Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Chapter 180 The sudden arrival of reinforcements from Gaotang Prefecture; the flying soldiers defy c

Liang Tian was injured and defeated. In terms of foot combat, he was still no match for "Winged Tiger" Lei Heng.

Although Liang's army had gained some advantage here, this advantage quickly disappeared with Lin Chong's fire attack.

In this situation, they should have been in complete retreat, but surprisingly, Zhang Bofen, wielding two hammers, led a thousand soldiers out of Jizhou City to provide support.

This was Zhang Zhongxiong's idea, because he knew very well that if they held the city, the city gates would be unable to withstand the bombardment from Liangshan Marsh.

Therefore, we can only try to divert their attention to the outside and engage them on the front lines to buy time and wait for the rain.

After the rain, the firearms of Liangshan Marsh became ineffective, so they could no longer risk attacking the city, which was a relief.

Zhang Zhongxiong hadn't originally thought of this, but after witnessing the heroic performance of the Liang family army in their fierce battle against the Liangshan army, he suddenly realized it.

The only way to defend Jeju City now is to muddy the waters and buy time.

"kill!"

Zhang Bofen took the lead, and with two large bronze hammers, he smashed them down on Lei Heng's head.

"Winged Tiger" Lei Heng hurriedly raised his double hammers to block, but with a loud "Bang!", he was almost knocked to the ground by the shock.

Zhang Zhongxiong was already quite strong, and the double hammers were blunt weapons, making them inherently powerful and heavy. Now, with the help of the horse's strength, their power was instantly multiplied several times.

Lei Heng, nicknamed "Winged Tiger," was so shocked by the force of the broadsword that his hands trembled uncontrollably. He couldn't help but curse, "Damn it, that's some kind of strength!"

"Hi!"

Zhang Bofen ignored him completely and instead raised both hammers and smashed them down on "Winged Tiger" Lei Heng again.

Lei Heng, nicknamed "Winged Tiger," understood that if he were to confront this force head-on again, it was uncertain whether he could withstand it, but the broadsword in his hand would definitely shatter into pieces; there was no other possibility.

So, this expert infantryman immediately slid down, landing on the ground and sliding directly under the horse's belly. With a "whoosh," he ripped open the belly of Zhang Bofen's warhorse.

With a "whoosh," the warhorse's intestines slammed into "Winged Tiger" Lei Heng, covered in blood and undigested horse manure.

Zhang Bofen's mount died instantly, so he immediately jumped off and began to smash his still-not-quite-dead warhorse with his hammer, hoping to kill "Winged Tiger" Lei Heng, who was crushed under the dead horse, as well.

However, this barrage of blows not only turned the dead horse into a pulpy mess, but upon closer inspection, Zhang Bofen wondered, where was Lei Heng? Why wasn't he down there?

"Who are you looking for?"

At this moment, Lei Heng, the "Winged Tiger," stood behind Zhang Bofen, wielding a broadsword and covered in filth, and slashed down with his sword.

"Clang!"

Zhang Bofen turned around and used a "pushing the window to send the moon" move, deflecting the broadsword with a hammer. Just as he was about to fight again, he saw two deputy generals from the south gate: "Nine-Tattooed Dragon" Shi Jin and "Surpassing Gongming" Mi Sheng, wielding swords and axes, leading their troops to attack.

It turned out that Guan Sheng, the commander of the South Gate, saw that the enemy had opened the West Gate and charged out, so he sent two deputy generals to provide support.

Zhang Bofen was startled to see enemy troops charging again. He quickly turned to flee, for his warhorse was dead and he knew he couldn't possibly defeat his opponents on foot.

At that very moment, Mi Sheng, nicknamed "Sai Gongming," rode in on horseback, his axe aimed at Zhang Bofen's head. Zhang Bofen raised his hammer to block the axe, and the two, one on horseback and the other on foot, began to fight.

