At the end of August, Taoist Wei immediately went eastward to Dongping County to meet Zu Chenyan, and they immediately succeeded in hooking up with him.

In early September, all the leaders of the Deposed Dragon Gang who had received the summons returned one after another. Even to Pu Tai, even if Cheng Dalang could not come, Fang Yanshi, who was most dissatisfied with the troops crossing the river to attack Dengzhou, had already set off.

King Xiongbo Nanxiong promised that if the city of Dengzhou is destroyed in the near future, he will come alone.

However, Xiao Zhou and Lu Er, one of the Lu brothers, still temporarily stayed in Putai Water Village because of Zhang Xing's instructions.

That's right, for military purposes, the tidal flat was fenced off and became an important military area where no idlers were allowed to enter.

In early September, let alone the preparations of the Deposed Dragon Gang, let’s just say that on this day, Dengzhou County, which had been waiting for no reinforcements for a long time, finally announced that the city was broken, and the rebels poured into the city in large numbers. Immediately, the surrounding Yidu and Beihai,

Famous cities such as Linzi were also raided. Up to this point, the prosperous lower reaches of the river, which had been famous for its wealth as early as the period when the three clans were fighting for supremacy, and was once the core ruling area of ​​the Eastern Chu Kingdom in the later period, was completely turned upside down.

To be fair, Gao Shitong was the last descendant of the Gao family in the Eastern Qi Dynasty, and Sun Xunzhi was also a powerful man. Even Wang Hou, who was able to compile the "Wuxiang Dongyi Lang Death Song", should have been a low-level official, and they all have a little understanding.

’s... So, even though the three leaders pushed each other away during the siege, they all had the traditional skill of letting the strangers come first. After the city was broken, they even occupied the territory, divided the city, and engaged in small-scale annexation. But in fact,

All three of them also issued relevant instructions to maintain military discipline, and abided by their commitments by opening official warehouses and distributing grain in proportion.

Killing officials, demoting officials, opening warehouses, recruiting troops, scheming, coercing and luring, recruiting heroes, trying to create a big alliance leader, these things are all things that should be done, and there are some things that should not be done.

However, this classic rebel wave did not last long.

After all, after the Dengzhou prefecture and county town were defeated, and then raided the surrounding towns, it was inevitable to assign leaders and separate routes to enter. At this time, the uneven quality of these leaders was revealed, and the lack of tight organization of the army was also clearly revealed:

Some leaders were born as officials, were strong, well-educated, and cultivated themselves. They could have some decent posture in their minds, and then they followed the description, but they forgot to provide food for the people, and spent all day making gestures with the surrendered officials in the city;

Some people are from the lower class, everything is going well, and they are most enthusiastic about sharing food and wealth, but they can't get along in front of the ladies of the official family;

Others are simply from city or village gangsters. They are the bravest in fighting and the least afraid of death. They are also the group whose status has improved the fastest after the rebels swarmed in. However, they cannot help but wantonly take control of a city and collect gold and silver.

Wealth, silk, wine, and women were all wanted, so that there was a lot of looting and killing.

Is there anyone who is an official but still knows how to provide food for the people?

Is there anyone who comes from a lower class background and is clean at the same time?

Is there anyone who was born as a rogue, and then suddenly woke up and stopped in time?

All.

But there are bound to be people who rush in. What's more, as the situation develops, hundreds of thousands of rebels attack cities and seize territory. With Dengzhou as the core, the territory is expanding every day, and the number of leaders who stand alone in one area and raise their own banners is also increasing every day.

, mutual obedience is getting weaker and weaker, and actions are naturally becoming more and more unscrupulous.

Of course, these things did not delay Xiong Bonan from returning to the upper reaches of Jishui River immediately after breaking the city. He was originally a master of condensing pills. During the long journey, he resorted to borrowing horsepower and could almost travel hundreds of miles day and night.

Despite the speed, he successfully returned to Niujiazhuang outside Puyang City on September 15th.

At this time, the situation in Niujiazhuang was completely different from when he left last month. At least there were many more people. Noble families and powerful people, officials and thieves, Hebei and the East, literati and warriors, all gathered together.

Xiong Bonan is known as the Purple Faced King and is a long-standing master of elixir condensation. He has always been rampant in Hebei, the Central Plains, and the Eastern Region. He has a wide range of contacts. In addition, he is undoubtedly the signature master in the gang and has a prominent status, so his The arrival of Niujiazhuang, in turn, caused waves in Niujiazhuang, which was already very anxious. Many people came to invite, visit, and make gestures, which made him dizzy.

Of course, King Xiongtian was quite capable. He first went to see Zhang Xing, Li Shu and Taoist Wei, then turned around and went to see the local landowner Niu Da and his friend Xu Dalang, then Shan Dalang and Wang Wulang, and then These are the heroes who are actually newbies who he himself is actually quite famous for.

