Chapter 49: The Imposter's Conditions

Seeing Li Gui fly into a rage, a group of people hurriedly crowded around to persuade him.

"Brother, that is an imperial envoy! How could he possibly deceive the likes of us?"

"The imperial edict bears the Emperor's personal seal. Who would dare to forge an imperial edict and set a trap, unless they want to be charged with treason?"

"The imperial court has already shown its sincerity. It is only right that we go and meet him in person."

"We know you are cautious, Brother, but staying up here on the mountain is far too arrogant. If we anger the imperial envoy, I fear it will not end well."

Everyone chimed in, talking all at once, but their message was entirely the same: they wanted Li Gui to obediently go down the mountain with them to receive the imperial edict at the county town.

Li Gui gave a fierce sweep of his massive arm, cutting off their persuasion, and cursed them with a look of utter disappointment:

"A pack of clueless, filthy scoundrels!"

"Since the imperial edict has already been issued, it cannot be changed."

"Just how much courage does that envoy have to dare sabotage the grand amnesty strategy laid down by the ministers in the imperial court?"

"No matter how arrogant you are, he would not dare refuse to deliver the edict!"

"Likewise, even if you were to worship them like your ancestors, the official rank stated in the edict will not increase by even half a grade!"

"You are all in such a rush to accept the amnesty, but I want to see if the official rank is to my liking. If I am not satisfied, we can simply forget about this whole amnesty business!"

"The brothers on the mountain are already divided into two factions. If you are in such a hurry to surrender, feel free to take them and leave. I shall lead the remaining brothers and continue being bandits!"

Hearing Li Gui speak thus, everyone in the hall suddenly came to their senses and understood his firm stance.

Yet they also knew that without Li Gui, how could the court possibly offer them amnesty?

Unfortunately, Li Gui had organized the most stubborn and unruly bandits into a separate faction, making it utterly impossible for that group to leave with them.

Several of them inwardly cursed their bad luck, and had no choice but to turn around with bitter expressions to plead for mercy with the envoy. Only after slipping him a massive pile of silver did they manage to send the disgruntled envoy away.

Everything happened precisely as Li Gui had predicted. Upon receiving the news, the imperial envoy flew into a terrible rage, but nonetheless left the county town and made his way toward Yushan Mountain.

Escorted to the foot of Yushan Mountain, the envoy saw from afar a group of people standing by the roadside checkpoints. When the envoy drew near, they all simultaneously fell to their knees and cried out in unison:

"We, the humble commoners, pay our respects to the imperial envoy! Forcing you to make this personal journey is our gravest crime!"

The imperial envoy forced a benevolent smile, reached out to lift Zhu Fu, who was right in the middle, and said amiably:

"I have long heard of General Li's valor back in the capital. Let us not speak of past matters; in the future..."

Zhu Fu awkwardly interrupted, "Reporting to the envoy, my brother has been feeling unwell recently and is resting on the mountain. I am Zhu Fu, the second-in-command of this stronghold."

The envoy's smile instantly froze, and he was on the verge of erupting, but he forcibly reined it in. He released Zhu Fu's hand, ignored him completely, and with a dark expression, strode past the crowd and straight up the mountain.

The others hurriedly caught up, walking with bowed backs and fawning manners to protect the envoy's flanks, just in case he missed a step and suffered some accident.

Upon reaching the mountain, the envoy saw that the outer walls of the stronghold were made of solidly tamped yellow earth, lined inside and out with bluestone—tall, thick, and sturdy, easily surpassing the defenses of many county towns. He could not help feeling a jolt of secret alarm.

Once inside the stronghold, he saw banners flying clearly, troops arrayed in neat ranks, and men brimming with vigor and spirit. The goods within the camp were arranged in perfect order, and even the cleanliness of the grounds was spotless. It was even better managed than the imperial guards' barracks he had seen in the capital, which made him feel all the more wary of the unseen Li Gui.

Such a rebellious outlaw harbored boundless ambitions and must be eradicated at the earliest opportunity!

Having made up his mind, he suppressed all his previous displeasure deep down in his heart, replacing it instead with an enthusiastic smile.

