Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 131 They are all our children, human life is precious!
Yan Qing went back to his work, and Su Wu went out of the city to inspect the construction site and urge its progress.

Then he ran around and made a new plan for military exercises.

It is time to start military exercises. Su Wu has some talent for command, and even Lu Da, who is an officer, has good command abilities.

But commanding one or two hundred people might not be difficult for them, and after trying a few times, they gradually got the hang of commanding a few hundred people.

But these still belong to grassroots command. Even in this situation, having a few more soldiers around to run around and pass messages can achieve a certain degree of real-time command.

But once the number of people exceeds a thousand, or even several thousand, real-time command no longer exists in this era.

Military plans must come first, and various military plans must be made in advance, and even various backup plans must be prepared in advance, and everything must proceed according to plan.

Even if some mistakes or problems occur, grassroots commanders must have subjective initiative, know what their tasks are, and know what they should do.

Su Wu will soon have seven thousand or even eight thousand men under his command.

Just like when Hu Yanzhuo, a "captain", led tens of thousands of troops into battle for the first time, he actually made a mess of his command. This kind of thing cannot be based solely on imagination, it requires continuous practical operation.

This has always been the drawback of the Song Dynasty. Those who have truly commanded battles have been regimental commanders and a small number of brigade commanders, and three to five thousand people are already the limit of their command capabilities.

Small battles are often fought well, but large-scale battles are always fought poorly.

Even the Zhong and Zhe families in the northwest, who are very famous and seem like military leaders, are actually only at the level of brigade commanders. In other words, they only have about 5,000 to 7,000 regular troops under their command.

Even before that, when the Song Dynasty's god of war Di Qing went into battle during the reign of Emperor Renzong, he often led only a few thousand people, or even three to five thousand people. No matter how big the battle was, the number of people rarely exceeded ten thousand. And he always won, always won!

The big battles were fought by people who went to the capital, such as Han Qi and Fan Zhongyan, and then there were things like the good water rivers, and they were often defeated, over and over again.

Su Wu knew very well that this kind of thing could not be done based on imagination. It was an extremely complex systematic project with a huge amount of work.

They had to conduct exercises to gradually familiarize themselves with the command methods of large-scale corps operations. Even though there were only seven or eight thousand people, that was already a lot. If they were released, they would be all over the mountains and plains.

Once the fighting really starts, no matter what orders there are, they cannot be passed on to the grassroots level. It is very easy to cause chaos between advance and retreat. In this era, wars will inevitably end in chaos.

Even if one side has a few hundred people and the other side has tens of thousands of people, if the few hundred people can remain calm and the tens of thousands of people become chaotic, it is not incredible that the few hundred people can defeat the tens of thousands.

It is not uncommon for a few thousand people to defeat one hundred thousand or two hundred thousand people.

Having more people is sometimes not necessarily an advantage, but rather a huge pressure on command. However, if you can overcome this pressure of command, having more people can become an advantage.

Military exercise!

Five thousand men left the city and began to deploy their troops. The infantry was always the core of the battle formation, with armored infantry in the front, half-armored infantry in the back, and a crossbow formation.

The simplest way is to fire in batches or in volleys.

Then the infantry formation charged forward...

This is the simplest one, just see Su Wu riding his horse all over the mountains and plains, cursing everywhere.

"Don't run too fast. Keep your formation tight and take care of each other. It's okay to run slowly. Run slowly and save your strength!"

"Fire in full force! Don't be impatient. Listen to the captain's orders. Look at the captain, don't look at the 'enemy', don't look ahead, look at your own captain!"

"Don't just stand there like an idiot. The enemy cavalry is coming. Hold your spears upright and hold them tight!"

"Put your shield back a little, back a little, look at the people behind you, don't just look in front of you, look at your comrades behind you!"

"Follow them, follow them!"

Su Wu was shouting anxiously on horseback, and he was even more anxious in his heart, but there was no point in being anxious, after all he had to take it one step at a time.

As soon as the cavalry came again, Su Wu became even more furious and started cursing.

