Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

The next day, Zhu Gui learned that Huang An had killed fewer than a thousand people who escaped back to Jizhou Prefecture. The people of Jizhou Prefecture said that Liangshan Marsh had divine assistance, and that they were beaten to a pulp by Erlang Shen, the True Lord of Manifestation, and the six brothers of Meishan, who were accompanied by hawks and dogs.

"Haha, I didn't expect this to be so convincing! I'm just using the True Lord's name to my advantage!"

Li Hanxiao understood that he was using a three-pointed double-edged sword, so the common people imagined him as Erlang Shen, the True Lord of Manifestation. Since he also had six leaders with him, they were regarded as the Six Brothers of Meishan: Kangzhuang, Yao, Li, the Four Grand Commandants, and Guo, Shen, Zhi, and Jian, the Two Generals.

"This great victory is enough to deter the government troops. Even if Huang An recovers from his injuries, it will take him at least half a year. During these six months, we need to focus on development."

Wen Huanzhang said.

“That’s right. Brother Liu Tang mentioned the birthday tribute before. In my opinion, we should take the money from the birthday tribute first and use it for our mountain stronghold!”

In the past two days, Li Hanxiao discovered that Liangshan Marsh's current funds were becoming somewhat tight. The reason was that after Ling Zhen, nicknamed "Thunderbolt," joined Liangshan, he began to experiment with firearms day and night based on the various blueprints that Li Hanxiao had improved for him.

His experiments required a large amount of gunpowder, as well as various mineral materials such as gold, silver, copper, and iron, which was quite expensive.

His research is quite important, and Li Hanxiao has to support it even if it means selling everything he owns. Recently, he really needs to increase revenue and cut expenses, and find some ways to make money!

"No, I don't think this is appropriate."

At this point, Wen Huanzhang offered a suggestion that contradicted Li Hanxiao's.

"What? Does Mr. Wen not approve of taking this birthday tribute?"

Li Han asked with a smile.

"No, it's not that I don't approve of taking the birthday tribute, but that we can't take it. As the saying goes, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. If we rob the birthday tribute, we'll be too conspicuous and the court will easily target us. The birthday tribute is different from others; it's a gift from Grand Tutor Cai and Secretary Liang. These two have quite a few troops under their command. If they come to attack us, I'm afraid Liangshan won't be able to withstand it for the time being."

Wen Huanzhang understood that secrets don't stay hidden forever. The theft of the birthday gifts would eventually come to light, attracting the imperial army, which would be beyond what Liangshan Marsh could handle at present.

"In my opinion, most people in the martial arts world are still unaware of the news about the birthday tribute. Why don't we deliberately leak this information to some mountain kings who have territory on the way to Tokyo before the birthday tribute, so that they will rush to grab it first?"

Before Wen Huanzhang could finish speaking, Li Hanxiao understood his meaning: "Mr. Wen means to let them muddy the waters and draw the court's attention to them. Then we can act like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Whoever wins the birthday tribute in the end, we'll rob them!"

"That's right, but my plan is also a two-birds-with-one-stone strategy. The one escorting the birthday tribute is Yang Zhi, the famous 'Blue-Faced Beast' in the martial arts world. He is a descendant of the Yang family generals and has served as a palace guard officer. He has a deep family background and is quite capable. The soldiers escorting the tribute must be one in a million, one in a thousand. If these mountain stronghold leaders try to rob it by force, they will inevitably lose a few men and suffer serious injuries, which will weaken their strength. Then we can take over these strongholds one by one and strengthen our forces even more!"

Wen Huanzhang's plan was to kill two birds with one stone. First, the strength of Yang Zhi's escort team would be worn down by these bird kings, and then these mountain strongholds would also suffer heavy losses under Yang Zhi's command.

In the end, it was a classic case of the snipe and the clam fighting, with Li Han emerging victorious.

"Okay, let's do it like this!"

Li Hanxiao already had a plan in mind. Yang Zhi was escorting the birthday tribute to Tokyo by land, which passed through many bandit-infested areas such as Zijin Mountain, Erlong Mountain, Taohua Mountain, Sangai Mountain, Huangnigang, Baishawu, Yeyundu, and Chisonglin. He just needed to leak this information to them.

Li Hanxiao first summoned "Dryland Crocodile" Zhu Gui and asked him to go to Jizhou City to find a lazy man named "White Day Rat" Bai Sheng and bring him up the mountain.

How could Li Hanxiao forget that Chao Gai, the "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King," and Wu Yong, the "Strategist," who originally robbed the birthday gifts in the book, were not far from him?

Originally, they were supposed to be a group of seven heroes, but Li Hanxiao intercepted four of them. Gongsun Sheng wouldn't go to inform them now, as they have more important things to do.

