The Legend of Song Jiang in Water Margin

Chapter 117 Little Yuchi Meets a Feast of Heroes, Timely Rain Reappears, and Little Li Guang Returns

After exchanging pleasantries with the two men, Song Jiang addressed the man who had been surrounded, saying, "Hero, are you injured?"

The man was quite grateful to Song Jiang, but also full of resentment towards Wang Ying and Yan Shun. He glared at the two of them, bowed to Song Jiang in gratitude, and said, "I am not injured!"

Song Jiang returned the greeting and asked, "May I ask your esteemed name, hero? What brings you here?"

The man thanked him again, bowed, and replied, "My name is Sun Xin, and this is my wife. We originally planned to go to Dengzhou together, but this chieftain has his eye on her and insists that she become the chieftain's wife, hence this argument!"

Sun Xin spoke tactfully, but he couldn't hide the resentment in his heart!

Song Jiang's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "May I ask if you, sir, are you Sun Xin, known as Little Yuchi?"

Sun Xin was somewhat surprised and said, "I was originally an unknown person, I didn't expect that Clerk Song would know my nickname!"

Sun Xin's martial arts skills were indeed average, but his brother Sun Li was no ordinary person. He was highly skilled in martial arts and was the military commander of Dengzhou, making him the number one fighter in the Dengzhou faction!

Of course, Song Jiang didn't think Sun Li's martial arts skills were as high as he claimed, nor did he think they were as low as others had made them out to be!

Many people believe that Sun Li's ability to fight Hu Yanzhuo to a draw after thirty rounds demonstrates his strength as one of the Five Tiger Generals.

However, we can't look at things from just one perspective. First of all, the original work clearly states that Shi Xiu's martial arts skills are no less than Sun Li's. This means that Shi Xiu has already capped Sun Li's potential. Secondly, even when Huang Xin and the other three ganged up on Wang Yin, they could only fight him to a draw and couldn't defeat him!

Thirty rounds is not very convincing, especially since Huyan Zhuo had previously fought Lin Chong, Hu Sanniang, and Hua Rong for seventy or eighty rounds!

Sun Li got away with it, but Shi Jin fought Bian Xiang for fifty rounds and Lü Fang fought Shi Bao for fifty rounds. Does that mean Shi Jin and Lü Fang have the strength of the Five Tigers?

The battle against Kou Zhenyuan was indeed spectacular, but Kou Zhenyuan had no one else to serve as a benchmark for his fighting prowess!

In Song Jiang's view, Sun Li was definitely not as strong as the Five Tiger Generals, nor as strong as Hua Rong, Yang Zhi, Xu Ning and Suo Chao among the Eight Tiger Generals, but he should be stronger than Mu Hong and others. He could be used as the dividing line between strong and weak Tiger Generals!

Why couldn't Sun Li be included in the Heavenly Stars? Perhaps Song Jiang's suppression was one of the reasons, but it wasn't because he was afraid of the Dengzhou faction.

Although the Dengzhou faction was entirely composed of relatives, it was not a monolithic entity. In terms of being heartless and ungrateful, Sun Li far surpassed Tang Long!

If Tang Long was only after his own merits and tricked Xu Ning into joining the mountain, then Sun Li was completely ungrateful for the Xie brothers, Xie Zhen and Xie Bao!

To say that a dignified military commander would not dare to utter a word to save the Xie brothers, Xie Zhen and Xie Bao, is not that difficult. Even if things were extremely difficult, at least he could save Xie Zhen and Xie Bao from the death penalty!

But Sun Li ignored it. If it weren't for Sister-in-law Gu's desperate move that forced Sun Li to break into the prison, the Xie brothers would probably all have been beheaded!

Putting all that aside, Sun Li is actually quite good overall; his martial arts skills and troop command abilities are all above average!

Song Jiang did not desire or force Sun Li, but he was determined to get his brother-in-law Le He, who was a true talent!

Today I ran into Sun Xin and Sister-in-law Gu. It seems that fate has brought me into a tangle with the Dengzhou faction!

Thinking of this, he said to Yan Shun and Wang Ying, "Brothers, please give me some face!"

