Chapter 92: Li Guang's Divine Arrow Boosts Army Morale; Wu Yong's Secret Plans Attack on Gai Prefecture

CHAPTER 92

Arousing the Army’s Might, the Little Li Guang Shoots with Divine Arrows; Attacking the Prefecture of Gai, the Wizard of Wisdom Secretly Plans

Let us tell how Song Jiang, commanding the army and its men, divided them into five columns and advanced to attack Gai Prefecture. Scouts from Gai Prefecture, having ascertained the information accurately, flew back into the city to report. The defending commander in the city, Niu Wenzhong, was originally of the greenwood background; the gold, silver, goods, and valuables he had plundered in the rivers and lakes he entirely contributed to Tian Hu, conspiring with him to rebel and occupy prefectures and commanderies of the Song dynasty. For this reason, he had been officially enfeoffed as Commissioner of the Pivot Bureau. He was accustomed to wielding a three-pointed, two-edged blade, and his martial skills were outstanding. Under his command he had four fierce generals, known as the Four Mighty Generals, who assisted him in defending Gai Prefecture. Who were the four? The “Lion-Might General” Fang Qiong; the “Pixiu-Might General” An Shirong; the “Leopard-Might General” Chu Heng; and the “Bear-Might General” Yu Yulin.

Beneath these Four Mighty Generals, each had four assistant generals, making sixteen assistant generals in total. They were: Yang Duan, Guo Xin, Su Ji, Zhang Xiang, Fang Shun, Shen An, Lu Yuan, Wang Ji, Shi Jing, Qin Sheng, Mo Zhen, Sheng Ben, He Ren, Cao Hong, Shi Xun, and Sang Ying.

Niu Wenzhong, together with the principal and assistant generals, commanded thirty thousand northern troops, holding Gai Prefecture. Having recently heard that Lingchuan and Gaoping had been lost, he was both preparing to meet the government army in battle and sending dispatches to Weisheng and Jinning, requesting urgent reinforcements. At that moment, receiving the report, he immediately ordered the principal general Fang Qiong, along with assistant generals Yang Duan, Guo Xin, Su Ji, and Zhang Xiang, to lead five thousand troops out of the city to meet the enemy. Before they departed, Niu Wenzhong said, “General, take care. I will follow later with troops to support you.” Fang Qiong replied, “There is no need for the Commissioner’s instructions. The loss of those two cities was not due to lack of strength; they all fell victim to his cunning schemes. Today, if Fang does not kill a few of them, I swear I will not return to the city.”

