Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 402 Such viciousness is against the natural order.

Linhuang Prefecture has inner and outer cities, but the outer city does not enclose the inner city. Rather, the two cities are adjacent, with the inner city to the east and the outer city to the west. It would be more accurate to call it the new city and the old city.

These two cities, side by side, bear witness to the transformation of the Khitan people from weakness to strength.

To the east of the inner city, a winding river flows. In the summer, when the rains are plentiful, the river becomes somewhat treacherous. Now, as late autumn slowly approaches winter, the river is visibly getting shallower day by day…

Crossing the river is not difficult, but in winter, the river may even dry up or freeze.

Across the river, the Jurchen cavalry made no attempt to hide, brazenly appearing in the sight of the soldiers on the city wall.

They also seemed to be there to scout the river. The people on the city wall saw a group of Jurchens by the river and genuinely thought they were cavalry.

Actually, that's not the case. It was Wanyan Zongwang and Wanyan Zongbi who came to see it in person!
Zongbi's words were saying, "Brother, the river is about ready!"

Wanyan Zongwang nodded: "Yes, crossing the river is not difficult. Actually, whether the river is deep or shallow is not that important!"

"Hmm? This isn't important? Then what is important? What do you mean, brother?" Wanyan Zongbi asked.

Wanyan Zongwang looked south: "I hope he will come. His coming is the most important thing!"

"Who's coming? Su Wu? Didn't we risk starting the war early because he couldn't come?"

Wanyan Zongbi was somewhat puzzled.

Wanyan Zongwang gently spurred his horse and rode downstream along the river to the southeast. Several months ago, Su Wu's army had been stationed on the opposite bank of the river...

As he walked, he slowly said, "The heroes and great men of this world, who are always victorious, often harbor a sense of complacency!"

"Brother, are you referring to Su Wu?" Wanyan Zongbi seemed to slowly understand.

Wanyan Zongwang continued, "Now that he has successfully usurped the throne, how could Su Wu, a man of such vast power as the Song Dynasty, have succeeded in doing so? It must be due to his reputation. The millions of people in the Song Dynasty all trust his reputation. Where does his reputation come from? He has fought in the south and the north, winning every battle. Now that his usurpation is complete, he must protect his reputation even more..."

As Wanyan Zongbi frowned in thought, he suddenly said, "Could it be that he really will come?"

Wanyan Zongwang was silent for a moment, then raised his hand and pointed to a clearing on the southeast side of the opposite bank of the river, where traces of Su Wu's army had been stationed a few months ago. He said, "Last time, he was stationed there, and we were defeated!"

Wanyan Zongwang's logic seemed to jump from one point to another...

Actually, what he was thinking about was quite straightforward...

"Yes, brother, I remember. This time, we must avenge this humiliation!" Wanyan Zongbi said through gritted teeth.

"Therefore, he should come. He has the courage and confidence of a hero, and he needs the reputation to be established in the face of victory or defeat. At this moment, he should not want to suffer criticism for a defeat, even if it is just the loss of Linhuang Prefecture. For his reputation of being invincible in a hundred battles, it would be a huge loss... He will come!"

Wanyan Zongwang seemed to be talking to himself.

Wanyan Zongbi immediately asked, "Brother, didn't we calculate and calculate before that he wouldn't be able to come? Why does it seem like you really want him to come now?"

"He can't send a large army, but he can certainly send three to five thousand men... Others wouldn't dare to come, but he definitely would!"

Wanyan Zongwang seemed genuinely looking forward to it.

Wanyan Zongbi was suddenly startled: "So, my brother came here in such a dangerous way because of him?"

“Otherwise, we Jurchens may never be able to defeat Su Wu on the battlefield in this lifetime. Only in this way, only when we take the risk and lure him to take the risk as well, only when he brings several thousand troops, will we Jurchens have a chance of winning this battle. If Su Wu truly wins this time, the speed at which the grasslands will turn to us and submit will need no further explanation. In this way, we can control the grasslands as quickly as possible, getting men and horses as we need…”

Wanyan Zongwang has played a very grand game of chess...

Only at this moment did Wanyan Zongbi realize the truth, but he was also learning, just like Wu Song learning from Su Wu. Wanyan Zongbi was originally very intelligent.

But Wanyan Zongbi asked, "What if he doesn't come?"

Wanyan Zongwang repeated, "If he doesn't come... if he really doesn't come... such a heroic figure, a man who personally charges into battle, a victorious ruler who wins every battle, if he doesn't come..."

