Chapter 180

"Yawn!"

On the two-zhang-high stone wall of Zhujia Zhuang on Dulong Gang,

several village guards were yawning endlessly, slouching lazily on duty.

Their posture made it clear how little they cared about standing guard.

It wasn't that they were neglecting their duty—over the decades since Zhujia Zhuang was founded,

no force had ever breached its walls!

Such a formidable record naturally gave these village guards, who had never seen war, immense confidence.

It was enough that Zhujia Zhuang didn't go out to bully or attack other factions—

who would dare come to attack them?

No exaggeration—even the soldiers in the county jail were no match for them!

Every year during tax season, the county magistrate himself would send messengers to invite Master Zhu of Zhujia Zhuang for consultations.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, a sound like rolling thunder reached the ears of the guards.

"Thunder?"

The lead guard looked up at the sky, but found it crystal blue,

not a single cloud in sight—not at all like rain or thunder was coming!

"Then where is this sound coming from?"

He stared at the clear blue sky, utterly baffled.

"Boss, something's wrong!"

Just as he was puzzled, a shrill, panicked cry jolted him awake.

"Youngsters are always so reckless."

The lead guard recognized the voice—though hoarse, he knew exactly who it was:

a young lad who had joined their patrol squad barely three months ago,

usually lively but obedient.

He was about to impart his seasoned wisdom: "Young men must stay calm,

don't panic over every little thing"—

when he realized the thunderous sound hadn't faded,

but had grown clearer, as if the source was drawing near.

"What's going on?"

He turned instinctively toward the sound's origin,

and froze like a duck with its throat cut—

there, several hundred meters from Zhujia Zhuang, an army armed to the teeth,

spears and blades like a forest, banners flying, was advancing toward them!

On a towering pole, the massive black banner with bold red characters "Liang Shan" stood out unmistakably.

That wasn't thunder—it was the marching footsteps of this army!

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

The lead guard snapped out of his shock after a long moment,

screaming with a voice even more shrill than the young guard's.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

He snatched the drumstick from his stunned comrade's hand,

and slammed it with all his strength against the red-painted war drum on the wall, sounding the alarm.

"Quick! Close the main gate!"

The guards at the gate below didn't know what was happening,

but upon hearing the signal, they moved swiftly,

slamming shut the massive gate—crafted from ironwood several inches thick,

sheathed in heavy iron plating, impervious to fire or flood, weighing over a thousand jin.

And there were three such gates along Zhujia Zhuang's walls!

"Intruders! All men to the walls!"

Inside Zhujia Zhuang, the alerted guards grabbed spears, swords, and bows, rushing to the walls.

In this era where the law barely reached the countryside, the people were fiercely martial.

Those who weren't fierce had long been eliminated in struggles over water rights and oppressive taxes.

"Who dares invade Zhujia Zhuang?"

In the training yard of Zhujia Zhuang's grandest mansion, several men, sweat-drenched and muscles bulging,

were training when they heard the drum and flew into a rage.

Among them, three men, though of different ages, bore striking resemblance—they were brothers.

These three were the celebrated sons of Master Zhu, the lord of Zhujia Zhuang: Zhu Long, Zhu Hu, and Zhu Biao.

Since the alarm came from the drum and the messenger had not yet arrived,

they knew only that invaders had come—they did not yet know they were from Liang Shan.

"Master Luan, shall we go out and meet these bandits?"

Zhu Long, the eldest, fixed his gaze on the man before him, wielding a black iron club,

his body thick with knotted muscle, as if he carried a million jin of strength.

This was their martial arts master, Luan Luan Tingyu,

famed for his formidable martial skill, fierce bravery, and strategic brilliance.

Under his command, surrounding villages and mountain strongholds all submitted in fear,

and Zhujia Zhuang thus dominated the region.

"I was just going to meet these bandits!"

A flicker of irritation crossed Luan Luan Tingyu's stone-like face.

Who in a radius of hundreds of li didn't know he, Luan Luan Tingyu, was stationed at Zhujia Zhuang?

For these bandits to dare invade—clearly they didn't respect him at all!

Today, he must teach these insolent fools a lesson,

make them understand his name wasn't blown up by words—it was forged one iron club at a time!

Zhu Long, Zhu Hu, and Luan Luan Tingyu immediately donned armor, seized weapons, and headed for the wall.

Hmm, though the Great Song forbade private armor,

a powerful clan like Zhujia Zhuang clearly paid no mind to such bans.

The court, unable to control every village and hamlet,

usually turned a blind eye to such violations by powerful clans—

as long as they didn't arm en masse or openly rebel.