At that moment, each donned their armor, mounted their horses, led the troops out of the east gate, and galloped forward. The vanguard of the Song army met them, drew up their battle formation, and the war drums shook the heavens. From the northern formation, the gate flags parted, and Fang Qiong rode out, flanked by four assistant generals on his left and right. Fang Qiong wore a “curling-cloud cap,” was clad in dragon-scale armor, donned a green brocade robe, belted with a lion-mane sash, and wore green boots. On his left he carried a bow, on his right hung arrows; he bestrode a yellow-maned horse and grasped a pure iron spear, shouting: “You water-lair grass-bandits, how dare you use cunning tricks to steal our cities!” From the Song formation, Sun Li roared: “Rebel aiding the traitor! The heavenly army has arrived, and you still do not know death!” Whipping his horse, he charged straight at Fang Qiong. The two generals, amidst the shadows of battle dust and the thick of slaughter, fought for over thirty exchanges, and Fang Qiong gradually weakened. In the northern army’s formation, Zhang Xiang saw that Fang Qiong could not overcome Sun Li, so he drew his bow, fitted an arrow, edged his horse forward of the formation, and with a sou, shot an arrow at Sun Li. Sun Li had already seen it; he lifted his horse’s head, and the arrow struck the horse’s eye. The horse reared up. Sun Li jumped to the side, grasped his spear, and prepared to fight on foot. The wounded horse, in pain, ran north for a dozen paces and then fell. Zhang Xiang, seeing that he had not shot down Sun Li, spurred his horse, raised his blade, and came to assist, but Qin Ming intercepted him and engaged in combat. Sun Li wanted to return to the formation to change horses, but Fang Qiong’s spear, never leaving his side, entangled him, preventing his escape. This enraged the “Divine-Arm General” Hua Rong, who cursed: “Thief general, how dare you shoot a hidden arrow! Let him taste one of my arrows!” As he spoke, his bow was already drawn to its full extent. Aiming carefully at Fang Qiong, with a sou he loosed an arrow, striking Fang Qiong square in the face. Fang Qiong turned over and fell from his horse. Sun Li hurried over and finished him with a spear thrust, then quickly returned to his own formation to change his horse. Zhang Xiang fought with Qin Ming; Qin Ming’s staff never left the top of Zhang Xiang’s head, and Zhang Xiang could only parry and block. Seeing Fang Qiong fall from his horse, fear seized him, and he gradually lost ground. From the northern formation, Guo Xin spurred his horse, grasped his spear, and came to assist Zhang Xiang. Qin Ming, single-handedly facing two generals, showed no fear. The three horses formed a T-shape as they fought before the formation. Hua Rong took a second arrow, fitted it to the string, aimed carefully at Zhang Xiang’s back, drew the bow like a full moon, the arrow flew like a meteor, and with a sou he loosed another, shouting: “Take the arrow!” It struck Zhang Xiang square in the back, piercing through—the arrow came out through his chest. His helmet hung askew, his feet kicked the air, and with a thud he crashed from his horse. Guo Xin, seeing Zhang Xiang struck by the arrow, feigned an opening, turned his horse, and headed back to his own formation. Qin Ming pursued closely. By this time, Sun Li had changed his horse and re-entered the fray. Together with Hua Rong and Suo Chao, they waved the troops forward, rolling over the enemy. The northern troops were in great chaos. Yang Duan, Guo Xin, and Su Ji, unable to withstand the assault, hurriedly retreated. Suddenly, a great shout arose from behind the northern troops. It was Niu Wenzhong, fearing Fang Qiong might be lost, ordering An Shirong and Yu Yulin each to lead five thousand troops to converge on the battle from two sides. Hua Rong and the other three generals quickly divided their forces to resist, but Yang Duan, Guo Xin, and Su Ji wheeled their horses around and charged back. Unable to withstand the three-pronged attack, Hua Rong and his three generals fought desperately, finding themselves surrounded at the center. Then they heard shouts and slaughter rising to the heavens from the east. The northern troops fell into great disorder. On the left were Dong Ping and seven other generals; on the right were Huang Xin and seven other generals. The two wings of troops charged in together. The northern troops suffered a great defeat; many were killed. An Shirong, Yu Yulin, and the others urgently led their troops into the city and closed the gates. The Song troops pursued to the foot of the city walls, but from the walls, rolling logs and battering stones were hurled down, and the Song troops withdrew.

Soon, the main army of the Song vanguard arrived and encamped five li from the city. Song Jiang entered his tent and ordered Xiao Rang to record Hua Rong’s first merit. Suddenly, a strange wind arose, lifting dust and dirt, sweeping from west to east, shaking the banners so that they tilted askew. Wu Yong said, “This wind tonight must mean the enemy will raid our camp. We must prepare quickly.” Song Jiang said, “This wind is truly unusual!” He then ordered Ou Peng, Deng Fei, Yan Shun, and Ma Lin to lead three thousand troops to lie in ambush to the left of the camp; Wang Ying, Chen Da, Yang Chun, and Li Zhong to lead three thousand troops to lie in ambush to the right of the camp; and Lu Zhishen, Wu Song, Li Kui, Bao Xu, Xiang Chong, and Li Gun to lead five hundred troops to lie in ambush inside the camp. At the signal of a cannon blast, they were all to charge out. Having made these deployments, Song Jiang and Wu Yong discussed military matters by candlelight.

