The Death of the Arrow God (Part 1)

  The distance between the inner city and outer city is only a single arrow's flight, originally used to ambush enemies. If enemy troops pretend to attack or capture the outer city, they would close the gate of the inner city and shoot arrows to kill them. Now that the North Gate has been breached, Wu Song and Gong Sun Sheng climbed up onto the wall of the outer city of Qingzhou City, looking inside, only to see that the inner city is smaller than the outer city by one circle, but its defenses are even more stringent.

  Lu Da and Li Kui led the vanguard to launch an attack, just as they entered the inner city, they found that it was full of steel wheel fire cabinets, all buried in the ground, which exploded when stepped on, causing significant casualties.

  Another shower of arrows came down on the inner city, and Lu Da and Li Kui hastily retreated back to the outer city wall.

  "The steel wheel fire cabinet is not difficult to break, but the terrain here is narrow and it's hard to open up a battlefield." Gong Xuan stood on the city wall, looked at the gap between the two cities, and said: "If we launch a forced attack, I'm afraid there will be heavy casualties."

  Lu Junyi and Zhang Qing also climbed up to the city wall at this moment, standing beside Wu Song. Lu Junyi said upon hearing the words: "Why not besiege Qingzhou, surround them inside the city, and starve them to death?"

  Zhang Qing laughed and said, "They didn't starve to death, but instead we're the ones who are starving first. With an army of over 20,000, the amount of food and fodder consumed every day is no small sum. In my opinion, it's better to dismantle the outer city walls to make it easier to attack."

  Wu Song looked at the high-flying banner inside the city and said, "Demolishing the outer city wall will take too much time. If Song Jiang and Chen Hui are coming to reinforce, things might get a bit tricky."

  "Gong Shu Yan Ran said: 'Then let's work through the night to build trebuchets. With just 500 trebuchets, we can destroy the inner city and not a single tile will be left intact!'"

  "This is a massacre!"

  Wu Song shook his head and said: "There are still tens of thousands of civilians in the city, who can bear this responsibility?"

  Many generals and Gong Sunyan were all silent, Li Kui said on the side: "Why not use iron floating tower again to attack the inner city castle!"

  Ruda shook his head and said, "It's probably useless. Liu Huiniang is extremely clever, and once the Iron Floating Pavilion is used, she will see through its flaws."

  Li Kui didn't believe this evil omen, and asked Wu Song for instructions. Wu Song had no plan either, so he agreed to it, saying: "Iron Bull, if things don't go well, hurry back quickly!"

  Li Kui laughed and said, "I'm under the iron tower, what can the people on the city wall do to me?" He immediately summoned over a hundred soldiers, carrying packs of gunpowder, pushing the iron tower, stepping on the pedals towards the inner city gate.

  There were no armored vehicles on the road between the inner city wall and the outer city wall. The iron float arrived smoothly in front of the inner city gate, still more than 30 meters away from the gate. Suddenly, the gate was wide open, and two rows of bird gunners stood at the gate, firing without saying a word, shooting countless casualties among the government troops.

  The fire gun ignited the explosive pack again, triggering a chain reaction, and the huge iron pagoda was also blown up in mid-air!

  Li Kui rushed back and forth, with two large broadaxes standing behind him. The bird guns fired continuously, all hitting the axes, making a loud "dang" sound.

  On the city wall, a small general saw an opening between Li Kui's twin axes and shot an arrow, which flew through the gap between the two large axe heads and hit him right in the thigh. Blood flowed profusely for a time. Li Kui dragged himself back to the outer city with the arrow still stuck in his buttocks, looked up and shouted: "Who was it that shot your grandfather?"

  On the city wall, a young general drew his bow and coldly smiled: "I am Yu Shanlang, Zhou Yongqing!"

  Li Kui pulled out the arrow from his buttocks, grasped his large axe and shouted: "What kind of skill is it to shoot people with hidden arrows? Do you dare come down and fight your grandfather?"

