Chapter 505

Inside the Hall of Gathering Righteousness, the air seemed to freeze.

The news of beacon fires in the northern lands was no longer a vague rumor.

But it had turned into a continuous stream of urgent reports stained with blood and tears, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.

The vanguard of the Jin army had already captured several cities, splitting its forces into two routes.

One route pointed toward Zhending Prefecture, the other threatened Hejian Prefecture.

Wherever the Jin forces advanced, defending troops either collapsed or surrendered, offering hardly any meaningful resistance.

A wave of refugees began to spread southward, panic spreading like a plague, eroding people's hearts faster than the Jin cavalry's iron hooves.

Song Jiang sat upright above, his face as still as water.

He clutched a newly received letter, a blood‑stained plea for help from a local magnate in Hebei who had old ties to Liangshan.

He glanced down; wherever his gaze fell, he saw the leaders, each with different expressions, yet none could hide their anxiety.

"Brothers all,"

Song Jiang's voice carried a barely perceptible dryness, breaking the suffocating silence.

"The situation in the northern frontier, I suppose everyone is already aware of it."

"The Jin barbarians run rampant, border affairs have deteriorated to this extent, it is indeed the court… alas!"

He habitually thought of pushing the blame onto the court.

But saying this now, even he felt it sounded pale and powerless.

"We of Liangshan Marsh lie in Shandong; although we have the natural barrier of the marshes, when the lips are gone the teeth feel the cold, so we cannot fail to consider it."

"Today we have gathered to discuss how Liangshan should respond."

As his words fell, Lin Chong stepped forward boldly, clasped his fists, and spoke loudly:

"Brother Gongming! Things have come to this—what more is there to discuss?!"

His voice was loud, brimming with restrained indignation.

"The iron hooves of the Jin barbarians sweep southward; wherever they pass, cities become scorched earth and the people are reduced to meat for the slaughter!"

"This is a matter of the survival or demise of China; it is nothing like the old grudges of the martial world or the squabbles of mountain strongholds!"

"Before the Hall of Gathering Righteousness at Liangshan Marsh flies the great banner that reads 'Acting on Heaven's Behalf'!"

"Where is Heaven's Way today? It lies in defending China's territory and saving the common people!"

His eyes blazed like torches as he swept his gaze over the assembly.

"Lin Chong, though lacking talent, I dare to ask for orders again!"

"Please, elder brother, grant me a detachment of troops so I may unite the righteous forces of Hebei and Shandong and march north to resist the Jin!"

"Even if we are wrapped in horsehide and buried, we shall not fail the lifelong ambition of us men!"

"What Chief Instructor Lin said is exactly what we have in mind!"

Ruan Xiaoqi almost shouted while jumping up; he is the most impatient of them.

"To hide on the mountains and watch the Jin dogs run rampant—what kind of hero is that?"

"We, the three Ruan brothers, are willing to follow Chief Instructor Lin northward and let those Jin dogs taste the might of the Liangshan navy!"

"I too wish to go!"

"Count me in!"

Liu Tang, Shi Jin, and a group of other leaders, fiery by nature and already cool toward the idea of surrender, spoke up in agreement, and the crowd's fervor rose.

Song Jiang's brows knit tightly, his agitation growing worse.

He was well aware that Lin Chong and the others held the moral high ground, but he understood even more clearly the stance of the Iron Crow Army.

Last night the cold warning of Zeng Tu still rang in his ears:

"Chief Leader Song, you should give priority to the Mandate of Heaven, accumulate strength, and await the right moment."

"To rashly clash head‑on with the Jin state would not only be useless, it would damage our foundations and ruin the bigger picture."

What this "big picture" is, Song Jiang knows full well—it is the "script" arranged by the Iron Crow Army.

—that is, to accept amnesty and then follow the prescribed historical course.

At this moment, going to war with the Jin state completely deviates from the script.

