Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Chapter 132 Wholeheartedly Helping Each Other, Uprightness and Righteousness Sweep Away Evil

Poetry:

The yellow talisman will be used to test the golden bow; the blood-soaked sea will be a confusing place to distinguish the treacherous from the loyal.

The dragon roars within the Nine Palaces Formation, revealing that the true master resides in Shandong.

Later, Frederick perfected the infantry-cavalry-artillery tactics, which greatly enhanced the importance of firepower warfare. In particular, artillery, if used properly, is often a powerful tool for mowing down densely packed infantry formations in field battles. This time, "Thunderbolt" Ling Zhen carried a small cannon on horseback, preparing it as the strongest backup plan in case of unforeseen circumstances.

"Get down!"

The moment Li Han saw the cannon, he knew what Ling Zhen, the "Thunderbolt," was going to do. He immediately told everyone to lie down on the ground and also pulled the horses down to avoid accidental injury!

"Oh!"

The cannon should have been placed on the ground before firing, but the situation was urgent and Ling Zhen couldn't wait, so he had to ignite it on horseback!

With a loud bang, the cannonball was fired. Of course, the recoil of the cannon was all thrown onto the horse. Ling Zhen's mount instantly collapsed to the ground, probably suffering high-level paraplegia and unlikely to survive!

However, the power of the cannon was extremely effective. Under the firepower of Daji, the cannonball directly blasted a hole in the chest of a golden-armored god, who then collapsed to the ground and turned to ashes!

"Hahaha, watch the cannon fire!"

Seeing that the cannon was effective, Ling Zhen, nicknamed "Thunderbolt," was overjoyed and danced with glee. However, his joy turned to sorrow when a golden-armored deity struck him on the back with a golden whip, causing Ling Zhen to vomit blood and fall to the ground.

"ah!"

Seeing Ling Zhen injured, the two brothers rushed out, using their two steel forks to block the golden whip and relentlessly stabbing at the golden-armored general.

If it were a normal person, those two brothers would have riddled them with holes by now, but they haven't even pierced the skin of the golden-armored general...

"Brothers, step back!"

Li Hanxiao suddenly leaped to the center of the battlefield, and Beihai Salu Zi stood upright, his front hooves landing on the chest of the departing divine general.

This seemingly ordinary step sent the golden-armored deity staggering backward. Li Hanxiao then attempted to thrust his three-pointed double-edged sword forward, causing the deity's golden armor to shatter and reveal the yellow paper talismans inside.

Upon seeing this, Li Han smiled and immediately swept the talisman in two with his steel blade, turning it into ashes. The divine general immediately collapsed to the ground, following in the footsteps of the one before him.

Upon seeing this, the remaining six generals roared in unison, their weapons forming a net that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Li Hanxiao, however, did not engage in a direct confrontation. Instead, he rode his horse and weaved through the enemy formation, intending to use skill to overcome brute force!

He had just witnessed the Lingzhen cannon kill the thing, but he didn't have time to reload it now. The three-pointed knife and silver bullet bow in his hand should be effective against this thing, so he had to give it a try!

As expected, the things given by the True Lord could damage these things. The fact that these things were alive and attacking Li Hanxiao and the others was probably closely related to the talismans inside their chests. Just now, Ling Zhen's cannon shot also hit the talisman on the chest, which must have destroyed the talisman and killed the golden-armored god.

"Brothers, step back! I'll deal with them; you can help me!"

Li Han smiled as he stood with his sword drawn, the Big Dipper pattern on the tip of the blade suddenly gleaming.

Just as Lu Zhishen was about to swing his staff forward, Wang Yin stopped him: "Brother, the chieftain's weapon can ward off evil spirits. You and I are no match for it. Don't act rashly!"

Before he finished speaking, the Kanwei warrior suddenly threw out a meteor hammer. Li Hanxiao hung upside down on his silver saddle, his three-pointed sword slicing upwards along the hammer chain. Wherever the blade passed, the golden helmet and armor shattered inch by inch, and the cinnabar incantation on its chest was also cut off. With a crisp "crack", the golden armored god's chest talisman was pierced by the sword energy and turned into ashes all over the ground.

