In June, the collapse of Liangshan was like a hidden stream at the bottom of the water. Then, it rapidly expanded. The whole process did not last for a long time. Before many people could figure out the truth of the matter, the cruel reality had already been pushed to everyone's eyes.
From the afternoon of June 11th, when Wu Yong and the others learned what the other side had done, the rumor had actually spread quietly in Liangshan, secretly eroding the dark side of people's hearts. In the early morning of the 12th of June, more than ten people who had sneaked into Liangshan during the night had been intercepted. As for the number of people who had not been intercepted or had already snuck into the stronghold through various connections, it was impossible to estimate.
The whole story of the Battle of Dulong Gang, the reason for the other side's attack, the dreadfulness of their methods, and the determination of their will spread uncontrollably in Liangshan in the following days. In the Battle of Dulong Gang, more than 500 people who were released chose to wait and see at most. But this time, more than half of them chose to take sides out of fear.
Those who went to the General Ridge and Wan Jia Ridge and chose to be honest or expose themselves were the minority among these people. In this day and age, those who could mix in the underworld or come out from hundreds of miles away to seek a job belonged to the category of people with flexible minds. This time, whether they surrendered or not, they could only ensure that their identities were hidden. That was the surefire way to attack and defend at the same time. The other side had rescued Dulong Gang in three days. If they really attacked Liangshan, could they really go there and fight to the death?
Those who chose to wait and see were, in fact, breeding grounds for betrayal. As powerless individuals, they could only sneak back to Liangshan first. Even if they didn't do anything bad, they could make arrangements for their families in advance. Once they were intercepted and realized that their superiors might punish them, these people could only desperately complain about their grievances. At the same time, they spread the story of the Battle of Dulong Gang, the terror of the other side, and the helplessness of their plan.
"We didn't betray Liangshan. We just wanted to come back in advance. The other side was serious. We didn't want to be suspected, so we had to sneak back. Otherwise, what else could we do …"
These people all had relatives and friends in Liangshan. Although their friends and brothers couldn't let them go, in a sense, they could only understand their actions. On the second day, it was said that there were more brothers sneaking back, but the number of people who were intercepted had decreased. It was said that some mid-level leaders felt sorry for them and secretly let them pass.
Among the more than a thousand people who had been released, those who had carefully considered and chosen a side in advance, when they returned to Liangshan and saw the situation, understood that only when the situation became more chaotic could they have a chance to survive. Thus, the frequency of them secretly and privately telling the people around them about the matter and rumors gradually increased.
In the first two or three days, these were not the only troublesome things. In the area of Wan Jia Ridge, the Liangshan soldiers who were initially gathered because they fell behind mixed with the released captives. After realizing the fact that they were separated, their hearts began to waver. Many of them were still loyal to Liangshan, so they took the initiative to explain the situation. However, their families were also on Liangshan. If they were isolated and suspected, it would be a big deal. Most of them were soldiers who had truly fallen behind on the way here. These soldiers only felt that they were innocent and began to complain. Among them, there were also many who wanted to fish in troubled waters …
When one person made a fuss, there would be people who treated them as brothers who began to talk. The little self-awareness that had been formed because of fear on Liangshan had completely collapsed at this time. The whole process only took two or three days. Some of the people were whispering about how many people had secretly surrendered to the government, and whether their neighbors would cut them with knives when the soldiers attacked. Although most of them were ignorant people who thought, "What's going on?" and "Things can't be that terrible, right?", the words of smart people were already able to control the direction of the whole situation.
When June 11 passed, the thoughts of Song Jiang, Wu Yong, and the others in the upper echelons of Liangshan gradually began to blur. Everyone knew that the current decision-making level on Liangshan must have been under tremendous pressure and suffering. This could be seen from the mental state of Song Jiang, Wu Yong, and the others in the next few days. The terrifying thing about an open conspiracy was that once it really took shape, the situation would be like a snowball rolling down the snow ridge. It was no longer something that human beings could stop. If they really wanted to crack it, they would definitely need the same extreme and intense method. However, almost no one could find it at the moment.
From the outside, it seemed that after the initial hesitation, Song Jiang and the others did a few things that they had no choice but to do. They began to recall all the troops in Wanjialing after June 13. The defense line on Liangshan shrank in the most conservative manner. Song Jiang gave a few morale-boosting speeches, which were of little significance. However, after the speeches, he released all the brothers who had sneaked back to the mountain and the soldiers who had been isolated in Wanjialing. Because there was no way to deal with them at the moment, they could only leave them be.
At the same time, Liangshan was also performing a ritual for their companions who had died in the battle. Originally, such a ritual could arouse the companions' common hatred for the enemy, but at this time, it was a mixed blessing. The common hatred of some people could indeed be stirred up. On the other hand, it further confirmed the fiasco of Dulonggang.
They ordered the defense and military discipline of Liangshan to be strengthened, but in fact, it was already too late. Some sensitive quarrels and frictions appeared on Liangshan from June 13 to June 14, as if a storm was brewing.