  Zhu Yongqing coldly laughed and ignored him. Wu Song called over Hu Sanniang and Zhu Biao, saying: "I pity Zhu Yongqing as a brave general, I don't want to kill him, you can try to persuade him to surrender, so as not to make the battlefield indistinguishable between kin and foe."

  "Yong Qing, my younger brother, don't fight against heaven! Wu Guo Shi is following the emperor's order to suppress the rebels. It's reasonable that you should abandon your dark ways and pledge loyalty to the emperor. As your elder brother and sister-in-law, we are related by blood, so you shouldn't help outsiders against your own people! Good brother, if you surrender to Wu Guo Shi, not only will you be free from guilt, but you'll also gain great merit, bringing glory to our family and adding another honor to our ancestors' graves! If you continue to be obstinate and refuse to awaken, then after you die, don't even think about entering the Zu family temple!"

  This remark was both reasonable and emotional, Liu Huiniang's heart tightened, she quickly looked at Zhu Yongqing and thought to herself: "If he surrenders to the bandits, should I kill him or not..."

  Zhū Yǒng Qīng Lǎng shēng dào: "Chén Dào Zǐ yǔ wǒ Zhù Jiā yǒu ēn, gē gē jiě jiě nán dào wǒ zuò gè wú yì zhī rén? Wǒ zhù Chén Dào Zǐ, zé shì yǒu xìn yǒu yì, fǎn kàng Wǔ zéi, zé shì yǒu rén yǒu zhōng. Wǔ zéi cán bào wú dào, gǒu huò shèng tīng, nǎi shì dà de dà de jiān chén! Zhǐ yǒu shā le tā cái néng gù zhè shì jiān yī gè lǎng lǎng qián kūn, cái néng tiān xià tài píng!"

  "Brother and sister-in-law, why not betray the martial bandits' camp, abandon evil and follow goodness? In the future, we will overthrow the martial bandits, eliminate the treacherous officials in the imperial court, and become meritorious officials. Our family will be glorious, and our ancestors' tombs will be fragrant!"

  Fu San Niang saw that he not only didn't listen to her advice, but also tried to persuade them, and couldn't help but laugh: "I've long heard that you people are called martial bandits when speaking, and martial bandits when silent. Wu Guo Shi has a nickname in the Jianghu, called 'timely rain'. If he really deceived the emperor's ears, how could he have such a loud reputation? I dare to ask, young master, what about Chen Xi Zhen, that rebel traitor?"

  Zhao Yongqing's tone was slightly delayed, and he said: "Song Gongming, the leader of Song, is known as a righteous hero in the Jianghu, and his reputation is not inferior to that of Timely Rain! Chai Jin, the leader of Chai, is known as Xiao Mengchang in the Jianghu, and his fame is even more astonishing. As for Chen Daizi, although he is unknown in the Jianghu, his character and morality are all praiseworthy good men!"

  "What has he ever done that is good? Otherwise, why would he be so infamous?" Flanking Third Sister quickly seized his weak point and said: "Traitor Song Jiang, also known as the Hero of Justice, what exactly has he accomplished? If you can give me just one example, I'll surrender to the Song bandit!"

  Zhu Yongqing thought for half a day, but really couldn't think of any good deeds by Song Jiang. Just then, Hua San Niang laughed and said: "Many mouths can praise someone to the skies, while many mouths can also destroy someone's reputation. Wu Guo Shi has never done anything bad, yet you all intentionally rebel against him and want to ruin his reputation? This is something that I and Abao have personally seen and heard.

  "What kind of person is Song Jiang? He's just a minor official who takes bribes and embezzles money, and in the yamen he calls black white and deer horse. He's done all sorts of evil things and exhausted all his wickedness. And yet this scoundrel has become the second leader of Mount Liang! It can be seen that Chen Da is not a good person either!"

