The Thief Prince

Three large ships sailed in, pressing down on the water's surface. Without Li Zheng giving the order, the Black Wind Bandits were already on alert.

The henchmen stepped forward with wooden shields and covered Li Zheng's body.

The archers took their crossbows from the cart and aimed them at the large ship.

Zheng Qing also jumped ashore and quickly walked to Li Zheng's side, whispering, "Brother, this is a sea falcon ship, a large ship of the Great Zhou Navy. I wonder where Gan Zhu got it from."

"But brother, you can rest assured. The sea falcon is a sea vessel with a deeper draft, so it cannot sail to the shore."

Li Zheng nodded slightly.

Gan Zhu is really arrogant to have allowed government ships to sail into the inner harbor.

Looking at the imposing appearance of those three large ships, I couldn't help but feel a little envious.

As the three large ships approached, twenty or thirty pirates stood on their decks, each with a sword and bow at his side and a copper bell on his body.

A man stood at the bow of the first sea falcon ship. Seeing hundreds of people lined up on the shore, the man was not afraid at all. Instead, he loudly asked:

"Where did these bandits come from, gathering here? Don't they know that Liangshan Marsh is my territory, Ganzhu's territory?"

Li Zheng looked towards the bow of the boat and saw that the man was tall, with a broad face and thick eyebrows. He had a brocade headscarf tied behind his head, and one arm was bare, revealing a tanned, muscular physique.

He wore a crimson-gold crown on his head, a brocade battle robe on his body, and a long sword at his waist.

Standing at the bow of the boat with his arms crossed, he exuded an imposing and extraordinary aura, reminiscent of Gan Xingba, the Tiger General of Jiangdong.

Li Zheng knew that this person must be the real deal.

He then stepped forward and said, "Are the brothers on the ship Gan Zhu, the 'Jin Fan Pirate'? May I come forward for a chat?"

Gan Zhu sized him up a few times and retorted, "You know my name, but I don't know you, yet you don't give me your name. Is that the rule of the martial world?"

Li Zheng was not angry. He cupped his hands and said, "I am Li Zheng, leader of the Black Wind Bandits."

"Li Zheng? Which Li Zheng?"

Gan Zhu seemed somewhat surprised, then spoke rapidly:

"But what about Li Zheng, the 'Suppressor of Shandong,' who destroyed three strongholds, captured Dang County, attacked Shanzhou Prefecture, captured the prefect alive, and shot the Nanjing garrison commander with an arrow from two hundred paces away?"

Li Zheng remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was genuinely surprised.

My reputation has spread so far? Even these river pirates know about me.

But then he thought about it again and realized something was wrong. He had only been back from Nanjing for a few days, so how could the news of the arrow being shot at Nanjing have spread so quickly?

Gan Zhu seemed to see his doubt and said, "Don't underestimate us water pirates. Which river in the Great Zhou is not connected? News on the water is much more reliable than on land."

Li Zheng thought about it and felt that there was some truth to what he said.

In the ancient society of the Great Zhou Dynasty, where commerce was highly developed, water transport was the primary mode of transportation.

Compared to the way news spread from village to village on land, each boat trip on the waterway was a news exchange, which was naturally much faster.

Li Zheng cupped his hands and said, "I am indeed Li Zheng!"

I thought that once Gan Zhu heard my name, even if he didn't immediately bow down, he would at least be a little more polite.

To everyone's surprise, he remained arrogant, scoffing, "So what if you're in charge of Shandong? You're only in charge of Shandong's territory, but I'm the Dragon King of the waters. Why should I give you face?"

Li Zheng wasn't annoyed. He laughed and said, "We're all brothers under heaven. Brother Gan, come down and have a drink with me, and that's it. What's the point of talking about face?"

Gan Zhu crossed her arms and said, "What if I don't drink?"

Based on just these few sentences, Li Zheng could tell that this person was stubborn and wouldn't listen to reason, but was a stubborn mule who needed to be coaxed.

