Chapter 145: All are prosperous, and all suffer when one loses

Chapter 145: Prosperity and Disaster

Two law enforcement officers were about to take He Cheng away for execution, but were stopped by two shouts.

The person in front was He Cheng's boss Ruan Xiaoqi. Song Jiang fell to the ground without looking back, ready to pretend to be sad, but Yang Chang's voice behind him made him break down and stand up.

If it were in the past, Song Jiang would have just ordered him to leave with the authority of his elder brother, but Yang Chang had the honor of meeting the emperor alone yesterday, and he was also the emperor's chosen son-in-law, which made Hei Sanlang hesitate.

At this time, there were many leaders watching around, and Yang Chang's behavior seemed to be challenging the "leadership authority", which made Song Jiang feel uncomfortable.

After Song Jiang stood up, the crowd quickly dispersed to the left and right, like a covered bridge inserted into the waterside pavilion in the lake, making an open path for Yang Chang.

The two men stared at each other from a distance, one with a dark face and a frown, and the other with a firm expression.

"What did you mean just now?"

"I am willing to protect what will happen."

"Why do you?"

"hehe."

Yang Chang just smiled. His strange way of responding made Song Jiang's heart beat fast.

Huh? What does he mean by that?
He Cheng privately killed an official from the Secretariat. Will Your Majesty settle it for Yang Chang?
If the emperor had the final say, this matter would not be a big deal.

Song Jiang was unsure, so he ordered his men to detain He Cheng first and signaled Yang Changtong to return to the central army to discuss the matter.

The leaders who were watching looked at each other in bewilderment, wondering where Yang Chang's confidence came from. How could an ordinary leader be appointed as a deputy vanguard? Could it be that there was someone in the court who helped him?
In fact, Yang Chang didn't need to take action, because it would somewhat provoke Song Jiang's hatred. He and He Cheng had no friendship before, but he helped He Cheng because He Cheng was Ruan Xiaoqi's subordinate, so he returned the favor.

He pretended to be mysterious to scare Song Jiang, which he learned from the TV drama.

I have to say, the fox borrows the tiger's power to bully others and it works.

"Wait a minute."

"Ok?"

"Let me see who this guy is"

Yang Chang suddenly turned around and trotted to the side of Li Yuhou's body and squatted down. The flash of the drop prompt was still there, so he naturally couldn't miss the opportunity to pick it up.

Although he knew that there was nothing good in it, in order to avoid wasting resources, Yang Chang still turned back for this drop.

[Obtain hurtful words. After using it, you can improve your eloquence and suppress your opponent with dirty words. Please choose to use it or discard it. ]

Wow, this dropped skill is hard to describe.

Could it be passed down by Ni Heng of the Three Kingdoms period?
throw away.

[Tongue Arrow Curse, gain language suppression power, hold it in the palm of your hand and recite it silently to take effect immediately. The side effect will quickly attract hatred. The effect lasts for one hour. The curse is: The tongue is like an arrow, the words are like poison, the words are brilliant, and the words swallow the sky]

The [Tongue Arrow Curse] that gives up cash withdrawal is similar to an object the size of a key.

Yang Chang pretended to be angry, slapped Li Yuhou on the chest, and took the item away.

This is like picking up money in public, or using shoelaces to attract attention. In fact, it is just self-consolation.

Yang Chang then stood up, cursing, "Isn't this guy Li Yuhou? The man who came with General Chen to recruit him should have died in Liangshan at that time. It's a blessing for him to be alive now."

"This time, that time!"

Song Jiang quickly took over the conversation and then reminded him with a stern face: "Don't forget that we have been recruited. We can't do whatever we want after putting on this dress, let alone kill court officials at will. Come to the central army with me to discuss it quickly."

"Alright."

"You all, go away too."

Later they arrived at the central army, where there were only three vanguards, Song Jiang, Lu Junyi and Yang Chang, and two military advisors, Wu Yong and Gongsun Sheng.

Generals Lu Fang and Guo Sheng stood outside the tent and did not allow anyone to disturb them.

