In the process of growth, Liangshan was incorporated into a total of 11 mountains, which gave Liangshan a considerable scale. Among them, Erlongshan is the most famous because it has a number of fierce generals such as Lu Zhishen, Yang Zhi, and Wu Song, but is it really the strongest among the 11 mountains that have been incorporated into Liangshan? Who is the strongest among these 11 mountains and can defeat the three fierce generals of Erlongshan? Let us walk into that era of the rise of heroes together and uncover the answer to this puzzle.
The rise of Yangsan
At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, the imperial court was corrupt, the officials forced the people to rebel, and peasant uprisings occurred one after another. Among them, the rebel army of Liangshanbo was the most powerful and became a major problem for the Northern Song Dynasty.
Liangshanbo is located in the southeast of Jinan Province, Shandong Province, between the Taishan Mountains and the Yellow River, surrounded by mountains and dangerous places. At the beginning, there were only seven leaders on Liangshan, including Wang Lun, Du Qian, Song Wan, and Zhu Gui, and there were less than 100 soldiers and horses. Later, heroes such as Chao Gai and Wu Yong went up the mountain, and their strength grew.
Chao Gai was the first leader of Liangshan, he was originally a wealthy businessman, but he was framed by Gao Yu and forced to go to Liangshan. Chao Gai is benevolent and righteous, good at employing people, and under his leadership, Liangshan gradually develops and grows. At that time, in order to exterminate Liangshan, the government sent Lin Chong, Yang Zhi and others to conquer. Unexpectedly, Lin Chong, Yang Zhi and others were moved by Chao Gai's righteousness and open-mindedness, and they abandoned the darkness and turned to the light one after another, and became the cadres of Liangshan.
Subsequently, Liangshan successively absorbed a number of heroes such as Wu Song, Lu Zhishen, Gongsun Sheng, Li Kui, Yan Qing, etc., and his strength increased greatly. At that time, there were 3,500 people in Liangshan, known as "walking for the heavens", robbing the rich and helping the poor, and won the hearts of the people. The imperial court paid more and more attention to the threat of Liangshan, and sent troops to recruit many times, but they all returned in vain.
While Liangshan continued to grow, there was also a power struggle within it. After Chao Gai was unfortunately killed by an arrow, Song Jiang and Wu Yong joined forces with various people and started a competition for the position of leader. After some open and secret fighting, Song Jiang finally became the second leader of Liangshan.
Although Song Jiang is both civil and military, he is suspicious and often suspicious of his brothers. After he took office, he vigorously suppressed Chao Gai's old department, which caused dissatisfaction among Lin Chong and others. Once Song Jiang set up a banquet, drunk Lin Chong, and wanted to kill him, but fortunately Lu Zhishen and others rescued him in time, which avoided a bloody disaster. After that, Lin Chong became more defensive of Song Jiang, and the two looked inseparable.
Despite this, under the leadership of Song Jiang, Liangshan's power continued to expand. A number of female generals such as Wang Ying, Hu Sanniang, Sun Li, Gu Sister-in-law, Zhang Qing, Sun Erniang and so on have joined, making the Liangshan lineup more diverse. At the same time, Liangshan successively annexed more than ten cottages such as Erlong Mountain, Taohua Mountain, and Liangshan, becoming a hegemon.
When Liangshan's army grew to more than 20,000 men, Song Jiang finally decided to eradicate dissidents and consolidate his position. He first sent Yan Qing to assassinate Lin Chong, who was holding a heavy army, and then successively got rid of other disgruntled leaders. Since then, no one in Liangshan has dared to question Song Jiang's authority.
So far, after more than ten years of development, Liangshan has jumped from the original small village of 100 people to a prince with tens of thousands of soldiers. Under the leadership of Song Jiang, the heroes of Liangshan galloped across the battlefield and were invincible, which shocked the imperial court. However, as the scale expanded, the contradictions within Yangsan also intensified, and an even bigger storm was brewing.
Erlong Mountain: The most famous mountain
Among the many mountains annexed by Liangshan, Erlongshan is undoubtedly the most famous. It is located in Qingzhou, Shandong, with dangerous terrain and easy to defend and difficult to attack. Erlongshan was originally a small mountain village that quarried for a living, and the villagers mined stones on the mountain and transported them to the bottom of the mountain to sell, living a peaceful life.
It all started with an accident. One day, while quarrying stones in the mountains, the villagers stumbled upon a cave filled with gold and silver treasures. It turned out to be a treasure trove of ancient thieves that had not been discovered for hundreds of years. When the news spread, the villagers poured into the cave and looted the treasure.
