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

When Hu Cheng became Yang Zhi's disciple, everyone in Hu Family Village was overjoyed.

Yang Zhi's victory over Hu Cheng with three shots is a story that everyone talks about.

Hu Taigong was overjoyed and immediately held a banquet of the highest honors to entertain Wang Lun and other leaders of Liangshan.

The main guests, in order, were Hu Taigong, Hu Cheng, and Hu Sanniang. The fourth person was a burly man who arrived at the banquet that evening. He was not old, and looked to be around twenty years old. He was Zhu Biao from Zhu Family Village.

The guests were Wang Lun, Yang Zhi, Gongsun Sheng, and Wu Song. Zhao Si, Wu Dalang, and others did not take their seats but drank in a small hall next door.

Wang Lun sized up Zhu Biao and saw that he was a handsome man and a perfect match for Hu Sanniang.

In the original story, Hu Sanniang and Zhu Biao were engaged.

After several rounds of drinks, Hu Cheng repeatedly toasted his master Yang Zhi, showing great attentiveness.

When Zhu Biao heard that Yang Zhi had defeated Hu Cheng in three moves, he was quite surprised. Hu Cheng was one of the top martial arts masters in Zhu Family Village, and the best among his brothers. Although his martial arts were better than Hu Cheng's, it would still take at least fifty moves to determine the winner.

Yang Zhi was able to win in just three moves; his martial arts skills were truly superb.

He frequently toasted Yang Zhi, Wu Song, and others, but apart from Hu Taigong, no one toasted Wang Lun.

After all, he was the leader of a stronghold, and Liangshanbo's reputation had recently spread far and wide.

Seeing that Wang Lun was approachable and unpretentious, Hu Taigong shared a drink with him and asked with a smile, "May I ask what brings Chief Wang here today?"

Wang Lun smiled slightly and said, "I didn't actually come to Hu Family Village specifically."

He pointed at Wu Song and said, "I have long heard of the great name of Wu Song, the tiger-slaying hero, and wanted to befriend him. That's why I brought Yang Zhi and Gongsun Sheng down Liangshan and came to Yanggu County. Who knew that the big official in Yanggu County named Ximen Qing was so hateful, harming the neighbors, rich but heartless, and his bad reputation spread far and wide."

Hu Taigong nodded secretly. He naturally knew Ximen Qing's name and that he had many businesses in Qinghe County and Yanggu County.

"So I robbed him completely."

Wang Lun made a startling remark. After saying this, he laughed and drank a glass of wine, completely disregarding the matter.

Old Master Hu's expression changed, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Chief Wang actually kidnapped Ximen Qing?"

Wang Lun nodded: "That's right, what's so strange about that? Can't we just rob it?"

Hu Taigong clapped his hands and sighed, "That won't do! Behind Ximen Qing is Yang Jian, the commander of the Imperial Guards in Tokyo. If we anger Ximen Qing, he will complain to Tokyo. Even if Liangshan is strong, it will be difficult to fight against the imperial army."

The hall fell silent. He was telling the truth; Ximen Qing was backed by Yang Jian, the commander of the Imperial Guards in Tokyo, and how could they possibly offend him?

"Oh, I know that." Wang Lun munched on a chicken foot, eating with relish.

"You know? Then why did you..." Old Master Hu was truly baffled.

"Ximen Qing has already been sentenced to death by hanging for murder. Even if Yang Jian is an official in Dongjing (Kaifeng), does he really disregard the laws of the Song Dynasty? I doubt it."

Hu Taigong was even more shocked, truly unaware of what had happened in Yanggu County recently.

"Master Hu, now that I'm here, I have a business deal I'd like to make with you. Would you be interested?"

Wang Lun had been considering this matter since he entered the village. On the one hand, he had met Hu Sanniang, and he always felt sorry for Hu Sanniang in the original story, and wanted to use his own strength to change Hu Sanniang's fate.

On the other hand, Yang Zhi had become Hu Cheng's master, which, although a sudden idea of ​​his own, could be used to make a big deal out of it.

