Chapter 45: Do Not Mock or Laugh

The affairs of Dongping Prefecture were temporarily settled, and Suo Chao was left behind to hold the fort there, with the guards at all the gates temporarily replaced by Suo Chao's men.

Su Wu led Wu Song and Zhou Jin, along with fifty cavalrymen and three hundred infantrymen, heading straight for Yanggu County.

The journey was no longer pursued with such urgency. With Dongping Prefecture lost to him, Dong Ping had no choice but to flee south toward the marshes of Mount Liang, as neighboring prefectures offered no refuge.

Yanggu County lay to the west, and Yun Liwan surely had no inkling yet that such a monumental upheaval had suddenly taken place in Dongping Prefecture.

Even so, Su Wu maintained a rapid pace, marching through the night.

By the time the sky was just beginning to brighten early the next morning, Hu Sanniang of the Dragon Ridge was already awake, practicing with a pair of long sabers in the manor's drill yard. From afar, someone came running to report that a large contingent of soldiers was approaching their territory.

Being quite vigilant, she first instructed the estate retainers to bar the manor gates, then led a few swift riders out to the main road to observe.

Upon reaching the highway, she found Zhu Biao already there, accompanied by Du Xing, the steward of the Yangtian Dipper Li Ying. The men were standing on the road watching the approach.

Du Xing was the steward and trusted confidant of Li Ying, possessing considerable martial skill and bearing the Jianghu nickname "Ghost Face." In the traditional tales, he was destined to become one of the heroes of Mount Liang, ranked eighty-ninth.

They watched as the troops approached from the east, marching with strict discipline and impressive formation. The dozens of cavalrymen at the vanguard looked especially majestic and formidable.

Zhu Biao remarked aloud, "Could that be Dong Ping leading troops out of the city?"

Du Xing nodded and replied, "If it is him, I'm afraid we can't avoid... offering some tribute and hospitality yet again."

Hu Sanniang frowned slightly and added, "We had better have wine and food prepared in advance."

The three manors of Dragon Ridge were able to build fortresses, raise private retainers, and store a vast array of weapons and armor in this region simply because the local authorities chose to turn a blind eye.

Naturally, this required paying a massive amount of tribute every year to Dongping Prefecture's Garrison Commander, Dong Ping.

In truth, Dong Ping possessed considerable wealth, something Suo Chao could not match. Why?

Because Suo Chao was merely a garrison commander in the Northern Capital of Daming Prefecture, not the supreme Garrison Commander of the entire prefecture. In other words, Suo Chao still had superiors above him.

According to official ranks and titles, Su Wu's current promotion was meteoric. Once Prefect Cheng Wanli finalized all the paperwork regarding Su Wu's appointment, Su Wu's official rank would surpass that of Suo Chao.

As for why Suo Chao was on such good terms with Su Wu, their compatible chemistry was one reason, and having faced life and death together on the battlefield was the second. Perhaps Suo Chao also harbored strategic considerations, knowing that Su Wu currently enjoyed the profound trust of Cheng Wanli.

Cheng Wanli's patron, Tong Guan, was a figure of immense real power in the current Privy Council. It was not that Suo Chao lacked connections—he enjoyed the trust of Liang Shizhong, whose father-in-law was the reigning Chancellor, Cai Jing.

However, when it came to military promotions and reassignments, a local magistrate could never rival someone in the direct chain of command. Commander Tong Guan was truly a powerful connection.

In other words, Su Wu's current path of influence was far more convenient than Suo Chao's.

Many matters that local prefectures fought tooth and nail over were often settled in Tokyo by nothing more than a casual remark from a powerful personage, or even just a fleeting glance...

These affairs were, after all, not overly complicated.

At the major crossroads of Dragon Ridge, the group began instructing their estate retainers to return and report the news. If they needed to open the gates to welcome the guests, the masters of the manors would have to do so in person.

They needed to prepare wine and food, get large chests ready to hold money, and perhaps even prepare supplies of grain and forage.

As the column of troops gradually drew closer, Hu Sanniang asked with a hint of doubt, "I don't see the great banner bearing the character 'Dong'..."

Zhu Biao was equally puzzled. "Then who could it be? Who else could bring such a large force from Dongping Prefecture?"

