But when he spoke, each and every word stabbed straight into their hearts.
Unfortunately, not one of them could even muster a word in their defense.
Truth be told, although the rumors about Yang Erlang had grown more bizarre as they spread through the jianghu.
After all, it had been several years since they last saw Yang Ge, and they really had no clear understanding of the extent of Yang Ge’s martial arts abilities. Regarding Yang Erlang’s reputation as the foremost under heaven, they had always been skeptical, feeling that it was an exaggerated promotion by outsiders.
After all... it was they three brothers who had passed on the martial arts to Yang Erlang. How could they not know how many years Yang Erlang had practiced? Who could become the best in the world after just four or five years?
That clearly wasn’t martial arts at all!
Though they hadn’t seen Yang Erlang for many years, they had now encountered Li Jincheng, the weakest among their group of four.
Just now, with Li Jincheng’s effortless stepping and striding at the dock, even Lei Heng, the best martial artist among the three, dared not claim he could surely defeat Li Jincheng.
This content is taken from freёwebnovel.com.
A moment of chill fell over them.
After a while, Liu Meng, who had always spoken the least at the dinner table, suddenly stood up and grabbed the wine jar beside him, larger than a human head, and gestured to Li Jincheng, "It’s our shortsightedness, measuring the noble’s heart with a villain’s mind. This jar, I toast to Li, and also to ’Lord Zhongshen’ Yang Ge!"
Having said that, he lifted the wine jar and tilted his head back as if drinking water like a cow.
Jiang Kui and Lei Heng looked at Liu Meng guzzling the wine, opened their mouths but did not know what to say... Truth be told, among the three brothers, the one who least acknowledged Yang Erlang’s famous name was Liu Meng.
After all, he had once been Yang Erlang’s equal, only outsmarted by one move...
Li Jincheng watched Liu Meng drinking with cold eyes until he had drunk half the jar in one breath, and then he got up without saying a word, picked up the wine jar beside him, and started pouring it into his mouth in big gulps...
Seeing this, Jiang Kui and Lei Heng quickly stood up, one trying to persuade Liu Meng, the other Li Jincheng.
"Alright, enough, as long as the intention is clear..."
"We’re all family here, no need to lose words over this..."
Liu Meng and Li Jincheng shrugged off the two trying to grab the wine jars from them and stubbornly drank all the wine in the jar.
Moments later, both men had flushed faces and were standing with the empty wine jars inverted, staring at each other like cocks prepared to fight!
"Snap."
Both wine jars shattered on the ground simultaneously, and the two shouted in unison, "Boy, bring the wine!"
Jiang Kui and Lei Heng saw this and leapt up to forcefully push the two stubborn men back into their chairs.
"Alright, since we’ve said we’re all family, let no one take it to heart!"
Jiang Kui forcefully changed the subject, "Li, let’s talk business, how much grain can your group assemble?"
Li Jincheng, reeking of alcohol, shook his head, "Don’t worry about how much we can gather first, let’s talk about how much Lei needs!"
Jiang Kui and Lei Heng exchanged glances, somewhat troubled, and spoke quietly, "Indeed, what you said is true, I’ve already received the government missive limiting the border trade, from now on, every major shipment in and out of the checkpoint will be handled personally by appointed officials, even I can no longer intervene... The shortfall at Lü Mountain is large, and it will be even larger once that servant army is sent over!"
"No matter how big the shortfall, just tell me the number!"
The drunken Li Jincheng, without any further niceties, took it upon himself to say, "As long as Lei can guarantee that every grain we deliver doesn’t end up in the enemy’s hands; as long as Lei can ensure that every thread we send is worn by the men fighting our enemy... even if you need 500,000 shi of grain, 500,000 bolts of silk, we will find a way to get it to you!"
"We don’t need that much, we don’t need that much..."
Lei Heng was shocked by his assertiveness, his trembling hands shaking intensely, overwhelmed by a kind of ecstatic suffocation he’d never experienced in all his battles: "Currently, our mountain consumes only around four or five hundred shi of grain a month, our brothers are used to hardship, even if we have finer grains, they are reluctant to eat it, usually it’s just a couple of cups of rice mixed into a pot of wild vegetables and roots to make a porridge to fill the stomach, having two or three thousand shi of grain would be enough for us to have a good year on the mountain. As for the Dongying servant army coming later, three or four thousand shi of grain should suffice. Our own brothers are eating porridge to fill their stomachs, there’s no reason they should eat better than us, right?"
