Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 146: What a great idea!
Xiao Rang looked around with horror. In fact, Xiao Rang was a native of Jeju, a Confucian scholar who was neither high nor low.

Su Wu looked at him again and asked, "You have a unique skill, but why do you become a thief instead of making money?"

Xiao Rangzhen had a unique skill. He could imitate the style of various calligraphy masters and make the fake ones indistinguishable from the real ones.

Xiao Rang stammered in response: "I...I..."

"I thought you wanted to be an official? But this time, you were caught as a traitor and you will be cut into pieces."

Su Wu asked with a smile, this guy is not a very evil person, he is probably obsessed with power after being fooled by Song Jiang.

Just looking at Xiao Rang, he kept calling out: "Please spare my life, I was just taken away by the thief, it's not that I really want to follow the thief..."

Su Wu didn't read much. Among scholars, there are many tough guys, but there are also many cowards, as numerous as the hairs on a cow.

Su Wu was too lazy to joke around, he just raised his hand and said, "Just take care of him and bring him back..."

"General Su, General Su, spare my life..." The shouting was still behind him, but it was getting farther and farther away.

When Su Wu looked at the battlefield again, the bandits had already fled in all directions. Zengtou City's men, receiving the order, simply went after them.

However, those trenches and barricades are no longer fortifications to besiege Zengtou City, but have become a hindrance to escape.

Su Wu was at his ease, sitting on a slightly higher place in the open space, watching slowly. The people of Zengtou City were really dedicated, and the most dedicated was Shi Wengong. He led a group of cavalrymen and really went around killing people.

Once the army formation is in chaos, even the strongest soldiers will become the weakest. When Shi Wengong kills the bandits, it is really easy. He never uses a second move. Every time the weapon goes back and forth, it means a life.

After sitting for a long time, Su Wu stood up again and turned around to look at the many knights under his command. The knights were all very tired, but there was a certain joy on their faces, but it was not the kind of joy that could be expressed outwardly...

Su Wu walked around without saying anything, but just appeared in front of each knight, looking at this horse, looking at that horse's armor...

After completing the circle, Su Wu got on his horse again and said, "Let's go to Zengtou City."

People dispersed and the road became open. Along the way, there were dead and wounded everywhere. It was actually... cruel.

When they entered Zengtou City, Zeng Nong came to greet them early. The old man bowed and saluted: "Thank you, General, for saving Zengtou City from the dire situation. General, your kindness will be unforgettable!"

"No problem..." Su Wu waved his hand, but looked at Shi Jin who was standing beside him. Shi Jin was holding a head, so he raised his hand and said, "Shi Jia Dalang..."

"Here!" Shi Jin hurried forward.

"Let me see..." Su Wu stretched out his hand.

Shi Jin quickly handed over the head and asked, "General, I don't know if he is a big thief."

Su Wu raised his head and looked at it, then said with a smile: "He is a big thief, nicknamed Flying Tiger, and his real name is Lei Heng. He is one of the two thieves leading the troops this time. Dalang has made a great contribution this time, so he should be promoted to a higher rank. Those who have made contributions with him should all be rewarded."

Shi Jin was overjoyed and bowed repeatedly: "Thank you, General."

Su Wu returned the head to Shi Jin and went to the Zeng family mansion.

Now Su Wu is really short of people, lack of soldiers, and lack of talents, including an army of 20,000.

A battalion commander would need forty people, and deputy commanders would require even more. There would be hundreds of captains and deputy captains, and the number of such personnel as the military clerks and the like would be even greater.

There must be eight army commanders, and twenty to thirty deputy army commanders...

In fact, there were many official positions under his command, but it was not enough for Su Wu to be given great titles and rewards. Or many of them might not be competent enough and needed to be tested and trained. Su Wu also learned a trick, which was to fill in as temporary commanders and wait for them to be promoted after making more achievements.

After entering the Zeng family mansion and sitting down, Su Wu got straight to the point and said, "Uncle Zeng, what we agreed on earlier should still stand, right?"

Zeng Nong nodded repeatedly: "It's a promise, it's a promise. I will never break my promise. Soldiers, just recruit them. Teacher Shi should also obey the general, and I, the fourth and fifth brothers, should also serve in the army."

"Okay." Su Wu nodded. He just came to confirm it because he didn't trust Zeng Nong and was afraid that Zeng Nong would go back on his word.

Zeng Nong then said, "General, you have come a long way to rescue us. I cannot repay you for your kindness. I will give you some money and food first. 150,000 strings of money and 30,000 shi of food will be used to supplement your military supplies."

