Chapter 183: People's hearts are scattered, one side gains while the other loses (6k)

Le He was suddenly wanted away by a powerful official. All the camps in Liangshan were talking about it, but the people in Dengzhou were the calmest.

During the period when Chao Gai was the leader of the stronghold, in order to secure his own voice, he deliberately made friends with Sun Li and won him over. However, Song Jiang took a different approach and won over the Xie brothers, thus the Dengzhou faction was split into two.

Song Jiang succeeded the leader of the stronghold and "rewarded according to merit". The Xie brothers had the "merit of following the dragon" and surpassed Sun Li to enter the list of Tiangang.

From then on, the people of Dengzhou appeared to be united, but in reality, serious rifts arose between them.

With the Xie brothers "watching" nearby, Sun Li and the others had other ideas, which were not suitable for discussion in the camp at this time.

The Dengzhou faction respected Sun Li as the most respected person, but the one who actually made the decision was Gu Dasao. When she learned that Le He was being taken away, she did not discuss the pros and cons like other people did. Instead, she asked for leave from Song Jiang the next day and went with Sun Xin to deliver Le He's luggage.

We set out on foot early in the morning and arrived in Tokyo in the afternoon.

When I arrived at Wang Duwei's mansion to complete the handover, I looked up and saw that the sun had already set.

Le He wanted to keep Sun Xin and his wife overnight, but Gu Dasao called him aside and asked him about the situation in the court. Then she took Sun Xin away from the capital, intending to return to Chenqiao Station overnight.

Soon after the two of them left the city, Sun Xin was really confused, so he pulled Mrs. Gu aside and asked, "There is nothing important in the army, why are you in such a hurry to go back? Even if you don't want to trouble Le He, why don't we stay at Captain Wang's house and find an inn to rest for one night."

"Neither you nor I are the kind of people who seek enjoyment. What's wrong with working hard and not being able to make it back? Do you know what Le He and I asked?"

"what?"

Sun Xin has his brother's support and a powerful woman in charge, so he has been a hands-off boss all these years. Just now, Gu's sister-in-law was having fun and chatting privately, which did not attract his special attention. He thought it was just a simple instruction.

Mrs. Gu glared at him and said coldly, "You are just muddled through life. If it weren't for me taking care of everything, you would be selling yourself and still be counting money for others."

"Hey, isn't there a wife here? I can rest assured." Sun Xin scratched his head and laughed foolishly, then asked in a low voice: "My wife seems to have something to say?"

"You are not stupid. Le He was not chosen unintentionally. He deliberately created opportunities, so he had the opportunity to stay in Beijing. Do you really think you have so much luck?"

"Is this something he does himself?"

"What do you think?"

Seeing Sun Xin's surprise, Mrs. Gu replied with a fake smile, "Not everyone is Xiao Rang. There was a fifth-rank inspector who was willing to recommend him, so Le He found a way out for himself."

"What kind of way out is this? If Le He follows Captain Wang, he can only be a guard at best. When we pacify Fang La in the future, maybe he can wear a red robe."

"Stop it, you dare to believe this? There are hundreds of people in Liangshan, and all of them wear red robes? The court is not surnamed Song, so just listen to it. If there are one or two high positions, they are not prepared for you."

"My lady's meaning."

"We are not Song Gongming's confidants, so we won't be the first to think of benefits. If you want to fight for a high position in the red robe, you have to make great contributions, maybe even capture Fang La alive, but I'm afraid you and I don't have that ability, and we may end up like Zhang Qing and Sun Erniang."

"hiss"

Sun Xin sucked in a breath of cold air, licked his lips and added: "So, Le He actually thought so far ahead? He retired early, maybe being a guard is not bad?"

"Of course he is good." Mrs. Gu snorted coldly, "He used to be a jailer in Dengzhou. He was able to help Captain Wang. At the very least, he settled down in the capital. It is better to go to Jiangnan to fight. In addition, An Daoquan was appreciated by the government and has been retained by the Imperial Hospital as a medical officer. He will not go to Jiangnan with him."

"He also operates on his own?"

