Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 94 I will go first!
The army set out on the official road, first heading for Qingfeng Village where Liu Gao and Huang Xin were stationed. From there there were three roads, one of which led to Taohua Mountain.

Before setting off, they released Yan Shun. The main purpose of releasing Yan Shun was to plant an idea in Song Jiang's mind, that is, to make Song Jiang think that Su Wu was a man of chivalry and that many things could be discussed.

This is to pave the way for what's to come.

On the top of the city wall, Murong Yanda was already watching. He was happy to see Su Wu's army marching out in earnest.

Just say: "It must be accomplished!"

If you spend a lot of money, you should have good expectations, and this is also Murong Yanda’s only hope at this moment.

The person beside him also answered: "This Dongping Prefecture's Su Dujian is really extraordinary, he is brave in battle, and the soldiers under his command are also very strong. Just look at the horses and armor, I wonder how much money they cost."

Upon hearing this, Murong Yanda only asked, "Could it be that this government has treated Qin Ming unfairly in the past?"

"That's not what I meant. I just want to say that Su Wu has extraordinary means..." the people beside him explained repeatedly.

However, Murong Yanda said: "Perhaps we really treated Qin Ming unfairly. If Qingzhou had a strong army, how could it be taken advantage of by the bandits?"

Murong Yanda suffered a loss, but he also passively gained some wisdom. Now thinking about it, Qin Ming looks really good. He is so brave, so he should be treated better...

Su Wu led his army only towards Qingfeng Village, but did not enter the village, but went towards the fork in the road.

Huang Xin and Liu Gao came out of the camp to greet him. Huang Xin was very excited: "I just heard that Master passed by and said that Su Dujian had won a battle, killed hundreds of bandits, and even executed the bandit leader Wang Ying. I came here to congratulate him!"

Su Wu nodded: "Not worth mentioning."

"The commander is too modest. I know very well that the enemy is fierce. We have already been defeated once, and we have won a great victory as soon as the commander arrived. He is truly a fierce general!" Huang Xin had obviously heard countless words about Su Wu from Qin Ming at this time, so he kept praising him.

Su Wu smiled and bowed.

But Liu Gao came and asked, "Where is Su Dujian's army going?"

"Let's go fight on Peach Blossom Mountain." Su Wu replied.

"The governor doesn't know that the bandits in Taohua Mountain are far inferior to those in Qingfeng Mountain. When the governor's army arrives, they should attack Qingfeng Mountain first. Hua Rong is even more powerful. If Hua Rong is not killed, the bandits will surely not be weakened."

Liu Gao kept talking.

When Su Wu heard this, his face fell and he said, "You know nothing."

Huang Xin spoke again: "Liu Zhizhai doesn't know anything about military affairs. In a battle formation, it is natural to eliminate the enemy's wings first, and then attack the center. Only in this way can we defeat them one by one. If the wings are not eliminated, if Taohua Mountain comes to help during the attack, we will be attacked from both sides."

Liu Gao heard this and looked at Su Wu's dark face, then nodded repeatedly: "That makes sense, Su Dujian will definitely be able to wipe out Qingfeng Mountain and kill Hua Rong."

Hua Rong is like a demon in Liu Gao's heart. As long as Hua Rong is not dead, Liu Gao seems unable to sleep.

Su Wu bowed and rode his horse forward.

Huang Xin suddenly said, "Su Dujian, Hua Rong's sister is still in the village. I don't know what to do with her. So I asked the Dujian."

At this time, Huang Xin obviously followed Su Wu's lead and asked Su Wu whenever he had any questions.

Ok?
Hua Rong’s sister?
How to deal with it?

"Detain him here first, don't let him get hurt. We'll deal with him after the war." Su Wu hadn't made up his mind yet.

"Oh, then we just have to wait for the governor to come and deal with it." Huang Xin nodded.

The army continued on its journey and finally arrived at the foot of Taohua Mountain in the evening.

They set up camp, cut wood and dig trenches, and even made some simple wooden shields and ladders, which were essential for attacking the enemy.

Su Wu and others knew that this battle was just a show, but the soldiers did not know that this was also a training exercise, and what was being trained was the soldiers' psychology.

Fighting is nothing...

Arrange sentries and scouts, give commands and the like, and everyone has to keep their eyes open and not dare to take a nap.

