Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 386 The matter of following the dragon has been accomplished today!
It's raining...

Summer rains are usually heavy and torrential, but they also pass quickly. But today is different; the rain isn't pouring down like that...

Looking up, the dark clouds were very thick, and it certainly wouldn't stop raining anytime soon...

The scene on the ferry crossing was not tense. Many of the soldiers seemed hesitant and unsure of what to do, simply surrounding the emperor and his entourage...

This reassured everyone considerably. Their initial fear was that the peasant men truly lacked respect and would come at them with the intention of attacking and killing. Seeing that these soldiers did not act in that way, they felt much more at ease...

Qin Hui licked his lips and said, "Gentlemen, the rain is coming. Shouldn't we and the Emperor find a place to take shelter?"

Hu Cheng frowned slightly and looked around. There were indeed houses at the ferry crossing, but they had no doors or windows, and even the roofs were gone; the beams had been removed...

To avoid the rain, we'll probably have to go into the city...

Hu Cheng hesitated for a moment, but then he saw another group of people rushing towards the city. Hu Cheng knew that it must be Yan Qing.

Alright, let's wait until Yan Qing arrives before we talk about it. So Hu Cheng remained silent and just waited.

Yan Qing arrived quickly, greeted Hu Cheng, and then called everyone over to look. He said, "Tie up everyone except the Emperor!"

Why was it Yan Qing who could bring himself to do it? Yan Qing was a chivalrous hero from the Jianghu, and he had a prestigious reputation in Daming Prefecture!

Hu Cheng is actually a decent man. He is not timid when he does things, but rather he has a strong sense of rules.

Hu Cheng glanced at Yan Qing, but said nothing more, and simply watched as the men under Yan Qing's command went forward to tie up the people.

The situation immediately took a sharp turn for the worse, and Qin Hui was extremely anxious: "Gentlemen, gentlemen, I have a long-standing relationship with the Prince of Yan, and we are very close. The Prince of Yan has treated me very well, and I have also..."

Yan Qing stepped forward, raised his hand, and slapped Qin Hui across the face, making Qin Hui see stars.

Yan Qing also cursed: "Hmph, you son of a bitch! Others may not know, but do you think I don't? You ungrateful wretch, how dare you speak so arrogantly here? Come on, tie him up first, tie him up tightly!"

The soldiers under Yan Qing's command were either scouts, rangers, or secret agents, and each of them was extremely ruthless. They stepped forward and kicked Qin Hui's calves. As soon as Qin Hui lowered his body, someone pressed him down on his back, while two people on either side grabbed Qin Hui's hands, and then ropes were tied up from behind...

That was done in one smooth motion, with exceptional skill.

It was Yan Qing who said this. Hu Cheng himself was unaware of the affair between Qin Hui and Su Wu, but Yan Qing worked in intelligence and knew everything about it. At this moment, he also hated Qin Hui to the core...

What heroes of the martial world can't stand the most is this kind of ingratitude and lack of loyalty!
Once Qin Hui was tied up and lifted up, Yan Qing glared angrily. Qin Hui was about to say something, but Yan Qing's glare silenced him.

There were also Yan Qing's words: "Line them up one by one, put your hands behind your back, so that you can tie them up one by one!"

These were Yan Qing's words to his many husbands...

And you know what? The gentlemen were really obedient. They quickly lined up one by one, put their hands behind their backs, which saved the soldiers a lot of trouble...

The rain was pouring down, pelting the pale, terrified faces...

Even the emperor's expression changed. The general from before still gave him some confidence, at least the general wasn't being rude.

At this moment, the man was extremely vicious. He raised his hand and slapped the Censor-in-Chief's face until one side was swollen and red...

Suddenly, Yan Qing also turned to look at Zhao Ji...

Zhao Ji quickly asked, "May I ask this... general's esteemed name?"

Yan Qing looked Zhao Ji up and down, and out of curiosity, he replied, "I am Yan Qing, also known as Yan Xiaoyi. I am the commander of the vanguard and cavalry under the command of the King of Yan!"

