Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

Despite repeated setbacks in their investigation of the mastermind, Zhao Tianming and his team's fighting spirit only grew stronger.

Wu Yong sat alone in his tent, deep in thought, until night fell, and finally came up with a brilliant plan.

The following morning, Wu Yong gathered everyone, his face grave yet brimming with confidence, and said, “Brothers, we are now deeply entangled in a mystery, the clues tangled like a knotted tangle. My plan is as follows: First, spread several different but interconnected rumors. One, claim that we have found a key witness who will soon identify the mastermind in court; two, falsely report that we have obtained an important secret letter from within the enemy camp, detailing their conspiracy; three, spread the word that we have solid evidence of their transfer of supplies and will soon recover all the stolen goods. In this way, the mastermind will be thrown into chaos, like an ant on a hot plate.”

Upon hearing this, excitement flashed in everyone's eyes.

Song Jiang nodded in approval: "Wu Xuejiu's plan is brilliant. Such a mix of truth and falsehood will surely confuse that thief."

Wu Yong continued, "Secondly, we will post notices in prominent locations throughout the city, offering a reward for clues about this case. With such a generous reward, there will surely be brave men who can lure out those who know the inside story. Furthermore, we will send several brothers in disguise to infiltrate the major merchant guilds and gangs in the capital to secretly investigate any unusual activity. Also, we will arrange for people to closely monitor the residences of Wang Zhiqiang and his cronies, and pay attention to the people they come and go."

Everyone was impressed by Wu Yong's meticulous and detailed plan.

The Liangshan heroes acted according to the plan, and the capital city was immediately thrown into turmoil.

A few days later, on a dark and windy night, Zhao Tianming and the others were discussing their next move inside their tent when suddenly a strange sound came from outside. It sounded like the wind, yet not quite, like a beast's roar, yet not quite.

"Go out and take a look!" Zhao Tianming said alertly.

Armed with their weapons, the group cautiously emerged from their tents. A dark figure darted swiftly around the camp, its movements elusive and unpredictable.

"What is this?" Lu Junyi frowned.

"Watch me take him down!" Li Kui roared, brandishing his double axes as he charged forward.

The dark figure was extremely fast, and Li Kui missed his target.

"Don't be impulsive!" Wu Yong shouted. "This shadowy figure is behaving strangely; there's something fishy going on."

The crowd formed a circle, trying to trap the shadowy figure. However, the figure darted left and right, managing to escape through the gaps in the crowd.

Just then, a bright light flashed, and the dark figure seemed to be hit by something, letting out a scream, but did not stop, and instantly disappeared into the night.

"Who is the expert who helped us?" Zhao Tianming asked loudly.

There was complete silence all around, and no one answered.

The group exchanged bewildered glances, their hearts filled with doubt.

Meanwhile, Song Jiang's team made a startling discovery while searching the warehouse. They found a hidden door in a corner of the warehouse, behind which was a deep, dark passage.

"Be careful, it might be a trap!" Song Jiang warned.

The group cautiously entered the passage, which was filled with a putrid stench. As they walked, they came to a huge basement. The basement was filled with various strange instruments and bottles, and the walls were covered with mysterious symbols.

"Where exactly is this place?" Wu Song asked in confusion.

Just as they were about to explore further, a low roar came from the depths of the basement.

"Oh no, there might be danger!" Lin Chong gripped his spear tightly.

Suddenly, a group of enormous, hideous monsters rushed out of the darkness.

The heroes of Liangshan, undaunted, engaged in a fierce battle with the monster. After a hard-fought struggle, they finally drove it away.

At the end of the basement, they found a huge treasure chest. When they opened it, they found it filled with gold and silver jewelry and some mysterious documents.

“These must be related to the mastermind behind it all,” Song Jiang said.

Just as they were about to leave with the treasure chest, a violent tremor suddenly came from inside the passage, as if something was about to collapse.

"Retreat quickly!" Wu Yong shouted.

Everyone hurriedly fled the basement.

