Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

When Li Tong arrived at the army camp, he deliberately withheld soldiers' pay and subjected them to harsh training tasks, which eventually aroused their dissatisfaction. A group of soldiers gathered together and protested loudly, and the scene briefly descended into chaos.

Upon learning of this, Zhao Tianming rushed over. Looking at the angry yet exhausted soldiers, he felt a deep sense of pity.

Li Tong stood aside, coldly watching everything, and said to Zhao Tianming, "General Zhao, these soldiers have instigated a mutiny, violating military discipline, and should be severely punished."

Zhao Tianming frowned and said, "Supervisor Li, these soldiers are all loyal and have made many contributions to the court by risking their lives. Their mutiny this time is indeed for a reason."

Li Tong snorted and said, "Merit is merit, and fault is fault. How can they be compared? General Zhao, are you trying to show favoritism?"

Zhao Tianming glared at Li Tong and said, "Supervisor Li, I, Zhao Tianming, have always acted with integrity and uprightness. How could I show favoritism? But these soldiers were indeed forced into this situation. I hope the supervisor can be lenient."

Li Tong remained unmoved and said sternly, "General Zhao, if we do not punish them severely, where will military discipline be? Where will our military prestige be? You must personally execute these leading soldiers to uphold military law."

Zhao Tianming was filled with grief and indignation. He looked at the soldiers who had fought alongside him, their eyes filled with grievance and despair.

"General, we are innocent!" the leading soldier shouted.

Zhao Tianming's eyes reddened as he said, "Brothers, I know you've been wronged, but military law is as firm as a mountain..."

The soldiers cried out, "General, we are not afraid to die, but we will die unjustly!"

Zhao Tianming clenched his fist and turned to Li Tong: "Supervisor Li, could you please be lenient with this punishment?"

Li Tong sneered, "Zhao Tianming, if you do not punish me according to military law, I will report to Emperor Huizong that you condoned the soldiers' rebellion."

Zhao Tianming knew that Li Tong was ruthless and vicious, and if he were to report Li Tong to Emperor Huizong, the consequences would be unimaginable.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the army became increasingly tense, and the other soldiers also gathered around, pleading for the leading soldier.

"General, we can't kill them!"

"They all came this far to defend their country!"

Zhao Tianming was caught in a dilemma. He knew that these soldiers had been driven to the brink by Li Tong, but if he did not deal with them, it would give Li Tong a handle to use against them.

After a painful struggle, Zhao Tianming sighed and said, "Fine, since you have violated military discipline, you should be punished. But I, Zhao Tianming, assure you, I will definitely give you justice."

With tears in their eyes, the soldiers leading the way said, "General, we believe in you."

In the end, Zhao Tianming reluctantly ordered the ringleaders to be imprisoned and executed.

That night, Zhao Tianming was alone in his tent, his heart heavy. He knew he had let his brothers down, but for the sake of the greater good, he had no other choice.

Meanwhile, Li Tong was secretly pleased with himself. He figured that as long as Zhao Tianming killed these soldiers, it would inevitably arouse resentment among the soldiers. Then, he could take the opportunity to fan the flames and surely plunge Zhao Tianming into an abyss of no return.

The next day, at the execution ground, several leading soldiers were brought in. Zhao Tianming personally oversaw the execution, his eyes filled with pain and helplessness.

Just as the executioner was about to carry out the execution, a loud shout rang out: "Spare his life!"

Everyone turned around and saw that it was Wu Yong.

When Li Tong saw Wu Yong arrive in a flurry with Li Kui, Yan Qing, Shi Xiu, and Dai Zong, all of them looking serious and menacing, Li Tong couldn't help but shudder. But he forced himself to remain calm and pointed at Wu Yong, shouting, "Wu Yong, you thieving convict, what are you doing at the execution ground?"

Wu Yong's gaze sharpened as he stared directly at Li Tong, and he sneered, "Li Supervisor, what a show of power you have!"

Li Tong's heart skipped a beat, but he still stubbornly said, "I am here to supervise the army by order of Emperor Huizong and to enforce military law. How dare you trespass on the execution ground? Do you intend to rebel?"

