Water Margin: From a White-Robed Scholar to Donning the Yellow Robe

The Duanjin Pavilion of Liangshanbo is located in the southern water village of the mountain.

This place is a scenic spot on Liangshan Marsh, but Wang Lun has no interest in appreciating it. He led Zhu Gui and Song Wan to sit in the pavilion early in the morning.

Before long, a group of men arrived, led by his henchmen. The leader, a man of imposing stature, clasped his hands in a salute from afar, saying, "Chief, we've been waiting for you. We're late."

Wang Lun knew this was Chao Gai. Upon seeing the great figure from the book for the first time, he could not hide his excitement and quickly stood up: "King Chao, you are indeed a hero of unyielding integrity."

Chao Gai was taken aback, thinking to himself, "Didn't we meet yesterday? Why didn't you praise me yesterday?"

Wang Lun glanced at the others. To Chao Gai's left was a scholar in gray robes with small but bright eyes. He was probably Wu Yong, the strategist in the Water Margin.

To Chao Gai's right was a Taoist priest in a tall hat, with an air of otherworldly wisdom; this was none other than Gongsun Sheng.

Behind Chao Gai were Liu Tang, the Red-Haired Devil, and the three Ruan brothers.

After everyone sat down, Lin Chong arrived, dragging his eighteen-foot spear. Behind him were more than ten henchmen, all equipped with weapons, waiting outside the pavilion.

Lin Chong leaned the spear against the window, sat down next to Wang Lun, his face gloomy, and remained silent.

Seeing Lin Chong's demeanor, Wu Yong was secretly delighted. With Lin Chong making such a show of force, he must have already made up his mind to take down Wang Lun. He watched as Wang Lun continued to chat and laugh as if he knew nothing, discussing martial arts with Chao Gai and Taoist magic with Gongsun Sheng. He secretly cursed Wang Lun as a fool.

After several rounds of drinks, Wang Lun finally got to the point. He glanced at Wu Yong, whose eyes were darting around, and smiled, "Does King Chao know that He Tao, whom you defeated, has returned with a thousand soldiers heading towards Liangshan? They are expected to arrive around noon."

Chao Gai was startled and angrily said, "How dare that scoundrel! If I had known, I would have killed him and ended it all."

Wang Lun smiled, with a touch of nonchalance, and said, "If you kill He Tao, there's still Li Tao and Wang Tao. King Chao, He Tao represents the Song Dynasty. You should have expected to be besieged by the court after you robbed the birthday tribute."

Chao Gai's heart skipped a beat. He knew the other party had hit the nail on the head. He didn't know how to respond. Taking the birthday gifts was originally a flawless plan according to Wu Yong, but the news had leaked out.

Wu Yong smiled, thinking that Wang Lun was already a dead man, and there was no point in saying more to him. He casually explained for Chao Gai: "We are wanderers of the martial world, living a life of licking blood from the edge of a knife. If we encounter He Tao today, or Li Tao tomorrow, what is there to fear? If we can beat them, we will fight; if we can't, we will run away."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chong's face darkened even more.

Wang Lun observed the expressions on everyone's faces and, upon hearing Wu Yong's words, was secretly pleased. He continued to fan the flames: "Chao Tianwang and the others are all highly skilled in martial arts; He Tao alone could not possibly capture you. But now that you are on Liangshan, if you escape, what will happen if He Tao takes his anger out on me?"

Before Wu Yong could speak, Wang Lun quickly continued, "Even if Lin Chong and the other leaders run away, there are still eight hundred brothers on Liangshan, along with their wives, children, and elderly parents. Where can they run? How can they possibly escape?"

He gripped his wine cup and said in a deep voice, "It's easy for us to kill and escape, but we can't take the lives of the old and weak on Liangshan, and we certainly can't destroy Liangshan."

His gaze swept over Chao Gai and the others, and he said, word by word, "This is our home."

Wu Yong's heart skipped a beat. The word "homeland" carried immense weight. He glanced around and saw that Lin Chong, Zhu Gui, and Song Wan all looked hostile. More than a dozen henchmen outside the pavilion were also gripping their sword hilts, exuding murderous intent.

