Chapter 221: Meeting Master Su, I don’t mind dying!
Daming Prefecture was the Beijing city of the Song Dynasty. The chief official of the Liushou Yamen, Liang Shijie, the Beijing Liushou, had a very high rank, the same rank as the prefect of Tokyo Kaifeng, the third rank.

He was the prefect of Daming Prefecture and the governor of Beijing.

In the government office, Liang Shijie was meeting Su Wu. After all, Su Wu was on a serious imperial mission, patrolling the border in Hebei.

Although there had been no war for a hundred years, Daming Prefecture was nominally still the headquarters of the Hebei front and the general logistics base, and there were a large number of imperial guards stationed in the city of Beijing.

There are two military commanders, one is named Wen Da and the other is named Li Cheng. Although Suo Chao has been promoted, he is now only the deputy military commander.

When Su Wu was patrolling the border, he was patrolling military affairs. Naturally, generals from Daming Prefecture such as Wen Da, Li Cheng, Suochao, etc. were all there.

Besides Wu Song and a few soldiers who followed him, the only person around Su Wu was Li Gang.

Liang Shijie sat in the middle, looking calm and composed, and said slowly: “It’s hard to predict what will happen in this world, Scholar Su, I still remember you, it hasn’t been that long, right? At that time, you captured the Liangshan bandits and came to this government to ask for the reward, and in the blink of an eye, you are a direct scholar of the Privy Council…”

Su Wu smiled and nodded: “I risked my life several times, it was just luck…”

Liang Shijie didn’t think much of Su Wu. He had his own power. Since he became Cai Jing’s son-in-law, he had been promoted step by step in the past twenty years. After staying in Daming Prefecture for a long time, Liang Shijie returned to Beijing, not to mention his promotion.

Now, Cai Jing is old, and Cai You has already made his mark. Many things are self-evident. In the future, Cai You will be the center, and Liang Shijie will definitely be his right-hand man. It will be no problem for him to become the prime minister…

Therefore, how could Liang Shijie’s power be compared with Su Wu?

Then Liang Shijie continued, “This Daming Prefecture, this Hebei area, we are patrolling the border, but I don’t know what we are patrolling for. Scholar Su, why don’t you tell me…”

Su Wu also smiled and answered: “I think the Minister of the Central Secretariat already knows about the important matters in the court, so I will not elaborate on them. As for what exactly we are going to do, we will take a look around and walk around. In the end, we need to have some idea in our mind, which part is useful and which is not, how to allocate them in the future, what the route will be… That’s all…”

But Liang Shijie said: “Mr. Su is good at fighting!”

“Mr. Zhongshu, you are too kind…” Su Wu replied. He could actually hear some small emotions in Liang Shijie’s words. Although it cannot be said to be weird, Su Wu felt that Liang Shijie did not really take him seriously, and there seemed to be some different emotions in his words about the attack on Liao…

Then Liang Shijie continued, “Tong Shumi, you are getting old and confused. Some people, although they hold high positions, are just clowns without any foundation. Why should Tong Shumi go to far away places?”

Su Wu understood it completely. This was talking about Wang Fu, and the secret cooperation between Tong Guan and Wang Fu. This matter should be a confidential matter…

How did Liang Shijie of Daming Prefecture say that?
Su Wu immediately understood that Cai Jing had obviously given instructions…

Su Wuzhuang was completely confused and said, “Mr. Zhongshu’s words are really confusing. Please give me some advice…”

Liang Shijie laughed, “You are young, and it seems that many things are hidden from you. Hebei has always been a stable place. Whether this event succeeds or fails, you probably don’t understand the inside story. The old husband is sitting on the Diaoyutai, while the young husband is jumping up and down. As for Tong Shumi, he may suffer eternal regret if he makes a mistake…”

There is a type of people, a type of superiors, who like to play charades too much, and Liang Shijie is obviously one of them.

Su Wu understood. The old husband was Cai Jing, who seemed to be silent and indifferent now. The young husband was Wang Fu, who was just jumping around…

They also said that Tong Guan did not ask for help from the people he should have asked, but instead cooperated with the clowns. They said that Tong Guan did not know what the right path was, and he might have made a mistake that would bring him eternal regret…

Su Wu’s mind was spinning like crazy. What was going on? He couldn’t help but wonder, he had fought against Liao twice, but failed both times. Could it be that the reason for his failure was due to the disputes behind the scenes?

