Chapter 56: It is Like Catching Turtles in a Jar

Su Wu asked, "My brother, will you get a promotion upon returning this time?"

Suochao nodded, "Taking Yun Liwan back and quelling the rebellion of the military generals should be a meritorious service. Above me is the Inspector Wen Da, and another Deputy Inspector Li Cheng. This time, I might just become a Deputy Inspector myself."

"That couldn't be better." Su Wu felt a sincere wave of joy. Given their current relationship, the higher Suochao's official position, the better.

Suochao also nodded with a sense of relief, "Indeed. If so, I should have more authority over the disbursement of military provisions and pay."

Thinking it over and over, Suochao still had this matter on his mind, which showed that he was truly an exceptionally capable man in military administration.

"No need to rush, no need to rush. There will be plenty of paths open in the future. A promotion for my brother is not difficult." Su Wu knew these words would strike a chord with Suochao.

"Then I shall rely heavily on you, elder brother." Suochao was not a person of deep worldly cunning, and he spoke quite straightforwardly. Suddenly, he asked, "With me leaving these few days, I'm afraid that scoundrel Dong Ping might seize the opportunity for revenge. Elder brother, you have no close kin or trusted connections here in Dongping Prefecture, so you must make preparations early."

Clearly, Suochao was also concerned for Su Wu's safety.

Frowning, Su Wu replied, "I have given it much thought. Dong Ping is bound to join the outlaws of Mount Liang. If he wants revenge, there is probably little he can do in the open, but his covert actions truly cannot be guarded against. I am alone with no attachments, and whenever I go out, I have men following me. If he sends just a few men, I certainly have no fear of him. Therefore, this matter..."

Suochao immediately answered, "I'm afraid this matter does not lie with you, elder brother. Are there people in Yanggu County who can be used to pressure you?"

Su Wu shook his head, "Probably not in Yanggu County. They are major outlaws, moving only after careful planning, and they ventured out braving the risk of being hunted down by various local governments. What revenge would they seek among the yamen runners in Yanggu County? What harm could they do to me? Nor would they gain any benefits. Furthermore, the Magistrate of Yanggu is an elderly man who has never offended anyone. Seizing him seems to have little bearing on me..."

As Su Wu put it, from an outsider's perspective, this made complete sense. For Mount Liang and Dong Ping to venture out was already a gamble. If they wanted revenge, they naturally had to strike at the core. If it caused no real pain, how could it vent their anger?

Suochao frowned in thought, then asked, "Then it must be here in Dongping Prefecture. Recently, the Prefect's yamen must definitely strengthen its guards, and the Prefect himself should not go out frequently."

Su Wu nodded, "I had anticipated this long ago. I was thinking of staying inside the prefectural yamen these days. But I have thought further: constantly defending against thieves is no solution. We must lure the snake out of its hole so that they suffer a heavy blow and realize our strength. After that, they won't dare to act rashly."

Suochao nodded repeatedly, "That stands to reason. Elder brother is full of resourcefulness; naturally, you will think of a way."

Su Wu continued, "If we consider those outlaws of Mount Liang, Chao Gai has the reputation of being as righteous as the heavens. As for Dong Ping, his hatred is rooted right here in Dongping Prefecture—against the Prefect and me. Naturally, their revenge will be focused here. First, to rescue Liu Tang; second, to retaliate against the Prefect and me..."

At this point, Su Wu suddenly figured something out, a flash of inspiration piercing through his mind.

Hearing this, Suochao only said, "Elder brother, Liu Tang is being detained in Daming Prefecture. I only need to send a letter to Minister Zhong to strengthen the defenses, and they will surely fail!"

That was indeed true. To go and rescue a prisoner from the prison in Daming Prefecture was something the current strength of Mount Liang could never achieve.

Su Wu merely nodded, "I know. If those outlaws want revenge and also want to rescue someone, their target is only... the Prefect. What if I guard the yamen every day, with the addition of Dong Ping being among the outlaws... Haha..."

Su Wu burst into laughter, as though he had genuinely figured something out.

