The Thief Prince

As Liu Ruozai and the group of prisoners left the city gate, they felt a chill in the autumn wind and the sunlight was dim.

Looking up at the official road, he saw it was completely empty, without a single ghost in sight, which made him even more uneasy.

Niu Ang, however, continued to chatter on: "My lord, don't be angry. I've been to Hejian Prefecture in the north. As long as it's not a battle with the Liao dogs, I will protect you."

Liu Ruozai just shook his head and smiled bitterly, without answering.

Hearing the noise coming from this side, the constable turned around and yelled, "Shut your mouth! Don't make me beat you with this stick!"

Niu Ang, however, was not afraid. He nodded and bowed with a grin, saying, "Master, please don't be angry. We will keep quiet."

The officer snorted coldly and turned to leave.

After leaving the city gate, the group walked for about ten miles and arrived at a large, dense forest.

Seeing that the forest was unusually quiet, without even a bird in sight, Liu Ruozai's heart began to pound.

He remembered that Sun Wang had said he would come to his rescue along the way. This forest was deep and dense, wasn't it a good place to set up an ambush?

Just as he was pondering this, Niu Ang suddenly whispered from behind, "Sir, something's not right. There are quite a few people hiding in this forest."

Liu Ruozai was startled and was about to speak when the constable came over again, carrying a fire-and-water stick, and began to berate him: "You scoundrel, I told you not to make a fuss, why don't you shut up?"

As he spoke, he raised the stick and began to strike.

Before Niu Ang could beg for mercy, there was a muffled thud.

Then look at the constable, he is lying on his back on the ground, blood gushing from his mouth, and an arrow shaft three to five inches long protruding from his chest.

Just as the constables nearby were about to shout, several more "plop plop" sounds came from the woods.

Seven or eight crossbow bolts flew out, shooting down the first few constables.

When Niu Ang looked into the woods, he saw more than ten people jump down from the trees, each holding a crossbow; they were Sun Wang and his men.

Liu Ruozai looked back again and saw more than ten people appearing behind the official road, wielding swords and rushing towards them.

The leader, wearing a turban, quickly stepped forward to help Liu Ruozai: "Lord Liu, we are late."

Wei Heng stepped forward, drew his wrist-cutting knife, cut the ropes, and shattered the shackles on Liu Ruozai's shoulders.

Liu Ruozai, now free, grew increasingly anxious. Looking around, he asked, "When you left the city, did you see any other troops following us?"

Wang Yuan shook his head, and just as he was about to ask, Niu Ang laughed loudly, "Sir, you were prepared all along! Brother, quickly help me untie this too!"

Wang Yuan looked at Liu Ruozai, who said, "This man is not a bad person by nature; if we can save him, we should."

Wang Yuan nodded, and Wei Heng stepped forward and broke Niu Ang's shackles.

Wang Yuan then asked, "Why do you say that, sir?"

Liu Ruozai said, "I just feel flustered..."

Before he finished speaking, a chorus of wooden clappers suddenly sounded from all sides.

From the hills on all sides, groups of people emerged, the closest less than a hundred paces away.

The leading general, with a thick beard and fierce eyes, wielded a large iron sword; he was none other than He Zhihan, the military commander of Danzhou.

He Zhihan reined in his horse, glanced around, and sneered, "I thought the Black Wind Bandits were so powerful, but they're just twenty or thirty men. They dare to try and kidnap prisoners?"

Wang Yuan looked around and saw that there were at least six or seven hundred soldiers surrounding him. He immediately felt dizzy and thought, "We've fallen into a trap!"

Ding Qi, wielding a long staff, shouted, "Charge out!"

Having said that, he swung his long staff up and down, knocking away the approaching soldiers one by one.

Wei Heng, standing to the side, also wielded a broadsword, and with a single stroke, he cleaved a soldier in two at the waist, roaring, "Kill!"

Blood splattered onto Niu Ang's face, but the sight of blood only fueled his spirits, and he punched a nearby soldier in the face.

The soldier's nose was shattered, and blood splattered all over Liu Ruozai's face.

Niu Ang did not retreat, but instead drew the steel knife from the soldier's waist.

Just as he was about to rush into the crowd, Wang Yuan grabbed him, saying, "Brother, protect Master Liu!"

Although Niu Ang was somewhat reluctant, he did not refuse and took two steps back to stand in front of Liu Ruozai.

The number of government and soldiers was twenty or thirty times that of the Liangshan heroes. No matter how brave the Liangshan heroes were, they could not withstand the surging tide of people.

Within moments, more than a dozen people had fallen to the ground, and several leaders were also wounded, struggling to stay afloat.

Wang Yuan gripped his short sword and slashed wildly in all directions, his heart filled with increasing sorrow.

He volunteered himself, and his brother trusted him completely, entrusting him with the overall planning.

Now, we've spent a lot of money, but we've fallen into the government army's trap. Not only have we failed to rescue the people, but so many of our brothers have also perished here.

I am willing to die, but how can I live up to my brother's expectations?

On a whim, he immediately called out to Sun Wang, who was not far away, "Brother Sun Wang, this is a difficult situation. You should fight your way out and return to Liangshan to report back to our brother!"

Sun Wang hurriedly replied, "How could I be the kind of person who would betray my brothers?"

Wang Yuan said, "If we don't do it this way, we'll all perish here!"

Sun Wang gritted his teeth, looked up and spotted a patrolling scout in the distance, and immediately shouted, "Cover me!"

Ding Qi and Wei Heng understood each other perfectly, roared in unison, and charged with all their might toward the densest part of the government troops.

Ding Qi swept his long staff across the ground, knocking down seven or eight soldiers in succession.

Then, with a loud shout, he declared, "All the heroes of Black Wind Stronghold are here!"

Taking advantage of the soldiers' attention being diverted, Sun Wang crouched low and slipped into the crowd, running at full speed.

Upon reaching the edge of the battlefield, taking advantage of the scout's unpreparedness, Sun Wang suddenly leaped high into the air and slashed him off his horse with a single stroke.

He then leaped onto the horse's back, turned it around, and galloped away.

Looking back, he saw that his brothers had been caught by the government troops with grappling hooks and tripped by lassos.

The poor heroes of Black Wind were outnumbered and were captured.

The government general had already looked over and was leading dozens of cavalrymen in pursuit.

He Zhihan then drew his bow and shot an arrow.

With a whoosh, the arrow pierced Sun Wang's arm, causing excruciating pain.

Sun Wang grunted, gripped the horse's belly tightly, and lay prone on its back as it fled north for its life.