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

Chapter 55 Displaying Supernatural Powers on the Lantern Festival

On the Lantern Festival, Yuncheng was brightly lit.

This is one of the few times when the curfew can be lifted all night.

The Song Dynasty had a curfew, although it has gradually been relaxed and is no longer strictly enforced. However, the Yuncheng and Jizhou areas were plagued by bandits, making the curfew particularly necessary, and thus the curfew in these areas was relatively strict.

The strict control suddenly relaxed, and the entire city's officers, soldiers, and civilians were filled with jubilation.

County Magistrate Shi Wenbin and a group of county officials sat drinking in the tallest building in Yuncheng. There were no beautiful maids by his side. Since taking office, he had worked hard and was honest and upright. Yuncheng was indeed very different from before.

Outside the building, singing and dancing continued unabated. Although it was late at night, the building was brightly lit, creating a peaceful scene.

"After the magistrate took office, the people of Yuncheng lived in peace and prosperity. There were no thieves, and no one picked up lost items on the road. It was truly a blessing for the people and a good thing for the country."

County Lieutenant Wang Shi raised his wine cup and toasted County Magistrate Shi Wenbin.

The two captains on one side also quickly raised their wine glasses.

One was Zhu Tong, the cavalry captain known as "The Bearded Gentleman," and the other was Lei Heng, the infantry captain known as "The Winged Tiger."

"It is not the work of one person in this county that has brought us to where we are today; it is the result of the concerted efforts of three people who have assisted this county."

Shi Wenbin lived up to his name, truly a refined and cultured man. He gently raised his wine cup, took a sip, and said, "What a pity for Clerk Song. He ended up wandering the world because of that slut Yan Poxi."

He admired Song Jiang, and even when Song Jiang got into trouble, he often protected him.

Zhu Tong and Lei Heng were on good terms with Song Jiang, so they both felt a chill in their hearts. Half a year had passed since Song Jiang's incident, and they didn't know where he was.

County Lieutenant Wang Shi sneered and said, "Since that black bastard Song Jiang killed someone, he should be punished by the laws of the Song Dynasty."

As the saying goes, "If you don't see eye to eye, even half a sentence is too much." Shi Wenbin glanced at Wang Shi, displeased, and said, "Although it is the Lantern Festival, which should be a time for celebration, the Liangshan bandits have been keeping a low profile lately. They might be planning something big, so everyone should be careful."

Zhu Tong and Lei Heng quickly clasped their hands in agreement.

"Heh, Wang Lun of Liangshan is nothing to worry about." Wang Shi was very dismissive. He was proud of his martial arts skills and did not take Liangshan seriously at all. "When Liangshan attacked Jizhou half a year ago, it was just a bluff. What is there to be afraid of?"

Shi Wenbin was quite displeased and said, "Huang An, the military commander of Jizhou, is highly skilled in martial arts, but he suffered a loss at the hands of Wang Lun."

"Huang An once discussed martial arts with me, but he was no match for me."

Wang Shi was very confident. He looked at the two constables beside him and said, "Constable Zhu and Constable Lei are also brave enough to fight ten thousand men. I heard that Wu Song, the constable from Yanggu County, has also joined Liangshan. Ha, Constable Wu Song is probably far inferior to our Constable Lei."

Lei Heng quickly replied, "Wu Song once punched a tiger; he is truly a hero. I may not be his match."

While everyone was chatting, Wu Song was listening intently from a private room nearby.

Cao Zheng and Zhao Si were beside him.

Hearing Wang Shi speak so arrogantly, Cao Zheng wanted to go out and challenge him, but seeing Wu Song remain silent, he suppressed his anger.

Hearing Lei Heng praise Wu Song so highly, Cao Zheng whispered, "Before coming to Yuncheng, my brother said that Zhu Tong and Lei Heng were two heroes and that we must not harm them. Now it seems that he was right."

Wu Song nodded and whispered, "I think this magistrate is a good man. We should capture him alive and hand him over to you for punishment, brother."

The other two nodded.

Suddenly, a cannon shot rang out outside, and the people in the city became even more excited, with cheers rising and falling.

