novelSusiti Chapter 137 He's in big trouble
Chapter 137 He's in big trouble
Song Jiang was very perceptive; from Dai Zong's single sentence, he immediately thought of many things.
Seeing his expression, Dai Zong knew that Liu Tang and Song Jiang were indeed very familiar with each other, so he could only say, "We captured a spy who once delivered a message for Liu Tang, leading the Jizhou government troops to ambush the Liangshan troops and almost killing Chao Gai, the leader."
Song Jiang's face stiffened for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure and said calmly, "He's in big trouble."
Hearing this, Dai Zong finally breathed a sigh of relief. According to Song Jiang, this matter should have nothing to do with him, otherwise Song Jiang would not be so nonchalant.
Since it had nothing to do with Song Jiang, and Dai Zong and Liu Tang were not familiar with each other, Dai Zong didn't care how Liu Tang would be dealt with in the future.
So he started chatting and laughing with Li Kui, telling him some anecdotes about the city, while Li Kui told him about his experiences with the military farms.
After chatting for a while, Hua Rong arrived with Pang Wanchun.
Upon seeing the two men, Song Jiang was overjoyed. He jumped up from his chair, quickly stepped forward, grabbed Hua Rong and Pang Wanchun's hands, and said with a smile, "It is my honor to invite my two virtuous brothers to drink with me."
Pang Wanchun smiled faintly and said, "I heard that there is wine here, so I came with Brother Hua to bother you."
He was brought here by Hua Rong, but judging from the situation, this drinking party should be hosted by Song Jiang.
The five men sat down, and Song Jiang pulled Pang Wanchun to sit on his left, while Hua Rong sat on his right, to show Song Jiang's high regard for Pang Wanchun.
After a few rounds of drinks, Hua Rong laughed and said, "Brother Pang, you may not know this, but Brother Gongming is known in the martial arts world as Timely Rain. He is the most loyal and righteous man in Shandong. He is sincere to his brothers, and if anyone is in trouble, Brother Gongming will be the first to generously lend a helping hand."
Pang Wanchun quickly raised his wine cup: "A toast to Brother Gongming! I wish we could have met sooner."
Song Jiang smiled and said, "Brother Pang, your martial arts are superb, and you are chivalrous and righteous. I have long admired you. Now that we have the opportunity to get closer, please drink to your heart's content."
After exchanging pleasantries, Hua Rong recounted how he met Song Jiang and praised him highly.
Pang Wanchun understood that Hua Rong was trying to get his approval of Song Jiang and was deliberately introducing Song Jiang to him.
After Hua Rong spoke for a while, Pang Wanchun praised, "It is an honor to have drunk and chatted with Brother Gongming today. I hope Brother Gongming will take good care of me in the Flying Tiger Army in the future."
Song Jiang's face stiffened, but he forced a smile and said, "Of course, of course."
Song Jiang was merely a military agricultural commissioner and held no official position in the army. Yet, Pang Wanchun asked Song Jiang to take care of him, which immediately displeased Song Jiang.
Pang Wanchun continued, "The position of the Military Farm Commissioner is related to the food and supplies of tens of thousands of people in the Flying Tiger Army. The fact that the chieftain entrusted this position to Brother Gongming shows how much he values him."
Song Jiang, barely suppressing his impatience, smiled and said, "Yes."
Pang Wanchun, completely oblivious to Song Jiang's unusual expression, laughed and said, "Someone like me, with all my brute strength, is not suited to be a military agricultural commissioner. I can only struggle in the army. When I get to the battlefield, I might just get hit by stray arrows or hidden arrows."
Song Jiang was even angrier: "This fellow is so tactless. Although he said that he was in danger in the army, he was clearly showing off that he was highly valued by Wang Lun and could lead troops to kill the enemy, while I, Song Jiang, am not good at martial arts and can only farm and cultivate the land in the rear."
Hua Rong's expression also changed slightly, but he and Pang Wanchun had been on good terms these days, and he didn't want to offend either of them because of this. He smiled and raised his glass, saying, "Why talk about this? Come on, let's have a few more drinks. Today we'll only talk about romance, not business."
Song Jiang laughed and said, "Alright, let's just talk about romance, let's just talk about romance."