After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Brother Gan, may I ask if my fighting against corrupt officials and killing government troops counts as being a hero?"

Gan Zhu nodded and said, "That's true."

Li Zheng added, "I am not well-educated, but I have heard the story of Gan Zhechong. He was a chivalrous man in his youth and loved to make friends with heroes from all over the world."

"If General Gan were here, given the mutual respect between heroes, would he be willing to befriend me?"

Gan Zhu remained silent for a moment; he usually held his ancestors in the highest esteem.

Gan Ning rose to the positions of Prefect of Xiling and General Zhechong, which is how he acquired the title of Gan Zhechong.

The fact that Li Zheng could name Gan Ning shows that he is very familiar with Gan Ning's deeds and that he admires Gan Ning.

This made Gan Zhu feel more favorably toward him.

Then he threw his head back and laughed loudly: "Excellent! Zhen Shandong truly lives up to its name!"

"Your wine is worth a drink for me." He stopped laughing and said seriously, "But not today, my brothers and I still have to go beg for food on the river."

"Let's meet again another day and enjoy a drink together."

Li Zheng clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Very well, I will be waiting for you on Liangshan Mountain."

"Liangshan?" Gan Zhu's expression suddenly changed. "You all want to go to Liangshan in Bozhong to become outlaws?"

Li Zheng didn't know why he asked that, but he nodded and said, "That's exactly right."

Gan Zhu's tone changed slightly: "In that case, whether you can drink this bowl of wine or not depends on your ability."

Li Zheng sensed the hidden meaning in his words and pressed further, "Brother Gan Zhu, do you mean that the mountain already has an owner?"

Gan Zhu did not answer directly, but shook his head: "The people on the mountain have a past with me, but I cannot say more about the others."

He then clasped his hands in a fist salute to Li Zheng and turned to walk towards the cabin.

The three sea hawk ships turned around, and the sound of drums and music resumed as they gradually headed deeper into the water.

Watching the ship sail away, Li Zheng asked Zheng Qing beside him, "Sister, have you heard of anyone joining the Liangshan outlaws?"

Zheng Qing also asked in confusion, "No, I haven't heard of any merchants or fishermen being robbed."

That's strange. If there are no bandits on Liangshan, then who is on it?

Wu Anqing stepped forward: "Brother."

Li Zheng turned around and said in a deep voice, "Have the brothers put on their armor, bring their weapons, and get ready."

Wu Anqing responded, "Yes."

The Black Wind Bandits on the shore unfurled their armor, donned their weapons, drew their swords and spears, and nocked their bows and crossbows.

The Zheng siblings directed the fishing boats to dock one by one, and everyone boarded the boats in turn, the water level of the fishing boats rising and falling.

Li Zheng stepped onto the foremost fishing boat and felt the water lapping against the bottom of the boat. The reeds on the shore gradually receded, and the water surface became wider and wider.

As the fleet continued to move forward, Liangshan gradually emerged from the fog.

But the entire Liangshan Mountain was steep on all sides, with its foot submerged in water and its waist covered with a dense thicket of trees, making it impossible to see inside.

Further up, the fog obscured most of the mountain, leaving only a few bare, grayish-white rock peaks exposed.

The fleet approached the shore, and the water gradually became shallower.

A mudflat appeared before us, with golden sand covering the entire shore, and pebbles of all sizes scattered on it, smoothed and rounded by the water.

He suddenly remembered that in the novel "Water Margin," the heroes would greet and send off guests here.

I knew in my heart that this was the Golden Beach.

Zheng Zhou asked from behind, "Brother, are we docking?"

Li Zheng nodded: "Stop the boat and disembark!"

Zheng Zhou's skills were excellent. The bottom of the boat gently brushed against the sand and stones, and the boat came to a stop after a slight pause.

Li Zheng stepped over the gunwale and became the first to set foot on Liangshan's land.