The Legend of Song Jiang in Water Margin

Chapter 124 Li Kui Makes a Scene at Erlong Mountain, Cao Zheng Offers a Plan to Little Li Guang

Upon hearing Li Kui mention Cao Zheng's name, the woman became suspicious and immediately asked, "Why are you asking about him?"

Li Kui's heart skipped a beat. It seemed that this woman knew Cao Zheng, so he said, "I heard about him from a military instructor surnamed Lin!"

The woman felt a sense of relief. Judging from Li Kui's appearance, she had initially thought he was seeking revenge, but since he could mention Instructor Lin's name, it seemed to be true. She said with ease, "Cao Zheng is my husband, but he went to town today and isn't home!"

Li Kui thought it was a pity. He finished his meal in a few bites, took out some silver to pay the bill, and prepared to continue his journey to Erlong Mountain!

The woman said, "If you are looking for him, sir, why not stay here for the night? He will be back in the next couple of days!"

Li Kui shook his head and said, "I have important matters to attend to. If I return, I will come to find him again!"

The young man who had been sifting the wine earlier placed a package in Li Kui's hand and said, "Cao Zheng is my brother-in-law. He has instructed us to treat any heroes we encounter well. Here is some grain; please take it with you. The silver from before is also in the package. Consider this meal our treat!"

Li Kui was somewhat moved. He took the package, thought for a moment but still didn't say anything. He clasped his hands in a salute, turned around and gradually left in the afterglow of the setting sun!

Li Kui walked all night and saw a high mountain at dawn. He thought to himself that this should be Erlong Mountain. He wondered if Deng Long was on the mountain.

Seeing that it was still early, and guessing that Deng Long hadn't gotten up yet, and being a bit tired from the journey, he found a big tree to sit down, ate some dry food, and then lay down!

When the sun was high in the sky, Li Kui opened his eyes, swayed his body, picked up the Ghost King Axe, and headed towards Erlong Mountain!

At the foot of the mountain, looking at the pass, one sees powerful crossbows, heavy bows, and heavy artillery. One can't help but marvel at how this formidable pass is truly a place where one man can hold off ten thousand.

The henchman, seeing Li Kui alone at the gate, called out, "Who goes down the mountain? State your name!"

Li Kui shouted, "I am Black Whirlwind! I've taken a life and am facing legal trouble, so I've come looking for a place to settle down!"

Upon hearing this, the henchman rushed up the mountain to report. A short while later, the gate opened, and a man wearing a tiger skin emerged from the pass with two minor leaders and a group of henchmen!

The man draped in a tiger skin sized up Li Kui and said in a low voice, "Where are you from, you dark-skinned fellow, and what brings you to our Erlong Mountain!"

Li Kui said directly, "I am from Yiling. I had to flee because I killed a local constable in my hometown. I have been wandering around for a while, and I have run out of money. I need to find a place to settle down and make a living!"

The man draped in a tiger skin sized up Li Kui and said, "I am Deng Long, the chief of Erlong Mountain. Man, we don't take anyone here. Go look somewhere else!" With that, he turned to leave.

Upon hearing this, Li Kui quickly said, "Let me stay; I'll be your vanguard!"

The two henchmen beside him said, "You bastard, we said we're not taking anyone, and that's final! Get out of here, or we'll rip out your heart and liver for our drinks!"

Li Kui pondered, "If I can deal with Deng Long now, things will be much easier. These lackeys will surely scatter like birds and beasts. When Brother Hua Rong comes here, I won't have to bother!"

Thinking of this, he said, "I have a treasure to offer to the chief, and I hope the chief will accept it!"

Upon hearing this, Deng Long became interested, stopped, turned around, and said, "Let me see it!"

Li Kui slowly approached Deng Long, then suddenly took out the Ghost King Axe and chopped it down on Deng Long's head!

Deng Long reacted quickly and pulled over the henchman next to him to block Li Kui's axe blow!

Although Li Kui attacked suddenly, his axe strike was powerful and heavy, and the leader's head was split open on the spot!

