Chapter 431: Writing to Song Jiang

To say that there were no good people on Liang Shan would certainly be wrong. To say that Lu Zhishen was the only good person would not be entirely true. After all, there were more than a hundred people, and there were all kinds of them. For example, Gongsun Sheng and An Daoquan—one didn't care about anything and protected himself, and the other just treated people's illnesses and was framed for killing his own mistress because of his good medical skills, so he had to go up the mountain. Then there was Lu Junyi, who wore his hat well and lived a peaceful life as a wealthy man, not provoking or causing trouble, but was designed to have his family destroyed and had to go up the mountain. In addition, there were other people who were forced to go up the mountain and were harmed enough.

Of course, there were not a few bad people. Those so-called heroes on Liang Shan were basically studied by Wu Yong. Li Kui might have a problem with his brain; he didn't care about anything else, only killing. Wang Ying not only snatched women but also cut out people's hearts and livers to drink with wine, and it had to be fresh. Sun Erniang and Zhang Qing, the two of them, opened a tavern at Shizipo, plotted people's money, harmed people's lives, and sold human meat buns. There were others who had killed many innocent people.

Liang Shan is a great dyeing vat; the good, the bad, those with hidden grievances, and those with wicked natures are all there. Under the leadership of Song Jiang, they act on behalf of Heaven and serve the imperial court...

In March, the willows were swaying, and the spring breeze was blowing.

The Great Official stood on the sentry tower of the big mansion, looking at the increasingly large Wang Family Manor. The children who were not in school were chasing and playing in the newly formed streets and alleys, fields and lands, and Wang Qingyuan was also playing happily among them. Several dogs in the village also followed their little masters, gathering together and running wildly. But they didn't wander around the school, because they didn't dare to affect the brothers and sisters studying; that was a real beating, and the young master of the Wang family was hung up and beaten.

In the fields in the distance, people were working and farming. The tenant farmers of Wang Family Manor no longer farmed; they all worked in factories, and those lands were returned to the Great Official. The land naturally couldn't be left barren, so every spring plowing, people came from afar to do odd jobs, and every year they would drag their families to leave some people as tenant farmers.

They were for the sake of entering the factory, but that was not easy, and the competition was too great. So what they thought was to be tenant farmers under the Great Official. First, the rent collected by the Great Official was low, so they could live well, and second, they could enjoy the benefits of Wang Family Manor, which was top-notch. Therefore, every year they fought for the quota of tenant farmers, and the competition was actually no less than that of working in a factory.

Two months passed, and the news of the seizure of the two prefectures of Suzhou and Fuzhou could not be hidden after all. After all, their movements were very large. Even if the official side didn't promote it, they were issuing new currency and reforming taxes. This was indeed a good thing for the Liao Kingdom's commoners who were also suffering. They might know that the leader on their heads had changed, but they had no interest in paying attention. They could be comfortable for a few days, so they were comfortable for a few days. So they wrote letters to their relatives, telling them about the situation here. Plus the news spread, it couldn't be hidden at all.

The Liao Kingdom gathered twenty thousand troops nearby to suppress the rebellion, and it took half a month to walk slowly, but they were ambushed by Wang Rongchun, who had long received the news. Two thousand Mo Dao soldiers fought the main battle, supplemented by light armored infantry and archers on both wings to harass, and the enemy was defeated in one battle. The war was not intense. It was just that after the Mo Dao opened the way and cut through the charging cavalry, the infantry behind the Liao army saw that their own people were headless after one knife, and they collapsed directly.

In general, there were not many casualties on both sides. Most of the deaths occurred during the charge and confrontation at the beginning of the battle, and most of them were Liao soldiers, many of whom were trampled to death by Mo Dao soldiers in heavy armor after falling off their horses. As for their own casualties, most were blunt injuries from being hit hard by the impact of warhorses, which was the most fatal internal injury. In addition, there were those who were unlucky and shot to death by arrows. Together, it was only a thousand people.

There was no pursuit, just bringing all those who couldn't run away back to the city for treatment. After they recovered, they would add bricks and tiles to the basic construction of the two prefectures of Suzhou and Fuzhou and dedicate half their lives. If they didn't die in half their lives, they would be glorious imperial citizens.

It was also this crushing victory that made Lu Zhishen's name spread throughout the East.

Zhao Ji knew that the Great Official had business there. Although the Imperial City Division had some understanding, it was not as direct as Wang Yan's direct communication, so he summoned Wang Yan to the capital to explain the situation.

The Great Official naturally said whatever he had, saying that he had business dealings with Lu Zhishen long ago, but he didn't expect it to be like this today. He also said that there was a port there, and business dealings were very convenient. And now the situation had changed; it was not the two families of Liao and Jin, but the three families of Liao, Jin, and Lu competing, which could let go of his hands and feet to fight Western Xia hard.

