Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Chapter 124 Seeking help from the White Flower Snake, Nine-Tattooed Dragons carelessly find themselv

After assigning each leader their duties, Li Hanxiao remembered the two prisoners on the mountain.

As for the remaining two prisoners, "Tianmu General" Peng Qi and "Iron Rod" Luan Tingyu, they were like rocks in a latrine—stinky and hard, and conventional methods of persuasion were completely ineffective.

Originally, Li Hanxiao intended to persuade "General Tianmu" Peng Qi to surrender first. After all, this guy also used a three-pointed double-edged sword and was called "General Tianmu," so he could be said to have some connection with Li Hanxiao. Li Hanxiao was even thinking that after persuading him to surrender, he could have him impersonate him to deceive the enemy on the battlefield, truly playing a game of "substitute literature"...

However, this guy has been tied up at Liangshan Marsh for so long and still refuses to surrender, leaving Li Hanxiao helpless.

As for "Iron Rod" Luan Tingyu, this guy was even more stubborn and unruly. After he joined Liangshan, Li Hanxiao sent his fellow disciple "Sick Yuchi" Sun Li to persuade him. As a result, this guy cursed, beat, and even bit people, saying that he wanted to "eat Sun Li's flesh raw." He even bit "Sick Yuchi" Sun Li back, as if he was craving meat.

According to Sun Li, nicknamed "Sick Yuchi," he was helpless against his senior brother, "Iron Rod" Luan Tingyu, who would bite him without regard for his own build.

Li Hanxiao asked him if there was anyone "Iron Rod" Luan Tingyu particularly respected, or anyone "Iron Rod" Luan Tingyu particularly listened to. Li Hanxiao suggested that he go and find someone to persuade him.

Upon hearing this topic, "Sickly Yuchi" Sun Li immediately fell into deep thought. He slowly said, "There are still people among them. The first one is our master..."

"Okay, I'll go and invite them myself!"

Li Hanxiao spoke up before Sun Li, the "Sickly Yuchi," could finish speaking.

Sun Li, nicknamed "Sickly Yuchi," gave an awkward smile, then hesitated before saying, "Chieftain... my master has been gone for over twenty years... it's impossible to find him... However, there is one more person who can persuade my senior brother to listen, but..."

"Hesitant and stammering, so uncooperative, but what?"

Under Li Hanxiao's impatient urging, "Sickly Yuchi" Sun Li said, "It is the same Zhou Tong, the great swordsman of Shaanxi, who instructed us in martial arts when we went to conquer the Western Xia... However, we have not heard any news of him in the martial arts world for more than ten years, and we do not know whether he is alive or not..."

Although Luan Tingyu, nicknamed "Iron Rod," and Sun Li, nicknamed "Sick Yuchi," were not Zhou Tong's official disciples, Zhou Tong had taught them martial arts back then and had been kind to them. For the past ten years or so, Sun Li had been keeping track of the whereabouts of this senior.

Strangely, for the past ten years or so, everything about the old hermit Zhou Tong has vanished without a trace, as if a stone had sunk into the sea…

Therefore, Sun Li, nicknamed "Sickly Yuchi," speculated that this elderly man, who was already quite old, might have been...

"Oh? So it was him. You're afraid the old man is gone? No, it can't be, it can't be..."

Upon hearing Sun Li's words about "Sick Yuchi," Li Hanxiao immediately felt relieved. He might not be able to find other people, but when it came to Zhou Tong, he knew exactly where to look.

In the novel "The Complete Story of Yue Fei", the old hermit Zhou Tong should be in Qilin Village, Neihuang County, Daming Prefecture, where he has met the former loyal marshal Yue Fei and his brothers, and is teaching them martial arts.

In fact, the stories of "Water Margin" and "The Complete Story of Yue Fei" are in the same vein, one after the other. Originally, Li Hanxiao thought that only the story of "Water Margin" existed in his world, but after he went to Jiankang Prefecture and obtained the "Liquan Divine Spear", he confirmed that Zhou Tong and Yue Fei also existed in his current world.

In fact, when Gongsun Sheng, the "Dragon Soaring into the Clouds," mentioned the "Golden-Winged Roc" to him, Li Hanxiao had already sensed something, but he wasn't entirely sure...

In that case, it's possible to invite this old man to Qilin Village. After all, on Liangshan Marsh, "Leopard Head" Lin Chong was Zhou Tong's personal disciple, and Wu Song also had a teacher-student relationship with Zhou Tong.

Just as Li Hanxiao was about to discuss the details with "Sick Yuchi" Sun Li, Wen Huanzhang walked over.

"Chief, Yang Chun, the 'White Flower Snake' of Shaohua Mountain, has come to pay his respects and is now requesting an audience at Zhu Gui's Tavern at Lijia Pass."

Wen Huanzhang said.

"Yang Chun?"

