Water Margin: From a White-Robed Scholar to Donning the Yellow Robe

"This can't go on forever; the soldiers will wear us down here."

Wu Yong started to use his brain, but unfortunately he was already at his wit's end, and no amount of wisdom could be of any use to him.

Chao Gai nodded and said, "I wonder if Ruan Erlang has gone to Liangshan to deliver the message."

Just then, a commotion arose ahead, and Chao Gai and the other leaders hurried to the entrance of the mountain pass.

Soldiers had already surrounded the area. Under the torchlight, Huang An pulled a man out from behind, bound hand and foot, cursing under his breath. It was none other than Ruan Xiaoer.

Ruan Xiaoqi was immediately alarmed and was about to rush out, but Chao Gai grabbed her and advised, "Wait, let's see what happens first. Going out now will only mean certain death."

"My brother has been captured, what's the point of watching birds?" Ruan Xiaoqi was impatient and outspoken, and she didn't know how to keep her mouth shut.

Ruan Xiaowu quickly grabbed him and said, "Wait a minute, brother is right, going out now will only mean death."

Ruan Xiaoqi stood to one side, seething with anger.

Wu Yong sighed, "Since Ruan Erlang has been captured, it means he failed to fight his way out to Liangshan to deliver the message."

Everyone felt a chill in their hearts.

"That's not necessarily true. Ruan Erlang is concerned about us. Maybe he led his men out to fight his way back, but then he came back to join us, which is why he was captured." Ruan Xiaowu, who knew his older brother better, shared his opinion.

Wu Yong's eyes lit up: "That's right, I was confused."

Chao Gai glanced at Wu Yong and thought to himself, "You used to be so clever, but you've become muddle-headed ever since you joined Liangshan. Compared to Wang Lun..."

He didn't want to belittle Wu Yong in his heart, but only thought of a solution.

Huang An, one of the officers and soldiers, shouted, "Chao Tianwang, look who this is!"

Chao Gai snorted coldly and didn't reply.

"What's this Ruan something-or-other? What's your rank?" Huang An asked Ruan Xiaoer.

"I'm your father!" Ruan Xiaoer said without any politeness.

"Bah! You bastard!" Huang An roared, pointing at Ruan Xiaoer and ordering, "Slap him!"

Then a soldier stepped forward, swung his hand, and slapped Ruan Xiaoer's face more than ten times, making Ruan Xiaoer's face red and swollen.

Huang An shouted, "King Chao, how about we make a deal?"

Chao Gai was already furious, but he had no choice but to roar, "What deal?"

"I intend to cut off this kid's arm, but... if you cut off your own arm, I'll spare him, how about it?" Huang An laughed loudly and ordered the soldiers to raise their knives, aiming them at Ruan Xiaoer's hand.

Chao Gai roared, "You traitor, I'll fight you to the death!"

Wu Yong quickly pulled him back.

Huang An laughed loudly, "Why don't you come out and fight us? Let's see if your fists are harder than ours."

Wu Yong advised, "The Heavenly King, please calm down. He's just trying to provoke you into going out."

Ruan Xiaowu also advised, "Yes, once we go out, we will definitely die."

Ruan Xiaoqi snorted coldly: "Then did he really cut off Erlang's arm?"

Everyone was stunned. Huang An wasn't a good person either; what if he really did kill Ruan Xiaoer...?

Wu Yong said, "Delay for a moment and think of a way."

Chao Gai then said loudly, "Hey Huang, let me think about it."

Huang An laughed loudly, "Delaying time, huh? You're like turtles in a jar, how long can you delay? Fine, I'll give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

Beside Huang An stood the obese Master Du. Upon hearing Huang An agree to give the other party some time, he quickly advised, "No, he's clearly stalling for time. What if reinforcements arrive..."

Huang An's eyes widened. He had never liked this fat man, and if it weren't for the prefect's orders, he would never have cooperated with such a person.

"Who commands the troops, you or I? Who decides, you or I?"

Huang An's tone was unfriendly and showed no mercy. Indeed, the silver that Master Du gave was for the Prefect, not for Huang An.

"It's you." Master Du was also a little impatient, so he stood aside and stopped talking.

