Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 314 My mentor, what is the real world?
That night, Zhao Ji sat there until dawn.

Throughout his more than forty years of life, Zhao Ji had never felt wronged in the slightest. At this moment, however, he couldn't help but feel a surge of hatred!

He was puzzled, unable to understand why people and things in this world were like this, living a whole life in a giant dream bubble, and the moment the bubble burst, everything collapsed!

Whether it was kindness or love, it all crumbled...

My heart is filled with resentment and discontent, deep-seated hatred...

Su Wu was unaware of the drastic changes in the capital. He had to do one thing first before he could think about anything else!
More than 10,000 cavalrymen, the cavalrymen Su Wu was truly capable of fighting, were no longer in Yanjing City, but galloping south, each with four, five, or even six or seven horses. Su Wu had not come to fight; he had simply come to observe...

See how the Jurchens conquer cities!
It was no different from the Song people's siege of cities. In terms of warfare, the Jurchens had long since evolved and were no different from the Liao and Song dynasties in terms of skills and techniques.

Slalom carts, siege towers, stone cannons, battering rams... all kinds of crossbows, large and small, were truly present, many of which were even looted from Song Dynasty cities...

The Jurchens were truly fearless. Even though Su Wu's cavalry was already not far from Hejian City and could see the battlefield, the Jurchens still drove their infantry to attack the city, showing no fear that Su Wu's cavalry would attack from the flank or rear!
Why?

The Jurchen cavalry also gathered together, even fearing that Su Wu might not come!
Su Wu naturally didn't come; he just watched the Jin soldiers climb up the city wall, cheering on Liu Guangshi, though he was actually a little worried about Liu Guangshi...

Liu Guangshi is clearly a capable fighter, especially in this kind of defensive battle where he commands a strong and well-equipped force.

Su Wu also knew that as long as Liu Guangshi wasn't allowed to lead an army alone in those kinds of open-field battles, Liu Guangshi was actually quite capable.

The troops from Fuyan and Huanqing are coming with the might to destroy a country. Commander Su has given them generous rewards, and their morale is extremely high. Defending a city is truly no problem for them.

However, the Jin army kept climbing the wall, one after another, and for a time, a stalemate ensued...

Stuck in a stalemate, Su Wu remained calm, while Wanyan Zongwang was clearly somewhat displeased. He spurred his horse to a high vantage point and frequently glanced to the side at the Song cavalry in the distance.

The cavalrymen were neither too close nor too far, about six or seven li away.

Wanyan Zongwang thought that Su Wu would arrive and take advantage of the Jin army's attack on the city to charge into battle, but he waited for a long time and Su Wu did not come!

Then Yan Zongwang raised his hand and asked, "Who will go and fight him?"

Many of the generals on horseback turned to look at the Song cavalry six or seven miles away.

Wanyan Zongbi lowered his head slightly, as if he could feel Wanyan Zongwang's gaze directed at him, as if he were being addressed by name, but he did not respond.

Wanyan Zonghan then said, "Brother, I'll go!"

Wanyan Zongwang looked somewhat disappointed, then glanced at Wanyan Zonghan and nodded slightly: "Alright, go!"

Ten thousand Jurchen cavalry, a number not many, about the same as the Song cavalry, emerged from the side of the great formation and headed straight for Su Wu, who was not far away.

This was the Jurchen's confidence. The strength of the Jurchen cavalry was indeed undeniable. Historically, the Khitan were defeated and fled in disarray. The Northern Song Dynasty did not have a single force capable of fighting them head-on, nor could any force stand firm against the Jurchen cavalry.

Including the various Western Army tribes in history, when the Jurchens truly began their large-scale invasion of the Song Dynasty, they were truly unstoppable. Even Zhekeqiu had no choice but to surrender. Quite a number of Western Army soldiers surrendered.

