The Legend of Song Jiang in Water Margin

Chapter 120 Dwarf Tiger's Night Raid on Qingfeng Village; Murong of Qingzhou Prefecture Unleashes Thunderous Fury

As night fell, the streets were quiet and deserted. This was partly due to the lack of entertainment options in ancient times, and partly because Qingfeng Town was not wealthy. Most of the residents were people who worked from early morning and were already asleep at this hour.

Wang Ying took the lead, carrying the Ruyi Wind and Thunder Cudgel, and together with Yan Shun and his men, they arrived at Liu Gao's mansion!

Liu Gao's mansion was quiet, and the two gatekeepers were already asleep beside him.

Indeed, no one could have imagined that someone from Qingfeng Town would dare to cause trouble at Liu Gao's residence!

The long hours of low-intensity work meant that these two were just going through the motions of guarding the gate; in reality, they were already fast asleep!

Wang Ying waved his hand, and two bandits silently approached the guards, each taking out a short knife and stabbing it into the guards' left chests!

The two bandits had become exceptionally skilled at stabbing hearts due to their long experience of dissecting them!

The two guards groaned and died in their sleep. They only had themselves to blame for losing their vigilance. At any time, one must be wholeheartedly dedicated to their work!

Yan Shun waved his hand and shouted, "Go!" Then he took the lead and rushed into the Liu residence!

The servants of the Liu family had long since fallen asleep, never imagining that thieves would come to rob them in the dead of night. Just as they were having a sweet dream, they suddenly vaguely heard crying, screams, and shouts of killing outside. They were instantly awakened from their dream. Forgetting about the alluring body on the bed, they scrambled out of bed, poked a hole in the window paper, and looked out by the moonlight!

Outside, chaos reigned, filled with cries, shouts, and screams—a truly horrific scene! The thieves, wielding sharp blades, looked like demons unleashed from hell, their only appearance suggesting they were about to devour people!

Liu Gao thought to himself, "This is terrible!" But the thieves were right outside, and if he went out, he would be sending himself to the tiger's den. In his panic, he was at a loss for what to do.

Looking at the disheveled maid and the soldiers who hadn't yet donned their armor, Wang Ying laughed triumphantly, his face filled with terror, and shouted, "Those who surrender will not be killed!"

Wang Ying was bloodthirsty, but when he thought of Song Jiang's words and his cold eyes, he shuddered. Song Jiang had many experts around him, a great reputation in the martial arts world, and extensive connections. It wasn't worth offending Song Jiang to kill these people in front of him. Anyway, these people would be at his disposal once they were taken to Qingfeng Mountain!

Liu Gao originally had fifty private soldiers. They had dared to resist before, but Qingfeng Mountain had killed about ten of them with a combination of slashing and stabbing. The others, seeing that they were no match for their leader, all knelt on the ground, trembling and begging for their lives!

Yan Shun hadn't expected these people to be so incompetent. They didn't even try to resist when they were scared. After all, they were soldiers in the army. But Yan Shun didn't know that apart from bullying Liu Gao and intimidating the good people, these people were basically paper tigers!

Seeing that the situation was under control, Wang Ying was overjoyed and shouted, "Tie them all up and take them up the mountain!" A group of henchmen quickly took out ropes and tied the men and women up tightly!

Liu Gao was terrified as he hid in the room, praying that the bandits would leave quickly and not come into the room. At the same time, he secretly regretted that if Hua Rong had left a day later or had not gone to suppress the bandits at all, he could have rushed over immediately when he learned that bandits had come to Qingfeng Town.

Unfortunately, sometimes what you fear most is what happens. Just as Liu Gao was trembling and at a loss, Wang Ying had already pushed open the door and entered!

Liu Gao looked at the short man in front of him, who was even shorter than Song Jiang, but whose fierce appearance was far less refined than Song Jiang's!

Yan Shun, however, was not interested in women and had already ordered his henchmen to plunder the Liu family's wealth and provisions.

Wang Ying didn't even glance at Liu Gao. His small, beady eyes leered at Madam Liu, who was also trembling. Once he looked, he couldn't stop himself. Although the woman was somewhat old, she still retained her charm. At this moment, her fragrant shoulders were exposed, and the quilt covered her upper body, so she was obviously naked. Her snow-white skin was as dazzling as a bright lamp. It seemed that Song Jiang really hadn't lied to him!

Seeing that Wang Ying kept looking at his wife, Liu Gao quickly said, "This is my wife. If Your Majesty likes her, I am willing to offer her to Your Majesty!"

Lady Liu never imagined that Liu Gao would sell himself to this short, ugly, and burly thief just to save his own life. However, she was also a pragmatic woman. She knew that this thief valued her and that she might be spared if he took a liking to her. She glared at Liu Gao, then put on a fawning smile and said, "This humble servant is willing to serve Your Majesty. I beg Your Majesty to spare my life!"

Wang Ying laughed heartily and said, "You're quite sensible. I need a wife to take as my wife, and I think you're just right!"

