Moma Liangshan

Chapter 185 The Second Robbery of the Birthday Gifts, Seven Stars Join Liangshan

The Taoist priest laughed heartily and said, "I did not come for food, drink, or money, but only because I have a great fortune to share with Lord Chao. Unfortunately, this villager is rude and insulted me, hence my anger!" Chao Gai said, "Forgive my poor eyesight, but I do not seem to have met you before, Taoist priest?" The Taoist priest said, "Although I have never met you, Lord Chao, your name is renowned far and wide!" As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face, and besides, the Taoist priest had an extraordinary bearing and considerable skill, so Chao Gai decided to make his acquaintance and said, "Taoist priest, would you like some tea at your estate?"

Chao Gai's estate was large, and the incense table and candles used for their sworn brotherhood ceremony were set up in the backyard, while the Taoist was led to the front. After they sat down, Chao Gai asked, "May I ask your surname, sir, and where you are from?" The Taoist replied, "My surname is Gongsun, my given name is Sheng, and my Taoist name is Yiqing Daozhang. I am from Jizhou. From a young age, I practiced martial arts in my hometown, mastering many skills. Because I also understand some Taoist arts, I am known in the martial arts world as 'Entering the Clouds Dragon.'" The more Chao Gai talked with Gongsun Sheng, the more he felt the man's extraordinary insight. He asked, "Daozhang, you just told me about a great fortune; is that true?" Gongsun Sheng immediately replied, "I have 100,000 strings of ill-gotten gains, which I am sending to the village head as a gift!" Chao Gai was surprised and said, "Is the 100,000 strings of birthday tribute that Liang Zhongshu of Daming Prefecture sent to Dongjing?" Gongsun Sheng was greatly alarmed and asked, "How did the village head know about this?" Chao Gai deliberately said, "I was just guessing!"

Gongsun Sheng, fearing that Chao Gai might back out, quickly advised, "This fortune is not to be missed. As the ancients said, 'If you don't take it when you should, you'll regret it later.' What do you think, Chao Gai Zheng?" Just then, a man burst through the door, grabbed Gongsun Sheng by the collar, and said, "There are laws in the open and gods in the shadows. How dare you, a monk, instigate my brother to do such a thing?" Gongsun Sheng, terrified, turned ashen-faced and earnestly replied to Chao Gai, "This 100,000 strings of cash for the birthday gifts is all ill-gotten gains. What's wrong with taking it?" The man was none other than Wu Yong, who had intimidated Gongsun Sheng in this way, undoubtedly to establish his reputation and authority. Fearing a rift between the two, Chao Gai said, "Daoist, don't panic. This is my friend, the strategist Wu Yong." Upon hearing this, Wu Yong immediately released Gongsun Sheng's collar and said with a smile, "Robbing the birthday gifts is no small matter. I was worried about a trap, which is why I resorted to this tactic!" Gongsun Sheng, being new to the area, naturally didn't dare to press the matter further, and said, "This humble Daoist has long heard of Mr. Jia Liang's great name while traveling the martial world. I never expected to meet him at Chao Baozheng's manor!"

At this moment, Liu Tang and the three Ruan brothers also arrived. Chao Gai introduced them one by one, and then said, "When you knocked on the door just now, my brothers and I were in the backyard preparing to worship Heaven and Earth and swear brotherhood, so we closed the door to guests!" Gongsun Sheng could easily understand the implication in Chao Gai's words, and was overjoyed. He said, "Brother, would you be willing to accept me as your brother?" Chao Gai laughed and said, "As long as Brother Gongsun doesn't mind our rudeness, from today onwards, we will share both hardship and fortune!" Because Chao Gai recognized Liu Tang as his nephew, he was not included in the sworn brotherhood. Chao Gai, Wu Yong, Gongsun Sheng, and the three Ruan brothers, a total of six people, offered incense and burned paper money, set out the wine and food for the sacrifice, and became sworn brothers. Chao Gai and the three Ruan brothers had sworn brotherhood first, so among the seven people, Chao Gai sat first, followed by the three Ruan brothers, Wu Yong fifth, Gongsun Sheng sixth, and Liu Tang seventh. Then, Chao Gai said, "Besides us, Song Jiang, Lei Heng, and Zhu Tong from Yuncheng County, and Zhu Gui from Jiaozhou are also our brothers. When the opportunity arises, I will introduce them to you one by one!"

