Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Chapter 176 Insubordination leads to discord in Jeju; cannon fire injures the city's prefect.

"Wu Yong, tell me, who should we replace him with?"

Zhang Shuye felt like his head was about to explode, so he directly threw the problem to the "wise strategist" Wu Yong to think about.

Wu Yong, the "wise strategist," wanted to suppress Hua Rong, the "Little Li Guang," in Jizhou Prefecture, so he naturally sided with Huang Yue.

"In my opinion, we should rescue General Jin Ding first. It's not that men are more important than women, but General Hua Rong is already injured, and General Zhang Bao is also wounded. The defenses of Jizhou City are indeed weak!"

"Even if we bring back your sister, she may be skilled in martial arts, but she doesn't know anything about warfare and can't overcome the current difficulties. Now, Liangshan's army is at the city gates, making quite a commotion. Our first priority is to buy time and wait for the rain to disable their firearms."

"Secondly, we need to wait for reinforcements. The Liangshan army is so powerful that the garrisons of Yuncheng, Rencheng, and Jinxiang counties could not have been unaware of it. Upon learning that the prefectural city was under siege, they would naturally come to its aid."

“Until reinforcements arrive, everything we do must be solely focused on defending the city, so we must exchange the Golden Cauldron for your sister…”

Wu Yong, the "wise strategist," had a mouth that rivaled that of the strategists Su Qin, Zhang Yi, and Gongsun Yan from the Warring States period. He could talk the dead back to life, and with such reasoned arguments that they couldn't refute him.

Although Hua Rong, nicknamed "Little Li Guang," was unwilling, he was helpless because he could not refute the words of Wu Yong, nicknamed "The Wise Star."

As for the others, they probably won't speak up for him either. "The strategist" Wu Yong has already made his stance clear, and Huang Yue is a staunch opponent, so it's even less likely that he will.

Zhang Shuye was observing the crowd and preparing to weigh the options, so he naturally wouldn't easily express his opinion. "Dwarf Tiger" Wang Ying was injured and went to treat his wounds, so he wasn't present. Although "Brocade Tiger" Yan Shun was present, it was practically the same as his absence, because he was a rebel who had just redeemed himself and had no right to speak in this situation.

Of the remaining few people, Zhang Bao was a quiet, unassuming guy who rarely expressed his opinions.

Zhang Shuye's two sons, Zhang Bofen and Zhang Zhongxiong, naturally couldn't express their own thoughts; they had to listen to their father.

The only person who might speak up for "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong, "Hu Baoyi" Song Jiang, was not present today.

Why wasn't he there? It's embarrassing to admit, but ever since that "righteous protector" Song Jiang got his hands on Yan Poxi, he's been indulging in sensual pleasures, spending every night with her.

Perhaps Yan Poxi is truly some kind of irresistible beauty?

Three nights ago, Song Jiang's younger brother, "Iron Fan" Song Qing, suddenly reported that Song Jiang, weakened by wine and women, had died in bed that very night.

Zhang Shuye was speechless. He quickly sent someone to find a doctor to treat him. When they arrived, Song Jiang was covered in cold sweat, his limbs were cold, his face was pale, his expression was indifferent, his breathing was weak, and his pulse was faint. He was showing a series of critical symptoms.

He wasn't a physically strong person to begin with, and he didn't know how to control himself. Yan Poxi would always find some "that kind of medicine" to give to Song Jiang, which would directly damage his health. As the saying goes, "Wine is a poison that burns through the intestines, and lust is a steel knife that scrapes the bones." It would be strange if he didn't do that!

For this reason, Song Jiang, the "Righteous Protector," has been recuperating during this period and has been unable to come over.

Having grasped the situation, Zhang Shuye earnestly said to "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong, "General Hua Rong, at this moment you should prioritize the overall situation... I, Zhang Shuye, guarantee that as long as Jizhou City can survive today, I, Zhang Shuye, will personally lead troops to rescue your sister. I swear this oath!"

After Zhang Shuye finished speaking, he raised three fingers to swear an oath. "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong naturally still wanted to save his sister first, but seeing that Zhang Shuye was already like this, he had no choice but to remain silent and tacitly agree.

However, to Zhang Shuye's surprise, while "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong could express any objections, Huang Yue was not behaving himself.

Huang Yue watched coldly from the sidelines, then suddenly uttered a sarcastic remark, "Sir, you truly keep your word. But I wonder if you were to save the Hua family's daughter and abandon my brother Jin Ding, would you still swear to save him?"