"You are the cavalry, what are you afraid of? You come sideways, and you don't have to enter the battle formation. Come closer, come closer, twenty steps, ten steps is fine, come closer and shoot, come closer and shoot, shoot at the face."

"Idiot, idiot! Pull the horse to turn, keep it parallel, parallel, do you understand? Shoot from a dozen steps away, every shot is accurate, shoot close, hit the horse and shoot close at the same time, what's the point of shooting far away? It's a waste of arrows."

"Run, don't stop, keep running, run around, keep shooting. If the enemy comes, you retreat. If the enemy doesn't come, stick close to them and keep shooting!"

"Don't let me talk about everything. Without military orders, you keep moving forward and backward, running around, and shooting at me. There's no need to look at me all the time. What are you looking at me for? Is there something wrong with my face? I'm pretty... Run, run around!"

After the military exercise, Su Wu seemed to have aged several years and his face was full of worry.

The atmosphere in the army was a little depressing. Even though the general was furious today, everyone knew that the general was just anxious.

While camping at night, many generals held meetings in their respective armies.

This one said: "The general said before that we must obey military orders, why did he say now that we don't need to wait for military orders?"

That one also said, "Yes, if there is no military order, how can we know how to run?"

Captain Sun Li said: "The general's intention is for us to know what to do ourselves. If there are thousands or tens of thousands of soldiers, and everyone is waiting for orders, how can the general issue so many orders..."

Then someone else said, "I'm starting to understand a little bit. Our job is to keep roaming and shooting to disrupt the enemy's formation. We don't have to charge into the formation..."

"Right, right, right. The heavy knights are the ones who charge into the formation. We just roam around and shoot everywhere, right?"

"So should we charge or not?"

"Don't charge! Don't even think about charging."

Sun Li added: "That's not necessarily the case. It depends on the situation. If the enemy is really in disarray, how can we not charge?"

"Yes, that's right. The captain is right. It depends on the situation."

……

On the second day, the performance continued, still performing the same as the day before, with infantry cooperating, cavalry riding and shooting, and five hundred armored cavalry also began to roar left and right.

Then he heard Su Wu riding his horse and shouting everywhere: "Our people have rushed in, don't shoot randomly, draw your swords and prepare for close combat, draw your swords."

"You must speed up now. If you don't speed up, the enemy will surround your comrades who are charging into the battle formation... If your comrades are charging into the battle formation, you must charge forward even faster!"

"Go back, go back, the cavalry go back, go and intercept. I made it clear yesterday that all parties must put pressure on the enemy camp. That is, everyone must do something, don't hesitate, don't wait..."

"What a fool!"

"Stupid! Jiro, you are such an idiot!"

They were all dejected, and heard the general say again: "If I lead you to the battlefield like this, how can I bring you back?"

It was not that Su Wu wanted to curse, but it was the nature of the soldiers. Su Wu was even more worried and always wanted to bring back the people he took out, so that there would be fewer casualties.

The soldiers were never just numbers, they were brothers and sons. It was very painful for Su Wu to see the crying of parents, children, brothers and sisters.

At night, there were various summary meetings, first in the central army tent, then in each camp, and finally in the capital.

On the third day, Su Wu's horses ran less frequently. They came and went as if it were a normal thing. Each step and each link seemed to be smoother...

On the fourth day, Su Wu had already sat firmly on the high platform. He stopped scolding people and started praising them.

"Not bad, not bad. Today is not bad. I have grown some brains today."

Zhu Wu also said: "General, the brothers have never slacked off. In the first few days, they were just unfamiliar with the situation... General, don't worry."

"I'm not in a hurry. I'm never in a hurry. My brothers are all smart. We will get it after a few times." Su Wu nodded, his eyes only looking at the mountains and fields.

There were tens of thousands of people, and it was endless. There were only five thousand people in front of us. After they dispersed, they were really full of pits and valleys. In the past two days, it was really like herding sheep all over the mountains...

Today, I look much more comfortable and pleasing to the eye.