Li Hanxiao's brain immediately started working. This "White Flower Snake" Yang Chun was a leader under the command of "Nine-Tattooed Dragon" Shi Jin of Shaohua Mountain. Previously, when "Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen went to Liangshan, he wrote a letter to "Nine-Tattooed Dragon" Shi Jin, persuading him to lead his team to Liangshan to develop together.

Now, instead of "Nine-Tattooed Dragon" Shi Jin leading his team to join us, it is "White Flower Snake" Yang Chun who has come. This is very strange. Li Hanxiao suspects that "Nine-Tattooed Dragon" Shi Jin may not want to join Liangshan Marsh, but he is afraid of offending "Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen, so he sent "White Flower Snake" Yang Chun to express his apology.

However, Li Hanxiao thought it was unlikely, because given Lu Zhishen's reputation as the "Flowery Monk," this situation shouldn't have occurred. After all, in the original story, after Lu Zhishen wrote a letter to Shi Jin, although Shi Jin, the "Nine-Tattooed Dragon," was trapped in Huazhou City while attempting to assassinate Prefect He, Shi Jin immediately led his men to join Liangshan Marsh after escaping.

Moreover, under his leadership, Liangshan Marsh has now gained considerable fame, far surpassing Shaohua Mountain in terms of prestige and influence. Shi Jin shouldn't look down on them...

There was no use in thinking too much. Li Hanxiao decided to meet "White Flower Snake" Yang Chun immediately. So Li Hanxiao instructed Wen Huanzhang, "Mr. Wen, pass down the order to fire cannons to welcome him. Set up a banquet in the Hall of Supreme Harmony and invite Commander Lu to accompany him!"

Before long, Yang Chun, the "White Flower Snake," arrived at the Hall of Righteousness. Li Han smiled and saw that the man had become extremely thin! In the original story, he was a tall and thin man with thin arms and a long waist, but now he looked like a stick, frighteningly thin, and covered in dust.

"Chief Li, please send troops immediately to save my chief Shi Jin!"

Unexpectedly, upon meeting, Yang Chun, the "White Flower Snake," immediately knelt before Li Hanxiao, practically throwing gold and jade pillars at him!

"Ah! Brother, please rise, Brother Yang Chun!"

The sudden attack by "White Flower Snake" Yang Chun caught Li Hanxiao off guard. Meanwhile, "Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen, upon hearing Yang Chun's cry of "Save my chieftain Shi Jin," also lost his composure and immediately grabbed Yang Chun's hand, asking, "What happened to my little brother Shi Dalang? Tell me! Tell me! Tell me quickly!"

But then Yang Chun, the "White Flower Snake," underwent a dramatic change in expression. His face turned red, his features almost shifted, and he opened his mouth wide, but couldn't utter a sound. Instead, he pointed at the hand that Lu Zhishen was using to grab his arm.

It turned out that in his desperation, Lu Zhishen used too much force and pinched "White Flower Snake" Yang Chun's arm, leaving a bruise. Yang Chun's arm wasn't particularly thick to begin with, and this almost broke it.

After all, Lu Zhishen, the "Flowery Monk," was incredibly strong. He didn't think it was anything special, but normal people couldn't withstand it!

"Commander! Let go!"

Li Hanxiao was the first to react, slapping Lu Zhishen's large hand to signal him to let go quickly.

"Oh! I forgot, brother, please forgive me!"

Lu Zhishen quickly released his grip. Yang Chun, nicknamed "White Flower Snake," looked at the bruise on his arm, furious but unable to speak out. He could only gasp and say, "Master, you have such great strength..."

"Come, have a drink to calm your nerves. Tell me slowly what happened to Shi Dalang!"

Li Han smiled and asked Yang Chun, the "White Flower Snake," to sit down. He then began to explain that Yang Chun had been traveling a long way and hadn't had a proper meal or any alcohol. Instead, he drank two bowls of chicken soup, which made him sweat profusely from the heat.

After all, Shaohua Mountain is located in Shaanxi Province. The distance from Shaanxi to Shandong Province is not short at all!

After recovering, Yang Chun, nicknamed "White Flower Snake," said, "Chief Shi Jin has been captured by the government troops and is being held in the Jingzhao Prefecture prison."

Explain in more detail!

Li Han thought to himself, "In the original novel, Shi Jin, the 'Nine-Tattooed Dragon,' along with Zhu Wu, the 'Divine Strategist,' Chen Da, the 'Leaping Tiger,' and Yang Chun, the 'White Flower Snake,' were outlaws on Shaohua Mountain, and they weren't wiped out by the government. So why did this happen this time?"

In the original novel, Shi Jin, nicknamed "Nine-Tattooed Dragon," was the vanguard commander of the Eight Cavalry of Liangshan Marsh. He was not weak in martial arts, and with the "Divine Strategist" Zhu Wu by his side, his intelligence was also quite good, so he was not easily defeated by ordinary government troops.

However, the mountain they occupied, Shaohua Mountain, seems to be located in the Weinan area of ​​Shaanxi, which is quite close to Xi'an. It is estimated that the government will eventually come to suppress them, since this area is located in the heart of Guanzhong, Shaanxi.

