Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

Amidst the fierce melee, Zhao Tianming and his companions fought valiantly against the ambush from the palace. Although Pang Wanchun was still recovering from his injuries, his indomitable will and superb martial arts skills allowed him to charge through the crowd, his spear felling enemies wherever it struck. Pang Qiuxia was equally formidable, wielding her twin swords with impenetrable precision, protecting the flanks of her group.

The commander of the Imperial Guards led from the front, engaging in a fierce battle with the enemy. However, the enemy was numerous and well-trained, and Zhao Tianming's side gradually found themselves in a difficult situation.

"This can't go on, we must find a way out as soon as possible!" Zhao Tianming shouted.

While fighting the enemy, Pang Wanchun responded, "Follow me, this way!" He had discovered a relatively weak defensive line and led his men to attempt a breakthrough.

Just as they were about to break through the defenses, the leading eunuch suddenly ordered his men to fire arrows. Instantly, arrows rained down, and many imperial guards fell to the ground, struck by arrows.

"Watch out!" Pang Qiuxia shoved aside a soldier beside her, but was grazed on the shoulder by an arrow.

Zhao Tianming was extremely anxious: "Qiuxia, are you alright?"

Pang Qiuxia gritted her teeth and said, "I'm fine, keep going!"

The group struggled forward through a hail of arrows and finally broke through the defensive line. However, they also suffered heavy casualties, and the commander of the Imperial Guards was seriously wounded.

"Commander, hold on!" Zhao Tianming helped the Imperial Guard commander up.

The commander of the Imperial Guards, panting heavily, said, "Never mind me, go see the Emperor immediately!"

Zhao Tianming and his group continued towards the palace. By this time, the commotion in the palace had alerted even more guards and eunuchs, who poured in to try and stop Zhao Tianming and his companions.

"Kill!" Pang Wanchun roared and charged into the enemy ranks once more.

Just as they were about to reach the palace, a group of mysterious people dressed in black brocade robes suddenly appeared. These people were all highly skilled in martial arts, and their moves were strange and unpredictable, completely different from the previous enemies.

"Who is this?" Pang Qiuxia was startled.

Zhao Tianming thought to himself that these people were probably Tong Guan and his group's last trump card.

A fierce battle ensued. The mysterious man's attacks were exceptionally sharp, and Zhao Tianming and his companions were struggling to keep up.

Just when everyone was feeling hopeless, Emperor Huizong of Song came out accompanied by several trusted eunuchs.

"Stop!" Emperor Huizong shouted.

Everyone stopped what they were doing.

Zhao Tianming immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty, Tong Guan, Gao Qiu, Cai Jing and others are corrupt and lawless, and their crimes are heinous. We have risked our lives to come here, just to present the evidence to Your Majesty!"

The head eunuch hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please do not listen to their nonsense. They have broken into the palace in the dead of night with ulterior motives!"

Emperor Huizong's face darkened as he looked at Zhao Tianming: "You say you have evidence? Present it!"

Zhao Tianming quickly handed over the evidence. After carefully examining it, Emperor Huizong's expression grew increasingly grim.

"How dare you! You dare to deceive me!" Emperor Huizong glared at the eunuch.

Upon seeing this, the eunuch immediately knelt down and kowtowed, crying out, "Your Majesty, do not be deceived by this false evidence! Zhao Tianming and his accomplices are clearly plotting something sinister, deliberately fabricating evidence to frame important officials in the court!"

Emperor Huizong frowned, his gaze shifting back and forth between Zhao Tianming and the eunuch, lost in thought.

At this moment, a figure who appeared to be the leader stepped forward from the group of mysterious people, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, this evidence is indeed false. Zhao Tianming and his accomplices are attempting to use this to disrupt the court; their intentions are despicable!"

Zhao Tianming's eyes widened, and he roared angrily, "You're making baseless accusations! This evidence is absolutely true; the crimes of Tong Guan, Gao Qiu, and Cai Jing cannot be denied!"

Pang Wanchun was also furious: "Your Majesty, we are utterly loyal and have not uttered a single falsehood!"

Pang Qiuxia was so angry that her face turned red: "Your Majesty, please see the truth! This is clearly a frame-up on their part!"

Emperor Huizong's face grew increasingly grim, and he shouted, "Silence! I will investigate this matter myself."

Just then, another minister rushed over, knelt down and reported: "Your Majesty, I have just discovered that Zhao Tianming is colluding with enemy countries on the border. His visit to the palace this time is an inside-outside collaboration, an attempt to overthrow our Great Song Dynasty!"

Zhao Tianming was so shocked he almost collapsed to the ground, shouting, "Your Majesty, this is pure slander! I am utterly loyal to the Song Dynasty, and Heaven and Earth can bear witness!"

Emperor Huizong roared, "The witnesses and evidence are all there, how dare you still try to deny it!"

Pang Wanchun said urgently, "Your Majesty, this must be a frame-up. Brother Zhao would never do such a treasonous thing!"

The mysterious leader sneered, "Hmph, the facts are right before our eyes, yet they still dare to argue. Your Majesty, they should be arrested immediately and interrogated rigorously!"

Emperor Huizong waved his hand and shouted, "Guards, seize Zhao Tianming and the others!"

The guards rushed forward and tied up Zhao Tianming, Pang Wanchun, Pang Qiuxia, and others.

Zhao Tianming and the others were imprisoned, their hearts filled with grief, indignation and despair.

