Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

Huang Xin and Qin Ming rode into the mansion.

But there they saw a man and a woman practicing archery.

The man was handsome, with white teeth, red lips, and bright eyes.

Her eyebrows were always neatly set in, reaching her temples; her waist was slender, and her shoulders broad, resembling those of an ape.

Even though Huang Xin was extremely anxious at this moment,

I couldn't help but secretly admire him, "What a handsome young man!"

The woman holding the arrow, however, possessed an alluring beauty.

She was beautiful with delicate features, her eyes sparkling with life, and her refined and elegant demeanor was captivating.

Her cheeks were like fresh lychees, her nose like goose fat. Gentle and silent, she was a pleasing sight.

Huang Xin only felt that this woman was exceptionally beautiful.

She outshone even the young ladies from wealthy families in Qingzhou City.

The woman standing next to Hua Rong was truly a perfect match.

Standing next to them was a beautiful young woman.

She was watching her husband and sister-in-law practice archery with a smile on her face.

......

Hua Rong is teaching his younger sister how to shoot arrows.

Suddenly, two boorish generals rode in.

When Xiao Li Guang looked up, he saw that it was the military commander of the prefecture.

He hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Lord Commander, what urgent matter brings you here? Why have you come in such a rush?"

Huang Xin gave a wry smile, then dismounted.

Instead of immediately mentioning the request for help, he introduced Qin Ming's identity to Hua Rong.

"This is General Qin Ming, Commander of the Qingzhou Commandery!"

"So it was Commander Qin!"

Hua Rong quickly handed over the luggage.

"Hua Zhizhai, please don't stand on ceremony. To be honest, we've come here to ask for your help."

Qin Ming waved his hand and said.

Hua Rong noticed that the two of them looked strange.

They were quickly ushered into the hall to discuss the matter in detail.

After Qin Ming and Huang Xin recounted their defeat at Erlong Mountain,

This trip was to inform Hua Rong of the matter of joining the army.

Hua Rong's face immediately showed a troubled expression.

Qin Ming was known for his fiery temper.

Now, having to humble themselves and ask for help, they are already feeling terrible.

Seeing Hua Rong's expression, they assumed he was rejecting them.

Qin Ming immediately stood up.

"Fine, if Magistrate Hua is unwilling, we will not force him!"

"Master, Magistrate Hua probably didn't mean that,"

Huang Xin and Hua Rong were fairly familiar with each other.

He quickly got up and stopped Qin Ming.

"Commander Qin, if Hua Rong is in charge of everything in Qingfeng Village, then Hua Rong will not hesitate and will immediately send troops to accompany the two superiors to wipe out the bandits."

Hua Rong said with a helpless expression.

"But in Qingfeng Village, besides me, the military commander, there is also a civil commander. Both of you are well aware of the laws of the court. Without his consent, I simply cannot mobilize the soldiers of Qingfeng Village."

Upon hearing him say that,

Qin Ming and Huang Xin immediately felt a pang of sympathy.

Being a military general in the Song Dynasty was no easy task.

Let alone those of equal rank, even military officers who are one or two ranks higher than civil officials...

Even when meeting civil officials, one must still speak in a humble and subservient manner.

"That is indeed a problem,"

Qin Ming sighed.

"Master, don't be anxious,"

Huang Xin pondered for a moment and said, "I have met Liu Gao, the magistrate of Qingfeng Village. Although he is not very capable, he is greedy and only wants to climb the ranks."

"Before the New Year, he personally went to Qingzhou to deliver gifts to Prefect Murong."

“We should not tell him the truth. We should only say that we were ordered by Prefect Murong to go to Erlong Mountain to suppress bandits, but we are short of troops, so we came to Qingfeng Village to borrow troops. If we can wipe out the bandits, he will definitely have a share in the credit. After hearing this, he will surely agree.”

"Supervisor Huang is right,"

Hua Rong nodded and said, "Given that guy's personality, he certainly won't refuse if he can share the credit without having to do anything himself."

Qin Ming and Huang Xin immediately got up and left to see Liu Gao, the magistrate.

Hua Rong then had his wife and younger sister fetch weapons and armor, and helped him put them on.

