Chapter 138 The truth is out, both sides are deceived
The small boat is like a leaf, cutting through the rippling waves.

The night wind is cold, blowing up the past.

Captain Yang lit the fire at the bow while Zhang Shun rowed at the stern. The two men tacitly agreed not to speak. The waves made a lot of noise, but there was no sound to cover it. It was quieter than the fish swimming at the bottom of the water.

After all, they had just jointly committed a crime, and both of them were feeling complicated.

At the end of the first watch that night, the boat arrived one mile away from the water fort.

Yang Chang saw a faint flickering fire in the darkness on the left. He didn't need to remind Zhang Shun at all, as the other party adjusted the direction on his own and steered the boat towards the fire.

Needless to say, that was a signal.

A little later the boat reached the shore and stopped, and Zhang Heng came to greet them with a torch in hand.

Yang Chang had accomplished his mission at this point and had no intention of continuing to help Zhang Shun with the aftermath, so he jumped off the boat first and happened to meet Zhang Heng.

The two men passed each other tacitly. Zhang Heng crossed over to the boat to help Zhang Shun carry the body, while Yang Chang went up the mountain to tell Hu Sanniang the good news.

When he walked outside the water fort fence, he heard someone calling from inside.

"Erlang?"

"Hmm? It's not Jiro, it's Saburo."

"Saburo?"

Song Jiang heard that it was Yang Chang's voice, so he walked over in the dim light of the water fort, greeted him and asked hurriedly: "You have been gone for a long time, have you finished your work?"

"Ah."

"Did Tieniu have a good time?"

"I don't know about that. It was all arranged by Brother Zhang Shun. He should have drunk a lot."

Yang Chang's nonchalant answer made Hei Sanlang's face turn as dark as the night. He reminded him in a deep voice, "You are also involved in this matter. Don't make it public. I will discuss the matter of recruiting you after sending the nobles away tomorrow."

"Got it. It's ok, I'll leave first?"

"By the way, the nobles are in the water fort right now, please go around and don't disturb them. Once they have seen Tie Niu's body, I will have to bury it overnight."

"it is good."

After Song Jiang's reminder, Yang Chang walked around the periphery, and finally retrieved the good horse in the north of the village, and then slowly went up the mountain.

The night wind in the mountains is not as strong as the wind on the lake.

Maybe the altitude is higher, so the cold is stronger.

Song Jiang's brotherhood is easily broken in the face of interests, and Hei Sanlang wants to make progress too much.

Shortly after Yang Chang left the water stronghold, Song Jiang led Wen Huanzhang and others to confirm Li Kui's body on the beach.

At this time, Li Kui had been soaked until he was white and swollen, but it did not affect the group of people to identify his identity. After Song Jiang and the other six people confirmed that he was correct, they asked everyone to cut off his head and put it in a box, to be taken away together with Gao Qiu's body tomorrow.

Everyone stayed in the water fort that night, while Song Jiang and the Zhang brothers buried the headless body overnight.

The next morning, Song Jiang, Lu Junyi, Wu Yong, Gongsun Sheng and the other four held a farewell party for Xu Jing and the five military governors at the Southwest Water Fort. The Zhang brothers still escorted them across the river, and Wen Huanzhang took the initiative to stay and help to recruit them.

Song Jiang's act of sacrificing his own relatives for the sake of justice last night shocked Wen Huanzhang, who came from a family of scholars.

When he learned that Song Jiang had a relationship with Su Yuanjing and was about to send someone to Tokyo to ask Su Taiwei to pass a message to the emperor, Wen Huanzhang then said that he was a good friend of Su Taiwei and was willing to write a letter to introduce him to pave the way for Liangshan.

Song Jiang didn't sleep all night, and the first thing he saw was Li Kui.

After sending the people off, he should have gone back to sleep, but the matter of recruiting the amnesty had not been settled for a day, and he felt uneasy for a moment, so he went back to the mountain and called Yang Chang.

Upon hearing the news, Yang Chang went to Song Jiang's residence and saw Hei Sanlang slumped in a chair exhausted. He asked tentatively, "Brother, are you looking for me?"

"Colonel Wen is writing a letter for Liangshan. I think it won't be a problem for him to meet Su Yuanjing. When are you going to meet Li Shishi?"

