Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 286: Wang Dingliu Encounters a Bandit on the Road

Wang Dingliu was startled by the loud shout. He looked up and saw a big man, ten feet tall, several meters wide, holding a long-handled double-edged axe.

Wang Dingliu drew his two swords and stepped forward and said, "What is your name, sir? We are messengers sent by the two leaders of Taohua Mountain, Li Zhong and Zhou Tong, to deliver a letter to Baihu Mountain."

The big man shouted, "I will never change my name. I am Yu Baosi, the God of Dangerous Roads from Qingzhou. Since we are fellow warriors, I won't make things difficult for you. I will let you wait. If you have any food, please leave some for me. I am starving."

Several minions looked at each other, not daring to move forward. The leading minion whispered to Wang Dingliu, "Leader, this man is somewhat famous in Qingzhou. Because he is tall and alone, the mountain king also tried to recruit him, but he is stubborn and unwilling to go up the mountain."

Yu Baosi was impatient: "If you have food, just tell me. Why are you wasting time?"

Wang Dingliu heard this and also shouted, "Who has any food?"

A small leader said helplessly: "It only takes one day to go back and forth. We eat and drink in the village. How can we have any food on us?"

Wang Dingliu saw that Yu Baosi was getting more and more agitated, so he stepped forward and said, "Don't worry, my good man. You are robbing here alone, and you are hungry and full. You are not safe. I guess you don't have any way out. How about I show you a place to go?"

Yu Baosi said: "If I want to go up the mountain, there are many people who would invite me. Do I need your guidance?"

Wang Dingliu said, "Just by looking at your figure, I know that you must be a hero. You will definitely not want to live in the mountains. The place I'm pointing to is a place that will bring honor to our family. Do you want to listen?"

After hearing this, Yu Baosi slammed the axe in his hand into the ground and asked, "You are just the leader of Taohua Mountain, how dare you speak so arrogantly?"

Wang Dingliu said, "To be honest, brother, I am not the leader of Taohua Mountain. I am from Liangshan County. My master is the famous "Little Mengchang" Zhao Zhen."

"really?"

"Brother has already agreed to let us go, so why should I continue to lie to him? How about the place I'm talking about? Is it what you want?"

Yu Baosi bowed and said, "What's your name, brother?"

Wang Dingliu said, "I was born by the Yangtze River, and I have always liked to make friends with heroes. Because I can run fast, people call me Wang Dingliu. I am now with Mr. Zhao in Liangshan County. I have been here for less than a month, and I have become the deputy manager of the water caravan, which is equivalent to the deputy captain in the army."

Yu Baosi put down the axe in his hand and said goodbye to Wang Dingliu on the way: "I didn't expect to see a hero from Liangshan County here. I heard the name of Mr. Zhao countless times when I was in Qingzhou. People on the left said that Mr. Zhao was righteous, and people on the right said that Mr. Zhao was a hero. I was moved countless times. Unfortunately, I have no way to get in. I am afraid that Mr. Zhao will not accept me. It will be embarrassing, so I have to waste my time in the mountains of Qingzhou. Today, I am recommended by my brother and I am willing to join Liangshan and serve Mr. Zhao."

Wang Dingliu said, "I came to Qingzhou this time with a brother called Shi Qian, the elder brother of Gu Shang Zao, to escort the military advisor Wu Yongyong on a business trip to Taohua Mountain. We will be leaving for Liangshan County soon. How about you come with me to meet the military advisor and go back to Liangshan County together?"

Yu Baosi patted his belly and said, "Alright, let's go to Taohua Mountain to have a good meal today. Brother, Mr. Zhao is also an official figure, how is he connected to Taohua Mountain here?"

At that moment, Wang Dingliu invited Yu Baosi to go with him, and on the way he whispered about the affairs of Zhujiazhuang and Jingyang County. In order to prevent the heroes in Qingzhou from suffering losses, a group of people came here.

After hearing this, Yu Baosi repeatedly praised Zhao Zhen's benevolence and righteousness.

When they arrived at the mountain stronghold, they saw that Shi Qian had already returned. Wang Dingliu led Yu Baosi forward to greet Wu Yong and Shi Qian.

After hearing Wang Dingliu's words, Wu Yong smiled and said, "I never thought that I would meet a hero like Yu Baosi when I came to Qingzhou. The great lord must be very happy." Yu Baosi waved his hands repeatedly, saying that he was just a bandit who robbed people on the road and had no soldiers under his command, so how could he dare to call himself a hero.

