Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 116: Deputy General Manager of the Two Armies of Jingdong
Inside the government office, there was a pile of dead bodies of bandits and only three alive.

Shi Xiu and Shi Qian are not among them.

Speaking of it in detail, in the incident of Zhujiazhuang, Shi Qian stole a chicken and Shi Xiu was willing to compensate him to make amends.

Even though the three had already escaped and had not killed anyone, Shi Xiu only said to find a small path and leave quickly. When Yang Xiong saw the people chasing him, he stopped with his broadsword and took the initiative to stay, saying that if one came, he would be killed one, and if two came, he would be killed two.

He did as he said. Yang Xiong went forward with his broadsword and killed the enemy one after another. In this way, Shi Qian, whose martial arts skills were inferior, was captured.

It was originally a trivial matter, and he could have even escaped, but Yang Xiong still fought and killed people, which led to the intensification of the conflict. Yang Xiong is the culprit, and in this matter, Yang Xiong deserves to die.

The situation was clear, so Su Wu let the culprit Yang Xiong die on the spot in a tragic way, so as to give an explanation to the people of Zhujiazhuang.

The reason why Shi Xiu was kept was that he was a man of true loyalty and willing to fight to the death. Su Wu thought highly of him and thought that if Shi Xiu was willing to risk his life in the Xianzhen Camp in the army, he could be kept.

Keep Shi Qian. His crime is not punishable by death. Just cut off two of his fingers. Then look at Shi Xiu's beating and Yang Xiong's tragic death. These are enough punishments. If he is willing to be useful, he should be kept.

It all depends on how Su Wu tries to deal with these two men. If he really can't do it, they are still two big thieves.

There were fifteen corpses and three living thieves in the government office.

Cheng Wanli was so happy that he stood in front of the hall, looking at the corpse of the thief and the three living thieves in the yard, and looking at the many officials...

He said, "Hehe... When Manager Su goes out, these thieves are caught one by one, and killed in batches!"

Su Wu waved his hand modestly and said: "It's not that much, it's not that much. When we were fighting bandits in Qingzhou, there were so many bandits that they piled up at the entrance of the camp and there was no room for them..."

Cheng Wanli added: "The thieves here are different from those in Qingzhou. They are hiding in the 800-li water area. It is difficult to find them. We can only be on guard. It must be that Su Zongguan has a strategy. Otherwise, how could we kill so many of them?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. This was the truth. The thieves in Qingzhou were in the mountains, so they could walk there. The thieves in Dongping Prefecture were in the water, and they knew where they were, but couldn't leave.

How can they be the same?
Don’t you know that recently all the neighboring provincial capitals are in a state of panic and some have captured big thieves?

Only in Dongping Prefecture, some people were captured and killed from time to time!
Zong Ze also said: "What you said makes sense!"

Cheng Wanli asked again: "Is there any big thief among them?"

Su Wu immediately replied: "This one, whose intestines are all over the ground, is a big thief named Yang Xiong. He is well-known in the underworld and nicknamed 'Sick Guan Suo'. He committed serious crimes in Jizhou and killed many people in Dulonggang. He joined Liangshan and became the leader."

Cheng Wanli was shocked: "Bing Guan Suo? What a big name. Doesn't it mean that he is stronger than Guan Suo, the son of Guan Yu? It seems that he is a big thief."

Perhaps the prefect does not know that there are so many nicknames in the underworld. Sick Guan Suo is nothing, there is also Sick Weichi. But no one dares to say that he is Sick Guan Gong, they only dare to say that they are the sick "son of Guan Gong."

Perhaps the prefect was thinking, no matter whether the thief was a big thief or a small thief, it would be best to just treat him as a big thief.

Su Wu also said: "There are still 18 people who are hard to identify. Among them there must be a big bandit leader. Just teach him to identify him first."

"Okay, okay, identify them carefully. Identify as many big thieves as possible!" Cheng Wanli was very happy. The more big thieves the better.

The chief officials of other prefectures only knew how to ask for help, but it was different in Dongping Prefecture. The big thieves were killed and captured one after another.

Comparing the two, I would like to ask you gentlemen in the court, what do you think?
He even asked whether Tong Shumi's face was glorious or not!
Then Cheng Wanli said, "Master Zong, quickly write an official document to report to the Privy Council. Um... report it twice. First, say that there is a big thief who is sick, and there are many small thieves. Once you have identified them, report it again and say that you have identified a few more big thieves..."