Let us now tell of Niu Wenzhong, who, having lost three generals and counting his troops, found that over two thousand men were missing. He was brooding in his tent when the “Pixiu-Might General” An Shirong presented a plan: “Rest assured, Your Grace! This band of Song Jiang’s, having won several battles in a row, must be arrogant and complacent, and will certainly not be prepared. Tonight, let An lead a force to raid their camp, and we can achieve a complete victory, avenging today’s defeat.” Commissioner Niu said, “If you go, General, I will personally lead troops to support you. Order General Yu and General Chu to defend the city steadfastly.” An Shirong was overjoyed and said, “If Your Grace personally leads the campaign, we will surely capture Song Jiang.” Having settled the plan, at the second watch, An Shirong, together with assistant generals Shen An, Lu Yuan, Wang Ji, and Shi Jing, led five thousand troops. The men wore soft armor, the horses’ bells were removed, and they emerged from the city. With gags in their mouths, they hurried along silently, until they reached the Song camp. With a shout, they burst into the camp in a mass. They saw that the camp gate was wide open, and within the camp, lanterns and candles were blazing brightly. An Shirong knew he had fallen into a trap, but it was too late to retreat. A cannon blast sounded from the Song camp. On the left, Yan Shun and the other three generals; on the right, Wang Ying and the other three generals, all charged in together. From within the camp, Li Kui and the other five generals, leading shield-bearing infantry, rolled out to attack. The northern troops suffered a great defeat, scattering in all directions to save their lives. Shen An was killed by Wu Song’s monastic blade; Wang Ji was killed by Wang Ying. The Song troops surrounded An Shirong, Lu Yuan, and Shi Jing’s forces at the center. The situation was critical when Niu Wenzhong, together with assistant generals Cao Hong and Shi Xun, led troops to the rescue. They fought a confused battle, then each side withdrew.

The next day, Niu Wenzhong counted his troops, finding over a thousand lost. He had also lost the two generals Shen An and Wang Ji. Shi Xun was severely wounded, at death’s door. While he was fretting, a messenger suddenly arrived from Weisheng bearing an imperial decree. Niu Wenzhong hastily mounted his horse and went out the north gate to receive him. The envoy entered the city and read the decree, stating that recently the Observatory, observing the celestial signs at night, had seen a baleful star encroaching upon the region of Jin, and that the city must be steadfastly defended, without error. Niu Wenzhong reported that the Song court had sent Song Jiang with troops to attack, and that they had already broken two cities. The Song army had already arrived here, and in yesterday’s battle, five principal and assistant generals had been lost. Only if reinforcements arrived soon could safety be ensured. The envoy said, “When I left Weisheng, there was not yet this news. Only on the road did I hear the rumor that the Song court had sent troops here.” Niu Wenzhong held a banquet to entertain him and presented gifts. Meanwhile, he prepared rolling logs, battering stones, strong bows and hard crossbows, fire arrows and incendiary devices, and steadfastly defended the city, awaiting reinforcements. Of this, no more is said.

Meanwhile, Yan Shun, Wang Ying, and the other commanders routed the raiding troops that had attacked the camp and returned victorious. The next day, Song Jiang issued orders to construct siege equipment and prepare for an assault on the city. He commanded Lin Chong, Suo Chao, Xuan Zan, and Hao Siwen to lead ten thousand troops and attack the east gate; Xu Ning, Qin Ming, Han Tao, and Peng Qi to lead ten thousand troops and attack the south gate; and Dong Ping, Yang Zhi, Shan Tinggui, and Wei Dingguo to lead ten thousand troops and attack the west gate. The north gate was left unguarded, for fear that if reinforcements arrived and the defenders sallied forth, they would be caught between two fronts. He then ordered Shi Jin, Zhu Tong, Mu Hong, and Ma Lin to lead five thousand troops and ambush the enemy from a high ridge northeast of the city; and Huang Xin, Sun Li, Ou Peng, and Deng Fei to lead five thousand troops and lie in wait in a dense forest northwest of the city. If the rebels dispatched reinforcements, these two forces would attack them from both sides. He ordered Hua Rong, Wang Ying, Zhang Qing, Sun Xin, and Li Li to lead a thousand cavalry as roving scouts, patrolling the four gates; and Li Kui, Bao Xu, Xiang Chong, Li Gun, Liu Tang, and Lei Heng to lead three hundred infantry to coordinate with Hua Rong and the others. Once the deployments were set, the commanders obeyed their orders and departed. Song Jiang, Lu Junyi, Wu Yong, and other principal and secondary commanders moved their camp to a spot a mile east of the city. He ordered Li Yun and Tang Long to supervise the construction of scaling ladders and siege towers, which would be brought to the various camps for use.

