novelSusiti Chapter 144 Song Jiang's Failure
Chapter 144 Song Jiang's Failure
With a "whoosh," the arrow pierced the sky.
Pang Wanchun's longbow was incredibly powerful; with a single arrow, he pierced through all three men, killing them in a chain.
Then another arrow was fired, this time with even greater force, heading straight for Shi Bao.
Shi Bao's wind-splitting blade was very powerful, and Wu Song dared not relax at all. He had already used all his strength, but he and Shi Bao were still evenly matched.
Hearing the sound of an arrow piercing the air, Shi Bao was startled and quickly drew his sword to block it.
"when--"
The arrow struck the blade, causing Shi Bao to stagger backward.
Wu Song shouted and slashed fiercely with his knife, striking Shi Bao's knife again, causing Shi Bao's wrist to go numb and almost dropping the knife.
Having succeeded in one move, Wu Song showed no mercy, his moves becoming even faster, forcing Shi Bao to retreat continuously.
On the other side, Wang Lun's martial arts skills were already superior to Song Jiang's. In addition, Song Jiang was flustered at the moment and his hands were unsteady. Wang Lun knocked his knife away and kicked Song Jiang away.
Song Jiang got up and shouted, "Dean Dai, quickly carry me away."
Once Dai Zong unleashed his Swift Steps technique, no one could catch up with him.
But Wang Lun wouldn't give him that chance. He threw his right-hand military dagger like a dart, hitting Dai Zong squarely in the thigh.
Yang Zhi also brandished his spear and knocked Dai Zong to the ground.
Song Jiang's painstakingly planned uprising failed in Wang Lun's eyes, which was like child's play.
After Song Jiang and Dai Zong were captured, Yang Zhi and Pang Wanchun turned to help Zhao Ping'an and Shi Qian. Although Shi Bao's men were skilled, they were no match for Yang Zhi and Pang Wanchun, and they were all killed in no time.
Shi Baoben and Wu Song were evenly matched, but due to Pang Wanchun's sneak attack with an arrow, he was now at a disadvantage. Seeing that his men were all dead, he knew that the mission was doomed to fail, so he seized the opportunity to jump onto the high wall.
He tried to escape by climbing over the wall, but when he jumped over it, he found that hundreds of soldiers had already surrounded him.
Shi Bao immediately cried out in despair, wondering how he could possibly escape now.
When he turned around, Wang Lun, Yang Zhi, Wu Song, and Pang Wanchun stood in a row, smiling at him.
You can't beat them, and you can't escape them.
Wang Lun laughed and said, "Old Shi, come down, let's have a good chat."
Shi Bao's expression was uncertain. After hesitating for a long time, he saw Pang Wanchun raise his longbow. If he did not surrender, he would either be shot to death by Pang Wanchun or go down to fight a big battle and die from exhaustion.
As the saying goes, "A wise man submits to circumstances," Shi Bao hesitated for a long time, but still threw down his knife and jumped down.
Wang Lun said, "It should have been done long ago. Why throw away such a fine man's life in vain? He could have done even more great things with his body."
At this moment, Shi Xiu also returned with his men. Li Kui was bound hand and foot, his legs bleeding profusely, and he was already half-dead.
Wang Lun said, "Take Song Jiang, Li Kui, and Dai Zong to prison for trial tomorrow. Shi Bao is a guest; take him away and keep him under close guard, providing him with good food and drink."
Shi Xiu then led his men to take the group away. Since he hadn't said he would also imprison Shi Bao, he found a room in the yamen and locked Shi Bao up, with dozens of guards at the door.
Wang Lun returned to his seat and continued drinking tea, sighing, "I thought it would be a fierce battle, but I didn't expect that Song Jiang's long-prepared uprising would be all bark and no bite, and wouldn't be able to stir up any waves."
Wu Song hesitated, then realized why Wang Lun's words had sounded so strange—it was because the rebel was Song Jiang.
Wang Lun already knew this and was making arrangements.
Yang Zhi said, "Brother, as you instructed, I secretly led men to keep an eye on Hua Rong and Huang Xin. Although they saw Dai Zong, they haven't made a move. What should we do now?"