In front of everyone, Song Jiang frowned and looked at Yang Chang and asked, "There were many people talking outside just now. Tell me how to protect He Cheng? The person he killed was not an ordinary person."

"I thought we should report the truth. The emperor issued an order to reward the three armies, but those two not only withheld the money, but also used words to provoke us brothers. How can this be a crime that is not punishable by death?"

After listening to Yang Chang's "high-sounding speech", Song Jiang said to everyone with a bitter face:

"We were born as bandits in the Marsh, and were pardoned for our old crimes by the grace of God. However, the old grudges we had with the court cannot be resolved in a short time. What's wrong with eating less meat and drinking less wine? Will we still have less food and drink after we kill Tian Hu? But now we haven't achieved anything, but we are acting like we did in the past. What will the officials of the provincial government think? Executing He Chengdu may not eliminate the impact, not to mention that we have to protect him from being killed."

"Brother, what you said is very true. Executing He Cheng is the correct attitude. Then we can ask General Su to mediate. Otherwise, the treacherous party will definitely report and criticize us, and maybe even implicate General Su."

Except for Wu Yong who stood up to agree with Song Jiang, the rest of Lu Junyi and Gongsun Sheng just watched silently.

Lu Junyi knew that Huizong had summoned Yang Chang alone, so he was not too surprised by Yang Chang's behavior. Gongsun Sheng had always been calm and never cared about the affairs of the camp.

Yang Chang looked around, his face calm, and said: "What do the provincial government officials think? Whether the traitors have reported and accused him, whether General Su has been implicated, these are all just guesses now. Why not send someone to ask first? Although He Cheng is not a heavenly or earthly demon, he fought for Liangshan and risked his life. If the matter is just dismissed like this, wouldn't it make the soldiers feel disheartened?"

"You will suffer for your own mistakes." Song Jiang shook his head and sighed, "If he hadn't acted impulsively, how could he have ended up with such a bitter wine? We all don't want him to die, but he killed the provincial government official, and we didn't show any attitude at all. Instead, we took the initiative to go back to the capital to question him. What do you think of General Su? What do you think of His Majesty?"

"how to think?"

Yang Chang put his hands behind his back, looked outside the tent, and murmured, "Everything has its cause and effect. He Cheng is indeed guilty of murder, but he is not the cause. Since we have accepted the emperor's order to surrender, we should follow the laws of the Song Dynasty. He Cheng should be handed over to the officials for investigation and conviction. It would be wrong to deal with it on our own. What do you think, brothers?"

Song Jiang and Wu Yong frowned and thought deeply. Lu Junyi looked around and whispered, "Brother, what Brother Yang said just now seems to make sense."

"Ok?"

Seeing Lu Junyi's support, Song Jiang thought that it might be inappropriate to kill He Cheng by force, so he asked Yang Chang for advice: "Since you want to save He Cheng, then tell me what to do next?"

"The provincial government withheld the wine and meat first. We can ask General Su for permission and say that it was my strong request." Yang Chang was planning to use Su Yuanjing's power to intimidate others.

"Ok?"

Song Jiang frowned and thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, let's fight for He Cheng once. I will send Dean Dai back to Beijing immediately. I don't know how long this matter will be delayed, and whether it will affect our expedition."

"Brother, don't worry. This matter should be resolved soon. It's still early in winter, so there's enough time to keep some troops. It's also a good opportunity to stay in Chenqiao and make plans to defeat the enemy in advance."

"Alright."

After listening to Wu Yong's analysis, Song Jiang felt slightly comforted.

He summoned Dai Zong to give him instructions, then rode his horse to inspect each camp and give reminders, before returning to the central army to discuss matters.

As the deputy vanguard, Yang Chang was qualified to attend the meeting and express his opinions, but he had only commanded a thousand troops before, and his main job was to pick up corpses. He was relatively unfamiliar with sieges and conquests, so like Lu Junyi and Gongsun Sheng, he just sat in the tent and listened.

