Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

The group gathered inside. Wu Yong gently waved his feather fan, his gaze deep, and slowly said, "Brothers, Gao Qiu's conspiracy has been exposed this time, and he will certainly not let it go. We need to plan carefully in order to contend with him."

Song Jiang asked, "Strategist, what good plan do you have?"

Wu Yong smiled slightly and said, "Gao Qiu is powerful, and we cannot confront him head-on. I have three plans. The first is to sow discord. Gao Qiu has many followers in the court, but he is not a monolithic entity. We can send people to spread rumors that some of his confidants want to replace him, so that they will distrust each other and fall into disarray."

Wu Song nodded and said, "This plan is brilliant; it will keep Gao Qiu preoccupied with other matters."

Wu Yong continued, "The second method is to feint to the east while attacking in the west. Gao Qiu will definitely do his best to track down our whereabouts. We can deliberately cause a commotion in the eastern suburbs of the capital to lure his main force there, while secretly sending people to infiltrate his mansion to search for more evidence of our crimes."

Lu Junyi said, "This plan must be carried out in secrecy, otherwise once Gao Qiu discovers it, all our previous efforts may be in vain."

Wu Yong added, "The third method is to use someone else to do the dirty work. Gao Qiu also has conflicts of interest with other powerful figures in the court. We can secretly contact those who are dissatisfied with Gao Qiu, offer them benefits, and use them to suppress Gao Qiu."

Li Kui shouted, "I told you to just charge straight in and kill that old bastard Gao Qiu!"

Song Jiang shouted, "Tie Niu, don't be rash. Listen to the strategist's instructions."

Wu Yong continued, "In addition, we must also employ the art of war. We should wait for Gao Qiu to tire himself out before launching our attack; we should feign weakness to lure him into a trap by releasing false information to mislead Gao Qiu; and we should secretly advance our own forces while remaining outwardly inactive."

Everyone praised it as wonderful.

So, following Wu Yong's plan, the Liangshan heroes began to take action.

First, some mysterious people spread rumors in the streets and alleys of the capital that there was discord among Gao Qiu's confidants. Upon hearing this, Gao Qiu indeed became suspicious and became wary of his confidants.

Then, in the eastern suburbs of the capital, the Liangshan heroes deliberately created chaos, and Gao Qiu hurriedly dispatched troops. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Chai Jin led a group of men to secretly infiltrate Gao Qiu's mansion.

Chai Jin carefully avoided the heavy guards and finally found some important documents in Gao Qiu's study, all of which were evidence of Gao Qiu's embezzlement, bribery, and forming cliques for personal gain.

Meanwhile, Wu Yong personally visited a powerful figure who had a long-standing feud with Gao Qiu. This powerful figure was already dissatisfied with Gao Qiu's monopolization of power, and upon seeing Wu Yong, the two immediately reached an agreement.

The powerful officials seized the opportunity in court to impeach Gao Qiu, listing numerous crimes he had committed. Gao Qiu was caught off guard and found himself in a passive position.

Seeing his precarious situation, Gao Qiu hurriedly went to the residences of Tong Guan and Cai Jing.

Gao Qiu, looking anxious, stepped into the hall and shouted, "Lord Tong, Lord Cai, I am in dire straits! We are all in this together, we must help each other!"

Tong Guan sat in the grand chair, his eyes slightly narrowed: "Grand Commandant Gao, don't be anxious, just say what you have to say. What is it that makes you so panicked?"

Gao Qiu, panting heavily, said, "Wu Yong of Liangshan is cunning and has used several schemes against me. First, he sowed discord between me and my confidants, and now they are suspicious of each other. Then, he deliberately created chaos in the eastern suburbs of the capital, and while I was mobilizing troops there, he sent someone to sneak into my residence and find my shady documents. Furthermore, he even contacted powerful officials with whom I have a long-standing feud, and impeached me in court, listing numerous crimes. I was caught off guard and have already fallen into a passive position."

Upon hearing this, Cai Jing frowned and stroked his beard, saying, "Wu Yong is indeed treacherous, having devised such a complex scheme."

Tong Guan's face darkened: "Grand Commandant Gao, do you have a plan for dealing with this situation?"

Gao Qiu hurriedly said, "I was momentarily flustered and came here to discuss this with you two gentlemen. I hope you can help me think of a way to break this predicament."

Tong Guan rose and paced back and forth, pondering for a moment before saying, "The best course of action now is to stabilize our position. Grand Commandant Gao, you must quickly reassure your trusted confidants and show them your trust in them, lest their scheme to sow discord succeed."

