Everyone in Liangshan had heard of the name Ning Liheng, the bloody-handed butcher.
In formal discussions, or through unintentional whispers, when people talked about this and that, or the experts of a certain place, it was inevitable that this person, who was more or less related to the current situation in Liangshan, would be mentioned. The grudge between Xi Junyu and the Su family had a long history. The incident in Jiangning at the end of March, where Bao Xu, Xue Yong, and the others were crippled, and later, the defeat of Zhu Wu and the others at the canal in April, all had something to do with this name.
But even so, not many people regarded this name as a real martial arts master. There were many masters in Liangshan, and they could more or less have a relatively intuitive view of Ning Yi's martial arts skills. On the day of the massacre in Jiangning, they might be amazed at the opponent's tenacity, but in the battle at the canal, the opponent borrowed more from the general trend of the government.
After returning to Liangshan, even if everyone mentioned it, these small setbacks would be drowned in the general trend of the sun at noon. Zhu Wu and the others naturally could not exaggerate too much about how cunning and terrifying the bloody-handed butcher was. The hatred of the destruction of the family was indeed irreconcilable, but in the hands of the people of Liangshan, there were more than one or two such blood debts. Who would dare to come to Liangshan for revenge? In everyone's hearts, at most, he was a person to be killed one day. Perhaps he was a bit difficult to deal with, but with the momentum of Liangshan, it was definitely not a big deal in the future.
It was almost May when Zhu Wu, Zhang Shun, Yan Qing, and Yan Shun returned to Liangshan. News from everywhere was coming, and people were gathering. In front of them, there were many important matters on how to expand around. No one would have thought that the first step of rolling wheels would be stuck on a small stone in such a way.
The person opposite was the bloody-handed butcher, Ning Liheng … the one who married into Jiangning …
Song Jiang reached out to cover his mouth and rubbed it hard. At this moment, his expression was indescribably complicated.
At the end of March, the Jiangning prison broke out. They killed their way into the Su family and slaughtered hundreds of people, but they also lost a few brothers. This was not a big deal at all. By the middle of the fourth month, the other side had shown their strength on the Bian River. Zhu Wu and more than two hundred people had gone on errands, and only four returned. While Liangshan was preparing to expand and attack the Lone Dragon Ridge and the Wan Family Ridge, the loss of Lu Junyi and the others was indeed heart-wrenching, adding a blood feud to the hearts of the crowd, but in reality, it was not a big deal. However, at the beginning of June, the other party actually blocked the way forward of the entire Liangshan Lake. Twenty thousand people were shaken.
Judging from the timing, it was because of the murder case in Jiangning at the end of March that the other party had rushed straight to the capital and conveniently dealt with Zhu Wu's plan on the way. Not long after arriving in the capital, he turned around and came to Shandong. Unexpectedly, the first thing he wanted to do was just like that. He actually … did not choose the number of people. He took his revenge on two hundred people, and now he took his revenge on twenty thousand people as well.
This was ridiculous.
"One married into the family, one married into the family …" Song Jiang waved his hand in the air. He didn't know where to point his finger, so he just pointed hard in the air. "We have more than 20,000 people! We have over twenty thousand people! He … actually, actually … "
In fact, if they had known this name earlier, even if they had still underestimated the enemy at that time, Wu Yong and the others might not have underestimated the other party's plan to this extent. However, at this time, when the Su family and the matter of the canal were combined with what was happening in front of them, this person's name suddenly appeared. The impression it formed was simply not something that could be described as terrifying.
"Three days!" Song Jiang roared as he paced back and forth. On the other side of the stone wall, after the crisis had been resolved, the few shields regrouped and fired a volley before leaving. From the beginning to the end, they didn't even glance at the hillside. In the eyes of the other party, there wasn't much of a difference.
Li Kui roared angrily, "This b * stard, I'll go again! I'll definitely kill him! "
"Tie Niu, stop right there! What's the use of being impulsive now? " Song Jiang said. On the other side, Lin Chong carried Zhang Shun's body back, placed it on the ground, and rubbed his eyes. He had really been forced to go to Liangshan and had no other way out. He also attached great importance to the brotherhood on the mountain. However, just now, he also saw the firearm used by the person on the wall and the silhouette of the body. The hatred of the destruction of the family, the other party had come to kill them, so there was nothing more to say.
Everyone was a little silent. Under the tree, Wu Yong said, "Brother Gongming, I'm afraid we should retreat."
