Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 112 Who the hell is he Su Wu?

Another case of adultery resulting in death.

Yang Xiong, nicknamed Bing Guansuo in Jianghu, was originally a duke of Jizhou. His wife Pan Qiaoyun committed adultery with the monk Pei Ruhai.

Once discovered, it would naturally be a matter of murder.

After killing someone, it is customary to run away first and then find a place to stay. Now that Song Jiang's flag has been unfurled at Liangshan, who in the world of martial arts doesn't know about this?

Shi Xiu and Yang Xiong were of similar temperament and were the main discoverers of this affair, so they fled together. They also met Shi Qian, a flea on the drum. The three of them decided to go to Liangshan to join Song Gongming.

Who would have thought that when they passed Dulonggang and stayed at Zhujiazhuang for a night and meal, they arrived late and the meat in the hotel in Zhujiazhuang was sold out. So Shi Qian stole the rooster that crowed at the dawn from the store and the three of them ate it.

Naturally he was discovered, and since he had stolen something he was in the wrong, Shi Xiu was willing to compensate. The shopkeeper asked for ten strings of coins, saying that it was the rooster that crowed at the dawn in the shop and was not an ordinary rooster.

Of course, ten strings of cash could not be given, so a conflict arose. How could anything good happen in the territory of Zhujiazhuang?

Shi Xiu and Yang Xiong managed to escape, but Shi Qian was caught on the spot and said he would be sent to the government as a thief.

When Yang Xiong and Shi Xiu were saved, they thought of Du Xing. Yang Xiong had saved Du Xing before, so he naturally had a deep affection for him. Yang Xiong thought that Du Xing could come forward to help and ask for a favor from Zhujiazhuang.

In the story, at this point, Du Xing naturally helped and even asked Li Ying to intercede, but the people of Zhujiazhuang ignored him.

Yang Xiong and Shi Xiu were both very strong. They beat many men in Zhujiazhuang and then escaped, injuring a lot of them. Shi Xiu and Yang Xiong were trying to escape, and with one hand he stabbed more than a dozen people and killed several people.

In such a situation, how can human feelings be understood?
Yang Xiong and Shi Xiu hurried to Liangshan to seek help.

So, for the sake of a rooster that crowed to announce the dawn, Song Gongming led his army and the three attacks on Zhujiazhuang began.

There is no need to think too much about this incident in the story, as it is because Zhujiazhuang has money and food.

Just like recently, the bandits in Liangshan have been roaming around and looting everywhere. What they lack is money and food to feed people, and the population in Liangshan is increasing.

So, Su Wu’s situation today was not a coincidence.

It must be that Shi Qian was captured by the people from Zhujiazhuang last night, and Yang Xiong and Shi Xiu came to Du Xing to ask for a favor.

Su Wu looked at the two people in front of him. How could they dare to look at Su Wu when they were both murdered?

Even if he knew who was in front of him, the name of Su Wu was now known to everyone.

Su Wu pretended not to know and just said, "Well, Du Yuhou is busy on his own!"

Having said that, Su Wu rode his horse into the camp. Yang Xiong and Shi Xiu breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly pulled Du Xing away to talk.

Su Wu was just thinking of luring the snake out of its hole, and then, just like that, something like this happened in Zhujiazhuang.

The opportunity has come. Even if he didn't meet these two people, Su Wu would know about the murder case in Zhujiazhuang.

Shi Xiu and Yang Xiong, how could they not be punished for killing people like this in Su Wu's territory?

But there is no need to rush. Song Jiang of Liangshan may not dare to lead his army to Dongping Prefecture to attack Zhujiazhuang now?
But Song Jiang is now recruiting soldiers and horses. He will not refuse any heroes from the martial arts world. What he wants to do is to buy horse bones with a huge amount of gold.

Song Jiang's style of doing things is predictable.

Even if he didn't dare to attack with a large army, how could he not accept heroes like Yang Xiong and Shi Xiu who could easily knock down dozens of big men with their broadswords?