The real battlefield is different from the game. It requires the right time, place and people. Yang Chang is not listening in because he is humble. He really lacks practical experience now and does not want to talk about it on paper and mislead others and himself.

Among the five people at the center of power, only Song Jiang and Wu Yong were performing throughout.

The two began by discussing the deployment of troops and warships, where to start the breakthrough, where to set up camp, and so on.

Before they could come to a conclusion, the sky outside the tent darkened. Yang Chang then said goodbye to everyone and returned to his own tent. He had dinner with Hu Sanniang and was about to rest and go to bed when a lieutenant suddenly asked him to discuss something.

Su Yuanjing arrived overnight.

When Yang Chang appeared in the center of the army, Song Jiang pointed at him and said to Su Yuanjing like a student accusing his teacher: "En Xiang, Yang Chang is here now, and he was the one who stopped us from killing him."

"Is that really what you mean?"

Although Su Yuanjing said this, the "you" in his words did not specifically refer to Yang Chang. Yang Chang could understand what he meant by observing his expression.

"En Xiangrong reported that He Cheng was guilty, but he was not the culprit. The government issued an order for reward, but the officials deliberately withheld the money. It is not known whether it was a personal act or an intentional act by the provincial government. This is a crime of deceiving the emperor."

"It's not fun to talk about!"

Yang Chang put a big hat on him, so anxious that Su Yuanjing interrupted him and reminded him in a deep voice: "I have already been to the provincial court. This matter is indeed an individual act. Don't make assumptions and implicate others. Now the provincial court official died here. It is not a problem to sentence him to death. What basis do you have to protect him from death?"

"There are three reasons."

Yang Chang held up three fingers and answered slowly, "First, our army is about to go out to fight. Executing He Cheng will hurt the morale of the army. If it affects the suppression of bandits, it will be a loss for the sake of a small matter. Second, if the two officials did it on their own, they not only disobeyed the order by withholding rewards, but also deliberately used bad words to destroy unity and smear Your Majesty's reputation. In this case, they deserve to die. Third, He Cheng's doubt about the lack of wine and meat means that he believes in Your Majesty's love for the army and the people. He killed people not only to protect himself, but also to protect Your Majesty's dignity. I think He Cheng is not only innocent, but also meritorious."

"What a great luminous celestial being!"

Su Yuanjing didn't expect Yang Chang to be so ridiculous, but his remarks did make some sense, so he shook his head and sighed, "I guess you're the only one in the whole court who dares to think this way. Since Yang Xianfeng's words are so convincing, I'll return to the capital tonight and ask for your majesty's judgment tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, Enxiang."

As Yang Chang bowed, Su Yuanjing walked over and patted him on the back, saying softly, "The provincial government will not be manipulated by others, and His Majesty will also consider it, so don't be too optimistic, let alone achieve success."

"I don't dare to hope for anything more, as long as I can save He Cheng's life, I can make up for my crime and make meritorious contributions."

"Haha." Yang Chang's attitude changed drastically, making Su Yuanjing laugh. He shook his head and sighed, "Just now he was filled with righteous indignation, but now he is so pragmatic. Guang Tianzun is also a mortal."

"Yes Yes Yes."

Seeing Su Yuanjing smile, Song Jiang also felt that this matter had a chance, so he immediately continued the conversation with a smile, holding up the sleeve of General Su and said, "En Xiang is right, we are all mortals, I can take you out of the camp."

As Su Yuanjing walked out, he encouraged Song Jiang.

"Just now I saw you guys discussing the battle plan. This attitude of contributing to the country is very good. Just for your dedication, I will definitely do my best when I return.

"Thank you, Enxiang."

Song Jiang was secretly pleased when he heard this, and couldn't help but glance back at Yang Chang, as if to ask, "Why was it not obtained through your sweet talk, but because the Prime Minister was moved by our research on warfare?"

Yang Changcai had no intention of competing for credit, he just wanted to save He Cheng's life. He then bowed to everyone and said goodbye, then went back to his tent and slept with his wife.

The heat of early summer is not yet extreme, so it is a good time to sleep at night.

When I opened my eyes in the morning, the beauty beside me was no longer there.

