Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 206: A turmoil, merits and demerits, right and wrong...

The scene of siege in front of us seems very different from yesterday.

Tan Zhen finally sighed and said, "Attacking a city is so difficult!"

"So, as the art of war says, attacking a city is the next best thing..." In fact, Su Wu felt something in his heart when he saw the scene before him. Human lives were sacrificed. He felt neither passionate nor excited. Seeing it, he had only one feeling, that of tragedy and grandeur.

One can’t help but wonder, in history, how tragic and heroic it was for Wang Bing to be trapped in the isolated city of Taiyuan for eight months?

Su Wu actually knew that he had never been such a cold-blooded person. Sometimes he could even be a little pretentious. He couldn't help but think that war was indeed the biggest tragedy in human society.

Deng Yuanjue, with four or five thousand trusted confidants, defended the city with their lives, while Wang Xun, with two or three thousand armored soldiers and more than twenty thousand common people, followed one after another.

The stone treasure was not in the front, but on the north and south sides, so the battle of attack and defense was naturally fierce.

The deaths and injuries before his eyes were extremely tragic. Su Wu was not sad, but felt pity. He even thought about whether he should sound the horn or think of other solutions.

For example, we could attack the enemy's heart, or we could not pursue a quick victory, but just besiege the city for a few more days to see if we could break the morale of the defenders...

Looking up again, I saw those common people from Wuzhou who were still crawling bravely even though they were shot by arrows.

Su Wu also suddenly understood why Wang Bing and Wang Xun could hold out for eight months in the isolated city of Taiyuan against tens of thousands of the most powerful Jurchens. This group of soldiers from Wuzhou were truly brave and powerful!
Maybe Su Wu changed something. For example, in history, Wang Bing was the first one to rush into the city of Hangzhou, and he must have suffered heavy losses. In subsequent battles, Wang Bing led the Wuzhou soldiers and bravely led all kinds of attacks.

Logically speaking, the Wuzhou soldiers should have suffered heavy casualties, but Su Wu changed this. The Wuzhou soldiers only truly attacked the new city once, and it is unknown how many more people survived.

In this way, Wang Bing jumped from a small infantry general to a trusted man under Tong Guan, and was directly stationed in the important border town of Taiyuan!
Xu Suwu will change a lot more. In the future, Wang Bing will get whatever he wants, money, food, military equipment, armor and weapons, in as much as he wants!

It also made Wang Bing stronger than in history, with more powerful troops and even more power.

Su Wu also thought at this time that the original plan was to have 20,000 elite soldiers from Wuzhou, but now it seems that 30,000 is also possible!
All of this was won by Wang Bing, Wang Xun, and his sons, and the soldiers from Wuzhou, who fought for it themselves!

Then I heard Tan Zhen exclaim: "What a good general, what good soldiers!"

When saying this, Tan Zhen was looking at Su Wu.

Su Wu heard it, and Tan Zhen was moved and wanted to...

Su Wu said: "Then Mr. Tan should take good care of me..."

Su Wu's words were a temptation to Tan Zhen. If Wang Bing wanted to expand the army and get promoted, he needed cooperation from many parties. Even if there was no cooperation, at least there should be no obstacles. Tan Zhen was a close attendant of the emperor, and sometimes a word from him could really hinder major events.

Tan Zhen looked at Su Wu and was a little surprised. He was surprised why Su Wu would say that.

Su Wu added: "After the battle, I will ask the King of Wuzhou to come and pay a visit to Mr. Tan..."

Tan Zhen was happy to hear this, but he was also more surprised. What was Su Wu selling? Could he really push away such a brave and daring person?

Does Su Wu care about this? Let's not talk about the kindness between him and the Wang family father and son. Let's talk about one person, Wang Xun. As long as Su Wu brings Wang Xun with him, he can influence him imperceptibly, and the soldiers of Wuzhou will never become someone else's.

Su Wu suddenly said bluntly: "I have a deep hatred with Prime Minister Tan, which cannot be resolved. However, as for Chief Steward Liu, Chief Steward Wang, and even Wang Bing of Wuzhou, they have no hatred with Prime Minister Tan. If Prime Minister Tan really holds a high position in the future, he can just punish me instead of venting his anger on others. Do you agree with me, Prime Minister Tan?"

