Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Chapter 108 Zhang Bo fights bravely against Chao Tianwang, Zhang Zhongxiong learns the Yin-Yang Hand

Since he is incompetent and corrupt, why is he so famous and more respected than Wu Yong?

To be honest, Wu Yong, whose mind was already somewhat twisted, couldn't take it anymore and started questioning himself.

He even harbored resentment towards Song Jiang and Yan Poxi, wondering why Song Jiang, with his short and dark appearance, could win the heart of such a beauty.

To be honest, although Wu Yong, the "wise strategist," didn't like women, there was something he couldn't stand: Song Jiang, who was clearly less talented than him, had almost everything, while Wu Yong had nothing!

So when Zhang Shuye asked about Song Jiang, Wu Yong was initially bewildered, and after a moment replied, "This...this Song Jiang, in reality, is not a person of true talent and learning; he's just someone who seeks fame and fortune..."

“I don’t think that’s entirely true. Even if he’s just trying to gain fame, he must have some talent and ability. Otherwise, not everyone would say he’s good. Even if it’s true that rumors spread like wildfire, I don’t think it’s clear. If you know him, bring him to meet me.”

Zhang Shuye intended to recruit talented individuals, but Wu Yong, the "wise strategist," did not want Song Jiang to join Zhang Shuye's staff.

Perhaps, before he went to find Song Jiang, he was still willing to enter Zhang Shuye's staff with Song Jiang, but now he was not...

In his view, Song Jiang had broken his heart...

As for what kind of entanglement Wu Yong, the "wise strategist," might have with Song Jiang, we'll leave that aside for now. Zhang Shuye has already decided to send the brothers Zhang Bofen and Zhang Zhongxiong with two hundred government troops to Dongxi Village to capture "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai and bring him back for interrogation.

Upon receiving the order, Zhang Bofen and Zhang Zhongxiong mustered two hundred government troops, all mounted on horseback and carrying weapons, and led their men to Dongxi Village.

As for Chao Gai's side in Dongxi Village, although Li Hanxiao had just returned to Liangshan, he immediately began his work. Li Hanxiao's idea for Dongxi Village was the same as for Shijie Village: to completely bring the village under his control. Shijie Village was right next to Liangshan Marsh and was very safe, but Dongxi Village was in a more prominent strategic position and was also quite far from Liangshan Marsh.

Therefore, Li Hanxiao thought of bringing the entire Dongxi Village under his control and directly dispatching a certain number of troops to garrison there.

After all, Dongxi Village is Li Hanxiao's agricultural product experimental base. If it were to be leveled or destroyed, the loss would be enormous.

Therefore, Li Han laughed and ordered "Red-Haired Devil" Liu Tang to lead three hundred men down the mountain and station them in Dongxi Village. They set up camp near Liangshan Marsh and built a fortress on the spot to protect Chao Gai and others while they cultivated the land.

Although these three hundred men were not a large number, they were enough to hold off the government troops for a while if they came. Moreover, Li Hanxiao had sent someone to deliver the "Thunderbolt" Ling Zhen's newly created "signal arrow" to "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai. The principle of this thing is actually the same as that of fireworks and firecrackers. After being lit, it rises into the air and emits a dazzling light like fireworks, which can be seen from Liangshan Marsh.

This is a distress signal. As soon as it appears, it means that Dongxi Village is in danger, and Li Hanxiao will send people down the mountain to provide assistance.

Meanwhile, Liu Tang, the "Red-Haired Devil," and his three hundred men had just come down the mountain and had not yet reached Dongxi Village, but the brothers Zhang Bofen and Zhang Zhongxiong, leading two hundred government troops from Jizhou Prefecture, were already almost there.

When leaving Jeju Prefecture, Zhang Zhongxiong discussed with his brother Zhang Bofen about capturing Chao Gai, the village head of Dongxi Village, also known as "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King." They figured that Chao Gai wouldn't make any big moves, but they needed to be on high alert to prevent him from escaping, so they decided to surround his manor first.

Zhang Bofen did not reject his younger brother's plan, because among the two brothers, Zhang Zhongxiong was the quick-witted and sharpest, while Zhang Bofen was somewhat dull. Although he was stronger in martial arts, Zhang Zhongxiong was the one who made the decisions between the two brothers.

However, after they arrived at Dongxi Village and saw Chao Gai's manor, they abandoned the idea, because two hundred government troops were simply not enough to surround it. They had underestimated Chao Gai; Chao Gai's manor was not something they could surround with just two hundred men!