Ghost Face Du Xing, being somewhat older and more knowledgeable, suggested, "Could these not be the troops of Dongping Prefecture?"

"If they aren't the troops of Dongping Prefecture, could they be guest troops from another prefecture?" Zhu Biao asked.

Du Xing pondered for a moment and said, "Recently, troop movements have indeed increased. Earlier, Nitao of Jizhou led forces to Yuncheng to suppress bandits, and some retainers reported that in the middle of the night two days ago, troops from Daming Prefecture passed through here... Judging by this route, these are likely the forces of Daming Prefecture."

Hu Sanniang then asked, "Then... should we still prepare those things?"

Du Xing thought it over and replied, "We should still prepare the wine and food. It is always wise to show goodwill toward others. As for the tribute... I am afraid that won't be necessary."

Suddenly, Hu Sanniang stood up in her stirrups, raised her hand, and pointed into the distance. "Look, look there! Isn't that leader Chief Su?"

Zhu Biao quickly stood up in his saddle to gaze into the distance. "It is him! It is him!"

With her expression suddenly brightening into a smile, Hu Sanniang whipped her horse forward and galloped ahead. After covering some distance, she shouted from afar, "Chief Su?"

Su Wu was quite surprised. The six-foot-tall young woman, full of heroic vigor, came galloping toward him with her horse. He smiled and said, "Is that you, Sanniang?"

"It is me..." Hu Sanniang was genuinely excited. Among the three manors, she was the one on the most familiar terms with Su Wu.

"How did you know I was coming?" Su Wu asked.

Hu Sanniang had no prior knowledge of his arrival; she simply replied, "I saw the troops coming, so I came out to the main road to take a look. I never expected it would be Chief Su."

Hu Sanniang reined in her horse as she drew close, riding alongside Su Wu. She asked, "How did Chief Su come to be leading such a large force?"

"They are all brothers from Daming Prefecture," Su Wu replied casually.

"These troops certainly look robust and imposing." Sanniang seemed to harbor a great fondness for such military displays, turning her head to inspect them carefully with words of praise.

Beside them, Zhou Jin chuckled and said, "My lady, he is no longer Chief Su when addressing him face to face. He is now General Su, the Garrison Commander of Dongping Prefecture."

"What?" Hu Sanniang was momentarily stunned, looking at the people around them, who hardly seemed to be joking.

A sense of joy stirred in Su Wu's heart, though he modestly said, "Acting, I am merely the acting Garrison Commander. I haven't received the official appointment document from the Tokyo Privy Council yet."

Zhou Jin added, "The official warrant and documents are merely a matter of a dozen days or so."

Recovering her senses, Hu Sanniang asked, "You truly have become the Garrison Commander of our Dongping Prefecture?"

Su Wu smiled without answering.

"And what about Dong Ping?" Hu Sanniang immediately pressed further.

Wu Song chimed in, "That traitor and rebel has already been beaten and driven away by us. My elder brother performed the greatest merit and stepped into his official post."

In Hu Sanniang's expression of astonishment, there was a clear trace of excitement. "So that's how it is! That Dong Ping was truly no good. To have him replaced by Chief Su... General Su, nothing could be better! Come, come, come, let's go into the manor and drink!"

Wu Song looked toward his elder brother.

His elder brother smiled and said, "Sanniang, I still have official business to attend to and must rush back to Yanggu County. Once I finish my duties, I will come looking for you..."

Disappointment surfaced on Hu Sanniang's face. "It was like this last time, and it's like this again this time. General Su, you are truly difficult to invite."

Su Wu had indeed just assumed his new post, and as for the territory of Dongping Prefecture and the three manors of Dragon Ridge, how could they not make some sort of gesture?

Feeling rather helpless, Su Wu could only explain further, "There are simply too many urgent duties these days. Once I finish my current business, I will definitely come. You can come looking for me, or I can come looking for you—I certainly won't break my promise."

"Then... let's consider that a promise." Sanniang was not one to hem and haw; she possessed the straightforward disposition of a wanderer of the Jianghu.

Su Wu smiled and nodded. "Of course it's a promise. When the time comes, I actually will have a matter for your help."

"What matter? Whether you want money or grain, it's all easy to discuss. In the past, Dong Ping demanded plenty. Giving it to that Dong Ping was far better than giving it to you!" Hu Sanniang spoke with the familiar ease of an old friend.

