Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

After Wu Yong personally took charge, he visited various high-ranking officials and dignitaries with whom he had previously had acquaintances. He first went to the residence of Zhang Xian, an old friend with whom he had worked in the officialdom.

When Zhang Xian saw Wu Lai visiting, he led him into his study for a private talk. The study was elegantly furnished, with bookshelves filled with books.

"Brother Wu Yong, what brings you here today?" Zhang Xian gestured for Wu Yong to sit down and personally poured him tea.

Wu Yong cupped his hands in greeting, his expression worried, and said, "To be honest, I have come here to ask for your help. My brothers are currently imprisoned, and I have heard that Wang Zhiqiang and his men seem to be making some moves to harm them. I hope you can lend me a hand and find out some definite information."

Zhang Xian looked troubled, took a sip of tea, and said, "Brother Wu Yong, this matter is quite thorny. Wang Zhiqiang has Gao Qiu and Cai Jing backing him up. If I rashly intervene, I may get burned."

Wu Yong hurriedly said, "Don't worry, my good brother. As long as you can save my brothers, I will definitely repay you handsomely in the future. I know this matter is difficult for you, but I really have no other choice."

Seeing Wu Yong's anxious expression, Zhang Xian pondered for a moment and finally agreed: "Alright then, for the sake of our years of friendship, I'll try to find out for you. But Brother Wu Yong, I can't guarantee that I'll be able to find out any useful information."

Wu Yong was moved to tears: "It is already a great favor that my virtuous brother is willing to help. No matter what the outcome, I will remember it forever."

After thanking Zhang Xian, Wu Yong immediately went to visit several other people who might be able to offer assistance.

A few days later, Zhang Xian sent a messenger to arrange a meeting with Wu Yong at a secluded teahouse.

This teahouse was located deep in a small alley in the capital, and it was usually sparsely populated. When Wu Yong rushed over, Zhang Xian had already been waiting in a corner for quite some time.

Wu Yong sat down hastily and asked in a low voice, "Brother, is there any news?"

Zhang Xian looked around to make sure no one was paying attention before slowly saying, "Brother Wu Yong, I've gone to great lengths to find out some information. Wang Zhiqiang is indeed plotting to take action against Song Jiang and Zhao Tianming. It seems he plans to create chaos in the prison and then strike. But the exact timing is still unknown."

Wu Yong frowned, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table: "What should we do? Without knowing the exact time, it's difficult for us to take comprehensive precautions."

Zhang Xian sighed softly: "Brother Wu Yong, I have done my best. Going any deeper might get us noticed. However, I have heard that Wang Zhiqiang has been in frequent contact with Gao Qiu and Cai Jing recently. Perhaps we can find some clues from them."

Wu Yong pondered for a moment: "What you say makes sense, my brother. However, Gao Qiu and Cai Jing's residences are heavily guarded, so it is not easy to find out any information."

Zhang Xian thought for a moment and said, "I do know a servant in Gao Qiu's mansion named Xiao Liu Zi. He is greedy and avaricious. Perhaps we can start with him."

A glimmer of hope flashed in Wu Yong's eyes: "Thank you for your guidance, brother. I will go and try to contact Xiao Liu Zi right away."

After leaving the teahouse, Wu Yong made inquiries and found Xiao Liuzi's residence. He bribed Xiao Liuzi, but Xiao Liuzi knew only limited information, saying only that Gao Qiu had been unusually irritable lately, seemingly because the plan was not progressing smoothly.

Left with no other option, Wu Yong then tried to approach Li Hong, an advisor in Cai Jing's household. Li Hong was a very cautious man and initially refused to reveal anything. Wu Yong reasoned with him, appealed to his emotions, and presented him with generous gifts, until Li Hong finally confided some information.

“Wang Zhiqiang and his team had originally set a date for their operation, but due to a last-minute change in prison guards, they were worried about unforeseen circumstances and had to postpone it. The exact date is still undetermined,” Li Hong said.

Wu Yong was extremely anxious, but he was at a loss for what to do. He returned to his residence and discussed countermeasures with Chai Jin and others.

"Although we now know about Wang Zhiqiang and his group's conspiracy, we don't know the exact timing, making it difficult to guard against them." Chai Jin paced back and forth in the room, looking anxious.