When did Cai Jing regain power? Or, when did Wang Fu lose power?
After two consecutive defeats!

This wouldn’t really matter, would it?
Su Wu pretended not to understand, and said with a puzzled look: “Sir, do you really have something to teach me? Please speak frankly…”

Liang Shijie glanced at Su Wu with a fake smile: “Maybe you are a good fighter in the battlefield, but you are still a fool when it comes to the affairs of the court. Think about it more…”

Su Wu just felt that it was so annoying to talk to such a person!

“I am young, and I may not understand the wit in the words of the Minister of the Central Secretariat…” Su Wu pretended to be a fool.

“Then ask your Tong Shumi…” Liang Shijie said.

What was going on? Tong Guan and Cai Jing were both in Beijing. What was going on between them? Why couldn’t they just talk about it?

Does Liang Shijie need to speak in a confusing manner in front of Su Wu?

What was Liang Shijie’s purpose in showing off in front of Su Wu?
Let Su Wu know how powerful he is? Let Tong Guan take the initiative to ask for help?
Su Wu is still thinking, what does Cai Jing want? What is Cai Jing’s core demand? Starting from this point, it may be more straightforward.

Cai Jing wants… to be reinstated and appointed as prime minister again. This should be Cai Jing’s most core demand.

But Cai Jing could no longer compete with Wang Fu in front of the emperor. Cai Jing was too boring now, so how interesting was Wang Fu?
Then he had to start with national affairs and make the emperor feel that the court could not function without him, Cai Jing…

Who can help him achieve this? Perhaps it is Tong Guan. The biggest national event now is to conquer Liao.

In this way, Su Wu suddenly figured things out, but Tong Guan seemed unwilling to cooperate…

What was the underlying logic behind Tong Guan’s unwillingness to cooperate?

In fact, the logic is very simple. No matter what the dispute is, only when the second and third in command unite to fight the boss can the interests be maximized. Cai Jing is obviously the boss.

During the years that Cai Jing was in power, many things became increasingly rigid. In other words, Tong Guan was just a little brother.

It was not easy to get Wang Fu to appear, who coaxed the emperor around and slightly broke the situation. How could Tong Guan possibly let the situation go back to how it was before?
Once Cai Jing left, Tong Guan was finally able to free himself in the Privy Council.

Obviously, the bigwigs in Beijing, whether it was Tong Guan, Liang Shicheng, or even Wang Fu, all thought so. Who would want to have an old guy above their head?
Even the emperor has this feeling, and he doesn’t want to have such an old guy around him! Unless he really can’t handle it…

It is also said that if Tong Guan can handle these things and make great contributions to recovering Yanyun, Tong Guan can do whatever he wants with the Privy Council…

Just watching Su Wu pondering slowly, Liang Shijie asked with a smile: “Master Su, have you figured it out?”

Su Wu had thought a lot, but not in the direction Liang Shijie expected…

Liang Shijie’s intention was actually a threat, to let Su Wu know that no one could do anything in Hebei and no one could handle it!
Su Wu just said: “I am young and really stupid…”

Liang Shijie narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled: “Since you haven’t thought it through, then think about it more. Don’t worry, this government is busy with official business, so I won’t accompany you for long. The military officers of Daming Prefecture are all here. If you have anything to say, just tell them…”

Having said that, Liang Shijie really stood up and went. Even with this kind of power, to be honest, Liang Shijie’s status and position was much higher than Cheng Wanli and Su Wu.

Since Su Wu was really not a good person, it was normal for others to give him a bad face.

If we really look at this matter from Su Wu’s perspective, his interests are actually the same as Tong Guan’s. When Cai Jing is in power, the Privy Council is shit, and Su Wu, a direct scholar of the Privy Council, is just a small character.

It was different when Wang Fu was in power. Wang Fu needed support from others, including Tong Guan and Su Wu. Su Wu, a direct scholar of the Privy Council, was considered a role.

In many matters, both Tong Guan and Su Wu had greater autonomy.

Cai Jing is a behemoth. It took a lot of effort to disintegrate this behemoth a little bit. We can’t let this behemoth come back again…

Su Wu stood up and bowed to see Liang Shijie off. He still wanted to deal with him, Liang Shijie.

