Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Chapter 211 Making a Bet and Staying at Liangshan Marsh, Holding a Feast and Parting with Old Friend

Inside the central command tent, the lights blazed, casting long, eerie shadows. Huyan Zhuo and Han Tao were brought before the tent, their armor removed, leaving them only in prison garb. Though disheveled, their fierce military bearing remained undiminished. Huyan Zhuo stood tall, his gaze piercing, staring directly at the composed young man behind the command desk—Li Hanxiao, the leader of Liangshan.

"Kneel down!" Bao Xu, the "God of Death," glared at him, his voice like a broken gong. His giant sword slammed into the ground with a loud clang, sending dust flying. "You dare to be so arrogant in front of my brother! If I don't break your legs today, you won't know the rules of Liangshan!"

Han Tao trembled at the shout and instinctively tried to kneel, but was pulled back by Huyan Zhuo beside him. Huyan Zhuo's eyes widened as he glared at Bao Xu and said, word by word, "I am a general of the Great Song Dynasty. I kneel before the Emperor and my parents. How can I bow down to you bandits! A true man who is defeated on the battlefield may be killed or tortured at will, but don't even think about humiliating me in the slightest!"

"Hey! You've got some backbone!" Bao Xu chuckled and raised his greatsword, ready to smash it with the scabbard.

"Brother Bao Xu, stop."

A calm yet weighty voice rang out. Li Hanxiao slowly stood up, walked around the command desk, and personally approached Huyan Zhuo. He did not look down on him, but instead looked him in the eye, his tone gentle: "General Huyan is a famous general of the court, a direct descendant of Huyan Zan, the founding Iron Whip King. He is from a distinguished family and I admire his ancestor. Besides, a true man can be killed but not humiliated. Since he is already my prisoner, why should I further humiliate him? Please have seats, both generals."

Upon hearing this, all the leaders in the tent were stunned. Although Bao Xu was unwilling, he dared not disobey the general's order and reluctantly sheathed his steel sword. A henchman brought two military benches and placed them behind the two men.

Hu Yanzhuo's heart stirred slightly. He had thought that the Liangshan bandits were all ruthless killers, but he did not expect that their leader would have such a demeanor.

This respect made him feel a little strange towards Li Hanxiao.

But he quickly dismissed the idea. As an official of the court, how could he be swayed by a few words from the bandit leader?

He snorted coldly, not taking a seat, but closing his eyes as if to offer his neck for execution: "The victor is king, the loser is villain; there's nothing to say. I, Huyan Zhuo, am inferior in skill and have fallen into your treacherous trap. Today, I have no choice but to die to repay the emperor's kindness. However, my soldiers were all acting under my orders; the fault does not lie with them. I hope Chief Li can show leniency and release Han Tao and the surrendered soldiers. I, Huyan Zhuo, will bear all the blame!"

Upon hearing this, Han Tao hurriedly said, "General, you mustn't! This humble general is willing to die with you!"

Huyan Zhuo spoke with great passion and righteous indignation. He had already figured out that Li Hanxiao's scheme to capture him was nothing more than an attempt to force him to surrender and bolster Liangshan's prestige.

But who was Huyan Zhuo? A family of generals for generations, loyalty and righteousness were etched into his very bones. Surrender? Absolutely not. He simply laid his intentions outright, seeking only death, which would extinguish any hope the other side might have.

Moreover, he angrily denounced the other party for only using "schemes and tricks" instead of "heroic deeds," intending to verbally provoke Li Hanxiao into losing face and kill him in a fit of rage, thus preserving his reputation.

After listening, Li Hanxiao showed no anger on his face, but instead revealed a playful smile. He did not refute the "conspiracy and trickery" claim, but simply looked at Huyan Zhuo quietly, making Huyan Zhuo feel a little uneasy.

After a long while, Li Hanxiao turned back to his desk, pulled out a thick stack of letters from a pile of documents, and casually tossed them at Huyan Zhuo's feet. The papers scattered on the floor with a clattering sound.

"General Huyan, don't be in such a hurry to die." Li Han's voice drifted over. "Death is the easiest thing in the world. But before you die, I want you to see a few things. After you've seen them, you can decide whether you should die for your 'favor of the emperor' or for your 'foolish loyalty'."