Even on the grasslands, the Jurchen cavalry were rampant, slaughtering everything in their path. The Naiman and Qiyan tribes, the Borjigin—all of them groveled at the feet of the Jurchens. Even Genghis Khan, Temujin, the great conqueror of decades later, initially had to prostrate himself before the Jurchens…

Speaking of the Song Dynasty, for a long time, the Jurchens had no rivals in Song territory. It wasn't until several years later that the situation in Song stabilized. They relied on cities and rivers to stabilize the situation, and then they slowly launched some real counterattacks, and even a group of people began to emerge.

Speaking of Yue Fei, his most important fighting force in history included eight thousand fierce cavalry, followed by heavy infantry.

At this moment, the young general Yue Fei, now under Su Wu's command, was leading five battalions of cavalry independently. He felt a sudden surge of excitement and asked, "Sir, the Jurchens are coming! It's time for a battle!"

Su Wu smiled slightly and gently pulled on the reins: "Let's go, no fighting!"

"Do not hit?"

Yue Ge'er was somewhat surprised. He thought his husband was a man of countless corpses and blood, and that today should be no different.

"You understand the art of cavalry, but you're missing one lesson. I'll teach you today!" Su Wu said.

Yue Ge'er immediately dropped his surprised expression and asked, "Which lesson is it?"

"Walk!" Su Wu said, then continued, "It's like the dogs that many people keep. If those dogs are kept at home all the time, they will inevitably have a lot of energy but nowhere to use it, scratching and biting here and there, picking up shoes here and chasing cats there. But if you take them out for a good walk every day, until they are exhausted, they will behave themselves when they come home."

"Huh?" Yue Fei still didn't seem to understand, which made Su Wu seem like he was just being deliberately mysterious.

Creating an air of mystery seems to be a common human failing, especially among teachers, who are bound to have this ailment, and Su Wu was no exception.

Su Wu simply smiled and said, "Come on, I'll perform it for you, and you'll understand!"

With that, Su Wu spurred his horse and rode off, with the Jurchens following closely behind.

Su Wu was on his way, and the Jurchens were in pursuit. After the relentless chase with the Tangut cavalry in the southern desert, Su Wu was very confident in the mobility of his cavalry.

They simply ran across the North China Plain, not directly, but in a detour, never truly leaving the city of Hejian. If the Jurchens sent another cavalry force to intercept them, they would then flee further away...

Anyway, let's just keep running...

Wanyan Zonghan was having a hard time chasing after them, and he couldn't help but feel resentful, cursing incessantly.

Even they couldn't catch up...

After a good chase, Wanyan Zonghan turned back, realizing that such a pursuit was pointless and that he should think of another way...

Seeing that Wanyan Zonghan had turned around, Su Wu also turned around and headed closer to the battlefield. Meanwhile, the battle at Hejian had already ceased...

Upon seeing the Jurchen camp again, Su Wu asked Yue Fei, "Why is this?"

Yue Fei replied without hesitation, "He's in a hurry, but we're not!"

“Indeed!” Su Wu, as if he were a true old scholar, continued, “If we use cavalry to attack infantry, there are only two methods: either we attack them by surprise, launching a swift and unexpected attack, or we do the same thing, we lead them on, making them unable to eat or sleep properly... until these dog slaves are so bored with life that it is the time to deliver the fatal blow.”

"This humble general has learned much!" Yue Fei bowed respectfully.

Su Wu suddenly looked at Yue Fei and said, "Would you be willing to become my disciple?"

To unite people's hearts, Su Wu's strategy was sincere, and Yue Fei's disciple was indeed insightful and of good character.

It was also because Yue Fei was such a good person that Su Wu had to try to befriend him with things based on emotion and courtesy.

Upon hearing this, Yue Fei was stunned, not with joy, but with fear. He stammered, "This humble general is crude and has not learned much poetry and literature... I dare not presume to presume upon you, and I fear that you will be ridiculed by others in the future!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wu chuckled and said, "You mean a mentor? Although I have the title of scholar, I have never passed the provincial examination, let alone the imperial examination. My title of imperial examination is a fake, bestowed by the emperor. How can I be a mentor? I want to teach you how to fight, to be your military advisor. What do you say?"

