Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 384 Each Fights Their Own Battle, Each Seeks Their Own Peace.

Wang Yuan went to the yamen to beat the drum and gather his generals. Most of the generals he could gather did not feel that they were really in danger.

Many generals in the Northwest, large and small, had fought alongside Su Wu and served under him to the death. Therefore, they did not believe that if Su Wu really came, they would be in any danger of losing their lives.

As the various military generals slowly arrived, Wang Yuan glanced around and saw that apart from the Northwest Army generals, there were no others.

Wang Yuan said, "Well, that's about it, that's all for now..."

The generals looked around and understood the situation perfectly well, but said nothing more.

Wang Yuan continued, "The Emperor has issued a decree instructing us to go and meet the enemy, and to defeat the vanguard of the Prince of Yan!"

One person asked, "Was the vanguard a personal visit from the Prince of Yan?"

Wang Yuan nodded: "Although most of it is just hearsay from defeated soldiers, it's probably true in most cases..."

"Then this..." Unable to speak, he could only look around at the many soldiers and generals beside him.

Wang Yuan continued, "Now that all the generals have arrived, let them go and gather their troops to set off..."

When Wang Yuan said this, not a single person in the entire room actually got up and went.

The military orders have been issued, but no one has moved.

Wang Yuan was not angry, but asked, "Since you are not allowed to leave, do you have some brilliant plan or strategy to offer?"

Everyone present was looking around, but one person came up and asked, "Chief Steward Wang, may I ask... where is His Majesty?"

Wang Yuan made no attempt to conceal the truth: "The Emperor has gone to find a boat to cross the river!"

"Then..." was another half-spoken statement.

For a moment, silence fell...

I want to say it, but I don't dare; I want to do it, but I don't dare...

Suddenly, someone seemed to be plotting something and said, "Why don't we invite Liu Shuxiang to discuss this together?"

These words seemed to awaken the intelligence of many people, and someone immediately chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes! How could Liu Shuxiang not be present at such an important event? He is a veteran general, a victorious commander, he must have a brilliant plan!"

"Indeed, indeed. Many of our soldiers were originally under Liu Shuxiang's command. Now is the time to risk their lives. We should listen to Liu Shuxiang's plans. If Liu Shuxiang does not give the order, I'm afraid many of the Fuyan and Han armies will be uneasy."

Wang Yuan nodded in agreement, glancing around with admiration. These soldiers were truly cunning; he hadn't even considered this move, yet they had come up with it.

"Then why don't we hurry and invite Liu Shuxiang to preside over the meeting?" These were Wang Yuan's urgent words.

Now that Liu Yanqing has been released from prison, Wang Yuan has automatically become the second-in-command, no longer the commander-in-chief of the army. Regardless of the truth, at least in the future, when others look at this matter, Liu Yanqing will be the leader, and it will have nothing to do with Wang Yuan...

Wang Yuan couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. It was truly a brilliant plan, so brilliant that it was beyond compare!

Soldiers rushed to the state prison to fetch Liu Shuxiang to take charge. At this moment, no one cared about the matter of releasing the traitor...

Wang Yuan, however, lingered for a moment and chased after them, instructing the soldier who was hurrying away: "Do not say much to Liu Shu. Just say that we invited him to discuss matters... and that the Emperor has pardoned you. Yes, you must say that the Emperor has pardoned you. As for the rest, just pretend you know nothing!"

The soldier, though puzzled, replied, "Yes, sir!"

Why did Wang Yuan suddenly chase after him to give him a few words of advice?

The worst-case scenario is that Liu Yanqing finds out about the situation and refuses to come out of prison. What would we do then?

This can be considered as Wang Yuan having outmaneuvered Liu Yanqing.

Before long, Liu Yanqing hurriedly entered from outside the door, glanced around, and asked only one question: "What is it you want to discuss?"

Wang Yuan stepped forward and bowed, inviting Liu Shuxiang to take a seat of honor.

Liu Yanqing looked disheveled at this moment. Although he was wearing an official robe, it was filthy and covered in mud. The mud was also covered with straw from the prison. His face was dirty, and although his hair was still in shape, it was covered with tangled hair.

He actually went forward and sat down in the center, while Wang Yuan didn't sit down and just stood to the side.

"What is it? Tell me quickly!" Liu Yanqing asked anxiously.

Wang Yuan was at a loss for words. After all, they were old acquaintances, and it would be awkward to be tricked like this. He was too embarrassed to look around and see if anyone would be willing to step in and do the work for him...

With no one to do it for him, Wang Yuan felt helpless, as if he were the only one left to speak, and he even had to organize his thoughts...