Su Wu couldn’t help but glance at Li Gang beside him. In fact, they had just met today and hadn’t had time to discuss anything in depth…

After Liang Shijie left, Su Wu said, “Then please take me to the army…”

Wen Da and Li Cheng simply nodded and asked, then left the government office and went to the military camp.

It was just a formality. In the military camp, there were a lot of soldiers, several thousand of them, wearing iron and leather armor, and they looked very majestic…

In fact, what can we see from this?

Just return to the residence, Su Wu and Li Gang sit opposite each other.

Su Wu was puzzled and asked Li Gang, “Li Yushi, what did the Minister of the Central Secretariat say just now in the government office?”

Li Gang is now a Counselor, and his organizational relationship belongs to the Censorate. If he is promoted again, he will be promoted to an official position like Chief Censor.

Li Gang frowned slightly, looked at the young Su Wu, and said, “How can you and I know how high the court is?”

Su Wu smiled slightly: “Is Li Yushi worried that I am ignorant? Or does he really not want to say more?”

Li Gang said, “What are you talking about? Although I don’t say it, how can I not know that I can return to the capital this time because of the recommendation of Su Xueshi. I am not such a slippery person. Su Xueshi took me to Hebei to patrol the border because he thought I was upright. This time, I will do what the censor should do. As long as it benefits the country and the people, you and I really can’t care about other things…”

“It seems that Censor Li still knows something?” Su Wu asked again.

“Alas…” Li Gang sighed, thought for a moment, and then said, “Cai You went to Jiangnan and re-initiated the Flower and Stone Commission. Why did Liang Shijie say this to him? It was because of power and reinstatement! Su Xueshi, the court asked you to patrol the border. I know it was for the war against Liao. Who among the officials doesn’t want to leave a name in history? Who doesn’t want to be recorded in history for generations?”

“Thank you, Censor Li. It seems that Cai Jing also wants to leave his name in history books for generations to come!” Su Wu only understood at this moment.

“That’s right!” Li Gang nodded.

“They won’t ignore national affairs just for this little fight, right?” Su Wu asked again.

Li Gang frowned deeply, looked at the young Su Wu, and shook his head: “That’s probably not the case…”

But after he finished answering, Li Gang’s brows were still deeply frowned, and it was obvious that his words were not sincere.

Su Wu understood that Li Gang was not a simple and upright person. He actually understood the darkness of the court. He was not a pedantic gentleman, but a very down-to-earth person…

Su Wu suddenly said, “Li Yushi, I want to show you something.”

“What is it?” Li Gang asked.

Su Wu turned around, took out a small wooden box, placed it in front of Li Gang, and raised his hand to invite him in. Li Gang opened the wooden box, and inside was a large stack of papers full of words. Su Wu said nothing, just waiting for Li Gang to slowly flip through them.

Just looking at Li Gang’s frown, he saw it getting deeper and deeper, and his expression was becoming more and more shocked.

After a long time, Li Gang said, “How dare you do this! How dare you do this!”

What is this? This is something Suo Chao secretly sent. In fact, Suo Chao did not give it to Su Wu, but secretly gave it to Lu Junyi, who then passed it on.

The specific situation of military expenditure and food in Daming Prefecture in the past two years.

It is said that most of the annual revenue of the Song Dynasty was spent on military expenses, but when the money really reached the local level, the local officials could take whatever they wanted and spend it however they wanted. This is no secret…

This has been the practice for decades, except in the northwest, it is the same everywhere. Anyway, there has been no war for a hundred years. As long as there is no chaos and the soldiers are not starving to death, there is no point in spending the money.

But Liang Shijie was really too bold. There were many troops stationed in Daming Prefecture, so the amount of money was huge. When it was embezzled, the amount was shocking.

Su Wu smiled slightly: “This is nothing… Don’t you know that Liang Zhongshu gave Cai Taishi a small birthday party and spent 100,000 strings of cash…”

“Are you serious?” Li Gang asked.

Obviously, Li Gang didn’t know about this.

Su Wu continued, “I also heard that Master Cai in Dongjing City likes to eat quail soup the most. He only eats the quail’s small tongues. He eats 300 quails in one meal and doesn’t want the rest of the parts… I don’t know if it’s true or not…”

Li Gang’s face darkened, and he said in a muffled voice: “This matter…is not bad…”

“Based on the account books like this, there are tens of thousands of guards in Daming Prefecture. If we transfer them to the front line at that time, to attack Liao, I don’t know how we can win…” Su Wu sighed.