These two men, "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai, are well-known figures in the martial arts world. There is no way he would submit to Li Hanxiao's command, otherwise Li Hanxiao would have invited him to Liangshan long ago.

As for this "wise strategist" Wu Yong, he is indeed intelligent, but he is too cunning and ruthless in his actions, so Li Hanxiao doesn't like him much.

If Wu Yong were willing to stay at Liangshan, Li Hanxiao wouldn't mind having one more. However, since Wen Huanzhang was already on the mountain, Wu Yong was dispensable. Moreover, Li Hanxiao understood that Wu Yong was too vicious, and he estimated that the two of them would not be able to tolerate each other.

However, if Wu Yong is not used by Li Hanxiao but by someone else, it would be a considerable problem for Li Hanxiao.

Therefore, Li Hanxiao wanted to use Bai Sheng to convey the message about the birthday tribute to the two of them, to see if they dared to organize another team to rob the birthday tribute.

If they have such abilities, then the two of them will inevitably block Li Hanxiao's path in the future. When they meet, if there is no possibility of them being used by Li Hanxiao, then they will naturally be eliminated.

If the two of them didn't have the guts to rob the birthday gifts, it would prove that they were unwilling to take any risks since the Seven Stars couldn't be fully gathered in the original story. They were disheartened and probably would just stay in Dongxi Village as a schoolteacher and village head, posing no threat to Li Hanxiao, so there was no need to pay them any attention.

In fact, Li Hanxiao had a good opinion of "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai. After all, he was a loyal and righteous man, but he was short-tempered, not a good leader, and unwilling to be subordinate to others.

If he can genuinely assist Li Hanxiao, Li Hanxiao will be willing to accept him.

Zhu Gui was very efficient. He took two henchmen to Jeju Island and brought back "White Day Rat" Bai Sheng in less than two hours.

Bai Sheng was so frightened that his face turned pale. He really couldn't understand how he, a lazy bum and gambling addict, had offended these mountain bandits and been kidnapped here. Although he owed gambling debts, he hadn't borrowed money from loan sharks!

"You rascal, nicknamed the Daytime Rat, rats that come out during the day should be bold, how come you're so timid?"

Li Han smiled as he looked at Bai Sheng's state, untying the ropes binding him as he mocked him.

"Your Majesty, I... I don't know where I have offended you."

As soon as the rope was untied, Bai Sheng, whose legs had long since given way, immediately knelt on the ground.

"Why are you kneeling? Get up and speak!"

"No, this feels more comfortable!"

Bai Sheng was still trembling like a leaf.

"Bai Sheng, let me tell you, I am Li Hanxiao from Liangshan stronghold, who slaughtered Huang An's army a few days ago. I captured you not to kill you, but to ask you to do something. If you do it, I will settle your gambling debts, and you can even come up the mountain and sit in a chair."

Li Hanxiao knew that although this "White Day Rat" seemed like a spineless person, he had actually just followed the wrong person and was quite a promising individual. In the original story, even when he was severely tortured, he did not betray his friends. He only confessed to Chao Gai, whom the Jizhou government knew about and who had participated in the robbery of the birthday gifts. He did not betray anyone else.

After joining Liangshan, this guy followed the right banner and completely changed his ways. He also started leading troops into battle, reporting military secrets, shooting arrows over Gaolian, and risking his life to roll down a cliff to report the news in Qingshiyu to save his brothers. He survived by the skin of his teeth and was no coward.

If Li Hanxiao trained someone like that, he would be more than qualified to be an investigator or spy.

"Ah? Your Majesty, what does Your Majesty want me to do?"

Bai Sheng was stunned. He really didn't understand what use he was to Li Hanxiao.

"It's very simple. You know Chao Baozheng from Dongxi Village, right? Just take a load of wine to his village and sell it. When he comes out to buy wine, sell it to him and tell him you've overheard..."

Upon hearing this, Bai Sheng roughly understood Li Hanxiao's meaning, but he still had a question, "Your Majesty, what if Chao Baozheng is unwilling to buy this wine...?"

Li Han smiled slightly and said, "First, let the gatekeeper taste this wine, then say that it is good wine, that he knows Bao Zheng likes it, and that he specially brought it to sell to Bao Zheng. Tell the gatekeeper to take it to Chao Gai to taste, and he will definitely come to see you after he has tasted it!"

Li Hanxiao planned to have him carry two buckets of distilled liquor he had produced on his own mountain to Dongxi Village. Chao Gai was a man who loved alcohol, and his men knew this. As long as they tasted the liquor and informed Chao Gai, the matter would be settled.

"Bai Sheng, you're just a lazy bum, gambling and begging for money every day. When will this ever end? Finish this job and come to Liangshan. I guarantee you'll drink and eat meat every day. Isn't that better than digging up city walls during the day?"