"My apologies, my apologies..." Even the emperor could utter such words.

Yan Qing was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Your Majesty has heard of me?"

"So it is General Yan. Your name is renowned far and wide!" the emperor replied.

Yan Qing became increasingly stunned as he listened, wondering to himself, "Really? The Emperor has heard of my name? And that it's so famous?"
This emperor...

Yan Qing took another look at the emperor. This emperor…

strange……

Yan Qing simply said, "Yes, Your Majesty, please stay here. The King is currently meeting with several commanders of the Western Army in the west of the city. He will be here soon..."

Upon hearing this, the emperor faltered. Who was Su Wu seeing?
Need I say more? They must be the likes of Liu Yanqing and Wang Yuan…

Looking back now, Zhao Ji couldn't understand why the soldiers of the Western Army were considered traitors, the soldiers of the capital region were also considered traitors, and now, even the soldiers of Jinghu seemed to be traitors...

Is there truly no loyalty and righteousness left in the world?

What on earth is going on? He really couldn't understand what benefits Su Wu could promise these people.
Of course, despite his thoughts, Zhao Ji could only stand aside, motionless, letting the rain and wind batter him...

After waiting for a long time, the ties were finished and everything was put aside. There was no impatience in waiting; in fact, some even wished time would slow down...

Su Wu finally arrived, and he arrived very quickly. He rode on horseback, clad in armor, and a troop of heavily armored cavalry roared in.

Once the crowd around him parted slightly to make way, Su Wu, clad in full armor, strode in with an imposing presence...

As he walked, he passed the riding whip to the person behind him, and also removed his armor, arm guards, leg guards, shoulder armor, and skirt armor...

He also instructed the person behind him: "You got caught in the rain today, so please apply another coat of tung oil later..."

The soldier following behind also replied, "Your Majesty, please rest assured..."

When Su Wu approached the emperor, he was only wearing his breastplate, having removed his waist sword.

This time, Su Wu didn't bow, but simply said softly, "Your Majesty..."

Zhao Ji had been watching him all the way, and at this moment replied, "Prince of Yan..."

Su Wu nodded and looked around: "Shall we talk here? Or should we go into the city to avoid the rain first?"

The emperor suddenly perked up: "What harm is there in a little rain!"

The emperor was doing one thing: trying to make himself look like a man.

Su Wu nodded: "Alright..."

Then Su Wu turned around and said, "Go far away, fifty paces away."

Upon receiving the order, the crowd turned and left, leaving only the banks of the great river and the surging waves to the king and his companion.

The two stood facing the great river, silent for a moment, unsure of where to begin.

But to be honest, the two were actually quite familiar with each other...

Su Wu spoke first: "There was once a great hero, a truly remarkable man, who, faced with this scene, composed a poem..."

The conversation had begun, and Zhao Ji asked, "Who is this person and what is this writing?"

Su Wu said, "Your Majesty must not have heard of this person. The poem says, 'The misty rain is vast and boundless, the tortoise and snake lock the great river!'"

Zhao Ji nodded: "It truly possesses an aura of power and influence, its imposing presence is awe-inspiring!"

"Speaking of landscape design, the scenery of the world, the creation of heaven and earth, is all beautiful in China. Only people are not beautiful... then nowhere is beautiful..."

Last time, and the time before that, when Su Wu met Zhao Ji, they all talked about creating a scene. This time, Su Wu started in the same way.

Zhao Ji understood Su Wu's meaning and asked, "Where are the people not beautiful?"

“Everywhere in the world, apart from the scholars and Your Majesty, how many people are truly beautiful? They struggle to get enough to eat each day and can hardly sleep in a cold bed all night. This is the worst that can be said of them. There are many more people who have no way to survive. They come into this world like weeds and leave like weeds. If they are suddenly filled with anger, they will kill someone. Either someone will kill them or they will kill someone else…” Su Wu sighed.

Emperor Huizong of Tang (Zhao Ji) uttered: "This is alarmist talk, sensationalism!"

Su Wu did not argue, but asked, "Has the Emperor read the proclamation?"