Back at camp, the group summarized their findings. Just as they were studying the documents, a scout reported that suspicious activity had been discovered in a remote temple outside the capital.

Zhao Tianming and his men immediately led their men to the temple. The temple was deserted, but there were obvious signs of a fight on the ground and some bloodstains that had not yet dried.

"It seems a fierce battle has just taken place here," Lu Zhishen said.

They searched the temple carefully and finally found a hidden compartment behind the Buddha statue, inside which was a yellowed account book.

Zhao Tianming opened the ledger, which recorded a series of shocking transactions and secrets.

“This ledger might be the key evidence,” Wu Yong said.

However, before they could even rejoice, they found themselves surrounded by a group of mysterious people.

"You can't escape!" the mysterious leader said coldly.

The Liangshan heroes, undaunted, engaged in a fierce battle with the mysterious man.

Just as the battle reached a stalemate, the dark figure reappeared, moving through the battlefield and creating chaos.

But this time, everyone was on guard, and the shadowy figure's operation failed.

In the end, the Liangshan heroes, with their bravery and tacit cooperation, defeated the mysterious man and successfully broke through the encirclement with the ledger.

Chai Jin, clutching the account books, nervously entered the palace. Emperor Huizong sat on the dragon throne, his face grim.

"Your Majesty, this ledger records evidence of Eunuch Chen's corruption, bribery, and collusion with Wang Zhiqiang and others. Please examine it carefully." Chai Jin knelt down and presented the ledger.

Emperor Huizong took the account book. At first, his expression softened slightly, but as he turned the pages, his face grew increasingly grim, until finally he was furious.

"Well done! What a fine pair of Song Jiang and Lu Junyi! They dared to collude with bandits and commit such a heinous crime!" Emperor Huizong slammed the account book to the ground.

Chai Jin was greatly alarmed and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, there must be some misunderstanding! The heroes of Liangshan are wholeheartedly devoted to the country and would never do such a disloyal and unjust thing!"

Emperor Huizong ignored Chai Jin's explanations and angrily shouted, "Shut up! I see it clearly; their crimes are clearly written in these account books!"

Chai Jin wanted to persuade him further: "Your Majesty, there might be a trap in this matter. I hope Your Majesty will reconsider..."

"Enough!" Emperor Huizong interrupted Chai Jin. "My mind is made up. Guards!"

Several imperial guards entered in response.

"By my imperial decree, arrest Song Jiang, Lu Junyi, Zhao Tianming, and others immediately. If they resist, kill them without mercy!" Emperor Huizong shouted.

Chai Jin collapsed to the ground, never expecting things to develop to this point. He had only come to seek justice for the Liangshan heroes, but instead, he had harmed them.

As soon as the imperial edict was issued, the capital was immediately placed under heavy guard. Squads of soldiers, armed with weapons, rushed towards the residence of the Liangshan heroes.

At this time, Song Jiang and his men were still in their camp, completely unaware of the changes that had occurred in the palace.

"Brother, I wonder how Master Chai's journey went?" Lu Junyi asked worriedly.

Song Jiang frowned: "Let's see what fate has in store. We have acted uprightly and honestly, and I believe His Majesty will see through our actions."

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside.

"Something's wrong!" Zhao Tianming stood up alertly.

A scout rushed in: "Brother, something bad has happened! A large number of soldiers are coming this way. They say they are here on imperial orders to arrest us!"

Everyone was shocked.

"How could this be? Didn't Master Chai go to the Emperor to explain?" Lu Zhishen's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.

Song Jiang also looked bewildered: "Could it be that there's something wrong with the account books?"

At this time, the officers and soldiers had already surrounded the camp.

"Song Jiang, Lu Junyi, Zhao Tianming, come out and surrender!" came the shouts of soldiers from outside.

"Brothers, we can't just sit here and wait to die!" Wu Song picked up his cudgel and was about to rush out.

"Wait!" Song Jiang stopped Wu Song. "If we resist rashly, we will only confirm our guilt. Let's assess the situation first."