Chao Gai was extremely anxious. If his refusal to surrender led to the death of Ruan Xiaoer, he would be unable to rest easy. But if he went out... that would indeed be a dead end.

"Brother, you must not lose your temper. Now we can only wait and wait for reinforcements to arrive," Wu Yong advised from the side.

Chao Gai glared and said, "But what if there are no reinforcements? We don't know if Ruan Erlang's men have escaped to report the news. If there are no reinforcements, we will die whether we wait or not. We might as well charge out and fight them. If we kill one, we'll take one down with us. If we kill two, we'll gain one."

Ruan Xiaoqi immediately replied, "That's exactly right. Besides, we've rescued Erlang. If we brothers work together, we might be able to fight our way out again."

Chao Gai glanced calmly at the soldiers behind him, more than a hundred of them, all staring at him expectantly.

With the martial arts skills of Chao Gai and the others, it wasn't entirely impossible for them to break through, but the more than one hundred people behind them would lose their lives. He couldn't bear the thought of escaping by stepping on the corpses of others.

Wu Yong saw through Chao Gai's thoughts and whispered, "Brother, hesitation will only lead to trouble."

Chao Gai's pupils contracted: "What do you mean?"

Wu Yong gritted his teeth and said, "Fight our way out! If we fight to the death to protect our brother, there might still be a glimmer of hope."

Chao Gai's mind raced, and he waved his hand in frustration, saying, "Wait a little longer, wait a little longer."

Ruan Xiaoqi was so anxious she was pacing back and forth, wishing she could rush out immediately. After pacing for a moment, she turned back and asked the soldiers behind her, "Are you afraid of dying?"

The soldiers looked at each other, none of them afraid of death; a miserable life was better than a good death.

Ruan Xiaoqi stamped her foot: "If we protect Chao Tianwang and fight our way out, we can save Ruan Er first, and then try our best to break through the encirclement. Maybe we will all die."

The soldiers' expressions changed; this wasn't just a matter of "maybe" they would die, it was a high probability of death. The enemy already outnumbered them, and while Chao Gai and his men were highly skilled in martial arts, the soldiers were just ordinary people. They had virtually no chance of breaking through the enemy lines.

"As long as you break through, each survivor will receive ten taels of gold. Those who unfortunately die in battle, your families will be cared for by Chao Tianwang and Wu Yong." Wu Yong began to tempt them with promises.

Some of the soldiers were tempted; ten taels of gold was something they would never see in their entire lives.

Ruan Xiaoqi slammed his broadsword into the ground and shouted, "If you're afraid of death and dare not charge out, or if you desert your post, you'll be the first to take a bite from me, Ruan Qi!"

If bribery fails, then coercion will suffice.

The soldiers were somewhat flustered. They were all henchmen of Liangshan and were not familiar with these leaders, but they had long heard of Ruan Xiaoqi's cruel reputation. Especially after seeing his fierce appearance under the moonlight, they were all somewhat terrified.

Seeing that everyone was tempted, Chao Gai gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "Listen to my orders!"

Before he could finish speaking, shouts of battle suddenly came from afar, and chaos erupted behind the government troops.

"Yang Zhi is here!" It seemed as if Yang Zhi's voice could be heard.

Then hundreds of people shouted in unison, "Yang Zhi of Liangshan is here!"

The sound reverberated through the canyon.

Chao Gai was stunned. He was so excited that he trembled slightly. It was Yang Zhi who came to save him, but he... had caused Yang Zhi's family to be destroyed and forced him to wander the world.

He paused for a moment, then shouted, "Yang Zhi's coming to the rescue! Everyone, charge out!"

Wu Yong suddenly grabbed Chao Gai: "No, brother, let's wait for Yang Zhi to fight first."

Chao Gai immediately understood Wu Yong's thoughts. Yang Zhi had a grudge against them, so he might not have come to rescue them sincerely. Perhaps he was here to... seek revenge!

His hands and feet went cold instantly, and he glared at Wu Yong: "Hey, how could you be so vicious? Yang Zhi came to his rescue out of righteousness, yet you judge him with the heart of a petty person. I, Chao Gai, am an upright man, and yet I have befriended a scoundrel like you!"