Mi Sheng, nicknamed "Sai Gongming," was very strong. In the original novel, he fought "Ji Xianfeng" Suo Chao for fifty rounds to a draw, and then killed the surrendered generals of Hebei, Wen Zhongrong, Cui Ye, and Tang Bin. Even so, he never suffered a loss.

Even if they started fighting now, he would have the upper hand. When "Sai Gongming" Mi Sheng swung his axe down with the momentum of his horse, it was so powerful that Zhang Bofen's copper hammer in his right hand was shaken and knocked backward.

The spikes at the end of the hammer handle grazed his cheek, instantly tearing three bloody gashes. The young general, blinded by rage, was oblivious to the wounds. He swung his left hammer upwards toward the horse's belly, the lion-head sculpted on the hammer head colliding with the axe blade.

Clang!

Amidst the clanging of metal, the crisp sound of breaking wood suddenly broke through. Zhang Bofen's pupils contracted sharply—the core of the right hammer handle, made of mulberry wood, had already cracked.

"Sai Gongming" Mi Sheng's chestnut horse reared up, foaming at the mouth, and its iron hooves, as big as bowls, stomped down on Zhang Bofen's head.

Zhang Bofen rolled on the ground, the hammerhead brushing against the horseshoe, the sparks scorching half of his battle robe.

"Here you go!"

Suddenly, Mi Sheng, nicknamed "Sai Gongming," let go of his axe and threw it away. Zhang Bofen was about to raise his hammer to block it when he saw that the end of the axe handle was connected to an iron chain.

This move was actually inspired by what Mi Sheng, nicknamed "Sai Gongming," saw after Li Hanxiao returned that the three-pointed sword hilt concealed an iron chain, allowing for ranged attacks at any time, both close and far.

The spinning axe coiled around the bronze hammer like it was wrapped around a tree. Mi Sheng yanked the reins hard, and the warhorse neighed and retreated violently.

Blood spurted from Zhang Bofen's tiger's mouth as he watched helplessly as his bronze hammer flew out of his hand and struck a wooden pillar three zhang away with a "thud." The hammerhead vibrated as it entered the wood.

Zhang Bofen, now left with only his left hammer, suddenly burst into wild laughter and, in a slightly frenzied manner, desperately swung his hammer at Lei Heng, the "Winged Tiger" who was trying to take advantage of the situation, knocking him back with a single blow.

When "Sai Gongming" Mi Sheng swung his axe for the second time, the veins on his neck bulged. He swung his head and swung the bronze hammer like a meteor. The moment the hammer blocked the axe handle, the young man actually crashed into the horse's neck—his iron armor covering his flesh smashed into the warhorse, causing it to stagger and fall to the side.

In the instant Mi Sheng, nicknamed "Sai Gongming," fell from his horse, he drew his axe with a backhand, the gleaming blade grazing past Zhang Bofen's breastplate.

The two rolled and tore at each other in the dust. Zhang Bofen's iron knee pads suddenly broke, and Mi Sheng seized the opportunity to deliver a powerful kick to the chest.

With a cracking sound, Zhang Bofen's kneecap shattered, and the axe blade, like a venomous dragon, relentlessly pursued him.

Finally, the bronze hammer slipped from Zhang Bofen's hand. As the hammerhead, carved with a lion, rolled into the pool of blood, black blood seeped from the gaps in Zhang Bofen's shin guards—Mi Sheng's axe tip had finally pierced the flesh beneath his knee guards.

He knelt on one knee, reaching for the short sword at his waist, but Mi Sheng's boot had already pressed down on the seam of his wrist guard: "Young Master Zhang, you cannot win."

Just then, when Liangshan Marsh was basically in the lead on the battlefield, a force of soldiers attacked from the north, carrying a large banner with the character "Gao" on it. They numbered at least three or four thousand men.

The general leading the North Gate was "Giant Spirit God" Bian Xiang, who, along with "Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen, "Pilgrim" Wu Song, "Blue-Faced Beast" Yang Zhi, and "Soaring Eagle" Li Ying, also discovered this group.