"How can we retreat now?"
Lin Chong also said sternly, "The morale of the army is already in chaos. If we don't leave, we can still maintain the military formation. If the other party can't hold on first, we still have a chance of winning. If we leave now, who will be first and who will be last? Once the order is given, there will definitely be a mutiny! If the other party chases after us, who knows how many of our brothers will die! Strategist, do you know the pros and cons!? "
Lin Chong, who had always been modest, said such words because he was already angry. Wu Yong smiled bitterly and pointed at the spy who had sent the message. "Tell the other leaders about the news just now."
The spy quickly repeated, "More than an hour ago, the Wu Rui Camp appeared near Ji Mountain and captured all the brothers we sent out in the morning. Also, I received news that the more than two hundred people that Chief Zheng was cleaning up outside were also surrounded by the Wu Rui Camp last night. I'm afraid they have all been wiped out! "
"How many people?"
"I don't know. I heard … there are thousands …"
When he said this, everyone's expression changed. Demon King Zheng's more than two hundred people had been raiding various small villages nearby. It was not a big deal if they were discovered and surrounded by the Wu Rui Camp. Ji Mountain was quite close to Dulong Hill. In the morning, when Wu Yong heard about the whole situation, the first thing he did was to evacuate all the released captives and try to prevent them from participating in the decisive battle. These few hundred people had been surrounded by the Wu Rui Camp, which meant that the Wu Rui Camp was nearby.
Wu Yong leaned against a tree and sat on the ground. He sighed. "I should have known, I should have known. This person's plan is interlinked. How could he not have a backup plan …"
Someone shouted in a low voice, "But how can we retreat now!?"
"We have to retreat even if we don't want to! It looks like we can still be in a stalemate here! Once the Wu Rui Camp appears, our more than ten thousand people won't even be able to escape. We will immediately collapse! If we are attacked from two sides at Dulong Hill, we will all die here! We might still have a way out if we leave! "
The roads at Dulong Hill were wide and narrow. If they were blocked in such a complicated terrain, given the morale of the army, they would really be wiped out. At the bottom of the slope, everyone hesitated for a moment.
"Then we can only inform all the chiefs to be careful and start retreating …"
Although this was what they said, no one had any confidence. It was also at this time that a soldier sent a message. The evil woman from Hu Village, nicknamed Yi Zhangqing, had led five hundred people out of the village and were pressing towards them.
In the midst of the chaos, not many people had the time to notice that a huge Kongming Lantern had flown up from the mountain forest at the side of Dulong Hill. It gradually drifted across the sky that was filled with smoke …
*****
In the Zhu Village, Luan Tingyu was the first to realize that Liangshan was suddenly collapsing and retreating.
Although Ning Yi had also fought diligently and observed from the top of the wall, he still couldn't understand the general situation of the army. When Luan Tingyu suddenly came over and told him that Liangshan seemed to be retreating, he was still in a state of extreme vigilance after being assassinated. His first reaction was to ask if it was a trap.
"They won't be able to play such a trick! With their current morale, even if they make such a gesture, it will immediately become real. In less than a quarter of an hour, they will be in chaos and won't be able to stop it! "
Ning Yi was slightly stunned. He had thought that Liangshan would still be able to hold on for a while. Thinking back to the assassination on the stone wall just now, he roughly understood that the other party might have already known his identity. He thought to himself, 'What a coincidence. Could it be that once they knew my name, they immediately ran away with their tails between their legs?' Of course, this thought made him feel a little smug, but it was also a little ridiculous. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the Kongming Lantern floating in the sky outside the village and understood the possibility of the matter.
"They came at the right time." He laughed. "They found out that Wu Ruiying was nearby and were scared out of their wits! Instructor Luan, what should we do next? "
"Naturally, it's time to kill our way out!"
"There are more soldiers?"
"We can always gather one or two thousand people!"
"You make the decision. Let's all prepare to shout!"
Ning Yi excitedly began to organize the people holding the loudspeakers. After a while, they began to shout, "Song Jiang has already escaped!" "Wu Song has escaped!" "They are going to abandon you! Look! They've escaped — "" Wu Ruiying's reinforcements have arrived. You're finished! "
After the rising and falling shouts, everyone began to look back at the situation. They found that some people were indeed retreating and some were leaving. The momentum of defeat took shape in an instant. Just as Luan Tingyu had said, under such circumstances, the momentum of defeat could not be stopped. No one could explain to the soldiers that they were strategically retreating and not retreating. However, for Wu Yong and the others, they had no other choice. If they continued to hesitate, once Wu Ruiying arrived, they would be completely annihilated in the terrain of Dulong Hill. Given the current situation, they could only cut off their losses.
