Water Margin: From a White-Robed Scholar to Donning the Yellow Robe

Chapter 146 Wang Lun's Four Letters

Dai Zong was struck in the leg by Wang Lun's military dagger.

The characteristic of a triangular bayonet is that once it pierces the skin, it will cause uncontrollable bleeding and is extremely difficult to treat.

Although Dai Zong did not bleed to death, he was already half-dead. His face was pale and he was barely breathing. He was carried up by others.

Wang Lun said, "Dean Dai, Song Jiang has been executed. Do you have anything to say?"

Dai Zong was shocked, never expecting that Wang Lun had actually killed Song Jiang.

He was already dizzy from excessive blood loss, and upon hearing this, his head was buzzing and he couldn't say anything.

Yang Zhi stepped forward at the opportune moment and said, "Chief, Song Jiang is the mastermind, and Dai Zong is an accomplice. They are both Liangshan brothers. Why not spare Dai Zong's life and allow him to serve in the army to atone for his crimes?"

Pang Wanchun also said, "Yes, Chief, after this incident, Dai Zong will probably no longer have any thoughts of rebellion. The chief culprit Song Jiang has already been executed, so let's spare Dai Zong's life."

Wang Lun didn't want to kill Dai Zong either. Although Dai Zong was Song Jiang's trusted subordinate, he had some skills, especially the ability to travel by divine speed, which was very useful.

Dai Zong then understood that Yang Zhi and Pang Wanchun were pleading for him.

He struggled to his feet, knelt on the ground, and said, "I beg the chieftain to spare my life. I will never dare to harbor any disloyal thoughts again."

Wang Lun nodded and said, "Since both Yang Xianfeng and Pang Xianfeng have pleaded for you, I will spare your life. However, your salary will be withheld for the next year, and you will still be required to return to the Intelligence Division to take orders. If you harbor any disloyal thoughts again, I will make sure you wish you were dead."

Dai Zong shuddered and immediately kowtowed in agreement.

Wang Lun then ordered someone to take Dai Zong away and ask An Daoquan to treat him.

This matter is now considered closed. Song Jiang's grand rebellion ultimately failed to defeat Wang Lun.

Song Jiang underestimated his enemy. He thought he had grasped the specific strength of Liangshan's Flying Tiger Army, but he didn't know that Wang Lun's Flying Tiger Army was a behemoth, and he couldn't see the whole picture at all.

"Song Jiang's choice to kill to silence them shows that it was this person who conspired with Liu Tang to betray Chao Gai and use the court to sow discord between me and Chao Gai. At that time, Chao Gai had many brothers under his command, and if it really came down to a fight, Lin Chong and I would not have been able to defeat him."

Wang Lun began his analysis.

Yang Zhi said, "At that time, Song Jiang was a clerk in Yuncheng, and he must have had dealings with Huang An of Jizhou Prefecture, which is why Chao Gai was easily ambushed."

Wang Lun nodded and said, "I suppose so. Although Song Jiang is just a minor clerk, he is still part of the officialdom in Jizhou. I never imagined that Song Jiang would be so vicious, using Chao Gai in this way to kill hundreds of brothers."

Yang Zhi knew what had happened. Chao Gai's hundreds of men were almost completely wiped out. If Wang Lun hadn't ordered Yang Zhi to lead the rescue, no one would have survived that ambush.

"Mr. Shi, please write a letter in my name to Chao Gai, who is stationed in Yuncheng, Luan Tingyu in Jinxiang, and Li Ying in Rencheng, informing them of what happened."

Shi Wenbin nodded immediately.

"When sending letters to Chao Gai, Qin Ming, and Guan Sheng, also send these three letters written by Song Jiang. Chao Gai and Qin Ming are powerful external allies that Song Jiang thought of when he rebelled. Sending them the letters will let me see what their attitude is. As for Guan Sheng, Xue Yong is in General Guan's army. He will know what to do when he receives the letter."

Everyone understood that Song Jiang was dead, so what could Chao Gai and Qin Ming do?

Chao Gai only had a thousand soldiers to begin with. Song Jiang had saved him, and Wang Lun had also saved him. Moreover, it was Song Jiang who had harmed him. Having received two letters, Chao Gai could naturally judge which was right and which was wrong.

