Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 419 My husband, it's better to live than to die...

The large ship continued to sail slowly in the Lingdingyang. Lu Junyi had lived his life solely for pleasure, a fact that Su Wu understood all too well.

Fun things...

Su Wu suddenly turned around, looked around, pointed to the east, and said, "Brother, do you know where the end of this sea is?"

Lu Junyi nodded and said, "I didn't know before, but wasn't this the 'Complete Map of the World' personally bestowed by His Majesty? After looking at it carefully, how could I not know that the eastern sea ends at the land of Yin?"

Su Wu smiled and pointed south again: "What about this way?"

"Hehe... Your Majesty is testing us? There are islands like Luzon and Java, a continuous stretch of islands, varying in size, some as large as the Central Plains, others as small as a few steps square, stretching endlessly... Your Majesty bestowed upon them the name Luzon and its archipelago..."

Lu Junyi answered seriously.

Su Wu nodded, then asked, "What about further south?"

"Oh, that land? That land is incredibly vast. It's said to be covered in fine iron and has an endless supply of coal. His Majesty named it the Land of Red Iron."

"Yes!" Su Wu nodded repeatedly, then asked, "Are these places fun?"

"Hmm? What does Your Majesty mean?" Lu Junyi asked.

"Haha... How could I not know that you, brother, are already weary of this maritime trade and shipping business? It's all too much paperwork to bear. What was interesting at first has become utterly tiresome. You, brother, have long since given up on doing this, but out of consideration for my feelings, you have no choice but to comply..."

Su Wu laughed heartily and sincerely, knowing that Lu Junyi's life was all about having fun. In the past, in Daming Prefecture, they had entrusted their family business to that steward...

Just for fun, just for enjoyment, he even went to challenge the Liangshan heroes all by himself...

His supposed unparalleled skill in spear, staff, bow, and horsemanship was all just a matter of whim...

This man is not suited for long-term, demanding jobs, yet he continues in this position out of necessity. After all, Su Wu has become the emperor. If Su Wu needs him, how could he easily refuse?

Upon hearing this, Lu Junyi first smiled awkwardly, then became quite nonchalant and nodded, saying, "Your Majesty understands me!"

"Brother, when you return this time, why don't you resign from this post, assemble a fleet, head south, travel all over the Luzon Islands, see the Hematite Land, observe the people and scenery of various places, record them, and especially familiarize yourself with the sea routes? What do you think?"

Su Wu was trying to find interesting things for Lu Junyi to do, but more importantly, he was doing it for the sake of his descendants expanding the territory...

Lu Junyi hesitated: "Your Majesty needs the convenience of maritime trade most right now. Is it really appropriate for me to leave?"

Su Wu nodded: "Why not? If you still have concerns or worries, then you can find someone to properly hand over the reins and give instructions... Just wait until you feel that this person is ready to take over before you go..."

“That’s excellent!” Lu Junyi nodded in response, feeling a sudden sense of relief.

"Brother, do you have someone in mind?" Su Wu asked.

“Actually, there are, and not just one or two. Your Majesty has a navy, and I have a fleet. In fact… the fleet and the navy are not much different. Why not temporarily combine them into one place…” Lu Junyi finished speaking and looked at Su Wu.

"You mean you want Zhu Tong to bring the Ruan brothers to take over your job?" Su Wu asked.

"If Your Majesty has any concerns... that's alright. As long as the families of your soldiers are under control, there will be no major problems..."

Lu Junyi was clever enough to know that Su Wu would worry about these things, so he said, "Your Majesty can rest assured. Zhu Tong is not such a person without loyalty and righteousness. With him in charge, you can be at ease. Besides, Your Majesty treats the Ruan brothers and those former river pirates very well. They are all fellow villagers, and they respect Your Majesty. Now they are all officials and soldiers, and they are prominent figures in their hometown. How could they easily develop disloyalty?"

Su Wu was gradually persuaded and nodded: "Alright, then it's settled. Zhu Tong, along with the Ruan brothers and their numerous naval forces, will be brought under your command. But if you must keep one person, keep Ruan Xiaoqi. Let him be the naval commander on the rivers. That's the arrangement..."

"Your Majesty is wise!" Lu Junyi bowed.

"I've been putting you through a lot these past few days, brother..." Su Wu returned the greeting.

