Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 115: General, I will never forget your kindness!
Morning.

The main house of Zhujiazhuang was crowded with people, including the old man of the Zhu family, Zhu Chaofeng, the third son, Zhu Biao, and the tutor Luan Tingyu.

Li Ying from Lijiazhuang, the old man and Hu Sanniang from Hudiazhuang also came.

There are also many relatives of those who died or were injured in Zhujiazhuang, and even some elders who have a say.

The central hall of the mansion was packed with people.

Su Wu sat in the center of the front, looked around a few times, and said, "Bring the people to attack."

Wu Song went there personally to escort them, and Yang Xiong, Shi Xiu and Shi Qian were all present.

Immediately, the crowd was outraged: "Kill them, skin them and pull out their tendons!"

"Kill, kill, kill!"

"We must kill these thieves!"

Su Wu raised his hand to suppress his voice and spoke: "I am a military general. Logically, I should not be the one to judge a murder case, but this happened in Zhujiazhuang, and I must give an explanation to the villagers."

Zhu Biao replied: "We just have to wait for the general to do us justice."

Su Wu nodded and said, "If you all trust me, I will take charge of the meeting. What do you think?"

Su Wu looked at Zhu Chaofeng, who nodded slightly. Su Wu then looked at everyone in the room.

Everyone was looking at Su Wu without saying anything extra.

Su Wu said again: "Well, I'm sorry to say a few more words about this matter."

"How can it be rude? We are not able to express our gratitude to the general for capturing the thief. Please come in, general!" Zhu Biao bowed.

Su Wu frowned slightly, looked at the three people who were forced to kneel on the spot, and said, "This matter all started because of a rooster that crowed to announce the dawn. Shi Qian was a habitual thief. He stayed at an inn and stole the inn's rooster that crowed to announce the dawn. This was his first mistake. Shi Qian, do you admit it?"

Shi Qian's face was ashen. It seemed that there was no way out. He nodded and said, "I stole the chicken."

Su Wu nodded and said, "Okay, this is the first crime. Let's discuss this crime first. If it happened in the government office, stealing a chicken would at least result in a punishment of being beaten with a stick. But this chicken caused a big case, so a beating with a stick is too light. Come, chop off his two little fingers on both hands as a punishment."

After hearing Su Wu's words, Shi Qian was stunned for a moment and looked up at Su Wu.

Wu Song came with a few others and ordered them to hold down Shi Qian's hand that was stealing the chicken.

Unexpectedly, Shi Qian did not resist.

Wu Song swung his knife, and with two clicks, the two little fingers fell off and were thrown by Wu Song on the ground in the hall.

At that time, Qian was in so much pain that his facial features shifted and his face turned red. He could only make the sound of "hissing" as he gasped for air, but he didn't really cry out in pain.

Su Wu nodded, looked at everyone, and said, "Okay, let's discuss the second crime."

Everyone will wait and see.

Su Wu went on to say, "Shi Xiu, after stealing the chicken, he said he wanted compensation, which is true, but the store owner asked for ten strings of cash, which is too much. However, stealing is stealing, and he was wrong before. Shi Xiu also knocked down many people with his whistle stick. His crime is assault and injury. Come, bring the stick, and hit him 20 times, each of which must be solid. He should also be sentenced to pay for the cost of medicine."

At this point, Su Wu looked at the crowd again and asked, "Shi Xiu, do you have anything to say?"

Shi Xiu raised his head slightly. Half of his face was swollen so much that one of his eyes was gone. He sighed, looked at Yang Xiong beside him, and nodded slightly: "It's fair. Just come and fight."

Wu Song stepped forward again, untied the ropes that bound Shi Xiusong, and simply pushed him to the ground.

The soldiers on both sides came and hit Shi Xiu with sticks. After only three or five hits, blood was already oozing from Shi Xiu's back and buttocks. Shi Xiu gritted his teeth and said nothing.

After seven or eight more hits, Shi Xiu finally couldn't help but wail. His back, buttocks, and clothes were all covered in blood.

After three or five more hits, Shi Xiu became silent again and fainted on the spot.

The big stick kept hitting him, crackling, and after hitting him for twenty times, Shi Xiu was already lying on the ground like mud, motionless...

