Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 315 It's alright, we're brothers, no outsider can sow discord between us.

What is the real world?
The answer to this question is actually quite simple. If you say that the Western Regions are vast and boundless, Yue Fei would nod in agreement; he also read books...

Going north, across the Gobi Desert, and even through the mountains and forests of the Jurchens, there is still a vast expanse of land, which is not something difficult to accept.

Furthermore, one could talk about the Seljuk Turks to the north of the Western Regions, the Turks whom the Tang Dynasty drove away who went there, or even the Abbasid Caliphate, or Rome…

It's not really a secret. During the Tang Dynasty, there were foreign merchants in Chang'an, and now there are foreign merchants in Quanzhou and Guangzhou. At most, Yue Fei was young and had little experience, so Su Wu gave him a little education.

Su Wu was also painting. He would paint the Indochina Peninsula, places like Jiaozhi, and the Indian subcontinent, saying it was Brahminland...

Draw a picture of the Mediterranean, Europe, and also Africa. Since the people there are all black, I'll also talk about the Kunlun slaves of the Tang Dynasty...

Draw the islands around the equator, talk about the large continent further south, and also about the vast, wild land beyond the sea...

The conversation inevitably turned to the idea that the Earth is round, which shocked Yue Fei, but he also believed it, knowing that his husband and teacher wouldn't talk nonsense...

In this era, some people have already made this guess, but it hasn't been confirmed yet.

This lesson is only the beginning; these things are not that important.

What's truly important is what Su Wu is about to say. Su Wu first asked Yue Fei a question: "Tell me, what caused the war?"

Yue Fei replied, "Teacher, it all stemmed from contention, even hatred, pride, and such things..."

Su Wu nodded: "Yes, from ancient times to the present, from the pre-Qin period to the present, wars have never stopped. The Central Plains fight among themselves, and they fight with the nomadic and fishing peoples of the north. The fighting never stops... It's all about vying for power. The Jurchens said that their lives were not easy, and that's not a lie. Our lives are not easy either. Because our lives are not easy, we have to fight for power. That's why we've been fighting on this land for thousands of years..."

"Teacher, whether it's the Xiongnu, the Turks, the Khitans, or even the Jurchens now, they have a hard life, so why do they come to attack us? We should defeat them and exterminate them!"

Brother Yue is also a passionate young man.

Su Wu nodded earnestly: "That's true. Revenge is the best revenge. This time, I've brought you here precisely to do this: to utterly crush the Jurchens, leaving them powerless to fight back. To repay evil with justice is the mark of a sage. But the people of the mountains and grasslands cannot be exterminated. Even without the Xiongnu, the Donghu will rise again, and then the Turks will come. Without the Turks, there will be the Khitans, without the Khitans, there will be the Jurchens, and without the Jurchens, there will be..."

At this point, Su Wu paused, and couldn't help but mention the Mongols again.

Su Wu continued, “There will always be people there. Even if there is a way to kill some people, others will still appear there, even if they come from the Central Plains. It will take a few decades, two or three generations, or a hundred or two hundred years, and then the people there will come again.”

"Is the teacher thinking of a way to completely resolve the conflict?" Yue Fei was incredibly intelligent.

Su Wu nodded: "The struggle for the Central Plains is nothing more than the fact that there are too many people, making life difficult, and some even unable to survive. The struggle between the interior and exterior is nothing more than the fact that some people are starving and unable to survive. In reality, it is simply a matter of insufficient production. If one day the world produces enough to feed and clothe everyone and raise their children and grandchildren, do you think anyone would risk their life to fight for it?"

Yue Fei nodded, agreeing with the reasoning, but exclaimed, "How difficult this is!"

Su Wu shook his head slightly: "It's not difficult. Forget about those Seljuk European countries. Just look at our land. If we want everyone to have enough to eat and wear and raise their children, there's a way!"

"Teacher, please tell me!" Yue Fei was already excited. Clearly, his teacher's words were too attractive. If even gods couldn't do it, could his teacher really?

What has been impossible for thousands of years, can a teacher truly do?
Su Wu didn't wait and went on to say, "There are so many places. Look here, south of our Great Song Dynasty, to the Indochina Peninsula. And look here, further south of Tibet, there are vast plains. The climate here is hot and humid. Rice grown in the south can be harvested two or three times a year here without a problem. Just scatter the rice seeds in the fields and they will grow. Even our Qiongzhou can do this. And here, there are vast islands. Merchant ships come and go, and many pass through here. These vast islands can also be used to grow grain two or three times a year. These places are mostly wild and undeveloped. If they were all incorporated into our land, how many people could we feed? And what about the other side of the sea... or these black lands? If we grew grain there, how many people could we feed?"