The Great Song Court: Everything for existence; existence is everything~

Meanwhile, Zhu Biao, the youngest, went to protect and escort their father,

the soul of Zhujia Zhuang: Master Zhu, the old patriarch.

The invading army had raised the banner "Liang Shan,"

so it was clearly Zhang Zhang Jie's Liang Shan force.

But he hadn't brought his full army—only five hundred elite troops ahead, surrounding Zhujia Zhuang.

And for this, generals like Lu Lu Zhishen were confident:

Five hundred men of Liang Shan could breach Zhujia Zhuang.

This wasn't blind arrogance—it came from disciplined soldiers and superior weaponry.

"Is this even a village?!"

Zhang Zhang Jie, protected at the center of the Liang Shan formation, gazed at Zhujia Zhuang and sighed.

Zhujia Zhuang was shielded by mountains ahead, surrounded by a wide moat,

with three layers of two-zhang-high stone walls, two gates front and back, each with drawbridges.

Inside the walls, watchposts were packed with spears and blades; watchtowers held war drums and bronze gongs.

According to intelligence gathered by Zhu Gui, the village's roads formed a labyrinthine layout,

intricate and confusing: "Easy to enter, impossible to exit."

Beneath the ground lay hidden bamboo spikes and iron caltrops.

With such defenses, this wasn't a village at all—

it rivaled the Great Song's frontier fortresses built to resist the Liao cavalry.

"Lord, Zhujia Zhuang is a miniature fortress.

They dominate this region—even the county magistrate must come here in person to negotiate tax collection!"

They were the undisputed bosses in this area—even the county magistrate had to come to the village in person to negotiate tax collection.

They had to come to the village in person to negotiate with them!

Wang Lun, riding beside Zhang Zhang Jie, fanned himself and smiled.

He had spent many years Shen Ming Ling in Mount Mount Shuipoliang,

and though he didn't know every detail of the Zhu Family Village—a true local tyrant—he knew plenty.

"These local gentry are nothing but earth emperors!"

Zhang Zhang Jie sighed repeatedly.

What exactly is an earth emperor?

The Zhu Family Village is one: they have people, land, and grain, and can raise hundreds or even thousands of troops at any moment;

even the county Gao Yamen fears them, afraid of provoking them into rebellion.

Moreover, the Zhu Family Village has more than that—it has reputation, and an official title recognized by the Great Song government!

Zhu Long, Zhu Hu, and Zhu Biao's father, the old patriarch, is commonly called Zhu Zhu Chaofeng,

but he is not actually surnamed Zhu and named Zhu Chaofeng. Zhu Chaofeng is not a personal name, but an official title,

meaning the old patriarch holds the official position titled "Zhu Chaofeng."

This Zhu Chaofeng position is unique to the Great Song.

Digging deeper into this title is disgusting, because it carries only a name, no authority,

meaning even if the court needs a Zhu Chaofeng to serve, he can politely refuse,

and besides, the court would never think of assigning such an official any duties.

So where did the Zhu Chaofeng come from?

It was a hollow title created by the court specifically to win over local gentry.

Local organizations seeking legal backing naturally turned toward the court,

so some local leaders voluntarily donated silver to the state

to earn an official title linked to the court.

The court was happy to court these influential commoners, keeping them from being driven into rebellion,

and besides, it could profit from them—officials at every level flocked to this opportunity.

According to Great Song regulations, the Zhu Chaofeng rank ranged from fifth to ninth grade,

with the rank directly reflecting the amount of silver donated to the court.

In other words, the Zhu Family Village's arrogance and tyranny

stem precisely from their official credentials—they are legit!

In the past, Zhang Zhang Jie had analyzed county magnates, clan elites, and aristocratic families; the Zhu Family Village was a classic county magnate!

The old patriarch is nothing but a strengthened Prox version of Huang Silang, the Huang Lord!

Within this county, as long as they don't kill officials or rebel, they can act with total impunity!

As Zhang Zhang Jie pondered, he silently compared his own Zhang family with the Zhu family.

He ultimately concluded: before he passed the imperial examination, his Zhang family couldn't even carry the Zhu family's shoes!

Even after he passed the provincial examination and returned to his ancestral village,

and spent decades painstakingly building his influence, he might barely hope to catch up to the Zhu family's stature!

As Zhang Zhang Jie reflected, the Liang Shan force arrived one hundred meters before the Zhu Family Village.

"Form ranks!"

At the commanders' orders, Liang Shan soldiers orderly arranged themselves into a trapezoidal formation,

completely blocking the road before the Zhu Family Village.