The Legend of Song Jiang in Water Margin

Chapter 108 Guan Shengli defeats Yuan Yanggu's naval forces in their plot to seize the birthday gifts.

Guan Sheng, however, did not joke. He said seriously to the two men, "There's no time to lose, brothers. Let's set off immediately!"

""

Tang Bin glanced at Hao Siwen, noticing the fleeting surprise on Hao Siwen's face earlier. This surprise wasn't from hearing the news, but from seeing the waiter!

Did Hao Siwen know this waiter? Tang Bin remained calm, but simply remembered the incident!

Inside the inn, Luo Zhong was slumped over the table, Zhu Jing was lying on the ground, and the rest of the people were in various positions, but all of them were unconscious.

The Liangshan army was extremely obedient. They could feign unconsciousness just like the real thing, remaining completely still for a long time. Anyone who didn't know the situation would definitely think it was real!

After a while, he heard the voices of many people talking outside the door. Luo Zhong's heart skipped a beat; the gun was right next to him! But remembering Xiao Rang's confident promise, he held back!

This was truly an agonizing moment. For the Liangshan army, if the enemy entered at this time and they remained motionless, wouldn't they be like fish on a chopping block? But there were as many as four hundred people on the other side, more than twice as many as before in the dense forest. Li Cheng and the others were truly paralyzed and lying on the ground. With the enemy's strength declining, it was undoubtedly difficult for them to escape unscathed. After all, not everyone had the skills of Luo Zhong and Zhu Jing.

However, they couldn't bear to abandon their compatriots and go their separate ways; Song Jiang kept emphasizing that they were a unified whole!

Only by working together can we be invincible and achieve victory in every battle!

At this moment, the inn was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, while the sounds outside were exceptionally clear and could be heard in their entirety!

One of them shouted, "Brother, why don't we storm in, slaughter them all, grab the birthday gifts, and go back to live a carefree life!"

Another man said, "This is not a good idea. You know, all two hundred of our brothers were wiped out, and we even lost three leaders. We must proceed with extreme caution!"

Another person said, "Why is the inn so quiet? Could it be a trap?"

The fourth person said, "Never mind, brother, let's charge in!"

A dignified yet hoarse voice said, "Half of the brothers stay outside to guard against ambushes, and the other half come with me to charge in. I want to see what they're up to!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the inn's door was kicked open, and when the Yuan Yanggu people came in, they were dumbfounded!

The other side is all upside down! What's going on?!

The people from Yuanyang Valley were completely baffled. What was going on? Why were they all lying on the ground as soon as they came in?

One man, defying all superstition, drew his knife and stabbed a soldier escorting a lord from Daming Prefecture in the leg.

The knife pierced the flesh with a soft "thud," and even the henchmen nearby gasped in pain. But the soldier merely frowned, seemingly feeling the pain, yet remained unconscious.

He really fainted? Everyone was secretly amazed; he actually fainted!

Suddenly, someone spoke up: "This is bad! There must be another group of thieves here, trying to ambush us. Otherwise, why would these guys have fainted here? We should kill these unconscious people now and stay on guard!"

Everyone suddenly realized that this must be the case; otherwise, how could it be explained?

Just then, a commotion arose outside. Before those inside could react, a loud shout rang out: "Guan Sheng of Dadao is here! You thieves, cease your insolence!"

A commotion erupted outside, and then a henchman burst in, shouting, "Boss, three men have arrived outside! They're highly skilled in martial arts, and the brothers are struggling to hold them off!"

The leader, Xu Pingsheng, shouted, "What's the panic? What's the chaos? There are only three of us. Do you think we can fly? Brothers, follow me to meet the enemy!"

After saying that, he waved his hand and led his men out! The inn fell silent again in an instant!

The henchmen, relying on their superior numbers, attempted to use sheer numbers to eliminate the three men in front of them, which is why they were able to swarm forward like ants.

But Guan Sheng's Green Dragon Crescent Blade was like cutting melons and vegetables, slaughtering the lives of his henchmen!

Hao Siwen and Tang Bin are no less skilled than Guan Sheng. Perhaps they are not as good as Guan Sheng in martial arts, but they are no worse than Guan Sheng in killing henchmen!

With the help of two people, it was a one-sided massacre!

Yuan Yanggu and his gang usually robbed and plundered, bullying innocent women and winning by sheer numbers! They had never seen such ferocious people before, especially since these three showed no mercy. In the midst of flashing blades, their men were either killed or maimed, and they were so frightened that they dared not step forward!

Xu Pingsheng had never seen such a scene before! He had initially sent Wang Liang with two hundred men to lead the charge, intending to rob the birthday tribute so he could return to Yuanyang Valley and enjoy himself for a while. But then he thought that if there weren't enough men, he would bring four hundred men with him!