Before Yue Fei was a sketch drawn by Su Wu. He looked around at it, even gesturing with his hands, and asked only one question: "Teacher, are these places really that big?"

Su Wu nodded seriously: "Great, extremely great, many times larger than my Central Plains. The current population of the Song Dynasty has already surpassed that of all previous dynasties, reaching the peak of the Central Plains in thousands of years. If people could live and thrive in these places, a population of one hundred million would be no problem..."

"Then..." Yue Fei was speechless for a moment. These words sounded very good, but he also knew how difficult it would be to actually do them. There were already people there, just in varying numbers. Once they got there, they would have to fight for them, which would inevitably lead to war...

That's secondary; who would willingly leave their hometown?
In fact, Su Wu had the answer. Although the Song Dynasty seemed prosperous, it was actually facing a huge crisis. The population had already exploded to the point of being unsustainable, and the land's output was almost fixed and difficult to increase. With the current production capacity, it was somewhat unable to hold on...

Therefore, the Song Dynasty had so many bandits and spent so much on maintaining stability. These are all fundamental reasons under a broad perspective. That's why the Song Dynasty dared not disband the Imperial Guards and the local militias, and that's why the Song Dynasty recruited refugees into the army to support them.

Foreign wars are not a problem, as long as they can be profitable.

Who would willingly leave their homeland? That's not the real question. Profits are enough to make people leave their homes. Merchants from the Song Dynasty traveled all over the sea. If they could take a boat trip, they could get hundreds or thousands of acres of fertile land. How could those who couldn't make a living not want to go?

The premise is that they really believe that a month-long boat trip can yield hundreds or thousands of acres of fertile land; then that's Su Wu's problem.

These are all things to be discussed later. Telling Yue Fei about them in advance was Su Wu's way of preparing for the future. He was concerned about the country, the people, and the nation; he was loyal to the emperor and loved the people. There was no problem with that.

But Su Wu gave Yue Fei the beginning of a dream, leaving Yue Fei to make his own choices in the future.

Su Wu continued, “Look here, just south of the sea, a vast expanse of land, even larger than the Central Plains. Here, there are many wild and untamed places, but here, iron is everywhere. You don’t even need to dig the soil; just scoop it up and burn it to get iron! It’s practically inexhaustible! Unlike here, where we have to go deep into the mountains and forests to mine ore…”

"There are places like this?" Yue Fei exclaimed in surprise.

Su Wu nodded seriously: "This is the place!"

"If we go there, wouldn't ironware no longer be considered valuable?" Yue Fei thought quickly.

"Yes, by then, every household will have excellent hoes and plows, and every household will be able to use all kinds of iron tools! Work will be so much easier. Our iron armor will only cost five or eight strings of cash... why would we need dozens of strings?"

Su Wu smiled slightly...

On Yue Fei's face, there seemed to be a genuine sense of anticipation...

Su Wu said in one sentence: "You say, if we feed all the people on this land, we can raise as many as they want, whether they are Khitan, Jurchen, or other people from the grasslands and mountains, they will not have to worry about food and drink. The same goes for the people of the Central Plains. This land will no longer have internal strife, we can just fight for it from the outside... This is what a Celestial Empire is, this is what the whole world is, this is what will last for thousands of generations!"

Yue Fei slowly raised his head, looked at Su Wu, and said, "Then let's fight. Let's beat them all into submission, let them go and see these places, let them go and farm, and smelt iron in furnaces!"

"Yes, that makes sense. The immediate priority is to subdue them all and resolve all grudges!" Su Wu chuckled, "This kid is teachable!"

The war is still going on, and it has to be finished!

What about powerful families and noble clans? In the end, they're fighting over this tiny piece of land, oppressing one's own people...

If Su Wu's focus remains on this point, what's the point?

Why fight wars? If it's for revenge or to seize power, then Su Wu's journey was in vain; he was just wandering around in those old books.

Su Wu would not compromise with anyone, nor did he want this society, which had finally achieved such prosperity, to become desolate again, nor did he want the millions of people to suffer heavy losses once more...

Therefore, he had to bring a new benefit to everyone, a benefit that everyone could enjoy. Inevitably, there would still be those who remained stubbornly obstinate; they weren't killed by Su Wu, but crushed by the wheels of history…

Just use both hands, and let Su Wu do it slowly but quickly!

