Magical Water Margin: They all call me brother

Page 95

Seeing that his brother had said so, Li Kui lowered his head and stopped arguing. The brothers and sisters also nodded thoughtfully, accepting Liu Hong's opinion. Together, they happily helped Hu Cheng and Hu Sanniang move all the money and grain of the entire Hu Family Village back to Liangshan Marsh.

Seeing that the Zhu Family Manor had been destroyed and the Hu Family Manor had surrendered to Liangshan, Li Ying, the Sky-Soaring Eagle, and Du Xing, the Ghost-Faced One, knew they were outnumbered and chose to surrender decisively. The Hu Family Manor's assets were approximately 400,000 strings of cash, and the Li Family Manor's assets were approximately 500,000 strings. Adding the 600,000 strings obtained by the Zhu Family Manor, Liangshan's total spoils from this battle amounted to 1.5 million strings of cash, fifteen times the value of the birthday tribute—a huge windfall for them.

The greater spoils of war, however, lay in military matters. The three villages combined possessed over a thousand fine horses. Even assuming a minimum of two horses per cavalryman, Liangshan could use these warhorse resources to directly expand into a cavalry battalion.

Those forty cannons from the Liao Dynasty were enough for Liu Hong to set up an artillery battalion for experimentation and modification.

Thus, all eleven counties surrounding Liangshan Marsh, which spans eight hundred li, now fall under the territory of Liangshan Marsh. The Song Dynasty, on this vast land, only possesses about one-tenth of the county population and eleven small outposts of county-level size.

Outside the city walls, the vast farmland, plains, forests, and hills all belonged to Liangshan.

During this major expansion, Liangshan's population swelled again, attracting a large influx of people. Today, Liangshan Marsh is home to a total of 100,000 people, which is the size of a city. To put this in perspective, Kaifeng has a population of only one million, and Daming Prefecture has a population of around six or seven hundred thousand. This is already a top-tier city population.

At this moment, Liangshan already had 100,000 people.

Subsequently, Liangshan absorbed the elite troops from Hu Family Village and Li Family Village, forming four new battalions with two thousand men, all of whom were elites. They were respectively assigned to the management of Li Ying, the Sky-Soaring Eagle; Du Xing, the Ghost Face; Hu Sanniang, the One-Zhang-Qing; and Hu Cheng, the Flying Tiger.

Not only that, Liu Hong also learned from the lessons of this expedition and established a logistics department, which was given full responsibility to Li Ying, the Sky-Piercing Eagle.

This person is quite intriguing. Her combat power is truly high. She is a level 12 scholar general, a fully-fledged cleaver, and can also fly. Her speed is probably second only to her own. Her pair of carved wings are made of mithril, and each feather can be thrown out like a flying knife, making her impossible to defend against. In the Liangshan arena, she fought Yang Zhi to a draw. Her combat power is between a weak tiger and a strong steed.

But this person really just wanted to live a peaceful life. When Liangshan and Zhu Family Village fought, she immediately tried to get out of it. When she came to Liangshan, she was not very motivated. In addition, since she had invested in the company, Liu Hong simply arranged for her to be in charge of coordinating and calculating troops and supplies in the rear, and also to be responsible for composing rhyming rations. It was a leisurely job in logistics.

Furthermore, there aren't many literate people in Liangshan, and even fewer who can manage large sums of money. Lin Chong might be passable, but he's better suited for charging into battle and training soldiers. Using Lin Chong to manage money and supplies would be a waste.

If war breaks out in the future and the enemy tries to cut off the supply lines, they will be astonished to find that there are such skilled people escorting the logistical supplies!

When Liu Hong shared this idea with Li Ying, Li Ying was delighted. The person who was supposed to be slacking off got the job of lying down, and the two hit it off immediately.

However, provisions were too important, and Li Ying couldn't handle it alone. Liu Hong thought for a moment and realized that there was another person in Liangshan who was good at fighting, literate, and experienced in managing large sums of money. With a single sentence, he transferred the general Mu Hong, who was known for his unbridled nature, away from Song Jiang and also to the logistics department to work with Li Ying.