Huyan Zhuo frowned, puzzled. He looked down and saw that the handwriting on the scattered letters was different, but the wax seal on the envelopes made his pupils shrink sharply. It was stamped with the vermilion seals of the Grand Commandant's Office, the Privy Council, and even the Prime Minister's Residence!

Where did these letters come from? Alarm bells rang in Huyan Zhuo's mind.

Li Hanxiao seemed to see through his thoughts and explained calmly, "General, there's no need to be alarmed. When Yang Zhi, the Blue-Faced Beast, launched a surprise attack on your camp, he found a document bag containing official documents in the tent of Wang Jin, the grain and fodder supervisor of Jizhou Prefecture. You probably know Wang Jin; he's the eyes and ears of Jizhou Prefecture planted by your side. He's usually in charge of correspondence between Jizhou and Dongjing, and he also helps Prefect Zhang Shuye handle official correspondence. He fled in a hurry, and this crucial document bag ended up in our hands. Some of the documents are secret letters written to him by Grand Commandant Gao, and some are 'important matters' written by various officials to Prefect Zhang Shuye of Jizhou. General, you might as well take a look."

Hu Yanzhuo's heart sank. He knew Wang Jin was Gao Qiu's man, but he never imagined that this person would be in charge of such confidential correspondence. Trembling, he bent down and picked up the top letter.

The envelope was addressed to "Gao Qiu to Prefect Zhang Shuye." He opened the envelope, took out the letter, and saw the familiar, flowing handwriting—it was indeed Gao Qiu's own!

The letter was blunt and undisguised: "...This man, Huyan Zhuo, comes from a military family. Although he is brave and strong, he lacks adaptability and is merely a warrior. If he is fortunate enough to win this campaign against Liangshan, you should immediately submit a memorial to divide his military power, stating that the victory in Jizhou was entirely due to the prefect's strategic planning and the court's effective command. He should not be allowed to monopolize the credit, thus fostering arrogance and recklessness. If he is unfortunately defeated, that would be even better. You should immediately submit a memorial impeaching him, placing all the blame for the loss of troops and the missed opportunities on his own. At that time, I will then plead for him before the emperor, protecting the Huyan family. In this way, the Huyan family, who have been loyal for generations, will owe me a great favor and will surely be subservient to me in the future, willing to be my lackeys. This is a plan that kills two birds with one stone. I hope the prefect will understand and carry it out properly..."

With a sudden, overwhelming feeling, Huyan Zhuo felt as if something had exploded in his head. His hand, holding the letter, trembled like a withered leaf in the wind. This was no ordinary official correspondence; it was a deadly trap! Regardless of victory or defeat, Huyan Zhuo was already a fish in the net, his fate sealed! The very court he had fought for, the court he had risked his life for, had plotted against him behind his back!

He couldn't believe it and picked up the second letter. This letter bore the seal of the Privy Council and was written by Tong Guan to his cronies.

The letter was filled with contempt: "...That scoundrel Gao Qiu has put forward a stupid dog like Huyan Zhuo who doesn't know his own mortality, which suits me perfectly. Regardless of the outcome of this battle, we can all reap the benefits. You should use the excuse of being busy with military affairs to secretly intercept military equipment and provisions, and then resell them at high prices. This is a golden opportunity to make a fortune. If the war can be delayed, it will be even more advantageous. Once the military generals are severely weakened and the border troops are weakened, the court will be dominated by us civil officials, and no one will be able to restrain us..."

If Gao Qiu's letter was a conspiracy against him personally, then Tong Guan's letter was a naked attempt to strangle the entire Song Dynasty military group! They didn't care about the outcome of the war or the lives of their soldiers; all they cared about was how to use this war to suppress dissidents and enrich themselves!

Huyan Zhuo's face turned from flushed to deathly pale. He frantically opened the letters on the ground one by one. One of them was written by Grand Tutor Cai Jing to Zhang Shuye, and its contents chilled him to the bone.

In his letter, Cai Jing instructed Zhang Shuye: "...If war breaks out, the supply of provisions must not be provided all at once. Instead, it should be distributed daily, so that the army is constantly in danger of running out of food. In this way, even if Huyan Zhuo has extraordinary abilities, he will be an army without provisions, unable to win a quick battle or hold out for long. The longer the war drags on, the more money and provisions the court will have to allocate, which will allow us to embezzle military funds and enrich ourselves at the expense of the public. This is a foolproof plan..."

