Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

"That's the only way!"

"Iron Whistle" Lehe sighed.

So they followed the plan. "Chu Linlong" Zou Yuan returned to the mountain to gather his men, took his belongings, and assembled at the Sun family's old shop. They planned to smash the prison and rebel the next day, abandoning Dengyun Mountain.

Sister-in-law Gu will prepare mules and carts here tomorrow to protect the old and the young. As soon as everyone is out, we will set off immediately.

Le He and Sun Xin took a packet of high-quality sleeping potion back to the city to persuade their sister, Madam Le, and to test Sun Li's attitude. If that didn't work, they would directly drug him. Sun Xin would then transport Sun Li and his family out of the city, while Le He would return to the prison to act as an inside agent.

As for the others, they will rest and prepare tonight, devise a plan, and sneak into the city gates tomorrow morning to break into the prison.

Meanwhile, before the city gates closed, "Iron Whistle" Yue He and "Little Yuchi" Sun Xin rushed back to the city and went straight to Sun Li's house.

"Oh? What brings you two together?"

Sun Li was quite curious when he saw his brother-in-law and brother arrive together.

“Brother-in-law, my father’s death anniversary is approaching, and I came to see my sister to discuss some matters related to the memorial service. I happened to meet Brother Sun Xin in the city.”

Lehe, quick-witted and eloquent, blurted out.

"Alright, your sister is inside. Go find her yourself. Sun Xin, what brings you here?"

Sun Li then turned his attention to his younger brother.

Sun Xin wasn't stupid either, and said, "I heard that you've been having some troubles about your future lately, so I came to keep you company with a couple of drinks!"

After saying that, Sun Xin placed the wine and snacks he had brought on the table.

"Sigh, only my own brothers understand my difficulties. Brother, sit down!"

Sun Li was troubled by the accusation that "Ghost Catcher" Zhuo Tianxiong had conspired with bandits, and hadn't slept well for several days. He was looking for someone to talk to.

"Brother, come, let me offer you a drink, let's get drunk and forget all our troubles!"

Sun Xin poured wine for Sun Li and began to speak.

Sun Li held the wine cup, looked at the wine in it, twirled the cup in his hand, and sighed, "There's no such thing as getting drunk to drown your sorrows; wine only makes sorrow worse! Brother, you've probably heard about my situation, haven't you?"

"Exactly! If you ask me, it is my brother who should prove his innocence!"

"The innocent will remain innocent, and the guilty will remain guilty. The truth will always come out eventually, but..."

Although Sun Li said this, he was also very nervous, fearing that the prefect might actually believe the slander and do something to him.

"Brother, to put it bluntly, if this place doesn't want me, there are plenty of other places that will. With your skills, you can find a place to stay anywhere. Why suffer such humiliation here?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Li shook his head and waved his hand, saying, "What are you saying? I have learned a great deal of skills, and I should be serving my country. Where else would I go? To become an outlaw?"

Sun Xin seized the opportunity presented by Sun Li's joke and began to probe.

“Yes, brother, becoming an outlaw is a good thing. I heard that Emperor Gaozu of Han was once an outlaw in Mangdang Mountain!”

Upon hearing this, Sun Li snorted coldly, "I will not be a bandit or a brigand!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Xin understood that his older brother was determined not to leave on his own, so the only option was to use a sleeping potion!

So, while "Iron-Called Le" was persuading Madam Le, "Little Yuchi" Sun Xin and "Sick Yuchi" Sun Li drank until midnight. Taking advantage of Sun Li going to the toilet, Sun Xin gave his brother some sleeping potion.

Sun Li had no idea about any of this. After returning, he drank five or seven cups of wine with Sun Xin. He had already said that he was dizzy and lightheaded, and suddenly collapsed under the chair, completely incapacitated.

Seeing that Sun Li had been drugged, Sun Xin and Le He quickly packed their valuables. It was already early morning, so Sun Xin went to the street to hire a carriage, put Sun Li and Madam Le inside, and then escorted them out of the city.

As for the yamen runner who was assigned to keep an eye on Sun Li, he had already been knocked unconscious by "Iron Whistle" Le He and tied up in Sun Li's rice jar.

After finishing these tasks, Lehe returned to the prison, waiting for a prison break.

Li Hanxiao and his group were lying in ambush outside the city. When they saw Sun Xin driving out in his carriage, they entered the city one after another and gathered outside the prison.

"Brother Zou Yuan, you and Brother Deng Fei take men to the city gate. Once you make your move, kill the guards and take control of the gate. Otherwise, if the gate is closed, we'll be trapped!"

"it is good!"

"Brothers Jie Zhen and Jie Bao, you two take a few men and lie in ambush near the military camp. Once you make your move, set it on fire immediately to cause a commotion. If any soldiers come out, kill them on the spot. But do not linger in the fight. After you have succeeded, retreat immediately!"

