Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 299: Competing with Lian Po

After seeing Liu Dalang off, Lu Zhishen asked, "Why did you change your mind, sir?"

Zhao Zhen said, "Brother Zhishen, come and look at this pig. Its back and waist are drooping. When we fed it grass today, it ate the most and the fastest. From what I can see, this pig has been pregnant for at least a month."

Guang Hui said: "If that's the case, it's really not good to kill."

Zhao Zhen said, "I am not sure either, but I am somewhat confident after listening to Wang Er knocking the pig himself. After all, it is easy to castrate a boar, but it takes some skill to castrate a sow. When we return to the county, ask Brother Huangfu Duan to take a look and we will know."

Nothing happened that night. At the beginning of the next day at 9:00 p.m., Liu Dalang led more than ten men into Zhao Zhen's camp.

After the meeting, Liu Dalang was not polite and asked Zhao Zhen to drive out the five ordinary black pigs. Everyone stepped forward, tied up the pigs, and carried them to the river bank.

Zhao Zhen, accompanied by Lu Zhishen and other heroes, also went up the embankment. Seeing Liu Dalang and others about to bleed the pig, Zhao Zhen stepped forward and asked, "Liu Dalang, do you have any countermeasures?"

Liu Dalang said, "Sir, I went back yesterday and thought about it carefully. We'll pour the pig's blood here to lure him with the smell of blood. We'll bury the fishing line in the pig's leg, and we'll steer the boat and drag it in the water to lure him to eat it. These four fishing lines will move around in the river, making the animal restless. If we can provoke it, it will go crazy and bite wildly. If it bites the hook, the other boats will come forward together and work together to drag it ashore, and it will naturally be killed."

Ruan Xiaoer heard this and said, "Sir, I will also get on the boat and take a fishing line."

Liu Dalang said quickly, "No, we are familiar with the geography of this river and we are good at swimming. We are not afraid of falling into the water. This warrior just needs to watch us work on the shore."

Ruan Xiaoer shouted, "What are you talking about? I was born in Shijie Village near Liangshan Lake in Jeju. Before I met you, I only fished for a living. In the dead of winter, I could still catch a big catfish. In terms of swimming ability, you are probably not as good as me."

Liu Dalang hesitated and said, "If this lord wants to go, I will let someone drive the boat. But I want to remind you to be careful. If you accidentally fall into the water, move carefully."

Ruan Xiaoer sneered: "You are not afraid of this beast, so how can I be afraid of it? Don't make a fuss, just get on the boat and watch me fish it up."

After some preparation, four boats, each with three or five fishermen, loaded the fishing lines and rowed from the embankment to the center of the river, dragging the pig's leg. The others also untied the ropes and got on the boats, waiting for the pig dragon to bite the hook and then rushed over.

The blood of the five pigs slowly spread from the shore, and the bloody smell on the river became stronger. Four fishing boats with fishing lines were shuttling back and forth nearby.

Zhao Zhen and the others were all on the shore, watching the river with bated breath. After a while, someone shouted, "Got it!"

Zhao Zhen and the others looked over and saw that the person who spoke was Ruan Xiaoer. They saw Ruan Xiaoer standing at the bow, holding the fishing line tightly with both hands. Before the other boats came up, the boat was pulled by the pig dragon and flew to the other side. Everyone was shocked.

Zhao Zhen and his men, along with more than 20 soldiers, hurriedly boarded the boat, and several fishermen rowed desperately towards Ruan Xiaoer's boat. Zhao Zhen stood on the boat and saw that Ruan Xiaoer's boat had already reached the shore following the pig dragon in the water. The boat rushed straight to the shore due to inertia.

Ruan Xiaoer jumped onto the shore, and the other fishermen on the boat were slow to react, and suddenly fell off the boat and into the water. Fortunately, they were close to the shore, and several people struggled to the shore. Seeing that the fishing line in Ruan Xiaoer's hand was taut, several people hurried forward and worked together.

