Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

"Hey, brother, you can't say that. I eat steamed buns for every meal. If someone asked me, 'Why don't you grow taller from eating steamed buns?' wouldn't you be getting shorter?"

Wu Dalang responded to Cao Zhenglai, the "knife-wielding ghost," with a humorous remark. However, what he didn't know was that the wine and food he had drunk and eaten earlier had all been spiked by Zhu Gui, the "dryland thief." Just then, the drug took effect, and he collapsed onto the stool with a "crunch."

"Brother Zhu Gui, this is truly a wonderful medicine! Quickly take him up the mountain!"

The lord and Cao Zheng then carried Wu Dalang to the lakeside. Zhu Gui fired a signal arrow, and the three Ruan men came to meet them and brought Wu Dalang up the mountain.

At this time, Li Hanxiao was not on the mountain. He had already seized the opportunity and led "Leopard Head" Lin Chong, "Golden Wings of the Clouds" Ou Peng, "Iron Flute Immortal" Ma Lin, "Fire-Eyed Lion" Deng Fei, "Thunderbolt" Ling Zhen and five hundred henchmen to attack Qingfeng Mountain.

However, since Wu Song is still on Liangshan Mountain, it is appropriate for him to take care of his elder brother.

Meanwhile, Li Hanxiao was leading his troops on the march when he heard that Liang Zhongshu's search for those who had seized the birthday gifts was still incomplete, but he was certain that it was the work of a group of bandits.

So he wrote to his father-in-law, Grand Tutor Cai Jing, ordering all prefectures and counties to launch a large-scale campaign to suppress bandits and search for the whereabouts of the birthday tribute.

It's estimated that things will get tough for all the mountain strongholds around the country around here.

Liangshan Marsh is relatively safe, because not long ago, Huang An, the military commissioner of Jizhou, came to attack Liangshan Marsh, but was defeated by Li Hanxiao and suffered heavy losses. Huang An himself almost died.

It is estimated that no one will be able to lead troops to attack Liangshan Marsh in the short term.

Li Hanxiao also sent "White Day Rat" Bai Sheng into Jizhou City to inquire about Huang An's condition. He said that Huang An was in poor condition after being injured and had begun to show obvious fear of light, sound, wind, and water.

Li Hanxiao understood immediately: this person had contracted rabies.

Rabies usually develops within seven days of being bitten by a dog. If no symptoms develop within three seven-day periods, the chance of developing rabies is relatively small. If no symptoms develop after 100 days, the person will not get the disease.

Clearly, Huang An didn't escape. Li Hanxiao knew very well that his dog couldn't be vaccinated in ancient times, so it was perfectly normal for it to carry rabies.

Was there no cure for this disease in ancient times? No, there was.

By at least the 4th century AD, our ancestors had a basic understanding of rabies treatment. Ge Hong's "Emergency Prescriptions for the Elbow" from the Eastern Jin Dynasty records, "Kill the dog that bit you, take its brain and apply it to the wound, and it will not recur," because the brain tissue of a rabid dog can cure rabies.

The problem is that Huang An couldn't find the dog that bit him, let alone its brain tissue.

All we can do is wait to die.

In his half-dead state, it was impossible for him to lead troops to attack Liangshan again.

Even if they come again, as long as the imperial court doesn't send a large army to conquer Liangshan, Liangshan's growing strength means they can hold their own.

At this time, Li Hanxiao and his group had already arrived in Qingzhou. Because of the commotion they had caused earlier, Li Hanxiao kept a low profile and did not make any noise.

However, there was indeed someone making a noise up ahead.

Li Hanxiao heard the sounds of fighting coming from the woods near Qingfeng Mountain.

"Let's hide in the woods first. Instructor, lead the troops. Brother Ou Peng, come with me to check it out!"

Li Hanxiao had no idea what was going on ahead, so he and "Golden Winged Clouds" Ou Peng quietly dismounted and approached stealthily.

After parting the bushes, they saw a group of people fighting.

Li Hanxiao recognized the leader; it was "Jinmaohu" Yan Shun, who was fighting a burly man with a pale-faced young man.

Behind them was Wang Ying, nicknamed "Short-Legged Tiger," whose injuries hadn't healed and who was still limping, leading a group of henchmen. They looked extremely anxious, as if someone was chasing them.

Li Hanxiao had a good feeling; there were indeed people pursuing them.

After their failed attempt to seize the birthday gifts, Qingfeng Mountain suffered a significant loss of strength. "Golden-haired Tiger" Yan Shun and "Dwarf Tiger" Wang Ying returned to Qingfeng Mountain, only to encounter Huang Xin, the military commander of Qingzhou, who was there to besiege Qingfeng Mountain.

Although Huang Xin was known as "Suppressor of Three Mountains," he had never actually leveled any mountain in Qingzhou. When he came to attack Qingfeng Mountain, even if the three chieftains joined forces, he couldn't defeat them. Only if "Thunderbolt" Qin Ming or "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong came in person could they defeat the three of them together. Huang Xin was no match for him.

