Liver in Water Margin, outlaw madman

Wangjia Village is located between Yuncheng County and Shijie Village. The terrain is not remote. If you walk fast and don't stop, you can reach Yuncheng County in about half a day.

Zhang Shan started from Shijie Village, while the people from Wangjia Village were heading in the opposite direction.

The servants Wang Heng sent to report to the authorities rushed all the way to Yuncheng County. Before they could even catch their breath, they headed straight for the county government office to find Clerk Song in the county town.

At this time, the county government office was about to close, and Song Jiang was preparing to go home. As soon as he stepped out of the county government office gate, he was blocked by these panting farmhands.

"Clerk Song! Clerk Song, please wait!" The head of the farmhands rushed forward, his face full of anxiety and his tone obsequious. "We are farmhands from Wangjia Village. My name is Wang Er, and I am Wang Kongmu from Jizhou Prefecture. He often tells us that he and you are close friends. Today we have an urgent matter and have come to ask for your help!"

Song Jiang paused, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. He forced a polite smile and said, "Please speak, gentlemen. Wang Kongmu is an official in the prefecture and has always held me in high regard. Please speak frankly about whatever you have to say."

He secretly cursed in his heart, thinking that Wang Jin, relying on his position as the clerk of Jizhou Prefecture, would criticize and nitpick the documents he drafted.

But since Wang Jin was his superior, in charge of the documents and archives of the six departments of the prefecture and responsible for reviewing all kinds of official documents, he, a mere county clerk, could not afford to offend him and could only flatter him and swallow his anger on a daily basis.

"Please, clerk, save my life!" Wang Er knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling with sobs. "The Liangshan bandits have come down from the mountain and are now attacking my Wangjia Village. My brothers in the village have suffered heavy casualties. I beg the county government to send troops to support us immediately and wipe out the bandits!"

Upon hearing this, Song Jiang shuddered, his expression instantly changing, a hint of impatience and disgust flashing in his eyes.

He knew that anything involving Wang Jin was bound to end badly.

Wang Jin already had a terrible reputation in Jizhou Prefecture. He was greedy and mean-spirited, always wanting to keep everything to himself and refusing to share even the slightest benefit with others.

He had heard of Wangjia Village before. They monopolized a portion of the fish catch in Liangshan Marsh and exploited the fishermen to make a fortune, but they never thought of giving him a share. Now that something had happened, they suddenly remembered to come looking for him.

Suppressing his displeasure, Song Jiang feigned surprise and said, "Ah? Is that so? But gentlemen, why are you asking me about this? According to the rules, suppressing bandits and apprehending thieves is the duty of the captains. Shouldn't you have gone to Captains Zhu Tong and Lei Heng first?"

He knew perfectly well that he absolutely could not get involved in Wang Jin's affairs.

If it was done well, it was only natural, and Wang Jin would not express any gratitude; on the contrary, he would feel that it was his duty.

However, if he fails to perform his duties, Wang Jin will definitely hold a grudge and cause him trouble at every turn, making his days in the county government even more difficult.

Over time, no one in the prefecture or county was willing to provoke Wang Jin. They only had to deal with him out of official procedure.

Especially considering that Song Jiang was merely a clerk in the county, while Wang Jin was a clerk in the prefecture with whom he had frequent business dealings, it would be incredibly easy for him to cause trouble.

Simply finding a mistake while reviewing official documents can make him regret it.

The servants were taken aback, their faces showing confusion. How could they not understand Song Jiang's intention to evade the issue?

But Song Jiang was right. According to the imperial court's procedures, the task of suppressing bandits should indeed be handled by the head constable, not the clerk.

But in this world, if procedures were truly effective, Wangjia Village wouldn't have been able to achieve its current scale by monopolizing the fish market and oppressing fishermen.

They usually rely on Wang Jin's power and are used to taking shortcuts, so they don't know anything about procedures.

Wang Er gritted his teeth, stepped forward again, and spoke with even greater respect, secretly slipping a small piece of silver to them: "Sir, we are complete strangers to the two captains and dare not approach rashly. Please, sir, introduce us. Saving lives is urgent, and my Wang family will certainly reward you handsomely afterwards. We will not mistreat you!"

Song Jiang glanced at the loose silver, his brows furrowing even more. He suppressed his unease and subtly avoided the glance, his face still bearing a polite smile: "You're too kind, gentlemen. As for the introduction, no problem. I'll go find the two captains right away."

