Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

Wu Yong, Song Jiang, and Lu Junyi meticulously set a trap, waiting for the ninjas of the Jingchun Sect to attack the grain supplies. They deployed sentries and hidden elite troops around the grain supplies, waiting for the enemy to take the bait.

Under the cover of darkness, a group of shadowy figures stealthily approached the supplies. It was the ninja team led by Jingchun. They thought their operation was stealthy, unaware that they had fallen into the trap of the Liangshan heroes.

As the ninjas approached the supplies, Song Jiang gave the order, and the ambush troops sprang into action. Torches were instantly lit, illuminating the surroundings as if it were daytime. The Liangshan heroes surged out from all directions, surrounding the ninjas.

"You dare to invade! Today is your death day!" Lu Junyi roared, holding a long spear, looking imposing.

The ninjas, realizing they had fallen into an ambush, attempted to break out, but the Liangshan heroes worked in close coordination, giving them no chance. Wu Yong, commanding from the rear, remained calm and adjusted tactics according to the situation.

After a fierce battle, most of the ninjas were subdued or killed, with only Jōshun and a few others managing to escape at the cost of their lives.

However, the fire in the capital was still burning, and the situation remained dire. Zhao Tianming finally found his way out of the palace maze and reunited with the Liangshan heroes.

"Now we must find a way to put out the fire and save the people of the capital," Zhao Tianming said.

Everyone nodded in agreement and immediately organized themselves to join the firefighting effort. They used nearby water sources, passing buckets of water in a relay to fight the fire.

While everyone was desperately trying to put out the fire, Wang Zhiqiang was secretly and meticulously implementing his stockpiling plan. He colluded with some mysterious third-party forces through clandestine channels. These third-party forces acted slyly and skillfully, and under Wang Zhiqiang's direction, they massively purchased timber, medicinal herbs, and food in the capital.

However, after extinguishing the fire, the Liangshan heroes and Zhao Tianming, among others, began to handle the post-disaster reconstruction work, and gradually discovered that something was amiss. Materials, medicines, and food that should have been plentiful in the market were now extremely scarce, and prices were skyrocketing.

The men Zhao Tianming sent out to investigate returned and reported: "Sir, the situation in the market is very strange. It seems that someone has swept away a large amount of supplies overnight."

Wu Yong frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "This matter is probably not simple; we need to investigate it thoroughly."

The group searched around and found some clues; it seemed that all the supplies had been transported in the same direction.

Lu Junyi said angrily, "We must get to the bottom of this and find out who is behind this!"

After some investigation, they were shocked to discover that the stockpiled timber, medicinal herbs, and food had actually been transported to the Liao Kingdom.

When this news reached Emperor Huizong's ears, he was furious.

"How could this be! Within the borders of our Great Song Dynasty, someone has actually committed such an act of treason and collusion with the enemy!" Emperor Huizong roared in fury. "Investigate this matter! Find out who is behind it all!"

The imperial court dispatched a large number of personnel to investigate, but the third-party force that Wang Zhiqiang had hired was extremely cunning and left almost no obvious clues. For a time, the case reached a stalemate.

Zhao Tianming and the Liangshan heroes decided to continue their investigation on their own. They conducted a more thorough investigation both inside and outside the capital, leaving no suspicious place unchecked.

During the investigation, they discovered that Wang Zhiqiang had been in frequent contact with some unidentified people recently, and his whereabouts were suspicious.

"Could Wang Zhiqiang be involved in this matter?" Song Jiang asked suspiciously.

Zhao Tianming's gaze was firm: "Regardless of whether it's him or not, let's start the investigation from his side."

They began to secretly monitor Wang Zhiqiang's every move. Wang Zhiqiang seemed to sense something was amiss and became even more cautious.

One day, Zhao Tianming and others discovered that Wang Zhiqiang was meeting with a masked man in a secluded tavern.

"Something's definitely up to something!" Lu Junyi said, about to rush in.

Wu Yong quickly stopped him: "Don't act rashly, lest you alert the enemy."

They continued to monitor the situation from outside, and saw Wang Zhiqiang talk to the masked man for a while before hurriedly leaving.

The Liangshan heroes secretly followed Wang Zhiqiang, only to find that he had suddenly disappeared halfway through the journey.

"Wang Zhiqiang is incredibly cunning!" Everyone was both angry and anxious.

Meanwhile, Emperor Huizong continued to exert pressure, demanding that the case be solved as soon as possible.

"If we still can't find the results, you will all come back with your heads!" Emperor Huizong's anger made the officials in charge of the case tremble with fear.

Zhao Tianming knew the weight of his responsibility, so he convened a meeting to discuss the matter.

"We are in a difficult situation now, but we must not give up. I believe that as long as we persist in our investigation, we will definitely find out the truth," Zhao Tianming encouraged everyone.

Everyone nodded in agreement, regrouped, and prepared to face the new challenge.

Just then, a mysterious letter was delivered to Zhao Tianming, which seemed to reveal some important clues.

After receiving the mysterious letter, Zhao Tianming felt a glimmer of hope. He immediately summoned Song Jiang, Wu Yong, and others to discuss the matter.

"The letter mentions that Qingfeng Temple outside the city may hold crucial clues," Zhao Tianming said.

Song Jiang frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "This matter is strange. Why would a clue suddenly appear in such a letter?"

Wu Yong gently waved his feather fan, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes: "What you say is very true, but we don't have any other better direction right now. Why don't we go and take a look?"

