Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Chapter 214 Zhang Dujian's Bloody Battle Cuts Off the Retreat, Song Jiang's Escape

Now, let's turn to another part. Inside the city of Jizhou, ever since the Liangshan army surrounded it like an iron barrel, the people in the city were all terrified; the soldiers guarding the city were even more frightened.

Inside the back hall of the government office, Prefect Zhang Shuye was terminally ill, barely clinging to life. Wu Yong, Song Jiang, and their ilk, though having devised the treacherous plan of "shedding their skin like a cicada," were driven by differing intentions and were already secretly plotting their own schemes.

This night was destined to be sleepless. The North Gate water fortress, a place of turbulent undercurrents, was a path to survival; beyond the South Gate, lurking dangers, was a path to death. But the East Gate, before dawn even arrived, was the first to sound the bloody prelude to this tragic drama.

As dawn broke, with the eastern horizon just beginning to lighten with a pale, fish-belly gray, and a few lingering stars reluctant to disappear, the imposing eastern gate of Jeju City, with a sickeningly loud creak, suddenly and without warning burst open!

In an instant, as if the gates of hell had been opened, a tangible killing intent, filled with determination and the will to die, surged out from the dark doorway!

"kill--!"

A roar, not from a thousand people shouting at once, yet more unified and more devastating than a thousand shouting at once, like a thunderclap from the heavens, suddenly tore apart the deathly silence before dawn!

A general took the lead, like a tiger descending the mountain, a madman unleashed from his gate! The man was as tall and strong as an iron tower, wearing a tiger helmet made of fine iron, and a suit of heavy armor with black lacquer inlay. He rode a magnificent black horse and held a thick iron rod as thick as a bowl upside down in his hand. Behind him followed eight hundred assassins, also fully armored and armed with sharp blades.

These eight hundred men, their horses' hooves wrapped in thick cotton cloth, moved silently until they burst through the city gates, at which point they unleashed this earth-shattering roar. They didn't scatter, nor did they form ranks; they were like a red-hot, incredibly sharp iron awl, their target clear and singular—the Liangshan Marsh central army camp, facing directly towards the east gate, still somewhat hazy in the morning mist! And the commander's banner flying high, bearing a large "Li" character!

The leader was none other than Zhang Bao, who had been entrusted by Zhang Shuye and had bravely faced death!

His eyes were bloodshot, and his usually stern and taciturn face was now filled with madness and determination. He knew that his journey there meant certain death. He also knew that the eight hundred brothers behind him were also prepared to die.

Their mission was not to kill the enemy or to win, but to use their own flesh and blood, these eight hundred fresh lives, to break open a door for the path to survival outside the North Gate and strive for a glimmer of hope!

"Brothers! Today is the day to repay the governor's kindness! Follow me... and kill!" Zhang Bao roared, wielding his hundred-pound iron cudgel like a windmill, and charged straight at the Liangshan army formation!

Inside the Liangshan army camp, orders had already been given, and they were on high alert. However, no one had anticipated that the government army's offensive would come so early, so fiercely, and so...recklessly!

Inside the central command tent, Li Hanxiao had just donned his armor when he heard the deafening battle cries. He frowned slightly, quickly stepped out of the tent, and raised his binoculars to look. He saw a massive, dark mass of men, like a black mudslide, charging straight towards his central command banner with an unstoppable, fearless momentum.

"Hmm?" Li Hanxiao's heart skipped a beat. A seasoned veteran with a sharp eye, he immediately recognized that this force was unlike any ordinary government army. They had no reinforcements, no flanks, no discipline, only an unwavering, death-defying determination. This wasn't a siege, this wasn't a decisive battle; this was a suicidal charge!

"Interesting." Li Hanxiao's lips curled into a cold smile. "You want to use eight hundred lives to exchange for my head? Or... is this just a smokescreen?"

His mind raced, but there was no time to think it through. Zhang Bao's elite troops had already collided violently with the sentry posts guarding the front lines of the Liangshan army!