Perhaps something unexpected has happened.

“Well, a month ago, Chief Shi Jin received a letter from Commander Lu, wanting to lead his men to join us. However, before they could set off, General Zhong, the commander of the Western Army in Yan'an Prefecture, ordered the troops of the various garrisons of the Western Army to suppress the bandits. We originally wanted to wait out this storm and then find a way to leave, but we didn't expect to be attacked by the government troops…”

"Shaohua Mountain is a strategically important location, and Shi Dalang is highly skilled in martial arts. He should be able to defend it from a safe distance. Even if things go wrong, he shouldn't have been captured."

Lu Zhishen, the "Flowery Monk," was a genuine native of Guanzhong. He had been to Shaohua Mountain when he was young, and it was a place that was easy to defend and difficult to attack. He also knew the abilities of Shi Jin, the "Nine-Tattooed Dragon," so he was also puzzled as to how Shi Jin could have been captured alive.

Lu Zhishen, nicknamed "Flowery Monk," had served in the Western Army and was a capable subordinate of Zhong Shidao, the former military commander. He knew that there was no one in the Western Army forces near Weinan who could threaten Shi Jin, nicknamed "Nine-Tattooed Dragon."

"The one who came to conquer our Shaohua Mountain is Wang Shunchen, the prefect of Lanzhou. He is quite formidable!"

Upon hearing Yang Chun, nicknamed "White Flower Snake," utter the name "Wang Shunchen," Li Hanxiao and Lu Zhishen, nicknamed "Flowery Monk," immediately changed their expressions.

Wang Shunchen was a famous general of the Western Army in history, skilled in archery, and served as the prefect of Lanzhou.

During his campaign against the Qiang army under Zhong Pu, when the commander was defeated and killed and the troops were being pursued by the enemy, he used his bow to cover the rear and shot seven Qiang vanguard soldiers dead, intimidating the Qiang army so that they dared not advance and buying time for the troops to regroup.

In the ensuing nearly four-hour battle, Wang Shunchen fired nearly a thousand arrows, which intimidated the tens of thousands of enemy soldiers with his superb archery skills, and no one dared to advance.

Wang Shunchen thus gained valuable time to reorganize the Song army. Before long, the enemy charged again, and a fierce battle broke out. The battle lasted from afternoon until night. In nearly four hours, Wang Shunchen shot over a thousand arrows, each one hitting its mark. His fingers were torn and his arms were covered in blood.

Ultimately, thanks to Wang Shunchen's bravery and sense of responsibility, the Song army escaped safely, making him a veritable "human Gatling gun" of the Northern Song Dynasty.

"How could it be him! He is arguably the best archer in the Western Army... Could it be that Shi Dalang was captured alive by him?"

"The Flower Monk?" Lu Zhishen asked.

"It was this man. Originally, Wang Shunchen challenged him to a duel, and Chief Shi Jin went out to meet him. The two fought for thirty rounds without a clear winner. Then, Wang Shunchen pretended to be defeated and fled, luring Chief Shi Jin to chase after him. He then took out a bow and arrow, but did not draw it, shooting an arrow into the air. Chief Shi Jin thought he had shot an arrow, so he hid in the stirrup to dodge, but did not see the arrow come. He then chased after him again, but the man used the same trick again, shooting an arrow into the air. Chief Shi Jin dodged again, but did not see the arrow come. He was furious!"

"Chief Shi Jin was enraged, so he picked up his bow and arrow and shot an arrow at Wang Shunchen's back. However, Wang Shunchen was feigning weakness; he turned around, caught the arrow with his bare hands, and quickly drew his bow and arrow, firing it back. Chief Shi Jin was caught off guard and was hit in the shoulder, falling from his horse. We rushed to rescue him, but it was too late; Chief Shi Jin was taken away. We were no match for Wang Shunchen..."

Yang Chun, nicknamed "White Flower Snake," felt quite ashamed when he mentioned this, as even when he and Chen Da, nicknamed "Leaping Tiger," joined forces, they couldn't defeat Wang Shunchen.

In the end, it was Zhu Wu, the "Divine Strategist," who led the defense and held firm. Wang Shunchen, fearing that attacking the mountain would be disadvantageous, retreated. They later learned that Shi Jin, the "Nine-Tattooed Dragon," was imprisoned in the Jingzhao Prefecture jail. They wanted to rescue him, but their skills were insufficient. After several attempts, they failed and only alerted the enemy.

Later, it was the same "divine strategist" Zhu Wu who said that they might need outside help, so he sent "White Flower Snake" Yang Chun to Liangshan Marsh overnight to ask for help and rescue "Nine-Tattooed Dragon" Shi Jin.

Meanwhile, he and "Leaping Tiger" Chen Da guarded the mountain stronghold. Every now and then, they had to organize people to pretend to rescue Shi Jin. Zhu Wu knew that as long as they made them afraid that Shi Jin would be kidnapped and kept Shi Jin locked up, they would have a chance to wait for reinforcements.