Suochao asked, "Has elder brother already formulated a plan?"

Su Wu nodded, "Luring the snake out of its hole, and catching the turtle in a jar."

"Do you need my help with anything?" Suochao asked again.

Su Wu was about to nod, but suddenly thought better of it and shook his head, "If you keep a large army stationed here, you might make the outlaws too timid to act rashly. You can take the main army back first. We need to leave this opening and keep only... Zhou Jin and twenty or thirty elite men. I also have other men at my disposal. When the outlaws come, they will number no more than a dozen or so."

"Very well! Once this place is cleared and searched, I shall return to muster my troops. I'll head back early tomorrow morning and leave you thirty elite soldiers—they are bound to be fierce and fearless fighters." Suochao trusted Su Wu implicitly.

"Thank you!"

"How can elder brother be so polite? How could I possibly have the face to take those five thousand strings of cash?"

"Then I won't be polite about it."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Luan Tingyu, standing nearby and listening to all this, seemed to have a faint intuition; such vital matters of state were being discussed without avoiding him at all.

Su Wu turned directly to him, "Master Luan, this matter will also rely heavily on your assistance."

Luan Tingyu simply replied, "It has been quite a long time since I truly crossed swords with anyone. I'm afraid my martial skills have grown somewhat rusty, so this will be a good chance to practice."

Looking around, the courtyard had been completely emptied; even the chairs and screens had been carried out.

Suochao said, "Elder brother, let me take these items meant for sale. I have plenty of men and carts, making them easy to transport, and they will sell well in Daming Prefecture. This will save elder brother a lot of trouble."

How thorough and thoughtful of him.

Su Wu did not stand on ceremony, "Very well."

"Let's go back to the camp. I'll muster the troops, and I'll put on a grand display of momentum for elder brother." Suochao was truly growing more meticulous and attentive.

The group returned to the military camp.

Inside the camp, the two factions were distinctly separated. Suochao's subordinates were all full of vigor and imposing presence.

On the other hand, the soldiers of Dongping Prefecture still bore a lingering sense of terror. Most of their weapons and armor had been confiscated, placing them effectively under custody.

The two groups of troops gathered and formed ranks on the parade ground.

Su Wu ascended the commander's platform and surveyed left and right.

Su Wu began, "All of you have likely heard a good deal by now. That scoundrel Dong Ping secretly colluded with the outlaws of Mount Liang and was even an accomplice in the robbery of the Imperial Birthday Gifts. Now, he has fled to Mount Liang to become a bandit."

At this point, Su Wu paused, watching the thousand or so men of Dongping Prefecture. Whispers had already broken out among them, creating a low, buzzing hum of conversation.

Su Wu did not stop them; he let them whisper among themselves for a moment before speaking again, "In the past, some of you were favored by Dong Ping, while others were not. I know well that Dong Ping would not plot such confidential matters with you. Dong Ping has always looked down upon the imperial court and long harbored the intention of rebellion. You certainly are not his followers. I have already reported to Minister Zhong and the Prefect: considering that you were deceived and coerced this time, and surrendered readily when it mattered most, your past offenses will be overlooked."

Looking back at the thousand-plus men, another wave of murmurs arose. On one point, Su Wu had hit the nail squarely on the head.

Dong Ping's contempt for the imperial court was something many of them had witnessed. For instance, Dong Ping frequently cursed his superiors in private, as well as certain high-ranking officials of the court, cursing Cheng Wanli and Cheng Wanli's patron, Tong Guan, the most.

What was the imperial court? To people at the bottom, their superior officials were the imperial court...

At this moment, Su Wu cast his gaze left and right, sweeping his eyes across the crowd. He was waiting for someone.

And he didn't have to wait long. The first person in the crowd spoke up, "Many thanks to Inspector Su for speaking on our behalf! We are by no means accomplices to Dong Ping."

It was him!

Su Wu immediately asked, "What is your name? What is your official rank?"

"This humble person holds the rank of Deputy Patrol Leader of the infantry, and my name is He Chong."

"Ah, He Chong, excellent. Who is your superior patrol leader?" Su Wu asked further.