The huge rope seemed like a prison under the water, and it didn't move at all. Fortunately, Liu Dalang and others arrived and hurried forward to help. But they still couldn't move it at all.

Ruan Xiaoer ordered them to drive a stake on the shore and tie the rope to the stake. After a short rest, they started to chant and everyone worked together, but they still couldn't pull the pig dragon ashore. Everyone looked at the water breathlessly, helpless.

When people on the shore heard that a pig dragon had been caught, they all gathered around to watch the fun.

At this time, Zhao Zhen and others also rushed over by boat. Ruan Xiaoer said, "Sir, this pig dragon is so strong that more than 20 strong men can't pull it."

An old man among the onlookers said, "This must be because the pig dragon has dug its claws deep into the sand in the water, so no matter how hard we try, we can't pull it out."

After hearing this, Lu Zhishen shouted, "What do I mean? Let me tell you what I am talking about."

After that, Lu Zhishen took off his robe, walked to the fishing line, took a horse stance, exhaled and said "Hey", and the fishing line was straightened. There were a few "bangs" in the water, and Lu Zhishen swung back violently, and a pig dragon more than four feet long was thrown onto the shore. The onlookers dispersed at once.

I saw this pig dragon, with a fishing line in its mouth, blood coming out of its mouth and nose, and its limbs seemed to be injured, lying limply on the ground.

"This master is very strong." The old man who spoke first praised.

Wang Tianba stepped forward, raised the brush in his hand, and hit the pig dragon between the eyes. The pig dragon twitched a few times and died.

The people on the shore cheered.

Zhao Zhen saw that the old man who spoke twice was quite knowledgeable, so he stepped forward and said, "May I know your name and where you are from?" The old man had just seen Lu Zhishen's magical power and wanted to make friends with him. "My surname is Pang, my given name is Yi, and my nickname is Zhiguo. I am from Tai'an and I am currently living in Zhangqiu County. I wonder if you have any advice for me, sir?"

"I see that you have extraordinary knowledge, so you must not be an ordinary farmer?" Zhao Zhen asked.

"Your Excellency is too kind. I am a descendant of Pang Shiyuan of Shu Han. When I was young, I studied poetry and books, and practiced martial arts in my spare time. I was once a deputy commander of Lanzhou. I once followed Prime Minister Zhang Jizhong to pacify the Western Qiang. I made some contributions, so I was transferred to the militia and promoted to the defense envoy. However, due to my stubborn temperament and incompatibility with my superiors, I was stuck for many years. Later, due to my old age, I resigned from my original position and went home to recuperate."

"May I ask your name, sir? Who are the dragon-fishing hero and the monk? They are really strong. I have always been proud of my strength, saying I am as strong as an ox, and I have never been able to concede defeat to anyone. Today, when I see such a hero, I feel inferior to him."

"My name is Zhao Zhen. I now occupy Liangshan Marsh and have recruited many heroes to protect the area." Zhao Zhen said.

"But is it Mr. Zhao, who is known as Little Mengchang in the martial arts world?"

Zhao Zhen nodded: "The man who was fishing for dragons on the boat just now is the commander of the navy in my county. He is known as the "Land Tai Sui". Few people can match him in operating a boat on the water."

"So it's the great master in person. No wonder there are such brave men under my command. Just now, I was on the shore and saw that although she was dragged by the pig dragon, her feet were standing on the boat, motionless. She must be an expert in boating." Pang Yi said.

"As for the monk the old general mentioned, he also has a name in the martial arts world. He is called the Flower Monk Lu Zhishen. Before he became a monk, he worked as a deputy commander for Mr. Xiaozhong and had many military achievements."

As he spoke, Zhao Zhen called Wang Tianba and others to his side and introduced them one by one.

