Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 573 Taking It Out
Liang Zhongshu felt embarrassed after hearing the two people's complaints. These two people had already surrendered to him, but now he learned from the letter from Taishan Cai Taishi that the emperor had demoted them. He also wanted to distance himself from them, and he knew that Dongfang Hui was suppressing them, but he did not speak.

The two came to him and he did not want to see them, but considering the past, he finally saw them. Now they are like this, and all they want is to go out. So Liang Zhongshu sighed and asked, "Where do you two want to go?"

Li Cheng said: "There is no one stationed in Lingzhou yet, so we two will ask to go to Lingzhou to station there."

Liang Zhongshu heard this and said, "That's not right. How can we go to Lingzhou?"

After a pause, Liang Zhongshu said, "You two have just been demoted, so you should keep a low profile. How can you go to Lingzhou, a place of trouble? So, you two go to the Inspection Office to catch thieves. After some time, I will plead with the Grand Tutor and make a good speech in front of the emperor to pardon your crimes. Then you can be employed."

Wen Da said, "That's fine. Please allow the two of us to take a group of soldiers from the army. If we can make some contributions, we can recover soon."

Liang Zhongshu said, "That's easy. I'll go to the Eastern Commander and ask for a loan of soldiers for you two to command."

After hearing this, Li Cheng and Wen Da declined and left.

Within three days, the two were indeed transferred to the Inspection Office, each with 500 trusted soldiers to assist them. They had all the necessary weapons and armor, but the leader was transferred away.

When Li Cheng saw this, he secretly cursed in front of Wen Da and Suo Chao.

Dongfang Hui was willing to release the people, firstly because he did not want to offend Liang Zhongshu, and secondly, in order to free up his position and promote his confidants. Seeing that Li Cheng and Wen Da were sensible and asked for external posts, he only confiscated the horses, but released the 1,000 soldiers they led.

Taking advantage of the inspector's absence, the two men sent all their family belongings out of the city within half a month.

On the agreed day, they picked up Suo Chao outside the city and went straight to Kouzhou.

As soon as they entered Kouzhou, before everyone could change their flags, they saw a group of cavalrymen galloping towards them in the distance, raising dust.

I heard someone shouting, "Where did you come from? This is Kouzhou territory. Quickly retreat and avoid fighting."

Li Cheng and Wen Da saw the fierce enemy coming from the opposite side, so they hurriedly rode forward. When they saw the man coming, they hurriedly dismounted, threw away their weapons, and shouted, "Don't do it! Isn't that the official?"

When the first man saw this, he also hurriedly dismounted and asked, "Why are the two eunuchs here?"

Li Cheng immediately asked someone to invite Suo Chao who was behind him to come out, and Lu Junyi also called Yan Qing, and the five of them went to the roadside to make a living.

Wen Da then said, "We have been demoted because of the Lingzhou incident. Now a new military commander has come and is making things difficult for us. We are afraid that we will be killed in the future, so we have no choice but to come to Liangshan to seek refuge with Prime Minister Zhao."

Then, Wen Da asked, "What's this, sir?"

Yan Qing said: "Your Excellency has now become the military commander of Kouzhou."

Suo Chao asked in confusion: "Huh?"

Yan Qing said, "Brothers, this is not the place to talk. Let's go to the camp and talk."

Everyone mounted their horses, Yan Qing led the way, and they headed for the military camp in Tangyi Township. After walking for a while, they saw a newly built military camp.

Lu Junyi arranged for all the soldiers who came with him to stay, and at the same time, he sent someone to inform Wei Yangyin as soon as possible. At the same time, he also sent a pigeon letter to Liangshan.

After the soldiers were settled, the five of them came to the hall to meet each other.

Lu Junyi first drank some wine before bringing up the old matter.

Wen Da then told everyone what happened after Lu Junyi left, and everyone couldn't help but sigh.