To everyone's surprise, Wang Liang and his gang vanished as if they had evaporated into thin air, leaving no trace whatsoever!

At first, Xu Pingsheng thought that Wang Liang had robbed the birthday gifts and then run away with his men, but then he thought, no, there are two hundred men, it's impossible that they all followed Wang Liang! Even if they all followed Wang Liang, it's impossible that there wouldn't be any trace of them!

Xu Pingsheng didn't know what had happened either. To put it bluntly, he was greedy, lustful, greedy, ruthless, and a complete villain. His vengeful nature made many true heroes despise him!

Therefore, Yuan Yang Gu is basically a rabble, with no heroes at all! When they encounter someone weak, they bully them mercilessly, but when they encounter someone strong, they run away as soon as they see the situation is not good!

Seventy or eighty people lay on the ground, some already dead, others wailing incessantly, frightening Yuan Yanggu and his group into not daring to approach!

Of course, it also benefits from the strength of Guan Sheng and his group. As the leader of the Five Tigers, Guan Sheng has one of the best strengths among the Five Tigers. Tang Bin has the record of killing Zhu Jing. Although there was an element of sneak attack, his strength should not be underestimated. He is definitely at least at the level of a middle-ranking general, let alone a top-ranking general. Hao Siwen also has the strength to compete for the top five and even the top three among the top five generals!

If this were the Liangshan army, Yuan Yanggu's human wave tactics would be too much for them to handle, and there would inevitably be casualties. This is why Xiao Rang gambled on Shi Qian going to find Guan Sheng and get Guan Sheng to take action in order to avoid innocent sacrifices for the Liangshan army. This time, Xiao Rang gambled correctly and succeeded!

Seeing that things weren't going well, Xu Pingsheng quickly shouted, "Go!"

The henchmen looked at each other, but none of them stepped forward.

What a joke! My life is my own. These three are so strong, why should I throw my life away for nothing?

Guan Sheng gripped his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, his Red Hare neighing incessantly! Drops of blood dripped from the blade onto the ground, making him appear like a war god in the setting sun!

Unable to withstand Guan Sheng's oppressive aura any longer, the henchmen of Yuanyang Valley fled in all directions.

Seeing this situation, Xu Pingsheng was afraid that if he was too slow, Guan Sheng would use his sword on him, so he also followed the group of henchmen and ran away!

Guan Sheng sneered and didn't give chase. These petty scoundrels weren't worth making him go through all that trouble!

Tang Bin looked at Guan Sheng with suspicion and said, "These thieves are so despicable that they actually dared to plot against the birthday tribute. They truly have no idea they're going to die!"

Hao Si laughed and said, "Since ancient times, people have died for wealth, and birds have died for food! This is not surprising!"

The three laughed heartily, then dismounted and walked into the inn together!

Upon entering the inn and seeing the people scattered on the ground, Guan Sheng was taken aback. Hao Siwen quickly knelt down to check one of them for breath and, finding him still breathing, stood up and said, "Not dead!"

Guan Sheng nodded and said, "It seems they've been drugged. Go to the kitchen and get some water, just splash it on their faces!"

""

A bucket of cold water was poured over his head, and a soldier was jolted awake by the water splashing directly on him!

He shook his head, wiped the water off his face, looked around, and seemed somewhat dazed.

Guan Sheng ignored him and continued splashing water. Before long, everyone woke up!

When Li Cheng woke up, he was initially dazed, but then he realized what was happening and exclaimed, "Oh no!"

Wen Da also said regretfully, "We've been tricked! Quickly go check if the birthday gifts are still there!"

The soldiers suddenly realized what had happened and rushed to check, but it was already empty!

A soldier disguised as a镖局 (security escort agency) member from Liangshan approached Xiao Rang and said, "All our belongings are gone!"

"What!" Xiao Rang pretended to be shocked, then slumped to the ground, looking utterly dejected!

Luo Zhong, his face contorted with pain, slowly said, "In my entire life wandering the martial world, I have never suffered such a crushing defeat. Enough! I have no face to see you all now!" With that, he pulled out a knife and swung it at his own neck!

Li Cheng never expected that Yan Luo would actually commit suicide if he said he would; his temper was so fierce!

Zhu Jing couldn't let Luo Zhong really commit suicide, so he held Luo Zhong tightly.

Luo Zhong couldn't possibly commit suicide. After all, it was just an act, so he backed down without putting in any more effort. Li Cheng sat on the stool, dejected and hanging his head. He had promised Liang Zhongshu that he would deliver the birthday gifts to Cai Jing's residence, but now they had been lost on the way. How could he go back to face Liang Zhongshu?

I only have myself to blame; despite being careful and vigilant the whole way, I still fell for their trick!