"Yes." Zong Ze answered, and Su Wu nodded with a smile on his face.

Su Wu also nodded in response...

Su Wu said, "Sir, I have something else to report."

"Yeah, okay!" Cheng Wanli nodded, touched his belly, turned around and left: "Follow me."

It was that small study room again, but the chessboard on the small table between the two seats was gone.

There are a few more pieces of calligraphy and painting on the left and right.

Su Wu smiled and sat down without any greeting.

Cheng Wanli also sat down beside him and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Good news!" Su Wu said this, deliberately keeping the person in suspense.

"What good news?" Cheng Wanli's eyes lit up.

"Nowadays, there are many thieves. I also think that those thieves are very bold and sometimes we have to guard against them. I know a woman who is almost as tall as me. She has practiced martial arts since she was a child and has two swords in her hands. A dozen ordinary men are definitely not her opponents. I think that my husband's back office lacks guards, so I will send a rough man from the army. It will be a bit inconvenient, so isn't it just right to find her?"

Su Wu spoke a lot.

"Huh? There is such a wonderful woman?" Cheng Wanli asked.

Su Wu nodded: "If you really saw it, you would be even more amazed."

"Why don't you come quickly? This way... if my good girl goes out to the street, I will have less worries." How could Cheng Wanli not want that?

The more the better! I am planning for a better future, but I am also a little scared. If there is such a wonderful woman in the back hall, a dozen men will not be her match. How can I not sleep more peacefully?

"Okay, then I will ask someone to invite her. It's not that easy to invite, I just need to use more favors and give more money." Su Wu also wanted to give some face to Hu Sanniang. He couldn't let Hu Sanniang be ordered around like a servant.

It also let Cheng Wanli know that this matter is not easy and it is a favor.

"Money is easy to talk about. If she comes, I will definitely treat her well. Su Wu, you have thought so much about me and made so many plans. It is really my luck to meet you when I come to Dongping Prefecture..."

Cheng Wanli also knew that such words should be said more often, as it was also the way of human nature.

Su Wu knew what to say: "Sir, you treat me the same way. How dare you not be attentive to your friendship?"

Then someone came to the door and said, "Sir, an official document from Tokyo has arrived."

Cheng Wanli stood up immediately: "Send it in quickly!"

As soon as he got the official document, Cheng Wanli was so excited that he hurried to open it.

After taking a look at it, Cheng Wanli froze, his face was blank, and his words were also blank: "Su Wu, I am dreaming, I am dreaming, I am dreaming..."

"Ah?" Su Wu was also stunned. What happened? Did the emperor ask you to return to Beijing to be the prime minister?
"Su Wu Su Wu, you are really dreaming!" Cheng Wanli said in astonishment.

Su Wu came forward and asked: "Sir, what is written?"

"Look, Su Wu, come and take a look to see if I am dreaming." Cheng Wanli handed the document to Su Wu with trembling hands.

Su Wu lowered his head and looked...

This is this...

It's a bit like dreaming.

He was sent as the envoy to pacify, recruit and control the two routes of Jingdong.

What kind of official is this? He is the chief officer of the entire Jingdong East Road and Jingdong West Road. He is in charge of both military and political affairs in Shandong.

This is a step to heaven!

Not yet, Su Wu said: "Sir, it's just a short charge, just a short charge!"

What is differential charging? It means temporary, just for a while.

"Ah? Poor charging?" Cheng Wanli looked down and saw that it was indeed poor charging. However, he was not disappointed and was overjoyed: "Why not poor charging? Poor charging, as long as you can charge well, how can returning to Beijing not be a great future."

Yes, it also needs to be charged well.

Su Wu continued to watch, and it was troublesome. Being an official was not that easy. What was the point of appeasing and recruiting people? Big thieves!
My job was to suppress bandits. There were bandits everywhere in Shandong and they were asking for help everywhere.

Cheng Wanli has been showing up frequently recently, so the responsibility has fallen on him. Just let Cheng Wanli preside over the joint anti-bandit campaign in various places.

"Sir, please take another look..." Su Wu handed the document over again. It was obvious that Cheng Wanli was frightened when he saw the official title.