Wu Yong stepped forward and said, "Hmph! Li Tong, don't try to intimidate me with Emperor Huizong. Do you think you can get away with what you've done in the army?"

Li Tong's expression changed slightly, and he said, "Everything I did was to maintain military discipline. What's wrong with that?"

Li Kui, unable to contain himself any longer, roared, "You bastard! You deliberately withheld military pay and made things difficult for the soldiers, and you still dare to talk about upholding military discipline? I, Tie Niu, will be the first to not let you off the hook!"

Li Tong was so intimidated by Li Kui's imposing manner that he took a step back, but still insisted, "Don't make false accusations. I've been doing everything according to the rules."

Yan Qing stepped forward and said, "Li Tong, don't try to deny it. You deliberately stirred up trouble and framed loyal officials, all to achieve your ulterior motives."

Li Tong, though outwardly fierce, said weakly, "You have no evidence, so stop spouting nonsense!"

Li Kui didn't want to waste any more words with Li Tong. He glared at Li Tong, brandished his axe, and roared, "Li Tong, you filthy bastard, release the man right now! I, Tie Niu, have no patience to waste on you!"

Seeing this, Li Tong was afraid, but he cursed, "You black bastard, how dare you threaten an official of the imperial court! You are utterly lawless!"

Li Kui completely ignored his words and charged forward, brandishing his axe. Li Tong's soldiers quickly stopped Li Kui, and the two sides instantly became tense and on the verge of drawing their swords.

Taking advantage of the situation, Li Tong incited Zhao Tianming's soldiers, shouting, "Soldiers, look at this! Zhao Tianming is colluding with these bandits, showing no respect for military discipline and the law. He's utterly rebellious! Are you going to follow him and commit the same mistake?"

Some soldiers, swayed by Li Tong's words, began to waver and started shouting, "What's going on? Has the general really made a mistake?"

Zhao Tianming's troops immediately fell into chaos, with someone shouting, "Don't listen to his nonsense! The general has been wronged!"

But some people echoed Li Tong's sentiments: "Perhaps the general really is colluding with these bandits."

The situation was getting increasingly out of control, and Zhao Tianming was extremely anxious. He shouted loudly, "Brothers, do not listen to slander! I, Zhao Tianming, am wholeheartedly for the Song Dynasty and for everyone. I have absolutely no selfish motives!"

However, the chaos was now difficult to quell. Li Tong continued to fan the flames: "Zhao Tianming, what do you have to say now? Your soldiers have all begun to doubt you. You've truly failed as a general!"

Seeing the situation was turning against him, Yan Qing stepped forward and said, "Brothers, do not be deceived by this treacherous man. It is a well-known fact that Li Tong has been embezzling military pay and making things difficult for everyone in the army. We have come here today to seek justice for you!"

Shi Xiu also shouted, "That's right, we have evidence to prove Li Tong's crimes, and Emperor Huizong will surely investigate thoroughly!"

However, Li Tong's incitement had already caused some soldiers to lose their minds, and they confronted Zhao Tianming and others, making the atmosphere extremely tense.

Some soldiers shouted, "We only believe what we see in front of us. Who knows what kind of conspiracy you people are plotting by suddenly appearing here!"

Li Kui was furious and roared, "You fools! I, Tie Niu, came to save you, but you don't appreciate my good intentions!"

Dai Zong hurriedly advised, "Everyone, calm down and don't act impulsively, lest you fall into the trap of treacherous people!"

But the soldiers were blinded by anger and confusion and wouldn't listen to anything.

Seeing this, Li Tong secretly gloated. He continued shouting, "Zhao Tianming, look! Your soldiers no longer trust you. What right do you have to be a general?"

Zhao Tianming glared at Li Tong and said, "Li Tong, don't be so smug. The truth will come out sooner or later!"

Seeing the situation becoming increasingly chaotic, Li Tong devised a plan. He secretly released several trusted soldiers and whispered to them, "Go to the capital immediately and report to Emperor Huizong that Zhao Tianming incited the soldiers to riot and incite a mutiny, and that a group of bandits attempted to storm the execution ground. Go quickly, without delay!"

The soldiers received orders and took advantage of the chaos to escape the scene.