Now, Lin Chong and the other three commanders set up scaling ladders and siege towers at the east gate, pressing close to the city wall. They ordered agile soldiers to climb the towers and attempt to scale the wall, while those below raised a clamor to encourage them. But the rebels on the wall shot arrows with blazing tips, swarming like locusts, and the soldiers could not dodge in time. Soon the siege towers were set ablaze and came crashing down with a roar, killing five or six soldiers and wounding over a dozen. The attacks on the south and west gates likewise suffered losses from flaming arrows and cannon fire. Thus, after six or seven days of continuous assault, they still could not take the city.

Seeing that the siege was not succeeding, Song Jiang, together with Lu Junyi and Wu Yong, went personally to the south gate to urge the attack. There they saw Hua Rong and the other four commanders leading their roving scouts from the west to scout the east side. On the city wall, Yu Yulin, along with his subordinate officers Yang Duan and Guo Xin, were supervising the defenders. Yang Duan, seeing Hua Rong gradually approaching the wall, said, "The other day he wounded two of our commanders in succession. Today I will avenge them!" He quickly drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and shot it with a whizz directly at Hua Rong's chest. Hearing the twang of the bowstring, Hua Rong leaned backward, and the arrow flew past; with a deft motion, he snatched it, bit it in his mouth, then rose, slung his spear on his saddle hook, and with his left hand drew his bow. With his right hand he took the arrow, nocked it, aimed carefully at Yang Duan, who was close, and shot. The arrow struck Yang Duan right in the throat, and he fell backward with a thud. Hua Rong shouted, "You rats dare to shoot a hidden arrow! I'll make every one of you die!" He reached for another arrow, but just as he was about to shoot again, he heard a cry from the city wall, and several soldiers tumbled down the tower together. Yu Yulin and Guo Xin turned pale with fear and could not dodge in time. Hua Rong sneered, "Today you've learned to know the 'Divine Archer General'!" Song Jiang and Lu Junyi cheered repeatedly. Wu Yong said, "Brother, let's go with General Hua to inspect the city wall's terrain." Hua Rong and the others escorted Song Jiang, Lu Junyi, and Wu Yong as they made a complete circuit around the city.

When Song Jiang, Lu Junyi, and Wu Yong returned to camp, Wu Yong summoned Geng Gong, the surrendered officer from Linchuan, and asked him about the roads within Gai Prefecture. Geng Gong said, "Niu Wenzhong has turned the old prefectural office into his headquarters in the center of the city. In the north part of the city, there are several temples, and the empty spaces are all hay fields." Upon hearing this, Wu Yong discussed it with Song Jiang, then called Shi Qian and Shi Xiu close and whispered, "Follow this plan: go secretly to Hua Rong's force and deliver my orders, and act according to the circumstances." He then summoned Ling Zhen, Xie Zhen, and Xie Bao to lead two hundred soldiers, carrying various sizes of thunderous cannons, large and small, and proceed as instructed. He ordered Lu Zhishen and Wu Song to lead three hundred drummers and gong players; and Liu Tang, Yang Xiong, Yu Baosi, and Duan Jingzhu to each lead two hundred soldiers, each carrying torches, and proceed to the four directions—east, south, west, and north—according to the plan. He also sent Dai Zong to the camps at the east, south, and west gates to secretly convey orders: as soon as they saw a fire break out in the city, they were to launch a coordinated attack. The deployments were set, and the commanders obeyed and departed.

