I became a saint by picking up corpses in Water Margin

Chapter 368: Coaxing and deceiving Hei Sanlang and playing with Song Gongming

Wu Shi was pragmatic and not idealistic, which showed that he really came to fight.

The Jin people have always looked down on the Song army, and Song Jiang believes that his soldiers are different.

The 3,000 men under Jie Zhen and Jie Bao had not participated in the war during this period and were in good condition, while the 2,000 cavalrymen that Song Jiang brought back from She County were still resting in the camp behind the pass.

Song Jiang originally thought that by showing the defenders their face, they would gain the respect of Wushi and the Jin army, so he agreed with a smile on his face.

Pei Xuan saw this from the pass and wanted to shout to warn the enemy that Shexian had been defeated, but he couldn't say it in front of the Jin people. He was rubbing his hands in confusion on the city wall when he saw Song Jiang waving at him from the front row.

It seems to be saying: People are coming, be prepared to receive them.

Is it time for Shi Xiu to wake up?

Pei Xuan was suddenly startled and immediately went down the city wall to meet him.

But when he got down to the pass, he saw Shi Xiu and the defeated soldiers he brought back, still sleeping soundly, and he became anxious.

"Brother Shi Xiu, wake up, wake up quickly!"

"what?"

Shi Xiu was so startled that he turned over and opened his eyes to find that it was Pei Xuan who was shaking him. He hurriedly held his chest and gasped, "I thought Yang Chang was here to kill me. Brother, you scared me too. I was sleeping soundly just now, why did you wake me up?"

"The commander is back!"

Pei Xuan let go of Shi Xiu's hand, stood up straight with a serious look on his face, wondering if the other party was putting on an act.

This guy always had a serious expression, so Shi Xiu didn't notice anything unusual about him. He jumped up, brushed off the dust on his butt, and said with a smile, "Brother, don't blame me. I was just sleepy and forgot to ask you to remind me."

"Ah."

Pei Xuan nodded and said, "I'm going to go out to meet them, so don't follow me. The soldiers are sleeping like this, don't we need to wake them up? Otherwise, if outsiders see us, they will say we are a mob."

"Uh" Shi Xiu was stunned, then nodded his head vigorously and agreed: "You reminded me very well, I will wake them up right away."

"As fast as possible."

Pei Xuan clasped his fists and bowed, then turned and walked towards the corridor below the pass, and just as he came out of the corridor, he met him.

"General."

"Marshal, this is Pei Xuan, nicknamed Iron Face, a member of our army..."

"It's better to go through the customs quickly. Business is more important."

Wu Shi was not interested in listening to the introduction of the little guy, so he immediately interrupted by pointing his whip forward.

This rude behavior made Tiemianmu very embarrassed, but Song Jiang had to put on a smile and agreed, "Yes, yes, business is more important. Pei Xuan, you go back first and ask Jie Zhen and Jie Bao to gather the troops. The marshal wants to see our military appearance."

"Uh"

"What are you standing there for? Go!"

"Yes"

Pei Xuan was in trouble when he heard this.

Shi Xiu's defeated troops were behind the pass, how could they still have any military presence? However, Song Jiang was in a hurry and he had no time to prepare, so he just gritted his teeth and trotted back.

"Marshal Wushi, please."

"This Fengyue Pass is indeed majestic. No wonder Talai couldn't take it down after attacking for a long time. It must be General Song who has a solution."

Wu Shi looked at the closed door and the stone wall above the corridor and couldn't help but sigh.

Song Jiang was secretly pleased to hear this, but he still had to appear modest on his face, so he responded cheerfully: "Captain Yang has always attached great importance to border defense. Song was able to break through the border this time, all thanks to the dispatch of Marshal Nianhan, plus the spies I sent in in advance, otherwise it would not have been so easy to break through."

"It is still our own people who know the weaknesses and are more capable of taking ruthless measures to break the situation. If Yang Chang can wake up again, I guess he will hate Song Taiwei to the core?"

"Well, maybe."