The emperor remained silent...

"I have seen it, so I will not say more. Whether the Emperor acknowledges it or not, at this point, the people of the world have abandoned you. It is the simplest of words. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Just like the Emperor today, looking at this vast river, he cannot cross it. Even the Emperor cannot cross the river, so this river no longer belongs to the Emperor..."

Su Wu himself felt a sense of melancholy. Now that he had actually captured Emperor Zhao Ji, he was not particularly excited or thrilled. Instead, he felt a deep sense of melancholy.

For a moment, Zhao Ji was truly speechless. He thought to himself, "Even if you, Su Wu, are in power now, whatever you say goes... I will not accept it!"
Whether he acknowledged it or not, Su Wu didn't care.

Su Wu was about to be blunt: "Your Majesty, there are two things..."

Su Wu turned to look at the man, but the emperor remained silent…

Su Wu looked at the Yangtze River again and continued, "The first thing to do is to issue an edict of self-reproach. The second thing is to return to the capital to pay homage at the ancestral temple and abdicate!"

The emperor opened his eyes, turned to stare at Su Wu, and revealed a few white teeth through his tightly closed lips: "What if I don't comply?"

Su Wu did not answer, but said, "The edict of self-reproach must be written well, and it must be written to my satisfaction. Not only must the wording be to my satisfaction, but even the handwriting must be to my satisfaction. It cannot be a random drawing; it must reach the highest level of Your Majesty's calligraphy. In that case, I will find the best woodblock engraving craftsmen to carve an exact replica and print it to distribute throughout the world!"

"Daydreaming!" How could the emperor listen to such a thing?
Su Wu turned his head, raised his head slightly, and gazed into the distance: "Could Your Majesty possibly float across these waves to the other side?"

"What do you mean by this? What do you mean by this?" The emperor retreated.

"When I dismounted just now, I heard that His Majesty had already gone into the water, and the water was up to his waist. Why did he come back up?" Su Wu's tone was not harsh, but rather ordinary and calm...

The emperor began to speak... but then stopped, momentarily choked back his words. "The weather is hot and cool, perfect for escaping the heat, why doesn't Your Majesty go?" Su Wu continued to ask.

"You are a true traitor!" the emperor cursed.

Su Wu suddenly reached out and grabbed, a large iron clamp gripping the emperor's forearm. He said, "Your Majesty, I will go swimming with you. We will go together, and I will protect Your Majesty as you swim to the other side. If Your Majesty can truly swim across this turbulent river today, you will surely have the bearing of a wise ruler in the future. I will then issue a proclamation throughout the country, confessing my crimes and accepting punishment! Let's go..."

Did Su Wu just joking?
Su Wu immediately got up and pulled the emperor into the water.

The emperor instinctively leaned back, trying to break free, but Su Wu's large iron clamps firmly gripped his hand. With a swift movement, how could the emperor's physique possibly resist? Whether unwilling or not, Su Wu dragged the emperor repeatedly into the water...

There's also Su Wu's words: "What is Your Majesty afraid of? I'm still wearing my breastplate. If anyone's going to drown, it'll be me first. Come on, let's go!"

Su Wu continued to pull, his footsteps splashing water in the shallow water, and the emperor was also pulled forward!
Fifty paces away, there were many soldiers and gentlemen, all staring in disbelief.

What is this doing?
To drown the emperor on the spot?

No one spoke, but some were already trembling with fear, and Qin Hui quickly lowered his head, his heart filled with terror...

If the emperor drowns now, what if it happens to me soon?

Then he told the world that the emperor and Qin Hui had both drowned themselves in the river.
Why was the Prince of Yan so ruthless and vicious? He actually dragged the emperor around like a dog...

How could they really dare to do such a thing?
Looking ahead at the water, Su Wu was walking further and further into the deeper water.

Unable to resist, the emperor lost his balance in the water and stumbled forward, falling horizontally onto the water.

This made it easier for Su Wu to pull, and he kept walking. Soon, the water was up to Su Wu's waist...