Their previous conversation seemed to have completely ignored the presence of the group from Qingfeng Mountain.

Although Wang Ying was helped up, his eyes kept glancing at Pan Jinlian, Pang Qiuxia, and Hua Baoyan!

Song Jiang naturally saw all this, but remained calm and composed! The atmosphere suddenly became quite subtle!

Now that Song Jiang had taken the initiative to speak, Yan Shun also felt that things were not going well if things continued like this, so he quickly said, "Why don't you heroes all go to the stronghold together!"

Song Jiang saw Wang Ying's eyes suddenly light up. He thought that this sleazy dwarf was willing to risk his life for his elder brother Yan Shun for a woman. If the few of them on his side went up Qingfeng Mountain and they had bad intentions, it would be troublesome if hundreds of people started making a fuss and fighting!

After thinking for a moment, he declined, saying, "We still need to go to Qingfeng Village to find Magistrate Hua. We'll come back another day!"

Wang Ying was a little disappointed. In fact, he really hoped that Song Jiang and his group would come to Qingfeng Mountain with him. As for Pan Jinlian and the other women, once they were up there, with several hundred of them, how could they possibly run away?

At worst, I'll fall out with Song Jiang. After all, Song Jiang has a great reputation, but I have no personal relationship with him!

Song Jiang thought for a moment, then walked over to Wang Ying and whispered in his ear, "I know Chief Wang is a man of strong emotions, who has always loved beautiful women more than power. I know of a beauty who would be very suitable for Chief Wang!"

Wang Ying's eyes lit up; he hadn't expected Song Jiang to understand him so well. He quickly asked in a low voice, "Who is Brother Gongming referring to?"

Song Jiang said in a low voice, "It's Lady Liu, the magistrate of Qingfeng Village. I've heard that this woman is graceful, voluptuous, and alluring, with seductive eyes. Doesn't Chief Wang have her eye on him?"

After listening, Wang Ying hesitated for a moment, then said, "Although I am tempted, Qingfeng Village has five or six hundred soldiers, and the deputy magistrate, Hua Rong, is a master marksman with unparalleled marksmanship. If we go, I'm afraid we'll be like lambs to the slaughter!"

Song Jiang smiled and said in a low voice, "Hua Rong and I are like brothers. If he leaves Qingfeng Village with his troops in three days, won't Lady Liu Gao be Wang Chief's for the taking?"

Wang Ying slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!"

This drew everyone's attention, and Song Jiang quickly whispered, "Keep your voice down! It's not the act of a hero if others find out!"

Wang Ying said with emotion, "Brother, you've thought of everything for me, you're truly my brother!"

Song Jiang shook his head and said, "I admire your boldness in love and hate. Three days from now at midnight, you will lead your men to storm Qingfeng Town. But remember, you must not kill innocent civilians indiscriminately, or I will disown you as a brother!"

Wang Ying nodded hurriedly and said, "Yes, brother, we will never kill innocent civilians!"

Song Jiang added, "Remember, our ostensible reason for going to Qingfeng Town is to borrow grain. Under no circumstances should we reveal that our target is Lady Liu Gao; otherwise, Qingzhou will surely send men to wipe us out!"

Wang Ying nodded and said, "I understand, brother."

Song Jiang patted Wang Ying on the shoulder and said, "I still need to see Magistrate Hua, so I'll take my leave now! This brother Sun Xin's elder brother is the Dengzhou military commander, the sick Yuchi Sun Li. If he and his wife are lost, I'm afraid the Dengzhou troops will arrive soon. Weighing the pros and cons, we should make some choices. I hope you will consider this carefully, brother!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Ying broke out in a cold sweat. He had heard of Sun Li's abilities. Some time ago, his senior brother Luan Tingyu had been searching for him with Zhu Biao. If he hadn't dodged quickly, he would have been in serious trouble. Thinking of this, he felt even more grateful to Song Jiang!

Song Jiang smiled and patted Wang Ying on the shoulder, saying, "I'll take my leave now. I'll definitely visit Qingfeng Mountain soon and we'll have a good drink together!"