"Block them!"

Li Han laughed loudly, spurred his horse and galloped away. The four hooves of the Beihai Sa Lu Zi horse flew. He took off the golden bow from behind the saddle, held three silver bullets and strung them, ready to use the golden bow and silver bullets.

The space here was still too small, with little room for him to move around. Upon hearing Li Hanxiao's shout, Lu Zhishen, Yang Zhi, Si Xingfang, and Wang Yin immediately blocked the golden-armored man, buying Li Hanxiao time.

"Hey!"

Yang Zhi threw out his bronze hammer, which wrapped around the knee of a golden-armored deity. Si Xingfang and Wang Yin followed suit and pulled hard, causing the golden-armored deity to fall to the ground horizontally, blocking the path of the others behind him.

This thing is not only impervious to swords and spears, but it is also extremely tall and incredibly strong. It is estimated that apart from "Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen, no one present could fight it head-on.

"ah!"

Lu Zhishen swung his iron staff at the head of the fallen golden-armored man, but it was like quarrying stones, making a loud banging sound. It only dented a spot on the man's face, without causing any fatal injury.

At this moment, Li Hanxiao was ready. The silver bullet pierced the air, resonating with the Big Dipper pattern on the blade: "Hit!"

Three streaks of silver light pierced through the air, passing through the crowd and striking the chest of a golden-armored deity.

The golden-armored deity who was shot convulsed, and a wail came from his body before turning into green smoke and disappearing.

The remaining five golden-armored gods were enraged and drew their weapons to block all escape routes. Li Hanxiao suddenly reversed the hilt of his sword and dodged one of the copper hammers that came at him. Beihai Salu Ziren stood up, his front hoof landing seven inches on the hammer chain.

With this single step, the bronze hammer was driven three feet into the ground.

At this moment, Wang Yin noticed the flaw and thrust out his silver spear like a dragon. With a clang, sparks flew from the tip of the spear at the chest of the golden-armored god.

As expected, their weapons couldn't break through the golden-armored god's defenses!

Yang Zhi drew his bow and nocked three wolf-tooth arrows, aiming them at the general's eyes. The arrowheads broke upon touching the golden armor.

Guo Sheng asked anxiously, "These things are impervious to swords and spears, so why are only the chieftain's weapons effective? What should we do?"

Li Hanxiao suddenly burst into laughter, spurred his horse straight at the Zhenwei Divine General. The Divine General swung his Xuanhua Axe and cleaved down. When the axe blade was three inches above his head, Li Hanxiao suddenly leaped off his horse, placed his feet on the axe, and used the momentum to flip behind the Divine General.

But then, his three-pointed, double-edged sword gleamed with golden light and actually pierced through the gap in the armor. Pulling it out, it tore out the talisman written in cinnabar inside his body.

The golden-armored deity crashed to the ground, turning into a cloud of dust. The remaining five generals roared in unison, their formation suddenly shifting. The deity in the Li position suddenly spewed out flames, the deity in the Xun position stirred up a gale, and the deity in the Kun position stomped his foot, sending up several earth spikes.

"Let's save our lives first!"

Now, apart from Li Hanxiao, the other twelve people couldn't bother to help. Lu Zhishen swept his staff across, shattering the three ground spikes, but his monk's robe was scorched by the flames.

"Brothers Yang Zhi and Commander Lu, help me!"

Li Hanxiao shouted and stretched out a hand from his horse. "Blue-faced Beast" Yang Zhi immediately understood and threw the wire-laying copper hammer from the air toward Li Hanxiao.

Li Hanxiao gripped the chain tightly in his palm. "Blue-faced Beast" Yang Zhi threw the chain into the hand of "Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen. "Flowery Monk" grabbed the chain and spun it around, swinging it like a hammer.

"ah!"

Li Hanxiao gripped the chain tightly with one hand and held the three-pointed double-edged sword with the other. Lu Zhishen threw him towards the golden-armored gods. Li Hanxiao seized the opportunity and slashed down in mid-air, shattering the departing god into pieces, the blade striking his chest.