Everyone was sitting by the river, and just as they were about to talk, Liu Dalang had already taken the fishing line out of the pig dragon's mouth, and came over to Ruan Xiaoer and said, "Please forgive me, my good friend, for my poor eyesight. I heard that you were able to catch catfish in the middle of winter, and I thought you were bragging, but I didn't expect that I was actually underestimating your ability."

Ruan Xiaoer waved his hand: "It's not worth it. I was just being too clever to catch this pig dragon."

"I saw that this pig dragon hadn't made any movement for a long time, so I took a pill of [Ginseng Nourishing Pill] and smeared it on the bait, and then I lured it to eat it."

"That's also a heroic skill." Liu Dalang then said to Zhao Zhen, "Sir, now the pig dragon has been removed, but the fishing line injured its upper jaw, and the hero's head was shattered. The dragon's blood has been flowing out, and I have a bucket to catch it. If you want to drain the blood clean, you have to hang the dragon upside down. But this will inevitably spill a lot of dragon blood."

Pang Yi heard this and said, "That's not difficult." As he said that, he stepped forward and closed the pig dragon's mouth. Holding its mouth with both hands, he dragged the pig dragon to a big tree on the river bank and asked someone to bring a fishing line. He tied a line around the pig dragon's hind legs and threw one end of the line over the branch. He hung the pig dragon upside down and then tied the line to the tree trunk. During this process, the pig dragon did not bleed at all, and Pang Yi did not even gasp for breath.

Zhao Zhen was amazed when he saw this and said, "At this age, he is still so powerful. Lian Po would be no more than this if he were alive."

When everyone heard this, they all cheered, "Old General, you're really strong." From then on, they all called Pang Yi "the rival of Lian Po."

While receiving the dragon blood from the pig woman, Zhao Zhen and others chatted with Pang Yi. Hearing that Pang Yi was now alone and had built three thatched houses in the mountains, Zhao Zhen immediately invited Pang Yi to settle down in Liangshan: "The old general has no one to take care of him, and his life in the mountains is poor. Why don't you come with me to Liangshan to settle down?"

"I just hunt in the mountains every day, which is pretty good. Besides, I am old, so what use is there? The master has many brave generals under his command, and they can make a difference with me."

Zhao Zhen said: "Old General, why should you be so modest? How many people in the world can match your strength? In Liangshan County, there are many loyal heroes coming to join us. It would be a pleasure to just train soldiers and practice martial arts every day. Besides, it would be a pity if your martial arts skills were buried here."

"I have a camp for new soldiers. I have invited Coach Zhang from the Imperial Guards of Bian Jing to train the troops. You, old general, can be a coach in the camp. You can also teach a few apprentices that you like. In wartime, you can also lead the troops and make the most of what you have learned."

After hearing this, Pang Yi said, "Since you have valued me, I am willing to go to your county and be a coach to pass on my martial arts skills."

As he said this, he invited Zhao Zhen and others to his residence to rest for a while, and he packed his bags and abandoned the thatched hut on the mountain today.

Zhao Zhen left Tao Zongwang and Mie Gong behind to lead seven or eight soldiers to guard Zhu Polong, while the rest followed Pang Yi up the mountain.

After turning two hillsides, they saw three low houses leaning against the river mouth. Pang Yi said to Zhao Zhen, "Sir, this is my home." Then he invited everyone to go in.

Pushing the door open, I saw an extremely spacious courtyard. Many bows, arrows, swords, spears, forks, palladiums, clubs, and halberds were neatly lined up under the corridor.

There was a thick-backed, thin-bladed, large chopping knife leaning against the eaves window. Zhao Zhen picked it up and found it weighed about 60 kilograms. He asked, "Is this the old general's weapon?"

Pang Yichuo held the sword in his hand and waved it in a flowery way, saying, "This is the weapon I always use. When I was young, I often charged into battle with this sword."

After sighing for a while, Pang Yi went into the house, packed up his belongings, along with the weapons under the corridor, and had the soldiers carry them down the mountain.

(End of this chapter)