"What exactly happened? Why did this sudden reversal occur?" Pang Qiuxia asked, tears streaming down her face.

Zhao Tianming gritted his teeth and said, "It must be a treacherous scheme by Tong Guan and his men. They bribed these people to frame us."

Pang Wanchun said bitterly, "Damn it, are we really going to die unjustly like this?"

In prison, Zhao Tianming and the others tried every means to prove their innocence, but everything seemed to have reached a dead end.

Meanwhile, Emperor Huizong of Song was also deep in thought in the palace. He was actually somewhat suspicious of this sudden reversal, but the various pieces of evidence forced him to be cautious.

Just then, an old minister requested an audience.

"Your Majesty, this old minister feels there is something fishy about this matter. Zhao Tianming and the others have always been loyal, so there may be more to this than meets the eye," the old minister said.

Emperor Huizong said, "I also have some doubts, but the evidence is conclusive, so I have to be cautious."

The old minister said, "Your Majesty, you might as well thoroughly investigate this matter again, so as not to wrong a loyal minister."

Just as Zhao Tianming and the others were racking their brains for a solution in prison, a jailer secretly handed them a letter. Zhao Tianming opened it and found it was written by Gao Qiu.

In the letter, Gao Qiu spoke arrogantly: "Zhao Tianming, if you know what's good for you, confess your crimes honestly, otherwise Zhang Bangchang and your wife Hexiang's lives will be in danger!"

After reading the letter, Zhao Tianming was so angry that his hands trembled and his eyes widened: "That traitor Gao Qiu is so despicable and shameless!"

Pang Wanchun leaned closer and asked, "Brother Zhao, what did the letter say?"

Zhao Tianming handed the letter to Pang Wanchun, who was also furious after reading it: "This Gao Qiu is simply insane, threatening us with such means!"

Pang Qiuxia said anxiously, "What should we do? Are we really going to have to submit to this traitor?"

Zhao Tianming took a deep breath and said firmly, "We must not let Gao Qiu's conspiracy succeed! We must find a way to save ourselves and also protect Zhang Bangchang and He Xiang."

At this moment, the atmosphere in the prison was heavy, and the three of them fell into deep thought.

Zhao Tianming suddenly said, "We have to find a way to get the message out and let people know about Gao Qiu's evil deeds. Maybe there's still a glimmer of hope."

Pang Wanchun nodded and said, "But the prison is heavily guarded, how can we send messages?"

Pang Qiuxia had a sudden inspiration: "We can use the prison guards who deliver food, offer them a large sum of money, and see if anyone is willing to help."

So they waited for the next opportunity to deliver food. When the jailer arrived, Zhao Tianming quietly spoke with him and promised a generous reward if he could help deliver the message.

The jailer hesitated for a moment, but was eventually moved by Zhao Tianming's sincerity and agreed to take the risk.

The jailer successfully relayed the message to some of Zhao Tianming's friends. Upon hearing this, they all sprang into action, searching for Zhang Bangchang and He Xiang while simultaneously gathering evidence to expose Gao Qiu's conspiracy.

At this time, the situation on the Song-Liao border became increasingly tense. The Liao army was frequently mobilizing troops along the border, pressing in with a large force, and war was imminent.

The atmosphere was heavy in the Song army camp on the border. The generals looked worried as they discussed countermeasures while looking at the military map.

"The Liao army is coming in a fierce manner this time, with a force far exceeding that of the past. They are probably well-prepared," a general said.

"Our food and military supplies are insufficient. If we cannot receive timely reinforcements, this battle will be difficult to win!" Another general frowned.

Meanwhile, the Liao army generals were determined to win.

"This time we must break through the Song army's defenses in one fell swoop and let the Song Dynasty know how powerful we are!" The Liao army commander shouted, brandishing his horsewhip.

Panic gripped the border residents, who packed their belongings and prepared to flee their homes. Chaos reigned in the villages, a cacophony of children's cries and old people's sighs.

"What should we do? Are we going to have to leave our homes?" An old man looked at the village where he had lived for many years, his eyes filled with reluctance and helplessness.

Amid this tense situation, reinforcements from the imperial court were slow to arrive. The Song soldiers could only hold their ground with their existing forces and rudimentary fortifications.

"Brothers, our homeland is behind us. Even if we fight to the last man, we must not let the Liao army set foot on our territory!" The Song general rallied the troops.

However, the Liao army launched wave after wave of attacks, and the Song army suffered increasing casualties.

"Report! The left flank defense is about to be breached!" a soldier rushed in to report.

The general was extremely anxious: "Send the reserves up, we must hold the line!"

The battlefield was filled with smoke and the shouts of battle were deafening.

Meanwhile, news of the border conflict spread throughout the capital, causing widespread panic.

"I heard the border is about to fall, and the Liao army is about to invade!"

"What can we do? Doesn't the imperial court care about our lives?"

Meanwhile, Emperor Huizong of Song received an urgent report from the border while in the palace. Faced with this situation of internal and external troubles, he fell into deep thought.

Zhao Tianming and the others learned of the tense situation at the border while in prison, and they were extremely anxious.

“With the nation in peril, we are trapped here, unable to serve our country!” Pang Wanchun slammed his fist against the wall.

Zhao Tianming's expression was resolute: "If we can get out, we must go to the border and fight against the Liao army!"

Pang Qiuxia also said, "I only hope to clear my name as soon as possible and contribute to the country."

However, whether they can escape their predicament and head to the border to defend against foreign enemies remains to be seen.