Su Wu said, "You all saw these twenty blows with your own eyes. Every one of them was a solid blow. If he dies, it's his fate. If he doesn't die, it's also his fate! Pull him aside, splash some water on him to wake him up, let him listen and watch, then we'll discuss the third crime."

Looking at Yang Xiong again, he had just seen Shi Xiu beating him with a stick, his face full of pain and he couldn't bear to watch.

After being stimulated by the cold water for a few times, Shi Xiu slowly woke up. His face was ashen, and he lay there motionless, gritting his teeth to endure the pain.

At this time Su Wu was about to discuss Yang Xiong's crime, and Yang Xiong raised his head again.

Not only did he raise his head, but the eyes of the people around him were different from before, and they all looked at Su Wu with expectation.

Su Wu spoke again: "Yang Xiong was originally a public official in Jizhou. Because his wife committed adultery with a monk, he killed someone in anger and fled to Zhujiazhuang. Is that right or wrong?"

Yang Xiong looked at Su Wu with surprise, and didn't know how Su Wu knew this.

Su Wu continued, "Killing an adulterer and an adulteress is against the law, but today we are not in front of the government office, so it is a matter of the underworld. This matter is understandable, so let's just forget about it and not discuss it here!"

There was actually some excitement on Yang Xiong's face.

Su Wu continued, "Yang Xiong, you are a straightforward man, even a good man. You shouldn't be the kind of person who doesn't admit his mistakes! You, Yang Xiong of Jizhou, were wrong first. Not only did you not try to make peace with others, but you were also brave and fierce. You relied on your martial arts to fight with others. Not only did you fight, you also drew your sword, with a broadsword in your hand, you didn't care about anything, and stabbed dozens of people in a row, three of them were slightly injured, two were seriously injured, and eight died. Is that right or not?"

Yang Xiong lowered his head and did not answer.

Su Wu said in a stern voice: "What? You were so cruel when you killed people, thinking you were a hero, but now you don't admit it after you've killed them?"

Yang Xiong looked up: "It's me!"

"Okay, that's straightforward. Killing someone means paying with your life, and debts mean paying back the money. What do you have to say?" Su Wu said again in a stern voice.

Yang Xiong glanced at Shi Xiu who was not far away, then looked at Shi Qian who had lost his two little fingers, and sighed: "There is nothing to say, if you want to fight or kill me, just come!"

Su Wu looked at the crowd and said, "It's easy to fight and kill. We did it last night. The reason why we waited until today is to have all the victims come to witness and to make you three convinced. If you do something wrong, you must admit it. You are born a commoner, so it's okay to be a thief, but if you are caught as a thief, you have to admit it. Killing someone means paying with your life. Even if you can kill others, others can kill you. You think you are a man of the world and you just take pleasure in revenge. I will also think you are a man of the world and I will also take pleasure in revenge."

At this point, Su Wu stood up and said, "Yang Xiong!"

Yang Xiong raised his head and said, "Just judge."

"Well, since the victims are all here today, there is no need for any torture or death. You can stab them one by one, and they can stab you one by one. This way, the debt of life will be settled between the two of you!"

Su Wu looked around and asked, "Everyone, what do you think of this?"

Zhu Biao didn't wait any longer and stood up and saluted: "Okay, according to the general's wishes, I will do it one by one. If there are no able-bodied men in the family, but only women and children, I will ask his uncles and brothers to do it for him, and each of them will stab one knife."

Su Wu nodded, and said in a loud voice: "Take Yang Xiong up right here, and prepare your swords. Kill each of them! This way, we can settle scores and no one will be able to say anything."

Lu Da and Wu Song went there in person, and the two of them lifted up the bound Yang Xiong. Zhu Biao drew his sword, put it on the ground, and said, "Zhu Chengshan, you go first, and avenge your brother!"

A young man came over wiping his tears, picked up the knife on the ground, took a few steps forward, but hesitated again.

Then he heard Zhu Biao scolding: "Why are you so timid when you are here to avenge your brother? Just stab!"

The young man roared, closed his eyes, and stabbed Yang Xiong in front of him with his long knife. Without even looking at him, he put down the long knife, turned around and walked back to the crowd.

"The fourth son of the seventh room!" Zhu Biao shouted again.

