jdhmnovel Chapter 122 Little Li Guang is punished for his rebellion, but Timely Rain rushes to his rescue.
Chapter 122 Little Li Guang is punished for his rebellion, but Timely Rain rushes to his rescue.
"Today, I have committed a crime, and that is that!"
Hua Rong, nicknamed "Little Li Guang," had nowhere to retreat and no reason to show weakness.
The veins beneath Liu Gao's official hat throbbed. He grabbed a copy of "Han Feizi: Five Vermin" and slammed it onto the floor of the main hall: "Scholars use literature to disrupt the law, and knights use martial arts to violate prohibitions!" His boots ground over the word "knight," staining the corner of his crimson robe with ink that had fallen onto the inkstone. "Does Magistrate Hua really think so highly of these two, wanting to recruit them for his own use? Has he forgotten the story of Guo Jie's entire family being executed?"
Do you, sir, remember the opening of the "Biographies of Wandering Knights" in the Records of the Grand Historian?
"Little Li Guang" Hua Rong suddenly recited aloud, "Today's chivalrous knights, though their actions may not conform to justice, are always true to their word, resolute in their deeds, and faithful to their promises, and they do not cherish their own lives!"
The chanting caused the dust accumulated on the beams to fall in a flurry. Just then, a ray of golden light pierced through the west window, splitting the desk into two realms of light and shadow.
Standing in the shadows, Liu Gao grabbed the *Analects* and roared: "Confucius said: 'When you see good, act as if you cannot reach it; when you see evil, act as if you are touching boiling water!' In the fourth year of the Qingli era, a Western Xia assassin shot a poisoned arrow at Fan Zhongyan. If the guards had shown even a little compassion that day and let the assassin go, how could there be the renowned saying, 'With Fan Zhongyan in the army, the Western Xia bandits tremble with fear'? A woman's compassion will surely lead to a deadly end!"
Hua Rong stepped into the light and spread the Book of Changes on the ink-stained table: "The Book of Changes, Hexagram 63 (Revolution), says: 'The revolutions of Tang and Wu were in accordance with Heaven and responded to the people!'"
He pressed his finger on the four characters "Adults Transform into Tigers," and said, "If Heaven's justice is clear, how could ordinary people be reduced to bandits?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Gao seized upon the flaw in Hua Rong's words and roared, "Hua Rong, how dare you! Your words are slander against the court and the Emperor! Mencius once said to King Xuan of Qi, 'If a ruler regards his ministers as his hands and feet, then the ministers will regard the ruler as their heart and soul!' How can you speak like this? Do you still have any regard for the proper relationship between ruler and subject?"
"I, Hua Rong, am the son of a family of generals for generations. I am devoted to my duties and work tirelessly, and I am a hundred times better than those who only talk the talk!"
Hua Rong knew that although Liu Gao was not a good person, he was quite well-read and could outwit Hua Rong. He had just fallen into Liu Gao's trap!
Hua Rong was also furious and grabbed the sword at his waist.
When Liu Gao saw "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong make such a move, his mind, which had been clouded by anger, instantly cleared up.
He could continue talking without hesitation, but when he saw "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong actually holding the hilt of a sword, he hesitated.
After all, the two were so close at this moment; if "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong were to draw his sword... then blood would splatter seven steps away...
"How about temporarily detaining the two criminals in Qingzhou for retrial?" Liu Gao almost gritted his teeth as he read the word "temporarily".
"it is good!"
At that time, Hua Rong, nicknamed "Little Li Guang," had not yet received a letter from his elder brother, Song Jiang, nicknamed "Hu Baoyi," which is why he agreed to the task.
As a result, after Song Jiang sent the message, he regretted it.
Because "Jade-haired Tiger" Yan Shun and "Dwarf Tiger" Wang Ying were indeed useful as henchmen for Song Jiang.
So, before the two men were transported to Qingzhou City, he wrote the letter and dispatched his trusted men at full speed to Jizhou to inform Song Jiang.
Song Jiang also saw Hua Rong's letter. He realized that although Hua Rong wrote in the letter that he did not want Jizhou to offend Prefect Murong of Qingzhou, he had actually subtly revealed that Hua Rong was thinking about this matter.
Moreover, Hua Rong, nicknamed "Little Li Guang," also mentioned "Jin Mao Hu" Yan Shun and "Dwarf Tiger" Wang Ying in his letter, and told Song Jiang that since Zhang Shuye had the power to make decisions on the spot, if they didn't hurry, these two men might also be gone.
So, after learning about the situation, Song Jiang weighed the pros and cons and went to find Zhang Shuye.
As for the third letter, Song Jiang, the "Righteous Protector," also sent someone to deliver it to Qingzhou, specifically to the brothers Kong Ming, the "Hairy Star," and Kong Liang, the "Lone Fire Star," at the foot of White Tiger Mountain in Qingzhou.