In most cases, fighting a war is not so much about individual bravery. The bravery of the entire army is the morale of the army. How is the bravery of the entire army demonstrated?
This is reflected in the ability to advance and retreat in moderation at this moment, rather than just letting the sheep roam around.

Zhu Wu smiled and said, "General, please don't be anxious..."

Su Wu nodded: "My brothers are all great, there is no need to worry."

In the afternoon, we will start a new subject, practicing how the infantry formation should deal with cavalry harassment and charges.

This time, there were real cavalry coming. The light cavalry came in groups to shoot, and the heavy cavalry really wanted to join the battle. Of course, they didn't really shoot, nor did they really join the battle to collide. Both sides were just practicing a procedure and steps.

Su Wu, sitting firmly on the high platform, just sat for a while before riding his horse again.

Then he heard someone scolding him: "Erlang, you are such a fool! The cavalry are here, but your men are still hesitating. Put up your spears, put up your spears..."

"Brother...I...ah...I was thinking..."

"Don't even think about it. What did we say last night? What was the arrangement? Whatever you want to think, just raise your gun. The sooner the better."

"elder brother……"

Su Wu had already ridden his horse to the other side, and he shouted again: "Why did you choose this place? The formation here is tight, why are you coming here? Over there, look over there, they are already a little scattered. If you don't go quickly, the opportunity will be gone. As soon as they become tight again, why are you still charging? How many lives do you have to charge?"

Luan Tingyu and Lin Chong looked at each other and then lowered their heads...

Then, he went to the scattered places mentioned earlier and started to curse: "How long has it been? How can the formation be messed up? How long have you been training the army? It's messy when you run. If you get messy now, the heavy cavalry over there will come and rush in. How many lives do you have?"

Cao Zheng lowered his head and said nothing.

Su Wu wanted to curse again: "Cao Zheng, can you do it? If not, please change someone else."

"General..."

The general had already ridden away. The cavalrymen over there all looked pale and frightened. They looked at the general coming and lowered their heads.

The general started to scold: "Don't rein in the horses too early. They were fine this morning. Why are they so different now that there is an enemy formation? Twenty steps, ten steps. The horse is not stupid. It knows not to charge. Turn around at twenty steps and run parallel to the enemy formation. Ten steps to shoot, ten steps to shoot! After shooting this line, go from over there, see? Go around and run back, and continue shooting!"

"Yes, yes, yes. As you wish, I understand!" Zhu Biaohucheng nodded repeatedly.

The general rode his horse back to a high place to watch, and waited until everyone returned to their original positions. Then the drums started to sound again and the performance began again.

Zhu Wu advised again: "General, don't worry..."

"No hurry, no hurry, I'm not in a hurry..." Su Wu nodded repeatedly.

"The general has commanded an army that has surpassed countless others. The Liangshan bandits are no problem at all. Even among the generals in the world, I don't think anyone has the means and dedication of the general..."

Zhu Wu was not praising Su Wu, but was really advising Su Wu not to be anxious.

Su Wu only looked at the training ground, and replied: "Bandits? What are bandits? I am not in a hurry..."

But just as he finished speaking, the general stood up, held his forehead and shook his head: "Sound the horn, sound the horn, gather all the soldiers here... Maybe... they don't know the whole situation in the battle, and I will show them one by one here!"

"That's right, we should let everyone come to this high place and take a look first..." Zhu Wu nodded. In fact, he was also learning. How could he have really seen such a scene?
Many soldiers came up and saw Su Wu standing in front of them, pointing here and there, and everyone nodded in agreement.

Just waiting for the next performance!

Zhu Wu said, "How come the general is so good at leading troops?"

Zhu Wu was really curious. Could it be that some people were really gifted like this? How could someone who had never understood something learn it just by saying so?
Su Wu was stunned and replied, "I don't know how to do it either. Isn't this also learning? It's a principle. Coordinate properly, advance and retreat in moderation, and don't make a mess. As long as you don't make a mess, it's right."

Zhu Wu was also stunned. How could he not know this? Isn't this very clear and logical?

Zhu Wu also replied: "I think that in the future, when we train soldiers, we will do this kind of drills, and we should do it frequently."