No one knew when it started, but countless people had already begun to shout and flee. The louder the sound of defeat from the rear, the more anxious the people in front became. The troops in front were running too fast, and in an instant, the troops were scattered and disorderly. Some generals might still be able to command their trusted subordinates, but even they could only let their trusted subordinates lead the way and leave as soon as possible. The road in Dulong Hill was narrow to begin with. As the people from the rear surged forward, it immediately formed a stampede. Some people were squeezed into the water, the ditches, and the fields.
On the road to the west, the troops that were prepared to stop Hu Sanniang collapsed as soon as they came in contact. On this side, the two doors of Zhu Village also opened with a loud bang. Luan Tingyu and Zhu Biao each led five hundred men out to rescue the captives left outside the village by the Liangshan people. Then, they began to chase and kill.
Here, the number of people was no longer a measure of victory or defeat. The three troops chased and killed all the way. After catching up with the defeated troops, they killed them as if they were cutting melons and vegetables. Occasionally, a small group of people under the leadership of their leaders tried to stop them, but they were also directly crushed. At this time, half of the time had passed, which was around four o 'clock in the afternoon. The bright and beautiful sky began to become dazzling. Amidst the smoke of the beacons, the sun gradually set. The scene of the defeated Liangshan army could be seen everywhere on the roads in the forest, by the river, and in the fields.
Ning Yi and the others also chased and killed all the way with crossbows. They shouted all kinds of rumors as they left the village. During the chase, they called over a bodyguard who followed them from the capital and pointed to the forest in the distance where the Kongming Lanterns might be.
"Go there quickly. Wenyu is in that forest. Ask him to send a message and tell him that no matter how many people from the Wu Ruiying Camp come, Liangshan has already been defeated. Liangshan has already collapsed. Let them intercept this group of people at the front! "
This time, the Wu Ruiying Camp was within his plan, but it was not so accurate. At the beginning, he did not count on this group of soldiers. He only got the information about Zheng Biao and asked Su Wenyu to send money to the generals at the appropriate time. At the same time, he cooperated with Qin Siyuan's order and asked them to send some people to capture Zheng Biao and the others when the battle in Zhu Village was over. It could be considered as a warning to the people of Liangshan. However, now that they had come so coincidentally, it really became charcoal in the snowy weather.
In the midst of such a fierce battle, when the two troops converged, someone suddenly noticed that there was a thick black smoke rising from Hu Village. This was the warning of extreme danger in Hu Village. Hu Sanniang, who was in the middle of the pursuit, cried out in sorrow, turned her horse around and rushed back. At the same time, in the center of the defeated troops, Wu Yong and the others also received the news that Huyan Zhuo and Zhu Wu had arrived.
It turned out that Huyan Zhuo and Zhu Wu's group had left Wan Jia Ridge two days ago. On one hand, they ordered people to transport money and supplies back to Liangshan, and on the other hand, they sent people to inquire about the situation here. Then, they brought another two to three thousand people to Dulong Gang as reinforcements.
On the way, they heard about the situation here and felt that things were not good, so they sped up and rushed over. Zhu Wu knew that the morale of the troops here had been shaken and it would not be easy to form an alliance. They arrived in the afternoon and went straight to Hu Village. Not long after Hu Sanniang led the villagers out, Hu Cheng saw the situation in the distance and also led some people out of the village, wanting to hit them when they were down. At this time, they heard that the morale of the Liangshan troops was shaken and that they were about to collapse, so they were also a little careless. These more than two thousand people found an opportunity to attack with a loud bang. They cut off the troops at the first moment, seized the village gate, and killed their way in amidst the chaotic battle.
This sneak attack was indeed brilliant, but the troops on this side were already showing signs of defeat. More than ten thousand people had been killed and scattered, and everyone was trying to find a way out. Wu Yong and the others anxiously said, "What are you still fighting for? Tell Chief Huyan to quickly withdraw his troops! Wu Ruiying has arrived! If he doesn't leave now, we will all have no way to survive. He is the only one in our army who can still fight. Quickly ask him to come out and open up a path! "On this side, the horn of retreat was blown wildly. The messenger heard the order and hurriedly left …
*****
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