Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 208: Huh? I’m Li Gang!

Returning north, the team was like a long dragon, and no one knew where the front and the back were. Tong Guan was in the carriage, and Su Wu was also in the carriage.

The two of them didn't have much to say. From time to time, a fast horse would arrive outside the car window, delivering various letters and official documents. The two of them would read them, and after reading them, they would give instructions or replies, and then send a fast horse to take the instructions and replies away...

Where have all the armies been today, where have they camped, how much food and fodder each unit has, and how many days will it take to replenish. There are also the roads ahead, the boats along the river, and the temporary locations for crossing the river for each unit...

Reports from the Privy Council in Tokyo, letters from the emperor. Official documents from Jingdong, private letters from Jingdong...

Even the trial of the military officers who failed to perform their duties was reported in official documents...

There are too many things like this, and they are extremely complicated. This is the trouble brought by authority. In an era without advanced communication means, it is an extremely heavy task to control the overall situation.

To Huzhou.

Thousands of people from Huzhou came out in the streets, stood on the side of the official road, and asked the soldiers passing by in rows, "Where is General Su?"
General Su's carriage arrived, and the shouts outside were really one after another.

Xing Yue, the prefect of Huzhou, stood by the roadside waiting for a long time. Tong Guan did not get off the car, and when Su Wu got off, there was still a lot of tug-of-war.

He was accompanied by officials and scholars from Huzhou. They talked for a long time and only reluctantly mounted their horse to catch up with the carriage in front.

When we arrived in Suzhou, the scene was smaller, but it was still the same.

It was somewhat unexpected, as Xiuzhou was nearby, and the civil and military officials of Xiuzhou also came to Suzhou on the official road to see him off. This was reasonable, as bandits had already risen in Xiuzhou, and were about to become more powerful. Su Wu's vanguard arrived in Suzhou, won two consecutive battles, and the bandits in Xiuzhou then stopped.

Su Wu had met officials of all ranks in Suzhou, and after some persuasion, he naturally met officials from Xiuzhou again.

It was a bit surprising that the people from Huzhou and Suzhou sent them off with cartloads of gifts, which was why Su Wu was willing to pull a few carts.

But in Xiuzhou, only people came, and no rows of bicycle racks were seen.

Su Wu couldn't help feeling a little unhappy, but he just bowed and said, "Thank you all my colleagues from Xiuzhou for coming all the way here. I'm busy with military affairs, so I'll get on the car and leave now!"

But a man stepped forward and said, "I am Li Gang, the governor of Xiuzhou. Thank you General Su and his soldiers for your bravery in keeping Xiuzhou safe!"

Su Wu was stunned, and asked, "What's your name, sir?"

"Ah? I'm Li Gang!"

Su Wu immediately looked at the man in front of him. He had a thin face, even to the point of his cheeks being a little sunken. He was actually not very old, probably in his thirties or forties, probably under forty. He looked a little frail, but there was a bit of toughness in his brows and eyes.

"Mr. Li, is there anyone with the same name in the court?" Su Wu asked in confusion.

Li Gang was also stunned when he heard this, and he also thought to himself, which Li Gang is there? In the officialdom, it seems that I have never heard of anyone named Li Gang?
"General Su, it seems that you have never heard of it. I wonder why General Su is asking this?" Li Gang was also puzzled.

"That must be you. I only heard..." Su Wu made up a story, paused, and then continued: "In the past, I only heard that there was a censor named Li Gang, who was upright and upright and hated evil. It must be you!"

Li Gang laughed when he heard this: "I used to be a supervisory censor and also a palace attendant censor in the past."

"Then why is Mr. Li here again?" Su Wu also asked.

Li Gang smiled awkwardly, not knowing where to start, mainly because it was difficult to say, so he said: "As an imperial censor, I often say the wrong things..."

In fact, it was not the case. Li Gang criticized the emperor Zhao Ji, saying that Zhao Ji only knew how to enjoy himself, did not care about the suffering of the people, and his administration was not clear...

