Chapter 300 A dead Taoist friend is not dead but a poor Taoist

Yang Zhi was surprised to hear the answer, he originally thought that Ruan Xiaoqi would be first.

After all, the Liangshan navy is very special. Not long ago, when Song Jiang defeated Fan Zhixu in Huaizhou, it was also Zhang Shun who won the first credit.

After Liu Tang's "Wang Po selling melons", his deskmate Xuan Zan and Ruan Xiaoqi both nodded.

Yang Zhi immediately showed a suspicious expression, thinking, even if you are the Red-haired Ghost, why have you become so flamboyant? Where did the humble Liu Tang go?

"Ahem, did they capture or kill some important person?"

"VIP?"

After hearing this, Liu Tang pretended to think, raised his hand to the bowl and took a gulp of wine, then responded calmly: "You can also say that the Jin army commander Wanyan Pucha and the prince Puluhu were both beheaded by me in the end, but Wanyan Pucha was shot off his horse by Brother Xuan first, and Puluhu was captured by Brother Xiaoqi."

"Ah? Then why?"

The more Yang Zhi listened, the more confused he became. He thought, aren't you just finishing off the enemy? How can Yang Chang give you the first place in military merit? How can Xuan Zan and Ruan Xiaoqi be convinced?

At this time, Xuan Zan explained, "Liu Tongzhi has the most beheadings in the entire army. Once, his sword was even bent. He deserves this honor."

"The number of beheadings is the highest in the entire army? It is indeed commendable and congratulatory for the infantry commander to be able to achieve this level."

Yang Zhi looked at Liu Tang again. He felt like he didn't recognize this old friend anymore. He thought, "Why are you fighting so hard now?" Then he looked around to see which general was missing and to confirm who was the second most meritorious person.

But after taking a quick look around, bigger questions immediately arose in my mind.

Among Yang Chang's famous generals, only Lin Chong and Sun Li were not present, but they did not participate in the Battle of Taiyuan.

Who else?
"What are you looking for?"

"I'm looking to see who's not here, and I want to guess who's the second most meritorious person."

"You can't guess. He is not from Liangshan."

"Oh?"

After hearing Liu Tang's reminder, Yang Zhi thought of the Dragon Slayer Sun An, but this person was right in front of him. He immediately turned around and frowned and asked, "Could it be the legendary Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu?"

"of course not."

Liu Tang opened his eyes slightly, smiled and shook his head, and said seriously: "This man is called Li Yanxian. He led his troops to chase the Jin army to Shaxiong Ridge and annihilated them. He personally killed the deputy commander of the Jin army, Heifeng. The main general Pucha Shi Jianu escaped with only a dozen riders."

"Li Yanxian? I have been in the army for many years, but I have never heard of him."

"It's normal that you don't know, because just two years ago, he was just a small soldier under Master Zhong."

"A soldier two years ago? Now he's commanding an army? This is incredible."

The more Yang Zhi listened, the more shocked he became, and his heart was in turmoil.

In two years, he went from a small soldier to a general, from obscurity to a famous figure. Could he be another Yang Chang?
Seeing that he remained silent, Xuan Zan took the initiative to speak again and said, "We were also surprised at first. He was promoted from a minor general to deputy commander half a year ago, assisting General Hu, the eldest lady's brother, in the defense of the northern valley of Weisheng. But at the end of last month when we launched a full-scale counterattack, General Hu was ordered to stay in Taigu County and hand over 70% of his troops to Li Yanxian for command, and then he completed the great victory of Shaxiongling."

"There are a lot of Jin soldiers, right? Li Yanxian was able to annihilate them all. Is he a military genius?"

Yang Zhi's tone was full of doubt. He was a descendant of the Yang family and was very familiar with the military organization of the Song Dynasty. He thought to himself, how many soldiers can a commander lead? I suspect you are lying to me.

(The military organization of the Song Dynasty was based on a team of 50 people, 2 teams of 100 people formed a division, 5 divisions of 500 people formed a battalion, 5 battalions of 2500 people formed an army, 10 armies of 25000 people formed a wing, 2 wings of 50000 people formed a large army. The large army was the front army, with the chief commander being the governor-general, while the chief commanders of the wings and small armies were led by officers such as the commander, deputy commander, co-commander, and commander.)