Subsequently, Liu Hong enthusiastically planned his strategy to seize Shandong and to establish a sea outlet, preparing for the future.

Just then, the counterfeit also encountered a significant event.

So, a group of strongmen came to join Liangshan Marsh. As usual, everyone was interviewed together. This time, there were a lot of people, a total of eight leaders and nearly a thousand soldiers.

The leader was known as Sick Yuchi Sun Li. Under his command were Little Yuchi Sun Xin, Mother Tiger Gu Dasao, Two-Headed Snake Xie Zhen, Double-Tailed Scorpion Xie Bao, Forest Dragon Zou Yuan, Unicorn Dragon Zou Run, Iron-Called Zi Le, and seven valiant generals. The two sisters, one calling herself Sick Yuchi and the other Little Yuchi, were both equipped with horse spears and steel whips, and their cosplay was exactly the same as that of a female version of Yuchi Gong.

Upon inquiring about their origins, the Liangshan brothers learned that Sun Li and his companions came from Dengzhou in Shandong, the peninsula that juts into the sea from the Shandong Peninsula. Surrounded by towering mountains and dense forests, it was said to be the lair of the Dongyi people in ancient times. The terrain was extremely treacherous, and tigers roamed the mountains and forests. Therefore, the local government ruthlessly demanded that the hunters in Dengzhou kill several tigers every month.

The Jie sisters, Jie Zhen and Jie Bao, were the best hunters in Dengzhou, but unfortunately, they were not locals. One day, after they successfully hunted a tiger, they were ostracized by the locals, framed, and thrown into a death cell, where they were tortured to the point of near death.

Helpless, Sister-in-law Gu led a group of people in rebellion, including Sun Li, the military commander of Dengzhou. They stormed into the Dengzhou prison, rescued the two sisters, and then swiftly killed their enemies before escaping Dengzhou to join Liangshan.

“Brother! I swear on my life, these people are absolutely fine! Look! The one in the lead is my junior sister! She is just like me, she has mastered many skills, she is proficient in both spear and whip, and she can even recreate the old story of Yuchi Gong seizing the enemy general's spear in the midst of a cavalry charge and turning the tables to fight back. Her skills are no less than mine!”

At this moment, Luan Tingyu stood up excitedly and greeted Sun Li, the sickly general.

"Junior sister, I never expected to reunite with you here. Where have you been all these years? How have you been?"

"Sister?"

Sun Li was also surprised, not expecting his sister to be in such a place.

Seeing that Luan Tingyu personally acknowledged the fighting prowess of these people, the other leaders of Liangshan nodded in agreement and invited Sun Li and eight other leaders to take over Liangshan.

At this moment, Liu Hong also had a new plan—Dengzhou is a good place. It is located on the salient of the Shandong Peninsula, close to the Bohai Sea, and is a good port. Moreover, it is close to Liangshan. Most importantly, it is mountainous and densely forested, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Good! Let's attack Dengzhou first!

Thinking of this, Liu Hong also gave Sun Li a task: draw up a defense map of Dengzhou for me. I need all the knowledge and information about Dengzhou. I want to attack Dengzhou.

Sun Li, having just entered Liangshan and yet having achieved nothing, felt he couldn't stand firm there. He readily agreed and unhesitatingly betrayed all the intelligence about Dengzhou—"Brother, this way! I am the military commander of Dengzhou, and no one knows how to attack Dengzhou better than me!"

Chapter 251: A Feast of Empty Funds and a Burning Granary

For a time, the entire Liangshan was in turmoil again. After the previous defeat, Song Jiang dared not volunteer for battle again. Instead, she continued to study the military book given to her by the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden, deciding not to fight until she understood it. The losses from attacking the Zhu Family Village were too great. Nearly a thousand of her own elite troops who had come up the mountain had died, and the organization of six battalions had been destroyed. She was really regretful and dared not continue to play this game.

After the great victory at Zhu Family Village, the Liangshan brothers were more willing to obey Liu Hong's orders, and even Song Jiang's men respected the Great Sage's fighting ability.

After careful consideration, Liu Hong finally decided to lead three thousand men to attack Dengzhou.

