xymnovel Chapter 27 Relieving the Siege of Wei by Attacking Zhao
Chapter 27 Relieving the Siege of Wei by Attacking Zhao
Chao Gai led the Liangshan troops to escape in the mountains.
Behind them, Huang An and Du Yuanwai joined forces and pursued them in a grand procession.
With only one hundred soldiers left in Liangshan, Chao Gai was already a sitting duck in the eyes of Huang An and his men.
He couldn't help but feel smug. Chao Gai had robbed the birthday gifts and was considered the number one bandit by Cai Jing and Liang Zhongshu. Even He Tao had disappeared after the troops were sent to suppress him.
If Huang An can capture or kill Chao Gai today, his promotion and wealth will be just around the corner.
The Liangshan bandits were already at their last gasp, and Huang An ordered everyone to speed up, as capturing Chao Gai would be a piece of cake.
Chao Gai led his men deeper into the mountains, but the pursuers were getting closer and closer, while his men were becoming increasingly exhausted.
Wu Yong urged, "Hold on, everyone. It's getting dark soon, and we'll have a better chance of escaping at night."
Chao Gai also roused himself and shouted, "That's right, everyone hold on! When we get back to Liangshan, I'll treat you all to drinks!"
At this moment, "drinking" is no longer important; surviving is the greatest wish.
After running for a while, the sky indeed grew darker, and the group slowed down, but the pursuers also gradually slowed down.
They had now reached the depths of the mountains, where the mountain roads were winding and rugged. Before long, they had managed to shake off their pursuers by navigating the rugged mountain paths.
Wu Yongxi said, "They have warhorses, and the mountain roads are difficult to travel on, which has slowed them down. Everyone, be on your guard."
Now everyone is forcing themselves to stay positive, since there is indeed a possibility of survival.
After walking for a long time, the sounds of pursuers could be faintly heard from behind, but everyone was too exhausted to continue.
"Ahead lies a mountain hollow, like the mouth of a gourd, easy to defend and difficult to attack. As long as we can hide inside, we can hold them off."
Wu Yong looked around and offered a suggestion.
Chao Gai then ordered his men to enter the mountain valley. This valley was in an excellent location, wide inside and narrow outside, with steep cliffs on all sides.
Once they entered, it was extremely difficult for officers and soldiers to get in as well, and it was almost impossible for them to climb the mountain and go around to the back of the valley.
Chao Gai ordered his men to move stones to block the entrance to the mountain pass, and assigned twenty men to guard the entrance, while the rest of the men could rest for a while.
Unexpectedly, they had fallen into an ambush. Chao Gai angrily stomped on a stone, imagining it as an enemy, wishing he could crush it.
"Perhaps they're already on guard because of the last time the chieftain caused such a ruckus in Jizhou," Wu Yong began to think.
"Or perhaps... we've come to intercept news about Master Du..."
Chao Gai was suddenly startled: "You mean... someone betrayed us?"
The more Wu guided him in this direction, the more likely it seemed to be true.
It's highly likely that someone in Liangshan tipped them off, given that the Jizhou government and Du Yuanwai had set up an ambush.
And recently, the one who entered Jeju and had contact with the prefect was none other than Wang Lun!
He suddenly realized he had figured it all out and cursed, "Wang Lun, you scoundrel! How dare you harm me!"
"Archer—"
Wang Lun sneezed loudly and complained, "Who's talking bad about me?"
Lu Zhishen was tall and imposing. As he rode his horse, the steed looked like a small colt. He glanced ahead; it was already dark. He said, "Brother, why did you send Yang Zhi with men to rescue Chao Gai first? Aren't you afraid Yang Zhi will take the opportunity to kill Chao Gai?"
Wang Lun shook his head and said, "Yang Zhi is a man of principle and righteousness. If he wants revenge, he will do so openly and honestly, and he will not take action at this crucial moment."
Lu Zhishen nodded and said, "That's absolutely right."
"Besides, with Chao Gai in danger and Yang Zhi rescuing him, their relationship can be eased. Ah Che—"
Wang Lun sneezed again, rubbed his nose, and said, "Who exactly is talking badly about me behind my back?"