During the time Li Hanxiao was away, Chao Gai carried out the first phase of expansion of his manor. He led his servants and the refugees sent by Li Hanxiao to first reclaim wasteland, and then began to build walls and houses. Although it was not yet fully completed, it had already expanded to a considerable scale.

Zhang Bofen and Zhang Zhongxiong discovered that they also lacked an accurate assessment of the number of people in the manor. Just by walking around, they found that there were no fewer than two hundred able-bodied men working in the fields and building structures, not counting the number of farmhands.

Although there is a clear difference in combat effectiveness between conscripts and regular troops, given the current situation, if "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai were to openly resist arrest, he could easily raise a force whose numbers were in no way inferior to their army!

I was careless. I didn't expect that "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai's power was so great!

Although Chao Gai's manor was located within Dongxi Village, it was situated on a separate side of the village due to its large size. Zhang Bofen and Zhang Zhongxiong, along with about two hundred soldiers in military uniforms, appeared near Chao Gai's manor and were immediately spotted by Chao Gai's men.

Upon learning of the situation, Chao Gai, the "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King," immediately ordered everyone outside to return to the manor. Zhang Bofen and Zhang Zhongxiong clearly dared not advance rashly, and instead led their men to temporarily camp in front of the manor. Those working in the fields hurriedly went back through the back gate.

Chao Gai understood that the arrival of such a large number of government troops was most likely to attack them. Therefore, he summoned several leaders who were with him, including "Ghost Mountain Demon" Han Bolong and "General Stone" Shi Yong, who had been sent to help him manage affairs, as well as "Yin Yang Hand" Lu Hui, who had been sent by Wen Huanzhang a while ago.

This "Yin-Yang Hand" Lu Hui was originally arrogant and considered himself a master. Of course, he was unwilling to come here as a high-level combatant. However, if he stayed in Liangshan, the masters would know more, and his level was not enough to be considered. So he obediently came.

He and several leaders immediately mobilized more than a hundred villagers, armed them with weapons and crossbows, and prepared to defend the manor. Although Chao Gai's manor was relatively ordinary, unlike the Zhu Family Manor on Dulonggang, which had a drawbridge, castle, and moat, it at least had buildings to rely on. As long as they didn't go out, they could still gain some advantage.

Meanwhile, "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai, along with three other leaders and fifty villagers, arrived at the manor gate first. Although he knew that the arrival of the government troops was unlikely to bring anything good, he still needed to figure out whether or not to fight.

Chao Gai, the "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King," stepped forward with his men, wielding a broadsword. Adhering to the principle of "courtesy before force," Chao Gai bowed and asked, "Gentlemen, what brings you to my manor?"

"So you're the village head, the one called 'Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King' Chao Gai?"

Zhang Zhongxiong asked.

"It's down."

Chao Gai answered calmly and respectfully.

"Good that you've admitted it. You were involved in the birthday tribute case and colluded with the bandits of Liangshan Marsh. We've come here today specifically to arrest you. If you know what's good for you, surrender immediately, or we'll resort to force!"

As Zhang Zhongxiong spoke, he gripped his five-foot-long sword tighter. Although he hoped to intimidate "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai with words, he knew very well that this was unlikely to be the case, and he would have to fight.

"Since you say so, I have no way to argue. If you want to take me away, I will have no choice but to resist!"

As Chao Gai, the "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King," spoke, he gave a look to Shi Yong, the "Stone General." Shi Yong understood and immediately took out a bamboo tube from his pocket, lit it, and the tube exploded into the sky with a "pop!" revealing a dazzling firework inside.

"Oh no! This is a signal from the thieves!"

When Zhang Zhongxiong saw the fireworks, he realized that this was probably a signal to call for help from the Liangshan bandits. It seemed that the Liangshan bandits were about to come to his aid!

"Traitor! So cunning!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Bofen gripped two large copper hammers and charged directly at "General Shi" Shi Yong, who had just set off the signal firecracker.

"what?!"

"General Shi" Shi Yong was startled when he saw the two large red copper hammers in Zhang Bofen's hands. He knew his own abilities well enough to know that with his meager martial arts skills, he was no match for this kid. Judging from the two large red copper hammers in his hands, they must weigh at least thirty pounds, if not forty pounds. "General Shi" Shi Yong could not possibly withstand them.

"Hi!"