"We have to wait for the bullets to develop. I mean, let the situation develop for a while, at least until Xu Jing and others return to Tokyo, let the emperor and the court officials accept Gao Qiu's death first, and then send people to find Li Shishi. Otherwise, planning this too early will be counterproductive."

"That makes sense. As for the cause of Gao Qiu's death, I didn't have time to discuss it with you. Wu Xuejiu and the nobles have repeatedly discussed and decided to announce to the public that Gao Qiu died of dysentery after being captured because of the unfamiliar climate. This will not only protect the reputation of General Gao, but also cover up the mistakes of Liangshan. Do you think it's appropriate?"

"That's good. I'm not very knowledgeable and I can't make such a big decision."

Although Yang Chang was so humble in words, he thought in his heart that Wu Yong was a talented person. Did he have diarrhea so much that his anus ruptured?
Song Jiang's mouth twitched slightly, and he responded with a smile: "Don't be modest in front of me. The matter of recruiting must be implemented as soon as possible. Tong Guan and Gao Qiu are both ignorant of military affairs. If the government sends the Song Dynasty's skilled generals, I don't think Liangshan will win continuously."

"Yeah"

Yang Chang thought what he said was right.

After all, Song Jiang had a fanatical pursuit of organization, and he recovered Guan Sheng, Hu Yanzhuo and others under the banner of recruiting and reporting the country. Once he raised the banner of rebellion and became emperor, these would become hidden dangers for himself.

Compared with Fang La's use of religion to deceive people's hearts, Liangshan lacked the spiritual core to control its tribesmen and the people. The reason why it could continue to grow in the water marsh over the years was that local and central officials concealed the truth, despised it, shirked their responsibilities, and did not go down the mountain to occupy the city's land. Song Jiang had been fighting passively using the advantages of the water marsh, otherwise he would have been exhausted long ago.

Yang Changxin said that if I were the commander-in-chief, I would only need to mobilize a large army to surround the island without attacking. The 100,000 people on the island in the middle of the lake need food and water, and the island will be defeated without a fight within half a year.

Song Jiang saw that Yang Chang's answer was perfunctory and his eyes seemed to be wandering elsewhere, so he held the handle and sat up straight, solemnly reminding him: "I will ask Dean Dai to investigate and pay attention. Since you are waiting for Gao Qiu's body to return to the capital, they should make good preparations during the journey. Since you need Li Shishi to help you so much, do you need to prepare a special gift? We can also take this opportunity to make full preparations."

"No, no." Yang Chang waved his hands repeatedly, "Normal gold, silver and jewelry will do. Just let Yan Qing go with you when the time comes."

After listening to this, Song Jiang frowned, and instantly thought of Lin Chong's unusual behavior, Yan Qing's leaving his post, Li Kui's trouble, and later Yang Chang forcing Li Kui to death. He always felt that these things were connected, and he suspected that Yang Chang was the mastermind behind it, but he could not find any evidence.

Because Li Kui pointed his spearhead at Gongsun Sheng, a powerful person whom Song Jiang dared not offend, so he could only swallow his anger.

"Yan Xiaoyi?"

"Yes, I heard that it was Xiaoyi who asked my brother to open the door for Master Li the last time my brother went to Beijing. If I didn't have him to help me, I'm afraid things wouldn't go so smoothly."

"Well, no matter who it is, as long as they can be recruited, you can mobilize them."

"Having Yanqing as my companion is enough."

"Well, we'll talk about it later."

Although Song Jiang said this verbally, it is impossible for him to send two people to the capital. Although he will let Yang Chang be in charge at that time, he will also place a few trusted confidants to follow him.

Yang Changzhen does not need help from outsiders, he only needs to bring Yan Qing with him to break the deadlock. He thinks that Yan Qing is a character in the plot of Li Shishi, and he does not want to contact her unless it is absolutely necessary.

First, Li Shishi could even attract Yan Qing, so wouldn't her buttocks be taut and her legs tremble when she saw him? Yang Chang didn't want to sacrifice his looks for Song Jiang. Besides, this woman was Huizong's woman, so he didn't want to be in the same boat with his cheap father-in-law.

Secondly, Yang Chang had mental mysophobia. Although he would not despise prostitutes, he was unwilling to share her lips with thousands of people, let alone a deeper level of communication. Besides, Li Shishi was not even afraid of the Liangshan bandits, so one can imagine how much she had seen.