Isn't this bad luck? I was sent to Fujian, to Sha County to eat duck leg rice. Of course, this is a joke. I was sent to Sha County, Fujian to be a small tax officer, responsible for collecting taxes.

Not long after he traveled thousands of miles to Sha County and the taxes had not been collected for a few days, the court made trouble for him again and sent him to Xiuzhou to be the prefect. When he arrived in Xiuzhou, he encountered this incident.

Su Wu didn't know this, so he didn't ask, so he just continued, "Prime Minister Li is a loyal minister of the country and a role model for censors!"

"I dare not, I dare not..." He was really embarrassed by Li Gang's praise.

Although Su Wu didn't know that Li Gang was in trouble for criticizing the emperor, how could Su Wu not have heard of Li Gang's great name?

The Song Dynasty has few backbones now, and Li Gang is one of them. He is even Zong Ze, whom he promoted at a critical moment.

He was even the leader of the pro-war faction in the Song Dynasty for a long time, and he was really determined to kill everyone.

Even when the Jin army besieged Bianliang for the first time and the entire court was fleeing and shirking responsibility, he was appointed to take command of the army in Dongjing, be responsible for the city's defense, bravely fight against the Jin army, and defend the city of Dongjing.

It’s a pity that in the end, he was still outnumbered and was slowly squeezed out of the center of power.

Su Wu was pleasantly surprised to meet Li Gang, the governor of Xiuzhou. He looked Li Gang up and down and said, "A man like Li Xianggong, who dares to speak out and make remonstrances, is a model for censors. He should return to Tokyo!"

Li Gang waved his hands awkwardly: "Alas... I'm afraid I can't go back!"

Su Wu thought about it and concluded that he must be able to go back, otherwise how could Li Gang be given the task when the Jin soldiers first surrounded Tokyo?
Then he said, "Don't worry, Mr. Li, I will return to Beijing one day!"

Li Gang smiled and said, "Thank you, General Su, for your kind words!"

"I'm leaving. See you in Tokyo someday." Su Wu bowed and turned to leave. Su Wu was not angry because Li Gang did not bring any money.

I just arrived in Xiuzhou not long ago, so I guess there really isn't any...

It was Su Wu riding a horse to drive the carriage...

The people around Li Gang also said, "Oh... Sir, I thought that we came here empty-handed, which would bring bad luck. Minister Tong Shu would be angry, and General Su would be angry. But I didn't expect that General Su would be so polite..."

Li Gang said, "I said before that General Su is such a brave and courageous person who leads by example. He must be a straightforward person and a righteous person. What do you think?"

"The governor still knows people!"

Li Gang looked at Su Wu's back and said, "Such a person should not care about trivial matters. It is true. I really like such a good soldier..."

"He won't really ask that Tong Shumi to handle this matter, right?"

Li Gang asked, "What's the matter?"

"Husband, didn't he just say that he wanted to see me again in Tokyo..."

Li Gang frowned slightly and waved his hand: "Don't take it seriously, it's just a casual remark."

"Since the lord said that he was a righteous and straightforward person, and the soldiers also said that he was very righteous, since he said so, what if Xu Zhen did it?"

Li Gang was speechless for a moment, and just watched Su Wu's back disappear into the distance...

……

As soon as he was about to leave Suzhou again, Su Wu rode his horse to catch the carriage.

Inside the carriage, Tong Guan suddenly came to ask, "Just now outside Suzhou City, I remembered something. Zhu Zhen's death was strange. I heard that the bandits who killed Zhu Zhen sailed out to sea?"

Su Wu nodded and replied: "The people who killed Zhu Jie were pirates from Taihu Lake. They did not want to be bandits, nor did they want to surrender to the government. So they killed Zhu Jie and fled to the sea..."

Tong Guan nodded: "That is an unsolved case..."

"Yes, even if I want to catch him, I don't know where to catch him." Su Wu seemed to be chatting casually. He was not panicked at all. He just lowered his head and continued to read the documents.

"Alas... that is to say, human fate is unpredictable..." Tong Guan sighed for some reason.