Wang Ying and Yan Shun bowed and bid farewell to Song Jiang with reluctance, completely unaware of the slight smile that appeared on Song Jiang's face as he turned his back to them!

From the moment these guys started eating human hearts, it was clear that Song Jiang was not one of them. Song Jiang was determined to kill these despicable, cannibalistic, and indiscriminate killers!

However, Wang Ying cannot die now. He is a very important pawn in their plan, otherwise today will be their doom!

The group continued on their way, and after asking for directions, Song Jiang led everyone, including Sun Xin and Gu Dasao, to a small village to the north, which was the village where Hua Rong lived!

Upon arriving at the gate, they saw several guards. After asking their names, they went inside to announce their arrival.

A young military officer emerged from the village, and upon seeing Song Jiang, he was overjoyed and hurriedly ran over!

Upon seeing Song Jiang and Hua Baoyan, Hua Rong quickly came forward to greet them. After seeing Song Jiang, he immediately bowed, but Song Jiang quickly helped him up, not letting Hua Rong kneel down!

Seeing that he couldn't bring himself to bow, Hua Rong had no choice but to give up! He hurriedly called for people to fetch the luggage, helped Song Jiang up, and led everyone to the main hall!

Let's not mention how excited Song Jiang and Hua Rong were to see each other again, nor how thrilled Hua Baoyan and her brother were to reunite!

Upon arriving at the main hall, Hua Rong invited Song Jiang to sit at the head of the table, then arranged for everyone else to sit down, and sat with them himself. He then instructed the servants to prepare wine and dishes to welcome Song Jiang and his companions.

Song Jiang sighed inwardly, thinking that Hua Rong truly respected him, though he didn't know why. But he vowed that he would never let Hua Rong down in this lifetime!

Hua Rong bowed several times before speaking, "It has been half a year since I last saw my brother. I often think of him and regret that I cannot continue to stay by his side in Yuncheng!"

Song Jiang helped Hua Rong up and said sternly, "We are brothers. If you say anything that hurts our loyalty again, I will leave immediately!"

'

Seeing Song Jiang's serious expression, Hua Rong nodded and said, "I'll do as you say, brother!"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "No matter what, I've always reserved a place for Brother Hua!"

Song Jiang spoke in a very veiled way, but those present understood what he meant, and those who didn't understand later would!

Pang Wanchun and Hua Rong had previously admired each other, but unfortunately, Pang Wanchun had gone out and not returned when Hua Rong went down the mountain. Now that they have met again, both of them are eager to compete!

As expected, Hua Rong didn't stand on ceremony and said directly, "Brother Wan Chun, since your nickname is 'Little Yang Youji,' I greatly admire you and would like to exchange a few blows with you. I hope you will grant my request!"

Pang Wanchun knew that Hua Rong's nickname was "Little Li Guang" and had long wanted to have a match with him. When Hua Rong invited him, he quickly agreed, "Of course, I'd also like to spar with Brother Hua Rong!"

Song Jiang laughed heartily and said, "It's late today, and everyone is tired from their journey. Why don't we meet again tomorrow morning for a martial arts contest?"

Hua Rong and Pang Wanchun readily agreed, and at this moment, the maids and servants slowly brought up the wine and dishes!

Hua Rong hurriedly arranged for everyone to be seated, then called his wife, Cui, and sister out to meet Song Jiang! (Hua Baoyan had already gone in to see her sister-in-law.)

The woman surnamed Cui, heavily pregnant, was helped out by Hua Rong's younger sister, Hua Baoyan. It seemed she was ten months pregnant and would be giving birth soon!

At the banquet, Song Jiang asked Hua Rong, "Brother, I've heard that there's a magistrate here named Liu Gao. I wonder what kind of official he is?"

Hua Rong gritted his teeth and said, "Brother, you don't know. Not to brag, but Qingfeng Village is a vital place in Qingzhou. If I were still guarding it alone, how would any powerful figures from near and far dare to shatter Qingzhou! Recently, they appointed this poor, starving fellow as the village magistrate. This scoundrel is a civil official, yet he has no ability. Since taking office, he has been swindling the few wealthy households in this village, abusing the law, and doing whatever he pleases. I am a military officer and deputy magistrate, and I am constantly annoyed by this fellow. I wish I could kill this filthy, thieving beast."