At this moment, Su Wu was not qualified to consider these things before! Now, Su Wu is truly qualified, so he should start preparations immediately.

With all human resources and resources in his grasp, productivity, technological level, and even this vast world at large, life is short, and the time left for Su Wu is even shorter. He must make the most of this life.

Yue Fei had already stood up: "Teacher, if it is possible to ensure that all the people of the Central Plains are well-fed and clothed, and that there is no more war, I am willing to die for it!"

Who says Confucianism is bad? Yue Fei read the book well, read it just right, and read it at the most passionate age!

If you read too little, you won't understand it, and you'll lack faith in what you read.

Reading too much, and getting older, makes one prone to hypocrisy...

Not too much, not too little, just right!
Treat gentlemen with the respect due to gentlemen!

Some people truly listen to distant and lofty ideals! Others, however…

"Alright!" Su Wu stood up, slapped Yue Fei on the shoulder, and strode over: "Mount up! The Jurchens are about to cross the river!"

Yue Fei tidied up the several large sheets of paper on the ground, folded them neatly, carefully placed them into the leather pouch on the side of the horse, fastened the leather belt buckle, patted it a few times, took a deep breath, and mounted the horse.

The swift horses galloped again, and the Jurchens were indeed breaking camp. They were capable fighters, but their resources were limited. They needed to save their real, desperate battle for a crucial moment, not in Hejian...

What was Su Wu going to do?
The raid was also a way to rescue people, and even more so, to intercept the Jurchens' possessions.

Just look at such a huge and bloated army, how much can the Jurchens really control!

We should take a detour, avoiding the main road and instead taking a side road to cross the river, because the city is right in the middle of the main road. Since we cannot conquer the city, we have no choice but to take a detour via the side road.

The principle of roads remains the same throughout history. Where there are roads, there is territory. No matter how large the map is drawn, the area that the road can reach is the territory under one's control.

It is also said that in Hebei, on the North China Plain, there are no roads, so vehicles cannot travel, and without vehicles, there is no logistical support.

This is why in war, cities must be attacked and conquered one by one; the location of a city is where a road node is located.

Even on the otherwise perfectly flat North China Plain, this principle applies.

Even on the vast grasslands, without roads, vehicles cannot travel far.

But the Jurchens still had to travel this way, repairing roads and vehicles as they slowly made their way north.

Su Wu followed, watching broken axles being abandoned on the fields, seeing sluggish queues everywhere, and even more carts being abandoned in the boundless fields.

He also watched as tens of thousands of Jurchen cavalry were divided into countless teams, patrolling and urging them on, their whips constantly lashing at the men.

Whether it was pushing the cart across the field ridge or repairing the axle by the roadside, how could the Jurchen knights not be enraged by their whips?
Not far away, Su Wu stopped his horse to observe and spoke: "Brother Yue, let's split into two armies. I'll be to the east of the Jurchen ranks, and you go to the west. Seize any openings you see, and ride off without getting entangled with the enemy. If you can seize wagons and supplies, do so; if you can rescue your comrades, do so..."

"Yes, sir!" Yue Fei bowed.
Several thousand cavalrymen roared away, and Su Wu was not worried at all that Yue Fei would cause trouble. Yue Fei was a born general! A true Huo Qubing!

After a short while, they waited for the scouts to return and report back.

Su Wu waved his hand and said, "Charge!"

Thousands of knights rose up and roared away. No matter how many Jurchen cavalrymen patrolled and inspected, they could not completely engulf this bloated formation.

How could Su Wu not come?

They covered seven or eight li in an instant, and knew that as soon as they heard the thunder of hooves, the Jurchen riders nearby would rush to catch up.

Su Wu charged forward, brandishing his weapon to resist, and killed as many as one or two hundred men. Once he was in the ranks, he first untied the bonds binding the young men he had captured, then cut the ropes binding the horses on the carriages, and pulled the horses away. With the horses gone, the carriages were left behind.

People, once unrestrained and freed from bondage, will run away on their own! There are also many honest, cooperative ones who, without bondage, help push or drive the carts, and they naturally run even faster…

Later, Liu Guangshi will lead his men out of Hejian City; just follow them along the way and pick up and rescue them...

There was no rush. Hearing the approaching thunder of enemy hooves, Su Wu waved his hand and shouted, "Let's go!"

The horses thundered on their way, but the Jurchens arrived, and all they could do was hurl angry curses.

Su Wu did not go far, but stayed only three or five miles away, so that he could provide more cover for the people he had rescued as they fled.

