Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

After repelling the Liao army, Shi Xiu and Yan Qing looked at Tong Guan, their anger barely contained. Shi Xiu strode forward, grabbed Tong Guan by the collar, and glared at him, saying, "You traitor, you are a coward who is greedy for life and stubborn and self-willed. You have caused the court to lose its prestige and disgraced the soldiers. What is your crime?"

Tong Guan was so frightened by Shi Xiu's imposing manner that his face turned ashen and his whole body trembled. Yet, he forced himself to remain calm and said, "You, you bandit, how dare you be so disrespectful to this general!"

Shi Xiu gritted his teeth and said, "Hmph! If it weren't for the heroes of Liangshan coming to our aid, you would have already become a dead man under the Liao army's blade. What face do you have left to put on airs as a general here!"

Yan Qing stepped forward and said coldly, "Tong Guan, you have always acted arrogantly and refused to listen to good advice. Now that you have caused such a disaster, do you still not know how to repent?"

Tong Guan's eyes darted around, and he stammered, unable to speak.

Just then, Wu Yong quickly stepped forward to dissuade him, saying, "Brother Shi Xiu, don't act rashly."

Shi Xiu turned to Wu Yong and said angrily, "Wu Yong, this man's crimes are unforgivable. If he is not punished, how can we face the fallen soldiers?"

Wu Yong gently shook the feather fan in his hand and said, "Brother Shi Xiu, this is not the time to act rashly. Although Tong Guan has made mistakes, he is, after all, an official of the imperial court. If we deal with him here, it may bring us unnecessary trouble."

Shi Xiu released his grip on Tong Guan's collar and said resentfully, "Hmph, he got off easy!"

Tong Guan straightened his collar. Although he harbored resentment, he dared not retaliate in the face of the angry Liangshan heroes.

Wu Yong continued, "Although the Liao army has retreated, the situation is still unstable. We should prioritize the overall situation, return to camp to reorganize our troops, and then make further plans."

Yan Qing said, "What Wu Xuejiu said is absolutely right. Brother Shi Xiu, let him off this time."

Shi Xiu glared at Tong Guan and said, "If there is a next time, I will not let you off easily!"

Tong Guan nodded obsequiously in agreement.

Back at the camp, Tong Guan secretly plotted how to deal with the Liangshan heroes. He knew that the Liangshan heroes had saved him, which would make it difficult for him to explain to the emperor, and he also worried that the Liangshan heroes would become arrogant because of this, threatening his position.

Meanwhile, the heroes of Liangshan were discussing their future plans.

Shi Xiu said, "This Tong Guan is treacherous and cunning. If we let him go this time, he will surely cause trouble in the future."

Wu Yong said, "But the situation is complicated now, and we need to plan carefully. This fight against the Liao army can be considered a contribution to the court, and it may bring a good future to Liangshan."

Yan Qing said, "I only hope that the court will remember our contributions and stop persecuting us."

After Tong Guan returned to his tent, Sun Yong and Wang Fu hurriedly came to greet him.

Sun Yong said with a fawning yet indignant expression, "Sir, those Liangshan bandits are far too rude! How dare they treat you like this? They are simply lawless!"

Wang Fu chimed in, "That's right, sir! You are a high-ranking official of the court, how can you suffer such humiliation!"

Tong Guan plopped down in a chair, his anger still simmering, his face grim and terrifying. He said, "Hmph, if it weren't for the fact that they helped us repel the Liao army this time, I would never have let them off so easily!"

Sun Yong's eyes darted around, and he leaned close to Tong Guan, lowering his voice to say, "Sir, we can't just let this go. I have a plan that will surely ensure these Liangshan bandits never return."

Tong Guan raised his eyelids slightly and asked, "Oh? What's your plan?"

Sun Yong said sinisterly, "We can pretend to host a banquet to reward them, and then poison their wine. Once they die from the poison, we can say that it was a Liao army spy who infiltrated and poisoned them. This way, we can get rid of them and clear ourselves of all responsibility."

Tong Guan hesitated upon hearing this, and frowned as he said, "What if things are exposed?"

Wang Fu quickly said, "Sir, as long as we do this discreetly, no one will find out. Besides, even if we are discovered, we can put the blame on the Liao people, saying that the Liao army deliberately poisoned and framed the Liangshan heroes in retaliation, and we are also victims."

Tong Guan was still somewhat worried and said, "But the Liangshan heroes are no ordinary people. If they are on guard, wouldn't this plan fall through?"

Sun Yong quickly replied, "Don't worry, sir. We can arrange for our trusted men to ambush them around the banquet beforehand. Once they discover the poison in the wine and try to resist, we can have our men swarm them and subdue them. Moreover, we can make the poisoning subtle enough that they won't easily notice it."

Tong Guan pondered for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, we'll do as you say. But we must be careful and not let a word of this leak out."

Sun Yong and Wang Fu replied in unison, "Don't worry, sir, we will handle things properly."

So Sun Yong and Wang Fu began making preparations in earnest. They selected several trustworthy subordinates, secretly prepared poison, and arranged the venue and food for the banquet.

Wang Fu said to the cook in charge of preparing the food and wine, "You have to be careful, and don't let anyone find out anything."

The cook replied meekly, "Don't worry, sir, I understand."

Sun Yong then instructed his trusted subordinates: "Listen carefully, all of you. When the time comes, act according to the situation. You must not let a single Liangshan hero leave alive."