Now, Niu Wenzhong had been day and night hoping for reinforcements, but there was no news, and he grew very anxious. He assigned additional troops to carry timber and stones to reinforce the city walls. As dusk fell, he suddenly heard a tremendous uproar from outside the north gate, with drums and horns sounding in unison. Niu Wenzhong rushed to the north gate and climbed the wall to look, but the shouting and drumming had ceased, and he could not tell where the troops were. While he was still puzzled, shouts erupted from the south gate, with drums and horns shaking the heavens. Niu Wenzhong ordered Yu Yulin to hold the north gate, while he himself galloped to the south wall. When he looked, the shouting had stopped, and the drums and horns had fallen silent. Niu Wenzhong gazed for a long time, but could only hear the faint sound of night watches from the Song camp to the south, and everything was quiet, with not a trace of firelight. As he slowly descended the wall to inspect the headquarters, he suddenly heard a series of cannon blasts from the east gate, and shouts and drumming arose thunderously from the west. Niu Wenzhong dashed east and west, and the commotion lasted until dawn. The Song troops then attacked the city again, only withdrawing at night. That night, during the first watch, they again heard drumming and shouting. Niu Wenzhong said, "This is just a trick to confuse us—pay no attention. We will simply hold the city and see what they can do." Suddenly, a report came that flames lit up the sky at the east gate, with countless torches, and siege towers and scaling ladders were pressing close to the wall. Niu Wenzhong, upon hearing this, rushed to the east wall and, together with Chu Heng, Shi Jing, and Qin Sheng, directed the soldiers to shoot flaming arrows and fire cannon. Suddenly, a cannon blast shook the mountains and valleys, rattling the city tower itself, and the soldiers and civilians within the city were greatly alarmed. After two nights of such harassment, the Song troops attacked again at dawn, and the defenders could not rest for a moment. Niu Wenzhong himself patrolled the walls constantly. Then he saw to the northwest a mass of banners that seemed to blot out the sky, moving southeast, and a dozen or so Song scouts galloped like the wind toward the main camp. Niu Wenzhong guessed that reinforcements had arrived and ordered Yu Yulin to prepare to sally forth from the city to meet them.

Now, the troops from the northwest were led by Tian Biao, the third prince of Tian Hu, the garrison commander of Jin Ning. Upon receiving the urgent request for aid from Gai Prefecture, he dispatched his fierce general Fengxiang Wang Yuan to lead twenty thousand troops to rescue the city. They had already passed Yang City and were approaching Gai Prefecture, still over ten miles away, when suddenly a cannon boomed. From beneath the high ridge to the east and the dense forest to the west, two columns of troops burst forth. They were the eight fierce generals Shi Jin, Zhu Tong, Mu Hong, Ma Lin, Huang Xin, Sun Li, Ou Peng, and Deng Fei, leading ten thousand elite soldiers, who charged in for the kill. Although the Jin Ning troops numbered twenty thousand, they were exhausted from their long march and could not withstand the ambush forces, which had been lying in wait for over ten days and were fresh and sharp. Attacked from both sides, the Jin Ning army suffered a great defeat, abandoning countless drums, flags, spears, armor, and horses. Most of the soldiers were killed, and Fengxiang Wang Yuan barely escaped with his life, leading the remnants of his defeated troops back to Jin Ning. We need not speak of this further.

As for Niu Wenzhong, seeing the two armies locked in battle, he hastily ordered Yu Yulin to lead troops out through the north gate to assist. The north gate was not under attack. Yu Yulin led his troops out of the city, but as soon as they crossed the drawbridge, they encountered Hua Rong's roving scouts coming from the west. The northern troops cried out, "The Divine Archer General is here!" In their panic, they could not retreat in time and, jostling chaotically, rushed back into the city. Yu Yulin, already terrified from his experience at the south gate, dared not engage in battle and also fled into the city. Hua Rong and his men charged over, killing over twenty men, but did not pursue, allowing them to re-enter the city. The gates were hastily closed.

