Magical Water Margin: They all call me brother

Page 98

Chapter 259: Huyan Zhuo is appointed to a critical mission

Now it was the Northern Song government's turn to be sweating profusely.

The fall of Liangshan was no big deal; the place was uninhabited anyway. Liu Hong and his gang only attacked wealthy landowners in the countryside, never targeting county towns. They also fulfilled their duties as landowners, paying taxes to the court. On the surface, everyone was doing well and maintaining a respectable image, so the court didn't bother with them. They simply sent Zhang Shuye to Jizhou as a precaution.

But now this kid has gotten too bold and dares to attack a county town! And he went and took over the entire Dengzhou! Who can stand for that? Our Great Song Dynasty will not allow such a powerful rebel army to exist.

Although there have already been three rebels of this caliber—Fang La in Jiangnan, Tian Hu in Hebei, and Wang Qing in Huaixi—Liu Hong in Shandong is the fourth.

There was no other way; the bloated, outdated, and decaying machinery of the Northern Song Dynasty was forced to start running again. The bounty for Fang La in Jiangnan was the highest, a full one million strings of cash. Tian Hu's was slightly lower, at nine hundred thousand strings of cash. Wang Qing's was the lowest, at only eight hundred and fifty thousand strings of cash.

The Northern Song government assessed Liu Hong's level of danger and ultimately offered him an exorbitant reward of 700,000 strings of cash. He was thus ranked as one of the four greatest bandit kings of the Song Dynasty.

Liu Hong chuckled at this, saying, "Like I said before, when the reward was only one hundred strings of cash, I didn't even dare to enter Daming Prefecture. If I encountered a constable on the road, I would have to run away."

But I've already offered a reward of 700,000 strings of cash. Let alone encountering a constable on the road, if I were to arrive in a county town, the person who should be running away would be the local magistrate!

However, Liu Hong knew that his actions of seizing counties and prefectures would surely invite retaliation from the imperial court, so he dispatched Chao Gai, along with the three Ruan brothers, Gongsun Sheng, Liu Tang, Zhu Tong, Lei Heng, and others, to garrison Liangshan Marsh.

Meanwhile, he and Song Jiang led a large force to Dengzhou. This place is surrounded by the sea on the north, south, and east sides, and the eastern mountains of Shandong are to the west. As long as he and Song Jiang guard the two important passes into Dengzhou, namely Huangxian and Rushan, they can block the government troops from entering.

At the same time, Li Jun, along with Tong Wei and Tong Meng, swept through the islands outside Dengzhou, especially Shamen Island, directly releasing all the criminals on the island and establishing a special disciplinary camp composed of criminals to continue expanding their forces.

Just as Liu Hong was preparing for war, at three o'clock in the morning, the Daoist Emperor ascended the throne. Three whips cracked, and the civil and military officials stood in formation.

When the emperor sat down, the head eunuch shouted, "If there is anything to report, step forward and speak; otherwise, roll up the curtain and dismiss the court."

Gao Qiu immediately stepped forward and reported: "There are now Liu Hong, Chao Gai, and Song Jiang, the bandit leaders of Liangshan Marsh in Jizhou, who have committed numerous heinous crimes, looting cities and granaries, and gathering a group of vicious and wicked people. They have already killed government troops in Jizhou, caused chaos in Jiangzhou and Wuwei Army, and now they have seized Dengzhou, slaughtering everyone! This is a major threat. If they are not eliminated as soon as possible, they will grow into a powerful bandit force, even more formidable than the powerful enemy states to the north. Your Majesty, I am filled with fear and humbly request your wise judgment."

The emperor was greatly alarmed upon hearing the report. He immediately issued an imperial edict, appointing Grand Commandant Gao to select generals and mobilize troops to suppress the bandits, ensuring the complete eradication of the bandits and the extermination of all their inhabitants. He then left the entire military operation to retake Dengzhou to Gao Qiu, telling him to handle it himself. Afterward, he went back to painting and calligraphy.