In the original novel "Water Margin", these two people were disciples of Song Jiang, also known as "Hu Baoyi". Originally, when Song Jiang killed Yan Poxi and fled into the Jianghu, he met them when he arrived at Baihu Mountain, took them as his disciples, and let them stay on Baihu Mountain for refuge.
However, in reality, these two brothers were just like "Little Whirlwind" Chai Jin, except that they had never met Song Jiang, but they had been exchanging letters with him many times in private, even though they had never met in person.
Therefore, in the original novel, Song Jiang went to the Kong Family Village on White Tiger Mountain to seek refuge and took the two of them as his disciples, which meant that they had known each other for a long time.
Song Jiang knew that these two brothers also knew some martial arts and were young men who admired him. It would be a good thing if they could come to Jizhou Prefecture to train under Zhang Shuye, gain experience, and make achievements.
In the original novel, although Kongming and Kongliang were disciples of Song Jiang, the "Righteous Protector," there is no doubt that their abilities far surpassed those of their master.
In the original work, one of these brothers was ranked sixty-second, corresponding to the Earthly Rampant Star, and the other was also ranked sixty-second, corresponding to the Earthly Rampant Star, serving as a valiant general guarding the central army's infantry.
In terms of combat prowess, Kong Liang, nicknamed "Lone Star," could hold his own against Wu Song for a couple of rounds and was certainly stronger than Song Jiang. His brother, Kong Ming, nicknamed "Hairy Star," was even stronger. In Qingzhou, he fought more than ten rounds with Hu Yanzhuo, one of the Five Tiger Generals of Liangshan, nicknamed "Double Whip," but was eventually defeated and captured alive.
Although neither of them was particularly strong in combat, they could still easily take on twenty or thirty people, so Song Jiang recruited them. As for the two of them becoming disciples of "Hu Baoyi" Song Jiang, although "Hu Baoyi" Song Jiang claimed that he would teach the two brothers Kong Ming and Kong Liang some martial arts skills, in reality, since his disciples were more skilled than their masters, it was unrealistic for him to teach them.
In reality, it's more likely that the two brothers became disciples of Song Jiang because of his reputation as "Honorable Protector," rather than because they were attracted to his martial prowess...
Meanwhile, Song Jiang, known as "Hu Baoyi," went to find Zhang Shuye, the prefect of Jizhou. He immediately said, "My lord, I have good news. If you can capture him, Jizhou will gain two or three more generals!"
Upon hearing Song Jiang's words, Zhang Shuye naturally became interested and immediately asked Song Jiang to explain the situation.
After listening to Song Jiang's story, Zhang Shuye pondered, "That Hua Rong, could he be the 'Little Li Guang' of Qingzhou? I've heard he's a divine archer, hitting the bullseye every time, and highly skilled in martial arts. If he could come to Qingzhou, he would surely be a great general!"
Generals like "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong were something Zhang Shuye coveted, and he would never let go of the opportunity to acquire them.
In particular, Zhang Shuye was an official with the experience of being a scholar. This type of official liked the kind of general like Hua Rong, who was like "Little Li Guang"—a general with a white horse and silver spear, wearing a white helmet, white armor, and white robe. This fit their aesthetic and their imagination of a Confucian general.
"Since Hua Rong is already at odds with his superior, I will fight with Murong Yanda of Qingzhou and make sure that Hua Rong and those two from Qingfeng Mountain are put to use by my Jizhou."
Zhang Shuye thought to himself, although he now has Zhang Bao, who is quite loyal and brave, he is, after all, of humble origin! He is not good at leading troops into battle. He is brave, but lacks strategy. If he were to choose a general who can lead troops independently, he would have to choose someone like "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong.
Firstly, this "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong was highly skilled in martial arts; secondly, he had served as a military officer, knew how to lead troops, was cultured, and came from a military family. Such conditions were rare in the entire military officer system of the Song Dynasty.
Therefore, Zhang Shuye directly instructed Song Jiang, the "Honorary Protector," to take his "Imperial Sword" and his personal letter to Qingzhou. He was to first visit Qingfeng Village to deliver "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong, "Golden-haired Tiger" Yan Shun, and "Dwarf Tiger" Wang Ying to Qingzhou. Then, Song Jiang would personally go to Qingzhou City to meet Murong Yanda and explain the situation.
Although Zhang Shuye knew that Murong Yanda had a younger sister who was a concubine in the palace, and that he was the emperor's brother-in-law, he was also very clear that Murong Yanda was an official who had risen to power through nepotism, and that he was a protégé of the four treacherous ministers.
Back then, this Murong Yanda was a disciple of Grand Commandant Yang Jian. He was literate and worked as a tutor in Yang Jian's household. Because of his literacy and his ability to flatter, Yang Jian did him a favor by sending his sister to the palace as a maid. Later, his sister was favored by the emperor and gradually became a concubine. When one person attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs rise to heaven, and Murong Yanda also rose to prominence.