This official position is truly horrifying. Under normal circumstances, the Song Dynasty did not have this official position. The official system of the Song Dynasty was extremely complex and mutually restrained.

Above the prefectures, most of the time there is no chief official, but there is the Transportation Department, the Criminal Justice Department, the Grain and Oil Department...

Each of them is in charge of his own affairs, and they usually pass the buck and argue with each other, but there is no real official position of a provincial governor, because they are afraid of one person dominating the situation.

In other words, in a province, there is no chief official, only the Minister of Finance, the head of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, and the Minister of Civil Affairs.

What we want is mutual buck-passing and wrangling, and no one's words have the final say, and the state capitals are all directly under the central government.

Why? Needless to say, it was to avoid the chaos caused by the feudal lords from the Tang Dynasty to the Five Dynasties.

The same is true in the military. There is no direct superior above the provincial and military generals. Except for the capital area, the entire Song Dynasty is full of regiment commanders and a few brigade commanders, but no division commanders or army commanders, let alone military district commanders.

This is also one of the reasons why the Song Dynasty's military was so poor. They often fought well in small battles, but when it came to real large-scale battles, they were so poor that it was unimaginable.

Why? Those who really have experience in frontline command and combat are usually regiment commanders and brigade commanders. How many people have regiment commanders and brigade commanders commanded?

How can we bring together a bunch of experienced and inexperienced regimental and brigade commanders to fight a large-scale military operation? No one has this experience, and the chief officer from the capital has even less experience.

Su Wu is one of the many regiment commanders and brigade commanders of the Song Dynasty. If Su Wu were to be used to fight against a large army of one hundred thousand or two hundred thousand people at this time, he would certainly be at a loss.

Why the military system of the Song Dynasty was like this was inevitably to prevent the kind of rebellion caused by military leaders that occurred during the Tang and Five Dynasties.

Of course, there are some exceptions. For example, in places where there is real unrest or war, there will be temporary chiefs like Cheng Wanli, and there will also be temporary military chiefs.

Cheng Wanli looked down at the official document and slowly frowned. The official position shocked him, but this job was really difficult. The two sides of this matter came out. Now he not only had to take care of Dongping Prefecture, but also the entire Jingdong area.

If he fails to do his job well, he will be sent to Jingdong to pacify and recruit soldiers. Will he be brought to the capital to be punished?
Cheng Wanli sighed and looked up at Su Wu. Su Wu had two thousand serviceable soldiers under his command.

Now there are eighteen large and small prefectures in the two routes of Jingdong.

There are eighteen of them in total. How many troops can one provincial government allocate to fight them?
Cheng Wanli smiled bitterly and said, "I was thinking about being transferred back to Beijing to take up a post... I shouldn't have come up with any strategy to suppress the bandits in the first place. I guess that memorial should not have been submitted. Wouldn't it be better if we just suppressed the bandits in Dongping Prefecture?"

How easy is it to be a Beijing official? Among the three departments, the three provinces and six ministries, and the two censorial offices, who is not the boss?

What kind of job is this?
In front of Su Wu, Cheng Wanli really did not hide anything and spoke frankly from his heart.

Even Su Wu knew that this was just picking the tallest among the short ones. Cheng Wanli always went to the capital to show off, and this time he showed off a lot. The officials in the capital really knew that Cheng Wanli was a talent, and Tong Shumi must have mentioned him a few words as well.

Well, if it’s not you, Cheng Wanli, who else can do this job?
Su Wu knew that Cheng Wanli was feeling guilty, so he said, "Don't worry, sir. We can take our time to figure this out. Don't we still have the judge Zong Tong with us?"

Cheng Wanli looked at Su Wu and sighed: "Your words make me feel a little relieved, but this matter..."

Su Wu immediately said, "Don't worry, sir. Although the territory is vast and there are many prefectures, and there are small thieves in other places, they are mainly thieves from Liangshan. There is only one big thief in one place. We just need to slowly make plans..."

Su Wu now has to support Cheng Wanli, the leader, no matter what. The leader has to stand up straight and become the pillar of the Song Dynasty.

From now on, it would be best if I could remember you whenever there is something difficult and ask you to do it.

What is this today?
This is just the beginning!

Upon hearing this, Cheng Wanli slowly sat down and calmed himself down: "Su Wu, tell me, how many bandits are there in Shandong?"

