At a confrontation in the main hall, I publicly refused the offer of amnesty and broke with Song Jiang. I persuaded staunch allies like Lu Zhishen, Yang Zhi, Shi En, and Sun Erniang to leave Liangshan with me. We searched for a new stronghold, put the ranks in order, established rules, secured provisions, and trained our people. We repelled the first and second campaigns by government troops, laid the foundations of our base, and gathered our first band of freelance martial heroes.