"Watch us!"

"The rest of you, come with me to break into the prison. We should wait for three gong sounds before we act!"

Li Hanxiao, having witnessed everything clearly, gave the order to act. After three gong sounds, Li Hanxiao used his golden bow and silver bullets to knock down the prison guards. Then, "Golden-Faced Buddha" Qin Zhi led his men directly into the prison.

"Someone's breaking into the prison!"

The guards and jailers inside came out to resist, but they were no match for Qin Zhi. He wielded his two bronze maces like the wind, knocking down seven or eight people. Anyone who touched him died, and anyone who grazed him was injured.

"Close the door, close the door quickly!"

Bao Jieji and Kongmu Wang were both in prison preparing to torture "One-Horned Dragon" Zou Run. When they saw such a vicious scheme, they were terrified.

This Wang Kongmu was the son-in-law of Mao Zhongyi, the Mao Taigong of Dengzhou City. He was the Mao Taigong in the original story. Mao Taigong was originally a landlord in Dengzhou. He wanted to keep the tiger that Xie Zhen and Xie Bao had shot and killed. He conspired with others to frame the two. Neither the father-in-law nor the son-in-law were good people.

As for Bao Ji, he was no good either. In the original story, he colluded with Mao Taigong to try to kill the Xie brothers. Later, when Sun Li, Sun Xin and others broke into the prison, he was killed by Zou Yuan and Zou Run.

"It can't be shut down!"

Just then, a loud shout came from behind. It was "Iron Whistle" Le He who had made his move. Le He grabbed the merciless stick and struck Wang Zhengkong squarely on the back of the head.

"what!"

With a sharp crack, the sound of bones breaking, Wang Zhengwang Kongmu was struck by Le He's stick, his brains splattered, and he died on the spot.

"Ah! Lehe! You!"

Before Bao Ji could dodge, "Iron Whistle" shouted again and struck Bao Ji on the forehead with his stick, causing blood to gush from Bao Ji's head. Bao Ji leaned against the wall and slowly slumped down.

Le He then opened the cell door and let in Li Hanxiao and the others. Those who tried to stop him were all killed by a flurry of blows. Le He then led the group directly to the cell of "Unicorn Dragon" Zou Run.

"Brother, I don't have the key, I can't unlock the shackles!"

Lehe pointed to the large iron chains outside the cell and said.

"It's alright, the key is here! We have the big key!"

Li Han smiled and brandished the three-pointed double-edged sword in his hand. Gathering his strength, he cleaved the door and its chains in two with a single stroke.

When everyone entered the cell, they saw that "Unicorn Dragon" Zou Run had been beaten so badly that there wasn't a single good spot on his body. He was unconscious, but still breathing.

"Quick, save them, fight our way out!"

While Li Hanxiao was able to rescue people, the two brothers, "Two-Headed Snake" Xie Zhen and "Double-Tailed Scorpion" Xie Bao, heard three gong sounds and then led their men to set fire to the area around the military camp, burning down many houses in a short time.

The soldiers inside the camp all shouted that there was fire and wanted to put it out. Some even ran outside the camp, but Erjie stabbed them to death on the spot with a steel fork.

After temporarily holding off the soldiers, Erjie quickly led his men to retreat to the main street, where they ran right into "Ghost Catcher" Zhuo Tianxiong.

Zhuo Tianxiong was taken aback and questioned, "Who are you?"

Xie Zhen and Xie Bao exchanged a glance but didn't say anything. Xie Bao, the "Double-Tailed Scorpion," charged forward and, with the momentum, used his fork to knock the harmful "Ghost Catcher" Zhuo Tianxiong off his horse.

Seeing that Zhuo Tianxiong's belly was ripped open and his intestines were spilling out, and that he was doomed, Erjie quickly ran towards the city gate. Just then, he ran into Li Hanxiao and his group who had just come out of the prison. The two sides joined forces and headed towards the city gate.

Meanwhile, a commotion broke out at the city gate, where "Fire-Eyed Lion" Deng Fei and "Forest Dragon" Zou Yuan were leading their men to seize control of the city gate.

The city gates of Dengzhou are different from those of other cities. Back then, Yang Lin, the "King of Kaoshan" of the Sui Dynasty, was stationed here and left behind four heavy gates, one for each gate.

Once this heavy gate is closed, no matter how much force you have, you can't push it open, so they must ensure that the gate cannot be closed.

"Kill! Kill!"

Zou Yuan, nicknamed "Dragon Emerging from the Forest," wielded his sharp axe, felling countless soldiers guarding the city.

Meanwhile, Deng Fei, nicknamed "Fire-Eyed Lion," rushed up the city wall and saw clearly that the sluice gate was originally controlled by a winch. He used his sword to firmly jam the winch, preventing the sluice gate from falling.

