Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

To ensure the success of this plan, Gao Ke decided to take matters into his own hands this time. He obtained a considerable amount of treasure from the Liao emperor, made careful preparations, and then secretly infiltrated Cai Jing's residence.

Gao Ke knew full well that this trip was fraught with danger, and that the slightest mistake could lead to failure or even death. Therefore, he acted with extreme caution.

Before setting off, Gao Ke carefully studied the terrain of the border and the deployment of the Song army. He discovered that there was a relatively remote path on the border, with relatively few soldiers patrolling it on weekdays. Even so, passing through safely would not be easy.

Gao Ke disguised himself as an ordinary merchant, accompanied by a few trusted confidants, and drove a wagon loaded with goods. The goods on the wagon seemed ordinary, but in fact, they concealed a secret: the treasures were cleverly hidden among the cargo.

As they approached the border, Gao Ke's heart was in his throat. He appeared calm and composed, chatting and laughing with his confidants, trying to create a relaxed atmosphere, but inwardly he was extremely nervous.

When they arrived at the border checkpoint, the Song soldiers conducted their routine inspection.

"Halt! What's on the cart?" a Song soldier shouted.

Gao Ke quickly put on a smile and said, "Sir, these are just ordinary goods, which are intended to be transported to the city for sale."

The soldier stepped forward and used his spear to pry open the cargo for inspection. Gao Ke's palms were already sweaty, and he silently prayed that he wouldn't be discovered.

"What kind of junk is this?" the soldier said impatiently.

Gao Ke quickly explained, "Sir, these are just everyday groceries, not worth much."

Just then, another soldier walked over and said to the first soldier, "Stop dawdling, hurry up and finish the check, there are other people waiting behind you."

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Gao Ke took out a bag of silver from his pocket and secretly stuffed it into the soldier's hand, saying, "Sir, please do me a favor. This is just a small token for the brothers to buy some wine."

The soldier took the silver, weighed it in his hand, and his expression softened slightly: "Let's go, let's go. Don't dawdle like this next time."

Gao Ke was overjoyed and quickly thanked them, then drove the carriage through the checkpoint.

Even after entering Song territory, Gao Ke remained cautious. He chose to take secluded paths to avoid crowds and prevent attracting unnecessary attention.

Once outside the capital, the checks at the city gates were very strict.

"Stop! What are you doing entering the city?" the city guard asked.

Gao Ke replied calmly, "Sir, I'm here to deliver goods to Lord Cai's residence."

"Lord Cai? Do you have any proof?" the soldier pressed.

Gao Ke took out the forged documents he had prepared in advance and handed them to the soldier.

The soldier examined him carefully, then looked Gao Ke up and down a few times: "Wait here, I'll go report."

Gao Ke's heart pounded again, fearing that he would reveal a flaw.

After a while, the soldier returned: "Go in, but be careful with your hands."

Gao Ke finally breathed a sigh of relief and successfully entered the capital.

On the streets of the capital, Gao Ke carefully drove the carriage, avoiding crowded and conspicuous places. Finally, they arrived at the back gate of Cai Jing's residence.

He knocked gently on the door, and it opened, revealing a servant peeking out.

Gao Ke said in a low voice, "It's me, let me in quickly."

The servants recognized Gao Ke and quickly ushered him inside.

Once inside the mansion, Gao Ke finally felt relieved.

Cai Jing was engrossed in practicing calligraphy in his study, each stroke powerful and vigorous, completely absorbed in the moment of tranquility and artistic world. Suddenly, the study door was pushed open hastily, and before the servants could announce his arrival, Gao Ke rushed in in a flustered manner.

Cai Jing was startled at first, his brush trembled, and a drop of ink splashed onto the pristine white Xuan paper, ruining the nearly completed masterpiece. He glared angrily, and when he saw that the person was Gao Ke, he was even more shocked and furious, his face instantly turning extremely gloomy.

"Gao Ke! How dare you be so presumptuous as to come to my residence to see me in this turbulent time!" Cai Jing slammed his brush on the table and shouted.

Gao Ke quickly clasped his hands in a respectful bow and said urgently, "Lord Cai, the situation is urgent, and I had no choice but to come here rashly."

Cai Jing was furious. He stood up, pointed at Gao Ke's nose, and cursed, "You ignorant fool! The court is keeping a close eye on us. If we're not careful and someone finds something to use against us, I'll lose my head! Are you trying to drag me down with you by acting so recklessly?"

Gao Ke looked distressed and explained, “Lord Cai, my plans on the border have been repeatedly thwarted, and I am now at my wit’s end. Only by relying on your power and wisdom can I turn the tide.”

Cai Jing snorted coldly, put his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth in the study: "Hmph! You're incompetent and now you're dragging me down. Do you know that once people discover your relationship with me, all my years of hard work will be ruined!"

Gao Ke quickly said, "My lord, please calm down. I have brought many treasures from the Liao emperor with me, which will surely be of great help to you. If you can help me through this crisis, I will repay you handsomely in the future."

Cai Jing stopped in his tracks, his gaze sweeping over Gao Ke, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes, but his anger remained unabated: "You think a little treasure can compensate for the risks you've brought me? You're utterly foolish!"

Gao Ke knelt down with a thud and pleaded, "Lord Cai, please spare my life for the sake of our past relationship. I promise that I will be extra careful in the future and will not cause you any more trouble."

Cai Jing frowned, remained silent for a moment, and then sighed deeply: "Alright, alright, stand up and speak. But you must recount the whole story in detail. If there is even a single lie, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Gao Ke felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly got up to recount the situation at the border to Cai Jing in detail. As Cai Jing listened, his expression grew increasingly grave, and he secretly considered how to respond.

