Liver in Water Margin, outlaw madman

Meanwhile, Lin Chong spurred his horse forward and charged straight toward Jinshatan Beach.

The Golden Beach was already desolate, and the henchmen who guarded the beach were already short of food and drink. They were all emaciated and weak. When they suddenly saw a warhorse galloping across the beach, the sound of its hooves shaking the sand, they were immediately terrified.

The man on horseback was clad in bright armor, carrying a long spear and a bow and arrows slung across his back; his attire was no different from that of the government troops.

The henchmen had never seen such a sight before. They thought it was the government troops descending from the heavens, and they dared not resist. Terrified, they scattered and fled.

"Where do you think you're going!"

With a shout, Lin Chong spurred his horse across the mudflats, his spear tip flashing coldly as he charged straight at the bandits scattered along the shore.

The quick-thinking henchmen scrambled onto the small fishing boat moored on the shore and rowed frantically toward the depths of the lake.

Those with slow reflexes had weak legs and collapsed to the ground, unable to move, after being lightly tapped by Lin Chong's gun barrel;

Many others lost their weapons and scrambled towards the mountain pass, hoping to hide behind the stockade walls and save their lives.

In no time at all, when Zhang Shan, Lu Zhishen and their group arrived at Jinsha Beach, the beach was already deserted, with only scattered bamboo baskets, broken weapons, and a few small fishing boats that hadn't been rowed away yet, gently rocking with the waves.

Looking at Lin Chong standing on the beach, Ruan Xiaoer couldn't help but cup his hands in admiration, his face full of respect: "Instructor Lin truly deserves to be called a hero who killed Gao Qiu!"

The title of instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards was indeed well-deserved; no wonder these men dared to launch a direct frontal assault on Liangshan.

Lin Chong remained calm, showing no trace of arrogance.

Charging unsuspecting scattered troops with cavalry is inherently an act of the strong bullying the weak, especially since these men are not even proper infantrymen. It is not surprising that they were defeated.

Even if he dismounted and fought on foot, his martial arts skills would easily scatter this rabble.

"Third brother, what should we do next?" Lin Chong reined in his horse, turned to look at Zhang Shan, and asked in a calm tone.

Zhang Shan's gaze swept over the tightly closed pass on the hillside, then he glanced at Lu Zhishen beside him, who was itching to try, and immediately laughed, "Brother, you're quite skilled. Why don't you take matters into your own hands and break through this pass?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhishen's spirits lifted instantly. He had been feeling stifled by his inability to make a move, and now, hearing these words, he immediately responded loudly:

"Very well! Let's see what I can do!"

The crowd surrounded Zhang Shan and slowly made their way along the mountain path beside the mudflats. Before long, they arrived at the first pass of Liangshan.

This first pass is built against the mountain, blocking the only way up the mountain from the Golden Beach. There are steep cliffs on both sides, with only one passage in the middle, making the terrain extremely dangerous.

The pass was fortified with pine logs as thick as a bowl, covered with a thick layer of earth, and the walls were as high as two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters). The walls were decorated with crenellations and parapets, allowing the guards to observe and shoot arrows.

In the center are two thick wooden gates, with large iron nails nailed all over the door panels.

Some logs and stones were piled up on both sides of the stockade wall, but they were piled up haphazardly and covered with a layer of dust, indicating that they had not been used for a long time.

Several tattered flags still stood on the wall, drooping in the mountain wind, looking utterly lifeless.

The guards were few in number, and they were all dressed in tattered clothes, with pale faces. Their weapons were also of varying quality, mostly rusty broadswords and bamboo spears. Their bows and arrows were crudely made and made with sparsely feathered bamboo arrows. It was clear at a glance that the mountain stronghold was short of money and food and that its defenses had long been lax.

Zhang Shan took the bow and arrows off his back and gave Lin Chong a wink: "Second brother, please cover for eldest brother."

Lin Chong nodded in understanding, reined in his horse, drew his bow and arrow, and kept a close watch on the stockade wall. He was ready to shoot arrows to suppress any thugs who showed their heads and made noise.

Zhang Shan also drew his bow at the same time, naturally not wanting to miss such an opportunity to practice his skills.

Lu Zhishen was fully clad in heavy armor, the plates clanging together with a crisp sound. Holding a water-polished monk's staff, he strode forward and rushed straight toward the gate of the checkpoint.

The bandits fled in haste, and no defensive equipment such as chevaux-de-frise or wooden fences were set up in front of the pass. It seems that the Liangshan bandits had been entrenched here for a long time and never thought that anyone could fight their way to the pass.