Su Wu's frank and sincere words were also meant to fool Tan Zhen. His purpose was simple, which was to get rid of the perception of faction in the army from Tan Zhen.

This was not only to fool Tan Zhen, but also to fool the emperor. We cannot let many people think that Su Wu was forming a clique in the army. This is a big taboo.

Su Wu's frank and sincere words stunned Tan Zhen, who was even more confused, and asked Su Wu: "General Su, I thought you were young and foolish, but you said such words again today, so you are definitely not a fool..."

Su Wu also laughed: "How can a fool like you lead the army to victory?"

Tan Zhen nodded: "That's true, then..."

Su Wu waved his hands and said, "The army values ​​loyalty. It is hard to explain what happened in the future, but since Tong Shu has shown me kindness and promoted me, I will repay him with gratitude! This is the loyalty of the entire army!"

For some reason, Tan Zhen suddenly felt more comfortable and nodded slowly: "Prime Minister Tong Shu, it's really enviable..."

"We have finally come to this point step by step. In the past, when Prime Minister Tong Shu first left the palace, he went to the northwest to supervise the army and fight against the Tanguts. Wasn't he the same as Prime Minister Tan now? Only after Prime Minister Tong Shu has fought in the battlefield a few times, maybe he will win the hearts of the people."

Su Wu continued to deceive people, of course, he was telling the truth. Using the truth to deceive people is more powerful.

"Yes, yes!" Tan Zhen nodded. At this moment, he seemed to have suddenly forgiven Su Wu a lot. Although he did not forgive him completely, his mentality had indeed changed.

Tan Zhen couldn't help but wonder what went wrong with him.

Could it be that he was fooled by the gentlemen in Tokyo? Or was he fooled by the emperor?
Su Wu continued to talk: "There are many warriors in the world, and you have joined the army now. Watch and explore slowly, and one day you will have your own group of warriors."

Hearing this, Tan Zhen suddenly had a vision. Yes, isn't life like this? Just wait for the time to develop, discover, and promote. How can the people under your command in the future not be like Tong Guan today?
However, Tan Zhen cursed again: "The army in the capital, 200,000 or 300,000 men, is really like chickens and dogs. It's a waste of tens of millions of strings of money that the court spends every year to support!"

Obviously, Tan Zhen was very angry this time. He also completely saw through the bottom line of the imperial guards in the capital. He felt so cheated that he couldn't feel comfortable.

Su Wu suddenly said jokingly, "Mr. Tan, if I come to see you tonight with 30,000 strings of private money, would you mind not punishing me tomorrow?"

Tan Zhen was stunned when he heard this. How could anyone in the officialdom speak like this? He immediately said, "What kind of childish fairy tale are you talking about?"

Su Wu nodded: "I have been young, haha... I don't know how high the sky is or how deep the earth is."

Tan Zhen waved his hands repeatedly, really unable to respond, and just said: "It's just like a child!"

Su Wu also wanted to ask: "So am I prepared tonight or not?"

Tan Zhen looked at Su Wu and felt that he was disrespectful, spoke insolently, and talked nonsense. He said sternly, "Who wants your money?"

"Oh, there's nothing I can do about it. Maybe 30,000 strings of private wealth are too little, and I can't take out more. So I'll just not prepare anything." Su Wu nodded and pretended to be disappointed.

Tan Zhen looked at him and laughed angrily: "How dare you make fun of me?"

"What a misunderstanding! What a misunderstanding!" Su Wu said.

"Hmph! If you get carried away, there will be disaster!" Tan Zhen waved his sleeves and turned to watch the siege, but then said: "This time you come south, I will be your lesson!"

Su Wu pretended not to understand and said, "It's because Mr. Tan can't tolerate me. Maybe I offended him too much before and it's hard to make amends."

"Hmph!" The eunuch Tan Zhen just glanced at him and was too lazy to say anything more to the scoundrel.