It was already midnight.

Wu Song and his companions quietly left the tavern, concealing themselves in the crowd, and slowly made their way towards the city gate.

Behind them, groups of two or three people gradually followed, all of them soldiers from the Liangshan Flying Tiger Army, all of whom were skilled fighters trained by Wu Song during this period.

Shi Wenbin disliked Wang Shi quite a bit, and after listening to his boastful ramblings, he became even more impatient. Seeing that midnight had passed, he stood up and said, "It's late, so I'll go back to rest. I'll have to trouble County Lieutenant Wang to arrange for patrols; nothing should happen tonight."

Wang Shi also stood up and bowed slightly, saying loudly, "The magistrate may go, but as long as I am here, even if Wang Lun were standing in front of me, I would still stab him with a knife."

He then instructed, "Chief Zhu, escort the magistrate back."

Shi Wenbin waved his hand and said "No need," then went downstairs by himself, while Zhu Tong followed behind.

Protecting your leader doesn't mean you don't need to just because they say "no need."

Shi Wenbin's mood improved when he saw Zhu Tong, the "bearded gentleman," following behind him. He knew that Zhu Tong was always quick-witted and capable, especially his beard, which was very handsome and comparable to Guan Yu from the Three Kingdoms period.

"Chief Zhu, how do you think your martial arts skills compare to those of County Lieutenant Wang?"

Upon hearing Shi Wenbin's question, Zhu Tong stepped forward, keeping half a step's distance from the magistrate, and followed behind, saying, "We haven't really fought, but he might not be able to beat me by much."

His martial arts skills were naturally excellent, especially in front of the county magistrate, so he couldn't be too modest.

Shi Wenbin nodded in satisfaction and said, "Keep up the good work, and I'll recommend you to someone in the future."

Shi Wenbin was not one to make empty promises. His words immediately made Zhu Tong overjoyed, and he thanked him, saying, "Thank you for your kind words, Your Excellency."

As they were talking, they suddenly saw the crowd ahead in chaos, with people fleeing in all directions.

Zhu Tong quickly stepped in front of the magistrate, and the two archers behind him also rushed forward to protect him.

"What's going on?" Shi Wenbin immediately sensed something was wrong.

Zhu Tong frowned and said, "Go and take a look quickly."

An archer hurriedly pushed his way through, but there were too many panicked people rushing over, and the archer was pushed back instead.

Zhu Tong knew things were going badly, so he quickly protected the county magistrate and hid in a corner.

The crowd rushed past in disarray. He seized the opportunity, grabbed one of them, and quickly asked, "What's going on up ahead?"

The man recognized Zhu Tong and exclaimed urgently, "The Liangshan bandits are attacking!"

After saying that, the man broke free from Zhu Tong and ran away.

Shi Wenbin's expression changed drastically, and he shouted, "Quickly go and call County Lieutenant Wang to organize troops to meet the enemy."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a deafening shout rang out from the front: "The Liangshan Flying Tiger Army has taken over Yuncheng County. Disarm and you will not be killed."

Judging from the sounds, it seems that the Liangshan bandits have already entered the city.

Shi Wenbin exclaimed in surprise, "What happened? What happened?"

Just then, a group of men with knives came chasing after a group of city guards with menacing intent.

The defending soldiers were completely powerless to fight back, and as they fled, some of them lost their lives.

The Liangshan bandits behind them were extremely fierce, especially their leader, who killed one person with a single blow; no one could survive a single strike.

Before the group of soldiers could even reach Shi Wenbin and his men, they had already been slaughtered.

The Liangshan bandits seemed to have recognized Shi Wenbin from the beginning. The leader waved his hand, and his henchmen surrounded him.

Shi Wenbin was now only facing Zhu Tong and two archers, while there were at least thirty people in front of him, all with fierce eyes.

Zhu Tong gritted his teeth, drew his sword, and stood in front of him, asking, "Who goes there? How dare you launch a night raid on Yuncheng? Don't you value your life?"

The leader sized up Zhu Tong and said in a deep voice, "Wu Song, the tiger slayer."