Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Chapter 127 Li Hanxiao visits Qilin Village, Liang Shanzhu encounters Iron Arm for the first time

Of course, this was also a consistent military practice in the Northern Song Dynasty: "soldiers do not know their generals, and generals do not know their soldiers," in order to prevent them from colluding to rebel.

The Song Dynasty gained power through a military coup and thus had the deepest fear of its army. Therefore, after Zhao Kuangyin became emperor, his first priority was to closely monitor the generals who had once supported him and to reclaim their military power through appeasement.

Subsequently, Emperor Taizu of Song divided the military power into three parts, completely separating the command and dispatch authority, thus creating the awkward situation where military generals could command troops but could not dispatch them.

Generals in the Song Dynasty did not serve in the army for very long, usually only two years before being transferred to other units. This created a unique situation in the Song Dynasty army where "generals did not know their soldiers, and soldiers did not know their generals."

Under these circumstances, the army's mobility and coordination were extremely poor, which led to a decline in combat effectiveness. This also explains why Wang Shunchen, who was originally the prefect of Lanzhou, attacked Shi Jin and his men at Shaohua Mountain, because he had been reassigned to nearby Huazhou.

This is something Li Hanxiao only learned about after having a detailed conversation with "White Flower Snake" Yang Chun.

In this situation, since Wang Shunchen and the local troops in Huazhou are in a state of "soldiers not knowing their generals, and generals not knowing their soldiers," and they cannot form a tacit understanding with each other in a short time, this situation is actually quite advantageous for Li Hanxiao and his team's rescue plan.

Since "soldiers do not know their generals, and generals do not know their soldiers," Wang Shunchen's orders will be less effective in being carried out by his soldiers. The border troops and the local troops are treated differently. The border troops receive rewards for meritorious service, while the local troops receive nothing and will not risk their lives for a few strings of cash a month. This is something that can be taken advantage of.

Moreover, it's possible that local military factions have already formed their own independent forces within the local army, and it remains to be seen whether Wang Shunchen can manage to straighten them out.

After leaving Liangshan Marsh, Li Hanxiao and his group traveled quickly westward, heading straight for Daming Prefecture in Hebei Province.

Having previously defeated the "vanguard" Suo Chao's troops who came to conquer Liangshan Marsh, Li Hanxiao had officially dealt with the army of Daming Prefecture. As an important northern town of the Northern Song Dynasty, Daming Prefecture's army was indeed much stronger than the local garrison troops in other places.

Therefore, in order to avoid causing trouble in Daming Prefecture, Li Hanxiao and his men should "enter the village quietly and avoid firing shots" to avoid unnecessary trouble. Otherwise, if they get entangled with the Daming Prefecture garrison, they will be in for a lot of trouble.

Li Hanxiao and his companions' first stop was Qilin Village in Neihuang County to meet Zhou Tong and Yue Fei. To be honest, Li Hanxiao also wanted to meet another person in Daming Prefecture, the "Jade Kirin" Lu Junyi, whom the author personally designated as the number one in the world in the original work.

Unfortunately, this guy had settled in Daming Prefecture, and the risk of entering the city was too great, so we had to give up.

However, Li Hanxiao was a little surprised. Zhou Tong had been teaching martial arts to Yue Fei, Tang Huai, Zhang Xian, and Wang Gui in Daming Prefecture, almost within arm's reach of "Jade Kirin" Lu Junyi, but why did the master and disciple seem to have no interaction at all...

Could it be that there's some kind of grudge between the two sides...?

Daming Prefecture and the area to the north near Liao have always been key defense areas, with very tight defenses. However, Neihuang County is not among them. Moreover, it is an agricultural county with all farmland and few government officials. Therefore, when Li Hanxiao and his group of thirteen arrived in Neihuang County, they had virtually no obstacles and found Qilin Village without much effort.

As dusk fell, wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys of Qilin Village. Li Hanxiao and his group arrived at the village entrance and found a breakfast stall selling soup noodles and tea. Having traveled all night, everyone was hungry, so Li Hanxiao ordered them to eat there before continuing their search.

Lu Zhishen, the "Flowery Monk," was starving, his teeth chattering. Ignoring everyone else, he rushed into the shop and loudly shouted, "Shop now! Quickly cook some noodles!"

"How much would this master chef like to eat?"

The noodle vendor was an old man with a little monkey. He hurriedly came up to ask a question, but was frightened by a single sentence from Lu Zhishen, the "flowery monk".

"First, roll out fifty pounds of dough!"

"Grandpa! Fifty pounds, Master, can you finish it?"

The old man gasped in shock. Although the "Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen was as burly as a fortress, it was impossible for him to eat fifty pounds of noodles in one meal!

"Hey, if you bring me a handful of salt, I'll eat this table and chairs for you! Enough talk, hurry up and get to work!"

