Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Chapter 160 Thunderclap Cannon Fires at the Enemy, Wang Shunchen Endures Pain and Throws an Arrow

Han Shizhong and Qi Tai launched their attack from two directions. The mountain wind swept across the Tianmen Plank Road, causing Qi Tai's red cloak to flutter loudly.

The veteran general of the Western Army squinted at Shi Jin, the "Nine-Dragon," who was leading a group of men, sword in hand, his right hand dragging his spiked club across the bluestone, sending sparks flying.

Generally speaking, striking weapons like spiked clubs are more commonly used by nomadic peoples. However, when the Western Army faced the Western Xia, whose "bushalamu" and "iron hawks" were all heavily armored troops, striking weapons were indeed much more effective than sharp blades.

As a veteran general of the Western Army, Qi Tai also went through a phase in his choice of weapons, from sharp weapons to blunt weapons.

He had just led his troops up the mountain when he saw "Nine-Tattooed Dragon" Shi Jin wielding a three-pointed, double-edged, four-aperture, eight-ringed sword, leading eight hundred soldiers in formation, ready for battle.

Eight hundred Shaohua Mountain soldiers formed an iron wall formation behind him, their hook-and-sickle spears gleaming with a cold, eerie blue light as they peeked out from between the shields.

"Hey! Old man, that day I was injured by Wang Shunchen's trickery and captured by you. Now is the time to avenge myself! I, Nine-Tattooed Dragon, will chop off your dog's head today!"

Shi Jin, nicknamed "Nine-Dragon," suffered a crushing defeat last time because he was caught off guard by Wang Shunchen's rapid-fire arrows. However, this doesn't mean he couldn't defeat Wang Shunchen. If he had known in advance that Wang Shunchen had this technique, he would have been prepared and wouldn't have been able to succumb to Wang Shunchen's attack.

"How dare a mere child call himself a dragon?"

Qi Tai suddenly roared, and his Wusun horse stood upright, its iron hooves, as big as bowls, shattering the frozen earth.

Qi Tai was determined to deflate the arrogance of "Nine-Dragon" Shi Jin, so he swept his spiked club with the force of wind and thunder, the seven-inch iron nail on the club aimed straight for Shi Jin's waist and abdomen.

Shi Jin, nicknamed "Nine-Dragon," saw this but did not hide or avoid it. He wanted to show off his skills in front of everyone, otherwise people would think that his previous defeat to Wang Shunchen was due to his lack of martial arts prowess!

The three-pointed, double-edged knife slashed diagonally upwards, the blade precisely cutting into the gap of the copper ring on the mace.

The clanging of metal shook the dust off the cliff face. In the instant their horses jerked off at each other, Shi Jin suddenly leaned forward and grabbed Qi Tai's armor sash.

"Get down!"

If one could see through the armor now, one would surely see the dragon tattoo on Shi Jin's arm, bulging and twisting, pulling the 200-pound Qi Tai off the saddle.

Before the Western Army could even raise their voices in alarm, it was clear that youth had an advantage, and Shi Jin was much younger than Qi Tai.

But Qi Tai was also a seasoned veteran. Although he was a step slower, he was experienced and his left hand had already drawn the meteor hammer from the saddle with lightning speed. He wrapped the chain around Shi Jin's sword handle and exerted force.

The two men fell off their horses with two thuds and rolled together on the mountain path of Shaohua Mountain.

Just as Shi Jin, nicknamed "Nine-Dragon," was about to hit the sharp rock with the back of his head, he suddenly twisted his waist, and the end of his three-pointed sword hilt slammed heavily into the ground. He cleverly used the recoil to flip himself into the air, and the blade grazed Qi Tai's face, severing several strands of his gray beard and hair.

However, this veteran was not as agile as the young Shi Jin, and he was rolling down the slope and couldn't stop at all.

He changed his mind and, instead of stopping, rolled into the heavily armored army formation behind his own camp, ordering the soldiers to grab him. He then got up, grabbed an iron shield, and threw it at the pursuing "Nine-Tattooed Dragon" Shi Jin.

Bao Tiemu shield was cleaved in two by the three-pointed sword, and flying wood chips cut bloodstains on the face of "Nine-Dragon" Shi Jin.

"What a cunning old scoundrel! He's as slippery as an eel!"

