Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Chapter 171 Tian Hu flees after losing his lair; he rescues an orphan girl and recognizes her as his

It turns out that this Khitan man was no ordinary person; he was an eighth-generation descendant of Yelü Abaoji, the founding emperor of the Liao Dynasty, and his name was Yelü Dashi.

That's right, it was Yelü Dashi, the founder of the Western Liao Dynasty, who led his army to defeat the Seljuk Empire and a coalition of 100,000 Central Asian troops in the Battle of Qatwan in the eighth year of the Kangguo reign, forcing the Seljuk forces to withdraw from Transoxiana and establishing the last Khitan regime in Central Asia.

Yelü Dashi is still very young. As a member of the royal family, Yelü Dashi has been studious since childhood, skilled in riding and archery, and proficient in both Han and Khitan languages, making him a true all-rounder in both literature and martial arts.

Just this year, Yelü Dashi achieved first place in the palace examination, passed the imperial examination, and entered the Hanlin Academy to serve as a Hanlin Academician. He was later promoted to Hanlin Academician.

He was the only Khitan Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) recorded in the Liao Dynasty in the History of Liao. Because in the Khitan language, Hanlin (a scholar who has passed the highest level of the imperial examinations) is called "Linya", Yelü Dashi also had the nicknames "Dashi Linya" or "Linya Dashi".

His secret trip to Song territory with his guard team was actually to persuade Tian Hu to cooperate with them.

The Liao Dynasty, established by the Khitans, is now facing a precarious situation. It is declining, and the Jurchens in the north are beginning to rise. Wanyan Aguda has already started a rebellion.

Their rebellion had a significant impact, as it spurred other ethnic minorities in Northeast Asia to join in. At that time, the Liao Dynasty had a vast territory, encompassing not only the Khitans and Jurchens.

So what can the Liao people do now that they can't defeat the Jurchens? They can pick on the weakest link and try to take action against the Song Dynasty. After all, the Song and Liao were old rivals, and the Liao Dynasty was very clear about the weaknesses and low strength of the Song Dynasty.

But after all, they were no longer at the peak of the Liao Dynasty before and after the Treaty of Chanyuan. It would be difficult to fight them head-on, so they remembered the time when Shi Jingtang ceded the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

By using the tactic of traitors, the Song Dynasty was allowed to disintegrate on its own, with its own people fighting each other, and then the traitors were allowed to act as inside agents.

When the time comes, just bestow upon him the title of king or marquis. The Liao Kingdom can provide them with financial support during his development period.

Tian Hu happened to be one of the most notorious bandits in the Shanxi region in recent years, so the Liao Dynasty took notice of him and sent Yelü Dashi to negotiate with Tian Hu.

Tian Hu had absolutely no sense of shame for being a traitor; on the contrary, he was happy to cooperate with the Liao Kingdom and receive its military support.

He was just a somewhat cunning peasant uprising leader with no real foresight or wisdom. At most, he was just a bit "traditionally cunning" and only wanted to indulge in the fantasy of being a king.

Although Xie Zhen, nicknamed "Two-Headed Snake," and Xie Bao, nicknamed "Two-Tailed Scorpion," did not know what the Khitan royal family was doing here, they thought that since the Liao people were no good anyway, killing them all wouldn't hurt. So they secretly set a fire on a house.

Flames shot up from the mountain, and Tian Hu's men thought it was a fire caused by dry weather, so they rushed to put out the fire with water.

Li Hanxiao led his troops in a full-scale attack on Shiti Mountain.

Tian Hu had only two lines of defense in Shiti Mountain: one was the checkpoint on the mountainside, and the other was the mountain stronghold on Shiti Mountain.

Currently, in Tian Hu's lair, the first pass is guarded by only two generals and two thousand soldiers. One of them is named Mei Yu, a leader under Tian Hu in the original novel. He surrendered during the battle with the Liangshan army. He is a bald monk who has returned to secular life. He has some strength and can wield a staff, but his martial arts skills are mediocre.

The other is Lu Qing, who in the original story was also a leader under Tian Hu of Hebei. He was killed by "Moyun Jinchi" Ou Peng with a single spear thrust during a battle with the Liangshan army. He was a fraud, a martial arts master who knew a little bit of martial arts but joined Tian Hu.

Seeing Li Hanxiao personally leading his troops up the mountain, the two men were so frightened that they were completely at a loss. Normally, you would have a defensive advantage on the mountain and be able to hold them off for a while by relying on the terrain. But these two good-for-nothings really didn't know what to do. One was a monk who had returned to secular life, and the other was a martial arts master who guarded the temple. Perhaps they both had some martial arts skills, but they really didn't know how to arrange troops or fight!

The first obstacle was a wooden fortress. Li Hanxiao made a quick decision and ordered everyone to pick up the jars filled with strong liquor and kerosene that had been prepared beforehand, and throw a batch of them onto the wooden fortress.

Then, a salvo of rockets engulfed the entire wooden fortress in flames.