Of course, special circumstances usually arise during wartime, and it is easy for the army to be overstaffed like Li Yunlong's Independent Regiment. For example, the Shenwu Rear Army led by Yue Fei had a strength of over 100,000 at its peak. At this time, Yang Chang was already a separatist warlord, so it was reasonable for the army at all levels to be overstaffed.

Yang Chang's territory was very large at this time, and his limited military force had to be dispersed in various states for defense. Even if Hu Cheng was assigned troops according to the wing-level commander, 70% of the total force was less than 20,000. The Jin army had at least 20,000 troops. How could Li Yanxian defeat the larger Jin army with a smaller one?

Xuan Zan was a general of the Song Dynasty. He knew what Yang Zhi was thinking from his expression, so he explained: "Brother Yang, don't get me wrong. Although Li Yanxian only has 8,000 soldiers, he has the support of Shi Jin and Sun Zongguan. At that time, we participated in the encirclement and suppression of Xiongling. Our troops exceeded 30,000."

“That’s what I said.”

Yang Zhi suddenly realized, and then muttered to himself: "It seems that Li Yanxian's brilliant performance this time may be related to Zhong Shizhong's defeat at Shaxiong Ridge. He is braver after knowing the shame."

"That's possible, but the general praised him for his talent as a great general, and I can't do that."

Liu Tang suddenly replied with self-deprecation. His sincere look made Yang Zhi laugh. He forced a smile and replied, "You couldn't do it, but you won the first place in military merit."

"I always rely on brute force to kill people with my sword and gun, but it feels so good to see blood with every blow. If you are not in a hurry to leave this time, how about we find some time to practice?"

After hearing this, Yang Zhi looked at Liu Tang, waved his hand, shook his head and said with a wry smile: "Haven't we had enough competition before? We have already understood each other's martial arts. You know I am not good at foot combat, so there is no point in competing again."

"How about I fight with Bhima?"

"Horse fighting? You can fight on horseback?"

"hey-hey."

Liu Tang grinned and said meaningfully: "If I don't know how to ride a horse, how do you think I can get first place?"

"This"

"I can testify that Commander Liu is a very good rider."

"Oh? That's really something to see."

With Xuan Zan as Liu Tang's circumstantial witness, Yang Zhi immediately became interested.

He thought that his strength in infantry combat was average, and that Cao Zheng could fight him back and forth, but he could compete with Lin Chong in horse combat. He really wanted to see Liu Tang's strength on horseback.

After the conversation started, everyone at the table had a more in-depth discussion.

As the three of them praised Yang Changmeng, Yang Zhi had a new understanding of his strength. Liu Tang intended to persuade Yang Zhi to stay, and he also began to inquire intensively about his old friend's situation. He then learned that the Green-faced Beast was granted marriage at the end of last year, and his wife was the niece of a sixth-rank doctor.

Yang Zhi kept his mouth shut about his ugly wife, and Song Qing was also suffering at the main table. Faced with the suppression of Su Yuanjing's status, he had a lot to say but couldn't say it. Both of them were uncomfortable, but they were far less uncomfortable than Suo Chao.

Suo Chao sat at the same table with Lu Junyi, Yan Qing and Cai Fu, all of whom were fellow townsmen from Daming Prefecture. However, Suo Chao had a superficial relationship with the three before and after he went to Liangshan and even after he was recruited by the amnesty. Logically, they should not have had much to say to each other. However, Lu Junyi was plotted against by Song Jiang, so he came to the table and scolded Song Jiang for being shameless and instigating Suo Chao to turn from evil to good, and there was even a hint of threat in his tone.

Lu Junyi was unrivaled in the world with his spear and stick skills. Suo Chao remembered that he used to be gentle and polite, but suddenly he was at a loss when faced with the threat.

"It's settled. Stay and join General Yang. Yan Qing and I will guarantee you."

"I'm OK."

