Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 416 Retreat

The big man walked to the front of the battle formation, knelt down, and held a big seal in his hand. Lu Fang and Guo Sheng rode up on horseback and shouted, "Who are you?"

The big man said, "I am Wang Feibao, and I will be appointed as the garrison commander of Xintai."

After hearing this, Lu Fang shouted, "Follow me."

As he said this, he and Guo Sheng took Wang Feibao to the central army to meet Zhao Zhen.

When Wang Feibao saw Zhao Zhen, he presented the county seal in his hand, lowered his head, and knelt on the ground. He said, "I, Wang Feibao, am not worthy of resisting the heavenly soldiers. I saw the letter last night, and today I offer this city to save my life."

Zhao Zhen asked, "Why don't you send someone to ask Song Jiang to come and rescue us?"

"Since the general came here, I have sent countless messengers to rescue. I don't know if they were all stopped by the general. There was no response from Laiwu Prison. We have been tired of dealing with the daily artillery attacks. When I saw the letter of persuasion for surrender, I simply surrendered." Wang Feibao said carefully.

"I have heard of your reputation in Hebei, but I am a bandit in Tiger Wing Mountain and dare not come to you for surrender. For some reason, the government suddenly dispatched elite soldiers to the mountain to encircle and suppress us. Our camp is small and cannot resist the enemy, so we surrender to Song Jiang."

Zhao Zhen said, "Since you surrender sincerely, you must be law-abiding from now on, not like you who live a carefree life as a bandit. I will give you a choice now, you must think carefully. If you are not sincere in surrendering, I will let you go back today and send a letter to Song Jiang. If you are sincere in surrendering, you must know that my military law is not lenient. When that time comes, don't blame me for being lenient."

"The same goes for the minions in the city. The strong ones will be selected to join the army, and the old and weak who don't want to join the army will be given land and become good citizens again. This is decided today, and you cannot regret it in the future. I will let you go back to the city and inform everyone."

After Wang Feibao left, Zhao Zhen informed the soldiers that the city had surrendered, and cheers of "Ten thousand wins, ten thousand wins" suddenly rang out in the army.

An hour later, Wang Feibao led his men out of the city, and weapons and armor were piled at the city gate.

The scout battalion and the heavy vanguard moved forward and escorted the city defenders, who were divided into two groups, to the main camp three miles away.

Zhao Zhen led his troops into the city, counted the spoils, settled the captives, informed the locals, and posted notices to reassure the people. At the same time, he hired the men in the city with money and food, along with the captives, to repair the city walls damaged by the artillery. Those captives who did not want to stay were given money and food and sent away once the city walls were repaired.

After seven or eight days, Zhao Zhen waited for Xintai City to be rectified. Zhao Xin brought 1,500 infantrymen and 500 cavalrymen, wearing helmets and armor, to Xintai City to meet Zhao Zhen.

When Zhao Zhen saw this, he immediately appointed Zhao Xin as the commander of a battalion, and Gao Liangshi, Jinzhuang and Hua Diao as his deputy generals.

Secretary Shi Gugong went to the neighboring Xinwen to take charge of county affairs, and Jinzhuang led 500 infantrymen to assist him.

After discussing with Wu Yong, Zhao Zhen left Lu Zhishen to lead the Jianrui Battalion with 2000 men, Dong Ping, Ou Peng, and Ma Lin to lead the Zuoxiaoqi Battalion, and Qin Ming, Huang Xin, and Luan Tingfang to lead the Qianfeng Battalion, totaling 3500 men. Together with Zhao Xin, they had men stationed in Xintai.

Guanghui and Wusong were still left to guard Pingyi and Mengyin, and enough food and grass for half a year were left in each place, and the rest were transported back to Liangshan.

As for Ruan Xiaowu, who was stranded in Xinwen County, he was not in a hurry to go back. He just needed to return to Shijie Lake before the Wen River froze. During this period of time, he still had to inspect the counties along the Wen River.

Ling Zhen left behind forty flying thunders and enough ammunition, and the two brothers He Hao and He Han, who were good at counting, led them. Before leaving, Liu Huiniang took the two of them to the north gate tower to calculate several possible locations outside the city for the battle formation. If Song Jiang led his troops to attack, they would definitely give him a big gift.