Hu Sanniang was gentle and affectionate at home, but she became uncharacteristically affectionate when she arrived at the military camp and always got up before Yang Chang.

Yang Chang changed his clothes and went outside the tent to stretch, just in time to see Hu Sanniang returning with breakfast.

Later, the two sat opposite each other in the tent.

Hu Sanniang ate her meal slowly like a lady, while Yang Chang sat on a stool with his legs wide open. This fellow held a bowl of porridge in one hand and ate a pancake in the other, without caring at all about his eating manners.

"Official."

"Huh? Is something wrong?"

"I just met Master Lin, and he said..."

Seeing Hu Sanniang hesitated to speak, Yang Chang thought something had happened again, so he immediately stopped chewing and asked, "What did he say?"

"He said that he passed by Pei Xuan's camp in the morning and heard the conversation between Song Gongming and He Cheng. Song Jiang said that he begged General Su to intervene and He Cheng had a great chance of not dying."

"What's the problem?"

"Isn't this your achievement? How can Song Gongming claim it as his own? How shameless!"

"Haha, I thought it was something serious. Eat your meal well." Yang Chang took a sip from the bowl and added calmly, "Just do good things and don't worry about the future."

You were the one who was said to have killed someone before, and now you are the one who is trying to steal a favor. Are you really making money by doing this?

After having breakfast with Hu Sanniang, Yang Chang took a short rest and then went to the central army as usual.

There were seven or eight soldiers in the big tent at that time. After asking, they found out that they were soldiers whose ancestral home was in Shanxi. Song Jiang and Wu Yong were not familiar with the situation in Shanxi, so they asked these people to find out more about it.

At that time, there was no Internet, no satellite maps, and even hand-drawn maps were scarce. Information was mainly passed on by word of mouth and relied on temporary guides to lead the way, so it was very common to get lost in ancient battles.

Song Jiang did not have a secretary under his command, so he called Xiao Rang to take notes.

Yang Chang found listening in the tent boring, so he wandered around near the central army.

Around noon, the sound of horse hooves was heard outside the gate. Su Yuanjing rode his horse straight towards the central army, accompanied by his old acquaintance Wen Huanzhang.

Su Yuanjing brought the emperor's oral order, stating that the provincial officials had withheld military supplies. The Dali Temple was ordered to investigate and convict the murderer, He Bencheng, who should be executed, but was spared the death penalty because of his reasons. He was punished with 30 military sticks as a warning to others and then followed the army to make meritorious contributions.

The leaders were all delighted when they heard this and knelt on the ground and shouted "Long live the emperor" three times.

After Su Yuanjing finished reading the imperial edict, Song Jiang welcomed him into the main tent, bowed to him again, and choked up with tears of gratitude several times.

"Well, this is not my fault, but the mercy of your majesty."

"Yes, yes, yes. The only way we can repay your majesty's grace is to serve our country and make contributions."

"Get up."

Su Yuanjing helped Song Jiang up with both hands, turned his head and motioned to Wen Huanzhang to introduce him, "Yesterday I saw you and Wu Xuejiu discussing military information, and guessed that you were not familiar with the geography of the Three Jins, and were afraid that the expedition would be difficult. Brother Wen has a deep knowledge and a strong memory, so I asked him to help you. You can stay in the army as a staff officer. You already know each other in Liangshan, so I don't need to introduce him in detail."

"That's great, Chief of Staff Wen is."

"Brother Wen has no official status, and he came here to see me for your favor."

Su Yuanjing was halfway through his words when he suddenly pulled Song Jiang to his side and whispered, "Don't doubt the vanguard. This battle must be successful, otherwise I will not be able to end it peacefully."

"Don't worry, my lord. I will do my best."

Song Jiang was startled when he heard this, and then he clasped his fists in response.

Having worked as a bailiff in Yuncheng County for many years, he knew very well how it was to take sides in officialdom: everyone prospers together, and everyone suffers together.

Once you get on Su Yuanjing's boat, you have to help row hard.

(End of this chapter)