At Zhengtou City, a poisoned arrow pierced his soul.
The moment Chao Gai opened his eyes, an arrowhead engraved with the name Shi Wengong came hurtling toward him. Memories of his past life surged through him: Song Jiang dragging his feet, Wu Yong staying silent, the Hall of Gathering Heroes being renamed the Hall of Loyalty and Justice, his brothers scattering after they accepted amnesty, and Li Kui's heart-wrenching cry of “Brother!” as the poisoned wine went down his throat.
This time, he would not die at Zhengtou City.
He would tear down the hypocritical banner of “Enforce Heaven's Will” with his own hands and grind Song Jiang's dream of accepting amnesty to dust. Starting by slaying Song Jiang in front of the Hall of Gathering Heroes, he would purge the pro-Song faction, win over Lu Junyi, Huyan Zhuo, and Lu Zhishen, build an intelligence network through the Bureau of Heavenly Secrets, and forge cannons for the Divine Engine Corps. He would transform Liangshan from a bandit stronghold in the marshes into a true, battle-hardened army of justice.
The key to breaking through was his twin revolution in political strategy and institutions. He established a council in the Hall of Gathering Heroes to balance power, introduced a system that combined military service with farming, opened military workshops to improve weapons, and even brought in modern medicine and intelligence systems. By the time the court launched its first campaign against them, Liangshan had become an impregnable fortress. The water stronghold routed the government army with trebuchets and fire ships, while the land stronghold crushed Huyan Zhuo's chain-linked cavalry with minefields. Their reputation for robbing the rich to help the poor won the people's hearts, and refugees from nearby regions flocked to them as their power rapidly grew.
From the eight-hundred-li marshes to becoming the ruler of the Central Plains, Wang Lun's ambitions reached far beyond Liangshan. He took advantage of...
“Accept amnesty? What I want is to bring peace to the world.”
Not decisive in killing