Su Wu suddenly felt that Tan Zhen was somewhat interesting, but not much. Su Wu even felt that Tan Zhen, who was castrated and entered the palace at a young age, was somewhat similar to a woman.

The relationships between people are really complicated, and the human heart is really interesting to explore.

Su Wu turned his head away, unable to help but smile. He also felt regretful. He should have given Wang Xun more armor in advance, maybe two or three thousand more sets...

Even if he came to give it to Wang Xun yesterday, even if the spoils from Qingxi Jiande had not yet arrived, he could have lent Wang Xun the armor from the Jingdong Army first...

I really can't bear to watch any longer. The plain-clothed Wuzhou militiamen were so tragic, with too many casualties...

Ugh……

How can they be so fearless even though they are wearing plain clothes? They are just wandering ghosts after the rebellion, seeking peace of mind, courage and excuse to live on.

Only by killing the thief with deep hatred and deep hatred can one live with less guilt and be qualified to start a new life...

Su Wu stood up and gave the order: "Tell Liu Guangshi to cross the rear of the Wuzhou army and quickly press up and climb the wall! Don't let the army on the top of the city be powerless!"

Order the soldiers to ride their horses and gallop away!

There was nothing wrong with this military order, but it was not going smoothly when it was executed from afar.

Because the Wuzhou soldiers did not give way, they gathered around the many long ladders, waiting to climb up.

The Fuyan army was also helpless, as they could not really attack and kill their friendly forces.

Su Wu sighed, perhaps he was trying to make himself feel less guilty, so that he would feel more at ease.

Su Wu had already seen the armored Wuzhou soldiers on the top of the city wall. They were exchanging hammer for hammer, sword for sword, life for life, tearing open the city wall's defense line and rushing towards the stairs that could lead down the city.

Su Wu also saw the Wuzhou soldiers in plain clothes on the top of the city wall, who just hugged the armored thief. It was a helpless act, so he just hugged the armored thief and rolled. If he hugged tightly, the armored thief would not be able to use his strength, and the plain soldiers could withstand a few more blows...

Then he could control an armored thief for a little longer. If he was lucky, he might be able to kill him. If he was not lucky, his comrades would be able to kill the thief he was holding more easily...

Even Deng Yuanjue was somewhat puzzled. He didn't understand why these soldiers in ragged clothes could be so brave.

Deng Yuanjue just heard a dying person shouting: "Mother, I'm here, I'm here to accompany you, I'm here to avenge you!"

Deng Yuanjue understood the Wuzhou dialect, and was immediately horrified. He knew... he had committed a sin! If you commit a sin, you must pay it back in this life!
At this moment, the Zen stick in Deng Yuanjue's hand even seemed a little weak.

Just as a ragged soldier rushed towards him, wanting to hug him, Deng Yuanjue subconsciously hit him with his Zen stick, and the man's brain burst on the spot...

Deng Yuanjue killed someone, but was stunned for a moment. He turned his head and looked towards the top of the city again. The Holy Archbishop's prison car was still there, and the prison cars of the civil and military officials were also there.

Why did they lose? Deng Yuanjue didn't think much about it before, but now he understood!
Looking up, the endless number of Wuzhou people are still coming one after another. Looking up again, the number of confidants around me is decreasing...

Still going to lose!

Deng Yuanjue cried out in tears, "Holy Lord!"

Amidst the countless shouts of fighting, Fang La seemed to hear something and looked up.

Deng Yuanjue shouted again: "Holy Lord, we can't win this time!"

"Ah?" Fang La couldn't hear clearly and shouted, "Forget it..."

Deng Yuanjue couldn't hear clearly either, so he just shouted again: "You and I, we'll meet again in the next life! This time, there's nothing we can do to change the situation. You and I have done a lot of wrong things. We'll talk about this in the afterlife!"

"Ah?" Fang La still couldn't hear clearly.

It didn't matter that he couldn't hear clearly. Deng Yuanjue turned around and slowly retreated from the countless armored vehicles. These armored vehicles in front of him were still moving forward to block the advance of the government troops. They really did not retreat at all!

Deng Yuanjue went to the city tower and entered the tower. He also looked around at the battle situation. He knew that he could not win. As long as the Wuzhou soldiers kept coming forward and as long as they did not retreat, the soldiers on the city wall would eventually be exhausted.