Shi Jin, nicknamed "Nine-Dragon," wiped the blood from his face, suddenly turned and rushed forward, slashing down two approaching Western Army swordsmen and shieldmen.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Qi Tai mounted the yellow horse led by his personal guard, pointed his mace at the sky, and shouted: "All troops, advance! Crush these bandits!"

The Western Army soldiers, clad in iron armor, carried shields and spears, their spears like giant pythons with their heads held high. The first three ranks of the wedge formation were all burly men wielding horse-chopping knives, advancing like a wall. Then, dozens of cavalrymen from both flanks charged forward. Qi Tai's military formation was remarkably stable.

Shi Jin, nicknamed "Nine-Dragon," sneered and immediately whistled to signal the ambush. Dozens of lassos suddenly shot out from the pine forest on both sides of the mountain path, specifically designed to trip the front hooves of the Western Army's warhorses.

Caught off guard, the first ten Western cavalrymen fell to the ground with a thud, rolling backwards down the slope. The cavalrymen in front collided with the infantry behind them, and the formation of the Western infantry behind them was immediately thrown into chaos.

"Nine-Dragon" Shi Jin seized the opportunity and, using the momentum of his dive, charged into the enemy ranks alone. He wielded his three-pointed dagger, slashing left and right, targeting the joints of the armor. Otherwise, it would have been quite difficult for him to deal with the heavily armored infantrymen in front of him.

Seeing the cavalrymen fall from their horses one after another and the infantrymen die in large numbers, Qi Tai spurred his horse forward with bloodshot eyes, and used his wolf-tooth mace to smash it down on "Nine-Tattooed Dragon" Shi Jin with the move "Splitting Mount Hua".

Before the club even arrived, the force of the wind made "Nine-Dragon" Shi Jin gasp for breath. Although the old general was a bit old, the spiked club in his hand weighed at least thirty or forty pounds. It was no light weapon. If he was hit, he would probably be half-crippled if he didn't die.

Suddenly, Shi Jin, nicknamed "Nine-Dragon," crouched low, pressing himself against the horse's neck, using space to buy time. He then thrust his three-pointed dagger out from under his arm, managing to strike first despite being the one who attacked later. The tip of the dagger grazed Qi Tai's breastplate, leaving a trail of sparks on the fish-scale armor.

At this moment, when the two warhorses were once again touching head to tail, "Nine-Dragon" Shi Jin suddenly reached out and grabbed Qi Tai's lion-head belt.

The veteran Qi Tai felt a force pulling him backward from his lower back, and instantly understood what was happening. At this moment, the two were too close to use their weapons, so he could only swing his elbow to strike Shi Jin.

"Nine-Tattooed Dragon" Shi Jin was not afraid at all. Both of them were wearing armor, so even if an elbow strike landed, it would not be lethal. However, Shi Jin used the momentum to leap up and used his legs to wrap around Qi Tai's neck, unleashing a move called "Deadly Scissor Kick".

Qi Tai lost his balance due to Shi Jin's actions, and the yellow horse he was riding reared up in fright, throwing the two of them off its back.

Shi Jin, nicknamed "Nine-Dragon," rolled behind Qi Tai, grabbed the three-pointed dagger, and used the copper hammer at the end to smash it hard into Qi Tai's lower back.

Although it was a blunt weapon, "Nine-Dragon" Shi Jin aimed his hand at Qi Tai's vital points, specifically the waist. The waist point is located in the depression 3 to 4 inches to the left and right of the spinous process of the third vertebra in the lumbar region. It is situated within the "belt meridian" that encircles the waist and is the location of the kidneys. It is a vital point in the human body. Even a young man would be in serious trouble if hit by it, let alone someone as old as Qi Tai. If he were hit by it, wouldn't he be paralyzed from the waist down?

At the critical moment, Qi Tai also drew his short-handled axe from his waist to parry.

Sparks flew as the axe blade clashed with the bronze hammer. The old general rolled forward to escape the strangulation, but the blade tore three slits in his fish-scale armor. Shi Jin turned his hilt and the three-pointed double-edged sword instantly slashed upwards. The three tips scraped Qi Tai's back, tearing off countless scale plates from his armor, almost directly injuring his flesh.

Just as Shi Jin was about to give chase, he suddenly felt a gust of wind behind his head—it was a meteor hammer thrown by Qi Tai's subordinate that was hurtling through the air!

