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

Chapter 100 Luan Tingyu Surrenders to Liangshan Marsh

Zhu Chaofeng, Zhu Long, and Zhu Biao are dead, and Zhu Family Village has been burned to ashes.

Wang Lun ordered all the people to be moved out and the valuables of the Zhu Family Village to be taken away.

The once-powerful Zhu Family Village was razed to the ground overnight.

Lin Chong counted the number of men and found that he had captured more than 2,000 of the Zhu Family Manor's men alive, while most of the rest had died in battle.

Some of the farmhands had mingled with the common people, but Zhang Cheng and his men could tell at a glance who was a farmhand and who was a commoner.

After cleaning up the battlefield and counting the prisoners, dawn had broken in the blink of an eye.

Wang Lun ordered the drums to be beaten to gather the troops and began to give instructions on new tasks.

He ordered Lin Chong to lead Lü Fang, Guo Sheng, and other leaders, along with two thousand cavalry, to Lijiazhuang to support Guan Sheng.

Qin Ming, Hua Rong, and others returned to Jizhou with the prisoners and the wealth obtained from the Zhu Family Village.

The orders had been assigned, but in the distance, Luan Tingyu and Yulan were seen saying goodbye to Zhu Hu.

Wang Lun had promised not to kill Zhu Hu, and he naturally kept his word. However, his knee had been broken by Wu Song when he was captured, and now one of his legs was useless.

Luan Tingyu looked at Zhu Hu, who was leaning on his cane, and sighed, saying, "Zhu Hu, the saying goes, 'The victor is king, the loser is villain.' Since Zhu Family Village has been defeated, don't think about revenge. Find a place to live peacefully and leave a bloodline for the Zhu family."

Upon hearing that Zhu Family Village had been destroyed and his father and brothers were dead, Zhu Hu was terrified and had no desire for revenge. Hearing Luan Tingyu's words, he immediately nodded and asked, "And what about you?"

Luan Tingyu was silent for a moment, then said, "Chief Wang is a hero of our time. He spared your father and the lives of every civilian because of my word. He is righteous, and I cannot be heartless. So I have no choice but to join Liangshan."

Zhu Hu didn't say anything, just nodded and left, leaning on his cane.

Luan Tingyu and Yulan stood side by side, watching Zhu Hu walk away.

"Chief Wang is really a good person. He even helped me get revenge," Yulan said softly. "I can't do anything for Liangshan and can't repay their kindness."

Luan Tingyu said, "You don't need to persuade me anymore. I have made up my mind. Since Chief Wang values ​​me, I will stay. When I want to live a peaceful life someday, I will take you far away to another place."

Yulan held Luan Tingyu's hand tightly and nodded emphatically.

The two stood for a moment, and fearing that Wang Lun would be kept waiting, they returned together and bowed to him.

Luan Tingyu said, "I am deeply grateful for the Chief's kindness. I am of no talent or ability, but the Chief's righteousness has moved me. If I were to refuse such kindness now, I would appear to be a petty person. Please accept me as your disciple, Chief. I will do my utmost to serve Liangshan from now on."

Wang Lun was overjoyed and quickly helped Luan Tingyu up, saying, "Brother Luan, why be so modest? You fought against Lin Chong and Wu Song of Liangshan and held your own. You also assisted Zhu Chaofeng in strengthening the Zhu Family Manor and making it a dominant force in the region for many years. You are truly a man of great talent."

He then reached out to help Yulan up, saying, "From now on, you two will stay at Liangshan. Wang Lun will have houses built for you in the back of Liangshan, so you can settle down here for now."

Luan Tingyu said, "The chief has treated me very well, so I will follow him and do my best. I dare not go to Liangshan for comfort."

Luan Tingyu's willingness to surrender delighted everyone except Wang Lun, including Lin Chong, Wu Song, and Shi Xiu, who had fought against him. Liangshan had gained another formidable general.

"I will lead people to escort Yulan to Liangshan, so please come with me to Hu Family Village, Brother Luan."

Wang Lun instructed Zhao Si to send someone to escort Yulan to Liangshan. He then led Wu Song, Luan Tingyu, Shi Xiu, Yang Xiong, Hu Cheng, Hu Sanniang, and others, along with a thousand soldiers, and marched in a grand procession to Hu Family Village.

It wasn't about attacking the Hu Family Village. Hu Sanniang was about to marry Wu Song, Hu Cheng was Yang Zhi's apprentice, and Hu Taigong was a good person, so he should have a peaceful end.