Liu Gaoxi said, "I am willing to offer up all my wealth, and I beg Your Majesty to spare my life!"

Unexpectedly, Wang Ying suddenly changed her expression and struck Liu Gao on the head with a stick, smashing Liu Gao's skull on the spot!

The woman screamed in terror, and Wang Yingxun said, "If you scream again, I'll kill you too!"

The woman quickly stopped talking, and Wang Ying nodded in satisfaction, saying, "That's more like it!"

Then, addressing the corpse whose head resembled tofu pudding, he said, "Your money was originally mine; why should you offer it up?"

The woman smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Yes, yes, yes!"

Wang Ying suddenly turned to look at the woman with a lewd smile on his face!

The woman understood Wang Ying's meaning. She glanced fearfully at Liu Gao's corpse and whispered, "Your Majesty, why are you in such a hurry? Liu Gao is dead. In any case, I will be Your Majesty's woman from now on. I can do as Your Majesty pleases, can't I? Why don't we go somewhere else?"

Wang Ying leered, "Right here!" and pounced on it like a hungry tiger!

On the way back to Qingfeng Mountain, Yan Shun looked at Wang Ying, who had a smug expression on his face, and said, "I never imagined that Liu Gao, a mere magistrate, would be so wealthy! This trip back to the mountain stronghold would be enough to feed us for several years. It's truly wonderful!"

Wang Ying looked at the woman and laughed, "Twenty thousand taels of gold, fifty thousand taels of silver, a thousand shi of grain, and a beautiful woman—this trip has truly been worthwhile!"

Yan Shun said, "Hua Rong isn't in Qingfeng Town right now, so why don't we go and raid the Hua residence again? I've heard that Hua Rong has a younger sister who's incredibly beautiful, a beauty unlike any other!"

Wang Ying excitedly pulled on the horse, exclaiming joyfully, "If that's the case, what are we waiting for!"

Yan Shun laughed and said, "Aren't you afraid of Song Jiang?"

Wang Ying was taken aback. After thinking for a while, seemingly struggling internally, he glanced at the woman again, made up his mind, sighed, and said, "Forget it, let's go back! Song Gongming has several experts, and since he told me about this, he must be on guard! Besides, I still owe him a favor!" He then glanced at the woman again.

Yan Shun chuckled, "I was just teasing you, I know you wouldn't dare!"

Although the woman had been tortured and her face was still pale, her heart was churning like a stormy sea. She never expected that everything was actually a scheme set up by that unassuming, short, dark-skinned man, including sending Hua Rong to suppress the bandits. In that case, even if Liu Gao was killed, Hua Rong could not be blamed for going out to suppress the bandits, since it was Liu Gao who signed the order for Hua Rong to go.

This short, dark-skinned man looks kind, yet he is so vicious. It must be because Liu Gao and Hua Rong have been at odds for a long time, and the short man is standing up for Hua Rong!

The woman looked at the lewd bandits in front of her again, and her face fell as she thought that she would never have such a life of luxury again!

After the bandits from Qingfeng Mountain left, Wu Song and Sun Xin emerged from the shadows.

Wu Song said coldly, "Just as I predicted, brother, these thieves really do intend to target Magistrate Hua!"

Sun Xin laughed and said, "Brother Wu Song, if they dare to come, we'll make sure they can't leave."

Qingzhou, one of the ancient Nine Provinces, is located north of the North China Plain and the Bohai Sea, and south of the Yimeng Mountains. It is situated in a strategic location and has been a battleground for military strategists throughout history. The Qingzhou soldiers, who are well-known in history, were the first army that Cao Cao established when he laid the foundation for his empire. They later made great contributions to the Cao family in his campaigns in the north and south.

Despite the passage of time, the only thing that remains unchanged is that this ancient city stands tall on the land of Qilu. After thousands of years of development, it has long been the most prosperous city on the eastern part of Jingdong Road!

Everyone understands the principle of keeping the good stuff within the family. How could such a valuable place be given to outsiders? Consort Murong was well aware of this. By using her influence with the Emperor Zhao, she helped her own brother, Murong Yanda, rise rapidly in rank and become the prefect of this prosperous city!

Although Prefect Murong rose to power through nepotism, he was not an illiterate and useless fool. On the contrary, he was quite capable and skillful, managing the vast Qingzhou Prefecture in an orderly manner. While the country was not exactly peaceful and prosperous, the people were not displaced.

Of course, accumulating wealth was the guiding principle for officials in the Northern Song Dynasty, and there were very few officials who were not corrupt. Murong Yanda was no exception!

There is no such thing as an impenetrable stronghold, let alone a strong wind.

The news that Qingfeng Mountain had breached Qingfeng Village and killed Liu Gao reached the high walls of Qingzhou Prefecture like a swift gust of wind!

The Qingzhou Prefecture government office was magnificent. At this moment, Murong Yanda was sitting in a high position, with a group of civil and military officials from Qingzhou Prefecture below him!

This is just a normal, modern-style morning meeting. If there's nothing else, everyone will go about their own business!