Shi Jin, nicknamed "Nine-Dragon," spun around and cleaved the chain hammer, but was still taken aback by the momentum and staggered two steps.

Qi Tai seized the opportunity to snatch the guard's spear and, with a move called "Poison Dragon Emerges from Cave," aimed straight for the governor's "Nine-Tattooed Dragon" throat.

When the spear tip was three inches from his throat, Shi Jin suddenly kicked out with a move called "Reverse Kick of the Purple Gold Crown," blocking the spear shaft. He then swept his three-pointed dagger horizontally, cutting the hardwood spear shaft in two.

"What excellent lower body technique!"

Qi Tai threw down his spear and laughed, his scarred face contorting in a ferocious grimace. "Let's see how many spears you can destroy!"

Before he finished speaking, a dozen or so short spears were suddenly thrown from the Western Army's ranks. "Nine-Dragon" Shi Jin wielded his sword in a whirlwind, not daring to relax for a moment, and used his true skills to deflect most of them, but two spears still grazed his shoulder armor.

Seeing himself injured, "Nine-Dragon" Shi Jin's eyes widened in fury. He suddenly ripped open his battle robe, revealing his muscular chest emblazoned with nine blue dragons, and roared: "Old dog, do you dare to disarm and fight me on foot?"

Qi Tai was about to engage when suddenly a cloud of dust rose from the bend in the mountain path. His subordinate, Hua Ye, wielding twin swords, cleaved through two henchmen blocking the way and led three hundred light cavalry in a whirlwind attack: "General, rest a moment! Let me take this scoundrel's head! Shi Jin, you're courting death!"

Seeing that reinforcements had arrived, Shi Jin, nicknamed "Nine-Dragon," feigned a move, mounted his fiery red warhorse, and before leaving, deliberately picked up the gilded lion-shaped belt that Qi Tai had dropped during the fight and placed it on the tip of his blade.

"You old scoundrel, nothing special!"

Shi Jin's laughter grew louder as it approached.

"Hua Ye, you catch him and hack him to death!"

Qi Tai clutched his tattered armor and flew into a rage.

Hua Ye's twin swords were as white as snow. He led his light cavalry to relentlessly pursue Shi Jin. After turning three bends in the mountain, he suddenly saw "Nine-Dragon" Shi Jin standing alone in front of a narrow pier, with clouds and mist swirling behind him, their depths unfathomable.

This caused the valiant general wielding two swords to rein in his warhorse, his nostrils twitching slightly—a faint smell of sulfur drifted in on the wind.

"General Hua, you're such a burly man, why are you standing still? Are you afraid?"

Shi Jin, nicknamed "Nine-Dragon Tattooed Swordsman," had his sword tip touching the ground, and the blue dragon tattoo on his chest rose and fell with his breath.

Hua Ye's eye twitched. Being insulted by the fact that he didn't have the guts to kill him was indeed a great humiliation for him.

Seeing that the other party only had a dozen or so personal guards, Hua Ye finally couldn't suppress his killing intent: "Men, whoever takes the head of Nine-Tattooed Dragon will be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver!"

Three hundred iron cavalrymen squeezed onto the five-foot-wide plank road, their countless hooves creaking against the wooden planks.

Shi Jin, nicknamed "Nine-Dragon," fought and retreated, each flash of his blade bringing with it a shower of blood.

As the last Western Army light cavalryman stepped over the seventh bluestone slab engraved with dark patterns, Ling Zhen's fire rope on the back of the cliff had burned down to its last bit...

At this moment, on Tianmen Plank Road, Yang Zhi, the "Blue-Faced Beast," was using the tip of his knife to flick away the dew from his cloak.

The mountain wind whipped rain against his face, but the "blue-faced beast" remained motionless like a stone sculpture.

When the reflection of his gilded helmet appeared on the seventh bend of the mountain path, he swung his black command flag down sharply.

Hidden in the crevice of the rock, "Iron Whistle" Lehe immediately cut the rope. The hemp rope, soaked in tung oil, ignited with a ghostly blue flame, which shot along the fuse toward the thirty-six broken dragon knots.

In an instant, Ling Zhenfei's "Thunderclap" cannon went off, and the gunpowder on Yang Zhi's side also exploded. The plank road was immediately blown to pieces, with less than one-tenth remaining, and it crumbled inch by inch on the cliff!

"Heaven has forsaken me! Heaven has forsaken me!"