The men around him remained clueless, assuming the envoy was pleased to see the stronghold decorated with festive red silks and colorful banners. They stepped forward to curry favor:

"Although we, your humble servants, became bandits, it was mostly out of desperate necessity to eke out a living, and our hearts have always yearned for the imperial court. Hearing that the envoy was coming, we felt like parched earth receiving sweet rain. These colorful banners were all hand-made by the brothers in the stronghold, simply to express our loyal devotion."

The envoy smiled and pacified them, saying, "You have put your hearts into this. In the future, we shall all be fellow ministers serving in the same court, dedicating ourselves together to the Great Song. All past grievances are hereby wiped clean, and there is no need for any of you to worry."

Everyone was overjoyed, showering him with all the clumsy flattery they could muster. For a time, host and guest were in harmony, and the atmosphere became exceedingly cordial.

Chatting and laughing, the group arrived at the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness.

Li Gui sat squarely in the central chair, staring expressionlessly at the envoy as he stepped across the threshold. The atmosphere instantly turned chillingly cold.

Civil officials certainly possessed thick skins. Just as Zhu Fu and the others were wondering how to smooth things over, the envoy had already cupped his fists with a beaming smile, his attitude exceedingly warm.

"This hero must be the great chieftain Li Gui, right?"

"Seeing you in person truly surpasses hearing your renown!"

"Before coming to Yuzhou, I heard rumors that the great chieftain possessed the valor of ten thousand men, but I remained skeptical. Now that I see you with my own eyes, I realize the great chieftain is indeed a mighty general."

"Among the warriors in our imperial court, there are truly very few with such a commanding physical stature as the great chieftain!"

"A hero like the great chieftain—if you have the desire to exert yourself for your country, I can pen a letter to Senior Commander Zhong of the Western Army, allowing you to serve as a commander or military commissioner in the Western Army, and win posthumous honors and titles for your wife and children on the battlefield!"

Such a heavy dose of honeyed flattery would have caused anyone else to lose their bearings, happily running off to serve in the Western Army only to die a bloody death on the battlefield, wrapped in a horsehide shroud.

However, against someone like Li Gui, who possessed a naturally rebellious bone, these tricks were completely useless.

Without exposing the facade, Li Gui let out a loud, hearty laugh, leaned back into his chair, crossed one leg over the other, and struck an arrogant posture.

"Let's dispense with the idle chatter. Tell me what official rank you have brought for me. If it satisfies me, I will accept the edict. If you casually try to fob me off with some minor post, hehe..."

The envoy kept his amiable expression, laughed heartily to the heavens, and said:

"The great chieftain need not worry, all the chieftains, big and small, shall receive rewards..."

"I don't care whether they get rewarded or not, I only care about my own official rank!" Li Gui impatiently cut off the scholar's nonsense. "These bird-brained fools have eyes smaller than a rat's behind, willing to sell themselves cheap for a paltry sum!"

"I'll make my ugly terms clear beforehand. I'm used to being the boss, and I have no patience to bow and scrape to others."

"Either you give me the post of Magistrate of Yishui, or you make me the Military Inspector of Yishui County. I won't accept any smaller rank than that!"

Having said this, Li Gui swept his gaze over his subordinates and sneered, "I won't stand in the way of those of you who want to take the amnesty and become running dogs. But if this official rank doesn't suit my liking, I'll accept the amnesty only to resign from office immediately. I'll simply build a manor near Yushan Mountain and live as a village head with my brothers. Any stronghold brothers who wish to come along will serve as local militia."

Hearing these words, the envoy's face turned nearly green.

He could not agree to any of these three options.

The core purpose of the amnesty was to disperse the personnel; otherwise, wouldn't these outlaws simply become local warlords?

A Song dynasty magistrate, officially titled "Administrator of a County," was the chief administrative official of a county and, in principle, the highest authority within it. As for subordinate officials like vice-magistrates, recorders, and county lieutenants, they had no power to check the magistrate.

The County Military Inspector was the highest-ranking military officer in the county town—a real, powerful military post holding authority over the garrison, weapons, training, and deployment of troops within the city.

As for resigning to become a village head, how was that any different from continuing to be bandits?

Any of these three choices would allow them to continue harboring and maintaining troops, something the imperial court could never permit.