When Yang Chang was forcing Li Kui to be killed, he had already decided that if the plot changed due to Gao Qiu's death, he would go to Tokyo and try to contact Zhao Fujin. Of course, he didn't know that the princess had been under house arrest.

Liangshan's preparations and observations were put aside. Five military governors including Xu Jing crossed the river and went ashore, carrying Gao Qiu's body and Li Kui's head, and went to Jeju to meet up with Zhou Ang, Wang Huan, Xiang Yuanzhen, Zhang Kai and others.

At this time, the expeditionary army was leaderless and naturally would not stay in Jeju to fight Liangshan. Moreover, Song Jiang also showed his sincerity to the court. In the end, everyone unanimously elected Zhou Ang as the temporary commander-in-chief and led the defeated army back to Tokyo to await punishment.

In addition to Gao Qiu's body, the body of Cai Yu, which was kept in Jeju, was also returned to Beijing this time. Zhang Shuye guessed that this time he could not keep it secret, so he sent someone to Tokyo to inform Tong Guan in advance.

Tong Guan was shocked when he received the letter and rushed to Cai Jing's house overnight to discuss countermeasures.

When it was said that Cai Yu had died in battle in Jeju, Cai Jing's body froze for a moment and he did not show too much sadness.

Cai Yu's failure in raping the princess has been a sword hanging over Cai Jing's head. He was worried that the emperor would use this incident to settle accounts with the Cai family sooner or later. Now that the debt is settled, he feels relieved.

"Old Master, I am sorry for your loss."

"It's okay. Wu Lang died for his country, which is an honor. It's a pity for General Gao."

"General Gao volunteered to fight, but he met with such misfortune. The emperor will definitely inquire about the true situation of Liangshan. I am worried that it will implicate me."

"The emperor has to rely on the prime minister, so even if the punishment is severe, it will not be severe. I am worried that the upright people will take advantage of the situation to rise up, but Wang Fu is not sober-minded."

Seeing Cai Jing rubbing his temple, Tong Guan quickly helped him sit back on the chair and echoed: "In the past year or so since Wang Fu took over as prime minister from the Grand Tutor, he has overturned your previous policies one after another, causing complaints from the whole court. Everyone hopes that the Grand Tutor can return to the position of prime minister."

"Haha, I'm old." Cai Jing shook his head and smiled bitterly. He suddenly grabbed Tong Guan's hands and reminded him, "When the Prime Minister was in charge of Xixia, didn't he have a talented general under his command, Zhong Shidao? He once led his troops to capture Zangdi City in eight days. Why not transfer him to attack Song Jiang and others? Only by completely annihilating Liangshanpo can we wash away the shame and avenge our hatred."

"Ahem." Tong Guan coughed twice and looked embarrassed. He sat back in his seat and murmured, "Your Majesty has been obsessed with Yanyun for a long time. I heard that Jin and Liao are fighting fiercely in the north. I will go north to conquer Liao at any time. The Zhong family army is an important support for me. I can't transfer them to deal with the Liangshan bandits at this time. In addition, Song Jiang has expressed his sincerity. How about temporarily letting each state defend itself against the enemy? I will recover Yanyun for your majesty, and then march south to flatten Liangshan and eliminate Fang La at the same time."

"This is really difficult for you. Let's wait until the army comes back. The details are not yet clear."

"What the Grand Master said is very true. You don't have to worry about the Qingliu rising up. General Gao is a close friend of Your Majesty and has always been relied upon. This matter will definitely not end well."

"hope so"

After hearing Tong Guan's words of comfort, the old fox Cai Jing just smiled slightly.

He had been an official for fifty years, from the year 1070 when he passed the imperial examination to the year 1121 when he was still a Jinshi. He had seen too many people leave him and knew too well that emperors were the most ruthless.

During this period, there were countless famous ministers and favored officials. Wasn't Su Dongpo, who was praised and loved by everyone, demoted again and again? We are just knives in the hands of the emperor.

As for Gao Qiu? Maybe in the eyes of the emperor, he is just a ball.

Can the Emperor avenge the ball?
At the end of November, Zhou Ang led his troops back to Tokyo, causing an uproar in the court.