Su Wu looked up at Tong Guan, said nothing, and lowered his head to continue working.

Tong Guan seemed to be really lost in thought. He looked out the window and did not come back to his senses for a long time.

After an unknown amount of time, Tong Guan suddenly asked again: "Ziqing, what do you think...if we lose the war between Song and Liao, what will happen to me?"

Su Wu frowned slightly. How to answer this question?
"It's okay, just talk casually..." Tong Guan waved his hand gently.

"If we lose, the consequences will be disastrous!" Su Wu replied.

"Hmm? Tell me in detail..." Tong Guan seemed to really want to hear it.

Su Wu said bluntly: "Now, the powerful armies of Liao are all fighting the Jurchens in the north. If our army goes north, the Liao people will certainly respond hastily, and they will be attacked from both sides. If we lose even in this way, the military prestige of the Song Dynasty will be completely destroyed. The Jurchens are now winning one victory after another. The Jurchens are nomadic, fishing and hunting, and they are also tigers and wolves. If they know that you are weak and rich, they will become tigers and wolves. That small alliance will not be able to restrain anyone. If Liao is destroyed, it won't take long for the Jurchens to go south to start a war. If Liao is not destroyed, and it really survives, they will come back and take revenge!"

Tong Guan frowned deeply and was speechless for a moment.

Su Wu added: "So, we must not lose. If we lose, we will have to fight endlessly! Even if we win, we will have to fight against the Jurchens in the future..."

Tong Guan was a little surprised, so he asked, "Why?"

"A new country that rose up with bravery and military power, inherited the legacy of Liao, is strong in military power and has a vast territory. Its ambition is hard to suppress. If it does not determine the superiority in the battlefield, there will be no peace."

Su Wu understood this truth deeply.

Tong Guan also nodded and said, "That makes sense. Just like the Song and Liao dynasties in the past, they fought for so many years, and only when they reached the Treaty of Chanyuan, where neither side could do anything to the other, did they stop fighting and enjoy a century of peace."

"Yes, either we have to decide who is better, or no one can do anything to anyone else," said Su Wu.

"At first I thought that this war should not be started easily, but now after listening to Ziqing's words, I know that this war has to be started, whether it is started or not..."

Tong Guan thought of this level.

How could an emerging great power, or a group of brave men emerging from the mountains and forests, who rely on war for their gains, not challenge the order of the world?
Su Wu had actually thought about this problem a long time ago, and he only said: "Therefore, Yanyun must be taken in our hands. Only in this way can we have the defense line of Yanshan. Even if we go to war with the Jurchens again, it is better to have this defense line than to have a flat land in the Central Plains."

Su Wu had never thought about it before, but now he has to think about it. Starting a war between Song and Liao is actually an excellent plan both strategically and tactically.

This strategy is correct. This has always been the strategy for resisting northern ethnic groups, from the Han and Tang Dynasties to the Ming Dynasty.

The Yanshan Mountains are the barrier of the Central Plains in the north. It is where future generations will go to see the Great Wall when they go to Beijing. Only with Yanyun in hand can this line of defense be established.

Moreover, it can attack when advancing and defend when retreating, just like the Shanhaiguan of the Ming Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty could not cross it no matter what. It could only wait until Li Zicheng forced Chongzhen to commit suicide on Coal Hill, and Wu Sangui took the initiative to open Shanhaiguan.

It’s just that Song is too inexperienced. No matter how right the strategy is, if the execution is a mess, what’s the point of the strategy?
Tong Guan also responded: "Yes, we must take the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun in our hands. Only in this way can we maintain peace in the Central Plains. Otherwise, it will be like the fierce battle between Song and Liao in the past."

Su Wu looked at Tong Guan and knew the difficulty in his heart, so he encouraged him and said, "Prime Minister, rest assured that the attack on Liao will be victorious, and Yanyun will definitely be in our hands!"

Tong Guan also looked at Su Wu, and after hearing these words, he felt relieved: "I am very relieved to hear your words."