Another soldier reported, "The waiter and the manager have both disappeared!"

"Bang!" Wen Da slammed his fist on the table in front of him, cracking it. This was premeditated. Who could have predicted that the thieves would switch the innkeeper and waiter in the inn, especially since this was an official post station inn!

In the midst of the earlier chaos, Li Cheng only now noticed that Guan Sheng and his two companions were also at the inn, so he asked, "And you gentlemen are?"

Guan Sheng smiled slightly and replied, "Guan Sheng!"

Li Cheng carefully examined Guan Sheng and thought he was indeed a fine hero. He then looked at the two men beside Guan Sheng, who were handsome and dignified, and secretly praised them in his heart.

Guan Sheng bowed and recounted what had just happened. Li Cheng asked in confusion, "Could it be those scoundrels from Yuan Yanggu? If so, let's go and raze their mountain to the ground now."

Wen Da thought for a moment and said, "I always feel there's an invisible hand behind the scenes. Do the people of Yuanyang Valley have this scheme?"

After discussing it for a while, the group decided to take some men to Yuanyang Valley to collect the debt. However, Luo Zhong felt that there must be another group of people causing trouble behind the scenes, and he thought that going to Yuanyang Valley would be a waste of time. This was the same thought that Wen Da had!

After discussing it, Li Cheng decided that he would lead his men to Yuanyang Valley, while Luo Zhong and Xiao Rang would go to investigate the others. After the discussion, Li Cheng set off first with his men, and then reunited with Luo Zhong in the dense forest. Li Cheng's idea was that no matter what, it would be good to bring Luo Zhong back!

After Xiao Rang and Luo Zhong finished recounting what had happened on the road, everyone burst into laughter!

I admire Luo Zhong's superb martial arts skills, Xiao Rang's composure in the face of danger, and Shi Qian's unparalleled lightness skill!

Song Jiang, in particular, never expected that Xiao Rang, in addition to being able to imitate everyone's handwriting, would also be so resourceful and calm in the face of danger. It seems that Xiao Rang is fully capable of serving as a military advisor!

Of course, this time we couldn't have done without Shi Qian's help. If Shi Qian hadn't gone ahead and put sleeping pills in the water and wine at the Guantang Inn beforehand, things might not have gone so smoothly!

This sleeping potion was specially made by An Daoquan. Even a small amount would make an ordinary person unconscious. Shi Qian was afraid that the people would not fall down, so he deliberately added more sleeping potion!

Most importantly, Shi Qian brought Guan Sheng as a timely savior, which allowed the Liangshan army to escape unscathed and ultimately retreat safely. Others might not have been able to do this!

Thinking of Guan Sheng naturally brings to mind Hao Siwen, that passionate and righteous young man. It has been some time since the two parted ways in Qinghe County. However, since he is with Guan Sheng, it seems that Guan Sheng has failed the martial arts examination!

Song Jiang felt a little regretful, but the time was not right. Guan Sheng and Hao Siwen were unlikely to join Liangshan at the moment, so he would wait for another opportunity.

"What about the innkeeper and the waiter?" Song Jiang asked again! After all, to prevent the matter from being exposed, Ruan Xiao'er had brought them along to Liangshan!

Xiao Rang replied, "They've both been settled!"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "We can't let them go down the mountain before the important matter is accomplished. Let's just assign them some tasks to do!"

Wu Yong, waving his fan, laughed and said, "Everything has been arranged!"

Song Jiang glanced at Zhang Shun, smiled, and said nothing.

Zhang Shun understood Song Jiang's meaning and began to recount how he had taken the birthday gifts!

In fact, Zhang Shun's situation was far less complicated than Xiao's; the only difficulty was the tight schedule!

To prevent any mishaps to the birthday tribute, Prefect Cai Jiu specially set off from the Grand Canal, then changed course to cross the dam into the Yellow River, and then headed to Bianliang!

Although it's a bit troublesome, it's definitely the safest and most secure option!

First of all, the escort route was top secret, and no one knew about it at all.

Secondly, there are not many thieves on the river, and there are very few gangs with good swimming skills and great power, almost none. Even if there are, they would still have to think twice before they dare to rob you!

The four brothers, Ruan Xiaowu, Zhang Heng, Zhang Shun, and Liu Tang, already knew the route for transporting the birthday gifts. There was no way around it; Dai Zong had given them advance notice, and Song Jiang had also investigated it!

The darkness poured onto the calm river surface, the entire water still and lifeless. A cool breeze added a touch of sorrow and desolation to the stillness.

Time passed by, and the four Liangshan generals in charge of the birthday gifts lay bored on the water, looking at the stars in the sky.

Song Jiang had always liked to do this. When they asked him why he looked at the stars, he replied that he wanted to reflect on his past life.