"No." Suo Chao was embarrassed after hearing this. He clasped his fists and said with a bitter face, "It is true that General Yang is a hero, but General Song is not necessarily so bad. The promises made before the surrender have basically been fulfilled. I am just an ordinary warrior. My family is still in Nanjing (Yingtian Prefecture). I really dare not stay here.
"One hundred and eight men gathered at Liangshan. How many of you are still alive? Don't you know that your current positions were bought by Song Jiang with their blood? This fellow can abandon his confidants at the critical moment, and still dream of ennobling his wife and children? Isn't he afraid of becoming the next Li Kui?"

"Li Kui? What do you mean?" "This black fellow caused a great disaster in the past. You know Gao Qiu is the emperor's favorite minister. Can he just sneak away and let it go? And then the court showed mercy and issued an edict to recruit him. You are also a government official. Don't you think there is something wrong?"

After Lu Junyi finished speaking meaningfully, he saw Suo Chao swallowing his saliva without answering, and then he pointed to the head table and said, "General Su is here today. He knows the details of the amnesty best. Why don't you go and toast him and ask him?"

"Uh"

Suo Chao felt nervous after hearing this. He thought that Lu Junyi's words were very convincing. Thinking carefully, there were indeed doubts about this matter. But what does Li Kui have to do with me? So he quickly shook his head and replied: "This matter happened many years ago, and other brothers have not mentioned it. Why should I make any unnecessary efforts? Besides, I do have difficulties."

"You can't say that."

Yan Qing suddenly interrupted and said sternly, "A glimpse of the whole picture reveals a small part. Song Jiang climbed to the top by stepping on the corpses of his brothers. Isn't he afraid that he will be the next one? If his people are gone, who will protect his family? And Yang Taiwei has lofty ambitions and noble character. Only by following him can you have a real future. If you are worried about the safety of your family, you can go back and secretly prepare for the transfer. I can send someone to secretly meet you."

"Xiao Yi is right. He can shamelessly collude with the Jin people and plot against me, Lu Junyi, but he can't let you die? Moving your family first is also a solution."

"I try my best"

Suo Chao had no choice but to give this vague answer.

But Lu Junyi was not satisfied after hearing this, and said solemnly: "How can I try my best? If you really want to surrender, I will take you to see General Yang after the banquet, and he will definitely eliminate your worries."

"Don't bother General Yang for now. I'll prepare it slowly on my own."

Suo Chao did not dare to be radical, for he knew clearly that the families of the generals in the army were all in Yingtian, and that they would be left as hostages to reassure the emperor and his ministers, while the civil officials in the court did not get along well with Song Jiang.

Although he was not Song Jiang's confidant, he had become friends with Guan Sheng, Dong Ping and others. He could not harm others for personal gain. Moreover, he had to leave Yingtian with the elderly and children and would pass through Song Jiang's defense zone. If anything went wrong, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Seeing that Lu Junyi was determined not to give up, Suo Chao was worried that he would use coercive means to keep the people, so he quickly added in a low voice: "If Yang Taiwei is short of manpower, Yang Zhi can actually fight for it. Last year, the government granted him a marriage with a very ugly woman."

"Ok?"

The three people at the table shifted their gazes at the same time, and saw Yang Zhi drinking with his head down, while Liu Tang was talking excitedly.

Suo Chao had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure. As the saying goes, it is better to let my friend die than to let me die. His situation was not as good as Yang Zhi's. What was more important was that he had no acquaintances on his side.

Yang Zhi's companions in Erlongshan, Wu Song and Lu Zhishen, are both heavyweights, and there is also a friend like Liu Tang who shares the same suffering.

Song Qing, Yang Zhi and Suo Chao came with a mission, but ended up attending an unforgettable wedding banquet.

All the guests were drunk, but the three men had no mood to drink as they were preoccupied with their own affairs. They returned to the inn in the afternoon and gathered to discuss the matter.

Each of them was turned, but no one mentioned it again afterwards, and instead shared the intelligence they had obtained.

