Water Margin: I am Zhu Biao

Chapter 113 Breaking Through the Stronghold

"Hey!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Song raised his thick eyebrows, curled his lips slightly, and took a step forward, unleashing the full force of his hexagonal hammer in one swing.

Click!

A pine tree thicker than a man's waist was snapped in two by a single blow, then slowly fell to the ground, sending up countless snowflakes.

"What incredible power!"

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Zhu Shun was even more stunned. This hammer blow was heavier than a thousand pounds. If it had landed on him, wouldn't it have turned him into mincemeat?

Zhu Biao pointed up the mountain: "Uncle Shun, do you think any of those rabble from White Tiger Stronghold can withstand this blow?"

Zhu Shun swallowed hard and said, "We can't withstand it. I'm afraid no one in the world can."

"There are still people who can resist, such as Lu Zhishen. Speaking of this flowery monk, he will be coming to Erlong Mountain in the spring. We must take him down."

Zhu Biao collected his thoughts, smiled, patted Zhu Shun on the shoulder, and turned to leave.

His men followed closely behind, their fighting spirit visibly rising.

Making Wu Song "show off" in public was not only to appease Zhu Shun, but also mainly to boost morale, which was a different kind of flag-raising ceremony.

Baihu Mountain is neither high nor dangerous, but its forests are extremely dense.

Especially this mountain forest, which is occupied by bandits, is so densely packed that it resembles a maze, because no one dares to come to cut firewood or hunt.

Without someone to guide you, it would be difficult to find the path up the mountain.

Those thieves weren't fools either.

They don't just take one path when going up and down the mountain; they also erase traces or deliberately leave false footprints to lure people into traps.

For a mountain stronghold to stand firm, it either needs to defend its strategic location or, like White Tiger Stronghold, has no way to go at all.

"Young Master, I'm here!"

Su Fang moved with light steps and agile movements, taking the initiative to scout the way. At this moment, he pointed to a pheasant feather stuck in the tree trunk and called out softly.

Zhu Biao glanced at the direction the pheasant was pointing, and there were indeed footprints left by Pang Qiutang on the snow.

He then leaned closer and sniffed it again; there was a faint smell of realgar. He then said in a deep voice, "Continue on!"

After traveling through the dense forest for a good half hour, Zhu Biao finally reached White Tiger Village before it got completely dark.

Even though he was extremely cautious, two of his men still fell into the trap.

One person only suffered minor injuries, while the other had his foot pierced by a splinter, rendering him completely incapacitated and requiring another person to care for him.

"Third Brother, I've circled this den of thieves several times already."

Pang Qiutang, who looked like a snowman, squatted down beside him, her voice trembling slightly.

"These thieves are incredibly arrogant. There isn't even a single sentry outside. Just now, even the sentries on duty went off to drink."

"Yes, thank you for your hard work."

Zhu Biao took off his coat and put it on her, then took out a few pieces of dried meat from his inner pocket and handed them to her along with a leather pouch.

He didn't like drinking alcohol; his bag was filled with oil tea noodles hastily made by Wuhan University.

This stuff is high in oil and salt, and also contains brown sugar. Even if it solidifies, you can still squeeze it out and eat it.

"Third Brother, when are we going to make our move?"

Pang Qiutian unabashedly squeezed a few mouthfuls of oil tea into his mouth and mumbled indistinctly.

"wait."

"When?"

Wu Song, with a piece of dried meat in his mouth, also came over.

"Wait until the entire mountain stronghold is drunk to death."

Zhu Biao stared intently at the mountain stronghold two hundred paces away. In the darkness, his eyes gleamed with a sinister light, like a predator eyeing its prey.

Baihu Village is triangular in shape, nestled in a mountain valley, surrounded by mountains on three sides and a forest on one side, covering an area of ​​about ten acres.

The outside was roughly enclosed by two rings of sharp wooden fences, and inside were some wooden houses, mostly semi-underground shacks.

There was only one decent wooden house in the center, with warehouses on both sides of the front hall, a back hall, and seven or eight rooms.

This is the most iconic building in the mountain stronghold, Juyi Hall.

At this moment, the hall was brightly lit, and even from a distance, one could hear deafening laughter and cursing from inside.

Clearly, these bandits were having their last "New Year's Eve dinner."

"Sanlang, there are about five hundred people living in the whole village, but only two hundred people are gathered in that hall. They must all be the main henchmen. I guess they are the only ones who got the wine."

Luan Tingyu carefully finished his portion of oil tea, wiped his mouth, and spoke.

"Even if they are all drugged, there will still be two or three hundred people left. It's easy to scatter them, but according to your plan, it will be difficult to wipe them out completely."