“We are brothers…we have a bond, Your Majesty is too kind…” Lu Junyi bowed again, but suddenly asked, “Your Majesty, what about Xiao Yi now…”

He hesitated, wanting to say something but then stopped...

“What my brother says is true…” Su Wu raised his hand in invitation.

"Then let me be frank," Lu Junyi said, "will Xiao Yi's current actions end well?" He was actually filled with unease as he finished speaking.

But this was the only person Lu Junyi cared about in his life. He was knowledgeable about many things: court affairs, imperial affairs, officialdom, and politics...

It's normal to have worries...

Su Wu frowned slightly, understanding what Lu Junyi was asking, and replied, "Others don't know, and they don't know in the future, but Xiao Yi will surely have a good end!"

"With His Majesty's words... that's good, that's good..." Lu Junyi was actually sighing...

"How about this, later we'll arrange a marriage for Xiao Yi, have him have several children, and then adopt one into your name? How about that? That way, when the family business grows large in the future, there will be someone to inherit it, right?"

Su Wu was truly concerned about these matters.

The prodigal son Yan Qing never rushed into marriage or had children, nor did he seem to care, much like he was influenced by Lu Junyi.

But now he has a political mission: to give Lu Junyi a grandson.

"I... don't care about these things anymore..." Lu Junyi replied.

Su Wu added, "If my elder brother were to adopt a distant relative with the same surname, that would be perfectly acceptable..."

"Enough, enough... Since ancient times, when a person dies, the lamp goes out. Even the greatest wealth will eventually run out. I have never heard of any family that has lasted forever... Rather than that, it would be better to use the proceeds after death to make weapons, armor, ships, and other such items. These things can be used for a long time to help Your Majesty expand the territory. Once the land is acquired, it can be enjoyed by your descendants for generations to come..."

Lu Junyi sighed deeply...

Su Wu sighed so hard that the sand and dust momentarily blurred his vision...

In this day and age, there really are people like that?

"Well..." Su Wu wanted to say something more...

Lu Junyi spoke first: "Your Majesty need not think further. I only wish to live a few more years, to truly travel all over this 'Complete Map of the World,' to see what this world is really like. If I die then, I will have no regrets!"

"Alright, I won't say any more!" Su Wu took a deep breath, his heart also filled with excitement. With such a person walking the same path with him, what difficulty could there be in the affairs of this life and the world?

If you walk to the end of the Lingdingyang, you will reach the bay of Guangzhou and land on land.

Cao Cheng's army has already headed west and is on its way to Wuzhou.

Wang Xun was reporting various matters to Su Wu.

After reporting, Su Wu asked, "Is there any truth to the matter of Zhao Gou?"

Wang Xun answered in one sentence: "It's not true. All the rebels in the city have been severely interrogated in prison. The leaders have been identified one by one. Under severe torture, they all said that they had only heard about it and had never seen it with their own eyes..."

"This Zhao Gou, Zhao Gou..." Su Wu also felt a bit troubled; this guy really knew how to dodge.

“But I am quite certain that Zhao Gou is among the rebels!” Wang Xun added.

"Hmm? Tell me about it..." Su Wu wanted to hear the reasons.

"Your Majesty, if we say Zhao Gou is not here, this place is remote and difficult to communicate with. It's impossible for the bandits to know that Zhao Gou has escaped in such a short time. Even if they accidentally learned a few words, how easy is it for them to impersonate a former prince? How could an ordinary person do it? If they are exposed, wouldn't the morale of the army be greatly affected? It would be a loss that outweighs the gains..."

Wang Xun explained his reasoning.

Su Wu frowned and thought for a moment, then nodded: "You're right. Let's go. I have five hundred riders, and you have over a thousand. Come with me, and I'll go and give chase first... You can come back later..."

"Yes, sir!" Wang Xun bowed respectfully.

Fifteen hundred cavalrymen set off from the city, followed by Wang Xun leading his troops. Meanwhile, ships at the dock were unloading provisions.

When Su Wu went out this time, Wu Song was on his left and Lu Junyi was on his right.

We then took some local guides and headed straight for Wuzhou.

The hundreds of thousands of rebel troops were still marching slowly along the road, their advance was truly slow.

However, Prince Zhao Gou has returned. Once he leaves Guangzhou and gets away from this place, why would Zhao Gou leave the army? Where is there a safer place than the army?

