Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Chapter 39 A Joyful Reunion with Fellow Disciples, A Cold Laugh as They Raid the Enemy Camp

Li Hanxiao went to reorganize his troops and leave the scene, while Lin Chong seemed to remember something and suddenly asked Wu Song, "Brother Wu Song, the leg techniques you used at Master Chai's manor that day looked familiar to me. I wonder which master you studied under?"

Lin Chong asked very seriously, because he could tell that Wu Song hadn't used his full leg technique that day; it seemed to be "Jade Ring Step, Mandarin Duck Kick".

This leg technique was the unique skill of his old master, the Iron-Armed Hero of Shaanxi, and the teacher of the Celestial Dynasty, Master Zhou Tong, so Lin Chong naturally recognized it.

Lin Chong knew this leg technique. None of Zhou Tong's earliest three disciples, including himself, had ever been taught it by him. Zhou Tong had only demonstrated the leg technique in front of them and told them how to counter it, but he had not taught them how to use it.

Although he had only seen it once, such a skill was unforgettable for Lin Chong, who was obsessed with martial arts, and he would never mistake it.

Wu Song replied, "When I was young, I served as an outer disciple at Shaolin Temple on Mount Song and learned some martial arts. This leg technique was taught to me by a master at Shaolin Temple."

Upon hearing the words "master," Lin Chong's expression immediately became much more tense, and he hurriedly asked, "What does he look like? What is his name?"

Wu Song recalled, "That day, Shaolin Temple was holding a funeral. It was said that the world's boxing king, the old Prince Pingnan, who had become a monk in the temple, had passed away. The senior, upon hearing that he was a disciple of Senior Jintai, rushed to Shaolin Temple to attend the funeral."

"Back then, I was young and ignorant, and I thought I was a master of martial arts. So I boasted to the monks that I had few rivals in the world when it came to my fists and feet. The old man overheard this, looked at my bones, and wanted to fight me. I ignored him because he was old, but he wouldn't let it go. This got on my nerves, so I started fighting with him. It turned out that the old man was hiding his true strength. His martial arts were something I, Wu Song, had never seen before. In the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he knocked me down five times. Alas, I, Wu Song, have never been convinced by anyone before, but this old man is someone I truly admire!"

As Wu Song reminisced, he was completely unaware that Lin Chong's face was trembling slightly, and his knuckles were white from clenching his fists so tightly.

“I was completely convinced and kowtowed three times to the old man. The old man said that I had strong bones and a solid lower body, and that I was a good candidate for martial arts. He said he wanted to see how good my comprehension was, so he immediately showed me a set of leg techniques, which was this set of leg techniques.”

"Did I teach you anything else?"

Lin Chong asked.

"There was another set of sword techniques. The old man instructed me for two days and then left in a hurry. Before he left, I kowtowed to him and called him master. But he said that it was our fate to be together and that he was just instructing me. We were not master and disciple. Then he drifted away. I still don't know his name!"

Wu Song punched his right palm with his left fist, looking very regretful.

"If I'm not mistaken, this leg technique is called the Jade Ring Step, also known as the Mandarin Duck Kick, and the sword technique is the Rolling Dragon Sword Technique, right?"

Lin Chong's sudden words startled Wu Song.

"Brother, that's right. How did you know?"

Wu Song looked at Lin Chong with a blank expression.

Lin Chong was overwhelmed with mixed feelings of joy and sorrow. He had a smile on his face, but tears were streaming down his face. It was hard to tell whether he was crying or laughing. He looked extremely strange.

"Brother Wu Song, do you know who that old man is? He is my mentor. Forgive me for saying that his name is Zhou Tong, the Iron-Armed Hero of Shaanxi, a teacher of the Celestial Empire!"

When Lin Chong mentioned Zhou Tong's name, Wu Song exclaimed in surprise, "Good heavens! I've long heard of his great name, but now that I've met him in person, I don't even recognize him! I'm wrong, I'm wrong. Who am I to deserve his acquaintance? If I had known it was him, I would have kowtowed a few more times!"

Zhou Tong's status in the martial arts world and the martial arts community is renowned. Although the younger generation has basically never seen the period when he was most active, the old man's influence remains strong.

In the martial arts world, the old man's skills are recognized as the best in the entire martial arts world. He is the only disciple of Jin Tai, the world's boxing king. The saying goes, "No king surpasses Xiang Yu, no general surpasses Li Yu, no one is stronger than Ba ​​Yu, and no one is stronger than Jin Tai." Jin Tai refers to Jin Tai.

In the martial arts world, the legend of the old man will always exist. In his youth, the old man swept away all the evil spirits in the martial arts world, improved his martial arts skills through battle, and killed no less than eight or ten thousand gangsters. Even now, when people in the underworld hear the name Zhou Tong, many still feel a chill down their spine.

As for his disciples, they are even more famous. The three most well-known disciples under his tutelage are all renowned figures.

