Do you have the strength to force me to join the Liangshan bandits?

Chapter 395 Dong Ping: A life of wandering, only regretting never meeting a wise ruler! [1st update]

Li Zhong and Zhou Tong exchanged a glance: What should we do?
They were rejected by Cai Fu, and Song Jiang no longer wanted them; they had embarked on a path of no return...

Zhou Tong had a sudden inspiration and asked carefully:

"Are there any rules about where the three knives and six holes must be inserted?"

Song Jiang's dark face paled slightly: "No, not that..."

"But if it's three cuts, it has to be three cuts; not even one less!"
"If it's six holes, it has to be six holes; not even one less!"

That's it!

Zhou Tong had found a loophole in the rules; if the three knives had been plunged into their stomachs, the two brothers would have been dead.

However, he can insert it into a non-lethal location.

Zhou Tong took the bull-ear dagger and slashed his left arm three times with a series of sharp, quick cuts!

Each cut pierced through the arm; indeed, three cuts resulted in six holes!

Actually, he could have been more flexible, like piercing his earlobe with a knife.

Three holes are nothing to worry about; they won't hurt much or bleed much.

But that would be too shameless.

Zhou Tong was a man of honor, a true hero of the martial arts world. How could he possibly get his ears pierced in public?

Li Zhong took the ox-ear dagger and stabbed himself in the left arm, leaving three cuts and six holes.

Although Li Zhong and Zhou Tong's actions were somewhat opportunistic, they were still within the acceptable range for the Liangshan heroes.

So nobody said anything; at most, a few tough guys like Lu Zhishen and Wu Song just grimaced.

After throwing the ox-ear dagger on the ground, Li Zhong and Zhou Tong bowed to Song Jiang and Cai Fu, then covered their faces and left.

……

"Quack! Quack!"

Gao Qiu sat behind Dong Ping, his arms around Dong Ping's waist, and together they rode the curly-haired lion beast on their journey.

"Gululu..."

Gao Qiu's stomach growled, and because he and Dong Ping were pressed together, Dong Ping noticed it immediately.
"Hmph! Minister Eun, let's rest for a while!"

Dong Ping reined in the horse, lifted Gao Qiu off the horse, and made him sit on a large rock by the roadside.

"Hmph! Please wait a moment, Your Excellency, I'll be right back!"

Gao Qiu sat wearily on a large rock, reflecting on the day's events. He realized how close he had come to escaping with his life.

Fortunately, Gao Ping appeared in time...

By the way, where did Gaoping go? Why hasn't he come back yet?
Gao Qiu panicked. He looked around but couldn't find Gao Ping anywhere. Instead, he could faintly hear wolf howls.

It's over!

Without Gao Ping by his side, Gao Qiu felt completely unsafe, as if danger could strike at any moment.

Gao Qiu then realized that although he had only known Gao Ping for a short time, he had already developed a strong dependence on him...

"Ow—"

A wolf howl came from very close by. Gao Qiu screamed in fright, jumped up, and limped away!
He didn't know where he was going, but fear made him run, fleeing in panic without thinking!
"Quack! Quack!"

Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves came from behind, and Gao Qiu became even more flustered, thinking it was another scout from Liangshan Marsh.

The house leak happened to rain overnight, and the ship was late and hit the wind again.

Gao Qiu tripped over a rock and fell flat on his face!

Gao Qiu lay on the ground, tears streaming down his face, when the sound of horses' hooves suddenly stopped beside him!
"call--"

Dong Ping leaped off his horse and helped Gao Qiu to his feet.

"Hmph! Minister Eun, how are you?"

"Snapped!"

Gao Qiu went up and slapped him hard across the face:
"Jealous boy! Where have you been?"

With his back to Gao Qiu, Dong Ping's eyes were filled with resentment and anger, but when he turned his face, they became filled with fear and trepidation.

"Hmph! I was hungry, so I went into the woods and hunted a pheasant!"

As he spoke, Dong Ping pointed to the pheasant hanging on the horse's back. Gao Qiu was taken aback, then realized that Dong Ping had heard his stomach growl.

Seeing Dong Ping's face still so respectful despite being swollen from his beating, Gao Qiu suddenly felt:

This child is like me!

"I misunderstood you!"