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Sheng pondered for a moment and said, "Should we inform the three brothers in Yuncheng County beforehand, just in case we have any issues later?" Seeing that Chao Gai was hesitant, Wu Yong said, "Brother, are you worried that Brother Song Jiang and the others will object to us robbing Liang Zhongshu's birthday tribute?" Chao Gai said, "They have official positions after all. If we harm them because of us, I will feel extremely ashamed!" Wu Yong shook his head and said, "Brother, you are overthinking it. Do you know that Liang Zhongshu's birthday tribute sent to Dongjing was also robbed last year?" Chao Gai was shocked and asked, "Do you know who did it?" Wu Yong glanced at the three Ruan brothers and said, "You should ask Brother Ruan about that!" Ruan Xiaoer was somewhat displeased but could not refuse and said, "Young Master Wang has just arrived in Dongjing and his family is poor, but Cai Jing has instigated the emperor..." They forced Young Master Wang to retrieve a massive shipment of precious stones from the Yellow River, offering him nothing. Left with no other option, he robbed the birthday tribute intended for Cai Jing by Liang Zhongshu. All three of us were involved! Unexpectedly, Chao Gai laughed loudly and said, "Young Master Wang is truly a young hero! I admire him greatly!" Wu Yong chimed in, "Since Young Master Wang could rob it, we can rob it even more! Even if the three brothers in Yuncheng County find out, they won't object!" With this precedent, Chao Gai became even more uninhibited, saying, "Then let's brothers work together and take this ill-gotten gain!" Gongsun Sheng pondered for a long time and said, "I think after robbing the birthday tribute, we should send a small gift to the three brothers in Yuncheng County!" Chao Gai understood Gongsun Sheng's meaning and said, "A gift should be given, but not forced!" Gongsun Sheng immediately replied, "Of course!"

The robbery of the birthday gifts proceeded as before, except that the escort was now Suo Chao. Since Suo Chao was originally a fierce general under Liang Zhongshu, and given that Liang Zhongshu was at odds with Wang Hao, he was still of use, so he was only stripped of his official position and demoted to a lowly soldier.

The second loss of the birthday gifts enraged Cai Jing and Liang Zhongshu, but by this time Wang Hao was already making a fortune, so the two quickly ruled out the possibility of him doing it again. Since Wang Hao wasn't a formidable enemy, Cai Jing and Liang Zhongshu had fewer concerns and issued a death order to the local officials of Yuncheng County, demanding they solve the case within two months, or face punishment for dereliction of duty. The magistrate of Yuncheng County immediately summoned Song Jiang, Zhu Tong, Lei Heng, and others, ordering them to conduct a thorough investigation. These three, having been informed by Chao Gai beforehand, were filled with anxiety but also secretly plotted their escape. Yuncheng County was originally Wang Hao's stronghold, so Liang Zhongshu distrusted the magistrate and secretly planted many spies within the county. Half a month later, Bai Sheng used the money he had received as gambling money. He was discovered by Liang Zhongshu's spies and was taken directly to the Yuncheng County government office. Song Jiang immediately gave Lei Heng a look and ordered him to inform Chao Gai and the others to lay low for the time being.

Chao Gai gathered everyone at the manor and said, "Bai Sheng ignored my advice and actually gambled with the birthday gifts at the gambling den. He's now imprisoned in Yuncheng County." Gongsun Sheng said, "Bai Sheng has three brothers protecting him in prison; he shouldn't betray us!" Chao Gai sighed helplessly and said, "The prison is now entirely staffed by men from Daming Prefecture. Song Yashi and the others are powerless to do anything!" Wu Yong understood Chao Gai's implication and said, "The only plan now is to leave before we're exposed!" Chao Gai said, "But where can so many of us hide?" Ruan Xiaoqi looked at her two brothers and said, "Within a thousand miles, only Liangshan Marsh is the most suitable!"

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