Four battalions, totaling two thousand infantrymen.

The newly established Liangshan camp was commanded by Luan Tingyu, nicknamed "Iron Cudgel," with Mu Chun, nicknamed "Little Shield," as its deputy commander. Mu Hong's camp suffered the most severe blows during the siege. When Luan Tingyu launched his attack, Mu Hong was always at the forefront, resulting in the heaviest casualties. The camp's organization could not be restored in a short time. In addition, Mu Hong was transferred to the logistics and supplies department to coordinate with Li Ying. Therefore, the camp was temporarily disbanded.

Commander of the 21st Battalion: Hu Sanniang, the One-Zhang-Qing; Deputy Commander: Hu Cheng, the Flying Tiger.

Commander of the 22nd Battalion: Sun Li, the Sickly Yuchi; Deputy Commander: Sun Xin, the Young Yuchi. Three additional captains: Gu Dasao, the Female Tiger; Zou Yuan, the Forest Dragon; and Zou Run, the Unicorn Dragon.

Commander of the 23rd Battalion: Two-Headed Snake Xie Zhen; Deputy Commander: Double-Tailed Scorpion Xie Bao.

Since Dengzhou is located by the sea, Liu Hong brought a thousand naval troops with him.

The commander of the Second Naval Battalion was Li Jun, the River Dragon, and there were two deputy commanders: Tong Wei, the Cave Dragon, and Tong Meng, the Sea-Covering Mirage.

Commander of the Third Naval Battalion: Zhang Heng, nicknamed "Boat Fire." Deputy Commander: Zhang Shun, nicknamed "White Stripe in the Waves."

Upon hearing this, the two naval battalions cheered. Almost all of Song Jiang's direct subordinates had gone to attack the Zhu Family Village, except for the navy, which remained at Liangshan Marsh. This was because there was little water near the Zhu Family Village, so the navy couldn't effectively utilize its strengths. Li Jun and the others were extremely frustrated, as they were newcomers and hadn't yet been able to establish their merits or prestige. Now it was finally their turn!

It seems that this Great Sage Evil is quite good. I thought he would bring his own naval force and the three Ruan sisters. I didn't expect that the Great Sage also knew our dissatisfaction and grievances. So, he took us on the journey!

Meanwhile, Luan Tingyu, Sun Li, and others were also eager to make new contributions and gain a foothold in Liangshan.

Luan Tingyu was better off; he had fought against the top fighters of Liangshan and all the matches ended in draws, so everyone respected his strength.

Sun Li, on the other hand, was a complete newcomer who didn't know anyone and was even more eager to make a name for himself.

Subsequently, lacking cannibals, Liu Hong assembled forty double-horse-drawn wagons, carrying forty cannons and one hundred and twenty rudimentarily trained gunners, and set off in a grand procession straight for Dengzhou. Logistics and provisions were entirely entrusted to Li Ying, the Sky-Piercing Eagle. Mu Hong, without any obstruction, coordinated the operation.

At this moment, Dengzhou was in a panic in the face of the large-scale invasion from Liangshan Marsh. Li Jun and Zhang Heng's two fleets of ships were too conspicuous. In the vast waters, they could still hide by relying on the support of the people.

However, once they left Liangshan Marsh and entered the Yellow River waterway, the prefectures and counties on both banks immediately noticed something was wrong and began reporting it up the chain of command. The news spread quite quickly; Dengzhou knew of Liangshan's arrival a day in advance, but it was to no avail. The Song Dynasty's incredibly effective system of preventing local power from becoming too strong—the separation of powers—once again proved its worth.

The prefect in charge of Dengzhou's politics was a fellow townsman recommended by Grand Commandant Su. He was young and ambitious, and wanted to defend Dengzhou and fight Liangshan to the death. The young Prefect Song was eager for merit.

However, the military commander of Dengzhou was under the command of Grand Marshal Gao. He had bought his position and had no military talent. He was so scared when he heard that Liangshan was attacking that he almost wet himself. The prefect scolded him three times and even slapped him in front of everyone before the military commander realized what was happening and hurriedly went to assemble his troops.