At this moment, a gang of robbers heard the news, robbed most of the treasure, and killed many villagers. The surviving villagers were furious and decided to take up arms and defend their homes to the death. They elected the strong man in the village Luda as the leader, organized a militia, and set up a village on Erlong Mountain.
Luda is the later Lu Zhishen. He was originally a monk, his legal name was Zhishen, and he was expelled from the division because he killed Zheng Tu in Zhenguanxi, changed his name and surname, and lived in seclusion in Erlong Mountain. Lu Zhishen was strong in martial arts and had extraordinary strength, and soon became the actual controller of Erlong Mountain.
Under the leadership of Lu Zhishen, the momentum of Erlong Mountain is growing day by day. First of all, Yang Zhi and Wu Song, the heroes of the nearby green forest, came to defect and became the leader of Erlong Mountain. Yang Zhiben was the son of Yang Xiong, the chief lieutenant of the Beijing Division, who fled due to murder, changed his name and surname, and lived in seclusion in the mountains and forests. He is proficient in marksmanship, and he and Lu Zhishen hit it off at first sight and became brothers. Wu Song is the hero of Jingyanggang to fight the tiger, he originally wanted to defect to Liangshan, but when he passed through Erlong Mountain, he was moved by Lu Zhishen's righteousness and decided to stay here.
Subsequently, Lu Zhishen successively subdued a number of heroes such as Qin Ming in Zhenguanxi, Xue Yong, the sick insect, and Lei Heng, the winged tiger, and the strength of Erlongshan was further enhanced. At that time, in order to exterminate Erlong Mountain, the government sent Chen Wenlong, the governor of the Qingzhou Metropolitan Command, to come to conquer. Chen Wenlong led 3,000 troops and fought fiercely with Erlong Mountain at the foot of the mountain.
Lu Zhishen personally led eighty bachelors to engage in hand-to-hand combat with Chen Wenlong's troops. The two sides have come and gone, and the battle is fierce. At the critical moment, Yang Zhi and Wu Song led another team of men and horses to kill from the side, catching Chen Wenlong off guard. Chen Wenlong was attacked by the enemy on his back, and was soon defeated and captured alive on the mountain.
Lu Zhishen did not kill Chen Wenlong, but knew his reasoning and moved him with affection, and finally persuaded Chen Wenlong to abandon his official position and become a member of Erlong Mountain. Since then, Chen Wenlong has made great contributions to Erlongshan and has become Lu Zhishen's right-hand man.
The fame of Erlongshan is getting bigger and bigger, and there are Sun Erniang, Zhang Qing, Shi En, Cao Zheng and other heroes who have come to defect. Sun Erniang is a heroine with extraordinary martial arts skills, and once defeated Lu Zhishen in the market. Zhang Qing is Sun Erniang's husband and a strong martial artist. Shi En and Cao Zheng are Lu Zhishen's apprentices, and they are also skilled in martial arts.
In this way, Erlong Mountain has become the strongest and most famous of the many mountains in Liangshan. The three leaders of Lu Zhishen, Yang Zhi, and Wu Song were even more famous, which made the government frightened. The imperial court has sent troops to conquer Erlong Mountain many times, but they have all returned in vain, but they have lost their troops and lost their generals.
However, Erlongshan's good days didn't last long. As Liangshan continued to grow, Song Jiang decided to annex Erlongshan in order to expand his sphere of influence. He first sent Wu Yong to Erlong Mountain to buy people's hearts and sow discord with heavy money. He also sent Lu Junyi to pretend to be a businessman and open a gambling house in Erlongshan to lure the heroes of Erlongshan.
In the end, Song Jiang personally led his troops to attack Erlong Mountain, and Lu Zhishen and others struggled to resist, but they were outnumbered and finally defeated. In this way, Erlongshan was annexed by Liangshan and became part of Liangshan. Lu Zhishen, Yang Zhi, Wu Song and others also had to surrender to Song Jiang and become the leaders of Liangshan.
Although Erlongshan did not retain its independence in the end, it played an extremely important role in the development of Liangshan. It was with such a powerful opponent as Erlongshan that Liangshan continued to grow and eventually became a prince. And Lu Zhishen, Yang Zhi, Wu Song and other heroes of Erlongshan have also become the mainstay of Liangshan and have made great contributions to Liangshan.
Analysis of the strength of other hills
In addition to the famous Erlong Mountain, the other mountains annexed by Liangshan also have their own characteristics, and their strength should not be underestimated. Among them, Shaohua Mountain, Mangdang Mountain, Qingfeng Mountain and other mountains are particularly prominent.