"First of all, it must be the recommendation of General Su. Secondly, his medical skills are indeed amazing. Thirdly, it is his own thoughts. I think if he really wants to join the army, the Imperial Hospital will not force him to stay. We can't miss a good doctor like him."

"These guys are very smart."

Just as Sun Xin finished sighing, Mrs. Gu continued: "Among the 108 Liangshan men, there are more than just these two smart ones. The most powerful one is Yang Chang. He was promoted to the eighth rank after defeating Tian Hu, and in the blink of an eye he became the fifth rank inspector. With the assistance of Lin Chong, Wu Song and others, his future is limitless."

"There's no need to talk about Yang Chang. He's the deputy vanguard. His martial arts are second to none in Liangshan. He almost succeeded Chao Tianwang and became the leader of Liangshan."

"Is this happening?"

"My lady, you don't know that my brother was ordered to keep vigil for the Heavenly King that night, and he was accompanied by Yang Chang, Lin Chong, Ruan Xiaoqi and others."

If the conversation had not been very fast at that time, Sun Xin would not have been able to recall the conversation with Sun Li. He organized the words and said out loud what Ruan Xiaoqi had said that night.

After hearing this, Mrs. Gu was stunned for a long while, and finally clapped her hands and exclaimed: "Oh, I finally figured it out. I figured out why the Ruan brothers and Liu Tang left, and I know where they are going!"

"Ok?"

"A wise bird chooses the right tree to roost in. Although Song Gongming fought bloody battles, the court never paid attention to him. They must have gone to Qinzhou!"

"Hearing what my wife said, I also think it is very likely. Then the old generals before Chao Gai are only Wu Yong, Bai Sheng, Du Qian, and Song Wan left? Will they also leave the team under some pretext?"

"伱"

Seeing Sun Xin's appearance, Mrs. Gu asked, "Should I say you are smart or stupid?" She responded speechlessly, "Even if all the Liangshan leaders left, Wu Yong would not leave. Du Qian and Song Wan are not Chao Gai's confidants, so I'm afraid they will not follow him to join Yang Chang. But Bai Sheng has a chance. In short, they are not the end, and there will definitely be someone else who will leave."

"My wife rushed back overnight, maybe she wanted to persuade my brother."

"This is one of the options, and it can only be considered a medium plan. We were in Liangshan before, and we had a good relationship with Yang Chang and his wife. We will definitely be accepted in Qinzhou, but he already has many talented people under him, and it is not easy for him to stand out. The court is still preparing military supplies, and I don't know how long it will take. I want to let Le He get familiar with them, and then ask Captain Wang to help speak for him, and then spend some money to find a place to go. This is the best plan."

"The next best option is to join the expedition against Fang La?"

"Yes, but swords are merciless on the battlefield. If you want to survive, remember 'merit comes second, safety comes first'."

After listening to Mrs. Gu's three strategies, Sun Xin secretly praised himself for marrying a good wife.

What is this female tiger? She should be called the female Zhuge!

The couple traveled in the dark and arrived at Chenqiao Posthouse at Chou time.

At that time, all the soldiers in the camp had fallen asleep. Mrs. Gu used the excuse of sharing Lehe's situation to ask Sun Xin to wake up Sun Li and the uncle and nephew of the Zou family, and gather them together to discuss the best, middle and worst strategies.

Mrs. Gu was cautious in her actions and specifically asked Zou Yuan to guard the door to prevent Jie Zhen and Jie Bao from following.

On August 22, just a few days after the Mid-Autumn Festival, the moon was as bright as ever at night.

Several people discussed the matter in Sun Xin's tent, and were so careful that they didn't even light oil lamps or candles, and only talked by the moonlight.

Shi Qian lived in the same camp. He was suddenly awakened by the urge to urinate in the middle of the night. He walked out of the tent with sleepy eyes to relieve himself and suddenly saw Zou Yuan who was watching the wind under the moon.

"What is this guy doing?"

As a thief on the roof, he often appears at such times, and often runs into Xin Mi while stealing, just like when he sneaked into Yang Xiong's house and saw Pan Qiao Yun washing the monk's hair.

That scene is so exciting!

Curiosity suddenly aroused, and Shi Qian instantly became alert.

He pulled up his trousers and moved swiftly, arriving quietly behind Sun Xin's account office, while Zou Yuan in front of him was still unaware.