"Stop them!" Guan Sheng could no longer contain himself. Seeing their fierce approach, he knew they were heading straight for the central army. He immediately urged his Red Hare to personally lead the charge.

"General Guan, please calm down!" Li Hanxiao grabbed his reins, his voice steady and without a trace of panic. "Why should the general personally intervene with just over a thousand remnants? This is a desperate charge, and although its momentum is fierce, it is like a tree without roots or water without a source; it cannot last. I want to see what Zhang Shuye is really up to!"

He waved his command flag and roared like thunder: "Pass on my orders! Command Chen Da, the Leaping Tiger; Shi Yong, the Stone General; and Han Bolong, the Ghost Mountain Demon, each to lead their troops and form the Three Talents Formation to intercept them on the spot! I want to see how many checkpoints these eight hundred elite warriors can get past!"

At the command, the drums of the Liangshan army sounded loudly! Three lieutenant generals led three thousand infantrymen, like three thick walls, layer upon layer, pressing forward to meet the charging suicide soldiers!

"State your name, you who come here! Stop being so arrogant!" Chen Da, nicknamed "Leaping Tiger," wielding a white-spotted steel spear, took the lead and shouted sharply.

Zhang Bao was already bloodthirsty and wouldn't answer him. He roared and his iron rod crashed down like Mount Tai, carrying a bloody wind powerful enough to split rocks, aiming straight for Chen Da's head!

"How can you be so uncivilized!"

Chen Da was shocked! He felt an incredibly sharp gust of wind rush towards him, stinging his cheeks. He quickly raised his gun to block.

A loud clang rang out!

Chen Da felt an overwhelming force surge from the spear shaft, causing his arms to go numb and his tiger's mouth to split open! He could no longer hold onto the steel-tipped spear and was smashed away by the blow! His warhorse also let out a mournful cry, its front legs buckling as it was struck by the force of the blow and fell to its knees on the spot!

Zhang Bao, having landed a successful blow, became even more ferocious. He ignored Chen Da, who had fallen from his horse, and swept his iron rod across the ground like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, breaking the bones and flesh of the dozen or so guards behind Chen Da, instantly creating an opening!

"Idiot! What's with all the talk of martial ethics during a war!"

Upon seeing this, "General Shi" Shi Yong was furious. He wielded a wind-splitting blade and attacked from the flank. The blade flashed like a bolt of lightning, aiming straight for Zhang Bao's weak ribs.

Zhang Bao neither dodged nor evaded, but instead used the end of the iron rod to parry with a backhand!

"Clang!" Another loud bang!

Shi Yong felt as if his broadsword had struck an iron plate, the shock making his arm numb. Zhang Bao's iron rod, however, continued its momentum, sliding smoothly and striking Shi Yong's shoulder blade like a venomous snake emerging from its hole!

"Crack!" A sickeningly crisp sound of bone breaking!

Shi Yong screamed in agony as half of his body went numb, and the broadsword in his hand flew out of his grasp. He fell straight off his horse!

"You damn bastard! Take this!"

Seeing his two generals wounded one after another, Han Bolong, nicknamed "Ghost Mountain Demon," was both shocked and enraged. Born a strongman with a fiery temper, he could no longer restrain himself. He brandished his thick-backed machete and slashed at their waists from the other side!

Zhang Bao was already in a killing frenzy at this moment. He didn't even look at the others and swung his stick back!

A muffled "thud!"

Han Bolong's head, still bearing the expression of shock and anger, was struck by this blow, and the blow, along with his helmet, split open! Red blood splattered all over the ground, and he almost died!

Three subordinate generals, in a single exchange, two were lightly wounded and one was seriously wounded!

Zhang Bao, like a demon crawling out of hell, was covered in blood. The iron rod in his hand was now stained dark red with blood, which was still dripping down. The eight hundred elite soldiers behind him fought bravely, each one striving to be the first, and they actually carved a bloody path through the Liangshan army's ten thousand horses, heading straight for the central army!

"What a fierce general!" Li Hanxiao, who had a clear view from behind, couldn't help but secretly praise him. He knew that ordinary lieutenants would no longer be able to stop this madman.