Exercise is a very important thing. Many people think that exercise is just acting and has no practical significance.

In fact, this is not the case. An exercise is a rehearsal of the process of fighting a war, which is actually also management science.

Let the commander know what steps to take in a war, how to command smoothly, and what to do and when...

For a soldier, it is also necessary to know what to do and when, what role he plays, and what his mission is.

If there were no drills and they really went into battle directly, both the commanders and the soldiers would be confused and even at a loss as to what to do.

As soon as it was daybreak, the army went up the mountain. The path was difficult to travel on, so Su Wu took the lead and ordered the soldiers to follow him as they continued to climb.

The village is not big and is hidden among the woods on a high place.

Su Wu began to give orders. The troops were divided into three groups, surrounding the enemy on the left and right, while the central army gathered and moved forward.

There was some chaos at first, but gradually, under the command, everything began to become organized.

Then he deployed his troops and gave the order to attack.

What we saw were countless nervous faces. Even though they were lined up, there was a tense atmosphere in the queue, lacking the solemn and murderous aura of a truly strong army.

Su Wu simply gave the orders to move forward, and he himself led the way.

He waited for his attendants to report: "Captain, when our army arrived, the bandits took flight. The forest was full of people. They have already taken over the stronghold. Should we chase them or not?"

"The mountains are high and the forests are dense. We won't chase them anymore. We can just burn down the stronghold and destroy the walls to prevent the bandits from coming back."

Su Wu gave the order and looked around. The nervousness of many soldiers disappeared, and they were all happy. Fighting was no big deal...

Of course, Su Wu also knew that he couldn't let these people really think that war was nothing, he had to fight a real battle to make everyone feel that war was nothing, but also feel that even if there was something, they could still win with courage.

This experience was left to Qingfeng Mountain.

There was another fire on Taohua Mountain. Su Wu did not wait. After he finished his work, he went down the mountain and headed towards Qingfeng Mountain. Speed ​​was of the essence in war.

In the middle of the night, he met Lu Da, Zhou Tong, Li Zhong and others on the roadside and just kept on going.

By evening again, they had set up camp at the foot of Qingfeng Mountain, and were already cutting wood and digging trenches, using ladders and wooden shields, and standing guard and patrolling on horseback.

In fact, fighting a war is more about earthwork, whether it is a field battle or a siege. Fighting bravely to kill the enemy is just the last step. Earthwork is the main process of the entire war.

If you really look at the details of war, any war, no matter how big or small, is boring and tedious, just work, and endless work.

Above the forest, on a high place in the mountain stronghold, Song Jiang, along with Hua Rong, Yan Shun and Zheng Tianshou, were also frequently looking out at the government troops below the mountain.

The camp was well-organized and well-furnished. The soldiers worked very hard. On the way here, the soldiers were very well-organized, with many horses and even more armor...

Song Jiang was already worried: "Brother Hua Rong, this time, you and I are afraid..."

Hua Rong's face straightened: "Brother Gongming, don't worry. If anyone has to die, I will die first! I will definitely protect Brother Gongming!"

Song Jiang nodded, looked back at the camp, and said, "There are still brothers and relatives in this camp. If everyone had listened to me earlier and abandoned the camp and headed for Liangshan Marsh, perhaps this danger would not have happened."

When Yan Shun and Zheng Tianshou heard this, Yan Shun just said, "If we leave earlier, won't Brother Gongming and Brother Hua Rong suffer?"

Song Jiang said directly: "Even if we two suffer, so what? As long as the brothers go safely, it is worth it. Just like Qin Ming, no matter how much I value him, how can I not be willing to use him to exchange for Brother Yan Shun's return?"

Yan Shun was moved when he heard this, and said, "I didn't know that Su Wu from Dongping Prefecture was so amazing and terrifying. Su Wu killed Wang Ying's brothers several times, and even his generals were highly skilled in martial arts. They captured me in a few rounds..."

Song Jiang felt nervous when he heard this, so he asked, "Brother Yan Shun, do you know who are the heroes under Su Wu's command?"

Yan Shun shook his head: "It was hard to see clearly in the dark, but there was a man with scars all over his face. He looked very scary at first glance. He was very skilled in wielding a spear. I don't know who he was. The other one was not very special. I never saw him again..."