He looked at Lin Chong and kept giving him meaningful glances.

Lin Chong finally stood up slowly, looked at Chao Gai and the others, and said, "Lin Chong was originally an instructor of the Imperial Guards. Because Gao Yanei harassed my wife, I was framed by Grand Commandant Gao and mistakenly entered the White Tiger Hall. In order to protect my family's lives, I had no choice but to write a letter of divorce..."

Lin Chong's eyes were filled with tears.

Chao Gai and the others had only heard rumors about him, but Wang Lun knew very well that he had pointed out Lin Chong's weakness.

"I had no home, but since joining Liangshan, the chief has treated me like a brother. We practice martial arts and drink every day, living a carefree and happy life. Liangshan is my second home, Lin Chong."

Wu Yong's small eyes narrowed, and he gasped. Yesterday... Lin Chong didn't say that.

Chao Gai and the others sensed something was wrong and became secretly on guard. They had concealed broken blades on their bodies before coming to the banquet and were now poised to strike.

"Therefore," Lin Chong said, scanning the crowd, "everyone, listen to what I have to say. Now that He Tao is leading his troops to attack, disaster is imminent. Not only can you not escape, but even if you do, Liangshan will inevitably suffer collateral damage. Why don't we all work together and think carefully about how to repel the enemy?"

Red-haired Devil Liu Tang had already gripped the dagger at his waist, his eyes fixed on Wang Lun, waiting for a signal from Chao Gai or Wu Yong before he pounced.

Wang Lun felt a chill run down his spine as he sensed the murderous intent. He stood up, took two steps closer to Lin Chong, and said, "King Chao, it's not that Liangshan doesn't want to keep you, but I'm worried about the lives of over two thousand people in Liangshan, so I have to think this through carefully."

When he stood up, he saw that the three Ruan brothers had already tensed their feet and were ready to fight. He felt a little panicked. Once they started fighting, even if Lin Chong was highly skilled in martial arts, he might not be able to save himself from these masters.

Chao Gai clasped his hands and said, "Yes, Chief Wang's consideration is thorough. It was I who was presumptuous."

Wang Lun waved his hand: "Chao Tianwang, now that you've reached the mountain, and He Tao is chasing after us, how about we make a bet? If you win, you'll be the leader of Liangshan; if I win, you'll stay on Liangshan, subordinate to me and Lin Chong, sitting in the third seat. What do you say?"

Chao Gai was taken aback and dared not accept the bet, so he looked at Wu Yong.

Wu Yong frowned slightly. Wang Lun's demeanor and speech were completely different today than yesterday, making him utterly unpredictable. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "How does the betting work?"

Wang Lun smiled and said, "I have eight hundred brothers in Liangshan. I will give you four hundred, and Lin Chong and I will lead the remaining four hundred. Whoever can capture He Tao, no matter what means we use, will be the winner."

Wu Yong was overjoyed. This was clearly to his advantage. His side consisted of several experts, while the enemy only had Lin Chong who could fight. How could they possibly capture He Tao?

Why did Wang Lun set up such a bet? Was he confident he would win? Or did he intend to relinquish the position of chieftain but, out of pride, deliberately devise this method?

After thinking it over, Wu Yong thought the second idea was more reliable: Wang Lun already wanted to give up the position of chieftain, but for some reason, he set up the bet.

Seeing Wu Yong give him a meaningful look, Chao Gai nodded and said, "Alright, I'll take the bet."

Wang Lun breathed a sigh of relief, finally avoiding the embarrassment of dying at the very beginning and resolving the fire crisis.

As a hardcore military enthusiast, with the valiant general Lin Chong at his side and the advantage of Liangshan Marsh's terrain, how could he not capture He Tao?

He felt a chill run down his spine; he had broken out in a cold sweat. Contact with these desperate men like Chao Gai could easily lead to his demise if he wasn't careful.

"Alright, pass on my order to allocate four hundred men and five days' worth of provisions to King Chao." Wang Lun smiled at Chao Gai. "King Chao, then let us each make our preparations. Whoever captures He Tao, we will meet again at this Broken Gold Pavilion."