Huang Yue's words made Zhang Shuye frown. The reason Huang Yue could say this was because he had seen that Zhang Shuye's attitude had always been biased towards "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong. If it weren't for "Strategist" Wu Yong standing on the side of Jin Ding and Huang Yue, Zhang Shuye might have really replaced Hua Baoyan.

Huang Yue understood Zhang Shuye's choice. After all, for Zhang Shuye, "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong was his most powerful reliance at the moment, and someone he wanted to curry favor with.

As subordinates, Jin Ding and Huang Yue combined might not be as important as "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong in Zhang Shuye's heart, which made Huang Yue very uncomfortable.

It should be noted that he and Jin Ding were both neglected at Chai Jin's manor in Cangzhou, Heng Hai County, which made their personalities extremely extreme and sensitive.

On the other hand, back at Chai Jin's manor, these two men dared to point their fingers at Chai Jin and curse him, which shows how unruly they were. They were doing the same thing in front of Zhang Shuye.

"No, Huang Yue, what do you mean by that?"

Zhang Shuye couldn't hold back any longer, because he was caught in this dilemma, just like the mother in "Aftershock". She had to pry open the left side to suppress her son and the right side to suppress her daughter. How could he choose?

The key issue isn't even there. The problem is that he clearly chose Huang Yue, yet this guy turned around and blamed him. This is something he can't tolerate!

If everyone's like this, how can I possibly be a good official?

"That's meaningless, just nonsense!"

Huang Yue snorted disdainfully, then turned his head away, ignoring Zhang Shuye.

Zhang Shuye was furious. As a high-ranking official, it was an insult to his authority that his subordinates dared to treat him like this.

If he doesn't punish him, won't many people think he's easy to bully? Then everyone will follow his example and imitate Huang Yue. How can he still rule Jeju?

Then, Uncle Zhang roared, "How dare you! As a subordinate, you are disrespectful and speak rudely! You are too presumptuous!"

Seeing that Zhang Shuye was angry, Huang Yue also refused to stand by. He was the kind of person who would respond to gentle persuasion but not force. In fact, he had just realized that he might have gone a bit too far. If Zhang Shuye hadn't rebuked him, he wouldn't have been prepared to say anything more.

As a result, Zhang Shuye's angry rebuke stirred up Huang Yue's rebellious nature again. Huang Yue turned around and said directly, "Sir, you have quite the imposing manner of an official. It's a pity that your imposing manner can only scare mice, not true heroes!"

"Ugh?"

Huang Yue's words offended everyone present. Oh, so you're not afraid of Zhang Shuye? Does that mean all of us who are afraid are like rats and mice?

"They've rebelled! Seize them! We're not exchanging the Golden Cauldron for your sister!"

Zhang Shuye thought to himself, if he doesn't deal with Huang Yue, he might as well just write his name Zhang backwards!

"Yes!"

Upon hearing their father's words, Zhang Bofen and Zhang Zhongxiong were about to step forward to apprehend the man, but Huang Yue swung his broadsword, directly forcing back the approaching crowd.

"Hmph! You dare to arrest me!"

Huang Yue understood that if so many experts captured him, he would definitely be doomed. Moreover, Zhang Shuye no longer wanted to exchange for Jin Ding, so Jin Ding would surely die at the hands of Liangshan.

The two brothers swore an oath to live and die together, and now...

Thinking of this, Huang Yue roared, "To die is to die!"

Having said that, he jumped off the city wall and fell directly into the moat, creating a splash like a fish being splattered.

"This……"

Zhang Shuye was completely stunned. He hadn't originally intended to kill Huang Yue; he just wanted to teach him a lesson and make him learn the ways of superiors and inferiors.

Unexpectedly, Huang Yue was so fierce that he jumped off the building and committed suicide.

This scene stunned everyone, both on and below the city walls. Even Li Hanxiao and the others were bewildered, wondering what was going on when someone suddenly jumped down from the walls of Jeju City.

"Ah! Brother!"

Once Jin Ding recognized who the person who fell from the city wall was, he immediately broke down and started yelling.

"Do you know this person?"

Seeing Jin Ding going crazy, Li Han smiled and asked.

“It’s my brother Huang Yue… Why… Why did he do this…”

Jin Ding cried his heart out, while Li Hanxiao's attention was also drawn to him.

At that moment, Hua Baoyan took the opportunity to pull her arms back. Since women are small-framed, she immediately broke free from the ropes binding her.

