Giving clear rights, hidden benefits, and timely emotional support.

How did Song Jiang treat Li Kui? In front of Dai Zong, he simply handed Li Kui some silver. His approach with Wu Song was the opposite: in front of Chai Jin, he didn't offer Wu Song any money. Instead, it was only when the two were alone in Wu Song's room that he brought out the silver. And his reason wasn't to let you gamble or play—it was to buy you a few new clothes.

Why make clothes? Why didn't he do the same for Li Kui? Because Li Kui didn't care about such things. Li Kui was shameless; people judge a horse by its saddle and a man by his clothes, yet Li Kui was the kind of guy who ran around completely naked all day. What would be the point of making him clothes? That would be a waste of fabric. Wu Song was different. Though he hadn't yet gained fame for killing the tiger, Song Jiang already saw that he was a man who cared about face.

So, does a man who cares about face need to dress well? I, Song Jiang, could see your greatness from beneath the eaves, amid the broken coal brazier and tattered clothes. That's because I have an eye for talent. But do others have that same keen eye? No. Won't they still judge people by their appearance? That's precisely why I, Song Jiang, wanted to make you clothes, Wu Song—so that others might see you dressed in fine attire and mounted on a spirited horse, so you could earn respect and the social recognition every young man like you desires most.

More importantly, all of this was done privately.

Think of Du Yuesheng in later generations. When someone asked to borrow money from him, he never handed it over directly. Instead, he'd tuck it beneath the other person's teacup. He didn't even need the other party to ask; before they could even voice their request, he had already acted. The face was preserved in each other's hearts. Remember, Du Yuesheng did this for people of status and standing. But Wu Song at that moment was what? A fugitive, a young man. Song Jiang's handling of the situation was extraordinarily shrewd.

Was that enough? No. You must understand, you are not the only one hunting Wu Song. In the future, there might very well be county magistrates, regional governors, or prison commissioners involved.

We don't know. That's why we must lay plans early and exhaust every favor.

When Wu Song went looking for his brother, Chai Jin merely gave him silver and sent him on his way. How did Song Jiang act? He personally saw him off, walking ten li, then another ten li. At their final parting banquet, he pulled out silver again, worried about whether his brother would have enough money for the road.

How did Wu Song feel? Like family. Face, substance, openly and behind the scenes, emotion—could anyone be more like a true older brother than Song Jiang?

Years later, when Song Jiang became the leader of Liangshan Marsh, could he really buy everyone off with small favors? Men like the Ruan brothers and Liu Tang were obviously susceptible. Back then, they had urged Chao Gai to rob the birthday gifts, motivated solely by the prospect of drinking freely and dividing gold and silver by the秤, escaping the hard life of fisherman. So mention looting and pillaging, and their eyes light up immediately. The same goes for characters like the Short-Legged Tiger; he was inherently lustful, and becoming a bandit king meant little to him other than robbing some district governor's wife to take as his bandit bride. Promise him a good marriage, and he'll naturally follow your lead.

But can someone like Huyan Zhuo really be bought with small favors? He was formerly a brigade commander; he had dined at high tables and seen high life. Can Guan Sheng be bought the same way? He is a descendant of Guan Yu. Forget Guan Sheng and Huyan Zhuo—even Lin Chong and Yang Zhi were probably not the kind of men who could be manipulated by the commonplace tactics of a county clerk like Song Jiang.

How much money did Song Jiang actually have? He didn't even have 1,500 guan in cash. He needed more than three days to sell off his property; otherwise, he wouldn't have killed Yan Poxi. Lin Chong saw a fine blade on the street and paid 3,000 guan for it. Yang Zhi, when selling a sword, set the asking price at 3,000 guan. This shows that Song Jiang's actual net worth, as a county clerk, was even lower than that of mid-to-low ranking officers like Lin Chong and Yang Zhi.

A single birthday gift from Liang Zhongshu to Prime Minister Cai amounted to 100,000 guan. Even if we cannot imagine the scenes Guan Sheng and Huyan Zhuo witnessed in their daily lives, we can guess their social standing: Guan Sheng and Huyan Zhuo were roughly below Liang Zhongshu but far above Yang Zhi and Lin Chong.

At this point, talking about looting and pillaging would be a joke, wouldn't it? Would you tell a former vice president of a major corporation, "Hey, go sell soda on the street, and I'll give you a twenty-cent profit per bottle"? Song Jiang didn't do that. He raised the apricot-yellow banner. What does "acting on behalf of Heaven" mean? It's like when Steve Jobs poached the president of Pepsi. How did he put it? "Do you really want to spend your life selling sugary water? Don't you want to come along and change the world?" Do you see? People at different levels want different things. What the Ruan brothers couldn't refuse was beneath Huyan Zhuo's dignity. You expect a brigade commander to cover his face and ambush travelers? You need to give him a reason. You need to make him feel that he isn't robbing anyone—he's an Earth guardian, Ultraman, Iron Man, a Heavenly Star, an Earthly Fiend, out to save the galaxy alongside 107 other superheroes.