Yue Fei felt a sudden sense of relief. He had thought that Su Xianggong wanted him to study and take the imperial examination, which was somewhat unreasonable.

It turns out to be a military force.

Yue Fei didn't wait any longer: "Student pays respects to his esteemed teacher!"

“Good, very good! Do you have any writing?” Su Wu asked.

"Replying to my teacher, I am of age to receive my courtesy name, but I have been busy with military service and have not yet had the chance to go home to visit my mother. Once I return, I will naturally have my courtesy name!"

Brother Yue answered seriously, "Yes, I am young man, and I am twenty years old."

It was Su Wu who accelerated Yue Fei's growth. Without Su Wu, Yue Fei would still be far from being able to truly show his talent.

The courtesy name was bestowed upon us by our fathers and teachers.

Su Wu waved his hand and said, "That's easy. Since I am your teacher, it's not like I'm overstepping my bounds. Your name is Fei, and your courtesy name will be Pengju. Yue Pengju, as Li Qingzhao wrote, 'The roc soars ninety thousand miles on the wind!' What do you think?"

Yue Fei was overjoyed: "Good, very good, thank you for the calligraphy from my esteemed teacher!"

In fact, Yue Fei was a man who had read a lot of books, otherwise he would not have been so bound by the Confucian ethics. He just didn't achieve much in his studies. However, Yue Fei was also a master at writing lyrics. His lyrics were not only "With lofty ambitions, I will feast on the flesh of the barbarians and drink their blood with laughter," but also "I want to entrust my heart's secrets to the zither, but few understand me, and who will listen when the strings break?"

Of course, writing lyrics was a basic skill for people in the Song Dynasty. Anyone who could read and write could compose some, it just depended on their skill level.

Su Wu nodded, but changed the subject: "This dog slave is still strong enough to be walked!"

Yue Fei nodded: "My former teacher once spoke of the art of war: when the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy retreats, we advance; when the enemy camps, we harass; when the enemy is exhausted, we attack. I have kept this in mind ever since!"

"Yes, this is the method for walking the dog today!" Su Wu was very pleased. Yue Ge'er was truly very talented and good at learning.

Those who were being led astray were naturally unhappy. Inside the Jurchen tent, Wanyan Zonghan was furious: "Brother, why didn't you send someone to help me intercept them?"

Wanyan Zongwang could only frown: "We can't stop them..."

"Why couldn't we stop him? Just now, I chased him from the west to the east. Brother, just send another army to block him..." Wanyan Zonghan was getting angry.

“Go and stop him, but he went north on his own…” Wanyan Zongwang wasn’t angry, but added, “That Su Wu, he really came! But he didn’t come to fight…”

"If he's not here to fight, then what is he here for?" Wanyan Zonghan had a much more volatile temper, but that didn't mean he wasn't a good general. This group of Jurchens were naturally good at fighting, hunting, and commanding on the battlefield.

Wanyan Zongbi suddenly interjected, "He's watching to see how we can't capture the city, and how increasingly impatient he is, waiting for us to make a mistake..."

Wanyan Zongwang glanced at Zongbi, feeling a slight sense of relief, and his previous disappointment lessened somewhat. He nodded and said, "What he wants is our army's money, provisions, and manpower..."

“That’s a dream. We’ve worked so hard to get it, how could we give it to him?” Wanyan Zonghan said indignantly.

Wanyan Zongwang frowned and said, "If all else fails, cross Hejian and go straight to Xiongzhou."

"We still have a lot of our things in Hejian Prefecture!" Wanyan Zonghan was still furious.

Seeing that there were many people in the large tent, Wanyan Zongwang simply waved his hand and said, "Go and set up camp, cook and prepare food..." He sent most of the soldiers away, leaving only some of his own Jurchen brothers.

Wanyan Zongwang spoke again: "I was not worried before, but at this moment, I have inexplicably become worried..."