  Wu Song listened to what Flailing Third Sister said, and he gave her a thumbs up. He thought to himself: "Third Sister is really good with words, in the blink of an eye I've become a good person! But thinking back, it's true that I haven't done many bad things these years. At least eighty-eight concubines, absolutely not! As for other things like deceiving the emperor, those are often done..."

  Zhu Yongqing remained silent for a long time, and Liu Huiniang's heart was lifted to her throat. Jiuxin Long Shi Jin called out from the side: "Zhu Yongqing, I have always respected you as a good man, but I didn't expect that you would be related to the great general of the Wu bandits! It turns out that you are a spy for the Wu bandits!" He picked up a spear and was about to kill him.

  Deng, Xin, Bi, Zhu, Dong, Suo and other generals seemed to be blocking the way of Zhu's retreat, while Xu Huai, Xu Qingniang and others were secretly preparing their spells, ready to strike him down with a single nod from Zhu.

  "Everyone stop!"

  Liu Hui Niang stopped the crowd and said in a low voice, "Zhū Jiā Gē Gē, if you surrender to the bandits, I won't blame you. After all, there's a distinction between kinship and strangers. You can go, I won't harm you from behind!"

  Zhu Yongqing felt a chill, glanced at Jiuwen Long Shijin beside him, and resolutely said: "Even if she has a mouthful of lotus flowers, don't think about making me betray my benefactor!" After speaking, he pulled out an arrow feather and said: "Zhu Biao, the friendship between you and me is like this arrow!" With a snap, it broke into two segments!

  Shi Jin and Xu Huai were overjoyed, and Jiu Yin Long smiled: "If you hadn't hesitated, how could I have pretended to kill you? Don't blame me, brothers, don't blame me!"

  Zhu Biao and Hu San Niang stopped persuading him, saying: "Tomorrow on the battlefield, you and I will decide life and death, so as not to tarnish the Zhu family's reputation!"

  Liu Hui Niang also breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled at Zhu Yong Qing: "I heard that in the Wu Zei army, there is another woman who is engaged to you, named Chen Li Qing, she is the daughter of Chen Dao Zi. Chen Li Qing was deceived by Wu Zei, killed several of my high-ranking generals, Brother Zhu, can you persuade her to abandon darkness and turn to light? I will not pursue this matter, and I will even speak well of her in front of Uncle Chen."

  Jiǔ Wén Lóng listened and again used a suspicious gaze to stare at Zhù Yǒng Qīng, throwing a glance at Dǒng Píng and others, several people surrounded him once more.

  Zhū Yǒng Qīng's heart skipped a beat. He had been engaged to Chen Liqin since childhood, but they had never met. When he asked his future father-in-law about her on the mountain, Chen Xizhen was evasive and claimed that Liqin was just a young girl who shouldn't be seen by outsiders. Now, he heard that Chen Liqin had fallen into the hands of a bandit named Wu Zei, who practiced an evil art to cultivate his inner energy by exploiting women. The consequences were too terrible to contemplate!

  "Hui Niang, which one is Li Qing? I am her husband, advise her to surrender, she will surely come with joy!"

  Liu Hui Niang wholeheartedly wanted him to completely sever ties with the Wu Zei, and smiled: "I've heard that Li Qing's younger sister was born with a pair of divine eyes, her archery skills unmatched in the world. You can shoot an arrow at the women beside Wu Zei, if someone can block it, then you'll know who is Li Qing's younger sister."

  Zhu Yongqing listened and pulled his bow slightly, shaking his head: "This bow only has a strength of one dan, it can't shoot to the other side."

  Liu Hui Niang ordered the strongman to bring up a reinforced composite bow. The bow body was made of pure steel, covered with strange patterns, like moving tadpoles, which were actually the secret symbol array method of the composite bow. The single bow body weighed thirty catties.