One letter, two letters, three letters...

Each letter was like a sharp knife, stabbing cruelly into his heart. His lifelong pride in his loyalty, his unwavering beliefs, were shattered before these black and white words. He refused to believe it; he desperately tried to find evidence that the letters were forgeries. Yet, the bright red official seals, the all-too-familiar handwriting—everything told him—it was all real.

His face turned from white to green, and finally to ashen. The veins on his hand holding the letter bulged, and his knuckles turned white, as if he wanted to crush the thin paper into dust.

The tent was deathly silent, save for Huyan Zhuo's heavy breathing. Han Tao also leaned over to read a few letters, his face flushed with rage, and he cursed, "Utterly shameless! We risked our lives on the front lines, and these traitors plotted against us from behind! What kind of court is this?!"

Li Hanxiao watched Hu Yanzhuo quietly until he had read all the letters, and his emotions shifted from shock and anger to a calm of despair before he slowly spoke.

But he didn't mention a single word about surrendering.

He walked to the huge sand table in the center of the tent, pointed to the scattered models on it, and said in a steady and powerful voice: "General Huyan, look at this. This is a sand table of the four prefectures of Yuncheng, Jizhou, Dongping, and Dongchang under the jurisdiction of Liangshan. You see, this was originally wasteland, but now it has been cultivated into fertile fields. This was originally a dilapidated village where refugees gathered, but now new houses have been built. And here, we have built a school. Regardless of wealth, as long as the children are of school age, they can attend school to learn to read and understand principles."

He then picked up a thick ledger from the table and handed it over: "This is the account of last year's tax revenue. Under the rule of Liangshan, the people only need to pay 30% rent, which is far lower than the exorbitant taxes levied by the imperial court. We use the collected taxes to repair roads, build dams, train troops, and provide relief to the families of wounded and injured soldiers. The people live in peace and prosperity, no one picks up lost items on the road, and doors are left unlocked at night. May I ask, General, have you ever seen such a scene in Bianliang, the capital of the Eastern Capital?"

Every word Li Hanxiao uttered was like a heavy hammer blow, striking Hu Yanzhuo's crumbling defenses.

He abruptly raised his head, his gaze fixed intently on Huyan Zhuo, his voice rising sharply: "Your ancestor, the Martial King Huyan Zan, wielded an iron whip and stabbed the 'Red Heart Kills the Khitan' in the back. What was it for? It was to protect his home and country, for the sake of all the people! Now, you, a direct descendant, are serving treacherous villains like Gao Qiu, Tong Guan, and Cai Jing, who only know how to form cliques, eliminate dissidents, and harm the country and its people, attacking my Liangshan, which is truly dedicated to pacifying the people and restoring production! Tell me, who is loyal? Who is treacherous?!"

"You think you're repaying the Emperor's favor? You're repaying the selfish desires of those parasites! This Song Dynasty will be devoured by these people sooner or later! You think you can have a peaceful end by being loyal to the country? Don't dream!" Li Han sneered, his words becoming increasingly sharp. "Let me tell you, the court has always used you military men while keeping a close watch on you! This is a rule established by Emperor Taizu Zhao Kuangyin when he released military power over a cup of wine! Emphasizing civil officials and de-emphasizing military ones, using civil officials to control military ones, this is the national policy! Even if you flatten my Liangshan today and return victorious, what awaits you is nothing more than another trap set by Gao Qiu!"

"Do you still remember Di Qing, a famous general of our dynasty? He came from the ranks of soldiers, had tattoos on his face, and rose to the high position of Privy Councilor through his military achievements. How glorious was that? But what was the result? He was squeezed out by Ouyang Xiu and his group of civil officials, falsely accused of treason, and died in fear and anxiety! If Di Qing was like this, how do you, Huyan Zhuo, compare to Di Qing?!"

"Boom!"

These last words were like a thunderclap from the heavens, completely shattering the last barrier in Huyan Zhuo's heart.

The death of Di Qing is an eternal pain in the hearts of the military generals of this dynasty. It is a mountain weighing on the heads of all soldiers, an inescapable fate. His proud family background and his unwavering loyalty to the emperor, at this moment, in the face of these bloody realities and conspiracies, have become a complete and utter joke.

"puff--"

A mouthful of blood gushed from Huyan Zhuo's mouth, splattering the letter in front of him. He swayed and nearly fell to the ground.