On the eve of dawn, the states, counties, and villages on the east and north banks of Lake Liangshan were restless and restless. The states and counties closed their city gates. On the city walls, the soldiers and bailiffs in charge of guarding had already woken up and looked at everything in the darkness. In the villages, stockades, and places where people lived without city walls, some Li Zheng and Baojia were also awakened from their dreams by messengers. They woke up the villagers and farmers and took out their weapons. Many people were awakened and lit their lights. Then, they were urged to blow them out. The lights flickered, and then everyone was on guard against everything outside in the darkness. In the night wind, only the occasional barking of dogs could be heard.
Liangshan had been conquered, and the bandits had begun to flee. The news spread at the fastest speed in the early hours of the morning. Before this, even the most well-informed people only knew that the Wu Rui Camp had only begun to attack Liangshan on the 20th of June, and that Liangshan had been conquered in two days.
The distance was too far, and the ordinary villagers around might not fully understand the strength of Liangshan. For most people, it was not surprising that the soldiers had returned in defeat, and it seemed reasonable that the bandits of Liangshan had been defeated. Neither of these two existences was something they could measure. Only the bandits who had fled after the war were closely related to everyone's lives.
In fact, on the mountains and shores that stretched out to the east and north of Lake Liangshan, the defeated bandits of Liangshan were indeed heading in different directions to the shore and fleeing. Among them were large forces, and there were also friends and relatives in groups of two or three. On the north bank of Lake Liangshan, the night wind fanned the fire. The three large ships chased by the soldiers' warships were all on fire. In the end, one of them crashed into a rock not far from the shore and could no longer move forward.
Behind them, the soldiers' ships chased after them. With a rain of arrows, javelins, and fishing nets, the leading generals disembarked with their soldiers and fought on the shoals and in the woods by the shore. On Liangshan's side, several leaders fought with all their might. They shouted for the crowd to rush into the woods. Taking advantage of the night, hundreds of people fled to the surrounding fields, villages, and wild forests.
In some places, there were also people in small boats that stopped at the shore that was full of weeds and rocks. They helped their wives or family members down. They held the knives in their hands or threw their weapons into the water. They looked back at the night sky and finally left, praying in their hearts that they would not be caught on the road ahead.
On the eastern shore of the lake, the shabby fishing village was still immersed in the darkness of the night. The skinny little girl who was born in a fisherman's family had already woken up. She took a wooden bucket to the small pier by the side of the village to fetch water. When the night wind blew, she squatted there, closed her eyes, and breathed in the cool morning air. Then, a strange fluctuation came over.
She opened her eyes wide and looked forward, but she couldn't see much. Until … a gigantic silhouette suddenly appeared in front of him.
The young girl stared blankly for a moment before turning around to run. Then, with a loud bang, the warship smashed through the small wooden pier and pushed ashore, breaking the tranquility of the night.
After one boat, another boat, two boats, three boats … The restless air began to appear amidst the flames. The crowd disembarked from the boats and began to flood the shabby little fishing village. Some houses were lit up with flames. Dogs were barking. Then, arrows were shot from the boats and accurately pierced the throats of the dogs. Under the first big boat that was pushed ashore, the legs of the girl who was fetching water were broken. Her whole body was crushed in the broken ruins. She cried and trembled at the same time. The leader who disembarked from the boat looked at her and hesitated for a moment. Then, he also shook his head.
"Miss, I've freed you." He pulled out his knife and stabbed it into the girl's neck. After blood spurted out, the girl finally stopped moving.
Groups of people disembarked from the boats. Countless restless sounds could be heard. The soldiers drove the awakened villagers away and let some family members and leaders go to their rooms to rest. After the dead girl's family members came out of the house, her father began to cry under the shoving of the Liangshan soldiers. Then, he picked up a wooden fork beside him and was about to fight to the death. Suddenly, he was cut down by a knife along with the fork. Then, with a kick, he was sent flying into the nearby debris. Blood splattered everywhere.
"A bunch of bastards! You want to hurt my brother! " The leader shouted angrily. Then, he stared at the remaining people and the villagers who were being driven away. "I spared your lives, but you don't know what's good for you. If anyone dares to pester me again, I'll kill them all like he did!"
A total of nearly 4,000 people gathered near the fishing village. Then, they gathered according to the new leader's organization. In the wind that was about to dawn, they heard Song Jiang's voice.