They just need to wait for Qin Ming and his team to persuade Liu Gao.

He immediately mustered the soldiers of Qingfeng Village and set out to conquer Erlong Mountain...

Chapter 308 Face

"Brother, I've heard that the bandits of Liangshan are extremely vicious; even the government troops from Jizhou and Yunzhou can't do anything about them."

Hua Rongde's sister said worriedly.

"Those two generals who led over a thousand soldiers just now were still defeated. How can Qingfeng Village possibly be a match for them with only this small force?"

Hua Rong's wife, standing to the side, also seemed hesitant to speak.

Clearly, they did not approve of Hua Rong taking this risk.

Seeing his wife and sister looking at him with concern, Xiao Li Guang laughed heartily.

"To eliminate traitors for the country, how can we be picky and bully the weak while fearing the strong? My Hua family has been military officers for generations, and we have never had a member who retreated in the face of battle!"

"Now that Commander Qin and Supervisor Huang have come to me for help in suppressing the bandits, how can I, Hua Rong, back down!"

No sooner had Hua Rong finished speaking than Huang Xin's loud laughter rang out from the courtyard.

“Master, I told you before that this Magistrate Hua is a hero and a great man. Was I right?”

"Um,"

Qin Ming nodded in approval.

Looking at Hua Rong, he made a promise.

"Chief Hua, if we successfully wipe out the bandits of Erlong Mountain this time, I will definitely recommend you for credit with Prefect Murong!"

"The two generals returned with joyful expressions; has Liu Gao already agreed?"

After Hua Rong finished asking the question, seeing Qin Ming and Huang Xin nod,

He immediately cupped his hands and said, "I am deeply grateful for the kind words from Commander Qin and Supervisor Huang. I will not say anything more and will now go to muster the troops!"

"Brother!"

"Husband!"

Both Hua Xiaomei and Madam Hua Rong cried out in concern.

Huang Xin had just heard their concerns.

Seeing this, he cupped his hands and explained, "Don't worry, we will not fight Liangshan head-on. We will only advance to suppress the bandits after they withdraw from Erlong Mountain."

"Since Supervisor Huang has said so, you two should be relieved now,"

Hua Rong looked at his wife and sister and smiled.

"Just stay home and wait patiently for our triumphant return."

Hua Rong mustered the soldiers of Qingfeng Village, gathering a force of four hundred.

He accompanied Qin Ming and Huang Xin to Erlong Mountain.

The three arrived fifty li away from Erlong Mountain.

They then dared not advance further.

Instead, they sent scouts first.

Investigate whether Liangshan has retreated.

......

On Erlong Mountain,

Just as Huang Xin had guessed,

Although Chao Gai and his men had previously robbed two or three villages,

But Erlong Mountain only had four or five hundred henchmen.

They couldn't defeat the larger villages.

This bullying only targets small and weak villages.

How much grain can they get?

The Liangshan forces that came this time numbered three thousand soldiers.

Nearly half of them were Malaysian soldiers.

With people and horses eating and feeding each other, the daily consumption of grain is thirty to forty dan (a unit of weight).

Besides the people of Liangshan...

And those Qingzhou soldiers who were captured,

They had eight or nine hundred people, and naturally they couldn't all be left to go hungry.

Under such consumption

Just three days later, the person in charge of the grain came to Chao Gai and the others to complain.

"We escaped this great calamity entirely thanks to the help of Liangshan. It's only been a few days; we can't just send them away now, can we?"

Chao Gai sighed.

These days

He was already somewhat regretting the ambition that had suddenly sprouted in his mind.

Being a mountain bandit is no easy task.

For the leaders of the bandits, the situation was even more difficult.

Every day when I open my eyes,

He had to worry himself sick over the affairs of the entire mountain village.

"Brother Chao Gai is right!"

Liu Tang nodded in agreement.

"The Liangshan bandits have come all this way to rescue us, yet we're only thinking about driving them away. If word gets out, the heroes of the outlaw world will laugh their heads off!"

"If all else fails, I'll take my men down the mountain in the next couple of days and bring back some grain, wine, and meat!"

"We must not send troops now,"