The group decided to go to Qingfeng Temple to find out what was going on. When they arrived at Qingfeng Temple, the temple was deserted and the silence was unsettling.

"Everyone be careful, there might be an ambush," Lu Junyi said warily.

The group carefully searched the temple and indeed found a secret room. The door to the secret room was ajar, as if it were waiting for their arrival.

Zhao Tianming was the first to enter the secret room, where some seemingly important documents and ledgers were displayed.

"Could this be the evidence we've been looking for?" Zhao Tianming picked up a document and examined it carefully.

However, at that moment, a shout of killing suddenly came from outside.

"Oh no, we've fallen into a trap!" Wu Yong's expression changed drastically.

It turned out that the mysterious letter they received was a trap, leading them into this isolated and helpless place.

A group of men in black rushed in and engaged in a fierce battle with the Liangshan heroes.

"Fight your way out!" Song Jiang shouted.

The Liangshan heroes fought back bravely, but the enemy was numerous and well-trained, and they gradually found themselves in a predicament.

Zhao Tianming was filled with remorse: "I was careless and fell into the enemy's trap!"

Wu Yong tried his best to remain calm and analyzed the situation: "Everyone, don't panic, let's find a breakthrough!"

Just as they were fighting desperately, another group of soldiers arrived.

"Zhao Tianming and his accomplices are plotting a rebellion; kill them without mercy!" the officer in charge shouted.

The Liangshan heroes were attacked from both sides, and their situation was extremely critical.

At this moment, Wang Zhiqiang watched all this from a distant hillside, a smug smile on his face.

"Hmph, you dare to mess with me? This time, I'll make sure you don't leave alive."

It turns out that all of this was Wang Zhiqiang's conspiracy. He deliberately released false clues to lure Zhao Tianming and others into a trap, then arranged for men in black to attack them, and bribed government soldiers in an attempt to capture them all in one fell swoop.

In the fierce battle, the number of casualties among the Liangshan heroes continued to rise.

Lu Junyi fought valiantly and killed several enemies, shouting, "Brothers, we can't just sit here and wait to die!"

Zhao Tianming gritted his teeth: "Even if I die, I'll take a few of them down with me!"

Just when they were almost in despair, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly rang out. It turned out that Li Kui had led a group of reinforcements to arrive.

"Brothers, I'm here to help you!" Li Kui brandished his double axes and charged into the enemy ranks like a whirlwind.

With the arrival of reinforcements, the situation gradually turned around. The heroes of Liangshan were greatly encouraged and engaged in a fierce battle with the enemy.

In the end, they successfully repelled the enemy.

"We owe this all to Brother Li Kui," Song Jiang said, panting heavily.

With the identity of the mastermind still unclear, Zhao Tianming, Song Jiang, and Wu Yong decided to launch an investigation from multiple angles.

First, they reviewed all the clues and information they had gathered. Wu Yong wrote down each clue on paper, posted them in the tent, and discussed them with everyone. "We need to start with the supplies that were hoarded and transported to Liao, and trace the suppliers at the source," Wu Yong said.

Therefore, Zhao Tianming sent some shrewd and capable subordinates to disguise themselves as businessmen, go deep into the market, deal with various suppliers, and subtly inquire about recent unusual transactions.

Song Jiang then led a group of men to search the warehouses and transport routes around the capital. They meticulously examined every place where these supplies might have been stored, looking for any remaining clues.

Meanwhile, Wu Yong arranged for men to infiltrate various taverns, teahouses, and other places where people gathered in the capital to listen to the discussions and rumors among the people. Perhaps some useful information related to this incident could be found there.

In order to obtain more intelligence, Zhao Tianming also used his connections to secretly contact some officials in the imperial court. However, because the matter involved a wide range of people, many officials avoided it or kept silent.

Nevertheless, they did not give up. The Liangshan heroes increased patrols inside and outside the capital, keeping an eye out for any suspicious individuals.

One day, they received news that a group of strangers were frequently active in an abandoned village outside the city. Zhao Tianming and his men immediately led a team to investigate.

Upon arriving at the village, they found it deserted, but there were some traces of recent life and some blurry writing inside the houses.

"This might be a clue they accidentally left behind," Song Jiang said.

Wu Yong carefully studied the handwriting, trying to decipher useful information from it.

They continued to expand their investigation, leaving no detail overlooked that might be related to the mastermind. Although the process was arduous and they still didn't know who the real mastermind was, they firmly believed that as long as they persisted, the truth would eventually come to light.

Just as they were delving deeper into these vague clues, a new development emerged. A scout reported that several suspicious individuals had been spotted in an inconspicuous little inn in the capital, acting furtively as if plotting something.

Zhao Tianming and his men immediately rushed to the inn. They quietly surrounded the inn, preparing to trap them like turtles in a jar.

When they stormed into the room, the men panicked and tried to resist. But the Liangshan heroes quickly subdued them.

After interrogation, these individuals, while not the masterminds, revealed that they were employed by a mysterious organization responsible for transferring and hiding the supplies. However, they knew very little about the organization's key figures or specific objectives.

This news greatly frustrated Zhao Tianming and his team, but it also strengthened their resolve to continue the investigation.

"No matter how difficult it is, we cannot give up. We must find the mastermind behind this!" Zhao Tianming said with a determined look in his eyes.

Everyone nodded and threw themselves back into the intense investigation. They knew that the road ahead was still full of unknowns and challenges, but for justice and for the people, they were determined to go.