Upon receiving the imperial edict, Grand Commandant Gao immediately began devising a plan to recapture Dengzhou. Suddenly, he thought of someone who could serve as the commander-in-chief.

This man is a direct descendant of Huyan Zan, a famous general from Hedong during the early years of the dynasty. His given name is Hu Zhuo. He wields two bronze whips and possesses unparalleled bravery, earning him the nickname "Double Whip Huyan Zhuo." He is currently the Commander-in-Chief of Runing, commanding many elite troops and brave generals. He is capable of suppressing Liangshan Marsh.

Thinking of this, Gao Qiu immediately promoted Huyan Zhuo, the Double Whip Warrior, to Commander-in-Chief of the Army, ordering him to lead elite cavalry and infantry to clear out the mountain strongholds and recapture Dengzhou within a day! He also instructed the Privy Council to send an imperial edict to Runing Prefecture to summon Huyan Zhuo to the capital to receive orders.

At this moment, Huyan Zhuo had just finished quelling the rebellion in Runing when a beautiful yet terrifying figure, riding a heavily armored warhorse covered in steel lapels, slowly emerged from the smoke and fire. The horse's hooves, hidden beneath the armor curtain, trampled over mountains of corpses and seas of blood. With each step, they shattered the iron filings of weapons and the bones of the dead, producing a chilling tremor.

A pair of black and white steel whips, stained with blood and wrapped in dark red silk, hung at her waist. Only a pair of mature and composed phoenix eyes were visible beneath her steel helmet. A silver-scaled battle armor clung tightly to her full, curvaceous figure, the black iron mirror on her chest reflecting the molten gold of the setting sun, yet tapering dramatically at her waist. A black robe embroidered with the Big Dipper hung over her armor, billowing like a night tide in the blood-soaked wind. As the wide sleeves brushed against her knee armor, the dark red cloud patterns on the lining were revealed. With a tearing sound from the hem of her robe and armor, strong calves encased in steel boots were exposed.

A man and a horse, with only four eyes exposed outside the steel frame.

"Tap, tap, tap,"

More and more hoofbeats echoed through the smoke, like muffled thunder or war drums, gradually shattering the earth. The mist of blood and fire outlined the steel silhouettes of cavalrymen and warhorses: more and more Song Dynasty armored cavalrymen, clad in heavy armor and tack, appeared behind Huyan Zhuo. All the men and horses were clad in ridiculously high-defense full-body armor, and the horses were also covered in armored horse armor that covered their entire bodies. This was Huyan Zhuo's elite armored cavalry force, a battalion of five hundred elite cavalrymen and five hundred dragon horses mixed with dragon blood. Under the protection of steel, only two thousand mature and experienced killing eyes were visible.

"General! General! A letter has arrived from Kaifeng!"

At this moment, the messenger from Kaifeng finally arrived in Runing, met Huyan Zhuo, and recounted all the good deeds Liangshan had done.

Huyan Zhuo frowned, nodded, and instructed his men to quell the remaining rebellion. He then packed his helmet, armor, saddle, horse, and weapons, and, with thirty or forty followers, set off on his mission from Runing Prefecture, heading straight for the capital that very night. He dismounted early in front of the Palace Guard's office in the capital city and went to see Grand Commandant Gao.

That day, Gao Qiu was sitting in his office at the palace headquarters when a gatekeeper reported, "The governor of Runing Prefecture has summoned Huyan Zhuo, who is currently outside the gate." Grand Commandant Gao was overjoyed and summoned him in to pay his respects. Seeing Huyan Zhuo's dignified appearance and extraordinary demeanor, he was immediately delighted and bestowed upon him rewards.

The following morning at court, she was introduced to Emperor Daojun. The Emperor, seeing Huyan Zhuo's extraordinary appearance and recalling her ancestor Huyan Zan's merits in helping Emperor Taizu seize the throne, was overjoyed. He considered himself and Huyan Zhuo to be the second Emperor Taizu and Huyan Zan, and directly ordered his men to bestow upon her a young blue dragon as her mount, so that the two could fight side-by-side!

