Water Margin: From a White-Robed Scholar to Donning the Yellow Robe

Chapter 118 Song Jiang kills Huang Wenbing with a stick

A fire that broke out in the middle of the night naturally attracted attention from all sides.

The garrison on the walls of Jiangzhou discovered the fire and immediately reported it to Huang Wenbing.

Upon hearing that the fire originated from the direction of Wuwei Army, Huang Wenbing was greatly alarmed. He immediately went to pay his respects to Cai Jiu and urgently said, "My village is on fire. Please lead a group of men to help."

Cai Jiu, still half asleep, nodded and said, "Alright, lead five hundred men to put out the fire when you hear that it is the Wuwu Army where Huang Wenbing is stationed."

During the day, Cai Jiu's house also caught fire, but fortunately, only Shi Qian set the fire, and it was quickly extinguished without causing much damage.

As for the seven stolen pearls, Cai Jiu was only angry for a moment. Those pearls were seven-colored luminous pearls that were tributes from the Western Regions. The Song emperor then bestowed them upon Cai Jing, which is how they ended up in Cai Jiu's hands.

Although the seven-colored luminous pearl is a treasure, Cai Jiu is the son of a high-ranking official and the prefect of a wealthy region. What kind of treasures doesn't he have?

Huang Wenbing hurriedly led five hundred soldiers toward Wuwu Army. The further they went, the bigger the fire became, turning the night red. He grew even more anxious.

Upon reaching the riverbank, the soldiers found several official boats, and the group boarded them to proceed.

As the boat reached the middle of the river, a small boat sped towards them in the darkness, carrying two men who were rowing vigorously.

Huang Wenbing shouted, "Who are you people?"

Upon seeing that the men on the boat were government soldiers, the man immediately replied, "A fire has broken out in Wuwei Army. I have been ordered to come to Jiangzhou to report the news."

Although they were talking, their hands were not idle; the small boat had already approached Huang Wenbing's official boat.

Huang Wenbing asked, "Where did the fire start?"

The man said, "It was the house of Magistrate Huang. Oh dear, what a huge fire! Everything is burned to the ground. I just don't know if anyone in the mansion escaped."

Upon hearing that it was his own home, Huang Wenbing became even more anxious and cursed, "Could it be that the Liangshan bandits are taking revenge on me? How hateful!"

As they were talking, the two men on the boat suddenly jumped up from the small boat and pounced on Huang Wenbing.

Huang Wenbing was shocked and reacted quickly, immediately walking backwards, but he couldn't dodge in time. He hadn't taken more than a few steps when someone grabbed his foot and he fell onto the deck.

The soldiers behind him immediately stepped forward, but then they heard the sound of bowstrings in the distance, followed by several cries of "Ah ah!" In the blink of an eye, several soldiers fell, all with arrows in their throats.

Several boats sailed over on the river, led by Wang Lun, Li Jun, and Hua Rong.

Hua Rong shouted, "You all step back! I am Hua Rong, the Little Li Guang of Liangshan. I am here to capture Huang Wenbing and avenge him. This has nothing to do with you. Anyone who steps forward will only face death."

With a swift movement of his bowstring, he killed several more men.

The soldiers dared not step forward and watched as the two men on the boat tied up Huang Wenbing.

These two men were none other than the brothers Zhang Heng and Zhang Shun, who were skilled at robbing and kidnapping people on ships and were highly efficient.

They tied up Huang Wenbing, threw him onto a small boat, and the two of them jumped onto the small boat as well, rowing back to Wang Lun and the others' fleet.

The officers and soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment and had no choice but to return to the shore and send someone to Jiangzhou to report to Prefect Cai Jiu.

When Wang Lun and the others captured Huang Wenbing and brought him back, Song Jiang was still drunk.

Wang Lun feared that Cai Jiu might send a large army if he became angry, so he ordered someone to splash water on Song Jiang to wake him up.

Song Jiang was woken up by the splash, still feeling very dizzy, but he saw a person kneeling in front of him, none other than Huang Wenbing.

He rubbed his eyes, thinking he was just seeing things because he was drunk.