Su Wu heard this and smiled and bowed. Who says that opportunists are bad? Isn't this also good? At least he is good at dealing with people.

"It would be disrespectful to refuse. As long as I am in the two roads of Jingdong, I can ensure the peace of Zengtou City." Su Wu also said politely, saying that paying money would naturally save his life.

"Thank you again, General." Zeng Nong nodded in response.

"There is one more thing. I also saw that there seemed to be a lot of horses in Zengtou City..." Su Wu said.

"Well...then send it again..." Zeng Nong reacted very quickly.

Su Wu raised his hand to interrupt: "No need, buy it according to the market price, I don't know how much you can sell it for."

Zeng Nong was relieved, but still said politely: "Of course not, how can I let the general spend money?"

Su Wu said directly: "This is a business transaction, not just a one-time purchase. Zengtou City is a market place, and horse traders from all over the rivers and lakes often gather here. So, let's buy 500 horses this time. In the future, please pay more attention to good and healthy horses. Just buy them directly and send them to the army. We will take as many as we can. I will not treat them unfairly. How do you think?"

"Such a small matter requires great care. General, rest assured, I will do my best to handle it now." Zeng Nong agreed quickly. This was the best thing to do. He could make money and show favor at the same time.

"There are quite a few spoils of war, including horses, armor, and weapons. Once the war is over, collect them and I will take 40 percent. As for the rest, you can just calculate the price for the armor and horses."

Su Wu actually wanted it all, but he was not stingy either.

Zeng Nong said, "How dare I? If it weren't for the bravery of the general and his soldiers, how could we have won such a great victory? Any spoils of war belong to the general."

This Zengtou City is truly wealthy, generous, and broad-minded.

Su Wu waved his hand and said, "We have all been willing to sacrifice our lives, so we will split it 50-50 and the rest will be the price. No more words, it's a deal. I have something urgent to do. After we finish this, we will rush back to Liangshan to surround and wipe out the bandits. We will not stay any longer."

Having said that, Su Wu stood up and saluted. He was really going to leave without even eating. In the current situation, speed was of the essence. Liangshan could not delay any longer. If it dragged on, it would really be in big trouble.

When the rebellion is quickly suppressed and the two routes in Jingdong are completely stabilized, Su Wu will have a safe and stable rear environment, and the base will be slowly established and operated for development and production.

He also wanted to quickly exchange his military merits for a bright future. This time Tong Guan came in person, and if the mission was accomplished, everyone would naturally be rewarded.

Su Wu also knew that at this moment, Mani in Jiangnan had already started a commotion.

It's just that many people were slow to react, and some even hid their crimes, so the court didn't react much. When the situation could no longer be covered up, Fang La had already ravaged dozens of prefectures and counties, and even Hangzhou fell into his hands.

At that time, who else could be in charge of the emperor and the court?

Doesn’t it have to be Tong Guan?

Then doesn’t Su Wu also need a share?
Time waits for no one, so everything must be done quickly.

Many things will happen faster and faster in the future, whether it is the attack on Liao or the attack on Jurchen, the world will change drastically in a short period of time.

Su Wu was filled with urgency, and as soon as he left Zengtou City, he rode his horse back. As for Shi Wengong and the Zeng family, as well as the money and food promised by Zeng Nong, he just had to wait for them to be arranged and then send them to Dongping Prefecture.

Su Wu was on his way, and after walking for a few days, he heard smoke rising from the rear camp of Liangshan.

It wasn't a major war, but many bandits who had gone east and south were slowly returning, and the land routes to the mountain stronghold were completely blocked.

The government army camp was blocked in the middle, and there were trenches and countless chevaux de frise everywhere. There were also many places where people could walk, and fences and checkpoints were set up.

The bandits could not go back, and seeing that the government army had a large number of troops and strong forces in the camp, they could not attack it easily, so they just went to hide in deserted places such as mountains and forests.

Song Jiang and Wu Yong were even more worried.

Wu Yong has seen the situation clearly: "Su Wu, this time he really wants to destroy us."

Song Jiang thought about the increasing number of towering ladders, stone cannons and various siege weapons outside the camp, and he was a little frightened. He asked anxiously: "Xuejiu, should we quickly send people to call back all the troops from the east and south?"

Wu Yong did not rush to answer the question, but frowned in thought, and slowly said: "This time, we miscalculated Su Wu. After Tong Guan came, Su Wu seemed to let go, not caring about the danger of the state, and only focused on winning. We miscalculated..."