Huyan Zhuo was overjoyed. The mere presence of the young blue dragon was like a walking storm. The scales covering his entire body were not a smooth azure, but a deep cobalt blue, like the top of a thunderstorm. Each scale was thick and hard, like a meticulously forged shield, its edges reflecting a cold, metallic light. A strong, powerful neck connected to a ferocious-looking head, its sharp horns like polished sapphires, gleaming with a deadly glint.

Between its gaping, massive white teeth, a terrifying thunderclap crackled, and the mingled scent of sulfur and ozone permeated the air with each heavy breath.

A pair of broad dragon wings were poised to be retracted behind its shoulders, casting a massive, suffocating shadow on the ground even when hanging down. Strong limbs supported its mountain-like body, and its thick tail pounded the ground restlessly, creating a gust of wind that carried fine pebbles. Its molten silver eyes were like two lakes brimming with lightning.

Chapter 260: The Heavenly Star Descends upon Liangshan Marsh (Supplementary Chapter)

After Huyan Zhuo finished expressing his gratitude, the emperor became too lazy to attend court anymore. He left the affairs to Gao Qiu and went back to paint and write poetry for the second time.

The ministers were not surprised, but Huyan Zhuo was very surprised. However, he did not know what to say, so he could only go with Grand Commandant Gao to the Palace Commander's Mansion to discuss the matter of raising an army to suppress Liangshan Marsh. He learned all the information about Liangshan Marsh.

Huyan Zhuo reported: "Your Excellency, I have observed that Liangshan Marsh has a large number of soldiers and generals, and their martial arts are superb. We should not underestimate them. I beg you to recommend the three generals as my deputies, so that we may lead the troops there together and achieve great success. If I am wrong to do so, I will accept the severe punishment."

Grand Commandant Gao was overjoyed upon hearing this and asked, "Whom has the general recommended? Can he serve as the vanguard?"

Huyan Zhuo clasped his hands in a fist and reported, "I recommend Han Tao, the military commander of Chenzhou. He is originally from Dongjing and has passed the military examination. He wields a jujube wood spear and is known as the 'Hundred-Victory General.' This man can be the vanguard."

Another man, Peng Qi, the military commissioner of Yingzhou, was also from Dongjing (Kaifeng). He was the son of a family of generals for generations, wielding a three-pointed, double-edged sword. His martial arts were exceptional, and he was known as General Tianmu. This man could serve as the deputy vanguard.

"There is another person, Ling Zhen, the deputy artilleryman of the armory. He is from Yanling and is the first master of our Song Dynasty to research cannons. People call him Thunderclap. In addition, he is skilled in martial arts. Liangshan Marsh has the advantage of water, and the entire Dengzhou is located in the mountains of eastern Shandong. The fortresses and cities are built against the mountains and by the water, making them easy to defend and difficult to attack. If we want to recover Dengzhou, we can only do so with this man."

Upon hearing this, Grand Commandant Gao was overjoyed: "If Generals Han and Peng are the vanguard, and Ling Zhen is the gunner, how can Liangshan not be destroyed!"

That very day, Grand Commandant Gao sent three official documents to the Imperial Guard, ordering the Privy Council to dispatch men to Chen and Ying prefectures overnight to summon Han Tao and Peng Qi to the capital at top speed. Ling Zhen, who was already at the Kaifeng armory, was sent to join the army with cannons. Within ten days, the three had arrived in the capital and went directly to the Imperial Guard to pay their respects to the Grand Commandant and Huyan Zhuo before joining the battle.

Huyan Zhuo received the Grand Commandant's decree and led his men to the armory to select elite troops. He chose 15,000 Imperial Guards from the capital, along with Ling Zhen's 1,000 artillerymen. He also took 6,000 sets of infantry armor, 3,500 sets of bright armor, 500 sets of iron horse armor, countless swords, spears, bows, and crossbows, and over 200 cannons of various sizes, all loaded onto carts. Grand Commandant Gao also allocated 3,500 warhorses, 7,000 packhorses, and 3,000 sets of leather horse armor.