This team came from Gaotang Prefecture, and was personally led by Gao Lian, the prefect of Gaotang Prefecture.

Gaotang Prefecture is not far from Liangshan Marsh, so why did Gao Lian come here?

The reason is simple: ever since Gao Yanei disappeared, Gao Qiu has been searching for who did it. Although he didn't find direct evidence at the time, after investigating all the clues, he identified Li Hanxiao as the suspect.

First, Li Hanxiao fought with Gao Yanei outside the Yuxiang Tower. Shortly after, Lin Chong's family, the courtesan Li Shishi and the guard Ma Bian, including Gao Yanei, all disappeared.

These events are clearly related. Gao Qiu then traced them back to Li Hanxiao and discovered that Li Hanxiao was a bandit leader who ruled the mountains. Moreover, because Liangshan had become famous, he also learned that "Leopard Head" Lin Chong was on Liangshan Marsh.

Having investigated this far, Gao Qiu considered the case solved, since Lin Chong's family and Gao Yanei had disappeared at the same time.

The main point is that it is highly likely that Li Hanxiao not only took away Lin Chong's family, but also kidnapped Gao Yanei to avenge Lin Chong.

Gao Yanei is most likely to die, but Gao Qiu is truly unwilling to swallow this insult and is determined to make Li Hanxiao and Lin Chong pay a price.

Coincidentally, Li Hanxiao of Liangshan Marsh had also robbed the birthday tribute that Liang Zhongshu was sending to Grand Tutor Cai to celebrate his birthday, which further complicated the reason for launching an attack. So, after discussing it with Cai Jing, he ordered his cousin Gao Lian to lead troops to conquer Liangshan Marsh.

Speaking of the Gao family, the most capable one is Gao Lian. In the original story, this guy knew magic and defeated the Liangshan heroes several times. In the end, it was only after "Divine Traveler" Dai Zong and "Black Whirlwind" Li Kui went to Luo Zhenren in Jizhou, within the territory of Liao Kingdom, to invite "Dragon Entering the Clouds" Gongsun Sheng to deal with him.

Gao Lian wasn't a good person before; like Gao Qiu, he was a dissolute young man. Later, by chance, he learned some Maoshan magic from a Taoist priest and thus gained magical abilities.

The Maoshan School, also known as the Shangqing School of the Eighty-Nine-Ten, is named after Maoshan Mountain. It is divided into the Northern and Southern Maoshan Schools of Taoism. The Northern Maoshan School is the birthplace of the Maoshan School, while the Southern Maoshan School is located in Luofu Mountain, Guangdong Province, and its founder is Ge Hong.

The Shangqing School was actually founded by Tao Hongjing of the Southern Liang Dynasty in Maoshan, hence the name Maoshan School.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, it was one of the three major talisman schools of Taoism, along with Longhu Mountain and Gezao Mountain, and was known as the Three Mountains Talisman School. However, its Maoshan magic was different and belonged to the "Wild Maoshan".

"Wild Maoshan" magic refers to the collective term for the magic used by unorthodox Taoists who call themselves Maoshan Taoists but are actually not recognized by the orthodox Taoist sects. Wild Maoshan Taoists are those who have not been recognized by orthodox Taoism and privately practice Taoist magic.

Wild Maoshan magic is generally considered heretical because its methods of practice and effects often do not conform to the doctrines and norms of orthodox Taoism.

Gao Lian was learning this kind of sorcery, which was quite powerful, but its origin was unknown. After Gao Qiu rose to power, Gao Lian, as Gao Qiu's uncle and brother, naturally benefited from his success and was promoted to the position of Prefect of Gaotang Prefecture. Because of his proficiency in magic, he was also regarded as a confidant by the old villain Gao Qiu, since they were originally family.

"These are also imperial troops, let's charge in!"

