Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 314: Atonement Camp

Zhao Zhen heard Wu Yong's words and realized that he was the county magistrate of Jimi County of the Song Dynasty. Openly killing soldiers was tantamount to rebellion, which would inevitably attract a large army to suppress him. He had never thought of really confronting the imperial army. He just wanted to dig into the imperial court and make more money. Of course, training his abilities and improving his professional level were the most important.

Zhao Zhen also nodded and said, "What the scholar said makes sense. It would be best if we can persuade him to rebel. I'm just afraid that he will agree to it in person but regret it later. Tomorrow, my brother Pei Xuan and I will take Bai Zhang to Shijie Village. We should save this man if we can. The soldiers should not be delayed in receiving rewards for their meritorious service. Brothers Ruan Xiaowu and Ouyang Shoutong, you have also been credited with killing the general and breaking the formation this time."

Pei Xuan also said: "That's right, morale should be boosted but not dampened. Those who have made contributions will be rewarded, and those who have committed crimes will be punished, that's all."

Zhu Wu said: "Sir, more than a thousand local soldiers have been killed. I'm afraid there will be more trouble in Jeju Prefecture. After all, most of them are the pillars of their families. With so many people, I'm afraid there will be more trouble in Jeju Prefecture."

Wu Yong said, "That's right. Marching in the fog is dangerous. There have been cases of entire armies being wiped out in the past. We must be careful not to stir up the villagers' emotions and make them hate Liangshan County. Sir, I'm afraid Brother Shi Qian will have to go to Jeju Prefecture to find out the truth so that we can respond."

Zhao Zhen nodded and sent someone to invite Shi Qian. He said, "Scholar, we have only occupied Shijie Village, but Jizhou Prefecture has sent so many soldiers. If they occupy other villages, how can Yanggu County just sit there?"

Wu Yong said: "Don't worry, sir. After all, this place is under the jurisdiction of Dongping Prefecture and there is no official road. With the old man covering it up, there won't be any problems. On the contrary, Yuncheng County and Jizhou Prefecture should pay more attention to it."

Zhao Zhen thought for a moment and said, "It's not difficult to occupy the village, but we have to station troops there. If the soldiers are dispersed, won't it be easy for others to take advantage of us?"

Zhu Wu said: "Sir, now there are local soldiers in every village, with a minimum of more than ten people and a maximum of seventy or eighty people. The villages that Duan Jingzhu and his brother have just explored are not far from Heihu Temple Town. As long as the fog is dispelled, they will naturally be connected. Moreover, the coal mine in Heihu Temple Town now has to accommodate so many prisoners to mine, so the number of garrison soldiers must be increased. And..."

After hesitating for a while, Wu Yong continued, "Sir, it's a bit of a waste for brother Duan Jingzhu of Heihu Temple Town, who has the ability to judge and train horses, to be only a deputy commander of the infantry."

Zhao Zhen heard this and asked, "Brother Zhu Wu, do you have any ideas?"

"Sir, the horse ranch at Xiaoping Mountain has been built. Why not transfer Brother Duan Jingzhu there to lead the soldiers and also take charge of the horse ranch affairs?"

"If so, Black Tiger Temple Town will have to choose another suitable hero to lead the garrison. Which brother do you think is suitable?"

Wu Yong said: "Sir, the two camps in Liangshan have the least fighting. As the county's reserve force, in addition to the two heroes Shi Xiu and Liu Tang, there are six deputy generals. It is better to transfer the two brothers Du Qian and Song Wan down the mountain to garrison the Black Tiger Temple Town."

Zhu Wu said: "Yes, one main general and two deputy generals are enough. After all, Liangshan is located in the hinterland and surrounded by water. We rely on boats to travel."

Zhao Zhen also thought it made sense. He said, "Then follow what Xuejiu and Zhu Wu said and reassign the three of them to new positions."

···
On the second day, Zhao Zhen and Pei Xuan, as agreed, took rice, flour, cloth and other rewards, boarded a large ship, and went to Shijie Village with Bai Zhang, Bai Zhi and a group of officials, following Ouyang Shoutong.

Shi Qian, Du Qian, Song Wan and Duan Jingzhu also acted according to the orders they received.

When Zhao Zhen and his group entered Shijie Village and exchanged greetings, Zhao Zhen said, "Brother, this is a good plan. This is a good fight. From now on, I will feel at ease around Shijie Lake."

