Water Margin: I am Zhu Biao

At dawn, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

As soon as Zhu Biao pushed open the door, he saw Wang Putou and the other soldiers crowding in front of the door, their expressions complicated, as if they wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Hey, Chief, last night~~"

Finally, Wang Putou stepped forward and, steeling himself, said...

"What do you mean, Wang Tou? What happened last night?"

Zhu Biao raised an eyebrow and pretended to be stupid.

The three Pang siblings were criminals who had killed officials and were guilty of treason. He would never admit to having any dealings with them and cause himself trouble.

"Uh~"

Wang Putou's tone faltered for a moment, then his eyes lit up.

"Last night, the wind was strong and the snow was heavy. Did you sleep well, Commander?"

Although he was of low rank and insignificant, he was a seasoned veteran and knew the principle of avoiding trouble.

"Very good, I fell asleep immediately and slept soundly until dawn. Boss Wang, is there any food at the shop?"

Zhu Biao rubbed his stomach.

"Yes, yes, freshly steamed flatbread, stewed dog meat, white porridge, pickles, and your two horses have also been given extra feed."

Wang Tou's face, wrinkled with age, resembled a chrysanthemum. This extravagant breakfast was the last straw for the impoverished courier shop.

The dogs were all just stolen.

Last night, in a moment of crisis, Zhu Biao stepped forward and helped them fend off the thugs; one could even say he saved their lives.

The soldiers were the pillars of their families, with elderly parents and young children to support, so they were timid, but they accepted this enormous favor.

As for what methods they used to defeat the strongman without bloodshed, they didn't want to know.

The sky brightened, the wind stopped, and the snow ceased.

Zhu Biao didn't stand on ceremony with the soldiers. He ate until he was full and then filled his stomach with some drinks before mounting his horse and bidding farewell to the express delivery station.

Before leaving, he glanced at the small hill in the distance.

Pang Wanchun is a stubborn fool! He won't leave until he kills Inspector Huang Can.

The reason the three siblings were in this place was to go north to Daming Prefecture to sell Lingbi stones. It is said that the garrison command offered extremely high prices, even higher than those in Tokyo.

In recent years, the oppressive policy of the "Flower and Stone Tribute" has scraped the land in Jiangnan thinner by several feet.

Pangjiazhuang is located next to Qingyun Mountain, which is the production area of ​​Lingbi stone. In addition to the land tax in summer and autumn, an additional tax of 3,000 strings of cash must be paid in spring.

That's right, those bloodsucking leeches from the Imperial Household Department don't want stones, they just want money.

The Pang siblings intended to sell the stones for money, but when they arrived at this place, the stones were confiscated by the patrol inspector.

The charge is absurd: smuggling tribute.

Even worse, the inspector Huang Can not only embezzled the stones, but also wanted to imprison them and take Pang Wanchun's younger sister into his household.

As a result, the three Pang siblings immediately jumped up.

Unexpectedly, Huang Can had many soldiers, some martial arts skills, and was cunning. Even with Pang Wanchun's archery skills, he couldn't stop him.

Later, the deputy envoy led troops to besiege Huang Can, but was shot through the eye by an arrow. Huang Can then hid in the camp and refused to come out.

The patrol battalion had a registered strength of a thousand soldiers, but the actual number was only over six hundred. Even if Pang Wanchun had three heads and six arms, he would be helpless. He was also stubborn, so he just kept at it.

Last night, Zhu Biao tried to persuade him to go home first, prepare everything, and then come back for revenge, but it's unlikely he'll listen.

Besides venting their anger and seeking revenge, Pangjiazhuang Village couldn't hold on any longer. If they were forced to pay next year's taxes, the village would likely face a famine.

Even the travel expenses for their journey were pieced together from various sources.

Pangjiazhuang is not like Zhujiazhuang. It has little land, and the land is barren. The nearby mountains and forests are the private property of the Nimo Temple. Hunting in the mountains requires paying a hunting fee, which often results in a deficit.

In other words, Pang Wanchun had no way out; if he couldn't get the money, he had no face to go home.

"Sigh, yet another honest, law-abiding person has been forced to rebel."

Zhu Biao withdrew his gaze, exhaled a long breath of white air, pulled up his face mask, and rode away.

He doesn't have the time or the means to recruit Pang Wanchun right now, but by establishing a good relationship today, he can visit him in the future.

call out!

After traveling a few miles, they passed through a grove of trees. When no one was around, a fierce howl suddenly rang out. Zhu Biao's eyes sharpened, and without thinking, he hid in the belly of his horse.

Do!

The next instant, an arrow was embedded three zhang in front of the horse, with only a small section of its tail feathers remaining outside.

Zhu Biao stood up, and saw Pang Wanchun walking slowly out of the forest with his hands empty.

"I apologize for disturbing the Zhu brothers! Please forgive me. I have a favor to ask!"

"What did you say?"

A moment later, in the woods, Zhu Biao suddenly widened his eyes and looked at Pang Wanchun in disbelief, pointing at his sister with trembling fingers.

"You...you want me to take her to Bianliang?"

"Exactly."

Pang Wanchun now revealed his true appearance; he was a man with a resolute face and a thick beard, a relatively rare case of a southerner with northern features.