Gao Qiu, realizing he still needed Dong Ping's help, decided to offer him a reward:
"Gouping, your parents are both dead and you share the same surname as me. I'd like to take you in as my godson. I'm not sure if you agree..."

God, you've finally opened your eyes!

Dong Ping was both surprised and delighted, and immediately bowed down:
"Hmph! I've spent half my life wandering in Gaoping, only regretting that I never met a wise ruler!"
"If Your Excellency does not abandon me, I am willing to become your godfather!"

Gao Qiu laughed heartily: "I have found Gou Ping to be a true hero sent by heaven!"
"My son, get up! My son, get up!"

Dong Ping stood up and solemnly swore:
"Hmph! Godfather above, from this day forward, I will follow Godfather!"
"Through fire and water, no matter what!"

Gao Qiu, satisfied, helped Dong Ping up.

"With Gou Ping by my side, why worry about Liang San not being destroyed, or Cai the traitor not being killed?"

The two became father and son, and Gao Qiu felt even closer to Dong Ping, and his sense of security was much stronger.

He's already taken Dong Ping in as his godson, so Dong Ping can't possibly abandon him now, can he?

Dong Ping was overjoyed and roasted the pheasant. He gave the big chicken leg to Gao Qiu and only ate the chicken's tail for himself.

Gao Qiu felt that Dong Ping was more filial, and compared to him, what else could Gao Yanei do besides cause trouble for himself?
After finishing their pheasant meal, Dong Ping and Gao Qiu rode together on a horse and continued their journey.

They hadn't gone far when a group of government troops suddenly appeared and blocked their way.

Dong Ping shouted sternly, "Hmph! Whose subordinates are you!"

"How dare you be so disrespectful to Grand Commandant Gao of the Imperial Guard!"

"Grand Commandant Gao?"

The soldiers were stunned. Upon seeing Gao Qiu's official robes, they dared not act rashly and immediately knelt down.
"Grand Commandant, please forgive me!"
"We are subordinates of Wang Huan, the military governor of Henan and Hebei, and have been ordered to lie in ambush here at Liangshan Marsh!"

"Wang Fan?"

Gao Qiu was overjoyed upon hearing this:
"Where is Wang Jiedu? Bring him here to see me!"

The group of government troops quickly split into two groups to find Wang Huan, and soon Wang Huan and Han Cunbao arrived.

"This humble general has failed in battle; please forgive me, Your Excellency!"

Upon seeing Gao Qiu, Wang Huan and Han Cunbao hurriedly dismounted and knelt on the ground, trembling with fear and trepidation.

"Humph!"

Gao Qiu was furious, but he couldn't do without them.

Furthermore, Wang Huan and Han Cunbao also had powerful backers in the court.

Gao Qiu could only hurl a few insults at them, making a lot of noise but doing little, and then let it go.

Wang Huan and Han Cunbao brought Gao Qiu to their military tent, where they had gathered and rested nearby.

Upon arriving at the military tent, Gao Qiu finally regained some of the dignity of the Grand Commandant of the Imperial Guard as he sat in his chair.

Seeing that the ten military governors were not enough men, Gao Qiu frowned:
"Why haven't Jing Zong and Li Congji come to see me?"

Wang Huan and Han Cunbao looked somber. Han Cunbao said, "Jing Zhong and Li Congji have both been killed in action..."

Gao Qiu fell silent, and when he spoke again, his tone was much gentler:
"How many lecherous horses do we still have right now?"

Wang Huan: "The eight of us each led our troops out to fight our way out, and along the way we also gathered some defeated soldiers."

"In total, there are about forty to fifty thousand people..."

Gao Qiu breathed a sigh of relief. Forty or fifty thousand people was not bad. He could pretend there were still more than one hundred thousand people when he returned to Tokyo.

Emperor Huizong of Song couldn't possibly count them one by one, so he simply gave a vague answer and brushed the matter off.

Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Since he was deeply favored by Emperor Huizong of Song, the emperor would certainly not be willing to kill him.

The problem is that this matter has fallen on my shoulders, and I will eventually have to find a way to deal with Cai Fu.

Never mind, let's go back to Tokyo first.

The road ahead is long, let's figure out a solution along the way...

(End of this chapter)