Although Chao Gai has a big gap with Song Jiang in terms of vision, talent, ability, etc., there is one thing that is much stronger than the latter, that is, valuing love and righteousness. In his eyes, brotherhood is much more important than everything else, and for this he can abandon anything, especially the old brother like Nguyen Thi Sanxiong, who fell with him early in the morning and went up the mountain, is the person he cherishes the most.

So when Wu Yong put forward this statement, Chao Gai's momentum suddenly dissipated, although he was still unwilling, but he was no longer as resolute as before, and after hesitating for a moment, he said: "You...... Are you saying that if we stick to the end, we will kill the lives of many brothers who have fallen into the hands of the officials and soldiers before? Didn't you say that Sun Tu wouldn't kill indiscriminately? ”

"Sun Tu is indeed not a person who kills indiscriminately, but the Ruan brothers and others are likely to provoke him out of righteous anger. Heavenly King, you know the temper of the three of them best, if they see that my brothers in the cottage refuse to surrender, they will never bow to the officials and soldiers, if they are disrespectful in words, the consequences will be unpredictable. Wu said with a serious expression.

Most of these words are true, and he also understands Ruan Xiaoer's character that they would rather bend, and knows that unless they see Chao Gai and the others are obedient, they will definitely carry it to the end. But this is also Wu Yong's means of prescribing the right medicine after finding out Chao Gai's temperament, and like Song Jiang, in fact, he has no intention of holding on, so he must persuade Chao Gai to make the decision to surrender to the imperial court.

Chao Gai's heart was again violently entangled, if he followed his own thoughts, he would not surrender even if he died in battle, but now that it is related to the life and death of many brothers, he can't be so ruthless. In the final analysis, Chao Gai is just a hero, and he is still too far from the real heroes, and it is difficult to achieve great things.

"Heavenly King, all the brothers in my village are very righteous, if you really want to fight to the death, I believe that everyone will not have any complaints. Now, it's just a matter of waiting for you to make the final decision! Song Jiang also understood Chao Gai's temperament and weaknesses, and when he saw this, he simply made a move to retreat into advance, entrusting the life and death of the brothers in the whole village to him.

Many brothers were also enthusiastic at this time, and said very cooperatively: "Heavenly King, let's just fight." We don't believe that the brothers have risked their lives to defeat the official army at home! ”

"Heavenly King, death is death, it's a big deal, let's be brothers again in eighteen years!"

"Heavenly King ......"

Many of Liang Shanbo's old brothers loudly expressed their determination, and even the minions outside the Juyi Hall were also inspired to fight for the last time at this time, and they shouted one after another: "Heavenly King, we will not surrender, we will fight with the officials and soldiers to the end!" ”

The sound became louder and louder, spreading farther and farther, and it was faintly transmitted to the military camp below, which made many soldiers become vigilant. Only Sun Tu still looked confident, smiled and said: "It's just a return to the light, I expect them to compromise and surrender." "What he is holding is Song Jiang's temperament, this person will never allow himself to die on the mountain as a thief!

Listening to the roars outside, Chao Gai only felt that the pressure on his heart was even greater, and his determination to fight to the end had been completely shaken. In the end, he finally clasped his fists and gave a deep salute to the brothers around him: "All brothers are righteous, and Chao Gai is deeply grateful. But it is a matter of life and death for thousands of brothers up and down my Liangshan, and Chao Gai cannot act willfully because of his own likes and dislikes. Since that Sun Tu is indeed honest and reliable, we don't have to fight for our lives anymore. My brother has been a thief for so many years, if he can have a serious background this time, he will ...... after all It's a good thing after all......" At the end of the sentence, his voice trembled a little.

"Heavenly King ......" Liu Tang took a step forward and was about to be persuaded again, but was interrupted by Chao Gai waving his hand: "You don't have to say it anymore, I have made up my mind." For the sake of my brothers' lives, I decided to go down the mountain and surrender. But before that, I still need to meet that Sun Tu in person and make everything clear to him. ”

"Heavenly King ......" The brothers spoke out again, this title contained too many feelings, both admiration and gratitude, and at the same time, many people had some shame and self-blame. Thinking about the words and deeds of the owner of the cottage who he openly and secretly looked down on before, and then looking at the decisions he made now for the cottage, it really made many people feel ashamed.

Even Wu Yong and Song Jiang bowed their heads at this time and didn't dare to look at Chao Gai, because they were also ashamed in their hearts. If it weren't for the distrust between Song Jiang and Chao Gai, which caused the Shanzhai brothers to be unable to unite as one, maybe things wouldn't have ended up like this.

There were only a few people at the scene who were not moved by this, and Chen Cang only felt greatly relieved at this time, he was about to retire, and he no longer had to worry about it in the cottage all day. And Lu Junyi looked at the brotherly relationship between them coldly, and when the truth of the matter was completely revealed, he no longer regarded himself as a person from Liangshan. What does the life and death of these people have to do with him?

