Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 360 Your Majesty, it's done! It's really done!
The petition caused another noisy commotion outside the Donghua Gate. This time, even more people came, with scholars and students making up only a small portion of the crowd; the majority were ordinary citizens from the capital city of Tokyo.

Although not everyone necessarily approves of Su Wu's act of defying the imperial decree at this time, those who do approve are all filled with righteous indignation.

The air was filled with deafening curses, and the curses were directed not at the emperor, but at the traitor Wang Fu.

Wang Fu's reputation was truly terrible, and it had never been good. In the past, it was because Cai Jing suppressed him, and suppressing political enemies naturally started with damaging their reputations. Wang Fu himself had been promoted eight ranks ahead of schedule, which must have aroused a lot of envy, jealousy, and hatred...

Later, Wang Fu's embezzlement became a common topic of conversation in Bianjing.

Later, when the Jurchens besieged the city, Wang Fu immediately fled with his family, even faster than the emperor. When the new emperor ascended the throne, how could those with ulterior motives not make a big deal out of it?

Now, Wang Fu still enjoys the emperor's favor, and regardless of the circumstances, he is the biggest scapegoat.

Today's events have drawn everyone's ire towards Wang Fu.

This petition wasn't due to Chen Dong's extensive networking; rather, it was because when Chen Dong and his group began gathering at Donghua Gate, the people along the way spontaneously followed, and the number of people gathering grew larger and larger.

At first, their calls were things like "punish the traitors, open up channels for free speech, and destroy the Jurchens."

Before long, the cry was reduced to a single phrase: "Execute the traitors of the state!"

The crowd was shouting in anger.

What kind of "On the Superior State" is this? How can it possibly convince people's hearts?
Qin Hui was summoned back to handle the matter. Originally, Qin Hui was about to leave to go to the Northwest to supervise the work. Wang Fu had already left, but Qin Hui was still temporarily called back to deal with the matter.

Even Cheng Wanli was outside the imperial city gates dealing with this matter. Once public opinion was stirred up, how could it be easily quelled...?

More and more people gathered, and not all of them were there to sympathize with Su Wu; many were simply there to watch the spectacle. The Donghua Gate was no longer enough to hold them all, and a crowd had also gathered outside the Zuoye Gate…

Some people went to Jinglong Gate in the north because it was closest to the emperor's palace and would be the most likely to disturb him.

Did Cheng Wanli and Qin Hui really think they could easily resolve this matter?

Obviously, that's impossible. All we can do is try to persuade them patiently, but there are too many people, making even conversation difficult, and things just get noisy...

As night fell and many people went home, the number of people gradually decreased...

But people like Chen Dong still haven't dispersed...

People were tired and needed to eat and drink. As night deepened, fewer and fewer people remained. Many scholars, fearing that the Imperial City Guard would come and drive them away again, dispersed and agreed to return the next day.

The emperor in the imperial city finally calmed down, though he was still angry. After thinking it over, he said in one sentence: "Tomorrow, dispatch soldiers from the Palace Guard and the Imperial City Guard to impose martial law around the imperial city. Starting tomorrow night, a curfew will be imposed on the city of Tokyo. No one shall be allowed on the streets at night!"

This was also a way to solve the problem once and for all, just as Qin Hui had said: "Your Majesty, rest assured, we students are merely ignorant and incompetent in state affairs, and the troublemakers are just joining in the fun. In a few days, this matter will simply fade away without a trace..."

That makes sense; everything is like that—time passes, and everything settles down.

The emperor was already angry, so he just glanced at Qin Hui.

Qin Hui repeatedly pleaded guilty: "It is my fault, my great fault. I will certainly atone for my crime by performing meritorious service!"

The Emperor waved his hand and said, "Tomorrow you must go to Huanqing and Fuyan immediately. The matter in the Northwest must not go wrong!"

Qin Hui breathed a sigh of relief and bowed repeatedly.

The night was truly deep; the night in Linhuang Prefecture was just as deep as the night in Kaifeng Prefecture.

Outside Linhuang Mansion, on a mountain ridge to the southeast, Su Wu once again personally climbed an inconspicuous hilltop to go and wait.

In the distant Jin army camp of 100,000 men, a young Khitan nobleman named Saba was on guard duty on the second floor outside the central command tent, serving as an outer perimeter sentry. It was his turn to be on duty today.

Inside the central command tent, the lights were on, and figures came and went from time to time. Many people were discussing matters inside, but Saba couldn't hear anything...

He simply stood upright and performed his duties meticulously.

There seemed to be some arguing or debate coming from inside the tent.