Although Qin Ming had a past with Song Jiang, he was ultimately a member of the imperial court and the brother-in-law of Hua Rong, with whom he had a closer relationship. Hua Rong did not participate when Song Jiang rebelled. What choice will Qin Ming make?

They would naturally appreciate Wang Lun's righteousness.

Guan Sheng saw the two letters and naturally knew that Xue Yong was completely obedient to Song Jiang.

Guan Yu, the hero of the Water Margin, was extremely loyal to Wang Lun. This was partly because he had long been disillusioned with the imperial court, and partly because Wang Lun had saved him and entrusted him with important responsibilities. Furthermore, Guan Sheng was a discerning ruler; he recognized Wang Lun as a wise leader, and Jizhou was thriving under Wang Lun's governance.

Without high taxes, without exploitation, without corrupt officials, the people live in peace and contentment, and there are no thieves everywhere; this is the sign of a well-governed world.

"Liu Tang told Lin Jiaotou about this while he was in his army, so he should know what to do," Yang Zhi continued Wang Lun's words.

Wang Lun nodded and said, "That's right. The fact that Shi Bao actually came to kill me shows that Fang La's power has grown, and we have to be on guard. In my opinion, we should write about Fang La's recruitment of people and followers under the name of Manichaeism, and his intention to rebel, in the Jianghu Daily. We should print it widely and make sure it reaches Tokyo."

Wang Lun planned to force Fang La to start his rebellion ahead of schedule. Once the imperial court learned of this, it would be well-prepared. If Fang La were to start his rebellion hastily, he would only face certain death.

"wonderful!"

Shi Wenbin was the first to praise, "If Fang La is truly prepared, who knows how much bloodshed he will commit after his uprising. If the imperial court knew in advance, they might immediately send a large army to the border to reduce the suffering of the people."

Wang Lun laughed and said, "That makes sense. We'll leave both of these matters to Mr. Shi and do it quickly."

Someone outside announced that Li Jun and Ruan Xiaoer had arrived.

Wang Lun immediately let them in.

It turned out that the two were training their navy in the Eight Hundred Li Water Margin when they heard about Song Jiang's situation and rushed over immediately.

They brought troops, but knowing the current situation was turbulent, they worried that bringing troops into the city might cause misunderstandings, so they stationed their troops outside the city and the two of them entered the city alone.

Upon seeing that Wang Lun was safe and sound, the two were overjoyed.

Upon hearing about Song Jiang's rebellion, both men sighed with regret.

Both Li Jun and Ruan Xiaoer were acquainted with Song Jiang, and Li Jun even left his hometown to come to Liangshan to save Song Jiang.

However, on the journey north, Li Jun traveled with Wang Lun, and during the trip, he came to admire Wang Lun even more.

Although Song Jiang valued loyalty, he ultimately came to curry favor with Wang Lun.

A person who clings to others actually rebels; is this a matter of loyalty?

Li Jun suddenly had a different opinion about Song Jiang.

Wang Lun was well aware that although Li Jun was familiar with Song Jiang, he was ultimately from the Jieyang Ridge faction. Now that he had entrusted Li Jun with an important task, and Wang Lun trusted Li Jun implicitly, he believed that Li Jun was a fine man and there would be no problem with him.

As for Ruan Xiaoer, he was mainly familiar with Chao Gai. He had narrowly escaped death during the ambush, and would have surely died if Wang Lun hadn't sent troops to rescue him.

Now that he has learned that the people who colluded with the government were Song Jiang and Liu Tang, he was furious.

"How's the naval training going?" Wang Lun asked with a smile.

Upon hearing Wang Lun's inquiry, Li Jun and Ruan Xiaoer explained the training in detail. In addition to training, they were also responsible for shipbuilding, something Li Jun excelled at.

Jeju Island is crisscrossed by rivers, and Li Jun has hired all the boatmen in the city. During this time, according to Wang Lun's arrangement, they have been working on building warships and cargo ships.

"Brother Li Jun, now that shipbuilding is on track and Ruan Erlang is capable of handling naval training, I have another important task for you."

Upon hearing that Wang Lun had entrusted him with an important task, Li Jun immediately clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Please give your instructions, brother."

Wang Lun said in a deep voice, "I want to become the largest salt merchant south of Shandong and north of the Yangtze River and Huai River."