Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

When Chao Gai, the "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King," and his companions arrived at the abandoned temple and climbed out of the well, their plan to break into the prison through a tunnel was discovered, and now the entire city is hunting them down.

Right there in the tunnel, a daring official even followed, but before he could climb out of the well, he was stabbed to death inside by "Two-Headed Snake" Xie Zhen with a steel fork.

Just as Chao Gai, the "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King," and his companions were about to rush out of the dilapidated temple, the city of Jizhou was already in an uproar.

A rapid gong sounded from the direction of the East Gate, and seven or eight rockets streaked diagonally across the night sky, illuminating the bluestone road with flickering light.

"White Day Rat" Bai Sheng grabbed a broken incense burner from the temple and smashed it from the well opening at the pursuers coming up through the tunnel. "Nine-Tailed Turtle" Tao Zongwang stabbed the dry well twice with his shovel, and the incense burner and the collapsed bricks and stones immediately blocked the tunnel entrance.

"Kill out!"

Shi Xiu, the "Desperate Saburo," drew his twin swords, their cold light gleaming, and was the first to smash open the temple door.

Five armed soldiers emerged from the street corner. He rolled away on the ground, slicing off the horses' legs with his left hand and then flicking his right hand upwards, the bloody tip of the knife piercing through the soldiers' chins.

"Iron-backed Wolf" Shan Shiqi swept his iron rod like a whirlwind, sending two shield-wielding constables flying and crashing into the wall, blood seeping from the cracks in the bricks.

"Two-Headed Snake" Xie Zhen and "Double-Tailed Scorpion" Xie Bao's steel forks crossed, the fork teeth jamming the enemy's weapon and twisting it violently. The instructor whose weapon was caught could only stagger and lunge uncontrollably, just as "Purple-Faced General" Zhang Xiong's forty-pound iron hammer struck his face, red and white substances splattering onto everyone's bodies.

Since "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai had just been released from prison and did not yet have any weapons, the others did not allow him to participate in the fighting.

Seven heroes, protecting "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai, had just turned the corner of the dye shop street when they ran into more than twenty patrolling soldiers.

"They're prison breakers!"

Before the lead soldier's exclamation had even faded, "Desperate Saburo" Shi Xiu had already leaped into the crowd like a hawk, his two willow-leaf knives entangled three long spears, the blades sliding upwards along the spear shafts, and three thumbs flying into the night sky in unison.

This "daredevil" doesn't care about moves; he only targets vital spots like fingers and eyes.

The brothers, Xie Zhen, nicknamed "Two-Headed Snake," and Xie Bao, nicknamed "Two-Tailed Scorpion," blocked the alleyway back to back, wielding their two steel forks in a tightly packed manner.

Those who came from hunter backgrounds knew best how to fight when cornered. They would use their forks to target the soldiers' knees. One junior officer, who was carrying a shield and a knife, charged forward too fiercely. Suddenly, "Double-Tailed Scorpion" Xie Bao lowered his body and swept his fork horizontally. The steel fork teeth caught the lower edge of the shield and lifted it up. In the instant the shield flew up, "Two-Headed Snake" Xie Zhen's fork tip had already pierced into the opponent's throat.

"Fire is breaking out! Fire is breaking out!"

Tao Zongwang, nicknamed "Nine-Tailed Turtle," suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, swatting two soldiers away with his shovel and then splashing the madder dye drying in the nearby dyehouse at the pursuers.

Despite his humble origins and seemingly dim-witted appearance, he is actually quite intelligent. In the current situation, the more chaos he creates, the more he can distract the government troops, and the safer they will be.

"Iron-backed Wolf" Shan Shiqi understood, and swept his iron rod across, knocking over the lantern. Sparks, tinged with dye, shot up a wall of fire ten feet high.

Amidst the purple smoke, "Purple-Faced General" Zhang Xiong swung a forty-pound iron hammer, smashing through the enemies in front of him. He then led his men into the backyard of the silk shop and charged forward.

