Magical Water Margin: They all call me brother

Page 106

Chapter 287: Three Guns Fight the Azure and Crimson Dragon Flash (Bonus Chapter)

Dong Ping stared in shock ahead as the azure torrent of subspace erupted from Yang Zhi's source! His eyes transformed into dragons, sprouting horns, but the subspace transformations didn't cease. His battle robes and armor vaporized and vanished like withered leaves, replaced by billions of rapidly condensing azure jade dragon scales with edges rippling with spatial energy! His body swelled, stretched, and transformed wildly within the pure destructive energy!

A thunderous roar, as if steel had been reforged, shook the earth, causing it to crack. A colossal dragon body, long and elegant yet containing terrifying power, broke through its energy cocoon and proudly appeared! It had transformed from human form into a majestic azure dragon! Its serpentine body was covered with thick scales of azure jade-like texture, each scale reflecting a cold, cosmic light like stars, with golden, mysterious runes flowing between the scales; its back was no longer covered with gentle mane, but rather with a vibrant, living aura of azure energy, pulsating and spewing pure, annihilating light.

Her head was majestic like a mountain created by the gods, with two enormous dragon horns, as tall as trees, rising into the sky, prominently displayed on her forehead.

With each graceful, meandering movement, the azure light surrounding her trailed a long and magnificent death trajectory across the heavens and earth. The sound of her scales rubbing together was no longer the sound of metal and stone, but the sound of shattered jade breaking as the laws of nature collapsed!

"They actually ascended to demonhood just like me? That's interesting."

Dong Ping laughed heartily, wielding his twin spears to sweep away all the Liangshan soldiers who were blocking his way. After tearing them apart, they transformed once again into crimson destructive beams of light, launching a lightning-fast charge towards Yang Zhi! Yang Zhi, however, did not back down. Swimming his massive azure-scaled dragon body, he slammed into Dong Ping!

In an instant, Dong Ping's figure, along with his twin pistols, collapsed into a crimson thorn line that almost ignored spatial distance! It was proof of pushing his own mass and speed to the limit. Wherever the blood-red beam passed, the air was torn apart into a vacuum tunnel, leaving behind a series of ear-piercing sonic boom clouds and a briefly burning blood-red trail—the blood mist remnants of unfortunate soldiers along the way who were torn apart in mid-air by the ultra-high-speed airflow and instantly ignited.

Yang Zhi, transformed into an azure dragon, coiled in mid-air. His massive body was covered in tough dragon scales that shimmered with azure light. The serpentine dragon body, enveloped in energy, was not entirely cumbersome; instead, it exuded a mountain-like strength and majesty. Instead of retreating, the massive azure dragon advanced, its enormous body suddenly coiling backward to gather power. The thick, jade-like scales, layer upon layer, seemed to taut like a thousand layers of divine iron forged from stone! The entire dragon body, like a bowstring stretched to its limit, charged forward!

"Keng!!!"

In an instant, two beams of death, one blue and one red, imbued with destructive power, collided violently. There was no expected penetration or earth-shattering explosion; the impact was so muffled it was suffocating, like a ten-thousand-ton hammer smashing into an immortal divine metal mountain. The point of contact erupted with blindingly bright white light!

The destructive beam that Dong Ping transformed into was forced to manifest at the moment of impact. The enormous impact made her look like a bright red spot that had been flattened, clinging tightly to the blue scales. The dragon scales around the point of impact rippled and shattered violently, emitting a tooth-grinding metallic deformation and cracking sound. Countless fine, sharp-edged fragments of jade-like dragon scales scattered and shot out like flying knives.

At the same time, a visible shockwave, mixed with cyan dragon blood vapor, exploded outward in a spherical shape from the point of impact, blasting tons of soil high into the air!

The enormous azure dragon was propelled by the immense kinetic energy of the light-speed impact, its massive body sliding backward uncontrollably! As it slid backward, the azure dragon's claws dug fiercely into the earth, plowing open several deep furrows. Large swaths of soil and rocks were crushed and thrown into the sky by the dragon's claws. The entire dragon was bent backward by the impact force, and the scales covering the impact point were almost burned to incandescent and melted, leaving a terrifying blackish-red charred indentation.