The next man who came out was not like the previous one. He picked up the knife and went away with quick movements.

Looking at Yang Xiong again, blood was gushing out of his abdomen, his face was hideous, and his features were all out of place, but he was still saying, "I killed them with my broadsword. I'll give you my life in exchange for letting my two brothers go. Just come!"

As soon as he looked at Shi Qian, he lowered his head. He was no longer willing to look.

Shi Xiu already looked like he was dying, but he hadn't shed any tears when he was beaten just now, but now he was in tears.

Shi Xiu is a man of great loyalty, but no one could have expected such a thing to happen. There is nothing he can do about it.

Zhu Biao shouted again: "Where is Gong's son?"

"I'm here!"

A young man came out again.

"Your family is a farmhand and you have no uncles or brothers here. If you don't dare, I will do it for you!" Zhu Biao said.

"I will do it myself!"

The young man took a few steps forward, picked up the knife, and stabbed it into Yang Xiong's abdomen again. Yang Xiong's abdomen was already a mess of blood and flesh.

"Come next one, be quick and don't let this guy die early." Zhu Biao shouted again.

Since then, more people have come, and their movements have become more and more agile.

However, he saw many women and children in the room crying loudly, but they did not dare to look any further and turned away.

Some people who were curious about the situation had already sneaked out because the scene was too bloody.

But if it weren’t for such a bloody scene, how could people really feel relieved?
In the martial arts world, this is how it works to avenge one's enemies and take revenge.

As the cuts came, the blood flowed from the abdomen to the trouser legs, and then all over the ground.

Yang Xiong's face was already filled with pain, and his whole body was shaking uncontrollably. Even the ropes that bound him were stretched so tight that they seemed like they would break at any time.

Lu Da and Wu Song even lifted the man up into the air, and it was impossible for this man to stand.

After stabbing him with a dozen knives, Lu Da and Wu Song threw him away. He was not dead yet, his eyes were wide open, looking at Shi Xiu and Shi Qian...

In just a moment, the person was dead with convulsions. There was only the corpse on the ground and the room was full of blood.

The scene was not filled with the joy of revenge, but rather with sadness and grief, and people weeping everywhere...

Su Wu spoke again: "The blood feud has been avenged, but life still has to go on. I am here to withdraw some money. For the dead, 100 strings of cash, for the seriously injured, 50 strings of cash, and for the slightly injured, 20 strings of cash. Send it to me tomorrow, and I hope brother Biao can distribute it one by one..."

Why did he have to take revenge in this way, and why did Su Wu have to pay so much money? Because he wanted to save Shi Xiu and Shi Qian's lives, so Su Wu himself was also involved in the cause and effect, so he should pay this money.

Zhu Chaofeng stood up immediately and said, "How can we let the general pay? The general has already caught the culprit for Zhujiazhuang. We dare not accept the general's money again. This money can be paid by my clan." Su Wu waved his hand and said, "Your clan has nothing to do with me. You can give more. I am the general manager of the Dongping Prefecture. If something like this happens in Dongping Prefecture, it will be considered that I have failed in my duty. The money will be delivered tomorrow. It's settled. I will take the two thieves with minor crimes away."

After saying this, Su Wu bowed to everyone around him.

The whole hall was filled with people kneeling down: "Thank you, General, for catching the thief for us!"

"Thank you, General, for doing us justice and allowing us to take revenge with our own hands."

"Thank you, General!"

"General, we absolutely cannot accept your money. Thank you for your kindness!"

Su Wu just thought it was an act of anger: "What I said doesn't work when I come to your Zhu Family Manor?"

"General, calm down. This is not my intention. I just can't take your money."

"If my words are useful, then let's just make it a deal. Don't say anything more. Let's go!" Su Wu stood up and walked away, stepping over Yang Xiong's body and looking at Shi Xiu and Shi Qian.

Someone came forward, carrying the two men and Yang Xiong's body behind them.

Su Wu walked towards the crowd, and the crowd naturally dispersed to both sides.

Just as he was about to walk out of the door, people came to see him off, and he saw a group of people kneeling on the ground behind him.

Su Wu climbed onto his horse, turned around and bowed again: "My fellow villagers, this matter is over, I am leaving now, and we will see you again someday!"

