Water Margin: I am Zhu Biao

Upon entering the Taihang Mountains, the first stop is Wanzicheng, also known as Wanziguan.

The city lives up to its name, resembling an iron urn overturned between two cliffs, truly a place where one man can hold off ten thousand.

As we passed through the gaping city gate, a gust of north wind blew by, and the lingering stench of blood, which had persisted for centuries, instantly filled the air and assaulted our nostrils.

"Tsk, just how many people have died in this place?"

Zhu Biao clicked his tongue in surprise, looked around, and then understood something.

This place is extremely dangerous. Only a few thousand people are needed to defend the pass. Unless the food runs out or the morale of the army collapses, even tens of thousands of people cannot break through it.

At this moment, Pang Qiutang led his horse over, lowered his voice, and said menacingly.

"Third Brother, what should we do? Should we head straight out of the pass, or find a secluded spot inside and deal with these filthy creatures?"

The "filthy" she was referring to were the tails that had followed them all the way from Qinyang Horse Market; the initial two had now grown to eight.

Along the way, they deliberately split into three groups, one in front and one behind, and did not recognize each other, but they still could not hide it from Zhu Biao's eyes.

"Third Brother, what did you mean?"

Seeing that he remained silent, Pang Qiutang tightened her grip on the thumb ring.

"Take a closer look. Remember to think before you speak in the future."

Zhu Biao replied irritably. At this moment, his eyes were somewhat gloomy. Seeing that Pang Qiutang still looked confused, he couldn't help but raise his tone.

"Those thieving birds clearly know the local garrison, or they might even be in cahoots."

"If we kill them inside the city gates, we'll be trapped and beaten, facing thousands of enemy soldiers. How many lives do you have?"

When entering the country, Zhu Biao's mind was constantly working, and his eyes were constantly scanning the area.

Although the flock of thieving birds did not greet or chat with the guards, they still paid the fee to enter the pass.

However, their eyes kept meeting Men Jun's, and they were also subtly exchanging hand gestures.

Damn!

In Tangyin, officials and bandits are in cahoots, while here soldiers and bandits are in cahoots. This damned world is truly beyond saving!

By this time, the flock of thieving birds had entered the city one after another, and three of them even deliberately walked ahead of Zhu Biao and his group.

Pang Qiutang didn't see anything, but she firmly believed in Zhu Biao's judgment. Her face darkened, and she frowned as she said:

"Third Brother, if that's the case, what if those convict soldiers also disguise themselves and leave the city to join the bandits? What should we do then?"

"Heh~ but it's not that bad."

Zhu Biao shook his head and chuckled.

"The risk of the garrison soldiers disguising themselves as bandits and personally looting is too great. Besides, if they really did take action, what would those thieves even get a share of?"

Then he looked around and pointed to a restaurant with steam rising from its entrance not far away.

"They would eat inside the pass, eat and drink their fill, and rest before going out to do their work."

Although Wanzicheng is a strategic pass, it has not seen war for a long time and is now used by both military and civilians. There are also many shops there.

Living off the land, Zhu Biao chose this restaurant, which specializes in steamed buns with unique fillings made entirely of mountain produce.

The wild sheep, rabbits, pheasants, and various wild vegetables and mushrooms offer a unique flavor.

However, Zhu Biao ate somewhat absentmindedly, his eyes constantly glancing outside the shop.

"My lord, who are you waiting for? Is it that wicked-looking fellow from the Qinyang Inn?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao couldn't help but sigh.

"Tsk, Ruyi, you're practically a mind reader now. You have such a wicked eye, you're really good at judging people."

The man with the sinister gaze that Ruyi mentioned was naturally Dong Ping. Zhu Biao was indeed waiting for him, since they were going to start killing soon anyway.

Why not take this opportunity to eliminate this scourge as well?

"My lord, please don't tease me. It's just that I've seen too many of these beasts who are all show and no substance back in Linqing."

Ruyi's tone revealed a rare hint of hatred, which startled Zhu Biao, who then realized what was happening.

The poor woman who was first strangled to death and then hung from the doorway, came from a brothel, which stirred up Ruyi's unbearable memories and made her feel a sense of kinship.

"Third Brother, that fellow is traveling with us!"

At this moment, Pang Qiutang suddenly exclaimed, interrupting his thoughts.

Zhu Biao looked up and saw Dong Ping leading his horse past outside the door. Dong Ping's expression was ambiguous, and his eyes were fixed on him with a sinister look.

It was as if a venomous snake was sizing up its prey.

Zhu Biao did not meet his gaze, but instead carefully examined his horse bag and the attendant beside him.

He only had a gun holster, not a bow case, and a mounted guard followed behind him. The guard appeared burly, but he only had a waist knife and no long weapon in his saddlebag.

"It's safe!"

