Chapter 783: Rebellion

Bai Lang did not come here to risk his life for Liangshan; he simply did not want Chao Gai to die. Putting aside the fact that Chao Gai could be considered "a thief with a code" in the traditional sense, just knowing that as long as Chao Gai was around, Song Jiang could not go on about amnesty all day was enough. Perhaps in the future, Chao Gai would also want amnesty, but at least his desire for it would not be as desperate as Song Gongming's. Therefore, if they were to attack Zengtou City the next day, Bai Lang did not intend to lead the charge; he would just protect Chao Gai.

As for whether Song Gongming still harbored thoughts of harming Chao Gai? How could one guard against a thief for a thousand days? As long as Song Jiang had that intention, he would always find an opportunity. If Bai Lang could protect Chao Gai through this calamity, it would already be considered a benevolent act.

For the next three days, Zengtou City hung up a "no-battle" sign and refused to come out. If they were to launch a frontal assault on the walls, Bai Lang would not move, sitting steadily by Chao Gai's side, and the others simply couldn't break through. On the evening of the third day, two monks suddenly arrived at Chao Gai's camp to defect. Bai Lang sat to one side, silent and motionless. The two monks claimed they had been bullied and robbed by the Five Tigers of Zengtou for years and were now willing to lead the Liangshan troops to raid the enemy camp. Lin Chong immediately said this was completely unreliable and that the Heavenly King Chao himself should not move lightly; he suggested letting others go while he remained responsible for support.

Bai Lang remained silent. Chao Gai's entire state of mind had been off lately, far more impatient than in the past. Bai Lang believed this was his destined calamity, where his wisdom would be clouded, leading him to act abnormally. Regardless, he would only focus on protecting Chao Gai. If the Heavenly King insisted on leading troops to raid the camp, he would simply follow along; speaking up to stop him would only damage their relationship. Sure enough, Chao Gai insisted on going, leading the troops himself as if possessed. So, let him go.

They arrived at Fahua Temple under the cover of night. There were few monks left there; when Chao Gai asked, the two monks claimed that because of the constant trouble from the Zeng family, most of the monks had returned to secular life. They then said that once the soldiers in the camp were asleep, they would lead Chao Gai to raid the camp. Bai Lang saw that Chao Gai's inner fire was burning, his soul unsettled; if the Cloud-Entering Dragon Gongsun Sheng were here, he would surely say his time was up. Sure enough, at the third watch, the two monks said the time had come, and Chao Gai mustered his troops to follow.

They hadn't walked five miles when the two monks disappeared. Just as Chao Gai realized something was wrong, Bai Lang soared from his saddle like an eagle, plunging into the darkness, dragging the two bald thieves out and slamming them to the ground. "These two lured us into an ambush." Having said this, Bai Lang drew his blade and decapitated the two bald thieves. Afterward, he mounted his horse, grabbed the head of Chao Gai's horse, and ordered the entire army to be on guard. Sure enough, torches lit up, and arrows rained down from all sides amidst the sound of clappers.

"Do not panic!" Bai Lang roared like a tiger. He tore the armor off a nearby soldier, wrapped it around Chao Gai's face, ordered him to lie flat on his saddle, and had Liu Tang and Bai Sheng protect him, leading the troops in a retreat. Bai Lang walked behind Chao Gai to block the pursuing enemies. This was also to prevent hidden arrows from causing harm; with Bai Lang's martial arts, what he could display here was enough to protect Chao Gai. As for the casualties of the soldiers, as long as the retreat was orderly, they wouldn't be heavy.

Those on the other side were merely bandits from Zengtou City; everyone was much the same.

Bai Lang held the rear, killing anyone who came, and killing a pair if two came. In a short time, he had slaughtered over ten men, and no one dared to pursue further. By the time they reached the temple, the sky was already faintly bright. Then, the Zeng family army attacked from all directions. Bai Lang only focused on protecting Chao Gai, leaving the outer perimeter command to the other leaders. By dawn, they returned to the camp, and upon counting the troops, two-tenths were lost. Lin Chong said, "We cannot win like this; we should return to the Liangshan Marsh first, regroup, and fight again."

