Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 274 I'm going to fight a war, I'm going to kill the Song people!

As dawn breaks in the east, shepherds set off under cover of darkness, herding sheep to exchange for many things...

Cloth, salt, tea cakes, and grain are necessities. If there is any money left over, you can buy other things, such as a small iron knife, an iron kettle, or a few nicer bowls and plates...

If there's any money left, buy a small gift for the child and a small trinket for your wife...

Of course, these were traded with merchants, and also with herders from other tribes for breeding sheep and horses. This was a necessary thing to do. If the breeds weren't changed frequently, the sheep and horses would easily get sick and become unhealthy. The elders all said that the more distant the breeds, the better...

Groups of herdsmen were gathering in Wangting Town from all directions. The earlier they arrived, the better the goods they could get; if they arrived late, they would only get what was left over...

Horses pulled the cart, strong young men tended their flocks of sheep, and happy children sat in the cart with the old man, chatting and laughing. The children were happy too, because it was their first time in a market. The grandfather was telling them all sorts of interesting things about the market, including a kind of maltose candy that the Song people said was made from wheat and was very, very sweet. He said they would buy some to try when they got to the market…

"Look, we're almost there, Wangting Town is just ahead! You can see it..." The old man pointed to the not-so-small town under the golden morning glow.

They arrived a little late because their family had far more sheep than the average family, so they had more time to prepare and their journey was slower...

The child immediately stood up and looked into the distance. He seemed to see it, but he couldn't see it clearly either. He pointed with a puzzled expression and asked, "Is that it?"

A young man riding a horse nearby chuckled, "We're almost there, almost there. When you grow up, your father will be old. From now on, you'll be the one herding the sheep to this town..."

When children are six or seven years old, they understand and hear many things. The stories of the world are probably passed down from this age, generation after generation.

The child said, "Father, I don't like herding sheep..."

"So what do you like?" the father asked with a smile.

"I like listening to Grandpa tell stories about wars. Grandpa is amazing, he's so good at fighting. Why doesn't Father go to war?" The child was a little confused, but he really had a preference. War stories were more attractive than stories about herding sheep.

The young, strong man laughed: "Our eldest uncle went to fight in the war, so I don't have to go. If someone's fighting, someone has to herd the sheep..."

“When I grow up, I’ll go to war and let my sister herd sheep… Grandpa said that the reason our family has more sheep than other families is because he earned them by fighting when he was young. If I go to war, our family will have more and more sheep…” the child answered.

The old man patted his grandson's head: "Haha... My grandson is a warrior! But if your father only has you as his son, then you can't go to war. Let your father have more children and have more sons!"

"Okay, Father, if you have more children, I will be a warrior! Warriors are good!" The child said stubbornly.

The young man smiled bitterly, looking at his old father's bitter smile. It wasn't that he didn't want to have more children, but this matter also depended on fate. He understood his father's meaning.

The sheep in front had wandered off again, so the man spurred his horse forward to gather them together.

The grandfather and grandson were still talking when the grandson asked, "Grandpa, how are wars fought?"

“Being a warrior isn’t so easy; it involves killing people. You’re still young…” Grandpa replied with a smile, inevitably recalling his own glorious youth.

"Murder? Who to kill?" The world of children is always full of curiosity.

"Kill the Song people..."

"Where did the Song people come from? Are they far from Wangting Town?"

"It's far away for you, you're still young. But when you grow up, it won't seem so far..." The old man's words always reveal some simple and profound philosophy about life.

"Then I want to grow up quickly, so I can go to war and kill the Song people!" The child's words were resolute and full of anticipation.

Suddenly, the flock of sheep became increasingly disorderly, and despite the strong young man's constant urging and shouting, he still couldn't bring them back together...

The strong young men grew increasingly impatient, urging the sheep back and forth on horseback, and even began swearing. For an experienced shepherd, sheep are usually easy to control, but today, for some reason, the sheep seemed to be startled.

