Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

In the last glimmer of light, Zhang Dachui glimpsed a crack in the demon's nape armor—the laborer's axe had indeed left a flaw.

"Cut off his neck! Chop off his neck!"

The remaining thirty-odd surviving soldiers hoarsely relayed the secret that had been bought with the lives of seventeen.

But just as the soldier's broadsword finally found an opening and slashed at the back of the divine soldier's neck, the dark figure suddenly bent over and swung his sword backhand. The moment the rolling blade pierced through Liu San's chest, a sneer like that of a night owl came from under the brass mask.

"What are these!"

Seeing that these guys had broken through the Liangshan army's defenses almost instantly, the four leaders shouted in unison in disbelief.

"on!"

Among these celestial beings, only "Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen and "Blue-Faced Beast" Yang Zhi remained relatively calm, after all, they had already encountered these strange and supernatural beings with Li Hanxiao in the Taihang Mountains.

Thinking that these things might not be invincible, the two of them charged forward first. "Giant Spirit God" Bian Xiang and "Pilgrim" Wu Song reacted and followed.

"Take this!"

"Giant Spirit God" Bian Xiang's eyes widened in anger, and the mountain-splitting axe in his hand cleaved out a crescent-shaped cold light.

Three flying divine soldiers approached in close formation, but the great axe suddenly changed its move and swung upwards, splitting the foremost divine soldier in two from its hip to its shoulder.

It was cut in two with a single stroke, but this time the flying divine weapon couldn't get up. Before the blood mist dissipated, the "Giant Spirit God" Bian Xiang's axe handle crashed back, and the bronze mask dented. The second divine weapon coughed up blood from all seven orifices and fell to the ground.

The third divine weapon, the rolling blade, had already cut three inches below the ribs of "Giant Spirit God" Bian Xiang when suddenly a burst of silver light erupted—the axe blade spun like a full moon, and the head wearing a bronze helmet spun and flew up the flagpole.

"They can be killed, but they are not immortal!"

Bian Xiang, the "Giant Spirit God," roared, wanting everyone present to hear that these things were not invincible, so that the people would no longer be afraid and would believe that these things were immortal.

Ten steps away, Lu Zhishen, the "Flowery Monk," stirred up a foul gust of wind with his iron staff, the crescent-shaped shovel at the top of the staff wedging five rolling knives and pulling them back with great force.

As the five divine soldiers staggered forward, a Zen staff as thick as a bowl swept across, snapping their bodies in half at the waist.

Before the intestines even hit the ground, the three divine soldiers leaped up, stepping on the corpses of their comrades, and spewed out three feet of poisonous flames from their fire gourds.

"The Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen used his cassock to blow out the flames, then with a backhand stab, he pierced through the body of a flying divine soldier and flung him away, knocking down seven other divine soldiers.

"I know this thing can definitely be killed, but fighting it will be quite strenuous!"

Lu Zhishen, the "Flowery Monk," discovered that ordinary killing power was simply not enough to kill these creatures. Either their heads had to be completely destroyed, or most of their bodies had to be destroyed, otherwise these creatures were still impossible to kill!

"We can hold on, but our brothers can't!"

The "Pilgrim" Wu Song wielded his iron staff like a silver python, the tip of the staff bouncing more than ten feet into the air, shattering two bronze helmets in mid-air, and when it landed, the end of the staff swept across, shattering the shinbones of three divine soldiers.

Before the kneeling enemy could even raise his sword, the iron rod had already struck his skull repeatedly like a pestle.

Suddenly, a divine soldier rolled along the ground. Wu Song used the enemy's shoulder armor to leap into the air, and with the momentum of his fall, the iron rod pierced through the top of the man's head, pinning him three feet into the ground.

Experts like them can protect themselves with their superior skills, but for ordinary soldiers, even if three or five of them fight one of these flying warriors, they might be wiped out. The casualty ratio is almost 7:1. If this battle continues, they might all be wiped out.

Yang Zhi, the "Blue-Faced Beast," flicked his spear, unleashing seven cold stars as the spear tip pierced the throat of a divine soldier in succession.

Two divine soldiers beside them brandished their rolling blades and entangled the spear shaft, but suddenly the spear tassel exploded, blinding them.

