I became a saint by picking up corpses in Water Margin

Chapter 357: Killing and Silencing Witnesses, Luring the Enemy with Arrogant Soldiers
The summer is extremely hot, with only the mornings and evenings being cool and comfortable.

Especially the cool breeze in the early morning is like a girl of seventeen or eighteen years old. Every time she appears, she brings a sweet smile and jumps into the arms of her lover. That is the unique taste of youth.

The short morning in midsummer is like the short youth in a man’s life. Not everyone can meet the right girl at the right age, just like the cool breeze does not come every day.

It was early morning on May 21st.

Tens of thousands of troops stood in silence on the field. The warriors in the army breathed deeply, each holding a sword, spear, sword and halberd, ready for battle, waiting for the commander to give orders.

In this situation, even if a cool breeze blows, it will be like a deer frightened away.

The breathing of tens of thousands of people instantly turned the originally cool morning into a state of restlessness.

Song Jiang, who had taken the initiative to retreat yesterday, led his horse to the front of the battle array and shouted to Wu Song's men: "Yesterday, I was willing to give way out of our old friendship, but I didn't expect you to push me further. Do you really think it's so easy to defeat the enemy with fewer troops? Can you defeat me with such a small number of troops?"

"Stop barking."

Ruan Xiaoqi took over and cursed, "You took the initiative to withdraw yesterday, isn't it because you didn't have the upper hand? If you had the upper hand at that time, would you have withdrawn? If you can't win, you can't win, don't be so hypocritical!"

"It's you again, an unruly fellow. The only thing you have going for you is your mouth. Otherwise, why did you disregard the moral code of the martial arts world yesterday and ask for help from others? Dog meat is not good enough for a feast. You haven't improved in all these years since you left Liangshan. Is it because Yang Changyu is incompetent, or is it just your nature?"

"Bah! You are just a big talker but you have no skills. You, Song Jiang, dare to claim to be second in Liangshan. Who the hell dares to say that he is first? Since you look down on me, Ruan Xiaoqi, come out and fight me in single combat!"

"One-on-one? I am the Grand Commandant of the Song Dynasty and the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army. What is your status and mine?"

Song Jiang made a specious argument. Without waiting for Ruan Xiaoqi to continue his argument, he raised his voice and added: "It's not that Song is arrogant. Even though we fought hastily yesterday, we took the initiative to retreat in the end, and the losses were quite limited. After the battle, you cleaned up the battlefield. Don't you know what you are doing? How dare you come and die today?"

"伱"

"Xiao Qi, there's no need to argue."

Seeing Wu Song stopping Ruan Xiaoqi, Song Jiang's mouth twitched slightly inadvertently, and he immediately spoke to incite and mislead the people.

"Your Majesty has been ordered to inherit the throne, and all the people in the world support you. You will soon be able to end the East-West conflict. However, the court in Bianjing is disunited, and Zhao Huan violated the rules and conferred the title of king on Yang Chang, which is a sign of a spent force.
Don't be greedy for wealth and honor, and pledge your loyalty to Yingtian as soon as possible. Even though there were some unpleasantness before, we were brothers in Liangshan, and I am still willing to introduce you to him."

"enough."

Wu Song interrupted Song Jiang's chatter and said sternly, "You colluded with the Jin people with your master, destroyed the homes of the Han people, and murdered the people. How dare you claim to be orthodox? Who gave you the face to confuse right and wrong?"

"Wu Erlang, don't be ungrateful!"

Song Jiang was scolded in public, and he angrily retorted: "What's the point of talking nonsense on the battlefield? The battle for the world is based on strength. You are doomed to fail because you have few soldiers. I let you go yesterday out of kindness, but now you are actively approaching me. Didn't expect that I was prepared? You won't be ambushed today!"

"So what if we were prepared? I don't believe that everyone has no conscience and is willing to fight for traitors."

"What do you mean?"

"Let me meet you, someone I know."

After Wu Song finished speaking, he waved his hand, and Sun Xin brought the prisoners to the front of the battle.

"Zhu Gui? Wu Erlang, what do you want to do?"

"Brother Zhu, tell your former brothers loudly how Song Jiang did whatever it took to gain wealth and glory, and how he shamelessly colluded with the Jin people."