Zhu Biao did not answer immediately. He stared intently at the mountain stronghold in front of him. After thinking for a while, he said in a deep voice, "The main thugs in Juyitang are all wicked and cannot be spared. The remaining small fry can be spared and captured alive."

Upon hearing this, Luan Tingyu frowned.

"Sanlang, do you perhaps intend to recruit them? Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

"Heh~"

Zhu Biao sneered.

"To surrender? They are not worthy."

At the first watch of the night, when the darkness was as black as ink and the cold wind was as sharp as a knife.

Suddenly, a series of clattering sounds rang out from the Gathering Hall. A moment later, someone pushed open the door, staggered out, and shouted incoherently, "The wine... the wine has been spiked!"

"What happened?"

These commotions startled the lowly henchmen who were huddled in their shacks, gnawing on bran cakes and drinking tea, and they all crawled out to investigate.

"Hercules! Break through!"

Just then, a sharp shout suddenly rang out from the gate of the mountain stronghold.

boom!

Before the henchmen could figure out what was going on, a loud crash came from the other side of the gate, and the thick bolt snapped with a piercing sound.

"Take five steps back!"

Wu Song roared angrily, the veins on his neck bulging out like small snakes crawling around.

At this moment, he was leading a group of strongmen, including the bronze bull, carrying a log as thick as a water vat, and quickly retreating.

"Rush!"

Seeing that the distance was almost there, he roared again.

"Whoa!"

Tongniu and the others responded with loud claps, and together they grabbed the logs and rammed them against the village gate.

boom!

The bolt suddenly broke, and the gate of the stockade burst open.

"Archers! Seal the gate!"

At Zhu Biao's command, a whooshing sound was heard, and thirty or forty wild goose feather arrows shot out.

puff~

The sounds of arrows piercing flesh echoed one after another, and a dozen or so henchmen who were still relatively quick-witted and rushed to block the door were instantly riddled with arrows.

"The strongmen, shield in hand, charge first, straight to the Hall of Righteousness!"

As soon as Zhu Biao finished speaking, Wu Song and the others threw down the logs, awkwardly pulled out a small leather shield from behind their backs, protected their heads, faces and chests, and hurried towards the Hall of Righteousness.

The small shield was something he had recently commissioned a carpenter to make secretly. It was basically a wooden pot lid covered with animal hide on both sides and riveted with some iron nails.

This thing is incredibly crude, but it can still block knives and arrows.

There was no other way; the strongmen were responsible for charging ahead, being the first to scale the walls, and breaking through enemy lines—the most dangerous and deadly tasks.

But they didn't even have a piece of iron, let alone double-layered heavy armor, so they had to make do with what they had for now.

"Archers, cover the rear and clear the field! The rest of you, grab your knives and follow me!"

Zhu Biao shouted again, then brandished his spear and charged into White Tiger Stronghold.

At this moment, with Wu Song, who was as fierce as a tiger, in front of him, Luan Tingyu on his left, Lin Chong on his right, and Pang Qiutang's swift arrows flanking him from behind, Zhu Biao felt safer than ever before.

They can launch a full-scale attack without restraint.

laugh!

In his frenzied run, he swept his spear across the battlefield, instantly slicing open the chests and abdomens of two ravenous henchmen, who collapsed to their knees clutching their wounds.

Luan Tingyu's fighting style is characterized by its wide and sweeping movements. He wields his iron staff like a windmill, and a single blow can break bones and tendons.

Lin Chong, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. His marksmanship was light, swift, and precise, almost like a venomous snake, always aiming to pierce and poke vital points.

Bang!

At the same time, Wu Song suddenly flung his heavy hammer away, striking a henchman who was charging at him with a spear.

The henchman's chest caved in instantly, and he flew backward, crashing into two of his companions like a rolling log.

With a flick of his wrist, Wu Song sent the heavy hammer spinning through the air before he gripped it again. Somehow, he had added a thin lock to the end of the hammer, turning it into a free-hand hammer. Even Zhu Biao was unaware of this.

"Good hammer!"

Despite the life-or-death struggle, Zhu Biao, Lin Chong, and Luan Tingyu still praised each other in unison.

Wu Song is too fierce! Zhu Biao and his gang are too ruthless!

In just over ten breaths, they advanced more than a hundred steps as if they were in an empty place, and were not far from the Hall of Righteousness.

The bandits in the stronghold were either hacked to the ground or running around like headless flies, on the verge of collapse.

"You son of a bitch!"

Just then, the main door of the Gathering Righteousness Hall was suddenly pushed open halfway, and a rough, hoarse voice shouted loudly from inside.

"Stop fucking running around! All of you, come closer to me!"

"Second-in-command! It's the second-in-command!"

The bandits, on the verge of collapse, instantly found their leader and flocked to him from all directions.