"… I, Song Jiang, Song Gongming, have tried my best to make friends and value loyalty in my life. Whenever my brothers are in trouble, I will do my best to help them. I once had the ambition to serve the country. Unfortunately, the court was ruled by traitors and I was framed. Later, I had no choice but to leave a pure land in Liangshan so that we, the children of Jianghu, could have a way to live here … But tonight, everyone has seen the situation on Liangshan. That person is aggressive and doesn't want to give us a way to live … I, Song Jiang, hereby swear that I will not live under the same sky with this person as long as I live … "
"… I gathered with my brothers in Liangshan. I came and went as I pleased. It's still the same today … Liangshan has come to this point because I, Song Jiang, am incompetent, and I can't blame the brothers on the mountain for betraying me. They had no choice but to do this because of the matter of life and death and the devil's coercion … But now, the brothers here are the most trustworthy brothers by Song Jiang's side. We can't repeat the same mistakes … From now on, I also promise everyone that I will fight my way out of this predicament with my brothers and seek justice from the devil who manipulates people's hearts … "
The words were drowned in the wind. Not long after, dozens of captured soldiers were brought to the stage. Everyone went up and killed them one by one. They slashed and stabbed with knives and spears. Blood flowed all over the ground, and almost all the corpses were chopped into pieces. The fishing village and the warships beside the fishing village were all set ablaze. While the villagers gathered at the side were crying, there were also people shouting.
"… Blame them! You can blame the soldiers! We've been forced into a corner! But even so, we, Liangshan, are benevolent and righteous. Today, we will only take your money and food, not your lives! As for the rest, you can ask for it from the government! There are fish in the water, and the rice in the fields is about to ripen. We have given you a way to live. In the future, I hope you will behave yourselves. Don't collude with the government to do evil. Otherwise, the day the heroes of Liangshan return will be the day your heads fall to the ground! "
On the 22nd of June, Liangshan, which was originally a gathering of nearly 60,000 people in the middle of the lake, had been completely scattered. However, even though the killing on Liangshan was shocking, in addition to the 4,000 people led by Song Jiang, who had fled Liangshan in an organized manner, there were still thousands of people who chose to flee in defeat. Among them, there were leaders like Lin Chong who organized the people around him to cover their escape, and there were also various leaders who led the collapse. In a few days, the atmosphere of chaos and tension was pushed to the land near the lake.
This was a strange and grand victory, and from a certain point of view, it was inspiring. With this fact as a foundation, most of the people in the surrounding provinces and counties who knew the truth also felt the horror of the young man from the capital. No matter who it was, he could lead a group of people here to play a little conspiracy and cause Liangshan to collapse, which made people feel like they were looking up to a mountain. Moreover, he had the trust of the Right Chief Minister, so they could only treat him as the most outstanding big shot in the capital. Under this influence, the surrounding provinces and counties did not dare to disobey. In a few days, they searched and besieged the surrounding area and caught many Liangshan soldiers.
In addition to the power of the government, the villages and strongholds in Shandong had the power to protect themselves. On the one hand, it was out of consideration for their own safety, and on the other hand, when a wall was down, everyone gave it a push. Although there were many conflicts because of the collapse of Liangshan, and many people lost their lives, the endurance of the surrounding area was the highest. It did not mean that they could steal the melons from the farmers' fields with a knife. They had to be mentally prepared to be killed. During this period, only a few slightly larger groups of defeated forces caused trouble in the surrounding areas. The biggest impact was on the more than 3,000 people led by Song Jiang.
In two or three days, the more than 3,000 people fled at high speed. Wherever they passed, they robbed money and burned down houses, but they did not kill many people. Then, they spread the news that they had been forced into a corner by the government and began to put pressure on the soldiers. During this period, they were also blocked by the soldiers once. However, the Wu Rui Battalion only had more than 20,000 people. Since they were divided, the power to block them was not enough. After a round of fighting, the more than 3,000 people, who had been forced to become desperadoes, finally broke through.
At noon on the third day after Song Jiang and the others wreaked havoc, on a hill in the wilderness, Lin Chong was holding his horse and spear, saying goodbye to the more than 200 people around him.