Also staying behind was the military advisor Wu Yong, who was in charge of all affairs of the four counties in Yizhou.

The distribution was decided, and Zhao Zhen took the captives and the money and grain from the four county treasuries, left Xintai City, and returned along the same route.

As soon as the army arrived at Pingyi County, Zhao Zhen unexpectedly met his future father-in-law Chen Xizhen there. After greeting each other, Chen Xizhen said, "My dear son-in-law, has Liqing caused any trouble?" As he spoke, he glanced at Chen Liqing who was standing with Liu Huiniang.

Zhao Zhen heard this and said, "Father, you are wrong. Sister Liqing killed the Flying Centipede Wu Qian in her first battle. Later, she shot geese in the training ground and won the favor of the head of the Zhaojia Village, Lady Zhao Xin, Gao Liang. She gave her four maids. These four people can take care of Liqing in the future battles."

After hearing this, Chen Xizhen's face showed joy.

Zhao Zhen asked, "My dear father-in-law, why are you here?"

After hearing this, Chen Xizhen said sternly, "My dear son-in-law, the Xuannv Temple in Huandao Village has been cleaned up, and we will start the construction in the spring of next year. These days, I went to Yanggu County to visit my uncle Liu Guang. He told me that Gou Bangda's two sons are now living outside Yizhou City. I also have a connection with his family. So I want to ask them to come to me, my dear son-in-law. What do you think?"

Zhao Zhen was overjoyed when he heard this, and said, "Father, you don't know, I have also sent people to Yuanbi Village to win over these two heroes, but they are worried about being persecuted by Tong Guan, and I am the son-in-law of Tong Guan's disciple, so I have some concerns. If Father-in-law goes, I am afraid that he will not be able to persuade these two brothers."

Chen Xizhen said, "My dear son-in-law, this Gou family is the descendant of Gou Bian, a famous sage during the Warring States Period. When it came to the Song Dynasty, this Gou Bangda was just like his ancestor, loyal and upright, and not afraid of power. He was killed unjustly because he had offended Tong Guan. When I was in Bianjing, I also worked hard for him and gave away a piece of shady land on Fenghuang Mountain outside the city, which saved his two brothers. If I go to mediate, I am not afraid that these two will not come."

As the two were talking, they saw Bai Sheng leading Shi Qian over.

After greeting, Zhao Zhen asked, "Did you encounter the document announcing the victory in Xintai City?"

Shi Qian nodded and said, "Sir, I have never seen this. I only saw the document requesting the merit for killing Wu Qian in battle. According to Secretary Tong, the court has already decided on the reward, and the imperial decree will be delivered in a few days."

Zhao Zhen asked, "Have you found out what the reward is?"

Shi Qian said, "Tong Shumi never said anything. He only said that the great official had made great contributions in the war. This time he spent a lot of time in front of the emperor to select 30 master craftsmen from the East and West workshops and the Capital Workshop to help the great official set up the State Workshop." "Tong Shumi never mentioned anything else. Before leaving, he did say that because Yizhou was unstable, many officials selected by the court were not worthy of the job. The great official could first put these counties under military control and collect corvée and taxes. After pacifying Song Jiang, he could re-appoint officials."

Zhao Zhen was indeed delighted when he heard this. If there really was an imperial decree, it would be beneficial to manage these counties for a few years.

Chen Xizhen heard this and said, "The court really has a good idea."

Seeing Zhao Zhen puzzled, Chen Xizhen continued, "It's just to let my son-in-law help. These counties are backed by mountains, there is not much arable land, and they have suffered from wars, so the population is not prosperous. If my son-in-law supervises them, he will have to go to war with Song Jiang of Qingzhou."

Zhao Zhen smiled and said, "Father, even if you don't let me supervise this place, I still have to send troops. If the court doesn't send troops to take over, I can't really ignore this place. This time, while Song Jiang and Hu Yanzhuo are fighting, this place is not heavily guarded, so I can take advantage of it."

