Chapter 245

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After receiving news from Yuwen Xuzhong that the court was sending envoys to offer amnesty, Song Jiang ordered items taken from the treasury—gold, pearls, jewels, brocades, silks, and fine fabrics—to be distributed among all the leaders and military officers.

He then issued orders for a ten-day market fair, selling useless goods at low prices to nearby civilians.

During this time, pigs, cattle, and sheep were slaughtered, fine wine was brewed, and all who came to the market fair were fed and entertained with food and drink.

Meanwhile, Song Jiang gathered his subordinate leaders and spoke openly with them about accepting the court's amnesty.

Most of the leaders had already expressed their support.

They deeply understood that, having long wandered the rivers and lakes, though called righteous troops, they were in truth like floating duckweed—rootless and aimless. This life of constant peril had long grown tiresome. Accepting the court's amnesty meant escaping such turbulent days, entering officialdom, and bringing glory to their ancestors. To them, this was undeniably highly tempting.

Some leaders also knew that, despite their famed reputations in the rivers and lakes, they were merely outlaws, unable to stand against the court's legitimacy. If they seized this chance to submit to the court, they could not only shed their bandit names but also transform from rough heroes into court-appointed officials serving the state, earning lasting fame in history.

Others, once court generals, had been forced to take refuge among outlaws due to reasons they could never reveal. Now, they could finally return to the court, resume their former military careers, serve the nation faithfully, and reclaim the honor and dignity temporarily buried by war's smoke and dust. Moreover, after enduring so much suffering and injustice, and having achieved so many merits for the court, they naturally deserved promotion and reward upon their return.

For these leaders, Song Jiang's plan to lead them in accepting the court's amnesty was the final step along the path of "If you want an official post, kill, burn, and accept amnesty"—they were overjoyed beyond measure.

But the problem was, the larger the force, the harder it was to command.

Some were willing to accept the court's amnesty; naturally, others were not.

Today was primarily the confrontation between Song Jiang and the leaders willing to accept amnesty, and those who refused.

Inside the tent, candlelight flickered, casting shadows over faces—some resolute, some hesitant. Song Jiang sat upright on the main seat, his gaze deep, as if piercing the thoughts of every leader. He spoke slowly, his voice steady and powerful: "Brothers, though we rose from the wilds, our hearts hold loyalty and righteousness. Everything we have done has been to uphold Heaven's justice, walking uprightly and rightly, which is why the court has taken notice and seeks to amnesty us. I have summoned you all here precisely to discuss this matter that determines our fate."

As soon as Song Jiang finished speaking, the leaders supporting amnesty nodded, their eyes gleaming with anticipation. But opposing voices rose immediately.

Lu Zhishen spoke in a low, firm tone: "Brother, I do not defy you, but we have slain countless officials, gentry, and landowners—ten thousand or more. Countless high officials in court harbor blood-deep grudges against us. If we accept amnesty, won't we be walking straight into a trap, handing our lives over to our enemies? Though we wander the rivers and lakes, we are free. Why submit to such torment, living in constant fear that some treacherous minister will one day scheme to destroy us?"

Lu Zhishen's words rang true; the leaders opposing amnesty nodded in agreement, their expressions filled with suspicion.

This was precisely the most important reason many leaders opposed amnesty. They knew exactly how many officials, gentry, and landowners they had killed, and how deeply those victims were connected to court officials.

Take the Song Qiaonian family they eradicated—behind them stood Cai Jing, a powerful minister, and many other high-ranking officials.

If we accept the court's amnesty and serve alongside Cai Jing and others, who can guarantee they won't seek revenge?

Wu Yong said to Lu Zhishen: "We have eliminated officials, gentry, and landowners for the court, clearing obstacles to the Two New Policies. How could the Emperor not recognize our loyalty? Moreover, our uprising sought to serve the state and the people, upholding Heaven's justice. Imagine—if we remain outlaws, though we enjoy fleeting freedom, we will never achieve greatness, always living in peril. When will we truly fulfill our ambitions and rescue the people from suffering?"

Wu Yong spoke earnestly, trying to persuade them with righteousness: "Now, corrupt ministers rule the court, colluding with local officials, gentry, and landowners, blocking the Emperor's Two New Policies. We, loyal and righteous men, must aid the Emperor in weakening these traitors and restoring clarity to the court. This is great righteousness. How can we, loyal subjects who love our nation, abandon the greater good for personal safety?"

Wu Yong left Lu Zhishen speechless.