Hua Rong took a sip of wine and continued, "Liu Gao has a wife, but she's extremely wicked. She only instigates her husband to do cruel things, harming innocent people and greedily accepting bribes. Why did you bring up such a villain, brother?"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "Brother, calm down! Since I asked this question, it's naturally because I want to help you get rid of him. Or rather, wouldn't it be a waste of my talents to just be a lowly magistrate?"

In fact, Song Jiang originally planned that if Liu Gao was not the same person as in the original story, but a virtuous official, Song Jiang would have closed the door and beaten the dog, annihilating all the villains of Qingfeng Mountain, as a way of helping him!

However, if Liu Gao is a corrupt official who preys on the people, oppresses the good, and commits all kinds of evil, Song Jiang plans to coordinate an inside attack and then catch the oriole in the back to get rid of Liu Gao.

Hua Rong sighed and said, "Brother, you don't know this, but when Qingzhou Prefecture sent troops to suppress bandits, a scoundrel named Huang Xin, relying on his status as Qin Ming's apprentice, led a group of men to Erlong Mountain to suppress the bandits. On the way, he encountered Zhu Biao, the third young master of Zhu Family Village, and his teacher Luan Tingyu. Logically speaking, Luan Tingyu is quite famous in the martial arts world. With him taking action, Erlong Mountain should have been a piece of cake!"

Hua Rong took a sip of wine and continued, "Unexpectedly, the Qingzhou army suffered a great defeat, and Luan Tingyu was seriously injured."

Huang Xin led his men back to Qingzhou in disgrace. Prefect Murong was furious and ordered that anyone who dared to attempt to suppress the bandits again and failed would be beheaded!

Song Jiang remained silent, but inwardly he was somewhat disdainful. Huang Xin was simply courting death. Of the three mountains, Peach Blossom Mountain was the easiest to attack, yet he insisted on choosing the most difficult Erlong Mountain!

However, Murong Yanda's words were not definitive, which made people wonder!

Hua Rong continued, "Master Huang Xin was furious and wanted to personally take down Erlong Mountain to avenge his disciple's humiliation."

But Prefect Murong said that if Qin Ming couldn't take Erlong Mountain, he shouldn't come back! Therefore, Qin Ming kept his anger bottled up, unable to vent it!

Song Jiang laughed and said, "There is only one road leading from the foot of Erlong Mountain to the top, and the bandits have three passes guarding it. This mountain is easy to defend and difficult to attack. It can be said that one man can hold off ten thousand. Let alone Huang Xin's reputation for guarding three mountains, even if he were to guard ten thousand mountains, he still wouldn't be able to take Erlong Mountain!"

Hua Rong asked curiously, "Brother, how did you know that Huang Xin's nickname is 'Suppressor of Three Mountains'? This fellow originally had no nickname, but because he suffered such a crushing defeat, he swore that he would not change his name until he had flattened these three mountains!"

Song Jiang still smiled. He knew that Qin Ming and Huang Xin were both brave but reckless. Taking Erlong Mountain was not exactly difficult, but it was not easy either. It required cooperation and an attack from within. However, it was too early to talk about it now, so Song Jiang did not intend to say it for the time being!

After thinking for a moment, Song Jiang said, "Brother, I'll say it again: you're wasting your talents as a deputy magistrate. If you trust me, I'll help you become a military officer in Qingzhou, how about that?"

Hua Rong laughed and said, "Brother, what are you saying? Actually, Hua Rong has no interest in fame or fortune. Before, I only had a lot of enthusiasm to serve the country, but ever since I met you last time, I only want to follow you by your side!"

Song Jiang grasped Hua Rong's hand and said, "I know your intentions, but you're only staying here temporarily. Your rise to a high position will also be a help to me!"

Hua Rong was somewhat surprised, but seeing Song Jiang's serious expression, he nodded.

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