"Sneaky, could it be that the mother insect is also having an affair? Let me listen."

Shi Qian put his ear close to the joke with a sense of mischief. Although he didn't hear the joke, his eyebrows raised as well.

Chao Gai intends Yang Chang to take over as the leader of the village?

Did the three Ruan brothers and Liu Tang go to Qinzhou?
Is the Dengzhou Gang planning to find another way out?
Any piece of news you hear is more explosive than what happens between men and women.

Shi Qian then lay back on the couch and could no longer fall asleep.

The Dengzhou Gang has all expressed their intention to leave, should we also consider it in advance?

Although it is said that thieves also have their own code of conduct and he has made many great contributions, in front of the "heroes" of Liangshan, thieves are the most despised.

Nothing can stand up to careful thinking. Even the names of the stars in the heavenly book on the stele of the Great Gathering are the Earth Thief Stars. Since robbers and bandits are stronger than thieves, why are there no Sky Thief Stars and Sky Bandit Stars?

Do I deserve to be a thief all my life?

Ranked second from the bottom, if Duan Jingzhu traded in horses instead of stealing them, would he still be at the bottom?
He is not good at literature, nor is he good at martial arts.

Following Song Jiang in his campaigns, as Mrs. Gu said just now, he might not end up with a good destination. He might end up like Zhang Qing and his wife, being cooked to death.

Why don’t I just vote for Yang Chang as well?

Looking at all the brothers in Liangshan, he is the only one who does not regard me as a thief. Maybe I should really go to Qinzhou.

Yes, go to Qinzhou.

Shi Qian tossed and turned, thinking all night without sleep.

After breakfast the next day, he found Yang Xiong and Shi Xiu with dark circles under his eyes, and tactfully told them that he also wanted to retire from the world and hoped that they could join him.

Yang Xiong was always indecisive, and Shi Xiu made all the decisions on important matters.

After hearing Shi Qian's words of retirement, Shitou frowned and asked: "Why do you have such an idea? What can you do after leaving Brother Gongming? Go back to your old job and become a thief?"

"I'm very good at what I do. Even if I'm not very good at anything, I can still make a living as a hanger-on in a big city."

"If you want to be a hanger-on? You shouldn't have joined Liangshan in the first place. You had a future with Brother Gongming. Now you're giving up halfway. Isn't that a pity?"

"Don't worry, brother."

Shi Qian smiled and explained, "I was just joking. Many of the brothers in Liangshan have left. If we really have no food to eat in the future, can't we go to find the Ruan brothers? Or just go to Qinzhou, where there are more brothers."

"You want to go to Qinzhou to join Yang Guancha?"

Shi Xiu directly revealed Shi Qian's thoughts, which made Gu Shang Zao smile awkwardly. He replied, "It's also a place to go, right? It's better than staying here. I guess there are quite a few people in the army who have this idea."

"That's wrong. As the saying goes, when you drink water, remember its source. When we first joined Liangshan, if it weren't for Brother Gongming's words of justice, we would have been killed by King Chao by mistake. It's better for you to follow Brother Gongming. Don't be manipulated by a villain."

"Uh"

Shi Qian was speechless. Shi Xiu immediately looked at Yang Xiong and asked, "Brother, what do you think? I will never leave Brother Gongming."

"Yang Xiong has no worries, so naturally I will follow you wherever you are."

"What about you?"

As soon as Yang Xiong finished speaking, Shi Xiu looked at him with a scrutinizing look.

Shi Qian then smiled and scratched his head in response: "Look at my eyes, I probably didn't sleep well last night, I was just thinking nonsense and talking nonsense, brothers, don't take it seriously."

"It's right once you figure it out. You should never forget your roots."

"Yes Yes Yes."

Shi Qian immediately clasped his fists and left, but he was not convinced by Shi Xiu. You are valued by Song Jiang. Although you are not among the Tian Gang, you are also among the top Disha. If you don't want to leave, then don't leave. Why do you have to force me to repay you?

Have I not done enough for Liangshan?

Shi Qian went back to his tent and took a nap for a while. When he woke up at noon and stretched outside, he unexpectedly saw Yang Chun passing by the door.