Shaohua Mountain is located in the northeast of Liangshan, the mountain is steep, surrounded by water, is a natural barrier. The leader of Shaohua Mountain is the little whirlwind Chai Jin, who was originally the son of Chai Shizong, the capital supervisor of the Daimyo Mansion. Chai Jin was witty and good at using soldiers, and soon became the leader of Shaohua Mountain.
Under the leadership of Chai Jin, Shaohuashan recruited troops and horses, recruited heroes, and became stronger and stronger. A group of heroes such as Zhu Wu, Jiao Ting, and Shi Xiu came to defect and became the leader of Shaohua Mountain. Zhu Wu is a descendant of Zhu Tong, proficient in swords, guns and sticks, and strong in martial arts. Jiao Ting is a native of Henghai County, Cangzhou, who is good at making an iron chain, and when it dances, it is shining with silver light, which makes people dare not approach. Shi Xiu is a native of Shijie Village, although he is short in stature, but his strength is infinite, making a cigarette pouch and pot extremely powerful.
Shaohua Mountain, like Liangshan, is also a thorn in the side of the government. Shi Wengong, the governor of the Daimyo Mansion, once led his troops to come to the conquest, but was beaten by Chai Jin and others, and fled in a hurry. Since then, the name of Shaohua Mountain has become even worse, and it has competed with Liangshan.
Mangdang Mountain is located in the yin of Mount Tai, covering a vast area and rich resources. The leader of Mangdang Mountain is Moyun Golden Winged Ou Peng, this person is burly, makes a point steel gun, the marksmanship is exquisite, and he has slashed the tiger on Dulonggang, so he is named "Moyun Golden Wing".
Ou Peng has a group of heroes such as Ma Lin, Deng Fei, and Yan Shun, all of whom have unique skills and strong martial arts. Ma Lin is good at making an iron spine, weighing sixty pounds, and is tiger and tiger when dancing. Deng Fei made a spear with eight snakes, and the spear technique was fierce and powerful. Yan Shun is Ou Peng's sworn brother, and his martial arts are on par with Ou Peng.
Mangdangshan had a good relationship with Liangshan at the beginning, and sent people to help Liangshan attack the Daimyo's mansion. Later, because of the conflict of interest, the two mountains gradually became suspicious. Song Jiang once sent Lu Junyi to Mangdang Mountain to ask for help, but Ou Peng refused, and the relationship between the two mountains deteriorated even more.
Qingfeng Mountain is located in the east of Mount Tai, with beautiful mountains and clear waters, and pleasant scenery. The leader of Qingfeng Mountain is Jinmao Hu Yanshun, he was originally from Taishan County, because he killed the county order that bullied the people, he was wanted by the government, and came to Qingfeng Mountain to fall into the grass.
Yan Shun is a man of righteousness and wealth, and has a good reputation among the local people. He has a group of green forest heroes such as Dai Zong, Yang Lin, and Shi Qian, all of whom are extraordinary. Dai Zong is a native of Tokyo, and he is good at using a judge's pen to take people's heads from a hundred steps away. Yang Lin is a native of Pudong, proficient in whipping methods, making a point steel whip, whipping the wind, daunting. Shi Qian is a native of Laizhou, good at stealing, known as "fleas on the drum", but never harms the people.
Although Qingfeng Mountain is not as strong as Erlong Mountain, it has also fought against the government many times. When Song Jiang went north to Liangshan, he passed by Qingfeng Mountain, and Yan Shun was hospitable, and the two became brothers. Later, Qingfeng Mountain was also annexed by Yangsan and became part of Yangsan.
In addition to the above-mentioned mountains, Liangshan annexed Baihu Mountain, Huangmen Mountain, Shadow Mountain, etc. Although these hills are slightly inferior, they also have their own characteristics. The leader of White Tiger Mountain is Zhang Qing, who has no feather arrows, and is good at making a short bow and hitting every shot. The leader of Huangmen Mountain is the golden-eyed Biao Shi'en, his copper-headed iron arm, infinite strength, once killed a fierce tiger with his bare hands. The leader of Kageyama is a double whip, and he makes a pair of judges' pens, which are vicious and difficult to parry.
In addition to the leaders with strong martial arts, there are also some lesser-known masters among some of the mountains in Liangshan. For example, Wu Yong of Erlongshan, although his martial arts are mediocre, he is resourceful and good at making suggestions, and he is the military advisor of Liangshan. Another example is Gongsun Sheng of Mangdang Mountain, who is proficient in Qimen Dunjia, can predict celestial phenomena, and provides a lot of important information for Liangshan.