Liu Yanqing was extremely anxious and asked, "Has the Crown Prince suffered a great defeat? Has the Prince of Yan's army arrived? Has the Emperor..."

Liu Yanqing looked around at everyone's expressions and then asked, "Has the emperor already fled and gone?"

Wang Yuan was taken aback. How did the old steward of the Liu family know this?
Perhaps you guessed it? It doesn't seem that hard to guess.

Then, Wang Yuan nodded vigorously: "Indeed, indeed! The imperial edict orders our 18,000 Western Army troops to repel the vanguard of the Prince of Yan! At this moment, I don't know what to do..."

Liu Yanqing frowned, but he had a plan in mind and had already guessed what was going on. Yet he had still come out of prison, so it couldn't be that he was trying to avoid things. He asked, "Where is Master Cheng?"

Prime Minister Cheng Wanli was personally selected by the Emperor to come to Jinghu...

But once he arrived in Jinghu, Cheng Wanli was not allowed to participate in the emperor's affairs at all. The emperor would not take him with him, but instead kept him in Hanyang City as if under house arrest.

Most people don't know these details, but Liu Yanqing does...

"Master Cheng? I truly do not know him!" Wang Yuan shook his head.

"We must quickly invite Minister Cheng to take charge of the overall situation..." How could Liu Yanqing not have a backup plan? His arrival meant he had thought it through.

"Where is Master Cheng?" Wang Yuan asked hurriedly.

"Go out and walk west. There is a well street running north-south. Go south and you'll find a house with the surname Wang. He's inside. Quickly invite him here!" How did Liu Yanqing know this?

The moment he entered the city with the Crown Prince, he inquired about this matter. He even visited the Crown Prince's home as a way of offering his condolences.

At that time, Cheng Xiangong was truly filled with anxiety and could not sleep day or night. He kept writing letters to apologize, and his letters of apology were tens of thousands of words long. Fortunately, Liu Yanqing went to see him and offered some words of comfort, which had some effect.

"I'll go myself!" Wang Yuan said, and immediately set off.

This is absolutely wonderful. It was already wonderful to the very tip of the mark just now, and now it has reached the very pinnacle of that wonderful mark.

Everyone had to wait. Liu Yanqing looked around, and everyone looked at him expectantly.

Liu Yanqing reassured everyone, "Don't worry, everyone. This is nothing to worry about. Before long, you will all be able to go home safely..."

Liu Yanqing's words immediately put everyone at ease...

After offering words of comfort, someone suddenly asked, "Prime Minister, surely the Prince of Yan won't punish us this time?"

Although they knew that the Prince of Yan would not punish or kill them, they were still afraid that the Prince of Yan would be displeased and punish them, since at this moment, they were all here and were on the opposite side of the Prince of Yan.

Liu Yanqing smiled and said, "No, no, don't worry. The Prince of Yan has always treated his soldiers with sincerity. You are all his comrades who have shared life and death with him in the past. The Prince of Yan cannot be too harsh on you!"

"That's fine, that's fine..."

The last breath that had been hanging in the air finally dissipated.

For a moment, there was laughter and buzzing conversation all around, and everyone even changed their posture, becoming much more relaxed.

"We're not traitors, and the Prince of Yan won't blame us. That's perfect. Let's go home and guard the border!"

"Sigh... These days have been so stressful, but I'm finally relieved..."

"The emperor has fled again, to the other side of the river. I'm afraid we'll have to fight again someday. Alas... internal strife, I wonder when things will finally settle down..."

"Your Majesty... well... it's hard to say..."

"If it's hard to say, then don't say it..."

"No, no, we absolutely cannot fight the Prince of Yan to the death this time, otherwise the Jurchens will truly be uncontrollable in the future!"

"That makes sense. Even if brothers quarrel, we should still unite against external threats. Now that the Tanguts have just been pacified and the grasslands are at peace, with no war raging on the borders for thousands of miles, the only major threat is the Jurchens. We just need to wear them down slowly. If we suffer heavy losses in this battle with the Prince of Yan, the consequences will be unimaginable..."

The crowd started chattering amongst themselves...

Not long after, Master Cheng arrived by carriage and, with Wang Yuan repeatedly leading the way and inviting him in, entered the yamen.

Liu Yanqing immediately stood up to greet him, bowing and inviting him: "Sir, please come quickly and invite me!"

Cheng Wanli looked bewildered, slightly flustered, and somewhat at a loss. Following Liu Yanqing's gesture of invitation, he sat down at the head of the table and his first words trembled as he asked, "Gentlemen... what is it?"

It's inevitable that one would feel restless and uneasy.