Song Qing started from Zhao Huan's granting of marriage and talked about the Western court's attempt to win over Yang Chang; Yang Zhi started from the great victory at Shaxiongling and talked about how generals such as Li Yanxian were also able to fight Jin independently; when it came to Suo Chao, there was no extra information and he could only express his doubts about Li Kui.

"They all said that Li Kui was dead, and that it was Taiwei Song who sent people to kill him. Otherwise, the court would not have let it go and quickly sent Taiwei Su to recruit him. The key point is that after everyone became successful, Tie Niu did not come back to find us. This matter really does not stand up to scrutiny."

"No, right? But."

"Mr. Lu also said that General Su knew the truth."

"No way, absolutely impossible."

Seeing Suo Chao and Yang Zhi discussing heatedly, Song Qingben didn't know the truth about Li Kui, but out of protection for Song Jiang, he quickly interrupted and explained: "This is nonsense. Brother once sent people to look for Tie Niu and found that he was hiding his name in his hometown. Now he lives a carefree life and doesn't want to fight again. Brother was afraid that everyone would disturb him, so he didn't take the initiative to explain to the brothers, but he didn't expect Lu Yuanwai to make a fuss about this and make such a malicious fabrication."

"really?"

"Is this true? If you don't believe me, go back and see my brother and send someone to find Tie Niu."

"General Song is a man of great integrity. How could we not believe him? It's just that Mr. Lu's words sounded so convincing that I didn't react for a moment."

Seeing Song Qing say this, Suo Chao took the initiative to state his position. After hearing this, Yang Zhi quickly agreed, "Yes, yes, that's what I mean."

"Ah."

Song Qing randomly suppressed the two people's doubts and quickly changed the subject, saying, "Today's wedding banquet is toasting, and General Su is also present. It is inconvenient to talk about the official commendation. I have to meet General Yang tomorrow. What are your plans?"

"us."

Suo Chao couldn't help but look at Yang Zhi, his eyes seemed to say I don't have any acquaintances.

Yang Zhi said truthfully: "Liu Tang said that his martial arts skills have improved a lot, and he invited me to his camp to compete and learn from each other. I plan to take this opportunity to get to know him better, hoping to get some military secrets out of him."

"Take me with you? So I can take care of you."

"Okay, but it depends on Brother Song if he has any other arrangements."

"There is no other arrangement. Everything is done for the purpose of obtaining information. You should compete well tomorrow and try to give in to Liu Tang as much as possible."

"We save it."

While the three of them were discussing in the inn, Yang Chang was playing with the jade bowl given by Zhao Gou. At that time, night was slowly falling, and Wu Song, who was supposed to be in the bridal chamber, suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Brother? It's already dark, what are you doing here now? Are you nervous?"

"Nervous? Brother isn't even afraid of big insects, so why would he be afraid of entering the bridal chamber?"

Wu Song had drunk a lot of wine today and was fully awake after sleeping for an hour. He walked forward while joking and muttered, "Does Sanlang want to keep Yang Zhi? It won't work if Liu Tang and Xuan Zan just talk. I'll ask Master Lu to talk to him."

"No need."

Yang Changzhi waved his hands and said confidently, "Zhao Gou gave Yang Zhi an ugly woman to marry. How can he not be upset when he comes to attend my second brother's wedding today? Let Liu Tang fight with him on horseback tomorrow and see my amazing skills. By then, the matter will be basically settled. If it still doesn't work, you can work with Master Lu?"

"A horse battle?"

Wu Song was delighted after hearing this. He picked up the jade bowl that Yang Chang had just put down and smiled mysteriously: "Isn't this a coincidence? I'll go there tomorrow too."

"If the second brother also joins in the fun, Yang Zhi will definitely doubt his life."

"I want him to be shocked. Oh, this bowl."

"The gift Song Qing sent you may be a 'jade bowl' prepared in advance by Song Jiang in order to win over our people."

Hearing Yang Chang's speculation, Wu Song raised his hand and threw the bowl forward, which fell to the ground and broke into several pieces. He said contemptuously: "Look, this bowl is flashy and useless. It will break if you drop it lightly. It's meaningless."

"Why is it boring? Can't you still hear some noise? It's all good."

(End of this chapter)