Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 3 Leader
"But the conversation between the Marshal and the storyteller seemed too lukewarm and lacked urgency." Zhu Wen said to Huang Chao on the way back to the military camp.

"Then what do you think is the reason?" Huang Chao asked back.

"If it wasn't for the prepared script, the Marshal would have taken me out to relax, and there would have been no need to bring Xue Chong's head and the horseshoe gold. But it's difficult to find a qualified actor within three days."

"Smart." Huang Chao praised with his eyes flashing.

The rest is self-explanatory. The storyteller was certainly not one of Huang Chao's followers; he was simply paid some money and a legend, and the person who paid him claimed to be Xue Chong's subordinate, asking him to "act as himself" and promote Xue Chong's reputation.

When the storyteller saw Xue Chong's head, he knew what Xue Chong looked like from his portrait, so he thought that Xue Chong was dead and he would not be able to get the balance payment from the "Xue Family Generals", so he collapsed.

"So, 'eyebrows with a straight line, two teeth in a row, and a nose with three nostrils' was also made up by the Marshal himself? That's pretty cruel."

"That's not the case," Huang Chao said, shaking his head. "It's just something I borrowed from folk rumors, just like the Wulin leader who saved the world forty years ago. But because he started an army in Puzhou, he became known as Wang Mazi."

Zhu Wen was stunned, but it was obvious that he didn't know who Huang Chao was talking about.

Because the man called "Wang Mazi" is so famous in the Tang Dynasty today.

But Huang Chao did not continue the topic immediately, but said:
"My child, once you embark on this path, there's no turning back. If you can't change the world, your hands will inevitably be stained with blood."

Huang Chao looked at Zhu Wen calmly: "Are you sure you want to continue down this path?"

Zhu Wen was suddenly shocked.

Born in troubled times, how could he not understand that if he were to take this path, he would probably face many unavoidable situations in the future, and one of them would affect the lives of thousands of families.

It's just that he doesn't want to think about the past.

After pondering for a moment, Zhu Wen replied, "An ancient man once said, 'If one cannot leave a good reputation for a hundred generations, one should at least leave a bad reputation for ten thousand years.'"

"A true villain wouldn't have the same awareness as Marshal Yan. Doing evil only serves to honor them. A lord with such awareness as Marshal Huang is someone I'm willing to follow for the rest of my life."

"In that case, come with me to see Xianzhi, the man who saved the world forty years ago, the one the people now call 'Wang Mazi.'" Huang Chao said calmly, "He should also like young men like you."

A few days later, at dawn.

The endless wheat fields stretch to the end, and suddenly a strange peak rises from the ground. The peak is very high, like a sword pointing straight to the sky. There are pine and cypress trees on the mountain, and it is dyed dark blue.

The mountain was extremely steep and there was no way to climb up. But Huang Chao laughed loudly, rubbed his hands, grabbed the vines on the cliff, touched the tiny cracks in the rocks with his toes, and climbed up at a speed much faster than that of a monkey. After a while, he had landed on the top of the mountain.

Zhu Wen's physical skills were far inferior to Huang Chao's, and his climbing speed was naturally no match for him. He forced himself to catch up, but he was out of breath. However, with his unyielding spirit, he did not fall behind much and followed Huang Chao to the top of the mountain.

As soon as he found his feet, he heard a long roar, like the roar of a tiger or a dragon, the sound waves rolling in his ears like a double wind. Zhu Wen's chest was already churning from the rapid climb up the cliff, and hearing this powerful roar was like thunder, his blood boiling. He almost couldn't stand up. He gritted his teeth, staggered for a while, and managed to hold on.

Huang Chao, on the other hand, looked calm and composed. He smiled teasingly at the man on a cactus-shaped boulder and said, "Old Wang, what are you showing off for? You can't scare the young people, but it's not good to scare the cats and dogs."

When Zhu Wen looked closely, he saw an elder of about sixty years old standing facing the wind. He was wearing a wide robe with big sleeves, had five long wisps of beard, and his hair and beard were slightly gray. His facial features did not seem to have prominent edges and corners at first glance, but when he looked closely, he could feel that he had an extraordinary temperament and was extremely unrestrained. There was a fairy-like look in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows, but his eyes contained the vicissitudes of life, just like the Drunken Swordsman in a legendary novel.

"If it can't even scare the birds, how can it scare the cats and dogs?" The elder smiled faintly.

At some point, dawn had already broken, as if the long cry had summoned the dawn. The morning light transformed into countless rays of light, scattering across the elder's robes. He raised his hands to the heavens, his face upward. Hundreds of birds, far from being frightened by the long cry, flocked in, dancing gracefully above the elder's head.

