Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

The humiliation of "Golden-Faced Buddha" Qin Zhi being forced to crawl between someone's legs was due to the Jade-Topped Dry Grass Yellow Horse, a thousand-mile steed with incredible speed. "Iron Rod" Luan Tingyu's warhorse was no match for it and naturally could not dodge it.

"Oh!"

The double maces struck the iron rod held by "Iron Rod" Luan Tingyu, producing a thunderous sound. Luan Tingyu's body swayed on the horse. As the two horses stumbled, Luan Tingyu took the opportunity to look down and saw that two white marks had been smashed into his iron rod!

The golden-faced giant's martial arts skills were truly formidable, which made Luan Tingyu curious as to how there were so many masters at Liangshan Marsh!

"What! You're arrogant enough to use underhanded tactics, but you're going to run away after fighting me? Don't go, leave your life behind!"

Qin Zhi, nicknamed "Golden-Faced Buddha," had two straight eyebrows that stood on end. These generals from the Tang Dynasty had been friends for generations and were close family ties. Seeing Cheng Da hit Luan Tingyu's flying hammer, Qin Zhi was furious and determined to smash Luan Tingyu to death!

"I'm not afraid of you!"

Luan Tingyu was not about to lose face. He wielded his iron rod and unleashed the Four Gates Staff Technique. He gripped the iron rod with both Yin and Yang hands. As the saying goes, "The Four Gates Staff is stronger than Vajra, and passersby should be wary." Luan Tingyu's movements were as fast as lightning. He struck the right side with a Yin hand staff and then the left side with a Yang hand staff. He was targeting Qin Zhi's double maces, which were in his left and right hands respectively. He was able to easily knock the double maces away and strike the center.

But Qin Zhi, the "Golden-Faced Buddha," was no pushover. He was not so easily defeated. He immediately tightened his wrist and used his strength to unleash a move called "Dragon King Stabilizes the Sea." Although Luan Tingyu struck twice with his staff, he could not damage the double maces.

People who use single-handed blunt weapons like whips and maces may not have extraordinary arm strength, but their wrist strength is definitely different from ordinary people, several times stronger. This is because if you want to use skills on such heavy weapons, relying on the strength of your forearm and upper arm to manipulate them would require too long a lever arm and too long a time to exert force. Only by training your wrist strength to the extreme, exerting force in short bursts, and using wrist strength to perform subtle operations can you master these weapons. Even a simple flick of the wrist can cause serious injury to the enemy.

Luan Tingyu couldn't help but marvel at Qin Zhi's wrist strength, which was probably among the best in the world. He immediately changed his move and used "Dark Clouds Covering the Top".

The iron rod was aimed at the top of the door, but Qin Zhi blocked it with his left mace. He quickly followed up with a "plucking peaches from under the leaves" move to break through the middle of the door, but it was blocked again by Qin Zhi's right mace.

The saying goes, "A fist fears the young and strong, but a staff fears the old wolf." Staff techniques are technical combat skills, and the older one gets, the more cunning they become. However, Luan Tingyu's ability to wield a heavy iron staff weighing several tens of kilograms in this way demonstrates his consummate skill. The simultaneous execution of these four moves showcases the fierce and versatile nature of these four staff techniques. The four-way attack method strikes from the left, right, and center gates in turn, displaying the power to traverse all directions with the staff.

"Excellent staff technique!"

Seeing that Luan Tingyu's staff skills were quite impressive, and that he was no longer just a petty person who used flying hammers and hidden arrows to injure people, Qin Zhi, the "Golden-Faced Buddha," began to change his initial contemptuous attitude towards him.

"Oh!"

Luan Tingyu twisted his waist on horseback and used the momentum to strike Qin Zhi with his staff. If he were off the horse, he would have flipped forward and swung the staff back to the left, but he couldn't do a somersault to use the momentum on horseback. However, the force was still considerable.

Qin Zhi saw it clearly, and with a move of "illusory gold-splitting" using his bronze mace in his left hand, he pointed at the iron rod. This move was both skillful and accurate, just like a pillar supporting the sky, steadily stopping the iron rod halfway.

"Ok?"

Luan Tingyu was surprised that Qin Zhi could stop his iron rod so accurately. Before he could think further, Qin Zhi's bronze mace came flying over with a whoosh, accompanied by a gust of wind.

This time, "Iron Rod" Luan Tingyu finally suffered a setback, dodging in a sorry state and fleeing on horseback.

"My lords, the enemy is formidable. Let's form ranks and advance. If we can break through back to Zhu Family Village, we'll have a chance to survive!"

Luan Tingyu, Zhu Hu, and Zhu Biao returned to their own camp. Seeing that things were not going well, Luan Tingyu said something to Zhu Hu and Zhu Biao.

"Alright! Tell those guards from Hu Family Village to clear the way!"

Zhu Biao brandished his plum blossom spear, intending to use the soldiers of Hujiazhuang as cannon fodder.

"Brothers of Hujiazhuang!"