Meanwhile, Guan Sheng and Hao Siwen led their troops to attack Lijiazhuang. They set off at 9:00 PM and arrived outside Lijiazhuang under cover of night.

Li Ying was attacked and injured by Zhu Bao when he stood up for Yang Xiong and Shi Xiu to demand Shi Qian from the Zhu Family Village.

He had naturally heard that Liangshan was attacking the Zhu Family Village and had received Zhu Chaofeng's letter requesting help, but he remained unmoved.

He couldn't afford to offend either the Zhu Family Village or Liangshan.

They had no choice but to guard their own small plot of land for the time being.

While he was asleep that night, he was suddenly rushed in by a servant to report that the Liangshan army had come to challenge him.

Li Ying was taken aback and immediately ordered his men to fetch his weapons. He took a steel-plated iron spear, carried five throwing knives on his back, and fully armed himself. He and Du Xing went to the gate of the manor.

But then he saw soldiers arrayed outside the manor, a dark mass of several thousand men. His expression immediately changed, and he secretly groaned in despair.

Two generals rode out, one with imposing presence and the other resembling Guan Yu, their Green Dragon Crescent Blades sending chills down one's spine.

Guan Sheng and Hao Siwen only challenged each other but did not attack.

Seeing several more people at the gate, who appeared to be the leader, Guan Sheng stepped forward and said, "I am Guan Sheng of the Flying Tiger Army of Liangshan. May I ask if you are Master Li Ying?"

Li Yingqiang roused himself and said, "Indeed, Chief Guan, what are the Liangshan soldiers doing all night?"

Guan Sheng laughed and said, "Master Li, you know that the Zhu Family Manor disrespects Liangshan and even captured Shi Qian, a hero of Liangshan. My chieftain wanted to ask Master Zhu for Shi Qian back, but Zhu Chaofeng was so audacious that he held Shi Qian captive. So my chieftain led his troops to attack."

Li Ying already knew about these things, and he naturally knew that the so-called demand for Shi Qian was just a pretext, and that Liangshan only wanted to eliminate all forces.

"We have already captured Zhu Hu and wounded Zhu Long. Just now, our troops launched a general attack on Zhu Family Village, and they should have already breached the village by now."

Upon hearing Guan Sheng's words, Li Ying was immediately shocked. He hadn't expected that in just a few days, Liangshan had already captured Zhu Hu and injured Zhu Long. With the loss of these two, Zhu Family Village had almost lost half of its strength.

Then Guan Sheng is right, the bookmaker must have already broken the record.

Li Ying felt uneasy. If he were to fight, he would certainly be no match for his opponent. But if he were to surrender, he would be unwilling to do so.

"Master Li, as the saying goes, 'A wise man knows when to yield.' Now that Liangshan has grown so powerful, why don't you surrender sooner and save Li Family Village from a bloody disaster?"

Guan Sheng stood with his sword drawn, his voice booming, and the guards on the earthen walls of Li Family Village were all shaken.

Du Xing said, "The master is injured. Why don't I go and meet this man? If we can capture him, we'll have more bargaining chips. Otherwise, if we surrender without a reason, there will be no place for either of us on Liangshan."

These words struck a chord with Li Ying, who was thinking the same thing. Unfortunately, although he was skilled in martial arts, he was ambushed and injured by Zhu Biao, and could not exert his full strength.

Hearing Du Xing's words, Li Ying thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "Alright, you must be careful. Although I don't recognize this person, he seems to be a master. Don't let him tarnish the prestige of Li Family Village."

Du Xing nodded in agreement, ordered the servants to prepare horses, picked up an iron spear, and rode out of the city.

When Guan Sheng saw someone come out, he went forward and saw that the man was extremely ugly, with a broad face, square jaw, and ears as big as an animal's. Knowing that people with strange appearances often possess some skills, he dared not underestimate him and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "Please state your name, general."

Du Xing reined in his horse and replied, "I am Du Xing, nicknamed Ghost Face. Since the general has led his troops to attack, you should have attacked me first. Our lord will have his own plans for the future."

Guan Sheng said nothing more, holding his Green Dragon Crescent Blade horizontally. He thought to himself that he had just joined Liangshan and had not yet made any contributions. Taking down the Li Family Village would be his greatest achievement.

He held his breath and focused intently, proceeding with extreme caution.