Su Wu also asked a question: "Prime Minister, has the Prime Minister ever known Li Gang, the governor of Xiuzhou?"

Tong Guan nodded: "Yes, the Supervisory Censor, the Imperial Censor in the Palace, a well-known person among the censors."

"Why was he demoted?" Su Wu asked again.

It was also a casual chat, Tong Guan told Li Gang's story of criticizing the emperor. He also gave more details, Li Gang not only criticized the emperor, but also criticized the court for its poor disaster relief, the government and officials for dereliction of duty. At that time, Cai Jing was the prime minister, and Cai Jing was the one who actually drove Li Gang to Sha County, Fujian to eat duck leg rice...

Su Wu finally understood the situation and couldn't help but respect Li Gang even more, so he said: "This man is really a..."

Su Wu paused, and wanted to say that he was extremely loyal, but he changed his words: "This man is truly an upright person."

Tong Guan waved his hand and said, "The two courts of censorship, the imperial censors, have been gaining reputations by being honest since ancient times..."

It's not wrong to think so...

Su Wu asked again: "Prime Minister, are these people useful?"

Tong Guan turned around and asked: "Where do you want to use it?" "For patrolling the border!" Su Wu replied.

Tong Guan is thinking...

Su Wu continued, "Since this man dares to speak, let him speak. Words are sharp weapons. He has a grudge against Grand Tutor Cai. If I go to Hebei with him, I will..."

Tong Guan nodded: "Good plan!"

Su Wu chuckled: "Sometimes, a direct name is the most useful."

"Then use him. He has extensive connections among the censors, and many of them highly respect him." Tong Guan couldn't help but laugh.

However, Tong Guan said, "I am the Privy Councilor. This is a matter of the imperial court and also involves the censors. If we really want to bring him back, it will not be easy to do."

Su Wu said: "Prime Minister Wang Fu will be happy to see it come to fruition!"

"Hmm?" Tong Guan's eyes lit up, and he looked at Su Wu again and said, "Ziqing is a great talent!"

"It's all because of what I've seen and heard around the Prime Minister that I've made some progress!" Su Wu said modestly.

Tong Guan waved his hands and smiled: "The longer you stay with me, the more I think you are surprisingly smart. In the future, your future is really limitless! Lord Wang will definitely be happy to see this happen. I just need to talk to him about it."

Tong Guan warned Su Wu again: "You should not bring trouble upon yourself. People like Li Gang are known for their honesty, but they don't care about their relatives. If you give him a handle, it will be very difficult for you to get out of trouble."

"Don't worry, Prime Minister. I am best at dealing with people like this." Su Wu was not bragging. He liked gentlemen and knew how to deal with them.

Whether it was Zong Ze or Zhang Shuye, Su Wu knew them all, and the same was true for Li Gang.

"What you save is..." Tong Guan nodded and looked out the window, obviously still full of thoughts.

Tong Guan was probably lost in thought, and suddenly asked, "Where is ahead? Where are we going to cross the river?"

"Reporting to the Prime Minister, the front is heading towards Changzhou, the Prime Minister will go to Runzhou to cross the river, and I will go to Jiangning, and Chief Steward Liu and Chief Steward Wang will cross the river from Jiangning. This way, there will be no delay." Su Wu replied.

"Oh, Runzhou, Runzhou is Zhenjiang?" Tong Guan asked casually.

"Yes, it's Runzhou Zhenjiangkou! It's the important place for large ships to enter the south of the Yangtze River." Su Wu also answered casually.

Tong Guan looked out the window, nodded slightly, and muttered: "I know, I know... Li Gang also knew Runzhou in the past..."

It's really a casual talk...

The carriage was shaking, but Su Wu was still bent over his desk, reading and writing, and walked slowly along the way. Officials from Changzhou were also waiting at the intersection, so they couldn't help but pull him along a bit.

In fact, there are benefits to pulling and pushing. Whether it is Suzhou, Huzhou or Changzhou, the people who pulled and pushed the people have gained a lot, except for Li Gang of Xiuzhou, who is poor and destitute.