Yang Zhi was neither as fast as Dong Ping, nor as destructive.

However, after she ascended to demonic dragon form, her size became too large. She could stand in front of Dong Ping and block the destructive beam that, although its speed and destructive power were at their maximum, could not turn. Moreover, thanks to her terrifying mass, although she would still be knocked back and injured, she was able to intercept Dong Ping.

The man with the twin spears looked slightly grim. Although he still had the upper hand, if Yang Zhi blocked him again, how could he tear apart the Liangshan army formation?

Helpless, she could only launch one ferocious charge after another, but Yang Zhi roared and transformed into a giant dragon, intercepting the destructive arc of light that was enough to pierce through the army formation time and time again. Dong Ping launched thirteen charges in one go, and Yang Zhi intercepted her thirteen times in one go.

In the repeated battles between the two sides, Yang Zhi gradually adapted to his abilities after ascending to demonhood.

He originally only had one dragon eye, which allowed him to predict the future and launch one beautiful defensive counterattack after another.

After the dragon eyes became a pair, his prophetic ability was greatly enhanced. He could not only use his prophetic ability to greatly improve his blocking ability, but also greatly enhance his offensive power.

After another collision between the two, the instant Dong Ping reverted from his beam form back to his physical form, Yang Zhi moved! The battered and bruised dragon body suddenly transformed back into Yang Zhi's true form, and his twelve-foot steel spear thrust fiercely towards the center of Dong Ping's chest!

Dong Ping's twin pistols, one on the left and one on the right, were specifically designed to defend against the massive attacks of a dragon. However, this stance was far too inadequate for defending against attacks from a normal-sized human; it couldn't withstand the steel spear thrusting from the center, forcing him to hastily change tactics!

Yang Zhi saw all of this clearly. Suddenly, the twelve-foot steel spear trembled violently, creating countless spear flowers in the air. With a sway from side to side, two loud clangs rang out, repelling Dong Ping's two spears as she returned to defense. Then, the spear tip plunged forward, piercing Dong Ping's shattered breastplate, penetrating her inner armor, cracking her ribs, and knocking her to the ground!

After Yang Zhi suffered repeated heavy blows and was covered in wounds, he finally managed to severely injure the valiant double-spear general, the dashing Marquis of Ten Thousand Households!

Chapter 288: The Main Camp Suffers a Crushing Defeat and Losses

Just as Liu Zhuang and Hu Yanzhuo were locked in a stalemate, Dong Ping and Yang Zhi were engaged in a fierce battle, and the government and Liangshan were locked in a showdown that had set the entire Jizhou ablaze, Chao Gai, with an overwhelming numerical advantage, finally led his troops into Han Tao's two large camps.

Huyan Zhuo had 40,000 soldiers under his command, while the remaining 80,000 to 90,000 were farmers who were temporarily conscripted. If the wind was favorable, they could also serve as militiamen and help out the local militia.

However, against the odds, they were almost powerless. And when the camp walls were breached by Chao Gai, and the Liangshan troops, roaring, howling, and screaming, stormed into the camp, the peasants from nearby counties all began to flee! They surrendered! They couldn't be stopped. The entire situation descended into irreversible decay.

When Chao Gai brandished the Thirteen-Section Demon-Suppressing Pagoda Steel Whip and led his most elite servants and guards into Han Tao's camp, even the Guangji Army's garrison troops began to tremble!

Left with no other choice, Han Tao picked up a steel spear and led his guards to fight Chao Gai. However, this second-in-command of Liangshan was incredibly strong, perhaps second only to Lu Zhisheng. After only three exchanges of whip and spear, Han Tao's tiger's mouth was split open and his arms were numb. After twenty rounds, Han Tao's bones were weak and his muscles were numb. Chao Gai swung his Prison-Suppressing Steel Whip, which was burning with both black and dark red ghost flames, and struck him hard on the chest. His bright armor was torn apart, his ribs were shattered, he coughed up blood, fell off his horse, and fainted.

Upon seeing this, Chao Gai immediately rushed over and captured Han Tao alive. Then, he whipped the three command flags of Huyan Zhuo, Han Tao, and Peng Qi inside the camp three times, causing the great flags symbolizing the authority of the court to collapse completely in Jizhou, plunging the entire Song army into chaos!