In an instant, the four generals were each rewarded with gold, silver, and bolts of silk, and the entire army received provisions and rewards. Huyan Zhuo, along with Han Tao, Peng Qi, and Ling Zhen, all pledged their victory, vowing to raze Liangshan Marsh to the ground and reclaim Dengzhou!

At this moment, Huyan Zhuo commanded a full three thousand Imperial Guard heavy cavalry, each equipped with a warhorse and a steed. The cavalrymen wore bright armor, and even their warhorses were clad in leather armor.

Five hundred armored Imperial Guards, each with three horses, but these five hundred horses all possessed blue dragon blood, giving them excellent endurance and speed. They were clad in full iron armor, making them armored cavalry.

Following them were six thousand Imperial Guard heavy infantry, each equipped with heavily armored foot armor that protected them to the teeth—heavy and terrifying. Among them, three thousand Imperial Guard heavy infantry carried spears and shields. The other three thousand Imperial Guard heavy infantry wielded two-handed giant axes, fighting in coordinated formation, and each was additionally equipped with a divine crossbow.

Finally, there was Ling Zhen's 1,000 artillerymen, equipped with 200 cannons of various sizes. The total number of troops deployed was 11,500.

Moreover, after the four men left Tokyo with 15,000 Imperial Guards, they returned to the garrisons of Huyan, Han, and Peng respectively. Huyan Zhuo, carrying the Grand Commandant's order, transferred his 500 armored cavalrymen from Runing, whose equipment was not only comparable to the Imperial Guards but whose combat power was even far superior in combat experience. He also transferred an additional 1,000 heavy cavalrymen with the same combat experience.

Meanwhile, Han Tao and Peng Qi, each leading a thousand elite troops, joined forces with Huyan Zhuo at their respective garrisons, bringing their army size to 15,000. This included 1,000 armored cavalry, 4,000 heavy cavalry, 9,000 heavy infantry, and 1,000 artillery. While the number was small, these were the elite of the elite! Their fighting power was terrifying. If they were to march them to the border, the Liao people would think the Song Dynasty was about to break the Treaty of Chanyuan and wage a local war. The Western Xia might even think the Song Dynasty had launched a general offensive and begin conscription throughout the country.

Seeing that the army had assembled, Huyan Zhuo deployed three armies to march out of the city. Truly:

The rider is clad in iron armor, the horse adorned with bronze bells. Red banners flutter like a thousand-mile-long sunset, white swords and spears carpet a thousand miles of snow.

A magpie's bow is drawn, a flying fish pouch half-revealed from a dragon's tip; an arrow is inserted with a carved feather, a lion's flask tightly tethered to a leopard's tail.

The man wore a deep helmet that hung down to protect his neck, slightly revealing his eyes; the horse was clad in heavy armor with a red tassel, and had only one of its four legs hanging down.

The soldiers leading the way, all carrying great axes; the generals at the rear, all wielding long spears. Seasoned warriors, each a hero like Zilu; capable soldiers, each with the courage of Jiang Wei.

Several thousand armored cavalrymen left the city, and three generals came to the marsh.

Huyan Zhuo's thinking was very clear. Although the Liangshan army had crossed the Yellow River and conquered the vast Dengzhou, their stronghold was still Liangshan Marsh. He didn't believe that these people had taken their families and female relatives with them when they marched to Dengzhou! The families, female relatives, and even property of the Liangshan people in Dengzhou were definitely still in Liangshan Marsh. This small marsh was Liu Hong's heart and vitals.

Then it's very simple. I won't attack Dengzhou. I'll attack Liangshan first, then capture your wives and children as hostages, and then attack Dengzhou while they're under pressure. I'm asking you, are you scared?

If Liu Hong and Song Jiang come to my aid with their troops, it will be even simpler. I have a full thousand armored cavalry and four thousand heavy cavalry. With this cavalry force, if I recruit a large number of light cavalry from the local herders, I can wage a massive cavalry battle against the Western Xia in the Hetao region. How could a bandit from Shandong, who has no horses, possibly be my match in open field battles?!