Wang Lun knew that Song Jiang would definitely seek out Hua Rong and Huang Xin if he wanted to rebel, but he never expected that neither of them would choose him.
However, the fact that the two had contact with Song Jiang and knew that he was planning a rebellion but failed to report it was intolerable and they had to be punished.
After thinking for a moment, Wang Lun said, "First, lock Hua Rong and Huang Xin up in jail as well, let them reflect on their actions, and release them whenever they want to see me."
Yang Zhi then received the order and led his men down to capture Hua Rong and Huang Xin.
Shi Qian asked, "Song Jiang has met with many people and invited many to drink these days. What should be done with these people?"
Wang Lun said, "Anyone who drank with Song Jiang should have their salary deducted for a month, and Yang Xianfeng should give them a reprimand. That should be enough. They may not know that Song Jiang is planning a rebellion, or they may know but did not participate. It is not appropriate to pursue the matter further."
Shi Qian quickly replied, "Yes. The chieftain is kind-hearted, and these people will surely be grateful to him."
Wang Lun laughed and said, "So you've learned to flatter too? Go and get things done."
The crowd gradually dispersed, and the bloody and turbulent night was finally coming to an end.
Only Wu Song and Pang Wanchun remained by Wang Lun's side.
Wu Song knelt down and said, "I am loyal to my brother. Although I had a past relationship with Song Jiang, I was completely unaware that he had betrayed my brother and Liangshan and even tried to kill my brother. He never mentioned it to me."
Wang Lun helped Wu Song up and said, "Brother Song, I consider you my own brother, so naturally I trust you. I had no suspicion of you this time; I just felt you were in a difficult position, which is why I kept it from you."
Wu Song lowered his head in shame and remained silent.
"Song Jiang wants to rebel, that's his business, what does it have to do with us brothers? Brother Song, we can't let him affect our brotherly relationship. I'll talk to him clearly tomorrow. If he's still stubborn, I'll kill him. If you're having trouble, you can just stay home and sleep tomorrow."
Wang Lun wasn't wary of Wu Song; he knew Wu Song wouldn't betray him and was telling the truth. He was simply afraid of putting Wu Song in a difficult position.
I would be in a difficult position if I were in that situation.
When Wu Song fell into trouble at Chai Jin's mansion, it was Song Jiang who came to his aid. When everyone else looked down on Wu Song, Song Jiang was willing to call him brother.
If Wu Song were to be heartless towards Song Jiang, it would seem unrealistic.
Wu Song is Wu Song, loyal, cautious, and unyielding. He is loyal to Song Jiang and to Wang Lun.
Therefore, Wang Lun had no doubts about him whatsoever.
Wu Song finally left to rest.
Wang Lun also advised him to go back quickly. Now Wu Song is not alone; he has a wife. If he has something on his mind, he should go back and talk to Hu Sanniang. If the couple can have a heart-to-heart talk, the matter will be over.
Pang Wanchun stood in front of Wang Lun and said, "Brother, this time it is still somewhat dangerous. If Hua Rong and Huang Xin listen to Song Jiang's words, we may not be a match for them."
Wang Lun laughed and said, "I know. Hua Rong can command the cavalry archers, and Huang Xin can mobilize a thousand soldiers. If they also join Song Jiang in rebellion, even if they can't kill me, it won't be difficult for them to break out of the city."
He smiled and said, "But I know they won't rebel. It's not that I'm confident in their loyalty to me, but I know they are both good at assessing situations. Now that Song Jiang is planning to hastily rebel with the help of Shi Bao, his preparations are inadequate, and the chances of success are very small. They won't take that risk."
Pang Wanchun frowned and said, "But my brother is still gambling."
Wang Lun nodded: "Yes, I was gambling, but I won. Isn't everything in this world a gamble?"
He patted Pang Wanchun on the shoulder and laughed, "Alright, you must be tired. Go back and rest. In a few days, you'll come with me on a long trip. I've heard there's a very powerful man in Hebei named Lu Junyi. I've calculated that he's about to face a great calamity, so you'll come with me to meet him."