"About 30,000 to 50,000..." Su Wu answered. This was the truth. It would take at least two or three months to gather all the bandits in Liangshan alone. There would be probably 30,000 to 50,000 of them. Of course, some of them came from other places.

But it will definitely not exceed this number.

"So many?" Cheng Wanli's face turned pale.

"It's okay, sir. Most of them are just a mob. I will definitely wipe out all the bandits." Su Wu was very confident.

Cheng Wanli immediately said, "Okay, okay, what else do you want?"

"It's nothing more than a matter of money and food, military equipment, and the organization of the imperial guards." How could Su Wu miss this opportunity?

"Yes, that's all. I'll go with you to ask for it. My position has some benefits. Let's fight the bandits together."

Cheng Wanli really calmed down slowly.

In fact, he also knew that his official position was just a title and was not very binding.

In other words, the governors and prefects of the eighteen prefectures and cities are actually not easy to deal with. Which one of them doesn't have some connections in Beijing?

It's easy to say nice things, and it would be best if people would listen to your advice.

If you, Cheng Wanli, really have great official power, it is normal that people will ignore you.

Unless it was a real high-ranking official in the capital who came, and was truly a proper "Pacification and Recruiting Envoy", then that would be a big deal, and not an official like Cheng Wanli who was not even famous at all and was just a temporary official.

So, the difficulty of this matter lies here. The difficulty lies in that although you have a reputation, you can only rely on yourself.

I'm originally a younger brother, but I have to do the work of the big brother. How can it not be embarrassing?
Of course, if this thing succeeds, Cheng Wanli might really become half a big brother.

However, now, the court in Tokyo seems to think that the Shandong issue is not a big problem, and Cheng Wanli, such a capable younger brother, should be able to handle it.

Perhaps Tong Guan felt that Cheng Wanli was a man of great talent. How could he not promote such a trusted disciple?
This is a promotion.

Cheng Wanli is uncomfortable...

But Su Wu felt that it was just perfect and what he wanted.

Su Wu said, "Sir, this matter will be settled!"

Cheng Wanli nodded, but suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "Hey, that's not right, you should have been promoted too, right?"

As he said that, Cheng Wanli went to look through the official documents again, and there was another surprise: "Look, there is another page, it's you, you are the deputy general manager of the two armies in Jingdong. It's okay to be a deputy, but you are still a deputy... Look, look..."

Su Wu came to see it and smiled bitterly. This was the character of the Song Dynasty. It seemed that Di Qing had also served as an official of this kind in the past, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Qinfeng Road Army. Di Qing was just a vacancies.

Su Wu was just a temporary replacement, given a title, as if he could command all the troops in the east road of Jingdong.

But when I really think about it, who the hell can this guy command?
Apart from Qin Ming of Qingzhou, who would really do this life-threatening job? If a military order was really issued, no one would have to think too much, as everyone would surely procrastinate.

However, this title is also good and enough. At least I have the power to mobilize Qin Ming out of Qingzhou. It’s okay for others to drag their feet and just to show off their strength!
Cheng Wanli also said: "I also promoted you to a half-level official, from a guerrilla general to a cavalry general."

Su Wu himself saw that it was okay, not bad, although it was still at the fifth rank.

"My lord, it's all due to the emperor's grace, the court's attention, and the kindness of Secretary Tong," Su Wu replied.

"Secretary Tong values ​​me so much that he transferred me back to the capital so that I can work with him in the Privy Council. How great would that be?" Cheng Wanli said again.

Su Wu smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. If you accomplish this, you will be admitted to the Privy Council!"

Cheng Wanli sighed, "Yes, if this thing is really accomplished, it won't be difficult to enter the Privy Council. In the Song Dynasty, there are not many people who know military affairs like you and me. Among civil servants, it is even rarer. If you really achieve this, how can you not enter the Privy Council?"

Very good, very good. At this time, the prefect had already looked forward and felt a bit of anticipation.

Su Wu nodded: "If that's the case, my lord, please start right away. Ask for money, food, equipment, and the establishment of a guard post."

"Well, okay, I will go to the capital to report again." Cheng Wanli nodded, and without waiting any longer, he just walked to the desk beside him and did what he said.

Rather than going to the capital to be tried, this must be tried anyway.