Because she and Jin Ding were very close to Li Hanxiao, Hua Baoyan's first reaction after breaking free of her restraints was to risk her life to kill Li Hanxiao!

So, Hua Baoyan pounced directly on Li Hanxiao.

It's true what they say, women are emotional creatures. Hua Baoyan didn't even consider that she was a woman. Even if she had some martial arts skills, she was unarmed. How could she possibly kill the heavily armed Li Hanxiao instantly? By biting him?

As expected, Li Hanxiao used a simple chokehold to lift her into the air and grip her neck tightly.

In an instant, Hua Baoyan felt short of breath and couldn't even muster any strength.

"Li Hanxiao! Are you going to kill a woman?!"

Upon witnessing this scene, no one cared about Huang Yue jumping off the building anymore, especially "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong, whose voice instantly cracked from shouting.

Li Han sneered and said, "What do you mean by killing women? If she wants to kill me, can't I kill her too?"

"I'll ask you again, why can't I kill women? Aren't there wicked and evil people among women, those who bring disaster to the country and its people? If it were Daji or Yang Guifei in front of me, I would kill them with one stroke!"

Li Hanxiao let go and threw Hua Baoyan to the ground. Hua Baoyan was then tied up by the soldiers next to her, hand and foot.

"I was originally planning to trade personnel with you, but it seems you have no intention of doing so. Open fire and attack the city—"

"slow!"

At this moment, Zhang Shuye roared, "Now that Huang Yue has jumped off the building, our defenses are weakened. It hasn't rained yet, and reinforcements haven't arrived. There's absolutely no chance of winning this battle!"

"We'll make a change, we'll change to Miss Hua. Men, bring the prisoners up!"

Weighing the pros and cons, Zhang Shuye realized that if the Golden Cauldron were returned now, Huang Yue would definitely ask him what happened when Huang Yue jumped off the building, which would likely cause internal strife and a major upheaval.

Chao Gai, the "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King," was brought up like this, and the series of questions made Zhang Shuye somewhat irrational. He shouted loudly at Li Hanxiao, "Li Hanxiao, if you don't change, we'll have to part ways!"

Li Hanxiao gave another cold laugh, "Zhang Shuye, is this all the threatening methods you have? Fine, let's change!"

Having said that, just as they were about to change personnel, a sudden shout of battle arose from the west, completely disrupting the situation.

It turned out that the military commander from Rencheng County, along with two captains and more than a thousand soldiers, had arrived at the gates of Jizhou City. They were unaware of the situation here, so they launched an attack directly on "Leopard Head" Lin Chong and his men at the west gate.

"Zhang Shuye! Well done! You're excellent! Attack the city!"

Li Hanxiao saw an army that had appeared out of nowhere and assumed that Zhang Shuye was two-faced, so he immediately ordered an attack on the city.

Just as Zhang Shuye was about to stop him, Ling Zhen, nicknamed "Thunderbolt," had already fired a fire cannon onto the city wall, and he was the one who operated it.

As we all know, Ling Zhen, nicknamed "Thunderbolt," is incredibly accurate when he fires his cannons. In the original novel, he was able to blow the head off Bao Daoyi, the powerful sorcerer under Fang La, with a single shot, comparable to Li Yunlong's bombardment of Colonel Sakata.

At that moment, his shot was aimed not at anyone else but at Zhang Shuye, hitting the battlement directly and exploding less than a meter away from Zhang Shuye.

This "Wind and Fire Cannon" is one of the most powerful cannons in Ling Zhen's possession, known as "Thunderbolt". The shells explode twice after being fired, producing smoke and fire, hence the name "Wind and Fire Cannon".

Zhang Shuye was knocked backward by the impact of the artillery fire, the shockwave, and a large amount of shrapnel.

Fortunately, he was wearing golden armor and was not fatally injured, but he was still knocked unconscious by the shock.

"Eunxiang!"

"grown ups!"

"Father!"

Zhang Bofen and Zhang Zhongxiong rushed over to drag their father away, while Wu Yong immediately began giving orders after Zhang Shuye lost consciousness.

"Brother Xue Yong, quickly carry the master back into the city for treatment. Gentlemen, now is not the time to grieve. With the power of these cannons, I'm afraid the city gates won't be able to withstand more than a few shells. Quickly call upon the troops to fill the city gates with wood, stones, and barricades to stop the enemy from entering the city!"

Although Wu Yong's move had a hint of seizing power, the timing of his words was just right, and it was indeed necessary to take precautions early, so the two young masters didn't say anything.