Liver in Water Margin, outlaw madman

Inside the hall, Lin Chong, Lu Zhishen, the three Ruan brothers, Wang Lun, and others had all arrived and were sitting in their seats, talking in hushed tones, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

Upon seeing Zhang Shan enter, everyone fell silent, turned their gazes toward him, and sat up straighter.

Zhang Shan walked to the head seat and sat down. He glanced at everyone and, seeing that they were all listening attentively, decided not to waste any more time.

What he hated most in his past life was holding meaningless meetings, dragging things out, and wasting time. He preferred to get straight to the point in everything.

"Brothers, I've called you all here today to discuss three things." He spoke crisply, without uttering a single superfluous word.

Everyone nodded, no one spoke, and they waited quietly for him to continue, even their breathing became lighter.

Zhang Shan cleared his throat and continued, "Our Liangshan is newly established. To gain a foothold and develop in the long term, we must have rules: rewards for merit and punishment for wrongdoing. Do you brothers agree with this?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Lu Zhishen was the first to voice his support, his voice booming and his tone crisp and decisive: "No objection! Third brother, just tell me what's right, whether it's a reward or punishment, I'll listen to you without a single complaint!"

He already trusted Zhang Shan, and Zhang Shan's excellent singing style made him even happier.

Lin Chong followed suit, his expression calm and his tone firm: "Without rules, there can be no order. If the stronghold wants to stand for a long time, it must have strict rules. I have no objection."

Wang Lun, Li Si, and others echoed Zhang Shan's statement, saying they had no objections and agreed with his opinion.

Only Ruan Xiaoqi, who was already restless, gripped the edge of the table tightly with both hands, looked somewhat guilty, and had a fine sweat on her forehead. Upon hearing Zhang Shan's words, she stood up abruptly, clasped her hands together, and bowed very low.

"Brother! Xiao Qi was wrong!" His voice was loud and clear, filled with a mixture of guilt and determination. "Last time, I acted impulsively and almost made a terrible mistake. I am willing to accept punishment and resign from my leadership position to start as a lowly soldier, to hone my skills and never be reckless again!"

Upon seeing this, Ruan Xiao'er and Ruan Xiao'wu immediately stood up, clasped their hands in a fist salute, and said in unison, "Chief, we brothers failed in our leadership, did not keep a close watch on our men, and did not control the situation, almost causing a major disaster. We are willing to accept punishment and submit to the Chief's decision without a single complaint!"

Their voices were strong and clear, their faces were full of remorse, and they bent their backs even lower.

The council hall fell silent instantly.

All eyes were on the three Ruan brothers, each with a different expression.

Zhang Shan hadn't expected Xiao Qi to be so quick-tempered; she had confessed and accepted punishment as soon as he finished speaking!

He quickly stood up, walked briskly to the Ruan brothers, and helped them up one by one: "Brothers, don't blame yourselves. It was all for the sake of the stronghold."

"We've already discussed this in Wangjia Village. I don't understand it, and neither do you. We just came across the market, and if we wait any longer, it might cause even more trouble."

"However, since you say you want to punish, then punish."

Zhang Shan spoke in one breath, then looked at the three brothers.

"Chief, we will accept any punishment without complaint!" Ruan Xiaoer, as the eldest brother, said earnestly.

Lu Zhishen stood up at this moment and opened his mouth to speak, but Zhang Shan interrupted him with a gesture.

"My three brothers, I'll punish you by making you taste my wine. I'm going to brew some strong liquor right now."

Ruan Xiaoer was taken aback, thinking he had misheard.

Lu Zhishen, standing to the side, objected loudly, "Third Brother, this isn't punishment, it's clearly a reward! I'm willing to try the wine!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone couldn't help but laugh.

The tense atmosphere finally eased considerably.

Taking the opportunity, Zhang Shan said, "Let me start with the first thing. Brother Wang Wu performed well this time and is slated to become the twelfth leader of Liangshan. Does anyone have any objections?"

Wang Wu was a little nervous. As a rogue, he had never really made a name for himself. From childhood to adulthood, his only achievement was becoming a leader on Liangshan Mountain.

"No objection. If it weren't for Brother Wang Wu leading his men in a long spear formation at the dock, Wang Heng might have escaped," Ruan Xiaoqi said first.

"Yes, Brother Wang Wu is good with a gun and he's not afraid of death. I saw him with my own eyes when a knife was slashing at him, and he didn't even flinch," Ruan Xiaowu said admiringly.

Everyone knows that Wang Wu came with Zhang Shan and Lu Zhishen, and now that he has made a contribution, they naturally won't say anything.

"The chieftain can arrange it directly, we have no objection. It's just that it's a bit of a waste for Brother Wang Wu to be ranked below us. I, Zhu Gui, don't have much ability, but I'm willing to be ranked after Brother Wang Wu." Zhu Gui said, trying to appear calm. He was really unsure of himself, and he thought it was better to say it himself than to wait for Zhang Shan to say it.

When Du Qian and Song Wan heard Zhu Gui say this, they couldn't sit still any longer and were about to stand up and express their willingness to give up their positions.

Zhang Shan smiled and quickly waved his hand, saying, "Everyone, don't be so polite. There are only a few of us now, so let's arrange the seating."

"Besides, although we've become outlaws, we don't rank ourselves solely based on strength."

"If it's arranged like this, do I have to be at the back of the line?"

After Zhang Shan said that, everyone fell silent.

"Wang Wu, your current responsibility is to assist Instructor Lin in training and defending the stronghold."

This was a decisive move, setting the matter firmly in place.

"Now let's talk about the second thing. Please analyze what problems we need to improve in our attack on Wangjia Village." Zhang Shan wasn't particularly capable, but he knew that reviewing the situation, especially a serious review, could help everyone improve together.

After saying that, before anyone else could speak, he spoke first: "Let me speak first. I also made a mistake. I should have sent people to scout ahead before attacking, and then guarded all the intersections. That way, Wangjia Village wouldn't have had a chance to ask for help."

Ruan Xiaoqi followed up, saying, "I was too eager to make a contribution and underestimated Wangjia Village. I need to change that."

"I had the same problem. Also, I hesitated when attacking the Wang family compound. If I hadn't hesitated and had charged straight in despite the risk of injury, we might have scattered them," Ruan Xiaoer analyzed.

Everyone chimed in, offering their opinions, and began searching for the cause.

After listening for a long time, Lu Zhishen said loudly, "Third brother, your method is good. We didn't do this when we were in the Western Army. I also want to admit that I was a bit impulsive and almost fought with the government troops."

Zhang Shan nodded: "This is our Liangshan's first operation. Although there were some minor problems along the way, it was generally good and we achieved good results. Taking Wangjia Village is just the beginning. There is still a lot to do next."

After he finished speaking, he saw that everyone was watching him quietly.

Zhang Shan never expected that a simple debriefing meeting would bring everyone closer together again.

"So, there's a third thing we need to discuss today: what we need to do next, and what the future development direction of Liangshan should be?"

An organization must have goals, a program, and a plan.

Otherwise, it will just be a disorganized mess.

Zhang Shan had an idea; he wanted to do things that he couldn't do before, but relying on himself was far from enough.

We must pool our strength and unite those who can be united!