As he spoke, Wanyan Zongwang went to see Wanyan Xiyin.

Wanyan Xiyin replied, “Your Highness’s worries are indeed true. Hejian Prefecture is not much of a pass. Xiong Prefecture is the first pass. After passing Xiong Prefecture, even Wei Prefecture and Zhuo Prefecture are not passes and can be bypassed. But Yanjing City is not easily bypassed. Yanjing City is the second pass, and there are many passes and important roads leading out of the pass, which is the third pass. Right now, the first pass is the most difficult to pass…”

Wanyan Zonghan finally calmed down and slowly understood the reasoning behind it. This was truly different from when he destroyed the Liao Dynasty. When he destroyed the Liao Dynasty, he simply stationed his army here. If he couldn't take it today, he would fight again tomorrow. If enemy reinforcements came, he would simply go and meet them.

At this moment, he was eager to go home with his full fortune, but there were still robbers lurking around him...

Wanyan Zonghan was also pondering a solution, but to no avail. He then said, "We have food and drink. At worst, we can occupy the Song people's cities and live our lives here!"

Wanyan Zongwang retorted, "Don't talk nonsense. If Su Wu really comes up with his methods, wouldn't those cities outside the pass and our Jurchen relatives be in grave danger?"

"So, we'll fight them to the death? Do you really think we can't take their cities? Back in the day, we didn't have so many horses or cavalry. We Jurchens fought on foot. What about Huanglong Prefecture? Didn't we climb the city walls? Xiangzhou, Xinzhou, Xianzhou... how many cities did we fail to climb?"

Wanyan Zonghan's words, spoken in a fit of pique, also revealed a fact: the Jurchens were skilled in infantry combat, and extremely skilled at it! Their ability to siege cities and scale walls was even more ferocious.

But everyone also knows that Wanyan Zonghan's words were just a fit of pique. He doesn't have much wealth, and unless he is truly desperate, how could he really send Jurchen warriors to climb the wall?

They were also Jurchen warriors. In the past, they climbed walls too many times, and suffered many losses, which makes them all the more precious now.

Moreover, with the Song Dynasty as a formidable enemy, we cannot afford to gamble away our resources easily. Why capture so many slaves? Firstly, it is necessary to cultivate the land; secondly, we are truly lacking servants on the front lines.

Wanyan Zongwang's brow never relaxed as he looked around at his brothers.

Wanyan Xiyin suddenly said, "Your Highness, why don't we... talk to Su Wu? It seems that Su Wu is also unwilling to fight to the death. It seems that he, like us, is unwilling to risk his entire fortune!"

The Jurchens have now grasped the pulse of the Song Dynasty, a nation of millions. The Song Dynasty may seem powerful, but it is ultimately weak. Despite its million-strong army, it is actually weaker than the Liao Dynasty of the past. The Song people's truly capable soldiers, like those under Su Wu's command, are not many.

Even among the various units under Su Wu's command, there might be distinctions of strength and weakness...

Wise people have already seen through it!
Wanyan Zongwang pondered for a moment, then focused his gaze on Wanyan Zongbi and asked, "Would you like to go for a walk? Are you willing or not?"

Wanyan Zongbi nodded readily: "I'm willing to go!"

Wanyan Zongwang nodded: "It's too late today, let's go again tomorrow morning!"

It was truly late, and darkness had already fallen. But no sooner had he finished speaking than he heard the approaching hooves of horses. Wanyan Zongwang immediately stood up: "Meet the enemy! Meet the enemy!"

Naturally, they faced the enemy...

He went out to check, and found that the Song cavalry numbered only a few hundred. They came along the side of the camp, hurled arrows a few times, and then left!

They simply used a few shields to conceal Wanyan Zongwang for a moment, and then they saw that he had indeed left!
Over there, many Jurchen warriors, who were just about to eat, put down their bowls and were about to mount their horses.

Wanyan Zongwang raised his hand and said, "Forget it, let's eat first!"