"Desperate Saburo" Shi Xiu threw his twin swords with a backhand, pinning two archers who were about to draw their bows to their deaths. The sound of blades piercing flesh and bowstrings snapping rang out simultaneously.

Taking advantage of the situation, "White Day Rat" Bai Sheng leaped onto the dye vat, grabbed a piece of indigo cloth that was drying, and smothered it over the pursuers' heads. "Iron-Backed Wolf" Shan Shiqi then smashed it down with his iron rod like a pestle, and blood immediately bloomed under the cloth. Cloth dyed with this kind of dye must have a unique flavor...

"Take the path along the west wall!"

Tao Zongwang, nicknamed "Nine-Tailed Turtle," rushed forward, tapped his shovel against a wall, listened to the sound, and nodded. Zhang Xiong immediately stepped forward with his hammer and cleaved the brick wall in two.

The wall collapsed with a crash, and half a rat's tail was clearly visible among the broken bricks—this man, who was used to digging tunnels, could even predict the direction of the rat's burrow and knew it just by the sound.

This wall isn't sturdy; we'll just break it down. Otherwise, taking a detour will take a lot of time, and who knows how much longer it will take to get through. The longer we waste time, the more trouble we'll cause.

"Two-headed snake" Jie Zhen used a steel fork to knock away the lanterns under the eaves, and the flames landed on the cloth soaked in tung oil, instantly causing a three-zhang-high wall of fire to rise up along the entire street.

It is said that this dye shop was run by a local tyrant in Jizhou City. This man was also a wicked man, so destroying his business to cut off his lineage did not actually make the Liangshan heroes feel any guilt.

"Purple-faced General" Zhang Xiong swung his hammer and smashed open the last fence in front of him. The forty-pound iron hammer sparked as it struck the stone slab. The crowd protected "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai and they squeezed into the narrow alley.

The East Gate tower was already in sight. This was the place where everyone had agreed with Li Hanxiao. Li Hanxiao and his men would attack the East Gate from the outside, using cannons to blast open a path for everyone to escape, and the rescue team would emerge from here.

At that moment, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly rang out from the end of the alley. "Jinmaohu" Yan Shun led a troop of men that surged in like an iron torrent, blocking the east gate, but standing like an iron gate across the street.

Although the incident happened suddenly, Zhang Zhongxiong was not stupid. He did not know where these people ran after breaking into the prison, but as long as he had his men guard the four gates of Jeju City, he could cut off their usual means of leaving the city.

The one who came to defend the east gate was none other than "Jade-haired Tiger" Yan Shun.

To be honest, the repeated defeats made Yan Shun, nicknamed "Golden-haired Tiger," feel an almost subconscious headache whenever he looked at the people of Liangshan Marsh.

However, he could not forget that when he was on Qingfeng Mountain, his mountain stronghold was destroyed and his brother "White-Faced Gentleman" Zheng Tianshou was killed, all of which were done by Liangshan Marsh.

Therefore, his hatred emboldened him to charge forward.

The "Golden-haired Tiger's" broadsword carried the ruthlessness of a thief, its blade flashing like a bolt of lightning, aimed straight at the face of Zhang Xiong, the "Purple-faced General" charging at the forefront.

Of course, he dared to do this because he had never seen "Purple-Faced General" Zhang Xiong in the Liangshan army before, and Yan Shun really wanted to pick on the weak.

Unfortunately, "Purple-Faced General" Zhang Xiong was no pushover either!

Instead of retreating, Zhang Xiong, the "Purple-Faced General" who came from a blacksmith background, advanced, raising his iron hammer from bottom to top, the hammerhead colliding with the blade and sparks flying.

Yan Shun felt a numbness in his tiger's mouth. Before he could strike with his second knife, Zhang Xiong suddenly spun around and rushed into the inner circle, the end of the hammer handle heavily pressing against his Tanzhong acupoint.

"Ugh!"

"Golden-haired Tiger" Yan Shun was knocked off his horse by "Purple-faced General" Zhang Xiong before they even exchanged three blows, and he lay motionless on the ground.