"Scholar, we must quickly recruit all the troops back..." Song Jiang was already anxious. This was how he was. Whenever he encountered something, he would get anxious first, and only after he got over the anxiety would he slowly calm down.

Wu Yong's brows suddenly relaxed, and he looked at Song Jiang: "Don't worry, brother. He has a plan, and we should also have a way out. We shouldn't let Su Wu achieve his plan so smoothly. The troops can't return to the stronghold, so we should have somewhere else to go. Now that the situation has come to this, it's time to give it a try. Life and death are at stake, so we should give it a try!"

Song Jiang quickly asked, "So... what does the scholar mean?"

Wu Yong's face was calm, and he continued, "Brother, since Su Wu has surrounded us like this, how can we just sit there and wait for death? The plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain didn't work before, why didn't it work?"

"Why?" Song Jiang just stared at Wu Yong.

Wu Yong also had some planning ability, and he said, "That's because the attack was in the wrong place. Su Wu can ignore the prefectures in the southeast, but there are some places that he cannot ignore."

"What the scholar is talking about, could it be...Dongping Prefecture?" Song Jiang asked.

Wu Yong gritted his teeth and nodded: "Yes, since Su Wu has trapped us by land, and since we already have troops outside, then we should just attack Dongping Prefecture. There is one prefecture and five county towns, how can we not fight? Where is Tong Guan? Where is Cheng Wanli? Even if Su Wu doesn't care, how can we not call Tong Guan and Cheng Wanli back for help?"

When Song Jiang heard this, he slapped his thigh and said, "Great, great, great idea!"

Wu Yong smiled slightly, and was obviously pleased with himself. The situation was like this, and he had to come up with a strategy. Liangshan was now in a life-and-death situation, and human life was worthless anyway, so he might as well fight. It was better than sitting and waiting to die.

The geographical advantages of Liangshan are really good, as it is easy to defend and difficult to attack. However, its bad point is that there is no room for strategic maneuver.

As long as the government troops in the back mountain can be transferred away, everything can be solved. If the siege lasts so long, we can only watch Liangshan slowly die.

Wu Yong just said: "Brother, you should write a letter quickly and send someone to cross the river to deliver it to the troops."

Why is Song Jiang still waiting? He immediately started writing. It was still dark just now, but now he seemed to have really seen a turning point.

Late at night, more than a dozen small boats in the mountain stronghold headed for the water, with four or five people on each side, all going to deliver Brother Gongming's military orders.

The bandit troops that had already returned to the nearby mountains and forests to hide needed to be found, and they had to hide during the day and move out at night, and then begin to gather in Dongping Prefecture.

As for the bandit troops that were still besieging the prefecture in the southeast, we had to send a military order to them. The order was very strict, and it was intended to make them ignore everything and immediately return to the Dongping Prefecture.

Regardless of whether the city could be captured or not, even if they could gather 10,000 or 20,000 men, it would scare the officials of Dongping Prefecture so much that Tong Guan and Cheng Wanli would have to call on Su Wu to return for rescue.

The military orders were to leave in various places under the cover of night.

Su Wu is still on his way back...

On the afternoon of the next day, a small group of bandits appeared in Dongping Prefecture. A few hundred people gathered together, and then three or four thousand people gathered together. They bypassed the water and came from the south to the north. The first place to discover the bandits was Yanggu County in the south of Dongping Prefecture. When the old county magistrate heard the report, he quickly closed all the gates of the county and called in soldiers to discuss the matter.

At this time, the garrison commander of Yanggu under Su Wu was Zhu Long, and he had only four or five hundred soldiers under his command, which were supplemented by some eliminated from Dongping Prefecture. It was not really a strong army.

But Zhu Long was followed by several people, one named Hu Yanzhuo, one named Yang Zhi, and another named Lin Mao.

It was Su Wu who gave the order, and they came from Jingyang Village, with a total of fourteen to five hundred people.

Add to that the yamen runners and tax collectors, there were about two or three hundred of them in total, and all together there were over two thousand.

Meng Yi was also very serious. He just asked: "Everyone, the enemy's coming here is probably a strategy to cut off the firewood from under the cauldron. As long as we defend the city tightly and let General Su dispatch the troops calmly, there will be no worries."

What Meng Yi wanted was to reassure the army's morale, and he seemed to be truly not anxious or afraid.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Long said, "Don't worry, Magistrate. We are here to protect the country and the people. How can we not risk our lives? Even if I die, the thieves will not be able to break into the city!"

Hu Yanzhuo even stood up and bowed: "Don't worry, sir, no matter how many thieves come, we will kill one if one comes, and kill a pair if two come..."