The old man, who was happily playing with his grandchildren, also noticed something was amiss. He turned around and looked around, wondering if wolves had appeared nearby. This was, of course, an experience common to shepherds.

After looking at it several times, the old man felt a low buzzing sound in his ears.

It's not clear; it's like a torrent rushing through the mountains, or a flock of sheep running wildly after being startled by wolves, or even a herd of horses galloping...

Is it a horse?
The old man frowned and straightened up slightly to look. Was it a horse? He called out, "Son, don't rush, go ahead and intercept the lead sheep, stop for a moment..."

The man riding the horse was still cursing: "These beasts have gone mad today!"

The man turned around and replied, "Understood, I'll go intercept them right away."

The buzzing sound grew clearer and clearer. The men riding horses and herding sheep, the strong young men standing on the stirrups and gazing into the distance, could see nothing...

The man shouted, "Father, what's going on?"

The old man frowned repeatedly, then replied, "Perhaps there's a herd of horses running somewhere..."

"Horses? His Majesty's cavalry has arrived?" the man asked again. Thinking of horses, the only thing that could be horses was His Majesty's cavalry. He had never actually seen them before, but he knew that his brother was a cavalryman.

The old man replied, "I don't know... You should stop the flock of sheep as soon as possible!"

“Oh…” the man replied.

The child looked curious, even a little excited. As the roaring sound grew clearer, he asked, "Grandpa, is it a war?"

Is there a war?
"It's not a war..." the old man answered, but his heart tightened. Logically speaking, a war wouldn't have reached this place, and the Tangut emperor's cavalry wouldn't have come here either...

"Oh...it's not a war..." the child said, looking somewhat disappointed.

The flock of sheep was truly difficult to control, and the earth seemed to tremble. The old man shouted, "It's a cavalry force! It's cavalry!"

He has the experience of an excellent shepherd and an excellent soldier.

The child's disappointment lessened somewhat, and he quickly asked, "Grandpa, is it a war? Is there a war?"

The old man suddenly stopped answering. With such a roar, the cavalry must have been quite large, and not just any ordinary cavalry. Ordinary cavalry wouldn't gallop so wildly if they were just marching. Horses galloping wildly can't last long.

Then this is...

"Son, hurry, forget the sheep, go quickly, hurry!" the old man kept shouting, and he jumped off the carriage and hurriedly went to untie the horse's bridle!

A large number of cavalry are charging towards us. We don't know where they came from, but that's for sure!
Perhaps they were Liao people? Perhaps... well... Jurchen people? Perhaps... could they even be Song people?

The Song people probably didn't have that kind of courage, nor should they have been able to gather so many cavalry...

Regardless of whose it is, it's best to leave first. Although it hurts to lose the sheep, leaving first is definitely the right thing to do. It would be best if it were a misunderstanding; if it is, we might be able to find the sheep again...

"What?" the man asked.

"Son, come back quickly, hurry up!" The old man untied the bridle with great speed, and after untying the horse, he turned back to hug his grandson.

"Father, let me herd the sheep back first..."

"Come on, come back, let's go..." the old man shouted desperately. Fighting, talking about the glorious years, telling stories, that's certainly interesting, but when it really starts, the old man knows best the cruelty and bloodshed.

"Father, I'll bring the sheep back right away..." The man was clearly reluctant to part with all the hard work he had put in throughout the spring, summer, autumn and winter.

"It's the enemy! The enemy is coming!" The old man picked up his grandson, mounted his horse, and rode forward to find his son and to pull on his son's reins.

The roar had already begun, and the morning glow was still the same, not rising much higher. But at the end of the old man's vision, he could truly see a golden armor draped down from the west.

It's really here!
The old man was even somewhat incredulous. He knew they were coming, but he just couldn't believe it. How could they have come? The Liao and Jurchen were to the east, and that side was to the west…

They were Song people. No matter how unbelievable it was, he knew they were Song people. He knew they were Song people no matter what. Perhaps it was because of the direction they came from, perhaps it was because of the style of their armor and appearance, or perhaps it was just a feeling. Those cavalrymen felt like Song cavalry.