Even if the army did not come, Song Jiang would definitely do the rescue. Otherwise, if the news got out that a hero did not save people in danger, who would come to join him?
The purpose is to save those who are capable of committing crimes. If this is spread, who among the criminals would not want to surrender? Who in the underworld would not bow down and kowtow?
It is human nature for Du Xing to repay the favor of saving his life, but Du Xing's face is not worth the several lives lost in Zhujiazhuang, and there are also a number of injured people.

I can only say that Du Xing tried his best.

Just let Du Xing be busy...

When Su Wu arrived at the army, he found Lu Da and asked, "Have Shi Jin and Zhu Wu from Shaohua Mountain sent back any news?"

Lu Da replied: "Brother, Shaanxi is too far away and it takes a long time to get there, but I think it will be a matter of two days..."

"Well, okay, when you get the news, tell me right away so that I can think of ways to resettle you." Su Wu replied.

"Save it, save it, I'll save it..."

Su Wu went to prepare glasses for Tong Guan. To transport them over a long distance, he had to make a box and fill it with soft materials to prevent them from being damaged during the journey.

As soon as I finish this matter, I will return to the army to discuss the expansion of the cavalry. Now I have more than 2,000 horses in my hands, and after a while, I will have more than 3,000 horses.

The number of cavalry should be around one thousand, which means two battalions. Each person has three horses, so they can carry out long-distance raids, armor, food, and people, and they can also take turns riding.

This is what a regular elite cavalry should be equipped with, and it is also a real beginning.

Even with just a thousand people like this, if they become truly elite, they can go anywhere.

Not long after, Zhu Biao from Zhujiazhuang came riding a horse and said that bandits had come to Zhujiazhuang, killed or injured more than a dozen people, and then ran away.

Zhu Biao was filled with righteous indignation, his face flushed, and he continued, "General, you killed and injured dozens of people from my Zhu family, eight of them died, and you even asked Du Xing and Master Li to plead for mercy, saying that you still want to let that thief go. How can I let Zhujiazhuang let him go?"

Zhu Biao also came to file a complaint against Li Ying.

The three villages of Dulonggang are actually not as united as they appear.

Su Wu nodded and said, "Perhaps Master Li and Du Xing don't know the details of the incident and don't know that the thief killed and injured so many people. You should not ignore it. Write back and explain it clearly. Then, Master Li and Du Xing will know that this matter is not right."

Su Wu was also guessing. Human nature is often like this, avoiding the important and focusing on the trivial. Maybe he really just talked about the conflict of stealing chickens, and didn't mention that the broadsword stabbed more than a dozen people to death on the spot.

Or maybe Shi Xiu and Yang Xiong felt that those lives were nothing and they just fought back helplessly.

Zhu Biao nodded and said, "I will listen to the general. I will go and tell Master Li in detail that we have caught a thief who stole chickens but didn't kill anyone. I also asked the general how to deal with him."

"First, detain them in your manor. Those two murderers may come back to rescue them. If they send them to the government office, they may not dare to rescue them. If they really come to rescue them, it will be like closing the door and beating the dog. This matter was planned by me. You just go back and wait... I will give you an explanation for Zhujia Manor."

Su Wu said so.

Zhu Biao simply stood up and saluted: "Thank you, General, for making the decision for us. You are fair in your actions. All of us in the Zhu family are convinced."

Su Wu nodded, and he knew that his current role was to give them justice, which was also in line with the people's will.

When Zhu Biao came, he was indignant and filled with righteous indignation. When he left, he felt relieved and open-minded, and he firmly believed that Su Wu would definitely give them justice.

Su Wu could not let down this trust, so he just called Yan Qing over to give him some instructions.

Yan Qing led his men out of the city first, heading towards the 800-li-long water body to look for Zhu Gui.

Su Wu went outside the city to inspect the blacksmith workshop. Even though there was another big order, he worked hard to make the armor, but he regretted that there were not enough people and craftsmen. He also found some former soldiers to help and paid them enough wages.

This kind of armor, which is put on piece by piece, is really labor-intensive. Su Wu himself became anxious just watching the pieces being hammered and polished.