The confidants nodded in agreement, indicating that they would obey.

Meanwhile, the Liangshan heroes were still discussing their future plans in their camp.

Shi Xiu said, "I have a feeling that Tong Guan won't let this go, so we need to be careful."

Yan Qing nodded and said, "Brother Shi Xiu is right. Tong Guan is narrow-minded. He will not let us off easily after being humiliated by us this time."

Wu Yong pondered for a moment and said, "In any case, we still need to be prepared. If Tong Guan really has some kind of conspiracy, we will be able to deal with it with ease."

Just then, Tong Guan's messenger arrived at the Liangshan heroes' camp, conveying the news that Tong Guan was going to hold a banquet to reward them.

The messenger said, "General Tong is hosting a banquet to express his gratitude to all the heroes. Please do us the honor of attending."

Wu Yong secretly harbored suspicions, but outwardly remained calm and said, "Thank you for your kindness, General Tong. We will certainly attend the banquet on time."

After the messenger left, Wu Yong said to everyone, "There is probably a trap here. Everyone must be extra careful at the banquet."

Shi Xiu said, "Hmph, I knew that Tong Guan had no good intentions. This might be a trap."

Yan Qing said, "No matter what, we can't back down. We'll see what they're up to and see what tricks they have up their sleeves."

On the day of the banquet, the Liangshan heroes entered Tong Guan's camp with caution.

Tong Guan greeted them with a broad smile and said, "My lords, we owe you all the credit for this. This general has specially prepared this banquet to express his gratitude."

Wu Yong said, "General Tong, you are too kind. It is our duty to resist the Liao army."

After everyone was seated, Tong Guan raised his wine glass and said, "Come, let us drink this cup together to celebrate this victory."

The Liangshan heroes looked at each other, wondering if there was something wrong with the wine.

Wu Yong said, "General Tong, please go first."

Tong Guan felt a pang of anxiety, but he still forced himself to drink it.

Seeing that Tong Guan had drunk, the Liangshan heroes also raised their cups, but each only took a small sip.

Seeing how cautious they were, Tong Guan felt secretly anxious.

Just then, Sun Yong and Wang Fu exchanged a glance and gave a signal to their trusted confidants who were lying in ambush nearby...

Wu Yong took a small sip of wine, then suddenly frowned, put down the cup, and looked sharply at Tong Guan, saying, "General Tong, this wine seems a bit off."

Tong Guan was startled, but he forced himself to remain calm and said, "Mr. Wu, what do you mean by that? This is a fine wine."

Wu Yong sneered, "General Tong, your trap is not clever enough. The wine has clearly been poisoned."

Tong Guan's face changed drastically, and he still tried to argue: "Wu Yong, don't make false accusations!"

At this moment, Shi Xiu slammed his hand on the table and stood up: "You, Tong Guan, how dare you use such despicable means!"

Yan Qing also said, "Tong Guan, you're courting death!"

When Tong Guan realized that his plot had been exposed, he shouted, "Attack!" His trusted confidants, who had been lying in ambush all around, rushed out.

The Liangshan heroes were prepared and immediately engaged them in battle. Wu Yong commanded with composure, while Shi Xiu and Yan Qing led the charge with unparalleled bravery.

In an instant, the camp was filled with the glint of swords and the deafening shouts of battle.

Seeing that things were going badly, Tong Guan tried to escape in the chaos. Zhao Tianming, with his sharp eyes, noticed Tong Guan's attempt and shouted, "Tong Guan, where do you think you're going!" He then drew his sword and gave chase.

Tong Guan was so frightened that he ran away as fast as he could. Zhao Tianming gave chase, but Tong Guan was familiar with the camp's terrain and, taking advantage of the chaos, vanished without a trace.

Meanwhile, Sun Yong and Wang Fu were still putting up a stubborn resistance, attempting to join forces with their confidants to fight against the Liangshan heroes.

Wu Yong shouted, "Sun Yong, Wang Fu, your master has already escaped! Surrender now!"

Sun Yong shouted, "You bunch of bandits, don't even think about making me surrender!"

Wang Fu also shouted, "Let's fight them!"

However, their resistance was ultimately futile. The Liangshan heroes worked together seamlessly and quickly subdued Sun Yong and Wang Fu's henchmen.

Zhao Tianming returned empty-handed, angrily saying, "That Tong Guan got away!"

Wu Yong said, "It's alright, let's capture these two guys first."

The crowd surrounded Sun Yong and Wang Futuan.

Sun Yong and Wang Fu were now in a sorry state, their previous arrogance completely gone.

Wu Yong stepped forward and said, "Sun Yong and Wang Fu, you have committed many evils, and today is your end."

Sun Yong said tremblingly, "Spare me, heroes! This was all Tong Guan's idea. We were forced into it."

Wang Fu also cried out, "Hero, spare our lives! We will never dare to do it again!"

Shi Xiu roared, "Too late to beg for mercy now!"

In the end, Wu Yong, Zhao Tianming, and others captured Sun Yong and Wang Fu.

Looking at the two captured men, Wu Yong said, "Take them back and interrogate them thoroughly to see what other schemes Tong Guan may have up his sleeve."

The Liangshan heroes left the camp with Sun Yong and Wang Fu.

This battle further intensified the conflict between the Liangshan heroes and Tong Guan. Tong Guan, who had escaped, was unlikely to let the matter rest, and an even greater storm was brewing.