This man once fought with Yang Chang. Why don't I find him and leave together?

Thinking of this, Shi Qian waved and called Yang Chun.

"Brother, brother, wait a moment."

"Huh? Call me?"

"Yep."

Shi Qian looked around and saw no one around, so he stepped forward and whispered his thoughts.

Yang Chun was stunned after hearing this. He waited for a while before frowning and replied, "This matter is of great importance. I need to discuss it with my brothers. Please wait patiently for my news. I will reply tomorrow at the latest."

"Okay, I'll wait for good news." Shi Qian happily clasped his fists and said goodbye.

As expected, he had to find someone Yang Chang was familiar with. He originally wanted to go to Li Jun to plead for him, but reason prevented him from taking action.

Li Jun was once sworn brother to Song Jiang, and he is probably more loyal than Shi Xiuxin. Going after him would only bring trouble to oneself.

With Zhu Wu, Chen Da and Yang Chun as companions, it can be considered as a gift to Yang Chang. If Shi Jin can also go with them, it will be the perfect ending.

The more Shi Qian thought about it, the happier he became. He even ate a little more at dinner and had a sweet dream at night while hugging his pillow.

In the early morning of August 23, Shi Qian dressed neatly and walked out of the tent, breathing in the fresh air.

Just as he was about to go for breakfast, a message from the central army suddenly came to all the camps, asking the officers and soldiers of each camp to assemble at the parade ground immediately.

Why are you in such a hurry? Are you going to set off?

Shi Qianding stood there scratching his head in confusion. At this time, Duan Jingzhu, who was passing by, called him. The two of them then walked to the front of the parade ground together and consciously stood at the back of the crowd.

The last one to sit here is them.

At every gathering, big or small, the two of them always stand at the back.

But this gathering seemed different, the scene was very serious.

Song Jiang stood solemnly in the center of the stage, with Lu Junyi and Wu Yong on his left and right, and Pei Xuan counting the number of people in the front.

After a while, Pei Xuan turned around, clasped his fists, and said in a sonorous voice: "All the officers and soldiers in the camps have completed the inventory. There should be 88 people, and there are 88 people. Please let the vanguard give a speech."

(6 people died: Li Kui, Zhang Qing, Sun Erniang, Zhou Tong, Bao Xu, Li Li; 7 people stayed in Qinzhou after the expedition against Tian Hu: Yang Chang, Lin Chong, Zhu Tong, Lu Zhishen, Wu Song, Hu Sanniang, Cao Zheng; 7 people left the team recently: Ruan Shi Sanxiong, Liu Tang, Xiao Rang, An Daoquan, Le He)
"Ah."

Song Jiang nodded slightly to Pei Xuan, then walked to the front of the platform, looked down at the familiar faces below, and spoke with a still gloomy face.

"Brothers, you all heard what happened just now, didn't you? When Liangshan was at its peak, there were a total of 108 people gathered together, but now there are less than 90. How can it not be sad to think about it? But even in this situation, some people are destroying unity and secretly making trouble. Is this worthy of the oath we made in the past? Is this worthy of the brothers who died? Brother, I am very disappointed."

"hiss"

"Who are you talking about, brother?"

"Who is so bold?"

"Look how angry my brother is. His face is so dark."

As soon as Song Jiang finished speaking, the audience suddenly became noisy. Some were shocked, some were shocked, some pretended to be stupid, and some were uneasy.
Shi Qian was obviously uneasy about that. He secretly glanced at Yang Xiong, Shi Xiu, Yang Chun and others, wondering who had betrayed him.

In fact, none of these people said anything nonsense.

Last night, the leader of Shaohua Mountain invited Shi Jin to a meeting to discuss, but he was not careful in his actions and was discovered by Hua Rong who was patrolling the camp, which led to what happened today.

Fortunately, Shi Jin was young at heart and came from a wealthy family so he was not keen on fame and fortune. He had neither the idea of ​​retiring nor the determination to work for his country. At the time, he did not care about his opinion and it all depended on the opinions of Zhu Wu, Chen Da and Yang Chun.

The three men respected Zhu Wu, but Zhu Wu was very hesitant at the time and the discussion lasted for a long time without any result.