As for those people in the city, they are sinners, and those sinners cannot stop the evil spirits from Wuzhou who are seeking revenge and taking their lives.

Before long, blue smoke rose from the city wall and a raging fire was burning.

Deng Yuanjue sat in the raging fire, as if he was sitting on a cushion in front of a Buddha statue in a temple, meditating and not moving at all.

Just let this raging fire burn my body. In this life, I don’t know whether I am guilty or innocent, and I don’t know how much I have done right or wrong. I just want to burn everything in a fire, burn it all clean.

Some people were already crying bitterly outside the city wall, and some were even kneeling on the ground and kowtowing. It was obvious that Deng Yuanjue was truly the Buddha who came to the world to save people from great suffering.

There were also people who were still risking their lives to stop the government troops from entering the city.

Su Wu looked at the raging fire, but he didn't know whether Deng Yuanjue had entered into a state of meditation and burned himself. However, he knew that the soldiers of Wuzhou had suffered so many casualties today, and the thieves on the city walls had died so bravely today...

There is only one source for all these tragedies, not Zhu Zhen who had died at the hands of Su Wu, but Zhao Ji who was sitting in the Chuigong Hall in Tokyo.

Even Zhao Ji must not have known how great a sin he had committed, and he must still feel good about himself.

This is the greatest sorrow for a ruler.

Finally, enough people died, but the fighting continued, and the city gate was finally opened from the inside by the Wuzhou soldiers.

Liu Guangshi rushed into the city through the city gate. He didn't know how many bandits were still in the city, so he just kept fighting.

Su Wu had already stood at the edge of the platform...

At this time, Tan Zhen also came over and said in a gloomy voice: "Congratulations, you have won another merit!" Su Wu shook his head and replied speechlessly.

"What? You've made a great contribution again, why are you still not happy?" Tan Zhen became even more sarcastic.

Su Wu sighed, "Mr. Tan, you don't know what's in my mind."

"What else do you want? We have gone south to suppress the bandits and put down the rebellion. Today, we have achieved complete success. All the credit goes to you, Su Wu. I am not even a green leaf to set off the red flowers... Are you still not happy?"

Tan Zhen's words were truly sarcastic.

Su Wu looked at Tan Zhen. He knew that he was very different from many people of that era. Tan Zhen really didn't seem to care about human life, even though he himself was a miserable person when he was young.

Su Wu had only one thing to say: "I am actually a hypocritical person."

"I think you are really pretentious!" Tan Zhen cursed sincerely.

Su Wu smiled, nodded, and asked, "Why do our people in the Song Dynasty kill each other like this?"

Tan Zhen replied, "Why should we be so hypocritical about this? The rebels were no longer Song people from the moment they started the rebellion! It's all because of Fang La's delusion of fate, his bewitching people's minds, and his ambition that led to such a rebellion!"

"Mr. Tan is right!" Su Wu stopped being pretentious. There was no need to be so. He just wanted to overthrow the Song Dynasty!
Su Wu stepped down from the platform and mounted his horse: "Enter the city!"

He rode away on his horse, followed by his personal guards.

Xin Xingzong also came to ask Tan Zhen: "Sir, shall we enter the city?"

Tan Zhen was furious: "What city are you going to enter? Can Su Wu still give you money and food? Or can you snatch it from him?"

Xin Xingzong remained silent. Below the platform, there were many military commanders from the capital, who quickly lowered their heads and turned away to avoid Tan Zhen's sight.

When Su Wu entered the city, there was still fierce fighting inside. The soldiers from Wuzhou had already come in and they killed people without mercy, even those who knelt down to surrender.

The soldiers of Wuzhou were killing like crazy, and they just killed any young and strong man.

Su Wu did not order to stop them. He knew that in this city, only women, children and the elderly could protect the men.

Only if an old man says that this is his son, or a woman says that this is her husband, or a child says that this is his father, can the man survive.

Su Wu rode slowly and met or found Wang Xun. Wang Xun simply apologized: "Please forgive me, General. I have not trained the army well enough and have lost control over my troops. Many of the brave men in the villages are no longer under my control."

