Chapter 60: Pingzhou War (12)

  As Zhao Yun rushed out of the fire, the officers and men finally breathed a sigh of relief. At this time, Zhao Yun's appearance was very embarrassing, his hair had been burned clean by the flames, leaving only a few strands covering his head, his face was pitch black, looking like Judge Bao, but the officers and men surrounding him did not dare to relax, however, at this time, the young man's long gun was still pointing at the face of that Imperial Forest Army soldier.

  Zhao Kuang took the girl from his arms and handed her over to the crowd, where she was reunited with her family amidst tears of joy. Li Shu hugged her daughter tightly, sobbing uncontrollably, while those around them tried to comfort her, saying "She's back now, why are you still crying?"

  Auntie Li hastily wiped away her tears with her sleeve and said delightedly: "Right, right, as long as you're back."

  The girl had already learned from everyone that she was rescued, but thinking of Zhao Jin's actions in the fire scene made her angry, but Zhao Jin had saved her life, and looking at Zhao Jin's eyes was a bit complicated.

  Zhao Yan walked up to the young man and clasped his fists, saying: "This brave warrior, these soldiers are all under my command. If there is any improper lodging, I am willing to take the blame for them."

  "He bullied the common people, and wanted to take action. I didn't want his life already." The man said calmly. "Your Highness, we didn't bully the common people. He suddenly appeared with a weapon on his back, very suspicious. We were just about to approach when this Yang fellow pointed a gun at us."

  The man's face was expressionless, and he didn't explain. He held a gun in his right hand and stared coldly at the crowd in front of him, exuding an aura of chilliness.

  Zhao Gong's heart stirred with an inexplicable feeling. The surname was Yang, and he was accustomed to using a long spear. Could this person be a descendant of the Yang family? Zhao Gong suppressed his excitement and asked: "Are you Yang Zai Xing, the nephew of Liangshan's Green Faced Beast Yang Zhi?"

  Zhao Kan only felt a flash before his eyes, and Yang Zai Xing's spearhead was like a fierce dragon crossing the river, quickly brushing aside the weapons of the Song army soldiers beside him. When Zhao Kan had time to react, the man's spearhead was already pressed against his throat, the icy spearhead emitting a cold aura that made people shiver. The generals were shocked and hastily rushed up, but Yang Zai Xing's martial arts were too powerful, his movements too fast, even someone with quick reflexes like Zhao Kan couldn't dodge it, let alone others. The commotion here attracted more and more soldiers, nearly a thousand people surrounded the alley, making it impossible to escape.

  That man's eyes were cold and full of murderous intent as he stared at Zhao Jue, but Zhao Jue showed no fear, on the contrary, he was very happy in his heart. The man's behavior had already confirmed that his own conjecture was correct. Zhao Jue smiled and said: "The heroes of Liangshan are all heroes, they were forced to go up to Liangshan due to various reasons, I have admiration for them in my heart."

  "You corrupt officials, I see you're trying to save your own skin by speaking like that. Today, killing you might not allow me to break out of the siege, but every time I kill a corrupt official, it's a contribution to the people. Even if I, Yang Zai Xing, die in the process, it will be a worthy death."

  Zhao Yan burst out laughing and said coldly, "What's so funny?"

  "I am just a humble school, the Yang family's loyalty and bravery protected our great Song Dynasty's rivers and mountains, setting an example for eternity. Who would have thought that later generations would only know how to kill a few corrupt officials."

  "Killing a dog is a righteous act, and how did you know I'm a descendant of the Yang family?" Yang Zai Xing asked in surprise.

  "You can tell that your marksmanship is the unique shooting technique of the Yang family." Zhao Yan said confidently. Of course, this was just nonsense, Zhao Yan had never seen the Yang family's shooting technique, only knowing it through history, but if he were to speak the truth, Yang Zai would either think Zhao Yan was crazy or intentionally teasing him, and if he decided that Zhao Yan was teasing him, he might get angry and kill Zhao Yan with one shot. This Yang Zai had a fiery temper after all.

  Speaking of Yang Zaixing, one must mention this man. He was a famous anti-Jin general. After failing to obtain the title of Zhuangyuan, Yang Zaixing returned home and resumed his martial arts training, mastering the Yang family spear. More than ten years later, the Song Dynasty was in decline, with the emperor being incompetent and tyrannical. Yang Zaixing raised a righteous banner on Jiulong Mountain, proclaiming himself king and rebelling against the government, killing off government troops who dared not approach.

  There were rumors that Yue Fei was ordered to come and destroy Yang Zaixing. The two met on the battlefield and Yang Zaixing wanted to have a rematch with Yue Fei, agreeing to a one-on-one duel. In the first round, the two fought fiercely for 300 rounds without gaining the upper hand. In the second round, Yue Yun disobeyed military orders and came forward to assist Yue Fei in battle. Yue Fei punished his son by sending him to Yang Zaixing to be examined for injuries. The two admired each other's skills, and Yue Fei had a mind to recruit Yang Zaixing, but he couldn't break through the Yang family spear technique, which made him feel frustrated...

