Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

When "Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen arrived at a place and showed his face, the locals would basically surrender. Now he was reorganizing at Erlong Mountain and preparing to lead his troops back to Liangshan.

As for "Red-Haired Devil" Liu Tang on Umbrella Mountain, he encountered a slight problem. The second-in-command of the stronghold had replaced the first-in-command, "Sea Yaksha" Sun Yuan, and completely ignored Liu Tang, resisting being recruited.

Since that was the case, Liu Tang, the "Red-Haired Devil," had no choice but to deal with this stubborn fellow by force. The two fought at the foot of the mountain, and in less than twenty rounds, the second-in-command was ripped open in the abdomen by Liu Tang's knife, his intestines spilling out onto the ground.

In the end, the men from Umbrella Mountain still ended up in Li Han's hands. This second-in-command was so ungrateful. Wasn't it good to be alive? He had to risk his life before he realized how precious it was—too late!

While walking halfway, Li Hanxiao suddenly remembered something.

That was when they met "Fire-Eyed Lion" Deng Fei and "Brocade Leopard" Yang Lin in Xiangyang Prefecture. They mentioned that they had some connection with the uncle and nephew "Forest Dragon" Zou Yuan and "Unicorn Dragon" Zou Run, who were mountain kings on Dengyun Mountain in Dengzhou.

Li Hanxiao had previously tried to use this relationship to recruit the uncle and nephew, but he forgot about it when he got busy.

Since we're out now, we might as well make another trip to Dengzhou. Although Li Hanxiao is unfamiliar with the place, he now has an acquaintance: "Golden-Faced Buddha" Qin Zhi, who is a local of Dengzhou!

Actually, "Dragon Emerging from the Forest" Zou Yuan and "Unicorn Dragon" Zou Run didn't attract much attention from Li Hanxiao. After all, the two were mediocre, and there were only a few dozen lackeys on Dengyun Mountain. If it weren't for the fact that they were Liangshan heroes from the original novel, Li Hanxiao really wouldn't have given them a second glance, as their strength was too low!

However, their appeal lies in their close network of relationships with other heroes in Dengzhou City. The uncle and nephew have some connections with "Little Yuchi" Sun Xin and "Mother Tiger" Gu Dasao. "Mother Tiger" Gu Dasao also has two younger brothers, "Two-Headed Snake" Xie Zhen and "Double-Tailed Scorpion" Xie Bao. As for Sun Xin, he also has connections with his older brother "Sick Yuchi" Sun Li and "Iron Whistle" Le He.

It can be said that by following the clues, we might be able to recruit all these heroes. Among them, Jie Zhen and Jie Bao are true masters and candidates for special forces in mountain and jungle warfare. "Sick Yuchi" Sun Li is also considered one of the best among the Earthly Fiends in the original work. If we can bring them to Liangshan, Li Hanxiao can start the new chapter - Zhu Family Village.

However, while the others were easy to persuade, Sun Li, nicknamed "Sickly Yuchi," was the military commander of Dengzhou City, an official position. He was certainly unwilling to join the outlaws. In the original story, he was forced to join Liangshan by his younger brother and sister-in-law, which was quite unwilling and a matter of being forced into it.

Li Hanxiao didn't want to be like the plague-stricken "wise strategist" Wu Yong, who used vicious schemes to deceive and harm others into joining the mountain. So, how to persuade "Sickly Yuchi" Sun Li to willingly follow him was a difficult problem.

After Li Hanxiao had this idea, he told "Leopard Head" Lin Chong about it and asked him to lead the team back to the mountain first. He himself would take "Fire-Eyed Lion" Deng Fei and "Golden-Faced Buddha" Qin Zhi to Dengzhou.

Lin Chong knew Li Hanxiao's capabilities. He was the kind of person who could kidnap Gao Yanei in Dongjing City and bring him back to Liangshan unscathed. Making a trip to Dengzhou Prefecture would be a piece of cake for him, especially since he had his brothers with him.

At the crossroads, the two groups parted ways: "Leopard Head" Lin Chong and his men returned to Liangshan, while Li Hanxiao and his two companions headed towards Dengzhou.

"Brother Qin Zhi, do you have any dealings with Sun Li, the military commander of Dengzhou?"

Li Hanxiao asked Qin Zhi, wanting to see if he and Sun Li had any connection.

“Sun Li? This man is a good friend of mine. He is skilled with a single whip, and I am skilled with double maces. We are well-known in Dengzhou Prefecture. We have met and discussed martial arts.”

"Golden-faced Buddha," Qin Zhi said.

"Brother Qin, could you perhaps consider how to persuade this person to go up the mountain?"

Qin Zhi understood Li Hanxiao's meaning and said, "He is wholeheartedly devoted to serving the court, so it may not be easy to persuade him. However, he has a younger brother, Sun Xin, who runs a gambling den outside the city with his wife. He likes to associate with people from the martial arts world and is restless. If we want him to come up the mountain, we have to find a breakthrough from him."