Deng Long flew into a rage and roared, "Seize this bastard! We'll use his heart and liver as a snack!"

Li Kui was fearless, wielding his Ghost King Axe and hacking left and right like a deadly reaper!

Seeing that it wasn't their leader, the remaining henchmen quickly protected Deng Long and retreated. As Deng Long retreated further and further away, Li Kui picked up a stone and threw it at him!

Deng Long didn't dodge completely and was hit in the waist, letting out a scream!

The bandit henchmen also grabbed their weapons and charged down the mountain!

Li Kui knew that if he didn't leave now, he would definitely die. Deng Long was lying on the ground groaning, obviously injured but not dead. Li Kui cursed the guy for his good luck and wanted to finish him off with an axe, but there was no chance. He had no choice but to leave first and go back to Cao Zheng's inn. Thinking that Song Jiang should be arriving at Erlong Mountain soon, he quickened his pace.

After leaving Qingfeng Village, Song Jiang took Wu Song to Erlong Mountain. Song Jiang didn't know if Cao Zheng was running an inn near Erlong Mountain. If he wasn't, he would probably have to find someone else or even think of another way!

Cao Zheng was the key figure in conquering Erlong Mountain, and the strategy that made it easiest to take Erlong Mountain was also the one that succeeded!

More than a day later, Song Jiang and Wu Song arrived near Erlong Mountain, and sure enough, there was an inn at the intersection!

The two men pushed open the door and entered. A woman stepped forward to greet them, saying, "Are you two guests here for a meal or to stay the night?"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "Let's have a bite to eat. I hope you'll prepare some wine and meat, sister-in-law. We're a bit tired from the journey!"

The woman hurriedly invited the two to come forward and sit down, and a young man also came over to serve tea and water!

Soon, the wine and meat were served. The woman was about to leave after serving the dishes when Song Jiang stopped her!

Song Jiang asked, "Sister-in-law, may I ask if there is a 'sword-wielding devil' named Cao Zheng here?"

The woman was taken aback for a moment, then remembered that a burly, dark-skinned man had also asked Cao Zheng the same question. Could they be of the same ilk?

Thinking of this, the woman asked, "If there is such a person, why are you looking for him?"

Song Jiang pointed at Wu Song and laughed, "Sister-in-law, don't take it personally. This is Lin Chong, the junior brother of the 800,000 Imperial Guards' instructor!"

Upon hearing that they were from her own side, the woman quickly laughed and said, "That damned Cao Zheng is from my husband's family, but he's off slaughtering pigs and probably won't be back until noon!"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "It's alright. In that case, let's wait for him!"

Before noon, a burly man pushed open the door and entered. Song Jiang guessed that the man was Cao Zheng because he was holding a pig-slaughtering knife!

Sure enough, the woman stepped forward and said something to the burly man. Upon hearing this, the man walked over excitedly, and seeing Wu Song, he bowed down and exclaimed, "Greetings, Uncle-Master!"

Wu Song hurriedly helped Cao Zheng up, saying, "You mustn't perform such a grand gesture!"

Cao Zheng looked at Song Jiang and asked, "Who is this gentleman?"

Wu Song introduced, "This is Song Jiang, the clerk of Yuncheng County, Shandong!"

Cao Zheng exclaimed with delight, "Could it be that timely rain, Brother Song Jiang?"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "Those are all empty titles, but I am indeed Song Jiang!"

Cao Zheng bowed down again! Wu Song quickly helped Cao Zheng up, not letting him kneel down, because Song Jiang didn't like people bowing to him when they saw him!

Song Jiang felt somewhat helpless; it was really inappropriate for people in ancient times to bow so deeply to important figures!

Cao Zhengjian couldn't bring himself to bow. He first admired Wu Song's strength and was also somewhat moved. Song Jiang was different from others because he didn't adhere to such formalities!

Cao Zheng said to the woman with delight, "Go and prepare some good wine and meat. I want to have a good chat with my martial uncle and Brother Gongming!"

The woman smiled and went to prepare. Cao Zheng suppressed his surprise and asked Song Jiang, "I wonder what business you and my brother have with me?"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "I want your help to take Erlong Mountain!"