When Huyan Zhuo arrived, she learned from Qin Ming's experience and knew that the people in Jizhou were all Liangshan spies and could not be taken. So she simply conscripted 80,000 laborers from nearby Yanzhou, Xuzhou, Puzhou and Shanzhou as logistics. She also pulled out 25,000 Guangji soldiers who were stationed in Dingtao. Although they were garrison troops, they were still Guangji troops and their fighting strength was not bad.

At this moment, Huyan Zhuo had 40,000 soldiers and 80,000 laborers, totaling 120,000. She simply claimed to have an army of 500,000, and surrounded Liangshan Marsh. The shadow of destruction once again loomed over Liangshan Marsh.

Chapter 261: Thunderclap Pierces Through the Clouds

Faced with Huyan Zhuo's fierce attack, Chao Gai, who was stationed at Liangshan, was very nervous. He immediately ordered the entire army to be on alert and ordered the most powerful sorcerer, Gongsun Sheng, to lead three thousand men to guard the southern camp closest to the shore.

Zhu Tong, Lei Heng, and Liu Tang each led a thousand men, garrisoning the three main camps in the east, west, and north. The three Ruan brothers led a thousand naval troops on patrol day and night. Chao Gai, meanwhile, was stationed at Qiqiu City with a general reserve force of three thousand, remotely commanding the battlefield and adopting a wait-and-see approach. At the same time, he immediately wrote to Liu Hong and Song Jiang in Dengzhou, Shandong: "Something terrible has happened! The imperial court is not playing by the rules. They haven't attacked Dengzhou, but are heading straight for Liangshan! Help! Help!!!"

The heavy smell of gunpowder, mingled with the metallic tang of iron and sulfur, permeated the northern shore of Liangshan Marsh. The dark, imposing array of Song soldiers stood like an iron wall: Huyan Zhuo personally led his heavily armored cavalry, men and horses clad in heavy armor, blocking all paths to the beach. These elite Song cavalrymen, their eyes narrowed to stare intently ahead, their horses and men shrouded in heavy armor. Five-meter-long lances hung silently from their saddles or rested on the muddy ground, like a thousand iron pagodas, intimidating the seven peaks of Liangshan at the edge of the marsh.

Behind this wall of flesh and steel, the once reed-covered mudflats had been completely leveled and compacted by laborers from Yanzhou! Ling Zhen personally led the artillery to construct artillery positions on the riverbank, with small cannons loaded with grapeshot deployed around the perimeter. If the enemy broke through Huyan Zhuo's armored cavalry and charged in front of them, they would be killed with a volley of grapeshot.

In the center stood the massive cannons loaded with solid projectiles, their dark muzzles pointing towards the distant riverbank. These cannons were forged from thick, dark iron, their muzzles as thick as millstones, their inner walls deeply engraved with mysterious patterns, like rifling. Ling Zhen wore a stiff, bluish-gray battle coat, her beautiful yet crazed face smeared with gunpowder ash, leaving only her hawk-like eyes shining brightly, flashing with an almost fanatical focus.

She pounded the cannon like a drum, her hoarse roar piercing through the deafening background noise: "Loading!"

wow-

The gunners, their muscular, dark-skinned upper bodies bare, laboriously lifted heavy, solid iron balls and lowered them into the abyss-like muzzles of the massive cannons. Their muscles, bulging and glistening from the strenuous effort and intense heat, swiftly pried open the cannon doors with iron hooks and cleared away the scalding slag with shovels, their movements as precise as those of a thousand-times-forged puppets, as they poured this destructive flame into Thor's throat!

"All troops, heed my command: Open fire!!!"