Liu Hui Niang suddenly interrupted, "Sir, uncle, I have an idea. Speaking of which, your prefecture also has a number of heroes wanted by the court, such as Lin Chong, Lu Zhishen, Yang Zhi and others. These people are well-known to Cai Jing and Gao Qiu. It's just that your prefecture deliberately concealed it. Originally, it was just a remote county, so no one cared about it."

"Now that you have reached the high position of the governor and have made new achievements, I am afraid that people from all walks of life will come to inquire about it. At that time, I am afraid that I will not be able to hide it. Taking advantage of this opportunity, my uncle can persuade the Gou Huan brothers to secretly join you. In the future, there will be no need to rob houses. The money and food in the mountain stronghold will be provided by you. In addition to occupying this Yuanbi Stronghold, we can also occupy a few more dangerous peaks in Yizhou, which will be useful in the future."

After hearing this, Chen Xizhen knew what Liu Huiniang was up to. Originally, Chen Xizhen had not thought about how to deal with the Gou Huan brothers. He just thought that if the two of them became bandits, their innocent bodies would be tainted, and they would only end up in the outlaws and would never be able to bring honor to their family. That's why he wanted to persuade them.

Now, after hearing what Liu Hui Niang said, his eyes lit up.

Now the Song Dynasty is facing external and internal troubles, and rebellions are constantly going on. No one can predict what the future will be like. Once a wise ruler ascends the throne, keeps away villains, keeps close to virtuous ministers, and revitalizes the court, then the Gou Huan brothers will also have a chance to come to the fore.

Chen Xizhen said, "I was not sure I could convince the two brothers Gou Huan and Gou Ying, but after hearing what Hui Niang said, I have an idea in mind. I will cross Mengshan and go to Yuanbi Village today."

Zhao Zhen said, "It's a little inconvenient for you to be alone. Zhang San and Li Si are in the camp. They are the smartest. If they go with you, there will be someone to take care of them on the way."

Without waiting for Chen Xizhen to object, Zhao Zhen had someone call Zhang San and Li Si to come and give them some instructions. The three of them said goodbye to Zhao Zhen and walked east into the forest.

Zhao Zhen gave Guanghui a few instructions and continued on his horse, heading towards Liangshan along the same route.

During these days, Song Jiang and Hu Yanzhuo fought many times in Laiwu and Laiwu Prison, winning and losing. Hu Yanzhuo's army was short of infantry and was not good at attacking the city. In the field battle, Song Jiang relied on linked armored horses, which he could not break.

Therefore, both sides were deadlocked here. As the weather turned cold, Hu Yanzhuo had no choice but to retreat to Fengfu. First, he wanted to wait for reinforcements and artillery. Second, after days of fighting, the soldiers and horses were exhausted and needed to rest.

Upon hearing that Zhao Zhen had captured Xintai and left a part of his troops to garrison there, he returned to Liangshan.

Before the imperial reinforcements arrived, Song Jiang's reinforcements arrived first. After discussing with Han Tao, Hu Yanzhuo also retreated to Fengfu County overnight.

When Song Jiang sent out his troops to challenge Hu Yanzhuo, he found that Hu Yanzhuo's camp was already empty. He sent out spies to track him down and confirmed that Hu Yanzhuo had retreated. Song Jiang's army in Laiwu suddenly erupted in thunderous cheers.

Song Jiang went up to the tent and beat the drum to gather the troops. Soon, the leaders of the various camps gathered in the tent.

Counting the number of people, in this battle, [Iron Arm Bear] Wanqi Danian was killed by Han Tao, the new Yuanyang Valley [Thousand-foot Pit] Xu Pingsheng and [Iceberg] Han Tongyin who were guarding Pingyi were killed, [Flying Centipede] Wu Qian died while rescuing Xintai, and [Life-Calling Ghost] Wang Feibao was captured. A total of five leaders were killed.

The four men from the north, Ma Yuan, the [Golden-Scaled Python], Helian Jinming, the [Lie Jue Da Lang], Yao Shun, the [Hungry Bug], Cui Hao, the [Iron-Backed Wolf], the two men, Kong Ming, the [Mao Tou Xing], and Fa Hui, the [Drunken King Kong] guarding Weizhou, Kong Liang, the [Unique Fire Star] who was patrolling Qingzhou, and Li Zhong, the [Tiger-Slaying General] stationed in Yizhou, had not arrived yet.