"I have a life-or-death feud with Huang Can, but I cannot bear to let my younger sister accompany me through the cold and snow."

As he spoke, he clasped his hands tightly, bowed deeply to the ground, and said in a choked voice:

"Brother Zhu, I have no other choice but to shamelessly beg you to take my sister to Bianliang and then put her on a merchant ship bound for Hangzhou."

Before Zhu Biao could reply, his sister rushed over, grabbed Pang Wanchun's arm, and hissed.

"Brother, I won't leave! Even if I die, I will die with you."

"Nonsense!"

Pang Wanchun gritted his teeth, his face tense, and with a ruthless shove, threw her to the ground.

"Qiu Tang! If you still acknowledge me as your brother, then listen to my arrangements!"

Zhu Biao was so overwhelmed by their brotherly and sisterly affection that goosebumps rose on the back of his neck. He quickly interrupted them, saying:

"Brother Pang, I have urgent business to attend to and need to travel at full speed. Besides, it would be inconvenient for men and women to travel together."

"Brother, don't worry. Qiutang is quite skilled in archery and horsemanship and will definitely not hold you back. We are all people of the martial world, and we don't have such fussy rules."

"Brother Pang~"

Zhu Biao was about to refuse when Pang Wanchun grabbed his arm, lowered his voice, and said with red eyes:

"Brother Zhu, I intend to launch a night raid on the patrol camp. This will be a perilous mission, and my younger sister is only sixteen years old. I cannot bear to let her die with me."

He paused, then gritted his teeth and said:

"If I manage to escape with my life, I will serve you without hesitation, even in fire and water, whenever you wish."

hiss!

Upon hearing this potentially fatal promise, Zhu Biao felt a chill run down his spine.

"Stop looking!"

As noon approached, Zhu Biao turned around impatiently and said, "We've already run nearly ten miles, and Pang Qiutang is still looking back over and over again."

"Without you, your brother can actually go all out and increase his chances of winning."

"snort!"

Upon hearing this, she suddenly scoffed, spurred her horse to Zhu Biao's side, grabbed his bow, and casually pulled out an arrow.

She adjusted the reins to steady herself, then with a sudden burst of strength, she drew her bow to its fullest extent.

call out!

The arrow flew like lightning.

Gah!

Fifty paces away, a crow that was fluttering among the treetops landed with a thud.

"Heh, pretty boy, your two stone bows are a bit soft."

She tucked her riding bow back into its scabbard with a backhand motion, her elegant eyebrows slightly raised.

Zhu Biao, who was initially speechless and silently lamenting that his brother was like a tiger with no dog sister, was immediately provoked by her words.

Damn it, this is utter nonsense!

He scoffed coldly:

"Your archery skills are indeed superb, and your two-stone bow isn't particularly heavy. However, how many times can you fire it in succession? The patrol battalion has seven hundred soldiers; how many can you kill?"

Pang Qiutang abruptly turned her head, her eyes flashing fiercely like a female leopard's, about to retort, when she heard Zhu Biao say in a low voice:

"If you're exhausted and captured, what will happen to you? And how will your brother deal with it?"

Pang Qiutang was stunned, but Zhu Biao did not let her go and unleashed his final and most ruthless attack.

"Without you, your brother can barely protect himself even if he fails; with you, he's doomed!"

This was the reason Pang Wanchun hadn't said aloud. As a future general leading troops, with the decisive battle imminent, how could he possibly leave himself with a fatal weakness?

He didn't speak up to save Pang Qiutang's face, but Zhu Biao had no scruples and directly tore off this fig leaf.

"Me~"

Pang Qiutang's voice faltered.

His eyes darted around, he shivered, and finally his eyes reddened. He turned his head away angrily and said nothing more.

As dusk fell, Zhu Biao traveled for thirty or forty li until he reached the outskirts of Xiangzhou City. He stopped his horse at a foot inn.

"No, wasn't the plan to travel through counties and prefectures without entering cities or staying at inns, traveling day and night?"

At this moment, Pang Qiutang's voice trembled violently, her jaw kept chattering, and she was almost frozen, but her eyes remained defiant.

Zhu Biao rolled his eyes at her, annoyed, and said coldly:

"You stubborn mule! In your ragged clothes, you'll freeze to death before you even reach Tokyo. You'll have to spend the night in Xiangzhou."

Pang Qiutang's eyes flickered:

"I...I don't have a travel permit."

"Was it because their image was drawn and a warrant for their arrest issued?"

Zhu Biao ruthlessly exposed her lies.

The patrol battalion led by Huang Can was under the command of Xiangzhou. They shot and killed the deputy envoy, and even a fool would think they were now wanted by the authorities.

Pang Qiutang didn't reply, but her tightly clenched fists betrayed her true feelings.

"Keep up."

Zhu Biao didn't say much. He dismounted and walked towards the foot shop. After taking two steps, he turned his head back.

"Remember, from now on, your name is Su Wu Niang. You are twenty-one years old, married far away to Daming Prefecture, and have just lost your husband. Now you are returning to your hometown in Tokyo."

"what?"

Pang Qiutang, who was struggling to dismount, almost fell off.