The eldest disciple, "Jade Kirin" Lu Junyi, was one of the three masters of Hebei, the best in the world in spear and staff fighting. He was a fierce man who chased after more than a thousand Liao soldiers all by himself!

The second disciple, Shi Wengong, the instructor of Zengtou City, was second only to Lu Junyi in horsemanship. He dared to say that his halberd was second in the world, and only Lu Junyi dared to say that he was the best. He only needed twenty rounds to defeat Qin Ming, who was at the level of one of the Five Tiger Generals of Liangshan.

The third disciple was none other than Lin Chong, nicknamed "Leopard Head," the instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards in Tokyo, and one of the most skilled martial artists in the land.

In Wu Song's eyes, being able to learn even a move or two from the old man was the greatest fortune of his life, from which he would benefit immensely. In particular, the "Jade Ring Step and Mandarin Duck Kick" almost became Wu Song's life-saving skill.

“I haven’t seen my mentor for nearly twenty years and had no idea where he was. I thought he was long gone. I never imagined he was still alive. I must see him again!”

Lin Chong cried like a child at this moment. As the saying goes, "A teacher for a day is a father for life." Lin Chong was Zhou Tong's disciple and was grateful for Zhou Tong's teachings, so he naturally dared not forget them.

"Brother Instructor, I am practically a disciple of this old hero. I never imagined we would have this connection. Today, I, Wu Er, will address you as Senior Brother. Is that alright?"

Wu Song clasped his hands in a salute and said.

"Junior brother, please stand up!"

Lin Chong helped Wu Song up, looked north, and murmured, "If I could tell my senior brother about Master's situation, he would surely be delighted."

"May I ask who my senior brother is?"

Wu Song asked a question.

"Our eldest brother is Lu Junyi, the 'Jade Kirin' of Daming Prefecture, Hebei. He is the most skilled among us three brothers!"

When Lin Chong mentioned his senior brother whom he hadn't seen for many years, his eyes were still full of respect.

"Then who is the second senior brother..."

"Junior brother, remember this: in the future, if you have the chance, never mention your second senior brother in front of Master and the eldest senior brother. This person... never mind... let's not talk about it. Come on, demonstrate the Rolling Dragon Saber Technique once, and I'll see if there are any shortcomings!"

"Brother, you know this swordsmanship too?"

"All three of us can..."

While Lin Chong and Wu Song were reminiscing about their brotherhood, Li Hanxiao, along with a hundred cavalry and six leaders, ambushed Huang An and his troops in a valley on the west side of Liangshan Marsh, quietly waiting for them to arrive.

Huang An, however, understood the concept of speed in warfare. He first drank a toast with the prefect outside the city, which lasted until the afternoon. Then, drunk, he set off to lead his troops. By the time he reached the vicinity of Liangshan Marsh, it was already dark, but he was still not sober.

As Li Hanxiao had predicted, Huang An, upon arriving at Liangshan Marsh, did not rush into battle. Instead, he set up camp near Linlang Mountain on the west side of Liangshan Marsh, intending to reorganize his troops and launch an attack the next day. It seemed he would wait until he was sober before making any decisions.

Seeing this, Li Hanxiao was in no hurry to attack. He waited for Huang An's troops to fall asleep, and then took the opportunity to break in late at night. At that time, most of these government troops would be asleep, with their pants down, and would have no ability to resist.

That night, the government troops' sentries, who had been on high alert all night because they were afraid of being near the enemy's den and fearing an enemy attack under cover of darkness, tried to keep watch. But nothing happened in the middle of the night. As dawn was about to break, they were both extremely sleepy and convinced that nothing would happen, so they leaned against their gun barrels and fell asleep.

Seeing that the opportunity was perfect, Li Hanxiao led his men, wrapped their horses' hooves in cloth, draped themselves in soft cloaks, removed the bells from their horses, and silenced them with gags, as they stealthily approached Huang An's camp.

"on!"

Faced with this situation, Li Hanxiao had no need to be cautious and launched a surprise attack. The six leaders led their troops in a rapid charge, while Li Hanxiao's hounds quickly provided cover from the air and the ground.

"what?!"

The sentry, awakened by the noise, opened his eyes and saw pairs of green eyes moving rapidly across the ground in the darkness. He thought he had encountered a pack of wolves!

"what!"

Before he could react, the eagle pounced on him and knocked him to the ground, even pecking out his eyeballs.

"Hi!"

Si Xingfang took the lead on horseback, wielding his three-ringed embroidered broadsword, and with a mighty force, split the gate of the stockade open. As soon as the gate was split open, the pack of dogs quickly scurried into Huang An's camp, disappearing into each tent like ghosts.

Instantly, a series of agonizing screams pierced the night sky from inside the tent, the horror of which was utterly appalling...

