"

Zhang Shan's gaze swept across the courtyard, where he saw the farmhands lying haphazardly on the ground, each one with a bloody head.

Some lay on the ground groaning weakly, while others lay motionless, long since lifeless.

They were clearly already dead.

He noticed that when Lu Zhishen spoke, the surviving villagers were all trembling, huddled on the ground, not daring to lift their heads, their eyes filled with fear.

Zhang Shan couldn't help but laugh and patted Lu Zhishen's arm: "Brother, your water-polished monk's staff weighs sixty-two catties. Anyone who touches it will be injured, and anyone who bumps into it will die. These are all cowards who bully the weak and fear the strong. How could they dare to fight you head-on? Of course they are afraid of you."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhishen grinned and scratched his head: "That's true. Ordinary people really can't withstand the weight of my staff."

Just then, the man who had been being beaten by Ruan Xiaoqi seized the opportunity to scramble to Zhang Shan's feet, knelt down with a thud, and kowtowed repeatedly, shouting, "Hero, spare my life! Hero, spare my life!"

Zhang Shan stared intently, then crouched down, looking at Wang Heng with a half-smile, his tone flat: "You're Wang Heng? Why should I spare your life? What bad things have you done?"

Wang Heng was stunned. He knelt on the ground, looking bewildered. He was secretly angry. These people had come to beat him up, yet they were asking him what bad things he had done.

He dared not think too much and quickly said, "Heroes, I have some meager possessions at home, including gold, silver, jewels, grain, and cloth. I will give them all to you without hesitation. I only beg you to spare my life!"

He used to think he was ruthless and strong enough, with dozens of servants under his command and his brother Wang Jin serving as an official in Jizhou Prefecture. He was a tyrant in this area, and no one dared to mess with him.

But after witnessing Liangshan's strength today, he realized that his own abilities were utterly insignificant. That armored giant was truly ferocious; no wonder they were able to easily seize Liangshan.

Zhang Shan couldn't help but laugh when he saw his cowardly and afraid-of-death appearance.

The powerful and the bandits are not on the same level, especially someone like him who aims to rebel, who is worlds apart from a bully like Wang Heng who preys on the weak and fears the strong.

This is similar to the relationship between outlaws and organized crime. Organized crime members believe that because they control a region, have henchmen, and the people fear them, they can rest easy and act arrogantly.

Little did they know that desperados never waste words with you; they kill without hesitation.

Zhang Shan, a man determined to overthrow the imperial court and become a mountain king, was even more terrifying than a fugitive.

Zhang Shan put away his smile, stood up, and called out to Wang Lun, who was not far away, "Chief Wang, please have you and Li Si take stock of the Wang family's accounts and supplies, and make sure everything is recorded clearly without any errors."

Currently, Wang Lun is the only literate person under his command, capable of handling the complex tasks of inventorying ledgers and registering supplies.

Without Wang Lun, he might have had to handle all these tedious tasks himself, which would have been a lot of trouble.

This is also why he spared Wang Lun's life in the first place.

In those days, scholars were already rare, and those willing to become bandits in the mountains were even rarer.

Wang Lun quickly stepped forward, bowed, and replied, "Rest assured, Chieftain, I will make sure to count everything carefully and leave nothing out."

Wang Heng, standing to the side, lowered his head and remained silent, secretly calculating in his mind that his lack of resistance was intended to buy time until the main force from Yuncheng County arrived.

He has already sent someone to report to the authorities. If he can hold out a little longer, once the government officials arrive, even if he can't defeat these bandits, he will most likely be able to save his life.