Wu Yong sat in a chair, rubbing his temples with his fingers: "We can't just sit here and wait to die. We need to send people to monitor Gao Qiu and Cai Jing's residences day and night. If there's any sign of trouble, we'll act immediately. At the same time, we'll continue to make arrangements in prison so that our brothers are on guard."

Chai Jin nodded and said, "That's the only way. I'll go and arrange the manpower right away."

Everyone nodded in agreement and proceeded according to the plan. Wu Yong, however, was worried day and night, hoping to find out the exact time as soon as possible to rescue Song Jiang and the others.

Wang Zhiqiang knew Cai Qing's greedy nature well. Last time, two hundred taels of silver failed to sway him, so this time he prepared a thousand taels of gold directly.

Carrying a heavy load of gold, Wang Zhiqiang once again sent his trusted confidant Wang Er to Cai Qing's residence. This time, Wang Er was even more anxious, knowing full well the immense weight of this responsibility.

Upon arriving at Cai Qing's residence, Wang Er cautiously knocked on the door. The gatekeeper, recognizing him again, said irritably, "What, it's you again?"

Wang Er quickly smiled obsequiously and said, "Brother, Manager Wang has prepared a generous gift this time to request an audience with Lord Cai." As he spoke, he gestured for the people behind him to bring forward the chest filled with gold.

The gatekeeper's eyes lit up when he saw the chest full of gold, and his attitude immediately changed: "Wait here."

A short while later, the gatekeeper came out and welcomed Wang Er and the others inside.

Wang Er arrived at Cai Qing's study, where Cai Qing was sitting at the table, looking at him with a half-smile.

Wang Er immediately knelt down and bowed: "Lord Cai, my shopkeeper has prepared a thousand taels of gold this time, and only asks for your help."

Cai Qing stood up, walked to the box, opened it, glanced inside, and a greedy glint flashed in his eyes: "Wang Zhiqiang is quite sensible. Tell me, how do you want me to help you?"

Wang Zhiqiang cupped his hands and said, "Lord Cai, I would like to ask you to devise a plan to deceive everyone and get rid of Song Jiang, Lu Junyi, and Zhao Tianming."

Cai Qing frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "This is not easy. The prison is heavily guarded. If we take action openly, it will inevitably arouse suspicion."

Wang Zhiqiang hurriedly replied, "Sir, you are a man of exceptional wisdom and resourcefulness; you will surely come up with a perfect plan."

Cai Qing paced back and forth in the study, then suddenly his eyes lit up: "I've got it! We can do it like this..."

Cai Qing lowered his voice and explained his plan in detail to Wang Zhiqiang and Wang Er.

"First, we'll create a prison riot. We'll arrange for some death row inmates to cause trouble at a specific time to attract the guards' attention. Then, we'll take advantage of the chaos to move Song Jiang and the others to a secluded cell. During the transfer, we'll have our men impersonate prison guards and seize the opportunity to strike. We'll then announce to the outside world that they attempted to escape during the riot and were shot dead on the spot by the guards."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhiqiang nodded repeatedly: "Your plan is brilliant!"

Cai Qing continued, "However, this matter must be handled cleanly and efficiently, leaving no room for error. The route of the transfer and the timing of the operation must be precisely determined."

Wang Zhiqiang said, "Don't worry, sir, I will make all the arrangements."

Cai Qing added, "Furthermore, the people involved in this matter must be absolutely reliable, and they must be properly dealt with afterward to prevent any leaks."

Wang Zhiqiang replied, "Yes, sir, you have considered everything carefully."

After discussing the details, Wang Zhiqiang and Wang Er hurriedly left Cai Qing's residence and began preparations.

Wang Zhiqiang spent a large sum of money to bribe several death row inmates, instructing them to cause trouble in the prison as planned. At the same time, he selected a group of trusted confidants to impersonate prison guards, preparing to take action during the transfer.

On the day the plan was carried out, a riot broke out in the prison as expected. The death row inmates shouted and clashed with the guards.

Cai Qing arrived in a hurry and ordered Song Jiang and the others to be moved.

Song Jiang, Lu Junyi, and Zhao Tianming were led out of the prison cell and walked through a narrow, dimly lit passage.

At this moment, the assassins disguised as prison guards gradually approached.

