Chapter 164: It is difficult to win people's hearts, Song Jiang gets angry (6k)

In fact, the appointment of an eighth-rank minor official could be made directly by the Ministry of Personnel, and it should not have been escalated to the court for discussion, but it caused disputes in the court.

After all, there were too many leaders in Liangshan. Prime Minister Wang Fu thought that the reward was too high, and it would be a bad ending for the later leaders if they made meritorious deeds. The Privy Council suggested giving them honorary titles as officials. Finally, both parties thought that the best option was to select officials directly from the court to take up the posts.

Su Yuanjing had done Huizong's work in advance, but the appointment of local officials touched upon too many interests. It was impossible for Zhao Ji to ignore the opinions of court officials. In addition, he also had the idea of ​​recruiting a son-in-law, so he wavered in making the decision.

At the critical moment, it was Cai Jing who stepped forward to mediate.

He advised to consider the actual situation in Qinzhou and leave a small number of Liangshan troops to maintain their residual power to deter the villains. This would not only help the local area to quickly stabilize, but also enable them to suppress the remnants of Tian Hu nearby when they encountered them. Directly giving empty titles to officials would discourage the soldiers, making Song Jiang and others feel that they were not valued, affecting their enthusiasm for serving the country.

Cai Jing's words were solemn and prudent.

His appearance brought the forces of all parties to a balance, so the Ministry of Personnel demoted him and gave him the title of Xiuwu Lang.

Of course, Cai Jing is not a Bodhisattva in the temple. He will not speak for Su Yuanjing for no reason, nor will he help his enemy Yang Chang to ask for an official position. He is doing this for the purpose of exchanging interests and making advance arrangements.

Song Jiang and others eliminated Tian Hu's forces, leaving a large number of vacancies in several states and fifty-six counties.

Applicants seeking official positions flocked to the capital city one after another, and knocked on the doors of the powerful in the court. Naturally, some of them also tried to get a job through Cai Jing.

Except for the newly acquired Qinzhou which has not been handed over, the prices of powerful official positions in Zezhou, Luzhou, Fenyang, Pingyang and Taiyuan, from prefect to county magistrate, have been secretly set according to the rank of the official and the quality of the place, and those who seek official positions participate in the competition based on their abilities.

Anyone who has a say in the court comes to get a piece of the pie in this carnival. The competition for this rare opportunity to make money is fierce, resulting in too many people having to manage relationships to get some lucrative positions, making it difficult to decide for a long time.

After all, Cai Jing was old and did not participate much in the appointment of officials in Hebei. He made friends with Su Yuanjing, who was favored by the emperor, mainly to pave the way for Cai Tao, Cai Xiu and other children and grandchildren, and intended to separate Yang Chang from Liangshan.

How could we let go of Cai Yu’s revenge?

The Game of Thrones has just begun.

Yang Chang, look at me, I’m going to kill you.

I'm not good at marching and fighting, but you're not good at wielding power and being an official.

The envoy who went to Qinzhou to convey the imperial edict was Feng Mei, the general captured alive by Yang Chang in Liangshan. Su Yuanjing had something to tell Song Jiang, so he also sent Yang Yuhou from his mansion to accompany him.

Because Dai Zong returned to the city in advance to report the news, Song Jiang had already learned the content of the imperial edict before Feng Mei and his entourage arrived at Tongdi City.

On November 15th, Feng Mei wore his official robe and seal and entered the Tongdi Prefecture to announce the imperial edict.

Song Jiang called all the leaders of Qinzhou to the hall. Yang Chang mistakenly thought that they were going to fight against Wang Qing of Huaixi. However, his old friend Feng Mei smiled at him and read out the imperial edict that he should stay in Qinzhou.

After hearing this, Yang Chang was stunned where he stood, and for a moment he even forgot to thank the emperor and accept the order.

Seeing this, Song Jiang hurriedly poked his arm and whispered, "Yang Xianfeng, that's not right. You should call him General Manager now. General Manager Yang, thank you and accept the order."

"No. How could it be."

Yang Chang hesitated and looked around, then cast a puzzled look at Feng Mei and asked in confusion: "General Feng, did I hear correctly?"

"Haha, don't doubt it, General Manager. You can observe for yourself."