Liu Yanqing hurriedly said, "Reporting to the Prime Minister, the Crown Prince has suffered a great defeat at the front, and the Yan army is advancing like a whirlwind. Hanyang City is already in imminent danger and cannot be defended. The Emperor has fled across the river in panic. At this moment, the army in Hanyang City is leaderless. I beg the Prime Minister to take charge of the overall situation!"

Cheng Wanli was stunned for a moment, looking left and right, only to see expectant eyes staring at him...

Cheng Wanli was extremely anxious. He spread his hands and said, "How could I possibly preside over such an important matter? I know nothing about warfare, and I am still a criminal. With the Emperor not present, I dare not issue any orders..."

Everyone was stunned by his words, their hearts tightening as they couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that... could it be that... the Prince of Yan is unwilling to forgive everyone present?

Liu Yanqing quickly stepped forward, leaned close to Cheng Wanli's ear, and whispered, "Sir, there's no need for much talk, just say a few words..."

"What did you say?" Cheng Wanli turned around and asked, his face full of bitterness.

"Just say... just say... the city is beyond defense, there's no way to turn the tide, so let's fight our own battles and seek our own safety..." Liu Yanqing suggested.

"Oh!" Cheng Wanli nodded, suddenly realizing the situation. Looking at the people around him, he wasn't stupid. Although he had been caught off guard earlier, he now understood the situation to some extent...

So they went to see Liu Yanqing and Wang Yuan, but none of them gave any orders; they were waiting for him to give the orders, which was bound to...

How could Cheng Wanli not be a typical scholar-official unique to the Song Dynasty, who had been disciplined beyond measure by the Song Dynasty's 160-year rule?
Cheng Wanli hesitated for a moment, but fortunately, he actually gave the order...

They probably won't make it into any of the historical records as traitors or treacherous officials...

Then came a single sentence: "The city is beyond defense, and the war is beyond saving. All generals should fight their own battles and seek their own safety..." Suddenly, all the generals stood up and bowed, saying, "Your subordinates obey your orders!"

Finally, the military order arrived, and the generals were overjoyed. Each could fight their own battles and live their own lives; that meant they could do whatever they wanted, and it was all under the orders of their superiors… This is the beauty of the Chinese language…

Just as he finished speaking, a person rushed in from the gate of the government office opposite the courtyard in the distance at the end of Cheng Wanli's line of sight. Cheng Wanli was so startled that he stood up abruptly and quickly went forward to greet him: "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Everyone looked outside, their faces filled with surprise. The emperor was walking in at the entrance of the government office.

Aside from their surprise, many of them also had a somber expression. Why was the Emperor here again? Wasn't he supposed to be crossing the river by boat? Could it be that the military orders from earlier were no longer valid?
The political environment and mindset of the Song Dynasty were truly strange.

They knew perfectly well that they were rebelling, trying to change the imperial power and establish a new dynasty.

On the one hand, the soldiers still held the emperor in high esteem, at least outwardly so, and dared not act recklessly in his presence.

The emperor entered and strode straight to the yamen, followed by a group of people, including Qin Hui. The emperor suddenly noticed Cheng Wanli and asked, "What are you doing here?"

What could Cheng Wanli answer? He could only bow repeatedly: "Your Majesty, I was brought here by many military officers..."

The emperor then saw Liu Yanqing inside and asked again, "Who released the traitor from prison?"

No one answered this time... Liu Yanqing just kept his head down.

Wang Yuan reacted quickly and stepped forward: "What brings Your Majesty back? Was your crossing of the river obstructed?"

The Emperor immediately said, "That is indeed the matter. Quickly, the boats on the river have all been used up by those rogue and defeated soldiers. Chief Steward Wang, immediately send someone to find me another large boat to cross the river..."

In that situation, tens of thousands of people were scrambling to get across the river, the riverbank was a complete mess. How could the emperor, who was slow to arrive, possibly manage to grab a boat to cross? And who knows how many soldiers and civilians from Jinghu and the surrounding areas, who wanted to go home, had no boats available...

Let alone the emperor, even the Heavenly King himself wouldn't be of any use in this situation.

Wang Yuan had actually anticipated this, but he hadn't expected the emperor to return to Hanyang. He only assumed the emperor would go along the riverbank to find a boat or something similar...

On second thought, it makes sense... Hanyang is located at the angle between the Yangtze and Han Rivers. If we were to look for a boat, we could only go west. But who would come from the west? How could the emperor dare to go there?
Wang Yuan nodded and said, "Your Majesty, please wait a moment. I will send someone to find another boat!"

