Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

Zhao Tianming's army engaged in fierce fighting with the Liao army. Despite Zhao Tianming's skillful command, the Liao army was numerous and occupied advantageous terrain, and Zhao Tianming's army gradually found itself in a difficult situation.

Just as the battle reached a stalemate, Zhao Tianming's deputy said, "General, this can't go on. We have to find a way to break through!" Zhao Tianming frowned and said with a firm gaze, "We can't act rashly. We need to stabilize our position and wait for an opportunity."

At this moment, a soldier in the army suddenly shouted, "General, we are running low on food and arrows!" Zhao Tianming's heart tightened, knowing that the situation was becoming increasingly critical.

Meanwhile, Li Tong and the others were anxiously awaiting news of Zhao Tianming's complete defeat by the Liao army. Liu Neng asked, "Sir, how long do you think Zhao Tianming can hold out?" Li Tong sneered, "Hmph, he won't escape this time."

Wang Meng continued, "Once they're both severely weakened, we can reap the benefits." Li Tong nodded in agreement.

On the battlefield, Zhao Tianming looked at his wounded soldiers and secretly vowed to lead them out of the encirclement. Just then, he noticed a slight opening in the Liao army's defenses.

"Brothers, charge with me!" Zhao Tianming gave the order, leading his soldiers in a fierce charge towards the breach. After a bloody battle, they finally broke through and successfully escaped.

However, Zhao Tianming's army also suffered heavy losses. When they retreated to their camp, they found it in complete chaos. It turned out that Li Tong had already sent men to spread rumors among the troops, claiming that Zhao Tianming had colluded with the Liao army and deliberately suffered defeat.

The soldiers were in an uproar, beginning to suspect Zhao Tianming. Zhao Tianming was furious: "This must be a conspiracy by that villain Li Tong!" He quickly summoned his generals, trying to stabilize morale.

"Brothers, I, Zhao Tianming, swear to God that I have never colluded with the Liao army. This time, we have fallen into the enemy's trap," Zhao Tianming said loudly.

However, some soldiers still had doubts, and the scene was quite tense at one point.

Just then, Wu Yong returned. After understanding the situation, he said, "Gentlemen, do not believe the rumors. We know the general's character best. The most urgent task now is to find out the truth and find out who is behind this."

After Wu Yong's persuasion, the morale of the army temporarily stabilized.

Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong discussed countermeasures and decided to first investigate the source of the rumors within the army. After some investigation, they finally captured several soldiers who had spread the rumors. Under severe torture, they confessed that they were acting on Li Tong's orders.

Zhao Tianming gritted his teeth and said, "Li Tong, I will never let you get away with this!"

Meanwhile, the imperial court received forged evidence from Li Tong and others alleging that Zhao Tianming had traded with the Liao army. The emperor was furious and ordered Zhao Tianming to be escorted back to the capital to await further punishment.

Zhao Tianming knew that his return to the capital was fraught with peril, but determined to prove his innocence, he resolutely decided to set off. Wu Yong, on the other hand, remained in the army to continue gathering evidence and prepare to clear Zhao Tianming's name.

Li Tong split into two groups, escorting Zhao Tianming as they struggled along the rugged mountain path. They were heading towards the capital, and the atmosphere was tense and oppressive throughout the journey.

As they reached a canyon, a group of Liao soldiers suddenly appeared and blocked their path. The general leading them was none other than Yelü Hong, the Liao commander-in-chief. He rode a tall, magnificent horse, exuding an imposing aura and a sense of authority.

Upon seeing this, Li Tong was secretly startled, but quickly put on a brave face.

Yelü Hong shouted, "Li Tong, put Zhao Tianming down!"

Li Tong said with a forced smile, "General Yelü, we have a prior agreement that I must escort Zhao Tianming back to the capital and hand him over to the court for punishment."

Yelü Hong sneered: "Hmph, Li Tong, do you think I'm a three-year-old? You've been secretly colluding with me just to use me to get rid of Zhao Tianming so you can rest easy in the army. Now that he's here, if you don't hand him over, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Li Tong's face darkened. He hadn't expected Yelü Hong to openly turn against him at this moment. But he also knew that his collusion with the Liao soldiers must not be exposed, or he would face certain death.

Zhao Tianming listened from the side and suddenly realized that Li Tong was actually a traitor.

Li Tong tried to persuade Yelü Hong: "General Yelü, please don't rush. If Zhao Tianming is handed over to you, it will surely cause a huge uproar. It would be better for me to proceed according to plan. Once I have established myself in the court, I will be able to provide you with more convenience."

Yelü Hong glared at him angrily: "Li Tong, don't try to play tricks on me! If you don't hand Zhao Tianming over to me today, I'll make sure you and your men don't leave here alive!"

The two sides were deadlocked, and the atmosphere became increasingly tense. Li Tong's men began to feel uneasy; they hadn't expected to encounter such a situation.

At this moment, Zhao Tianming shouted, "Yelü Hong, Li Tong, that traitor, is colluding with you. He will not have a good end! Even if I, Zhao Tianming, die, I will not let you succeed!"

Yelü Hong looked at Zhao Tianming and said, "Brother Zhao, you are a loyal and brave man. If you are willing to surrender to my Great Liao, you will surely enjoy endless wealth and honor."

Zhao Tianming roared, "I, Zhao Tianming, was born a citizen of the Great Song Dynasty, and I will die a ghost of the Great Song Dynasty. I will never betray my country and surrender to the enemy!"