"bring it on!"

Using his feet as a pivot, Lu Zhishen spun around, sending Li Hanxiao flying in circles at high speed, his target the necks of the golden-armored generals!

It's too difficult to get close to them by normal means! They can breathe fire, create wind, and play with dirt; even Lu Zhishen and his men couldn't stop them. They had no choice but to take a risk and try a "meteor hammer" attack!

Li Hanxiao's three-pointed double-edged sword slashed like an electric fan, and the remaining golden-armored generals were all beheaded by Li Hanxiao in a very short time!

As the last deity turned to dust, a clear and melodious bell suddenly rang out in the mountains.

As the mist dissipated, the original canyon disappeared, as did the battlefield in front of them. A white jade staircase appeared ahead, leading directly to the Taoist temple at the mountain peak. In the distance, a square bronze mirror stood in front of the temple, its surface covered with a layer of blood-red mist.

"It's over?!"

Li Hanxiao and the others looked at each other, not knowing what to do. Li Hanxiao suddenly realized that during the fight, his two eagles, a pack of dogs, and all the horses of everyone had disappeared.

Everyone had just dismounted to hide, but now they've all vanished.

"Strange! This might be an evil god who loves to eat meat!"

"Desperate Saburo" Shi Xiu cursed.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Brother Ling Zhen is unconscious. Duan Jingzhu, carry Brother Ling Zhen on your back. Let's go up and take a look at the Taoist temple and the bronze mirror!"

Li Hanxiao knew that it was easy to get in but hard to get out. Now he could only move forward, and there was no way to retreat!

Once they climbed up there, they saw the large bronze mirror shimmering, and someone speaking in the air.

"This mirror is called the Mirror of Karma, which reflects the true nature of all beings."

The Karma Mirror, also known as the "Karmic Mirror" in folklore, is a mysterious mirror that exists in the underworld.

According to the "Ritual of the Ten Kings of the Underworld", the fifth court of the ten courts of the underworld is ruled by Yama, the King of Hell. There is a "Karma Mirror" in this court. When the deceased is reincarnated into this court to suffer during the "fifth seven" period, the "Karma Mirror" will show the good and evil of their past karma, thus determining their fate of retribution.

"Ah! We're dead!"

"Iron Whistle" Le He exclaimed in surprise!

"Don't scream!"

Si Xingfang scolded.

Li Hanxiao walked in front of the bronze mirror, and as a result, the scene of Liangshan appeared in the mirror.

The hall was littered with cups and plates, and all the heroes were embracing beautiful women, reminiscent of King Zhou of Shang's wine pool and meat forest, clearly showing their drunken debauchery...

"The Flower Monk" Lu Zhishen roared: "Damn it! How could my brothers be so pathetic!" With that, he smashed his staff against the ancient mirror, but it was as if ripples spread across the mirror's surface in the void, and the scene changed.

The mirror reflected Li Hanxiao reading the Zizhi Tongjian at night, while a dark figure flashed past the window—it was Wang Yin and Si Xingfang, wielding short knives, who jumped through the window and stabbed Li Hanxiao into a pool of blood with lightning speed, then pressed the weeping Li Shishi onto the bed…

"I'm so angry!"

"I'll smash this monster!"

Wang Yin and Si Xingfang were furious. This thing could cause harm to people out of thin air? Wasn't this just putting a pot on their heads out of nowhere?

Li Hanxiao restrained the suddenly agitated Wang Yin and Si Xingfang, and said in a deep voice: "It's like a mirage, why take it seriously? Our brotherhood is based on mutual understanding. I know this bronze mirror is just an attempt to sow discord!"

Before Li Han's joke had even faded, the scene in the mirror changed again: on the day the city of Tokyo fell, he himself was adorned in a yellow robe, surrounded by beauties.

Kneeling at his feet, chained up, were his brothers who had fought alongside him to conquer the land, all being led to the execution ground!

"When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked; when the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away; when the enemy state is destroyed, the strategist dies. The stories of Goujian and Wen Zhong, Liu Bang and Han Xin, are vivid in our minds. If one were to gain control of the world, would they be able to tolerate them?"