"This is quite difficult. Let's go, let's head to Dengzhou first!"

The three of them then went to Dengzhou to search for "Emerging Dragon" Zou Yuan and "Unicorn Dragon" Zou Run at Dengyun Mountain.

Dengzhou, which later became Yantai, has been a strategically important military town since ancient times, benefiting from its mountainous terrain, abundant fish and salt resources.

Upon arriving outside Dengzhou City, the three went straight to Dengyun Mountain. When they reached the foot of the mountain, Li Hanxiao finally understood why Dengyun Mountain, with only a few dozen henchmen and being a very small hill, and with a capable military commander like "Sick Yuchi" Sun Li nearby, had been unable to take it down.

It's dangerous! Although this hill isn't very big, its terrain is extremely steep.

First of all, it's high enough. Why is Dengyun Mountain called "Dengyun"? Because it's high enough. When Li Hanxiao looked up from the foot of the mountain, he found that the rest of the mountain was bare. There was only one path to go up and down the mountain, which was similar to the Thousand-Foot Cliff on the cliff of Mount Hua.

This is a large crevice located on a cliff, nestled between two giant rocks. The slope is extremely steep, and the width of each step is also very narrow, barely covering a third of a foot. Walking on it feels like a heart-stopping experience.

In such a situation, even if soldiers came to conquer, climbing up would almost require a vertical ascent and descent, and there would be little time to grab weapons and attack others.

Dealing with those climbing up the mountain is much simpler; just throw tree trunks and rocks down. One hit can break a whole string of candied hawthorns.

If a few dozen people can hold this mountain road, the government troops will have no chance of getting up here unless they have wings.

Let alone "Sick Yuchi" Sun Li, even if you summoned the real "General in Black Robe" Yuchi Jingde, he still wouldn't be able to fight.

Erlong Mountain and Taohua Mountain in Qingzhou are also famous for their steep terrain, but they pale in comparison to Dengyun Mountain!

"Brother, let's climb up first!"

Deng Fei said.

The mountain path was steep, and horses couldn't even get on it, so the three of them could only try to climb the mountain.

"Stop! Who goes there!"

Just as they were about to start climbing, someone suddenly shouted from the mountain!

Li Hanxiao and his two companions were startled. Looking up, they saw a very secluded cave hidden by mountain vines on the cliff face. A person was sticking half his body out, holding a bow and arrow. He was obviously a sentry stationed there to watch the mountain path.

Li Hanxiao couldn't help but sigh. If this person had a repeating firearm instead of a bow and arrow, he could have single-handedly guarded the mountain road!

"I am Deng Fei, 'Fire-Eyed Lion,' and I have a connection with Chief Zou Yuan of the mountain stronghold. I have come to pay my respects. Please inform him of my arrival!"

Deng Fei, nicknamed "Fire-Eyed Lion," shouted at the top of his lungs, as if afraid they wouldn't hear him.

"Okay, please wait for now!"

The henchman withdrew his head and didn't come out for a long time. Perhaps there was some hidden cave passage in the mountains, and he ran off to report it.

Before long, something slowly descended from the clouds and mist on the mountain.

Li Hanxiao looked closely and saw that it was a huge wooden hanging basket!

Li Hanxiao understood as soon as he saw it. He had been wondering how people on Dengyun Mountain could climb up and down such a steep mountain. If they climbed, their rock climbing skills must be amazing! They are all potential special forces soldiers.

It turns out they built these large suspended baskets with winches on the mountain to facilitate going up and down. As long as the ropes are strong, this thing is a fast elevator, whether it's transporting grain or hoisting people up and down!

The basket slowly descended to within the three men's sight, where a burly man was seen bowing to them from mid-air, saying, "Brother Deng Fei, you want to kill me!"

Deng Fei then introduced him to Li Hanxiao, saying, "This person is 'Dragon Emerging from the Forest' Zou Yuan."

When the basket reached the bottom, Li Hanxiao and his two companions stepped forward to greet "Dragon Emerging from the Forest" Zou Yuan. "Fiery-Eyed Lion" Deng Fei, being an acquaintance of Zou Yuan, went up first and said, "Brother Zou Yuan, it's been many years. I have now joined the ranks of Chief Li Hanxiao of Liangshan Marsh as a leader. This is Chief Li, and this is Brother Qin Zhi, a descendant of Qin Shubao!"

"Oh? This must be Chief Li. I heard that Chief Li recently raided the camp with a hundred riders, killing eight out of ten of the two thousand troops of Jizhou Prefecture. He has truly boosted the prestige of us Jianghu people!"

Zou Yuan gave a thumbs up.

"A great reputation is often undeserved."

Li Han smiled and appeared very humble.

"Come, everyone, please come up the mountain!"

"Chu Linlong" Zou Yuan led the three onto the gondola, and the high-altitude elevator lifted them into the air.