  That night, Yang Zai's ancestor Yang Liu gave Yue Fei a dream, passing on the killing move to him, asking him to subdue Yang Zai and let the descendants of the Yang family make contributions to the country. Yue Fei and Yang Zai clashed again, the killing move greatly destroyed the Yang family spear, telling Yang Zai about his ancestor's dream. Yang Zai felt ashamed of disgracing the loyal and heroic name of the Yang family, and promised to surrender, becoming sworn brothers with Yue Fei.

  Yang Zai Xing, to repay the kindness of Yue Fei's recognition, after returning to Song, repeatedly charged into battle and served at the forefront. When the Taizhou Lake bandit Qi Fang rebelled, Yang Zai Xing single-handedly captured three of Qi Fang's men, achieving a great merit. During the pacification of Dongting Lake and Yang Yao, Yue Fei bravely attended the Golden Orchid Banquet, and Yang Zai Xing was ordered to escort him, risking his life to rescue Yue Fei, using his spear to challenge the five tiger generals of the Lei family, earning a great reputation. In the battle at Snake Coil Mountain, Yang Zai Xing captured the rebel leader Yang Jiao in one move.

  When the Big Break Five Directions Formation, Yang Zai Xing assisted by Yan Cheng Fang, gun stabbed Tongting Lake's first brave general Xiao Ba Wang Yang Fan. Although Yang Zai Xing and Yue Fei swore brotherhood relatively late, they were as close as liver and gallbladder, and soon after returning to the Song Dynasty, Yang Zai Xing achieved great merits, even surpassing many old generals of the Yue Family Army.

  At this moment, the girl who was rescued by Zhao Jiong stepped forward and said: "Please, Brother Yang, let him go. He is a good person."

  Yang Zai Xing was taken aback, knowing that this young girl had a story to tell. The heroes of Liangshan had gone into hiding, some had died, and Yang Zai Xing, feeling disheartened and disappointed, came to Taiyuan City. A few scoundrels saw how beautiful the girl was and secretly followed her, administering anesthetic in a small alleyway within the city. It just so happened that Yang Zai Xing stumbled upon them. Yang Zai Xing had always been one to hate evil, how could he stand idly by? With a few swift moves, he killed the scoundrels.

  The alley was quite secluded, and Yang Zai Xing carried the girl away without being detected. Later, when the girl woke up, Yang Zai Xing asked her why she had walked down such a remote alley. The girl looked somewhat embarrassed as she told him that an old man lived deep in the alley, whose children had all died in the war, and whenever she had time, she would go to take care of him. Yang Zai Xing was deeply moved by this and decided to stay in the city to look after the girl, who was like a younger sister to him.

  The girl stepped forward to plead, and Yang Zai Xing suddenly softened a bit, but seeing the girl's eyes looking at Zhao Yan were very complicated, Yang Zai Xing, who was meticulous in his thoughts, sensed that there was something in it. Yang Zai Xing put away his long gun, but his momentum did not decrease.

  Zhao Kan let out a sigh of relief and ordered the soldiers to retreat. By this time, the house had already collapsed, and only then did Zhao Kan notice that the fire was burning down an inn.

  Zhao Guangyi said: "Yang brothers' martial arts are strong, why don't you serve our great Song dynasty, together to defend against the barbarians and protect our rivers and mountains?"

  Yang Zaixing said coldly, "At this time, the court is dominated by treacherous officials, the emperor is confused and dizzy, the people are living in a state of panic, foreign tribes are bullying our land, and the imperial army is slow to arrive. Why should I serve this corrupt and decadent court?"

  Yang Zai-xing's words were indeed direct, no wonder he would rebel soon after. However, what Yang Zai-xing said was also the truth.

  Zhao said: "To be honest, the imperial court did not send a large army. These tens of thousands of soldiers were brought by me from blocking the Jin people in Yanshan."

  "Did you resist the invasion of Wanyan Zongwang's Eastern Route Army?" Yang Zaixing asked in surprise. During the defense of Taiyuan, Yang Zaixing temporarily joined the militia organized by the Song army, although he didn't have a military background, but his calm and skillful martial arts quickly earned everyone's respect, all calling him "General Yang". Zhao Che secretly smiled to himself, this Yang Zaixing on the surface seemed to have lost hope in the imperial court, but actually still cared deeply about the Great Song, otherwise how would he know who was leading the Eastern Route Army of the Jin.

  "After lifting the siege of Taiyuan this time, I may be put to death, but I can protect my country's land, and even if I die, I will have no regrets." Zhao Jie said with a smile.

  Yang Zai Xing burst out laughing: "Although I won't join the Song army, I acknowledge this friend." The tense atmosphere that had been building up finally eased. Yang Zai Xing casually walked over to the girl's side and asked her a few questions in a low voice. The girl's face turned slightly red as she replied to Yang Zai Xing.

  Yang Zai Xing heard this and suddenly became furious, pulling out a steel gun and rushing over, pointing at Zhao Yan. The scene changed too quickly, Zhao Yan's smiling expression still frozen on his face. He thought to himself "You believe it will take several times to guarantee paralysis of the face?" Unaware what Yang Zai Xing was up to, the girl also stood by in shock, unsure of what to do.