At the same time, he didn't forget to talk about Lu Zhishen's encounter, and brought up Lin Chong to put eye drops on Gao Qiu. This couldn't be blamed on him; after all, the things that happened were just there. In the past, he didn't mention it because he didn't care. After all, a small inspector and a small Imperial Guard instructor were not cared about by anyone. Now that Lu Zhishen had stood up, it was different.

But Zhao Ji was a good leader, nostalgic and protective of people, and Gao Qiu had indeed served quite well. Besides, things had reached this point. He didn't say anything, just scolded Gao Qiu and fined him a year's salary.

Finally, he instructed the Great Official to maintain a good relationship with Lu Zhishen and pay attention to the movements there at all times. At the same time, he transferred a part of the troops from the rear to continue fighting Western Xia.

Zhao Ji was not bad. Although he was fond of great achievements, licentious and extravagant, and wasted national wealth, he could still listen to words to a certain extent and could still see the situation. The situation now was still quite good.

Although the country was still restless and the people's livelihood was more difficult, the Great Official was still quite gratified. At least the external situation was very good now, and the internal situation was still stable. Although the common people were tossed about, the country could still hold on, which was not bad...

"Da Guanren!"

Hearing the movement, Wang Yan turned around and looked at Hu San Niang, who was looking up with an anxious face. He jumped off the sentry tower lightly and smiled: "What's wrong, San Niang? What's so urgent?"

Hu San Niang handed the letter in her hand to the Great Official: "Song Jiang of Liang Shan brought six thousand troops and various leaders down the mountain to attack Zhu Family Manor, and the Zhu family asked my Hu family for help. Da Guanren, what do you think my Hu family should do? Should we save them or not? If we don't save them, what if Liang Shan breaks Zhu Family Manor and comes to attack the Hu family?"

Wang Yan looked at the letter in his hand, shook his head and smiled, and casually hugged San Niang back to the room: "No problem. I heard that Song Jiang raised the banner of 'Acting on Behalf of Heaven' on Liang Shan, and I also heard that he is a person with ambition, often saying that treacherous ministers are in power, causing chaos in the imperial court, and swearing to eliminate treacherous ministers and stabilize the country. I expect Song Jiang intends to strengthen Liang Shan and attract the attention of the imperial court, and then be recruited to be an official. You know the reputation of your husband, don't you? Since Song Jiang wants to be recruited, how dare he attack the father-in-law of my Wang Mou?"

The day Song Jiang went up the mountain, he was determined to be recruited. He pretended to be crazy and stupid, ate feces, didn't pass the crime of inscribing a rebellious poem at Xunyang River, and rebellion was not pardoned. He had thousands of ambitions but nowhere to display them, so he could only go up the mountain, wanting to show his value, let the imperial court see the ability of this small official in Yuncheng, and thereby glorify his ancestors and realize his ambitions. So he recruited official soldiers, all of whom were told about righteousness, saying that it would be better to serve the imperial court in the future.

Actually, if he wanted to rebel from the beginning, with Liang Shan as the center, radiating outward, occupying Shandong, and planning slowly, it was not without opportunity. After all, truth be told, the people on Liang Shan were also enough. Liu Bang's foundation was Peixian, and Zhu Yuanzhang's foundation was Haozhou, which was Huaixi. There were never few capable people around him, but there was no opportunity to display them.

However, it didn't work later. On the one hand, there were several factions within them, some were official surrendered generals, and some were from the Erlong Mountain system, and they had always been separated in heart and mind. On the other hand, they fought back and forth, without operating the territory, just relying on looting to maintain, and after they were defeated, they lost the popularity of the people in the prefectures and counties around Liang Shan. As for Li Kui sitting in the Shouzhang County government, and later Song Jiang wanting to kill Li Kui, and the result was that the people of Shouzhang went up the mountain to plead for mercy—this matter had no representativeness.

This is not enough to prove that Liang Shan has the support of the people, nor does it prove that Li Kui is a true hero. Instead, it proves that the civil and military officials of the Song Dynasty are truly worthless; it is because the common people are afraid of being labeled as accomplices to the Liang Shan bandits and having their heads chopped off to fulfill a quota. Because no normal person would think of running to a bandit den for no reason to offer thanks.

So Song Jiang reached the later stage, and he had to be recruited. Although those people shouted to rebel, it was useless. There were no objective conditions. After all, there was no basic foundation, and they couldn't persist for long. Even if they could fight, it was impossible to keep fighting forever. They couldn't afford to fight, and couldn't afford to consume. And at that time, they had become a disaster. If they didn't surrender, it was the Western Army coming over to kill them. There was no choice.

This was from the beginning, the route was wrong.