Left with no other choice, everyone had to follow Song Jiang out of the tent.

"We are loyal and devoted, we don't know what crime we have committed to deserve this arrest!" Song Jiang shouted to the soldiers.

"Hmph, His Majesty already knows of your crimes, so stop trying to deny them!" said a man who appeared to be a general.

Lu Junyi said, "There must be some misunderstanding here. I hope the general will investigate thoroughly."

The general sneered, "What misunderstanding is there? The imperial edict is here. If you obediently come with us, you might still be able to leave with a whole corpse!"

The Liangshan heroes were filled with indignation, but Song Jiang knew he couldn't act rashly at this moment.

“Brothers, let them go first. I believe His Majesty will clear our names,” Song Jiang said.

And so, Song Jiang, Lu Junyi, Zhao Tianming, and others were escorted by government soldiers to the palace.

Along the way, the people pointed and talked amongst themselves.

"I never imagined that the heroes of Liangshan would commit such a crime."

"Perhaps they were wronged."

Upon arriving at the palace, Emperor Huizong sat on the dragon throne, his face full of anger.

"You bunch of traitors, what else do you have to say?" Emperor Huizong roared.

Song Jiang knelt down and cried out, "Your Majesty, we are innocent! Someone must have framed us!"

Emperor Huizong wouldn't listen: "The evidence is conclusive, yet they dare to argue! Guards, throw them into prison and await their fate!"

The heroes of Liangshan were thus imprisoned, and they were all filled with grief and indignation.

"Brother, we really shot ourselves in the foot. We shouldn't have believed that the account book could clear our names," Lu Zhishen said regretfully.

Song Jiang sighed, "Perhaps this is a calamity destined for us, but it will only bring suffering to our brothers."

Outside the prison, Chai Jin was frantic with worry, running around trying to find a way to rescue them...

After Wu Yong escaped, he was extremely anxious and immediately summoned his brothers Zhang Shun, Zhang Heng, Shi Qian, Shi Xiu, and Yan Qing to discuss countermeasures.

The group gathered in a secret room of Zhao Tianming's restaurant, the atmosphere tense and oppressive.

Wu Yong broke the silence first: "Brothers, now that Brother Zhao Tianming and several other brothers have been arrested, our business and industry are facing a huge crisis."

Zhang Shun looked anxious: "Strategist, what should we do? Our restaurants and shops will probably be affected."

After a moment of contemplation, Shi Xiu said, "The most urgent task is to stabilize our existing business and prevent the government from easily seizing it."

Yan Qing nodded in agreement: "That's right, we need to send people to each shop to remind the employees to continue operating as usual and not to panic."

Wu Yong continued, "Brother Shi Qian, you are good at light footwork, go and find out what the government is up to regarding our business."

Shi Qian replied, "Okay, I'll go right away."

Zhang Heng said, "Should we temporarily close our cargo transport route to avoid being discovered by the authorities?"

Wu Yong shook his head and said, "No, if we suddenly shut it down, it will arouse suspicion. But we must strengthen our vigilance and act carefully."

Shi Xiu suggested, "Why don't we move some important ledgers and valuables to a safe place, just in case?"

Everyone agreed.

Yan Qing said worriedly, "But with the situation so tense right now, where can we move to?"

Wu Yong's gaze was firm: "I have already thought of a secluded place. Once everything is arranged, I will begin the relocation."

Zhang Shun then asked, "Will the merchants who cooperate with us cut off all ties with us because of this?"

Wu Yong pondered for a moment: "Send someone to communicate with them, explain the advantages and disadvantages, and promise to overcome the difficulties together. If anyone breaks their promise, we will settle accounts with them later."

Everyone nodded and split up to carry out Wu Yong's instructions.

However, just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside.

"Oh no, the government officials may be here!" someone shouted.

Everyone's expression changed drastically, but Wu Yong quickly calmed down: "Don't panic, everyone! Escape through the secret passage!"

The group hurriedly left through the secret passage and disappeared into the night.