第三十五章 半夜缒城同决死志 终朝巷战痛剿顽敌 (Chapter Thirty-Five: Descending the Walls at Midnight with Shared Resolve to Die; Fighting Through the Streets All Day to Crush Stubborn Foes)

Now, the heroes from Liangshan Marsh had infiltrated Eastern Capital to gather intelligence on the court's movements and devise strategies. However, their cover was slowly blown. The government troops pursued them urgently. The powerful villains Cai You and Gao Qiu mustered a heavy force, intending to trap the heroes in the city and eliminate them all. That night, the nine gates of Eastern Capital were shut tight. Lights blazed like daylight as patrols moved incessantly through the streets and alleys. The situation was extremely perilous.

Song Jiang, Wu Yong, and the other Chieftains gathered in a hidden place to discuss escape plans. Wu Yong said, "Now the city gates are closed, and the troops are searching rigorously. A forced breakout would likely fail. Our best course is to take advantage of the deep night. We should split into several teams, find a spot where the guard is lax, and descend the walls by ropes to escape this perilous place." All the Chieftains agreed. Thus, they decided to act separately at the third watch.

Shi Qian and Bai Sheng, both experts at scaling walls and traversing rooftops, went ahead to scout the path. Shi Qian whispered, "Brother, look at the northeastern corner of the city wall. Although there are soldiers guarding it, ancient trees outside reach close to the battlements. If we descend from there and use the branches for cover, we might evade the guards' notice." Bai Sheng nodded in agreement. The two then crept to the base of the wall. They took out their grappling hooks and ropes. Seizing the moment when the guards changed shifts, they swiftly threw the hooks onto the wall top and climbed up like monkeys, hiding in the shadows.

Moments later, Song Jiang and Lu Junyi led a dozen or so Chieftains, including Lin Chong, Hua Rong, Chai Jin, and Yan Qing, to the spot quietly. Everyone wore dark night attire and held their breath, remaining still. Hua Rong and Yan Qing drew their bows and nocked arrows, standing guard in the darkness. They targeted the patrols and watchmen. A few muffled groans were heard in the distance as some soldiers silently fell.

Shi Qian and Bai Sheng had already secured the long ropes and lowered them outside the city. Song Jiang said softly, "Squire Lu and Instructor Lin, please go down first. We will cover the rear." Lu Junyi did not decline. He clasped his hands in salute to the others, grasped the rope, and descended the wall without a sound. Lin Chong, Chai Jin, and the others followed in turn.

Unexpectedly, halfway through the descent, a sudden clamor of gongs arose from within the city. Torches flared, and a troop of soldiers came shouting toward them. A patrol squad had discovered their missing comrades and traced them here. Wu Yong urgently said, "The situation is critical! Brother Gongming, go down quickly!" Song Jiang replied, "Military Strategist, you go first!" As they were deferring to each other, Hua Rong fired a rapid succession of arrows, felling the leading soldiers. Yan Qing also shot crossbow bolts to assist.

But the soldiers gathered in greater numbers, and arrows flew like locusts. The infantry Chieftains such as Liu Tang and Lei Heng drew their blades and roared with anger. They turned to face the enemy, guarding the gap in the wall, and clashed with the soldiers in a fierce melee. Blades flashed, and blood spilled. In moments, dozens had fallen or were wounded. Li Kui, hearing the sounds of battle, widened his eyes. He brandished his two axes, leaped from his hiding place, and bellowed, "Your grandfather, the Black Whirlwind of Liangshan Marsh, is here!" He charged into the enemy ranks like a Black Whirlwind, cutting through all in his path.

Song Jiang, seeing the situation was dire, sternly shouted, "Brothers, do not linger in battle! Descend the wall immediately! This is an order!" With that, he pushed Wu Yong to go first. Then, along with Hua Rong and Yan Qing, he fought while retreating to the wall edge and descended by rope. Li Kui, lost in the thrill of killing, was dragged back by Dai Zong and Zhang Shun with great effort. They tied him to a rope and lowered him down the wall. Liu Tang and Lei Heng, seeing most of their brothers had already gone, forcefully parried the enemies before them and leaped down from the wall. The soldiers chased to the edge and shot arrows downward, but the night was dark and the woods thick, making it hard to trace their踪迹.

The group reunited in the woods outside the city. They checked their numbers and were relieved that most were safe, with only a few wounded. Looking back at the Eastern Capital battlements, where火光闪烁ed and shouts were faintly heard, they had narrowly escaped a great peril. Song Jiang clasped his hands toward the direction of Eastern Capital and said, "Cai You and Gao Qiu, I'll leave your dog heads on your necks for today. When we meet on the battlefield another day, we shall settle life and death!" The heroes were all deeply moved. They hastened toward Liangshan Marsh before dawn broke.

Inside the city, the soldiers saw that the bandits had fled. Although they searched everywhere, they found nothing. They could only collect the corpses and strengthen the defenses. Cai You, upon receiving the report, flew into a rage. He deeply hated the Liangshan Marsh group and vowed to dispatch a large army to raze the marsh. Thus it was: the dragon returns to the vast sea, the tiger retreats to the deep mountains. They avoided the锋芒 for now, planning grand deeds later.

