Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

Liu Huiniang gave a mischievous giggle.

"I'm telling you, you haven't forgotten, have you? That tiger was just a victim of my fists," Zhao Yuan joked.

········Requesting flowers·· 0

Liu Huiniang was about to retort when she suddenly realized something.

The person in front of her was practically pressing his face against hers!

The female strategist blushed instantly and quickly took a step back.

She then gritted her teeth and said resentfully,

"Sister Qiongying was right after all. Sometimes you really lack any sense of propriety..."

"Qiongying is my sister, so why don't you treat me like your sister too?"

Zhao Yuan laughed and said, "If the brother and sister are close, no one else will think too much about it."

"I already have two older brothers at home, and I don't want another one,"

Liu Huiniang covered her mouth and laughed, just about to turn around and go back...

His gaze suddenly stopped in the distance.

"Chief, it seems they've been trying to gather information from Han Bolong, the leader of the stronghold."

. ..... ...

"Yes, I saw it too,"

Zhao Yuan frowned, and his expression was somewhat strange.

Because he also saw an acquaintance next to Han Bolong.

Yan Qing, the Prodigal Son of Daming Prefecture!

He actually rode a horse alongside Han Bolong!

Why would Yan Qing come to Liangshan?

Could it be that something happened to Lu Junyi?

......

After Chao Gai and his men left the north bank of the marsh,

Liu Tang couldn't wait to ask, "Daoist Master, where exactly is that wonderful place you mentioned? Can you tell me now?"

Seeing that Chao Gai and Wu Yong beside him were also looking over,

Gongsun Sheng then cut to the chase and spoke directly.

"In the territory of Qingzhou, Shandong, there is a dangerous place called Erlong Mountain!"

“The mountain has been occupied by a group of bandits. The bandit leader is named Deng Long, who was originally the abbot of Baozhu Temple on Erlong Mountain. His nickname is “Golden-Eyed Tiger”.

"He did not abide by the rules and regulations, led the monks to grow their hair back and return to secular life, gathered local ruffians and thieves, and assembled four or five hundred people to occupy Erlong Mountain to rob and plunder."

"It is said that in order to prevent the government from capturing them, they built a fortified village on Erlong Mountain to defend themselves, taking advantage of its high altitude and strategic location. Three passes were set up at the foot of the mountain, and the passes were filled with wooden blocks and stones. The surrounding area was covered with deer fortifications."

"If we four brothers could seize this mountain, wouldn't that be a perfect place to go!"

"But according to what the Taoist priest said, Erlong Mountain is heavily guarded. How can we possibly take it?" Chao Gai asked.

Wu Yong shook his feather fan: "Master, don't be anxious. Since the Daoist was able to mention Erlong Mountain, he must already have a plan in mind."

Chapter 246 Xu Guanzhong Becomes a Traitor to the Song Dynasty

"Scholar Wu guessed correctly,"

Gongsun Sheng nodded and smiled, "I do have a plan in mind. Deng Long is greedy, and the four of us are currently being pursued by the government. Many outlaws believe that the birthday tribute is in our hands!"

"Why don't we make an excuse and say that we want to give this birthday gift to Deng Long, just to ask for a place to stay?"

"Greedy Deng Long will surely agree!"

"Once he brings us up the mountain, we'll find a chance to get rid of him! The rest of the thugs from Erlong Mountain are nothing but a rabble; seeing Deng Long dead, they certainly won't fight to the death."

"If we can subdue these lackeys and follow the example of Liangshan in upholding justice and acting on behalf of the people, why would we worry that our stronghold won't grow and thrive?"

Gongsun Sheng's plan,

Although it was somewhat risky, the four of them were already outlaws on the run.

If we could really capture this Erlong Mountain stronghold,

Even if it's a bit dangerous, what's wrong with having "153"?

Seeing that Chao Gai, Wu Yong, and Liu Tang were all of no use,

Gongsun Sheng then led them all the way to Erlong Mountain.

........

On the north bank of the lake,

When Han Bolong and Yan Qing rode up to them,

Before Zhao Yuan could speak,

Yan Qing dismounted and knelt down.

"Chief, my brother is in trouble. I have no other choice but to beg Chief Zhao to save him!"

"Your elder brother? Is it Brother Xu Guanzhong? Didn't he just pass the martial arts exam with top honors?"

Zhao Yuan quickly pulled Yan Qing up.

Seeing that he was somewhat out of breath from traveling, he said,

"Brother, come with me into the military camp first, and I'll explain in detail later."

Inside the military camp tent,

Yan Qing recovered a little.

He then hurriedly told Zhao Yuan about Xu Guanzhong.

It turns out that about ten days ago,

After Zhao Yuan and his accomplices switched the birthday gifts and left Daming Prefecture,

Because Xu Guanzhong became the top martial arts scholar,

Lu Junyi then sent Yan Qing to Bianliang, the capital of Tokyo, with some gifts to congratulate him.