Su Wu turned around and said, "Yes, from now on, we should often practice military exercises like this. After this one, each of us will be given 300 coins."

"Okay, I'll arrange it right away..." Zhu Wu turned around and left, because he knew that the general would never wait or delay when distributing money, he would give it to him once the work was done.

That is, we must first go to find Madam Meng, and then send someone to accompany Madam Meng to count the items and transport them back to the camp, and the accounts must also be clearly checked and signed.

This is actually not in compliance with regulations, but since the prefect doesn't ask about it, no one else can interfere.

The military drill lasted for seven or eight days. On the last day, they invited Mr. Cheng to come and have a look. Mr. Cheng just smiled and said, "Okay, this is good, that is good."

He also encouraged many military generals.

Su Wu slowly breathed a sigh of relief, and the army returned to the city.

The soldiers were actually very tired. Even though they were wearing armor and weapons, they just kept running back and forth all day long...

For them, there is actually a torturous sense of déjà vu.

The army naturally distributed money, and the generals had a drink at Meng Niang's restaurant.

During the banquet, the first thing Su Wu did was to bow and say, "Brothers, thank you for your hard work!"

Everyone quickly stood up and returned the greeting.

"Brother, how can you say that? Even if you came to teach me, I would have learned it!" Wu Song spoke first.

Lu Da also spoke up: "Brother is really talented and a good general. Even under the command of Mr. Xiaozhong in the Northwest, it is rare to see such a scene. After this military exercise, our group of people can handle any battle."

Yang Tian also spoke up: "The general's talent in commanding the army is beyond words. Even among the 200,000 or 300,000 imperial guards in Tokyo, no one can compare to the general..."

Hu Yanzhuo was also there. He was originally in Jingyang Village with Yang Zhi, and was specially brought along for this military exercise. He also said, "If I had also practiced a few times like the general, I wouldn't have looked so bad on the battlefield..."

Yang Zhizi also came and said, "I am originally a member of the Imperial Guards. Today I have really broadened my horizons. In the past, there were drills in Tokyo. They were very lively and like a circus. They showed off all kinds of skills, but they were only for show. Today I know how to perform military exercises..."

Everyone looked at Su Wu, and everyone had something to say.

Su Wu bowed again, raised the cup and stood up: "When you are anxious, it is inevitable to say some abusive words. I will drink this cup. Please forgive me, brothers..." "I will drink with my brother. You are so dedicated and lead us to a better future. You can be beaten or scolded!" It was Wu Song who spoke, and he was the one who was scolded the most.

It was only because Wu Song was too individualistic and heroic. He led the Xianying Camp. It was good, but also bad because of his individualistic heroism. He thought that no one in heaven or on earth could be his opponent. He could beat ten thousand people by himself...

How can I not be scolded?
Now, things have turned around a bit.

After Su Wu took a drink, everyone else followed suit.

Su Wu finished drinking and continued, "In the future, you should often practice like this. You are not practicing soldiers, but generals of all ranks. You will learn how to command an army and how to lead troops. You will learn it by practicing. If you learn it by going to the battlefield, I don't know how many lives will be lost. We are all our own soldiers. Human life is precious. Brothers, human life is precious!"

Wu Song just said: "Brother, our brothers' lives are precious. This time, I have learned everything. From now on, I will take them to perform. Brother, just sit back at home. I know everything!"

Wu Song was not lying. In fact, he was the smartest one. He learned very quickly, and he learned everything quickly.

Su Wu smiled and invited his attendants to drink: "Have some wine."

Everyone laughed, and Zhu Wu, who was watching, also smiled. As he laughed, he felt a little moved, and said, "We really didn't come to the wrong place..."

When Su Wu heard these soft words, he turned around and nodded slightly to Zhu Wu.

After a few drinks, Su Wu talked about work again: "In the past few days, the people from the capital have returned. We have recruited about 2,700 people and divided them into different camps. We need to train them well and treat them well. They have left their hometowns, so we need to take care of them more to reassure them. There are also about 1,000 auxiliary soldiers. We also need to treat them well and treat them equally."

