Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

The Han Chinese people were wantonly plundered, humiliated, and slaughtered by the southward-migrating nomadic tribes.

These stories, however, have been passed down through word of mouth.

Why did many Song Dynasty people harbor hostility towards the Liao Dynasty?

It is because of this hatred that is etched into our bones and flows in our blood!

"Don't worry, Miss Liu, we understand."

Sun An nodded, and together with Xu Ning,

Princess Tianshou was carried onto the carriage that Liu Huiniang was riding in.

Apart from Princess Tianshou

Yang Zhi, the Blue-Faced Beast, and Xie, the steward of Daming Prefecture, were the people Zhao Yuan had specifically requested to stay when he sent someone back with a message.

These two were easy to tell apart; one had a birthmark on his face, and the other looked much older.

They no longer received the same treatment as Princess Tianshou.

Sun An and Xu Ning each carried one person onto their own horse.

Over there, Ruan Xiaoqi, Zhang Shun, and Li Kui had already carried Chao Gai, Wu Yong, Gongsun Sheng, Liu Tang, and Bai Sheng onto their horses.

Sun An instructed them to take these people to a safe place,

He immediately returned to Liangshan!

The two groups then separated.

Ruan Xiaoqi and the others went to find a place to settle Chao Gai and the others.

Sun An, Xu Ning, and Liu Huiniang, along with Princess Tianshou, Yang Zhi, and Steward Xie, returned to the Liangshan North Bank camp.

The once bustling Huangnigang quickly fell silent.

......

In the evening, as the sun set,

It gradually grew cold in the dense forest on Huangni Ridge.

The change in temperature quickly woke up everyone in Daming Prefecture who had been sleeping.

"Strange, how did we fall asleep?"

Some of the soldiers still didn't understand the situation.

After the two guards awoke, they recalled what had happened at noon.

They rushed to find the birthday gifts, only to discover that the wooden boxes and carrying poles containing the valuables had all vanished.

In a panic, the two went to Yang Zhi and Steward Xie for advice.

But then they discovered that neither of them could be found either.

"What should we do? We've lost the birthday gifts; how are we supposed to explain this to the Grand Secretary?"

The two officers looked at each other in bewilderment.

The soldiers were all visibly alarmed; Liang Zhongshu was no benevolent man.

Losing the birthday tribute could lead to punishment and exile even for soldiers like them.

The quick-thinking soldier immediately suggested, "Sirs, both Commander Yang and Steward Xie are no longer here. In my opinion, they were probably killed by the bandits. Why don't we pin the blame on them?"

"That Steward Xie is Madam Cai's wet nurse, a member of Prime Minister Cai's household. How could he do such a thing!"

The officer thought for a moment and said, "How about this, let's say that Yang Zhi colluded with bandits to rob the birthday tribute, and that Steward Xie was taken away and murdered by Yang Zhi because he offended him."

"I think it's a good idea, let's go with that."

The other guard quickly nodded in agreement.

The group had already discussed their story.

As darkness fell, fearing that bandits might emerge from Huangni Ridge again, they hurriedly left the ridge in the dark to file a complaint with the prefectural government.

......

In a small grove of trees west of Huangnigang,

Chao Gai and the others also woke up one by one.

Thinking back to noon, the birthday gifts were gained and then lost.

Everyone was crestfallen.

"Alas, we schemed against the birthday tribute, but we never expected that the Liao people would also be scheming against us,"

Chao Gai sighed deeply.

"Now that the birthday tribute has fallen into the hands of the Liao people, what should we do next? Brothers, please say something."

"Brother, what's there to hesitate about!"

Liu Tang clenched his fists and roared, "Those three Liao dogs dared to deceive us, so of course we should chase after them immediately, snatch back the birthday gifts, and tear those Liao dogs to pieces!"

"When we were drugged, the He brothers said they were going to seek refuge with the Jurchens,"

Wu Yong pondered and said, "Liao Tianshou is a princess of the Liao Dynasty, and she is an enemy of the Jurchens. These three are not in cahoots."

"Furthermore, we don't know which route they took to leave,"

Gongsun Sheng said helplessly, "Even if we know they are going to the Jin Kingdom, there are two routes: either they go north through Hebei and Liao Kingdom, or they go directly to the east from Dengzhou and go out to sea. Both routes will take them to Liaodong, where the Jin people will gain territory."

"So, are we just going to swallow this insult?"

Liu Tang said angrily.

"What can I do if I can't bear it?"

Chao Gai said dejectedly, "We have been double-crossed by the Liao people. We cannot report this to the authorities. If we seek help from other outlaws, this matter will become a laughing stock in the martial arts world!"

"Your Majesty, even if we don't tell anyone, I'm afraid we can't keep this a secret any longer,"

Wu Yong sighed, “When we were unconscious, we were on Huangni Ridge. Now that we’ve woken up, we’ve been moved to a different place. Someone must have moved us here.”