Yan Qing clapped his hands and said, "That's good. The three brothers are very capable. They will have a bright future in Liangshan. I am now valued by you, and I have been appointed as a regiment commander under you. You have been promoted to the rank of military commander, and I am in charge of the troops of Kouzhou together with the military commander [Iron Spear General] Wei Yangyin who is stationed in Fengtian Township."

"I've heard that Kouzhou had conflicts with Liangshan, but I didn't expect that Kouzhou is now under the jurisdiction of Liangshan." Li Chengdao.

Lu Junyi said, "Sir, you are also concerned about Gao Qiu. Kouzhou has only occupied the villages and towns, and the city is still under the rule of Gao Rang. These days, Wei Dujian has been leading his troops to the city every day to show off his power. Gao Rang is also a mediocre person with a timid temperament. Now there are fast horses going to Bianjing every day. I am afraid that it will not be long before he will be transferred."

Wen Da said: "It turns out that if you want to be an official, you must find a backer."

Yan Qing heard this and said, "Evildoers ruin the country, and heroes are heartbroken. Fortunately, there is still peace and order here, and the government is clean and honest, which is where we can stay. The three of you are all from the army, and you are highly skilled in martial arts. You will definitely be respected by the lord."

Suo Chao asked, "Brother Xiaoyi, have you ever seen [Anxious Ghost] Zhou Jin?"

Yan Qing shook his head and said, "I have never seen him. I only heard that he has gone to Guangji Army to serve as a training officer."

Suo Chao listened and nodded, saying, "In the beginning, he was dismissed because of the birthday gift. Now it seems that it was a blessing in disguise."

Lu Junyi said: "Only here, sir, regardless of family background, can one have a chance to succeed."

When everyone heard this, they were all delighted and said, "This is the best."

Soon, the soldiers brought up wine and meat. The five men did not want the soldiers to serve them, but only asked for the wine to be heated. While drinking, they talked about what was on their minds.

While they were drinking, Wei Yangyin and Zhen Dayi arrived. Yan Qing asked someone to rearrange the cups and plates and prepare more wine and food to entertain them.

At night, when the seven men were all drunk, a soldier came in and said, "Captain, there was a pigeon message from Liangshan."

After hearing this, Lu Junyi hurriedly took it and saw the words written on it: I am very happy to see you as heroes and I have prepared the bed for you.

Lu Junyi showed the pigeon letter to everyone. When Li Cheng, Wen Da and Suo Chao saw it, they were all delighted.

The next morning, after breakfast, Li Cheng and the other two said to Lu Junyi, "Sir, since you know that we are here, we should not keep you waiting for too long. Today, we will go to Liangshan to pay a visit to you. My family will follow behind us."

"One more thing. The families of the 1,000 trusted soldiers who came with us are still in Daming Prefecture. Today, I want to inform everyone that if anyone is willing to follow me, they can send someone to bring their families here. If there are those who are unwilling, we will not force them and let them stay or leave. However, it is not appropriate for us to show up, so we need someone to send them off."

After hearing this, Lu Junyi nodded and said, "This is not difficult. But with so many people moving around, I'm afraid the Daming Prefecture will notice."

Li Cheng said: "It has not yet been reported that we have come to surrender to you, sir. We have only said that we are inspecting Shen County and want to stay here permanently. No one will make things difficult for us."

Zhen Dayi on the side said: "What's the problem with Daming Prefecture? I will lead 500 people to meet them along the way. It won't be a problem."

Lu Junyi said, "When I came here, it was you who went to pick me up. This time you don't want me to go, so I'll go instead. This is karma, retribution."

Li Cheng said: "Sir, there are many people with many opinions. Although these 1,000 soldiers are our trusted confidants, we are afraid that some of them may leak the secret. The arrest warrant of Sir is still hanging in Daming Prefecture."

Lu Junyi smiled and said, "It's just to let him know, but he can't do anything to me."

After hearing this, Wen Da laughed and said, "If Liang Zhongshu heard this, he would be furious."