Su Wu waved his hand and rode forward. Looking along the way, he saw no soldiers from Wuzhou rushing into any houses to rape and loot. That was all.

Su Wu inevitably had a new understanding and insight into certain massacres in history. Of course, he was talking about certain things.

Kill, kill...

The entire city was like a huge slaughterhouse. The air was filled with the smell of blood. Even under the sunlight, the air in this small city was tinged with a faint, enchanting red...

I don't know how much blood gushed into the air...

Fan Yun said: "General, this is really a deep hatred!"

Su Wu nodded: "Even if it's forever, I can't let anyone hate you and me so much..."

Fan Yun was stunned when he heard this, and just said: "We will never do what those bandits did! Wherever we go, we will not harm anyone!"

Su Wu nodded. No wonder it is so important for an army to not harm anyone! I have always felt shallow in the past, but today I have a deep feeling.

The city was broken on all sides, and the government troops entered the city one after another!
Even the armored horses' hooves came to trample the area, leaving no way out on three sides. The bandits fleeing to the west were killed by the fast cavalry, and the battle was fierce and chaotic.

I don’t know how long it will take to kill everyone inside and outside.

Su Wu walked along the main road, went out of the city from the other side, and returned to the camp.

Shi Bao, even if Shi Bao has all the courage, I think he won't survive.

Of the so-called four great marshals, only Si Xingfang was left.

Su Wu wanted to meet Si Xingfang, so Si Xingfang was brought into the big tent.

Su Wu looked at the man at the foot of Mount Su Wu. He was in his thirties, tall and strong.

He should have killed the Winged Tiger Lei Heng in twenty or thirty rounds, but due to poor command, he was defeated under the siege of Lu Junyi, Hu Yanzhuo, Suo Chao and other large armies. He was forced into a desperate situation and fell into the water and died.

Su Wu looked at him and asked, "Why did you follow the enemy?"

Si Xingfang bowed his head and answered: "I was originally a powerful and wealthy man in the countryside. I was good at using guns and sticks and liked to make friends with heroes in the martial arts world. Later... the people from the Yingfeng Bureau came, and my name was always mentioned in every assignment. I was tired of dealing with them, and later I was really overwhelmed, so I angrily... angrily joined the bandits..."

Su Wu nodded: "Only if you are like this, you can command the support of hundreds of people and become the marshal of the bandits."

Si Xingfang also asked: "I wonder...I wonder if this surrender is also considered as surrender?"

The question is about the future.

Su Wu thought about it, raised his hand and said, "Forget it... You go down by yourself."

Si Xingfang bowed and left, which meant Su Wu had made a decision. He would spare Si Xingfang's life and let him serve in the army. Whether he was guilty or not, even if he had to die, he would die at the hands of the Liao people or the Jin people.

The matter of Fang La was completely over with Si Xingfang.

It’s a chaos, all the merits and demerits, right and wrong, it ends here for now!

Only the people in Jiangnan and Liangzhe were sad. All Su Wu could do was not to transport the food away and leave it all for them.

Only when it got dark and the Wuzhou soldiers began to leave the city and return to the camp for dinner did the killing stop.

Su Wu also went to the Wuzhou camp. There was no joy or excitement in the camp. Instead, many men were so exhausted that tears were streaming down their faces.

Su Wu rode his horse slowly around and entered the tent.

Su Wu sat down, and Wang Xun stood beside him and introduced Su Wu.

Military generals, both big and small, were introduced to Su Wu one by one.

Su Wu nodded and said some words of encouragement, even saying that he would reward the soldiers, provide pensions, and promote them to higher positions.

Wang Xun led everyone in bowing and expressing their gratitude.

Su Wu encouraged again: "Everyone should follow the king and train the Wuzhou troops well!"

Everyone just had to obey orders.

Su Wu said to Wang Xun: "You should calculate the military merits and pensions and send them to the central army tent as soon as possible. I will send someone to deliver the money tomorrow morning!"

Wang Xun was so moved that he said, "General Su treats us like a confidant, and we should repay him with our lives!"