Wu Song chuckled: "Brother, each county has also recruited several hundred soldiers recently. So, wouldn't our army have more than 8,000 people? Including the auxiliary soldiers, brother has more than 10,000 people under his command. Haha... Isn't this a general leading an army?"

Lu Da smiled and replied: "Mr. Xiaozhong's subordinates don't even have that many..."

Everyone was laughing. More and more people meant a brighter future. Not to mention anything else, right now, there were 8,000 people, which meant 16 battalions, battalion commanders, deputy commanders, du yu hou, du tou, deput du tou, brigade leaders...

How many official positions are these?

How much future is this?

Even Su Wu was thinking that since the number of people had increased, he should also establish the "army" organization. One army had five battalions, 2,500 people, and a total of 10,000 people, which was actually four armies, almost the same as the organization of a wing in the Song Dynasty.

This kind of organization was called "mian" in the Liao Dynasty, which meant one side of the army. Later, it was also called "front army" and it was popular for a long time.

However, there are still many troubles with each person's official position, that is, the official position registered in the court. For example, Wu Song will definitely be a military commander, so Su Wu plans to make him the deputy general manager of Qingzhou's army.

Lu Da will naturally be the commander of an army, so let's make him the deputy general manager of the Jeju Army...

After all, it couldn't really be that Su Wu granted it privately. He must have held a proper official position in the imperial court.

Cheng Wanli was the governor of the two routes in Jingdong, and Su Wu was the commander-in-chief of the two routes in Jingdong. The troops under Su Wu actually came from all over the place, so this was the only way to do it, and it was the only way to be reasonable.

Then there should be ranks, the sixth rank and the sixth rank. There are scattered officials, Zhenwei Xiaowei, Zhaowu Xiaowei, seals, official robes...

It depends on how Tong Guan gives it. Even if there is a real victory, Su Wu can ask Tong Guan to give a name to Su Wu's army. Of course, the name will be given by the emperor.

Su Wu himself was also wondering, what should he name his army?

Jieshengjun? Tong Guan seemed to like this word.

The name Jiesheng Army was actually not bad, and Su Wu also liked it, so he asked Cheng Wanli to write to Tong Guan to see if this name was feasible.

An army with its own name is actually a form of cohesion.

At that time, this army had its own organization, belonging to the Jiesheng Army, and Wu Song was no longer the deputy general manager of the Qingzhou Army...

We also have to fight for the name of "Jiesheng Army".

This is an independent organization and is extremely useful. An administrative region will be set up for such an army, similar to a provincial capital. This "provincial capital" is called "Jieshengjun" and is the place where the army is stationed and where food is obtained.

"Jiuliang" is a special noun, which means using the taxes of a certain area to support the army. In the administrative system of the Song Dynasty, there were many such military states, but most of them were corrupt.

Of course, the chief officer of the military state is not a soldier, but a civil servant.

This is a goal, Su Wu's current goal. Even if a separate military state is not established, it would be enough for Su Wu's army to "get food" in Dongping Prefecture.

Su Wu's plan was obviously rigorous and he took it step by step.

After the army has finished its training, it needs to rest for a few days. New recruits will also arrive and they need to be trained.

Su Wu continued to be busy with his own affairs, going everywhere inside and outside the city, in the army, in the government office, and in the government office.

There was a small episode. Zhao Mingcheng sent someone to Laizhou to deliver a book. It was a printed book, a collection of poems. It was a collection of poems jointly published by some talented people in Jingdong East Road. Zhao Mingcheng was the main compiler and he also wrote a preface.

Among them, Su Wu sent a total of six songs. In fact, it was just a new lyrics book...

If a writer wants to become famous, he needs a platform, and the "song cover market" is one of the platforms. If something becomes really popular, he will become famous all over the world, such as Liu Yong.

Su Wu took a look at it but didn't care. He thought it would not become popular. Zhao Mingcheng actually didn't make any achievements in this regard, at least from a historical perspective. He was not even half as good as Li Qingzhao.