Ling Zhen swung down the crimson triangular command flag with a fierce thud, and in an instant, thunder roared, silencing the heavens and earth! Hundreds of cannons, large and small, roared like primordial beasts awakened from their slumber amidst flames and smoke. Each cannon spewed forth violent dragons of fire and thick smoke, causing the entire beach to tremble violently with the booming of the cannons. The soil beneath their feet rippled like waves under the shockwaves of the explosions, and swathes of reeds were instantly torn apart and crushed. Hundreds of enormous iron projectiles, accompanied by a chilling shriek, tore through the air, tracing visible, scorching, and twisting trajectories, and slammed heavily towards Liangshan Marsh!

boom! boom! boom! ! !

Under the relentless bombardment, the watchtowers at the southern stronghold were the first to suffer! Solid iron projectiles pierced through layers of wooden walls as easily as smashing a child's building blocks. Wood chips, tiles, and severed limbs, mixed with shrill screams, sprayed into the air. Then, the entire structure collapsed inward with a heart-wrenching groan, turning into a hideous ruin. The wooden walls of the southern stronghold simply could not withstand this level of artillery bombardment.

Among these cannonballs were even some inscribed with Confucian principles. Confucian scholars would record Confucian principles on bamboo slips or paper for future use, and engraving them on steel cannonballs would achieve the same effect, only the writing would be more troublesome. Some of these cannonballs, upon impact, would trigger terrifying fiery explosions, sending scorching shockwaves sweeping in all directions! Countless scorching iron filings, gravel, and ignited viscous oil were sprayed out in a radial pattern, instantly igniting anything hit. Dozens of huge fires instantly erupted in the water fortress!

Flames greedily licked at the timber, barracks, and vegetation, even setting the water ablaze. Thick smoke billowed into the sky, and the Liangshan troops in the southern camp suffered heavy casualties.

Before the smoke from the first salvo had even settled, Ling Zhen's ferocious roar exploded again, even drowning out the carnage ahead and the crackling of flames: "Clear the cannon barrel! Fire again!"

The gunners, like cold machines, ignored the hellish scene of the water fortress ahead, clearing the gunpowder residue from the cannon barrels, then reloading gunpowder and shells. If a cannon overheated, they poured buckets of water onto the scorching shells to cool them down, sending up plumes of acrid white smoke. The heavy gun carriages, under the immense recoil, moved slightly backward, only to be pushed back into place by the gunners. The cold shells and deadly gunpowder were once again loaded deep into the cannon barrels.

The armored cavalry responsible for protecting the Lingzhen cannons stood firm amidst the thunderous roar and raging flames, like mountains forged from iron and bronze. Beneath their cold visors, only the occasional, restless thumping of their horses could be heard. They stared indifferently at the towering flames on the opposite bank, the billowing poisonous smoke, the shattered and floating shipwrecks, and the raging fire of the water fortress, acting as the most loyal, and most merciless, sentinels of this thunderous hell.

The crimson flames reflected in the blue waters of Liangshanbo, and the thunderous roar of the sky, with its inhuman ferocity, was burning, tearing apart, and crushing this once helpless water kingdom into dust, inch by inch!

"Where did these firearms come from?! My brother has them, the Khitans have them, and the Song Dynasty has them too! I've cultivated for decades, and the power of my Taoist magic is only slightly better than these cannons. These things, which these people have spent a few days forging, are equivalent to what I've cultivated for ten years! How can we play without weakening them?!"

Gongsun Sheng, the Cloud Dragon, somewhat disheveled, shook the ashes off his Taoist robe, his usual nonchalant demeanor gone. These firearms were outrageous. His own brother's matchlock guns were already troublesome enough; a mere mortal wielding one could even cause him some trouble.

The giant cannons of the Great Song Dynasty, with each firing causing destruction and annihilation, even possessed the unique power of the Five Thunder Orthodox Technique! This shattered her Daoist resolve, making her wonder what the use of her ten years of arduous Daoist practice was, as it was not as effective as the other side forging a cannon in just a few days.

Fortunately, the Five Thunder Orthodox Method is not just about summoning thunder attacks; it also has various auxiliary abilities, such as controlling clouds and rain.