There's no point in chasing after them...

Su Wu's decision not to set up camp, seemingly like a knight sleeping on horseback, is actually quite simple. Jurchen knights did the same during the height of battle; why set up camp when you can sleep on horseback anyway…

Of course, this is not a long-term solution, but it's not difficult to stick to it for a few days.

There was a time when the Jurchens also dealt with their enemies in this way, and now they are being dealt with in the same way by their enemies.

Why did the Jurchens have so many horses? It was because the number of Liao cavalry far exceeded that of the Jurchen cavalry. The Liao Dynasty often had an army of "700,000"... After the Liao people were defeated, the Jurchens naturally had more and more horses.

In the middle of the night, the Song cavalry came again. It wasn't that the Jurchen scouts were incompetent; they simply didn't have time to report. Moreover, the Jurchen camp was too large and vast, with far too many supplies and prisoners of war...

The Song cavalry didn't raid the camp much; they just rushed back and forth, firing a few rounds of arrows, including fire arrows, and then left, barely firing any more arrows...

Wanyan Zongwang also had a countermeasure: he sent out a larger cavalry patrol, with teams of one or two thousand men going back and forth to patrol, so that the response would be faster.

The Song people still came. They saw the patrolling cavalry coming from afar, but they didn't make contact. If they couldn't shoot, they would let it go, but they still came!
The night passed like this.

Wanyan Zongbi simply followed the scouts and rode to find Su Wu in the distance, with a total of more than a dozen riders.

Just bring an interpreter and shout it out, and you'll find them!
When the two met again, they couldn't help but sigh with regret...

Sitting on the ground, one sees the vast fields of the North China Plain, stretching as far as the eye can see. But this year, it's uncertain how much farming will be delayed.

Wanyan Zongbi said in a calm tone: "My elder brother said you want our money and grain..."

Su Wu nodded: "Yes, what he said is true, but his words are wrong. That's our money and provisions, not yours..."

Wanyan Zongbi understood, so he continued, "It is you Song people who have broken your promise. We Jurchens value our promises the most. It is because of this that the people of the mountains and forests have all followed me, Wanyan, out of the mountains, which has led to the situation we have today. It is you Song people who have broken our promise!"

Su Wu waved his hand and left: "There's no point in saying these things to me. I know perfectly well why you've come, and I can guess a lot about your plans. It's just a pity that the Dangxiang people fell so quickly, and you didn't expect me to come directly from Xingqing Prefecture to Datong..."

Wanyan Zongbi was not embarrassed, he simply said, "You cannot defeat us Jurchens!"

Su Wu first looked at Wanyan Zongbi. He was no longer the simple boy with tattered armor in the snow and ice. His face was much more rugged, and between his brows was an incomparable ferocity and savagery.

"Wuzhu, now that you're here, let's be frank. Return all the people you've captured, and leave the money, food, and valuables behind. Go back! The sins you've committed along the way will be settled on the battlefield one day!" Su Wu said.

Instead of answering directly, Wanyan Zongbi first mentioned a person and an incident: "Among our Jurchen Wanyan, there is also a literate man named Wanyan Xiyin, which is his Han name. He had a Han name long ago, even before all of us. His Jurchen name is Wushen. Before he came, he told me that I am different from all the Song people now. He said that you want money and provisions because you want to do other things. He said that you are just like us, a wolf in sheep's clothing. He said that the sheep in the capital city will sooner or later become your food..."

Su Wu was surprised, greatly surprised!
There are actually people like this among the Wanyan Jurchens?

He was right. Perhaps people really do have a scent that others can smell, and Wanyan Xiyin did.

This is indeed a problem... Since the Jurchens have guessed this, how can they not use it to plan for the future?

Su Wu remained noncommittal, only saying, "This Wanyan Xiyin has indeed read quite a lot of books, especially the history books of the Central Plains!"

Wanyan Zongbi smiled slightly: "It seems that it really is..."