Xu Guanzhong's high school graduation was a source of immense joy for his close friend, De Yanqing.

He traveled as fast as he could, day and night, by water, completing the journey in just three to five days.

They then rushed to Bianliang.

Upon arriving at the destination, Yan Qing expected to meet Xu Guanzhong immediately.

But after making a few inquiries, I learned that...

Xu Guanzhong, the newly appointed martial arts champion, has actually been imprisoned.

The charge was "colluding with the Liao people to plot treason"!

This was clearly a fabricated charge, yet it was known to everyone in Bianliang (Kaifeng), the capital of the Song Dynasty.

The common people, as long as they knew Xu Guanzhong in advance,

Everyone condemned him as a traitor, a collaborator, and a spineless coward!

Yan Qing was initially unaware of this matter. After people learned of his relationship with Xu Guanzhong, he was surrounded and verbally abused by many people.

"Brother Xu has only been the top martial arts scholar for less than half a month,"

Zhao Yuan frowned and asked, "Has he offended powerful officials like Cai Jing in the court?"

"If Scholar Xu was imprisoned because he offended Cai Jing and his associates, why would the common people hate him so much?"

Xu Ning asked in confusion, "Generally speaking, shouldn't ordinary people feel sorry for him?"

"Chief Zhao, Teacher Xu,"

Yan Qing said helplessly, "The reason why Brother Xu aroused public indignation in Tokyo is because after he became the top martial arts scholar, he wrote to the current emperor, arguing that we should unite with Liao to resist Jin, instead of allying with Jin to deal with Liao!"

It turns out that half a month ago,

In Bianliang, the capital of the Eastern Capital, besides the military examinations,

There was another extremely important matter that attracted the attention of everyone in Bianliang, from court officials to ordinary citizens.

That is when the Jurchens officially sent envoys to Tokyo to form an alliance with the Song Dynasty to jointly deal with the Liao Dynasty!

As mentioned before,

Although there had been no war between the Song and Liao dynasties for a century,

However, a century ago, the Liao people migrated south and committed atrocities against and plundered the Han people.

However, through oral tradition, it has been imprinted in the blood and bones of the Han people from generation to generation.

The Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, in particular, were the homeland that countless Han people dreamed of restoring.

In addition, the praise from the pro-war faction, including Tong Guan and Cai Jing,

For a while,

The entire city of Bianliang (Kaifeng) erupted in celebration.

Whether it was the majority of officials in the court or the majority of ordinary people,

They all believed that as long as they formed an alliance with the Jurchens,

Then we can decisively defeat the Liao Kingdom, wash away the shame of the Han people, and reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun!

At this very moment,

Hsu Kuan-chung, however, was stubborn and insisted on going against the tide.

In his memorial to Emperor Huizong, he vehemently criticized the harm caused by the alliance with the Jin dynasty to attack the Liao dynasty.

He also revealed that once the Liao Dynasty was destroyed, the Jin people would inevitably move south.

In his memorial, Xu Guanzhong also mentioned that Hebei had not experienced war for many years.

The problems of various military units drawing salaries without working, embezzling pay and provisions, neglecting training, and low morale were all clearly pointed out.

If he opposed the Jin's attack on Liao, he only offended Tong Guan, the treacherous eunuch who was eager to be enfeoffed as a king by recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

After Xu Guanzhong exposed the true colors of the Hebei soldiers, he also completely offended the treacherous minister Cai Jing!

Because the military forces in Hebei are now all under the control of Liang Zhongshu of Daming Prefecture.

Much of the money he embezzled from the Hebei army ended up in Cai Jing's household.

Consider the annual birthday tribute, a significant portion of which was the military expenditure allocated by the Song court to Daming Prefecture each year.

Furthermore, Liang Zhongshu was Cai Jing's son-in-law, so how could Cai Jing not protect him!

The day after Xu Guanzhong submitted his petition,

Cai Jing and Tong Guan then colluded with Wang Fu, Liang Shicheng, Zhu Mian, Li Yan, and Gao Kan to submit a memorial to the throne.

They vehemently denounced Xu Guanzhong as a traitor bribed by the Liao people.

Everything he did and said was aimed at undermining the Song-Jin alliance and causing the Song Dynasty to miss the great opportunity to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun!

After passing the imperial martial arts examination, Xu Guanzhong wanted to put his skills to practical use.

Traveling around the world, one can observe the strategic importance and ruggedness of various terrains.

He even took a trip to the Liao Kingdom.

And this, according to the words of Cai Jing, Tong Guan, and others,

This led to Xu Guanzhong being bribed by the Liao people to travel to various places.

He drew maps of strategic passes and fortifications throughout the Song Dynasty and presented them to the Liao people to claim credit!

Emperor Huizong of Song (Zhao Ji) was a man who loved grand achievements and was fond of political exploits.

If we can destroy the Liao Dynasty and recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun