Chapter 176 Timely Rain, Wet Chicken

Qiao Daoqing and Ma Ling insisted on leaving, and Song Jiang had to let them go after he could no longer persuade them.

He led an expedition against Wang Qing in Huaixi and defeated all the surrendered generals in Hebei.

The two did not have a deep friendship with Liangshan, so it was natural for them to retreat at this time.

Song Jiang was not afraid of the two men leaving, but he was afraid that they would influence the brothers of Liangshan.

So after Qiao and Ma left the tent, Song Jiang quickly got up and found Wu Yong and Dai Zong.

They were asked to send him away from the camp in the name of giving him money, in order to prevent the two from making a big fuss about it.

Dai Zong was ordered to see the two off. Song Jiang ordered Song Qing and Zhu Fu to go into the city to buy wine and meat, and then he and Lu Junyi went to visit the injured brothers.

Today, I can only use these superficial little favors to deepen the relationship with the old brothers of Liangshan.

How much he can achieve in the future depends on the hard work of these brothers, so he dare not slack off for even a moment.

On the way back to the main tent after visiting the wounded, Lu Junyi saw Song Jiang with a sad face and no words, so he asked: "Brother, is there something wrong with what you said this morning? Have you been worried about you?"

"Ah? No problem."

Song Jiang shook his head and stroked his beard to explain: "I was wondering when there would be results. I was afraid that my brothers would get impatient and come up with other ideas."

"The government has promised that it won't be delayed for too long."

"You think too simply. His Majesty is busy with many things. How can he focus on our affairs? I am afraid that he will be bogged down by trivial matters and forget about them."

"What should I do?"

"What should I do? I should be more proactive. I have been pestering you for the past few days and just got a promise. It is inconvenient to push for it now."

When Song Jiang reached this point, he suddenly looked at Lu Junyi with joy.

"Why did you forget Yan Xiaoyi? You can quickly send him to the city to pay a visit to Li Xingshou. After all, pillows have the fastest joints."

"Is this okay?"

Lu Junyi looked hesitant.

Song Jiang was not as tall as Lu Junyi's shoulders, so he patted his arm and laughed bitterly.

"Since ancient times, people with good looks can do things much easier. This is how we were able to successfully recruit people and how Yang Chang was able to get a promotion."

"Yang Chang? According to what you said, the emperor saw that he was born with good looks, so..."

Lu Junyi didn't know about Zhao Ji's plan to find a son-in-law, and at this time he was obviously thinking in the wrong direction.

Song Jiang was stunned and looked up, thinking to himself, Old Lu asked you to study but you practiced boxing, with this level of understanding, how can you become a high official in the future?

"This was told to me by Prime Minister En. I don't know the details, but the fact that he was able to wear the scarlet robe is definitely related to that face."

"Oh"

Lu Junyi nodded blankly.

Song Jiang stroked his rough black face and felt secretly inferior, thinking that I, Song Sanlang, was just born dark and short. If I had the same appearance and height as my fourth brother Song Qing, my career path would not have been so difficult.

In the afternoon, Song Qing and Zhu Fu bought some wine and meat and held a celebratory banquet in the camp.

The heat of July was unbearable, and the leaders were all preoccupied with their own concerns, with many getting drunk at night.

Song Jiang is like a local emperor in Liangshan. He has the power over personnel, finance, and military power, and he can win over people in various ways.

Now that they have been recruited as officials of the imperial court, these rights have either disappeared or been weakened, and they can only win people's hearts by eating and drinking.

Fortunately, everyone still bought into it. I felt unhappy but could numb myself with alcohol. I couldn't go back to being a bandit.

There had just been an assassination attempt in the imperial city, and in order to prevent drunk people from entering the city and causing trouble, Song Jiang and a few of his confidants did not dare to drink too much.

The next day, while most people were still fast asleep, he woke up early and patrolled the camp.

When I passed by Gongsun Sheng’s barracks, I suddenly saw him packing his luggage.

Song Jiang came in and asked in surprise, "Sir, you are busy so early in the morning. Could it be that you felt stuffy at night and planned to move to another tent?"