The prefect of Dengzhou nodded in satisfaction and wrote a letter to Grand Commandant Su, explaining that the situation was urgent and that he needed to command troops to defend Dengzhou for the Emperor Zhao!

Subsequently, the ambition of the prefect of Dengzhou was dampened by the military defenses he was in charge of.

Dengzhou originally had six battalions of local militia, totaling three thousand men. Since I didn't have the authority to manage military affairs, the defense commissioner had been in charge of that.

Today he finally mustered his troops, but only managed to muster a little over six hundred. All the officers of the six battalions, from top to bottom, were present and accounted for, all receiving officer allowances. However, the ordinary soldiers below the officers made up less than one-fifth of the total! This number was alarming. It could be said that the most basic unit of the Song army consisted of only a squad leader in name only, receiving pay, while the soldiers below him received nothing.

Although the military pay in the Song Dynasty was not high, with this system, a squad leader could receive the military pay of five people, as well as weapons, equipment, food, and subsidies... so he lived a very comfortable life.

"Are you saying that you only have 600 people, but you've been drawing salaries for 3,000 people without working? And you've been embezzling the food for 2,400 people all this time?!"

The prefect of Dengzhou was stunned to see that the situation of his troops had deteriorated to such an extent.

"That's not right! I checked last month, and it was definitely three thousand people! Where are they? Where are they?!"

The prefect of Dengzhou cursed loudly, then took out a bottle of interrogation pills and forcibly stuffed them into his mouth.

"Those soldiers are Sun Li and Sun Xin's retainers and private soldiers, as well as Zou Yuan and Zou Run's bandits! I... I have an agreement with them. As long as I take a small portion of the military pay I embezzled and give them some weapons and armor issued by the higher authorities, they are willing to help me deceive the higher authorities!"

Seeing the defense commissioner speak the truth, the prefect of Dengzhou felt dizzy and almost fainted—I was wondering how Sun Li could have taken so many people with him when he defected. It turns out the problem lies here!

Fortunately, the person who could reach the position of prefect was also a capable individual. After calmly considering for a few minutes, he came up with Plan B. He looked at his superior, the transport commissioner of the prefecture's finances—in the Song Dynasty, the administration, military, and finance of a prefecture were each managed by three different people. And all three were of equal rank.

"Transport Commissioner! I need money and provisions! A lot of money and provisions! Take out 60,000 strings of cash first! Bring it to Penglai City tomorrow, and I will give a speech to the people of the city! Let them spontaneously organize to protect their homes! Anyone who joins the army will be rewarded with 30 strings of cash! This is a huge amount of wealth that an ordinary person can only earn in a year. With such a generous reward, there will surely be brave men. With this money, I will first recruit 2,000 soldiers, organize a defense, and we can still fight!"

The prefect of Dengzhou spoke with great conviction.

The transport commissioner nodded repeatedly, outwardly agreeing readily, but after leaving the prefectural capital, he broke out in a cold sweat—60,000 strings of cash? Dengzhou did indeed have that much money on paper, but how could there possibly be that much in reality! It's natural that it would cost some money to bribe everyone in the family.

With so many minor officials and clerks to support, how could they not need money? A single trip to the capital to report on official duties would be enough to bankrupt someone just by paying tribute to those officials above them! And having experienced the splendor of the capital, who could bear the hardships of Penglai in the eastern region of Dengzhou? Naturally, they would spend money to enjoy themselves.

However, it's not like this transport commissioner was short of money. If it were to be revealed that he had misused the national treasury, he would be beheaded!

There was no other way, so the transport commissioner gritted his teeth, used his extraordinary wisdom, and pulled off a big stunt!

While the prefect of Dengzhou was still trying to defend himself, he saw thick smoke billowing from the warehouse, followed by flames that turned half the sky red. The transport commissioner, his face contorted with grief, ran over, crying out loudly.

"It's terrible! Prefect! The Liangshan bandits have burned down the treasury and all the money and grain!"

The prefect turned pale, his body trembled, and finally his eyes rolled back as he fainted from anger at the defense commissioner and the transport commissioner, collapsing to the ground with a thud.

