Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Chapter 119 Song Jiang feigns a strategy of attacking the enemy while Chai Jin secretly advances his

The next day, Zhang Shuye received a report that the bodies of two Imperial Guards had been found in the grain carts that had been delivered to the recruiting station the day before.

Zhang Shuye was very surprised. It seemed that there really were spies from Liangshan Marsh in Jizhou City, and they had already clashed with the Imperial Guards!

Unfortunately, these two Imperial Guards did not inform Zhang Shuye of any situation beforehand. They were thinking of asking for credit and rewards after they had finished their work.

This was also a consistent rule of the Imperial City Guard in the Song Dynasty. If you reported the situation before it reached the final stage, and then some unexpected situation occurred, the accounts would not match up in the end. The Imperial City Guard would severely punish such behavior. Therefore, they were used to reporting only after everything was settled and there were no more variables.

Zhang Shuye could neither see nor touch them, but he knew that Liangshan's influence had infiltrated Jizhou Prefecture. Wu Yong, the "wise strategist," told him to let them come, saying that they might make a big move at a crucial moment, and then they could follow the clues. He added that if they launched a city-wide search now, they might not only fail to find them, but it would also easily cause panic among the people, making the city chaotic and unsettling.

Jeju City was originally doing quite well, with all industries thriving. If the people are thrown into panic, the finances will likely face serious problems.

Meanwhile, Song Jiang, also known as "Hu Baoyi," successfully arrived at Zhang Shuye's headquarters. Zhang Shuye finally met the "Timely Rain" from Shandong, "Hu Baoyi" from Yuncheng, and "Filial and Righteous Black Third Brother" whom he had heard about in the Northwest.

In terms of appearance, Song Jiang was actually short and dark-skinned, which made him very self-conscious. However, he had a good temperament, which somewhat made up for it. When Zhang Shuye first met Song Jiang, he felt that he had an extraordinary bearing. After talking with him, he found that Song Jiang was indeed a person who was loyal to the court and the emperor. He had only one ambition: to serve the emperor and the country and make a name for himself.

Of course, Zhang Shuye also saw a hint of ambition in him, but he didn't care. In his view, Song Jiang's ambition was to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country. Having ambition in this area would only make the country more prosperous, which was a good direction for development.

Moreover, Zhang Shuye also felt that Song Jiang had previously worked as a clerk, and he was very familiar with all kinds of official business in the government. At that time, Shi Wenbin of Yuncheng County often entrusted Song Jiang with various official business. Whether it was litigation cases, government treasury funds and grain, or any other matters, Song Jiang was able to handle them with ease.

Therefore, Zhang Shuye was also considering whether he could find a way to get Song Jiang an official position.

The world is not lacking in talented people, but in discerning judges. However, many people may wonder why Song Jiang, who was of good character, reputation, and wealth, could not become an official. Look at Wu Song, who killed a tiger and was appreciated by a county magistrate, so Wu Song became a constable. And Gao Qiu, who was good at football, was appreciated by the emperor, so Gao Qiu became a Grand Commandant.

Even if Song Jiang had great abilities, without the help of influential people, he could only rise to prominence through rebellion.

This is actually related to the selection methods for civil officials in the Northern Song Dynasty, which were basically divided into three types. The first type was hereditary appointment, which required you to have a good father who was an official; Song Jiang did not have this.

The second option was the recommendation system, which required you to know a high-ranking official. The highest-ranking official Song Jiang knew was Shi Wenbin from Yuncheng County, a county magistrate. What could a county magistrate do? He didn't even have the qualifications to be recommended!

The third option is to take the imperial examination, which requires taking the exam. However, Song Jiang's problem is that he is already registered as an official and therefore ineligible to take the imperial examination.

So, to put it bluntly, Song Jiang was just a country bumpkin with no powerful father and no access to high-ranking officials. Logically, the only way for him to become an official was through the imperial examinations, but since he had already become a clerk, it was highly likely that the imperial examinations were out of his reach.

During the Song Dynasty, officials and clerks were treated differently. Clerks were not officials and basically had no chance to become officials in their entire lives. If clerks wanted to become officials, they had to pass multiple examinations to obtain the qualification of "entering the ranks".

The Song Dynasty adopted the Tang Dynasty's system of appointing officials outside the official ranks, but with stricter restrictions. Even if a person obtained the qualification of "official outside the official ranks," they still needed to pass multiple examinations to become a formal official.

This system aimed to distinguish between clerks and officials, and to select truly capable officials through examinations. Therefore, becoming a clerk did not preclude one from becoming an official; rather, certain conditions had to be met and a strict selection process had to be followed.