Lu Zhishen, the "Flowery Monk," responded with considerable humor.

At this moment, Li Han walked over with a smile, put down a silver ingot and said to the old man, "Old man, we are together, eleven or twelve men, and we are all hungry. Each of us should eat three to five catties, so fifty catties is not much. Thank you for your trouble!"

"Oh, I see. So this master chef eats fifty catties of flour by himself. He'll turn the whole thing into a flour vat! Make it right away! Make it right away!"

The old man hurriedly told the little monkey to go back and carry the noodles. This was considered a big business. Normally, he would be considered good if he could sell fifty catties of noodles a day. At this moment, he picked up the rolling pin and quickly rolled out the noodles.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please have a bowl of noodle soup to warm yourselves up!"

The old man laid out bowls again, giving each person a bowl of noodle soup to drink first. "Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen was hungry, and seeing some vegetable leaves floating in the noodle soup, he took it as a way to moisten his throat. He picked up the bowl and gulped down two large bowls in a row. Seeing that Li Hanxiao did not drink the noodle soup, he also took it and ate it himself.

Li Hanxiao had no appetite for the noodle soup. Instead, he looked at the mountains and rivers near Qilin Village. He remembered that Yue Pengju's hometown was originally Yonghe Township, Xiaoti Village, Tangyin County, Xiangzhou, Henan. However, when he was born, a great flood occurred. With the protection of the ancestor Chen Tuan, Yue Fei's mother was carried in a flower pot and washed to Qilin Village, Neihuang County. There, he was taken in by Wang Ming, a wealthy man, and grew up there.

Although this place is not Yue Fei's hometown, it can still be considered a place with beautiful mountains and rivers and outstanding people. Li Han smiled as he looked at the surrounding mountains and rivers. They were indeed a place where the wind and energy gathered. One mountain was shaped like a pen holder and had an extraordinary presence.

"Old man, I've heard that there are several wealthy men in your Qilin Village who are charitable and public-spirited. Is that true?"

Li Han smiled and asked.

“It’s true! There are three wealthy men in our Qilin Village. They are all kind-hearted people who distribute porridge and provide relief, accumulating great merit. The manor of Wang Ming is located in the west village, and the manors of Zhang Da and Tang Wenzhong are located in the east village.”

This also pointed out the location to Li Hanxiao and the others. Zhou Tong and Yue Fei, mother and son, lived in the residence of Wang Ming, while the other two wealthy men were the fathers of Tang Huai and Zhang Xian.

"I see. I heard that a skilled tutor has come to the Wang family to teach the young masters. I wonder where he lives?"

"Oh, that old man is Master Zhou Tong. He lives in a quiet little courtyard to the left of Master Wang's house. It is said that he once worked as a teacher at the Imperial Martial Arts Academy in the capital, but I don't know if it's true or not..."

As the old man cut noodles, he looked up at Li Han and smiled disdainfully, saying, "I think it's all an act. He's just trying to inflate his own value. If he were really that kind of person, would he have ended up teaching at a school like ours?"

Li Han smiled wryly. How long ago was it that Zhou Tong, the Iron-Armed Hero of Shaanxi, was a renowned figure in the martial arts world? Now, however, he was being mocked and ridiculed by this old man. Truly…

It can only be said that Zhou Tong was able to stay in Qilin Village for so long thanks to Yue Fei. If Zhou Tong hadn't discovered Yue Fei there, he really wouldn't have stayed there for long. This master and disciple pair actually brought countless honors to Neihuang County in the future.

Li Hanxiao watched as a group of burly men slurped their noodles, making a constant slurping noise, much like pigs eating. He found it amusing. Taking advantage of their meal, Li Hanxiao went to find Zhou Tong and meet him.

So, Li Hanxiao grabbed the Liquan Divine Spear that was wrapped in a cloth.

He then took off the sword from his waist and handed it to "Blue-Faced Beast" Yang Zhi, leaving behind the three-pointed double-edged sword. He then carried the Liquan spear wrapped in coarse cloth on his back and went to knock on the door.

It was best for Li Hanxiao not to carry any weapons in front of Zhou Tong. After all, Zhou Tong was a legendary grandmaster-level figure. If he carried weapons, the old man might think he had ulterior motives or was seeking revenge. That would be disastrous, considering that the old man had many enemies in his youth...

In terms of martial arts, Li Hanxiao was confident that his three-pointed double-edged sword could defeat anyone, whether it was the Five Tiger Generals or the Eight Cavalry Vanguards. However, there were three people he was certain he could not defeat.

Who can do it? The first one is "Jade Kirin" Lu Junyi. He is the best in the world, the absolute pinnacle. He is a ruthless man who can beat more than a thousand Liao soldiers by himself. Li Hanxiao is still quite far behind him.