Gongsun Sheng brandished his sword with his right hand and pulled out a talisman with his left. He chanted incantations towards the sky, and in an instant, a howling wind pushed dark clouds over Ling Zhen's artillery position. Then, raindrops the size of soybeans fell from the sky, drenching Ling Zhen's artillery position with a torrential downpour!

Gongsun Sheng had at least handled firearms with Liu Hong before and knew their weaknesses. Therefore, she seized the opportunity when the enemy was loading their cannons and summoned rain. This downpour was extremely crucial, as it fell just as the gunners were loading their gunpowder. The gunpowder for the next wave of bombardment was mixed with the rain, became damp, and was difficult to fire, causing 70% of the cannons in this wave to become silent.

Then she intensified the rain, instantly drenching the thousand artillerymen and two hundred cannons.

"Where did these Taoist priests come from?! I painstakingly forged so many cannons, researched gunpowder formulas, studied parabolic elevation angles, and dug artillery positions. After all that time and effort, this Taoist priest just made all my hard work go to waste with a single rain shower? Is this any way to play?"

Ling Zhen was also furious at this moment. Firearms were indeed powerful, but they were afraid of getting wet and damp. Gongsun Sheng's Five Thunder Orthodox Technique directly hit Ling Zhen's vital point, causing her cannon, which was powerful enough to split mountains and blow up walls, to be silenced for a short time, and unable to pose a threat or cause damage to Liangshan.

Chapter 262: Seven Armies Disturb Huyan Zhuo

Gongsun Sheng's Five Thunderbolts Technique successfully bought enough time for Liu Hong and Song Jiang's main force to return to defend Liangshan.

After hearing Chao Gai's urgent message, Liu Hong was indeed quite flustered. This Huyan Zhuo was indeed troublesome. I thought the imperial court would attack Dengzhou first, but I didn't expect Huyan Zhuo to see through everyone's family members being in Liangshanbo at a glance, so he didn't care about Dengzhou at all and went straight to attack his own stronghold!

After some thought, he concluded that he could not confront Huyan Zhuo head-on, so he made the following arrangements.

Liu Hong left his two closest sisters, Lu Zhisheng and Wu Song, behind to work with the local sisters, Xie Zhen and Xie Bao, who were familiar with the mountainous terrain. They were to lead 3,000 men to defend Dengzhou, control their own territory, and continue to distribute land and factories, reduce commercial taxes, and win over the locals. If the imperial court launched an attack on Dengzhou, they could try to conscript civilians to fight. In short, the priority was to defend Dengzhou.

Afterwards, everyone else led the land and naval forces back to defend Liangshan Marsh!

Along the way, Liu Hong convened a meeting of all the generals on land and sea to explain the purpose of this war, which can be summed up in four words: "dogs, be prepared."

We can't fight Huyan Zhuo head-on. His heavy cavalry numbers are so exaggerated that they could fight a cavalry decisive battle against the Western Xia. We have indeed done anti-cavalry training, and we have no problem fighting the cavalry of the Zhu Family Village, but it's still a bit risky to fight these heavily armored cavalry head-on.

Therefore, we only need to send troops to harass them. Ideally, we should find Huyan Zhuo's supply lines and cut them off. The people of Jizhou are on our side. When they encounter danger, they will hide in the villages. In time, Huyan Zhuo's army of 500,000 will eventually collapse due to running out of food.

The generals under his command accepted the order and went to carry out Liu Hong's plan. The tens of thousands of Liangshan soldiers broke into smaller units, with hundreds of men forming garrisons or even thirty men forming teams. As they traveled along the Yellow River back to Liangshan Marsh, they scattered like stars in the sky, each fighting in their own battleground in Jizhou!

This is the unique combat advantage of Liangshan. Generally, feudal armies are unlikely to break up into smaller units and tend to act together because the soldiers' fighting spirit is very low.

Take Huyan Zhuo's army of 120,000 as an example. Even when the army is together, desertion still occurs from time to time, mostly due to the 80,000 forcibly conscripted laborers. Sometimes, a few soldiers from the Guangji Army's garrison would also run away. If Huyan Zhuo dared to divide his troops, and any of his junior officers were unable to manage them, his men would disappear without a trace in no time. He would show them what a 66% casualty rate is before the war even begins.