Gongsun Sheng turned around and saw that it was Song Jiang. He bowed and said, "Before I left the mountain last time, my master Luo Zhenren gave me some instructions. Dean Dai should have informed you in advance. I will send you back to the capital the next day and then return to the mountain to learn Taoism from my master. Today you have accomplished your mission."

"Ah this."

Song Jiang remembered what he had said before, and hurriedly clasped his fists and bowed to persuade him to stay: "Although I dare not break your promise, I can't bear to part with you. You are the stabilizing force of Liangshan. If you hadn't mastered the mysterious art, Liangshan might have stopped at Gaotang Prefecture."

"God has his destiny, and so do people. Brother, you cannot force it. I dare not disobey the master's order. I hope you will agree."

Gongsun Sheng brought up Luo Zhenren, so how could Song Jiang dare to resist and keep him? But Gongsun Sheng was an important member of Liangshan after all, and he could not be let go as easily as Qiao Daoqing and Ma Ling.

Seeing that he could not keep him, Song Jiang suggested that he stay for another day so that he could hold a farewell banquet at night.

Seeing tears in Song Jiang's eyes, Gongsun Sheng had no choice but to accept his kindness and let him stay in the camp for another day. Song Qing and Zhu Fu were then ordered to go into the city to make purchases.

Song Jiang was feeling depressed and went back to the big tent to drink alone.

He drank the bitter wine to cool off, and before he knew it he fell asleep at his desk.

I dreamed of returning to Liangshan, full of vigor and vitality.

The scene changes to show war and iron cavalry.

In a trance, he returned to the battlefield of Zhujiazhuang. That was his first battle since he went up the mountain.

Wherever the command flag points, the horses gallop angrily.

"Qin Ming, take the lead!"

"Good, good Qin Ming!"

"Go and save Qin Ming!"

In the dream, Luan Tingyu defeated Qin Ming, jumped on his horse and charged towards Song Jiang with his spear.

“Who is willing to stop it?”

"Don't hurt my brother!"

Song Jiang looked carefully and saw a fair-skinned man suddenly appeared beside him, holding an axe in both hands and blocking in front of him.

Although only the back could be seen, that figure was undoubtedly Li Kui.

But his skin was too white, which didn't fit the word black at all, and water kept dripping from his body.

As I was hesitating, I heard people around me shouting "Be careful".

When Song Jiang heard the sound, he looked up and saw Luan Tingyu taking off the meteor hammer from his waist and throwing it at Li Kui's face.

He was beaten beyond recognition and fell to the ground in pain.

"tractor!"

"Song Jiang, accept your fate!"

"You guy"

A white shadow was getting closer and closer, the white horse turned into a jade lion that shines in the night, the weapon turned into a phoenix-wing gilded halberd, and Luan Tingyu turned into Yang Chang.

"why you"

"Brother, Brother Gongming!"

"Don't call me brother!"

Song Jiang shouted and raised his hands, and his body suddenly fell backwards from the horse.

The panicked moment suddenly changed and he fell off the stool.

The tent roof in front of me was familiar. I turned my head and looked around, realizing it was just a dream.

Wu Yong stood there in a daze, thinking that he had forgotten to call out his position again. He cared so much about his brother even when he was sleeping.

He stepped forward and helped Song Jiang up, then said carefully, "Song Baoyi, General Su has left the city and will probably be here soon. You'd better pack up."

"What did you call me?"

"Aren't you Baoyilang? I'm not used to this position yet, so I'll pay more attention to it in the future."

"I still call you brother"

Song Jiang didn't like this position. He patted his clothes and stood up. He saw a lot of wine stains on his chest, so he immediately asked someone to bring him clean clothes to change into.

After a while, Su Yuanjing came to meet him outside the gate.

When Song Jiang met him, he clasped his fists and reported: "En Xiang, I have already investigated the matter of the assassin at Youye Gate. No one from Liangshan entered the city at that time. Zhang Qing has always been a law-abiding brother. It is impossible for him to be involved."

"Okay, I have something else to do, let's talk in the main account."

"Anything else? Okay, please come in, my Lord."

Song Jiang was stunned when he heard this, and happily thought that there was a turn for the better regarding the official appointment, so he smiled and led Su Yuanjing into the camp.

After a while, Su Yuanjing sat down in the main tent.