At this point, Wanyan Zongwang sighed softly: "If he doesn't come... even if Linhuang Prefecture is captured, once Su Wu settles this matter of supplies, even if we really want to occupy the grasslands, it will be extremely difficult. Who knows how many more fierce battles and brutal wars will follow... The Central Plains are vast and populous, with countless riches and provisions. Once Su Wu truly secures his throne, year after year, our Jurchens will face this calamity... I wonder when it will end..."

Wanyan Zongwang thinks a lot and far ahead, perhaps even more so than Su Wu...

He has thought through the future situation!
Even if they breach Linhuang Prefecture now, it would only add another line of defense; once they leave the grasslands, their rampage won't go very far...

Then Su Wu, with his army following, wouldn't he still have to fight a bitter and fierce battle?
Even if Su Wu manages to stabilize the war, he can wear down the Jurchen's small force of about 30,000 people year after year...

Isn't this exactly what history written in Chinese characters from the Central Plains is all about?

Wanyan Zongbi was also thinking about it. He thought about it more deeply, following his brother's words. How could he not sigh?

But then he suddenly spoke up: "I wonder how Xi Yin is doing. I never imagined that Su Wu would lead a large army into the capital of the Song Dynasty and seize power, thus trapping Xi Yin in this situation... I wonder if he is alive or dead..."

As he spoke, Wanyan Zongbi's eyes seemed to redden. His feelings for Wanyan Xiyin were self-evident. There weren't many people of their generation; most of them had grown up together since childhood, and he had even followed them around since he was a child...

Wanyan Zongwang waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, Xi Yin won't die, he's perfectly fine..."

"How do you know?" Wanyan Zongbi asked.

“Su Wu, we will not kill him!” Wanyan Zongwang said firmly, adding, “Because a hero and a great leader has such a presence; even if he wants to fight us, he will have to submit to us!”

"Huh?" Wanyan Zongbi was genuinely puzzled.

"You told me... Su Wu once told you that the world is vast, and that all the fighting on this land will eventually come to an end. He said that when the Jurchens are defeated, you must live... and follow Su Wu to see a bigger world..."

Wanyan Zongwang was actually confused when he said these words.

As Wanyan Zongbi said, "How much more vast a empire can it possibly be?"

“Yes, how much more vast can the world be?” Wanyan Zongwang echoed.

Wanyan Zongbi thought for a while, but couldn't figure it out. Then he suddenly changed his mind and started thinking about something else. He was quite excited: "Brother, what do you think? Su Wu is coming with three to five thousand men. If we kill him on the battlefield, wouldn't everything be fine?"

His bond with Su Wu and the greater cause of national survival were clearly of equal importance at this moment, making it easy to distinguish between them...

"Haha..." Wanyan Zongwang laughed upon hearing this. If that were really the case, wouldn't everything be fine?

When the time comes, we can simply gather the grasslands, assemble 200,000 archers, and head south, from any direction we choose. Who can stop us?

Such stories do not not appear in the historical records of the Han people.

Even just thinking about it is something that makes me incredibly happy!

"Brother, let's wait for him to arrive, and then we'll kill him on the spot!" Wanyan Zongbi's heart was filled with even more excitement!
"He will come..." Wanyan Zongwang looked south, his face filled with anticipation and longing.

"Yes, we're just waiting for him to arrive!" Wanyan Zongbi also followed his elder brother's example and looked south into the distance...

The two brothers, who grew up together since childhood, or rather, Wanyan Zongbi grew up with his elder brother, who was sometimes more like a father to him, suddenly found themselves on the same wavelength, resonating with each other. This was a wonderful feeling.

Historically speaking, the two brothers did have some conflicts of opinion and interests later on, but not at this moment!

Throughout the Jurchen people's rise to power, fathers and sons, brothers and sworn brothers, worked together with one heart and one mind!
At this very moment, a man surnamed Wanyan also arrived in Yanjing City.

It was Wanyan Xiyin who was trapped in Yanjing by Su Wu's usurpation and was kept under guard for some time. Now that war has broken out again, how could Su Wu not bring him to the front line as well?

When Su Wu summoned Wanyan Xiyin, he had only briefly met Wanyan Xiyin once before when he first entered Bianjing City. That meeting was truly hasty; he was practically brought before Wanyan Xiyin for a quick glance without saying a word.

At that time, Su Wu had too many things to do, and Wanyan's matter was not important.