"Sir, I will go back to the camp now." Su Wu said goodbye.

"You go, go, train the troops well and strengthen the army. Even if this fails, you should make some achievements so that you can have an explanation."

It is obvious that Cheng Wanli has already thought of a way out in his mind. When he really has to be punished, he can't help but say "let me have some excuses."

As soon as Su Wu went out, a pair of eyes appeared at the corner of the eaves, watching his back as he walked away. After watching for a while, they went into the study.

The good girl came, and this time she didn't need to be told, she took the initiative to come forward and grind the ink.

Then he spoke again: "If father really enters the Privy Council, our family will be really different."

Cheng Wanli smiled bitterly: "My dear daughter, you are forcing me to do this... How could your father be willing to do such a job? He only wanted to make meritorious deeds and be transferred back to the capital, but now it's good..."

"Father, I think Su Wu can definitely accomplish this."

"I also want him to succeed. It will be troublesome if he fails." Cheng Wanli didn't even raise his head.

"Father, he just said he found a female guard for me, right?"

"Well, yes."

"Father……"

Cheng Wanli suddenly looked up: "Do you think he is thinking about you?"

"Father……"

"you say……"

"Father, what do you think...I should marry him?" the good girl said something shocking.

"What?" Cheng Wanli stopped writing immediately.

"Father, I am not just thinking nonsense for a moment. I have been thinking a lot while standing at the corner outside the house. Father, in the court, in the heart of Mr. Tong, and perhaps in the heart of the emperor, has been inseparable from military affairs. Father, I am afraid, will deal with military affairs all his life. If there are no true confidants who are willing to serve him with their lives, how can he go far on this road? Now that important events are at hand, then Su Wu..."

The good girl paused here, her face full of thought.

"Go on..." Cheng Wanli also frowned.

"Father, human hearts are unpredictable. Su Wu is no longer the humble warrior he once was. He is now rich and powerful, and even made the trip across the sea to Liaodong. Secretary Tong must have valued him more. If he changes his mind, thinking that he has wealth and glory, and a bright future, and is less willing to die than before, wouldn't everything be difficult for father?"

Cheng Wanli stood up and looked at the good girl: "Go on..."

The good girl's face was full of wisdom. She continued, "Father, I'm afraid you will have to do this kind of work in the future. If you want to gain a firm foothold in the Privy Council, I'm afraid it will be more like this. If our family really wants to have some power in the capital, we must win over talented people. Su Wu is not a crude soldier. If I marry him, father will have someone to rely on in the future, no matter how big or small the work is..."

Cheng Wanli walked away from the desk, walked up to the good girl, and asked, "Do you really think so?"

"Yes, I really think so!" The good girl nodded.

"I'm afraid that when you return to Beijing, you'll be laughed at..." Cheng Wanli said.

The good girl shook her head: "No, those who marry useless husbands are the ones who make people laugh at them. If I marry Su Wu, he is a useful man and also a scholar. Who can laugh at me..."

Cheng Wanli frowned, sighed, and said slowly: "Father now thinks differently than before. Su Wu, he is really valued by people. If he is really a son-in-law, it is not a bad thing. He is alone and his parents died early. If you marry him, he will be like a son-in-law. If he comes to our family, he will also be a scholarly family, which will be good for his future... You have also made far-sighted plans this time. It is time for father and Su Wu to discuss the pros and cons... I just want to ask you, do you really like Su Wu in your heart?"

I have been speaking rationally just now, talking about the pros and cons analysis. Apart from the pros and cons, Cheng Wanli suddenly asked this question.

When the good girl heard the last question, she immediately lowered her head. How could she answer this question?
I also heard Cheng Wanli say: "My dear daughter, if you don't like him in your heart, I will never let you suffer like this. Your father and Su Wu have a sincere friendship. As long as you treat others sincerely, you won't be too bad... After all, he is the son-in-law caught outside Donghua Gate, and he has a better future... Between me and Su Wu, I will give him more benefits... You have been different from others since you were a child, and you have your own opinions on everything. Your father also indulges you. Now, how can I bear to let you suffer? Still asking, do you like him or not?"

(Brothers, today I have written more than 12,000 words, and there is one more chapter to go. I will add more chapters for the second leader. Please wait for me to finish it slowly.)
(End of this chapter)