Things are different now. I have become Tong Guan’s confidant and no longer have to worry about anything.

What if there are too many armors? What if there are too many horses?

That was Su Wu's ability, Su Wu's achievement, and Tong Shumi's trust.

In a few days, we will see who doesn't know that Su Wu is Tong Shumi's confidant?

Let’s see how I’ll be promoted after this great achievement. I hope it’ll be a big one.

After inspecting the armor workshop, he went back to practice horse riding and spear training. He also thought about recruiting some more craftsmen to forge strong bows and crossbows. It was not reliable to just rely on the imperial court to send them supplies.

You have to get it yourself, not to mention the arrows.

There is no such thing as too many craftsmen. The stall has to be set up. Even if it is just a small stall at first, we can't wait any longer.

Even in the future, craftsmen will be required to accompany the army.

There are also doctors accompanying the army.

I can't help but think of a man named An Daoquan, who was a good doctor, but An Daoquan was too far away, in Jiankang Prefecture, in the south.

An Daoquan was lucky. He once joined the bandits, but after being recruited, he managed to get the position of imperial physician and treated the emperor.

There's no rush. As long as An Daoquan comes to Liangshan, he won't be able to escape.

In the evening, Du Xing came back dejectedly. Su Wu knew that Shi Xiu and Yang Xiong were rushing to Liangshan day and night.

Liangshan is not far away, only about a hundred miles away.

However, heroes from all over the world would really think of going to Liangshan to join Song Gongming once they got into trouble. Even those small characters, whether they were wandering on the streets, killing people, gambling and hiding from debts, robbing money, or stealing...

Where to hide? Of course, I'll hide in Liangshan.

He could only go to Liangshan, drink wine in big bowls, eat meat with big mouthfuls, and go to neighboring prefectures when he had nothing to do, to find empty county towns and wealthy families.

Zhu Gui has been very busy recently. Waves of people have come to his shop, mentioning the name of Brother Song Gongming. He would just treat them to a meal of wine and meat, and then go back to the reed marsh and get on the boat.

It is the same today. There are waves of people coming, mostly from Shandong and Hebei, but there are also people from the south. They just ask how the heroes got here, how they have the money, and why they come here to rob people.

Three to five, seven to eight, one or two, they would get on the boat and leave. Sometimes, a large group of thirty to fifty, seventy to eighty people would come, hiding during the day and coming out at night.

Even if they are just bandits living in remote areas, they are being hunted by the government and their numbers are small. If they want to find a safer place, where else can they compare to Brother Song Gongming's Liangshanpo?
In the story, when Liangshan was at its peak, its population reached as much as 30 to 50,000 in a short period of time. Among them, there were 108 heroes with seats. They had many followers and could attack any prefecture or city at any time. Even the imperial army was no problem.

Tonight, two more people came. The shop was closed, and they just kept banging on the door.

Zhu Gui was used to it. Who among those who came to Liangshan was not eager to come? Who was not avoiding the government?

I got up, opened the door, and had a conversation.

The two men just said that they admired Brother Gongming's great name and his skills in using swords, spears, sticks and clubs, so they came to meet him.

Zhu Gui turned around and went to the reed marsh behind the store to arrange a boat and go up the mountain. The procedure was simple and quick.

Afterwards, another person came out in the dark, entered the store and said he wanted to eat, but Zhu Gui just said they were out of food.

Then the man went out...

After the man went out, he found a small hill in the distance and reported to others: "Brother Xiaoyi, the shopkeeper Zhu nodded, it is the two people, one is Yang Xiong and the other is Shi Xiu."

Yan Qing nodded and said, "Sure enough, we have found the person that my uncle asked us to meet. Lehe, go back and report that the person has boarded the boat and entered the mountain."

One of them turned around and walked quickly, and there was a horse hiding in the woods in the distance.

More than an hour later, at the Liangshan stronghold, in the Juyi Hall.

Sitting on the main seat in the middle was Chao Gai, the Heavenly King holding the Pagoda, and on his right was Wu Yong, the resourceful star.