Song Jiang, Wu Yong and twenty or thirty other leaders were standing in two rows in the tent. They all wanted to know what arrangements the court would make.

Seeing everyone's expectant faces, Su Yuanjing held the table with both hands and said earnestly:

"You all have made great contributions in the conquest of Huaixi, but the Privy Council and the three provinces have been unclear about rewards and punishments. After His Majesty learned the truth, he was furious in the Wende Hall today and dismissed Duke Tong from all his posts and ordered him to retire. Taifu Wang was fined half a year's salary.

However, the court has recently appointed and dismissed too many officials, and many places have not yet been sorted out. We cannot send officials in large numbers in a hurry, so your arrangements will take time to consider, but His Majesty has not forgotten your contributions. "

"Duke Tong has retired?"

Song Jiang looked at Wu Yong in bewilderment.

He is the hero who helped to recover Yanjing. Your Majesty, are you going to depose him for us?
What an honor it is! Shouldn't we devote ourselves to this cause until our death?
Su Yuanjing nodded and stroked his beard, adding: "Your Majesty graciously allowed him to stay in Beijing to retire, and did not ask to return home like Cai Jing did."

"The Privy Council now."

Song Jiang was even more excited than Su Yuanjing.

He really hoped that his mentor would take real power so that he could take advantage of the favorable conditions to rise to prominence, but unfortunately he did not get the answer he expected.

"Master Cai is in charge of the Privy Council. He was Duke Tong's deputy in taking over Yanjing. He also worked in the Privy Council before. It is well deserved for him to take over."

"That's true."

Song Jiang's loss was obvious, while Su Yuanjing's loss was hidden in his heart.

The position of Grand Marshal of the Palace was not a permanent one, he was merely the emperor's military aide.

If Su Yuanjing entered the Privy Council, he would be able to rise to prominence even as a deputy. However, although he was a favorite of Zhao Ji, he was not as favored as Cai You.

It's not that Zhao Ji didn't consider him. Su Yuanjing recruited Liangshan to defeat Tian Hu and destroy Wang Qing, and played a positive role in national stability.

But his success and failure were both due to Liangshan, as his relationship with Song Jiang and others was too close.

The Song Dynasty combined the experience of previous dynasties and implemented a policy of emphasizing civil officials and suppressing military forces. The power to mobilize and command the army was in the hands of civil officials, while military officials were only responsible for leading troops in battle.

For important departments like the Privy Council and the Palace Marshals' Office, the chief officers could only be civil servants or eunuchs trusted by the emperor.

Su Yuanjing has a strategic vision and is the guide of Song Jiang and others. Once he gains real power, he will be at risk.

Although Zhao Ji had a wide range of interests, he was also a good emperor and would not dig a hole for himself. Su Yuanjing was destined not to get real power.

Su Yuanjing himself was confused by the situation and thought that he was not close enough to Zhao Ji. Perhaps he should try to please Zhao Ji like Cai Jing did?
A loyal person may seem like a traitor, and a traitor may seem like a loyal person. He was trapped in these eight words, unable to extricate himself like a carrot.

As for Song Jiang, he could not understand Zhao Ji's intention. He just thought that the emperor had vented his anger for Liangshan, so why would he be afraid of not having wealth in the future?
Although the court had not made subsequent arrangements, Song Jiang felt that he could appease his brothers by overthrowing Tong Guan, so he immediately ordered Song Qing and Zhu Fu to advance the banquet, invite Su Yuanjing and retain Gongsun Sheng at the same time.

While preparing for the banquet, Su Yuanjing called Song Jiang aside and conveyed Zhao Ji's oral order to him, asking him to move his troops to Chenqiao for garrison.

With nearly 100,000 troops stationed outside the city, it is not an exaggeration to say that they are bandits attacking the city.

When Song Jiang received Huizong's order, he immediately knelt down and kowtowed to accept the order, saying that he would move his troops to Chenqiao Posthouse the next day.

He drank with Gongsun Sheng at the banquet, hoping to get Yuan Jing's help to keep him.

Unfortunately, Gongsun Sheng had already made up his mind to leave, and he toasted and said goodbye to each of the familiar leaders, turning the cheerful atmosphere into a sad one.

July 6th, early morning.