"No, that won't do. Quickly get a large ship. I'll head to the riverbank again and cross the river immediately!" The emperor's face showed utter panic.

The military officers present all watched intently as they observed this unfolded...

"Well..." Wang Yuan was also helpless. There were no boats left on the riverbank. Where was he supposed to find one in such a short time?

The emperor was extremely anxious and kept urging, "Hurry up..."

Just like before, when the Jurchens besieged the city, he fled south in haste. There was a small river south of Bianjing, and a pontoon bridge was built over it. At that time, the pontoon bridge was crowded with people who had followed him out of Dongjing.

He urged Tong Guan to go up the pontoon bridge.

Tong Guan, left with no other option, ordered the Jiesheng Army to shoot down the civilians on the pontoon bridge to clear a path for Zhao Ji to pass through first.

"Your Majesty..." Wang Yuan looked around helplessly and finally replied, "At this moment, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do!"

"What? What can you do? Your generals are here, and your soldiers are countless; how can you not find a single ship?" The emperor was already furious, looking around...

At this moment, he saw Cheng Wanli and Liu Yanqing again, then looked at Wang Yuan, and suddenly realized: "I know, I know, you all..."

As the emperor spoke, he raised his hand to point, sweeping it around, and then said, "You are all henchmen of traitors! You have schemed and plotted, waiting for this very moment to take my life!"

Wang Yuan bowed repeatedly, saying, "Your subject would never dare!"

Then Cheng Wanli cried out to heaven and earth, "Your Majesty, I never had such a thought! Your Majesty, I am innocent!"

"Still putting on an act! Am I about to die here today? Which traitor are you? Come and kill me!"

Emperor Zhao Ji, with his attendants shouting, truly displayed extraordinary power for a time. Let's see who will assassinate the emperor.

Why is he so bold at this moment?
Why was he able to live a life of tears day and night when facing the Jurchens?
Because the Jurchens are truly ruthless and capable of fighting and killing, while these people in front of them do not appear to be ruthless.

Before wicked people, they crawl like dogs; before virtuous people, they are awe-inspiring.

Of course, he was unaware of this. At this moment, he only thought, "I really don't believe that anyone in the Great Song Dynasty would dare to assassinate the emperor."
Uh... apart from Su Wu.

There was nothing of the sort. As soon as the emperor's domineering aura was displayed, the generals all lowered their heads and left, not looking at him or making eye contact.

Even Liu Yanqing quickly lowered his head...

Wang Yuan stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I will immediately go and get a boat. I will do everything in my power to ensure Your Majesty's safe passage across the Yangtze River!"

"Go immediately!" The emperor was also pleased with himself. He had vented his anger and intimidated the villains, who all bowed their heads. How could he not feel pleased? He then said, "I will go to the Hanyang Gate ferry to wait for your boat. If you do not arrive within half an hour, you will be punished for treason!"

The emperor certainly didn't want to waste a single moment...

Wang Yuan bowed repeatedly, saying, "Your subject obeys the decree!"

The emperor, head held high and chest out, strode off again. Qin Hui and the others followed quickly.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief...

Someone then asked, "Where will Chief Steward Wang find a large ship to transport all these people?"

Wang Yuan sighed: "Deceiving superiors and concealing the truth is a crime..."

"Huh?" The crowd was puzzled.

Wang Yuan continued, "If not, how could the emperor leave?"

"Then...then..." I really couldn't come up with anything else.

Liu Yanqing sighed, stood to the side, and closed his eyes briefly...

It seemed to the emperor that he could not leave...

Cheng Wanli then realized what was happening and said, "Steward Wang, you can't deceive the emperor like this... If you can't get a big boat, a sampan will do. If you don't have a sampan, you can nail together some wood to make something that can cross the river..."

"There are no sampans, so we've just nailed together a piece of wood to cross the river. Looking at the vast river, which stretches for miles, we see a great flood at this time of year, with terrifying waves. I'm afraid even the officials wouldn't dare to go..."

As Wang Yuan spoke, he exchanged a glance with Liu Yanqing.

"Then..." Cheng Wanli seemed genuinely anxious.

"Prime Minister Cheng, there's no need to worry too much. The Emperor has many men by his side. If they dared to cross the river on a mere piece of driftwood, they would have done it anyway. They will find a way. The Prince of Yan's army won't arrive anytime soon..."

These were Wang Yuan's words, which slightly eased Cheng Wan's expression.

Liu Yanqing waved his hands to the left and right: "Everyone may go on their own. Lord Cheng has ordered that each of you fight your own battles and seek your own safety."

Many military officers rose and filed out.