"Um..." He Chong looked somewhat awkward.

Understood. He was dead.

Su Wu did not dwell on it and simply stated, "I now promote you to acting Commander of two battalions. First, gather and manage these thousand men, and properly arrange the daily guard duties at the city gates."

He Chong wore a look of utter astonishment, glancing left and right. He had quite a few superiors, and they were all right there on the spot.

Everyone looked at him as well, and some couldn't help but feel that He Chong truly knew how to cozy up to power; with a single sentence, his official rank had jumped by several levels...

Su Wu then said, "What? Is there anyone whose heart is displeased by what this general has said?"

Whether they were pleased or displeased in their hearts, how could they dare express it in front of their new superior?

Only He Chong himself managed to say, "Inspector, this humble person... I'm afraid..."

Su Wu declared in a stern voice, "You are the one. If there is any lapse in the city defense, you alone will be held responsible. My military floggings show no favoritism."

It was a helpless measure. At this moment, it was impossible to thoroughly vet everyone. In truth, there was also a baseline of trust: Su Wu believed that the vast majority here, if not all of them, knowing Dong Ping was a rebel, would certainly never dare have any further association with him.

The Great Song was still living in peaceful times, and these soldiers were peaceful soldiers. How many of them would genuinely harbor intentions of rebellion?

However, true trust required a process. Appointing someone temporarily to handle tasks served two purposes: first, to prevent chaos in the operations of these thousand-plus soldiers; second, to set up a benchmark for later gradual screening. If He Chong genuinely performed well, then it was simply his lucky day.

In any case, Su Wu did not truly expect these people to play a major role.

After Su Wu's stern pronouncement, He Chong no longer dared to speak further. Su Wu then commanded, "Return to your camps respectively, and retrieve your weapons. Armor will not be issued for now. Otherwise, proceed as before and take up your guard shifts. Dismissed..."

With a grand wave of his hand, Su Wu turned and descended the commander's platform, accompanied by Suochao. "Elder brother, I'm afraid you'll still have to expend a bit of effort..."

Su Wu shook his head, "I can't be bothered to waste effort. I'll just recruit a new army."

"That is also a method. Troops of one's own require one's own care, training, and leadership to truly be of use." Suochao nodded, then added, "It's just that the expense will be immense."

"I'll figure something out slowly." Su Wu furrowed his brow.

*(Note on the military system of the Great Song: Three men made a squad, nine men a platoon, and five platoons made a company. A company had a squad leader as its chief, an administrative officer as assistant, deputy squad leaders, and five flag-bearers, totaling around fifty men in a company.

Within this structure, there were also military supervisors who acted as vanguard or disciplinary units. A company was the basic tactical unit.

Two companies made adu (battalion equivalent), commanded by a du tou (captain), with a deputy captain as assistant, totaling around one hundred men.

Five du made an ying (camp), numbering around five hundred men. In this formation, officers were more numerous: the chief was a battalion commander, assisted by a deputy commander and a garrison lieutenant.

Five ying made a jun (army), numbering around two thousand five hundred men, commanded by an army commander.

Above that was the xiang (division) formation, numbering twelve thousand five hundred men, though this formation was rarely seen outside the Forbidden Army of the Eastern Capital (Bianjing).

Going further up were named units such as the Pengri Army and Tianwu Army, which were the elite Forbidden Armies garrisoned in the Eastern Capital, each consisting of two divisions.

Locally, the basic unit was generally the camp of five hundred men, overseen by military inspectors such as Su Wu.

In the official system of the Song Dynasty, these positions were actually called Prefectural Military Commissioners, or Circuit Military Commissioners, which also carried titles like garrison commander. The distinctions between them were slight yet existent. Those with genuine military responsibilities—likely facing warfare—were mostly titled Military Commissioners, sometimes even having a Commissioner's Office as a military unit, whereas garrison commanders were mostly posted in areas unlikely to see war, though not always rigidly so, making the system rather chaotic.)*

The content was temporarily expanded, making this update slightly late. Apologies.