Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

"But is this the territory occupied by Wang Lun, the 'White-Robed Scholar,' and his gang in Jizhou Prefecture, Jingdong Road, Shandong?"

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

"Indeed, Liangshan Marsh is located near Juye Marsh. From the Five Dynasties to the Song Dynasty, the Yellow River breached its banks many times, and the waters flowed into the foothills, forming a large marsh, which is 800 square kilometers in circumference. The water area is vast, and there is a large area of ​​land in the middle. If we can occupy it and train a powerful navy, the water area will be a natural barrier. No matter how many troops come, it will be of no use."

After hearing Li Hanxiao's description, Jiang Jing, Ma Lin, and Tao Zongwang nodded repeatedly, but Ou Peng looked doubtful and asked, "But if the government troops surround the marsh, where will the food and supplies come from?"

The problem raised by Ou Peng is almost the only weakness of Liangshan Marsh, because in the original work, the Liangshan heroes fought against corrupt officials and plundered government granaries to obtain food and supplies, but they did not produce their own food and therefore could not be self-sufficient.

When Gao Qiu was conquering Liangshan Marsh, some people suggested that Liangshan Marsh should be surrounded to starve the heroes and cause them to run out of food.

However, the Liangshan Marsh was too vast, making it impractical to completely surround it. Furthermore, Gao Qiu refused to heed good advice, so the plan was never implemented.

This predicament might be a predicament for others, but it wasn't for Li Hanxiao.

Because he brought a potato and a sweet potato with him when he traveled through time, and after two years of planting, he has obtained good seeds. As long as he plants them in Liangshanbo, he can be completely self-sufficient.

The land of Liangshanbo was also very vast, with waters covering an area of ​​eight hundred li and land even more extensive. Apart from the passes, much of it could be reclaimed as farmland.

Go ahead and surround it then. Anyway, I have food to eat. I grow my own food, so I'm not afraid of you surrounding it.

"Food is of course a major issue, but I have something here that can solve this crisis. Take a look at this!"

Li Hanxiao brought out a potato the size of a fist and showed it to the Four Heroes.

"what is this?"

Jiang Jingxin said that he had seen a bit of the world, but he really couldn't tell what this thing was.

"Stone?"

If Tao Zongwang, a man from a peasant background, couldn't recognize him, then it was even less likely that others would.

"I obtained this from a visitor from overseas. It yields more than fifty bushels per mu. Planting it will be enough..."

Before Li Hanxiao could finish speaking, Tao Zongwang, the "Nine-Tailed Turtle," lost his composure and shouted, "What? How much? Fifty shi!"

In the Song Dynasty, one shi was equal to 97 kilograms, which is equivalent to 151.92 jin in modern terms. This yield was not achieved by the main crops in the Song Dynasty. Even if all the grains and miscellaneous grains were combined, it would still be difficult to produce this much.

Tao Zongwang was genuinely a bit dazed. He couldn't quite believe that these clods of earth could produce such an astonishing yield, but at the same time, he also hoped that this stuff really could produce such a quantity...

He went to Huangmen Mountain because of a bad harvest. The landlord was forcing him to pay rent, which he couldn't. As a result, the landlord beat his father to death. In order to avenge him, he killed the landlord's entire family.

If this thing were real, farmers and ordinary people would be much better off...

"I've never heard of anything in my life that can yield fifty shi per mu. It's impossible for rice, millet, sorghum, wheat, or beans. Brother Li, don't try to fool us brothers on this!"

Tao Zongwang looked serious, as if he could kill Li Hanxiao with a shovel if Li Hanxiao were to lie.

"Alright, I, Li Hanxiao, swear here and now that if this thing doesn't have the yield I've described, may I be struck by lightning, swallowed by the Earth Mother, and devoured alive by turtles and tortoises!"

Seeing Li Hanxiao swear an oath, the others finally believed him. Ou Peng then asked, "What is this thing called? Is it really edible? If it is, why don't we get some for the brothers to try first!"