But Su Wu was still walking.

"You madman, you insane lunatic, you've lost your mind... I won't go swimming, I won't go..."

Fortunately, the emperor could swim and was able to lift his head out of the water, shouting and struggling.

"Your Majesty, I am protecting you as you cross the river. If I were to drown, wouldn't that please Your Majesty?" Su Wu continued walking forward.

Just look at Su Wu's face; it's extremely ferocious, as if he really wants the two of them to die here together.

"Release me! Release me!" the emperor cried out repeatedly...

Su Wu continued, even though the water had already reached his breastplate, he still held tightly to the emperor and pulled him into the deep water.

Suddenly the emperor shouted, "Fine, I'll listen to you! I'll listen to you, now release me!"

Suddenly, Su Wu stopped in his tracks, looked down, and saw that the water had indeed reached his chest, making it difficult for him to walk any further.

Su Wu stopped walking, and the emperor quickly regained his balance and stood in the water, which reached his neck. In terms of height, Su Wu was a head taller than him.

The emperor, who had just regained his footing after the initial shock, hurriedly said in a trembling voice, "Reporting, Minister Su, Prince Yan, let's go back..."

Su Wu didn't reply, but continued, "Your Majesty, to be honest, I really want to kill you. You probably don't even know how much people hate you!"

"Whatever you say is right. I am utterly wicked and hated by all! I will issue an edict of self-reproach and abdicate..." Zhao Ji's face was still full of fear as he looked back and forth. At this moment, he had only one thought in his mind: to turn back and get ashore.

"Zhao Ji, you truly don't know, the more you say these things, the more I think of many things, and the more I want to drown you here..."

Su Wuzhen remembered many things...

"What can you possibly do to spare me? Tell me, and I'll do it all, please!" The emperor was pleading, crying and begging.

Even if he took a few more steps forward, as long as Su Wu's iron grip didn't loosen, he would really drown on the spot!
Su Wu suddenly became serious and said earnestly, "From the moment I ascend the throne, I ask you to ignore and dislike those who only praise you and pander to your tastes every day. Can you do that?"

"Can, can, can!"

"If I ask you not to open the flower and stone tribute, or not to create or change scenery within the palace, can you do it?"

"What's so difficult about that..."

"I want you to personally don armor and take up arms on the city wall when the Jurchens besiege it, stand with the soldiers and civilians of the city, and fight to the death, instead of fleeing in panic. Can you do that?"

"I know I made a mistake, and it's too late to regret it. I must repent and correct my ways. If this happens again, I will listen to you and I will definitely do it! I will definitely be able to do it!"

"What a pity, it's too late..." Su Wu sighed. If he could have really done it, that would have been wonderful...

If that were truly possible, then today, the Emperor should certainly go into the deep water and see whether Su Wu, clad in iron breastplate, or Zhao Ji, will drown first…

He can't do it!

There's a saying that goes, "He didn't know he was wrong; he knew he was going to die..."

Su Wu suddenly released his grip, but asked, "Your Majesty, do you dare to go any further?"

Before he could finish speaking, and before Su Wu could turn around, the emperor had already turned and was scrambling to walk towards the shore...

"Sigh..." Su Wu sighed.

But he called out, "Your Majesty, please don't be hasty, turn around and look at me!"

With that, Su Wu started walking and actually moved forward...

The emperor did indeed turn his head to look, and he dared not disobey in the slightest...

Just look at Su Wu, he really went into the deep water, and after only a few steps, the water was over Su Wu's head...

The emperor was startled and waited, but Su Wu did not appear for a long time.

The emperor was overjoyed. "Drowning, drowning, drowning is the best! Let him drown! Let him drown quickly!"
If you drown, it's all over!
It seemed as if a long time had truly passed. The emperor searched everywhere, but where was the person? He couldn't find him. His heart filled with even greater joy. Sure enough, this reckless fool, carried away by his own arrogance, drowned himself in his own arrogance…

"Whoa!" A splash of water erupted, and not far from the emperor, a head popped out of the water, a broad smile on its face: "The water is hot and the air is cool, it's so refreshing!"