Zhang Xiong, the "Purple-Faced General," thought he had killed him, so he didn't finish him off.

In reality, this "Golden-haired Tiger" Yan Shun was faking his death!

After exchanging only one move, Yan Shun, nicknamed "Golden-haired Tiger," already realized the significant disparity in strength between the two sides. However, since they had already engaged in combat, he couldn't just wait to die.

As a result, Zhang Xiong immediately hit him. He was indeed injured, but it was definitely not fatal. However, in order to survive, he decided to play dead!

Suddenly, the clapper on the city wall changed its tune, and three ballistae fired simultaneously.

An iron arrow, as thick as a child's arm, pierced the air along with its chain, its tip gleaming a ghostly blue in the moonlight—clearly poisoned!

Seeing that their comrades below could not effectively stop them, the defenders on the city wall took action.

Tao Zongwang, nicknamed "Nine-Tailed Turtle," used his shovel to propel himself into the air, the shovel blade slamming into an arrow and the recoil cracking the handle. Two other arrows pierced a nearby rice shop, causing sacks to burst and white rice to spill out like a waterfall.

The third arrow grazed his hair, and three strands of hair that flew off were pinned to the gold lettering of "Yongfeng Grain Shop".

At the same time, chaos broke out on the city wall. Judging from the reaction, reinforcements from Liangshan Marsh had arrived, and now the government troops were also preoccupied with their own problems!

At that very moment, Ling Zhen's cannons roared, the first shot shattering the western arrow tower, the flying bricks smashing the ballistae into a bloody pulp; the second shot precisely pierced the bolt hole, the iron-clad city gate collapsed in the horrified eyes of the crowd, flying wooden spikes piercing the eyes of the pursuers, screams and the aftershocks of the third shot echoing for a long time in the barbican.

The city gate had been blown apart by more than half of its structure. Although it hadn't collapsed entirely, the half-destroyed gate was enough for them to escape through.

Guan Sheng, known as "Big Saber," rode his Red Hare out of the smoke of battle, his Green Dragon Crescent Blade flashing like a moon.

As the blade passed, three chevaux-de-frise as thick as bowls snapped in unison, splinters of wood raining down on the pursuers and embedding themselves deeply into the iron shields.

"Brothers, retreat!"

"Big Knife!" Guan Sheng shouted loudly.

"Two-Headed Snake" Xie Zhen used a steel fork to lift sandbags and block the alleyway, while "Iron-Backed Wolf" Shan Shiqi swept his iron rod across and overturned two large oil drums at the entrance of the rice shop and grain store, throwing a tinder on them. The burning vegetable oil flowed down the cracks in the ground, forming a river of fire and creating a sea of ​​fire.

"White-Day Rat" Bai Sheng, carrying "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai, darted out from the shadows of the doorway. Suddenly, a captain wielding a chain spear appeared from the side, the spearhead like a poisonous dragon aimed straight at "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai's back.

No one in the Jeju Prefecture government army had ever seen this person before, so he probably wasn't a big shot.

"A sneak attack! You have no sportsmanship!"

Tao Zongwang, nicknamed "Nine-Tailed Turtle," managed to stop the chain with his shovel just in time. Zhang Xiong, nicknamed "Purple-Faced General," arrived with his hammer, smashing the chain spear into the bluestone slab. The constable was sent flying into the sea of ​​fire, instantly becoming a human torch.

The fire man rolled around in the street, igniting more buildings and things, but it saved them a lot of effort.

"Destroy the suspension bridge!"

I don't know who's in charge, but they're so clever. If the gate can't stop them, then they'll destroy the drawbridge too, so they can't cross the moat. Then when reinforcements arrive, they'll still be able to capture them.

It seemed as if countless large rocks were being hurled at their suspension bridge, and with a deafening roar, the bridge, unable to withstand the weight, snapped in half.

Their path was blocked, and the moat was too wide for them to jump over. After all, not everyone is "Winged Tiger" Lei Heng.