"What a joke." Song Jiang pointed at Zhu Gui and sneered, "Do you think that framing someone in front of the battle can help you win?"

This guy is of low status and has limited understanding of his own actions. Even if he is framed, he can't explain himself clearly. What should I be afraid of him doing?
Unexpectedly, Zhu Gui had a sad face and apologized before he spoke: "Please forgive me, General. I have to bow my head under your eaves."

"Hehe, that's all you can do. But even if you are coerced, you can't open your mouth and say nonsense!"

"No, no"

As Zhu Gui waved his hands, Sun Xin's dagger pressed against his lower back, so he had to get down to business immediately. However, he did not forget to give a warning, "I am only repeating Dong Ping's words. The commander cannot vent his anger on my family."

"Dong Ping? He too..."

"Don't dawdle!"

Sun Xin moved his hands again. Zhu Gui did not dare to delay any longer and said loudly: "My fellow brothers, when we were in Hebei, Mr. Lu was defeated in Baozhou because of the alliance between Song Taiwei and the Jin people."

“This fellow.”

The more Song Jiang listened, the more irritated he found it. Compared to a small figure like Zhu Gui, he naturally treated Dong Ping like a confidant. They made decisions together on many important matters and he had given him important tasks, so he knew quite a few secrets.

This was Gu Dasao's plan. She attempted to expose Song Jiang's evil intentions and cause the army to mutiny, rout, and other chaos, so that Wu Song could take advantage of the chaos to repel the enemy.

However, she thought too simply.

Although Song Jiang did many things that betrayed his country, he was Zhao Gou's trusted general after all. As long as the soldiers recognized Zhao Gou, they could ignore Hei Sanlang's character.

Even if Zhu Gui exposed his shortcomings in public, it might not have much impact on the battle situation.

But Song Jiang still didn't want to be "opened", so while the other party hadn't said much secret, he immediately turned around and secretly said to Xu Ning, "Tell him to shut up!"

"Uh okay."

Xu Ning once shot and killed Chao Gai. Although Song Jiang would never tell Dong Ping about this, he was subconsciously worried that Zhu Gui would mention him, so he took advantage of the fact that all attention was on Zhu Gui and secretly moved sideways to block the attack and took off the bow and arrow.

Whoosh.
From taking off the bow and arrow to shooting, it was completed in a flash, and the whole set of movements was smooth and flowing.

Zhu Gui stopped the horse as the arrow hit his throat. He covered his neck in pain, cried out in agony, and then staggered and fell off his horse.

"Boss, be careful!"

"Shooting from behind, despicable!"

"Song Jiang killed people to silence them. He himself feels guilty. Why are you still working for him?"

"My boys, kill!"

Zhu Gui was shot in public, causing a commotion in front of Wu Song's formation.

He was worried that Song Jiang would attack him first, so he launched an attack first, thinking that if the situation was unfavorable, he would immediately retreat to Licheng.

Although Song Jiang's character is not good, he is still very good at commanding the army and will not be easily defeated.

Before the battle, Wu Song had discussed with Hu Sanniang that he would fight in the front, while Hu Sanniang would boost morale in the rear and observe changes in the battlefield situation. If the situation turned unfavorable to their side, they would retreat.

The battle started hastily today. Wu Song fought with Qin Ming for a while, but there was no feeling of yesterday's unstoppable momentum. However, Hu Sanniang did not give the order to sound the battle.

The two sides fought for a stick of incense, but it was Song Jiang's side that sounded the horn first, and again, without any obvious disadvantage, they suddenly chose to withdraw.

Wu Song won inexplicably. Yan Qing was staying in Licheng at the time, and there was no one around him to discuss things with. He was afraid that Song Jiang would cheat, so he did not dare to pursue him any further. He only chased him for five miles before ordering them to stop.

Ruan Xiaoqi was called back after having a great time killing. He immediately rode his horse to Wu Song, and the rest of his brothers followed him one after another.

"Song Jiang fled, and we should have wiped him out in one fell swoop. Why did you do this, brother?"

"The enemy's formation is not in disarray. There is no sign of retreat. I am worried that there is a trick."

"What kind of trick is that? It's clearly Mrs. Gu's trick. Song Jiang's army was unstable at the moment, so he had no choice but to retreat."