This time is different. In the former Liao imperial city, Su Wu looked at Wanyan Xiyin, who was standing in front of him with his neck stiff, but he was not angry. Last time, when Wanyan Xiyin was escorted to see Su Wu, he also stood with his neck stiff.

Su Wu began by asking, "You speak excellent Chinese, so you must... be educated?"

Upon hearing this, Wanyan Xiyin turned his stiff neck, looking somewhat smug, and said, "You Han officials may not necessarily be as well-read as I am."

"Nine Classics and Thirteen Classics?" Su Wu asked.

Wanyan Xiyin glanced to the side, remaining silent, but his appearance was undeniably captivating...

"The official histories of all dynasties?" Su Wu asked again.

Wanyan Xiyin even raised her chin slightly, which was no problem for her...

"Qin and Han dynasty poetry, prose, and miscellaneous essays?"

"Tang and Song poetry and prose?"

"Huainanzi? Classic of Mountains and Seas? Commentary on the Waterways Classic?"

"Taiping Guangji?"

"The Imperial Archives?"

……

Su Wu was somewhat surprised and asked, "Where did you read these books?"

Su Wu was somewhat incredulous; how could the Jurchens, living deep in the mountains, read books?
"You won't believe it, but our early education relied on Liao merchants. Later, it was mostly about trading and buying, and then it was about robbing..." Wanyan Xiyin said with great pride.

Hearing these words, Su Wu could even picture a scene: a Jurchen boy, who, although from a noble family, was actually from a very small Jurchen tribe. In fact, a village with a hundred or so able-bodied men was considered quite large...

The son of a village chief in the mountains learns to read and write while following a merchant who comes to swindle them out of furs and ginseng...

Later, after obtaining the book, he asked everyone he met about it, and gradually... he kept asking people to bring him the book...

When Xu was young, he also traveled to the lands of the Liao people, where he endured their ridicule and mockery... In this way, he read countless books...

At that time, when they broke through Linhuang Prefecture, he rushed into academies and similar places immediately, and then studied diligently while fighting...

He may have felt envious, he may have felt inferior, but he also motivated himself. He truly brought the court systems of the Liao and Song dynasties to the Jurchens, and he created a new writing system for them...

Historically, he was to be granted the title of king in the Jin Dynasty...

Su Wu looked Wanyan Xiyin up and down. He was wearing a scholar's robe that he had stolen from the Khitans, a crown, and a jade belt with a buckle at his waist...

The spirit of the Jurchens, who went from living a primitive life to taking center stage in history, was embodied in Wanyan Xiyin.

Su Wu suddenly asked, "What kind of people do you want the Jurchens to become?"

Upon hearing this question, Wanyan Xiyin suddenly lowered his stiff neck, met Su Wu's gaze, and looked thoughtful.

Su Wu continued, "You want to become one of us, don't you? To make the Jurchens like the Khitans, like the Han people. That's probably what you've been thinking, or at least what you've sought in the first half of your life!"

Wanyan Xiyin's face darkened, and he remained silent, but took a deep breath.

Then Su Wu said, "Chinese characters are truly beautiful. When you were a young man, eager for knowledge, you must have gained countless insights from them. Those texts must have captivated you, keeping you up at night and unable to eat or sleep. Even though Chinese characters are so beautiful, no matter how you try to create them, you can never create them as well..."

Jurchen script looks like individual Chinese characters, with horizontal strokes, vertical strokes, left-falling strokes, and curved strokes...

Recombining, haphazardly combining...

In fact, the Western Xia script also follows this pattern, and its character creation psychology is clearly exactly the same as that of Wanyan Xiyin...

Wanyan Xiyin finally spoke again: "If I defeat you and take control of the Central Plains, who can say that the script I created is not orthodox?"

"It cannot become the orthodox script. Since ancient times, Chinese characters have been passed down in an unbroken lineage and have a history. Your Jurchen script, on the other hand, appeared out of thin air and has no origin!"

Su Wu spoke slowly, bowing his head and brushing off the barely visible dust from his clothes...

Wanyan Xiyin seemed somewhat annoyed and asked only one question: "What exactly do you want to say to me?"

Su Wu looked up: "It's nothing, I just wanted to know if you truly have that much love for the Central Plains. I think you do. This love is perhaps like your thirst for knowledge when you were young, or perhaps it's even more of an unparalleled admiration and reverence..."

“I am reading the books of the Liao people, not the books of you Song people…” Wanyan Xiyin retorted.

Su Wu smiled slightly and said, "There are no more Liao people, and no more Song people, only the Great Yan!"