Song Jiang had not yet shared the news of Yang Chang's appearance with Wu Shi, so his answer was perfunctory.

He was afraid that if he told the Jin people, they would be timid, so he decided to lure the Jin army in first and then instigate them to avenge other Jin people.

However, although Hei Sanlang's idea was good, Shi Xiu ruined his plan.

Song Jiang led Wu Shi out of the corridor and saw the mess in the open space behind the pass. Thousands of soldiers were gathering under the scorching sun like a flock of scattered sheep.

Wu Shi was also good at shooting and had good eyesight. He could clearly see that these people were tired and did not look like they were able to fight at all.

Is this your soldier?

A group of tigers and wolves?
Seeing Wu Shi's contemptuous eyes, Song Jiang was extremely embarrassed at that moment. He immediately waved his hands and explained: "Marshal, don't misunderstand, this doesn't seem to be the troops from Fengyue Pass. Dai Zong, go and see who the commander is? Call him to see me immediately!"

"Yes!"

Dai Zong received the order and rode forward.

The afternoon sun made Song Jiang's face feel hot.

He didn't want to look at the room at this moment, and just watched Dai Zong call for help.

Gradually, as he watched the embarrassed Shi Xiu approaching, a huge wave of emotions suddenly surged in his heart, and he even forgot Wu Shi's contempt.

what's the situation?
Why is he here?
Could it be that Shexian has been lost? It's only been one night, and you have nearly 30,000 people.

Thirty thousand versus ten thousand, isn’t the advantage very obvious?
Maybe I'm overthinking. Shi Xiu is here to report victory?
Song Jiang was so distracted that his eyes were dull, and it was not until Dai Zong and Shi Xiu approached that he came to his senses.

"General."

"Why don't you stay in Shexian County and come back to Fengyue Pass under the scorching sun?"

"Uh"

Shi Xiu once went with Dai Zong to do business, and also met Wu Shi once in the big tent in Yangqu.

Seeing him staring at him in surprise, Song Jiang's question was so irresistible that he had to answer truthfully, even if it was embarrassing: "Last night, Shexian was breached by Yang Chang. The soldiers fought hard but failed to hold it. I led the remaining troops back. In fact, I just arrived not long ago."

"Didn't hold it? Why didn't you hold it?"

"I don't know. I heard that the south gate of Shexian was breached first."

"Wait a minute!"

Wu Shi suddenly interrupted, frowned and looked at Shi Xiu and asked: "General Shi, who did you say captured She County?"

"what?"

When Shi Xiu heard the wrong question, he immediately guessed that the Jin army was still unaware of the situation, so he looked to Song Jiang and others for instructions.

Seeing that he could no longer conceal the truth, Song Jiang quickly spoke up and reminded the other party, "I just realized that you mentioned Yang Chang just now. Shouldn't he be in a coma? Did he appear on the battlefield in She County last night? Tell Marshal Wushi about this."

"I don't know the specifics, but it turns out that Commander Yang is the leader."

Seeing Shi Xiu's cooperation, Song Jiang felt relieved, and turned to Wu Shi and said, "It seems that Yang Chang has really arrived. You also know that this man has a very strong attack power. Shexian City is dilapidated and difficult to defend. I think my soldiers have done their best."

"Yang Chang is awake? How is this possible?"

Wushi was puzzled. Outsiders did not know about Jurchen witchcraft, but as a noble of the Wanyan tribe, his family had also produced great witches, so he was very clear about the power of curses.

At this time, Song Jiang saw that he was frowning, and was worried that Wu Shi would back down, so he quickly gave some advice to incite him.

"Yang Chang is a very strange man. He has a demon as his assistant. Maybe he has already lifted the curse. However, the troops of Luzhou are being held back by me. His military strength must be limited at this moment. The Marshal has brought 100,000 troops with him, and there is no Fengyue Pass blocking the way. We can take this opportunity to defeat him, and then go north to Weisheng and Taiyuan to join forces with Marshal Talan."

"I know it well."

