Liver in Water Margin, outlaw madman

In the backyard of the Yuncheng County Government Office, Shi Wenbin reclined on a bamboo chair, his gaze fixed on the hundred taels of silver beside the table.

He raised his hand to stroke his beard, shook his head repeatedly, and let out a soft sigh.

Even being a minor official requires spending money...

But he knew in his heart that this was something that ordinary people might struggle their whole lives to obtain.

Any scholar with even a shred of ambition would not willingly spend their entire life as a lowly official.

Outside the Chengshu Room on the other side of the county government office, Song Jiang led Wu Yong slowly in.

He pushed open the door and pointed to the table inside: "Brother Jialiang, you will be working here from now on."

"You'll be in charge of all official correspondence, how about that?"

"Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Brother Gongming."

Wu Yong smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, a knowing glint in his eyes.

He requested this position himself.

Few people in the county government were willing to take on the job of serving in the Imperial Study.

Those who wanted to become officials were desperate to get into the household registration and criminal justice departments.

The reason is as simple as it gets: these two departments are the easiest to make money from.

In contrast, Cheng Shufang dealt with official documents all day long and rarely came into contact with ordinary people.

They had no opportunity to seek personal gain, and they had to deal with the county magistrate frequently, risking being scolded if they were not careful.

Wu Yong entered Cheng's study and closed the door behind him.

The desk was piled high with scrolls of official documents, the ink still damp.

He pulled up a chair, sat down, picked up the official documents, and quickly flipped through them.

As his fingertips traced the pages, a wanted poster bearing the official seal came into view after only a few turns.

Wu Yong's eyes lit up, and he quickly took the document in his hand and bent down to examine it carefully.

"Lin Chong, instructor of the Imperial Guards in Tokyo."

He read the words aloud softly, his gaze sweeping over the following text, his expression subtly changing.

The document states that Lin Chong killed Gao Qiu, the Grand Commandant of the current dynasty, at the Yue Temple in Tokyo, and a reward of one thousand strings of cash is offered!

In the corner of the document, there was also a drawing of Lin Chong's silhouette, with clear eyebrows and eyes.

Wu Yong dared not delay and continued searching downwards.

He searched through all the official documents on the desk, but only found Lin Chong's detailed arrest warrant.

He gripped the document tightly, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, his heart filled with growing astonishment.

Our own chieftain is truly remarkable.

The assassination of Gao Qiu was a major event, meticulously planned from beginning to end, yet not a single word was left on the arrest warrant.

Even the other person who was with them at the time was only mentioned in the document once, saying that he had an accomplice who was skilled with a monk's staff.

Without any description of appearance or name, it vanished without a trace, like a stone sinking into the sea.

Wu Yong put away the documents, sat back down at his desk, tapping his fingertips on the table, secretly admiring Zhang Shan's thoughtfulness.

Wu Yong was extremely busy in the county government office, and Zhang Shan was also working tirelessly on Liangshan Mountain.

On the training ground of Liangshan, weapons stood in rows, and dust flew everywhere.

Zhang Shan, shirtless and covered in a light sweat, was making the most of every moment to practice martial arts.

His own martial arts skills panel appeared in his mind:

Taizu Changquan (Long Fist of the Great Ancestor), Proficient (30/100)

Marksmanship, Proficient (67/100)

Archery, Proficient (10/100)

Equestrian, Proficient (15/100)

Through diligent practice over this period, I have made significant progress in boxing, shooting, and archery.

At this moment, he was sparring with Du Qian and Song Wan.

The martial arts skills of these two were truly mediocre.

Du Qian relied on his height and strength; Song Wan relied on his fearless and ruthless spirit.

In terms of actual skill, both of them are only average.

Zhang Shan shouted and slammed his right fist toward Du Qian's face.

Du Qian hurriedly raised his hand to block, his expression changing slightly as he felt the fierce force of the punch.