The old man held his grandson, who was sitting in front of him, in one arm and held the reins in the other. He kept squeezing the horse's flanks with his legs, galloping forward, shouting, "Son, no more! Go! Go faster!"

The man at the front was also stunned. He too had seen the golden glow of the sunrise in the west, so he froze. Only when he heard his father's shout did he come to his senses, and he quickly turned his horse around, urging it to go faster...

When the old man saw his son turn around, he quickly reined in his horse and turned around as well...

He could even see the Song cavalry galloping towards him on both flanks, their target not the town itself, but rather the two sides of it, one of which was in his direction…

He could also see that the horse was indeed fast, galloping like an arrow released from a bow.

"Hurry up, hurry up!" the old man urged anxiously. He could see the cavalrymen taking turns riding their horses, and he knew that the horse he was leading was an old one that had been traveling for more than two hours and was actually exhausted.

So he kept patting the horse he was riding...

They're here! The Song cavalry are here! They're here so fast, their bowstrings are already twanging.

The old man shouted, "Son, hurry and take my grandson away! Hurry, hurry!"

"Father, let's go together!" The man at the front called out urgently as he slowed his horse to meet his son.

"You go! I can't go..." The old man was far too experienced, so he had no illusions whatsoever, and even subconsciously knew that his children and grandchildren would hardly escape alive...

How could the man bear to leave his father? He bent down and pulled on his father's reins, determined to walk with him even if it meant being dragged along.

"Go!" the old man cried anxiously, even struggling with his son over the reins.

The bowstring was indeed ringing, very clearly, and the arrows were flying around as if they were right beside us.

"Go!" the old man shouted desperately.

Hearing the whooshing sound, the man seemed to lose some of his courage. Unable to win the struggle, he had no choice but to let go of his father's reins and gallop away, glancing back every now and then.

The old man had a knife at his waist, not a long one, but a short one, which he usually used to butcher sheep and cut meat. Now, as he drew the knife, he seemed to recall the glory days of riding into battle in his youth...

His horse was already circling and turning its head, perhaps to delay for a moment for the sake of his children and grandchildren... or perhaps thinking that killing one wouldn't be a loss...

The light cavalry that roared in, their leather and iron armor gleaming, were Song people, no doubt about it, they were Song people. Why could the Song people send so many cavalry?

The Song man in front seemed to still be smiling and speaking: "Captain, it's actually an old man with white hair! I'll go and stab him!"

The head constable replied, "Yes, you go!"

A lone rider, slightly out of the ranks, approached, a long spear tucked under his arm.

The old man seemed to know how to fight back. Since he had no spear, he should crouch down to dodge the spear, then stand up and get close to stab. He should not stab the iron armor on the chest and abdomen, but the leather armor between the waist and ribs.

Closer and closer, the old man remained valiant, his eyes like a wolf's. In his youth, he had killed many Song soldiers, and today, he would kill another.

Timing, timing is everything, it's all in the blink of an eye. Too early, and the Song cavalry's spear will follow the dodge and stab; too late, and you'll be stabbed squarely. That split second of timing is the most important.

"Good, good, good, now's the time. Bow down and go..." "You still want to hide?" The Song cavalryman actually managed to say something as he thrust.

A long spear pierced straight through, knocking the old man off his horse. The old man rolled on the ground, but the Song rider didn't even turn around to look. There was another rider ahead of him. The main force didn't chase after him, but he went after him himself. The old man was only worth ten strings of cash, but the young and strong man in front was worth twenty-five strings of cash.

The old man who landed felt dizzy and disoriented. He felt no pain, but he was in excruciating pain all over his body. He was in a daze, wondering how he could have been stabbed when he had acted so precisely.

Oh... I'm getting old. My legs and waist aren't as strong and agile as they used to be. My dodging movements are too slow. That Song cavalryman really does seem to have superb skills...