And Yang Zhi said: "Sir, the general sent us into the city to defend it early because he expected this. These bandits are a mob. I have dealt with them several times. If they are not good enough to be killed, just wait and see. I will kill them without a single piece of armor left."

Lin Mao even said, "The general has treated me with great kindness. I am also from Yanggu County, and this is the general's hometown. How can I not die for you?"

Meng Yi was stunned after hearing what the four people said. He was worried that the generals would panic when they saw the large number of bandits, but it turned out that the generals were also worried that he, a scholar, would feel uneasy.

Meng Yi smiled and said, "Okay, okay, with you, our county will have nothing to worry about. Just fight bravely on the city walls, and we will send runners to organize the people, light fires and cook for you, and carry equipment!"

Zhu Long stood up and said, "Thank you, sir!"

It was just this meeting, and then everyone went back to their work.

Zhu Long led everyone to the top of the city wall. Outside the city, they saw the thieves in the shadows. There were three, five, seven or eight of them, and they were probably scouts.

Many people living outside the city also moved into the city to escape.

Coming down from the top of the city wall, Zhu Long also began to motivate the soldiers. Not to mention anything else, a large number of the soldiers under his command were originally from Yanggu County, settled here, and their families were all here. No matter how cowardly they were, they knew it was time to fight for their lives.

Hu Yanzhuo was eager to make a contribution. He now knew why Su Wu did not take him to this battle, but instead arranged him nearby in Yanggu. Since it was such a well-intentioned move, how could Hu Yanzhuo let down the trust?

Yang Zhi naturally went to say some encouraging words to his old friends from Erlongshan.

Lin Mao's main backbones were mostly people from the mountains and forests, most of whom were hunters. Needless to say, they were recruited from other places by simply promising money.

The army is mobilizing.

The city was also bustling with activity. The head of the government office, Dong Jian, was running around everywhere, shouting in the streets and alleys: "Fellow villagers, General Su is fighting the bandits in the front, but these bandits came here to distract General Su from the battle. How can we, the people of Yanggu County, be easily bullied?"

Hundreds of neighbors gathered at the street corner, and each of them was filled with indignation.

This person said: "General Su is from Yanggu. The thieves are afraid of General Su, so how can we be afraid of the thieves? Isn't it just to light the fire and cook? Isn't it just to move the equipment? I can go by myself!"

"I'll go too, I'll go too!"

"Oh my god, do we need to look for those heavy objects to hit people? My family just happened to have a lot of bricks left over from building a house, I can just move them to the city wall..."

Dong Jian was surprised that General Su was so popular in this area.
Dong Jian was also deeply moved, and he kept bowing his hands: "Thank you, fellow villagers. I bow to you. When General Su knows that the villagers are like this in the future, he will definitely be deeply moved."

"Don't say that. I'm going to move bricks." The man who spoke rolled up his sleeves and turned back, saying, "Let the thieves know that I'm from Yanggu County and I'm not afraid of them!"

Dong Jian was touched, but he still shouted: "Fellow villagers, don't make a fuss. Just register your names at the yamen. Then we will be divided into teams, led by yamen runners, so that we can act properly."

"Oh, then go there, go anywhere, just leave your name first."

Everyone said they were going to go, so they just went to the government office...

Not far away, a carriage came, with the servant on the left and right of the carriage, and in front and behind the servant, there were many men holding weapons.

Everyone looked over, and Dong Jian also saw it. He knew who it was without having to guess. Dong Jian quickly stepped forward and saluted: "Greetings, Madam Meng."

Madam Meng got off the car, looked around, and bowed: "Greetings, Captain Dong."

Dong Jian replied: "I dare not..."

"You are the general's brother, how can you be so polite to me." After saying this, Madam Meng turned around and nodded.

Seeing a group of men with swords carrying several boxes, Meng Yulou spoke again: "This is money. Please take it to the yamen, Dong Dutou. Dong Dutou will decide how to reward the villagers who have contributed..."

Dong Jian subconsciously wanted to say no, but he looked at Meng Yulou again, thought about it, and nodded: "Thank you, Madam Meng!"

"I am also from Yanggu County. How can I not contribute to defend the city and resist the bandits? I am also a wealthy man. I have to contribute money and I cannot be stingy! I have also sent people to buy food and meat. When the time comes, I will just cook it and send it to the villagers and soldiers to fill their stomachs."

As he spoke, Meng Yulou bowed again.

The villagers were all watching, and someone said, "Okay!"

"Thank you, Madam Meng!"