However, this time, Huang Xin discovered during the attack that Qingfeng Mountain's henchmen seemed to be much fewer, and "Dwarf Tiger" Wang Ying had not shown up at all, and he didn't know what was going on.

At first, Huang Xin, the "Suppressor of Three Mountains," thought they were setting up an ambush, a trap. But after fighting for a while, he realized that Qingfeng Mountain had suffered a great loss of strength for some reason!

Therefore, he was eager to strike while the iron was hot and take Qingfeng Mountain in one fell swoop, so he led his troops in a fierce attack.

Having lost half of their forces, Qingfeng Mountain was unable to resist. The three leaders then ordered their men to guard the stronghold and fled from the back of the mountain with a few dozen men, selling out the rest of their followers.

Unfortunately, after betraying the others, they couldn't escape themselves either. They were discovered by Huang Xin's men, known as "Suppressor of Three Mountains," as soon as they came down the mountain, and they were being chased.

When they arrived here, they encountered a burly man in armor. Yan Shun, nicknamed "Golden-haired Tiger," thought that a Qingzhou officer was blocking their way, so he went up and swung his sword to slash at him.

The big man got anxious and started fighting with them. In fact, he was just a passerby who was slashed by Yan Shun for no reason. He was very wronged!

Li Han smiled as he saw the burly man, whose face was pale gold, wearing a helmet and armor, and a pair of bronze maces with gold plating, though they looked very old, with most of the gold plating chipped off.

On the Desheng hook ring on the saddle bridge, there was a large gun mounted, which looked quite imposing.

Although "Golden-haired Tiger" Yan Shun and "White-faced Gentleman" Zheng Tianshou were fighting one against two, the difference in strength was huge. This big man alone, with two maces, could defeat one of them with just one mace. Despite their numerical advantage, the two of them were unable to defeat him!

"That big man is amazing!"

"Golden Wings Soaring Through the Clouds," Ou Peng said there.

"The mace technique is extraordinary!"

Li Hanxiao was secretly amazed. This big man's mace technique was definitely a rare and unique skill. His moves were powerful, and each move had the force to split mountains and shatter rocks.

"Brother, Huang Xin is catching up!"

"Short-legged Tiger" Wang Ying roared.

"Get out of here!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Shun, nicknamed "Golden-haired Tiger," became extremely anxious and angrily cursed the burly man.

The burly man was also enraged, and roared, "For no reason at all, in broad daylight, you come up and try to kill me, and then tell me to get out of the way! This is intolerable!"

Having said that, the burly man brought his double maces together and swept them at the "white-faced young man" Zheng Tianshou, creating a gust of wind with a "whoosh".

Before Zheng Tianshou could even defend himself, the broadsword he was protecting was shattered into pieces, and the double maces struck his chest with such force that almost all of his ribs were broken in an instant. The broken bones, bearing the force, pierced into his internal organs, and Zheng Tianshou died almost instantly. The Earthly Star returned to its place.

"Ah! Brother!"

Seeing his brother die a horrible death, Yan Shun, nicknamed "Golden-haired Tiger," gritted his teeth, wanting revenge. However, he was no match for the burly man. With Huang Xin catching up, they would all perish. So, taking advantage of the moment when the burly man was distracted by Huang Xin's troops, he led his men to escape.

"Brother, should we stop them?"

"Golden Wings Soaring Through the Clouds?" Ou Peng asked.

"Ignore them and see what Huang Xin is really capable of!"

With the three chieftains of Qingfeng Mountain gone, the henchmen who were fighting the enemy in Qingfeng Village were leaderless. Li Hanxiao offered a favor: if Huang Xin, the "Suppressor of the Three Mountains," had few soldiers, he could simply defeat Huang Xin and save them. They would be grateful and would follow him.

"Brother, go tell Instructor Lin to lead troops to rescue Qingfeng Mountain. I'll stay here and lend this big man a hand!"

Li Hanxiao was very impressed with the strength of the big man in front of him and hoped to have the opportunity to recruit him for his own use, which would also be a good opportunity to get closer to him.

Li Hanxiao was also speculating about this person's background. Judging from his weapons and armor, they were very simple and ancient, in the style of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and might be family heirlooms. In addition, his exquisite mace technique should have a source.

However, after thinking for a long time, Li Hanxiao realized that there didn't seem to be any famous generals in the Song Dynasty who were known for using double maces. If we're talking about double whips, then there was the "Hu Family Generals" created by Huyan Zan.

The mace is a weapon that not many people have used in history. As far as I can remember, only Qin Qiong seems to have used it...

He really couldn't guess who this person was!

Just then, Huang Xin, known as "Suppressor of Three Mountains," led his men to the scene. He was holding the Death Sword and leading over a hundred cavalrymen in pursuit. Upon seeing the big man, he didn't even answer and went straight up to slash him.