"Really?" Seeing Wu Song's uncertain tone, Sun Li at the side quickly reminded him, "Captain Wu, what Xiao Qi said may not be wrong. Look at the baggage along the way. It's not right to cheat like this. Song Jiang must be in a hurry to retreat."

"That makes sense, what you mean."

"Kill the fallen dog. Keep killing!"

"I also suggest giving chase. Maybe we can recapture Shexian County or even Fengyue Pass in one fell swoop."

Seeing Ruan Xiaoqi and Sun Li singing the same tune, Wu Song pinched his chin as if looking at others, muttering: "We have fewer soldiers than Song Jiang, how can we take back She County?"

"Captain, you don't know that the King of Jin has a very high reputation in Luzhou. As long as we can chase Song Jiang to Shexian, the people in the city will definitely help us, and then we may be able to capture this thief alive."

Sun Li clenched his fist and answered confidently.

Wu Song still frowned and poured a basin of cold water on him.

"I know that the people of Jin are in favor of the King, but it takes two days to get to Shexian County. Wu Yong has a lot of evil plans. What if they ambush us on the way?"

"Uncle is familiar with the terrain here. As long as we are a little careful when chasing them, we may not fall into Song Jiang's ambush. Besides, if we let them escape, when the Jin army reinforcements arrive in Luzhou, we will be passive. We can try to chase them for a distance first. If it doesn't work, it's not too late to retreat."

"Sister-in-law, what you said makes sense. It's no problem to give it a try. Since Chief Steward Sun is familiar with the terrain, you can lead the troops to clear the way."

"Yes!"

Sun Li took Wu Song's order and led Sun Xin to open the way in front. Wu Song and the two Ruan led the main force to follow closely behind, while Hu Sanniang and Gu Dasao were the rear guard of the army.

Strangely enough, the crowd caught up with Song Jiang in the afternoon, and they fled again after fighting for a while, leaving Wu Song confused. However, the morale of the Jin army was greatly boosted, so there was no need to retreat.

The third encounter between the two armies was on the morning of May 22nd. Song Jiang's army was defeated as soon as the battle started and fled into the valley ahead.

That valley is the official road leading to She County. Different from the several winding paths in the north, the valley where the official road is located is called Nan Valley.

But even though it was the official road, Nan Valley was located in the Taihang Mountains, and the terrain in the valley was much more dangerous than the plain, so Wu Song stopped at the entrance of the valley.

The two won three games. Seeing Song Jiang running away in panic, the brothers were unwilling to stop, so they came together to persuade him.

"Brother, why did you stop again? We are unstoppable."

"Yes, Commander Wu, Song Jiang's army has been defeated and is on the verge of collapse. If we don't take this opportunity to drive him out of Luzhou, there will be no chance later."

"Have you noticed that the number of Kuroko's troops has decreased?"

"Why didn't you notice? There must be a change in Song Jiang's army, and a large number of soldiers fled secretly, so the troops are so few. Speaking of which, this is your wife's plan. After the battle, the King of Jin will definitely reward you handsomely."

Everyone was talking at once, and Wu Song became so excited that he immediately decided to take back She County and drive Song Jiang out of Luzhou.

As long as he stationed troops at Fengyue Pass, he could be able to block the passage of ten thousand men and keep the reinforcements from the Jin Kingdom outside the pass.

Sun Li was familiar with the terrain here. He reminded Wu Song that there was a small path leading to She County in the north and suggested sending a small number of people to pursue along the path, but Wu Song refused on the grounds that it was not appropriate to divide the troops.

Wu Song finally matched Song Jiang's strength, so how could he dare to split his troops and take the small road? He immediately led his troops into the South Valley to pursue.

The South Valley was only a few dozen miles long, and one could get out of the valley in one day by quickly marching. However, the sun was scorching during the day in midsummer, and the two armies had already been fighting for three days, so the physical strength of the soldiers on both sides had been affected.

So at noon that day, both armies found shade under the trees in the valley, replenished their water and rested.
At the resting place of Song Jiang, the vanguard, he sat under a tree with a very comfortable look on his face, showing no sign of frustration from the defeat.

After a while, Wu Yong sat down beside him with a feather fan in one hand and a water bag in the other.