Song Jiang and other leaders saw Gongsun Sheng off, and then moved their camp toward Chenqiao Posthouse, which was several dozen miles away.

There is no news about Yan Qing entering the city. It is estimated that Emperor Daojun has not left the palace to "go out for fun" recently. This kind of opportunity is hard to come by.

Considering that it would be difficult to convey messages to Yan Qing, Song Jiang sent Le He to accompany him before setting off, so that he could also obtain timely updates from the court. The army arrived at Chenqiao Posthouse in the afternoon.

Just as they were preparing to set up camp, the sky suddenly changed drastically.

Suddenly, dark clouds covered the sun and enveloped the earth.

White lightning flashed like cracks, looming in the black clouds.

A rainstorm suddenly came.

The Liangshan army camped in the wind and rain, and everyone was soaked when they entered the tents, with everyone's face looking miserable.

They seemed like despised clowns. After their hard performance, not only did they not get any reward, but they were also disliked by the host as an eyesore, so they were chased away to a farther place.

Song Jiang was also soaked, but he joked with everyone in an open-minded tone, and made fun of his previous nickname "Timely Rain".

It was the height of summer and the soldiers were sweating profusely during a day's march. The rain came just in time. Even God was helping them. There would surely be good days waiting for them in the future.

Song Jiang was an eloquent man. Before and after going to Liangshan, he used his language skills to win over heroes from the grassroots.

But at this time, the role of eloquence in giving a speech in front of people is very limited. In addition to obeying the orders of the court and being controlled by others, there are also the actual feelings after coming down the mountain.

There is no harm without comparison.

Before being recruited, he could eat meat and drink wine in big mouthfuls. After being recruited, he was frequently sent to various places to fight. He truly felt that it was not as free as on Mount Liang.

On the other hand, Yang Chang only does things without boasting or making promises, and makes steady progress step by step.

Who is strong and who is weak will be judged.

Song Jiang was unaware of the change in everyone's mentality, and he continued to talk endlessly and make promises in front of others, but he was so panicked that he couldn't sleep at night.

Two days after moving to Chenqiao Posthouse, Yan Qing and Le He both returned.

The two men met Song Jiang and Lu Junyi, and after they declined each other's words, Yan Qing spoke first.

He frowned and clasped his fists, saying, "My two brothers, I have been in the city for several days. I waited for the emperor to meet Li Xingshou last night. Perhaps because of the assassins in the imperial city, the emperor increased his guards, so I didn't have the chance to meet the emperor in person. However, Li Xingshou mentioned us in a vague way, and the emperor also left a message."

"What?"

Song Jiang was anxious but did not say anything. Instead, Lu Junyi spoke first.

"The government said that the country is still plagued by bandits. If anyone can help him wipe out Fang La in Jiangnan, he will be appointed as the governor."

"You want us to fight Fang La?"

"I didn't say let us go."

After Yan Qing responded to Lu Junyi, he looked at Song Jiang who remained silent.

Although Song Jiang appears calm on the outside, there is a raging storm in his heart.

The promise made by the emperor himself is naturally more effective than Su Yuanjing's promise. He is already imagining himself wearing a purple robe.

"Brother, look"

"Cough cough."

After answering Lu Junyi's question, Song Jiang coughed twice and said seriously, "Since your majesty has this intention, we should help him share his worries."

Wu Yong hastily reminded: "We have just returned from the Huaixi expedition. The army needs time to rest and the injured brothers need treatment. It is not appropriate to send troops in a hurry. It is recommended to clarify it first. After all, what is said in the brothel may not be the true meaning of the official."

"That's what the military advisor said, but the Northern Expedition Army is now empty. If we don't show more initiative, the credit will go to others."

After Song Jiang finished speaking, he changed the subject and looked at Le He and asked: "By the way, does General Su have any new instructions?"

"The Grand Commandant has something to say. His Majesty yesterday appointed Tan Zhen as the envoy to Hedong and Hebei, replacing Tong Guan in overall charge of northern defense. He asked me to convey this to my brother."

“Eun-sang, what does this mean?”

As soon as Le He finished speaking, Song Jiang looked at Wu Yong and asked the reason.

