Water Margin official

Before returning to Liangshan, Zhang Zhengdao specially took out the arrows from the quiver hanging on Shi Wengong's horse and looked at them carefully. After a while, an intriguing smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

All the leaders were confused. The leader of the village took the dozen or so ordinary arrows and looked over them. What on earth were he looking at?

Zhang Zhengdao casually inserted the arrow branch into his quiver, clapped his hands, shook the dust off his body, and said with a smile: "Go back to the mountain."

Everyone responded to the call, and the five hundred attacking army, under the restraint of several village leaders, organized neatly and marched towards Liangshan with high morale.

This time when we went down the mountain, under the command of Zhang Zhengdao, we not only captured Shi Wengong alive, but also killed Zeng Mi, the second tiger among the five tigers of the Zeng family, and also earned more than 120 good horses. It can be said that we returned home with a full load.

With these more than 100 good horses from the North, Liangshan can form an elite small group of cavalry to implement the tactics of running thousands of miles.

Zhang Zhengdao's favorite candidate for the leader of the cavalry was Shi Wengong, but this man remained silent. Even with the persuasion of Ling Guang, Wen Zhongrong, Cui Ye and others, he refused to surrender to Liangshan.

In desperation, Shi Wengong could only be tied up tightly and thrown into a cart, with the village leader Ni Gong watching over him.

He marched in a hurry when he arrived and slowed down when he returned. Zhang Zhengdao sat upright on his horse and was in high spirits.

When passing through some villages and towns, the villagers working in the fields suddenly saw such a military horse. They were all frightened and uncertain, and did not dare to approach.

It is already October weather, the autumn is high and crisp, the cool breeze is blowing on the face, the mountains are beautiful, and the earth is fragrant.

On this day, the army marched to the border of Bozhou. Suddenly, there was a man who was scouting the road in front. He quickly reported back: "Master of the village, there is a village five miles ahead. It seems that there is a group of thieves who are burning, killing and looting in the village."

Zhang Zhengdao frowned and asked: "Approximately how many people are there in that group of thieves?"

The follower replied: "I can't see clearly, I'm afraid there are more than twenty people."

Zhang Zhengdao looked around and said, "Which leader is willing to hang those thieves?"

Wen Zhongrong shouted: "My little brother is willing to go."

Ling Guang also shouted: "Brother, I am willing to go."

Before Zhang Zhengdao could give the order, he saw Li Kui already holding an axe, stepping forward and rushing forward.

"This black guy is going to act recklessly again." Zhang Zhengdao frowned, and then said hurriedly: "Wen Zhongrong, take a hundred brothers and go to kill the thieves. Control the black guy and don't let him kill innocent people indiscriminately. ”

"Remember, leave someone alive and ask where this group of thieves who robbed the villagers came from," Zhang Zhengdao instructed.

Wen Zhongrong clasped his fists and shouted: "Obey the order!" He immediately ordered a hundred men and rode towards the village in front to cover them up.

Zhang Zhengdao led a large group of troops and continued to march behind.

Five miles away, you'll be there in a blink of an eye.

But seeing a village in front of him, black smoke was burning everywhere, and villagers' wails could be heard from time to time. Zhang Zhengdao ordered: "You stay here while I go to the village to take a look."

Ling Guang said: "My younger brother will follow my elder brother."

Zhang Zhengdao nodded, then rode his horse and rushed straight to the village. Ling Guang also followed closely behind him with his weapon in hand.

Entering the village, the smell of blood hit your nostrils, and many village houses were on fire. The surviving villagers were holding the bodies of their relatives, kneeling on the ground, crying bitterly.

Wen Zhongrong ran over at this time. This man was carrying a spear that was eight feet long, and his clothes were stained with blood. He shouted: "Brother, all the thieves have been strangled."

"Is there anyone left alive?" Zhang Zhengdao asked.

"Brother, wait a minute." Wen Zhongrong went to the village again. After a while, he came to Zhang Zhengdao, holding a knife and escorting a fierce-looking man.

"Kneel down!" Wen Zhongrong kicked him to the ground.

"Hero, have mercy on me, hero, have mercy on me!" The man knelt on the ground and begged loudly for mercy.