Cai Jing had repeatedly opposed the Liangshan heroes like Gao Qiu, Zhao Tianming, and Song Jiang, but he had never gained any advantage. Now, Gao Ke was actually asking him to participate in the border war, and a slight misstep could bring him trouble.

Upon hearing Gao Ke's words, Cai Jing waved his hands repeatedly, saying in a panic, "No, no, this is absolutely unacceptable. Border warfare is complex and unpredictable, and extremely risky. I don't want to get involved in this mess."

Gao Ke sneered, a sinister and cunning look on his face. His eyes narrowed into slits as he stared intently at Cai Jing and said, "Lord Cai, are you afraid? Don't you understand the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold'?"

Cai Jing frowned, his forehead wrinkles deepening, and replied urgently, "Gao Ke, don't try to scare me! I've served in the court for many years and weathered many storms; how could I not know the implications?"

Gao Ke took two steps forward, approaching Cai Jing, and lowered his voice, saying, "Lord Cai, think carefully. In court, you and Grand Commandant Gao Qiu have always supported each other. Now Gao Qiu is facing a rather troublesome situation in the border war. If he cannot resolve it, his position will inevitably be shaken if the Emperor blames him. And you have a close relationship with Gao Qiu. If he falls, can those things you conspired with in the past still be kept secret? At that time, will the Emperor let you off the hook?"

Upon hearing this, Cai Jing's face turned pale instantly, his body trembled slightly, and his eyes revealed fear and unease. However, he still tried to remain calm and retorted, "Gao Ke, don't try to scare me! Everything I've done is for the good of the court. His Majesty is discerning and would not easily believe your nonsense."

Gao Ke sneered repeatedly, a mocking smile playing on his lips, and said, "Lord Cai, stop deceiving yourself. If all the things we've done were to be brought up again, wouldn't every single one be a capital offense? The only way to save our lives, wealth, and honor is to help Gao Qiu resolve the border issue."

Cai Jing remained silent, his hands clenched into fists, his heart filled with intense struggle.

Seeing that Cai Jing was wavering, Gao Ke continued to embellish the situation, saying, "Lord Cai, think of your beautiful wives and concubines, think of the mountains of gold and silver treasures in your household. Are you willing to lose everything like this? As long as we help Gao Qiu on the border issue, our position in the court will be more secure in the future. Why not do it?"

Cai Jing raised his head, glanced at Gao Ke, and a hint of hesitation and wavering flashed in his eyes.

Gao Ke pressed his advantage, speaking with even greater urgency: "Lord Cai, this is a golden opportunity! If we miss it, we'll regret it when Gao Qiu is brought down!"

Cai Jing sighed and said helplessly, "Fine, fine, just tell me, how can I help you?"

Gao Ke smiled smugly, leaned close to Cai Jing's ear, and whispered something.

As Cai Jing listened to Gao Ke's plan, he sometimes frowned and sometimes nodded, his heart filled with trepidation and unease. But now that things had come to this, he knew he had no way out and could only bite the bullet and risk it all with Gao Ke.

After Gao Ke finished explaining his plan, Cai Jing gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, we'll proceed according to your plan. But if anything goes wrong, Gao Ke, you won't escape unscathed!"

Gao Ke hurriedly nodded and bowed, saying, "Lord Cai, rest assured, as long as we work together, we will surely succeed."

The atmosphere in the study was heavy. Cai Jing and Gao Ke, for their own interests, decided to risk getting involved in the border war, unaware of what fate awaited them.

After Gao Ke left, Cai Jing paced back and forth in his study alone, racking his brains for a solution. He knew that this matter was of great importance, and that if it were exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable, but he did not want to let go of this opportunity to consolidate his position.

He sat at his desk, rubbing his temples incessantly, trying to clear his jumbled thoughts. Cai Jing thought, "If I want the Liao Kingdom to benefit, I must first disrupt the Song army's defensive deployment. But how can I do this without anyone noticing?"

He considered using his connections in the court to secretly send false intelligence to the Liao Kingdom, causing the Song army to misjudge the situation. However, this required extreme caution; he couldn't let anyone suspect that he was behind it.

"Perhaps we could bribe some officials responsible for transmitting military intelligence and alter some of the reports," Cai Jing muttered to himself. But he worried that these officials were unreliable, and if they turned on him, he would be courting death.

After much deliberation, Cai Jing decided to manipulate the grain supply. He could find an excuse to delay or reduce grain support to the Song army on the border, putting them in dire straits due to lack of supplies. However, this required a plausible reason, otherwise it would easily arouse suspicion.

Just as Cai Jing was racking his brains, he suddenly heard a noise outside the door. Startled, he shouted, "Who's out there?"

It turned out to be a servant passing by, and Cai Jing breathed a sigh of relief. He realized he had to quickly come up with a foolproof plan, otherwise, if news of Gao Ke's presence in the mansion leaked out, the trouble would be immense.

Night had fallen, and the light in the study was exceptionally dim. Cai Jing stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the dark night sky outside, his heart growing heavier.

He then considered spreading rumors within the court that were detrimental to the border generals, damaging their reputations and causing the emperor to become suspicious and dissatisfied with them. However, this required careful planning to ensure that the source could not be traced back to him.

"This matter requires careful consideration; we must not rush into it," Cai Jing muttered to himself.

At this moment, Gao Ke, unable to contain himself, quietly came to the outside of the study, wanting to ask Cai Jing about his strategy. Hearing the commotion, Cai Jing angrily shouted, "Gao Ke, didn't I tell you to stay in your room and not wander around? If you dare to cause trouble again, don't blame me for being impolite!" Gao Ke had no choice but to slink back. Cai Jing continued to ponder deeply, searching for a perfect plan that would benefit the Liao Kingdom while protecting himself.