He looked into the distance, where Lin Chong's army was heading straight for Jeju Island with five hundred men.
This move is a "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao" strategy. Wang Lun, Yang Zhi, and Lu Zhishen led men to rescue Chao Gai. Although they had 500 men, it was very likely that they would not be able to rescue him. Firstly, they did not know how many men the enemy had, and secondly, they were afraid that the enemy had laid an ambush.
Upon hearing that Chao Gai had fallen into a trap and was surrounded, Wang Lun immediately came up with this plan.
The troops in Jeju were already few in number, and with another group of men they went out to surround Chao Gai, the city must be completely undefended.
If Lin Chong leads the attack on Jeju, that incompetent prefect will surely try to send someone out to deliver the message.
Wang Lun had instructed Lin Chong that if anyone was found to be reporting the attack on Jeju, he should not interfere, but rather allow them to send out the news of Lin Chong's attack on Jeju.
As a result, the men surrounding Chao Gai had no choice but to turn back and rescue him.
"Brother, what will we do if the government troops don't go back to relieve the prefecture?" Lu Zhishen asked at the right time, which touched on Wang Lun's thoughts.
Wang Lun smiled and said, "The officers and soldiers will surely return to the relief prefecture."
"Why?" Lu Zhishen asked, playing the straight man.
"Firstly, corruption in the Song Dynasty government is deeply entrenched. If you don't curry favor with your superiors, you might soon be suppressed and dismissed. I suspect that the one who left the city with the illness is Huang An, the militia commander. What will happen if he offends the prefect? Will he join the Liangshan bandits?"
Lu Zhishen nodded. He had been a military officer before and knew the intricacies of government politics.
"Secondly, the soldiers of Jeju Prefecture are local garrison troops, which are not strong in combat. Most of them are recruited from Jeju. Their wives, children and elderly parents are all in Jeju. Once they hear that Lin Chong is attacking Jeju, even if Huang An does not withdraw, the soldiers will lose heart."
Lu Zhishen clapped his hands and said, "Wonderful! Brother, you are truly Zhuge Liang reincarnated."
Wang Lun took out a feather fan from his horse, gently waved it, and asked, "And now?"
Lu Zhishen immediately chimed in, "Now it looks even more like it."
The two laughed heartily. Wang Lun was somewhat dazed, laughing and joking with Lu Zhishen, as if he had returned to his college days, when he was just as happy as when he was playing around with his roommates in the dormitory.
After laughing for a while, Lu Zhishen sighed, "I wonder how Chao Gai is doing now. Although I don't know Chao Tianwang personally, I have heard of his name."
Wang Lun nodded and said, "Yes, Chao Gai is a very good person. When I read Water Margin before... I admired him a lot when I was a student."
"What is Water Margin?" Lu Zhishen heard Wang Lun say the words "Water Margin".
Wang Lun didn't know how to explain, so after thinking for a moment, he said, "Water Margin is a book that tells the story of a group of heroes. Just like us, they raised the banner of acting on behalf of Heaven, fought against the government, robbed the rich and powerful, drank wine from large bowls, and ate meat in large chunks."
Lu Zhishen laughed and said, "I have never liked reading or writing. Just hearing about these books gives me a headache. When I was a monk at Mount Wutai, Elder Zhizhen was just like my brother. He loved reading, and I would even fall asleep while reciting scriptures."
Wang Lun laughed heartily. He knew very well about Lu Zhishen's affairs at Mount Wutai, after all, it was one of the few exciting stories in the opening chapters of Water Margin.
"I also want to set up a school so that everyone can learn military skills. In the future, when a major war breaks out, we can't just let the leaders charge into battle. We still need to use strategy."
"Oh dear, I'm getting sleepy just listening to this. Brother, just let me be a common soldier from now on. I love fighting."
Wang Lun smiled and said, "Then Zhishen, you should be at the forefront. It would be best if you could capture Master Du."
Lu Zhishen brandished his monk's staff: "A mere rich man like you can't withstand a single blow from my staff."
Wang Lun was overjoyed. With Lu Zhishen by his side, he felt extremely safe, and with Lu Zhishen's staff, he could protect himself more than enough.