“Don’t worry, Master Su. I will write a letter to impeach Liang Shijie based on this account book!” How could Li Gang not know what Su Wu meant?

Su Wu also deliberately said: “Maybe it is also a method of killing with a borrowed knife. You and I are both knives in the court!”

Li Gang said solemnly: “As long as this matter is beneficial to the country, no matter what else, just do it!”

Su Wu suddenly said, “In fact, I understood a little bit of what Liang Zhongshu said. He just wanted me to make peace with him and he would take care of me…”

Li Gang nodded: “That’s what he meant… But Su Xueshi didn’t answer him…”

“I think the same as you. As long as it is beneficial to the conquest of Liao, no matter what, just do it. I don’t want my men to die in vain in the battlefield! I don’t want the cause of our country to be wasted!”

Su Wu had to say this to Li Gang. This was the way of human nature. He and Li Gang had to be on the same front.

“Alas…” Li Gang just sighed, and went back to look at the account book, asking, “How can a person survive in Daming Prefecture with only 400 coins a month?”

Su Wu simply replied: “Isn’t there still 400 coins? If I do some other work and earn a little more, won’t I be able to barely survive?”

Li Gang also asked: “Why do these people get two guan per month?”

Su Wu replied: “Under no circumstances, the generals under my command must be able to train a few soldiers who are capable of fighting, and a few who can catch thieves and robbers…”

“Alas…” Li Gang just shook his head.

Su Wu said again: “This is the meaning of you and I coming to patrol the border…”

Li Gang nodded: “Perhaps… Even if I severely impeach him, I can’t move him at all. There are so many officials like him in the world, how many can be moved?”

“You and I just need to hand the knife to the person who borrowed it… As for the rest, we should do our best and leave it to fate!” Su Wu replied, and then said: “Recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun is so difficult. If I can accomplish this, I will die without regrets…”

Li Gang was touched and stood up to salute: “In Jiangnan, I heard that Su Xueshi was brave and good at fighting, and he often led the charge. Now that I see Su Xueshi again, I really know that Su Xueshi is a loyal and righteous gentleman!”

Su Wu waved his hand and said, “Let’s not talk about anything else. Censor Li just write the memorial. Let’s continue on our way to Hejian Prefecture and Zhending Prefecture…”

“Okay!” Li Gang nodded.

Suddenly, Su Wu asked, “Li Yushi, do you dare to go to Liao?”

“what?”

“The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, do you want to take a look?” Su Wu asked.

“Are we going to the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun this time?” Li Gang’s eyes widened.

Su Wu nodded: “Now, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun are very empty, and the army is all in the north. If we go now, as long as we are well prepared, there may be no danger…”

Su Wu had obviously planned this matter very seriously. At this moment, when the Song side did not take any action, the Liao army was all in the north. The Jin offensive was getting more and more fierce, and the Liao resistance was also getting stronger and stronger.

The Liao Kingdom, at this moment, has countless brave warriors, and is on the verge of extinction. A vigorous counterattack is imaginable…

But the north is actually not far away, it is just north and south of Yanshan Mountain. The Jin army has already reached this line of defense.

In other words, the real core area of ​​the Liao Dynasty today is only the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

Historically, when the Song Dynasty’s 200,000-strong army came north, the Liao Kingdom could only hastily mobilize a few thousand defeated soldiers from Yanshan to fight southward. This shows how empty the southern border of Yanshan was at that time…

Therefore, at this moment, entering the Liao Kingdom and the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun is not a very dangerous thing. As long as you are well prepared, even if your identity is exposed, as long as you don’t seek death, it will not be difficult to return safely.

The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun is a piece of land that is long from east to west and narrow from north to south. The city of Yanjing is not far from the border of Song Dynasty, only about 200 miles. Naturally, the first stop of Su Wu is the city of Yanjing.

Even if his identity was exposed and he wanted to return, there would not be enough soldiers in the cities along the way to stop him.