Panic, a panic as vast as an avalanche, spread like a plague across the faces, eyes, and throats of every Song soldier. The invisible chaos, like ink dripping into clear water, instantly polluted the entire camp!

The rear camp was the first to erupt in chaos. Those soldiers who were originally in reserve or guarding supplies collapsed in morale when they saw the three commander's flags collapse one after another. They turned around and ran away, becoming the fastest group to run in the crowd! They climbed the ruins of the collapsed camp with their hands and feet, and even jumped down the not-so-high wooden wall without regard for anything, just wanting to get away from the direction from which the Liangshan army was pouring in.

The heavy armor became a death knell in their escape. Many people found it too slow and frantically tore at their waistbands as they ran. Fine infantry armor, chainmail, and helmets were discarded on the ground like scrap metal, making dull thuds in the mud. The entire retreating tide collapsed and ran around aimlessly like a swarm of startled ants.

Desperate resistance? Only a few scattered sparks remained. A few officers, completely cornered or still clinging to the last vestiges of courage, brandished their swords and issued hoarse but powerless commands. But very few soldiers, facing the overwhelming Liangshan army, could remain rational. Most chose to defect, abandon their armor, and surrender in panic. Even if there was any resistance, these scattered sparks were instantly swallowed up by the surging Liangshan army, like pebbles thrown into a rushing river, unable to create any ripples.

Surrendering or fleeing in disarray became the most common and wisest choice.

Those soldiers who were too close to Liangshan had no chance of escape, so they simply stopped running and threw their spears, broadswords, short axes, and even bows and arrows all over the ground. Their knees buckled and they knelt on the cold, muddy ground, their faces a mixture of numb shock and humble pleading for survival. They saluted the pursuing Liangshan soldiers, begging only to save their lives.

Soldiers farther from Liangshan were running around like headless flies! Officers trying to mount their horses were ruthlessly pushed off by their own guards; people were scrambling for horses, soldiers bumping, shoving, and trampling each other! The passageways within the camp were already overflowing with people; those in a panic even knocked over burning braziers, sparks igniting tents and hay, and the thick smoke further intensified the atmosphere of impending doom! Alas!

Howls, pleas for mercy, the sound of weapons falling to the ground, the scraping of armor, terrified screams and desperate cries all blended together, weaving together a chaotic symphony of utter collapse of order, a heart-wrenching and terrifying sound!

In the blink of an eye, the entire camp was turned upside down! Overturned and abandoned supply wagons were everywhere; the canvas of collapsed tents was twisted and tangled like powerless flags; discarded armor and weapons were piled up like mountains, soaked in mud and blood; the grain and fodder were kicked and trampled by the running crowd, mixed with the soil and emitting a putrid smell; beside the extinguished or burning fires, there were broken pots and pans and fragments of documents and command flags that had not been taken away.

Thick smoke billowed, obscuring the sky. The once orderly and imposing central command tent, representing the majesty of the Song Dynasty's imperial army, was now utterly reduced to ruins filled with fear, humiliation, chaos, and despair. A tattered Song army flag, abandoned by who knows who, lay limply in a pool of blood and mud mixed with horse dung, quickly trampled underfoot by countless panicked fleeing feet, becoming filthy and unsightly. It seemed to proclaim that the glory and order of this army, which had been stationed here representing the imperial authority, had been completely crushed into the mud in this chaotic and unrestrained flight and kneeling surrender, turning into a wisp of smoke drifting away in the wind, never to be found again.

Outside the camp, only the shouts of Liangshan soldiers driving away the remaining enemy and gathering prisoners echoed, along with the desolate and silent embers.

Chao Gai took a breath and, without thinking too much, immediately began searching for horses. Although most of the horses were with Huyan Zhuo, there were still three thousand packhorses in the camp.

"Daoist Master! Take a thousand horses! Capture some prisoners and armor, and bring Huyan Zhuo's main camp banner! Go quickly to support Yang Zhi and Sister Xu Ning! Tell them that Huyan Zhuo has been captured and the camp has been breached!"

"I'm taking two thousand horses and the remaining flags to help Brother Liu Hong! Tell them the camp has been breached and Han Tao has been captured alive, hurry, hurry, hurry!"