Hearing his description, Li Jincheng sobered up a bit, struggled to sit up straight at the dinner table, and said firmly, "Yang Ge is doing this because he doesn’t want to see this happen anymore, from now on, whatever our brothers need to eat, just eat, this grain is bought with clean money, not plundered from the common people, we don’t need to be so frugal... oh, right, the money used to buy the grain was robbed from Dongying, this can also be considered as taking from the people and using it for the people!"
As they spoke, all four men at the dinner table burst into laughter.
Li Jincheng continued, "It’s already early September. We plan to transport between one hundred thousand to two hundred thousand stones of grain before the start of winter. Depending on how severe the winter snow is this year, if we can’t transport it, we’ll have to wait until next spring. When you brothers return, you can start thinking about how to store this batch of grain."
"Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but the grain we bring over is for our own brothers to consume as they please. It would not be a pity even if we had to burn it, but never let it fall into the enemy’s hands. Yang hates this kind of trouble the most. If he knew his hard-earned silver was used to buy grain that ended up feeding the enemy, he would be furious enough to unsheathe his sword and embark on a slaughter beyond the borders."
"He hasn’t had many peaceful days these past few years, running around everywhere, and he still hasn’t settled down. Let’s spare him some trouble..."
When Lei Heng heard this, he solemnly raised his wine bowl and declared, "As long as I still breathe, not a single grain of food shall fall from my hands into the enemy’s!"
Struggling, Li Jincheng snatched the wine jar from Jiang Kui, poured himself a bowl, and guzzled it down.
Watching him, Jiang Kui fell silent for a moment before saying, "Let us three brothers also do something for you guys. It’s not about business. You three have been doing so much, and if we don’t do something, it just doesn’t sit right with us!"
Putting down his wine bowl, Lei Heng nodded vigorously, "That’s exactly what I mean!"
Liu Meng chimed in, "Otherwise, let us three brothers lead some men southward, and we’ll take down Jinfanwu. We wield our swords swiftly, guaranteeing no one will know it was us!"
Jiang Kui: "Good idea!"
Lei Heng: "Good idea!"
"That’s not acceptable, not acceptable..."
Li Jincheng shook his head vigorously, "Having the older brothers intervene wouldn’t be right. It would mess up our friendship too. No, no!"
Slapping the table, Jiang Kui demanded, "Then you must give us three brothers some direction to proceed! You are heroes on horseback, and we three brothers are men who stand by our fists!"
"How about..."
Li Jincheng thought for a long time in a low voice, "Might I trouble you elder brothers to bring some cattle and sheep into the border? Yang Ge doesn’t favor much but has a liking for food. He’s reluctant to harm the common folk’s oxen for his own indulgence, and always has to rely on luck!"
Jiang Kui shook his head, "This kind of minor favor isn’t worth mentioning at our table of men!"
Lei Heng declared, "I’ll lead my brothers to pull off a few raids. The plains are vast. We can get as many cattle and sheep as we want!"
"Then I truly can’t think of anything else..."
Li Jincheng spread his hands, "We truly lack nothing. Even if we had needs, the chieftains of the steppes couldn’t satisfy them."
Jiang Kui waved his hand, "I don’t care, think of something else!"
Lei Heng: "Right, you think again..."
Liu Meng: "Otherwise, let us three brothers take down Jinfanwu? More boats make grain transport easier, right?"
Li Jincheng:...
He rubbed his head, in pain from thinking so long, until a small idea emerged, tentatively suggesting, "How about I send some skilled men over, and trouble Lei to take them to the plains for some exposure? Our Lianhuan Fort has been too peaceful for too long. My men have lost their edge, acting more like traders than adventurers. I hope to inspire some vigor. But as you know, the petty fights common to the rivers and lakes won’t amount to much; it is the harsh winds and snow beyond the border that truly forge a sharp blade!"
Lei Heng hesitated slightly, "Doesn’t this still take advantage of you, my younger brother?"
Just as Li Jincheng was about to speak, Jiang Kui had already slapped the table, "That settles it! The brothers from Lianhuan Fort will first come to Liaodong to hone their skills at my place. Once they’re forged into capable men, next they’ll tackle Lü Mountain. I guarantee, even if the Divine Hare himself comes, we’ll return you men as solid as iron!"
Overjoyed, Li Jincheng raised his wine bowl, "Then it’s settled, cheers!"
The three brothers simultaneously lifted their bowls, "Cheers!"
The four wine bowls loudly clattered together.