Go further and enter Runzhou.

The governor of Runzhou naturally greeted and saw him off at important points on the official road, and there were quite a few carriages.

Tong Guan, Tan Zhen and others all crossed the river at Runzhou.

Su Wu went west to Jiangning Prefecture, which is also the central place of Jiangnan, a key node of the Yangtze River waterway, the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties, and the magnificent scenery of the Qinhuai River. Needless to say, it is the place where the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties is located.

Most of the Western Army crossed the river from here. Su Wu was not in a hurry to cross the river, but looked around along the way. Firstly, Su Wu was conscientious and responsible in his work, and secondly, he was actually checking the work to see how Cheng Hao had arranged it.

There was not much trouble. Everything was orderly along the river bank, with large and small ferries and boats, so crossing the river was smooth.

Jiangning Prefecture and Jingkou are also prosperous and bustling.

Su Wu and a group of Western Army generals also had a banquet. Cheng Hao was also here. The army crossed the river along the line from Jiangning Prefecture to Runzhou. This was the last stop and it was time to hand in the paper.

This banquet was inevitably arranged by Cheng Hao, who also put in a lot of effort. Not to mention the food and wine, there were also kabuki and music.

Su Wu sat down and greeted the generals first. He wanted to praise Cheng Hao, but he didn't praise him directly. He just asked his attendants: "General Manager Liu, General Manager Wang, General Manager Yao... Everyone, did your journey go smoothly?"

Liu Yanqing himself said: "Well, it was smooth sailing. Everything was fine along the way, and the arrangements were well made. Even the crossing of the river was orderly."

Su Wu asked further: "Are you worried that such a large army will cause chaos?"

Wang Yuan also laughed: "It's well arranged, there's no way anything could go wrong..."

Su Wu then said, "It seems that Editor Cheng is doing a good job."

Liu Yanqing looked around and asked, "General, are you saying that Editor Cheng was in charge of this whole trip?"

"Yes, especially for the crossing of the river. I didn't worry about it at all. Editor Cheng did it all by himself, so I was worried. From Runzhou, I saw that everything went smoothly. Not bad, not bad!"

Su Wu kept talking and also looked at Cheng Hao.

Cheng Hao also stepped forward and saluted: "You all fought in the battlefield, I just did a small thing, I dare not take credit for it."

Everyone laughed, as long as it was good wine, good food, good music and good dance, the editor would do the job.

But Su Wu suddenly said: "Perhaps you don't know..."

"What don't you know?" Liu Yanqing asked.

"You may not know that Editor Cheng is actually the brother of my fiancée!" Su Wu smiled and was about to introduce Cheng Hao to everyone.

It was also during this process that Su Wu began to recognize Cheng Hao's work.

Liu Yanqing laughed loudly when he heard this, spilling half of his glass of wine, and said, "General Su, how do you know that we don't know about this?"

"Ah?" Su Wu looked around and saw that everyone was laughing. So everyone must have known about it, right?

Awkward……

How did they know this?
Cheng Hao also blushed, and just bowed: "I am a junior, thank you for your respect!"

Wang Yuan came to explain: "General Su, how could you not know? There are tens of thousands of troops coming to the capital, from the Privy Council, the Palace Guard, the generals, the marquises, how could no one know about it?"

"That's right..." Su Wu nodded and raised his cup: "One toast to you all!"

After drinking one cup, Su Wu said, "My brother-in-law has just entered the government. I am afraid he cannot do his job well. Please bear with me."

Liu Yanqing smiled and said, "General, you have seen it all along the way. You have done a really good job. In the future, you can bring him with you to the army to take care of the logistics for us. How about that?"

Liu Yanqing learned about the affairs of Liao and Song from Su Wu, and what he said afterwards was self-explanatory.

Su Wu chuckled: "I just hope you guys will show some respect."

Cheng Hao is a civil servant who has been granted imperial favor. If he wants to make a name for himself in the Privy Council, he must rely on the support of his superiors. However, Su Wu wants to train Cheng Hao in another direction, that is, to make him really capable of getting things done.