It was Wanyan Zonghan who said, "Brother, the imperial edict from the Song emperor ordering the retreat should have arrived by now, but the Song army hasn't moved an inch. Could it be that Xi Yin's plan has failed?"

Wanyan Zongwang was also frowning. The atmosphere in the army was becoming increasingly agitated. This stalemate was truly unbearable, and it seemed to have no end in sight...

In the past, when the Jurchens fought, they had never experienced such frustration. When had they ever faced such a test of their character?
It was Wanyan Zonghan who said, "If all else fails, then let's fight! I will be the vanguard and fight to the death!"

Wanyan Zonghan was the most anxious, for many reasons, one of which was that he had suffered a defeat and was now unable to lift his head. He was eager to win back the victory, and his fighting spirit was already stirring within him.

He still had words to say: "Brother! Brother! We can't lose!"

Wanyan Zongwang still frowned. He knew that if all else failed, there would be no other option but to fight to the death.

Wanyan Zonghan continued, "Brother, if this drags on any longer, those Khitans, Xis, and Hans... I'm afraid they'll really think that our Great Jurchens are now afraid of the Song people..."

This makes sense. The Jurchens were few in number, but had many more servants and vassals. To suppress these servants and vassals, the Jurchens needed to remain strong. This strength was both a practical matter and a psychological one.

Sometimes, the psychological aspect is even more important than the practical aspect, and this principle will never change.

The troubles faced by the Jurchens were different from those of Su Wu, but in many ways more complex.

Wanyan Zongwang did not answer Wanyan Zonghan's question, but simply said, "Summon Yelü Yudu here!"

Clearly, Wanyan Zongwang had taken Wanyan Zonghan's words to heart and wanted to bring Yelü Yudu in to give him a warning and to test him further. This was something that had to be done periodically to maintain internal stability, and it was especially important to do it now.

Someone went outside the main tent to relay the order: "Someone, go and summon Yelü Yudu!"

The Jurchen guards outside the gate also went out to call Yelü Yudu.

After walking for a while, the Jurchen soldier may have become a little lax, or he may have been feeling really frustrated lately, or he may just be giving orders casually in the meantime.

As soon as he reached the outer guard post, he stopped and said to his left and right, "Someone, go and summon Yelü Yudu to the main tent!"

This was the simplest of words, a phrase we hear all the time. Especially upon hearing the name Yelü Yudu, Saba's heart pounded wildly, and he subconsciously took a step forward: "Yes, sir!"

It was rather strange, because Saba wasn't the person closest to the Jurchen warrior, yet he was the first to step forward and receive the order.

The Jurchen warrior glanced at Saba, looked him up and down, and laughed: "You know how to get things done. Alright, you go!"

Clearly, this Jurchen warrior also recognized Saba. After so long, Saba, under Wanyan Zongwang's command, had finally become a familiar face.

That's really how Saba usually is. Whenever a Jurchen or any Jurchen has a problem, he's always the first to rush over and serve them.

Wanyan Zongwang had many lieutenants under his command. To outsiders, it seemed that Saba was trying his best to curry favor. Some people even cursed him behind his back, and some even beat him up in secret because they disliked him. But Saba remained the same.

He even went so far as to kneel on the ground and wipe the shoes of the Jurchens with a smile, which was truly thanks to the good teaching of Wu Yuhou. Wu Yuhou had told him many stories, such as the story of "sleeping on firewood and tasting gall"...

Sa Ba really managed to make quite a few girls very happy.

Finally, the day he had been waiting for had come. He was overjoyed, but he still bowed and smiled obsequiously, saying, "I will do my best to get the job done as quickly as possible."

"Hmm, I'll put in a good word for you someday!" The Jurchen warrior was quite satisfied. He waved his hand and tossed a token to Sabai, along with the words: "Password: Qidulugulis, reply to Mojianaiberutubie, go quickly!"

Then Sa Ba turned his head and started running, running extremely fast without any hesitation.

The Jurchen warriors were genuinely pleased; this Khitan boy was indeed perceptive, capable, and competent.

As Saba ran at top speed, a broad smile on his face, he couldn't help but repeat the phrase over and over: "Chidulugulis, Moganebielutubie..."

These are all obscure words rarely used in the Jurchen language, and the passwords are changed daily, all using such obscure vocabulary.

This demonstrates the sophistication of the Jurchen passwords; even those who have studied the Jurchen language, except for the Jurchen themselves, would find it difficult to understand these words.

Therefore, the Jurchen army had very strict passwords. Those servants and vassals could not fake it. Even if someone had a token or something, they would find it very difficult to move around the army without knowing the password.

