Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

Li Tong paced anxiously back and forth in the tent. "This plan was so meticulous. I wanted to seriously injure Yan Qing to weaken Zhao Tianming's power, but I didn't expect to fail to seriously damage him. That guy Zhao Tianming treats his brothers like his own hands and feet, and he will never let this go. Wu Yong is also very resourceful. I've really stirred up a hornet's nest this time!"

He quickly summoned Liu Neng and two other generals, one named Wang Meng and the other named Zhao Hu.

Li Tong said anxiously, "What should we do? What should we do? The Grand Commandant ordered me to solidify the evidence against Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong, but not only has this not been done well, it has made Zhao Tianming even angrier. Even if the Grand Commandant lets me go, Zhao Tianming will definitely not let me go. What should we do? You three, quickly help me think of a solution!"

Liu Neng lowered his head, looking terrified: "Sir, this matter is indeed troublesome. Zhao Tianming has a high reputation in the army, and now that he is on guard, I'm afraid we will not be able to deal with him easily."

Wang Meng frowned and pondered for a moment before saying, "Sir, why don't we send someone to assassinate Zhao Tianming? Let's strike first before he makes a move against us."

Li Tong glared at him: "Foolish! Zhao Tianming is heavily guarded. Assassination is no easy task. If we fail, we will be doomed."

Zhao Hu cautiously said, "Sir, perhaps we can spread rumors in the army that Zhao Tianming is abusing his power and intends to rebel, thus undermining his morale."

Li Tong snorted coldly: "How useful can this be? Not to mention Zhao Tianming's prestige among the soldiers, Wu Yong alone will definitely see through our scheme and may even turn the tables on us."

The three fell silent for a moment, and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

Li Tong slammed his fist on the table in anger: "You all claim to be brave and resourceful all the time, but now that it's a critical moment, you can't come up with a single feasible solution!"

Liu Neng's eyes darted around, and he said, "Sir, why don't we ask the Grand Commandant for help? Let him send us more troops and support."

Li Tong hesitated for a moment: "The Grand Commandant... he is already dissatisfied with the outcome of this operation. If we ask him for help now, he may not agree, and may even punish us."

Wang Meng continued, "Sir, could we devise a plan to sow discord between Zhao Tianming and his generals, causing internal conflicts and throwing them into disarray?"

Li Tong's eyes lit up, but then dimmed again: "This idea is good, but it's too difficult to implement. Zhao Tianming and his generals are like brothers; they're not so easy to alienate."

Just when everyone was at a loss, Zhao Hu suddenly said, "Sir, I have an idea. We can forge evidence of Zhao Tianming's collusion with the Liao army, and then present it to the court so that the court can deal with him."

After listening, Li Tong pondered for a moment and said, "This plan may work, but the evidence must be fabricated convincingly so that it cannot arouse suspicion."

Having said that, Li Tong immediately began writing a letter to Gao Qiu and Cai Jing. The letter read:

To Grand Commandant Gao and Grand Tutor Cai:

Li Tong worships.

I have an important matter to report concerning the case of Zhao Tianming. Our situation is extremely precarious, so I am writing this letter to explain the details.

Our previous attempt to severely injure Yan Qing to weaken Zhao Tianming's power failed. Zhao Tianming is a man of deep loyalty and righteousness, treating his brothers like his own flesh and blood. Our actions have now touched a raw nerve, fueling his rage and his desire for revenge. Wu Yong, being cunning, has likely already discovered our scheme, leaving us in a truly predicament.

We have pondered this matter for a long time and intend to fabricate evidence of Zhao Tianming's collusion with the Liao army, present it to the court, and have the court punish him. However, this matter is beyond my ability to accomplish alone, and we still need the strong assistance of the two gentlemen.

Firstly, the matter of the army's provisions and weapons can be exploited. I observe that there may be opportunities to manipulate the allocation of provisions and the supply of weapons in Zhao Tianming's army. If we can tamper with the accounts to make it appear as if there are transactions with the Liao army, that could serve as irrefutable evidence.

Secondly, we need to spread rumors within the army, claiming that Zhao Tianming is a traitor and colluding with the enemy, in order to disrupt their morale. However, this plan needs to be carefully arranged to prevent Wu Yong from discovering it. We can first send spies to infiltrate the army and spread rumors among the soldiers, and then find an opportunity to let them ferment.

Thirdly, if we can obtain the assistance of the two gentlemen, and find one or two officials in the court to help us, and have them speak ill of Zhao Tianming to the Emperor, accusing him of abusing his power and secretly colluding with the Liao army, we can surely arouse the Emperor's suspicion.

I am fully aware of the extreme risks involved; if anything goes wrong, we will all be doomed. However, things have come to this point, and only by fighting to the death can we have a glimmer of hope. I hope that you two gentlemen will remember our loyalty and lend us a helping hand.

I will obey your orders, my lords, with all my heart and soul. Once the task is accomplished, I am willing to serve you with utmost loyalty and sacrifice, even unto death.

Words cannot express all that I have to say; I eagerly await your reply.

李通

Liu Neng quickly replied, "Don't worry, sir. Leave this matter to me. I will handle it flawlessly."

Li Tong nodded: "Alright, then I'll leave this matter to you. Be sure to be careful and cautious. If there's any mistake, we'll all be doomed."

The three men accepted the order and left, but Li Tong was still uneasy, wondering if this last gamble could turn the tide.

Upon receiving Li Tong's letter, Gao Qiu was filled with unease. He knew the matter was of great importance, and that mishandling it could implicate him. Therefore, he changed into plain clothes and secretly went to Cai Jing's residence.