"This?" Cao Zheng hesitated for a moment, then looked at Song Jiang and Wu Song, who didn't seem to be joking. After thinking for a while, he bowed and nodded, saying, "Alright, what do you need me to do?"

Song Jiang laughed again, "No rush, let's wait for one of my brothers to arrive!"

Seeing that Song Jiang seemed confident, Cao Zheng asked, "Brother, you must have a good plan. Erlong Mountain is easy to defend but difficult to attack. I'm afraid your plan is to coordinate an attack from within and without!"

Song Jiang smiled and nodded without saying a word.

Some things are best left unsaid, and Cao Zheng understood this, so he didn't ask any further questions.

In fact, Song Jiang admired Cao Zheng quite a bit. First of all, Cao Zheng's martial arts skills were quite good. He was able to fight Yang Zhi for twenty or thirty rounds before being at a disadvantage. Although it's possible that Yang Zhi felt bad about eating and dashing and couldn't bring himself to use force, Cao Zheng, as Lin Chong's only disciple, was indeed quite skilled in martial arts!

Secondly, Cao Zheng was extremely quick-witted. Talented individuals like Yang Zhi, whose ancestors were all good generals, and Lu Zhishen, who was rough but shrewd, could not take down Erlong Mountain. However, Cao Zheng helped them devise a plan and easily took down Erlong Mountain. Otherwise, let alone Yang Zhi and Lu Zhishen, even if Wu Song and Lin Chong were added, as long as Deng Long of Erlong Mountain wanted to be a coward, they would be helpless!

More importantly, Cao Zheng was very loyal and always tried his best to help Yang Zhi and Lu Zhishen. This kind of small character with great wisdom was very much to Song Jiang's liking!

Unfortunately, after Cao Zheng joined Liangshan, he didn't seem to have much interaction with Lin Chong, nor did he receive any help from Lin Chong or Lu Zhishen. He could only kill livestock and was always ranked in the bottom 10s or 20s of Liangshan. He couldn't fully utilize his abilities and eventually died on the way to the early campaign against Fang La!

However, Song Jiang now intends to properly train Cao Zheng as a strategist, rather than wasting his talents by sending him to slaughter pigs and sheep! The premise is that he is willing to follow him!

Cao Zheng also has a natural advantage at Erlong Mountain: he knows some people there, including the underlings of Erlong Mountain. With his help, things can be twice as easy. This is why Song Jiang is so confident that Hua Rong will be able to take Erlong Mountain!

Neither of them mentioned Erlong Mountain again, and Cao Zheng started talking to Wu Song about Lin Chong and Zhou Tong!

When things got interesting, he insisted that Wu Song give him some pointers. Wu Song wasn't very good at spear fighting, so he and Cao Zheng started practicing hand-to-hand. Cao Zheng rarely encountered a master like Wu Song, and although he was defeated badly, he was still very enthusiastic and asked Wu Song to continue to guide him. Wu Song also appreciated his junior apprentice's tenacity and carefully pointed out the shortcomings in Cao Zheng's fist and foot techniques!

That evening, Hua Rong and Pang Wanchun arrived at the hotel. As for the other soldiers, they had already dispersed and hidden themselves, just in case they were discovered!

Not long after, Li Kui returned to the hotel. The woman was initially surprised, but then she realized that Cao Zheng wasn't a big shot. If Li Kui hadn't known Song Jiang, he wouldn't have taken the initiative to find Cao Zheng!

Seeing Li Kui's disheveled state, everyone laughed. Li Kui said regretfully, "If it weren't for that slight mishap, Deng Long wouldn't be alive!"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "Letting him live one more day won't hurt. Brother Cao Zheng, I'd like to hear what your good plan is."

Hua Rong and Pang Wanchun were also very curious. Song Jiang was very confident that he could take Erlong Mountain, so Hua Rong naturally had no doubt about Song Jiang's words, but he really couldn't think of how to take it!

