Shandong shall rise as a land of great outlaws.

Then Dong Ping was heard gnashing his teeth and cursing, "You treacherous villains, just wait for another day, I swear I will have my revenge!"

Out on the broad street, Dong Ping spurred his horse and galloped away toward the east. Clearly realizing that the general situation was lost, he sought only to break through the east gate and flee the city to save his life first.

Though highly skilled, Dong Ping had always been someone who cherished his own skin.

Beside Su Wu, Suo Chao already asked, "Brother, why did you let him go?"

Without answering, Su Wu simply shouted to the left and right, "Today's affair concerns Dong Ping alone. Those of you who do not know the truth, lay down your weapons and kneel in surrender, and your past deeds will not be pursued."

Looking around, one could hear the crisp sounds of weapons clattering to the ground as countless soldiers of Dongping Prefecture dropped to their knees right there in the street.

Seeing this scene, Su Wu knew deeply that in this Great Song Dynasty, the act of rebellion was difficult—exceedingly difficult.

Even the great bandits of Liangshan in the tales did not raise the banner of rebellion; instead, they claimed to act on behalf of Heaven, alongside another explicit motto: "Slay all corrupt officials and grasping magistrates, and repay the Emperor of the Zhao family with utter loyalty."

This was the true ideology of Liangshan: no matter how many murders and arson they committed, they ultimately sought to repay the Heavenly Son of the Song Dynasty's Zhao family.

Only after the situation was firmly under control did Su Wu speak to Suo Chao, "Commander, please have these men gathered and settled first."

Suo Chao nodded, "Easily done..."

With that, Suo Chao directed his officers and men on all sides to gather the routed soldiers and collect their weapons.

随后，Suo Chao dismounted, walked over to Su Wu, and asked in a low voice, "What is my brother's plan?"

Su Wu countered with a question of his own, "Does the Commander wish to hear the truth or a falsehood?"

"This..." Suo Chao grasped the underlying meaning. After a moment of thought, he replied, "From this day forth, you and I share life and death, standing and falling together!"

"Good!" Su Wu nodded. Suo Chao's words constituted a clear declaration of his stance.

That being the case, Su Wu no longer spoke falsely. Leaning close to Suo Chao's ear, he whispered, "If I spoke a falsehood, it would be that Dong Ping was simply too formidable to be stopped, leaving us no choice but to let him slip away alone. But if I speak the truth—Commander, you have long been troubled day in and day out by the desire to achieve meritorious service and build a career. Yet where in these times can one find so many merits waiting to be won?"

Hearing this, a sudden flash of brilliant light appeared in Suo Chao's eyes. "Brother, do you mean to raise..."

"Indeed. As a stray dog, where can that Dong Ping go among the surrounding prefectures? He can only head to the territory of the great bandits at Liangshan. At present, those great bandits of Liangshan rely merely on the geographical advantage of their water marshes; they do not yet possess any true prestige or formidable momentum. Once Dong Ping joins them, the Liangshan bandits might actually gain a measure of real power. Only then will they be worth launching several campaigns and battles to suppress."

Su Wu spoke slowly. He had already analyzed the situation thoroughly. Liangshan was still far from impressive at this stage; for Liangshan to truly rise, many events had yet to unfold.

However, Su Wu could not possibly allow Liangshan to accomplish many of those pivotal events—such as the Three Villages of Duong Gang, Mount Erlong, or Liangshan's successive grand victories in capturing prefectures.

All of these Su Wu intended to prevent Liangshan from achieving.

If that happened, Liangshan would remain too weak. If they were too weak, they could never grow into a major threat. Without such major bandits, how could men like Su Wu and Suo Chao, who yearned to establish merits and build their careers, find an opportunity to do so?

In the not-too-distant future, the Song and the Liao would go to war, followed closely by a war between the Song and the Jin. If Su Wu failed to seize a measure of real authority before then, how could he ever hope to influence the grand chess game of the realm?

Therefore, letting Dong Ping go was far better than killing him. And those great bandits of Liangshan had to rise; they could not remain merely a trio of fishermen accompanied by a village scholar...

The strength of Liangshan had to be augmented.

Suddenly enlightened, Suo Chao exclaimed, "In that case... this is precisely the time for military men like us to build our merits and careers."

Su Wu nodded. "Shandong must give rise to great bandits."

Suo Chao nodded as well. "Brother, your foresight is profound indeed; I cannot compare. From now on, in matters of strategy, I shall simply follow my brother's lead in everything."

"Let us go. First, let us seek out the Prefect," Su Wu said, rising to his feet.

Suo Chao followed, accompanied by Wu Song and Zhou Jin, and the group headed straight for the prefectural yamen.

Upon arriving at the yamen, there was no sign of the Prefect, nor indeed of a single soul. Officials, clerks, and yamen runners alike had all fled completely.

Su Wu looked around and sighed.

Suo Chao smiled. "Brother need not reproach them; it is merely human nature. Just wait a little while. Once the city learns that Dong Ping has been defeated and has fled, everyone will naturally return."