Two cranes gently landed in the elder's palms, flapping their wings and looking extremely relaxed. After a moment, the cranes took off again, leading a dance of birds across the sky. The morning light bathed the flock, illuminating them with a myriad of colors. This scene was truly like a dream.

"Junior Zhu Wen, I greet Alliance Leader Wang." Without even a second thought, Zhu Wen knew this was the world's number one expert, leader of the Wulin, head of the Zhenyi League, commander-in-chief of the Grass Army, and general of the Heavenly Reinforcement and Equalization—Wang Xianzhi! With such unrestrained grace, he was truly like a celestial being. No wonder the Jianghu community dubbed Wang Xianzhi the "Land Godly Immortal"!
When storytellers refer to the two thieves Wang and Huang, they put "Wang" first because Wang Xianzhi was the supreme leader of the Cao army, while the renowned Huang Chao and Huang Jutian were only second-in-command.

Although Wang Xianzhi was not a Taoist, his martial arts skills had reached the pinnacle, and he was naturally in harmony with the Tao. There was a natural Taoist charm in his every move, which even the Heavenly Master of Longhu Mountain in Jiangxi could not compare to.

That long roar alone made Zhu Wen almost fall to the ground, but the birds were not startled at all and came to dance with him. This was something that other top masters could not do.

He has been the leader in the martial arts world for forty years, and no one has dared to challenge him. He truly lives up to his reputation.

"Brother Huang, this handsome young man looks unfamiliar." Wang Xianzhi said to Huang Chao, "Why didn't Juehai and Duan come with you?"

"I have something to do, so I sent them out."

"You actually gave this kid the precious sword I snatched from Old Demon Qiao. Good fellow, it seems you really value this kid."

After hearing this, Zhu Wen realized that the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword that Huang Chao gave him was actually a token of his gratitude, and he was at a loss whether to laugh or cry for a moment.

Old Demon Qiao was a demon that Wang Xianzhi killed when he was twenty years old.

"There's a saying in the world that when you first meet someone, you feel like you've known each other for a long time. Wasn't it the same with you and me back then?"

"We were just kids back then. You old fellow, are you saying that because you think you still have the heart of a child at your age?"

You call yourself the 'General of Heaven's Equality', and you want to use your life as a common man to mend the flaws of Heaven's principles and distribute benefits equally to the world. Is that not the heart of a child?"

"Hahaha, I can't argue with you, it has always been like this." Wang Xianzhi laughed loudly, his laughter was full of freedom and unrestrainedness. He suddenly descended from the boulder to the ground, as if he had teleported, and gave Huang Chao a bear hug, expressing his endless friendship after their separation.

After releasing Huang Chao, Wang Xianzhi patted Zhu Wen on the shoulder and said, "Young man, my brother-in-law must have his reasons for thinking so highly of you. It's easy to do!"

"I would like to thank the leader for his appreciation of me." Zhu Wen could only bow.

Huang Chao asked, "Old Wang, since we parted ways in Qizhou, it has been over half a year since we separated and fought separately. We have been out of touch with each other. How has your army been doing during this time?"

Wang Xianzhi shrugged his shoulders, spread his hands, pointed downwards behind the cactus-shaped boulder, and said with a look of helplessness, "As you can see."

Huang Chao and Zhu Wen hurried to the other side of the peak and looked down. They saw a military camp at the foot of the mountain on the other side of the peak. Tents were scattered all over the place, but the camp was full of broken flags and debris. Many wounded soldiers were lying in the open air, groaning. The camp was in a state of dejection, which was completely different from the orderly and disciplined situation of Huang Chao's army.

"How could this be?" Huang Chao asked.

"Just before you arrived, I was ambushed by that old scoundrel Song Wei in Libei Valley in Zhongmu County and suffered a crushing defeat. Counting the two times in Yizhou, this is the third time I've fallen at the hands of that old bastard." Wang Xianzhi said helplessly, "Now, my camp is filled with this bunch of old, weak, and sick people who have lost all their fighting spirit."

Song Wei, a veteran general of the Tang Dynasty, is currently the commander of the various military camps to suppress the bandits. He commands the troops of various towns in Henan and is an old rival of the Cao army.

This man was famous for his bravery when he was young. He pacified Huaixi and attacked Nanzhao, killing countless enemies and making great military achievements. The children of Nanzhao dared not cry at night when they heard about his defeat.

Now, Song Wei is over 70 years old, but he can still eat more than a bowl of rice every day, which can be said to be a sign of his age.

In the past two years, Wang Xianzhi and Huang Chao repeatedly captured Tang cities, causing heavy casualties to the Tang Dynasty, but they did not dare to stop and establish a base. They could only fight in all directions because the veteran general Song Wei was chasing them.

However, Huang Chao did not expect that Wang Xianzhi would suffer so much at the hands of Song Wei this time!

(End of this chapter)