Cao Zheng thought for a moment and said, "Brother Tie Niu injured Deng Long before, so Deng Long must hate Brother Tie Niu to the bone. Brother Hua Rong and Brother Wan Chun, don't dress up as soldiers anymore, but as farmers. Then, I and the three brothers, along with my wife's younger brother and a few cooks, will tie Brother Tie Niu up with a slipknot, take his double axes, and escort him down the mountain. We'll say that we run an inn in a nearby village, and this scoundrel came to our inn to drink. He got very drunk and refused to pay his bill, saying he was going to report to his bandits to attack your stronghold. So we listened to him. While he's drunk, we'll tie him up here and present him to the king. That scoundrel Deng Long will surely let us go up the mountain. When we get to his stronghold and see Deng Long, we'll untie the slipknot on the rope. Brother Tie Niu, with your double axes, and Brothers Hua Rong, Wu Song, and Wan Chun, will attack together. That scoundrel will have nowhere to run! If we kill him, what trouble will the others cause? What do you think of this plan?"

After Cao Zheng finished speaking, Hua Rong's eyes lit up. This plan was truly ingenious! This was what Song Jiang meant by attacking from within. If it wasn't Cao Zheng, how could anyone else have come up with such a plan? No, Song Jiang must have known about this plan, otherwise why would he have insisted on coming to find Cao Zheng!

Seeing Song Jiang's smiling face, Hua Rong admired him even more!

That evening, everyone ate and drank, and some provisions were prepared for the journey. The next morning at dawn, after everyone had eaten their fill, a passerby suddenly rushed into the shop!

Hua Rong looked closely and saw it was a soldier left behind at Qingfeng Village. He asked, "What are you doing here? What happened?"

The soldier said, "Reporting to Magistrate Hua, Prefect Murong has dispatched Qin Ming, the military commander of Qingzhou Prefecture, with five hundred soldiers to prepare for a strong attack on Qingfeng Mountain. Master Gongsun, upon hearing of this, specifically sent me to report!"

Hua Rong said, "I understand, you can go back now!" After saying that, he took out some silver and gave it to the soldier.

The soldier took the silver, bid farewell, and left!

Hua Rong asked with a serious expression, "Brother!"

Song Jiang frowned slightly, then calmly said, "I'll go to Qingfeng Mountain now, otherwise those three good-for-nothings will definitely be overrun by Qin Ming. You all continue with the plan, and leave everything to Cao Zheng! After that, head straight to Qingfeng Village. Brother Hua Rong, the plan remains unchanged!"

Cao Zheng hadn't expected Song Jiang to trust him so much, entrusting him with such an important task on their first meeting. However, he was a smart man and knew these men were all extraordinary. Following them was far better than running an inn and butchering pigs and sheep on his own. He was confident that making a contribution in this matter would surely impress them. So he nodded and said, "Brother, don't worry, I will definitely help Brother Hua Rong and the others take Erlong Mountain!"

Song Jiang nodded and said, "Be careful in everything you do. Safety first. Remember that, remember that!"

Everyone nodded with serious expressions!

After giving his instructions, Song Jiang carried the Chunyang Sword on his back, mounted a horse, and hurriedly headed towards Qingfeng Mountain!

On Erlong Mountain, Deng Long was rubbing his aching back. It turned out that yesterday, Li Kui had pretended to shout at the foot of Erlong Mountain that he wanted to join their gang. Deng Long thought about it for a long time after seeing Li Kui's offer to join Erlong Mountain, but he still refused. He was worried that he couldn't control Li Kui, and that in the long run, Erlong Mountain would no longer belong to the Deng family!

Unexpectedly, Li Kui suddenly attacked, swinging an axe at Deng Long's head. Fortunately, Deng Long reacted quickly and grabbed one of his men to dodge the blow, otherwise he would have lost his livelihood. However, being hit by a stone was still excruciatingly painful!

As Deng Long was rubbing his waist, a junior leader stepped forward excitedly and said, "Reporting, brother! The scoundrel who injured you yesterday has been caught by the tavern down the mountain and is now being held at the mountain gate awaiting your judgment!"

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