Chapter 252: A Barrage of Artillery Fire Shakes Down the Sky

Now, the prefect of Dengzhou has completely given up. He has no money and no soldiers, so what's the point of me defending Dengzhou?

Left with no other option, the prefect forced the officials to donate money, barely scraping together a few thousand strings of cash. He then recruited several hundred militiamen in Penglai City at a very low price, who had no desire to fight because they hadn't been paid enough, and forcibly held their position.

As for whether it can be held, and to what extent, let's leave it to fate! Hopefully, Penglai won't fall before reinforcements from nearby prefectures and counties arrive.

A few days later, the Liangshan army marched out of the Yellow River in a mighty force, along the coastline of the Bohai Sea, and approached Penglai, the capital of Dengzhou.

As the commander-in-chief, Li Jun led two-thirds of Liangshan's massive fleet to seize control of the Penglai sea in an instant, driving out all official and civilian ships and blockading the Penglai port.

Subsequently, Luan Tingyu led the 20th Battalion of Liangshan as the vanguard, storming the beach and landing like a sharp knife, piercing into the west of Penglai, sealing off the western gate of Penglai, and creating a landing zone, allowing the larger infantry corps of Liangshan to continuously land, forming a four-sided encirclement of Penglai on both land and sea!

A hazy mist shrouded the carved beams and painted rafters of Penglai, along with its gray city walls, creating a tranquil scene between heaven and earth. However, this idyllic peace was instantly shattered by the deafening sounds of war drums and suonas.

On the distant horizon, a massive, dark artillery formation, like a lurking behemoth, suddenly awakened. It wasn't just one or two isolated cannons, but forty cannons under Liu Hong's command, rapidly landing and advancing, pulled by eighty fine horses. Their dark muzzles pointed diagonally towards the sky, aimed at the once impregnable walls of Penglai City.

"Fire!!!"

Liu Hong roared, and in an instant, forty cannons opened fire simultaneously, as if the drums of divine punishment had been struck! There was no warning, only a sudden burst of thunder after a deathly silence!

"boom!!!"

The explosions weren't just one or two, but a continuous, heavy roar that made the earth tremble! Forty cannons spewed long, serpentine flames and thick, choking white smoke, instantly engulfing the artillery positions.

Forty cannonballs ripped through the air, emitting a shrill whistle that could tear eardrums, like countless demons from hell wailing in unison, raining down on Penglai City.

The sturdy rammed earth city wall, once a bulwark protecting Penglai, was now being battered by cannon fire like a child's building blocks being smashed by a giant hammer. A cannonball slammed into the base of the city gate tower, and in an instant, bricks, wood chips, dust, and indistinguishable fragments of flesh and blood were thrown into the sky by an indescribable force, swelling into a murky mushroom cloud filled with the aura of death.

Amidst the massive smoke and dust, one could see the shattered city walls scattered and flying everywhere as if pried open by an invisible giant hand, revealing hideous wounds.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"

Every time the cannon hit the city wall, it was like a meteorite being dropped on the surface of Penglai. The huge rammed earth blocks were instantly blasted to pieces, turning into deadly shrapnel.

Countless fist-sized, sharp-edged stones, carrying the impact of artillery fire, roared and covered both inside and outside the city walls. The defending soldiers were blasted so hard they couldn't even lift their heads, only hearing the rain of stones pounding against their helmets and shields, interspersed with muffled thuds and short screams of pain.

The wooden gatehouse could not withstand the bombardment of artillery, and the rammed earth walls trembled and groaned under the continuous bombardment.

After thirteen consecutive rounds of bombardment, a section of the city wall that had been hit repeatedly suddenly collapsed inward, flames shooting into the sky and engulfing the defenders inside. Dust and smoke filled the air, resembling a wounded beast writhing in the smoke.

Even more terrifying, a stray solid shot whistled past the city wall and crashed into the rooftops of the rows of houses! The fragile wooden beams and tiles instantly turned to dust and scattered embers. The flames, like greedy creatures, spread wildly along the flammable materials, engulfing the surrounding houses in an instant. Thick smoke billowed, blotting out the sun, the smell of burning wood mingling with the crackling of burning timber and faint cries for help.