"I don't want your money or grain. Even if I need your grain, we will buy it at a fair and clearly marked price," Su Wu said with a smile.

"Ah? Then I'll calculate a cheap price for you, and give you some extra as a gift, it doesn't matter!" Hu Sanniang seemed to understand the ways of human relations. She then asked, "Then what matter do you want our help with? Just speak of it."

With the crisp, chirping tone of a young maiden, how could Su Wu keep it from her?

Su Wu genuinely liked Hu Sanniang's personality, so he explained, "You have many retainers in your manor, as well as plenty of tenant farmers and upright common folk, and your local customs have always been fierce and stalwart. I want to recruit some soldiers from your parts to serve in Dongping Prefecture—not convicts marked with tattoos, but men who can follow at my side and move about."

Su Wu now needed to cultivate his own trusted circle. Trust was a major issue with the regular soldiers in Dongping Prefecture, which was the first point. Another point was that Su Wu somewhat looked down upon them; those old military loafers were difficult to employ, and rebuilding that kind of mutual trust and affection from scratch was troublesome.

It was far better to directly recruit a batch of clean commoners of good families, who would be easy to trust and with whom bonds could be forged much more simply. In military life, such mutual loyalty between superiors and subordinates was crucial.

Su Wu also understood one truth: men from good families made the best soldiers.

As for recruitment involving facial tattoos, it was the standard method of the Song Dynasty for drafting soldiers—branding characters on their faces, a method invariably used when gathering vagrants into the provincial armies. Even when sending criminals to penal military service, this was the standard practice. The derogatory term for soldiers, "thief-convicts," originated precisely from this custom.

Therefore, Su Wu wanted to emphasize that he was not recruiting tattooed convicts; he would not brand characters on their faces.

Upon hearing Su Wu's words, Hu Sanniang replied directly, "What is difficult about that? Our manor has no shortage of half-grown teenage boys who are strong and robust. Finding them an official post is a good thing—it's far better than wandering about aimlessly. Since there are no facial tattoos involved, nothing could be better!"

Su Wu smiled and said, "You should still go home and discuss this with your elder brother, and speak with the other two manors as well..."

"A newly appointed official shouldn't dawdle! Matters of my family are decided by me, and as for the other two families, I can easily convince them." Hu Sanniang truly took charge of everything in front of Su Wu.

Su Wu merely smiled. "Very well, very well, Sanniang has great capability."

Hu Sanniang wore a proud and spoiled expression, then asked, "You just drove Dong Ping away and brought so many troops—are you heading to Yanggu County to make arrests?"

"You..." Su Wu found it difficult to answer such a question, as it concerned confidential matters. Yet, seeing that this young lady had guessed it, he could only feel helpless.

"I'll go with you. I have nothing to do right now anyway, and I can help you make the arrests," Hu Sanniang declared.

"You had better go home..." Su Wu waved his hand with a smile.

"I am going with you!" Hu Sanniang assumed he was looking down on her abilities.

"Just go on back..." Su Wu chuckled, a trace of resignation in his laughter.

"Don't look down on people." Hu Sanniang pouted and tilted her head. She truly looked like a half-grown teenager, yet she possessed a towering, heroic stature of over six feet.

Around them, Zhou Jin smiled, Wu Song smiled, and the mounted guards behind them—not a single one failed to burst into loud laughter...

"Alright, alright..." Su Wu nodded, turning back to tell the troopers, "Stop laughing at her."

"I'm not afraid of your laughter; this time I'll make you all open your eyes and see," Hu Sanniang said in mock anger, glancing at the crowd. Then, turning back with a deadpan, serious expression, she told Su Wu, "I'll make you realize my prowess..."

Su Wu nodded repeatedly. "Truly formidable, genuinely formidable!"

"I mean my twin sun and moon sabers are formidable." Hu Sanniang was exceedingly sharp; how could she fail to catch Su Wu's teasing remarks?

"Then I shall certainly have to witness them..." Su Wu found his interest genuinely piqued.

Watching Hu Sanniang wheel her horse around, she called out, "I'll go ahead and discuss your serious business with them, and tell them there's no need to prepare wine and food. You just keep moving forward, and I'll gallop up to catch up with you in a moment!"