Seeing that some people were slipping away, Li Kui roared angrily, "Li Tong, you dog thief, you actually let them go!"

Li Tong sneered, "What? You bandits want to kill me to silence me? I'm doing this so that Emperor Huizong will know the truth: Zhao Tianming colluded with you and plotted a rebellion!"

Zhao Tianming was furious: "Li Tong, don't you dare make false accusations!"

Li Tong continued, "Hmph, the facts are right before your eyes, you can't deny them. Wait until Emperor Huizong's decree arrives, then we'll see how you get out of this!"

At this moment, the soldiers who had been misled began to stir again.

Someone shouted, "It seems that Supervisor Li was right. General Zhao really is colluding with these bandits."

Yan Qing shouted, "Don't believe it, everyone! This is clearly Li Tong's treacherous scheme. He wants to use this opportunity to escape punishment!"

Shi Xiu also said, "We have conclusive evidence to prove Li Tong's crimes. As long as we meet with Emperor Huizong, the truth will come to light."

However, the soldiers' emotions remained unsettled.

Li Tong became even more smug: "Just wait and see how Emperor Huizong punishes you!"

Enraged, Li Kui brandished his axe, wanting to rush forward and teach Li Tong a lesson, but Dai Zong held him back tightly.

Dai Zong advised, "Brother Tie Niu, don't act rashly. We mustn't fall into his trap now."

Wu Yong pondered for a moment and said, "Li Tong, do you think your treacherous scheme will succeed? Even if your men go to the capital, we still have ways to explain the truth to Emperor Huizong."

Li Tong laughed heartily: "Then we'll see, and see if Emperor Huizong will believe you or me!"

Upon hearing the report from Li Tong's confidant, and recalling the two cities recently lost and the riot led by Zhao Tianming's army, Emperor Huizong was furious and hurriedly asked Gao Qiu and Cai Jing how to deal with them.

Gao Qiu was secretly delighted, feeling that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He advised, "Your Majesty, I believe we can take this opportunity to test Zhao Tianming's loyalty. Immediately order him to lead the army to attack the Liao people. If he is honest and upright, he will surely advance bravely. If he has selfish motives, he will surely hesitate and not move forward."

Cai Jing chimed in, "The Grand Commandant is absolutely right. If Zhao Tianming disobeys the imperial decree or performs poorly in battle, it will prove that he is indeed disloyal."

Emperor Huizong pondered for a moment and said, "As you have said, I hereby issue an imperial decree ordering Zhao Tianming to immediately send troops to attack the Liao army."

When the imperial decree reached the army, Zhao Tianming and others were all shocked to learn of Emperor Huizong's order.

Wu Yong frowned and said, "This is clearly a treacherous scheme by Gao Qiu and Cai Jing. General, the chances of winning are extremely slim if you send troops now."

Zhao Tianming's expression was resolute: "Even so, the imperial decree cannot be disobeyed. I, Zhao Tianming, am utterly loyal and will fight to the death to prove my innocence."

Yan Qing said, "Brother Zhao, this journey is extremely dangerous, and we need to plan carefully."

Zhao Tianming shook his head and said, "Brother Xiao Yi, my mind is made up. We will muster our troops and prepare for the expedition."

When the soldiers heard about Zhao Tianming's decision, they were worried but also inspired by his determination, and they all expressed their willingness to fight alongside their general.

On the other side, Gao Qiu and Cai Jing were secretly pleased, waiting to see Zhao Tianming make a fool of himself.

Zhao Tianming led his army on an expedition, encountering numerous obstacles from the Liao army along the way. However, he led from the front, fighting bravely against the enemy, and his soldiers fought desperately in return.

However, due to insufficient military equipment and food shortages, the Song army gradually fell into difficulties.

At this very moment, Gao Qiu secretly sabotaged Zhao Tianming's army by cutting off their retreat.

Zhao Tianming was in dire straits, but he held his ground and refused to retreat.

Wu Yong said anxiously, "General, if this continues, I fear the entire army will be wiped out."

Zhao Tianming gazed into the distance and said, "Even if we die in battle, we cannot let the Liao army underestimate the spirit of our Great Song soldiers!"