Su Wu wasn't actually going to engage in any verbal sparring with Wanyan Xiyin. He then changed the subject and asked, "At this moment, are you aware of the current state of the battle?"

"I know, it's not a complicated matter. It's just that my Jurchen people are going to take the risk and fight first. It all depends on how you deal with it."

Wanyan Xiyin answered somewhat impatiently.

"Tell me, how should I deal with this? What is the outcome?" Su Wu asked.

How could Wanyan Xiyin not have thought about it?

But how could he share his thoughts with Su Wu?

He then said, "So, you're trying to find some weakness in me? Absolutely not! If you want to kill me, then kill me. Just hang my head on the flagpole so that all my Jurchen warriors can see it and make them even more determined to avenge themselves!"

"All those books you've read are wasted if you cut them off and hung them on a flagpole! A great man once said, 'Cultivate your mind and toughen your body,' and that suits you perfectly!"

Su Wu spoke very seriously, and actually praised Wanyan Xiyin.

"Hmm?" Wanyan Xiyin seemed to be drawn in by the words as well, and couldn't help but ponder the meaning behind them.

Upon reflection, one can't help but think that if there were a country in the world that possessed both civilized spirit and savage physique, it would be the most perfect.

"This man is extraordinary!" Wanyan Xiyin also praised.

Su Wu nodded and slowly said, "Xu Wanyan Zongwang is waiting for me to lead troops to reinforce Linhuang Prefecture. I will not go. He cannot take Linhuang Prefecture!"

Wanyan Xiyin frowned immediately. He had always understood and could see through Wanyan Zongwang's scheme, and now that Su Wu had seen through it all, how could he not frown?
Wanyan Xiyin could no longer remain silent and said, "Why are you so confident that Linhuang Prefecture can be defended? Don't you know that our Jurchen warriors have achieved their current prestige by climbing the high walls of the Khitan time and time again!"

"How much prestige do you still have today?" Su Wu said mockingly.

Wanyan Xiyin immediately flew into a rage: "If you were like us, born in the harsh, cold mountains, eating raw meat and drinking blood, and being oppressed by others, could you have done what my Jurchen people have done today?"

"Perhaps not..." Su Wu waved his hand, too lazy to dwell on it, and simply said, "I'm waiting for the Jurchen army to besiege Linhuang Prefecture!"

"What is your plan?" Wanyan Xiyin couldn't help but ask.

It's like watching someone play chess. The game is close, and it's just a matter of one move to win or lose. He really wants to know where the next piece will be placed.

"Autumn and winter are dry, and the seedlings wither and turn yellow. Since you are not focusing on the matter of harvesting grain, and the army is still going to besiege Linhuang Prefecture, how can we not cross Yanshan? Just watch the fire spread. I will go into Yanshan first, with only a few hundred people. When the time is right, we will cross the many passes of Yanshan and set the plains ablaze. Wherever there are large fields of millet, we will set them ablaze!"

Su Wu wasn't joking; this was his plan, though he hadn't revealed it completely. The Bohai Sea wasn't difficult to cross, and Su Wu had his own ships. It was precisely at this time that Lu Junyi was continuously transporting supplies from the south to Jingdong.
Although the ships are not all there are, they are enough. The military orders have been issued, and the large ships from Mizhou in Jingdong are heading towards the coast of Xijin Prefecture, which is the area of ​​Tianjin...

It wasn't about attacking any city, nor was it about striking at the heart of the enemy's territory. Su Wu didn't have the manpower to do that. He was simply setting fire to the ripe fields.

Surely the fields can't all be located within the city walls?
These words left Wanyan Xiyin stunned on the spot...

"What do you think of this plan? We don't even need to get close to the fields. How could it not be easy to burn in the land beyond the Great Wall? If that day ever comes, even the deep mountains and forests of your hometown would be easy to burn, right? Why didn't the Khitan burn down the entire mountain range back then?"

Su Wu continued speaking to himself.

The Northeast in this era was nothing like it would be in later times. Beyond the plains and fields lay vast swamps and meadows, a barren wasteland in autumn and winter. People would hunt roe deer with sticks and scoop fish with ladles, while pheasants would fly right into the iron pots...

Fire is most useful in autumn and winter.

A fire in one place may not burn the whole area, but if fires break out everywhere, that's a different story.

Why did the Khitans object in the past? Because this place was also their home!
But this is not Su Wu's home!

"How could you devise such a vicious plan? This is against the natural order; aren't you afraid of retribution?"

Wanyan Xiyin stood up, his anger evident.