He was one of the disciples of the four treacherous ministers. Now, Zhang Shuye's backer is Grand Tutor Cai Jing, so he offended the disciples of Grand Commandant Yang Jian. This matter is not a big problem.
After all, were these four treacherous officials really all in cahoots? No, it's inappropriate to use a positive term to describe their collusion; it would be more accurate to say they were in cahoots, a den of snakes and rats...
Meanwhile, Song Jiang, known as "Hu Baoyi," rode swiftly to Qingzhou and headed straight for Qingfeng Village. When he arrived, he caught "Jinmaohu" Yan Shun and "Dwarf Tiger" Wang Ying being escorted onto a prison cart, ready to be sent to Qingzhou City.
"Little Li Guang" Hua Rong was also tricked by Liu Gao. Liu Gao pretended to keep "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong at bay, and then sent someone to Murong Yanda, the prefect of Qingzhou, to file a complaint against "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong, saying that "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong was advocating for two bandits and was suspected of colluding with bandits.
Murong Yanda didn't bother to investigate further; he simply ordered that "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong be suspended from his post and escorted to Qingzhou City for investigation.
Unfortunately, the Song Dynasty consistently valued civil officials over military ones. If "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong were to accuse Liu Gao, the magistrate of Qingzhou, in this way, it's likely that Prefect Murong Yanda wouldn't immediately suspend him from his duties for investigation, and might even disbelieve him.
This was when Liu Gao, the magistrate of Zhengzhi Village, went to complain to Hua Rong, a military officer known as "Little Li Guang." The prefect of Qingzhou, Murong Yanda, believed him without question and took precautions without even investigating.
Hua Rong, nicknamed "Little Li Guang," was quite helpless. He wanted to argue, but he was afraid that this would confirm his crime of "colluding with bandits," so he could only obediently submit to being bound.
Liu Gao, on the other hand, was secretly overjoyed. He thought to himself that once "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong was imprisoned, he could lure Hua Baoyan away. Hua Baoyan would be desperate to save her brother, and Liu Gao would trick her by saying that if she offered herself to him, he would find a way to save her brother. What could a mere woman like her possibly do then?
Fortunately, Song Jiang, the "Righteous Protector," had arrived, and his rescuers were here.
Upon hearing the news, Song Jiang immediately spurred his horse and rushed to Qingfeng Village. Just as Liu Gao was about to order the escorting soldiers to set off, Song Jiang, the "Guardian of Justice," galloped forward, shouting, "Wait!"
Upon looking at the newcomer, Liu Gao noticed that the man was dressed in the clothes of a clerk.
When Hua Rong, nicknamed "Little Li Guang," saw Song Jiang inside the prison cart, he exclaimed in astonishment, "Brother, what are you doing here!"
Since Song Jiang had not yet been formally promoted by Zhang Shuye, the prefect of Jizhou, he was still nominally a minor official in Yuncheng County, Jizhou Prefecture. Since this trip was considered official business, he was still wearing the clothes of a minor official.
"You lowly official, how dare you shout at me like that!"
Upon seeing that the visitor was a minor official, Liu Gao became arrogant again and couldn't help but speak up and angrily rebuke him.
"This happened suddenly, sir! Look what this is!"
As Song Jiang, the "righteous protector," spoke, he untied the "Imperial Sword" wrapped in yellow silk from his back and took it out directly.
"Sir, do you recognize him?"
When Song Jiang peeled back the yellow silk, and the Imperial Sword was exposed to the air, the moment it came into Liu Gao's eyes, Liu Gao's legs went weak, and he knelt down on the ground.
"Oh! My lord!"
The two soldiers next to him were shocked to see Liu Gao suddenly collapse and rushed to help him up.
Liu Gao hurriedly slapped away the hands of the two men who were trying to grab him. A layer of sweat had already formed on his forehead. He shouted, "Kneel down! Your Majesty, I respectfully wish you good health!"
"May Your Majesty be well!"
The people around them also responded.
"My lord, I have been ordered to transfer these two men and Hua Rong to Jizhou Prefecture. Here is a letter from Prefect Zhang of Jizhou Prefecture and this imperial sword as proof. Please take a look!"
As Song Jiang spoke, he handed the letter to Liu Gao.
"Alright, alright, but this inter-prefecture transfer requires the approval of the local official. I don't have the authority to make that decision; it requires the prefect's approval..."
Liu Gao smiled wryly.
"My lord, I am aware of this, but please release them from the prison cart first, and I will immediately go to Qingzhou City to see Prefect Murong!"
Song Jiang, the "Righteous Protector," had spent most of his life bowing and scraping before officials. Now, with this "Imperial Sword" in hand, he could suddenly stand up straight.
He finally experienced what it's like to be an official!