Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

"Hmph! Come on if you dare!"

Watching them leave, Li Ying thought to himself that this time he had completely broken ties with the Zhu family!

He hadn't originally intended to break ties with the Zhu family now, but Zhu Biao's mouth was too foul. Li Ying was a local tyrant, yet Zhu Biao insulted him like a grandson. Who could tolerate that?

After Zhu Biao left, Li Ying returned to the manor. "One-Zhang-Qing" Hu Sanniang dismounted and bowed to Li Ying, saying, "Uncle, I thank you for saving me!"

Li Ying nodded to Hu Sanniang and asked, "What's going on? I heard a lot of shouting coming from your Hu Family Village. Could it be that the Zhu family really made a move?"

Li Ying had been a local resident of Dulonggang for a long time, and he knew best what the Zhu family was thinking. But since the Zhu family had already formed a marriage alliance with the Hu family, why did they end up fighting each other?

"One-Zhang-Qing" Hu Sanniang stood up and said, "Uncle, please forgive me. Firstly, it was indeed because I acted rashly and gave them leverage. Secondly, they have gone too far..."

"There are too many people here, so let's go inside and talk."

Li Ying waved his hand, signaling the steward "Ghost Face" Du Xing and "One-Zhang-Qing" Hu Sanniang to follow him into the reception room. He first served some hot tea, telling Hu Sanniang to calm down before explaining the situation.

“Uncle, you must already know about the Zhu family's seizure of our prime land a few days ago. My engagement to Zhu Biao was against my will to begin with, and their aggressive behavior and constant humiliation only fueled my rebellious thoughts… I secretly sent people to find two skilled assassins to kill Zhu Biao…”

To be honest, Hu Sanniang, nicknamed "One-Zhang-Qing," deeply regrets the situation she's in today. She feels extremely remorseful as she recounts these events, but unfortunately, there's no going back.

"No need to ask, it must be that your plan failed, and instead you gave them a pretext to attack and seize your family's property."

Li Ying, the "Soaring Eagle," was a seasoned veteran of the martial arts world. After hearing what Hu Sanniang, the "One-Zhang-Green," said, he understood the general situation.

"Zhu Biao tricked my family into opening the door, captured my father and brothers, and my niece had no choice but to ask her uncle to uphold justice..."

Before today, Hu Sanniang, nicknamed "One-Zhang-Qing," was a very feisty and defiant woman.

But today, her family has suffered a great change, and since it was caused by her, her thoughts have changed. She has realized her own insignificance and knows that strength is the source of all confidence.

Right now, she doesn't have enough power, and her family's hope for survival rests on her shoulders. She has to find a way to save them no matter what...

"Upholding justice, child, upholding justice is not an easy task..."

Li Ying's words, "Soaring Eagle," were a double entendre. Firstly, Li Ying was saying that the current situation was no longer a time for everyone to sit down and discuss fairness. Now that Hu Family Village had been annexed and Zhu Family Village was the only one in power, it was impossible for them to sit down and talk with Li Ying.

Secondly, it was also a subtle way of telling Hu Sanniang that if she wanted Li Ying to uphold justice for the Hu family village, then she would have to give something in return.

Li Ying was not a lecherous man, but for many years he had also wanted to seize the hegemony of Dulonggang from the Zhu Family Village and compete with them. The open and covert struggles between them had begun long ago.

It's just that at that time, Hu Family Village was subordinate to Zhu Family Village, and Li Family Village was not in a dominant position.

Now, if Li Ying can get the Hu family to switch their support to him, he might be able to fight the Zhu family!

“I understand, Uncle. If you can rescue my father and brothers, the entire Hu Family Village will follow your lead from now on!”

Before, Hu Sanniang was like a little girl who hadn't grown up. In fact, she wasn't very old to begin with, but after this experience, she underwent a complete transformation and matured in an instant.

Most importantly, she understood that she had to bear the consequences of her actions...

“I’ve known your father for a long time. Now that he’s in trouble, it’s only natural that I want to take care of your safety. You can stay at my estate for now; no one will make things difficult for you…”

Li Ying knew that Hu Taigong was an old and useless man, and "Flying Tiger" Hu Cheng was not very capable. If Hu Family Village was really destroyed, Hu Sanniang would still have a lot of say. Since she had already said so, he agreed to take Hu Sanniang in temporarily and prepare to fight the Zhu Family Village.

Zhu Biao was nearly killed by Li Ying's flying knife at Li Family Village. After returning with "Iron Rod" Luan Tingyu, he told his two older brothers and father Zhu Chaofeng about how Li Ying had saved Hu Sanniang.

"Now that we have taken Hu Family Village, even though Hu Sanniang has fled to Li Family Village, she is still just a woman. Li Ying has been openly and secretly fighting with us for many years, and it is time to remove this thorn in our side. In my opinion, we should take this opportunity to wipe out Li Family Village!"