"Wow!"

Mei Yu was doused with kerosene, and her clothes immediately caught fire. In her panic, she fell headfirst off the city gate, her bald head smashing into a pulpy mess, where she was roasted by the fire until she was charred on the outside and tender on the inside.

As for Lu Qing, seeing that the enemy had already attacked, he initially wanted to lead his troops to resist, but the entire wooden city wall was already on fire, billowing smoke, and the wind was blowing directly towards them. Standing on the city wall, they would probably suffocate to death before they were burned to death, so they had no choice but to retreat.

As a result, Li Hanxiao's men did not suffer any ranged attacks while attacking from below, and easily approached the gate.

"Commander Lu, Brother Bian Xiang, can you two destroy that door?"

Li Han smiled and pointed to the wooden door, asking.

"rest assured!"

The only answer he received was these two words: "Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen and Bian Xiang rushed to the wooden door, one on the left and one on the right, one with a monk's staff and the other with a large axe. With a few blows, they broke the hinges of the wooden door!

The two hurriedly retreated, and the door collapsed with a crash, allowing everyone to rush inside.

In this situation, it would be better to just send someone like Lu Zhishen or Bian Xiang to dismantle the door, since these kinds of doors aren't very sturdy. Instead of struggling to push the battering ram up, it would be better to use manpower.

"kill!"

Surprisingly, the first person to rush in was not either Lu Zhishen or Bian Xiangzhong, but Wang Yan, who was wielding a broadsword.

The thought of revenge had not been completely erased from his mind, and he rushed directly in front of Lu Qing, swinging his knife to strike.

Seeing the young man's aggressive approach, Lu Qing feinted with his spear and retreated, while a dozen or so spearmen behind him then thrust their spears at Wang Yan.

Wang Yanpu cleaved through the two spears with his scalpel and then cleaved one of them in half with another. However, he was unable to stop the other spears from attacking. In an instant, he was hit by two or three spears in his shoulder and thigh, and was almost killed on the spot.

"You little idiot, you coward!"

It was his master, Si Xingfang, who rode in on horseback and swung his three-ringed embroidered broadsword, cutting down all the dozen or so spears in a few strokes.

Wang Yan's current martial arts skills are still lacking, and his combat power is not good. After all, he is young. He watched as his master Si Xingfang rushed over like a whirlwind. Lu Qing only fought with him for three or five rounds before Si Xingfang used the move "Picking Peaches from Under the Leaves" to split the back of Lu Qing's head open.

This strengthened Wang Yan's resolve to go back and diligently practice martial arts.

The first level was a breeze, but the second level was a mountain stronghold, guarded only by the general Yu Deyuan.

In the original novel, Yu Deyuan was a leader under Tian Hu. He was heavily armored, wielded a sharp weapon, and commanded his troops. He was a great general, but unfortunately, he was attacked by the naval commander with water. In the end, the defeated general was killed by "River Dragon" Li Junyi with a harpoon.

He was one of the few people in Tian Hu's army who came from the military. He was originally an officer in the Weisheng Army who was skilled with a swallowtail spear. He joined Tian Hu after offending his superior.

An expert's skill is immediately apparent. By the time Yu Deyuan arrived, even Tian Hu had sensed the commotion, giving Yu Deyuan ample time to prepare. He unleashed a barrage of logs, stones, javelins, and arrows, effectively preventing the Liangshan troops from charging forward.

"Ling Zhen!"

Li Han laughed and shouted, "I originally wanted to arrange for 'Thunderbolt' Ling Zhen to go down the mountain to intercept the fleeing army, but now there's no need for that at all. Tian Hu didn't even get out."

"fire!"

After four cannon shots rang out, the gate of the stockade was smashed to pieces. Bian Xiang, clad in heavy armor, led his men and charged forward, killing anyone who stood in their way.

Yu Deyuan, wielding a swallowtail spear, led his troops in rebellion. He met Bian Xiang head-on, and with a single axe blow, Bian Xiang's Xuanhua axe cleaved Yu Deyuan's spear shaft in two.

There was nothing he could do; his spear shaft was made of wood, while Bian Xiang's axe weighed nearly a hundred pounds. How could he possibly withstand it?

At that moment, a man wielding a broadsword parried Bian Xiang's Xuanhua axe. This man was none other than the emperor's brother-in-law, Wu Li. He was a man of considerable strength, and the broadsword he wielded weighed over fifty jin (approximately 25 kg).

"Kill them for me!"

Tian Hu arrived on the battlefield at this moment and began to shout loudly.

"What's going on? How did your Song army discover us so quickly?"

Yelü Dashi questioned Tian Hu, who, though drunk and dazed, upon closer inspection, realized that these men were not wearing Song army armor.

"No, they don't look like the imperial army..."

Tian Hu said.

At this moment, Yu Deyuan quickly ran to Tian Hu's side and said, "Your Majesty, let's go quickly, or it will be too late. These people are too brave, and we were caught off guard!"