And on the third day after Xiong Bonan arrived at Niujiazhuang, Taoist Wei couldn't bear it anymore and met with Zhang Xing and Li Shu at the same time. This was the highest decision-making authority of the Deposed Dragon Gang, which seemed to be very authoritative in theory and in practice. The floor held a small tea party first.

"Both of you."

Taoist Wei no longer wears Taoist robes, but wears clean green brocade robes, which complement Zhang Xing's dark brocade robes and Li Shu's plain brocade robes. When this theoretical chief takes the initiative to give After the two leaders poured the tea, they said simply. "You can't delay any longer, because the opportunity cannot be missed. No matter how big the differences are, it is time to take the overall situation into consideration and settle things one by one! What's more, King Xiongtian also Now that you're back, you don't have anything to say to continue the confrontation, right?"

Zhang Xing and Li Shu looked at each other and understood each other's meaning in an instant, which made them feel a little relieved.

To put it bluntly, there must be confrontation.

This time, the revolutionary cause is developing rapidly, and both sides and their respective leaders have brought back a lot of people. There will definitely be fierce disputes over the number of leaders. Personnel is politics, and this is related to the fundamentals of the two.

At the same time, there is still some obvious geographical and class opposition between people on both sides, which further causes the division of power between the two sides.

However, it was really not because of this that the two of them did not hold a formal reunion process for a long time.

"Chief Wei thinks that the reason why the two of us are unwilling to settle the matter is because we are confronting each other in private?" Li Shu spoke coldly, looking at the tea cup in front of him without moving at all.

"Isn't it?" Wei Xuanding sneered for a moment and asked back. "Those wealthy families who came here with you, Mr. Li, are proud of themselves. I just have to say it outright. I should be among you guys." Go on... In other words, I feel that the gang is low-level, and I feel that the leader system is disordered, so I almost just said that I should abolish the Dragon Gang and start a new one... Is this a lie? Mr. Zhang, can you bear it? "

The last sentence was clearly transferred to another person's face.

"Of course I can't bear it." Zhang Xing picked up the tea cup and answered with a straight face before Li Shu. "We are in rebellion now, not a separatist organization, so how can we have so many opinions? Besides, the form of a gang is to take care of Jianghu. Those who are established by the reckless people, what do you think of the tyrants and shogunate? Those who come from noble families are comfortable, but the friends who come from the Jianghu and the reckless people don't know what to do? This kind of thing can only be tolerated by the government and the people, and those who know better can do it. If you don't know how to take care of you, you can only make those children of Hebei aristocratic families feel aggrieved and become gang leaders."

"This is indeed the case." Li Shu paused for a moment, but he said simply. "It's not like I don't have brothers with a rough background. How can I not know this truth? Those disciples from Hebei came to participate in the righteous cause.

I will tell them about such a trivial matter, Chief Wei, don't worry too much... Or should I say that they have worked hard and are kicked out just because they said a few words?"

"It's not necessary to drive them out, but you should restrain yourself." Taoist Wei smiled again. "It's them who come to us, not us who come to them... If you don't understand this, you will cause trouble sooner or later... At the end of the day,

You should also follow the example of those people with the Cui surname, walk around and sneak away secretly, right?"

These words are a bit harsh, and I don't know whether it is because his true nature has been exposed or because his recent pride has made this Taoist priest have other thoughts.

Probably because of this, Li Shu glanced at the other party and did not respond directly, but looked at Zhang Xing again: "Master Zhang, what do you mean?"

"People change. If you experience more, you will admit it sooner or later." Zhang Xing replied seriously. "But you cannot be a big leader with such an attitude."

"Fang Yanlang is not qualified to be a big leader?" Li Shu also became serious. "Does he have no qualifications, no reputation, or no manpower and material resources to dispatch?"

"Then just add him." Zhang Xing also laughed. "If there are too many big bosses, the price will drop, and the other big bosses will also be dissatisfied."

Li Shu also laughed when he heard this: "Then he is the only one... On your right side are the leader Du, the deputy leader, Wang Wulang and Cheng Dalang. On my left side are Fang Yanlang and Xu Shiying.

There are three Shan Tonghai, but one is missing, plus Xiongtianwang, four against four, we make up the eight heavenly kings, and we can survive together."

"How ridiculous is Mr. Li?" Zhang Xing swallowed his tea helplessly and put down his tea cup to argue. "I would like the Huaiyou Alliance to help me, but how could they move? It's obvious that it's me and you and you... King Xiongtian should be listed on the list.

Right, this is really appropriate... I'll go tell Wang Wulang and ask him to give in."

"These big leaders are not the ones we have the final say on. We have to decide who the hearts of the people belong to." Li Shu immediately shook his head and laughed. "I think back then, when we met on the river, King Xiongtian followed me, but it was you, Mr. Zhang, who had just arrived...

But having said that, if you really think about it, become a big leader, and then be listed on the right side, it won’t hurt.”