As Li Han smiled, he picked up a leg of lamb from the side and handed it to Bai Shengdao, saying, "Eat your fill before you go."

Bai Sheng swallowed hard. What Li Hanxiao said was incredibly appealing to him, a layabout. He didn't have any grand ambitions; being able to eat and wear comfortably on Liangshan was enough for him.

Li Han smiled and waved his hand, pointing at Bai Sheng, who was tearing into a lamb leg, and said, "Brother Ma Lin, you and he will go down the mountain to Dongxi Village later and keep an eye on him secretly. If he dares to... hmph..."

As Li Hanxiao spoke, he made a throat-slitting gesture, startling Bai Sheng, who was swallowing meat. Bai Sheng was so startled that a mouthful of mutton got stuck in his throat, neither going up nor down, feeling extremely awkward.

After Bai Sheng finished eating the mutton and washed his oily hands, he picked up two wine barrels under the supervision of "Iron Flute Immortal" Ma Lin and headed down the mountain straight for Dongxi Village.

Upon arriving at Dongxi Village, Ma Lin noticed that Chao Gai's manor covered a considerable area and was located at the eastern end of the village. He saw a teahouse nearby, so he put on a straw hat to cover himself and drank tea there while keeping an eye on Bai Sheng, where he had a wide field of vision.

Bai Sheng picked up the wine barrel and headed straight for the entrance of Chao Baozheng's manor. Although Bai Sheng had some flaws, his acting skills were naturally good. Despite not being trained, he managed to trick Yang Zhi on Huangni Ridge into being drugged without revealing the slightest flaw.

Such a person would be considered a genius performing artist in later generations, but unfortunately, he did not have a place to showcase his talents in the Song Dynasty.

Seeing Bai Sheng carrying the wine barrels to the gate, where two gatekeepers were sitting and enjoying the cool air, Bai Sheng clearly recognized one of them. He put down the wine barrels and asked, "Li Dalang, how have you been lately?"

Li Dalang recognized Bai Sheng and replied, "It's Bai Dalang. What brings you to the village head's manor today?"

Bai Sheng, with a smile on his face, patted the wine barrel and said, "I got two barrels of good wine from a merchant in Daming Prefecture. I know that the village head is the most knowledgeable about wine in the surrounding area. Selling it to others would be a waste. So I brought these to sell to the village head. Please do me a favor and inform him!"

"What? You're not short of money, so you've gotten some more village fermented wine to cheat the village head?"

Upon hearing this, Li Dalang became alert, stood up, and looked at the two barrels of wine. It seemed that, according to his words, Bai Sheng had a history of selling inferior goods as superior ones to Chao Gai...

"How could this be! How could this be! Come, come, you two brothers, have a bowl too. You can tell from your own noses whether my wine is good or not!"

Without further ado, Bai Sheng picked up a gourd ladle, filled it with wine, and brought it closer for the two to see.

"Wow! What a powerful drink!"

Before the two even got close, they could smell an extremely strong aroma of alcohol, a rich fragrance that ancient low-alcohol wines could not possess. Li Dalang took a sip, smacked his lips, and exclaimed, "Good wine! It really is good wine!"

The person next to him tasted it and kept praising it.

"This is good wine, not a lie to the guarantor. But if the guarantor wants this wine..."

Li Dalang's words were vague, but Bai Sheng understood what he meant. The gatekeeper system had been around for two or three thousand years. If you wanted to do something through a gatekeeper, you had to give him some money, otherwise you wouldn't even be able to get through the door.

"I understand. After selling this wine, there will be a share for both of you!"

After hearing what Bai Sheng said, Li Dalang scooped up a ladle of wine and went inside for Chao Gai to taste.

A moment later, Ma Lin saw that "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King" Chao Gai indeed came out of the manor, patted Bai Sheng on the shoulder, and said loudly, "Good wine! Good wine! Where did you, White-Day Rat, get such good wine!"

"This is a fine wine that I obtained from a merchant in Daming Prefecture. As soon as I got it, I thought of the village head and sent it over early this morning."

Bai Sheng smiled apologetically.

Chao Gai pointed at Bai Sheng and said, "You just want more money, don't you? Your wine is good, you'll get your share. How about fifteen taels of silver for these two barrels?"

"Good! Good!"

As Chao Gai spoke, he handed a bag of silver to Bai Sheng. Bai Sheng took the silver, counted it, and acted quite mercenary, which did not arouse suspicion.

"If you ever have such fine wine again, send it to me, and I'll make sure you get your money!"

Chao Gai directed the servants to bring the wine into the manor, but Bai Sheng spoke up, his voice full of melancholy, "Alas, what a pity, the village head doesn't know that this wine we drink today may not be able to drink again in the future!"

Chao Gai was very puzzled. "Why can't we eat it? Could it be that something bad happened to the brewer, and he died?"