"Where are you going! Hey! Let me go!"

Tian Hu was completely drunk and his judgment was flawed. In order to preserve his strength, Yu Deyuan ordered his men to carry Tian Hu away.

"I have offended Your Majesty!"

They carved out a secret passage in Shiti Mountain leading down the mountain, allowing them to escape unscathed.

Although Yelü Dashi was also eager to experience the capabilities of these invaders, he was, after all, there on orders from the state and could not act rashly, so he left with Tian Hu.

At this moment, only Wu Li was left to hold the line. He and Bian Xiang fought fiercely, but with a "clang!" the axe blade intercepted the knife's edge. The veins on Bian Xiang's wrist bulged, and Wu Li's whirlwind knife slashed along the axe handle toward his fingers, but was deflected at the last inch by the copper band on the axe handle.

Wu Li sneered and changed her move, the blade slicing diagonally at Bian Xiang's neck along the axe handle. Bian Xiang suddenly stepped back, and using the force of the retreat, he swung the Xuanhua axe in a full moon motion. The dull thud of the axe blade hitting the back of the blade startled the crows flying from the old tree at dusk.

Wu Li gradually descended into rage, because his swordplay was no match for Bian Xiang, which made him even more frenzied. He unleashed all seventy-two moves of the Splashing Wind Sword Technique, the sword light weaving a silver net to cover his opponent.

Bian Xiang remained as still as a rock, his axe blade always managing to intercept the killing blow three inches before the blade could reach him. Sparks flew at the point where the weapons collided, and the blade of the swirling wind blade gradually became covered with serrations.

During the thirty-sixth collision, the thunderous explosion made the soldiers' ears and noses uncomfortable. The Po Feng Blade finally could not withstand the force of the Xuanhua Axe splitting mountains and rocks, and the blade shattered inch by inch from the guard.

Wu Li looked at the broken blade in her hand, and before she could retreat, the Xuanhua Axe had already cleaved down with the force of wind and thunder.

Blood mist bloomed into scarlet flowers in the darkness. As Wu Li's head spun into the air, the last fragment of the Po Feng Blade clattered to the ground. This man, who had just become the emperor's brother-in-law, was killed instantly.

Bian Xiang flicked the blood off the axe blade. At this moment, Tian Hu's remaining forces on the mountaintop had been basically wiped out.

"Quickly clean up the battlefield! Retreat immediately!"

Just as Li Hanxiao finished giving the order, he saw "Leaping Tiger" Chen Da walking over with a big bump on his head and a bruised and swollen face.

"Chief, I have captured Tian Hu's uncle's daughter and a steward alive!"

"Leaping Tiger" Chen Da, along with his soldiers, brought Qiu Qiongying, a mere fourteen years old, and her servant Ye Qing.

"Leaping Tiger" Chen Da's head was covered in bumps from stones thrown by Qiu Qiongying. If Qiu Qiongying hadn't been too young to unleash the full power of the stones, "Leaping Tiger" Chen Da would probably have been in even worse shape.

“Your Majesty, my servant and I are not related to Wuli. Here’s what happened, please hear me out…”

So Ye Qing explained the situation of his master's family and Qiu Qiongying's background. Li Hanxiao knew these things very well, so he directly gave them their choices.

"I am Li Hanxiao, the leader of Liangshan Marsh. I have come here to eliminate Tian Hu because he has been indiscriminately killing innocent people. If you and your servant are willing to come back to Liangshan Marsh with me, I will give you a place of refuge. As for her revenge, I can have someone teach her martial arts so that she can take revenge herself in the future!"

Just as he was saying this, Li Hanxiao suddenly noticed that there seemed to be something strange in Qiu Qiongying's eyes when she looked at him.

This immediately alerted Li Hanxiao. He took Qiu Qiongying in for two reasons: first, to prepare a first-class female general for Liangshan Marsh; and second, to recruit Zhang Qing, the powerful ADC marksman, in the future.

After all, in the original story, these two were a match made in heaven, bound by a predestined fate from a past life, and Li Hanxiao couldn't break them up.

So Li Hanxiao said again, "I can recognize her as my sworn sister. Please don't think that I, Li Erlang, have any improper thoughts."

Ye Qing waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "How could that be? Everyone knows that you, Chief Li, won the heart of a beauty at the Imperial Fragrance Pavilion in Tokyo back then, and have been keeping her hidden away ever since. I, Ye Qing, know, I know..."

"Alright, since you're willing, after you join my Liangshan, you'll be in charge of my provisions. I think you're capable of doing it!"

In this battle, Tian Hu and his men fled, while the remaining bandits were annihilated by Liangshan Marsh. Several thousand shi of grain were seized from Tian Hu. Li Hanxiao led his troops to the Yellow River ferry, then changed course and traveled by water, quickly returning to Shandong and Liangshan Marsh. He had a very fruitful trip and it was well worth it!