"Great plan, sister! No problem!"

Gongsun Sheng knew that Liu Hong and Yang Zhi were fighting a bloody and tough battle on the front lines, and he didn't know how long they could hold out. He completed Chao Gai's orders as quickly as possible, and led a thousand Liangshan elites on packhorses, rushing towards Yang Zhi's direction. Meanwhile, Chao Gai also rushed to the aid of Liu Hong and Huyan Zhuo in their bloody battle.

Hu Yanzhuo and Dong Ping were both shocked. They were locked in a fierce battle with Liu Hong and Yang Zhi, and were exhausted. Instead of waiting for reinforcements, they saw the Liangshan army roaring and howling as they rushed from afar across the mountains!

They led large numbers of prisoners, dressed in the armor of the Imperial Guards, carrying the banners of the Great Song Dynasty, and roaring chilling battle cries!

Dong Ping heard, "Huyan Zhuo has been captured alive!!!" and "The 500,000-strong army has been annihilated!!!"

Meanwhile, Huyan Zhuo heard, "The three main camps at the front have fallen! All supplies and equipment have been captured by Liangshan!!!"

In an instant, the morale of both armies collapsed. Zhang Shuye's three battalions and Dong Ping's Imperial Guard cavalry collapsed! Dong Ping's five hundred Imperial Guard cavalry packed up their belongings and fled to Tokyo, wanting nothing more than to go home: I don't care what a military commander from Dongping Prefecture wants to do. If you have the guts, come to the capital and sue me, you stinking outsider.

The worst-case scenario of the Song Dynasty, where generals didn't know their soldiers and soldiers didn't know their generals, is vividly demonstrated here.

Zhang Shuye's three battalions were all citizens of Jizhou. After this battle, they were completely desperate and scattered. They tried every means to find the villagers of Jizhou who had surrendered to Liu Hong: "We are all fellow villagers, please give us a way to live! I want to join Liangshan!"

Meanwhile, the same scenario unfolded on Huyan Zhuo's side. The Imperial Guard cavalry fled, leaving only her old comrades from Shanxi with her. However, they were exhausted, wounded, and had lost all their supplies and provisions. Huyan Zhuo couldn't even afford her next meal! All the nearby villages were inhabited by people with the surname Liang.

At this moment, Chao Gai reunited with Liu Hong, and together with the equally exhausted but spirited Liangshan troops, they launched a devastating counterattack that the cavalrymen, too tired to even stand, could not withstand.

In the end, not only did she fail to bring out the cavalry, but Huyan Zhuo also lost the blue dragon bestowed upon her by the Emperor. She single-handedly wielded a steel whip, fought her way out of the battlefield, and escaped with her life. All her old brothers who followed her were either captured or killed by Liangshan. Apart from her, no one else was able to escape.

Chapter 289: Triumphant Songs Resound at Liangshan's Bountiful Harvest

In this battle, Liangshan captured countless supplies and provisions! They also captured 60,000 civilian laborers, 20,000 local soldiers, 6,000 imperial guards, and 6,000 sets of infantry armor.

As for the cavalry, Liangshan seized 2,500 sets of bright armor, 1,000 sets of full horse armor, 800 giant dragon horses, 2,000 warhorses, and 6,000 packhorses in one fell swoop. The warhorse resources that Gao Qiu allocated to Huyan Zhuo this time were either killed or taken by Liangshan, and only a few hundred riders managed to escape.

After this battle, all the heavy cavalry resources that Huyan Zhuo and Gao Qiu had accumulated over the years went to Liangshan. Lin Chong was overjoyed to see this. He had the title of cavalry commander, but he only had a few hundred light cavalry under his command, which could not play any role in the past battles.

Now, with so many resources, I can finally build my own Liangshan cavalry!

Only at this moment did Lin Chong begin to see Liu Hong as a true leader, rather than a younger brother who needed his care and help.

The brothers and sisters who had been captured earlier, along with Huyan Zhuo's defeat and the collapse of the three camps, were all rescued by Liu Hong. These people looked at Liu Hong with admiration and awe. In this battle, Liu Hong completely established his dominant position in Liangshan. All the leaders, big and small, and the leaders of the three factions were all sincerely convinced. The number of Heavenly Stars and Earthly Fiends under his leadership increased greatly. The number of Heavenly Stars increased by eleven, and the number of Earthly Fiends increased by fourteen! Most of the leaders completely submitted to Liu Hong.