The second is Shi Wengong from Zengtou City. Previously, when Li Hanxiao and "Leopard Head" Lin Chong were sparring on the mountain, "Leopard Head" Lin Chong lost to Li Hanxiao by one move. Li Hanxiao then talked to him about the skills of his fellow disciples.

Although "Leopard Head" Lin Chong hadn't seen his senior brother "Jade Kirin" Lu Junyi and the traitor Shi Wengong who had been expelled from the sect for a long time, he estimated that with Li Hanxiao's current level, he would lose to "Jade Kirin" Lu Junyi in forty moves and to Shi Wengong in sixty moves.

Among them, "Leopard Head" Lin Chong also mentioned Zhou Tong. If Li Hanxiao were to fight Zhou Tong, he would probably lose in seventy moves. Zhou Tong is old and his physical condition is not as good as that of young people. He probably can't beat Lu Junyi and Shi Wengong now, but he could still beat Li Hanxiao.

Li Hanxiao was also aware that his current martial arts skills were quite good, but his methods were too limited. He only knew the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Sword Technique taught by Erlang Shen, and his mastery of the other eighteen weapons was very superficial. Apart from grappling and fighting, he was only good at it.

After all, he didn't have the opportunity to major in melee combat in his previous life, so this thing was really useless to him...

If he were to change weapons, Li Hanxiao's combat power would be reduced. Therefore, Li Hanxiao also wanted to learn more martial arts if he had the opportunity to enrich his "skill tree".

He also thought to himself that Zhou Dong had once been a "Celestial Teacher" at the Imperial Boxing Academy in the capital, and his master was Jin Tai, the "King of Boxing Under Heaven". The saying goes, "No king surpasses Xiang Yu, no general surpasses Li Yu, no strength surpasses Ba Chao, and no boxing surpasses Jin Tai". This "no boxing surpasses Jin Tai" refers to his master Jin Tai.

Zhou Tong's martial arts were basically top-notch, with his fists, feet, and weapons all being flawless. He also taught Yue Fei, Tang Huai, Zhang Xian, and Wang Gui their weapons and archery skills. Later generations of Xingyi Quan revered Yue Fei as their patriarch, saying that Xingyi Quan "decoupled from the spear and became fists." But wasn't Yue Fei's spear technique actually derived from Zhou Tong?

Although Yue Fei certainly made innovations later on, it is enough to show that Zhou Tong's weaponry skills were also at the level of a grandmaster.

Moreover, it's quite possible that Zhou Tong's spear technique initially evolved from "fist-based" to "spear-based," and then later evolved from "fist-based" to "spear-based" again after Yue Fei...

Li Hanxiao, carrying the Liquan Divine Spear and the gifts that "Leopard Head" Lin Chong and "Tiger-Slaying Hero" Wu Song had prepared for Zhou Tong, headed towards Zhou Tong's secluded courtyard.

Before Li Hanxiao went down the mountain, he told them that Zhou Tong might be in Qilin Village. The two almost insisted on going down the mountain with Li Hanxiao, but Li Hanxiao persuaded them to go back. In the end, Li Hanxiao was entrusted by the two to bring a gift to the old man.

Following the old man's advice, Li Hanxiao made his way to Wang Ming's manor and easily found the quiet courtyard where Zhou Tong lived.

Li Hanxiao stood at the door, respectfully knocked on the door knocker three times, and then announced loudly, "Li Erlang from Guankou, Xichuan, has come to pay his respects to Senior Zhou!"

"Please come in, distinguished guest!"

A dignified and powerful voice came from inside the courtyard. Li Hanxiao knew immediately that it was Zhou Tong's voice. Not only was his internal strength profound, but there was also no pause between breaths in his voice. It was as loud as a bronze bell.

Li Hanxiao pushed the wooden door open, and with a creak, he finally saw the true face of the courtyard.

In the very center of the courtyard stood a loofah trellis, covered with loofah vines. And right by the west gate of that trellis, three young children were practicing horseback riding, holding wooden spears.

Each of the spearheads had four blue bricks hanging from it. The three children's arms were as steady as pine trees. Their stance was not on flat ground, but on a large basket. Each of the three children stepped on one side, while Zhou Tong stepped on the fourth side to prevent them from falling over. One person held down the three children and the twelve bricks.

The old man in front of him must be Zhou Tong, the famous Iron-Armed Hero of Shaanxi. Li Han smiled as he looked at his back. He was tall and strong, with thick back muscles, especially broad shoulders. He must have been extremely strong in his youth.

As it was summer, the old man had his arms bare, covered in scars. Although he was old, his muscles were still strong and muscular, like iron bars, and their thickness was probably no less than that of the muscle monsters of later generations!

No wonder he earned the nickname "Iron Arms." Those arms could probably still strangle a lion. If he used his fists, they would be like an elephant wielding a whip, with immense power wherever they landed!