Even if it was Yang Zhiqing's face, even if you looked closely at night, you couldn't see anything.

Song Jiang thought back that Dongping Prefecture was very close to his hometown. Logically speaking, if the hero from Dongping Prefecture was really capable, he would be able to capture Yan Shun in a few rounds. Then he would definitely have heard of his name and knew his appearance. He might even have met him over the years when he went to and from the martial arts world and on official business.

No matter how much I thought about it, with his face full of scars, I really couldn't figure out who it was.

"Alas..." Song Jiang sighed and said, "After tonight, I'm afraid Su Wu will attack the camp tomorrow morning."

Yan Shun looked at everyone for a few times and couldn't help but say: "Brother, why don't we all escape under the cover of night? Su Wu is really invincible..."

Yan Shun was obviously still frightened. He had been quite proud of being a hero of the outlaws and a mountain king, but after the battle, he felt that he had no power to fight back.

His mentality inevitably changed drastically. He looked at Su Wu's army at the foot of the mountain, which numbered as many as two or three thousand people. He then thought that there were only four or five hundred people inside the mountain stronghold.

How can we defeat him?

Let’s just run…

But Song Jiang said: "We are strong and have martial arts skills. If we meet a small group of government troops, we will not be a problem. We may be able to run away. Look at this mountain stronghold. There are so many brothers. If they lose the protection of the stronghold, how can they escape..."

Shandong Hu Baoyi, Yuncheng timely rain, how can he lose the moral code of the Jianghu? If he really lost this kind of moral code, let people spread the word, how can he survive in the future.

How could there be so many people who would bow down to him as soon as they saw him?

Yan Shun felt guilty when he heard this, and just bowed: "Brother Gongming is righteous!"

Hua Rong even said: "I have no regrets in dying for having met a man as righteous and unparalleled as Brother Gongming!"

"I only order my brothers to defend the camp to the death. Brothers must work together to repel the government troops!" Song Jiang waved his hand and vowed to live and die together with the brothers in the stronghold!

"Understood sir!" Yan Shun bowed.

At dawn, smoke from cooking fires rose from the army at the foot of the mountain. Soon, the army horns were sounded to gather the troops. The government troops came from three directions, one on the front, one on the left, and one on the small road. Su Wu was the first to lead the troops, climbing through the mountains and forests.

After they got closer, the troops stopped again, reorganized their troops and lined up again, prepared their equipment for the attack, and most of them drank water and rested.

In the mountain stronghold, preparations were also being made. The houses were demolished, and the rooms were dismantled. All they did was to prepare as many heavy objects as possible for use as logs and rolling stones.

Su Wu went closer to check and knew that it would be a tough battle, but he had to fight it. Wiping out the Qingzhou bandits was secondary. The army under his command had to fight a tough battle.

Su Wu actually understood one thing: why do boys from good families make good soldiers?
Just because they are from good families, they are obedient, disciplined and resilient.

Lin Chong said, "Brother, why don't you surround the stronghold?"

Su Wu replied, "The method of attacking a stronghold is to surround it on three sides and leave one side open. This way, the enemy will have a chance to survive. This way, the enemy will be less likely to fight back and once their momentum is weakened, they will decide to flee. This way, the enemy army will be easily defeated."

Upon hearing this, Lu Da immediately praised: "The commander-in-chief is really familiar with the art of war. This kind of attack is to surround three sides and leave one side open. The bandits are mostly a mob. Once their momentum is gone, they will definitely rush to escape! Today, I will go first!"

What Lu Da, the old soldier, wanted at this time was to prove himself in front of Su Wu and in this new group.

But Su Wu waved his hand and said, "No need. Commander Lu, follow me. I will go first!"

This time, Su Wu is also going to give it his all. He has to establish the backbone and soul of an army.

When everyone heard this, their expressions changed.

Yang Zhi first advised: "Brother, you don't have to do this. There are so many brothers. How can you let me go first?"

Lin Chong also said: "Arrows and stones have no eyes. Brother is the commander of an army. You must not put yourself in danger."

Li Cheng, the head of the imperial guards, had been following them all along and stepped forward: "Brother, I'll go, I'll go!"

"I'll go too, I'll go too!" Li Yunlong is no longer the same as before.