This evaluation process could very well take one or two decades, and you'll have to bribe officials and grease palms. Moreover, the evaluation is extremely rigorous, and you're unlikely to pass.

So, even in his thirties, Song Jiang was still just a minor official...

However, Zhang Shuye was qualified to take the imperial examination. He intended to promote Song Jiang, but he also knew that the more someone wanted something, the more you should promise it to them first, and then keep them hanging on with that thing, always making them feel that it was something that was just out of reach, as if they could reach it if they put in a little more effort. This would make them work hard to bring value to him first.

Like a donkey chasing a carrot...

Of course, this idea was actually suggested to Zhang Shuye by the "wise strategist" Wu Yong...

Sure enough, when Song Jiang heard that Zhang Shuye wanted to appoint him to an official position through the special imperial examination, Song Jiang cried. He had waited half his life for this opportunity, and he was so excited and thrilled...

However, Zhang Shuye said that he wanted to test Song Jiang first. Song Jiang thought it made sense. As a clerk, he also had to go through a rigorous examination if he wanted to take the imperial examination and become an official.

Zhang Shuye told him that he wanted to wipe out the Liangshan bandits, but he lacked talent, especially military talent.

Then, Zhang Shuye said, "As the 'Timely Rain' of Shandong, the 'Righteous Protector' of Yuncheng, and the 'Filial and Righteous Black Third Brother,' your status and reputation in the martial arts world are basically unmatched. You have a wide network of connections. So you should find a way to recruit some talents, whether they are from the underworld or the legitimate world. As long as they can serve the court and make contributions, they can be given official positions."

In this way, Song Jiang's friendship would be fulfilled, and his scientific abilities would also be recognized, which would allow Zhang Shuye to grant him a place in the imperial examination.

Zhang Shuye's move hit Song Jiang, the "Righteous Protector," right where it hurts. He immediately became incredibly enthusiastic, patting his chest and vouching for Zhang Shuye, promising to recruit a large "army of talents" for him!

This is why Wu Yong, the "wise strategist," could tolerate Song Jiang. It was because Song Jiang had a high status in the Jianghu (江湖, the world of martial arts and chivalry) and a wide network of connections, enabling him to help Zhang Shuye recruit countless talents. Wu Yong, the "wise strategist," could not afford to disobey Song Jiang, a feat that Wu Yong could only dream of.

Song Jiang immediately began writing furiously, recalling all the heroes and outlaws he had known in the past, and wrote letters to them one by one, saying that he was recruiting talented people for the Jizhou government. He urged them to come quickly, to serve the country, and to be given official positions. He also said that those who had committed crimes were not to be feared, as long as they were not guilty of heinous crimes, they could come and redeem themselves through meritorious service.

This was also the special privilege Zhang Shuye obtained from Cai Jing, the Grand Tutor, regarding personnel matters. Over the years, Zhang Shuye had discovered a pattern: under the current Emperor Huizong of Song, it seemed that few capable people were without committing crimes. In fact, a strange phenomenon had emerged: the more capable a person was, the more crimes they committed, and he didn't know why.

To whom did Song Jiang write his first letter? He wrote it to Chai Jin, the "Little Whirlwind" of Cangzhou in Heng Hai County.

After all, Chai Jin was known as "the reincarnation of Lord Mengchang," and he had no fewer than three thousand retainers. Although Song Jiang, the "Protector of Justice," had never met "Little Whirlwind" Chai Jin before, they had been exchanging letters and had long admired each other. In the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world), their reputations were roughly equal.

Therefore, Song Jiang earnestly requested that Chai Jin, the esteemed official, inform some of his retainers who wished to join the government and urge them to come to Jizhou.

Logically speaking, Chai Jin, nicknamed "Little Whirlwind," would certainly not want to give away his retainers for free. After all, he had been supporting these retainers at his own expense, so why would he give them to the imperial court?

However, among Chai Jin's retainers, there were also some who sought fame and fortune, and some who were petty thieves and scoundrels, who also came to Chai Jin's manor to freeload. In order to maintain his reputation for virtue, Chai Jin could not openly drive them away. However, the number of these freeloaders increased, and there were also many farmhands that Chai Jin disliked, who were a great annoyance to him on his manor.

Just when Chai Jin was wondering what to do to get rid of these people, his letter to "Protector of Justice" Song Jiang arrived. "Little Whirlwind" Chai Jin was overjoyed when he saw it; now he had a place to deal with them!

