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

Chapter 75 Yang Zhi's Letter

Liu Tang, the Red-Haired Devil, has been a wanderer in the martial arts world for many years. He is known for his generosity, straightforwardness, and strong sense of loyalty.

When Zhang Shuye asked him a question, he only snorted angrily and did not reply.

"If you don't talk, we'll beat you."

With a wave of his hand, Zhang Shuye sent soldiers forward to pin Liu Tang down.

Two military batons struck Liu Tang's waist and hips one after the other, instantly tearing his skin and causing bleeding.

Liu Tang then remembered that Yang Zhi had been beaten with twenty strokes of the military rod yesterday, and twenty strokes of the military rod were really unpleasant.

"Alright, alright, I'll tell you."

Liu Tang quickly called out, "My name is Liu Tang, nicknamed Red-Haired Devil, and I serve as the deputy vanguard in the second route army of the Liangshan Flying Tiger Army."

Zhang Shuye waved for the soldiers to retreat and laughed, "Brother Liu Tang, what's going on with your Liangshan Second Route Army?"

After thinking it over, Liu Tang realized that these things weren't exactly secrets. Besides, he was loyal to Chao Gai, not Wang Lun. After a moment's thought, he said, "Wang Lun divided the Liangshan troops into four routes, namely the first, second, third, and fourth routes."

Zhang Shuye became interested and asked, "Tell me more details."

"Each army was led by a left and right vanguard, a military advisor, and a deputy vanguard. The first army was led by Wang Lun, Yang Zhi, and Wu Song; the second army was led by Lin Chong, Lu Zhishen, and Gongsun Sheng; the third army was led by Qin Ming, Hua Rong, and Wu Yong; and the fourth army was led by Chao Gai, the Heavenly King Chao."

Most of the names Liu Tang mentioned were already famous throughout the world through the "Jianghu Daily," so Zhang Shuye and the others naturally knew them as well.

"How did you get to Liangshan?" Guan Shengye asked, glancing sideways at Liu Tang.

"I followed Chao Gai, the Heavenly King, to seize the birthday gifts, and then went to Liangshan under the siege of the imperial army." Liu Tang pondered, realizing that even if he said these words, it wouldn't be considered a betrayal of Liangshan.

Upon hearing the words "birthday tribute," the generals were overjoyed, for by sheer coincidence, they had already captured one of the individuals involved.

A fleeting look of joy crossed Zhang Shuye's face as he asked, "So, you're closer to Chao Gai?"

Liu Tang said, "Brother Chao Gai has been very kind to me, so naturally we are even closer."

"Was the birthday tribute you seized escorted by Yang Zhi?"

"Exactly."

"So, Yang Zhi must hold a grudge against you and Chao Gai?" Zhang Shuye asked, getting to the point.

Liu Tang laughed and said, "He's just a defeated opponent. Let him hold a grudge. I'm not afraid of him."

At this point, he suddenly smiled, feeling smug, and said, "Yesterday, when he was drunk, Yang Zhi actually uttered wild words, saying he wanted to fight Chao Tianwang to the death. Humph, I couldn't stand it and wanted to fight him, but Wang Lun persuaded me not to."

Upon hearing that there was trouble in the opposing camp, everyone perked up.

"Oh? Tell me more." Uncle Zhang was even more interested.

Liu Tang thought about it and decided it wasn't a big deal, so he told her about drinking yesterday, especially emphasizing that Yang Zhi had been beaten.

After he finished speaking, everyone remained silent for a moment.

Guan Sheng asked, "Did you see clearly? Yang Zhi was indeed beaten?"

Liu Tang was taken aback and said, "Is this false? I saw it with my own eyes. Yang Zhi could barely stand, and his waist and hips were covered in blood. He was carried away by Lu Zhishen."

Everyone was overjoyed; it seemed that the information Zhao Si had provided was indeed true.

"Alright, take him away first."

Seeing Liu Tang being dragged away, the generals no longer concealed their joy.

It turns out that the conflict between Yang Zhi and Liangshan had escalated, and now that he had been beaten with twenty lashes, he must still be recovering from his injuries.

"Yang Zhi is in a predicament now, which is exactly what we can take advantage of." Huyan Zhuo was overjoyed and couldn't wait to personally contact Yang Zhi.