As for the three men's horses, the henchmen watched over them from below. Once they were up there, the basket was lowered down to transport the horses up, which was very convenient.

"Ah! It's lonely at the top!"

Qin Zhi, the "Golden-Faced Buddha," had never experienced such a feeling of being high in the sky before. Looking at the clouds and mist, he felt somewhat afraid.

"Haha, a grown man is afraid of heights?"

Li Han laughed and joked.

"Isn't it lonely at the top?"

About ten minutes later, the gondola reached the top of the mountain, and everyone finally set foot on Dengyun Mountain.

"Oh right, I forgot to mention earlier, where is Brother Zou Run? Why haven't I seen him?"

"Fire-eyed Suanni?" Deng Fei asked.

"Ah, don't mention it. Let's not talk about that. Today, Chief Li and you two brothers have come here. We, Dengyun Mountain, are honored guests. I've arranged for people to slaughter cattle and sheep to entertain the three of you!"

When "Emerging Dragon" Zou Yuan mentioned "Unicorn Dragon" Zou Run to "Fire-Eyed Lion" Deng Fei, his words were clearly ambiguous and his face showed difficulty. Li Hanxiao saw this and knew that there must be some hidden reason, so he did not ask and waited for the time to come so that Zou Yuan would tell him himself.

A grand banquet was held on Mount Dengyun, and Zou Yuan naturally entertained the three of them. After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Deng Fei inquired about the "unicorn dragon" Zou Run.

Zou Yuan, nicknamed "Dragon Emerging from the Forest," sighed and said, "Chief Li, our Dengyun Mountain is not as large and powerful as your Liangshan Marsh. We are only a few dozen people. We rely on the steep terrain to block the government troops who are trying to capture us. If we were on flat ground, we would be like dragons turning into worms. That's how my nephew Zou Run got caught!"

"What? The Zou brothers have been arrested? Why aren't you going to rescue them? What happened?"

Deng Fei exclaimed in surprise.

So, Zou Run, the "unicorn dragon," began to explain the situation. It turned out that recently, Dengzhou had gained a new military officer specializing in apprehending thieves, named "Ghost Catcher" Zhuo Tianxiong. He used to be from the Imperial City Guard in Tokyo, but for some reason, he was transferred to Dengzhou.

This man came from the Imperial City Guard. The Imperial City Guard of the Northern Song Dynasty was similar to the "Bad People" of the Tang Dynasty and the "Jinyiwei" of the Ming Dynasty. This guy was quite resourceful. He planned an ambush and ambushed "Unicorn Dragon" Zou Run on his way down the mountain to drink. He tied Zou Run up and is now being held in prison.

As a result, Sun Li, nicknamed "Sick Yuchi," was neglected by his superiors. He had previously been a military commander in charge of catching thieves, but he failed to capture Dengyun Mountain after several attempts. However, Zhuo Tianxiong captured it shortly after arriving, which made him appear extremely incompetent.

"Since that's the case, we must save them. We've arrived in time, so we must help them!"

Li Hanxiao's statement demonstrated Liangshan's willingness to lend a helping hand.

"Thank you, Chief Li! If you can rescue my nephew, we are willing to go with you to Liangshan Marsh and join your ranks!"

Zou Yuan clasped his hands in gratitude, knowing that he was far from capable of entering Dengzhou Prefecture to rescue people and would have to rely on Li Hanxiao's help.

Moreover, after experiencing this, he also realized that Dengzhou Prefecture had a capable person, and the days when the brothers relied on their mountainous terrain to rule as kings probably wouldn't last long, since their own strength was simply too weak.

Unless they can guarantee they will never come down the mountain, which is impossible. There is water on the mountain, but food needs to be purchased from outside. It is impossible not to come down the mountain.

Rather than sitting idly by on Dengyun Mountain waiting to be wiped out, it would be better to latch onto a powerful ally. Besides, Deng Fei, the "Fiery-Eyed Lion," and Yang Lin, the "Golden Leopard," are acquaintances of Zou Yuan and his nephew. They could introduce them to Liangshan Marsh, where they could also get a seat. Why not?

"Very well! Brother Zou Yuan, we will certainly help. However, Dengzhou is a military stronghold, and we are afraid that we alone cannot save Brother Zou Run. We need help, preferably someone within the government!"

Li Hanxiao's words were basically a bait, because he knew that Zou Yuan and his nephew had connections with "Little Yuchi" Sun Xin and "Mother Tiger" Gu Dasao, and that "Mother Tiger" Gu Dasao was also siblings with the Xie brothers, Xie Zhen and Xie Bao, and could also contact "Iron Whistle" Le He.

He wanted to use this incident to bring everyone together and get them all involved in the rescue of "Unicorn" Zou Run.

Those who participate will definitely have to join the Liangshan bandits. Since his relatives have committed crimes and fled, Sun Li, nicknamed "Sickly Yuchi," will also be implicated to some extent. If Li Hanxiao persuades him again, he might agree.