Once everyone had left, Liu Yanqing looked at Cheng Wanli and said, "Master Cheng, why are you still acting like a headless fly at this moment?"

Cheng Wanli was also annoyed: "Do you know how difficult this is for me? On one side is my son-in-law, who has started a rebellion, and on the other side is the emperor. I am caught in the middle. What am I supposed to do? Am I not like a headless fly?"

"That Master Cheng is truly unparalleled in loyalty and righteousness!" Liu Yanqing praised.

Cheng Wanli waved his hand and said, "At this moment, what is there to talk about unparalleled loyalty and righteousness? This time, the world is in chaos. Even if the emperor crosses the river, he will still have a million soldiers. The world is so vast. Regardless of victory or defeat, how can we not fight to the point of shattering the land?"

"So that's what Master Cheng was thinking?" Liu Yanqing asked again.

“Alas…rebellion is so difficult. Ziqing is impulsive, far too impulsive. He doesn’t consider the hearts of the people. With such soldiers plotting rebellion, how many in the world would truly be willing to follow him? The world belongs to the scholar-officials, not to the peasants. How can he not understand this? Temporary wickedness cannot last long…”

Cheng Wanli isn't stupid, he never has been. It's just a matter of ideology; he deeply believes in this system, it's ingrained in his bones, in his genes...

How could he not worry? He was worried that Su Wu might seem to be in power for a time, but if heroes rose up to serve the king, the world would truly be the world of the scholar-officials. The world's money and grain, manpower and resources, and land and property would all be controlled by the scholar-officials.

When the time comes, these scholar-officials, loyal and righteous, will contribute money, effort, and manpower, and the ferocity of the war will be truly unimaginable.

This is also recorded in historical texts. Why did Wang Mang, with his immense power, fail? Wasn't it because the powerful clans of Hebei refused to submit? Liu Xiu, by sheer chance, became the representative figure supported by the masses, swiftly restoring order. At that time, not a single one of Wang Mang's hundreds of thousands of elite imperial troops truly shared his sentiments; they collapsed at the drop of a hat…

Cheng Wanli feared that Su Wu would suffer the same fate...

Why was Cheng Wanli worried that the emperor might die here?
If the emperor were alive, things would be fine, but if he were to die, wouldn't that ignite an even greater fury of loyalty and righteousness throughout the land? Some of these men are princes of the Zhao family, some are members of the imperial clan, and some are even "Liu Xiu"...

Su Wu had now rallied the officials of Bianjing, but how could he possibly withstand the wrath of the people in the future?

Just like Wang Mang, how could one possibly stop him?

Cheng Wanli's thoughts are not entirely without merit; they reflect his limited perspective, his way of thinking, and his inherent limitations. He cannot see much, and he is even less aware of what happened in the Song Dynasty throughout history...

He was unaware that the Northern Song Dynasty could perish so easily under the iron hooves of the Jurchens, and he was even less aware that the vast majority of scholars and officials had already been disciplined into spineless dogs by this decadent Song Dynasty.

He could only analyze the matter based on his own knowledge and way of thinking...

So, he's smart; he's never been stupid or cowardly. He's been using his intelligence to think about whether he can mediate or resolve this matter, but lately he really hasn't been able to muster any strength...

Otherwise, he wouldn't have given the order for each army to fight and act independently. Giving that order would have been helping Su Wu, wouldn't it? He also wouldn't have wanted the Song Dynasty's only two powerful armies to engage in a bloodbath right before their eyes…

Cheng Wanli's words surprised Liu Yanqing... they seemed to make some sense...

Cheng Wanli's face was full of worry. He was thinking that it would be best if the emperor crossed the river alive, for the name of regicide was truly unbearable...

But Wang Yuan said, "Should we leave this government office and go somewhere else? At least to the army camp, and be with the soldiers?"

Liu Yanqing nodded hurriedly: "Absolutely! Let's go, let's go quickly! If the rebels start fighting, Prime Minister Cheng's safety will be in grave danger! Staying with our trusted soldiers will give us a better chance of safety..."

As he spoke, Liu Yanqing reached out and grabbed Cheng Wanli's forearm, and hurriedly walked out. Cheng Wanli was also afraid of dying, so he followed. He was also afraid that if the soldiers who had fled together started to riot, as Liu Yanqing had said, no one would recognize him as a husband or father-in-law.
Wang Yuan also hurried on, thinking that he should first get to the army and be with the soldiers...

Most importantly... we must not let the emperor return and find him again...

Let Hanyang City and its surroundings descend into complete chaos...

In this way, no one can control anyone else, and no one can blame anyone else...

(End of this chapter)