"Hello, Madam Meng!"

"Even Madam Meng is like this, how can we fall behind? Let's all go..."

I don't know which woman shouted: "May Miss Meng and the general live in harmony and grow old together."

Madam Meng's expression changed slightly when she heard this, and she bowed again: "Captain Dong has to go somewhere else, so I won't bother you any more. Once we have bought all the food and meat, I will bring people to the entrance of the military camp to set up the pot."

Someone responded, "I still have more than a dozen bundles of firewood stored at home. I'll take some too."

"Thank you!" Meng Yulou bowed again.

"I'll provide firewood too!"

"I'll fetch some water."

"I'll go help in the kitchen..." This is what the woman shouted.

Meng Yulou returned to the carriage, and Dong Jian bowed. After the carriage was returned, Dong Jian opened his mouth and shouted again: "Everyone, go to the government office to register first, and I will go to the south city..."

The city is already bustling with activity.

Before long, a row of large pots were set up at the entrance of the military camp, and many women from the neighborhood came.

But no one expected that Madam Meng would actually do the work herself, cutting vegetables and making fire.

For a time, countless people came and went, some came to help, some looked at them with awe.

After the meal was prepared, it was sent to the top of the city wall.

The atmosphere on the top of the city wall was also tense. There were more and more thieves outside the city, and they were crowded together.

On the top of the city wall, Zhu Long, Hu Yanzhuo and others were all there. Zhu Long was quite polite and asked Hu Yanzhuo: "General Hu Yan, please say a few words and give me some advice..."

Hu Yanzhuo was not polite and just said: "I think these bandits are like setting up a stake to sell Seoul. Look at them... There is no formation, let alone military discipline. They are in groups and clumps. How can they be a strong army? With such a large number of bandits, how dare they attack the city?"

Zhu Long nodded: "Yes, if it weren't for the sake of safety, and thinking that... Madam Meng is still in the city, we should go out of the city and fight!"

Hu Yanzhuo also laughed: "No hurry, just wait until they are frustrated in their siege, then we can charge and kill them."

Now Hu Yanzhuo is really different from before, he is very calm and steady, and he has always been a competent military general.

Suddenly, a dozen riders emerged from the enemy army and approached the city wall. They were walking around and investigating the situation in the city.

Hu Yanzhuo said, "Brother Lin, you are also good at using bows and crossbows, why don't you destroy the bandits' prestige first?"

Lin Mao did not wait, he immediately took out the crossbow and pulled it. After putting the arrow on it, he was not in a hurry, just waiting for the bandit cavalry to reach the best position.

As for martial arts or close combat, Lin Mao was not very good at it, and he had never learned any techniques. But when it came to the use of bows and crossbows, as an old hunter, he was no mediocre person.

I just saw that group of thieves cavalry slowly coming from east to west. At the battlement, they set up crossbows and Lin Mao had been waiting for a long time.

Suddenly the bowstring buzzed and the arrow flew away.

More than a hundred steps away, a bandit cavalryman fell down in response.

There was immediate cheering from the top of the city wall.

Hu Yanzhuo even shouted: "What a great crossbow!"

Zhu Long also laughed: "Brother Lin is really capable!"

Even the men guarding the city on both sides cheered.

Just looking at that group of bandits, they immediately fled far away and no one dared to come closer to see. A moment later, they saw the bandits started to cut wood, of course they were going to build ladders to attack the city.

But I saw further away, at the end of my vision, a large area of ​​gray and yellow coming from south to north. There was no telling how many people there were, and the more I looked, the more they seemed to be.

Seeing this, Zhu Long was a little worried and asked, "How many more thieves have come?"

Hu Yanzhuo also went to see, but saw that the bandits in the distance were not coming towards Yanggu city, but directly avoided the city and headed north, marching very quickly.

Hu Yanzhuo was also worried: "Those bandits are not coming to Weiyang Valley, they are going to Dongping Prefecture!"

Who is in Dongping Prefecture? Cheng Xianggong was sent to be the pacification and recruitment envoy of the two routes, and Tong Guan, the Privy Councilor...

Zhu Long also reacted and immediately ordered: "Quickly send fast horses to rotate out of the North City to Dongping Prefecture to report the military situation!"

As soon as things were arranged, Zhu Long and Hu Yanzhuo looked at each other and knew that things might be a little troublesome.

(Brothers, I will write less today. I can’t write anymore… I am tired. But there are still more than 6,000 words, which is not too few. Two chapters should have 3,000 words. I will update this much for now… I will come back tomorrow.)
(End of this chapter)