Even Yelü Yudu, if no one goes to escort him tonight, he cannot leave his camp.

This shows how strict the Jurchens were in controlling their military camps at that time.

As Saba went, he encountered numerous sentries, both overt and covert, and was repeatedly asked, "Qidulugulis, right?" He would always reply, "Moganaibielutubie."

Then he showed the token again and again...

He passed through one stockade after another, large and small, high and low, and encountered patrolling groups of soldiers, running for two or three miles!
The faster he ran, the more excited he became. He had arrived, he had arrived, he had arrived...

After passing the last checkpoint, Sa Ba finally arrived at Yelü Yudu's Liao camp.

He spoke Khitan, which was spoken everywhere here. Everyone could understand Khitan. When he asked for Yelü Yudu, someone immediately took him to Yelü Yudu's tent.

Yelü Yudu couldn't sleep; he was sleeping less and less these days, and the wrinkles on his face were becoming more and more pronounced...

Just then, a report came from outside the door, and Yelü Yudu said, "Come in!"

Saba entered. Saba's surname was Xiao, and his full name was Xiao Saba. As soon as he entered, his eyes locked onto Yelü Yudu. He was very excited and hurriedly bowed, saying, "This humble one, Xiao Saba, greets the Great Commander!"

"The Khitans?" Yelü Yudu asked.

“I am a Khitan, and I have met the commander before…” Sa Ba was excited, but still maintained his composure.

Yelü Yudu looked at him for a few more moments under the oil lamp, then suddenly realized: "Oh, it's you! You're the young man who brought his people to join me earlier..."

“It is indeed I!” Saba said, looking around. Although he could see that there was no one else in the tent, he still looked carefully one more time and listened carefully to the sounds outside the tent. This matter was too important to tolerate any mistakes.

"What are you looking at?" Yelü Yudu asked, somewhat puzzled.

Sa Ba turned his gaze back, straightened his eyes, and said softly, "I have something of utmost importance to discuss with the Commander-in-Chief!"

"Huh? You have something else to discuss with me?" Yelü Yudu smiled faintly, not taking it seriously.

Saba sat down on the ground, quickly took off his boots, and, in a hurry, drew the Jurchen-made knife from his waist...

This action startled Yelü Yudu, who turned around to pull out the weapon from the table, but stopped halfway through, only to see that Sa Ba was cutting his deerskin boots.

Before Yelü Yu could finish cutting it, his eyes widened in shock. The boot had a lining, revealing a layer of white silk cloth that had been stained yellow...

He threw down eight knives, immediately pulled out the silk brocade, and walked forward.

Yelü Yudu had already noticed that the cloth was dotted with black dots—those were words, those were letters!

Saba stepped forward and whispered, "General, this is the opportunity for the Khitan to rise again!"

Yelü Yudu, his surprise subsiding, looked around before reaching out to take the silk brocade. He glanced at Saba and slowly unfolded the folded silk to examine it…

For a moment, Sa Ba felt himself breathing heavily, and the world seemed utterly still, with only the sounds of the two of them echoing each other. The flickering light of the oil lamp swayed gently, and the shadow of the table trembled back and forth on the ground…

The letter contained the words of Su Wu and the words of Moergen, the king of the Shiwei... neither of them were very long...

Upon reading Su Wu's words, Yelü Yudu frowned deeply...

Upon hearing Morgen's words, Yelü Yudu's eyes welled up with tears, and he reached out to wipe them away...

Seeing this, Sa Ba was overjoyed. Excited yet restrained, he said in a soft voice, "I knew it. I knew the commander-in-chief was devoted to the Khitan. I knew the commander-in-chief was enduring hardship and biding his time. I knew it..."

Yelü Yudu slowly raised his head, looked at Saba, and asked, "Which branch are you descended from?"

"I am a descendant of the late Lord Sue, the former Prefect of the Northern Prefecture..." Sa Ba said with a hint of pride.

His ancestors were no ordinary family. More than a hundred years ago, his family produced an empress, who was also the empress dowager, named Xiao Yanyan. She was a meritorious figure in the establishment and stability of the Khitan Liao Dynasty, and she was also the one who signed the Treaty of Chanyuan with the Song Dynasty, a treaty that ensured a century of peace.

Xiao Jixian was Xiao Yanyan's biological brother.

"Good, good!" Yelü Yudu nodded, wiping away his tears, and said, "Do you all really think I'm not a Khitan traitor?"

Sa Ba said with certainty, "No, it must not be. The Khitan's hopes now rest entirely on the Commander-in-Chief! Even the King of Shiwei said that the Commander-in-Chief is definitely a loyal and righteous man who can turn the tide!"