But Zhao Mingcheng did try hard. One cannot compare with another.

But Su Wu acknowledged this friendship, so he wrote back to Zhao Mingcheng. In fact, he had some important business to tell him, which was to remind Zhao Mingcheng to be on guard against thieves.

Liangshan was now being forced into a difficult situation by Su Wu. In the story, Liangshan launched many attacks on provincial cities, and most of the attacks were on cities in the west.

Because the west, that is, the area of ​​Hebei or the area close to Hebei, is rich and you can make a lot of money by robbing it. It is also easy to conquer and you can win with just one strike.

Except for Qingzhou, which is located in Jingdong East Road, Qingzhou is the richest city in Jingdong East Road.

As for the other prefectures in the Shandong Peninsula to the east, Liangshan in the story was never even visited, simply because it was not prosperous.

But things are different now. To the west of Liangshan, there is always Dongping Prefecture right in front of us, with Su Wu's strong army in front of us. The last time we attacked Gaotang Prefecture, we were severely beaten by Su Wu when we came back.

It is hard to say whether Liangshan will really think of going to the eastern peninsula. Although it is also dangerous, it is helpless. People have to eat when they are desperate. In Dengzhou, Laizhou, Mizhou and Weizhou, even the smallest mosquito is meat.

Therefore, Su Wu was very serious when he reminded Zhao Mingcheng to be on guard against thieves in Laizhou. He even gave Zhao Mingcheng some advice, asking him to prepare the military of the state government and send out cavalry to patrol outside every day.

If the enemy really comes, don't act impulsively, defend the city tightly and wait for reinforcements.

Su Wu also said that as soon as he got the news, he would come to rescue.

Su Wu also knew that in history, Zhao Mingcheng was a coward. Even a small group of thieves could scare Zhao Mingcheng into abandoning the state government, abandoning his subordinates, and running away over the wall...

This is also the reason why Li Qingzhao wrote poems to curse Zhao Mingcheng in history.

Therefore, Su Wu repeatedly warned Zhao Mingcheng to stay calm, and that even if it was eight hundred miles away, Su Wu would arrive there quickly on horseback.

I was really afraid that Zhao Mingcheng would encounter thieves and escape by climbing over the wall just like what happened in history.

It was Su Wu who changed the whole situation. Su Wu even put himself in the role of Song Jiang, wondering how to get money and food with a strong army at his side.

What should I do with the twenty or thirty thousand people I have?
As soon as he thought about it, Su Wu came up with a plan. The prefectures on the eastern peninsula were not strong, and they had not seen a war for not just a hundred years, but several hundred years.

This is the case in many places. After a war is fought in other places, those places automatically become affiliated, and it is normal for there to be no war for hundreds of years.

Laizhou and Dengzhou are such places, remote corners, and their fate will automatically belong to the winner.

This kind of place is actually not difficult to conquer. Instead of...fighting them one by one, if there are really 20,000 or 30,000 people, it is better to divide the troops into several groups and conquer them all at once.

In this case, even if a strong army came to rescue, it would be difficult to save them. Even if one place failed, it would not matter. If other places succeeded, it would be a great harvest.

Thinking of this, Su Wu was shocked. If Song Jiang thought of this, he would definitely do the same. And Wu Yong...

Hurry up, say more in your reply to Zhao Mingcheng, and remind him that the thieves may really come, so don't panic, and don't climb over the wall and abandon the city.

But after finishing writing, Su Wu felt embarrassed again, thinking that the tone of his letter was wrong. If he sent the letter, he would inevitably offend the other person. After all, the other person was a husband and Su Wu was a warrior.

I have to rewrite it again, changing my tone and attitude, using a gentle and polite tone, but I can’t express the urgency and importance…

Su Wu just felt that it was really difficult to be an official like him!
Rewrite it, trying to word it in a way that makes the tone and attitude appropriate, while also expressing its urgency.

I quickly sent the letter, thinking in my heart, Zhao Mingcheng, don't do anything stupid! Otherwise, your wife will look down on you! You will be infamous in history forever...