Knowing that Wang Lun was about to get down to business, Hu Taigong sat up straight and said, "I would like to hear the details."

"Although Liangshan may not be the strongest in terms of military strength, we have leaders such as Chao Gai, Lin Chong, Wu Song, Yang Zhi, and Lu Da, so our influence is considerable. As the saying goes, 'The tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind,' which will inevitably attract the attention of surrounding mountain strongholds or government troops. Perhaps someone will even try to take advantage of us."

Wang Lun spoke frankly, and he kept watching Hu Taigong's expression as he spoke.

Hu Taigong nodded slowly. This has always been the way of the martial world. Especially in a region with multiple strongholds, everyone can live in peace if they are of equal strength. But if one side suddenly becomes powerful, conflict will arise.

Either the powerful begin to swallow up the weak, or the weak begin to band together to weaken the powerful.

"Today I have become acquainted with the heroes of the Hu family, and Yang Zhi has also taken the Hu brothers as his disciples. I do not ask that your manor be incorporated into Liangshan. After all, Hu Family Manor is a good place. If it were me, I would also be reluctant to give up this huge family business."

Wang Lun spoke slowly, carefully choosing his words.

"I wonder if the Hu Family Village would be willing to form an alliance with Liangshan? We would be like brothers. If you encounter war, Liangshan will certainly not stand idly by. If I encounter trouble, I also ask the Hu Family Village for assistance."

In his memory, the three villages of Hujiazhuang, Zhujiazhuang, and Lijiazhuang formed an alliance and fought a very fierce battle against Liangshan. It was in that battle that Hu Sanniang became all alone.

Old Master Hu hesitated slightly, then glanced at Zhu Biao before saying, "My Hu Family Village and the Zhu Family Village have long been allied, and my daughter is already engaged to this Zhu Biao, with plans to marry him this year. In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with the Hu Family Village allying with Liangshan, but..."

Wang Lun laughed and said, "Master Hu, please rest assured. A friend of a friend is a friend, and an enemy of a friend is an enemy. As long as the Zhu Family Manor does not send troops to attack Liangshan or hinder Liangshan's path to growth, I am willing to get along amicably with the Zhu Family Manor."

Zhu Biao's heart stirred. He dared not make the decision for his father and brother to form an alliance with Liangshan, but according to Wang Lun, as long as they did not invade each other, it should not be a problem for them to get along amicably. After all, according to his understanding, Zhu Family Village had not thought of attacking Liangshan.

He then clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I will go back and tell my father and brothers what Chief Wang said."

Hu Taigong stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and made up his mind, saying, "Alright, if that's the case, my Hu Family Village is willing to form an alliance with Liangshan. If any troops from Liangshan come to invade, they will have to get past my Hu Family Village first."

Hu Taigong and Wang Lun raised their wine bowls and gently clinked them together, then both burst into laughter.

Hu Cheng and Hu Sanniang were also extremely happy.

Hu Cheng originally thought that he and his master Yang Zhi had little time to meet and could not practice martial arts with him all the time, but now that they had formed an alliance, he had a reason to go to Liangshan Marsh to visit his master.

Hu Sanniang glanced at Wu Song, then at Zhu Biao beside her.

She was impressed by Wu Song's martial arts skills during their fight, and Wu Song, being a valiant and heroic man, secretly won her heart.

However, she was already engaged to Zhu Biao, and she spent a lot of time with him. Their relationship wasn't particularly deep, but it wasn't entirely devoid of feelings either.

Suddenly, the girl had something on her mind, and her brows furrowed with worry.

"I robbed Ximen Qing and obtained about 80,000 strings of cash. I will divide half of it among the Hu Family Manor as a token of our alliance. Gongsun, you will take care of it later."

Wang Lun was very generous and immediately gave away 40,000 strings of cash.

The people of Hu Family Village were stunned. Forty thousand strings of cash was a huge sum of money. Liangshan Marsh was truly generous.

Hu Taigong also quickly offered a toast to express his gratitude, beaming from ear to ear.