The Jurchens did not come up to fight because they did not have enough men, and because they were also under military orders not to leave the ranks without permission.

Su Wu was not afraid of the Jurchens catching up. The number of people coming from the left and right was only two or three thousand. Su Wu knew how to fight them. Wanyan Zongwang also knew that Su Wu was not really incapable of fighting!
Even if several thousand cavalrymen gathered and broke away from the main force to fight, they would still be afraid of being ambushed. They would be alone and cautious as they ventured deep into enemy territory.

What's more, just as they arrived from one side, the thunder of hooves echoed from the other, and Yue Fei was also launching his attack!
Su Wu was so composed. There was no other reason than that people are not afraid of being poor, but of being rich. When you are poor, you are more likely to risk everything. Once you are rich, you will become anxious about gains and losses.

The Jurchens became wealthy, so they were filled with anxiety and reluctance to give up what they had. Because they were reluctant to give up, they had to endure it.

Perhaps the Jurchens were terrified of poverty...

The destruction of Liao brought the Jurchens countless fine horses and armor, as well as various weapons and craftsmen, but it did not bring them true wealth. The wealth still lay in Yanyun and in the Song Dynasty!

Su Wu was also comforting the able-bodied people who had escaped, reassuring them and telling them to head south, where someone would come to gather them and guarantee they would have food to eat and wouldn't starve.

The Jurchens started running again, rushing to put out fires wherever they could find them.

Before Su Wu, a group of people knelt on the ground, having already identified themselves as Su Wu, the Minister of the Imperial Household. "We thank you, Minister Su, for saving our lives!"

"Thank you, Lord Su!"

"..."

Su Wu waved his hand and left. Having heard so much, he was no longer agitated. He simply said, "You all go quickly, I still have to fight here!"

There were also those who entrusted their brothers with important tasks: "My lord, my younger brother is also in the hands of the Jurchens, and I don't know where he is. My lord must rescue my younger brother!"

Su Wu nodded earnestly: "You can go with peace of mind. I will definitely bring your younger brother back!"

"Thank you, Master Su! I kowtow to you again and again! I will repay your great kindness and virtue in this lifetime!"

Su Wu waved his hand, his gaze fixed on the distant ranks of hundreds of thousands of people and tens of thousands of horses, and said, "Let's go, let's go, everyone, let's go..."

But some still refused to leave, their heads still on the ground, gritting their teeth: "My lord, I will not leave! I beg you to grant me a weapon, and I will die here! I will fight the Jurchens to the death!"

This is a story born of deep-seated hatred, and it is inevitably a sad one!

Su Wu turned his head to look and saw that many people had left, but quite a few were still kneeling to the side!
Su Wu said, "If you wish to join the army, there's no rush. Return to Hejian first. In two or three days, I will personally send men to set up recruitment flags at the city gates of Hejian. In the future, we will still fight the Jurchens. Once you have trained into elite troops, you will be ready to serve! Go, go..."

Su Wu waved again...

Even the soldiers on the left and right came to shoo them away: "Hurry up, hurry up! My husband still has to fight. His steeds are coming and going, don't let them trample you!"

After several attempts by the soldiers to drive them away, they finally managed to drive away all the people on either side.

Su Wu still wanted to fight, but once the rescuers had gone some distance, he would also move away and conceal himself, waiting for the scouts to report back.

They moved again, and the strong horses swarmed forward, just like before. Horses, oxen, donkeys, and mules pulled them away, and the people followed to rescue them...

It doesn't matter how much or how little; as long as one can come and go with ease.

On the plains of North China, cart frames were scattered everywhere, and many of them had spilled countless heavy loads while trying to cross the paddy field ridges...

Liu Guangshi also came and gradually gathered the people together, even mobilizing the people in the city to come together, led by soldiers, to collect the scavenging materials everywhere.

At night, they camped out. The Jurchens were even more vigilant, and the Wanyan brothers gathered together again.

Wanyan Zonghan cursed, "At this rate, before we even reach Xiongzhou, Su Wu will have made a fortune. We should just fight him to the death, chase him to the ends of the earth, and kill him!"

Wanyan Zongwang didn't respond, only saying, "Once we get past this section and onto the main road, things will probably be better."

"So what if we get on the main road? How wide is that road? With so many of us, if we all travel on the main road, how many miles would it stretch? We wouldn't be able to manage it all. We'd have to squeeze along like this... and even then, it would be hard to keep an eye on everyone..."