"A last resort... burning it once is better than nothing. The fields will be more fertile next year, and the yield will definitely be higher! Meadows, forests, and fields are actually not afraid of fire..."

Su Wu said with a smile, a smile that was somewhat cruel.

“There are still many Han Chinese there!” Wanyan Xiyin said.

“People can’t be burned to death; there are plenty of open fields…” Su Wu replied.

But he asked, "Tell me, what do you think of the outcome of this battle? Wanyan Zongwang is still waiting outside Linhuang Prefecture for the new grain to be delivered... I'm afraid he won't live to see it!"

Wanyan Xiyin, who had stood up, suddenly sat down again, his mind racing. After much thought, he said, "Your Highness must have thought of this as well, and will certainly be prepared!"

"Those thirty thousand men in total, with their good defenses, inevitably reduced the number of people climbing the city walls. As for Linhuang Prefecture, my troops number only a few thousand, mostly Khitans. The Khitans are defending their last home, a home they finally managed to retake. How could they not fight to the death? The Khitans' hatred for you Jurchens runs deep. I think they can hold the city. See, what did I tell you? You can't break through Linhuang Prefecture..."

Su Wu was very calm and composed. How could his conversation with Wanyan Xiyin not be a discussion?

This is also to make the military plan even more perfect.

Wanyan Xiyin's face turned pale; was he about to lose?
Was this a last-ditch gamble with everything up, or was it destined to fail?

Wanyan Xiyin suddenly looked up at Su Wu, his eyes flashing with a cold light, which was fierce. He had read countless books, but he was still the same wild mountain boy who used to eat raw meat and drink blood!
He wants to kill someone!
Su Wu said softly, "Live. Only by living can we find a new way out for the Jurchens who will suffer a crushing defeat in the future. If we die now, I'm afraid those Jurchens will really bleed to their last drop of blood..."

"What do you mean?" Wanyan Xiyin's eyes were so fierce they seemed to burst out of their sockets.

He truly possessed a civilized spirit and a savage physique.

"What I mean is, don't throw your life away right now. How can a common man's rage kill me here? After this, if you live, go and persuade those Jurchens. The Song Dynasty is gone, the Liao Dynasty is gone, and the Great Yan is actually quite good. I promise you, the remaining Jurchen able-bodied men will serve as the vanguard of my army for five years. From now on, the Jurchens in Dading Prefecture and the surrounding areas can cultivate and live in the area from generation to generation. The imperial court will pay one-tenth of the taxes, and this will never change. There will be no more oppression! A king's word is law. I am now the Son of Heaven, and I will use this Jurchen victory to gain the trust of the world!"

Su Wu spoke earnestly, his gaze sharp as a knife. He also looked at Wan Yan Xiyin, and thus prepared for Wan Yan Xiyin to suddenly attack.

However, the possibility of Wanyan Xiyin suddenly attacking is really not high. With two rows of armored soldiers on the left and right, and Wanyan Xiyin without armor or weapons, how could he possibly kill the young, strong, and countless-time-killed Su Wu?
Wanyan Xiyin met Su Wu's piercing gaze, stared at him for a long while, and finally looked away, remaining silent...

Su Wu stood up and waved his hand: "Go... I've said all I have to say for today. When I see you again, it will be the day of victory. At that time, you must give an answer to what I said today. It concerns the life and death of the Jurchen people. Think it over carefully!"

Su Wu waved his hand, and soldiers came to escort him. At this moment, Wanyan Xiyin was indeed to be put deep in the dungeon and kept under strict guard!

The Jurchens are moving; around October 10th, their army will surely surround Linhuangfu.

Su Wu would not enter the Yanshan Mountains; he would go to the seaside. He liked to travel by boat, and the Bohai Sea was his blessed land. Su Wu rose to prominence from the Bohai Sea.

He went himself!

The final imperial edict was sent to Linhuang Prefecture, ordering Wu Jie to hold out to the death. It wouldn't take a month, or even twenty days; at most, fifteen days, perhaps even ten.

Let Yue Fei wait for the right opportunity and act according to the enemy's movements. Under no circumstances should he take risks, but he should not hesitate to act. In the next few dozen to fifteen days after October 10th, the Jurchen army will definitely make a move.

Such military orders can actually make things very difficult for those in command, and they may even be at a loss for what to do.

Logically speaking, Su Wu, the commander-in-chief, should never have issued such an ambiguous military order...

But such a military order was most suitable for Yue Fei.

(End of this chapter)