He then changed the subject, his tone becoming serious: "There's just one point: suppressing bandits is a major undertaking, no small matter. I'm afraid the two captains wouldn't dare make the decision on their own; the county magistrate himself must give his approval!"

He couldn't make the diversion of blame too obvious, otherwise he wouldn't be able to work with the two constables, Zhu Tong and Lei Heng, in the future, and it would also make Song Jiang seem unrighteous.

Such a thankless task should naturally be handled by the higher-ups. With the county magistrate's approval, everything is fine.

Song Jiang, feigning concern for their well-being, quickly said, "Alright, I'll go find Captains Zhu Tong and Lei Heng now and have them organize their forces and prepare for the expedition. You gentlemen, go to the county magistrate's office to see him. Once he agrees, we'll set off immediately. Preparing on both sides simultaneously won't waste any time!"

Wang Er was already flustered and couldn't see through Song Jiang's veiled meaning. He only thought Song Jiang was thoughtful and quickly bowed to him, saying, "Then thank you very much, Clerk Song! We'll go to the county office right away to see the magistrate and report to the authorities for help!"

Song Jiang nodded slightly, his face still bearing a gentle smile. But as soon as the servants turned around, the smile vanished instantly, replaced by a cold sneer that flickered across his lips, his eyes filled with disdain.

Do they really think the Yuncheng County government office is run by their Wangjia Village?

Do they really think they can just see the county magistrate whenever they want?

Having worked in the county government for so many years, he knew the rules best. Without an acquaintance to guide them or a special person to introduce them, they couldn't even get through the main gate of the county government, let alone see the county magistrate.

Even if they were lucky enough to get in, the county magistrate was too busy with official duties to possibly see these nobodys.

Song Jiang stopped thinking about it and turned to walk towards Zhu Tong and Lei Heng's residence, already having made his plans.

He'll deal with the two captains first. As for the matter of sending troops, he'll wait for the county magistrate to decide. As long as he stays out of it, he won't get into trouble.

On the other side, Wang Er and several farmhands rushed to the entrance of the county government office. Just as they were about to step inside, they were stopped by the guards on duty at the gate.

The bailiff, hands on his hips and expressionless, said, "Halt! The county office is closed. If you need to conduct your business, come back tomorrow!"

Wang Er was stunned, and the anxiety on his face instantly turned into anger. They were used to running rampant in Wangjia Village and had Wang Jin from Jizhou Prefecture backing them up. How could they possibly look down on this lowly constable at the county government office?

He stepped forward, pointed at the constable, and roared, "Are you blind?! We're here to see the magistrate! Didn't you see us talking to Clerk Song at the door just now?!"

The constable curled his lip, inwardly sneering.

He had seen it clearly: Clerk Song had only spoken a few words to them and had no intention of taking them inside. Instead, he turned around and left.

Having worked in the county government for many years, he was quite adept at reading people. If there were any connections or relationships, Chief Clerk Song would have preferred to make friends with all sorts of people. Why would he let them come to the county government office and get turned away, instead of leaving on his own?

The constable, too lazy to waste words with them, maintained his indifferent tone, repeating only one sentence over and over: "Don't talk to me about that. The yamen is closed today. If you want to see the magistrate, please come early tomorrow!"

To put it bluntly, it's time to get off work, and there's no one to serve these farmhands who are eager to report to the authorities.

Wang Er trembled with rage. He stepped forward, grabbed the constable by the collar, and threatened fiercely, "What do you know! The Liangshan bandits are coming down the mountain to plunder Wangjia Village. If you delay us and ruin this important matter, I will definitely report to the county magistrate, have you arrested and imprisoned, and punish you!"

The constable, his collar grabbed, remained unfazed. Far from being afraid, he sneered and pushed Wang Er's hand away: "Trying to scare me? The way you're acting so furtively and aggressively makes you look like bandits from Liangshan, deliberately causing trouble at the county office!"

Wang Er was so angry that his face turned ashen and his whole body trembled, but he didn't dare to actually barge in.

The county government office is a vital place for the imperial court. To trespass on it without authorization is no different from rebellion. Even with Wang Jin's backing, one cannot bear such a crime.

The group looked at each other anxiously, completely at a loss for what to do.

When they arrived, the Liangshan bandits were already attacking Wangjia Village. Every minute of delay meant greater danger for the brothers in the village, and Wang Heng might also be in trouble.

"Beat the drum! Quickly, beat the drum!" Wang Er, sweating profusely, suddenly realized what was happening and shouted loudly to the people around him.

"The county government office has a grievance drum; if we beat it, the county magistrate must come out to see us!"