Although no decision had been made, Song Jiang was still angry when he heard the news. He thought that if he didn't reorganize and refocus the people, this group of people might rebel against him.

Glancing at everyone below the stage one by one, Song Jiang secretly thanked himself for his timely education. He felt that anyone who had contact with Yang Chang would have some secret thoughts.

Is this still available?

Song Jiang raised his hand to interrupt the crowd and added in a deep voice: "We swore in the past to 'carry out justice on behalf of heaven', but what is heaven? The Song Dynasty is heaven, His Majesty the Emperor is heaven, isn't it just because we didn't reward Tian Hu and Wang Qing after conquering them? Do you think the court treated us unfairly?
No, absolutely not! During our campaign against Wang Qing, the imperial court recovered many prefectures and counties in Yanyun. This was a great achievement that had never been seen before in the Song Dynasty. The soldiers who fought in the Northern Expedition had not yet been fully enfeoffed, let alone the fact that we were only suppressing bandits internally?
Your Majesty remembers us, and the court also remembers us. We will be able to be conferred titles after defeating Fang La. I think being directly employed by the court will definitely be more promising than serving as a guest general or guest official in a certain state. What do you think?"

Heisabalang first resorted to "moral kidnapping", and then continued to make empty promises and insinuate Yang Chang. Everyone in the audience was silent, so who dared to be the first to speak out?
"Pioneer, the brothers haven't had breakfast yet, so we should announce the new decree as soon as possible."

"Alright."

After Wu Yong came forward to deliver the message, Song Jiang immediately said to everyone: "We have been resting at Chenqiao Inn recently, and the morale of the soldiers has slackened. We will be dispatched to the south of the Yangtze River soon. In order to ensure the combat effectiveness, I asked Pei Xuan to draft a few laws. Everyone below me must abide by them. Let's get started."

"Yes."

Pei Xuan clasped his fists and bowed, then unfolded the legal document and recited it solemnly: "Those who go out without permission will be caned thirty times, those who are passive in training will be caned thirty times, those who affect unity and mislead the army will be beheaded, and those who speak nonsense to the court and slander Your Majesty will be beheaded."

Word by word, sonorous and powerful.

Everyone hears it differently.

After the show, they went to have breakfast. The leaders of the Shaohuashan and Dengzhou factions, as well as Yang Xiong, Shi Xiu, Shi Qian and others were all in mixed moods, and the pancakes they ate tasted like wax.

Zhu Wu mistakenly thought that Shi Qian was "fishing", but he didn't know who was behind him; Gu Dasao stared at the uncle and nephew of the Zou family, suspecting that they were also bribed by Song Jiang; Shi Xiu guessed that Shi Qian failed to win over and contacted others behind his back.

Shi Qian was quick-witted and the more he thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed.

Whether it is Yang Xiong, Shi Xiu, or Yang Chun, he is the object of suspicion. If he wants to restore his innocence, he can only confess to Song Jiang and drag Sun Li, Gu Dasao and others into the water. This will not only offend the Dengzhou faction, but also make him a villain who betrays his friends.

After thinking about it, it's a dead end.

The only way to solve the problem is to withdraw.

Shi Qian thought about it for the whole day, and finally left the camp quietly that night without saying goodbye, and rushed to Qinzhou overnight.

As the person at the center of the vortex, leaving did not calm the situation, but instead made Song Jiang lose face.

So what I said yesterday was in vain? And he left without saying goodbye.

In his anger, Song Jiang took new actions. Not only did he arrange Qin Ming and Hua Rong to be on guard day and night and not allow anyone to leave the camp without permission, he also asked Pei Xuan to take roll call once in the morning, noon and evening every day to prevent anyone from escaping as much as possible.

After arranging all this, Song Jiang went to the capital to meet with General Su and asked him to send troops to attack Fang La immediately.

August 26, Taiwei Mansion in Tokyo.

Su Yuanjing listened to the report sent to Song Jiang, frowned and stroked his beard and muttered: "Fang La's momentum is quite strong. If you are not fully prepared, I am afraid you will encounter many difficulties. First of all, just the food supply has only been prepared for a month. According to the previous experience of conquering Tian Hu and Wang Qing, it may take half a year to be safe."