Everyone agreed, and Chao Gai himself shouted three times, "It infuriates me!" After which he spat out a mouthful of blood, and his whole person withered. Bai Lang observed his Qi and found that he had only damaged his vital energy and was not in mortal danger. "Passing a tribulation is like this; just losing vital energy is already lucky." The group retreated rapidly, and several days later they returned to Liangshan Marsh. By this time, Chao Gai's condition had improved significantly, though he was quite ashamed. "I fell for a trap," were Chao Gai's self-reproachful words.

The subsequent matters were left to Song Jiang. Chao Gai recuperated at Liangshan Marsh, and at this time, Bai Lang proposed his departure—Shi Yi had written to say that he was in conflict with the Demon Cult and wanted Bai Lang to come and help. Zengtou City could be fought by whoever wanted to; Bai Lang had also clearly seen that Song Jiang's rise to power was likely unavoidable—Chao Gai's ability to be the big brother was limited, and he would eventually be sidelined. Bai Lang could save him this once, but he could not make him possess the aura of a king from then on...

Bai Lang took a boat south, while Song Jiang mobilized the entire Liangshan army to attack Zengtou City. Bai Lang remembered that this was where Wu Yong had tricked Lu Junyi into joining the mountain. "Let's not worry about him. This Shi Yi seems to be talking about rebelling." It wasn't just a problem with the Demon Cult; the Great Song had peasant uprisings every year, and Shi Yi, as an outsider, was being heavily exploited by the local officials. Recently, it seemed the south had suffered another disaster, and the situation was already on the verge of exploding.

Shi Yi said he was preparing to relocate, moving the new Shi Family Manor to the Jiangzhou area—the Demon Cult was powerful in the Liang-Zhe region, and it looked like they might rebel at any moment. Shi Yi had conflicts with them, especially since he didn't believe in their ways, and Bai Lang's trip was also to help. Shi Yi sold off his fields one by one, hired a boat to load up gold, silver, and valuables, and took Hu Sanniang, Shi Xiao, and Shi Xiaomei to travel upstream, while Bai Lang waited in Jiangzhou Prefecture.

By the time they were settled, more than three months had passed. Shi Yi, Hu Sanniang, and Bai Lang were preparing to go to Liangshan, but they saw that the common people outside Jiangzhou Prefecture were in extreme misery and had risen in rebellion. Over these years, the oppression of the Great Song had become heavier, and with the exploitation by minor officials and local gentry, the people truly could no longer survive. The first thing this rebel force did was open the manors of local corrupt gentry to take grain and relief for the poor. However, the local government sent troops to suppress the rebellion, and Shi Yi couldn't stand by.

The Jiangzhou Prefecture army of five thousand came over like fierce demons, intending to use the heads of the villagers to claim military merit. Suddenly, several people rushed out from before them, led by a warrior in white armor on a white horse, holding a bright silver Hao Long Dan spear. "You thieves who harm the people! Taste my silver spear!" Shi Yi charged directly into the five thousand troops, while Bai Lang followed closely behind, engaging in foot combat. As for Hu Sanniang, she was assigned to protect Shi Xiao and Shi Xiaomei. Shi Yi and his horse became one, killing into the formation like a white dragon. The Hundred Birds Facing the Phoenix spear unfolded, and it seemed as if birds in the sky were knocking those soldiers on horseback to the ground.

One by one, they were struck in vital spots and died upon hitting the ground. Bai Lang entered the formation a step slower; he wielded his horse spear to break the infantry formation. The spearhead of the horse spear was a sword, extremely sharp, and under Bai Lang's wielding, each strike slashed, stabbed, and pierced over ten people. In just a few breaths and a few swings, he had already slaughtered over a hundred men, and the remaining troops began to scatter directly. The central army general was furious, but seeing Shi Yi's horse approaching quickly, he hurriedly raised his Phoenix Feather Saber and mounted his horse to meet the challenge.

As the long saber swung, it suddenly stopped. Shi Yi, who was killing with great excitement, was at the height of his momentum, and the killing intent of the Hundred Birds Facing the Phoenix pushed his martial arts to a very high level. One spear thrust was like a phoenix flying, directly taking the general's life. After the general fell from his horse, the remaining crowd threw away their helmets and armor and fled. Bai Lang and Shi Yi pursued them; they didn't kill many people, but they left behind many carts, horses, and weapons. At this time, the rebelling common people came over trembling to pick up the weapons, and when they saw Shi Yi turning his horse back, they knelt directly on the ground, "Begging the Great Lord to save our lives!" ===== CHAPTER 784 =====