Then someone also bowed and said: "General's kindness is like a rebirth. The general captured Fang La and quelled the rebellion. He is like our second parent. If we have the opportunity in the future, we will definitely repay the general's kindness!"

Others said: "Without General Su leading the troops to fight here, we would never be able to avenge our grievances in this lifetime. Thank you, General!"

Someone else said...

Su Wu raised his hand to stop him: "No need to say more..."

But someone still spoke up: "General, we must not let Fang La live! If Fang La can still survive, we...we must go find him and kill him!"

This person spoke with tears on his face.

"He can't survive..." Su Wu made a promise.

Just with these words, everyone in the audience knelt down!
Su Wu nodded, stood up, and walked out without saying anything more.

Wang Xun followed him out to see him off and said, "General, don't worry. Just take Fang La and the other bandit leaders to Bian Jing and let Your Majesty decide their fate!"

"He can't survive on his own. This is an explanation to your men. You should focus on your work and don't delay. I'm leaving..." Su Wu said this and mounted his horse and left.

Early the next morning, after finishing some military business, Su Wu rode his horse straight to Hangzhou City, which was not far away, only a hundred miles away.

The express horse arrived in half a day, and he went straight to the government office to report the victory in person.

Tong Guan was listening to music in the government office. A group of people were singing...

Su Wu did not want anyone to report to him. He came straight in and bowed to the emperor in person.

Tong Guan was stunned at first, then overjoyed. He stood up and walked to Su Wu's aid: "Ziqing, why did you come here so suddenly?"

Su Wu only replied: "Xincheng has been destroyed!"

"Ah? What? Xincheng was also destroyed? Great, great, great thing has been accomplished! Ziqing, please sit down!" Tong Guan even took Su Wu's hand and walked to the seat.

Tang Ke, who was sitting next to him, saw the opportunity and stood up to give him his seat.

Su Wu sat down, and Tong Guan kept calling out, "Change the tea, change the tea..."

Cheng Hao went to do it himself.

Tong Guan asked, "Who conquered Xincheng?"

"Wang Xun of Wuzhou!" Su Wu said succinctly.

"Good young man!" Tong Guan was so happy that he couldn't close his mouth. He just continued: "Now you are also known for identifying people and using them. Wang Bing and Wang Xun of Wuzhou have also received good news one after another. Wuzhou has been pacified. It is also said that the thieves in Quzhou have dispersed on their own, and we are just searching the mountains and seas to arrest them. Yuezhou is also returning. Great!"

Su Wu had known all this news for a long time, but he was really excited when Tong Guan said it again. He also heard Tong Guan say, "I have already sent the victory report to Tokyo. It won't be long before the imperial edict comes to announce the emperor's favor. I think the emperor in the capital must be very happy and will definitely praise you and me. Haha..."

Yes, Tong Guan was right, that is the case.

Whether it's the emperor or Tong Guan, neither of them is as hypocritical as Su Wu...

What is right or wrong, what is the suffering of the people, what is the cause of the crime, if it is pacified, it is destiny, if it is meritorious, it is great joy...

Su Wu nodded and smiled: "Congratulations, Prime Minister!"

"Hey, let's be happy!" Tong Guan was beaming with joy, and raised his hand to point, "Look at this group, the best group of courtesans in the West Lake pleasure boats. They never treated bandits harshly even when they entered the city. They sing very well, and their soft Wu dialect makes people feel numb all over!"

Su Wu nodded: "I have never heard of it..."

"That's right, how urgent is the military situation? Now that we have achieved our goal, it's just right to listen to it now. I will teach them to sing the lyrics you wrote, sing the song of the broken bridge on the post road, lonely and ownerless... Come on!"

Tong Guan waved his hand.

It was only when the group of courtesans heard these words that they realized that the person in front of them was General Su Wu, what a mighty man. This poem has already spread, and it is indeed a good one.

Doesn't this word also fill in the thoughts of the woman of the dust? Just as the plum blossoms are blooming alone, they are suffering, but they are still scattered and crushed into dust in the mud...

Sing fast, sing fast...

Come sing and listen to General Su in person...

(End of this chapter)