Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Chapter 166 Xu Guanzhong heads to Longhu Mountain; the mountain bandit king miscalculates at Liangsh

Xu Guanzhong, also known as "Xu Zhenjun," fought a fierce battle with Ma Ling, known as "Shenjuzi," and crippled Ma Ling, bringing him back like a dead dog.

Li Hanxiao and the others were already waiting there. When they saw Xu Guanzhong carrying someone back, they quickly went up to him and asked, "Mr. Xu, what kind of monster is this?"

Xu Guanzhong threw Ma Ling to the ground and said, “This is not a demon, but a person who practices evil magic. I just used magic to find out his background. His name is Ma Ling. He is a master recently hired by Tian Hu, the King of Justice, at a high price. He came here specifically to assassinate you, Chief Li. Once he succeeds, Tian Hu will send people to wipe out our rest of the troops.”

Upon hearing that this person was "Divine Steed" Ma Ling, Li Hanxiao felt it was a pity, because the current "Divine Steed" Ma Ling seemed to be on the verge of death, having lived only this life and not the next. He had been struck by Xu Guanzhong's lightning magic and was charred on the outside and tender on the inside, with black smoke billowing out.

"Can...can he still live?"

"He can live, but his cultivation will be completely destroyed. I must send him to the Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain and hand him over to Celestial Master Zhang to be suppressed under the Hall of Subduing Demons. I will be away for a while, so please take care during this time, Chief!"

Although Xu Guanzhong had crippled Ma Ling, he knew that Ma Ling practiced evil magic. If he wasn't kept in check, Ma Ling could start practicing again from scratch someday. Therefore, handing Ma Ling over to the Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain was a very good choice.

"Mr. Xu, if you leave, and then encounter another freak like this..."

Before Li Han's joke had even finished, Xu Guanzhong smiled and said, "With the Great Celestial Immortal Technique and the innate pure energy protecting you, Chieftain, you'll naturally be fine."

Li Hanxiao then released Xu Guanzhong and led Ma Ling to the Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain.

"This Tian Hu killed innocent people indiscriminately before, but we didn't go after him, yet he came after us!"

Bian Xiang recounted the events of that day on Baodu Mountain, while Wang Yan became even more agitated, because that damned Tian Hu was his enemy, and he wanted revenge at all times.

Originally, Li Hanxiao thought that if he didn't run into Tian Hu, he would let it go. But he didn't expect Tian Hu to walk into the line of fire. Well, since he dares to come, Li Hanxiao will take him on!

Li Hanxiao thought for a moment and realized that there must be Tian Hu's spies and informants near where he was stationed, and they were definitely watching his situation closely. Why not turn the tables and eliminate Tian Hu?

So Li Hanxiao immediately summoned all the leaders and gave them instructions, "Gentlemen, my idea is to turn the tables on them. Tian Hu wants to kill me, so let's pretend I'm dead. The entire army will wear mourning clothes and wail and cry here. Tian Hu's spies will then report to him that Ma Ling has succeeded. When Tian Hu leads his army here, we'll catch him off guard!"

Everyone thought the plan to turn the tables on the enemy was good, but only Yang Zhi, the "Blue-Faced Beast," raised a different opinion: "Chief, Ma Ling has already been taken away by Xu Guanzhong. I'm afraid he won't go back to report, and Tian Hu might not believe him!"

“I’ve thought of that too. Send soldiers to spread the word that although ‘Divine Steed’ Ma Ling killed me, he was also seriously wounded and fled south. Let Tian Hu’s scouts who came to gather information about us think that Ma Ling is seriously injured and has gone to recuperate. Tian Hu will naturally think that this is an opportunity that cannot be missed and will surely lead his army here.”

Once Li Hanxiao had devised his plan, his men carried it out. Sure enough, the scouts sent by Tian Hu discovered the aftermath of the battle between Xu Guanzhong and "Divine Steed" Ma Ling yesterday, but they dared not approach. Today, seeing that everything seemed to be alright, they dared to get close to Li Hanxiao's encampment to carefully check the situation.