Where is my son? Where is my grandson?
After tumbling and rolling, he finally landed and turned to look east...

What we see is nothing but the downfall of our children and grandchildren.
The Song cavalryman pursued for twenty or thirty paces, but it seemed difficult to catch up. He braced his long spear against the Victory Hook, took out a short bow from his shoulder and abdomen, and, seemingly not being a very skilled archer, fired three arrows in quick succession. Only then did the young man twenty or thirty paces away fall to the ground, struck by the arrows.

The old man cried out, but no sound came out; blood gushed from his mouth and nose, and his eyes were filled with endless sorrow…

He could still see it. He could see the Song cavalrymen reining in their horses and returning, carrying short bows on their backs and long spears in their hands, thrusting them into the ground. They were thrusting into their eldest son, who was a soldier, and their second son, who was a shepherd, and into their dull-witted grandson, the grandson who would grow up to fight and kill the Song people.

There was no ceremony involved. After a few quick thrusts, the Song cavalryman didn't look at them much, spurred his horse and rode off, shouting, "Three, remember that: two old and young, and one young and strong."

Someone else replied, "I've got it, I've got it! Quickly head west and surround this town!"

The old man wasn't dead yet; he could even crawl on the ground, unable to speak, only blood constantly gushing from his mouth and nose...

Perhaps he could still remember his eldest son, who was a cavalryman in Xingqing Prefecture, and he would think about one thing: revenge, he must take revenge!

The town was in complete chaos, with more sheep than people and quite a few horses. The ones entering the town were heavily armored cavalry, their bodies completely covered, looking as if they had come from hell, a sight that would make anyone tremble with fear.

The spears stopped thrusting, and instead, long swords slashed. The sturdy horses stopped galloping, and the armored soldiers entered the town and began to dismount and fight.

It wasn't that no one stepped forward to meet them; there were long swords, long spears, and even crossbows to shoot, but they were truly powerless and had no way to resist.

The town had a considerable population, at least three or four thousand able-bodied men, but they were utterly powerless and unable to withstand the attack.
The town was lined with rows of houses, some yurts, some rammed earth houses. Inside, most of the houses were shops: butcher shops, shops selling cloth, salt, and spices from the Song Dynasty in the south, pawnshops, blacksmiths...

This place may not seem particularly prosperous, and even the houses are made of mud, but the volume of trade here is enormous—legitimate trade, smuggling trade…

The fierce soldiers rushed into a shop, and the people inside immediately knelt down, trembling as they shouted, "Song people! Song people! I am a Song person!"

The soldier in front was genuinely taken aback. He looked him up and down, and judging from his accent, Xu was indeed a Song person.

The soldier hesitated for a moment, but then a man walked up behind him and asked in a deep voice, "What kind of business do you do?"

The Song man was so frightened that he trembled and hurriedly said, "Iron, cloth, tea..."

"Shall we ride horses or not?" the armored soldier asked.

The Song man instinctively replied, "No, no... I never rode a horse..."

The soldier stepped forward, raised his knife, and slashed, cutting the Song man in two with a single blow.

But the soldier turned his head and said, "Those who ride horses can be kept, but the rest will not be kept!"

"By order of Commander Liu!" The soldiers all bowed.

Why can the horsemen be kept? In the trade between the Song Dynasty and the Western Xia, the Song Dynasty did not need anything from the Western Xia, except for some strange items from further west. The Song Dynasty only needed one thing from the Tanguts, and that was horses.

The rest were all things that Western Xia needed from the Song Dynasty, so they were transported from the Song Dynasty to Western Xia. To say that they weren't smuggled would be a joke.

Liu Zhengyan was perfectly clear about these matters: those who aided the enemy should be killed, while those who helped the army should be spared; he could clearly distinguish right from wrong.

Kill, keep killing. Once you get used to it, once you get into the swing of things, your efficiency will increase.