Of course, this was ultimately looking at the problem from the third perspective. He was not Song Jiang, he was Wang Yan.

Back to the present, since Song Jiang wanted to be recruited, then Wang Yan, this father-in-law of the Emperor's close minister, would give Song Jiang eight guts, and he wouldn't dare to move, because he was afraid of cutting off his own retreat. Not to mention Song Jiang, now Wang Mou's goods, as long as they were flagged, could go anywhere in the entire Great Song, and no one dared to rob them. The retaliation was too great, and it was not until they were killed that they would stop. Moreover, his goods were unique, relatively easy to trace, and if one was caught, it would be a string, all working, and they couldn't ask for death.

"Da Guanren, we can't take risks. My concubine only has my old father and my brother, two relatives. If there is any accident, what should I do?"

Unlike Jin Lian who always called herself "slave," San Niang's self-address was "concubine." By comparison, "slave" was more coquettish. This San Niang was not as soft as Jin Lian, and her begging for mercy was hard.

He pondered: "In this way, I will write a letter to Song Jiang, telling him not to lay a hand on the Hu family. In addition, to avoid accidents, I will send people to your home to pick up your father and brother to stay here for a few days. It's just a Zhu family, if they are wiped out, they are wiped out, and the imperial court will naturally pursue them. If Liang Shan is not satisfied and moves the Hu family, even if it is a flower or a grass, I will immediately mobilize troops to wipe them out. What do you think?"

Mobilizing troops was naturally just a way of saying it. After all, he had an official title but no position or assignment, and with only an empty title, how could he mobilize troops? However, he could write to the Commander of the Imperial Guard, and he could write to the prefects around Liang Shan. If the various places started to suppress bandits, even without the imperial court's mobilization order, it would be the army surrounding Liang Shan. The eight hundred li water park was indeed a blessed land, but it was also a limitation. A group of grass bandits who didn't engage in production, just surrounding without attacking, would collapse on their own.

"Thank you, Da Guanren."

Wang Yan glanced at her, smiled and didn't speak again. He knew that San Niang wanted him to directly kill Liang Shan, or provide some protection for the collateral branches of the Hu family, but she didn't dare to open her mouth to continue to request.

Not opening her mouth was correct, because since climbing up to Great Official Wang, Old Man Hu and Hu Cheng, the two direct descendants, were fine, but instead became more cautious, like walking on thin ice, for fear of making a mistake and causing trouble. But the collateral branches of the Hu family were not good, and they were floating very high. They were all carrying his name to Bianjing to pretend to be forced. Bianjing dared to be like this, let alone in the local area. If it weren't for this Hu San Niang crying and begging, it wouldn't be just breaking a leg.

Returning to the room to write a letter, the guard leader Yue Haichuan personally led people to set off on fast horses...

Yue Haichuan had been practicing martial arts with peace of mind all these years, and brought out one batch after another of guards. His martial arts were naturally not the highest, but his status was there. He had done many dirty things over the years, and was also one of the few core members who knew some of the Great Official's layout. His wife and children were all in Wang Family Manor, living a wealthy life, lacking nothing, and he was loyal.

The so-called "residence moves the spirit, nourishment moves the body." Although Yue Haichuan's appearance was still as rough as before, the status of long-term, coupled with the Great Official's always domineering influence, and the Great Official's repeated emphasis on strengthening cultural learning, the strong self-confidence he displayed made the whole person different, no longer the rough embryo of the past.

In the camp where the Liang Shan people were stationed outside Zhu Family Manor, he bowed, took out the Great Official's handwritten letter from his arms, and presented it with both hands. Of course, he was not respecting Song Jiang, this bandit leader, only because this letter was written by the Great Official.

"Leader Song, I don't need to be polite. My Second Lady heard that you all want to attack Zhu Family Manor, and she is worried about the safety of her maiden home. This is a handwritten letter from our General, please take a look, Leader Song."

"Brother Yue, no need to be polite. My Liang Shan is an army of benevolence and righteousness, doing things of benevolence and righteousness. If it weren't for Zhu Family Manor being arrogant and bullying my Liang Shan, and also harming the township, bullying the good, and doing all kinds of evil, my Liang Shan would certainly not make things difficult for the Zhu family. General Wang and the Second Lady can rest assured, Song Jiang absolutely has no intention of attacking the Hu family."

While speaking, Song Jiang smiled and took the letter, and tore open the seal to read it.

Yue Haichuan stood on the spot waiting for Song Jiang to read the letter. This letter was to be burned. After all, communicating like this was always bad, and falling into the hands of others was evidence of colluding with bandits.