"Marshal Wushi, Yang Chang has a deep hatred for our Jin Kingdom. Now that he is right in front of us, we don't have to go to Taiyuan to look for him."

The person who interrupted at this time was Wanyan Aguda's adopted son, named Wanyan Salihe.

After Aguda's death, he stayed in Shangjing to guard the capital. Half a year ago, when Nianhan took over the position of the commander-in-chief, Wuqimai sent him to Wushili's army as a check and balance on Nianhan's western army.

Salihe himself was also a fierce general. He had never personally witnessed how powerful Yang Chang was, so at this moment he was braver than the others. He even questioned Wu Shi's cowardice in his words.

Wushi was experienced after all. When he heard Salihe yelling in front of the army, he immediately replied in a deep voice: "Yang Chang is very powerful. Although we have more soldiers and generals, this is his territory after all. We can mobilize the people to help. We should be careful and not underestimate the enemy."

"Marshal, you don't know."

Seeing Wushi so calm, Song Jiang was worried that he might hesitate to move forward, so he immediately reminded him: "That's what I took into consideration. After taking Shexian County, we started a massacre. At this time, most of the young and strong people in the county have died. If these 100,000 Jin troops go to besiege it, Yang Chang will be trapped and die here."

"What are you waiting for?"

Seeing that Sali was getting excited, Wushi responded with a gloomy face. Song Jiang pointed at Shi Xiu and said, "My brother just came back from Shexian. He knows the situation there best. Marshal, why don't you check with him and find out how many troops Yang has right away."

"Commander Shi, what do you think?"

"Uh"

Shi Xiu thought for a moment, then answered in a organized tone, "After all, Commander Yang launched a night attack last night. I cannot accurately estimate the number of his troops, but based on the analysis of the soldiers who escaped, their number should be only 10,000."

"Yang Chang only has 10,000 people?"

Wu Shi was surprised and asked in confusion: "I heard from General Song that you had 30,000 soldiers in She County, 30,000 against 10,000 and you were still defending, but you still failed to hold it?"

“It was midnight.”

"Captain Yang chose to launch a surprise attack in the second half of the night. There must be some civilians in the city who acted as internal support. It is indeed difficult to defend when the enemy is caught off guard. The soldiers must have been careless. In addition, the Shexian garrison is less than 30,000. I was afraid that Fengyue Pass would have too few soldiers, so I temporarily withdrew nearly 10,000 soldiers to come here. That's why we suffered this defeat. Shi Xiu, is that right?"

"Yes, yes, the commander is right."

Shi Xiu cooperated with Song Jiang in lying, which made Salihe beside him even more confident. He immediately said to Wu Shi: "Marshal, you can send troops to Shexian as soon as possible. No matter whether Yang is tall or short, we can fight 100,000 against 10,000!"

"It won't be wrong to be cautious. We have already walked for most of the day. The baggage of a hundred thousand troops is also moving slowly. The main force should rest at the foot of the pass first. The general can lead his troops to Shexian to find out the strength of Yang Chang. Remember not to advance rashly."

"Okay, Marshal, please rest here. I'll go take a look first."

Sali agreed with a big mouthful of wine, then gathered his troops and prepared, and soon left Fengyue Pass.

The main force of the Jin army set up camp behind the pass, and finally the camps stretched for more than ten miles. Song Jiang took advantage of the gap between the Jin army's camps and invited Wu Shi and the generals to a banquet at the pass.

During the banquet, Song Jiang kept toasting and making promises, as if the 100,000 Jin troops could kill Yang Chang in an instant if they pressed forward.

Wushi was resourceful and was the most important deputy in Nianhan's army. He would not be easily instigated and his response was not very positive.

This alternating hot and cold attitude made Song Jiang quite embarrassed.

Wu Yong quickly took over the conversation and introduced the terrain around Shexian County, but he suddenly stopped in the middle of the conversation and said nervously, "Marshal, I suddenly remembered that General Yang has the ability to shoot at the neck from a distance, and the departing General Salihe does not seem to be equipped with a spear. Should we send someone to remind him?"