Thinking of the big black-faced man carrying two axes just now, who chopped down everyone he saw and killed the brothers in his village, I felt sorry that he was missing a pair of wings and couldn't escape quickly.

Thinking of this, the man felt his body tremble and his spine felt chilly.

Zhang Zhengdao said in a cold voice: "Who are you, the thief in the world, how dare you come to rob a village?"

The man kowtowed and shouted: "I came down the mountain to borrow food on the orders of my king."

Zhang Zhengdao continued to ask: "Who is the king of your family, where is the stronghold, and how many people are there in the stronghold?"

"My brother is asking you a question. Answer him truthfully, or I'll chop off your bird's head." Ling Guang threatened.

The man hurriedly shouted: "My king's name is Bao Xu, and the stronghold is in Kouzhou, not far from here."

Zhang Zhengdao frowned, unexpectedly encountering the minions of Bao Xu, the "sang keeper" of Kushu Mountain.

"Let me ask you, how many people are there in your village now?" Zhang Zhengdao thought for a moment and asked again.

The man replied truthfully: "There are now more than three hundred brothers and seventy or eighty war horses in the little village."

"Now that winter is approaching, the village owner is worried that the many people in the village are short of food and clothing, so he sends the young men down the mountain to borrow some money and food from various villages and towns." The man added.

Zhang Zhengdao narrowed his eyes slightly and looked around. Just now, Wen Zhongrong led Liangshan's minions and wiped out the village, leaving only this one alive for questioning.

At this time, some villagers who had escaped the gang of thieves and survived with their lives supported the elderly and the young. There were more than 20 people in total who gathered together, knelt on the ground, and cried bitterly: "Please general, please make the decision for the villagers!"
Zhang Zhengdao jumped off his horse, helped up a gray-haired old man, and said, "Please get up, my father-in-law. These thieves have been killed, and the villagers are safe."

The old man trembled and cried: "We in Lijia Village did not expect to suffer such a disaster. Please ask the general to send troops to exterminate those bandits and restore peace to the village. The little old man will definitely lead the villagers to pay tribute to the general on his behalf." The prince in the state capital asks for credit."

"You, my father-in-law, are so ridiculous. We are not officers and soldiers. We have never received the rice and stone salary from Zhao Guan's family. There is no need for me to go to the state capital to ask for merit." Ling Guang laughed.

"We are heroes from Liangshanbo!" Li Kui shouted.

After hearing this, the old man was stunned for a moment, then closed his eyes and fainted.

Zhang Zhengdao supported the old man's body and saw that the villagers were also huddled together, their eyes showed a look of despair, and they cried loudly again.

After glaring at Li Kui, Zhang Zhengdao shouted: "You black guy, you are talking nonsense again."

He pressed the acupuncture point of the old man's body, and it took him a long time to wake him up. The old man was lying on the ground, his eyes were lifeless, and he cried desperately: "You damn thief, you can rob whatever you want, little old man." Waiting for you in the underworld."

Zhang Zhengdao said at a loss of whether to laugh or cry: "My father-in-law, the fire in the village has been put out. I'll leave first. Later you go to the county government to report the case and see if you can exempt your village from paying taxes this year."

Looking around, Zhang Zhengdao said loudly: "Folks, don't be afraid. We Liangshan heroes never kill innocent people. We only do what is right for heaven. Don't listen to untrue words."

After preaching about Liangshan's benevolence and righteousness, Zhang Zhengdao led his men to escort the dead man from Kushushan out of the village.

After returning to his team, Zhang Zhengdao called several leaders to his side and said, "I intend to go to Kouzhou and capture Dry Tree Mountain."

Ling Guang knew that the village leader was interested in the seventy or eighty horses in Kushu Mountain, and immediately asked: "How many people and horses will the village master bring with him on this trip? I am willing to go with him."

Zhang Zhengdao thought for a moment and then ordered: "I will only take a hundred brothers, Wen Zhongrong and Ni Gong, who can ride horses. It's hard work for the two brothers to ride with me again."

"You guys, continue to take the remaining brothers and return to the stronghold first." Zhang Zhengdao looked at Wang Lun, Ling Guang, Cui Ye and others.

But Li Kui shouted: "Zhao Zhu, I want to go too."

Zhang Zhengdao scolded: "You black guy, can you ride a horse?"