When he arrived at the camp, he found that more than half of the people were gone, and everyone was wearing white headscarves, as if they were in mourning for someone.

He risked his life to approach and gather intelligence. He heard someone say that "Divine Steed" Ma Ling had succeeded in killing Li Hanxiao. These people were wearing mourning clothes for Li Hanxiao, while "Divine Steed" Ma Ling was also seriously injured and fled south, presumably to recuperate.

After receiving the news, the scouts immediately ran back to Tian Hu's lair to report to him.

Tian Hu was a brave but reckless man. Upon hearing this, he smiled broadly. The enemy's numbers had decreased, which must have been because "Divine Steed" Ma Ling used magic to kill them. Although "Divine Steed" Ma Ling had not yet returned, his troops were sufficient to deal with the enemy.

So he immediately ordered his third brother, Tian Biao, to gather two thousand soldiers and wipe out the rest.

In the original novel, Tian Biao was the garrison commander of Jinning and the third brother of Tian Hu. He was defeated by Lu Junyi's attack, abandoned Jinning and fled, crying bitterly beside Tian Hu.

Later, he was defeated by Lu Junyi in Fenyang. Then, Sun An's soldiers impersonated Tian Hu, captured Tian Biao alive, and escorted him back to Tokyo to be beheaded. He had no outstanding qualities and lacked both intelligence and skills. However, at this time, his martial arts skills were not bad. Because Tian Hu's rebellion changed the original trajectory, he had no choice but to practice more martial arts. His bronze staff was not weak in combat.

The generals he brought with him were all of good quality. The first one was Fang Xuedu, who in the original novel was also a leader under Tian Hu of Hebei, holding the official rank of Grand Commandant and responsible for guarding Yushe County.

When the Liangshan army attacked Yushe County, Fang Xuedu was killed in battle against the Liangshan army by being attacked from both inside and outside by Guan Sheng, known as "Big Knife", Suo Chao, known as "Vanguard", and Tang Long, known as "Golden Leopard".

In fact, Fang Xuedu's martial prowess was quite good, given that he was able to hold the position of Grand Commandant. After all, some of the high-ranking officials under Tian Hu were actually weaklings. Fang Xuedu could wield two serrated swords and was highly skilled in martial arts. However, in the original story, he was a defeated general with low morale, and he was ganged up on by many people, so he did not show any real strength.

The second expert was Zhang Xiong, who was Tian Hu's commander in the original novel. However, he was just as unlucky as Fang Xuedu. In the battle against the Liangshan army, he was cut down by Zhang Heng, nicknamed "Boat Fire," with a single broadsword. Zhang Shun, nicknamed "White Streak in the Waves," rushed up and chopped off his head. He was then killed by the two naval leaders.

In fact, this person was quite strong and could wield a purple-gold hammer weighing forty pounds. It was purely accidental that he was killed by the Zhang brothers.

The third expert is Dong Cheng, a general in Lingchuan County under Tian Hu in the original novel. Dong Cheng was a vanguard under Niu Wenzhong. He was nine feet tall, had extraordinary strength, and wielded a thirty-pound Po Feng Dao (a type of sword). His strength was quite remarkable, at least comparable to the Eight Tiger Generals of Liangshan, and possibly even the Five Tiger Generals.

Because at that time, he first fought Zhu Tong, one of the Eight Tiger Generals of Liangshan, for more than ten rounds, and then fought Hua Rong, the "Little Li Guang," for more than thirty rounds without a clear winner. He fought two of the Eight Tiger Generals of Liangshan for fifty rounds in a row, and he was not afraid at all.

Later, his subordinate general Shen Ji joined the attack, and "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong turned his horse and fled. The two generals gave chase, and "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong turned back, and the two sides fought again.