After sending the letter, Su Wu wondered why Yan Qing hadn't come back to report yet.
In fact, Su Wu was also hesitating. He was anticipating the target of Liangshan's next attack. There were only two options. One was Zengtou City, which was in the north, north of Qizhou.

The other one is naturally what I just mentioned, the eastern peninsula, attacking from multiple directions.

As for Daming Prefecture, it is absolutely impossible. Qingzhou may also be a target, but Song Jiang was defeated in Qingzhou once, and Su Wu rushed to rescue him 600 miles away.

Qin Ming was actually quite brave. After that incident, Murong Yanda of Qingzhou had also been strengthening the military and had even been treating Qin Ming better and better. Qin Ming had frequently written to Su Wu about this, so it was not difficult to find out.

Therefore, Qingzhou is not a good target for Liangshan, but it has to be guarded against. With Qin Ming around, Su Wu feels much more at ease. He just needs to send a letter to give a few more instructions. When writing to Qin Ming, he doesn't need to care about the attitude and tone, he just needs to tell him to be on guard against thieves.

Then there are only Zengtou City and several provincial capitals in the east. Zengtou City is also an excellent target. The place name "city" comes from the market, which is the place where people go to the market to trade.

As it develops slowly, people will gather and occupy the place. Zengtou City is such a place.

It is neither a provincial capital nor a military fort, but more like a spontaneous civilian settlement. If it continues to develop, it may develop into a provincial capital. Zengtou City is the primary form of a city.

Therefore, there is no official military organization stationed in Zengtou City. There are more spontaneous defense organizations, namely the Zeng family, and even the Five Tigers of the Zeng family and Shi Wengong.

The walls there are not high, the guards are not strict, there is money and food, but it is not a proper city. The militia organization is similar to that of Dulonggang, but it is actually loose. Now that Liangshan has a large number of people, Zengtou City is a good target for looting.

The news that Su Wu and others wanted to know was where Liangshan would go, whether it would go to Zengtou City or to some remote corner in the east.

There is no news from Yan Qing yet, maybe this time, there will be trouble.

Song Jiang and Wu Yong were not easy to deal with either. How could they not know what Su Wu was planning?
Yan Qing said that there were many cavalrymen from Liangshan walking around everywhere. Could it not be a smokescreen to prevent Su Wu from easily noticing?

For the first time, Su Wu felt as if he had met his match.

Song Jiang and Wu Yong are already very cautious, so they will definitely use all their tricks to deal with Su Wu.

This time... Yan Qing and Shi Qian, are they going to be in trouble?
Su Wu sat in the yamen, thinking all the time.

He also told Zhu Wu what he was thinking, and they discussed it.

Zhu Wu also frowned: "The bandits do have some experts. Since there has been no news for a long time, it must be that Commander Yan is in trouble. General, there is no need to worry too much. After all, troops will be dispatched. It depends on where the bandits are going..."

"If they go to Zengtou City, it's fine. If they go to the east, we have to chase them. For one thing, the eastern prefecture hasn't seen a battle for a long time. Now the bandits are powerful, and we're even more worried that they won't be able to hold on until we get there..."

Now, Su Wu would never allow the people from Liangshan to break into the two prefectures in Jingdong again.

For Su Wu, Liangshan only needs to hold on until the next battle with Gao Qiu. It would be just right to go hungry after the battle with Gao Qiu. When it is Su Wu's turn, the hungrier the Liangshan, the better.

Zhu Wu heard this and said slowly: "Alas... I thought that the general could send troops in advance, but then I thought, if we send troops in advance, the enemy will change direction, and we will be running in the opposite direction, which will make it even more difficult to rescue them... Why don't we divide our troops and prepare in advance?"

Su Wu shook his head, "Divide the troops? There are 8,000 soldiers in total, 3,000 of which have just started basic training, which means there are only 5,000 soldiers available, and only 2,000 of them have ever been in battle. If we divide the troops further, we will inevitably be outnumbered. The enemy is no longer the same as before, and many of them dare to fight... If Song Jiang and Wu Yong have a treacherous plan and really gather their troops together, with 20,000 or 30,000 people to attack my 2,000 or 3,000 divided troops, it would be unthinkable. Even if we can win... I can't afford to lose my troops."