Even the Jingdong Army has become numb from killing...

The light cavalry outside the town had already split into small squads. Countless people had fled from the town, and the light cavalry galloped back and forth, shooting arrows and thrusting spears, killing them one by one until they were all wiped out...

The warm sun is rising, slowly bringing a touch of comfort.

Commander Su Wu's horse slowly entered the town. The soldiers were busy searching for people to kill, slaughtering livestock, gathering horses, and looting valuables.

The most valuable possessions are nothing more than money, cloth, salt...

Iron is not needed, it's too heavy. Salt is also not needed, it's hard to carry. Just bring a little bit to eat. Cloth is needed, cloth is money, and money is even more important.

We need both Western Xia coins and Song coins. In fact, Song coins can be used almost anywhere. They can be used in Western Xia, in Liao, and even in Southeast Asia, the Indian peninsula, Luzon and Java, Central Asia and West Asia, and even in some parts of Europe along the Mediterranean coast.

Needless to say, gold and silver items as well.

They ransacked the place, dug three feet into the ground, and held a knife to his throat!
Some were kowtowing, some were begging for mercy, some were crying out...

This has always been the case in wars, especially in times of chaos...

Su Wu rode slowly past, coming out from the other side of the town's main road. Outside the town, killings were still taking place. Some soldiers were overjoyed, having made a fortune. A cartload of goods yielded over a hundred strings of cash, along with a considerable amount of cloth and valuables.

Some soldiers grumbled and cursed, saying they were poor bastards, their strings of coins worth no more than a hundred or so.

Regardless of the amount, the army must collect and unify all funds, which will then be distributed later. This is military regulation and discipline, and under normal circumstances, there is no need to violate it, because Marshal Su will not treat people unfairly. Moreover, large sums of money cannot be hidden privately, and since they are mostly under the watchful eyes of others, it is even more difficult to conceal them.

If a few individuals do manage to hide something, and the soldiers, who eat and sleep together every day, are discovered, they will be flogged, or even expelled from the army, and will be the subject of gossip and slander for the rest of their lives when they return home...

If you actually managed to hide it and bring it home, well... that's quite an achievement of yours.

The dust has slowly settled...

The exact amount of valuables still needs to be tallied by the officers, but it won't be too much, at most three to five hundred thousand strings of cash and goods. The main problem is that there are too many unwanted items. If all of those are taken, including livestock, it could easily amount to one or two million strings of cash.

Oh, not counting the horses, there are more than two thousand horses. After three battles, in total, there are more than eight thousand horses. Some of them are old and weak. In any case, they can carry things, so there is no need for carts.

Su Shuai said the bike is too slow, dragging down the journey, and it keeps breaking down and needing repairs. No way...

Get rid of everything you don't need.

Coach Su also said, "Let's quickly set up the stove and have a hot meal here..."

You can even take a nap here...

Everyone was working enthusiastically, feeding the horses as much fodder as possible until they were full, and even providing them with salt to lick.

Fan Yun, lead a group of men to ambush the Dangxiang cavalry.

They tidied up a nice room for Su Shuai to rest in. The smell of blood was still there, but hot mutton soup was served, and finally, there were vegetables and fruits too…

Others might not have gotten much to eat, but Su Wu did.

Inside and outside the house, and even outside the door, sat countless soldiers.

Han Shizhong brought over the mutton soup, chuckling as he handed it to Liang Hongyu. Liang Hongyu's eyes were somewhat vacant, perhaps from exhaustion, or perhaps...

Logically speaking, she must have witnessed the devastation caused by bandits in Jiangnan...

But how can the devastation there compare to that here?
Just as Liang Hongyu took the mutton soup and the flatbread, Han Shizhong suddenly pulled something out of his pocket, wrapped in cloth, and slowly unwrapped it, saying with a smile, "Here you go, my husband told me to bring this to you..."

It was a handful of red dates. Liang Hongyu smiled slightly, took a few, and left a few behind, saying, "You eat some too..."