In that instant, Yang Zhi, the "Blue-Faced Beast," abandoned his spear and drew his sword. The sharp blade patterns of the Yang family's treasured sword were clearly visible in the firelight, and as the blade flashed, three heads shot into the sky.

Just as Yang Zhi, the "Blue-Faced Beast," was about to give chase, he suddenly saw the headless corpse still swinging its knife at him. He quickly parried with his own knife, and only after he swung it did the headless corpse fall to the ground with a thud.

"Retreat!"

With a roar from "Giant Spirit God" Bian Xiang, three hundred flying soldiers suddenly slapped the gourds in their hands, and bluish-purple poisonous flames erupted from all directions, instantly corroding flesh and bones.

"Run!"

Lu Zhishen, the "Flowery Monk," used his staff to roll up a door panel to defend himself, and the wooden panel was instantly burned to charcoal.

Wu Song used his iron cudgel to knock away two burning figures, but his own battle robe was already on fire. Fortunately, Yang Zhi, the "Hermes" (a nickname for Wu Song), swung his sword and cut the burning robe in half.

Seeing three divine soldiers forming a fire net and pushing towards them from thirty paces away, they realized that fire and water were merciless, and their poisonous fire was so powerful that they could only protect their remaining troops and fight and retreat.

Amidst the chaos of battle, "Giant Spirit God" Bian Xiang fought desperately to tear a bloody path for the defeated army. By the time the last wounded soldier had climbed over the earthen mound, the weapons of the four men were already glowing red-hot. Three miles behind them, on scorched earth, three hundred flying divine soldiers were slowly approaching, stepping over the corpses of their comrades.

"What are all these things?!"

Wu Song asked in bewilderment, noting that at least half of their troops had perished here. Gao Lian, seeing his flying divine soldiers achieve merit, immediately ordered his subordinates, Yu Zhi, Wen Wenbao, and Xue Yuanhui, the commanders of Gaotang Prefecture, to each lead a troop of soldiers to attack this side.

Meanwhile, Guan Sheng, the commander of the South Gate, saw that Bian Xiang, the "Giant Spirit God," was actually in defeat, so he immediately led his two lieutenants, Shi Jin, the "Nine-Tattooed Dragon," and Shan Shiqi, the "Iron-Backed Wolf," to come to his aid.

"Brother Bian Xiang, what happened?"

Guan Sheng reined in his horse, drew his sword, and stopped Bian Xiang, asking, "Giant Spirit God" Bian Xiang, who had just been nearly choked to death by the poisonous smoke, gasped, "Quickly, go! Quickly send someone to inform the chieftain that a demon is using sorcery, and we can't deal with it!"

Upon hearing this, Guan Sheng, nicknamed "Big Sword," looked in that direction and saw those flying divine soldiers chasing after them, followed by three groups of troops from Gaotang Prefecture, all attacking at once with unstoppable momentum.

Meanwhile, the Liangshan bandits were in a terrible state. "Giant Spirit God" Bian Xiang was coughing incessantly from the poisonous smoke and might have already been poisoned. "Pilgrim" Wu Song's lower body, including his robe and trousers, was burned and riddled with holes, resembling a fishing net. "Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen had two or three cuts on his bald head, leaving it covered in blood. "Blue-Faced Beast" Yang Zhi had even lost his spear.

"Shan Shiqi, quickly inform the chieftain to sound the retreat! I will hold off the enemy!"

Having said that, Guan Sheng, known as "Big Saber," spurred his Red Hare horse and charged towards the three commanders of Gaotang Prefecture.

"Brother Guan Sheng, I'm here to help you!"

Just as "Nine-Dragon" Shi Jin was about to follow, he was stopped by "Big Knife" Guan Sheng.

"Go quickly and inform Instructor Lin to retreat!"

Guan Sheng stopped Shi Jin, the "Nine-Tattooed Dragon," and then turned to face the three commanders of Gaotang Prefecture. Yu Zhi brandished his broadsword, Wen Wenbao thrust forward with his spear, and Xue Yuanhui wielded his twin swords, all attacking Guan Sheng, the "Broadsword Man."