Just then, Li Hanxiao and "One-Zhang-Qing" Hu Sanniang and others arrived with their troops. "One-Zhang-Qing" Hu Sanniang led a group of soldiers from Hu Family Village and charged to the front of the battle.

"Gentlemen! Chief Li Hanxiao has helped us reclaim Hu Family Village. You no longer need to serve the Zhu family. Join me and avenge our grievances!"

After saying this, "One-Zhang-Qing" Hu Sanniang drew her twin swords and led the soldiers of Hu Family Village to attack the soldiers of Zhu Family Village.

"revenge!"

Seeing Hu Sanniang arrive with the Hu family's troops, the soldiers who had been forcibly conscripted by the Zhu family to fight the Li family believed that the Hu family had escaped their clutches. They no longer needed to worry about their families and instantly turned against the Zhu family's troops, picking up their weapons and charging towards them.

"You did it backwards! You did it backwards!"

Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, Zhu Biao let out a hysterical roar, but he couldn't control the people of Hujiazhuang at all.

"Zhu Biao, prepare to die!"

Hu Sanniang, nicknamed "One-Zhang-Qing," brandished twin swords and charged straight at Zhu Biao. Zhu Biao raised his plum blossom spear to block Hu Sanniang's swords and angrily rebuked her, "You wicked woman, are you trying to murder your husband?"

"Bah! Who's your woman? I have a deep-seated hatred for you!"

Hu Sanniang, nicknamed "One-Zhang-Qing," spat and unconsciously added more force to her twin blades.

"Get out of my way, you thieving woman!"

Seeing that Zhu Biao was entangled by Hu Sanniang, Zhu Hu rushed over and deflected Hu Sanniang's two swords with a single stroke.

In the original novel, Zhu Hu's strength was such that he could fight Mu Hong, the "Unrestrained" who was at the level of the Eight Cavalry Vanguard, for thirty rounds. Although Mu Hong was suspected of faking the fight and holding back, Zhu Hu's strength was no less than that of Hu Sanniang, the "One-Zhang-Qing". His sudden appearance caught Hu Sanniang off guard.

"Die!"

Zhu Hu had just knocked Hu Sanniang back with a single strike and was about to deliver another blow when a purple horse, seemingly rising from the east amidst the vast army, charged forward with incredible speed, as if entering an empty field, and charged straight at him.

A man on horseback, wearing a pale yellow coat and holding a three-pointed, double-edged sword, blocked his attack.

"Dare to fight me!"

The man coldly uttered a sentence.

Zhu Hu was about to reply, "Who are you?" but before he could say it, the man slashed down with his knife.

Just as Zhu Hu was about to raise his sword to meet the attack, he saw the silver threads wrapped around the hilt of the man's three-pointed double-edged sword shimmering with a thousand auspicious lights under the sunlight, directly dazzling his eyes!

This slowed Zhu Hu's swordsmanship considerably, allowing the man to slash him down, severing the hilt of his sword and cutting him in two, shoulder and back, until he fell from his horse.

The one who killed Zhu Hu was none other than Li Hanxiao, the leader of Liangshan Marsh.

"Second brother!"

Seeing Zhu Hu die in front of him, Zhu Biao's eyes turned red. He raised his gun and was about to fight Li Hanxiao to the death, but was held back by "Iron Rod" Luan Tingyu.

Originally, they brought 3,000 men to attack Li Family Village, 1,000 of whom were soldiers from Hu Family Village. After fighting for several days, they suffered some losses, leaving them with 2,500 to 2,600 men. Now, the people of Hu Family Village have defected, and the fresh troops from Liangshan Marsh have come to attack. They are left with less than 2,000 men. How can they resist? They can only retreat!

Unable to return to Zhu Family Village with Zhu Biao, Luan Tingyu had no choice but to retreat towards Yunzhou. However, Li Hanxiao had anticipated their intention to seek refuge with the government and naturally wouldn't give them that opportunity. He directly ordered "Yin Yang Hand" Lu Hui to lead a group of men to ambush and kill them on the road.

Luan Tingyu and Zhu Biao returned to their camp, having nowhere else to go. They had no choice but to lead their troops to camp on the western hill of Dulonggang, awaiting reinforcements.

Little did they know that the Zhu Family Village was also completely surrounded, making it impossible for anyone to get out and rescue them.

On the Zhu Family Village side, "Blue-Faced Beast" Yang Zhi and "Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen are leading their troops in a siege, while on the Zhu Family Village side, Zhu Chaofeng and Zhu Long are in charge.

Previously, because Li Yong, nicknamed "Soaring Eagle," injured Zhu Long's arm with a flying knife, Zhu Long was recuperating in Zhu Family Village and did not join the attack on Li Family Village.

Now, a group of people appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the Zhu Family Village. Zhu Chaofeng and Zhu Long were dumbfounded, especially when they were inside the village and looked down at the group of people who stormed up Dulonggang. First, they burned down the Zhu Family Shop where Shi Qian stole chickens in the original story, and then they burned down the forest full of traps in front of Dulonggang.

