novelhk Page 171
Page 171
Wu Yong shook the feather fan in his hand: "But I just remembered a place. I guarantee that once we get there, no matter how many government troops there are, they won't dare to come and harass us!"
"Where is the place you mentioned, sir?"
Upon hearing this, Chao Gai and the other two were all startled and quickly asked questions.
Wu Yong smiled slightly and said slowly, "A thousand miles away in Cangzhou, there is a remarkable man who is famous throughout the martial arts world."
"This man's surname is Chai, given name Jin, and he is known as Little Whirlwind. He is the eldest son and grandson of the Chai family of the previous dynasty. His family has an imperial edict bestowed by the late emperor. Ordinary officials and soldiers from prefectures and counties would not dare to disturb his peace!"
"The scholar is right, how could I have forgotten about him!"
Liu Tang laughed loudly, "Brother Chao Gai, I had some dealings with this Master Chai when I was a private merchant in Hebei. He is a man of honor, and if we go to join him, he will definitely not refuse us!"
Gongsun Sheng frowned and said, "This time we have offended the current prime minister, Cai Jing, and the Hebei region is Liang Zhongshu's territory."
"Our names, ages, and appearances have all been reported to the authorities by Brother Bai Sheng. Now is a critical time, and we have traveled thousands of miles to seek refuge. Even if that Master Chai is willing to take us in, I'm afraid there might be some trouble on the way!"
"Bah! What kind of brother is Bai Sheng! If he hadn't been drinking, how could this birthday tribute incident have come to light?"
Liu Tang angrily cursed, "We just entered the government office, and that bastard betrayed us all. Can he be called a brother?"
The red-haired devil's words immediately embarrassed Wu Yong.
Because on that day, it was he who said that the white light in Chao Gai's dream was Bai Sheng, the White-Day Rat.
"Alright, this is all my fault!"
Chao Gai sighed, "If I hadn't been so fixated on that dream, I wouldn't have sought Bai Sheng's help."
Seeing that Chao Gai had already spoken, Liu Tang didn't know what else to say, but he still looked somewhat resentful.
"Now is not the time for infighting,"
Wu Yong quickly spoke up, saying, "Mr. Gongsun is right. It would be inappropriate to seek refuge with others at this time. Our only way out now is to go to Liangshan Marsh, as Brother Liu Tang said earlier."
"But the problem remains: I'm afraid Liangshan won't tolerate us!" Chao Gai said helplessly.
"Master, please don't worry,"
Wu Yong comforted them, saying, "When we were drugged by those Liao dogs on Huangni Ridge, I suspected that Liangshan had helped us out!"
"If they really did this, then we will go and join them, and Liangshan will accept us."
"But what if they didn't do it?" Chao Gai asked.
"If they didn't do it, then Liangshan wouldn't tolerate it either. So we'll pretend to be commoners infected with the plague, and..."
Wu Yong slowly said, "The north bank of that marshland has now also been occupied by Liangshan to treat the common people who have contracted the plague. It is said that there are as many as 30,000 to 40,000 people there. If we blend in, we will definitely not be discovered in a short time."
"And on the north bank of the marsh, whether it is plague or the Liangshan army, the officials of Jizhou would never dare to provoke them easily."
"We'll hide there and wait for things to calm down before heading north to join Master Chai!"
Chapter 239 Wu Yong, the Mars Archer
The group had made their plans and immediately began packing their things.
However, Chao Gai's estate already had very little money left.
After searching around for a long time, they only managed to find a couple hundred strings of cash.
Chao Gai gathered the servants together, distributed all the money to them, and then let them go.
After all the servants had left,
Chao Gai took one last, sorrowful look at his family's estate.
Then he threw out a torch, setting the century-old house ablaze!
"Let's go! To Liangshan!"
......
Not long after Chao Gai and his men left,
Then He Tao, the arresting officer from Jeju, arrived outside Dongxi Village with Zhu Tong and Lei Heng.
From afar, the horizon was a deep crimson.
Then, villagers carrying large and small bags came out of the village.
He Tao ordered his officers to arrest them.
Upon inquiry, it was discovered that Chao Gai had squandered his entire fortune to disband the group of farmhands!
Upon learning this, He Tao immediately cried out in alarm.
They hurriedly urged Zhu Tong and Lei Heng to hurry into the village!
These two men had recently received a great favor from Chao Gai.
Let alone Zhu Tong, even Lei Heng,
They felt utterly ashamed for coming to arrest Chao Gai.
Now that we know that King Chao may have already escaped,
Both of them breathed a sigh of relief.
He Tao hurried as fast as he could and arrived at the Chao family manor in 143 minutes.
Seeing that the nearby villagers were carrying water to fight the fire,
He Tao grabbed one of them and shouted angrily, "Where is Chao Gai?"
"I...I just saw Master Chao heading east!" the villager replied tremblingly.
"Chase!"
He Tao roared angrily and led the officials of Jizhou eastward in pursuit.
Zhu Tong and Lei Heng had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow behind him.
......
The Liangshan Hotel on the west bank of the marsh is now managed by Wang Dingliu.
When Chao Gai and the others arrived and explained their purpose,
Such a significant matter was one that Wang Dingliu naturally dared not make the decision on his own.
They then planned to send a fast boat to take the four men to the north bank of the marsh, where Zhao Yuan would make the final decision.