Little did he know that Zhang Shan's punch was just a feint.

Just as Du Qian raised his hand, Zhang Shan twisted his wrist and delivered a powerful punch with his left fist, slamming it hard into Du Qian's shoulder.

Du Qian winced in pain, staggered back two steps, and almost fell.

Seeing this, Song Wan, who was standing nearby, swung his fist and punched Zhang Shan in the back with great force.

Zhang Shan, with his keen hearing, dodged to the side, easily avoiding the punch.

At the same time, he lightly tripped Song Wan, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground with a "thud".

The two got up, looked at each other, and saw helplessness in each other's eyes.

They also knew that their skills were indeed inferior to Zhang Shan's.

Although their martial arts skills were average, they were the perfect sparring partners.

Zhang Shan can use the sparring to familiarize himself with the moves and solidify his martial arts skills.

Du Qian rubbed his shoulders and stepped forward with a smile: "Chieftain's martial arts skills are improving more and more."

"In a while, even if Song Wan and I were to combine our strength, we wouldn't be a match for the chieftain."

At first, he thought Zhang Shan was just smart and good at planning.

Unexpectedly, his martial arts skills were also quite good, and most importantly, he improved very quickly.

Song Wan dusted himself off and interrupted, "Don't try to glorify yourself."

"The chieftain is being lenient with us. If it were a real fight, and we were to use our marksmanship, the two of us would be no match for him."

Zhang Shan smiled and did not refute.

Don't be fooled by the fact that his marksmanship is only at the proficient level; that's a comprehensive assessment.

Judging solely from the ferocity and accuracy of the bayonet, if one were to truly aim for the kill, it could easily take down both of them.

"Brother! Brother!"

Just then, Ruan Xiaoqi's loud and impatient voice came from afar.

Everyone looked up and saw Ruan Xiaoqi running quickly down the mountain, covered in sweat.

His shirt was open, and the excitement on his face was impossible to hide.

"Xiao Qi's here." Zhang Shan picked up a coat from the side, put it on, and said with a smile, "Judging from your appearance, things went smoothly?"

Ruan Xiaoqi ran up, panting heavily, and nodded repeatedly: "Successfully! Very successfully!"

"We did as the chieftain said, fighting fair and square, without resorting to any tricks!"

"That's right." Zhang Shan nodded with a smile, his tone confident. "It's not a big battle involving hundreds or thousands of people."

"Now is the time for us to train our troops; we don't need any complicated strategies!"

Wang Lun's claim of "subduing the enemy without fighting" is pure nonsense.

Those are the highest realms described in books, the ideal form.

In reality, this has never been truly achieved in thousands of years, whether in ancient times, modern times, or contemporary times.

They rely entirely on force!

They are bandits, and they have trained in real combat, especially now.

Only when combat effectiveness is truly improved will it be useful to discuss tactics and strategies.

Upon hearing this, Ruan Xiaoqi couldn't help but spit on the ground, her face full of disdain: "A bunch of spineless cowards!"

"Before our main force even arrived, those two fishing tyrants, along with their families and wealth, had already vanished without a trace!"

Zhang Shan remained calm and waved his hand, saying, "They ran away, so be it. Don't worry about it."

"Now, the entire Liangshan Marsh is under our control."

"You should quickly lead your brothers to open the fish market and see how effective it is."

His plan was quite comprehensive.

But will this plan be able to be implemented smoothly? And once the fish market opens, will any fishermen be willing to buy fish?

To be honest, he wasn't sure if he wouldn't try it out himself.

However, even if he fails, it doesn't matter, he still has the ultimate weapon: baijiu (Chinese liquor).

He turned and picked up the spear beside him, its tip pointing straight to the sky, his gaze resolute.

Martial arts skills require diligent practice.

This is the foundation of one's livelihood. If one's body is weak and one's martial arts skills are lacking, everything else is in vain, and one is merely doing the work for others!