The heroes, having left Eastern Capital, dared not take the main official roads. They chose only remote and僻 paths. They traveled by night and hid by day, enduring great hardship. When they reached a hill, dawn approached, and both men and horses were weary. Wu Yong said, "We fought half the night and have traveled this long distance. Our brothers are exhausted. Let us rest here briefly before making further plans." Song Jiang agreed and ordered them to set up camp deep in the woods, cook a meal, and rest on the spot.

After the meal, Song Jiang gathered the Chieftains for discussion. He said, "This trip to Eastern Capital yielded some intelligence, but we nearly lost brothers. It is all my fault." Lu Junyi replied, "Brother, why say that? We brothers are united in heart, sharing life and death. Such small risks are nothing to fret over. But the court's奸党s are determined to destroy us. They will surely send a large force to attack us soon. We must prepare early."

As they were discussing, suddenly Dai Zong came up from the foot of the hill to report, "Elder Brother, I have captured a suspicious-looking fellow at the crossroads ahead. On him, I found a corner of an official document from Jizhou Prefecture, seemingly related to troop movements." Song Jiang said, "Bring him here quickly."

Soon, Dai Zong pushed a man forward. The man trembled with fear and knelt, begging for mercy. Song Jiang, seeing he did not look like a cunning person, asked gently, "Who are you? Why do you carry an official document, and where are you headed?" The man kowtowed and said, "Heroes, spare my life! I am a courier from Jizhou Prefecture, ordered to deliver an urgent document to Dongping Prefecture. I took this shortcut to save time and never meant to offend you heroes."

Wu Yong ordered someone to fetch the corner of the document and examined it with Song Jiang. It read: "...Order Dongping Prefecture to swiftly mobilize its local garrison and collect provisions, awaiting deployment by the Bureau of Military Affairs for the joint encirclement of Liangshan Marsh..." The rest of the text was残缺. Song Jiang and Wu Yong exchanged a glance, understanding in their hearts. Wu Yong said to the courier, "We of Liangshan Marsh uphold justice and do not kill the innocent. Tell us in detail what you know about the court's troop movements. If you do, we will spare your life and let you go."

The courier, eager to live, disclosed all he knew: "I only know that the court has secretly ordered troops from Dongping, Daming, Qingzhou, and Yizhou to drill and prepare. They plan to jointly attack Liangshan Marsh after autumn. Zhang Shuye of Haizhou may also be appointed to command elite land and naval forces as the main strength. Recently, documents have been频繁 exchanged among the prefectures, all for this matter."

Song Jiang, after hearing this, ordered Dai Zong to give the courier some silver. He sternly warned him not to泄露 today's events and then let him go.

Upon hearing this, all the Chieftains showed indignation. Guan Sheng, stroking his beard, said, "The court does not think of resisting foreign invaders or安抚 the people. Instead, they focus solely on opposing us of Liangshan Marsh. Are we men who fear battle? If they come, we will surely show them the might of Liangshan Marsh!" Huyan Zhuo, Qin Ming, and others also纷纷 requested to fight.

Wu Yong, waving his feather fan, said gravely, "Brothers, calm down. The官兵 are coming from several routes with considerable声势. We cannot confront them by force alone but must use strategy. We must quickly return to the mountain stronghold, report to Heavenly King Chao,整顿 our troops, and carefully devise countermeasures. They approach with a合围之势. We should break them apart one by one. For now, we need to send capable brothers to various routes to scout the官兵's strengths and weaknesses, the commanders' temperaments, and the进攻 paths. Knowing ourselves and the enemy, we can fight a hundred battles without peril."

Song Jiang nodded in approval. He immediately assigned dozens of Chieftains, including Dai Zong, Shi Qian, Shi Xiu, and Yang Lin, each with one or two companions, to go to Daming, Qingzhou, Yizhou, Haizhou, and Dongping Prefecture to gather information. The main force, led by Song Jiang and Lu Junyi, headed directly back to Liangshan Marsh.

In less than a day, they reached Golden Sand Beach. Underlings had already飞报ed up the mountain. When Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Chao Gai heard of Song Jiang's return, he was overjoyed. He personally led the留守 Chieftains down to welcome them. In the Hall of Gathering Heroes, Song Jiang reported everything about the Eastern Capital trip and the intelligence gained on the way. Chao Gai listened and said with emotion, "The court is黑暗, and奸臣 hold sway, driving all heroes under heaven to desperation. We of Liangshan Marsh act righteously, aid the needy, and seek only a pure and just world. If they want war, we will answer it! Brothers, let us unite and protect our mountain stronghold together!"

Immediately, the mountain stronghold slaughtered oxen and horses to hold a grand feast. This was both to celebrate Song Jiang and the others' safe return and to boost morale for the coming battles. During the feast, the heroes drank from large bowls, ate big chunks of meat, shared stories, and discussed military plans until late into the night.

From then on, Liangshan Marsh intensified its training of troops, repaired fortifications, stockpiled provisions, and manufactured weapons. All mountain paths and waterways were fortified with multiple barriers, and capable leaders were assigned to guard them. They also spread scouts widely in the surrounding counties and prefectures. Any movement by the官兵 would be known instantly. The marsh of Liangshan Marsh became as solid as iron, with troops and horses readied. They awaited the cool autumn days to face the court's large army and determine the outcome.