"Who could have done this? Could it be that Liao dog?" Chao Gai asked.

"Impossible. The He brothers got their hands on the birthday gifts, and they'll probably be heading north in their carriages right away. They won't pay any attention to us."

Wu Yong analyzed, "If that group from Daming Prefecture wakes up before us, they will probably capture us immediately."

"Furthermore, when we woke up, the Liao princess was no longer there. She either woke up before us and left in advance."

"Or they were kidnapped by the He brothers and taken to Liaodong to be handed over to the Jurchens."

"Or they were taken away by the people who moved us here!"

"Wu Xuejiu, you've been talking for so long, but the more you talk, the more confused I get?"

Liu Tang said impatiently, "Just tell me straight, who brought us here?"

"This is merely a guess,"

Wu Yong glanced at everyone and slowly said, "This time, the birthday tribute passed through Shandong. Don't you think Liangshan was unusually quiet?"

"The Liangshan people everywhere claim to be acting on behalf of Heaven and upholding justice for the people."

Chao Gai also said in surprise, "The birthday tribute was obtained by Liang Zhongshu from the people of Daming Prefecture through the exploitation of the people. Logically speaking, Liangshan should not have remained indifferent."

"In my humble opinion, the Liangshan forces may also be lying in ambush on Huangni Ridge,"

Wu Yong guessed, "But we beat them to it and seized the birthday gifts. By the time the Liangshan forces arrived, we had already been drugged by the Liao people. The Liangshan forces realized something was wrong, or perhaps because we knew each other before, they helped us and moved us here."

"As for the Liao princess, I heard that a few days ago, Liangshan fought a group of Liao people at Duiying Mountain. The Liangshan men may have recognized the Liao princess, so they took her away."

Chao Gai nodded in agreement: "The scholar is right, that is indeed possible!"

"But even if we figured all that out, what good would it do?"

Bai Sheng grinned and complained, "The birthday tribute has already been lost from our hands. Even if Liangshan snatches it back from the Liao people, do you think they'll give it back to us?"

This question immediately left everyone else speechless.

Yes, so what if we figured out what happened?

The birthday gifts have already been lost.

It will absolutely never return to their hands!

Chapter 230 Victims Meet Victims

In the Liangshan army camp on the north bank of the marsh,

Yang Zhi woke up in bed and looked at the unfamiliar folds of the tent.

The blue-faced beast froze for a moment, then quickly sat up.

"My birthday gifts! My birthday gifts...~"

He rushed out of the tent in a panic, looking around at the soldiers constantly coming and going.

Only then did he realize that he was in a military camp.

"Where is this?"

Yang Zhi was still a little dazed when he heard someone shout joyfully,

"Commander Yang, you're awake?"

"you......"

Yang Zhi stared at the somewhat familiar face and was momentarily stunned.

"Instructor Lin?"

"Haha, it's rare that Commander Yang still remembers me since we parted last winter," Lin Chong said, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Since Instructor Lin is here, is this Liangshan's military camp?" Yang Zhi asked blankly.

"This is indeed Liangshan's military camp on the north bank of the marsh..."

Before Lin Chong could finish speaking, he saw the blue-faced beast's expression suddenly change.

He raised his fist and punched him in the face, yelling as he did so.

"You bandits from Liangshan, return the birthday gifts to us right now!"

While dodging Yang Zhi's punches and kicks, Lin Chong hurriedly shouted,

"Commander Yang, please let me explain..."

"What else is there to explain! You must have been tempted by the money and plotted to steal the birthday gifts!"

With a face full of grief and indignation, Yang Zhi said, "That birthday tribute is just 100,000 strings of cash to you, but to me, it is the hope for our Yang family to restore the glory of our ancestors!"

"You all better return the birthday gifts to me quickly, and then we can talk. If you don't return them, then I'll..."

Before he could finish speaking, someone nearby saw him strike without saying a word.

The Liangshan generals, already harboring resentment towards him, immediately roared in anger.

"What are you going to do? Do you want to slaughter our Liangshan?"

The speaker was none other than Sun An.

Beside him, the three Ruan brothers, Xu Ning, Zhang Shun, Li Kui, and others all looked rather grim.

Yang Zhi then noticed that there were many other people around.

Lin Chong alone was already difficult for him to deal with.

If all these people attacked together, how could he possibly be a match for them?

Thinking of this, Yang Zhi's mind, which had been clouded by the loss of the birthday gifts, instantly calmed down.

Seeing that martial arts were ineffective, Yang Zhi immediately switched to civil arts.

"...Instructor Lin, I'm sorry,"

Yang Zhi cupped his hands and said, "I acted impulsively, but the birthday gifts are far too important to me. Please be sure to return them to me."

"this......"

Lin Chong immediately looked troubled.