Wu Yong knew that righteousness could persuade men like Lu Zhishen, but not the majority of men from the wilds. They cared more for immediate gains than lofty, distant ideals.

Indeed!

Seeing Lu Zhishen momentarily silenced, Li Kui could no longer hold back. He bellowed in his coarse voice: "I don't care about that bird righteousness! I only know we now eat meat in big chunks, drink wine in big bowls—how happy we are! If we join the court, won't we be bound by those bird rules? I don't want to be a high official—I only want to stay with my brothers, living free and easy!"

At Li Kui's words, many leaders opposing amnesty nodded, their expressions revealing their longing for their current freedom.

"You black brute, you don't manage affairs—do you know how much grain it takes to feed this two-hundred-thousand-strong army daily? Come, let me tell you. Each soldier needs two sheng of rice per day. Two hundred thousand men consume four hundred thousand sheng daily—about four hundred dan. Monthly, that's twelve thousand dan; annually, a staggering one hundred forty-four thousand dan!"

"High-grade white rice costs one guan per dan; medium-grade brown rice costs eight hundred wen. Our troops mostly eat brown rice—daily grain expenses alone reach three hundred twenty guan. Monthly, that's ten thousand guan; annually, one hundred twenty thousand guan!"

"Though our raids on the rich have brought in much wealth, it's only because we targeted wealthy officials, gentry, and landowners—so we can live freely. But how long can our great Song continue to supply us with such targets? Three months? Five months? A year?"

"When we've killed off all the rich officials, gentry, and landowners, what will feed these two hundred thousand brothers? At that point, just these two hundred thousand mouths will drive us mad. Will we then truly become bandits, looting the common people?"

"But if we accept the court's amnesty, the court will supply our rations—no more such worries. We'll hold high office, ride fine horses, bring glory to our ancestors, and secure titles and lands for our wives and children—truly living free and easy!"

"Moreover, the court's army is already marching south. Fang La has gathered hundreds of thousands and plots to seize Jiangnan. We're caught between them—we must choose a side. If we hesitate, wavering left and right, we'll be attacked from both fronts and driven to ruin. At that time, our two hundred thousand brothers may be displaced or slaughtered on the battlefield—where then is your freedom and ease?" Ruan Xiaoqi, still uneasy about accepting amnesty, asked: "Why not join forces with Fang La?"

In truth, not just Ruan Xiaoqi, but many leaders saw themselves as righteous troops, and Fang La's forces as righteous too. Both were outlaws, both had slain officials, gentry, and landowners, both resisted tyranny and injustice. Allying with Fang La to fight the imperial troops seemed the natural choice—preserving their freedom and spirit, while avoiding retaliation from past enemies.

Crucially, during this time, Fang La had repeatedly sent envoys to propose an alliance. He even promised that if Song Jiang's forces joined him to defeat the imperial army, he would share the empire equally with Song Jiang.

"Fang La is a short-sighted fool—worthless! I've watched his actions: though he initially stirred the masses with cries of 'unequal food, unequal wealth,' and rose swiftly under the Moni Sect's banner, he never thought to govern. He only seeks to numb his troops and people with ghostly superstitions, ignores his strategists' wise counsel, is stubborn and self-willed, cares only for seizing land, and rejects his strategist Lü's sound advice to blockade the Yangtze River northward—how can he accomplish anything?"

"Look at his army: nominally a million, but in truth, rabble. No training, no ration system. In battle, he drives the old and weak to the front, hoards his elite in the rear, deceives the masses with sorcery, and relies solely on sheer numbers—this is the conduct of ants. How can such a force grow strong?"

"Fang La lacks the ability to govern, has lost the people's trust, has no strategy for a strong army, no treasury, no talent for administration—only knows slaughter and destruction, ignorant of governance. Where he passes, it's like locusts devouring the land—how can he endure? How can he stand beside us?! If we ally with him, we merely aid a tyrant—he will surely die by the sword!"

Here, Wu Yong sneered: "Though Fang La also kills officials, gentry, and landowners, he does not act as we do—upholding Heaven's justice. Observe: before he even achieves greatness, he dares call himself 'Holy Lord'—his ambition far exceeds his ability. He will surely meet a bloody end, with no distinction between young and old—all slaughtered. Why should we follow him down this path of death? His actions are treasonous, utterly opposed to our original purpose of upholding Heaven's justice."