Well, this guy attacked without even asking any questions. He probably thinks this big man is one of the bandits from Qingfeng Mountain.

You know, Huang Xin, the "Suppressor of Three Mountains," has had quite a bit of dealing with Qingfeng Mountain. Does he even know if there's such a person on Qingfeng Mountain? He's never even seen him, yet he insists on thinking of him as a bandit from Qingfeng Mountain!

"You corrupt official! You've come here to beg for wildfire too!"

The burly man had already been beaten up without any explanation, and he was on the verge of exploding with anger. Now, Huang Xin, the "Suppressor of Three Mountains," had come again, repeating the same mistake!

He was naturally angry. With his left hand, he parried Huang Xin's deadly sword with his mace, and with a "whoosh," he swung his right hand's mace down with a "whoosh."

Huang Xin, known as "Suppressor of Three Mountains," heard the sound of the mace whistling through the air and knew that the force of the attack was considerable. He immediately grabbed his sword with both hands to block the blow.

Logically speaking, since the Qin and Han dynasties, there have been few people who use swords as their main weapon. The sword is considered the king of all weapons and is one of the eighteen weapons. Its main techniques include "splitting, stabbing, thrusting, pointing, striking, intercepting, and wiping". It is a light weapon and is not very suitable for use on the battlefield.

However, the Mourning Sword is different from ordinary swords. It is a sword used on horseback and can be wielded with one or two hands. As a weapon of cavalry generals on horseback, the Mourning Sword is certainly not short in length, and its width is also greater than that of ordinary swords. In other words, it is a broadsword and a two-handed longsword.

If it were a one-handed sword, this blow would probably have broken it. A two-handed sword is at least more resistant to damage. This blow made Huang Xin's Death Gate Sword wobble like a ribbonfish swimming in water, making a "buzzing" sound.

Fortunately, the sword was made of water-patterned iron, which is quite tough. In addition, the big man did not use too much force, otherwise, this good sword would have become a question mark in the end.

Huang Xin, known as "Suppressor of Three Mountains," took the blow head-on, and was so shocked that his entire body, from his tiger's mouth to his wrist, went numb.

He immediately realized that he was no match for the person in front of him.

"Brothers! Charge!"

Huang Xin began preparing a tactic of using ants to kill an elephant.

"Hmph, a mere hundred riders, what's the big deal! A thousand riders, what's the big deal? We'll follow our ancestors' example and take heads from ten thousand armies!"

Upon seeing these men, the burly man was not afraid at all; on the contrary, he felt a surge of heroic ambition and became quite magnanimous.

However, before anyone could charge, Li Hanxiao fired three silver bullets in quick succession from the forest, taking down three cavalrymen.

"Ambush! Retreat!"

Upon seeing the fallen soldier, Huang Xin, known as "Suppressor of Three Mountains," cried out in alarm. Having just fought this expert and now facing a sneak attack, he realized it was a trap and knew he had to run!

In reality, it was only Li Hanxiao; he was just scaring himself.

It's like Huang Xin thought there was a dense barrage of firepower lying in ambush in the woods, when in reality there was only a sniper. He was just being paranoid!

Huang Xin turned and spurred his horse to gallop away, leading his cavalry towards the main force of Qingfeng Mountain.

Seeing this, Li Hanxiao wasn't worried. "Leopard Head" Lin Chong should be fighting the enemy over there by now. "Suppressor of Three Mountains" Huang Xin was no match for Lin Chong, and he would be driven away even if he went back.

"Which friend came to our aid in the woods? Please show yourself!"

The burly man also noticed Li Hanxiao's presence and shouted loudly into the woods.

"Haha, you are quite skilled, may I ask your name?"

Li Hanxiao rode out of the woods with his three-pointed double-edged sword and immediately bowed.

"Good horse!"

Just as the man was about to answer, he saw the Beihai Sa Lu Zi under Li Hanxiao's crotch and couldn't help but praise it.

"Your horse is also a fine steed. If I'm not mistaken, it's a yellow-bred, bone-piercing dragon!"

Li Han smiled and pointed to the steed under the big man's crotch, which was the legendary steed of Qin Qiong, Qin Shubao, described as "a thousand miles of dry grass, yellow horse with piercing bones."

"Indeed, indeed, it is indeed this Yellow-bred Bone-Piercing Dragon. Your discerning eye is excellent!"

The big man gave a thumbs up.

"I am a member of the outlaws, Li Hanxiao from Guankou, Xichuan. I am currently gathered with my brothers at Liangshan Marsh and have arbitrarily assumed the title of chieftain. May I ask your esteemed name?"

"Hmm? You're Li Hanxiao, the bandit king of Liangshan Marsh?"

The man had clearly heard of Li Hanxiao's name, and his emotions suddenly became very agitated.