Ruan Xiaowu said, "Sir, I am a rough man and I don't know any strategies. It is all thanks to Brother Ouyang's brilliant plan that we have this great victory."

Zhao Zhen said: "Brother, don't be too modest. Brother Ouyang also praised my bravery. The credit for killing the general in the battle should not be attributed to others."

Ruan Xiaowu grinned after hearing this.

"How's Huang An?"

Ruan Xiaowu said: "He died last night. I was just thinking of chopping off his head and sending it to Baishi Manor."

Zhao Zhen waved his hand and said, "Let's find a place to bury Guan Jian and the militiamen who were killed." Ruan Xiaowu responded.

Zhao Zhen turned to Bai Zhang and said, "I wanted to ask you to come and treat this guy, but I didn't expect he's already dead. Aren't there a few soldiers who were bruised and injured? Go and take a look. If nothing is wrong, show it to the farmers in the village."

"My wife will also follow my brother to have a look around."

The two men responded and went to see the patient accompanied by the sergeant.

Pei Xuan said: "Sir, I will go and record the soldiers' merits and distribute the rewards as soon as possible." After that, he took a group of clerks and went to work.

While Zhao Zhen was talking, Ruan Xiaowu and Ouyang Shoutong also murmured something, and seeing Zhao Zhen looking at them, Ruan Xiaowu said, "Sir, I heard from Brother Ouyang that you are going to give rewards to the farmers in the village this time?"

Seeing that Ruan Xiaowu seemed to have something else to say, Zhao Zhen waved his hand and said, "Of course it is so. It's not all for my sake. After all, you are risking your life to lead the way. The county can't just turn a blind eye. If so, who will be willing to risk their lives in the future?"

After hearing this, Ruan Xiaowu said no more.

"Brother, where are the prisoners now? Take me to see them."

Ruan Xiaowu said, "I have moved them all to the high ground in the lake, and more than ten speedboats are patrolling to ensure that no one escapes."

As he spoke, he invited Zhao Zhen to board the boat and took the soldiers to a high ground. When Zhao Zhen looked, he saw a large group of people crowded on the high ground in a reed marsh, looking listless.

Seeing the boat approaching, there was a commotion on the high ground. By the time Zhao Zhen reached the high ground, the captives had moved back cautiously.

Ouyang Shoutong shouted loudly, "Listen up, everyone. Those who hold positions, regardless of whether they are captains, escort officers, team leaders, or flag leaders, stand out and stand on the left. The big soldiers stand on the right. Those who conceal their identities will be killed once they are found out. Those who report meritorious acts will be exempted from hard labor and become good citizens again."

On the battlefield, seeing Ruan Xiaowu's ferocious appearance and killing people without hesitation, the captives looked at the seventy or eighty people who came ashore. Although they outnumbered the enemy ten times, no one dared to resist. They just looked at everyone silently, hesitating with each other.

When Ruan Xiaowu and Ouyang Shoutong saw this, they each pulled out a rattan stick and started beating the captured soldiers on the head. Wherever the two men passed, the captured soldiers fled in panic.

After struggling for two quarters of an hour, the captives were finally divided into two groups. Ruan Xiaowu, sweating all over, shouted, "The highest-ranking official, please come forward and talk to him."

Under the gaze of the crowd, a big man came out trembling all over. Before he even reached Zhao Zhen, he knelt down and said, "I am Xie Shun, the Du Yu Hou, the highest-ranking official among these people. What do you want, General?"

Zhao Zhen asked, "Marquis Jie Yu, why did you come to Shijie Village?"

Xie Shun said tremblingly: "Sir, I am not hiding anything on purpose. I received an order to follow the Huang Tuanlian army and I don't know why I came here."

"Whose order?"

Xie Shun looked at Ruan Xiaowu and Ouyang Shoutong who were staring at him, and said resignedly, "My Lord, the prefect, I really don't know about the others. Only Huang Tuanlian is the prefect's confidant. He is the only one who knows what the purpose is."

Zhao Zhen called out the three captains and interrogated them individually. What they said was consistent with what Jie Shun said.

Zhao Zhen saw that he could not get any reason, so he said to the four people, "You invaded the territory without reason. You were captured today and were sentenced to hard labor. You are to select 200 people and join the redemption camp. You will lead the battle in every battle. If you survive three times, you can stay or go. Those who do not want to join the army will be sent to the mines to work for ten years before they can be released."

(End of this chapter)