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

"Those Liangshan people number less than a thousand. This 10,000 shi of grain has already filled them up. They have no time to come and cause trouble for Dongxi Village!"

"If you say so, I am relieved." Chao Gai nodded.

Wu Yong asked, "Has the Master ever considered helping Xixi Village?"

"Sir, you jest. You are aware of my affair with that Li Baozheng!"

Chao Gai snorted and said,

"That scoundrel committed atrocities in Xixi Village, creating ghosts and vengeful spirits. He even wants to build a pagoda to drive his vengeful spirits to my Dongxi Village!"

"How could I possibly help such a despicable person!"

"But has the manor lord considered that such a major event has occurred in Xixi Village, and yet the manor lord, as the head of the village, has not made any move? How will he explain this to the county magistrate tomorrow?" Wu Yong reminded him.

The position of Baozheng originated from Wang Anshi's implementation of the Baojia system.

Their main responsibilities included managing the population, security, and training of local militia.

Chao Gai was the head of Dongxi Village when Xixi Village was robbed.

According to the regulations of the imperial court, he also had a duty to go and provide assistance.

“Don’t worry about this, sir. If the magistrate questions us, we can simply ask Clerk Song to send over some silver, and that will settle things peacefully,” Chao Gai replied casually.

"Master, this matter is far from ordinary. In my humble opinion, even if you are unwilling to rescue Xixi Village, you should at least send someone to Yuncheng County to report the news as soon as possible."

Wu Yong advised, "The county magistrate will surely send troops when the time comes. If they want to fight, the manor lord can accompany them. If they don't fight, the blame will not lie with the manor lord."

"What you say makes sense!"

Chao Gai responded and immediately sent someone to the county town to report the news.

......

The messenger from Dongxi Village hurried along the night road to deliver the news.

After finally arriving in Yuncheng County,

It was still late at night, and the city gates remained closed.

The farmhand roared for a long time under the city wall.

They then woke up the soldiers guarding the city and used a basket to pull him up onto the city wall.

Upon entering Yuncheng County, the farmhand realized that the government offices were not yet open.

Even if I went there myself, I might not be able to get anyone to open the door.

Then I remembered that the county magistrate, Clerk Song, was on good terms with their manor lord.

They first found Song Jiang's residence.

Song Jiang was quite a character.

He was originally from Songjia Village, and his family owned several hundred acres of farmland.

In his early years, he was neither good at literature nor martial arts, but he loved to roam the martial arts world.

Because he often helped out heroes of the martial arts world, he earned the nickname "Timely Rain".

Although he had already made a name for himself in the martial arts world

Song Jiang's mind was entirely focused on his official career.

With his talent, he naturally couldn't pass the imperial examinations.

He could only spend money to become a minor clerk in Yuncheng County.

However, there was a world of difference between officials in the Song Dynasty.

Once a government official, always a government official.

Unless favored and promoted by a high-ranking official in the imperial court, there is absolutely no possibility of being promoted from a clerk to an official.

Song Jiang was indeed able to endure loneliness.

He served as a scribe for several years, unable to advance further in his official career.

However, through his underworld connections, he cultivated good relationships with various officials in the Yuncheng County government.

Throughout the entire city of Yuncheng, everyone who mentions Clerk Song speaks highly of him.

Even Shi Wenbin, the magistrate of Yuncheng County, had no choice but to befriend Song Jiang.

Only in this way can the government orders of Yuncheng County be effectively communicated to all levels of government.

Song Jiang and Chao Gai had known each other for a long time.

There is both brotherhood and financial interests between the two sides.

For example, Chao Gai's private business required Song Jiang's protection.

Because so-called private merchants are engaging in illegal business.

For example, selling contraband salt and smuggling items prohibited by the imperial court are both considered private business transactions.

Such business naturally requires bribing officials at all levels.

Otherwise, how could they possibly continue their work if the government searched every day and investigated every night?

That established a connection between Song Jiang and Chao Gai.

The relationship between the two was naturally very close.

Now, in the middle of the night, I heard a servant from Chao Gai's manor knocking on the door.

Song Jiang assumed that something had gone wrong with Chao Gai's private business.

He quickly opened the door.

Unexpectedly, the servants who entered spoke of the raid on Xixi Village by Liangshan. (Nodding)

During the first half of the night, Song Jiang was still drinking with Zhu Tong and Lei Heng, two constables from the county government.

I had just fallen asleep in the middle of the night when I was woken up by this farmhand.

He was still somewhat dazed, but after hearing that Xixi Village had been plundered by bandits,

I woke up instantly.

"What? Wang Lun actually has this guts?"

Upon regaining his senses, Song Jiang realized that this matter was of great importance.

He hurriedly led the messenger to the county government office to request an audience with the magistrate.

