The weather was sweltering, but the roadside was shaded by lush trees. The ailing Zhao Guan Jia, accompanied by Madam Wu, slowly made his way east from Dengfeng. Yang Yizhong, under military orders, had departed early and returned to Dongjing ahead of them. He then led two thousand of the Imperial Guards to reinforce the Jingdong region.

Because the main attack of the puppet Qi regime was directed at Dongping Prefecture, the two thousand guards did not go through Nanjing before heading to the front lines. Instead, they traveled directly along the Yellow River, passing through Huazhou and Puyang, towards Dongping Prefecture.

Of course, besides the convenience of travel, Yang Yizhong's move had both official and personal military advantages... Officially, the troops passing by Puyang City, under the jurisdiction of Daming Prefecture, could further probe and determine the Jin army's movements. Personally, facing the puppet Qi troops, Song generals generally felt little pressure. Yang Yizhong was worried he would be late to the party if he went from Nanjing. Thus, he decided to directly insert himself into the gap between Jinan and Dongping to see if he could achieve some extraordinary feat.

However, on this day, as the two thousand guards marched rapidly into Dongping Prefecture, they encountered an unexpected incident near Yanggu County in the northwest corner of Dongping Prefecture.

"Why are we not allowed to enter the city for rest and replenishment?"

Yang Yizhong frowned slightly. "Does the city garrison not know we are the Imperial Army from Dongjing? Or is it that Yanggu is located on the front lines, and having experienced several major battles, they still don't understand the importance of military affairs, and the wealthy families in the city are afraid of our disturbances during wartime?"

"Reporting to Grand Commandant, the city garrison definitely knows of your Excellency's origins." Among the merchants sent out of the city to negotiate, a middle-aged man who was clearly the leader stepped forward, a bitter look on his face, and cautiously replied, "We have experienced several Jin invasions and know the dangers of war. Of course, we understand that having the Imperial Army in the city is a good thing..."

"Then why is the situation like this?"

Yang Yizhong continued to press, his tone suddenly lowering. Clearly, with his shrewdness, he had immediately guessed a possibility.

"Reporting to Grand Commandant," the merchant cupped his hands and spoke frankly, just as Yang Yizhong had expected. "The person in charge of the city's defenses is Zhang Rong of Liangshan Marsh. He has always been wary of the official army."

Behind Yang Yizhong, a group of Imperial Guard officers became angry, and some even drew their swords and cursed.

Historically, elite soldiers and valiant generals have always been mutually disdainful, especially since the Imperial Guards were the highest-level unit in the land, the so-called confidants of the Emperor. In reality, even Zhao Ju couldn't avoid this bias in certain matters. He not only gave the guards the highest level of treatment, but also took advantage of this major reorganization to insert some officers who were familiar and useful in front of the Emperor into various positions. He also transferred some elite soldiers from various departments to strengthen the guards... This made the Imperial Guards an unquestionable channel for rapid and priority promotion.

Moreover, from Xiacai to Nanyang to Changshe, the Imperial Guards had never faltered in life-and-death battles, which made the army arrogant both internally and externally to a certain extent.

To put it bluntly, they were supposed to bully and exclude other troops, but they didn't expect to be bullied by a group of bandits in Yanggu County.

No wonder Zhai Biao was waving his sword and wanted to attack the city directly.

"Be quiet!"

Amid the noise, several Yanggu merchants were already trembling like leaves, but unexpectedly, Yang Yizhong suddenly spoke softly, immediately quieting the crowd behind him.

The merchants were startled and looked at each other in dismay... The implication was clear: this officer, though young, had great authority and was a truly capable person who could make decisions!

However, this was the limitation of small-town people.

They didn't know that this "young Grand Commandant" was not only a capable person but also a key figure in the current Song Dynasty... In front of Zhao Guan Jia, Yang Yizhong was increasingly cautious, and in front of Lu Haowen, Han Shizhong, and others, he was respectful and never made mistakes.

Of course, even so, he was still often denounced and threatened by this person or that.

But in the end, how many Zhao Guan Jia's were there in the world, and how many Prime Minister Lu's and Grand Commandant Han's were there?

Besides, Yang Yizhong himself was the most senior leader of the Imperial Guards. He was the founder of this Imperial unit from the beginning until Kang Li was killed by someone with a knife, and Liu Yan led the Red Heart Team to join, which brought some restraint.