Not to mention that Li Cheng and his two companions rode on horseback to Liangshan, let's just say that when the thousand soldiers heard that Li Cheng and others were going to Jingdong Road to take up their posts, they all made a fuss and finally chose to stay.

In the past ten days, everyone suffered a lot following Li Cheng and Wen Da.

After hastily writing the letter, two captains led Lu Junyi and a group of 500 people, under the banners of Li Cheng and Wen Da, and rushed to Daming Prefecture along the official road.

Lu Junyi set up camp ten miles away from the city and asked the two captains to go and inform them quickly. After all, it was in Daming Prefecture, so it was not good to stay for long.

Fortunately, the families of the imperial guards now live in the barracks. The two captains hurriedly gathered everyone and told them that they were going to be stationed in Shen County and could not return to Daming Prefecture for a while. They asked everyone to pack up their belongings and move to Shen County. Someone asked, "Captain Li, the stationing period is only three years, and the families are never with you. After the period ends, you have to return here. Why are you going to Shen County this time?"

Li Dutou said, "We are the two battalions that follow the two supervisors Li and Wen. You all know what is going on now. Staying here will not bring you any good results. Pack up your belongings quickly. We will leave at dawn tomorrow. If you don't want to leave, don't blame the supervisors if you get into trouble later."

And the one who likes to watch other people's affairs, after hearing what Li Dutou said, laughed and said, "What kind of a commander is this? He is just a military commander now."

"Shut your damn mouth. If you don't speak up to your husband, I can't punish you. If you anger the master, you will suffer the consequences." Li Dutou shouted.

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and pack up. The master won't tolerate this."

In the military camp, someone informed Dongfang Hui that the two captains, Li and Wang, had come to move their families away.

Dongfang Hui heard this, waved his hand, and said to the messenger: "Don't worry about him, it's good to be without this group of people. When these people move away, it's just right to accommodate the people I brought. When he comes back in the future, this barracks will not be his to wait for."

Miao Kui, a newly promoted militia commander, said, "My lord, you are right. That barracks is in a good location and should have been vacated long ago."

"From what I heard, there are still people who don't want to go to Shen County. Why don't I go and urge them to leave?"

Dongfang Hui smiled but said nothing.

Soon, Miao Kui led his men into the barracks and rang the gong to call everyone out.

Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Miao Kui shouted, "Listen carefully, you and your families, this trip back to Shen County won't be for three years, it may even take eight or ten years. This barracks must be vacated to accommodate the families of the newly recruited imperial guards."

Having said that, he led his troops away without caring about the crowd's clamor.

Li and Wang, the two captains, laughed inwardly. Originally, there were still a few families who were hesitant, but now it is all right. I am afraid that not a single family member of the thousand people will be missing.

The next morning, Li and Wang urged everyone to set off. At the time of Chenpai, a group of people pushed carts and carried loads, and walked out in a mighty procession.

After Miao Kui watched everyone leave, he led a group of soldiers to move in.

This caused all the family members to curse at him.

Liang Zhongshu also heard the commotion. Hearing that Li Cheng and Wen Da had sent people to move the soldiers' families away, he couldn't help but feel puzzled.

He said to himself: It's fine if you two take the families away, but why touch the families of the soldiers?
He asked several guards around him to ask, and after hearing the reply, Liang Zhongshu frowned even more. He sent someone to invite the military commander Dongfang Hui to come and see him.

After greeting, Dongfang Hui asked, "Mr. Zhongshu, what do you want me to do?"

Liang Zhongshu asked, "Did you know that Li Cheng and Wen Da took the families of the soldiers away?"

Dongfang Hui said: "I heard from the two captains who came back that these two people plan to stay in Shen County permanently and take their families with them."

"According to the regulations, when the imperial guards go on garrison duty, their families are not allowed to follow them," said Liang Zhongshu.

Dongfang Hui said, "Didn't your husband order you to do that?"