Cai Jing continued, "Furthermore, send people to secretly investigate the dealings between that powerful figure and Wu Yong, to find incriminating evidence to launch a counterattack."

Gao Qiu nodded repeatedly: "What you two gentlemen say is absolutely right, but time is of the essence, and I don't know if we can make it in time."

Tong Guan snorted coldly: "Grand Commandant Gao, things have come to this point, we have no choice but to fight to the death. You should do as you say for now, and Lord Cai and I will certainly help you in the court."

Gao Qiu cupped his hands and said, "Thank you both, sirs. If we can overcome this difficulty, I will repay you handsomely."

Having said that, Gao Qiu hurriedly left, preparing to act according to the plan.

After Gao Qiu left, Cai Jing paced back and forth in the room, his face gloomy and his eyes flashing with a sinister light.

Tong Guan sat to the side, looking at Cai Jing, his heart also filled with worry.

"Lord Tong, I've heard that Pang Wanchun and Pang Qiuxia are getting along very well with the people of Liangshan. Is that true?" Cai Jing suddenly stopped and asked Tong Guan.

Tong Guan frowned and said, "Grand Tutor, these two scoundrels are investigating my crimes in Jiangnan, trying to bring us down. It is indeed true that they are very close to Song Jiang and others."

Upon hearing this, Cai Jing sneered, "Hmph, since they want to oppose us, then we won't let them have it easy. We'll start from within and make them kill each other."

Tong Guan's eyes lit up: "What does the Grand Tutor mean?"

Cai Jing stroked his beard and said in a low voice, "We can spread the word that Pang Wanchun and Pang Qiuxia have defected to us and are going to betray Liangshan's secrets."

Tong Guan suddenly realized: "In this way, the people of Liangshan will definitely become suspicious of the brother and sister, and may even take action against them."

Cai Jing nodded: "That's right, and then we'll send people to secretly stir things up and exacerbate the conflict between them."

Tong Guan said with some worry, "But what if the Liangshan people find out that this is our conspiracy..."

Cai Jing interrupted him: "As long as we do it discreetly, how can they find out? Besides, the situation is urgent now, and we can't worry about that now."

Tong Guan thought about it and felt that Cai Jing's plan was feasible, so he said, "Then let's do as the Grand Tutor says."

Therefore, Cai Jing and Tong Guan secretly arranged for people to spread rumors in the martial arts world that Pang Wanchun and Pang Qiuxia, a brother and sister, had betrayed Liangshan.

The news quickly reached Song Jiang and his men at Liangshan.

"Brother, I've heard that the brother and sister Pang Wanchun and Pang Qiuxia have actually sided with Cai Jing and Tong Guan. I wonder if this is true or not," Li Kui said loudly.

Song Jiang frowned: "This matter cannot be believed lightly; we must investigate the truth."

Wu Yong pondered for a moment and said, "This matter is quite strange and we need to be careful."

Tong Guan still had doubts after hearing Cai Jing's words: "Grand Tutor, it's probably not easy to fool Wu Yong and the others by just spreading rumors."

Cai Jing smiled slightly, a sly glint in his eyes: "Lord Tong, don't be hasty. I have already bribed Pang Wanchun and Pang Qiuxia's confidants. At the crucial moment, this person can become an important pawn for us."

Tong Guan suddenly realized: "So the Grand Tutor had planned this all along. Where is this person now?"

Cai Jing lowered his voice: "I have secretly placed this person in a safe place. He will not be allowed to show himself until the critical moment. Once the Liangshan people's suspicion of the Pang siblings reaches its peak, I will have my confidant come forward to testify against the siblings' betrayal. At that time, they will have no way to defend themselves."

Tong Guan nodded repeatedly: "Grand Tutor is indeed brilliant. In this way, Liangshan will surely be thrown into chaos."

Cai Jing stroked his beard smugly: "Hmph, these Liangshan heroes think they are righteous and chivalrous, but they don't know that the trust among themselves is the most fragile. With just a little provocation, they can fall apart."

Meanwhile, on Liangshan Mountain, Song Jiang and others were skeptical of the rumors about the betrayal of Pang Wanchun and Pang Qiuxia.

"Brother, I think this is most likely true, otherwise why would there be such rumors?" Li Kui brandished his double axes, his face full of anger.

Song Jiang frowned: "Tie Niu, we cannot jump to conclusions. This matter still needs further investigation."