Although these mountains have their own characteristics, they are still difficult to compare with Erlong Mountain in terms of strength. However, as Liangshan continued to grow, there was fierce competition between these mountains. They attacked each other, competed for resources, and tried to occupy a place in Liangshan.
After the annexation of these hills, Liangshan greatly increased in strength. On the one hand, these mountains have provided a large number of talents and resources for Yangsan, and provided strong support for the development of Yangsan. On the other hand, the addition of these mountains also allowed Liangshan's sphere of influence to continue to expand and become a hegemon.
Of course, after these mountains were merged into Liangshan, it was inevitable that some contradictions and conflicts would arise. Some of the hill leaders were unwilling to submit to the Song River and tried to seek independence. Some of the heroes on the hill also had conflicts with other heroes in Liangshan, and even fought hard. However, with the integration of Song Jiang, these contradictions were eventually resolved, and the unity of Liangshan was maintained.
Who is the real strongest mountain?
Liangshan has annexed many mountains, and heroes from all walks of life gather here, but which mountain is the real strongest? This question has always attracted much attention.
From the point of view of force, Erlongshan is undoubtedly the strongest. Lu Zhishen, Wu Song, and Yang Zhi are three heroes, all of whom are first-class martial arts masters. Lu Zhishen is one of the strongest martial arts in Liangshan, he once fought and killed tigers empty-handed in the wild boar forest, and killed demon monks on Erlong Mountain, the high martial arts are breathtaking. Wu Song is even more dependent on the sky, with the dragon slaying knife in hand, invincible in the world. Although Yang Zhi's martial arts are slightly inferior to the two, he is also an outstanding general, and he once killed three generals in a row on Dulonggang, which terrified the enemy.
In contrast, although Shaohua Mountain and Mangdang Mountain also have many martial arts masters, they are still difficult to compare with Erlong Mountain. Although Chai Jin, Zhu Wu and others in Shaohua Mountain are strong in martial arts, they are still slightly inferior to Lu Zhishen, Wu Song and others. Although Ou Peng of Mangdangshan is also an excellent general, he may not be Wu Song's opponent when it comes to fighting alone.
However, force is not the only factor that determines the strength of a mountain. Numbers, resourcefulness, and resources are all important indicators to measure the strength of a mountain. In terms of numbers, Mangdang Mountain has more than 3,000 people, which is second to none among the mountains in Liangshan. In contrast, the number of people in Erlongshan and Shaohuashan is much smaller, which limits their development to a certain extent.
From the point of view of resourcefulness, Shaohua Mountain and Mangdang Mountain have their own advantages. Zhu Wu, the military advisor of Shaohua Mountain, was good at strategy and had designed to capture officials and soldiers many times. Jiang Jing, the staff officer of Mangdangshan, is a resourceful figure, who often gives advice to Ou Peng and makes great contributions. In contrast, although Erlongshan also has a think tank like Wu Yong, he is not a major general after all, and his influence is limited.
From the perspective of resources, Mangdang Mountain has an advantage. Mangdang Mountain is located at a key point, controlling many of the surrounding water and land arteries, and has gathered a large amount of wealth and resources. In contrast, although Erlong Mountain and Shaohua Mountain also have certain resources, they are far less abundant than Mangdang Mountain. This is also an important reason why Mangdang Mountain can develop to more than 3,000 people.
In addition to the above factors, some special skills will also affect the strength of the mountain. For example, Fan Rui of Mangdang Mountain, who is proficient in Qimen Dunjia, can call the wind and rain, and has made a lot of contributions on the battlefield. Another example is the time migration of Qingfeng Mountain, he is good at stealing, and has stolen ordnance for Liangshan many times, and has made great contributions. These special skills may not determine the outcome of a battle, but they can play an important role in critical moments.
Considering the above factors, it is really not easy to judge the strength of the mountains of Liangshan. From the point of view of force alone, Erlongshan is undoubtedly the strongest. However, considering factors such as numbers, resourcefulness, and resources, Mangdang Mountain has an advantage. Although Shaohua Mountain is not outstanding in all aspects, it is full of talents, and it should not be underestimated.
In the end, Liangshan still relied on the concerted efforts of all the mountains to continue to grow and develop. Song Jiang was well aware of this, so after annexing the mountains, he did not take sides, but tried to integrate the forces of all parties and reconcile the contradictions of all parties. He let Lu Zhishen, Wu Song and other generals lead the army, and let Zhu Wu, Jiang Jing and other strategists participate in decision-making and give full play to their respective advantages.
end
In that era when the heroes rose together, the heroes of Liangshan used their actions to interpret what is the true character of a hero. Their story has also become a historical story that will always be worth telling.