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

Chapter 76 Capturing Huyan Zhuo in a Jar

Moon stars are rare.

The snow outside Jeju City had almost all melted, except for the distant mountain peaks, which remained white and shimmered in the moonlight.

Guan Sheng looked at the distant mountains, feeling a little uneasy; everything seemed to be going too smoothly.

Yang Zhi surrendered too easily, and Zhao Si surrendered even more easily.

And coincidentally, just the day before yesterday, Yang Zhi wrote a letter to surrender, and tonight it's his turn to defend the city.

Was Wang Lun stupid? Did he have absolutely no precautions against Yang Zhi?

A cold wind rose, and Guan Sheng shivered, feeling increasingly uneasy.

In preparation for their coordinated attack on Jizhou with Yang Zhi, they specially equipped each horse with a bit and wrapped thick cloth around its hooves.

Eight thousand soldiers, divided into smaller groups, slowly advanced towards Jeju City from multiple routes.

The entire army had already been mobilized. Guan Sheng thought for a moment but did not voice his doubts.

Wouldn't it be a disappointment to bring this up now?

Besides, I'm only here to assist; the commander-in-chief is Zhang Shuye, and the general is Huyan Zhuo.

After walking a while longer, the surroundings became eerily quiet.

Guan Sheng suddenly realized that the Liangshan army hadn't even sent out any scouts.

Is Wang Lun really that stupid?

He reined in his horse, held his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, and gazed thoughtfully at the dark city in the distance.

"Brother Guan, what's wrong?" Hu Yanzhuo turned around and asked. He was so excited that his face turned red because he wanted to avenge his previous defeat and victory was imminent.

Guan Sheng said, "I'm thinking that Yang Zhi surrendered too quickly, and everything went too smoothly. If there's a trap ahead, and we send all our troops in, wouldn't we be wiped out again?"

Huyan Zhuo's expression changed, and he said, "If you're afraid, you can stay."

Guan Sheng immediately realized he had misspoke. "Total annihilation" was Huyan Zhuo's sore spot, and he shouldn't have brought it up. He quickly apologized, "General Huyan, please forgive me. I misspoke."

"General Guan, you can lead a troop to cover the rear. If I am ambushed, you can act accordingly." Huyan Zhuo was no fool. Although he was angry, he understood Guan Sheng's concerns.

Guan Sheng nodded and said, "Alright, then I will lead two thousand soldiers behind you. General Huyan, please be careful."

He then looked at Ling Zhen and said, "Brother Ling, we won't need your Thunderclap Bombs for this night raid. How about lending me a few?"

Ling Zhen hesitated for a moment: "Lending you a few is no problem, but if the Thunderclap Bomb is used improperly, it might hurt our own people."

Huyan Zhuo said, "Then Brother Ling, you should also stay and join General Guan in providing support."

Before Guan Sheng and the other man could speak, he had already spurred his horse forward.

Guan Sheng glanced at Ling Zhen and thought to himself that this man was also very cunning. He must have also felt that something was wrong, so he used the excuse that the Thunderclap Thunder was inconvenient to use.

He didn't expose them, but instead mustered two thousand soldiers and, together with Ling Zhen, slowly retreated, stopping at a distance and quietly watching Huyan Zhuo's army advance.

As Huyan Zhuo approached Jizhou City, his troops gradually gathered behind him, forming a dark mass under the moonlight, which gave him considerable confidence.

He was somewhat tempted by Guan Sheng's words, but revenge took precedence over his thoughts. It might be a scheme, but it could also be real. If it was real, he could not only get revenge but also gain merit.

At 3:45 AM (丑时三刻).

Torches were lit atop Jeju City.

Huyan Zhuo was overjoyed and led his troops forward. When they arrived at the city of Jizhou, they saw a man sticking his head out from above. It was Yang Zhi. Although it was night, he naturally recognized Yang Zhi after their several battles.

"Is it General Huyan?" Yang Zhi asked.

Huyan Zhuo replied, "That's right."

Yang Zhi frowned slightly, inwardly complaining, "Shouldn't there be other generals like Guan Sheng? Why is there only Huyan Zhuo?"

"General Huyan, please wait a moment. I will have the city gates opened immediately."

"No, General Yang, please open the door yourself." Huyan Zhuo was also cautious.