As for what to do? The situation in Liao was actually very complicated at this time. The Jin army was besieging Dading Prefecture, Zhongjing of Liao. The defenders of Dading Prefecture were in danger, but the Liao army in Yanyun went north from Yanshan Mountain several times to provide support, but they were all defeated by Jin…

The fall of Zhongjing Dading Prefecture was only a matter of time. Once Zhongjing fell, the Jin cavalry would naturally enter Yanyun…

The Liao royal family and the imperial court were also in a state of panic…

Someone is plotting to depose the emperor…

Some people are thinking of begging for peace with the Jin people, submitting a letter of submission, hoping to buy some temporary peace…

Some people are also thinking about whether to attach themselves to the Song Dynasty in the south…

At this time, many people in the upper class are thinking about how to keep their wealth…

There are countless thoughts in people’s minds, and undercurrents are surging…

Loyal and dedicated people, like Yelu Dashi, just bravely fight on the front line…

What Su Wu wanted was to find the person who wanted to join the Song Dynasty in the south. That person was called Li Chuwen, and he held a high position in the court of the Liao Dynasty.

From the perspective of the Liao people, Li Chuwen was inevitably similar to Qin Hui. However, Li Chuwen’s ending in history was different. He was finally sentenced to death because his crime was exposed.

The reason for his failure was actually that he did not do it well. Su Wu had to meet him and give him a good idea. Su Wu also knew that there was another Liao general named Guo Yaoshi, who would also surrender to Song in the future…

If Su Wu wanted to borrow these forces, he had to really go there. In history, Tong Guan did not get the help of Li Chuwen because information was not well-circulated in that era. If such a big event could not be planned in person and a detailed plan could not be made, how could it be possible to succeed?

Only by really taking this trip, Xu Yanyun’s matter will be twice as effective with half the effort!
Su Wu cannot lose, otherwise he cannot do great things and cherish his life.

Li Gang was still stunned. He didn’t know why Su Wu suddenly wanted to go to Yanyun. He really couldn’t understand it. In his astonishment, he said: “How could Su Wu take such a risk? How could it not be dangerous to go into the enemy country alone?”

Su Wu said: “It may be a little dangerous, but we may gain a lot from this trip. If we can contact a few people in Liao who are loyal to Song Dynasty, wouldn’t it be twice the result with half the effort? Even if we can’t contact such people, this trip is to explore the terrain and find out the truth, which will be of great benefit in the future battle…”

After hearing these words, Li Gang looked at Su Wu again and was deeply moved. He said, “Mr. Su is willing to go to such lengths for the country, risking his life alone, and putting his life aside. This is really shameful…”

“How about having Censor Li go with us?” Su Wu wanted a witness, and that person was Li Gang. If such a thing were done, the first person to be convinced would naturally be Li Gang.

Li Gang’s reputation was second to none in the Song Dynasty at that time. And with Li Gang talking about this matter and promoting it, the effect was self-evident.

Of course, subjugating Li Gang was also an extremely important matter. Why did Wang Mang usurp the throne? Before he usurped the throne, the whole world was subjugated and everyone praised him.

You have to copy this homework!

Su Wu wanted to kill two birds with one stone. This time when he went to Liao, as long as he didn’t go through Yanjing and didn’t go to the vicinity of Yanshan Mountain, as long as he could bring three to five hundred elite men with him, his safety would not be a problem.

When asked if Li Gang would go with him, Li Gang looked at Su Wu’s face full of loyalty to his country and gritted his teeth: “It is a great honor for me, Li Gang, to sacrifice my life to accompany a gentleman!”

“Okay, Censor Li and I are indeed a fellow traveler. Please accept my greeting!” Su Wu bowed.

Li Gang bowed deeply and said: “I have devoted my life to my country and my family. I don’t know whether I will live or die. Now that I have met Master Su, why should I mind dying?”

The two men bowed to each other, and then they held each other’s hands. It was not possible to kowtow to each other to swear brotherhood with scholars, but at this moment, Su Wu said: “There are so many scoundrels in the world, only Li Yushi is a true gentleman! He must be my best friend in this life!”

Li Gang’s eyes turned red when he said this, so how could Su Wu’s eyes not be red as well? Just ask how many Li Gangs can be found in the Song Dynasty at this moment?

Just ask, wasn’t Li Gang’s life in history also a tragedy?
Xu Suwu will do something that Li Gang doesn’t like in the future, but Suwu can give Li Gang a thrilling and passionate life. I don’t know if this deal is fair or not…

(End of this chapter)