Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Li Hanxiao was overjoyed to have gained a skilled fighter like Wang Yin for free, because he knew that Lin Chong had already joined Liangshan at this time. Although he would eventually become dissatisfied with Wang Lun, it would still be troublesome to deal with him if he were to fight.

Now that we have Wang Yin, we are no longer afraid of Lin Chong.

“How about I present this He Shi Bi jade to Brother Li as a gift to advance my career? If Brother Li hadn’t just saved my life, this jade would probably have been lost.”

Wang Yin was also very good at interpersonal relationships, and handed the package to Li Hanxiao.

Li Hanxiao took it. He also wanted to see what the legendary He Shi Bi was. After all, the legendary Imperial Seal of the State was made from the He Shi Bi. Since it was made of the same material, he might be able to make a replica in the future.

Upon opening it, Li Hanxiao discovered that the He Shi Bi was indeed extraordinary!

The He Shi Bi is a famous jade in Chinese history, also known as Jing Yu, Jing Hong, Jing Bi, He Bi, and He Pu. It is a rare treasure of the world. The Book of Jin, Treatise on Carriages and Clothing, and Xu Lingxin's Jade Seal Manual of the Tang Dynasty record that the Imperial Seal of the State was "green like blue, warm and lustrous", which is inconsistent with the description of the color of the He Shi Bi in Du Guangting's Record of Strange Things.

But the large piece of jade in front of us was indeed a bluish-green, extremely translucent color, and extremely beautiful. It seemed that you could even see the chalcedony patterns inside!

"Wow! This treasure is incredibly rare!"

Li Hanxiao dared to say that there would be no jade of similar quality in later generations, especially one of such a large size. Calling it a priceless treasure was not an exaggeration at all.

If that Daoist emperor, who is obsessed with strange stones, knew this, wouldn't he be unable to sleep at night?

Although Li Hanxiao had no way of confirming whether this object was indeed the He Shi Bi, he had no doubt that it was the same type of jade.

"In the past, when Qin obtained the He Shi Bi jade, it commissioned skilled craftsmen to make it into the Imperial Seal of the State. However, it was lost during the Later Tang Dynasty. If Brother Li has the opportunity to rule the world one day, this object can become another Imperial Seal of the State!"

Wang Yin said this with a smile, and Li Hanxiao immediately felt that Wang Yin was indeed both a scholar and a warrior. This was Wang Yin's way of building up his goodwill!

This piece of He Shi Bi jade was the best proof that he had brought his own capital to join the company. This is not to say that Wang Yin was cunning, but that he was smart and resourceful.

Such a person is also needed in the team. However, Li Hanxiao saw through it but did not say anything. He led Wang Yin and Ou Peng back to the team and did not continue walking, for fear of encountering bandits again. Instead, he took all the bandits' horses, more than a dozen horses in total, and made a considerable fortune.

"Huh? Brother, you went to buy horses?"

When Jiang Jing saw Li Hanxiao, he couldn't help but ask why, when there were originally two people and two horses, there was now one more person and more than a dozen horses.

"Go and call all the brothers over here, let me introduce them!"

Once everyone had arrived, Li Hanxiao introduced Wang Yin, who had recently joined the group. When everyone learned that Wang Yin was Wang Yanzhang, the Iron Spear King, they were filled with admiration. After all, the Five Dynasties and the late Tang Dynasty were not too far removed from this time, and everyone knew about Wang Yanzhang's feat of defeating thirty-six Tang generals in a single day without shifting his shadow!

Moreover, hearing that even Ou Peng couldn't last ten moves against him, he felt even more respect for him. Ou Peng was considered the most skilled among the group after Li Hanxiao, which meant that even if they were all combined, they probably wouldn't be a match for Wang Yin.

"Brother, which road should we take next?"

Ou Peng asked Li Hanxiao where she was going next, and Li Hanxiao replied, "To Tokyo."

"what?!"

Everyone looked at Li Hanxiao with puzzled expressions, as if asking him, "Aren't we going to rebel? What are we doing in Tokyo? Are we going to walk right into a trap?"

Seeing this, Li Hanxiao explained, "Brothers, do you remember what I said? Lin Chong, the former instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards, has joined the Liangshan outlaws. He's not easy to deal with, but I know that his wife and father-in-law are still in Dongjing (Kaifeng). Gao Qiu and his son, who framed him, will certainly not let his family go. If I can secretly go to Dongjing to bring his wife and father-in-law out of the city and reunite them with him, how could he not be grateful to me? Besides, he has suffered all kinds of humiliation under Wang Lun. How could he not defect and join me?"

Everyone suddenly realized what he meant, and Wang Yin exclaimed, "Brother's words are about subduing the enemy without fighting, which is the highest level of warfare. It's brilliant, truly brilliant!"