Seeing that he was at a stalemate with Li Tong, Yelü Hong stopped wasting words and waved his hand, shouting, "Men, bring Zhao Tianming here!"

Upon receiving the order, the Liao soldiers surged towards Li Tong's troops like a tidal wave. Seeing this, Li Tong tried to say something to stop them, "General Yelü, we had an agreement..."

Yelü Hong angrily interrupted him: "Li Tong, if you say another word, don't blame me for being merciless!"

Li Tong was intimidated by Yelü Hong's imposing manner and immediately fell silent, daring not to utter another word.

The Liao soldiers quickly approached, and Li Tong's men showed signs of panic. They had thought they were in a cooperative relationship with the Liao soldiers, but they never expected to face such a situation.

Zhao Tianming stood tall and proud, glaring angrily at the approaching Liao soldiers, showing no fear.

The Liao soldiers roughly pulled Zhao Tianming out of Li Tong's ranks. Zhao Tianming struggled fiercely, but he was outnumbered.

Yelü Hong looked at Zhao Tianming, who had been brought before him, and a smug smile appeared on his face.

At this moment, Yelü Hong ordered someone to bring out a box of jewels. When the box was opened, it was filled with dazzling jewels.

Yelü Hong said, "Li Tong, this is your reward. Take it and get out of here!"

Li Tong gazed at the box of jewels, a glint of greed in his eyes, yet he hesitated. He knew that if he left now and the truth came out, he would have nowhere to go in the Song Dynasty.

However, faced with Yelü Hong's firm stance, Li Tong dared not disobey. He gritted his teeth and said, "General Yelü, I hope you will keep your promise."

Yelü Hong snorted coldly: "Get out of here! Don't make me change my mind."

Helpless, Li Tong had no choice but to leave hastily with his men.

Watching Li Tong's departing figure, Zhao Tianming angrily cursed, "Li Tong, you shameless traitor who sells out your country for personal gain, you will get your retribution sooner or later!"

Yelü Hong looked at Zhao Tianming with great interest and said, "Brother Zhao, why be so stubborn? As long as you surrender to my Great Liao, you will enjoy endless wealth and honor."

Zhao Tianming glared angrily and shouted, "I, Zhao Tianming, a man of the Great Song Dynasty, will never associate with you!"

Yelü Hong's face darkened: "Hmph, ungrateful! Take him away!"

The Liao soldiers, escorting Zhao Tianming, prepared to leave.

As Zhao Tianming struggled, he shouted, "Yelü Hong, you can't make me submit! The soldiers of the Great Song Dynasty will never be afraid of you!"

Yelü Hong sneered, "When you get to my Great Liao, you'll have a hard time."

After Yelü Hong captured Zhao Tianming, Li Tong led his men on a continued journey to the capital. Along the way, his feelings were extremely complex; he was both relieved to have escaped Yelü Hong's threat and worried about the situation that might follow.

Just then, Lu Junyi and his team, who were in charge of providing backup, appeared. They saw Li Tong's group but not Zhao Tianming, and a bad feeling immediately welled up in their hearts.

Lu Junyi hurriedly asked, "Where are Li Tong and Zhao Tianming?"

Li Tong's eyes flickered as he lied, "Zhao Tianming... he colluded with the Liao people, and they rescued him!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Song's eyes widened in anger, and he roared, "Nonsense! How could Brother Zhao possibly collude with the Liao people? Don't spout nonsense here!"

Li Tong feigned composure and said, "This is what I saw with my own eyes, how could it be false? At that time, the Liao soldiers suddenly appeared and forcibly took Zhao Tianming away. We resisted with all our might, but we were powerless to stop them."

Wu Song stepped forward, grabbed Li Tong by the collar, and shouted angrily, "Li Tong, you despicable villain! You must have played some kind of trick! Brother Zhao is an upright and loyal man, and would never do such a traitorous thing!"

Li Tong turned pale with fright at Wu Song's imposing manner, but still stubbornly insisted, "Wu Song, don't frame me. Everything I said is true."

At this moment, Li Kui flew into a rage, brandishing his axe and roaring, "I think you're lying! I'll chop you up right now!"

Seeing this, Li Tong's men drew their swords and confronted Lu Junyi and his men.

Lu Junyi quickly stopped Li Kui and said, "Brother Li Kui, don't be impulsive. Let's find out what's going on first."

Li Kui said angrily, "What's the point of figuring it out? Li Tong is obviously lying. I'm going to avenge Brother Zhao!"

Lu Junyi looked at Li Tong and said, "Li Tong, if you tell even the slightest lie, don't blame us for being impolite. Brother Zhao has always treated his brothers well. If anything really happens to him, you won't have an easy time either."

Li Tong said guiltily, "I really didn't lie, believe it or not."

Wu Song said, "Alright, then tell me the details of what happened back then. If there's even the slightest flaw, I won't let you off the hook."

Li Tong had no choice but to bite the bullet and fabricate the scene, but it was full of holes.

As Lu Junyi listened, his face grew increasingly grim. He said, "Li Tong, your lie is utterly clumsy. I think you're colluding with the Liao people to frame Brother Zhao."

Li Tong retorted, "Lu Junyi, don't make false accusations. I am utterly loyal to the Song Dynasty."

Everyone scoffed at Li Tong's words, and the atmosphere became extremely tense.