At Cai Jing's residence, Gao Qiu was led into the study. Cai Jing was sitting at his desk, holding a book in his hand, seemingly relaxed, but in reality, he was pondering Gao Qiu's intentions.

Upon seeing Cai Jing, Gao Qiu, without bothering with pleasantries, hurriedly presented Li Tong's letter, saying, "Grand Tutor Cai, take a look at this letter. That scoundrel Li Tong is now desperate and begs for our help. What are your thoughts on this matter?"

Cai Jing put down his book and took the letter to read it carefully. His expression gradually became serious, and after a moment, he slowly said, "Grand Commandant Gao, this matter is quite thorny."

Gao Qiu hurriedly said, "Grand Tutor, I am also worried about this matter. Zhao Tianming has a high reputation in the army. Now, Li Tong has not only failed to weaken him, but has also aroused his anger. If Zhao Tianming finds out about Li Tong and traces the clues back to us, then we will be in trouble."

Cai Jing nodded slightly: "The Grand Commandant is absolutely right. Li Tong is such a fool, and now we have to clean up his mess. However, it's probably not enough to convince the public by just fabricating evidence. We need to find a way to make Zhao Tianming truly suspected of trading with the Liao army so that we can find a handle against him."

Gao Qiu asked anxiously, "Grand Tutor, what should we do?"

Cai Jing pondered for a moment and said, "We need to find a way to get Zhao Tianming out of the camp and create an opportunity for him to contact the Liao army. Then we can arrange for someone to interfere and create the illusion that he is trading with the Liao army."

Gao Qiu's eyes lit up: "Grand Tutor, this plan is brilliant, but how can we get Zhao Tianming to leave the camp?"

Cai Jing smiled sinisterly: "That's not difficult. We can give a false report, saying that there is an enemy grain depot nearby that Zhao Tianming needs to personally lead his troops to seize. Once he leaves the camp, we can make the arrangements in secret."

Gao Qiu nodded and said, "Alright, we will follow the Grand Tutor's plan."

Cai Jing then instructed his servants: "Go and invite Minister Zhang of the Ministry of War and Prefect Liu, and tell them that I have important matters to discuss with them."

Before long, Minister of War Zhang and Prefect Liu hurriedly arrived at Cai Jing's residence.

Upon seeing Gao Qiu and Cai Jing, the two men immediately bowed.

Cai Jing got straight to the point, saying, "My lords, I have invited you here today because there is an important matter." With that, he handed Li Tong's letter to the two of them.

After reading the letter, both Lord Zhang and Lord Liu's expressions changed.

Lord Zhang spoke first: "Grand Tutor, this matter is of utmost importance; if we're not careful, we could all lose our heads."

Cai Jing's face darkened: "Lord Zhang, do not panic. As long as we work together, this matter may not be impossible. Our plan is to fabricate military intelligence to lure Zhao Tianming out of his camp, and then create evidence of his dealings with the Liao army. Lord Zhang, you are in charge of the Ministry of War, so you can manipulate the records of weapon and grain allocation to create the illusion that Zhao Tianming is dealing with the Liao army. Lord Liu, you are responsible for adding some testimonies that are detrimental to Zhao Tianming to the local documents."

Lord Zhang hesitated and said, "Grand Tutor, if this is discovered, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor."

Cai Jing snorted coldly: "Lord Zhang, we are now in the same boat. If this matter fails, neither Gao Qiu nor I will have a good end. Do you think you can escape unscathed? After it succeeds, you will enjoy endless wealth and glory. If you don't comply, hmph!"

Cold sweat broke out on Lord Zhang's forehead. He quickly said, "Grand Tutor, please calm down. I will do my best to help you."

Lord Liu quickly added, "This humble official is willing to follow the Grand Tutor's arrangements."

Cai Jing nodded in satisfaction: "Very good. You will naturally receive your share of the rewards once it's done. But this matter must be kept secret, and no word of it must be leaked."

Gao Qiu said, "Please be very careful and cautious, and make no mistakes whatsoever."

After discussing the specific details, everyone dispersed.

When Gao Qiu left Cai Jing's residence, he was still filled with worry. He didn't know if this adventure would succeed, and if it failed, the consequences would be unimaginable.

After everyone left, Cai Jing sat alone in his study, a sinister glint in his eyes: "Zhao Tianming, this time I will make sure you never have a chance to recover."

Minister of War Zhang returned to his residence, his heart filled with unease. He knew he was playing with fire by getting involved, but he dared not disobey Cai Jing's orders.

Prefect Liu also spent the entire night pondering the pros and cons.

Soon, as planned, false military intelligence was relayed to Zhao Tianming's camp. Zhao Tianming fell for the trap and decided to personally lead his troops there.

Seeing Zhao Tianming leave the camp, Li Tong and the others were secretly pleased and began to set a trap to frame Zhao Tianming for trading with the Liao army.

Zhao Tianming led his troops forward swiftly according to the instructions given in the false intelligence report. However, he had a vague feeling that something was amiss, but the military situation was urgent and he could not afford to think too much about it.

As they approached the supposed enemy supply depot, an eerie silence fell over the surroundings. Alarm bells rang in Zhao Tianming's mind; he immediately ordered a halt and preparations for defense.

Just then, a large number of Liao soldiers suddenly surged out and surrounded them. Zhao Tianming then realized that he had fallen into a trap, but he remained calm and commanded his soldiers to fight bravely.

Meanwhile, Li Tong and his associates were gleefully preparing evidence to frame Zhao Tianming. They forged documents and tokens related to the trade with the Liao army, and were just waiting for Zhao Tianming to be trapped by the Liao army for a period of time before presenting this "evidence" to the imperial court.