Upon closer inspection, the man was indeed Huang Wenbing, and he was both surprised and delighted.

But then he saw Wang Lun, Li Jun, Hua Rong and others standing to the side with half-smiles. Song Jiang was immediately embarrassed and said, "I was drunk and didn't expect the chieftain to have already captured this thief."

Wang Lun laughed and said, "Now that the person has been brought here, he has committed many evil deeds and deserves to die. How you kill him is your business."

He then led everyone out of Song Jiang's room to discuss matters outside.

Inside, Song Jiang's cursing voice could be heard. He cursed for a long time until his voice became hoarse. Then, Huang Wenbing's screams were heard, followed by a series of sounds of sticks hitting flesh.

About half an hour later, there was no more movement inside.

Wang Lun and the others sat outside. Wang Lun said, "We have offended Jiangzhou this time, and the imperial court will definitely issue a warrant for our arrest. Brother Li Jun, Brother Tong, Brother Mu, Brother Zhang, why don't we all go to Liangshan together? There, no government soldiers will dare to interfere, and we can all have a good time."

Li Jun and the others then knelt down and said, "We are willing to follow our chief and go to Liangshan together."

Wang Lun helped the group up and said with a smile, "Very good. Since you have already sold your family property, then don't delay any longer. Set off tomorrow. However, I still have things to do. I will separate from you with Zhishen and Hua Rong. When you arrive in Jizhou, just give your names, and Lin Chong will take good care of you."

Li Jun said, "I don't know where you are going, brother. I am very familiar with the Jiangnan area. Why don't I escort you?"

Wang Lun's heart stirred. If Li Jun were by his side, it would be even better, so he nodded in agreement.

The others were Li Ying, Li Kui, and the Tong Zhangmu brothers. Wang Lun continued, "Since Brother Li Jun is coming with me, you should head north. You must not kill innocent people, do anything unjust, or use the Liangshan banner to commit evil deeds."

Except for Li Kui, the others clasped their hands in agreement.

Wang Lun looked at Li Kui and laughed, "Brother Li Kui, what are you thinking about?"

Li Kui said, "The chieftain captured Huang Wenbing so easily, which is truly admirable. I admire him. Now that things are like this, I am naturally willing to go to Liangshan. However, I have already sworn to follow Brother Song Jiang. Wherever he goes, I will go. Whether or not to go to Liangshan is up to him to decide."

Song Jiang, who was inside the house, had already heard everything. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but he finally realized that he could not contend with Wang Lun. The best course of action now was to go to Liangshan first and then make further plans.

He then took the wooden stick and went out, saying, "Chief, Song Jiang is naturally willing to go to Liangshan. Since Tie Niu is willing to follow, he will come with me."

His wooden stick was covered in blood and flesh; he had beaten Huang Wenbing to death.

After discussion, everyone agreed that Song Jiang would travel with Li Kui and Li Ying.

Mu Hong and Mu Chun escorted Old Master Mu along the way.

The remaining four, Tong Wei, Tong Meng, Zhang Heng, and Zhang Shun, traveled together.

By scattering the crowd, it would be less likely to attract the attention of the soldiers. With fewer people, if they encountered soldiers, they could hide in the mountains. However, with more people, it would be more difficult to escape.

Wang Lun, along with Lu Zhishen, Li Jun, Hua Rong, and Zhao Si, left Mu Family Village overnight. They first headed north, and then turned east at dawn.

They enjoyed the scenery along the way without being disturbed by anyone, and had a very pleasant time.

With Li Jun, a local from the Jiangnan region, as their guide, they visited all the famous historical sites in the nearby prefectures and sampled all the fine wines and delicacies.

They traveled north or east, and arrived at Jiankang Prefecture several days later.

Upon arriving in Jiankang Prefecture, Wang Lun was overjoyed. This was Nanjing, the future capital of the Ming Dynasty. Now that he was here, he naturally wanted to enjoy the sights.

The group found the best inn in Jiankang City and stayed there. Wang Lun spent his days sightseeing and enjoying himself immensely.

When Zhao Si woke up that morning, he suddenly felt feverish all over and couldn't move.