This effectively crippled half of Zhujiazhuang's local defense system, leaving them with no choice but to rely on the city's defensive capabilities.

Moreover, they also saw that Zhu Biao and his men, who originally wanted to return to Zhujiazhuang to provide reinforcements, were driven away by this force on the way.

"Boss, who are these people? Why are they making trouble for our Zhu Family Village!"

Zhu Chaofeng saw Zhu Hu die by the sword from afar on the city wall. The pain of losing his son in his old age was so intense that he almost fainted.

"I don't know. These people are really powerful. I wonder who they are. Father, we are facing a life-or-death situation. You have to make a decision!"

Zhu Long was equally heartbroken to see his younger brother die, but as the eldest son of the Zhu family, he had to hold on, or the Zhu family would be finished.

After wiping away some tears for his second son, Zhu Hu, Zhu Chaofeng regained his composure. After thinking carefully for a while, he said, "Although we don't know who these people are, they have no grudge against our Zhu Family Village. We've never provoked such powerful enemies before. Eldest brother, take a troop of soldiers out. Don't engage in battle. First, scout out who they are. If we can offer them gold and silk to make them retreat, that would be the best course of action..."

Upon hearing Zhu Chaofeng's words, Zhu Long couldn't help but retort, "Father, my second brother died at their hands, how can we possibly make peace with them?!"

Zhu Chaofeng sighed and said, "Eldest brother, a gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. Let's find a way to appease them first and resolve the current crisis. We can take revenge later. Right now, you're injured, your second brother is dead, and your third brother is being held back outside. If anything goes wrong, the Zhu family will be finished. How could your father not know that these people are our Zhu family's enemies? But for now, we can only endure it..."

Although Zhu Long was unwilling to do so, his father Zhu Chaofeng's reasoning was the best option at present, so he had no choice but to comply.

But he also raised a question, "But... Father, what if they refuse to withdraw their troops?"

Zhu Chaofeng was stunned by Zhu Long's words. After a long while, he finally spoke, "If that's the case, I'm afraid we'll have no choice but to fight to the death..."

"Understood!"

Zhu Long sighed, then donned his armor and prepared to lead his troops out to negotiate with the Liangshan forces. It could be said that the Zhu Family Village was now at a critical juncture of life and death, and its fate was basically in his hands. If he could persuade the other side to retreat, the Zhu Family Village might be able to survive.

So Zhu Long, fully armed, led five hundred men to lower the drawbridge and arrived at the manor. He asked, "Who is the leader? I have important matters to discuss!"

"Who are you?"

"Blue-faced Beast," Yang Zhi asked.

"My name is Zhu Long. May I ask who you are, hero? Does my Zhu Family Village have any grudges with you?"

Zhu Long asked.

"We are soldiers from Liangshan Marsh, here to rescue Li Family Village and Hu Family Village at the request of Master Li Ying, and specifically to attack your Zhu Family Village!"

Yang Zhi's words, "Blue-Faced Beast," sent a tremor through Zhu Long's heart.

Li Ying, nicknamed "Soaring Eagle," actually had connections with Liangshan Marsh!

Zhu Chaofeng, that old bastard, heard about this from the city wall and was filled with remorse, slapping himself repeatedly. If he had known earlier that Li Ying had such strong reinforcements, he would never have agreed to Zhu Biao's suggestion to attack Li Family Village.

"So you're one of the heroes of Liangshan! May I ask if you are Chief Li Hanxiao?"

"No, do you think you can just see my chieftain whenever you want?"

Yang Zhi, the "Blue-Faced Beast," showed no mercy and directly shut Zhu Long down.

Zhu Long suppressed his anger and asked with a forced smile, "Then who is your leader?"

"I am Yang Zhi, the 'Blue-Faced Beast,' a descendant of the Yang family of generals."

"So it's Commander Yang! I've long admired your name! I wonder if Commander Yang could inform Chief Li and arrange for Zhu Long to meet with you?"

Zhu Long was secretly alarmed. This "Blue-Faced Beast" Yang Zhi was also a well-known hero in the martial arts world, and a descendant of loyal and virtuous people. He was a direct descendant of the Yang family generals. If such a person had joined Liangshan, the power of Liangshan Marsh should not be underestimated!

Before "Blue-Faced Beast" Yang Zhi could even speak, "Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen beside him had already lost his patience and angrily cursed, "You little bastard, if you want to fight, then fight! Stop babbling on and on! What are you doing here seeing our chief? I'll just beat you up with two blows of my staff!"

This reckless monk hadn't fought anyone in a while, and now that he had a chance to fight, his hands were itching. He had no patience for all this nonsense and just wanted to have a good fight.

"No! I have come here only to turn hostility into friendship and do not wish to engage in further warfare. May I ask this master's Dharma name?"

Zhu Long smiled apologetically again.

"I am Lu Da from Yan'an Prefecture, Lu Zhishen from Wutai Mountain, your Grandpa Zhishen!"

Liang Luzhishen replied in a completely unfriendly manner.

"So it's Commander Lu! My apologies for not recognizing you!"