"Sigh..." Yelü Yudu sighed, placing the gossamer-thin silk brocade over the oil lamp. The brocade quickly burned out, emitting a foul odor of burning protein...

Then Yelü Yudu stood up and asked, "What brings you here? Do you want to summon me to the main tent?"

Sa Ba nodded repeatedly.

"Let's go, we can't delay. Perfect timing, I'll go find Wanyan Zongwang and bring you back!" Yelü Yudu still frowned, got up and went outside.

Sa Ba hurriedly followed behind. He had something to say, but he couldn't say it. After they went out, someone followed them.

But Yelü Yudu waved his hands to the left and right: "No need to follow, I'm going to Saba, I'll be right back..."

Since no one followed them, the two walked quickly along the way.

Sa Ba, who was standing nearby, said softly, "General, there's no need to ask for me. My life or death is of no importance. If you ask for me so easily, I'm afraid Wanyan Zongwang might suddenly find it strange..."

Yelü Yudu glanced at Saba, who was half a step behind him: "Aren't you afraid of death?"

"Life and death are predestined; I only wish for the longevity of the Khitan!" Saba said.

"Well done, young man! A fine son of the Khitan, worthy of the name of your ancestors!" Yelü Yu praised him, seemingly moved as well.

How could Yelü Yudu not have a grand plan in mind?
He wanted to do it, but the time wasn't right. He just didn't know how to do it or how to do it safely!
Historically, he should have died in failure.

At this moment, my heart is surging with excitement. The opportunity seems to have fallen from the sky and arrived unexpectedly.

The two walked quickly away, talking as they went, discussing many things.

Two or three miles is really a short distance, and the two of them didn't finish saying all the exciting things they wanted to say...

Saba watched Yelü Yudu enter the main tent, and then a Jurchen warrior came to praise Saba and ask for his token back.

Yelü Yudu entered the main tent, bowed deeply, his mind filled with countless thoughts, but he also had to deal with the words of Wanyan Zongwang and others, which was not a problem.

……

As the night deepened, in the distance to the southeast, on that small mountain ridge, Su Wu waited and waited, and suddenly fell asleep on the ground.

It was in that large tent that Su Wu could never sleep, but here, he could often get some sleep.

Su Wu hadn't slept well for days; when he couldn't sleep, he would come here and get some rest...

Suddenly, Su Wu felt someone nudging him. He slowly woke up and heard someone beside him say, "Your Majesty, look! Isn't this it?"

Su Wu rubbed his eyes, not excited, just thinking it was a dream. He had had a similar dream before, dreaming that the signal had arrived. When he woke up, he saw that everything around him was dead silent, and the Jurchen camp was also completely silent.

But then someone said, "Your Majesty, look! It really is the light of the covenant!"

Su Wu looked up, his eyes scanning the area. He found it, and after carefully examining the arrangement of the several piles of firelight, he realized it was indeed...

Really!

Su Wu sat up, slapped his face, and looked again.

"Your Majesty, it's done! It's really done!"

Su Wu was startled, slapped his face again, sprang up, and looked into the distance. It was truly...

Really!

Su Wu turned and ran, but after a few steps he stopped and then used both hands and feet to climb back up to take another look!

Really!

Su Wu turned around and ran, heading straight down the mountain at an extremely fast speed. He didn't even notice the branches and leaves scratching his cheeks. Once he reached the bottom of the mountain, he mounted his horse and galloped back to the camp.

Become!

Back in the main tent, Su Wu immediately forced himself to calm down. This was only the first step; he still had to be wary of Yelü Yudu's feigned return and surrender...

There are still many steps ahead, so I must remain calm and composed...

Three days later, on the third day after two days, the war broke out, as agreed.

There are still many preparations to be made in the next two days. The most important preparation is to guard against Yelü Yudu's feigned surrender and attempt to lure us in.

"Quickly, quietly summon Wu Yuhou!" Su Wu spoke rapidly, his heart pounding with excitement despite his composure.

I was planning to wait another month and a half, but I didn't expect to see it today. We'll know the outcome in three days.

Victory!

Wu Yong arrived soon after. He was also excited. Even though no one said anything to him, he had already guessed what was going on. As he entered, his hands trembled. After everyone had left, his voice trembled as he asked, "Your Majesty, has it been successful?"

Su Wu nodded.

"Oh dear!" Wu Yong clapped his hands together, his feet swaying unconsciously from side to side, his excitement overflowing.