It's nothing, so what if they guessed it? The Jurchens could guess this, but they couldn't guess Su Wu's methods. Did they really think Su Wu was going to start a rebellion? To fight city by city? To fight with the Zhao family or the whole world?

Or perhaps... or even another Shi Jingtang?
Sure enough, Wanyan Zongbi said, "My elder brother said that we can help you when the time comes!"

The Jurchens also had their share of exceptional individuals!

Just as the conversation reached this point, a man beside Su Wu, Yue Ge'er, became extremely anxious. What kind of conversation was this?
Although it was all a mystery, Yue Ge'er, even through the fog, seemed to understand some of it.

“Go and tell your elder brother, and also tell Wanyan Xiyin. He may have guessed some things, but not much, and he didn’t guess accurately!” Su Wu couldn’t talk about it. The reason he was still willing to see Zong Bi was because of their past friendship.

Upon hearing this, Yue Ge'er was overjoyed!

Wanyan Zongbi's face darkened: "Do we really have to fight to the death? Can't you stay inside the pass and we stay outside, so that our two countries can be allied forever? I know you are different. You are different from those Song people. You are like us Jurchens. You will keep your promises!"

“But…you Jurchens have changed!” Su Wu said.

Wanyan Zongbi was speechless. It wasn't that he had nothing to say; he had plenty to say. But he also knew that in front of his sworn brother, those words were meaningless.

Then Su Wu said again: "I promised you many conditions, such as giving me half of your wealth, but I cannot agree to this. Those people and things do not belong to you, and you cannot take them away!"

Wanyan Zongbi rose slightly, patted the dirt off his backside, and sighed, "We Jurchens have a hard life... unlike you Song people, who are born in good places. Look at this land, flat for thousands of miles, with rivers flowing through it, not bitterly cold, growing crops to produce grain, weaving cloth to make clothes... Perhaps it's just that Heaven is unfair..."

Su Wu also stood up and shook his head: "That's not the point. You were born in harsh, cold mountains and forests, which is the problem of your ancestors. We were born here because our ancestors have worked hard for us! No good thing is a gift from heaven. Luck only comes once or twice by chance. What you really get is never free..."

"Hmm..." Wanyan Zongbi remained silent for a long time, thinking about this point. After he finished thinking, he said, "You may have a point. Now, we should try harder and show our strength!"

“Let’s go back…” Su Wu gestured forward, then added, “If you want to try, I will do my best! The legacy of our ancestors may last for ten thousand years; it can’t be gone by the time it reaches me…”

Wanyan Zongbi nodded, looked at Su Wu, and bowed respectfully, covering his chest: "In the future, on the battlefield, if there is victory or defeat, I will give you dignity, and you should give me dignity in return!"

Su Wu nodded: "Okay!"

Wanyan Zongbi then stepped forward and mounted his horse.

Suddenly, Su Wu spoke up from behind: "Wu Zhu..."

"Hmm?" Wanyan Zongbi turned his head.

“If a winner is decided, I will not kill you!” Su Wu said.

"Are you going to take back what you just said?"

Su Wu added, “No, what I mean is that this world is vast, and the people on this land are endless. The Jurchens are endless, the Song people are endless, the Khitans are endless, and the Tanguts are endless. One day, I will unify this land, including your mountains and forests, and then I will take all of you out to see the real world. What do you say?”

"What kind of words are these?" Wanyan Zongbi asked, puzzled. He spurred his horse and rode away.

Su Wu added, "Remember these words, they will be useful in the future!"

Wanyan Zongbi did not reply and headed towards the Jurchen camp.

There was a man standing beside Su Wu who seemed to understand some of what he was saying. It was Yue Ge'er, but he didn't quite understand either. He stared blankly at Su Wu, his mind filled with endless wonder, and then asked, "Master, what is the real world?"

Su Wu smiled and said, "Come on, let's find a place, and I'll draw it for you!"

"Okay!" Yue Ge'er nodded.

(Brothers... if you're free, just shout it out...)
(End of this chapter)