He summoned the girls from the building, who then attentively served the group.
Although Pang Wanchun spoke harshly, he did not refuse Song Jiang's kindness at all. On the one hand, he drank and ate meat to his heart's content, and on the other hand, he laughed and joked with the girls that Song Jiang had arranged for him.
This made Song Jiang even more puzzled. After drinking a little too much, Song Jiang figured it out. He realized that Pang Wanchun was not rejecting his offer of recruitment; he was just heartless.
Having figured this out, Song Jiang's gloom vanished, and he and Pang Wanchun drank several large cups of wine in succession.
Song Jiang certainly didn't think he could win over Pang Wanchun with just one drink, after all, Pang Wanchun had been following Wang Lun for some time and was highly valued by Wang Lun.
If Pang Wanchun could be persuaded to serve after just one drink, it would only arouse Song Jiang's suspicion.
The drinking session ended with everyone lost in their own thoughts, except for Li Kui, who was in no mood for anything and drank along with Song Jiang in a daze. He laughed when he saw Song Jiang laugh and drank when he saw Song Jiang drink.
After the banquet ended, everyone left. Song Jiang and Li Kui went one way, Pang Wanchun and Hua Rong went the other way, and Dai Zong left alone.
Pang Wanchun had a high alcohol tolerance. Although he was slightly sweaty after drinking, he sobered up after walking around for a while.
Hua Rong watched as Pang Wanchun's steps became increasingly steady, until he no longer seemed to have been drinking. He couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Brother Pang's drinking capacity is so great, he might be able to rival Master Lu and Brother Wu Song."
Lu Zhishen and Wu Song were known for their high alcohol tolerance in Liangshan.
Pang Wanchun laughed and said, "My drinking capacity is nowhere near that of Master Lu. I've drunk with him many times along the way, but I've never been able to outdrink him."
Although Hua Rong traveled with Lu Zhishen, he disliked drinking and usually only had a few drinks after meals before going to rest, leaving Lu Zhishen and Pang Wanchun to compete in drinking. Therefore, he did not know the outcome of their drinking contest.
"What does Brother Pang think of Brother Gongming?" Hua Rong asked calmly.
Pang Wanchun smiled and said, "Public-spirited, righteous, and approachable, you truly deserve to be called a timely rain."
Hua Rong nodded and said, "That's right. Song Jiang is indeed capable. Many brothers on Liangshan are convinced of his abilities."
"Looking at Song Jiang today, he is quite suitable to be the military agricultural commissioner. The chieftain is farsighted and knows how to appoint people well." Pang Wanchun then changed the subject back to Song Jiang's role as military agricultural commissioner.
Hua Rong wanted to speak, but suddenly a thought struck him. Pang Wanchun's words couldn't be clearer: Song Jiang was only suitable to be the military agricultural commissioner. This was Pang Wanchun's way of telling himself not to have too many ideas.
Thinking of this, Hua Rong also panicked a little. He didn't mean anything by it, but he felt that Wang Lun had indeed given Song Jiang a lower position, and he was a little resentful. He also admired Wang Lun very much and was loyal to the Liangshan Flying Tiger Army.
Hua Rong then fell silent, thinking that his intention to introduce Pang Wanchun to Song Jiang and his strong recommendation of Song Jiang to Pang Wanchun had only aroused Pang Wanchun's suspicion.
That won't do.
Hua Rong composed himself and said, "Yes, Chieftain is very wise. He has never made a mistake in recognizing and appointing people. We are completely convinced of Chieftain's abilities."
He paused for a moment, then said, "Brother Gongming also greatly admires the chieftain."
Pang Wanchun turned his head and gave Hua Rong a meaningful look, saying, "Brother, not to be nosy, but do you think Song Jiang's enthusiastic invitations to drink with everyone, from the Flying Tiger Army leaders to the city gate soldiers, are because he deeply admires our leader?"
Hua Rong's expression changed. Sure enough, although Song Jiang had not made his invitation to everyone to drink public, it was still kept secret. He hadn't expected that Pang Wanchun had known all along. So, his agreement to come to the banquet with him today was probably just to see what Song Jiang was up to.
A gentle breeze blew by, and Hua Rong suddenly felt a chill, her body trembling slightly.