And so they waited...

Before long, a few yamen runners and petty clerks poked their heads out to look around. After doing so cautiously a few times, they finally walked inside.

Someone immediately chimed in, "Chief Constable Su is truly formidable!"

"Indeed, indeed! Even that Dong Ping was sent scurrying with his tail between his legs."

Flattering remarks were about to rise from all directions when Su Wu simply asked, "Where is the Prefect?"

The crowd looked at each other in dismay, none of them knowing where the Prefect had gone.

At that moment, another petty clerk was seen peeking into the courtyard from the doorway. After peering cautiously a few times, he cried out in excitement, "I know, I know! Quick, quick, the Prefect is hiding at my home."

Su Wu stood up. "Let's go. We shall welcome the Prefect back to the yamen."

The streets were entirely deserted, save for countless pairs of eyes peering out through the cracks of doors and windows.

Su Wu instructed his men to shout aloud as they walked, "All is safe! All is safe! That Dong Ping has already fled."

Calling out thus as they moved, a few figures on the street finally dared to step out and look.

Upon arriving at the petty clerk's home and pushing open the courtyard gate, they found Prefect Cheng Wanli himself peering out at the courtyard through the cracks of a side-room window.

Catch sight of the newcomers, he was overcome with ecstatic joy. "Su Wu, have you truly triumphed?"

"Prefect, all is well. We have won, though it is a pity that Dong Ping managed to escape," Su Wu replied with a smile.

Cheng Wanli hurried out from the side room into the courtyard, his face beaming with delight. "It matters not, it matters not! His escape is of no consequence. This prefecture knew from the very beginning that this endeavor would succeed—most certainly succeed!"

As the others bowed in greeting around them, Cheng Wanli waved his hands repeatedly. "You gentlemen have performed extraordinarily meritorious service this day. When rewards are distributed based on merit, not a single person shall be omitted. Commander Suo will naturally receive a decree of commendation from the Secretariat, and I shall personally write a detailed letter to the Secretariat explaining the entire matter..."

A smile graced Suo Chao's face as he cupped his fists in salute. "My thanks to Prefect Cheng."

At that moment, Cheng Wanli stood tall with an air of complete dignity and poise. He continued, "Naturally, the troops from Daming Prefecture have labored afar with great fatigue. Shortly, the yamen shall issue funds to reward the army, and as for the compensation for the fallen, not a single penny will be lacking."

"Our thanks once again to Prefect Cheng!" Joy blossomed in the depths of Suo Chao's heart; to receive a bounty here and another upon returning home meant a double dose of happiness.

Turning his gaze to Su Wu, Cheng Wanli smiled warmly. "Chief Constable Su has rendered the greatest service of all. As was agreed beforehand, with Dong Ping's departure, the post of Military Inspector of Dongping Prefecture now stands vacant. As for this matter, Su Wu, you shall temporarily take charge of the prefecture's military affairs. Once my official dispatches make a round trip to the Bureau of Military Affairs, the matter will be finalized. The post of Military Inspector belongs to you and no other! This is fitting recompense for your loyalty and valiant sacrifice!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Song was overwhelmed with excitement. He looked toward his sworn brother, feeling a deep sense of shared glory in his heart.

Su Wu bowed deeply, though little trace of agitation could be seen on his face as he replied, "Thank you, Prefect, for your elevation. I shall naturally exert my utmost strength and loyalty, not daring to slacken in the slightest."

Cheng Wanli was genuinely overjoyed, stroking his beard with a continuous smile. "This prefecture knows you to be a man of exceptional capability, and also knows your temperament to be steadfast and calm. Entrusting the military affairs of the prefecture to you will surely prevent any mishaps. My only remaining concern is that many in the military are still Dong Ping's trusted confidants; you must take great care to carefully vet them."

In saying this, Cheng Wanli still harbored lingering traces of anxiety. Toward these men of brute force, he truly lacked a sense of security and was genuinely terrified! Fortunately, he now had Su Wu, who was worthy of absolute trust.

"Rest assured, Prefect, this is not difficult," Su Wu replied. Just then, he suddenly felt as though someone was once again peering at him through the very crack in the window where Cheng Wanli had earlier looked out.

Su Wu could not help turning his head to look. The crack in the window was narrow, but at a single glance, he caught sight of a pair of female eyes. The moment the woman saw Su Wu looking over, she hurriedly withdrew.

"Very good, very good, exceptionally good..." Cheng Wanli's spirits were truly soaring now; the heavy boulder that had weighed upon his chest was entirely gone. Looking this way and that, everything appeared wonderful, filled with a satisfying perfection.

"Prefect, there is no time to lose. We should return swiftly to Yanggu County, and first apprehend Dong Ping's confidant Yun Liwan. Only then will the charge of Dong Ping colluding with bandits and plotting rebellion be set in stone beyond a doubt."

Su Wu's mind remained remarkably calm.

"Go, go quickly! Such villains must all be apprehended one by one. Whatever you manage, this prefecture rests entirely at ease," Cheng Wanli answered readily.