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The master and servant had just breathed a sigh of relief when
A servant came in to report.
It is said that people from Zhujiazhuang have arrived.
"Please!"
Li Yingxian subconsciously said something.
Then it suddenly dawned on me.
"Wait a minute, wait until I'm ready before you go and invite the people from the Zhu Family Village in."
After giving instructions to the servants,
Li Ying hurriedly returned to his bedroom.
After a while,
When Du Xing led the messenger from Zhujiazhuang into the bedroom...
What I saw was someone lying in bed,
Li Ying was deathly pale.
"Master Li, this is a letter from my master!"
The messenger took a letter from his pocket and handed it over.
"The Liangshan army is already heading towards Dulonggang. My master hopes that Master Li can keep his promise and lead his men to support Zhujiazhuang."
Li Ying did not immediately reply to the messenger's message.
After reading the letter...
After confirming that what was written above was exactly what the messenger had said,
Li Ying then answered in a trembling voice.
"The joint defense of the three villages was originally intended, but as you saw, last night I caught a cold for some reason, and in the rush, I was simply unable to lead the able-bodied men into battle..."
The messenger glanced at Li Yingde's expression.
He definitely looks like he has contracted a serious illness.
He then offered his suggestion.
“If it is inconvenient for Master Li, then it would be better if Steward Du led the able-bodied men there.”
Li Ying replied in a trembling voice, "I refuse!"
"Du Xing is the steward of Li Family Village. All the affairs of the village, from top to bottom, cannot be separated from him."
"Since neither Master Li nor Steward Du are available,"
The messenger then suggested,
"Then why doesn't the manor lord order the gathering of five hundred manor guards, which I will then lead back? What do you say?"
"this......"
Li Yinggang wanted to speak,
Du Xing, who was standing to the side, slammed his fist on the table and roared angrily.
"Nonsense! My Li Family Village only has a population of a little over a thousand. If you take five hundred of your men with you, what will we do if Liangshan comes after us?"
"Steward Du, please calm down!"
The messenger was startled.
"Since the three families are united in defense, if Liangshan wants to attack Li Family Village, our Zhu Family Village will naturally not stand idly by."
"Hmph, I can't trust the Zhu family!"
Du Xing wanted to say something more,
Li Ying suddenly shouted sharply,
"Shut up! How dare you, a mere servant, speak like that!"
After teaching Du Xing a lesson,
Li Ying looked at the messenger apologetically.
"Alas, with me bedridden, even the estate is almost out of control!"
"Go back first and tell your master that once Li Ying recovers from his serious illness, he will immediately lead the servants to help him!"
After saying this,
Li Ying then revealed that he was dwindling in strength.
Then Du Xing once again took on the role of the villain.
They chased him away with a mix of scolding and expulsion.
They drove the messenger directly out of Lijia Village.
Seeing the messenger from the Zhu Family Village slink away in disgrace,
Du Xing returned to his bedroom.
Li Ying had already gotten out of bed.
"The messenger has already left?"
“He’s gone, but I’m afraid if he goes back and reports what happened, Zhu Chaofeng will definitely be furious.”
Du Xing said with some concern.
"The Zhu Family Village is struggling to survive itself; how could they possibly care about us?"
Li Ying pondered for a moment, then gave the instructions.
"In the next two days, have the servants in the manor prepare to depart at any time."
"In addition, you should also send someone to keep a close eye on the Zhu Family Village."
"Report immediately whichever side, Liangshan or Zhu Family Village, is gaining the upper hand or losing the lower hand!"
"Does Master wish to add icing to the cake?"
Du Xing inquired,
"Whichever of these two has the best chance of winning, we'll help them."
"Adding flowers to brocade is not as practical as providing charcoal in the snow."
Li Ying smiled slightly.
"We'll side with whoever is losing!"
Du Xing was stunned for a moment,
His eyes suddenly lit up.
"Master's plan is indeed the best solution at present!"
"If we act this way, and Liangshan ultimately wins, then Zhao Dalang of Dongjing, who values his reputation, will certainly not easily attack the Li Family Village again,"
Li Ying smiled smugly.
"And if the Zhu Family Village wins, it will certainly be a Pyrrhic victory. At that time, they will probably be too weak to annex us..."
Chapter 398 Luan Tingyu's Night Raid
The head of Zhu Family Manor
Zhu Chaofeng received the message and the messenger returned with a report.
Knowing that Li Ying would use illness as an excuse,
After refusing to bring his servants to help...
He immediately flew into a rage and started cursing.
"This Li Ying is truly a coward. Back when the three villages joined forces for defense, they clearly agreed to help each other. Now that he sees the strength of Liangshan, he's too scared to come!"
"Such a faithless and ungrateful person will surely suffer a terrible death sooner or later!"
When the old manor lord was cursing...
He'd forgotten that he'd previously plotted against his son.
How did they annex someone else's estate?
"Father, if Li Ying doesn't want to come, then he doesn't have to."
Zhu Biao said with a face full of arrogance,
"Those Liangshan bandits are nothing but a bunch of mountain thieves. After we defeat them, we'll settle accounts with that Sky-Piercing Eagle."
"Can......"
Zhu Chaofeng wanted to say something more.
Beside Zhu Biao, a burly man with a steel-bearded chin laughed loudly.
“Master, there is no need to worry. The Third Young Master is right. Although Liangshan seems powerful, they are ultimately just bandits.”
"Since they dared to attack the Zhu Family Village, my three sons and I will make sure they never return!"
The man who spoke was none other than Luan Tingyu, the Iron Rod.
This man possesses the courage to withstand ten thousand men.
In the original Water Margin world,
Luan Tingyu and Qin Ming fought for more than twenty rounds without a clear victor.
That Thunderbolt only knows how to be brave and fierce.
Luan Tingyu, however, feigned defeat and directly used a tripwire.
They captured Qin Ming alive.
This shows that
In terms of martial prowess, Luan Tingyu is no less than Qin Ming.
Yet he was more cunning than Thunderbolt.
Although Luan Tingyu held the position of teacher in Zhujiazhuang,
But after he arrived at Zhujiazhuang...
In addition to teaching the three Zhu brothers martial arts,
They were also responsible for training the guards of the Zhu Family Manor.
The Zhu Family Village was able to stand out among the three villages of Dulonggang.
It can be said that all of this is thanks to Luan Tingyu.
"Since Teacher Luan is so confident, then this battle will be handed over to Teacher Luan to command."
Zhu Chaofeng sincerely entrusted the matter to him.
"Please rest assured, Master."
Luan Tingyu patted his chest and assured him,
"In this battle, we will surely defeat those Liangshan bandits!"
........
After Zhu Chaofeng handed over all the servants of the Zhu Family Manor to Luan Tingyu for command,
Teacher Luan immediately sent out spies.
They carefully investigated the movements of the Liangshan army.
Upon learning that Liangshan had gathered a large force,
When we were only about ten miles away from Dulonggang,
Luan Tingyu reorganized the farm's men and soldiers.