He paused, then bowed toward the capital: "Our present Emperor is wise and martial. In just a few years, his plans have been flawless, his troops never delayed—he reclaimed Qingtang, reclaimed Xixia, reclaimed the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan-Yun, recovered the tribute extorted by the Liao, secured the empire's foundation, and with his brilliant strategy, implemented the Two New Policies, bringing great order to the north. If we join the court, we can use the Emperor's authority to purge the southern villains and implement the Two New Policies in the south. Then we will have completed our great mission. Personally, we will earn glory and merit; publicly, we will save the people. A perfect outcome."

Li Kui bellowed: "What merit or virtue does Fang La have to be mentioned alongside our brother? In my view, we should just make our brother emperor, and we'll all be generals—how glorious!"

"Black brute, stop your nonsense—you'll drag me into disloyalty and immorality!" Song Jiang's face darkened, cutting him off. His gaze burned as it swept the tent. "What merit or virtue do I, Song Jiang, possess to dare usurp the throne? Such treasonous words—never speak them again, or don't blame me for enforcing military law without mercy!"

The tent fell utterly silent; all leaders were awed by Song Jiang's authority.

Song Jiang took a deep breath, then softened his tone: "Accepting the court's amnesty is an uncertain path, but it is also our best chance to wash away our past crimes. I cannot let my brothers continue to be bandits with me—upward, I dishonor my parents; downward, I betray my wife and children. Therefore, amnesty is inevitable."

Though Song Jiang had spoken, those opposing amnesty still refused to yield.

Then, Wu Song, who had remained silent until now, spoke in a low, firm voice:

"If we accept amnesty, the court will surely order us to crush Fang La. Fang La commands hundreds of thousands, all desperate outlaws with nowhere to flee. If we fight them, blood will flow like rivers, corpses will litter the fields—is this the 'good opportunity' you speak of?"

"We rose in righteous rebellion to oppose injustice and save the people. Even if Fang La is unworthy, he too kills officials, gentry, and landowners—how is that different from our actions? How can we become the court's blade, turning on our own kind?"

Wu Song's words rang like hammer blows, striking each heart. The leaders' faces showed deep thought—they clearly felt the pain in his words.

They had followed Song Jiang in rebellion out of a deep devotion to justice and fairness, and compassion for the weak.

And this was precisely what Fang La's forces had always done.

If we accept amnesty and suppress Fang La's uprising, we are suppressing our own kind, turning on each other—our inner commitment to justice will blur, contradicting our original ideals. How could we not hesitate?

Wu Yong tried to outargue Wu Song or deceive him with falsehoods, but Song Jiang raised his hand to stop him.

Song Jiang understood Wu Song well—he knew Wu Song could not be outargued by Wu Yong, nor deceived by him. Only sincerity could persuade Wu Song.

Song Jiang spoke sincerely to Wu Song: "Elder Brother, your words are right. If we accept amnesty, the court will surely order us to crush Fang La—this way, the court gains the advantage while weakening us. To the court, this is a brilliant strategy; if they had no such plan, they'd be foolish—and we'd have no reason to join them."

He paused, then added: "We previously rebelled, killed officials, slaughtered countless lives, and looted extensively. Without great merit, how can we wash away our crimes and establish ourselves in the court? So even if the court doesn't ask, I will personally volunteer to lead you in crushing Fang La—to earn fame and fortune."

Song Jiang was essentially saying: "If you follow me to accept amnesty, you will suffer heavy losses. Whether to go or not—you decide."

Hearing this, every leader in the tent—whether supporting or opposing amnesty—grew grim. It was clear they were all deeply troubled by the looming bloodbath with Fang La's forces. After all, regardless of victory or defeat, it would be a brutal war—and many among them would die in it.

After a long silence, Song Jiang continued: "If this were only for personal glory or wealth, I, Song Jiang, would never lead my brothers to death. What I seek is to aid the Emperor in implementing the Two New Policies to save the world, to end war and restore peace to the people. Think of our Han people: when war comes, fields lie fallow, refugees swarm, bones exposed on the wilds, no rooster crows for a thousand li. To restore order and bring prosperity, so the people may live in peace and the nation flourish—this, we would die for!"

Here, Song Jiang laid it bare: "My resolve to accept amnesty is firm. Since the brothers of Liang Shan first raised me to leadership three years ago, today, with the court's amnesty, we see daylight once more. Soon we must journey to the capital to serve the state. Those who wish to go, sign your names and prepare to march; those who do not, here declare your resignation—we part ways, each to his own path. The rivers and lakes will see us again…"

……

(End of Chapter)