That night, Wu Yong took Yu Baosi with him, and the four of them went to the Juyi Hall in the mountain stronghold to have a banquet with Li Zhong and Zhou Tong.

Zhou Tong was shocked when he saw this: "When did the four Yu Bao brothers arrive at Taohua Mountain?"

Wu Yong replied with a smile: "It was Wang Ding and his brother who met Yu Bao and his brother on the way and invited them to the mountain. Yu Bao and his brother admired Mr. Zhao and had made up their minds to go and seek refuge with him."

Zhou Tongdao: "The official's place is a legitimate way out, which is not comparable to my place. I want to go, but it's a pity that the thugs in the village are used to being free and easy, and it's hard to control them. If they cause trouble, it will be bad."

Li Zhong said: "Let's drink together and wish the four brothers Yu Bao a good future."

After hearing this, everyone stood up, raised their bowls, and drank it all in one gulp.

After drinking this glass of wine, Yu Baosi grabbed the lamb leg in front of him and took a bite: "Today I only got a few wild fruits to fill my stomach. I am very hungry. Don't blame me, brothers."

Zhou Tong grabbed the meat and laughed, "That's the way it should be. Eat big chunks of meat and drink big gulps of wine. That's how it should be."

Wu Yong said: "That's true. There are also several brave men in the mansion of the great official. They drink wine in big bowls and eat meat in big chunks. They are all fat and strong. Judging from the height alone, the four Yu Bao brothers are the best."

Shi Qian said: "Yes, the most senior people in the county are the two brothers, Du Qian, who is called "Touching the Sky", and Song Wan, who is called "King Kong in the Clouds."

Li Zhong asked, "I wonder how tall are the two heroes that Brother Shi Qian mentioned?"

"The first one is Du Qian, who is nine feet and five inches tall. The second one is Song Wan, who is nine feet and one inch tall. As for those who are nine feet tall, there are also several. One is called [Dragon Slayer] Sun An, who once wielded two swords and killed five Iron Harriers. Another one is [Death God] Bao Xu, who was originally the leader of the Ku Shu Mountain Stronghold. He had a heavy sword and a broadsword. He followed the great official into the battlefield and killed countless bandits. Another one is [Sky-throwing Eagle] Li Ying, and another one is [Sai Cun Xiao] Wang Tianba."

Wu Yong said, "Brother Yu Baosi told me today that he moves slower than others because of his tall stature. But you are worrying too much. As the saying goes, a big body brings great strength. I wonder how many people will be scared when charging into battle with this stature."

"However, in addition to strength, personal martial arts are also crucial to beating generals and seizing flags. For example, the spear and stick instructor of the 800,000 imperial guards in Tokyo, [Leopard Head] Lin Chong, and the commander of the Western Army, [Flower Monk] Lu Zhishen, although they are slightly inferior in stature, are more powerful in martial arts. There are many people with high martial arts skills in the county, and brothers can exchange ideas when they go there."

After hearing this, Yu Baosi laughed even more happily.

Wu Yong turned to Li Zhong and Zhou Tong and said, "Yan Shun, the Golden-haired Tiger on Qingfeng Mountain, is interested in joining the great official and has invited us to go again. We will set off tomorrow, first to Qingfeng Mountain and then to Qingfeng Village. If everything goes well, we will return to Liangshan County. Brothers, please pay close attention to the troops in Qingzhou."

"After all, Qingzhou is quite far from Liangshan County. If Yun Tianbiao succeeds, the two leaders can send someone to Liangshan County to inform him. The great master will definitely respond. Now Brother Li Zhong's apprentice, [Nine-Pattern Dragon] Shi Jin, has also joined the great master from Shaohua Mountain. Brother Shi Jin has mentioned me many times, but now he is valued by the great master and has become a cavalry commander, so he can't go out easily. If you come, you can meet old friends."

Li Zhong sighed, "It's been so many years since we last met in Weizhou. I never thought that Brother Lu and Brother Shi Jin would both go to Liangshan County. If there is really something wrong, my brother Zhou Tong and I will abandon this mountain stronghold and lead this group of brothers to Liangshan County to seek refuge."

The drinking continued until late at night before everyone dispersed.

(End of this chapter)