Seeing Feng Mei holding the imperial edict and smiling, Yang Chang hurriedly thanked him and took the edict. He saw his name written on it, and Song Jiang deliberately leaned over to take a look.

"congratulations."

Song Jiang clasped his fists and flattered him: "General Manager Yang, you are the first one among the 108 brothers of Liangshan to achieve success and fame. I will have to host a banquet for you later."

"Didn't General Su ask me to take over temporarily? Why did you just do that?"

"correct."

Before Yang Chang finished speaking, Wu Song also stood up and asked, "Sanlang stayed in Qinzhou as an official. If we go to conquer other places, won't he be separated from us?"

“I don’t know about that.”

Song Jiang immediately freed himself and looked to Feng Mei for help.

"As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Since you have already submitted to the court, you will be sent to wherever the court needs you. How can it be the same as before, Liangshan?
Everyone should be happy for Yang Zongguan. He is not only in charge of Qinzhou's military affairs, but also temporarily in charge of the state affairs. Although the time he was in charge of both military and political affairs was short, it was quite special in the Song Dynasty. This shows that the court relies on him very much. "

"Why not someone else?"

After hearing the answer, Wu Song became doubtful. He suddenly frowned and looked at Song Jiang and others, thinking, could this be Wu Yong's plan?

But upon careful thought, he felt that Song Jiang and Wu Yong were not qualified. How could they influence the appointments and dismissals of the imperial court?
"Although this matter was first proposed by General Su, I heard that officials from the three ministries and the Privy Council did not agree. They all thought that someone should be selected from the imperial court. In the end, it was Grand Tutor Cai who recommended Yang, and the government finally decided to appoint Yang."

"Who are you talking about?"

"Grandmaster Cai Jing, is there anyone else?"

"how come."

Feng Mei's words not only surprised Wu Song, but also the other heroes in the hall showed strange expressions. They wondered in their hearts why Cai Jing helped Yang Chang. Could it be that he had connections in the Grand Tutor's Mansion? Was this the reason why he became the deputy vanguard?

Song Jiang thought to himself that this was unbelievable. He guessed that Cai Jing had received instructions from the emperor. Then, seeing the expressions of his companions, he thought that Feng Mei's answer was perfect.

Yang Chang was in cahoots with Cai Jing, do you still recognize his character?
There can only be one person in charge of Liangshan, and that is me, the loyal and righteous Song Gongming. Anyone who continues to follow him will be desecrating himself.

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became awkward, and Song Jiang stood up and acted like a good guy. He asked people to prepare a banquet to celebrate, while he led Feng Mei to the back hall to entertain them.

When everyone left one after another, Wu Song was the only one left by Yang Chang's side.

"Sanlang, how could Cai Jing help you?"

"I don't know, but he definitely has bad intentions."

"This traitor is the best at abusing his power. Since you know he has bad intentions, why do you still want to be such an official?"

"What else? You disobey the order right after you recruited me? Just do it first."

Yang Chang thought that he would practice Taoism in the future, so he should make arrangements in advance for Wu Song and others. After all, not everyone is suitable for practicing Taoism, and Song Jiang will soon fight Wang Qing and Fang La.

Being an official in Qinzhou is actually easier as you can resign and run away at any time. The only disadvantage is that it is inconvenient to continue picking up corpses.

Wang Qing and the officers under Fang La, including the Liangshan brothers who were about to die, didn't know how many good drops were left. But ever since he had seen the mysterious skills and wonderful methods, he had no interest in ordinary drops and was determined to step into the ranks of Qi Refiners.

After hesitating for a while, I decided to do it for a while.

Even if Cai Jing wanted to do something bad, he would have to have the ability to do it, right?

He is in charge of both military and political affairs in Qinzhou, and even the king has to call him brother.

After figuring out the key points, Yang Chang happily attended the meeting.

Song Jiang held a grand banquet in the provincial capital, and all the leaders and surrendered generals in Qinzhou were present to celebrate Yang Chang's appointment as deputy commander-in-chief of the army.

Because Feng Mei mentioned Cai Jing when he announced the decree, many people looked at Yang Chang with changed eyes.

Yang Chang did not explain to everyone like Xianglin Sao did. He believed that since his brothers believed in his character, there was no need for him to explain anything.

If you don't believe it, no amount of explanation will help.