Just as they were about to make their move, Zhao Tianming suddenly sensed something was wrong: "Brothers, be careful, something's not right!"

Song Jiang and Lu Junyi also became alert.

Realizing their scheme had been exposed, the assassins ceased their concealment and drew their swords.

Song Jiang and his men fought back fiercely, but they were outnumbered and gradually became wounded.

At this critical moment, Wu Yong's informant in the prison noticed the anomaly and promptly sent a signal.

The Liangshan heroes, who had been lying in ambush nearby, rushed into the prison and fought with the assassins.

Chaos erupted in the prison.

Cai Qing and Wang Zhiqiang were shocked to learn that their plan had been exposed.

Wang Zhiqiang was furious: "How could this happen?"

Cai Qing's face darkened: "Something must have gone wrong. Let's go, let's get out of here first!"

However, their whereabouts were discovered.

Wu Yong and his men blocked their path: "Wang Zhiqiang, Cai Qing, your conspiracy will not succeed!"

Just as the two sides were deadlocked, Wang Zhiqiang suddenly pulled out a black ball from his pocket and threw it hard to the ground.

With a "bang," the sphere exploded instantly, and a thick black smoke billowed out. This smoke was the mysterious object known as the "Sky-Covering Barrier," which instantly enveloped everyone.

"Oh no, everyone be careful!" Wu Yong shouted.

Taking advantage of the chaos and the cover of the barrier, Wang Zhiqiang flashed and rushed towards the prison cell door.

"Don't let him get away!" the Liangshan heroes shouted, but the thick smoke severely obstructed their vision, making it difficult to stop Wang Zhiqiang's path for the time being.

After rushing out of the prison cell, Wang Zhiqiang mounted a fast horse that had been prepared beforehand, cracked the whip hard, and the horse neighed as it galloped out of the city.

On the other hand, Cai Qing was not so lucky. He was surrounded by the Liangshan heroes and could not escape.

Seeing this, Li Kui's eyes widened in anger, and he brandished his double axes, ready to chop at Cai Qing: "You scoundrel, how dare you harm my brother! I'll chop you down!"

Cai Qing was so frightened that his face turned ashen and he collapsed to the ground.

Just as Li Kui's axe was about to fall, Song Jiang shouted, "Brother Li Kui, wait!"

Li Kui abruptly stopped, turned to look at Song Jiang, and asked in bewilderment, "Brother, why are you stopping me? This villain deserves to die!"

Song Jiang stepped forward, looked at the trembling Cai Qing, and said, "Cai Qing was also forced by Wang Zhiqiang, and he must have had his own reasons. If we can get him to repent and work for us, it would not be a bad thing."

Upon hearing Song Jiang's words, Cai Qing felt as if he had been granted a pardon and immediately kowtowed, saying, "Lord Song Gongming, spare my life! I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse to atone for my sins."

Song Jiang helped Cai Qing up, saying, "As long as you sincerely repent and contribute to justice in the future, the past will not be pursued."

Cai Qing was moved to tears: "Thank you so much, Lord Song Jiang, for sparing my life. I will repay you with my life."

At this moment, the smoke from the barrier gradually dissipated, and everyone discovered that Wang Zhiqiang had already escaped.

"Damn it, Wang Zhiqiang got away!" Lu Zhishen stomped his feet in anger.

Song Jiang comforted everyone, saying, "Brothers, don't worry. Wang Zhiqiang can run for a while, but he can't run forever. Now that Cai Qing is willing to surrender, it's a good thing."

Wu Yong nodded in agreement, saying, "Brother is absolutely right. Our most urgent task is to strengthen our defenses to prevent Wang Zhiqiang from causing trouble again."

Everyone agreed, and they began to clean up the mess, strengthen the prison's security, and discuss their next steps.

Cai Qing stood aside, secretly relieved that he had escaped with his life, and at the same time, he was determined to perform well to repay Song Jiang for sparing his life.

Song Jiang looked at Cai Qing and said, "Cai Qing, from today onwards, you must work together with us wholeheartedly. If you have any disloyal intentions, we will not let you off easily."

Cai Qing quickly replied, "I dare not, I will certainly obey your command."

Afterwards, everyone busied themselves preparing to deal with the potential trouble that Wang Zhiqiang might cause.