"Yang Zhi once joined forces with Lu Zhishen and Cao Zheng at Erlong Mountain, so they must have a very close relationship. Once we persuade Yang Zhi to surrender, Lu Zhishen and Cao Zheng might also be useful," Zhang Shuye began to analyze seriously.

"We can't delay any longer. If Wang Lun goes to Yang Zhi to curry favor again, the situation might change."

Zhang Shuye said, "I will immediately send my trusted confidants in disguise into the city to make contact with Yang Zhi."

He picked up his pen and started writing, producing several pages of writing.

This is a letter he wrote to Yang Zhi, in which he praised Yang Zhi to the skies, calling him a descendant of the Yang family generals, wise and brave, and a pillar of the nation. He also analyzed the situation, believing that Liangshan was doomed to perish, and advised Yang Zhi to abandon the darkness and join the light. He also said that he would recommend Yang Zhi to the court, and if he made meritorious contributions this time, he would be rewarded and might even be able to restore the glory of the Yang family generals.

The letter was passed around and everyone praised it.

Yang Zhi didn't get out of bed until the third day. He was actually quite tough and had recovered long ago, but he just didn't want to move.

More importantly, he received a letter from Zhang Shuye the following night. On the one hand, he let the messenger sent by Zhang Shuye rest, and on the other hand, he secretly pondered the matter.

The envoy could see clearly that Yang Zhi spent his days sighing and lamenting, feeling utterly frustrated. Of all the leaders of Liangshan, only Lu Zhishen and Cao Zheng came to visit Yang Zhi.

All of this is consistent with Zhang Shuye's analysis.

Finally, on the third night, Yang Zhi made up his mind, wrote a letter and gave it to the messenger, solemnly instructing him to deliver the letter to Zhang Shuye.

The envoy, escorted by Yang Zhi, left the city and returned to the military camp without stopping to report what he had seen and heard to Zhang Shuye.

What he said matched Zhang Shuye's prediction perfectly, and everyone praised Zhang Shuye as a modern-day Zhuge Liang.

Zhang Shuye said, "Things are still uncertain, everyone needs to be careful."

He said that, but he was actually quite pleased with himself.

He opened the letter, read it carefully twice, unable to hide the excitement on his face, and then handed it to everyone to read.

In his letter, Yang Zhi expressed his hatred for Chao Gai and Wang Lun, his willingness to surrender to the court, and mentioned that he would be on duty guarding the city the next night. He would arrange for his trusted men to take turns on duty, and if there was no danger, he would light torches on the city wall at 3:45 a.m.

These torches serve as a signal; once lit, the city gates will be opened, allowing the government troops to enter.

If no torches are lit at 3:45 AM, the plan will be cancelled.

Huyan Zhuo and his men were overjoyed, as if they had already foreseen the moment when they would conquer Jizhou.

At the end of the letter, Yang Zhi also made a request: he hoped to kill Chao Gai with his own hands.

Zhang Shuye frowned at this request and said, "Chao Gai robbed the birthday gifts, and Lord Cai hates him to the bone. If we hand Chao Gai over to Yang Zhi, it will be difficult to explain to Lord Cai."

Huyan Zhuo said, "But this is Yang Zhi's only request. If we can't even meet this, how can we possibly conquer Jizhou?"

Guan Sheng also disagreed with Cai Jing, saying, "Minister Cai is far away in Dongjing, how could he know what's happening on the battlefield? Just tell him that Chao Gai held out to the death and was killed by the chaotic army."

After thinking it over carefully, Zhang Shuye nodded and said, "Then we have no other choice."

He let out a long sigh and said, "Send the order down: rest well for the next two days, and muster the troops tomorrow night and depart for Jeju."

Guan Sheng then instructed, "Marching at night, especially in such a secretive manner, tell everyone to make absolutely no sound. Put bridles on the warhorses and cover their hooves with thick cloth."

"Jizhou has four or five thousand soldiers. How many should we send?" Huyan Zhuo was originally the commander-in-chief, but since the defeat, he no longer made decisions on his own and consulted Zhang Shuye on everything.

"Generals Huyan Zhuo, Guan Sheng, and Ling Zhen will lead 8,000 troops to attack Jizhou. Han Tao and Peng Qi will lead 3,000 troops to attack Yuncheng. Hao Siwen and I will lead the remaining 4,000 troops. Once Jizhou is captured, I will attack Liangshan."

Zhang Shuye arranged for manpower.

The generals were invigorated and accepted the order in unison.