Wu Yong twirled his beard and thought for a while, then answered: "First, Cai You took charge of the Privy Council, and then let Tan Zhen take charge of the northern military affairs. It seems that the emperor has completely given up on Tong Guan. That is, the various troops that had previously led the Northern Expedition are now under the control of Tan Zhen. So, they will not withdraw troops to the south to fight Fang La?"

"I see. That's good news."

Song Jiang nodded with a look of delight, and then added, "Since Tan Zhen is in charge of the Hedong and Hebei regions, Qinzhou is also under his control? Yang Chang has always been a maverick, I wonder if there will be a conflict with him."

"Brother, don't worry too much about Yang Chang, let's just do our best."

"Military advisor is right. Everyone should take care of their own business. I must send someone to see the Prime Minister immediately. As the saying goes, make plans before taking action."

I had this dream a few days ago. How could Song Jiang not care?
It’s okay for brothers to suffer poverty together, but if someone gets rich first, it’s equivalent to betrayal.

Song Jiang immediately sent Dai Zong to Beijing to meet Su Yuanjing and ask him to explain the situation.

Su Yuanjing asked Song Jiang to take a quick rest so that he could go out to fight and then petition the emperor to send troops. Otherwise, if he waited to get the emperor's order and then delayed sending troops, it would inevitably lead to criticism from the ministers in the court.

Song Jiang took Su Yuanjing's words as his guiding principle and immediately sent An Daoquan and Huangfu Duan to Beijing to purchase medicinal materials.

It not only increases the dosage for the existing wounded to recover as soon as possible, but also prepares for the next war.

In addition, the camps were ordered to resume training morning and evening, with the intention of resting until September when they would retire for the summer.

Military orders were issued to each camp, and the leaders felt mixed emotions.

A few days ago they said they would give rewards again, but now they are going to continue fighting Fang La?
Since I was recruited, I have been fighting everywhere and I don’t even have time to visit my family. When will this end?

The tenth day of July, Chenqiao Posthouse.

At night, the Ruan brothers gathered together and planned to return to Shijie Village to visit their relatives while the army was resting.

"In my opinion, Xiaoqi should go back. We have been recruited for more than a year, and I don't know how your family is doing."

"The heat is unbearable, and our navy has nothing to practice, so we might as well go back together."

"How can Song Jiang let us go? Besides, we have a lot of navy under our command. If they all leave, who will lead them?"

"We can't even go home. It's really uncomfortable to stay here. Song Jiang wants to be the governor, but he wants us to fight for him. It's better for us to stay in Qinzhou."

As soon as Ruan Xiaoqi finished speaking, Ruan Xiaoer hurriedly signaled him to speak more quietly, and at the same time reminded him in a deep voice: "What's the point of complaining? Didn't you not stay in Qinzhou because you were afraid of causing trouble for Brother Yang?"

"Wu Yong must have been trying to scare us, saying that if we left too many people in Qinzhou, someone would report him for plotting something bad. But what happened in the end? Cai Jing's plan was a big loss to Brother Yang, and Brother Yang was even promoted to the position of Surveillance Commissioner. I think now is the right time to leave. Now that Mr. Yiqing has left, why should we work for Song Jiang?"

With Ruan Xiaowu standing guard at the door, Ruan Xiaoqi spoke nonchalantly.

Ruan Xiaoer frowned and thought for a while, then asked, "That's because Brother Yang has a clear conscience. If we take those thousands of navy soldiers with us."

"Can't we just not bring it with us? Second brother, you are really..."

"Okay, I understand what you mean. Let's go find Song Jiang together tomorrow and try to get you all back."

"Will Song Jiang agree?"

Ruan Xiaowu, who had been silent, turned around and questioned.

Ruan Xiaoer nodded solemnly and said, "I will stay here as a hostage. I think Song Jiang will not object. But don't all of you go back to Shijie Village. One of you should go to Qinzhou to investigate the situation. If Brother Yang is unwilling to take us in, we can go back to the village to fish."

"Second brother, you think too much. Brother Yang and Uncle Wu are still in Shijie Village. How can we not take them in given our friendship? Fifth brother, I'm going to Qinzhou."

"it is good."

After the three brothers finished their discussion, they found Song Jiang the next morning and asked for permission to return to the village to visit their relatives during the rest period.