On the left are Hu Baoyi from Shandong, the timely rain from Yuncheng, the filial and righteous Black Sanlang, and Song Jiang Song Gongming.

Now Song Gongming is different from before. He has tattoos on his face and is a wanted criminal of the court.

On Wu Yong's side, there are the three Ruan brothers, as well as Du Qian, Song Wan and others.

On Brother Gongming's side, there are a lot of them, including Little Li Guang Hua Rong, Golden-haired Tiger Yan Shun, White-faced Young Man Zheng Tianshou, and General Shi Yong, needless to say.

As for the group from Jiangzhou, there is no need to mention the Black Whirlwind Li Kui and the Speedy Dai Zong.

There are also Li Li, the judge of death, Li Jun, the river dragon, Tong Wei, the dragon that emerges from the cave, Tong Meng, the river mirage, Xue Yong, the sick big insect, Mu Chun, the little blocker, Mu Hong, the unblocker, Zhang Heng, the boat fire...

There are also Zhang Shun, the white shark in the waves, Hou Jian, the long-armed ape, Ou Peng, the golden-winged mantis, Jiang Jing, the divine fortune teller, Ma Lin, the iron flute fairy, Tao Zongwang, the nine-tailed turtle...

There are also the talented calligrapher Xiao Rang and the jade-arm craftsman Jin Dajian.

These people were the ones who followed Song Jiang back from his trip to Jiangzhou. They all bowed their heads without saying a word.

In recent days, there have been new people coming, namely Yang Lin, the Golden Leopard, Deng Fei, the Fiery Eyed Suanni, Meng Kang, the Jade Banner, and Pei Xuan, the Iron-Faced Man.

Among these people, some really had no choice but to do so. For example, Pei Xuan, the Iron-Faced Man, was originally a clerk, impartial and just. However, the officialdom was dark and treacherous, so he was framed and exiled to Shamen Island on the coast of Shandong. He had no choice but to become a bandit.

Some people are only considered to have certain unique skills, such as Xiao Rang and Jin Dajian.

There is no need to talk about most people, such as Zhang Heng, who would ferry people around and wait until the boat reached the middle of the river, where he would kill people and rob them.

It also shows how great Song Jiang's reputation is that all these people bowed down to him.

Some people joined the group alone, like Shi Yong.

Some people have more than a dozen trusted men joining their group, such as Yang Lin.

Some people joined with their entire village, such as Pei Xuan, Ou Peng, and even Yan Shun.

In just a short period of time, after Song Jiang arrived, Liangshan was really different. It was full of heroes and followers, and the only thing missing was money and food.

Looking at the Liangshan Gathering Hall today, it is more like Song Jiang’s Gathering Hall than Chao Gai’s.

Tonight, two more people came, one is the desperate Shi Xiu, and the other is the sick Yang Xiong. These two people are also famous in the martial arts world.

As soon as they arrived at the Juyi Hall and saw so many heroes gathered there with tables full of wine and meat, they knew they had found their backbone.

Just go forward and greet Brother Gongming and tell him what happened.

Chao Gai was furious when he saw the man hit right in the head. "Come on, just take these two out and behead them!"

Just look at the Ruan brothers, they are really moving forward.

Shi Xiu and Yang Xiong were shocked, looked at each other, and hurried to see Brother Gongming.

Brother Gongming immediately said, "Brother, calm down. These two warriors have come from afar to show their loyalty. Why are you going to kill them?"

Chao Gai was really upset and replied: "The heroes of Liangshanpo are loyal and righteous. Why are these two people thieves? If this is spread, and they are still waiting to be taken in, how can the brothers have a glorious face?"

Song Jiang looked at the two people in front of him, and what he saw most was their anxious eyes asking for help.

He said slowly: "Brother, that flea on the drum, Shi Qian, is a well-known habitual thief in the martial arts world. It's just a chicken, and Brother Shi Xiu also said he would compensate. Why are you so picky? The two people in front of us are the best heroes in the martial arts world. As long as they come for righteousness, how can we turn them away, let alone kill them? If this is the case, who in the martial arts world will dare to gather here in the future?