At this time, Lingchuan was occupied by the Song army. Dong Cheng heard the shouts from the drawbridge and hurriedly turned his horse back to the city, but was shot dead by Hua Rong from behind with an arrow.

He was able to fight two cavalrymen single-handedly without being at a disadvantage, and was eventually shot to death. This shows that as the commander of a city, he was highly skilled in martial arts and met the required standards.

However, whether his strength can reach the level of the Five Tiger Generals is still a question mark, because he did not show an overwhelming advantage when dealing with "Beautiful Beard" Zhu Tong and "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong.

The third person was the unfortunate lieutenant Shen Ji, who had a name that sounded like a thoroughbred horse, but whose abilities were mediocre. In the original story, he and Dong Cheng were both leaders under Tian Hu in Hebei and garrison commanders of Lingchuan County.

When Song Jiang's army sent Lu Junyi to lead troops to attack, Shen Ji and the defending general Dong Cheng went out to attack Hua Rong from both sides. During the battle, the Song army took the opportunity to occupy the undefended Lingchuan. When Shen Ji heard the shouts from the drawbridge, he hurriedly turned his horse back to the city. Lu Junyi led his troops to attack, and Shen Ji was killed by "Double Spear General" Dong Ping, which shows that his strength was actually not that great.

Tian Hu originally had many fierce generals under his command, but unfortunately, Li Hanxiao suddenly appeared and directly poached many of his fierce generals, such as Bian Xiang, "Iron-backed Wolf" Shan Shiqi, "Yin-Yang Hand" Lu Hui, and "Sky-Drilling Spear" Zhu Jing. They were all talents who were intercepted by Li Hanxiao.

Although he doesn't have these people under his command now, Tian Hu still has capable fighters under his command. Otherwise, how would Tian Hu have started his career and achieved success?

The mountain wind, carrying the stench of blood, swirled through the valley. Li Han smiled and raised his hand to press down on the robe that had been lifted by the wind, his gaze sweeping over the ambushes on both sides of the mountain path.

Lu Zhishen, the "Flowery Monk," was squatting behind a pile of rocks, gnawing on half a roast chicken, his greasy staff resting on his knees. No matter the time, you couldn't stop him from eating. Yang Zhi, the "Blue-Faced Beast," was leaning against an ancient pine tree, wiping his ancestral sword. The blade reflected the blue birthmark on his face. The brothers Xie Zhen, the "Two-Headed Snake," and Xie Bao, the "Two-Tailed Scorpion," were applying aconite poison to the spikes of their five-pronged lotus fork. These details were reflected in his deep brown pupils, like chess pieces slowly moving on a chessboard.

Now, we're just waiting for someone to make the first move before him!

"They're here."

Li Hanxiao suddenly spoke, and a dark mass of banners appeared at the end of the mountain road. Tian Biao rode his yellow horse at the forefront, his three-pronged fork clanging at the saddle. Two thousand infantry and cavalrymen snaked into the valley like venomous snakes, the sound of clashing armor startling crows in the forest.

"Ling Zhen, aim carefully and shoot!"

Ling Zhen, nicknamed "Thunderbolt," was originally severely injured by Wang Shunchen's arrow, but he can still fire the cannon.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

As Tian Biao's troops entered firing range, three cannon shots immediately caused rocks to tumble down from the mountainside.

Ling Zhen, nicknamed "Thunderbolt," stood on the hillside fort, his bare upper body steaming with white vapor. He lit the fuse with a torch in his hand, and the thick bronze cannon barrel suddenly spewed out flames, the exploding shells whistling through the morning mist.

Just as Shen Ji, the general leading the vanguard, was about to look up, blood suddenly burst from his chest and abdomen as shrapnel-like fragments tore his chainmail to shreds.

Before this unfortunate lieutenant under Tian Hu could even let out a scream, he fell off his horse like a broken sack, his whole body beaten up like a tattered cloth bag.

"Damn it! We've fallen for their trap!"

Fang Xuedu roared and raised his serrated twin swords, only to see countless weapons erected on the cliffs on both sides.