"Try it my ass! If this stuff really could yield fifty bushels per mu, then you eating one would mean losing a whole cartload of grain!"

Tao Zongwang snatched the potatoes back from Ou Peng's hands, saying with great heartache.

"How about it? My four brothers, I, Li Hanxiao, can't guarantee anything else, but I guarantee that you and all the brothers on Huangmen Mountain will live a good life, never have to worry about food, and that you will be able to do great things for the country and the people in the future."

After Li Han finished speaking, the four heroes exchanged glances, then knelt down and said in unison, "Brother Li, we are all of limited talent and knowledge, but we are willing to follow you in your chivalrous deeds. We will be at your service from now on!"

"Since we're brothers, please rise at once!"

Li Hanxiao finally won over the hearts of the Four Heroes of Huangmen Mountain. That night on the mountain, Ou Peng ordered a grand banquet to be held and everyone to drink to their hearts' content. The next day, they reorganized the stronghold, packed their belongings, and set off. Those who wanted to go with them were allowed to follow, while those who did not were given money to return home.

As a result, these henchmen of Huangmen Mountain were basically driven to ruin, losing their families and committing various crimes. With nowhere to go, none of them left. Including their families, there were more than seven hundred of them, not one missing.

"Brother, with so many of us and weapons at our disposal, traveling all the way to Shandong will be very inconvenient. Do you have any ideas?"

The next day, after everything was packed and loaded onto the truck, "Mastermind" Jiang Jing approached Li Hanxiao to ask for advice.

“That’s easy. With so many of us, we can split into teams of two hundred each, with each team spaced ten miles apart, and pretend to be traveling merchants.”

Without further ado, Li Hanxiao divided the more than 700 men into three teams: himself, Ou Peng, and Guo Sheng led one team; Jiang Jing, Deng Fei, and Ma Lin led another team; and Tao Zongwang and Yang Lin led the third team. They left Huangmen Mountain, preparing to cross the Han River and head north from Xinye.

The caravan traveled for more than two days. Although some officials passed by along the way, they were all treated as merchants and no trouble was encountered.

"Brother, not far from here is Longzhong, where Zhuge Liang once lived in seclusion!"

Ou Peng looked at the distant mountains and said.

"Oh? So this is the border of Longzhong. If we weren't in such a hurry, I would love to go and take a look!"

Li Hanxiao had always admired Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, and he really wanted to go and see him.

“Brother, it wouldn’t hurt to go and take a look. We’ve been traveling all day, and even if the people don’t rest, the animals pulling the carts should rest too. Why don’t we set up camp ahead and send someone to tell the brothers behind us to ask Brother Jiang Jing to temporarily lead the vanguard for you and me? I’m familiar with the route, so how about I accompany you on a tour?”

Ou Peng is from Jingzhou, familiar with the geography, and understanding; this arrangement is quite reasonable.

"Alright, let's do it your way. Call Brother Jiang Jing over!"

After Jiang Jinglai led the vanguard to rest, Li Hanxiao and Ou Peng headed straight for Longzhong Mountain.

"I've long heard that this is where Zhuge Liang farmed. Indeed, the mountains and rivers are beautiful, and the place is a place where the wind can be sheltered and energy can be gathered. It's quite remarkable!"

Li Hanxiao sincerely praised the magnificent scenery of Longzhong, and Ou Peng also spoke up, "In ancient times, Zhuge Liang cultivated the land here, and even today, there are many hermits living in seclusion here. Why don't you go and take a look, brother?"

"Oh? Then let's go take a look!"

Li Hanxiao had originally thought that he could find a few talented people in Longzhong, but he hadn't gone far when he saw a man and a horse galloping towards him on the official road.

This man came on aggressively, chasing after me, carrying a cloth bag the size of a human head in his left hand and a tiger-head steel spear in his right.

The man galloped along the official road, saw Li Hanxiao and his companion, stood on his tiptoes, and roared, "Hey! You bastards, prepare to die!"