Zhu Long also spoke up: "Brother, you must not take such a risk."

Hu Cheng said little: "Let me go first!"

Cao Zheng was behind him: "Brother, how can you leave us alone and go first?"

Even Li Zhong stepped forward to speak in this atmosphere: "Brother Zhou Tong and I are new here, so we should make contributions!"

Su Wu looked around and was lucky that Wu Song did not come this time. Otherwise, according to his idea, Wu Song would never let Su Wu go even if he died.

Su Wu spoke from the bottom of his heart, "Brothers, I am not going to climb the mountain first just for show, nor for you to see. You and I are both loyal and righteous. The new soldiers we have trained are all from good families, and most of them have never been in a real battle. I want to set an example for them, and let them know that if they follow me, Su Wu, into the army, they must have followed the right person. You can't help me in this situation!"

How could everyone not understand when they heard this?
Lu Da was even more touched and bowed: "General, I have seen all the things that have happened. General is really a good general and will have a bright future."

Su Wu went to see Lu Da and said, "Commander Lu, just follow behind me and help me climb the mountain first!"

"How dare I say another word!" Lu Da spoke loudly, his body as huge as a bell.

At this point, Su Wu said, "Yesterday, I swore an oath of brotherhood with all my brothers. We will advance and retreat together, live and die together, except Commander Lu. Today is the time to sacrifice my life. Life and death are uncertain. Brother Lu Da, are you willing to bow to me?"

"Brother, please!" Lu Da put down his Zen stick, took off the long sword hanging on his waist, and knelt on the ground without saying a word!
There was no smile on Su Wu's face, he looked extremely serious, with armor on, but he just knelt in front of the emperor.

Su Wu said, "The sky is above, the earth is below. I am the first one to step onto the battlefield today. Life and death are uncertain. Brother Lu Da and I bow here and become brothers. We won't say more. It all depends on whether we live or die today!"

Lu Da opened his tiger eyes and said in a sonorous voice: "Brother, you have come to me with your life and death, and I will follow you through life and death!"

Kowtow! Lu Da kowtowed three times, stood up, and carried a long sword but not a Zen stick.

Su Wu said nothing more: "All the generals, return to your troops and wait for the drum to be beaten!"

The atmosphere became so tense that everyone felt somewhat sad and grief-stricken. Everyone looked serious and dispersed to the left and right.

It didn't take long before the drummer was ready not far behind him.

Su Wu was the first one to come forward, and he looked around at the many soldiers under his command. Many of them still had pale faces, and they were nervous, but they couldn't help it. They just got used to life and death, and then they changed.

Su Wu only glanced at Lu Da, then stepped forward and carried a newly built ladder on his shoulders. Lu Da stepped forward and carried the end of the ladder.

The deployment of troops had already been completed, with simple wooden shields in the front and Li Cheng with a bow and crossbow in the back.

Su Wu also said: "Brothers, just follow me and charge forward!"

There were thousands of people behind him, and all of them were looking at Su Wu who was at the front, with their eyes focused on only one person.

"Beat the drum!" Su Wu shouted, and was the first to run.

The sound of drums rumbled and beat like raindrops. Everyone looked at Su Wu. Seeing Su Wu wearing armor and carrying a long ladder himself running forward, everyone hurriedly followed him.

"Charge, kill!"

Shouting masterpieces everywhere.

On the top of the stronghold, Song Jiang was also wearing armor. He looked in front and shouted, "Brothers, life and death depend on this day. Fight to the death and you will survive! Shoot, shoot quickly!"

However, Song Jiang and his men only had a dozen or so sets of armor, and many of his followers had few leather armors.

However, on the top of the village, bows and crossbows were fired continuously, and countless arrows flew out. Although most of them were hunting bows and earth crossbows, they were also very powerful.

Su Wu just rushed forward, and kept hitting the long sword in front of him to protect his head and face, but there were too many arrows, and they still made his good armor clank.

Su Wu arrived at the distance of about 200 steps in a moment. He looked at his body again and felt itchy and painful. Although his armor was good, two arrows had pierced through the armor and pierced into his flesh.

But it was really good armor. Even though it was pierced by the bullet, it only penetrated the skin and flesh.