Wanyan Zonghan felt extremely aggrieved.

Not content with his words, he added, "When have we ever been so humiliated? I think we should forget about the money and provisions, just fight him to the death, kill Su Wu, and then come back for the money and provisions we need! No one can stop us!"

Sure enough, Wanyan Zongwang's eyes lit up at Wanyan Zonghan's angry words, and he began to ponder them seriously.

That seems to make sense. If there's really no other way, Xu Zhen doesn't care about this wealth and honor. As long as he kills Su Wu, he can get it again in the future...

Kill Su Wu...

"Let me think about it for a moment!" Wanyan Zongwang was still in a state of great distress, and things hadn't reached that point yet. He would talk about it when they really did.

After all, it's best not to let a duck that's already in your hand fly away. This trip was hard-won. If you can go back this time, it won't be long, maybe next year, or at most the year after. When you make a comeback, you'll definitely have more than 200,000 armored soldiers, maybe even 300,000 or 400,000. You'll have money and food. At that time, you can attack city by city. How can Su Wu stop you?

I'm still conflicted...

“Brother, if we let him take a bite here and a bite there, how much will be left when he passes away?” Wanyan Zonghan asked.

Wanyan Xiyin quipped, "Even if only half remains, our Great Jin will be powerful enough! Next year, when we attack the Song, we will surely be able to do so just as we did when we attacked the Liao!"

"Sigh..." In the end, it was Wanyan Xiyin's words that were able to convince Wanyan Zonghan at this moment, proving that the two were actually a perfect team.

"Tomorrow we'll take the main road and select the most important carriages; the frames will go there!" Wanyan Zongwang was patient and mindful of the bigger picture!

With night falling, how could the Song cavalry not arrive?
Whether they fight or make a scene, in the dead of night, in complete darkness, who knows how many people have escaped.

When it got light, the situation remained the same: fires started on the east side and were being put out, while fires started again on the west side.

The Jurchen cavalry, on the other hand, were quite effective, always moving very fast, so the losses were not actually that great.

Keep going, and the city of Xiongzhou will be right in front of you!
The Jurchen people began to gather and seriously establish settlements.

This former border between the Liao and Song dynasties was not a good place to pass!
Wanyan Zongwang gazed at the city and sighed, "The time to risk my life has come, Nianhan..."

Nianhan, who was none other than Wanyan Zonghan, stepped forward and said, "Here!"

"You come here!" Wanyan Zongwang had no choice. He was unfamiliar with the place and the riverbank was covered with thorny bushes. The Song people were really good at planting, but they were also really cowardly.

It's not that there aren't any routes; how could such a large convoy manage to pass through those smuggling trails?

Taking a detour is clearly impractical; the only option left is to launch a direct assault on the city.

Such a fierce attack will cost the lives of the Jurchen warriors!

Wanyan Zonghan's brows furrowed in anger: "I'm here, and I'll surely break through the city!"

We also need to make some preparations, such as equipment.

Su Wu, watching from afar, also spoke: "This city will likely be difficult to defend!"

Yue Fei, standing to the side, nodded and said, "Teacher, since I entered the city from the north, I have lived and died with the city!"

Su Wu pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "No need. This dog slave hasn't had enough of a walk yet, and he's still very strong. You can go, though. Go into the city, first send all the people away from the north gate, fight a few battles, and then retreat when he's almost exhausted. Then give him another run and see when this dog slave will run out of strength..."

Yue Fei cupped his hands in greeting: "Yes, sir! I will go immediately!"

With that, Yue Fei spurred his horse and rode off, intending to find a small path to cross the river and then enter Xiongzhou City. His teacher's strategy was brilliant, and he would simply follow it.

Then Liu Guangshi arrived, with about a hundred riders.

Upon reaching Su Wu's side, after exchanging a few pleasantries, he reported, "We've gathered approximately sixteen or seventeen thousand men..."

Su Wu sighed, "Among this army, at least two hundred thousand able-bodied men were captured and forced into hostage situations by the Jurchens. Alas..."

How could Su Wu not sigh? He witnessed the tragedy of history firsthand...

Liu Guangshi comforted him, saying, "If you take us to the capital region, how can we save anyone? You are a living bodhisattva of our time, having saved countless lives and accumulated immense merit... And there's also the money and provisions, which are quite a lot. We haven't even counted them yet. Once we have, we'll send someone to report back!"

"Yes!" Su Wu nodded.

"Brother, these money and grain..." Liu Guangshi thought about many things.