Having said that, he thrust his spear straight at the two men.

Seeing this, Li Hanxiao knew something was wrong and grabbed the golden bow and silver bullets. Ou Peng drew his waist knife and immediately became alert.

Are you out of your mind?

Ou Peng spurred his horse forward, intending to hold off the attack for a while. He really didn't understand why this person was so eager to fight when he and Li Hanxiao had never met him before.

Li Hanxiao noticed that the shaft of the tiger-head steel spear in the man's hand was not made of wood, but of pure metal, and its weight should be no less than thirty kilograms.

This is a master!

"Brother Ou Peng, watch out!"

While Li Hanxiao was warning Ou Peng, the two had already exchanged a move. The man held a gun in one hand and thrust it straight at Ou Peng's left chest with a simple, easy move.

Ou Peng also tried to deflect the spearhead with his sword, but it was incredibly difficult. The spear carried considerable force, and since he was using a short sword, he was already at a disadvantage in terms of distance and strength.

"Hi!"

The man rode past Ou Peng, then turned and executed a "bicycle flywheel" maneuver, his steel spear sweeping across like an iron rod, creating a powerful and swift wind.

Ou Peng gripped his sword tightly with both hands to block, and with a muffled thud, not only was the blade of his sword chipped, but his own arms were also numb from the impact.

There is a significant difference in strength between the two. If the fight continues, Ou Peng will probably be defeated in less than ten moves!

"Hey you, stop! Take this!"

Although Li Hanxiao fired a silver bullet, he felt that this person seemed to have some misunderstanding with the two of them. So, although he took action, he gave a warning in advance, not wanting the two sides to fight to the death, since they had no past grievances or recent enmity.

"open!"

Hearing Li Hanxiao's warning and seeing him fire the silver bullet, the man immediately used a volley to knock Ou Peng aside, and then used his steel spear in a "cart-throwing" motion to send the silver bullet flying through the air.

However, the force of the silver bullet was beyond his expectations, and it actually made the tip of his Tiger Head Steel Spear tremble slightly.

"Hidden weapon! How shameless!"

After deflecting the silver bullet, the man changed his target and attacked Li Hanxiao. Seeing that he was relentless, Li Hanxiao grabbed the three-pointed double-edged sword from the saddle bridge, ready to fight him.

"Go!"

The man brandished his steel spear with a "Stirring the Four Seas" technique, the spear flashing straight at Li Hanxiao's head. Li Hanxiao, however, guarded his position with his three-pointed double-edged sword, executing a "Guarding Heaven and Earth" technique, blocking the spear's path with his sword. He then pushed the blade forward, intending to slide it along the spear shaft to slash at the opponent's weapon-wielding hand.

The man saw through Li Hanxiao's intentions and immediately lowered his spear, flipped it over, and swung it around on horseback. He then swung the spear shaft down from top to bottom, aiming to smash Li Hanxiao's face with a move called "Spear Throwing Stance".

This move was quite powerful. Li Hanxiao couldn't help but put his strength into his arms, raising his three-pointed double-edged sword to block it. With a "bang", the sound of metal clashing against metal rang out.

Ou Peng watched from the sidelines, knowing that his skills were far inferior to those two, and that rushing in would only cause trouble.

Li Hanxiao parried the shot, while the man pressed down hard on the gun handle, trying to pin Li Hanxiao down and knock him off his horse.

This guy is quite strong. Although Li Hanxiao wouldn't lose to him, he didn't want to expend a lot of energy fighting him head-on. It would be better to use some clever tricks instead.

So Li Hanxiao did a "dragon somersault". He had already raised the three-pointed double-edged sword above his head to parry the weapon that was coming down on his hand. At this moment, he slightly pulled back his front hand, raised his back hand, squeezed his legs on his warhorse, and the warhorse immediately leaped forward.

This was achieved by using the horsepower to break through the opponent's suppression. Then, Li Hanxiao's three-pointed double-edged sword stabbed diagonally downwards and forwards like a dragon reaching down from the clouds, aiming at the opponent's head, neck, chest, and abdomen.