Isn't this just like Su Wu, who was so overjoyed that he wanted to drown himself?
At that moment, for no apparent reason, the emperor was utterly ashen-faced, his face as white as paper, and he stood motionless in a daze.

Su Wu was already heading towards the shore. He stood up a moment later, the water was up to his belly, and he began to walk.

When Su Wu reached the shore and looked back, the emperor was still standing there.

Su Wu went to the shore and said, "Your Majesty, we've returned..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the emperor's body trembled. He turned his head, looked blankly at the vast expanse of water around him, and began to walk, like a walking corpse, until he reached Su Wu's side...

"Tell me, what's so difficult about issuing an edict of self-reproach? What's so difficult about abdicating? Being alive is enough, being alive is truly good, isn't it?" Su Wu was laughing, not with sarcasm, but with a hearty laugh.

"Yes..." The emperor's words were barely audible...

“Let’s go…” Su Wu raised his hand and put a long arm on the emperor’s shoulder, and they walked… like good friends with their arms around each other.

Fifty paces away, seeing the two of them like this, countless people breathed a sigh of relief, and a few people felt a surge of joy.

No killing, that's good!
But then he saw the two men approaching arm in arm. As they got closer, Qin Hui hurriedly tried to force a smile onto his face.

With each muscle twitch, a smile looked more like a grimace...

Then the King of Yan said, "Who are you crying for?"

Qin Hui, his hands bound behind his back, still managed to bow: "Your Majesty is truly..."

I paused!
"What word?" Su Wu asked.

"Your Majesty is truly... a true dragon!" he exclaimed.

"Alright, I have something important to entrust to you!" Su Wu made no attempt to hide anything and immediately set off.

What's the big deal?
Offending the scholars and officials of the world is a matter of governing the scholars and officials of the world.

It wasn't Su Wu who gave the order; it was Qin Hui who "slandered and reported" it. Whatever Su Wu wanted to do, Qin Hui had to report it in court. Then Su Wu would listen to it, find it reasonable, and do it. He had to let Qin Hui do it, and do it well!
One day, when things were almost over, Su Wu "suddenly realized" that it was Qin Hui who harbored evil intentions and that Qin Hui's slander had brought disaster to the country, causing countless "unjust accusations" against the scholars and officials. How could he appease the public's anger? Only by beheading the traitor, preferably by dismemberment, could he appease the public's anger!
Isn't it beautiful?

Qin Hui was overjoyed and bowed repeatedly, saying, "Your Majesty is wise! Your Majesty is truly the chosen one of Heaven! The Purple Star, which was originally dark, is now bright again! This is a blessing for the nation, a blessing for the world, and a blessing for all the people!"

“Let’s go…the rain isn’t stopping, we should take shelter for a while…” Su Wu strode off, followed by the others.

Go straight into the Hanyang prefectural government office. Once inside, you should send a letter between the Emperor and Zhong Shizhong of Xiangyang. That goes without saying.

Suddenly, Su Wu received a message from Yan Qing: "Your Majesty, all the princes have been investigated, and most have been captured. Only the Ninth Prince, Zhao Gou, remains missing..."

"Hmm?" Su Wu frowned. This kid is so capable? Can he predict the future?
"Your Majesty, rest assured, we are recaptured and will not let this person escape." Yan Qing said as if issuing a military order.

Su Wu waved his hand: "It's alright, Jinghu is not a place we are familiar with, he will appear on his own... But you do have a new job, you are to build a new government office, you must have a good grasp of the military and civilian affairs of the country, as well as the affairs of officials, the government office will be called the 'Intelligence Department', you will be very busy..."

"I will do my utmost!" Yan Qing bowed to the side, secretly overjoyed. This time, the reason was obvious...

Countless others, like Yan Qing, were overjoyed beyond measure...

The matter of following the dragon has been accomplished today!
Even so, we know that things are not yet stable, and we must continue to work hard!

(Brothers, I had something to do today, so I rushed out early...)
(End of this chapter)