"Furthermore, as far as I know, there are many extraordinary people and events scattered throughout the city of Tokyo, both inside and outside the city walls. If I can find one or two of them and bring them into the fold, it would be like adding wings to a tiger."

There are too many talented but unappreciated people in Tokyo right now, and Li Hanxiao is confident that he can find a way to persuade one or two of them to rebel with him.

For example, the two people he was determined to win this time were Wen Huanzhang, a schoolteacher, and Ling Zhen, the deputy commander of the Tokyo Armory and the gunner known as "Thunderbolt".

Wen Huanzhang was a strategist recruited by Gao Qiu during the second campaign against Liangshan, following the advice of Xu Jing, the military governor of Shangdang. The original text praises him for his profound understanding of strategy and tactics, his talent in the art of war, and his wisdom in the wisdom of Zhuge Liang. He taught in Anren Village outside Tokyo.

Although Wen Huanzhang, like Wu Yong, was a village schoolteacher, he was resourceful and knowledgeable in military strategy. His skills were indeed quite high, but he was unappreciated and was later employed by Gao Qiu. However, Gao Qiu did not change his nature and listened to the advice of petty people to misinterpret the emperor's intention to grant amnesty. He claimed that the pardon of Song Jiang and 108 others was only for the others and not for Song Jiang and Lu Junyi.

Wen Huanzhang thought it was unacceptable, but despite his strong remonstrance, he failed to persuade Gao Qiu. After this incident, Wen Huanzhang was disheartened and refused to offer any advice to Gao Qiu.

In fact, given Gao Qiu's character, he probably wouldn't listen to Wen Huanzhang's advice even if he offered it.

As for Wen Huanzhang, he was a man of great talent but unappreciated. Li Hanxiao guessed that he just lacked an opportunity to show his abilities. He had been sitting on the sidelines for too long. Although it was Gao Qiu who invited him, Li Hanxiao guessed that if someone else had invited him, he would have gladly gone.

He is the kind of person who would "die for one who understands him." If you invite him here and give him a chance to demonstrate his abilities and listen to his good strategies, he will naturally repay you with his life. However, if he is like Gao Qiu, who does not listen to your words or follow your plans, he will follow Xu Shu's example and join Cao Cao's camp, giving up on you.

As for Ling Zhen, nicknamed "Thunderbolt," he is an indispensable talent; we need him to help us enter the era of firearms ahead of schedule.

This man was not only capable of making cannons, but also of improving gunpowder and modifying cannons. He was the most outstanding firearms talent of his time, and there was no one like him. However, under the imperial court, he was just a minor deputy gunner in the Tokyo Armory, with no room to develop his skills.

Later, after joining Liangshan, he was reduced to firing a signal cannon, turning thunderbolts into fireworks. Except for a few opportunities to show his face, he was basically rendered useless.

Li Hanxiao was a soldier who knew all about how to make explosives and recognized the importance of firearms. He believed that he and Ling Zhen would definitely have a lot in common, and if he could provide Ling Zhen with a space to showcase his abilities, Ling Zhen would definitely come.

Besides, there must be countless talented people in the capital city who are not recognized for their talents. After all, with treacherous officials in power, loyal and virtuous people are often marginalized, so it is quite normal for talented people to be overlooked. It just depends on how many Li Hanxiao can meet and persuade.

After Li Hanxiao explained, no one had any further objections. However, it would be somewhat dangerous if these hundreds of people suddenly appeared near the capital. Although the emperor was incompetent and the ministers were mediocre, the Song Dynasty's army was not entirely useless, especially the Imperial Guards near the capital who were on guard against Sen Yuan. If they were discovered, it could cause unnecessary trouble.

Therefore, Li Hanxiao decided in advance that the main force would take a roundabout route, bypassing the city of Tokyo by sixty miles, and then split into three teams to camp outside for three days, pretending to be merchants to avoid the officials.

He then led a few men into Tokyo to search for talent, and they would set off again three days later after he returned with his men.

After that, the group prepared to travel from Tangzhou to Dongjing City via Yingchang Prefecture.

On this day, as they traveled through Yingchang Prefecture, a strange wind suddenly arose in the woods on both sides of the road, causing everyone to feel uneasy.

"Clouds follow the dragon, wind follows the tiger, this is..."

Before Wang Yin could finish speaking, a tiger's roar echoed through the forest, and a striped tiger leaped out, roaring as it charged towards the group.

Ou Peng was about to go up, but upon hearing the tiger's roar, the horse, being naturally fearful, was already weak in the waist and knees, and was defecating and urinating, so it could no longer move.

If the tiger were to charge into the group, what would happen? Only Li Hanxiao's Beihai Salu Zi and Wang Yin's Zhuanshan Fei were fine steeds and unafraid of tigers. The two were of one mind and stepped forward to stop the tiger.

"Hey! Stop hurting people!"

