Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

After calming the scholars down, Li Hanxiao felt relieved. As long as he kept them on Liangshan, it was only a matter of time before they became his men.

Now, Li Hanxiao is thinking of taking advantage of the fact that the Jizhou Prefecture government troops are weak and infighting, and the imperial army has not yet arrived, to directly take over a county in Jizhou Prefecture as a strategic buffer zone.

Although the defense system of Liangshan Marsh is impregnable, there are still too few naval leaders on Liangshan Marsh to this day, so the extension of land warfare is still needed to resist the imperial army.

If we capture the nearby county seat of Yuncheng, it will be much easier to deal with the imperial army later.

If victory cannot be achieved on the road, a strategic buffer can be implemented by retreating into the water and then setting up a defense.

However, an important problem that needs to be solved before that is to find a way to rescue "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai from Jeju City.

Li Hanxiao is no longer planning to exchange hostages. Jin Ding and Huang Yue have both surrendered to Liangshan Marsh and are now on their side. The only remaining prisoner is Hua Baoyan.

However, Li Hanxiao wanted to use Hua Baoyan to restrain "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong, so he tried to avoid replacing him if possible.

Therefore, they had to find another way to save "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai.

Bai Sheng, nicknamed "White Day Rat," is stationed in Jizhou Prefecture. He says that the city gates are now only open for two hours a day, and a curfew is in effect at night. Zhang Shuye has been so badly beaten by Liangshan that he is too scared to come back.

The idea of ​​sending troops to secretly enter the city to rescue people and break them out of prison is probably out of the question.

However, Bai Sheng, the "White Day Rat," offered an alternative approach.

If walking on the ground doesn't work, you can go "underground".

That is, they rescued "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai by digging a tunnel.

To dig a tunnel directly from outside the city into Jeju Prefecture, one would have to cross the moat, and if it collapsed or leaked, it would be no laughing matter.

Therefore, Bai Sheng, the "White Day Rat," suggested digging into the Jeju Prefecture prison from a secluded spot relatively close to the city. This would make the digging easier and would also allow them to avoid the moat.

Once we've rescued "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai, we'll immediately arrange for him to leave the city, and Liangshan Marsh can provide support.

From what we can see, this method is quite feasible.

But Li Hanxiao is now hesitating about one thing: if this plan succeeds, should he take advantage of the opportunity to cooperate from within and without to take over Jeju City?

Liangshan Marsh's military strength is now more than sufficient, but we need to consider not only the issue of capturing Jizhou City, but also the consequences after capturing it.

What are the consequences? The nail that sticks out gets hammered down, and the nail that sticks out gets rotten first.

Although bandits are rampant in this world, there are still relatively few forces capable of conquering states and prefectures.

Although Tian Hu has already built up his power, he is still staying in the mountains, and his main base is not in the city. As for Fang La in Jiangnan, he has not yet started his uprising, and Li Hanxiao has never even heard of Wang Qing's deeds.

Before Zhu Yuanzhang became emperor, he used the strategy of "building high walls, storing up grain, and delaying the proclamation of kingship." Li Hanxiao deeply agreed with this, because he now knew that if he captured a prefecture city, he would inevitably be the most "outstanding" among all the resistance forces.

This will inevitably provoke significant repercussions from the imperial court...

By then, the imperial court's power will be like a boulder crushing an egg; whether Liangshan Marsh can withstand it remains to be seen...

So after much thought, Li Hanxiao abandoned the idea and decided to save people first, and then attack Yuncheng County as planned, taking control of the county first.

Then, we should properly build up the mass base in Yuncheng County and gradually erode Jizhou Prefecture, or follow the correct path of encircling the cities from the countryside.

As for digging tunnels, we'll have to rely on two talented people from Liangshan Marsh.

The first one is Bai Sheng, nicknamed "White Day Rat". People say, "Like begets like", and the son of a rat knows how to dig holes. Bai Sheng is indeed skilled at digging holes.

Before joining Liangshan, Bai Sheng, nicknamed "White Day Rat," was just an idle man, but he must have had some means of making a living, otherwise how could he have gotten married?

Bai Sheng, nicknamed "White Day Rat," was originally engaged in "underground work."

Don't get me wrong, he is quite different from "Drum-on-the-Flea" Shi Qian. There are different kinds of "underground work". For example, "Drum-on-the-Flea" Shi Qian was engaged in digging up graves and robbing tombs.

Bai Sheng, nicknamed "White Day Rat," used to specialize in digging sewers.

Some might ask, where did the Song Dynasty get its sewer system?

In fact, sewers were not uncommon in ancient times; they existed as early as the Xia Dynasty or even earlier.