So he gathered about two hundred of his disliked retainers and farmhands and told them that the government and military in Jizhou Prefecture were now recruiting talented people regardless of their past misdeeds. He told them that they could go and make a living, and ordered his trusted men to escort them all the way to Jizhou Prefecture.

Logically speaking, if Chai Jin, nicknamed "Little Whirlwind," was secretly engaged in an underground business with Liangshan Marsh, selling high-proof liquor to the Liao Kingdom in exchange for horses, he would have made an excuse to refuse if he knew that Song Jiang was "recruiting soldiers and buying horses" here in order to attack Liangshan.

However, he was rather slow-witted and didn't think it through properly. The Liangshan Marsh was under the jurisdiction of Jizhou Prefecture. What was the purpose of the government's troops recruiting soldiers for Jizhou Prefecture?

And there are no other mountains within the territory of Jeju Prefecture, so how could Liangshan Marsh not be threatened?

However, "Little Whirlwind" Chai Jin was still immersed in the joy of getting rid of these two hundred or so troublesome fellows. He didn't have the mind to think about so many things. He even wrote a letter back to "Hu Baoyi" Song Jiang and had it delivered to him. In his heart, he was saying that since it was the famous Shandong "Timely Rain", "Hu Baoyi" of Yuncheng, and "Filial and Righteous Black Third Brother" who spoke up, he, "Little Whirlwind" Chai Jin, would naturally do his duty without hesitation. In short, he was showing off his "reincarnation of Lord Mengchang" style to the fullest extent.

The second person Song Jiang wrote to was his "true sworn brother," another high-ranking fighter who, in the original story, "hung himself from a tree in the southeast" at Song Jiang's grave, and now the deputy commander of Qingfeng Village, "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong.

The relationship between these two was incredibly close. The original novel *Water Margin* doesn't mention any connection between them, nor does it provide any details. However, when "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong appears, they seem to be as close as brothers, leading some in later generations to suspect that they were involved in a scandalous affair, like the story of "Longyang Weeping Fish," a classic case of a "black and white pairing" (a euphemism for a romantic relationship).

In short, the two men were very close. Song Jiang wrote to "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong after hearing from Zhang Shuye that he had obtained the power to transfer officials from other prefectures through Cai Jing, so Song Jiang's first thought was of his brother, "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong.

Hua Rong's skills are truly remarkable. He's a master archer, and his hidden arrows are always accurate. Among the eight vanguard commanders of Liangshan, he's one of the strongest. He can go toe-to-toe with "Thunderbolt" Qin Ming for dozens of rounds. If he could become an official in Jizhou Prefecture, he would naturally be appreciated by Zhang Shuye.

After all, in Qingzhou Prefecture, "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong's official position was not high and he was suppressed. Above him was the military commander "Thunderbolt" Qin Ming, who was the highest combat force, so he couldn't stand out. Even the Qingzhou military supervisor "Suppressor of Three Mountains" Huang Xin, whose ability was not as good as his, had a higher official position than "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong. It was not easy for him to get by.

Moreover, Song Jiang knew that there used to be a lot of bandits in Qingzhou, and bandits were rampant. However, since the birthday tribute incident, the major mountain strongholds in Qingzhou Prefecture have been wiped out, and the bandit problem has been alleviated instantly.

Hua Rong, nicknamed "Little Li Guang," who used to gain merits and promotions by suppressing bandits, suddenly found himself without a target and no place to use his skills.

The situation is different in Jeju. The suppression of the Liangshan bandits is of utmost urgency. With the arrival of "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong, he will likely be able to fill Huang An's original position and become the top military commander of Jeju Prefecture.

Since Hua Rong, nicknamed "Little Li Guang," was closer to Cangzhou, he quickly replied to Song Jiang.

In his letter to Song Jiang, he said, "Brother, it's not that I don't want to go, but the magistrate here is guarding against me like a thief every day, which I really hate. I also want to leave and go with you."

However, the prefect of Qingzhou, Murong Yanda, is not someone to be trifled with. He is a member of the imperial family. If I go there and incur his displeasure, things could escalate, which would be detrimental to Jizhou Prefecture.

Murong Yanda was the prefect of Qingzhou and the brother of Consort Murong in Emperor Huizong's palace. He was considered a maternal uncle of the emperor and also a member of the treacherous faction.

However, Hua Rong, nicknamed "Little Li Guang," said that he had recently captured two mountain bandits who were quite capable. If Song Jiang wanted them, he would send them to Song Jiang first.