Previously, Song Wanben was stationed at the first pass. Seeing Lin Chong ride his horse and charge across the area, instantly scattering the guards on the beach, he was already terrified and lost his composure. He only ordered his men to close the gate tightly, while he himself rushed up the mountain to find Wang Lun and report the news.

As soon as Song Wan left, the henchmen on the wall lost their leader. They looked at each other, at a loss, not knowing how to deal with it.

Someone stammered "Shoot!" and the henchmen hurriedly grabbed their bows and arrows and started shooting wildly at Lu Zhishen.

Zhang Shan shook his head repeatedly as he watched from below. The archery skills of this group were extremely poor. The arrows were crooked and erratic, and they could not even reach a sufficient distance, let alone hit a vital spot.

A few arrows occasionally managed to reach him, but when they struck Lu Zhishen's heavy armor, they were immediately deflected without leaving even a white mark.

Lu Zhishen had already rushed to the gate of the village, and with all his might, he raised his monk's staff and smashed it hard against the wooden gate.

boom!

boom!

boom!

Three loud bangs rang out in succession, shaking the mountain village, followed by a piercing sound of wooden planks tearing apart.

The seemingly sturdy solid wood gate was smashed open, leaving a huge hole, with cracks spreading along the door panel.

Seeing this, Lu Zhishen laughed loudly, his voice echoing through the valley: "You worthless birds, don't run! Take a bite from my staff!"

Before he finished speaking, he kicked the already dilapidated gate hard, sending it crashing to the ground and splintering wood. Lu Zhishen, carrying his monk's staff, strode towards the inside of the pass.

"Big brother, be careful!" Zhang Shan hurriedly shouted a warning, fearing that there might be traps, tripwires, or fishing nets or other insidious mechanisms inside the pass.

After shouting, he dared not delay. He waved to signal everyone and led the Nguyen brothers and a group of fishermen towards the checkpoint.

Lin Chong also rode closely behind, spear in hand, and charged into the pass.

But when everyone rushed into the checkpoint, the village was already empty.

The guards were already demoralized, and their arrows failed to harm Lu Zhishen in the slightest. Seeing the gate smashed down in a few blows, they were terrified.

They knew the village gate was sturdy, but now that it had been easily breached, they had no will to resist. They simply dropped their weapons and rushed toward the second pass on the mountain, wishing they had two more legs.

Lu Zhishen, clad in heavy armor, could not run fast and could only watch helplessly as his henchmen scattered and fled into the distance. A surge of anger welled up within him, and he swung his staff, shouting:

"Stop running! All of you, stop and fight me for three hundred rounds!"

His shout only made things worse, terrified the henchmen even more, causing them to flee even faster and disappear around the bend in the mountain road in the blink of an eye.

Zhang Shan stepped forward and advised with a smile, "Brother, stop shouting. The more you shout, the faster they'll run."

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter, and the tense atmosphere dissipated considerably.

Ruan Xiaoqi curled her lips, looking disdainful: "These Liangshan bandits are nothing special. They are truly unworthy of their reputation and are so easily defeated."

Ruan Xiaowu quickly pulled him aside and whispered, "Xiaoqi, it's not that the people of Liangshan are so powerful, it's just that Instructor Lin and Commander Lu are exceptionally skilled in martial arts, unlike ordinary people."

Ruan Xiaoer nodded in agreement and said in a deep voice, "Think about it, who can ride a horse and shoot arrows like Instructor Lin, charging through enemy lines with unparalleled skill, or wear dozens of kilograms of heavy armor like Commander Lu, and still lift a monk's staff weighing dozens of kilograms?"

Ruan Xiaoqi scratched his head and grinned, "Of course I can't do that. I'm not afraid of anyone in the water, but my martial arts skills on land are far inferior."

Zhang Shan smiled, said nothing more, and led the group to continue their ascent up the mountain.

Many things seem easy to outsiders, but you only know how complicated they are when you do them yourself.

As the saying goes, "You don't know how difficult something is until you experience it, and you only realize how little you know when you need to use it."

Today's battle has shown the Ruan brothers and the brothers of Shijie Village the skills of a true top expert.

Logically speaking, with the bandits fleeing in disarray and the second pass not yet having regained its footing, it would be the perfect opportunity to launch a surprise attack and take the hilltop in one fell swoop.

But Zhang Shan was not in a hurry; he had his own plans.

What he wanted was not to fight and seize the pass, but to intimidate others with his power.

This terrified Wang Lun and made the Liangshan heroes willingly submit to his orders.