In response to the compliments from Song Jiang and others, Yang Chang also toasted them one by one to express his gratitude.

During the feast, Yang Chang pretended to be drunk and pulled Feng Mei to mutter: "General Feng, I am new to the officialdom and don't know much about military affairs. Qinzhou has been peaceful during this period, all thanks to the support of the Liangshan brothers, but Song Xianfeng and his men still have important tasks to do. When the Liangshan brothers withdraw from Qinzhou, I am afraid that there will be chaos under my rule and I will disappoint the court's high hopes."

"Haha, this is easy."

Feng Mei patted him on the shoulder and smiled, offering a suggestion: "You Liangshan is full of talented people, the general manager can ask Song Xianfeng for a few people, and the problem you are worried about will be solved, right?"

"May I?"

"is it not OK?"

Yang Chang and Feng Mei looked at Song Jiang at the same time. Hei Sanlang had a good alcohol tolerance and was not drunk yet. When he heard this, he immediately became alert.

"General Feng is the imperial envoy. If you say it's okay, then of course it's okay. It's really hard for General Yang to handle the huge Qinzhou alone. I will leave one or two deputies behind."

"Look, Boss, Song Xianfeng has already thought of it. You really don't have to worry."

"hehe."

From Song Jiang's spirited answer, Yang Chang knew that this guy was not drunk. He thought to himself that even if buddy doesn't say anything, at least you can't take Wu Song and Sun An away.

A banquet was held that day and the party ended in the evening.

As the protagonist, Yang Chang had to get drunk.

Later, he was sent back home by Wu Song and handed over to the care of Hu Sanniang and Qiu Qiongying.

Song Jiang sent Feng Mei to the posthouse. When he returned to his residence, he was still somewhat sober. Soon Dai Zong brought Yang Yuhou to see him.

"Brother, Yang Yuhou is here."

"Please take a seat. Does the Prime Minister have any instructions?"

"The Grand Commandant has received the imperial decree. We will wait until the Song vanguard is finished resting before heading to Huaixi to suppress Wang Qing. The weather is cold now and the New Year is approaching."

Before Yang Yuhou could finish his words, Song Jiang excitedly interrupted him with a fist.

"How can we be so loyal to our country as to seek comfort and leisure? Sending troops now can catch the enemy by surprise. Please report to the Prime Minister and tell him that Song Jiang will gather troops and lead them south to fight the enemy soon. The army can take some food and grass from Qinzhou, but the subsequent supplies will need to be allocated by the court. In addition, please apply for artillery, armor and other items on our behalf."

"I will definitely convey your message, by the way."

Yang Yuhou suddenly changed the subject and reminded Song Jiang: "Since Tian Hu has been wiped out by you, it is not advisable to leave too many troops in Qinzhou. The Taiwei suggested that 5,000 troops be left for garrison, and the remaining elite troops can be taken away by the vanguard. This matter must be made clear to Yang Zongguan, otherwise it will break the court rules."

"That's exactly what Xiaoke meant."

Song Jiang nodded happily when he heard this. After Su Yuanjing left Qinzhou, he discussed with Wu Yong a troop deployment strategy. Except for the 200 men under Yang Chang's command, the rest would be made up of surrendered soldiers.

Although the surrendered soldiers were weak in combat, they were more than capable of maintaining local security.

The next day, after seeing off Feng Mei and Yang Yuhou, Song Jiang immediately sent Dai Zong to Taiyuan to bring back An Daoquan, Hou Jian, Xue Yong, Bao Xu and Li Li, while preparing to gather troops and horses to Huaizhou.

The winter weather is cold, but it can't stop the enthusiasm for making achievements.

He wants to improve so much.

Chief Steward Yang had a great reputation, but due to his rank he could only wear green official robes, whereas Song Jiang had already been eyeing the red robe, which was the "pie in the sky" that Yang Yuhou brought from the capital.

The official position given by the court to Yang Chang was too low, so Su Yuanjing could only give a verbal promise to stimulate Song Jiang's enthusiasm.

After finishing the matters at hand, Song Jiang met with Yang Chang alone in the main tent in the camp to reach an agreement on retaining the people.

"Sun An and Ye Qing will not go south with the army. With the help of my two brothers and sisters, Sanlang already has four generals by his side. If I leave Erlang here, Qinzhou's military affairs should not be a problem."