"The Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen leaped out from behind the rocks, holding his water-milled monk's staff upside down, and smashed it down on Zhang Xiong beside him.

Sparks flew as the golden hammer and the monk's staff collided. Zhang Xiong felt his hand go numb, and his warhorse staggered back three steps, unable to withstand the impact. He had no choice but to spin around and jump off the horse to block the force.

Despite Lu Zhishen's immense strength, Zhang Xiong was caught completely off guard and had no choice but to fight back!

Before Fang Xuedu could react, Bian Xiang's axe came slashing down with a gust of bloody wind. Fang Xuedu parried with his twin swords, and the clang of metal against metal made his arms tremble.

"Made!"

Fang Xuedu also felt a sharp pain in his arms. This giant man was like a god, and his strength was also formidable!

Fang Xuedu forcefully pushed away the large axe, then brandished his twin swords, trying to overpower Bian Xiang with speed, since the large axe was definitely not as fast as his twin swords!

It's a pity that although Fang Xuedu had twin swords, he didn't have a hundred eyes and a thousand hands. How could he withstand the ever-changing battlefield?

Wang Yin's white robe appeared and disappeared amidst the chaos of the army as his steel spear, like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, stabbed towards Fang Xuedu's right leg.

The serrated knife barely managed to deflect the axe blade, but the spear tip had already pierced through the iron armor and sunk into flesh. Before Xue Du could finish his cry of pain, Bian Xiang's axe back slammed heavily into his back, and this future Grand Commandant of Tian Hu tumbled to the ground like a kite with a broken string.

"Wow!"

At this point, Fang Xuedu has completely lost his fighting ability!

"Take this!"

Bian Xiang swung his axe again, about to split Fang Xuedu's skull open, but Dong Cheng galloped over on horseback, wielding his whirlwind blade and forcing Bian Xiang back.

Dong Cheng's Wind-Splashing Blade swept across with a strong wind, the thirty-pound blade forcing Wang Yin to retreat two steps, and a three-foot-long crack appeared on the yellow earth ground.

"on!"

Bian Xiang shouted and attacked Dong Cheng together with Wang Yin. Dong Cheng fought desperately to cover the rear, using his Wind-Splashing Blade to block and parry, but he was exhausted and covered in sweat and could not gain any advantage at all.

"What a fierce whirlwind! I'll take you on!"

At this moment, Si Xingfang's broadsword slashed down from the side, the copper rings hidden in the hilt rattling.

Dong Cheng swung his knife in a backhand motion, the whirlwind blade grazing Si Xingfang's nose and shaving off a few strands of hair. At this moment, Bian Xiang's giant axe swung down again, and Dong Cheng blocked it with his own knife, but the axe blade actually cut a half-inch deep notch into his blade.

The three-man battle group stirred up a whirlwind, snapping the grass and trees in their path. Dong Cheng had reached his limit. With a "spear-picking and helmet-removing" move from Wang Yin's steel spear, Dong Cheng's wind-splashing blade was sent flying. Dong Cheng was completely defeated.

Bian Xiang and Si Xingfang rushed forward together, without using weapons, simply dragging and pulling, pressing Dong Cheng to the ground and binding him like a large crab, leaving him no room for argument.

"The wind is so tight!"

Although Tian Biao saved Fang Xuedu, he could see that the battle was over and he had to abandon Zhang Xiong, who was still fighting desperately with "Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen, and ran away.

Tian Biao used his three-pronged fork to knock away two attacking henchmen and made his way out, only to suddenly see two five-pronged lotus forks blocking his path.

The Jie brothers, Jie Zhen and Jie Bao, darted out like cheetahs, their forks flashing coldly, aiming straight for the eyes.

"Where are you going! Leave your heads behind!"

Both fighters used steel forks, but Tian Biao used a three-pronged fork while Er Jie used a five-pronged fork. Tian Biao only had one fork, while Er Jie had two.