Just as Chao Gai and his three companions were about to board the boat,
Then the sound of horses' hooves could be heard in the distance, followed by a loud shout.
"Don't let that thief Chao Gai get away!"
"Damn it! Those damn government soldiers, they've actually caught up with us!"
Liu Tang raised his broadsword and roared, "Brother Chao Gai, let me go and have a good time!"
"Stop messing around!"
Chao Gai glared at Liu Tang: "They have a hundred or two hundred men, while we only have four. How can we possibly be their match!"
Wu Yong glanced at Wang Dingliu, who stood calmly to the side, seemingly unconcerned, then lightly shook his feather fan and suddenly spoke.
"Master, don't be anxious. This inn is Liangshan's territory. Even if the officials from Jizhou come, they certainly won't dare to act recklessly. Otherwise, wouldn't that be disrespecting Chief Zhao of Liangshan?"
Wu Yong had intended to use these words to provoke the inn's leader, Wang, into agreeing to protect the four of them.
Unexpectedly, Wang Dingliu merely smiled slightly and glanced at him thoughtfully.
Let alone promises, I can't even be bothered to utter half a word.
this......
Wu Yong was immediately filled with suspicion and uncertainty, unable to understand what Chief Wang of the hotel was really planning.
Little did he know, Wang Dingliu was also secretly complaining in his heart at that moment.
My brother was right after all; this strategist is truly a master at stirring up trouble.
I never said I wouldn't save them.
This fellow was trying to provoke me, hoping to send Liangshan to fight the Jizhou forces head-on.
No wonder when Little Seven suggested that he was willing to persuade Wu Xuejiu to come up the mountain, he was rejected by his brother!
People with such impure thoughts wouldn't go up the mountain.
Even when things are peaceful on Liangshan, he will stir them up into trouble.
Wang Dingliu was thinking about the affairs of his own mountain stronghold.
Meanwhile, He Tao and his group had also arrived in front of the hotel.
The villagers who had been forcibly dragged along to lead the way immediately identified Chao Gai upon seeing him.
"My lord, that tall man is none other than Lord Chao Gai!"
"Four people in total, which matches the number of people wanted!"
He Tao (bica) laughed heartily: "Men, seize him for me..."
He hadn't finished speaking when
Zhu Tong and Lei Heng, who were standing nearby, quickly pulled him back.
"He must observe carefully, lest he act rashly!"
What is the meaning of this?
He Tao, his face grim, questioned, "The thief is right in front of us, and instead of catching him, you two are blocking my way! What are your intentions?"
"Could it be that you two have a past relationship with Chao Gai, and that you were the ones who tipped him off?"
"Observer He, when the two of us were summoned by the magistrate, we didn't even know what had happened!"
Lei Heng suppressed his anger: "After we left the county government office, we stayed with you the whole time. How could we possibly tip you off!"
"Hmph, if you two can't get away on your own, can't you send someone to inform us?"
He Tao angrily said, "If we don't capture Chao Gai today, I will definitely report to the magistrate at that time and have him punish you for colluding with bandits!"
"Observer He, we two were only trying to stop you out of kindness,"
Zhu Tong said expressionlessly, "If Inspector He is not afraid of ending up like Huang An, the militia leader, then he may go."
"Huang An?"
He Tao was taken aback upon hearing this.
Three months ago, Huang An, the military commander of Jizhou, led his army to attack Liangshan, but his entire army was wiped out, and he himself was beheaded and his head was hung up as a warning.
He Tao, who also worked in Jeju Prefecture, was well aware of Huang Tuanlian's fate.
"Could this be the territory of Liangshan?" He Tao asked in a trembling voice.
Lei Heng was annoyed by his arrogant attitude earlier, so he just snorted coldly and didn't answer.
Zhu Tong, standing nearby, explained, "Observer He, Liangshan has inns in all four directions of the marshland, for the purpose of purchasing various supplies."
“Three months ago, Huang An’s head was hanging on the flagpole of this hotel. It was only because of the plague that Liangshan took it down and buried it.”
"Observer He, do you see these restaurants and inns?"
Zhu Tong pointed to the wooden buildings and said, "Liangshan has arranged no less than two hundred men in each of its four inns in the east, west, south, and north!"
"He observes that the constables you brought from Jeju, plus the men from Yuncheng, only amount to a little over a hundred. How could they possibly be a match for them!"
“But now that Chao Gai is right in front of us, are we just going to turn a blind eye?” He Tao said unwillingly.
Just as Zhu Tong was about to reply, Wang Dingliu walked over, cupped his hands, and said with a smile, "Who do we have here? It's Chief Zhu and Chief Lei from the county government. May we ask what brings you here today?"
"Chief Wang,"
Zhu Tong returned the greeting with clasped hands: "We are here today to accompany Inspector He of Jizhou Prefecture to arrest Master Chao Gai. Would you be so kind as to grant us this favor?"
Chapter 240 Envious of Liangshan, Chao Gai Wants to Join the Outlaws
"Both captains, then I apologize,"
Wang Dingliu replied with a smile, "Master Chao and the others have already said they want to join Liangshan. Before my chieftain makes a decision, they are considered guests of Liangshan, so we cannot let you take them away."
Zhu Tong had no intention of making things difficult for Chao Gai and the others.