Subsequently, it's difficult to say how much fighting spirit the Guangji Army's garrison troops and the Imperial Guards of Dongjing would have after losing control of the imperial edict from Huyan Zhuo and being left unsupervised. More likely, they would split up and, without oversight, begin to slack off and do nothing.

Without imperial edicts or supervision, the four generals, including Huyan Zhuo, could only truly command their few thousand old comrades.

But Liangshan was different. Although fewer in number, these people were all commoners who had received land dividends from Jizhou. They knew that only with Liangshan could they have a good life. They knew that once Liangshan was destroyed, the imperial court and wealthy landowners would return, and their good days would be over. Therefore, their fighting spirit was incredibly high. In addition, Liu Hong was very generous, paying his troops double or even more in wages and benefits than the Song army, which kept everyone highly motivated. After being divided into smaller units and without supervision, they knew they had to fight for their own land, so they could break up into smaller groups and attack independently!

For a moment, Hu Yanzhuo was somewhat bewildered by the intelligence reports from various places. There were capable people in Liangshan, and the continuous rain prevented Ling Zhen from using cannons to inflict devastating damage and destroy Liangshan with a barrage of cannon fire.

Based on Sun You and Qin Ming's previous battle experience, the people of Jizhou were unusable, as they were all connected to Liangshan Marsh. Therefore, they could only build warships and ferries in Dingtao next door and transport them over a long distance, which hindered their offensive and prevented them from achieving a quick victory.

During this period of delay, letters of distress and urgent appeals arrived like snowflakes!

The first letter was from Shi Wenbin, the magistrate of Yuncheng, pleading for help: "That little wench Song Jiang has led an unknown number of Liangshan soldiers, who have broken into smaller groups, bypassed the government troops' eyes and ears, and regrouped below Yuncheng to begin their attack! General Huyan, please save me!"

Huyan Zhuo was somewhat bewildered. He opened the second letter seeking help, which was from the Guangji Army: "Li Jun, the River Dragon, led an unknown number of Liangshan naval troops in a surprise attack on our shipyard. Our troops fought bravely, but we were outnumbered and suffered devastating damage. Most of our naval forces were killed or wounded."

"Huh? Aren't the Liangshan troops in Yuncheng? How come Dingtao has also been attacked?!"

Huyan Zhuo frowned slightly and opened the third letter, which was from the logistics department: "General Huyan! After our troops transported supplies to Jizhou, we were relentlessly attacked by Liangshan troops. Confirmed targets include Thunderbolt Qin Ming, Little Li Guang Hua Rong, and several hundred cavalry! Our soldiers fought the bandits six times in a day and night! We barely managed to repel them, but the losses were extremely severe! We urgently request that you, General, send reinforcements immediately to prevent our supply lines from being cut off and the entire army from collapsing on the front lines due to lack of food!"

"hiss--"

Huyan Zhuo gasped and opened the fourth letter, which was from Zhang Shuye, the prefect of Jizhou: "My Jizhou capital, Juye City, has been attacked by the Liangshan army. The commander is Liu Hong, the Great Sage of Chaos, which should be the main force of Liangshan. These bandits are equipped with cannons and are fiercely attacking the city walls. I hope General Huyan will immediately lead his troops to retreat. When you arrive at Juye, I will lead my troops out of the city. The two of us will work together from the inside and outside to defeat the enemy."

Just then, messengers from Han Tao and Peng Qi's other two armies, along with scouts from their own camp, arrived to report that their three camps around Liangshan Marsh had all been attacked and harassed by an unknown number of troops at the same time. The enemy attacked and left without lingering.

Hu Yanzhuo was completely baffled. Where exactly was the main force of Liangshan? The three cities of Yuncheng, Juye, and Dingtao, plus his own logistical routes, and the three large camps set up for the attack on Liangshan Marsh, a total of seven places, were attacked almost at the same time!