At home, Wansui Mountain (Genyue) was about to be completed, and abroad, the negotiations and fighting between Jin and Liao were fierce. The Northern Song Dynasty saw hope of regaining Yanyun.

Zhao Ji was in a very good mood and was thinking that Gao Qiu would quickly wipe out Liangshan so that the court could focus all its energy on the north. However, he did not expect to be dampened by reality.

In December, Gao Qiu was buried in Beijing, and it was announced to the public that he died of illness due to acclimatization.

However, Jiedushi Mei Zhan spoke carelessly after drinking and told his friend the truth about Gao Qiu's death. From then on, this explosive news spread rapidly and spread from the court to the people, becoming a hot topic in the streets of Beijing.

Gao Qiu was defeated in battle and died, and his descendants had no outstanding talents, and the emperor did not show any special favor to them. So when his body was buried, the Gao family, which was once so powerful, immediately disappeared from the powerful class in Tokyo, so that even the common people dared to talk and laugh at them.

The court was silent as a mouse, while gossips were flying everywhere in the brothels outside the palace, and finally the news reached the inner court of the imperial palace.

In the late twelfth lunar month, Zhao Fujin's son turned 100 days old. Apart from the gifts given in advance by Zhao Ji, no relatives or friends were present that day. Only her maid Li E helped her celebrate.

In the afternoon, the wet nurse coaxed the baby to sleep, while Li E accompanied Zhao Fujin to drink and relieve his boredom.

Zhao Fujin was confined to the inner courtyard and announced to the outside world that she had become a nun. Although she was not bored during this period of pregnancy and childbirth, she was basically cut off from any news from the outside world. Occasionally, palace servants came to deliver supplies, and Li E could only find out a thing or two through chatting with them.

That day, Li E drank a few more cups and started to talk about gossip with great excitement. He murmured, "Master, remember what I told you last month? It was about General Gao who died of illness during the expedition to Liangshan. In fact, it was not the case at all."

"I don't care whether he lives or dies, as long as Sanlang is fine. I was originally waiting for Liangshan to be recruited so that he could serve as an official in the court, but this guy is ignorant of the current situation. By the way, do you have any news about him?"

"The guards and palace maids have all been replaced. This is the only information I can get. If you dare to cross the line, your entire clan will be in danger."

"Forget it. Dad originally promised to visit Fifteen today. I was thinking of asking him about the situation, but until now..."

Before Zhao Fujin could finish his words, he suddenly heard someone shouting outside the door: "The Emperor has arrived!"

"master!"

"Come and meet me!"

The master and servant hurried out to greet them, and saw that Zhao Ji had only brought his trusted eunuch with him. He was worried about his daughter giving birth to a child out of wedlock, but he also felt sorry for her.

"father"

"What about fifteen?"

"She was fussy about taking a nap in the afternoon, so the nurse took her away to comfort her. Did you let her take her out?"

"No need, I'll go see him later."

While speaking, Zhao Ji raised his hand, motioning Li E to step aside first, and then sat down with Zhao Fujin in the hall.

Seeing the wine utensils on the table that had not been put away in time, Zhao Ji grabbed the wine pot and asked meaningfully: "Little Fifteen is one hundred days old, and my son is nineteen. Do you plan to live like this forever?"

"My daughter is fine"

"You are fine, but what about the fifteenth? Boys grow up very fast. Do you know why Dad didn't come this morning? Your ninth brother was promoted to the title of king today. His residence outside the palace is almost ready. According to the rules, he will have the ceremony of coming of age next year and then move out of the palace."

Liangshan could not be wiped out for a long time. Zhao Ji was afraid that Zhao Fujin would keep dragging it out, so he asked Li E to find a chance to persuade his daughter to get married, and he would arrange an honest son-in-law for her. But Zhao Fujin refused to agree, and at this time he used Zhao Gou's title of king to tempt her.

Zhao Fujin naturally understood, but he pretended to be dumb and replied: "Ninth brother left the palace so soon? I remember he was only fourteen years old."

"He will be fifteen next May, and dad will confer the title of princess on him. Why are you so special?"

"My daughter will only marry Yang Chang."

Seeing his daughter's stubbornness, Zhao Ji shook his head and sighed, "This Yang Chang does seem to be a handsome man, but it's a pity that he lives in a den of thieves. Dad is afraid that you can't wait!"