The magistrate of Yuncheng County, Shi Wenbin, was a scholar.

Upon hearing that bandits dared to plunder villages under their jurisdiction...

He immediately panicked and hurriedly sought advice from Song Jiang.

"What does Clerk Song think we should do?"

"This matter is of great importance. Your Excellency, you should immediately summon Captains Zhu Tong and Lei Heng, and lead the county officials to Xixi Village to investigate the situation!"

Song Jiang cupped his hands and replied, "If the bandits are powerful, we can have the two captains secretly follow them and find out the situation. That way, even if the higher-ups question us in the future, the magistrate will have something to say."

"If the thief is weak, then the two captains can capture him in one fell swoop, and the magistrate can also gain merit from this!"

Chapter 84 Zhu Tong and Lei Heng

After receiving the order from the county magistrate, Zhu Tong and Lei Heng, the two constables of Yuncheng County,

They quickly assembled their yamen runners and soldiers and rushed to Xixi Village.

Song Jiang also went with them.

Because I don't know the details of Xixi Village.

Fearing they had fallen into an ambush set by Liangshan,

Zhu Tong and Lei Heng, on Song Jiang's advice,

First they arrived at Chao Gai's manor.

"Clerk, both captains, please have a seat!"

After everyone exchanged greetings, Chao Gai recounted the events of the previous night at Xixi Village to Song Jiang and the others.

"Just now, a scout reported that the Liangshan bandits, under the pretext of helping the tenants settle their grievances and avenge their families, almost wiped out Li Baozheng's entire family, leaving only an orphan and a widow."

"An hour ago, the Liangshan soldiers began to carry the money and grain they had robbed from Li Baozheng's manor to the shore of the marsh."

"The villagers of Xixi Village seem to be forced to help with the transportation as well."

"Since these bandits are transporting money, wouldn't it be perfect if we attacked them now and caught them off guard?" Lei Heng said excitedly.

His excitement was certainly not because he couldn't wait to kill the enemy.

Instead, he thought of Li Baozheng's wealth.

The Li family is now reduced to a widow and her young children, weak and vulnerable.

If the bandits can be defeated at this time, the money and grain belonging to the Li family can naturally be distributed at will by the government troops.

Zhu Tong, standing to the side, was much more composed.

"Master, what is the true strength of the rebel army? Have you found out anything about it?"

"About three or four hundred people,"

Chao Gai thought for a moment and said, "However, most of them are currently transporting money and grain, and there are only about a hundred people escorting them!"

“Chief Zhu, you and I each have forty soldiers, plus Master Chao’s retainers, making a total of one hundred and fifty or sixty men.”

Lei Heng urged, "Those bandits are nothing but a rabble. If we defeat the hundred or so bandits escorting the grain, the rest of the grain-carrying bandits will panic and flee with their loot. We can easily defeat them with a single charge!"

"But I've heard that Lin Chong, the instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards in Tokyo, is also on Liangshan. This man is not easy to deal with!"

Zhu Tong was still somewhat hesitant.

Lei Heng, however, couldn't wait any longer.

"Chief Zhu, no matter how powerful Lin Chong is, he's just one person. I refuse to believe that the two of us combined can't defeat him!"

"this......"

Zhu Tong pondered for a moment, then looked at Song Jiang beside him: "What does Clerk Song think?"

"Sir Song, this is a golden opportunity!" Lei Heng shouted.

Song Jiang thought for a moment and said, "In my humble opinion, we might as well take our troops and go over there to take a look first, and then decide whether to fight or not based on the situation. What do you two captains and Master Chao think?"

"Alright!"

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

Zhu Tong and Lei Heng mustered the county government's troops, while Chao Gai gathered the servants from his estate and also called upon Wu Yong.

More than 160 people headed straight for Xixi Village.

Upon arriving at the scene, they witnessed firsthand the bandits mingling with the villagers.

They were haphazardly carrying money and grain towards the shore of the marsh.

Not to mention Lei Heng, even Zhu Tong was tempted.

"Brothers, let's charge! Everyone gets a share of today's spoils!"

Upon hearing the shouts of the two captains, the county soldiers immediately grabbed their swords and spears with excited expressions.

He then rushed toward the grain transport team.

Chao Gai originally intended to lead his servants to charge up and seize some of Li Baozheng's wealth.

But Wu Yong reached out and grabbed him.

"What do you mean by this, sir?" Chao Gai asked, puzzled.

“Master, we previously thought these villagers were forced to help Liangshan transport grain, but look at how happy they were just now, do they seem to have been forced?”

Wu Yong said slowly, "Furthermore, Master, don't forget the escort team reported by the scouts. If we rush up now and run into them, wouldn't the losses be terrible?"

"Then, as you wish, sir?"

"Let those two constables from the county government charge ahead, and we'll follow behind."