"Brothers, let's get out of here when the wind gets strong!"

"Emerging Dragon" Zou Yuan saw Li Hanxiao and his group rushing towards them from afar. Moreover, Li Hanxiao personally carried the unconscious "Unicorn Dragon" Zou Run on his back.

Zou Yuan's eyes welled up with tears, and he quickly led the group to reunite.

The group ran outside, but due to the fire in the military camp inside Dengzhou City, and the fact that two officers, one "Sickly Yuchi" Sun Li, had already been sent out of the city, and the other "Ghost Catcher" Zhuo Tianxiong had been killed by "Double-Tailed Scorpion" Xie Bao with a steel fork, the soldiers were leaderless and did not chase after them, so the group was safe.

The group ran straight back to the Sun family's old shop, where "Little Yuchi" Sun Xin and "Mother Tiger" Gu Dasao, who were always ready to go, immediately prepared to set off. The group quickly set off for Liangshan.

"Oh dear, how did it get like this!"

On the carriage, "Emerging Dragon" Zou Yuan saw "Unicorn Dragon" Zou Run, who had been beaten and was covered in wounds, and was so angry that he wanted to chop "Ghost Catcher" Zhuo Tianxiong into eighteen pieces.

"It's alright, we brothers killed that bastard, that's revenge!"

Jie Zhen and Jie Bao said.

"Ah... how come I'm drunk after just a few drinks..."

Just then, the effects of the sleeping potion on "Sick Yuchi" Sun Li wore off, and he woke up.

Because too much of this sleeping potion is harmful to the body, "Little Yuchi" Sun Xin did not administer too much of it to his own brother, which resulted in Sun Li waking up relatively quickly.

"Brother, brother, are you alright?"

Sun Xin asked.

"It's alright... Brother, where are we? Why is it so bumpy?"

Sun Li felt the carriage jolting and couldn't help but ask.

"Brother, we're going to Liangshan Marsh..."

"Huh...what?!"

Sun Li realized what was happening and scrambled to his feet.

As a result, he saw Zou Yuan, the "Dragon Emerging from the Forest," again.

"Hey! What are you doing here? Come with me to see the magistrate!"

Sun Li, who was known as "Sick Yuchi," recognized Zou Yuan and almost jumped up.

"Why bother seeing officials? We're all in the same boat now!"

Before Zou Yuan could even speak, Sun Li retorted, "Who's on the same side as you, a bandit!"

"Uncle, I'm afraid we're on the same side now!"

"Big Sister Gu," the "Mother Tiger," also spoke up.

"Auntie? What do you mean by that?"

Sun Li's small mind was instantly filled with countless big question marks because of the scene in front of him.

"Brother, please allow me to report. We stormed the prison, rescued the 'One-Horned Dragon' Zou Run brothers, killed Wang Kongmu and Bao Jieji, and even killed 'Ghost Catcher' Zhuo Tianxiong, who framed you. Now we are on our way to join Liangshan Marsh!"

Sun Xin's explanation caused Sun Li's blood pressure to spike, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.

“Brother, because we were afraid you wouldn’t agree, we saved Zou Run, and you would inevitably face legal trouble. So we drugged you and took you with us. Brother is angry, and I’ll take your beatings and scoldings. But I ask you to think about this: if you were there, even if I didn’t do this, would your official position be secure for long?”

Sun Xin's words hit the nail on the head, because Sun Li's previous situation was one where rebelling might not necessarily mean death, but not rebelling meant certain death!

Sun Li couldn't deny that either.

“Commander Sun, I am Li Hanxiao, the master of Liangshan Marsh. I have long admired your name. Just think about it, that ‘Ghost Catcher’ Zhuo Tianxiong falsely accused you of having an affair with the brothers of Dengyun Mountain and even fabricated evidence. You didn’t defend yourself. That day, he naturally believed whatever he said in front of the prefect. Do you know that in prison, he tortured ‘One-Horned Dragon’ Zou Run and his brother to extract a confession? He beat him so badly that he was covered in injuries, just to make him sign and put his fingerprint on it, admitting that you, Commander Sun, did indeed have an affair with them.”

Sun Li's eyes widened. "I didn't!"

Li Han shook his head with a smile. "Whether you have it or not is not important, but if he can produce evidence, you will be doomed. Even if you don't have it, you have no evidence to prove it. Even if his evidence is fabricated, he does have it. Who do you think the prefect will believe? If you don't leave today, you'll be the one in jail tomorrow."

Li Hanxiao told Sun Li to think carefully about the implications of the statement. Once he understood it, he would know what was going on.

Sun Li sat in the car for a long time without saying a word. Finally, he sighed. What could he do? Although it was not fair to him that his brother Sun Xin had done this, it was for his safety.

"Oh! What can I say? You guys are really...you guys are really...you've ruined my life!"