If the person tries to block with a gun, Li Hanxiao will follow up with a flicking and slashing motion of his wrist to ensure that there is no mistake.

When the man saw Li Hanxiao suddenly change his move, he immediately tried to counter it. However, at that moment, the midday sun shone directly on Li Hanxiao's three-pointed double-edged sword. The silver thread on the hilt of Li Hanxiao's three-pointed double-edged sword reflected the extremely strong sunlight onto the man's face, causing him to be temporarily blinded.

Just as the man was about to perish under the blade, his black warhorse saved him, leaping and shifting to the left at incredible speed to dodge the attack.

Li Hanxiao put away the three-pointed double-edged sword, thinking to himself that this was also a fine horse, capable of understanding human nature!

The man felt the blade graz his ear and, still shaken, stood frozen in place, not attacking again.

"Hey man, we have no past grievances or recent feuds, why did you attack me!"

Li Hanxiao took this opportunity to ask questions.

"Huh? Who are you people?"

The man was also stunned, and asked back with a blank look in his eyes.

"We are tourists visiting this place. You attacked us without any explanation, so we have no choice but to fight back!"

After figuring out what was going on, the man slapped his forehead and apologized repeatedly, "Oh dear! I mistook you two for bad guys and got the wrong person. I deserve to die!"

"Ignorance is no excuse, especially now that the situation has been explained. I am Li Hanxiao, and this is Brother Ou Peng. May I ask who you are? Your marksmanship is truly superb, appearing and disappearing like a ghost!"

As Li Hanxiao introduced himself, the man on horseback clasped his hands and said, "I am originally from Shezhou, named Wang Yin. I am a stonemason from the mountains. I came here to collect jade from Jing Mountain, but unfortunately I encountered bandits. That's why I thought you two were accomplices. Please forgive my rudeness!"

"Wang Yin!"

Li Hanxiao's heart was already shaken to its core, because this Wang Yin was a master in the original Water Margin novel!

In the original novel, Wang Yin was originally Fang La's subordinate. Because he was well-versed in literature and strategy, Fang La promoted him to a civil post and gave him the official title of Minister of War, in charge of military affairs.

Wang Yin was originally a stonemason from the mountains of Shezhou. He was skilled with a steel spear, which was unpredictable and unstoppable. Li Hanxiao had just witnessed this. He rode a fine steed named "Zhuanshanfei," which could climb mountains and cross rivers as if walking on flat ground. It was probably the same black horse that had just saved Wang Yin's life.

Although he was a civil official, he had an outstanding military record and was skilled in both literature and martial arts. In the original novel, when Lu Junyi led his troops to attack Shezhou, Wang Yin devised a plan to kill "Holy Water General" Shan Tinggui and "Divine Fire General" Wei Dingguo.

His personal record was also impressive. When Shezhou fell, Wang Yin escaped the city and killed two Liangshan infantry generals, "Blue-Eyed Tiger" Li Yun and "Stone General" Shi Yong. Later, when he was surrounded by Sun Li, Huang Xin, Zou Yuan and Zou Run, he fought against all four of them without fear.

Unfortunately, Lin Chong, nicknamed "Leopard Head," arrived later. Lin Chong's fighting prowess was beyond question, and he was simply no match for him. He was hacked to pieces by the combined attack of the five men.

This shows that his strength was at least no less than that of the Five Tiger Generals and the Eight Vanguard Generals of Liangshan, and he might not be afraid of Lin Chong in a one-on-one fight.

"So it's Brother Wang Yin. I've long admired your name. May I ask where you encountered the bandits?"

Jing Mountain has been known for its precious jade since ancient times. It is said that the He Shi Bi jade came from this mountain. Li Hanxiao guessed that Wang Yin must have collected some good jade, which is why he was targeted.

"Alas... Brother Li, do you know of the He Shi Bi jade?"