Early the next morning, Chao Gai took a few brothers down the mountain and met Sun Tu in the barracks.

In this regard, Sun Tu was slightly surprised. However, he was quite friendly in his attitude towards him, not only did he not create a tense and persecutive atmosphere, but also asked someone to bring out some wine and food to entertain this old friend.

Yes, Sun Tu not only has a friendship with Song Jiang, but also has an acquaintance with Chao Gai, which can be regarded as old friends.

For the wine and food arranged by Sun Tu, Chao Gai did not have any precautions, the wine was dry, but after drinking two glasses, he coughed loudly, and it took a while to suppress it, and then said with a wry smile: "The legacy of the First World War in Dongping has been so far, but Sun Du Jian has laughed." ”

"The King of Heaven, please take care of your health. To be honest, I don't want to get into trouble with you and Song Oshi to such a point, after all, you also helped me a lot in the beginning. Sun Tu smiled and filled him with another glass of wine.

"I can't imagine that Sun Dujian still remembers the events of that year, hey, it's really unpredictable. Who would have thought that a young man who sold wine in Yuncheng County back then is now a rare generation of famous generals in the world, even my Liangshan brothers are far from being your opponents. Chao Gai sighed and smiled bitterly again: "If you really care about the old feelings, and remember that I Chao Gai also helped you a few times at the beginning, please tell me directly, is the court planning to eradicate us all this time, or can we open the net?" ”

"I don't know what the court thinks, I can only say what I mean, I will definitely save the lives of the brothers in Liangshan, and I want to bring you all under my command, so that you can become soldiers in the army with serious backgrounds!" Sun Tu gave his answer without hesitation.

"Is that true?" Chao Gai's spirit immediately perked up, staring at the other party and asking.

"Of course, I will never prevaricate about such a big thing."

"Good! I can lead my brothers down the mountain and surrender, but before that, you have to promise me three conditions. ”

Sun Tu smiled, in fact, he had already guessed their decision from the other party's move down the mountain, and nodded again at the moment: "You say." As long as it makes sense, I won't say no. ”

Chao Gai's expression also became solemn: "First, I want you to ensure the safety of all brothers and their families, and after we go down the mountain, your men and horses will not harass or harm any of them. ”

"Of course, as long as you are obedient to me, you are a family, how can your own brothers have conflicts again?" Sun Tu immediately responded.

"Second, I will give all the property in the stockade to my brothers before I go down the mountain, and you must not take it by force."

Sun Tu naturally wouldn't object to this, he took a fancy to Liangshanbo's soldiers and horses, and as for the property they had looted for many years, it really didn't arouse his interest. Anyway, since Chai Jin submitted to him, Liangshan's biggest wealth has already entered his pocket, and he is naturally happy and generous at this time.

Seeing that Sun Tu was so happy to accept two conditions, Chao Gai was a little moved. But he quickly made a third request: "The third point is also the most critical. Some of the brothers in my cottage can't stand it, I'm afraid it's difficult to join the army, if they want to leave, I hope Sun Dujian you don't have to embarrass them. ”

It wasn't until he faced this request that Sun Tu frowned slightly: "This...... If everyone in the cottage says they want to leave, I can't just let them go, right? "What is the difference between this approach and letting the people of Liangshan flee? Maybe when these people will run back to Liangshan and rebuild the cottage.

Chao Gai also knew that this was the most difficult for people to accept, so he said: "If Sun Dujian feels embarrassed, we can compromise, only the leaders in the stockade can only leave if they really can't help you and don't want to fight again." As for the brothers below, at most a thousand people can't leave, how? This is the biggest concession he can make.

Sun Tu pondered for a while, and finally nodded slowly: "Yes." But I also have two demands, that if these people do anything that is a displeasure to the people after they have left this place, I will get rid of them and will not tolerate them. Also, before they go down the mountain, I have to meet with them and talk to them before they decide where to stay. ”

Seeing that he responded, Chao Gai immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and then nodded: "Yes, as long as Sun Dujian can keep your promise, I, Chao Gai, am willing to follow you in the future and make a career for the Great Song Dynasty." ”

"Okay, then you and I will swear by this wine, and if you dry this bowl of wine, it will be considered a promise!" Sun Tu raised his glass as he spoke. Chao Gai did not hesitate, raised the bowl at the moment, touched Sun Tu's wine bowl lightly, and then the two drank the wine, which can be regarded as a vow between men!

With the agreement made, Chao Gai went back up the mountain, and Sun Tu finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the smile on his face became more and more prosperous. At this point, the best thing has happened. He was able to take down thousands of soldiers and horses in Liangshanbo at the smallest cost, which not only allowed him to give an explanation to the imperial court, but also laid a solid foundation for future plans!