Then Wu Yong excitedly continued, "Your Majesty, as agreed, we received news tonight that on the third day, two days from now, our army will deploy and begin the attack on the city. At that time, the Jurchen cavalry will surely leave their camp. In this way, a fast cavalry will charge straight at Yelü Yudu's camp. Yelü Yudu, with a small number of his confidants, will open the gates to welcome them, and then his entire army will mutini and defect... First, we will defeat all the vassals in the Jurchen camp, then burn down some of the Jurchen camps. Yelü Yudu will guard his own camp, and we will retreat back to our camp. The Jurchen cavalry will have no food, no camps, and no vassals, so they will surely retreat. Linhuang Prefecture will be as easy as taking something from a baby. I remember every step of this clearly!"

Su Wu smiled and nodded: "Yes, I've thought about each step countless times! There shouldn't be any flaws..."

Wu Yong paced back and forth, saying, "There is only one thing to guard against: Yelü Yudu's feigned surrender to lure us. Therefore, we need a reinforcement force, and the troops that enter the camp must fight to the death and not be routed... Only in this way can we provide reinforcements and retreat if we encounter an ambush!"

Su Wu replied without hesitation: "Yue Fei will go, and Lu Da will provide backup."

“If it turns out to be a feigned surrender to lure the enemy, then the cavalry will definitely have to fight the Jurchen cavalry to the death…” Wu Yong added, “This discussion was actually something we had already discussed before.”

Su Wu declared, "I'll go! I'm facing death here; there's no escaping it!"

Wu Yong grew worried: "Your Majesty... perhaps we should send General Liu Zhengyan..."

Su Wu waved his hand: "I'll do it. If that's really the case, only I can do it myself. That will boost the morale of the army!"

Having been locked in a stalemate for so long, the morale of Su Wu's troops was inevitably declining day by day, which made Su Wu even more worried.

It's unclear what the morale and fighting spirit of the Jurchen army were like at that moment...

Just be lenient when assessing the enemy, and strict when assessing yourself.

Wu Yong said no more, only asking, "Then, shall we gather the generals for a meeting tomorrow morning?"

Su Wu shook his head: "No, if we don't move tomorrow, we'll move the day after. The Jurchen cavalry will definitely be watching us from all sides. If we start preparing tomorrow and there's no movement the day after, the Jurchens might become suspicious the day after that. Even if we start preparing the day after, we'll be in formation early the next morning, and then the Jurchens won't have a chance to become suspicious."

Actually, this matter wasn't that important; Wanyan Zongwang's suspicions couldn't have arisen at such a precise moment.

However, Su Wu was just like that, being cautious to an extreme.

"Your Majesty is wise!" Wu Yong felt it was unnecessary, but he still said it nonetheless.

"Tomorrow, I will walk around to each camp and talk to the generals of each camp. The decisive battle is just around the corner, and I will supervise the preparations for war in each place!" Su Wu wanted to keep busy, because he was really afraid that the camps would slack off. How could they not slack off after such a long period of doing nothing?
"Your Majesty is meticulous!" Wu Yong praised without hesitation.

Sunrise...

Su Wu slept little that night, only about an hour on the mountaintop, but he was still full of energy and rode his horse to inspect the various camps.

In the distant Jin army camp, Yelü Yudu had also spent a sleepless night. He went to the gate of the camp and saw the Song army camp facing off in the distance. He was filled with worries and sorrow...

I'm worried whether the Song people really saw that signal yesterday...

I'm worried that the Song people might come early the day after tomorrow...

Yelü Yudu was even more worried about... which of these former Liao people in the Manchu camp could be trusted?

Should we discuss this with a few people first, or should we make a decision alone when the time comes?

And look back, that best Khitan youth, Saba, he must not die this time, he must survive...

Only with that Saba did Yelü Yudu feel that there was still hope for the future of the Khitan...

Suddenly, Yelü Yudu felt a surge of emotion. He looked up at the sky, perhaps hoping that Heaven was watching him and that Heaven would surely give the Khitan a future!
Damn it! Fight to the death! We must defeat the Jurchens this time!
We want freedom! We want to break free from the Jurchens!

After we have our own people, we will definitely take revenge on the Jurchens!

Yelü Yudu thought to himself, yet he gritted his teeth. Many things and many emotions had accumulated over time. Yelü Yudu had witnessed countless blood debts committed by the Jurchens against the Khitans...

Within this large village, countless Khitan women are still suffering ravages...

We must take revenge!

Xiao Saba, what a fine young man! Such a fine young man is worth risking one's life for!

(Brothers, tomorrow, let's fight!)

(End of this chapter)