Wu Yong pondered for a moment: "I always feel that there is something strange about this matter. It doesn't seem like a baseless rumor, but we can't believe it easily either."

Just as everyone was discussing, a henchman rushed in to report: "Brother Song, something bad has happened! Someone saw Pang Wanchun and Pang Qiuxia secretly contacting Cai Jing's men."

As soon as this statement came out, everyone was shocked.

"How is this possible?" Wu Song stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

Song Jiang's expression was grave: "Quickly send men to continue the investigation; we must find out the truth."

Meanwhile, the confidant Cai Jing had bribed began spreading more damaging rumors about the Pang siblings within Liangshan.

"I saw it with my own eyes: Pang Wanchun was having a very pleasant conversation with Cai Jing's men and even accepted gold and silver treasures," a confidant deliberately said loudly in the crowd.

"And Pang Qiuxia, she also associates with those people, and it seems they are plotting something."

These words quickly reached the ears of Song Jiang and others, and the Liangshan heroes' suspicions about the Pang siblings deepened.

Pang Wanchun and Pang Qiuxia, brother and sister, were extremely anxious when they learned of these rumors.

"Brother, this is clearly someone framing us." Pang Qiuxia was so angry that her face turned red.

Pang Wanchun clenched his fists: "It must be that old scoundrel Cai Jing's conspiracy. We must explain it to Brother Song Jiang."

However, by this time, the Liangshan heroes were already on high alert towards them.

When Pang Wanchun and his sister wanted to meet Song Jiang, they were stopped at the door by the guards.

"Brother Song has given orders not to see you at this time," the guard said coldly.

Pang Wanchun shouted, "We've been wronged! Let us in!"

But the guards remained unmoved.

Just then, Cai Jing's confidant appeared before everyone, pointed at Pang Wanchun and his sister, and said, "They are traitors. Don't be fooled by them anymore."

Pang Wanchun glared at his confidant: "You despicable man, how dare you slander us!"

The confidant feigned innocence: "I saw it with my own eyes, how could it be false?"

The Liangshan heroes looked at them with suspicion and anger, and Pang Wanchun and his sister were in a very difficult situation.

Just as the situation descended into chaos and everyone's suspicion of Pang Wanchun and his sister reached its peak, Song Jiang suddenly shouted, "Guards! Take this troublemaker out and execute her!"

His voice boomed like a bell, striking everyone's ears and startling them all. The confidant who had been bribed by Cai Jing turned deathly pale; he hadn't expected Song Jiang to be so decisive and ruthless.

Several strong Liangshan heroes immediately rushed forward and seized the confidant like an eagle snatching a chick. The confidant struggled in terror, crying out, "Brother Song, spare my life! Everything I've said is true!"

Song Jiang glared angrily and shouted, "You treacherous villain, you dare to sow discord in my Liangshan and ruin the brotherhood between my brothers! You must not be allowed to live!"

Pang Wanchun and Pang Qiuxia stood to the side, initially surprised, then their eyes filled with gratitude.

The confidant was still unwilling to give up and continued to argue: "Brother Song, I really didn't lie, it was Pang Wanchun and the others..." Before he could finish speaking, Song Jiang interrupted him: "Stop talking nonsense! What I, Song Jiang, hate most is people like you who spread rumors and undermine brotherhood."

The Liangshan heroes shouted in unison, "Kill him! Kill him!"

Seeing that there was no hope of begging for mercy, the confidant began to curse: "Song Jiang, you will regret it if you kill me today!"

Song Jiang remained unmoved and waved his hand: "Drag him out!"

The heroes dragged their trusted confidant out of the tent without any mercy. A short while later, a scream rang out from outside; the confidant was already decapitated.

Song Jiang turned to Pang Wanchun and Pang Qiuxia, his expression softening: "Brothers, please don't blame me for having doubts before. It's just that this villain's rumors were too convincing, almost making me believe them. But I, Song Jiang, know that the brothers of Liangshan are deeply loyal and will not be easily alienated by such a villain."

Pang Wanchun clasped his hands and said, "Brother Song's insight is truly remarkable. My sister and I are deeply grateful. We will certainly serve Liangshan even more diligently in the future to prove our innocence."

Pang Qiuxia also said, "Thank you for your trust, Brother Song. I will never forget this kindness and gratitude."

Song Jiang nodded: "Good! From now on, we Liangshan brothers must be of one mind and one heart to deal with the schemes and tricks of those treacherous villains." Everyone echoed in agreement, and the atmosphere became united and determined once again.