Zhu Biao revealed his thoughts: in the past, the Zhu Family Village could not fully control the power of the Hu Family Village, so it was impossible for them to have the power to overwhelm the Li Family Village.

But things are different now. With Hu Taigong and Hu Cheng in their hands, they are not afraid that the people of Hu Family Village will disobey them. Their strength has surpassed that of Li Family Village.

However, Zhu Chaofeng, a seasoned veteran who had known "Soaring Eagle" Li Ying for decades, remained very cautious and did not readily agree to his third son's idea. Instead, he raised objections.

“I have been fighting Li Ying openly and covertly for many years. Not only is he highly skilled in martial arts, but he is also extremely wealthy. His wealth alone can rival both of our families. Most of the servants under his command are skilled martial artists. They are kept on the estate, but if anything happens, they will act like death squads. They are not easy to deal with. I think we should proceed slowly!”

As soon as Zhu Chaofeng said this, he was immediately opposed by his three sons.

First, there was the eldest son, Zhu Long, who said that no matter how powerful Li Ying was, he was the only one. If the three brothers worked together, plus the "iron rod" teacher Luan Tingyu by their side, they would be enough to defeat Li Ying.

The second son, Zhu Hu, also said, "How can we allow others to snore beside our bed? The Li family is unprepared and hastily responding to the battle. The Zhu family is stronger than the Li family and can gain an advantage, but once the Li family is prepared, the advantage will no longer be on the Zhu family's side in the next battle."

"Teacher Luan, what do you think?"

Zhu Chaofeng then asked Luan Tingyu, nicknamed "Iron Rod," for his opinion.

“Master, attacking Li Family Manor now, without giving Li Ying a chance to breathe, is indeed in accordance with military strategy.”

Luan Tingyu, however, gave a balanced answer from a military perspective.

Zhu Chaofeng listened to his sons' words. He was unwilling to fight Li Ying directly, fearing Li Ying's superior martial arts skills, but his three sons insisted on fighting, so he had no choice but to agree passively.

"Alright, since you all say you can fight, then go ahead and fight. You take three thousand soldiers from our two villages to fight against Li Family Village. Be careful. I'm old and can't charge into battle anymore, so I'll stay home and hold a celebratory banquet for you."

"Yes!"

With Zhu Chaofeng's words, Zhu Long, Zhu Hu, Zhu Biao, and "Iron Rod" Luan Tingyu all went to muster the troops of Zhu Family Village and Hu Family Village. They were fully armed and ready. Although Hu Family Village had just been controlled by Zhu Family Village, its lord and young lord were also under the control of Zhu Family Village, so they dared not act rashly and had no choice but to follow along to attack Li Family Village.

The three thousand men from Zhu Family Village headed straight for Li Family Village. The distance between the two villages was not far, and "Soaring Eagle" Li Ying could see them clearly.

"Du Xing, order all the servants to dress in full armor and prepare for battle! Also, open a warehouse and distribute all the gold and silver inside to everyone!"

As Li Ying put on his armor, he took a steel-plated spear and said to "Ghost Face" Du Xing.

"Uncle is so generous!"

Although Hu Sanniang, nicknamed "One-Zhang-Qing," had seen rewards given before battles before, she had never seen anyone give away a whole treasury of gold and silver like Li Ying.

"With such a generous reward, there will surely be brave men. My servants are all capable men. They are well-fed and cared for in the manor, just waiting to be able to fight ten men when needed. Now is the time to use them!"

As Li Ying spoke, he donned his armor and mounted his horse. Hu Sanniang also donned a suit of armor. "Ghost Face" Du Xing, wielding a broadsword, led five hundred strong farmhands, armed with knives, spears, swords, and halberds, to escort "Sky-Soaring Eagle" Li Ying out to meet the enemy.

"Hey! You brat from the Zhu family, how dare you invade my Li Family Village? Are you tired of living?"

Li Ying stepped forward with his gun and began to hurl insults.

"Li Ying! You've always been defiant towards the Zhu family, and today we've come to capture you. Enough with the nonsense, do you dare to fight me?"

Zhu Long also brandished his long spear, wanting to challenge Li Ying.

"Good! Today, let that old scoundrel Zhu bury his son with his white hair! Giddy up!"

Without wasting words, Li Ying knew he couldn't afford to lose face since the enemy had come to his door. He charged forward on horseback, spear in hand, and charged straight at Zhu Long. His two spears danced in the air like two silver snakes.

Hu Sanniang only knew that "Soaring Eagle" Li Ying was highly skilled in martial arts, but she did not expect that Li Ying was so skilled. After going through more than ten rounds with Zhu Long, he actually made Zhu Long's spear technique gradually become chaotic, and it was obvious that he could not hold on!