"Didn't the court want to recruit us? Why is there no movement from the beginning of the year to the end of the year?" Zhao Fujin's voice became smaller and smaller. She secretly observed Zhao Ji's expression with squinted eyes, for fear that he would accuse her of being a woman meddling in politics.

"National affairs are not a joke. I can't explain it to you clearly."

Zhao Ji frowned, but seeing Zhao Fujin's timid look, he changed the subject and said, "There is something I forgot to tell you. Cai Yu died in Jeju two months ago. I heard that he was killed by a sword stabbed in the throat. It can be regarded as someone avenging your anger."

"Could it be Yang Chang?"

"Are you crazy? How could he be everywhere? But Yang Chang is really good at martial arts. He once defeated hundreds of people on his own."

"Hundreds of people? So powerful? Is he injured?"

"How would I know?"

When Zhao Ji saw Zhao Fujin's appearance, he was anxious and displeased that his daughter was being bullied, so he stood up and said, "Take me to see Fifteen. He has no father now, so I will give him a name."

"Thank you, Dad."

When he lost the naming rights, Yang Chang was on his way to Tokyo. He traveled with Yan Qing, Dai Zong, and Le He, carrying two carts of gold and silver to do business, ready to capture Li Shishi and Su Yuanjing in one fell swoop.

After the incident last year, Tokyo's inspections became more stringent. Fortunately, none of the suspects had tattoos on their faces, and they all had kind faces and did not look like tough guys.

Yang Chang had been active in Nanyu Street last time, so in order to avoid unnecessary trouble this time, he brought everyone to Panlou Street to stay. (East of Xuande Gate in the southeast of the imperial city is the East Corner Tower, and east of the cross street of the East Corner Tower is Panlou Street)

As soon as everyone checked into the inn, Yang Chang asked Le He and Yan Qing to go out to gather information to find out whether Li Shishi and Su Yuanjing were at home, and whether there was anything special about the two of them. They could then exchange them around Panlou Street.

As soon as Yan Qing and Le He left, Dai Zong frowned and sighed, "Xu Jing and the other five can't keep their mouths shut. Some people downstairs were discussing Gao Qiu just now. I'm afraid our trip will be in trouble."

"Don't worry, Dean. This is all within my expectations. As long as the court does not determine the nature of Gao Qiu's death, it will not affect our work."

"Brother Yang, don't be careless. Brother Gongming has repeatedly told us that we must complete the mission on this trip, otherwise we don't have to go back. Should we capture Li Shishi first, or go see Su Yuanjing first? I think it's better to report to the emperor first."

"Haha, you look so nervous. I'll take care of things when they come back."

Dai Zong paced back and forth, looking very uneasy, while Yang Chang was leisurely sipping his tea from the tea bowl. He was not at all surprised that someone leaked the secret, and he had also thought of a way to persuade him on the way.

In the afternoon, Yan Qing and Le He returned. Yang Chang gathered the four of them together and said seriously, "Since both sides are at home, let's contact them at the same time. Be polite first and then talk about business."

"It's fine to contact and give gifts, but Gao Qiu's death is making a lot of noise right now. Even if we have the recommendation letter from Counselor Wen, Su Yuanjing may not dare to propose amnesty."

"Well, we caused a big disturbance in Tokyo last year, and I was also worried that Li Xingtou would not be willing to help."

Le He and Yan Qing expressed their concerns. Yang Chang smiled at them playfully and said meaningfully, "I'll teach you a trick. I guarantee they won't refuse."

"What a brilliant idea!" Dai Zong's eyes widened.

"It's simple. They cheated both sides."

Yang Chang's mouth twitched slightly, and he pointed at Le He and said, "When you meet with General Su, tell him that we have reported the Liangshan incident to the emperor through Li Xing Shou, and the emperor has agreed to recruit Liangshan. He just needs to cooperate and speak for the emperor."

Just as Le He and Dai Zong were surprised, Yang Chang continued to speak to Yan Qing.

"You tell Li Xing Shou that we have done a good job with Su Yuanjing. He is willing to help report to the emperor for amnesty, but he is afraid that Tong Guan, Cai Jing and other treacherous officials will obstruct him, so he must first explain his loyalty to Liangshan to the emperor."

(End of this chapter)