The other leaders included [Ghost-Seeing Sorrow] Lai Yong'er, [Fei Lian] Huangfu Xiong, [Little Overlord] Zhou Tong, [Mugwort Leopard] Di Lei, [Slim Face Bear] Di Yun, [Iron Arhat] Fatong, [Panhai Dragon] Qin Hui, [Sea-Stirring General] Zhao Gui, [Iron Fan] Song Qing, [Victory over Dongbin] Wu Jiao, [Optimus Prime] Ren Yuan, [Blue Dragon God] Yan Guang, [White Tiger God] Tian Ba, [Vermillion Bird God] Dong Kai, [Black Tortoise God] Yu Zhiwang, [Spray Leopard] Zhang Da Neng, [Mountain-Pulling Bear] Zhao Fu, and [Timely Rain] Song Jiang, a total of eighteen people gathered together.

Song Jiang asked everyone to sit down, looked around, and suddenly burst into tears and cried, "Although we won this battle, we lost five brothers, Wanqi Danian, Xu Pingsheng, Han Tongyin, Wu Qian, and Wang Feibao. Was it not Song Jiang's fault to rebel against the Song Dynasty?"

Lai Yonger said quickly, "Brother Gongming, why are you so worried? It hurts your body. If it weren't for you and Qingzhou raising the flag to rebel against Song, how could we gather together and join in the cause? If we were scattered in various small camps, the imperial army would have wiped them out long ago. Although these brothers were killed, they drove back two routes of the imperial army. The Song and Qing brothers also captured Yishui, and Gao Feng dared not leave the city."

"It's cold today, so it's not suitable to fight. When the spring comes next year, whether the soldiers come or not, we will fight first. We won't go anywhere else, but first take Yanzhou, and then turn around to deal with Gao Feng, Yun Tianbiao and his men. If nothing else, next year we will occupy the seven states and one prefecture in the east of Jingdong, and then nibble at the east and west of Jingdong. By then, we will only have to face the enemy on one side, and we can attack or defend. Whether we become king or seek amnesty and an official position, all brothers can become rich. This is all thanks to Brother Gongming. Although there are twists and turns, the court is corrupt and will definitely not be our opponent."

When everyone heard this, they all applauded, and the downward trend was gone.

Song Jiang also turned his grief into joy and arranged a banquet to celebrate. The soldiers in the army were also rewarded. For a time, the Laiwu County and Laiwu Prison were filled with laughter.

On the second day, Song Jiang invited Lai Yong'er and Wu Jiao to come, and the three of them sat together. Song Jiang said, "Brothers, we are not afraid of anything else now, but Liangshan Prefecture is full of brave warriors, and the soldiers are well-trained. If they come to conquer again next year, what should we do?"

Lai Yong'er frowned and thought. Wu Jiao saw this and thought to himself, "If I take the initiative to challenge Xintai, wouldn't it be a good opportunity for me to lose to him and then surrender."

Wu Jiao was filled with indignation and said, "Others may be afraid of him, but I must be. I will take my four disciples with me and perform magic. We will set up the Hunyuan Yiqi Sancai Formation and capture as many as possible."

Lai Yong'er said, "Master, you don't know that we have had dealings with Zhao Zhen of Liangshan Prefecture for a long time. Most of the birthday gifts we robbed were sent to him in exchange for military equipment. We have already inquired about Liangshan Prefecture. He also has several Taoist masters who can call the wind and rain. After all, this Mr. Zhao is not really loyal. In my opinion, we should not make enemies with him. This winter, I will disguise myself and go to Liangshan Prefecture in person to give him a lot of money, as long as he does not take the initiative to attack us. Master and his disciples still have to go to Yizhou to keep an eye on Gao Feng, so that he will not disturb the local area and hinder us. What do you think, Brother Gongming?"

Song Jiang pondered for a moment, nodded and said, "This is the only way. As long as we can keep Zhao Zhen stable, it's not a big deal to give up some money and property. Let's occupy the east road of Jingdong, recruit heroes, and then do it again."

(End of this chapter)