"It's not enough, right? Qinzhou has four counties under its jurisdiction, and besides military affairs, there are also government affairs."

"I have a consultant to help with political affairs. Soon, court officials will take up their posts. You don't have to worry too much."

"Tian Hu's officials have been captured in one fell swoop. I'm afraid that the staff officer Wen is no match for the four. I want to hold out until the new officials of the court take office. Only a few people are not enough."

Song Jiang only kept Wu Song, although he was stingy, but from Yang Chang's tone, it was obvious that he wanted to ask for a big price, so Hei Sanlang frowned and asked, "Who else does Sanlang want?"

"I have used the brothers who were separated from me before quite smoothly. I hope my brother..."

"No."

Before Yang Chang could finish, Song Jiang interrupted him: "You are asking for too much. I can keep one more, and Cao will be just right."

"Adding more Cao Zheng is just a drop in the bucket." "Now that you are the chief steward, don't just think about yourself. Think more about the future of your brothers. Where can they make achievements if they are left here?"

"Not everyone is keen on fame and fortune. Besides, if I can't manage Qinzhou well, it will also bring shame to Liangshan, right? I hope my brother will consider this."

"hehe."

Song Jiang thought, "What does your shame have to do with me?" But he was afraid that something might happen if he couldn't feed this guy, so he resisted the urge to keep Zhu Tong, but asked to take the four surrendered generals, Jin Zhen, Bi Jie, Pan Xun and Yang Fang, with him.

At this time, these people were stationed in Wuxiang County with Sun An, and Wuxiang surrendered only after capturing Tian Hu.

In order to quickly take over the city, Yang Chang simply and crudely replaced the original officials with his own people, so the four surrendered generals were completely out of Song Jiang's control.

The two of them haggled like they were in a vegetable market, and it took them half an hour to finally decide.

But after all the calculations, Yang Chang finally kept three and gave away four, which seemed to be a loss in quantity, but the quality was different.

The two men reached a deal. Song Jiang called Wu Song, Zhu Tong and Cao Zheng to encourage and explain the matter. He also sent Ma Ling to Wuxiang to call back the four surrendered generals. At the same time, he ordered all camps to pack up and prepare, and to set out as soon as Dai Zong returned from Taiyuan, and the baggage and food should be sent out immediately.

On November 18, Song Jiang's camps had been packed up, and the four surrendered generals also rushed back from Wuxiang.

In the past two days, those leaders who were on good terms with Yang Chang came to the mansion alone or in groups to say goodbye.

They included Zhu Wu, Xuan Zan, Chen Da, and Yang Chun who had participated in the expedition to Pingyang, as well as old friends such as Li Jun, Tong Wei, Tong Meng, and Shi Qian, but the Flower Monk Lu Zhishen was the only one missing.

Tongdi is five hundred miles away from Yangqu, and Dai Zong has learned the magic of Ma Lingshenxing, and now has the ability to travel a thousand miles a day. He should return within two days, but he has not been seen for two and a half days.

Could he be traveling with the five people? That might delay the trip for more than ten days. Dean Dai would not be so rigid.
Song Jiang was eager to set off and paced anxiously in the camp.

At noon, he suddenly heard footsteps outside the tent. When he looked up, he saw Wu Yong and Lu Zhishen.

"It's you? I thought..."

Song Jiang was halfway through his words when he saw Wu Yong's serious face. He immediately realized something was wrong and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Master Lu has something to say"

"Oh?"

"Brother, I want to stay in Qinzhou."

Lu Zhishen's voice was so loud that Song Jiang was stunned at first, and then he asked, "Why?"

"I want to follow Manager Yang."

"no."

Song Jiang's head was buzzing, thinking to himself, Yang Chang didn't even ask for it, why are you so proactive?
He swallowed and walked forward, looking up at Lu Zhishen's resolute face, and reminded him earnestly: "Master, have you forgotten the verses of Elder Zhizhen in Mount Wutai? We should study them together."

"My teacher asked me to keep this verse, and it is for my brother, so please take good care of yourself."

"That's not right, Elder. When?"

Before Song Jiang had finished speaking, Lu Zhishen bowed, said goodbye, turned around and walked out of the tent, striding forward without a trace of reluctance.