Upon hearing this, all the heroes present changed color. Indeed, there are always more who share hardships than who share prosperity! Even when Emperor Taizu of Song released his generals from power over a cup of wine, he still went so far as to kill Zheng En and Zheng Ziming while drunk, and expelled his strategist Miao Guangyi from the court. In fact, he did quite a few similar things...

This question is so easy to cause disunity and alienation.

Li Hanxiao suddenly looked up to the sky and roared, his voice shaking the heavens: "If I, Li, betray my brothers, may this mirror be my witness!"

The three-pointed dagger flashed like a dragon's roar, splitting the bronze mirror in two. What flowed out of the mirror was not molten bronze, but scarlet blood, which instantly formed a raging river and gathered at everyone's feet.

Thousands of wronged souls emerged from the river of blood, including soldiers from the Zhu Family Village who died after being attacked by Liangshan, and soldiers who died fighting against the imperial court.

A mutilated corpse suddenly grabbed Li Hanxiao's ankle and hissed, "Give me back my life!"

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Wang Lun, the former master of Liangshan Marsh!

"All things are impermanent, all beings suffer; if you wish to take revenge, then come!"

Li Han smiled at Wang Lun, laughed heartily, took a step forward, stepped on the blood wave, and walked on the waves. Golden light shone brightly around him, and the blood river split into two when it encountered this light, revealing the piles of white bones at the bottom of the river.

Li Hanxiao untied the wine pouch from his waist and poured it into the river, proclaiming loudly: "When the world is at peace, we will hold a grand Buddhist and Taoist ceremony to deliver the souls of the dead! A true man takes responsibility for his life and considers his fate after death. If anyone comes seeking revenge, let them come!"

As soon as Li Hanxiao uttered these words, the Blood River instantly froze, and the wronged souls turned into wisps of white smoke. Before he finished speaking, the ground beneath everyone's feet shook violently, revealing a Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams formation.

Illusions appeared in the formation: first, Bianjing fell, and Emperors Huizong and Qinzong were stripped barefoot and led around like sheep; then, the Jin army massacred the city, and the people cried out in agony; finally, Li Hanxiao was seen wearing a yellow robe, sitting on the dragon throne, proclaiming himself emperor in Shandong, living in a corner of the country, ignoring the common people and indulging in debauchery.

"Li Han smiled, 'In this situation, what choice will you make?'"

The voice was booming, seemingly trying to intimidate Li Hanxiao.

Without hesitation, Li Hanxiao roared, "If I, Li, achieve my ambitions, I will ensure that the elderly are cared for until their end, the strong are employed, and the young are nurtured! In such a state, I will expel the Tartars, restore China, establish a moral order for the world, secure a future for the people, continue the lost learning of the sages, and usher in an era of peace for all generations! I will go forth without hesitation, even unto death!"

Upon hearing this, the Big Dipper rose within the Nine Palaces Formation, echoing the light emanating from Li Hanxiao's body.

As soon as the sound subsided, hundreds of blood bats flew out from the Taoist temple, gathering into a group of countless beautiful women. The leader was none other than Li Shishi, and she was surrounded by all the beauties Li Hanxiao had ever seen in his life, including "One-Zhang-Qing" Hu Sanniang, the maid Jin'er, Lin Niangzi, and even the golden maid Zhao Yuannu, whom he had only met once at the Imperial Fragrance Pavilion in Tokyo. They were all dressed in light gauze and heavy makeup, truly bewitching!

"Young master, how cruel you are... Are you really going to abandon us and fight to the death? Why not stay with us, like clouds admiring clothes and flowers longing for beauty..."

The women made a move to pounce, but when the twelve leaders behind them saw this scene, apart from the compassionate and Buddhist-like Lu Zhishen, who remained unmoved, the rest blushed and dared not look.

"Humph!"

Li Han smiled coldly, gripped his three-pointed double-edged sword tightly, and with a flick of his wrist, thousands of silver threads flashed across its surface, forcing back all the beautiful women with their delicate features.