[Lin Chong - Heavenly Hero Star]: Your Heavenly Gang Slash will always be the first strike. The opponent cannot intercept it with a preparatory action or an immediate action.

【Li Jun - Tian Shou Xing】: Your Tian Gang Slash will cause the enemy's spiritual energy to be reduced by 1/2 upon hitting them.

【Li Kui - Heavenly Killer Star】: After your Heavenly Slash kills a target in melee, you can instantly launch another Heavenly Slash.

【Mu Hong·Tianjiuxing】: Your Heavenly Gang Slash comes with the 【Disintegration Technique】, which can annihilate non-magical objects it touches into a molecular state.

【Ruan Xiaoer - Heavenly Sword Star】: Adds two extra arms.

【Ruan Xiaowu - Heavenly Sin Star】: Adds two extra arms.

【Ruan Xiaoqi - Heavenly Defeat Star】: Adds two extra arms.

【Zhang Heng - Tianjing Star】: Your Tiangang Slash adds an additional beneficial Druid spell to yourself.

【Zhang Shun - Heavenly Star of Loss】: Your Heavenly Slash inflicts an additional damaging Druid spell on the enemy.

[Liu Tang - Celestial Star]: The fire damage of the Heavenly Gang Slash deals an additional 150% damage.

【Yang Xiong - Tianlao Star】: When the enemy's health is X%, your Tiangang Slash has a (100-X)% chance of killing them in one hit.

【Shi Xiu · Tian Hui Xing】: When using Tian Gang Slash, you can sacrifice 1 point of health in exchange for a damage increase of 1~12.

【Sun Li - Earth Warrior Star】: Heavenly Gang Slash comes with 10 points of armor breakage effect (ignores and destroys up to 10 points of the target's armor bonus) (equivalent to 10 character levels).

【Sun Xin - Earthly Star】: Heavenly Gang Slash physical damage +10 (equivalent to 10 character levels).

【Zou Yuan - Earth Short Star】: No matter how you use the Heavenly Gang Slash, it will always deal charge damage.

【Zou Run - Earth Corner Star】: Doubles the damage of the Heavenly Gang Slash charge.

【Mu Chun - Earth Suppressing Star】: Heavenly Gang Slash can pass through the opponent's physical defense like a ghost.

【Tong Wei - Earth Advancement Star】: Heavenly Gang Slash inflicts 10 points of poison damage (equivalent to 10 character levels).

【Tong Meng - Earth Retreat Star】: When using the Heavenly Gang Slash, two will appear, one real and one illusion, to confuse the opponent.

【Deng Fei - Earthly Star】: Heavenly Gang Slash inflicts 10 points of Dragon Fire Flame damage (equivalent to 10 character levels).

【燕顺·地强星】：天罡斩命中+5，伤害+5。（相当于1/2人物等级（10级））。

[Wang Ying - Earthly Star]: Heavenly Gang Slash damage +10 (equivalent to 10 character levels).

[Zheng Tianshou - Earthly Star]: Heavenly Gang Slash accuracy +10 (equivalent to 10 character levels).

【杨林·地暗星】：天罡斩+5寒冰伤害，+5烈焰伤害（相当于1/2人物等级（10级））。

【Oupeng·Dikuoxing】: Flight speed increased by 20%

【Time Shift · Earth Thief Star】: Heavenly Gang Slash will randomly steal buffs or remaining spiritual energy from the target.

At this moment, Liu Hong no longer looked like a human, but rather like a god. Standing there, his golden wings covered the sky and the sun, his eight arms were ferocious and terrifying, and he was as majestic as a demon star descending from the sky, and his murderous aura was like an Asura descending to earth!

Not only that, Han Tao, Peng Qi, and Ling Zhen, three fierce generals, were all captured alive. The artillery instructors that Ling Zhen brought from Tokyo, as well as two hundred cannons of various sizes, all belonged to Liangshan!

Liu Hong then used his increasingly skillful persuasion techniques to personally untie the three generals.