Before the Han Dynasty, these earthenware pipes specifically designed to ensure drainage were generally 0.2-0.3m in length. By the Tang Dynasty, "Dragon Head Canals" with a width of 1.1m and a depth of 1.4m had appeared, but they were used for water supply rather than drainage.

The Fushou Ditch of the Song Dynasty was a combined sewer system, about 0.6 to 1 meter wide and 1.6 to 2 meters high, allowing people to walk upright, similar to modern sewers.

In large cities during the Song Dynasty, sewers were not uncommon.

Because of his small stature, Bai Sheng, nicknamed "White Day Rat," was able to crawl into sewers, so he had participated in the repair of the sewers in Jeju City throughout history and was very knowledgeable about this area.

Then, the other person was Tao Zongwang, the "Nine-Tailed Turtle," who was a master of civil engineering at Liangshan Marsh and one of the Four Heroes of Huangmen Mountain.

He was always in charge of the civil engineering work at Liangshan Marsh. In the original novel, when Song Jiang first assigned the duties of generals and officers, he ordered Tao Zongwang to be the chief supervisor, to dig waterways, repair waterways, open canals, repair the city walls of Wanzi, and build the main road in front of the mountain, making Liangshan Marsh as solid as a rock.

He was also very good at digging tunnels, so the two of them had to go.

As for the remaining participants, some skilled individuals are needed. They should all be bandits with high combat prowess, and they must be good at foot combat, since this is in the city and they need to dig tunnels, so they can't ride horses.

Secondly, one must be clever and find a way to sneak into the city and hide before taking action. People with overly obvious features are not suitable to go, such as the "Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen with his shiny bald head, the "Blue-Faced Beast" Yang Zhi with his unlucky face, and the "Red-Haired Devil" Liu Tang with a birthmark on his face.

Therefore, after much deliberation, Li Hanxiao appointed Shi Xiu, known as "Desperate Saburo," as his general, ordering this courageous, intelligent, and resourceful man to lead the team into the city to rescue Chao Gai, the "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King."

His skilled accomplices include "Iron-Backed Wolf" Shan Shiqi, who is now quite adept at footwork and staff techniques, and whose unremarkable appearance makes him easy to blend in; "Purple-Faced General" Zhang Xiong, who surrendered to Tian Hu and is a blacksmith by trade, who can impersonate a blacksmith to enter the city; and "Two-Headed Snake" Xie Zhen and "Double-Tailed Scorpion" Xie Bao, who can simply impersonate hunters selling their prey to enter the city.

With the five of them on the job, plus "Nine-Tailed Turtle" Tao Zongwang and "White Day Rat" Bai Sheng, that would be enough.

The next morning, taking advantage of the fact that the city gates of Jeju Prefecture were only open for two hours, these people sneaked into Jeju City one after another.

Once they arrived in the city, they agreed to meet at the shop where "White Day Rat" Bai Sheng was staying, a spot that Bai Sheng had scouted out beforehand.

He discovered that near the Jeju prison, there was an abandoned temple where even the statues and plaques were gone, leaving only the original altar still standing there.

This place is a detached house with its own courtyard, and it's secluded and rarely visited. It's also not far to dig a tunnel here, making it the most suitable location.

After discussing it, the group decided to act immediately. They sneaked into the dilapidated temple, where there was a dry well that led to a dried-up underground riverbed, saving them a lot of effort.

Several men took turns keeping watch and digging, working from morning until sunset, and finally they were almost through.

Meanwhile, in the prison of Jeju Prefecture, "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai was not being tortured as one might expect. Instead, his wounds had been bandaged, and he was sleeping in a single cell with a table of food and wine laid out in front of him.

Upon closer inspection, the meal was quite lavish: a plate of stewed carp, a plate of sesame flatbread, a plate of green vegetables, a whole roasted chicken, a plate of river shrimp, and a jar of wine on the side.

This prison time is really comfortable!

Why? Because Chao Gai, the "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King," had acquaintances here, and Song Jiang, the "Righteous Protector," was in this city of Jizhou.

Previously, when Liangshan attacked Jizhou City, Song Jiang kept asking for leave because his unrestrained debauchery with Yan Poxi had made him too weak, and he almost fainted from exhaustion the night before.

Therefore, this shameful matter could not be spread, so he took sick leave and stayed at home, taking a few days of tonifying pills before he recovered a little and was finally able to get out of bed.

He also heard about a series of events: Gao Lian's defeat and death, the internal strife in Jin Ding Huang Yue in Jizhou City, Hua Bao Yan's capture, Liangshan Marsh's several victories, and so on.