"What's the name of this garrison commander in the city, and what's his background?" After stopping them, Yang Yizhong asked the merchants seriously again.

The merchants were apprehensive and became even more cautious. The previous leader stepped forward, cupped his hands, and replied, "To inform Your Excellency, the garrison commander in the city is called Xiao En, a local fisherman from Liangshan Marsh. He is considered a confidant of 'that person' from Liangshan Marsh... After the battle of Jinan, 'that person' from Liangshan Marsh reorganized his troops and appointed many local fishermen as garrison commanders in various places. Therefore, he randomly made him a commander and magistrate, and that's how he came to control Yanggu County!"

Yang Yizhong was thoughtful and asked again, "How many soldiers does he have? How many of them are armored?"

"Five or six hundred men, forty or fifty sets of iron armor," the man answered immediately.

Hearing this, Yang Yizhong suddenly smiled, "What's your name, and what's your background?"

"My name is Zhang Maode. I'm a local of Yanggu and come from a historically virtuous family." The man felt a sudden unease but also a glimmer of hope. "Your Excellency can call me Zhang Erguan."

Yang Yizhong didn't care and just asked again, "At the beginning, you called this Xiao En 'that garrison commander' but didn't use honorifics. You also know how many soldiers he has, yet you came out to lead this awkward liaison and incite us... Do you have a grudge against him?"

Zhang Erguan was stunned by these words but gritted his teeth and replied, "It's not a grudge, but I really can't bear it anymore... Your Excellency doesn't know, since Xiao En took charge of the county affairs, whenever there's a lawsuit, no matter right or wrong, he always rules in favor of the poor and against the rich. In just over half a year, we Yanggu locals, the so-called middle class, have gone bankrupt. Benevolent families like mine have had eighty percent of our property squeezed away by those street ruffians. We're on the verge of not being able to survive."

Yang Yizhong knew that the other party was exaggerating. If it were really that bad, they would have run away. Why would they still be here?

However, he was too lazy to care and just continued to ask, "Is Xiao En's refusal of the official army to enter the city his own decision, or is it an order specifically from Zhang Zhenfu of Liangshan Marsh?"

"Uh..."

"Tell the truth!"

"It should be an order specifically from Zhang Zhenfu," Zhang Erguan carefully replied. "Because there were rumors before that Grand Commandant Yue of Jizhou in the south had already led an army of one hundred thousand to Zhongdu County south of the Wenshui River, but he suddenly stopped moving. Zhang Zhenfu spoke across the Wenshui River, saying that if Grand Commandant Yue crossed the river, he would sever their past friendship... He also said that he would repay the old grievances on his own."

Yang Yizhong was silent for a moment. He knew the matter was difficult.

Zhang Rong was a meritorious person. The Liangshan Marsh victory was entirely due to him, and as a confidant of the Guan Jia, Yang Yizhong was very clear that Zhao Guan Jia had a clear attitude towards this person - friend, not foe, and greatly admired him.

However, at the same time, anyone with a little awareness could also see that Zhang Rong was wary of the court. Although he had been granted the title of Zhenfu Shi by the court, he didn't take it seriously, recklessly issuing official positions and treating the court's honors as playthings... This was fine, but the key was that later, when the Guan Jia returned to the old capital, he specifically wrote a letter summoning him, but he ignored it and even privately proclaimed that he was happy in Liangshan Marsh and not subject to the Guan Jia's control.

In short, it was four words - his bandit nature hadn't changed!

The only difference was that this bandit was one that the Guan Jia cared about.

However, even so, Yang Yizhong only hesitated slightly before making a decision... After all, he knew along the way that there was a large-scale battle near Pingyin County on the other side of the Jishui River. During wartime, especially near the front lines, military matters couldn't be delayed.

"Zhang Erguan," with this thought, Yang Yizhong immediately asked softly, "Since you're so bold as to specifically instigate me, I'll ask you, can you open the city gate when you return?"

"No need to go through the city gate," Zhang Maode quickly replied. "There's a section of the city wall on the west side that's next to the warehouse of my medicinal herb shop. The commander on that section of the wall used to be a proper thief-catcher in the county and has always been on good terms with me... I'll make arrangements when I get back, and Your Excellency can send troops over the wall in a steady stream and gather in my warehouse. However..."