"We have become outlaws here because we were framed by treacherous officials of the court and forced by local officials. We have no choice but to do this! We brothers are skilled in both literature and martial arts, but we have no way to serve the emperor. We can only stir up trouble here and force the court to grant us amnesty so that we can serve the country with all our might!"

Look, we, the people of Liangshan, are not greedy or murderous, nor do we commit any unjust or immoral acts. We earnestly hope that the magistrate will take pity on this true sentiment and join us in upholding justice! Once the imperial court grants us amnesty, all of us brothers will be able to achieve true enlightenment!

Han Tao, Peng Qi, and Ling Zhen sighed, feeling there was no other way, and surrendered one after another. However, Han Tao and Peng Qi seemed to have no other choice but to surrender for the time being and wait for the imperial court to grant them amnesty.

Ling Zhen, on the other hand, displayed an unprecedented fervor. This thin, pale-faced woman, who looked as if she had been staying at home for a hundred years without ever going out, and who was wearing gold-rimmed glasses, grabbed Liu Hong by the collar.

"How did you come up with these miniature cannons? They look like something from the Liao Dynasty! Investigate them for me! And what about those fire lances? How did you shrink firearms to such a scale?! I spent three years researching this technology and still couldn't figure it out, and you cracked it?!"

Ling Zhen was extremely shocked when he saw the muskets and cannons of Liangshan, which were completely different from his own technology.

"As long as the general is willing to build cannons and train artillery units for my Liangshan, whatever data, blueprints, or prototypes you want, I can give them to you."

Liu Hong generously opened his arms.

"Okay, okay! No problem! Quickly give me all the data and blueprints for those things!"

Ling Zhen was incredibly excited upon hearing this and immediately agreed. At that moment, Liu Hong also gained the abilities of another Earthly Fiend Star.

【Lingzhen·Earth Axis Star】: You can use the Heavenly Gang Slash in ranged attacks.

At this point, Liangshan's military strength was greatly enhanced. Although its territory now consisted of only two prefectures, its actual strength was no longer at the bottom of the four major bandit groups.

At this moment, Xu Ning and Tang Long, the two cousins, also selected a set of golden chainmail from the spoils of war. It was said to have been taken from the corpse of an Imperial Guard commander. Perhaps someone's child was sent to the Imperial Guard to be gilded, but unexpectedly died. It was used to forge a demonic iron armor that fit the Great Sage Evil.

However, after thinking it over, Liu Hong did not ask for Xu Ning's 95% special protection, but instead asked for a more suitable ability based on his own situation.

[Subspace Rift]: Restores 1 point of psionic energy every 1 second.

Now, Liu Hong's Heavenly Gang Slash can unleash over fifty companion stars of the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends, its power is terrifying! Li Kui's Great Surge Slash is already frightening; killing one person allows him to immediately launch the next attack. If this ability were in Liu Hong's possession, it would be even more terrifying.

Ling Zhen could even enable Liu Hong to launch his Heavenly Gang Slash from a distance.

The problem with all of this is that Liu Hong doesn't have much psionic energy. He is a chivalrous warrior, a swordsman, and a psionic user. Because he is also a melee fighter, his psionic energy points are actually quite low. This armor, which can directly tear open a subspace rift on the physical level and continuously regenerate psionic energy, is the rare item that Liu Hong really needs!

Chapter 290: The news of defeat sends shockwaves through the court (Bonus chapter)

While Liu Hong, with his eight arms and two wings, celebrated his victory at Liangshan, a bloody storm had already begun to rage in Bianliang!

When the remnants of the army brought back the shocking news that half a million soldiers had been wiped out, their armor and weapons seized by Liangshan, and their commanders' fates unknown, the entire city of Bianliang seemed to have been plunged into boiling oil! Panic and disbelief permeated the streets and alleys, but the deepest and most insidious shock erupted in the magnificent power center deep within the Chuigong Hall!

When the blood-soaked battle report was laid out before the emperor, Gao Qiu's face, usually radiating composure and cunning, instantly drained of all color. Not from grief for the fallen soldiers or concern for the state, but from a profound and agonizing fear and humiliation! He felt as if he had been slapped hard across the face in public!