Although Cheng Hao doesn't necessarily have to do anything big, he must have a role that can be used and speak at the critical moment.

Liu Yanqing waved his hand and said, "We are brothers, so we shouldn't say such things."

Upon hearing this, Su Wu called Cheng Hao, and the two of them raised their glasses and toasted everyone again.

How could it not be a joyful occasion?

But over there, Su Wu suddenly found that Han Shizhong was a little absent-minded, and his eyes seemed to be attracted by something.

Su Wu followed Han Shizhong's gaze and saw that hey, he was looking at a woman!

Su Wu also looked at the woman. She was tall and strong, and she was not bad looking either.

Just look at what that girl is doing?

The sword dance is performed on a suspended rope in the yard outside the house, where one walks on the rope while dancing with the sword.

Su Wu was stunned for a moment, it was truly amazing.

As soon as Su Wu looked, everyone's eyes turned to look at her. Everyone in the audience was silent, all of them looking at the woman's superb skills.

Su Wu glanced at Cheng Hao and said, "I will arrange it! This show is not easy to watch."

As soon as the sword dance was over, Su Wu waved his hand and said, "Reward!"

Cheng Hao went out to admire the woman. The woman put away her sword and sat down in front of the zither, playing it a few times. She had good skills and could even sing.

However, everyone in the room praised it a few times and then began to liven up the atmosphere again, with cups and glasses being passed around.

But looking at Han Shizhong, he was still in a daze for a while. Although he drank, he did it perfunctorily, and his eyes were only on the yard outside the house.

Su Wu just laughed, this matter was as simple as it could be.

As soon as the song was over, Su Wu raised his hand and said, "Let her come in and talk."

Someone went to call her, and a moment later the girl came in, bowed, and then bowed her head: "Greetings to the generals!"

Su Wu asked, "What's your name? Where are you from? What's your background? How did you become so skilled in both literature and martial arts?"

There is no need to say much about what Su Wu is going to do.

"My surname is Liang, my nickname is Hongyu, my grandfather and father are both military commanders stationed near Hangzhou... I have learned literature and martial arts since I was young, I can ride a horse, wield a sword and a spear, and draw a hard bow... I can also understand the rhythm of ...

The woman spoke slowly, talking about sad things, but she didn't cry, nor did she appear weak and pathetic.

When Su Wu heard this, he was shocked. It turned out to be her!

This girl is no simple matter. In history, she should be Han Shizhong's. Not only that, this girl is a heroine who can play the piano and sing, can take up arms in battle, and can draw a strong bow. Once she met Han Shizhong, she followed her husband and served in the army ever since.

When Han Shizhong killed the enemy, she beat the drum; when Han Shizhong fought hard, she followed him!
Su Wu had no more words to say: "Cheng Bianxiu, go to the Jingkou government office and redeem my bond!"

As soon as Su Wu said this, Han Shizhong felt a chill in his heart.

But Su Wu turned around and looked at Han Shizhong: "Brother Liangchen..."

"Here!" Han Shizhong stood up quickly.

"Hmm..." Su Wu was embarrassed again. The two of them should have had some more conversation, but as their emotions fermented, Su Wu pushed the matter to its end...

You can't just tell Han Shizhong that it's for you, right? That's not a good idea. But Su Wu really wanted to do this, and the significance of doing this is self-evident.

Su Wu thought quickly: "This woman is different from others. I have redeemed her. You can take her with you in the army and send her all the way to the capital. Let's see if she is lying, whether she can ride a horse and hold a spear, and whether she can shoot a hard bow."

"Oh, OK!" Han Shizhong answered in a daze, but he was very happy in his heart, but he still looked normal on the surface.

"Well, let's drink, drink, keep drinking!" Su Wu said, and let the matter be dealt with first. Anyway, after crossing the river, Su Wu would leave the Western Army and there would be a lot of time on the way, which was enough for the two of them to slowly exchange their emotions.

(Brothers, kiss again!)

(End of this chapter)