Liang Zhongshu heard this and shouted, "Oh no! These two are going to become bandits."

Dongfang Hui hesitated when he heard this and said, "Even if they become bandits, it's impossible that all these thousand soldiers will follow them."

"Only two captains came. If they moved their families with them, the soldiers would be full of worries and would have no choice but to follow them even if they became bandits. Send someone to stop them first and find out the reason before you can mobilize them."

Dongfang Hui heard this and responded quickly.

He hurried back to the military camp and ordered Miao Kui to lead a cavalry to chase after them. By the time Miao Kui gathered his men, an hour had already passed since the families left the military camp.

Miao Kui urged his soldiers to rush along the official road. Thirty miles away from the city, Miao Kui finally caught up with the migrating team.

When they got closer, they saw a group of Puma soldiers blocking their way.

Miao Kui did not recognize Lu Junyi, and shouted across the crowd, "Stop, follow the order of the commander-in-chief, you and your family are not allowed to leave Daming Prefecture."

Lu Junyi sneered: "We are not under his control, why should we obey him?"

Among the soldiers who came, there was one who recognized Lu Junyi and said to Miao Kui, "General Miao, this guy is Lu Junyi."

Miao Kui heard this and shouted, "Lu Junyi, you are guilty of something, yet you dare to show up? You deserve to die today, because you ran into me, Miao Kui."

After saying that, he raised his spear, jumped on his horse, and rushed straight towards Lu Junyi.

Seeing this, Lu Junyi laughed out loud: "Today I will teach you how powerful the master is."

He rode his horse and thrust his spear in one blow, knocking Miao Kui off his horse. It was obvious that he was dead.

The soldiers who came with him were horrified and panicked when they heard Lu Junyi shout, "We are from the same hometown, so I will let you go today. Those who know what's going on, leave your weapons behind, otherwise, I will kill you one by one."

The five hundred cavalrymen behind them also waved their weapons and shouted loudly.

The one hundred soldiers, leaderless, saw Lu Junyi's cold eyes, the neighing of their war horses, and the clanging sounds of swords and spears falling to the ground.

The soldiers of Daming Prefecture took off their armor and abandoned their swords and guns.

Lu Junyi ordered the soldiers to collect the horses and equipment, but did not kill the soldiers, and then led his troops away.

He caught up with the families of the soldiers in front and escorted them all the way to Kouzhou.

Yan Qing led everyone and sent their families to the camp. When the soldiers saw them, they came forward to welcome the families in.

The barracks were suddenly filled with joyful sounds and noisy greetings, which was completely different from the depressing scene before. The soldiers calmed down immediately.

Seeing this, Yan Qing said to Lu Junyi, "Fortunately, the master came back in time. Without Li Cheng and Wen Da, this group of people would be worried."

"Xiao Yi, you are now a militia commander, why do you still call me master? If people hear it, there will be gossip. From now on, just call me master." Lu Junyi said.

After hearing this, Yan Qing said, "Xiao Yi was raised in the master's home. Thanks to the master's blessing, he is where he is today. How can there be no respect for inferiors?"

Lu Junyi said: "A ruler should treat his subjects with courtesy, and a subject should serve his ruler with loyalty. Now that we have both been promoted by Lord Anfu and have been given official positions, we must be loyal to him in the future. Addressing each other as master and servant is inappropriate and will arouse suspicion. From now on, just call me Master."

Yan Qing listened and nodded, saying, "You are right."

Lu Junyi smiled and said, "I had a great time today. I met a regiment commander named Miao Kui who chased me all the way and I killed him with one shot. I also sent a message to Liang Shijie."

Yan Qing said, "I'm afraid if this fellow knew about this, he wouldn't dare to trouble us."

"Li Cheng, Wen Da and Suo Chao have also surrendered to you, sir. I wonder how this guy will react after hearing this." Lu Junyi said with a smile.

(End of this chapter)