“This is him.”

"Brother, the hardest thing to win back is people's hearts. Since the master has made up his mind to leave, don't force it."

"I just can't figure it out. Is it Chief Yang who is playing tricks?"

"Unlikely." Wu Yong frowned and shook his head, and analyzed seriously: "With Master Lu's personality, he can't be kept even if he uses tricks. This must be the order of Elder Zhizhen."

"But during the time we were in the mountains, I stayed with him all the time except when I slept at night. I didn't hear the elder say this. Instead, he said he was more confident to follow me. This reason is really weird."

"Elder Zhizhen is a highly accomplished monk, and perhaps he has some profound and mysterious methods. How can mortals like us know everything?"

"That's right."

Song Jiang sighed. The more he thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. He then asked Wu Yong to pass the order and set off, intending to wait for Dai Zong while walking.

Yang Chang, along with Wu Song, Zhu Tong and others, hosted a farewell banquet at the south gate of Tongdi, and some pleasantries and greetings went without saying.

As the baggage and food had been sent away earlier, the army now traveled light on the road, and arrived at Weiting Town in the evening to rest for the night.

After settling in, Wu Yong asked someone to bring him some hot wine to keep warm.

Song Jiang was in a bad mood and drank a bowl of soup in big gulps. His chest felt extremely hot but he endured the discomfort and didn't make a sound.

Wu Yong was shocked and was about to continue filtering the wine when he saw the lights flashing.

It turned out that someone had lifted the tent curtain, causing the north wind to rush in. Upon closer inspection, it was Dai Zong and An Daoquan.

"Dean Dai, Doctor An is here, come over and have some hot wine."

"elder brother."

"Ok?"

Dai Zong's cry, like that of a bereaved mother, made Wu Yong tremble uncontrollably.

Then, An Daoquan fell forward to the ground, bowed and apologized: "Brother Gongming, please forgive me for my incompetence and failure to save Bao Xu and Li Li."

"What did you say?"

Song Jiang pinched his hoarse throat. He had not recovered from the burn just now. His eyes showed disbelief, "Aren't they healed?"

"The cold was indeed cured, but the two were suddenly haunted by nightmares, unable to sleep at night or during the day, and eventually died of exhaustion."

"Aren't you a miracle doctor? Nightmares are diseases, so you can cure them, right?"

"This is a heart disease that cannot be cured by medicine."

After An Daoquan finished speaking, he fell to the ground and could not get up. Song Jiang, who had just stood up excitedly, sat down again, muttering to himself: "What kind of nightmare is this? It can take their lives."

Wu Yong helped An Daoquan up and asked softly, "When did the two brothers die? What happened to them in Taiyuan?"

"Just a few days ago, everyone stayed in the inn for days and hardly went out," An Daoquan shook his head.

"That's strange, isn't it?"

Wu Yong stopped talking at the end and wanted to ask if it was because of his trip to Mount Wutai, but he took the words back when they came to his lips.

The nightmares triggered by the two in Taiyuan were unlikely to be related to Wenshu Temple. Wu Yong was afraid that groundless speculation would affect Song Jiang's mood.

In fact, his guess was not bold enough. Bao Xu and Li Li caught a cold and suffered nightmares because they were stimulated by Buddhism in Mount Wutai.

On that day, in order to test Yang Chang, Elder Zhizhen added magical powers to the Ksitigarbha Sutra and the mantra, which had supernatural powers to exorcise evil spirits and transcend the soul.

Yang Chang's bright heart was not affected, but it made many of the heroes who were listening feel cold.

Among them, Bao Xu and Li Li had done too many evil things before, and because they did not escape from the hall in time, they were eventually attacked by Buddhism and became ill. They could have been cured by Buddhism if they stayed in the temple, but they both insisted on following Song Jiang on his journey, and eventually both died in front of the miracle doctor.

This is like the AB approach, where CD bears the damage and suffers an unexpected disaster.

"Where are the bodies of the two brothers?"

"The body is currently stored at the Yangqu Inn. We dare not act on our own, so we sent Brother Hou Jian to Qinzhou to report the news. As a result, we met Dean Dai at Lutai Mountain."

"Well, after I went to Taiyuan to understand the situation, I brought Doctor An back in advance. Please let Brother Gongming make the decision."