Zhang Xing sneered in his heart and smiled on his face, but suddenly he looked at Taoist Wei who was watching with cold eyes: "Since the identity of King Xiongtian is unknown, and he is the number one expert in the gang, why not ask him to be directly subordinate to the three of us? We usually let Wei

Public dispatch cooperation?”

Li Shu was slightly startled, and Taoist Wei was also startled, but the latter immediately woke up and immediately put down his beard and raised his hands: "That's right! Even if you ask King Xiongtian himself, he will definitely choose this way! If you don't believe it, let's do it now.

Go and ask?"

Li Shu glanced at the two people in front of him, remained silent for a moment, and nodded slowly: "It's not impossible to act according to urgency... As for whether to ask or not, can't the three of us still make the decision? They should also think about the overall situation.

.”

Taoist Wei finally laughed while leaning on the table.

"How about the rest of the leaders saying the same thing?" Zhang Xing continued to ask. "Those who have opinions below are all listed as leaders, and each is accompanied by a few big leaders. Try to keep them in line on both sides. If not, take out a few from Duo De.

Those who are used to working alone should belong to King Xiongtian and belong directly to him... Including, when the matter of Dongping County is really completed, Mr. Zu Chenyan should also respect him and give him a big boss, but he

There is no need to assign him a specific assignment, it is better to be under the direct jurisdiction of the central government like King Xiongtian."

"I agree." Taoist Wei said without hesitation, of course he agreed...it would be strange if he didn't agree.

Li Shu pondered for a moment, thought about it, calculated, and then realized that this time, he seemed to have taken advantage, which was fair, so he nodded in agreement after a long silence.

"That's it." Chief Wei, who had gained a huge advantage, was radiant and overjoyed. "Is the matter settled?"

Zhang Xing and Li Shu both looked at Wei Xuanding, and looked at each other again. Then, Zhang Xing slowly shook his head: "I have said about small things, now it's time to talk about big things from the bottom of my heart."

"That's true." Li Shu sighed. "There are some things that we can do as well as we can, but there are some things that we really can't do, but we still have to deal with them."

Wei Xuanding looked at each other and spread his hands: "What do you two mean?"

"The matter couldn't be simpler." Zhang Xing held the teacup and looked at Taoist Wei and answered frankly. "Wei Gong, it's not that the two of us are alarmist, but that both of us have actually experienced the hardships of the central government and have seen the imperial court.

Therefore, even if the situation is so smooth, neither of us has changed our minds. We still feel that if the situation becomes too big, the rafters who are in the lead must die first, and those who commit trouble will be beaten, and they will be beaten severely..."

Wei Xuanding was about to speak but stopped.

"I know that some people will definitely say that I was frightened by the imperial court before and lost my energy." Li Shu shook his head in reply. "But I really haven't wavered at all. I am still the same as when I formed the gang, and even before.

Like Li Hu Xu Dalang in Zhuangzi, he has determined that it is inevitable that this wave of rebels will rise in power, and that they will be defeated by the imperial court. But..."

"But in this situation, even a smart man like Mr. Wei has been caught up in the situation, heated up, and determined to start an uprising." Zhang Xing sighed. "If the two of us insist on our opinions, it will not be effective.

On the contrary, there is the risk of being excluded... After leaving this door, they are all heroes from the hometown of Dong Qi, and they have suffered a long time in the great Wei Dynasty."

"So, it's not that we don't understand your feelings. You are all from the hometown of Dong Qi and have been oppressed. Seeing that the situation is so good and the possibility of justice is right in front of you, how can you endure it? In order to unite as one, we also

It's time to admit it." Li Shu's expression was still calm, but his words were coherent with Zhang Xing's.

"It's not just that." Zhang Xing also came to see Li Shu at this time. "Sometimes you have to admit that you can't just hide in the big waves. If you don't experience some things, how can you test the true hero?

They are some people who were a bit weak in temperament before. If they can survive it, they can become as solid as stone and become reliable. They are heroes who seemed to be safe and sound before. So what if they are gone... From this point of view,

Some things are unavoidable... In the past few days, I have sometimes thought about how things in history books remain the same over and over again. Aren't there smart people who have learned their lessons? As a result, when things happened, I finally realized that things and people

Under a certain situation, there is actually only one way. Human nature is like this. You can't hide if you want, or you can choose if you want."

"This is absolutely true." Li Shu raised his head and sighed after hearing this. "But we should make some preparations."

"This is what I want to say from the bottom of my heart today." Zhang Xing turned to look at Taoist Wei, who had a gloomy expression. "It is imperative to gather righteousness and do something. This is true, but we must also be prepared for failure.

...For example, if the main force of the army attacks, where will it come from? Where will we fight? If we win, let alone win, but if we lose, where will we go?"

"If we are defeated between Dahe and Jishui, we will naturally go to Hebei." Li Shu blurted out, as if he had already thought about it. "So we have to control Baimajin and try our best to gather water power; and if we are defeated south of Jishui,
To be continued...