While such a chaotic situation was brewing, Ning Yi, who was outside the Liangshan Lake, did not stop doing what he had to do for the past few days. On the one hand, he asked Dulonggang to send people to the surrounding villages, mountain strongholds, and caravans to spread the news of Liangshan's defeat. He told them about Zheng Biao's vicious methods and created a common hatred for the enemy. On the other hand, he also visited the prefectural magistrates of several nearby cities, giving money and credit. At the same time, he played up the seriousness of Minister Qin in this matter. Occasionally, the situation on Liangshan would be passed on through different channels.
"That's strange. These guys seem to have resigned themselves to their fate. They didn't do anything special. How could they save Liangshan?"
The carriage traveled on the official road. There was a table in the carriage. Around it were Ning Yi, Wang Shanyue, Qi Xinhan, and Su Wenyu. They were sorting out the information that had been passed to them. Qi Xinhan threw the announcement in his hand on the table. He was quite puzzled by the development of the situation. Wang Shanyue also frowned. "We don't know what they're doing in the dark, right? But they can't clean up now. Conciliation is useless. They can't even let people go down the mountain. There are at least hundreds and thousands of brothers who are ready to kill their own people when the situation becomes chaotic. I really can't think of what they can do … Otherwise, are they going to ask for help from others? For example, Tian Hu defeated Wu Ruiying in the first battle? "
After saying this, he looked at Ning Yi. Ning Yi was also thinking about it. He looked at Su Wenyu. "What do you think, Wenyu?"
Su Wenyu was a member of the Su family that was to be cultivated. He had always kept a low profile among the crowd. At this time, he frowned. "I think … they won't want to rely on Tian Hu at this time. But I can't think of what they want to do. Second Brother-in-law, if it were you, what would you do? "
Ning Yi held the documents and thought for a while. "Wu Yong and Zhu Wu together can't be underestimated. But in this situation, I think they want to cut their losses."
"How … at this time?"
"I'm just guessing, but in this situation, they can't push it head-on anymore. The harder they push, the more likely they will be wiped out. Once they really realize this, they probably won't dare to push it anymore. The only way for them to survive in this situation is not how to break it, because if they can't break it, they can only go with the flow and get themselves out of it. If they are so decisive, it will be the most troublesome thing for us … "
Ning Yi paused. The others were still at a loss. He smiled. "Think about why the morale of the army is shaken. Whether it's the leader's defection, the internal chaos, the people watching from the side, or the Mixed Origin Thunderbolt Hand Technique being too powerful, the most fundamental point is that everyone is worried that if Liangshan really falls, I won't be able to survive. "Now, if I were Song Jiang, Wang Shanyue, if you want to live, you can just kill Qi Xinhan. You don't have that strong will to kill me. Even if you kill me, you can become an official. If we are clear on this point, we will be cutting off our wrists. "
He didn't say it clearly. He looked at Su Wenyu and the others were stunned. Wang Shanyue said, "That's impossible. You can't be saying that he wants to let the situation develop. If that happens, Liangshan … Liangshan will really be finished."
"When they retreated at Lone Dragon Mound, it could only be considered as a lizard escaping with its tail cut off. A real warrior cutting off his wrist must be painful. It must be so painful that he wants to die." Ning Yi shook his head and smiled. "If they can think of it, be decisive and have the ability to execute it, it will be the most troublesome for us. Su Wenyu, think about it. Tell me why this is the most troublesome part … "
As he spoke, he assigned the homework. Su Wenyu's mouth twitched, and he nodded helplessly. "Ah …"
In the carriage, Wang Shanyue and Qi Xinhan both laughed, but they were also thinking about what Liangshan would do. It was indeed a headache to put themselves in Song Jiang and Wu Yong's shoes. On the other side, Ning Yi was sorting out the information. "No matter what, next … we have to prepare for war."
On Liangshan, Song Jiang, Wu Yong, and the others were indeed having a headache.
On the 15th of June, a small-scale battle occurred on Liangshan. The cause of the battle was the friction between the two families who were already at odds with each other. In the end, it led to dozens of people on each side slashing at each other. When the situation was under control, seven or eight people had already been injured. This was actually a situation where both sides restrained each other. Although no one died, when the matter was reported to the Juyi Hall, Song Jiang, who was sitting on a chair, still grabbed the armrest of the chair so hard that it creaked. He couldn't say a word.
With this incident as the starting point, large and small frictions and battles frequently broke out after that. Then, people began to go missing. The leaders, big and small, were exhausted trying to stabilize the situation. Then, the suspicion between the leaders also escalated. The corpse of the 'Flying Sage' Li Gun was found in the provisions on Liangshan. It was obvious that the traitor who killed Li Gun had brought the corpse back. Xiang Tong and Fan Rui were in tears when they saw this. They pointed at Li Kui in the Juyi Hall and said, "You see it now! My brother is not a traitor! "Li Kui had nothing to say at the time.
But in reality, everyone knew who was the mastermind and mastermind who pushed things to this stage.
At this moment, even Ning Yi and Ning Liheng, even the most stubborn members of Liangshan, had no choice but to realize that the revenge brought about by the enmity that had occurred in Suzhou had already brought unbearable pain to Liangshan. Moreover, this person's revenge was far from over.
A mountain stronghold against a single person ended up in such a state …
In the next few days, the situation became more and more intense. On the 19th of June, some leaders began to try to leave Liangshan, but not many people could really leave.
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