As he spoke, Su Wu urged his horse to move forward, and the knights mounted their horses and set off.

In Zhujiazhuang, women and children were crying bitterly. More than a dozen family members, young and old, had lost their mainstay, yet the general gave them so much money as compensation.

I only saw someone shouting: "General, I will never forget your kindness!"

"General, take care. I wish you a long life!"

"When I get back, I'll set up a longevity tablet for the general, and burn incense and pray every day..."

"General, be careful when riding your horse..."

Su Wu was actually happy when he heard this, but he couldn't laugh. If a chaotic world was really coming, most of the people who died would be just numbers, and many of them would not even be considered numbers.

Seeing it in person, it is so sad! Which number is not flesh and blood, emotion and feeling...

Wu Song, Lu Da and others also turned back frequently to look, and heard Wu Song say, "Brother, these people... these people... we have done good things again, right?"

Lu Da said: "We should be chivalrous and help the weak. If we see injustice, we should help them. As generals, we should do the same!"

Wu Song nodded repeatedly: "Brother Lu Da is right, my brother is the most like this kind of person, and what I do is always good!"

Su Wu didn't say anything, just nodded.

After walking for a while, Su Wu came to ask: "We captured eighteen people by the water last night. How many of them survived?"

Luan Tingyu came from behind and answered: "Three survived."

"Can you recognize any of them with names?" Su Wu asked again.

Luan Tingyu shook his head: "General, I really can't recognize him..."

"When we get back to the city, find someone to treat Shi Xiu. If he is alive, let him go and recognize the identity of the person." Su Wu said. He was not worried about these things. Even if Shi Xiu could not recognize the person, Zhu Gui would get the news.

Big thieves and small thieves are not the same thing. Song Jiang and his gang robbed the execution ground in Jiangzhou in the south and killed countless people. They committed serious crimes and were already known as the biggest thieves in the court.

What's more, he has now joined the Liangshan gang and became an accomplice of the thief who robbed Cai Jing and Liang Zhongshu's birthday gift. He has been roaming around as a bandit recently, and countless counties and prefectures have sent official documents asking for help to the court.

As long as they have a name and a surname, they will report their achievements and leave. If nothing else, they will also inform Liang Zhongshu of Daming Prefecture. How can Liang Zhongshu not be smiling?

Who wouldn’t say that Dongping Prefecture was the most effective in suppressing bandits?

As he was talking, he saw a fast horse coming from behind, and the girl called out, "Manager Su, Manager Su..."

Su Wu turned his head and saw a dashing woman of about 1.8 meters tall riding on horseback, with a long sword on each side of the horse.

Looking closer, this woman seemed to have grown a little taller...

Can it still grow? I am only 17 or 18 years old now, maybe it can still grow, but it won't be 1.9 meters, right? Of course not.

Su Wu did not stop his horse, but let Hu Sanniang chase him on horseback.

Su Wu also laughed: "Didn't you say you were going to play around in the army?"

"I went there, I went there, you were not there..." Hu Sanniang replied.

"Oh, that's unfortunate. I have a lot of things to do..." Su Wu replied.

"Have you had a lot of errands recently?" Hu Sanniang asked seriously.

"I don't know..." Su Wu replied.

"You did a great job today." Hu Sanniang said this without looking at Su Wu, but just looked forward.

"Well, after all, it is to comfort people's hearts." Su Wu turned his head and looked at Hu Sanniang. He had a good impression of this girl on several occasions. She was not the kind of person who would be shy and straightforward.

"I want to ask Chief Steward Su, is my brother doing well in the army?"

"I'm fine..." Su Wu answered casually.

"My brother has a dull personality, but he does his job well. He may not be able to take on important tasks, but he is a good steward."

How did we get here?
Su Wu turned around again and asked, "Is he so worried?"

"I know your brother. He is a good man in the army, and he is not a coward. He has his own future. Don't worry..."

"Well, I've been busy lately..." Hu Sanniang suddenly lowered her head.

"What's the matter?" Su Wu asked.

"The old man of the Zhu family invited someone to come home some time ago..." Hu Sanniang said this and stopped talking.

Su Wu didn't understand at first and asked, "What's the matter?"