Li Han laughed and ordered his six leaders to lead their hundred cavalrymen to charge left and right through Huang An's camp, hacking and slashing indiscriminately.

When Huang An went on this expedition, Zhao Neng and Zhao De, the local commanders of Yuncheng County, accompanied him. The two of them were summoned during the day without having eaten lunch, and at night, they were given some food and wine to eat. They have been drinking and haven't gone to sleep yet.

Hearing the shouts of battle outside, the two men were sobered up instantly. They grabbed their swords and rushed out of the tent. Looking around, they saw a hundred cavalrymen setting fires everywhere, heads rolling on the ground, blood flying in the sky, and various camps making a ruckus, with torches flying like stars and shouts resounding.

Yuncheng County originally had four constables. Zhao Neng and Zhao De were two newly appointed constables who had recently bought their positions. In terms of ability, they were far inferior to "Beautiful Beard" Zhu Tong and "Winged Tiger" Lei Heng. Upon seeing this scene, they were so frightened that they stood still.

"Bah!"

Wang Yin happened to be rushing to this place. He pointed his tiger-head steel spear at Zhao Neng, knocking away his sword. Then he thrust the spear into Zhao Neng's shoulder blade, and with a burst of strength, he lifted Zhao Neng into the air, about ten feet high, before he fell to the ground like a kite with a broken string.

"Look at the knife!"

Just then, Si Xingfang witnessed the scene. With a "whoosh," he slashed his broadsword, cutting Zhao De in two in mid-air. Zhao De's body exploded in mid-air with a "whoosh," as if a shower of scarlet blood had fallen!

"what--"

When Zhao Neng saw his brother's tragic death, he was so horrified that he almost fainted. But Deng Fei, the "Fire-Eyed Lion," arrived and swung his iron chain, which slammed down on Zhao Neng's head.

Perhaps because he hadn't used enough force, Zhao Neng was only knocked so hard that his head was buzzing and he fell to the ground, but he was not dead yet.

However, the next moment, the only thing he saw was a gaping maw full of canine teeth.

"what happened?"

Huang An was also awakened, grabbed his weapon, and drunkenly walked out of the tent.

"Huang An! Where are you going! Take this!"

Huang An was drunk and his eyes were blurry, but when he saw a person sitting upright in front of him, holding a three-pointed double-edged knife, he grabbed Huang An's head and chopped down with the knife.

"what!"

Huang An was instantly terrified, breaking out in a cold sweat. The effects of the alcohol had somewhat dissipated. But as the three-pointed double-edged sword came down, Huang An raised his spear to block, but the wooden spear was cut in half as easily as tofu. The three-pointed double-edged sword struck his left arm.

"Ouch!"

The one who cleaved Huang An was Li Hanxiao. With the sharpness of the three-pointed double-edged sword, this strike could have directly severed one of Huang An's arms.

Just then, a burly man flashed past, brandishing a stick. With a clang, the tip of the stick deflected the three-pointed double-edged sword, saving Huang An's arm from the blade.

"Ok?"

Li Hanxiao was somewhat shocked. The big man in front of him had the ability to deflect his three-pointed double-edged sword with a stick. He must be quite strong!

The man dragged Huang An away, but Li Hanxiao couldn't see his face clearly because of the darkness. He only noticed that the stick in the man's hand was reflecting light under the moonlight, indicating that it was made of iron.

Li Hanxiao was quite surprised to find that Huang An had such a skilled fighter who could wield a heavy iron rod weighing dozens of kilograms.

"Ouch!"

Li Hanxiao's hunting dog pounced and bit Huang An's face. Huang An didn't have time to dodge and the dog tore off his left ear, leaving it covered in blood. Huang An instantly became "one-eared".

Huang An lost another ear and was completely blood loss, so he couldn't walk anymore. The big man carried Huang An away, while the two thousand government troops in the camp were in a panic, not knowing how many enemy soldiers there were, and were in disarray.

The hundred Liangshan cavalrymen charged through the camp, killing anyone they encountered. Li Hanxiao saw that the government troops had already suffered heavy losses, so he led his men out of the south gate of the stronghold. No one dared to stand in their way. When they reached the edge of the lake, the three Ruan brothers had already led their naval warships to meet them and took them all across the lake.

Huang An and the big man dared not give chase. They could only lead their broken spears and halberds, along with their defeated and crippled troops, to hide on the other side of Linlang Mountain.

"The chieftain is incredibly brave! He led a hundred horsemen to raid the camp, causing the government troops to flee in disarray. He is a true hero!"

Wen Huanzhang and the others had been waiting inside the water fortress. When they saw Li Hanxiao return, they went up to offer him a toast, both to celebrate his victory and to welcome him back.

"It's a pity that Huang An got away!"

Li Hanxiao thought for a moment. Huang An had his ear torn off by his own dog. The mortality rate of rabies in ancient times must have been very high. Even if Huang An didn't die by his own knife, he wouldn't live long.