This was also Zhao Gou's idea: to get away from this place first, find a safe place to settle down, train the army, acquire more armor and weapons, and build an elite force so that they would have some ability to fight again in the future... In their current chaotic state, they absolutely cannot encounter Su Wu...

Even among this army of hundreds of thousands, there were horses... there were horses, a thousand or two, but most of them were small mountain horses, about the same height as donkeys. When Su Wu came on his strong horse, how could he stop them?

Of course, the South has its advantages, but once the weather gets hot, the soldiers from the North will surely find it unbearable, and the horses from the North will be even more so...

Therefore, shifting the battle to another location is the safest strategy. If Su Wu were to return when the weather becomes truly hot, his army might not even need to fight much, as many of them would inevitably fall ill...

In any case, Zhao Gou had countless thoughts in his mind, most of which were schemes devised by clever people.

He also had a discussion with Cao Cheng, and these reasons were enough to convince people.

As the army marched toward Wuzhou, Zhao Gou, riding a swaying horse, asked Cao Cheng, "Wuzhou must be easy to conquer, right?"

Cao Cheng patted his chest and replied, "Although we haven't had time to prepare a plan for a coordinated attack from within and without, we will surely succeed in one battle, just like we did in conquering Daozhou and Hezhou!"

"That's good, that's good..." Zhao Gou was a man who worried about countless things. If Wuzhou could not be captured, then everything would be over.

Four or five days later, Zhao Gou, Cao Cheng, Yang Zaixing, and others, with an army of tens of thousands, had already arrived at the city of Wuzhou.

However, the rear guard stretched out for two or three hundred miles, and there were even those who had fallen behind, some three or four hundred miles away.

The difficult terrain was one issue, but the more serious problem was the chaotic deployment of the bandit army...

It was even more chaotic than Fang La's army...

It was also Cao Cheng's troops, but it never truly gained momentum. By momentum, I mean more than just numbers...

As for management, Cao Cheng had never truly managed the various tribes under his command, whereas Fang La had managed them to some extent.

In comparison, Fang La had another outstanding feature: Manichaeism. This religious belief gave Fang La's forces a greater sense of cohesion and organization.

But to be honest, Fang La was not a very good manager. He relied more on religious support, which is similar to the later Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom failed because of this management problem.

Another person mentioned is Song Jiang of Liangshan, who is actually quite talented in this area and is very good at management.

Cao Cheng, who couldn't break through Guangzhou, was clearly not a major bandit despite having tens of thousands of men.

This was a thought that Su Wu had while idly pursuing his pursuers...

Clearly, Su Wu had caught up with quite a few bandits one after another. The first ones he caught up with were the ones who had fallen behind, so killing them was truly effortless...

This also drove many of the straggling bandits to hide everywhere, but Su Wu didn't search for them, and just kept chasing after them...

Those that catch up are in groups...

On the main road, with each hoofbeat and thud, the horse was utterly powerless to resist. Faced with strong horses and iron armor, the gray cloth and linen clothes, which were not even equipped with swords and spears, were completely helpless.

They just rushed in and out, in groups... but have long since scattered and disappeared...

Su Wu didn't care about any of that and continued along the main road towards Wuzhou.

They set up camp beneath the walls of Wuzhou, gathering men and soldiers to discuss how to attack the city...

Let's wait another day or two before heading out.

Su Wu once again employed the method of marching day and night. He seemed to have gotten used to it, running by day and night, and most of his soldiers could endure it...

Two days later, early in the morning, Yang Zaixing began to arrange his troops in preparation for attacking the city.

On the city wall, there were at least four or five thousand defenders, but they were already in a state of panic. Even inside the city tower, the various military officers and the prefectural judge were discussing whether to open the city gates and surrender...

They've already discussed it several times, and they've also received news that the imperial army has arrived in Guangzhou; they'll surely come to their aid...

We also learned that the bandits had retreated from Guangzhou to Wuzhou...

If it weren't for this news, Wuzhou would most likely have already opened its city gates, and the sight of countless people thronging the city would be truly terrifying.

But today, before reinforcements have even arrived, the bandits have already deployed countless troops and are about to attack the city. Inside the city walls, all the civil and military officials are pale with fright, discussing and discussing and discussing...

Huang Sheng, the prefect of Wuzhou, was from Hejian, Hebei. He was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) from outside Donghua Gate. He used to be an official in Henan, but was demoted to this post. Why was he demoted?
When Cai Jing lost power and died, a letter of request for favors that he had just sent was found in his home.