Yang Zhi was taken aback: "Huh? Why?"

Huyan Zhuo said, "It's not that I don't trust you, General Yang. You opened the city gate yourself, and I will give you the greatest credit, which will also show your sincerity."

Yang Zhi pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll open the door right away."

Huyan Zhuo was overjoyed and turned to his personal guards, instructing them, "Watch my hand gesture. When I give the gesture, you must immediately go forward and capture Yang Zhi."

The guards immediately agreed.

Huyan Zhuo sneered: "So what if it's a trap? I'll capture Yang Zhi first. If we fall for it, we'll have a hostage in our hands."

Before long, the city gates opened, and Yang Zhi rode out alone, spear in hand. He clasped his hands in a fist salute on horseback and said, "General Huyan, I am here. Can you rest assured?"

Huyan Zhuo smiled and said, "From now on, we will serve in the same court and be colleagues. We can be said to have become friends after our initial conflict. Let's get closer in the future."

Yang Zhi maintained his distance and said, "It's alright. Please come in with me. Wang Lun and the other Liangshan bandit leaders are staying at the government office. I'll take you there."

After he finished speaking, he spurred his horse and rode away, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far from Huyan Zhuo.

Huyan Zhuo hesitated slightly, then waved to his personal guards to speed up, and quickly spurred his horse to catch up.

Once inside the city gate, Yang Zhi's horse galloped even faster. Before he knew it, he had reached the entrance of the barbican. He turned back and said, "General Huyan, hurry up! It will be bad if the news leaks out."

Huyan Zhuo quickly chased after them, with his personal guards following closely behind. The main force gradually entered the city and reached the barbican.

Yang Zhi entered the barbican gate, turned back with a smile, and said, "Huyan Zhuo, you've fallen for my trap. Haven't you read the Romance of the Three Kingdoms? Haven't you heard the story of Zhou Yu beating Huang Gai?"

Huyan Zhuo was taken aback, then flew into a rage. He roared and charged forward, trying to seize Yang Zhi. His steed was swift, but Yang Zhi had already entered the gate, and as he finished speaking, the gate of the barbican was tightly shut.

Suddenly, countless soldiers rose up on the city wall, a dark mass of heads.

Amidst the torchlight, Wang Lun and other Liangshan generals appeared. To Wang Lun's left and right were Wu Song and Lu Zhishen, and beside them were Lin Chong, Qin Ming, Hua Rong, Huang Xin, and other leaders.

Hu Yanzhuo trembled with rage. If Wang Lun were in front of him, he would have wanted to bite Wang Lun to death.

"Wang Lun, how could you be so despicable!" Huyan Zhuo roared in fury.

Wang Lun laughed loudly: "Despicable? General Huyan, haven't you heard that all warfare is based on deception? As long as victory is achieved, what does it matter whether it's despicable or not? Does it mean that when two armies clash, you cut me once, I cut you once, and we see who falls first, and that's what counts as despicable?"

"Wang Lun, do you dare to fight me one-on-one on horseback!" Hu Yanzhuo said, having nothing left to lose.

"General Huyan, when two armies are at war, why must the commanders of both armies personally take action? These fierce generals beside me, who are you confident you can defeat?" Wang Lun pointed to the Liangshan leader beside him, "You may not be stronger than them either. It's just that I cherish talent and can't bear to take your life. Otherwise, why would I have made the agreement of capturing and releasing you three times?"

Huyan Zhuo was so angry that he was panting heavily. He looked back and saw that all his personal guards had entered the barbican, and the soldiers behind them were also entering one after another.

He originally brought 8,000 soldiers, but Guan Sheng took 2,000 of them, leaving him with 6,000.

The entire Liangshan Flying Tiger Army in Jeju City numbered less than six thousand.

It's a life-or-death battle, and it's hard to say who will win or lose.

Huyan Zhuo became furious and swung his double whips: "Brothers, the day is coming when we slay the Liangshan bandits and achieve a great feat! Whoever kills Wang Lun will surely be rewarded with a title and a life of comfort and security."

In the darkness, Huyan Zhuo's voice rang out in the barbican, and even echoed.

Wang Lun laughed: "Kill me? Brother Song, do you agree?"

Wu Song shouted, "Wu Song will not agree!"

Huyan Zhuo shouted, "Charge!"