It is also like the Battle of Xiaoshang River recorded in history. Yang Zaixing was wearing a good set of armor. Even though his body was shot like a hedgehog by the Jin people, he was still able to kill people in all directions and killed countless Jin soldiers.

He eventually bled to death, and the arrowheads burned from Yang Zaixing's body could fill two liters.

This is also what Su Wu relied on. Why did he spend a huge amount of money to build armor? A soldier wearing good armor is never the same as being killed by a knife in movies and TV dramas.

Men in armor are always elite and hard to kill. They are not afraid of swords, spears, swords or halberds, and are not afraid of arrows. They are as indestructible as steel. This is the source of the great courage in the hearts of soldiers.

It was also one of the sources of Su Wu's courage at this time.

Good armor is afraid of blunt weapons. Weapons such as hammers and maces have always been popular in the army just for the purpose of breaking armor.

At this time, Su Wu just rushed forward. There were many rocks in the mountain and he could not dig a deep trench. After he crossed it, he would reach the village wall.

Just lean the ladder against the wall of the village and Su Wu climbed up immediately.

You can't climb up too slowly, because if you do, the ladder will be light and can easily be pushed down by the people on top.

But if the ladder is full of people, it will be difficult to push it down.

However, there are special tools for pushing ladders, which are long tree branches with one end stuck on the ladder. Everyone holds the tree trunk and pushes together.

It’s a pity that not many people in the general army know about these skills nowadays. How could the mountain bandits know about such preparations?

The attacking party also had a countermeasure. When the army made ladders, they had to add hooks to the top of the ladders to hook onto the city wall to prevent it from being pushed down. However, Su Wu did not make the ladder with a hook on the top today.

Because Su Wu's army was simple at the moment and he did not bring any craftsmen with him, he had to gradually improve it in the future, and even build equipment such as catapults, ladders, and carts to attack the city.

Today, it is still more or less a fight between novices, and cannot be considered a real regular battlefield.

Su Wu was seen quickly climbing up the ladder, taking a simple wooden shield and carrying it above his head, and just climbing up.

Lu Da was right below, and without waiting for Su Wu to move forward, he took several steps upwards. He was very experienced, and he wanted to use his head and shoulders to support Su Wu's buttocks above him.

Why?

Only Su Wu, who was the first to climb the mountain, was given a fulcrum to step on or sit on, to prevent him from falling to the ground easily.

As Su Wu climbed, his body shook. Stones and wood fell from the village wall like rain, hitting Su Wu's shoulders and the wooden shield on his head with such force that Su Wu shook all over.

Su Wu was even beaten so hard that he paused several times and almost fell. When he really paused, Su Wu was able to sit on Lu Da's head and step on Lu Da's shoulder with a shake.

What else can I say to such a comrade-in-arms?

on!
Just keep going forward. This village is not difficult to attack. The village wall is not high, far from the wall of a strong city. There are not so many precious oils in the village that can catch fire...

Even if you pour boiling water on it, it will not be a big deal as long as it does not come into contact with the skin immediately.

Su Wu was the first to climb up bravely. On both sides, there were countless long ladders set up outside the village wall, and countless people were bravely climbing up.

Li Yunlong was on the ladder closest to Su Wu, carrying a wooden shield and climbing up first. He could not see above his head, but only watched Su Wu fighting bravely beside him.

Behind him, there are countless soldiers who are following suit. Who of them is not watching the Chief Inspector Su Wu bravely taking the lead?

Li Cheng was at the foot of the city, with his bow drawn continuously. He would shoot an arrow at anyone who dared to come and throw stones, making sure he would hit the person right on the target, just to protect Su Wu as he climbed up.

On the top of the stronghold, Song Jiang was facing such a scene for the first time. It was totally unexpected and totally different from what he had imagined. He was very anxious and just shouted loudly: "Don't let the enemy climb up!"

Seeing Li Cheng shooting down another person, Su Wu suddenly felt the pressure on his head relieved. He climbed up a few more steps quickly and looked forward. He found that he was already at the battlement of the small village wall.

Coming up, really coming up, Su Wu took a step forward and landed on the top of the village. Before people could see clearly, he stepped forward, swung the wooden shield and swept the long sword across.

When he looked again, he saw that there were bandits rushing around him.

Su Wu would chop at whoever was in front, without any skill involved, just chopped with all his might!
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(End of this chapter)