Unfortunately, the letter never actually reached Cai Jing. He received countless letters like this every day, many of which he simply threw away…

Unfortunately, his letter was copied as soon as it was delivered...

This man came from Henan to Guangxi to become the prefect, and clearly, he hasn't been here long.

That's how things are in officialdom. Sometimes it's just a matter of choosing the wrong side, and sometimes it's just bad luck. What's the point of a letter anyway?
Every official in the court, by name or surname, had corresponded with Cai Jing.

But one letter from him traveled thousands of miles away. In the sweltering summer heat, he was walking on the road and nearly died from the heat, falling seriously ill for months...

Fortunately, Wuzhou, compared to many other places in the south, is surrounded by mountains and is not an extremely hot place, not even as hot as many places along the way. He gradually recovered and didn't die from the illness...

But he was so ill that he was emaciated, and his cheekbones were protruding...

He stood atop the city wall, looking down at the hordes of bandits outside the city, and sighed, "What kind of fate is this? I've fallen into this predicament by sheer misfortune, and now, bandits are besieging the city. Even if I fight... I fear the city will be difficult to defend, and if it falls, I will surely die. If I don't fight and the city is opened, even if they don't kill me, I will inevitably suffer the humiliation of these bandits and become a prisoner..."

The soldiers behind him were all looking at him, and someone said, "Sir, it's better to live than to die..."

Some people said, "Sir, why don't we hold the city and see what happens? In case... the enemy's attack on the city is nothing more than this?"

Then someone said, "What if... the city falls in a single battle? Wouldn't we be..."

After discussing it for several days, everyone was no longer holding back their words.

During the initial discussions, Huang Sheng remained mostly silent, letting the locals argue amongst themselves...

Huang Sheng himself was also undecided and was waiting to see if the imperial reinforcements would arrive...

Today, the rebel army is about to attack the city. Only then did Huang Sheng turn to them and say, "You... I have been exiled here from thousands of miles away, and my family is not here. Your families are all inside the city. If you surrender, where will you go? If you do not join the rebels, how can you protect your families? How can you save your lives? If you join the rebels, do you think these bandits can be a match for the government army? Won't you also die without a burial place in the future?"

"What does my husband mean...?"

Huang Sheng flicked his sleeves and said, "If the city falls, I'll die anyway. If I open the gates, I won't join the bandits. If I join them, my family in Hebei will all be imprisoned. My children and grandchildren are all scholars; how will they pass the imperial examinations? My women will all be sold off. What can I do? Do you really think these bandits can defeat the government troops? Do you think all the government troops in the world are like you? Do you think the Emperor of Great Yan is such a ruler?"

These words caused a moment of silence. Although they were all legendary tales, they were all too familiar with them…

Speaking of war, there was indeed conflict in Guangxi decades ago. During the later years of Emperor Renzong's reign, Nong Zhigao and his ilk rebelled with immense power, leading hundreds of thousands of troops to attack Jiaozhi in the south and Guangdong and Guangxi in the north, ravaging dozens of prefectures and counties, and even besieging Guangzhou...

Di Qing and Di Hanchen led a small force and marched a thousand miles to raid Nong Zhigao. In one battle, they defeated him.

This story is particularly memorable for the people of Wuzhou, as it is a matter passed down from their ancestors. The elders have been telling the story since we were children, and we have all heard it since we were young.

How does His Majesty the Emperor of Great Yan compare to Di Qing?

It's hard to say... hard to compare... but the meaning is the same...

No one spoke... each lost in thought...

Huang Shenglai said, "Let's hold on for now. Put some effort into it and hold on as long as we can, otherwise, we'll have no chance of survival in the future..."

Everyone remained silent, yet they all felt helpless...

Outside the city, the drums were beating... which startled everyone...

Huang Sheng waved his hand and said, "Go up to the city wall..."

No one spoke, and they all dispersed...

Outside the city walls, Cao Cheng sat firmly on the command platform, while Zhao Gou, standing to the side and behind the platform, kept his eyes fixed on the battlefield. Yang Zaixing, standing in front of him, also frowned as he looked towards the city wall. There were only a dozen or so suits of armor left on either side of them; the outcome depended on this one battle…

(End of this chapter)