Zhu Biao narrowed his eyes and secretly clenched his fist.

If you continue west for seven or eight miles after leaving the pass, you will find an extremely dangerous place called "A Line of Sky".

The cliffs on both sides of this place are towering, and the long and winding passage is narrower than two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) at its narrowest point.

"Great place!"

Zhu Biao Le Ma Zan Dao.

"Huang Ji, come with me to scout ahead. If we encounter the enemy, do not rush to fire arrows. Wait for my command."

"good!"

Pang Qiutang, unaware of the situation, simply nodded emphatically.

A short while later, as they approached a sharp bend in the narrow passage, Zhu Biao suddenly yanked on the reins and growled anxiously.

"Tripwire! There's an ambush ahead, run back now!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned his horse around and galloped out of the passage.

Pang Qiutang naturally followed her closely, but her expression remained calm, and she even had a smile on her lips.

"Damn! This pretty boy has a sharp eye!"

"Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and chase after them!"

"What's the panic? There are several yaks, and Lao Liu and his men are blocking their retreat. They can't escape!"

After turning the corner, several chaotic shouts rang out, followed by four figures rushing out.

They held in their hands earthen spears and steel forks, the shafts of which were made from tree branches found on the spot, uneven and even with branches and leaves attached.

This suggests that some of these bandits must have been military personnel who knew how to deal with cavalry, and that the terrain and weapons were all appropriate.

However, they were not dealing with ordinary cavalry, but with the cunning Zhu Biao.

call out!

The first bandit to emerge, before he could even figure out what was going on, heard a piercing howl and felt a shiver run through his chest.

"Uh~"

He paused, looked down in disbelief, but before he could see clearly, everything went black, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Back off! This pretty boy knows mounted archery!"

The second bandit reacted quickly, but he was no match for the arrow. He had just turned around when he felt a chill on his back and his spear fell to the ground.

"shelf!"

At this moment, Zhu Biao had already sheathed his bow and picked up his spear, turning around and charging back.

A few breaths later, he clumsily pierced one of the thieves' vests, but the tip of the spear got stuck and he couldn't pull it out. He had no choice but to let go and spur his horse to ram the last man.

Bang!

Zhu Biao wanted to hide his true abilities and put on an act, but Tan Tou refused. He suddenly raised his front hoof and stomped, causing the man's back to cave in instantly, and he flew more than ten feet away.

It landed without a sound, clearly having stopped breathing.

"Stupid horse!"

Zhu Biao slapped its big head in an annoyed tone.

"Snoring~"

Charcoal Head snorted in frustration.

"Spare me, spare my life!"

At this moment, the guy who had been shot in the back was still alive and was lying on the ground begging for mercy.

Zhu Biao ignored him, drew his bow, aimed briefly, and shot an arrow into the man's lower back.

This part of the body won't kill you instantly, but you definitely won't live for long either; at most, you'll be fit for a cup of tea.

After quite some time, he, Pang Qiutang, Zhu Wu, and even Su Fang joined the fray, finally managing to kill the four bandits covering their retreat.

"Get out of here now!"

Zhu Wu, that idiot, had just been acting really hard, working up a sweat, and was about to touch the corpse when Zhu Biao kicked him in the butt.

"Damn it! You're used to double-crossing people? Go ahead and clear the way, I'll bring up the rear. Remember to be careful and slow."

"oh oh!"

Zhu Wu wasn't annoyed. He quickly mounted his horse, but before leaving, he didn't forget to stuff the money bag he had taken from the dead man into his pocket.

No matter how many people he had killed or how many dangers he had faced, deep down he was still that peasant who couldn't bear to waste anything and was a little greedy.

"Eight corpses, none survived. Three died from knife wounds, two from gunshot wounds, two from arrow wounds, and one was trampled to death by a horse."

An incense stick later, Dong Ping passed by the battlefield. His attendant dismounted and examined the corpses one by one, his expression somewhat solemn.

"My lord, that brat who hasn't even grown his first hair is quite a tough nut to crack; he dares to kill."

"Hehehe~"

Dong Ping sneered disdainfully.

"When two armies meet on a narrow path, if you don't kill, you'll be killed. Naturally, you have to fight to the death. A few lowly bandits who don't even have weapons are hardly a tough opponent."

He paused, then glanced at the corpse in front of him.

The two who were killed by arrows, one was hit by three arrows and the other by two arrows, their archery skills were absolutely terrible.

Seeing the unfortunate fellow with a bone stuck in the gun tip and a bloody hole ripped open in his back, the contempt in his eyes deepened.

"His archery and spear skills are nothing to worry about; they're only at the level of a tenth-rank general."

He glanced ahead, a murderous glint in his eyes, and arrogantly declared:

"If I were to make a move, these bandits would only die in one way: with a bullet to the throat."