Back then, Guan Sheng's ancestors, Guan Yu and Guan Yunchang, fought against Lü Bu in the Three Heroes Battle. Little did they know that today, Guan Sheng would be treated like Lü Bu.

The flying soldiers were guided to the north gate to pursue the scattered Liangshan troops.

In fact, Gao Lian made these flying soldiers drink talisman water, which gave them superhuman strength, speed, and reaction time. At the same time, their vitality was also enhanced. These people had no sense of pain and would not die unless they suffered damage that rendered them unable to move.

It was similar to the Boxers of later times, except that the Boxer members believed that by practicing specific spells or rituals, they could obtain divine protection and thus become invulnerable to swords and spears.

This belief mainly stemmed from the influence of folk religions and Taoism. For example, members of the Boxer Rebellion would perform "invitation to the gods" rituals, claiming that they could summon deities such as Guan Yu and Sun Wukong to possess them and grant them extraordinary powers.

In addition, the Boxers used talismans, incantations, and specific martial arts training to convince their members that they had acquired an "indestructible body."

The flying divine soldiers were not summoned by gods, but rather they used talismanic water, which can also be considered a form of sorcery.

Guan Sheng, nicknamed "Big Sword," was fortunate in that although he faced three enemies, they were still human beings, and he could handle them.

Amidst the long neigh of Red Hare, the Green Dragon Crescent Blade unleashed a blood-red whirlwind. Just as Yu Zhi's broadsword was about three inches from Guan Sheng's face, the hilt of the blade suddenly trembled like a mountain—the eighty-two-pound Green Dragon Blade had struck with the back of its blade, causing his broadsword to bounce back, the blade nearly slicing open his own throat.

Wen Wenbao's pear blossom spear seized the opportunity to probe Guan Sheng's left ribs like a venomous snake, but Red Hare suddenly reared up.

As the horse's hooves grazed the tip of the spear, Guan Sheng swung his sword and severed seven red tassels from the spear.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xue Yuanhui's twin swords twisted towards the horse's legs, but the Green Dragon Blade seemed to have eyes, and the hilt of the blade precisely struck his right wrist bone, causing the steel blade to clatter to the ground.

And so, one against three, "Big Saber" Guan Sheng wielded his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, his movements so fluid and powerful it was as if Guan Yu had descended to earth a second time, displaying his divine might.

"My lord, we've already completed thirty rounds!"

As soon as Gao Lian's flag officer finished counting, Gao Lian, who was watching Guan Sheng's battle from behind, broke out in a cold sweat and felt a chill in his heart.

"Who is this person? So brave! If we can capture him alive, how can we not accomplish our great task?"

Gao Lian couldn't help but admire Guan Sheng's skills.

Meanwhile, among the four who were engaged in a fierce battle, "Big Knife" Guan Sheng suddenly opened his phoenix eyes wide, and his blade flashed like a waterfall towards Wen Wenbao. The sparks that flew when he parried with his spear illuminated the three small characters "Made in Gaotang" on the spear.

Guan Sheng roared like thunder: "Break!"

The Green Dragon Blade slid down the shaft of the spear, and the spearhead, made of fine iron, was smashed into the ground by the back of the blade.

Wen Wenbao's hand was about to be pulled away when the blade struck his breastplate, and he fell off his horse like a kite with a broken string.

Xue Yuanhui swung his swords to the rescue, but Red Hare suddenly leaped three steps to the side. Guan Sheng switched his sword to his left hand and grabbed Wen Wenbao's horse's reins with his right.

The moment the two startled horses collided with a thunderous crash, the Azure Dragon Blade grazed the horses' necks, and Xue Yuanhui's mount's head, along with half of its spine, flew into the air.

Amidst the rain of blood, Guan Sheng spun around and slashed, the blade grazing past Yu Zhi's helmet, snapping off a pheasant feather in the process.

&34;Come again!&34;

Guan Sheng pointed his blade at the three generals, the setting sun behind them like blood. He deliberately slowed his sword strikes to lure the enemy deeper, and Yu Zhi's broadsword indeed fell into the trap, missing its target.

The Green Dragon Blade suddenly lashed out like a poisonous dragon, its back striking the hilt of the straight blade heavily.

