Chapter 36: Is It That Su Wu Again?

Su Wu immediately suggested, "The Liangshan bandits are the arch-enemies of the imperial court, and they are detested by Grand Preceptor Cai and Prefect Liang of Daming Prefecture. I suggest that we send the captured individuals directly to the office of Prefect Liang in Daming Prefecture, along with all the case files and documentation..."

"Go on..." Cheng Wanli frowned, deep in thought.

"My lord, it is like this: the troops of Dongping Prefecture are unreliable. If you write a letter for me to deliver to Prefect Liang in person, not only will we be handing over the bandits—which will surely please him—but it will also make it much easier to request reinforcements. Once the troops from Daming Prefecture arrive in Dongping, the matter concerning Dong Ping will be foolproof."

Su Wu felt helpless for having to make things so complicated, but if he had even a small, competent force at his command—even just a few hundred men—he would not have needed to resort to such convoluted schemes.

The truth was that Dong Ping, a madman, was difficult to deal with. And who was currently in Daming Prefecture?

"Rush Vanguard" Suo Chao. Suo Chao was serving as a military inspector in Daming Prefecture, and he was one of the top warriors of the Water Margin, roughly on par with "Blue-Faced Beast" Yang Zhi.

In battle, Suo Chao was ferociously brave and unmatched.

After listening to Su Wu’s words, Cheng Wanli pondered for a moment before nodding. "You have truly thought this through more carefully than I have. You are a remarkable young man. Had we missed this detail, a single misstep could have left our lives hanging by a thread. Very well, let us proceed this way. You must take those bandits to Daming Prefecture to see Prefect Liang and bring back reinforcements quickly. I shall write the letter now..."

With that, Cheng Wanli stood up and, without calling for his attendants, walked straight to the long desk in his study.

Su Wu followed, grinding the ink while Cheng Wanli wrote.

It was evident that Cheng Wanli had been truly shaken. A moment ago, he had involuntarily envisioned the scene of that brute putting a blade to his throat. Glancing at Su Wu, he felt a secret sense of relief. "You are truly extraordinary!"

Civil officials like Cheng Wanli, having long resided in their high towers, never sensed that a chaotic age was approaching; they foolishly believed the world remained peaceful.

In the Great Song Dynasty, most civil officials were like this.

It was only after Cheng Wanli witnessed the true nature of men like Dong Ping, and was reminded by Su Wu, that he developed a sense of caution. Otherwise, a total massacre of his entire household would have been the likely outcome.

While grinding the ink, Su Wu simply replied, "My lord is a scholar; you do not understand the malice of a brute."

Indeed, no minister in the Great Song would ever imagine that refusing to marry his daughter to a warrior could result in such a tragic annihilation of his family.

Soon, the letter was written. Cheng Wanli leaned over to blow on it, drying the ink before folding it into an envelope and handing it to Su Wu.

"Leave the city at once," he urged. "Do not delay."

Su Wu tucked the letter into his tunic, offered a slight bow, and turned to leave.

He rode at full speed, desperate to get out of the city. He could not afford to linger; if he stayed too long, Dong Ping might receive the news, realize what was happening, and come looking for trouble.

***

By the time he left the city, it was dusk. As he galloped away, Su Wu caught a glimpse of an acquaintance heading toward the city. The man was slowing his mount, followed by five or six attendants.

Looking closely, he realized it was Yun Liwan.

Yun Liwan seemed to have spotted him as well. By coincidence, he waved his hand. "Captain Su!"

Captain Su acted as if he neither saw nor heard him, continuing to whip his horse toward Yanggu County—which was in the direction of Daming Prefecture.

Yun Liwan called out again, "Captain Su, wait! I have something to say to you."

Captain Su spurred his horse faster, showing no intention of turning back. Wu Song, riding along, even turned his head to glare at them.

Watching Su Wu gallop away without even acknowledging him, Yun Liwan felt a jolt of alarm. He turned to his men and said, "This is truly bad. Quickly, quickly, let us enter the city!"

Why was it truly bad? Su Wu was already on the road between Dongping and Yanggu, and Ximen Qing was nowhere to be found. The situation had evidently taken the worst possible turn.

Time was of the essence. He had to reach the city and head straight for Dong Ping’s residence. He was carrying another wooden box, larger and heavier than the last.

Dong Ping and Yun Liwan were old acquaintances, bound by a superior-subordinate relationship.

Dong Ping listened to Yun Liwan’s hurried account.

"Is it that Su Wu again?" Dong Ping asked.

"It is indeed that Captain Su. He has absolutely no regard for the bonds between colleagues and is determined to force me to my death. I went to ask Magistrate Meng Yi of Yanggu, but he only said the matter had already reached the Prefect's office. I had no choice but to come to you, General!"

"What kind of 'colleague' are you to a mere captain of a county office? You are truly useless. How can a tiny captain pressure you to such an extent?" Dong Ping was genuinely furious.

"Who is to say otherwise? I don't know whose influence he is relying on to treat people with such disdain. I originally thought he was relying on the new Prefect... but this matter, I fear it is aimed at me... General..."

Yun Liwan knew how to talk; he had clearly heard of Dong Ping's recent troubles.

Dong Ping frowned, looked at Yun Liwan, and asked, "What? Is it aimed at me?"

Yun Liwan did not answer directly. "The Prefect certainly has clever methods!"

Dong Ping paced back and forth, cursing, "Damn those bastards! Relying on a castrated wretch to gain power... In this world, those with true ability are disregarded, while spineless cowards run rampant in the court, and filthy wretches sit in the prefectures. The entire imperial court is filled with rotting wood!"

He was not cursing Su Wu; he was cursing Prefect Cheng Wanli, who refused to marry his daughter to him, and he was also cursing Cheng Wanli’s patron, Tong Guan—who was a eunuch, a man without, as he put it, "anything between his legs."

***

After venting, Dong Ping felt slightly better. "No wonder Su Wu appeared at the Prefect's office that day. Cheng Wanli must have heard that the fellow killed a tiger and thought he was something special, hoping to recruit him to oppose me. No wonder that fellow dared to be so aggressive and challenge me!"

Yun Liwan asked again, "He even dared to cross you, General? How are we to handle this current situation?"

"Where is that Su Wu now, having captured your men?" Dong Ping asked.

Yun Liwan thought for a moment and replied, "They must be in the prison of the Prefect's office."

"How do you know?" Dong Ping demanded.

"At dusk, as I entered the city, I saw him riding out. I saw it clearly. I called out to him, but he just whipped his horse and ran off without even looking back. He must have delivered the prisoners to the office."

Yun Liwan was absolutely certain.

"What? He came into the city today?" Dong Ping felt he had missed a golden opportunity.

"Indeed!"

"This is difficult. Since the people are already in the Prefect's prison, I fear it will not be easy to manipulate..." Dong Ping paced again, searching for a solution.

Yun Liwan immediately said, "He didn't keep them in Yanggu to be tried, but sent them to the Prefect's office—he wants to fabricate charges to take me down. Once he has me, he will surely fabricate more..."

At this point, Yun Liwan trailed off...

Why would he want to fabricate charges against Yun Liwan?

Dong Ping’s expression turned vicious. "Let’s go! Follow me to the Prefect's prison and see what is happening!"

Yun Liwan was overjoyed and ran outside, shouting, "Quick, quick! The General is heading out!"

In the courtyard, men were shouting and horses were being saddled.