Although it was selfish, it was also helpless. Su Wu's troops were not easy to come by, and they were only at the spark stage. This spark must not be extinguished...

We must not suffer any losses. We must win the battle, a big victory, the kind that will result in the least losses.

Zhu Wu nodded: "I understand... Then we have no choice but to wait until their army comes out first, and then we will follow... In this way, if they divide their forces, we can just rescue them along the way, and we can also ask Qingzhou General Qin to send troops to rescue them as well."

"Well, yes, Qin Ming can also be used as a reinforcement." Su Wu missed a part in his thought just now, and he still had to discuss it with someone. Zhu Wu's reminder was right, Qin Ming could also be used as a reinforcement.

There was only one reason why Su Wu felt this passive situation for the first time, and that was that the Song Dynasty really could not recruit soldiers.

This is not Su Wu's problem. It was the Song Dynasty that held Su Wu back. It was a country that couldn't even recruit soldiers. What kind of country was this?
If Su Wu had recruited 10,000 or 20,000 troops earlier, the situation would not have been so passive.

Zhu Wu suddenly said: "General, some cities... um..."

Zhu Wu paused, and Su Wu said, "You said... why do you have to hide it..."

"If some cities are destroyed, then so be it. At worst, we can rob them back along the way." Zhu Wu felt nervous at heart after saying this, and he hurried to see Su Wu.

"This method is not appropriate..." Su Wu shook his head. He had many concerns, not just about money and food, but also about Cheng Wanli's future and Tong Guan's face.

Tong Guan is second. Tong Guan has already gained deep roots and great power, so he is naturally sitting firmly on the Diaoyutai.

Cheng Wanli is different. He is the younger brother of the older brother and has no foundation. He only relies on Tong Guan and is in Tong Guan's camp. Naturally, he has many enemies, including many people who are not enemies but dislike him.

Once something happens, there will definitely be a group of people in the court who will attack Cheng Wanli. Apart from Tong Guan, no one will speak for Cheng Wanli.

At that time, Tong Guan might have thought that since he would have to rely on him to suppress the bandits in the end, it would be okay to let Cheng Wanli suffer a little temporarily, and he could just demote him to a lower position or something, and give him the position later.

It is not wrong to think so, but for Cheng Wanli personally, it is very different. He has lost a big step. Originally, he was able to take one step at a time. He has already reached a step. When the bandits are suppressed, there will be promotions and rewards, and he will reach another step.

If Cheng Wanli's subordinates really got into trouble, Cheng Wanli would probably have to step down first, and then he would be punished for his crimes and then promoted. Wouldn't that mean he would just be standing still? Isn't that a loss?
After all, in the officialdom, groups have their own interests, and individuals have their own interests. Although they are bound together, they are different. Little people have their own sorrows.

The city of Jingdong cannot be broken. Cheng Wanli cannot be given any chance to escape. The possibility of Cheng Wanli’s escape must also be the possibility of Su Wu’s escape.

Cheng Wanli and Su Wu are deeply bound together, and for the time being, they are completely one.

We must not step down from this step, and there can be no such thing as making up for one's crime by doing good deeds.

Zhu Wu probably couldn't think of Su Wu's in-depth thoughts, so he could only answer: "That was my rash thinking. I can only wait for the news from Commander Yan and the movements of Liangshan. Don't worry, General. You have 6,000 horses under your command. They will definitely be fast..."

Su Wu stood up and sighed deeply, saying that everything in the world is difficult.

It’s even harder to achieve great things.

No one in this world should be underestimated...

Today, Su Wu seems to have reached a critical moment and a critical point again.

(Brothers, tonight I have nothing to say, only love! I love you so much! Oh... tonight there are less than 10,000 words, 9,400, please forgive me... Brothers, please don't hit anyone, especially my handsome face.)
(End of this chapter)