Even more terrifying were the cluster bombs filled with iron filings and gravel. These were the latest shells developed by Liangshan. The mother shell, propelled by the shockwave from the gunpowder explosion, would explode a second time in mid-air after exiting the cannon barrel, scattering the bullets like a shower of petals in all directions.

These cluster bombs exploded above the city walls or low within the city, creating a high-speed, swirling rain of deadly iron. Dense, beehive-like fragments swept indiscriminately across streets, courtyards, and even hiding corners. Soldiers' bodies were torn open with bloody gashes, some even snapped in half; civilians hiding behind walls were not spared either, the walls instantly riddled with honeycomb-like holes, their bodies collapsing like rag dolls. Blood mixed with dust, forming dark red streams on the ground.

A beautiful pagoda was directly hit in the upper half by a shell. Glazed tiles, carved brackets, and fragments of Buddha statues collapsed like petals scattered by a celestial maiden, leaving the street below in ruins. The once solemn and sacred place was reduced to a pile of rubble. A corner of the magnificent pavilions and towers was destroyed, and precious silks and paintings were exposed to the smoke and dust, instantly turning black.

The soldiers of Dengzhou trembled with fear under the sky filled with the sound of gunfire.

The smells of gunpowder, blood, and burnt flesh filled their nostrils; the air was no longer air, but a pungent, scorching, and nauseating mixture of odors.

Thick smoke filled every inch of the space, making it suffocating.

The stench of blood was so intense it felt almost tangible, clinging stickily to the nasal cavity and throat. The smell of charred wood, fabric, and most terrifyingly, the faint odor of burnt flesh, assaulted the fragile nerves of the survivors.

"boom!!!"

The incessant roar of artillery fire was the dominant background noise. Mixed in with this deafening, continuous noise were even more chilling screams, shouts, dying groans, the cries of the wounded, and the frantic roars of orders from soldiers... These sounds, so faint yet so clear, converged into a cruel final symphony of life.

As they fearfully wiped the dust from their eyes, what they saw was shattered city walls, raging fires, collapsed buildings, billowing smoke, and mangled bodies scattered among the rubble and dust, broken weapons and flags, and dark red blood splattered everywhere.

Seeing that the Dengzhou garrison was suppressed by artillery fire and unable to raise its head to launch a counterattack, Liu Hong also sent out a commando team to carry out an engineering explosive breakthrough.

It's very simple. First, put a full bag of explosives at the foot of the city wall and detonate it. The sturdy city wall may not be blown to pieces, but it will definitely be damaged, and a large crater will be blasted into the ground.

Then, the Liangshan engineers only needed to throw more gunpowder into the blasted crater, ignite it, detonate it, and trigger a secondary explosion to cause structurally devastating damage to the foundation of the city wall! No rammed earth wall could withstand a single gunpowder explosion; if it could, then a second one would do the trick.

This once bustling paradise, under the baptism of iron and fire, is now twisted and deformed, every inch of its land transformed into a cruel tapestry painted with fear and pain.

The shelling paused briefly, not out of mercy, but simply because the cannons needed cooling due to overheating. The terrifying roar abruptly subsided, and this deathly silence was even more maddening, for it foreshadowed an even more horrific barrage that was about to engulf the sky.

Before the smoke and dust had cleared, Penglai City resembled a giant whose chest had been ripped open and whose internal organs had been emptied, exposing a shockingly large wound from which blood slowly flowed.

Broken walls and ruins, wisps of black smoke, scattered flames, a lingering, pungent odor, and faint groans of pain echoing from the ruins—all these elements combined to make the entire city of Bipao resemble a piece of raw iron being repeatedly hammered, twisted, broken, and melted in a scorching furnace of purgatory.

Chapter 253: Chaos in the Army, Snakes and Mirages Emerge

Faced with Liangshan's terrifying artillery barrage, the prefect of Dengzhou was utterly desperate.

He had originally planned to put up a good fight with 600 soldiers who were receiving salaries without working, as well as a few hundred civilians who were temporarily recruited.