"The spoils of war are for all the armies, but I will take them for myself!" Su Wu said bluntly.

"If that's the case, I'm afraid the officials of the court will be in trouble in the future..." Liu Guangshi came to ask about this matter seriously because it was of great importance.

To put it bluntly, some of these funds, provisions, and supplies came from wealthy and powerful families in Hebei, but a larger portion came from the capital city of Tokyo, from high-ranking officials and the emperor.

If we can't intercept them, that's fine. But if we do intercept them, how can those people not come to demand them back in the future?

If they don't give it to me...

Su Wu said one thing: "Just tell people that you get more grain and less gold and silver!"

In reality, the situation was the opposite: they received more gold and silver, but less food and fodder.

The heavy and cumbersome carriages made of gold and silver were one reason for the Jurchens' actions, but another was that they knew that at this moment, food and other supplies were far more important than gold and silver, and they would rather give up gold and silver than give up supplies.

Liu Guangshi nodded: "I understand. Then I will seal up the carriages and have my trusted men count them."

Su Wu nodded in agreement, but glanced at Liu Guangshi, who seemed to have something to say, yet hesitated to speak…

“To put it bluntly… what can’t be said between brothers like us?” Su Wu said.

Liu Guangshi sighed, first taking something out of the leather pouch on the side of his horse and handing it to Su Wu on horseback beside him, then slowly saying, "Just now, just now, on my way to Hejian City, I received an official document from the imperial court, promoting me to the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Hebei Road Army!"

This position originally belonged to Tan Zhen, who was not long ago the commander-in-chief of the two armies in Hebei and Hedong.

Suddenly, the position became Liu Guangshi's. Liu Guangshi was promoted several ranks in quick succession. How big and important was Hebei Road?
Su Wu took the hand, but didn't open it. He returned it, saying only, "The court values ​​you, and the emperor trusts you. You should not fail this favor!"

In fact, Su Wu's official document from the Prince of Langya had already reached Yan Yun, but Su Wu was not in Yan Yun...

But to be honest, the title of Prince of Langya was an extraordinary one, and Su Wu's official position at that time was that of the deputy commander of the northwestern armies that were fighting against Xia...

Now that the campaign against Xia has concluded, in other words, Su Wu's position as deputy commander has legally ended.

What official position did Su Wu hold? Oh, actually, the emperor also offered Su Wu an official post: Signatory to the Privy Council. This was promised by the emperor to the retired emperor…

As luck would have it, the official document hadn't arrived yet, and it hadn't even been officially issued from Tokyo, but Liu Guangshi's imperial edict had already arrived.

Of course, Su Wu was unaware of all this. The imperial court also didn't know Su Wu was near Hejian; they assumed he was still in Yanjing…

The immediate issue is that Liu Guangshi has suddenly taken control of military affairs in Hebei...

Liu Guangshi received the official document and immediately said, "Brother, the court is like this..."

They are all shrewd people, so they understand.

Su Wu waved his hand: "It's alright. We are brothers, and no outsider can sow discord between us."

Upon hearing this, Liu Guangshi breathed a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly: "That's exactly right, brother. Don't worry, I've seen a lot and understand the reasoning behind it. Even the old Prime Minister Zhong relies on you, brother. How could I dare to do anything reckless! If you don't handle matters big and small in the army, brother, who else would dare to act presumptuously?"

Liu Guangshi was extremely clever in these matters.

Su Wu smiled slightly: "We brothers should naturally be of one mind. As the old saying goes, 'When brothers are of one mind, their strength can break metal.' This is especially true in the current situation. We should share wealth and honor. It is only right that you have been given this post!"

"Then I won't say any more... You'll know that you are a man of great righteousness!" Liu Guangshi was finally relieved. He was clearly very perceptive and not just a country bumpkin who had suddenly become rich. After all, he had seen and experienced life.

He then bluntly stated, "Having received this official document, I also gleaned some snippets of information from Tokyo, saying that the Emperor Emeritus has returned to the capital... Brother..."

As he spoke, Liu Guangshi looked at Su Wu…

Su Wu frowned slightly... Now, they were in Hebei, the Jurchens were retreating, and news from the capital, Tokyo, was slowly spreading...

Many things are about to begin...

It's inevitable and difficult...

“Brother…it’s going to be quite a struggle…” Liu Guangshi wanted to hear Su Wu’s opinion, so he spoke again.

(Hey guys, muah... It's almost the end of the month again. I'll probably be updating around 200,000 words this month, so please give me some monthly votes in advance...)
(End of this chapter)