"The Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen was about to move with his iron staff, but "The Big Knife" Guan Sheng seemed to sense that something was wrong.

But at the head of that column stood three hundred soldiers with unusual attire; what did they look like?

His hair was disheveled, a cloud of smoke billowing behind him; a gourd hung from his body, a thousand flames hidden on his back. A yellow headband was neatly divided into eight trigrams, leopard-skin armor covered all four directions. A bronze mask gleamed like gold, and a steel dagger gleamed like a broom. A full-body armor covered his chest, with two bronze shields standing upright; dazzling banners flanked by a thousand layers of black mist.

This is a high-quality, inexpensive "flying divine weapon".

These are three hundred elite soldiers under Gao Lian's command, selected from various regions. Each one is a strong and brave man chosen from Shandong, Hebei, Jiangxi, Hunan, Lianghuai, and Liangzhe. They are equipped with strange weapons, skilled in the use of gunpowder and sorcery, and their combat power is extraordinary.

In the original story, their nighttime raid was like a divine intervention, but they were ultimately wiped out by Gongsun Sheng's magic and the siege of the Liangshan heroes.

However, if they were to fight using normal tactics, no normal army could defeat them.

Gao Lian pointed his Tai'a sword, and three hundred black shadows swept across the ground. The lead warrior, whose iron net boots had barely touched the shield wall, suddenly spun around like a top, his iron rolling blade scraping sparks from the seven shields.

Before the archers in the back row could even nock their arrows, three feet of blood gushed from their throats—the blade had actually slipped through a gap in the shield formation.

"Stab!"

The old soldier Wang Si roared and thrust his spear forward, the tip of which pressed against the divine soldier's throat.

But then a "ding" was heard, and a round piece of iron the size of a breastplate was found hidden in the Adam's apple.

The divine weapon swept the gourd in its left hand, smashing the iron gourd so hard that it dented Wang Sitian's skull, and white fluid mixed with skull fragments splattered all over the faces of the new recruits behind it.

Suddenly, a stream of sulfurous fire spewed out of the gourd, igniting anyone who touched it. In an instant, three hundred flames broke through the Liangshan Marsh shield formation.

In fear, the new recruit Zhao Silang wildly swung his waist knife, the blade striking the shoulder armor of the divine weapon and sending sparks flying.

The dark figure suddenly glided along the ground, the iron mesh boots grazing his groin, and the rolling blade sliced ​​through the leather armor from bottom to top.

As Zhao Silang knelt down, clutching his protruding intestines, he vaguely saw his fellow villager Li Gui rushing towards him from the side, his hand striking the back of Shenbing's neck with a karate chop.

*Click!*

The blade pierced two inches into the flesh and then caught in the neck bone. The divine soldier's head tilted to the side as he continued to swing the blade, severing Li Gui's feet as easily as cutting tofu, yet he still didn't die.

These flying warriors are practically inhuman!

On the verge of death, Li Gui suddenly became ferocious, hanging on the back of the divine weapon and biting the wound on the side of his neck, tearing half of his throat off with his teeth.

The headless corpse swayed and finally collapsed, but no one within thirty paces could witness this miracle.

Suddenly, a scream erupted from the west of the formation. Seven divine soldiers formed a triangular arrowhead and charged into the rear of the cooks. The grain transport laborers swung their carrying poles wildly, but the dark figures leaped and flew over the grain sacks. With a flash of blades, more than twenty people were severed at the wrist.

While the severed hand was still flying in the air, the divine soldiers had already rushed onto the flag cart and cleaved the entire grain cart in three strokes.

Zhang Dachui, the cook, launched a sneak attack with a red-hot iron fork, the tip of which pierced through the breastplate of the divine weapon, emitting blue smoke.

The dark figure slid closer along the iron fork, and the rolling blade sliced ​​into Zhang Dachui's skull through his right ear. This flying divine weapon was actually unfazed by the iron fork, which pierced through his body directly.

Is that human being?