He was about to order Guan Sheng and Lin Chong to fight when he saw a man in the formation who could no longer contain himself, spurring his horse and brandishing his sword to meet the enemy. The man had a face as black as the bottom of a pot, nostrils pointing to the sky, rode a black horse, and held a steel sword in his hand. Who else could it be but the newly surrendered "Ugly Prince Consort" Xuan Zan?

At this moment, Xuanzan's heart was also in turmoil.

He had just pledged his allegiance, and today was the crucial moment for him to demonstrate his loyalty. Seeing Zhang Bao's ferocity, wounding three Liangshan generals in succession, he was secretly astonished, but even more so, he felt a strong desire to achieve great deeds!

He had a good grasp of his own abilities; even at his worst, he wouldn't lose to Zhang Bao, and could at least manage a draw.

"Zhang Bao, you scoundrel! Stop being so arrogant! Xuan Zan is here, who dares to step forward!" Xuan Zan shouted and immediately engaged Zhang Bao in battle.

"So you're the treacherous dog who surrendered to Liangshan Marsh?!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Bao was enraged. He roared and charged forward.

Zhang Bao's staff fighting style is wide-ranging and powerful. Every move is a desperate attack, with no defense, and he is willing to trade his life for his life.

Xuan Zan's swordsmanship was also exquisite, a killing technique honed in the Imperial Guard, with every move aimed at vital points.

The two men, one like a mad tiger and the other like a hungry wolf, fought fiercely, wielding sticks and knives.

The iron rod whistled through the air like a black dragon stirring up the sea; the steel blade flashed with a cold light, like snowflakes falling in a flurry.

"Dang! Dang! Dang! Dang!"

The clanging of metal against metal was deafening, as fast as a torrential rain and as dense as a string of pearls! Sparks flew everywhere, scattering around the two men, just like two master blacksmiths in a shop, vigorously hammering a red-hot iron ingot!

In the blink of an eye, they had fought more than thirty rounds. It was a battle of equals, with neither side gaining the upper hand.

Zhang Bao was no ordinary man, and Xuan Zan, the "Ugly Prince Consort," was also a high-level fighter among the Earthly Fiends. This battle was between two adversaries.

The Liangshan heroes were dazzled by the spectacle, their cheers ringing out. Li Hanxiao, however, had a furrowed brow.

He could see clearly that although Xuan Zan and Zhang Bao were evenly matched, Xuan Zan had also kept Zhang Bao firmly entangled in the formation, making it difficult for him to advance any further.

While the sounds of battle were deafening at the East Gate, drawing almost all of Liangshan's attention, another dramatic "escape" was unfolding at the remote North Gate of Jizhou City!

The sluice gate at the north gate had been quietly and slowly raised at some unknown time.

The murky moat water flowed back in, making a "whoosh" sound that was particularly jarring in the tense atmosphere.

Immediately afterwards, the heavy north gate of the city opened a crack just wide enough for one person to pass through.

A group of about five hundred men emerged silently from the crack in the door, like ghosts! The leader, a tall and thin man clad in iron armor and wielding a steel spear, was none other than "Sick Tiger" Xue Yong!

Behind him were five hundred government soldiers who had also long since disregarded life and death!

His mission was to lure the enemy, to draw the Liangshan army into fighting him, and then find a way to retreat after buying enough time.

So, although they left the city, they did not flee. Instead, they let out a shout and headed straight for the Liangshan army camp responsible for besieging the north gate, and charged in!

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack at the North Gate!" The one in charge of guarding the North Gate was "Sai Gongming" Mi Sheng.

Just as he was feeling bored, he suddenly heard shouts of battle. His spirits lifted, he grabbed his axe, mounted his horse, and went out to meet the enemy.

"Where did this rat come from, daring to mess with me!" Mi Sheng roared and immediately engaged Xue Yong in battle.

However, Xue Yong's charge was nothing more than a feint attack on an even larger scale! It was bait, bait used to attract Mi Sheng's attention!