He looked expressionlessly at the leaders sitting or standing in the camp, with different expressions, but he didn't despise them, just purely looked down on them. This was not surprising. He was in charge of guard training, and to a certain extent, he was a grassroots officer training. After all, as a core member of Wang, he had been to the Liao Kingdom and seen the situation there. The appearance of the soldiers was not comparable to this group of Liang Shan leaders. The leaders were like this, let alone the soldiers outside who had only undergone simple training—a group of motley crew.

Not to mention the troops led by Lu Zhishen coming to attack, just the seven thousand five hundred troops of Wu Song could beat this Liang Shan to the ground.

And he was watching, Li Kui, Hua Rong, Lin Chong, etc., were all among them...

After a while, under Yue Haichuan's gaze, Song Jiang threw the letter into the fire burning water, and it turned into ash in a flash. He also understood this principle. After all, Yan Poxi was killed by him like this.

He smiled and said to Yue Haichuan: "I have long heard that General Wang has been doing good deeds and has a reputation for wisdom. Song Jiang has admired him for a long time, but I didn't expect to have this opportunity to have a good relationship with General Wang. Now that General Wang has written a letter personally, Song Jiang still says the same thing: he will never make things difficult for Hu Family Manor. My Liang Shan brothers are all people with bitter lives. If it weren't for the last resort, who would want to go up the mountain to become bandits? Now that treacherous ministers are harming the country, my Liang Shan specializes in acting on behalf of heaven, and absolutely will not do things that harm the good. This time, it has disturbed General Wang and the Second Lady, which is Song Jiang's crime. I trouble Brother Yue to bring Song Jiang's words to General Wang."

"Leader Song, rest assured, Yue will certainly bring the leader's meaning to General Wang. The matter is over, Yue will take his leave."

"Brother Yue, take your time, see you later." Song Jiang's smiling face never came down, and he personally sent Yue Haichuan and other guards out of the camp, watching them ride away.

"Brother Lin Chong is an instructor of the Imperial Guard. What do you think of these guards of General Wang?"

Looking at the group of people going away, and looking at the second leader who had a heavy face beside him, Lin Chong said: "Brother, their lower plates are stable, their eyes are shining, and they are all good hands with strength. Looking at the formation they left, they are well-organized and can launch an attack at any time. They are also well-versed in battle formations and are all rare good hands."

Song Jiang sighed: "Yes, this General Wang is so famous, it's really not simple..."

"Not simple? Brother, as long as you speak, Li Kui will go to Yanggu County to chop that bird general." Li Kui was the most irritable. He didn't like the look of Yue Haichuan just now, but his good brother had already explained it, so he didn't dare to act. Now that people were gone, he naturally didn't endure it anymore and shouted loudly: "Don't attack Hu Family Manor? What is that bird general? He sent a letter, saying not to attack, and we won't attack? Brother, that Hu Family Manor is the richest. If we kill them and get the money, the brothers will be happy on the mountain, isn't it happy? I want to see what that bird general can do to us. Brother, give the order, the brothers will step on Hu Family Manor now."

"You black fellow, stop talking nonsense. If there is another time, see how I deal with you." Song Jiang glared at his good younger brother, and seeing Li Kui laughing awkwardly, he snorted and turned back to the camp.

After Song Jiang left, Li Kui was still muttering in a loud voice: "What can't be said? Don't you think so? I want to say, we should go to attack Yanggu County and rob that bird general. In the entire Great Song, who doesn't know that the bird general has the most money? If we can rob him, wouldn't it be beautiful for the brothers to divide the gold and silver in big scales? Brother is just timid. With Li Kui here, what are we afraid of that bird general? Just one axe, and I will take his..."

"Come, take that black fellow who talks too much and give him twenty military sticks."

"Brother, brother? Why beat me? Brother?"

In the eyes of everyone watching the joke, Li Kui was carried away by several small soldiers, pressed onto the bench, and beaten.

Listening to the movement of beating Li Kui outside, Song Jiang sat on the chair in the tent and closed his eyes to rest.

He had already fought a battle with Zhu Family Manor, and was beaten badly, losing a lot of people. As a result, Wang Yan sent another letter today, telling him not to attack Hu Family Manor.

Before coming, he already knew that the daughter of the Hu family was Wang Yan's second concubine. He didn't intend to move at all, and he did have the idea of taking this opportunity to know Wang Yan, this close minister of the Emperor.

Now he knew him, and the other party even wrote a letter personally, but it made his mood, which was already bad because of the unfavorable war, even worse.

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Because what was written in the letter, although the language was still polite, didn't put him in his eyes at all. The central idea was one: if you move Hu Family Manor, you will wipe out Liang Shan. It was strange if he could be happy.

He didn't doubt Wang Yan's words, and didn't doubt his ability. This feeling of not being taken seriously was really bad...

Song Jiang suddenly opened his eyes, his hand on the chair clenched tightly, his knuckles white... ===== CHAPTER 432 =====