"Ok?"

Wu Shi frowned and glanced at Wu Yong, then turned sideways and joked to Song Jiang: "As expected of Wu Guancha, you observe very carefully. However, this Marshal seems to remember that this matter was shared by us, so there is no need to observe it. Salihe has his own ideas."

"Uh"

"military adviser."

Wu Yong wanted to say something else, but Song Jiang saw that Salihe and Wushi had a delicate relationship, so he quickly took over the conversation and changed the subject.

"Marshal, it's rare for you to have some free time to drink. Let's not talk about military affairs anymore. Wouldn't it be nice to talk about romance? Marshal, do you know that there are two stunning princesses here?"

"Are you talking about Yang Chang's wife, Princess Maode Zhao Fujin? I heard that she is the most beautiful woman in your Song Dynasty. Then who is the other princess..."

"Zhao Fujin, the younger sister of Emperor Xunde, was the one you brought north with you, but was rescued in Zhending."

"Is it her? She is in Hedong?"

Wu Shi held the wine glass with a solemn expression, muttering to himself: "Could it be that Yang Chang sent someone to kidnap him?"

"It must be like this. I heard that the two princesses were very affectionate sisters. Princess Maode must have persuaded Yang Chang to send someone to rescue Princess Xunde. She married Yang Chang's sworn brother Wu Song last year. Wu Song is also in She County now."

Seeing that the topic suited his taste, Song Jiang quickly told him all the information, thinking that people in the world are greedy for wine, sex, money and power, and there will always be one of them that can't control you!
"I heard Miss Song is gentle, I want to give her a try."

"As long as Yang Chang is captured in Shexian, the Marshal can try whatever he wants."

"Ah."

A smile appeared on Wu Shi's face.
He is just fifty years old this year and is still full of energy. He holds the position of marshal but has only one wife and one concubine. His wife is the same age as him and is no match for him, and his concubine is also the wife of a Liao noble who was forcibly taken away.

Not long ago, Nianhan went south to command the army and shared the taste of his wife and mother with Wushi. He then thought of taking a few Song women. If he could capture two imperial princesses, he and Nianhan could each have one.

Song Jiang observed the man's expression and was very proud to see that his topic had impressed Wu Shi.

So what if he's a marshal?
Playing with people's hearts? You are the younger brother.

At that time, the welcoming banquet lasted until the evening.

After Song Jiang sent Wu Shi back to his residence, he saw Shi Xiu and others at the door of the big tent.

"General."

Shi Xiu bowed his head and cried, "Last night, the three gates of Shexian County, east, west and south, were all captured. I saw that I could not hold on any longer, so I abandoned the city and fled to Fengyue Pass. Please punish me for not being able to fight."

"Hurry up, what does the fall of the city have to do with you?"

Song Jiang hurriedly helped them up and said sternly, "If you can't defend, you can preserve your strength, which is also a way to adapt. By the way, how are Xu Ning, Lu Fang and the others?"

"If he hasn't come back yet, I'm afraid he's in danger."

Before Shi Xiu could finish his words, he felt Song Jiang's hand tremble, but he quickly regained his strength and began to comfort him.

"It doesn't matter. Maybe he was just captured. He will be rescued soon. You fought hard and ran around last night. Go back and have a good rest. We still need to rescue Yang Xiong later."

"okay."

Song Jiang waved goodbye to Shi Xiu, then staggered into the tent and sat down.

He had been drinking for the whole afternoon and was now feeling extremely hot. His hatred for Yang Chang suddenly increased.

Yang Chang, you won’t be able to jump around for many more days. I will destroy everything you have!
While he was struggling with his conscience, the military advisor Wu Yong suddenly came to the tent and asked, "Captain, did Shi Xiu come here just now?"

"Ah? I've been here before."

Song Jiang came to his senses and said indifferently: "He came to me to apologize for the defeat, but how can I blame him? Really..."

"Don't jump to conclusions. Maybe the fact that Shexian was lost so quickly is really related to him?"

(End of this chapter)