He drew a deep breath, suppressed his wandering thoughts, and strove to make his voice steady while keeping the overall situation in mind:

"Chief Instructor Lin, brothers all, your loyal and righteous hearts are known to heaven and earth!"

"Song Jiang, hearing of the dire state of the northern frontier, also felt his heart torn like a knife, wishing he could immediately raise troops and march north to do battle with the Jin barbarians!"

He first affirmed everyone's feelings, then shifted his tone, which grew grave.

"Yet, precisely because this concerns the survival of our stronghold and the lives and property of thousands of brothers, we must be all the more calm."

"We must not let a moment's passion lead us to an irredeemable abyss!"

He glanced at Wu Yong, sending him a subtle look.

"Advisor, you are always resourceful and full of strategies—what is your high opinion on this?"

Wu Yong lightly shook his feather fan, met Song Jiang's gaze, and understood clearly in his heart.

He pondered briefly, then spoke slowly, his tone showing deep worry:

"Brother Gongming's concern is not without reason."

The Jin barbarians' military edge is at its peak; the advantage of their cavalry far exceeds what our Liangshan infantry and navy can match head‑on.

Furthermore, if our army marches north, supplying grain and fodder will be difficult; venturing deep into hostile territory where we are unfamiliar with the land and people is truly a major military taboo.

His words, while appearing to analyze difficulties, actually serve to support Song Jiang's position.

"Yet, what Chief Instructor Lin says is also perfectly reasonable, concerning the very foundation of our Liangshan stronghold; if we were to ignore it completely,"

I fear it will chill the hearts of heroes under heaven, and also cause the mountain stronghold brothers to lose unity and virtue.

His words took both sides, throwing the difficult problem back, while also hinting at the consequences of forcibly suppressing the war faction.

Song Jiang smoothly took over the conversation, his face showing a 'readily following good advice' expression.

The strategist's words exactly capture my heart!

To march north and resist the Jin, righteousness demands it—our Liangshan cannot but act!

Yet we must also not be careless.

He swept his gaze over Lin Chong and the others, appearing to have made a decision.

In that case, Instructor Lin, Ruan brothers, since your hearts are set on serving the country, I will grant your request!

Lin Chong and the others, hearing this, were invigorated.

But Song Jiang's following words sank their newly risen hope again.

However, the stronghold's main forces must not be moved lightly; we need to hold fast to our base.

I will allocate to you five hundred cavalry, one thousand infantry, and let the Ruan brothers arrange the naval troops as they see fit.

Furthermore, I grant you the right to recruit volunteer forces and contact various heroes on your own.

You may first march north to probe the Jin's strengths and weaknesses; if the situation permits, Liangshan will send reinforcements without delay.

If the situation is hopeless, you must withdraw promptly to preserve strength for future plans.

The forces he gave are, for the vast Liangshan, merely a drop in the bucket.

Clearly, he wants to use the war faction to hold off the enemy for a while, without investing too much.

He also harbors the idea of using the war faction as a borrowed knife to drain the strength of the Northward Aspiration faction.

What kind of man is Lin Chong—how could he fail to see Song Jiang's calculation?

He felt grief and indignation, yet obtaining this chance to deploy troops was no easy feat.

He suppressed his anger, clasped his fists, and spoke in a low voice.

"Lin Chong, accept the order!"

"Even if only a single soldier, I will contend with the Jin to the end!"

Ruan Xiaoqi still wanted to argue, but Ruan Xiaoer held him fast.

The debate in the Hall of Loyalty appeared to end with Song Jiang's 'compromise' and the war faction's 'victory,' but everyone understood it was not over.

Within Liangshan, there were divisions about the future path.

Against the backdrop of this national crisis, not only was it not reconciled,

but rather, this limited, calculating deployment made the rift deeper and sharper.

The surrender advocacy faction still held the reins of power.

Meanwhile, the Northward Aspiration faction finally gained an opportunity to break out of its confinement and prove its principles.

A northward expedition destined to be extraordinarily difficult unfolded its curtain amid this consensus, each party harboring its own thoughts.