Seeing that there was nothing wrong today, Murong Yanda was about to announce the end of the meeting when a soldier rushed in!

Murong Yanda frowned and scolded, "As soldiers of the government office, what kind of behavior is this, rushing around like this!"

The soldier, panting heavily from running so fast, finally managed to say, "Prefect, something terrible has happened! The bandits of Qingfeng Mountain launched a night attack on Qingfeng Village, and Prefect Liu Gao has been killed. His wife has been captured and taken to Qingfeng Mountain to be a bandit's wife!"

These words caused an uproar. No one expected that Qingfeng Mountain would be so bold as to attack Qingfeng Village and kill the magistrate. This was a provocation, a blatant provocation!

Murong Yanda was first shocked, then enraged, roaring, "Where is Hua Rong? How could he sit idly by? Go and summon Hua Rong to Qingzhou Prefecture to see me, and I will surely punish him!"

The soldier replied, "Chief Hua has been ordered to suppress Peach Blossom Mountain!"

Murong Yanda slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "Didn't I say that no one is allowed to go and suppress bandits! This Hua Rong is truly audacious, daring to suppress bandits on his own. Does he think I'm just ignoring his words?!"

The soldier whispered, "It was Magistrate Liu who wrote the approval, the order to send Magistrate Hua to suppress the bandits!"

Murong Yanda was speechless. What kind of stupidity did Liu Gao have? He had clearly said that no one was allowed to suppress bandits, yet Liu Gao still sent Hua Rong to suppress bandits. As a result, his hometown was raided by Qingfeng Mountain. He was incredibly stupid!

Murong Yanda suppressed his anger and asked, "These two have always been at odds, so why did Liu Gao send Hua Rong to suppress the bandits?"

'

Before the first soldier could speak, another soldier ran alongside, shouting, "Great victory! Magistrate Hua has wiped out Peach Blossom Mountain, captured its bandit leader Zhou Tong alive, and wiped out all the Peach Blossom Mountain lackeys!"

If the news brought by the first soldier was terrible, then the news brought by the second soldier was undoubtedly a torch in the darkness for these people!

Murong Yanda was taken aback at first, thinking it was another news of Hua Rong's defeat, but unexpectedly it was the good news that Hua Rong had annihilated Peach Blossom Mountain and won a great victory!

He stood there for a long time, not knowing what to say!

One of the military officers stepped forward and said, "Prefect, this is excellent news!"

Murong Yanda looked at the man and realized that it was Huang Xin, the apprentice of Qin Ming, the military commander of Qingzhou Prefecture!

Murong Yanda was somewhat annoyed. If Huang Xin had even a tenth of his master Qin Ming's skill, he wouldn't have lost so humiliatingly, causing him to lose face!

Murong Yanda glanced indifferently at Huang Xin and said, "This is indeed good news, but Hua Rong's unauthorized deployment of troops led to the attack on Qingfeng Village. What should we do?"

A civil official stepped forward and said, "Prefect, you are mistaken. It was Liu Gao who sent Hua Rong to attack Peach Blossom Mountain. He probably didn't expect the bandits of Qingfeng Mountain to be so audacious, taking advantage of Hua Rong's absence to plunder Liu Gao's entire family!"

Murong Yanda remained silent, but he was actually quite suspicious. The series of events were too coincidental. Why did Qingfeng Mountain know that Hua Rong was not there and immediately attack Qingfeng Village? And why did Liu Gao order Hua Rong to send troops? Did he really dare to disobey his orders? Moreover, the most important point was that Qingfeng Mountain was near Qingfeng Town. Why didn't Hua Rong go and wipe out Qingfeng Mountain first, but instead went to Taohua Mountain, which was far away?

Murong Yanda had an indescribable feeling. Just then, Huang Xin spoke up!

Huang Xin first looked at the second soldier and asked, "Where is Hua Rong? Now that he has wiped out Peach Blossom Mountain, he should be on his way back, right?"

The second soldier clasped his hands respectfully and replied, "Reporting to General Huang, after wiping out Peach Blossom Mountain, Magistrate Hua immediately led his troops to Erlong Mountain to annihilate it!"

"Hiss." Huang Xin gasped. He knew better than anyone how terrifying Erlong Mountain was, especially since Luan Tingyu had almost perished there.

Huang Xin knew Luan Tingyu's skills all too well. Although he was slightly inferior to his master Qin Ming, he was still a master. And what was the result?

He is still lying in bed in Zhujiazhuang recovering from his injuries. If it weren't for the three sons of the Zhu family, who were filial disciples, forcibly taking the divine doctor Kong Hou back to Zhujiazhuang, Luan Tingyu would probably be dead by now!

Although Kong Hou was a master healer, he could not make Luan Tingyu fully recover quickly. So Zhu Biao went to Jinling to find An Daoquan!

However, An Daoquan's whereabouts became a mystery. All that was known was that he had disappeared with Li Qiaonu. At Li Qiaonu's house, there were only two Jiang bandit corpses and a prostitute who had fainted. When the prostitute woke up, she had no memory of what had happened!