Family affection and human relations are human nature.

Seeing that Ruan Xiaoer wanted to stay, Song Jiang asked Xiaowu and Xiaoqi to go early and come back early, and make sure to return to Chenqiao Posthouse before September.

The two brothers took their bags and left the camp with a few soldiers. They then sailed into the Guangji River in a boat. At the end of the river was the 800-li Liangshan Lake.

When the boat arrived at the Dongming County wharf, Ruan Xiaoqi went ashore and hired a donkey cart, then went around Changyuan, Zaocheng and other places, then crossed the Yellow River to the north and entered Weizhou and Zezhou.
Ruan Xiaoqi could not ride a horse, so he hired donkey carts and horse carriages along the way. He traveled around for more than ten days as if he had bought a connecting ticket, and arrived in Tongdi in late July.

Revisiting the old place, the scenery along the way and the soldiers on guard gave Ruan Xiaoqi a different feeling, especially the Tongdi Gate guards who used to be lax, but now strictly checked the passing merchants.

Was it the reason for Fang Shen’s rebellion?
Ruan Xiaoqi leaned out of the car window and looked around. He was discovered by the captain guarding the gate under Wu Song, who immediately exempted him from entering the city for investigation and took him to the general manager's office. (Captain, a non-commissioned officer in charge of fifty people)

Yang Chang was promoted to the governor of Qinzhou. All military and political affairs were handled in the provincial government office. The temporary residence of the former military commander was converted into his private residence.

Zhao Fujin used to live in a royal palace with carved beams and painted buildings. When he arrived in Qinzhou, the "decoration level" could not be guaranteed, but the size of the activity space had to be sufficient.

After all, the princess was of noble status, and Hu Sanniang and Qiu Qiongying had some grudges against her. However, Zhao Fujin brought them a big surprise, and brought them Yang Huang, who was almost two years old and could run and jump. The two girls then willingly respected her.

Yang Chang had made a promise to Hu Sanniang, and he also had an agreement with Zhao Fujin beforehand.

The three of them are all equal wives regardless of their status, but they are arranged in order of age, namely Hu Da, Zhao Er, and Qiu San. Hu Sanniang is still the one who makes the decision if there is anything.

After Yang Chang'an had taken care of his household affairs, Hu Sanniang brought Yang De and his family to see him.

Yang De had worked hard all his life, and when he arrived in Qinzhou he was not willing to sit around and wait for death. He waited for Yang Chang to come back to divide the land and farm it. Neither Hu Sanniang nor Wu Song could persuade him otherwise.

So as soon as Yang Chang arrived in Qinzhou, he immediately took care of various household chores, and Wu Song and Lin Chong did not even have time to report on the military training.

On the day Ruan Xiaoqi arrived at the provincial government office, Yang Chang had actually just returned two days ago.

Wu Song and Lin Chong just happened to recall Lu Zhishen, Zhu Tong, Cao Zheng, Ye Qing and others, and celebrated Yang Chang's promotion to Qinzhou Surveillance Envoy in the front lobby of his mansion.

The post of Inspector General was one that involved both military and political affairs, and was a good opportunity to secretly build up strength for independence.

When Yang Chang sat at the wine table, everyone knew what was going on tacitly but did not point it out. However, before they could raise their glasses, the guards announced that Ruan Xiaoqi had arrived.

Ruan Xiaoqi followed behind the guard and heard his hearty laughter from a distance.

"Yang Guancha, if you have wine but don't wait for your old friend, I won't leave."

"Haha, Brother Xiaoqi is joking."

"If you don't want to leave, then don't leave."

"Yes, I won't leave."

Wu Song and Lin Chong sang in unison, which made Yang Chang, who was standing next to them, look surprised.

Everyone left their seats to greet them. Ruan Xiaoqi felt warmed by the response and waved at them teasingly.

"Captain Wu, Instructor Lin, please don't answer randomly. I want you to take it seriously. Is it you? Why are you here?"

When Ruan Xiaoqi saw Yang Jian appear in front of the crowd, he was stunned where he was.

Am I dreaming? Are you sure I'm not in Shijie Village?

PS: It seems that the monthly tickets are doubled recently. Please support us if you have tickets. Thank you!
(End of this chapter)