After listening to the conversation between the several people, Song Jiang's belly, which had been burned, felt like he had swallowed a piece of ice. He looked at Wu Yong weakly and said, "What do you think, military advisor?"

"Instead of transporting him back to his hometown and delaying the march, why not bury him in Taiyuan? Zhou Tong was also buried in Xinzhou, and both of them died for their country." Wu Yong stroked his beard and frowned, obviously not wanting to delay the march for the two of them.

"Just follow the military advisor."

Song Jiang nodded in agreement, turned around and instructed Dai Zong: "Dean Dai, take a rest for a night, and go to Taiyuan with Ma Ling tomorrow to bury the two brothers, and then bring Xue Yong and Hou Jian back. We will wait for you while we go."

"understood."

Dai Zong and An Daoquan both clasped their fists and said goodbye, leaving Song Jiang and Wu Yong sitting opposite each other in silence.

It is not a good sign if the leader dies before the troops move forward.

However, whether it is a good omen or a bad omen, different results will be obtained when analyzed from different angles. There is always an angle that can comfort yourself.

According to Wu Yong, the two can be included in the list of casualties in the expedition against Tian Hu. Including Zhou Tong and Zhang Qing and his wife, the number of casualties was only five.

In Hebei, more than a dozen new surrendered generals were recruited, including Qiao Daoqing, Ma Ling, Bian Xiang, Shan Shiqi and others, whose strength was stronger than the Liangshan brothers who died in the battle. Even if the brothers who stayed in Qinzhou were abandoned, it would be more than enough to make up 108.

Although he comforted himself in this way, Song Jiang was still depressed on the road due to the absence of two infantry leaders, Lu Zhishen and Wu Song.

If only there was no Yang Chang, Lu Zhishen, Wu Song and Zhu Tong would all be mine. I shouldn't have saved him at Kongjiazhuang, and there wouldn't have been any troubles later.

Song Jiang was troubled all the way until he reached Zezhou and Dai Zong and Ma Ling brought back Xue Yong and Hou Jian, and his mood improved slightly.

More than 100,000 soldiers were stationed in various states, and Song Jiang gathered and integrated them as he went along. The 20,000 surrendered soldiers stationed in Zezhou were trained by Leopard Head Lin Chong as the chief general, and the surrendered general Shan Shiqi as his deputy general.

When Lin Chong learned that the army was about to march south and Yang Chang would remain in Qinzhou as deputy commander-in-chief of the army, he followed Lu Zhishen to find Song Jiang and expressed his intention to stay in Qinzhou.

This time, Song Jiang was angry.

Heisaburo, who has always been very cunning, lost his temper in front of his brothers for the first time.

"What medicine did Commander Yang give you? You used to be so concerned about the overall situation, but now you can't tell the difference? Can you have a future in Qinzhou? He is only the general manager of the army now, and it is impossible for him to give you a bright future and serve the country with me."

"Brother, please stop trying to persuade me. I have made up my mind."

Song Jiang was asking questions, but Lin Chong interrupted him, which made him even angrier. He asked sharply, "Why? I need a reason."

"nothing."

"What if there must be one?"

"Brother Yang and I share the same ideals."

Lin Chong's answer was full of amusement, and the people around him looked at each other in bewilderment, thinking, isn't this a slap in the face?

Song Jiang sneered and asked contemptuously: "We share the same ideals? We are all acting on behalf of heaven, so what is his ideal?"

"bright."

Lin Chong left two words, and contrary to his usual cowardice, he turned around and left.

Song Jiang stood there awkwardly, until he saw Lin Chong riding out of the gate without anyone coming out to stop him. Then he looked around and asked, "Is Yang Chang a good person? Am I, Song Jiang, a bad person? An?"

Seeing that his brothers did not respond, Song Jiang remembered that he was the real Black Sanlang. He immediately lost control of his emotions and shouted angrily: "Let's go, let's go!"

I hate giving people a nickname for the Lord of Light, it's like shooting myself in the foot.

At that moment, Song Jiang became more and more angry the more he thought about it.

Bang bang bang.
When he found out that Wu Yong and the others were staring at him and making fun of him, he actually started to slap himself in the mouth.

"Brother Gongming, don't be like this."

(End of this chapter)