At that very moment, Ruan Xiaoer's fishing boat, nicknamed "Standing Earthly Tai Sui," suddenly emerged from the waterway leading from the moat to the outside world.

Li Hanxiao also thought that he would need an online army to help him with this.

"Brothers, get on board!"

As the great savior "Standing Tai Sui" Ruan Xiaoer shouted, the fishing lamp on the bow of the boat flickered on and off three times. "White Day Rat" Bai Sheng took the lead, stepping on the floating corpses to cross the river and jumping onto the boat. Tao Zongwang swatted away two cold arrows with his shovel, the shovel already covered with arrows like a hedgehog.

You could say he could use a convenient multi-shovel as a weapon, but shovels are really not sturdy!

As everyone leaped onto the deck, arrows suddenly rained down from the city walls like locusts. "Iron-Backed Wolf" Shan Shiqi wielded his iron rod like a windmill, and the knocked-down arrow shafts piled up like firewood at the bow of the boat.

Jie Zhen used his steel fork to pick up a wet blanket that had been prepared on the boat beforehand, using it as a shield. The two brothers held it up with their steel forks, creating a defensive barrier.

Many of these arrows were flaming arrows, which hissed and steamed as they entered the water, their aim being to set the ships ablaze.

However, this ship was no ordinary vessel. It was covered in copper plates, making it resistant to fire attacks. It was specially designed by Ruan Xiaoer, known as the "Standing Earth God," to prevent fire attacks.

The most dangerous arrow was aimed straight at Chao Gai's throat, but "Desperate Saburo" Shi Xiu turned around and bit the arrow shaft. He then used his steel knife to flick it back, sending it flying. The flying knife energy severed the rope of the flagpole on the city wall three zhang away, and the "Zhang" flag fell directly into the moat.

"Purple-faced General" Zhang Xiong swung his iron hammer, which had a hidden iron chain inside the handle that could be pulled to transform into a giant meteor hammer. He aimed at the ballista on the city wall and threw it out in one go.

This hammer blow was just like the earth-shattering hammer blow that Zhang Liang, the Marquis of Liu of Han, delivered when he led a strongman to assassinate Qin Shi Huang at Bolangsha in Hebei during the Qin and Han dynasties!

This hammer blow shattered the ballista. The iron chain wrapped around half of the ballista, and the moment it was pulled down, Ling Zhen's fourth shot, "Thunderclap," accurately hit the watchtower on the city tower. The burning beams collapsed half of the stairs on the city wall, blocking the last pursuers' path.

Now that the drawbridge is broken and we can't get up the city wall, let's see how they chase us!

"Standing Tai Sui" Ruan Xiaoer directly steered his small boat into the waterway, then went ashore to meet up with "Big Knife" Guan Sheng and "Thunderbolt" Ling Zhen.

"How are the Zhu Jing brothers?"

Chao Gai, the "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King," was imprisoned here for half a day. Previously, on the battlefield, he had only seen Zhu Jing being shot by "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong's arrow, and he really didn't know whether "Drilling Spear" Zhu Jing was still alive.

Shi Xiu, the "Desperate Saburo," shook his head, while Chao Gai, the "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King," couldn't help but sigh and exclaim in regret.

After all, Zhu Jing, the "Sky-Piercing Spear," was very skilled in martial arts, which meant he wasn't afraid to engage in close combat with Hua Rong, the "Little Li Guang," in a real fight.

Unfortunately, that damned "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong actually launched a sneak attack...

"Chao Tianwang, the reason we brought you out is to send you and two other captains, Zhu Tong and Lei Heng, to lead men to attack Yuncheng County. You should be mentally prepared. You are a local, so attacking the city is secondary; attacking the hearts of the people is the best strategy!"

Guan Sheng informed Chao Gai, the "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King," in advance.

"Is the chieftain going to attack Yuncheng County?"

"Indeed, the imperial army will surely arrive. We need to find a place to slow down their offensive!"