Hu Sanniang looked at Su Wu, then lowered her head and said, "He asked for a matchmaker to decide something."

Su Wu suddenly realized, is it about the engagement?

How... let's talk about this here...

Su Wu turned his head again, could it be that the girl was in love?
Just looking at Hu Sanniang's eyebrows, she looked at him and then lowered her head to hide. How could she not be a young girl in love?
The Hu Sanniang in front of me is really different from ordinary women.

A man of the world, who likes to wield swords and guns, meets a man who really rides a strong horse and gallops around, who is really powerful and has people following him, who is really brave and famous everywhere... He really looks like a hero...

Why isn’t it a young girl’s love?
No matter how much this girl imagines, who else could fit this description?
Su Wu was a little embarrassed for a moment and just asked, "What do you think?"

"I also want to find a job in Dongping Prefecture, but..." said the girl.

Su Wu had rejected her last time, saying that there were no women in the army.

"What does your old man Hu say?" Su Wu asked again.

"My father asked me, and I said I didn't want to, so I asked him to refuse." Hu Sanniang was really straightforward. Although she was a little embarrassed at this time, she didn't hide anything.

"Isn't your father angry?" Su Wu was not completely embarrassed, but he didn't know how to deal with the matter, so he just chatted with him.

"He was helpless, but he couldn't do anything about me. He just said that a girl shouldn't be allowed to play with knives and guns since she was a child..." The girl said as she touched the left and right sides of the knife handle.

"Your father means that he is worried that it will be difficult for you to get married. Ordinary men are afraid that they can't afford to offend you..." Su Wu smiled.

Hu Sanniang looked up and asked, "Can I go to Dongping Prefecture to get a job?"

Su Wu was naturally in a dilemma. The army really didn't want women. The camp was full of soldiers, so how could he find a woman?
But after thinking for a while, Su Wu said: "Then... I'll give it a try and find you a job."

"Are you serious?" The girl was very excited, her eyes full of anticipation and a smile on her face.

"Are you going to run away?" Su Wu asked with a smile.

"Zhu Biao doesn't like me very much, and I don't like him very much either. How can I get engaged to him? I understand what Old Master Zhu is thinking, that is, he wants the three villages to be closer. But now that we have Chief Steward Su, there is someone to take charge of all matters in the three villages, no matter how big or small, why do we have to do this?"

Hu Sanniang actually knows a lot...

However, Su Wu heard that Zhu Biao did not like Hu Sanniang very much, which Su Wu had never thought much about before.

At this moment, I remembered the story in which Song Gongming attacked Zhujiazhuang three times. Zhu Biao's attitude towards Hu Sanniang was really bad. He spoke to her in an impatient tone and even in a scolding tone.

Hu Sanniang was captured by the people of Liangshan. They wanted to use Hu Sanniang to exchange for Wang Ying who was captured by Zhujiazhuang. Hu Cheng also went to Zhujiazhuang to ask for help, but the Zhu family still disagreed, even though they were already engaged.

Thinking about it this way, this is really a chaotic couple. Just like what Hu Sanniang said at this time, there is only political interest consideration. Zhu Biao really doesn't like Hu Sanniang, so it was Zhu Chaofeng who made the decision. He could only feel helpless and not have a good face at all.

Yes, in this era, who among the men would like a woman who is good at wielding a gun and a stick and has a straightforward temperament? Who wouldn’t like a gentle, submissive, and virtuous woman?
Judging from Hu Sanniang's attitude at this moment, it seems that this engagement will not go through.

Su Wu nodded and said, "You go back first. What I say will count. I will find you a job in Dongping Prefecture."

"Okay, it's a deal. I'll wait for your news." Hu Sanniang's face was full of smiles. She turned her horse around without any hesitation, as if she was afraid that Su Wu would change his mind again in a while.

Su Wu sighed, turned his head to look, and smiled slightly. This job definitely could not be sought in the army, so where else could he find it?

The only plan left is to go to the government office. Cheng Wanli treasures his daughter very much. There are so many thieves around him now. How can Cheng Wanli not be happy when he finds such a bodyguard for his daughter?
Su Wu was also thinking of this because of the arrangement of Mrs. Gu to be with Meng Yulou.

(End of this chapter)