  Liu Huiniang took out another tube of arrows, the arrowheads were black, tempered with pigeon poison, seeing blood sealing the throat, and smiled: "Look at Yongqing brother's archery skills!"

  Yong Qing picked up the bow and said, "It's so heavy!" He nocked an arrow on the string, flexed his right arm to pull it back, and praised, "It's so strong!" With a burst of strength, he drew the composite bow into a full moon shape. As soon as his fingers relaxed, the arrow shot out like a wind-chasing moon, crossing the distance of one arrow in the blink of an eye, arriving right in front of Gong Shu Yan!

  Gong Sun Zan and Wu Song were both expressionless, but at this moment, a string suddenly rang out, another arrow flew out without warning, and with a "ding" sound, it collided with the poisonous arrow, falling to the ground!

  Zhu Yongqing hastily looked towards the archer, only to see five female generals, and couldn't tell who was who. He drew his bow again to shoot, but this time saw that the poisoned arrow hadn't even flown halfway when it was shot down by the leading female general.

  Zhū Yǒng Qīng was overjoyed, dropped his composite bow and shouted: "Lì Qīng little sister, I am your husband..." Before he could finish saying the word "husband", he saw that the female general and four maids beside her drew their bows and shot arrows at him in unison. Zhū Yǒng Qīng hastily lowered his head and pressed himself against the city wall, but unexpectedly one arrow was too fast and took away a piece of his scalp, and his hair bun along with his scalp disappeared without a trace.

  Zhu Yongqing was shocked and angry, sticking his head out to shout at Chen Liqin: "Murdered her own husband! This little slut really became the concubine of a bandit!"

  Chen Liqing scratched her head in confusion and said to Guihua and others: "What's this about plotting to murder one's husband?"

  Osmanthus laughed and said: "That's a man who doesn't mince words, speaking vaguely. If you take him seriously, you'll lose your composure!" She raised her short bow and pointed at Liu Huiniang, saying: "That woman is the military strategist of Qingzhou City, how formidable! My four sisters and I were sent by Xu Huan to try to assassinate Gongshu Junshi."

  Bao Hu Dao: "If we can kill her, Qingzhou will be pacified!"

  "Better still if you can kill our old master!" exclaimed Fo-tieh and Mei-hsiang in unison.

  Chen Liqing glanced at Liu Huiniang and smiled, "Just worried about not being able to make a meritorious achievement." Immediately, she picked up an arrow and drew the reinforced iron arm bow to its fullest extent, shooting it out with a swoosh!

  Chen Lianqing's arrow flew faster and more fiercely than Zhu Yongqing's, and in an instant, it arrived in front of Liu Huiniang. However, this arrow was unable to kill Liu Huiniang. Instead, a gigantic iron giant suddenly rose up in front of her, and the arrow only managed to pierce the giant's chest, half a foot deep, leaving only a single arrow feather behind.

  The crowd saw it and looked at each other in dismay. However, they heard the drumbeat from Wu's side shaking the sky, and countless officers and soldiers shouted in unison: "General Chen's divine arrow!"

  Liu Huiniang stood up and smiled: "Li Qing, I am your cousin, do you want to kill me too?" But Chen Liqing did not say a word, and quickly shot out two arrows. The first arrow was slow, the second one was fast, but both were far off the mark, and actually flew over the city wall of the inner city.

  The arrow shaft behind chased the tail feather in front, and the two arrows collided. The first arrow immediately bypassed the mechanism person and shot towards Liu Hui Niang with a "hiss" sound. The giant stretched out his hand to grab the arrow shaft, but his arm was pulled by the force of the arrow for one foot.

  Liu Hui Niang looked at the arrowhead that had almost pierced her eyeball, and a drop of cold sweat slowly trickled down her forehead.

  The arrow behind him suddenly turned downwards and shot into Xu Hua's forehead!

  Xu Huai was shot in the head with an arrow, still expressionless, pulled out the arrow shaft, without a single trace of blood.