It is said that now, there are more and more men in our mountain stronghold, and we are short of food and money. The three villages of Dulonggang are originally rich places. If they are ruined, they will have no worries for three to five years. It is a pity that Su Wu of Dongping Prefecture is really not easy to mess with. I just thought of a way to save Shi Qian, so that we can have a good reputation in the world. For such people and such things, we Liangshan will also help them out of righteousness, and others will no longer have any worries in their hearts, so they can just come to Liangshan with all their hearts..."

After Song Jiang finished speaking, he looked around and saw the grateful looks in Shi Xiu and Yang Xiong's eyes.

Now that Song Jiang has given up all other thoughts, he will just focus on being a great bandit and seeking amnesty, focusing on expanding his power. Everything else is trivial.

Wu Yong at the side also spoke up: "Brother Gongming is right. How can we kill our brothers in the mountain stronghold?"

Just look at what Brother Gongming said and what Wu Yong also said.

Dai Zong also stepped forward and said: "Saving the lives of our brothers and saving Shi Qian is the way to open up a path for the wise, so that all heroes in the world can come..."

Li Kui also came up and said, "Well, that's the reason. He just stole a chicken, so why can't he join the gang?"

Chao Gai looked around, frowned, sighed, and nodded: "So, if all my brothers say the same thing, then let's just let it go..."

Yang Xiong and Shi Xiu immediately kowtowed to express their gratitude, to all the brothers, and especially to Brother Gongming. They realized that they had come to the right place. Brother Gongming was just as the saying goes, a man of unparalleled benevolence and righteousness.

Song Jiang came down, helped the two men up, and said slowly: "Brothers, we Liangshan, we are known for our benevolence and righteousness. Since you have joined us, you must remember that you must never do those sneaky things again. There are rules and military orders in the mountain stronghold that must not be violated. Even if I violate them in the future, I am afraid I will not be able to escape the punishment."

"I have kept in mind what Brother Gongming said and will not dare to embarrass my brothers." Yang Xiong nodded repeatedly.

"Okay, let's discuss how to rescue brother Shi Qian." Song Jiang helped the two men up and turned around to sit down.

Then Wu Yong said, "We can't make a big fuss this time. Su Wu of Dongping Prefecture is really not easy to mess with. If we mess with him, the troops under his command will be very brave..."

Song Jiang also nodded: "That's right, so, we should be capable and cautious, find the opportunity, make a plan, and act after the plan is made. The main thing is to save people, and then leave."

Wu Yong said, "Well, this is a good idea. There are many horses in the mountain stronghold now. We can't... Anyway, we have saved people. Let's ride back quickly."

Then Li Kui said, "My two brothers, why do you always talk about Su Wu? Who is this Su Wu? Why do you scare people like that? I, Tie Niu, am not afraid of him. If he meets me, I will kill him on the spot, roast him over a fire, and eat him up."

Song Jiang smiled bitterly: "Tie Niu, you are far away in Jiangzhou and have not been in Shandong for long. It's no wonder that you don't know. As for Su Wu, we should avoid him if we can. We can fight him again in the future when we have trained our troops. This is the big plan."

"What big or small plan? Brother Gongming, just tell me where he is and I'll go find him. If I run into him on the street, I'll kill him with an axe."

Li Kui has been in this mountain stronghold for some time, but he has not achieved any merit yet, so he is anxious.

"Forget it, forget it. I won't say anything more. Tie Niu, please don't say any more about this matter." Song Jiang's face darkened slightly.

Sure enough, Li Kui immediately lowered his head and took a step back without saying anything more.

Song Jiang looked at his brothers first, then at Chao Gai, and said, "Brother, this time, let me take some brothers to the Zhu Family Manor to have a look, make a plan, and rescue the people. Please give the order, brother."

Chao Gai looked around and nodded: "Just follow my brothers' advice..."

(Brothers, here are a few lines of dialogue, rewritten from the original novel, Chao Gai's words, which are reasonable and will bring out the motives of many things.)
(End of this chapter)