"Wu Song is still chasing us. He is less than three miles away from us. If we lose another battle later, he will fall into the trap completely."

"They are just a bunch of reckless men. How can they be a match for a military advisor? They don't understand the strategy of arrogant soldiers and the chain of tactics at all."

"We will try our best to delay and buy more time for Qin Ming, Suo Chao and the others. We will go from the South Valley to the North Valley to cover their retreat. The weather is so hot now. We may not be able to bear the journey day and night for two days. Should we retreat to She County?"

"That won't work. We can only delay as much as possible, but we can't give up the entrance to the South Valley. There are several small paths on the north side of the mountain. If Wu Song divides his troops and escapes through the small paths, Qin Ming may not be able to block them from the rear, so we must trap them in the South Valley."

During their break, the two were still having the final discussion on how to implement the plan.

It turned out that since the withdrawal of troops on May 20, Wu Yong had thought of using the strategy of making the soldiers arrogant as bait and then using a series of strategies to defeat the enemy. He asked Qin Ming to take half of the troops in advance, travel day and night to return to Shexian first, and then go around from the North Valley to trap Wu Song's main force in the South Valley.

The North Valley is a broken line, similar to the waist of an isosceles triangle, while the South Valley is the base of the triangle. Qin Ming has to walk through three South Valleys, which poses a huge challenge to arrive on time.

However, the front section is a wading valley of a tributary of the Zhang River. Not only is there abundant water, but there is also a cool breeze from time to time, which can relieve some of the fatigue of the march. The second half is the valley bottom between two mountains, with villages and roads, which is convenient for marching, but the distance has doubled.

If Song Jiang could delay a little, Qin Ming would be able to go around to the rear and block the road.

Of course, if Wu Song did not fall for it and did not pursue him, Song Jiang would have retreated directly to She County to wait for help, and Qin Ming would have gone ahead and turned back directly from Beigu, but the generals of the Jin army could not resist the temptation.

On May 22, Wu Song won another battle in Nan Valley. He spent the night a few miles away from the valley entrance, preparing to rest well and retake She County the next day.

The next day, it was dawn.

The scout hurried back to the camp to report that Song Jiang had set up camp at the entrance of the valley. Wu Song's heart sank when he heard this.

What is Heisaburo doing?
The valley entrance is only more than ten miles away from She County. Why doesn't this guy just go back to the city to defend it instead of going through the trouble of setting up camp on the road?
Wu Song and his generals went to investigate and saw that the village was fully equipped with fences, chevaux de frise, deer horns and other equipment, and a sign of exemption from war was hung on the gate of the village.

"What is Song Jiang doing?"

"After running for a few days, you suddenly stop? And you even put up a shameful excuse to avoid fighting. It's really inexplicable."

"The sky cleared up and the rain stopped. Does he think he's okay again?"

Everyone was talking at once, and Wu Song felt uneasy, so he told Ruan Xiaoqi: "Xiaoqi, go and challenge him, but be careful of hidden arrows!"

"it is good."

Ruan Xiaoqi took the order and left, while Song Jiang and others did not show up.

Tang Long came out as a representative to deal with the situation, saying that the brothers were tired and did not want to fight, so they would wait until they had rested before going into battle.

Seeing Wu Song frowning and saying nothing, Sun Li stepped forward and reminded him: "Song Jiang set up a large camp overnight, so it is understandable that the soldiers are tired, but a strong attack is not good for us. We don't know how long we will have to wait."

"How long can we wait? Half a day will be enough. If we continue to retreat, they will be backed by Shexian County and we will have to transfer food from Licheng. It will be too difficult to supply them. The longer we delay, the more disadvantageous it will be for us."

"What should I do?"

"Wait half a day first, and send someone to Licheng to ask Yan Qing to recruit laborers to transport food."

"Yes."

Song Jiang deliberately delayed and naturally ignored Wu Song. Everyone immediately became anxious and clamored to launch a strong attack.

At this moment, Sun Li suddenly thought of something and slapped his forehead, reminding him: "Captain Wu, do you think it is possible that Song Jiang divided his troops and took a detour through the northern path to cut off our way back?"

"hiss"

"No, no"

(End of this chapter)