Yang Yizhong didn't wait for the other party to imply anything and directly nodded, "I understand. The city's attitude has already angered me. These people have been detained by me, and only you are allowed to return to the city to prepare cattle, wine, gold, and silver to redeem them!"

Zhang Maode was overjoyed, secretly praising this officer for being capable despite his youth. He said a few more words, left behind a group of stunned fellow county tycoons, and hurriedly put on a mourning face and took his leave.

However, Zhang Maode returned to the city with a mourning face, and after a short while, he turned back again with a mourning face. Accompanying him were dozens of soldiers, and the leader was dressed strangely, so unforgettable at first sight.

This person's face was dark and red, and he was short and stout. He looked like a poor man who made a living on the water, but he was wearing an ill-fitting green magistrate's robe and a winged hat. He was wearing a rope around his waist, and a pair of toe-revealing hemp shoes could be seen as he strode forward... He looked exactly like a duck waddling ashore.

The generals behind Yang Yizhong laughed out loud when they saw this from afar, but Yang Yizhong's expression became serious.

"How dare you bird officials from Dongjing detain the envoys from our Yanggu County?" This person pointed and gesticulated, shouting loudly from dozens of steps away. "How many years has it been, and you're still as arrogant as you were during Emperor Daojun's time? The country, the people, you're the ones who ruined them, causing the Jin and Qi invasions. Now you're not allowed into the city, so what?"

Zhai Biao and others behind him became angry, but Yang Yizhong's expression didn't change. He cupped his hands from afar, "Are you Magistrate Xiao? We are the Imperial Guards, ordered by the Emperor to come to Dongping to fight against the puppet Qi. May I ask Magistrate Xiao, the military situation is serious. I heard on the way that the puppet Qi troops seem to be fighting with Zhenfu Shi Zhang near Pingyin County, which is only a few dozen miles away from here. If the cavalry comes, they will arrive overnight. Why do you want to expose us in the open?"

The person who came, Xiao En, the leader of Liangshan Marsh, paused at these words, but gritted his teeth and replied, "If that's the case, then retreat your troops. I'll send someone to escort you back to Puyang to settle down!"

"I am here by order of the Emperor!" Yang Yizhong lowered his hand and coldly replied. "The Guan Jia personally ordered two thousand guards to assist at the front line. How can we retreat without a fight?"

"You keep talking about the Guan Jia, but do you know that Zhao Guan Jia made my brother Zhenfu Shi, allowing him to have all of Dongping Prefecture?" Xiao En grabbed the hat on his head and threw it down, and bluntly replied, "And today, my brother is determined to avenge his past shame, and even Grand Commandant Yue is not allowed to come and help because of our friendship. Even if you are sent by the Guan Jia, how can I tolerate you? Today, it's just that my troops are insufficient, and I can't stop you, otherwise, I wouldn't even let you pass through, let alone enter the city?!"

"You really won't allow us to enter the city?" Yang Yizhong became slightly impatient.

"No!"

"What if the Jin army or the puppet Qi troops really come?" Yang Yizhong pressed on.

"If you insist on not retreating your troops, I will go out of the city to help you!" Xiao En answered decisively. "But you must first return the envoys in my city... Although they are all rich and unkind dogs, they shouldn't be detained by you bird thugs from Dongjing for nothing!"

Yang Yizhong nodded and calmly turned around to order, "Use the city walls as a reliance and set up camp under the city. Then release these people."

As soon as these words came out, the Imperial Guards were all indignant, Xiao En was also stunned, and the merchants who were sold out by Zhang Erguan were naturally overjoyed, but Zhang Maode was dumbfounded - so this officer was just a show-off, and he had bet wrong.

But at this moment, Yang Yizhong, who knew what these people were thinking, turned back around, one hand on his sword, and the other pointing at Xiao En, facing him sternly:

"Magistrate Xiao, Commander Xiao! Although I'm giving you a step today, I also want you to know that it's not that I, Yang Yizhong, am afraid of you. Your three to five hundred soldiers are not in my eyes. Today, I respect you because you are wearing an official robe and seeking justice for the people under your rule. And since I am an official of the court, I despise you as a water bandit, but I must also respect you as the upright defender of Yanggu. That's all!"

ps: Book recommendation "Asking the Red Dust"... For Ji Cha, let's all work hard!

Then report a message, Xiao Jiu ran away, this is a substitute written by Grenade Fears Water... I searched all night, I don't know if I can find it... A few days ago I was trying to record the easter egg chapter with him.