This move, the "dragging sword technique," was a unique skill unleashed by Guan Yu, the ancestor of the "Great Swordsman" Guan Sheng. It dislocated Yu Zhi's arms, and the great sword spun and plunged into the corpse of Wen Wen's precious horse, the hilt still trembling incessantly.

The troops of Gaotang Prefecture watching the battle were deathly silent, all stunned by the strength of "Big Sword" Guan Sheng.

Guan Sheng stood with his sword drawn, the drops of blood from the tip of his blade striking the scorched earth and creating three plum blossom-like patterns.

Red Hare suddenly pawed the ground with its front hooves, startling the three generals into retreating.

Guan Sheng suddenly shouted, his voice echoing across the land: "I am a descendant of the valiant King Wu'an of the late Han Dynasty! Who dares to step forward?"

"The Righteous and Valiant King of Wu'an!"

"A descendant of Guan Yu?"

Gao Lian was startled when he heard Guan Sheng's shout.

The remaining Liangshan soldiers took the opportunity to retreat across the ravine. Shi Jin, who was on the hilltop, saw this scene and unconsciously dropped his three-pointed double-edged sword.

Amidst the dust and smoke, a lone rider, sword drawn, blocked three thousand pursuers. The golden edge of the Green Dragon Blade, gilded by the setting sun, stung his eyes—the blade shimmered with the otherworldly brilliance of the Martial Saint of Western Shu.

At that very moment, "Iron-backed Wolf" Shan Shiqi arrived at Li Hanxiao's main gate. Just as Li Hanxiao was about to bombard the gate, "Iron-backed Wolf" Shan Shiqi rushed to his side, jumped off his horse, and shouted, "Chief, it's bad! A troop of government troops has arrived. They can use sorcery. The brothers can't hold them off!"

"What? Demons? Where are their troops from, and what banners are they flying?"

Li Hanxiao frowned and then asked.

"I don't know, but the banner says 'high'..."

"high……"

After listening to what "Iron-backed Wolf" Shan Shiqi said, Li Hanxiao seemed to be thinking. He was high-ranking and also knew sorcery. Could he be Gao Lian from Gaotang Prefecture?

Thinking of this, Li Hanxiao immediately shouted, "Send the order to sound the retreat! Everyone, withdraw to Liangshan Marsh! I'll cover the rear!"

Having said that, Li Han smiled, picked up the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Sword, activated the North Sea Dew Purple, and rushed out.

Bei Hai Sa Lu's purple mane fluttered wildly in the smoke of battle. Li Han smiled as he looked at the rout of the army ahead. Suddenly, he remembered a web novel he had read in his previous life. In that book, when the emperor rode his horse to rescue his general, the dragon banners that blotted out the sun were so magnificent in the setting sun, as if only that bright yellow was left in the world to write an epic.

At that moment, his three-pronged dagger cleaved through the poisonous flames, but he only heard the hoarse shouts of his soldiers behind him: "Chieftain, be careful!"

How tragic!

He laughed loudly, and the blade deflected a poisoned arrow. The talisman wrapped around the arrow shaft burned to ashes, just as the "mandate of heaven" that the emperors in the book boasted about turned to ash before his eyes.

What need is there for a true hero to wear a yellow parasol? When the barefoot doctor carrying the wounded soldier brushed past him, when the cook swung an iron ladle at the back of the hero's neck, when the blood-soaked groom stuffed the last arrow into his quiver—each of these scenes was a hundred times more shocking than the so-called dragon banner pressing down on him.

His warhorse leaped over the charred corpses, and the soldiers, burned by the poisonous fire, looked up at the chieftain's iron armor, but their eyes showed no surprise, only a sense of normalcy.

Since the Liangshan uprising, in which fierce battle was it not this three-pointed sword that was first stained with blood?

The concept of "leading by example" had long been as natural as breathing for the Liangshan heroes. Wherever there was trouble, they all thought of their leader coming to their rescue; wherever there was danger, they also thought of their leader overcoming all difficulties.

This is the chieftain's responsibility, and it's also the protection Li Hanxiao wants to give them!

The loyalty and mutual support among the Liangshan Marsh people has always been like this, flowing naturally like a clear mountain spring. Why would historians need to deliberately embellish it with their pens?