It's truly a case of "a day in bed is like a thousand years in the outside world"...

Of course, after hearing that his close friend and elder brother, "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai, had been captured alive, "Hu Baoyi" Song Jiang also came here immediately to visit Chao Gai.

With his protection, Chao Gai, the "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King," naturally didn't have too bad a time in prison.

"Brother, please drink this cup to the brim. I'll keep you company!"

To be fair, Song Jiang wasn't entirely a bad or good person; he was genuinely loyal, especially to Chao Gai, whom he treated with true kindness.

Back in the original novel, when the birthday tribute incident at Huangni Ridge occurred, if it weren't for Song Jiang, the "Righteous Protector," risking his life to warn Chao Gai and his gang, Chao Gai and his group would certainly not have survived.

It was precisely because of this incident that Yan Poxi eventually found out, leading to Song Jiang killing her and being exiled to Jiangzhou. This event caused a dramatic change in Song Jiang's entire life...

From then on, Song Jiang never expressed much regret. In his mind, going to great lengths for a friend was probably nothing extraordinary.

This indirectly refutes the conspiracy theories of later generations that Song Jiang sent someone to shoot and kill "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai in Zengtou City...

Song Jiang had absolutely no need for this.

"Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai picked up his wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp, slamming the bottom of the bowl heavily on the wooden table: "Brother, you just asked me why I became a bandit. Do you know about the torrential rains on the Yellow River last month? Chief Li was right there on the Yellow River. He dared to blow up the dikes built by Grand Marshal Yang Jian to release the floodwaters for the people, while those yamen runners were collecting tolls on the city walls—five strings of copper coins for each person to climb over the walls to avoid the flood. Grand Marshal Yang was only concerned with preserving his own land; he didn't care about the lives of the common people!"

As Chao Gai spoke, his eyes reddened, and as he tore apart the chicken leg, his fingers left deep marks on the roast chicken.

Having witnessed firsthand what it's like for ordinary people during a major flood, he naturally admired Li Hanxiao even more after learning about this incident.

Song Jiang stroked his beard and smiled bitterly: "Brother, are you referring to the incident of the breached dike in Pucheng, Shaanxi? I ​​never imagined it was Li Hanxiao's doing... I heard about it last month when it happened. I heard that the local people who knew his identity had erected a stone tablet on the riverbank inscribed 'Li Gong Dike'... but it was toppled by the government..."

At this point, Song Jiang suddenly coughed violently, a sickly flush rising on his pale face. "But the imperial court is, after all, the imperial court… Just the other day, Prefect Zhang said he would petition the emperor to send a large army to suppress the bandits…"

“I, Chao Gai, have only ever valued the word ‘righteousness’ in my life. But Chief Li told me that brotherhood is a minor righteousness, while serving the country and the people is a major righteousness. Now that the country is not just and I cannot stand up for the people, I must serve the people for the greater good. Even if I die, I will have no regrets!”

At this moment, in Song Jiang's eyes, the image of this "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" was incredibly tall, truly resembling the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li who held up a magnificent pagoda...

Perhaps, deep down, Song Jiang knew that Chao Gai was right, and even that Li Han was right to laugh at him, but...

A hint of indifference flashed in Song Jiang's eyes; perhaps he, too, hated his current self...

Just then, a loud, earth-shaking sound came from beneath the ground, and a large iron shovel burst forth from the earth!

Chao Gai and Song Jiang were both startled. In an instant, several shovels were used to widen the opening, making the cell dusty and causing both of them to cough incessantly.

"who?"

The wine bowl in Song Jiang's hand clattered to the ground.

He watched as Shi Xiu, the "Desperate Saburo," and Xie Zhen, the "Two-Headed Snake," emerged one after another from the tunnel entrance. Suddenly, he staggered back to the wall, his official robe sweeping over a candlestick.

"King Chao, we've come to save you!"

After saying this, Shi Xiu raised his knife to chop Song Jiang up.

"Wait a minute, brother!"

Chao Gai held Shi Xiu's hand, preventing him from striking with his knife.

In the flickering firelight, the face of "Filial and Righteous Black Third Brother" flashed between light and shadow, finally settling into a long sigh: "Brother, go quickly... Farewell, brother will not stop you..."

As he spoke, Song Jiang slammed his head against the prison door, knocking himself unconscious.

In this way, he could escape responsibility even if Chao Gai ran away.

From deep within the tunnel came the muffled shout of "Nine-Tailed Turtle" Tao Zongwang: "Chao Tianwang, hurry! We don't want to be discovered!"

Chao Gai looked deeply at the lying Song Jiang, then followed the others into the tunnel.