"All my life … I only know how to wield a spear and use a stick. In fact, my temperament, talent, and virtue are all lacking. That's why my family was killed and I was forced to Liangshan. Brothers, you have overestimated me. Lin Chong feels guilty. "This time, Liangshan has fallen. It's not impossible for me to go back to the top of the mountain with you brothers. However, before that, I still have some things to do, so I can only leave first. When I return in the future, if I can hear from you brothers, I will definitely come back to meet you again …"
In the last few days of Liangshan, Song Jiang and Wu Yong were plotting. Leaders like Lin Chong more or less knew about the division of the entire Liangshan. The other party didn't call him because of Ning Yi's words. He could understand that. In fact, even if he was called, he wouldn't go with them. This time, he broke out of the encirclement with a group of trustworthy brothers. At this time, the disaster was temporarily resolved, but he wanted to leave. In fact, everyone understood why. He had been to the Su family, so they would not let him go. He did not want to implicate these brothers.
This time, he was determined to leave. The crowd persuaded him to stay for a while, then reluctantly parted.
With the collapse of Liangshan and the spread of the bandits, there was also something else that was spreading. After the morning of June 22nd, some people who still planned to leave spread out.
"… In Song Jiang's life, no matter if he was an enemy or a friend, he was always open and aboveboard. He was confident that he could treat others with sincerity. Even if he was an enemy, he could fight with others openly on the battlefield. We were forced to beg for a living in the Lulin Forest, but we must abide by the rules and morality … Today, the bloody-handed butcher, Ning Liheng, only knows how to be ruthless. He kills people unscrupulously, and his schemes are sinister and treacherous. "The brothers of Liangshan originally gathered for the sake of brotherhood, but under this person's schemes and coercion, brothers on Liangshan killed each other. It is really the most tragic thing in the world … But if not for this person's sinister schemes, it would not have been like this! This person is so good at manipulating and inciting people's hearts. If this continues, there will be no morality in the Lulin Forest … "
"… I don't know if Song Jiang can defeat this person. You all have brothers and family. Song Jiang also understands that you have to leave at this time. He will offer his travel expenses, but he only hopes that you all will speak of this person's evil deeds and what happened in Liangshan. If this person is here, there will be no morality in the Lulin Forest, and everyone can become a puppet in his hands. This matter … you all have to be on guard. "
These words did not contain any "Gathering Order", but in the name of "Hu Baoyi" Song Jiang, from this day onwards, it spread to the Lulin Forest and Jianghu. His name in the Jianghu of the entire Wu dynasty might not be as famous as Holy Duke Fang La, but the fame of "Hu Baoyi" and "Timely Rain" still carried great weight. In the past few days, the news was still spreading bit by bit, and the waves that were about to set off were still quietly brewing. Only a portion of people could understand the power contained in such rumors.
"Since we've already made a move to make him suffer so much that he wants to die, of course, we have to be mentally prepared for him to make a move." As soon as he learned this news, Ning Yi was silent for a long time, and then he also smiled. "'Inner Demon' Ning Liheng, hmm, this nickname is quite cool. I wonder if I will become a big demon on the same level as Fang La in the future …"
In fact, at this time, when they were about to wholeheartedly deal with Song Jiang and the others, both he and Song Jiang had actually somewhat underestimated the waves this matter would eventually cause. If one stood in the opposite direction of Ning Yi and looked at it, this was almost the beginning of a "martial arts catastrophe" that would last for more than ten years …
Now, all of this was still quietly brewing in some clues, and as the battle of Liangshan came to an end, the news spread. On such a day, there were also some guests who came from Lu Liangshan. At this time, they quietly arrived in the territory of Shandong, and then …
"… Motherf * cker! Why don't you all die! Hurry up and die! Why didn't you say earlier that you wanted to kidnap this kind of people! I've been with you for so long, and you bastards are all f * cking tired of living and came here to die! Kidnap people!? Sixty thousand people had died in front of him! * * * … I don't want the last number, just buy a coffin! I want to go back to Lu Liangshan and laugh at you with everyone else, you bastards! I want to go home, home, home … "
No one knew where this voice came from. Under the same sky, on the surface of a small river that entered Shandong, a figure stood on a small boat and went down with the water. The figure was wearing a red dress, a bamboo hat, and an ancient sword on her back. Like a fairy, she came through the dawn and stepped on the twilight —
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