Wang Yin shouted and thrust his spear at the tiger. The tiger wasn't stupid either; seeing Wang Yin's fierce attack, it leaped aside, and the man and the tiger faced off.

"trick!"

Seeing this opportunity, Li Hanxiao picked up his golden bow and silver bullets and fired two shots at the tiger, blinding one of its eyes.

"Ouch!"

The tiger was in pain, and its howl echoed through the mountains and forests. Li Hanxiao whistled, and the eagle and hunting dogs came out at the same time. Taking advantage of this moment, the hunting dog rushed forward and bit down on the tiger's yellow fur.

The tiger, in pain and furious, stretched out its paw to swat the hunting dog again, but the dog, like an eel, darted out from under its belly, leaving the tiger empty-handed and only managing to dig a hole in the muddy ground.

At that moment, the eagle swooped down, its claws aimed straight for the tiger's remaining eye. Although the tiger ducked in time, six bloody gashes were still slashed across its face by the sharp claws, so deep that the bone was visible.

Just as the tiger was about to deal with the eagle, Wang Yin seized the opportunity and shot the tiger in the neck again, hitting it squarely. Tiger blood gushed out instantly, and the tiger had another wound.

"Hi!"

Seeing the tiger struggling to survive, Li Hanxiao spurred his horse forward and seized the opportunity to slash at the tiger's head with his three-pointed double-edged sword. He chopped off a third of the tiger's neck with the sharpness of the sword, and blood flowed like a waterfall.

"put!"

Ou Peng had already dismounted and was directing his henchmen to fire arrows from a distance. The tiger, already badly injured, was hit by seven or eight more arrows in an instant. Finally, it couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed to the ground with a loud thud, dying instantly.

Fearing it wasn't dead, Li Hanxiao and Wang Yin each struck the tiger with a knife and a gun, respectively, before realizing it was indeed dead. Only then did they dare to look at it with peace of mind.

"Why did such a beast have to show up out of nowhere!"

Wang Yin looked at the tiger's corpse and cursed angrily.

"What a waste of such a fine tiger skin, now it's riddled with holes!"

Looking at the tiger's body covered in wounds, Ou Peng realized that the tiger skin had been completely ruined.

Just then, a group of people suddenly emerged from the woods and arrived at the spot. These people were all on horseback, carrying bows and crossbows, and accompanied by hunting dogs; they were clearly there to hunt as well.

The leader held a bow in his hand, and a gleaming weapon—a three-pointed double-edged sword—was also placed on his horse.

The man's first words were, "Why did you kill my tiger?"

"What? Your tiger? Did you raise it?"

When Ou Peng saw that he was being rude, he retorted.

“We discovered this tiger and drove it away. I just shot it with two arrows, one in the shoulder and one in the back.”

the man said.

Upon hearing this, Li Hanxiao went to check and found that it was indeed the case. The tiger must have broken the arrow shaft during its escape, but the arrowhead was still embedded in the flesh.

"Since that's the case, why don't you take the tiger with you? We don't want it."

Li Hanxiao thought that was the end of it, but then the man said, "I came to hunt tigers for a whole tiger skin, but you guys have poked it like this! How can you let this go!"

Upon hearing this, Li Hanxiao found it utterly unreasonable and retorted, "You're being completely unreasonable. Didn't you already shoot two arrows beforehand? The tiger skin is no longer intact. Besides, if you drive the tiger here, are we supposed to just wait for it to eat us instead of fighting it and saving ourselves?"

"How dare you! Do you know who you are speaking to? This is Lord Peng Qi, the commander of the local militia!"

A person next to him spoke up and scolded Li Han for laughing.

"What? Just because you're the militia commander doesn't mean you can be unreasonable? I'm not afraid of you!"

Wang Yin hated officials who used their power to oppress others. At this moment, he felt extremely disgusted with these people. He tightened his grip on the tiger-headed steel spear, looking fierce, and spurred his horse forward to approach.

Li Hanxiao knew who this person was. This person was Peng Qi, the "Heavenly Eye General", one of the 108 generals in the original work. He was originally from Tokyo and came from a family of generals for generations. He also wielded a three-pointed double-edged sword and was appointed as the military commissioner of Yingzhou. He had met him in the territory under Peng Qi's jurisdiction.

"What are you doing? What do you want? Commander, these people are armed with knives and spears, they don't look like good people!"

Seeing Wang Yin approaching, the boy who was announcing Peng Qi's number quickly retreated behind Peng Qi.

Peng Qi glanced at the group, placed his hand on the three-pointed double-edged sword, and asked in a cold voice, "May I ask where you are going? What are you going to do?"

Although Li Hanxiao and his group looked like a merchant corps, Peng Qi thought to himself that even if ordinary merchants knew some martial arts, they would never have the courage to fight a tiger. If a tiger came, they would have scattered like birds and beasts long ago. How could they have the ability to kill a tiger?

Maybe these people aren't really good people!