Hua Ye cleaved two poisoned arrows with his twin swords, watching helplessly as the thirty-zhang plank road collapsed beneath his feet, his eyes filled with resentment.

The last thing this valiant general who wielded twin swords saw was the cold, stern face of Yang Zhi, the "Blue-Faced Beast."

Qi Tai led his troops to catch up at this moment, and just then he saw Hua Ye falling like a kite with a broken string. His heart was like being torn apart by knives.

"Follow me!"

Qi Tai's eyes were bloodshot. He led a squad of infantrymen to climb the steep path, but Yang Zhi and his men's arrows were extremely fierce. Just as Qi Tai's warhorse slipped and fell to its knees on the round stone, thirty poisoned arrows were fired at the same time, pinning him to the faded "Qi" battle flag.

Blood dripped from the cracks in the plank road into the deep ravine, turning the water a dark purple.

The battle had been raging from dawn until late afternoon, and the Western Army had suffered heavy casualties. Han Shizhong, who had been on whom Wang Shunchen had placed high hopes, was blocked by Erjie's troops and was unable to charge forward.

As the setting sun dyed Shiqiang Pass blood-red, Wang Shunchen finally arrived at the front lines in person. The losses were too great, so he had no choice but to come personally.

Of course, Li Hanxiao's side also suffered losses; four of their defenses had been breached, leaving only three.

Han Shizhong deflected three crossbow bolts with his silver spear, then used the spear tip to propel himself up onto the bluestone of the rampart, leaping like a hawk onto the earthen wall of the fifth pass.

"Nine-Dragon" Shi Jin roared and leaped down, his three-pointed double-edged sword whistling as it slashed towards the young general's face.

Han Shizhong spun around to avoid the fatal blow, and swept his spear shaft to knock away two guards. Suddenly, he caught sight of Wang Shunchen's Cloud Piercing Bow, which was fully drawn like a full moon—the three-edged arrowhead was aimed directly at the back of "Nine-Tattooed Dragon" Shi Jin!

"Watch out!"

Bian Xiang's Xuanhua axe came flying through the air, its blade precisely deflecting the cold arrows. "Iron-backed Wolf" Shan Shiqi swept his iron rod, smashing the skull of the hook-and-sickle man climbing the wall.

Li Hanxiao's three-pointed, double-edged sword flashed in an arc of cold light, the back of the blade striking Han Shizhong's shoulder armor to propel him back, shouting in mid-air: "Ling Zhen! It's up to you now!"

Li Hanxiao placed Wang Shunchen in such a close position in order to replicate Li Yunlong's feat of killing Colonel Sakata with a single shot!

The cannon hidden above, controlled by Ling Zhen, nicknamed "Thunderbolt," roared furiously, spewing out iron sand and shells that snapped Wang Shunchen's command flag in half.

The warhorse stumbled and threw the Divine Arrow General to the ground. The moment the shrapnel embedded itself in his right shoulder, Wang Shunchen gritted his teeth, grabbed his bow and arrow, and turned to shoot.

When it comes to archery skills, it is no exaggeration to say that Wang Shunchen's archery skills were the fastest in the world!

The arrow pierced through the smoke two hundred paces away, striking Ling Zhen squarely in the left shoulder. The force was so great that it pinned the Song Dynasty's top gunner to a pine tree behind him.

The key point is that this distance is a full two hundred steps!

Although Yue Fei was historically capable of drawing a 300-jin bow and shooting 150 paces, that was not a sudden, instantaneous action.

Wang Shunchen, however, fired the arrow in a hurry, which not only shot a distance of two hundred paces, but also pierced through the shoulder of "Thunderclap" Ling Zhen without diminishing its power.

Li Hanxiao was ashamed of his own archery skills. He was afraid that neither "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong nor "Little Yang Youji" Pang Wanchun could match him!

"Retreat!"

Wang Shunchen's roar, his mouth full of blood, jolted the stunned government troops awake. Han Shizhong wielded his silver spear like a snow wheel, deflecting three crossbow bolts. Yang Weizhong led his archers to suppress the pursuers with a rain of arrows, covering their retreat.

In this battle, the Western Army lost three generals, while the Liangshan heroes only suffered serious injuries and fell into a coma with "Thunderbolt" Ling Zhen, and the young Wang Yan was grazed on the left arm by a stray arrow.