"Look at the gun!"

Li Ying shouted and pressed down on Zhu Long's spearhead with his mixed iron and steel spear, drawing a "spear circle". If Zhu Long could not catch it, Li Ying would forcefully throw the spear away and the weapon would fall from his hand!

Without weapons, aren't they just sitting ducks? Seeing that Zhu Long was in trouble, Zhu Hu spurred his horse forward, brandishing his sword to help him. He slashed at Li Ying's mixed iron-tipped steel spear, and together with Zhu Long, they fought Li Ying.

Even if the two of them attacked together, Li Ying, the "Soaring Eagle," showed no fear and roared, "Even if the two of you come at me, I'm not afraid! Go ahead!"

Having said that, he tightened his grip on the mixed iron and steel spear, first forcing Zhu Long back with one thrust, and then with a "Wind Spirit Moon Shadow" technique, he smashed the spear shaft into the hilt of Zhu Hu's knife.

Zhu Hu was more than ten years younger than Li Ying, but he couldn't withstand the force at all.

Zhu Long rushed forward to help, but just as the three were locked in fierce combat, he saw "Iron Rod" Luan Tingyu quietly ride his horse to the front of the battle, looking rather sneaky.

When he did this, Hu Sanniang, nicknamed "One-Zhang-Qing," saw him. Hu Sanniang had a lot of contact with the Zhu family in the past and had long heard that this teacher, "Iron Rod" Luan Tingyu, had a unique skill with flying hammers, which was accurate and powerful.

It seems that he was sneaking forward at this moment to ambush Li Ying.

"Go!"

As expected, Luan Tingyu, wielding the "iron rod," slammed the flying hammer in his hand towards Li Ying's back.

At the same time, Hu Sanniang, nicknamed "One-Zhang-Qing," also threw out her two Sun and Moon Double Blades. Before the flying hammer could hit Li Ying, it collided with the two blades in mid-air and fell to the ground together.

Hearing the noise, Li Ying turned around and saw that someone was trying to ambush him. He was furious and swept away the weapons of Zhu Hu and Zhu Long with his spear, cursing, "Despicable! Do you think I'm afraid of you when it comes to hidden weapons?"

After saying that, Li Ying threw a flying knife, which struck Zhu Long's left arm!

Zhu Long, in pain, spurred his horse twice. Seeing Li Ying's ferocity, Zhu Hu realized he couldn't hold him off alone and immediately called for help from the others. A fierce battle ensued between the two sides.

In the chaos, "Ghost Face" Du Xing was knocked down by "Iron Rod" Luan Tingyu with a single blow and was rescued by the villagers. Both sides suffered casualties. Seeing Li Ying's ferocity, the Zhu Family Village side sounded the retreat and returned to their village.

Seeing Li Ying's prowess in this battle, and with Zhu Long currently injured, Zhu Biao was wary of Li Ying's strength and feared that another battle would be difficult. Therefore, he decided to outsmart Li Ying.

"I think Li Ying is highly skilled in martial arts, but he is brave but reckless and too concerned with saving face. Father, why don't you send him an invitation to meet with us at Fengshi Pavilion in Dulonggang? When we meet, we can pretend that we want the two families to cease hostilities and make peace, and release the old thief Hu and Hu Cheng. In reality, we can secretly ambush them and kill them. What do you think?"

This Fengshi Pavilion is a pavilion on Dulonggang Hill. It is open on both sides and has an unobstructed view. In the past, the three families would discuss matters here. Setting the meeting place here was also to show their sincerity to Li Ying.

Zhu Biao had the most clever ideas. His plan was to take advantage of Li Ying's pride and invite him to the meeting.

As for Li Ying, he was unwilling to go. Even if he knew it might be a trap, he still had to go. If he didn't go, people would say that the dignified "Soaring Eagle" Li Ying was afraid of the Zhu family, which would make people look down on him.

However, once he comes, he can't go back. This is called being burdened by fame and face. There have been many such people throughout history.

"No, no, Li Ying is highly skilled in martial arts. Thirty or fifty men cannot defeat him, and even one or two hundred ambush soldiers would be of no use. Besides, he can naturally see that this is a trap, so why would he come here?"

Zhu Chaofeng waved his hands repeatedly, believing that this plan would be difficult to implement.

"Father, no matter how skilled he is in martial arts, it's useless. If we can't kill him directly, we can use poison. We can find a way to poison him to death. The Li Family Village only relies on Li Ying. If he dies, there will be no threat! Moreover, I guess that although Li Ying fought with us, he was not confident of victory. If we negotiate peace now, he will definitely come!"

Zhu Biao's martial arts skills weren't particularly high, but he was quite cunning. He had seen through "Soaring Eagle" Li Ying!