In the moment of crisis, "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai took the initiative to swing his sword, striking Zhang Bofen's red copper hammer, causing sparks to fly everywhere.

Chao Gai, known as the "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King," was the most loyal and also the strongest among the Liangshan leaders present. After all, his nickname "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" was genuinely earned because of his strength. He once lifted a stone pagoda with his bare hands. Even if the stone pagoda was small, it must have weighed over a hundred pounds. So, regardless of his actual martial arts skills, Chao Gai's strength was definitely not insignificant.

Zhang Bofen, who could wield two large bronze hammers, was also a power-type fighter, making him a formidable opponent for "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai.

"What strength! Good lad!"

Chao Gai, the "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King," couldn't help but praise Zhang Bofen, who looked only a teenager.

However, in this clash, "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai suffered a loss. Why? Because he used a broadsword, a sharp weapon, while Zhang Bofen used a bronze hammer, a blunt weapon.

In terms of weight, thickness, and hardness, this broadsword was inferior to the two copper hammers. Upon contact, "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai noticed a small chip on the broadsword.

If the fight continues and they encounter those two copper hammers a few more times, this broadsword probably won't hold up.

Chao Gai, the "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King," thought to himself that if he had a hammer or axe, he could be evenly matched with the opponent. Unfortunately, he didn't have any of those weapons he practiced with, and even if he did, he wouldn't know how to use them.

"Brother, you hold this off, I'm going to break in!"

Seeing that Zhang Bofen and "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai were evenly matched, Zhang Zhongxiong gripped his long sword tightly and strode quickly into the manor.

Seeing another person rushing forward, Han Bolong, nicknamed "Ghost Mountain Demon," with his long arms and elephant-trunk knife, went to block him and intercept Zhang Bofen's attack route.

Zhang Bofen's attack was swift as lightning. He raised his two knives and with a clang, he used the back of his blade to deflect the elephant-trunk knife in the hand of "Ghost Mountain Demon" Han Bolong. Then, he slashed at "Ghost Mountain Demon" Han Bolong with his own knife.

"Ghost Mountain Demon" Han Bolong didn't expect this young man's swordsmanship to be so fast. He was caught off guard and was taken aback. Speaking of swordsmanship, Zhang Zhongxiong was indeed powerful. Even in a one-on-one fight, "Ghost Mountain Demon" Han Bolong might not be a match for Zhang Zhongxiong, let alone now.

Just as "Ghost Mountain Demon" Han Bolong was about to meet his end, "General Stone" Shi Yong rushed over and blocked Zhang Zhongxiong's attack with his knife. However, Zhang Zhongxiong's attack numb "General Stone" Shi Yong's wrist, causing him to lose his grip on the knife and drop it to the ground.

The difference in strength between "General Shi" Shi Yong and Zhang Zhongxiong is even greater, after all, "General Shi" Shi Yong's martial arts skills are not as good as Han Bolong's!

"I come!"

Seeing that Zhang Zhongxiong's martial arts were quite impressive, Lu Hui, the "Yin Yang Hand," immediately grabbed the Double-Headed Snake Spear and charged straight at Zhang Zhongxiong.

Zhang Zhongxiong could tell from Lu Hui's "Yin Yang Hand" moves that his strength was different from the two guys from before; this one was clearly much stronger!

As Lu Hui, wielding the "Yin-Yang Hand," charged forward, he continuously shifted the grip of the Yin-Yang Hand. The two spearheads of the Double-Headed Serpent Spear, like a spinning wheel, relentlessly stabbed at Zhang Zhongxiong's body. The barrage of spears was dense, like a swarm of bees attacking a person, with thorns everywhere, making it impossible to dodge.

Zhang Zhongxiong had good eyesight. Although Lu Hui's "Yin Yang Hand" attacks were swift, he could clearly see the path of each attack. The five-foot-long sword in his hand was tightly closed, and it was swung around his body with a whooshing sound. The sword was swept into a white light and collided with the double-headed snake spear, making a series of fine sounds.

Zhang Zhongxiong's long sword is five feet long, and the blade is shaped like a rice seedling, which is similar to the Miao sword of later times. However, it is by no means a Miao sword, since the name Miao sword was officially established during the Republic of China period and did not exist in the Song Dynasty.

This knife can be held with both hands. It doesn't look heavy, but that's because of its increased length. Its cleaving power is in no way inferior to that of a long-handled broadsword. It's just that its weight is far less, so its defensive capabilities are not as strong as those of a broadsword.