Han Shizhong chuckled and, without any pretense, picked one up and ate it: "Sweet!"

Liang Hongyu didn't eat first. Holding seven or eight pieces in her hand, she looked around and then got up to distribute them to both sides, saying, "Eat them all, eat them all..."

This made Han Shizhong feel embarrassed, so he got up and divided the grains among himself. There were only a dozen or twenty in total, and after dividing them, there wasn't much left...

"Eat your fill, get a good night's sleep, and then head north," Han Shizhong muttered, before wolfing down his food.

Liang Hongyu nodded. Perhaps she had many feelings or thoughts in her heart, but she knew she shouldn't say them, nor did she need to...

Inside the house, the gentleman was saying, "The scouts need to go further, eastward. We must be on guard. The enemy from the east, around Datong, is probably heading west."

Who was the scout? It was none other than Yan Qing, who nodded: "Yes, sir!"

Liu Guangshi also asked, "Husband, how long shall we sleep?"

"Sleep for three hours!" Su Wu said without hesitation, then added, "After you've slept, have a good hot meal!"

"Alright..." All the generals nodded.

Su Wu continued, “Tell the men that in the past few days, apart from the rewards for military merit, everyone will receive ten strings of cash! Also tell them that it is all recorded, and regardless of life or death, they will receive the money as soon as they return, without missing a single penny. I also hope that the men will continue their efforts. This time, just be brave and courageous, and there will be plenty of rewards to come. When you return home, you will all be rich! I want every word I say to be clearly conveyed!”

"Order!"

Seven hundred miles to the west, on the other side of the Mu Us Desert, by the Yellow River, at the foot of the Helan Mountains, in Xingqing Prefecture.

There were no court assemblies; the two brothers sat facing each other within the imperial city.

King Li Qianshun asked anxiously, "What's going on? How come the Song army has so many cavalry? How dare they venture so deep into the pastoral areas alone?"

Richard frowned repeatedly. In front of his brother, he didn't pretend anything and said, "I really didn't expect this. It has really ruined my grand plan!"

Even if he had heard the report earlier, he certainly wouldn't have said these words. When he told others earlier, he only said it was nothing, nothing at all, a small matter...

Li Qianshun immediately asked, "What should we do?"

Richard was pondering this for a while when he said, “Your Majesty, do not worry. This is a plan devised by the Song people. I have never heard of this Su Wu before, but he is indeed a troublesome person. Now, the Song army is gathered at the border, setting up camp and preparing provisions. Why? They are waiting in comfort for the enemy to tire themselves out. They want our army to go south and want us to meet them, but they will not fall for our plan.”

"And what about the east? Those Song cavalry are probably about to reach the edge of the desert," Li Qianshun asked again.

"Your Majesty, he's trying to lure us into dividing our forces to fight. We can't fall for his trap!" Richard was indeed quick to react. He was a veteran general with countless achievements on the battlefield, and he was incomparable to others.

"What should we do then? We can't just watch them wreak havoc in the southern desert. If we do nothing, they might even bypass the desert and go south to the Hetao region..."

Richard shook his head: "They probably don't dare to go north around the desert, because then they really wouldn't be able to get back. They're thinking of going north and west, planning to reach Yinzhou and Datong, thinking about their escape route..."

"We must stop them! We cannot let them run rampant like this!" King Li Ganshun gritted his teeth.

Richard nodded: "It's alright. Let Li Liangfu withdraw his troops from Datong and go to the west to block them. We'll see that the Song army is isolated and doesn't dare to fight. Song soldiers and generals have always been cowardly. In large-scale field battles, when have our Tanguts ever been defeated? The more isolated an army is, the more anxious they become. The road ahead is long and there is no way back. This Song army is just bullying the weak and fearing the strong. Just have Li Liangfu turn back from Datong and drive them away like stray dogs!"

(Brothers, it seems like we're getting more monthly votes, thanks everyone!)
(End of this chapter)