"Speed ​​is of the essence in war. If we continue to wait, I'm afraid the morale of the troops will be dispersed and it will be difficult to lead the team. We can only fight while raising funds."

Before Song Jiang finished speaking, Su Yuanjing interrupted him and reminded him: "The military supplies in the north are very high. If you are not fully prepared before the expedition, you may encounter unexpected events along the way. If you are short of food and clothing, you will be in trouble."

"It doesn't matter. They are all in Fang La's territory. At worst, we can fight to support the enemy."

Seeing his firm tone, Su Yuanjing frowned and reminded him again: "If you use war to support war, it is likely to hurt the people, and the difficulty of suppressing the bandits will inevitably increase. Think clearly."

"Your Excellency, there is no need to persuade me any further. My brothers and I are ready to go through fire and water for Your Majesty."

"Okay, I will go to the palace to ask for your permission tomorrow."

"Thank you, Enxiang."

Song Jiang spoke righteously and Su Yuanjing was deeply moved. He hosted a banquet at his house that night and let Su Yuanjing stay in his guest room.

The next morning, Su Yuanjing met Huizong in Chuigong Hall.

When he heard that Song Jiang had requested permission to go on a campaign and was planning to overcome the difficulties on his own despite insufficient food and military supplies, Song Huizong could not help but be moved.

He was sitting lazily, but suddenly he stood up and asked Su Yuanjing: "Su Qing, how did you do it?"

"Hmm? What do you mean, Your Majesty?"

Seeing Su Yuanjing's surprise, Zhao Ji leaned on the table and sighed, "Both are surrendered generals, but Guo Yaoshi's performance is really different from Song Jiang. He defeated Xiao Gan's newly added troops and asked for money, food, weapons, and horses. Li Bangyan, Ren Liang and others in the court complained about it, and Zhan Du even submitted memorials many times. On the other hand, Song Jiang did not ask for anything. What tricks did you use?"

"It's hard to compare, isn't it?" Su Yuanjing bowed and replied, "After all, the Ever-Victorious Army is very good at fighting, and Guo Yaoshi is from Liao."

"Although we cannot compare them directly, we are both surrendered generals, so we should have something in common. If you have any good suggestions, please do not keep them to yourself."

Seeing that Zhao Ji was determined to get to the bottom of it, Su Yuanjing stroked his beard and thought for a while, then suddenly an idea struck him and he replied, "If you really want me to explain, it may be related to Yang Chang."

"Captain Yang? Explain clearly."

"It was probably around the Mid-Autumn Festival when Yang Chang recommended Xiao Rang, a member of Song Jiang's army, to take up the vacant post of Lieutenant of Qinyuan County. This move affected the mentality of the Liangshan generals, and soon some of them left the camp without permission, possibly to seek refuge in Qinzhou. Song Jiang was afraid that the people would be divided, so he hurriedly sent troops to suppress them."

"Haha, it's so amazing?"

After hearing this, Zhao Ji clapped his hands and laughed, saying that Zhao Fujin had not been found and he planned to transfer Yang Chang to a nominal position.

Now he changed his mind after hearing this, and felt that letting him serve in Qinzhou could help motivate Song Jiang.

"It seems that according to your opinion, I have to find an opponent for Pharmacist Guo? Then we can achieve the purpose of checks and balances."

"I dare not make any rash comments, but your majesty's plan is very good and should have some effect."

"Very good." Zhao Ji nodded in affirmation, then said with a leisurely smile: "Summon Song Jiang and Lu Junyi to the palace tomorrow, and I will personally encourage them and give them a surprise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Su Yuanjing was grumbling in his heart, thinking that Huizong would grant Song Jiang an official position. However, Emperor Daojun suddenly had an idea and asked Song Jiang in person to take Jin Dajian and Huangfu Duan to serve in his court, intending to give him further encouragement.

How could Song Jiang not respond when he heard this? He hurriedly accepted the order with Lu Junyi.

On the last day of August, Song Jiang, with his troops reduced to 85 men, began the expedition against Fang La.

As one person gained strength, the other lost strength, and Yang Chang gained followers.

(End of this chapter)