By then Shi Xiu and Shi Qian, having donned the uniforms of the Northern army, had already slipped into the city. Shi Qian and Shi Xiu entered the city gate and, taking advantage of the hustle and bustle, ducked into a small alley. Turning down that alley, they came upon a shrine with a plaque reading: "Shrine of the Local Land God." Shi Qian and Shi Xiu entered the shrine and saw a Daoist warming himself by a fire against the eastern wall. Seeing two soldiers enter the shrine, the Daoist said, "Officers, what news from outside?" The soldier replied, "We were just now sent by General Yu to fight, but we ran into that Divine Archer General, and even General Yu dared not engage him. We scrambled back into the city in chaos, and I took the chance to slip away here." Then he took two pieces of from his person and handed them to the Daoist, saying, "If you have any stashed wine, just give us two bowls to drink; we are truly frozen." The man laughed and said, "Officers, you don't know how urgent the military situation has been these days; there hasn't been a single bit of incense offered to the gods, so where could I get half a drop of wine?" He then returned the silver to Shi Qian. Shi Xiu stopped his hand and said, "Keep this little bit for now; we'll figure something out later. We've been guarding the city hard for days without a moment's sleep, so tonight we'll just bed down here and leave in the morning." The Daoist waved his hand and said, "Don't blame me, officers! General Niu's orders are strict; he'll be coming to inspect shortly. If I keep you two here, neither of us will come out clean." Shi Qian said, "If that's the case, we'll make other plans." Shi Xiu then edged over to sit by the Daoist, also warming himself. Shi Qian looked around and, seeing no one about, gave Shi Xiu a wink. Shi Xiu secretly drew his dagger. The Daoist, absorbed in warming himself, was caught off guard as Shi Xiu, from behind, struck with a kacha sound, cutting off his head. Then they bolted the shrine door. It was now around the hour of You (5-7 PM). Shi Qian went around the spirit altar, and at the back wall there was a door. Outside the door was a small courtyard, with two piles of hay stacked under the eaves. Shi Qian and Shi Xiu moved the hay out, covered the Daoist's corpse, opened the shrine door, and climbed up onto the roof from the rear courtyard. The two lay flat under the ridge, looking up at the sky where dozens of stars shone brightly. After waiting a while, they slid back down from the roof and went outside the shrine to scout; there was not a soul about. They walked a few more steps, looking left and right; nearby there were a few residents' homes, all quiet with doors shut, and faint sounds of weeping could be heard. Shi Qian walked southward again, turned past a stretch of earthen wall, and came upon a large open space with dozens of piles of firewood and hay. Shi Qian thought to himself, "This is the fodder depot—why isn't it guarded?" The truth was that the soldiers in the city were entirely focused on defending the walls and had no time to inspect here. The guards, hearing that the Song army had routed the relief forces, figured the city was done for, and each looked out for himself, hiding in advance. Shi Qian and Shi Xiu returned to the shrine, took some kindling, set fire to the hay on the Daoist's corpse, then slipped into the fodder depot. The two split up and lit seven or eight spots in succession. Soon, the depot blazed up, flames soaring to the sky, and the shrine also caught fire. To the west of the depot, a resident saw the fire and came out with a torch to investigate. Shi Qian rushed over, snatched the torch from his hand. Shi Xiu said, "Let's go report to Marshal Niu." Seeing they were soldiers, the resident dared not argue. Shi Qian, holding the torch, ran south with Shi Xiu, shouting about reporting to the marshal. Wherever they saw a resident's house they could reach, they set two more fires, then dropped the torch and turned aside. The two shed their Northern army uniforms and hid in a secluded spot.

Inside the city, seeing fires springing up in four or five places, chaos erupted instantly. Niu Wenzhong, seeing the fodder depot ablaze, urgently led troops to put out the fire. Outside the city, seeing the fires within, they knew Shi Qian and Shi Xiu were acting as internal allies and redoubled their efforts in the assault. Song Jiang, along with Wu Yong, led Xie Zhen and Xie Bao to the south of the city. Wu Yong said, "The other day I noticed that section of the wall is a bit lower." He then ordered Qin Ming and the others to move the flying towers close to the wall. Wu Yong said to Xie Zhen and Xie Bao, "The enemy is terrified and their troops exhausted, brothers, strive to get up the wall!" Xie Zhen took a saber and climbed the flying tower, grasped the parapet, and leaped up in one bound. Xie Bao followed, also vaulting up with effort. The two shouted loudly, seized the parapet, and swung their sabers, hacking wildly. The soldiers on the wall, already weary and panicked, and seeing Xie Zhen and Xie Bao's ferocity, scattered and rolled down off the wall. Chu Heng saw the two on the wall, leveled his spear, and fought for over a dozen rounds, but Xie Bao knocked him over with his saber, and Xie Zhen came up and chopped off his head. By then, over a hundred Song soldiers had climbed up from the flying towers. Xie Zhen and Xie Bao led the charge, all rushing down from the wall, shouting, "Anyone who comes forward will be chopped into meat paste!" The men killed Shi Jing and Qin Sheng, cut down the gate guards, seized the city gate, and lowered the drawbridge. Xu Ning and the other commanders led their troops surging in. Xu Ning, with Han Tao, led troops charging toward the east gate. An Shirong could not hold out and was stabbed dead by Xu Ning, who seized the gate and let Lin Chong and the other commanders into the city. Qin Ming, with Peng Qi, led troops to seize the west gate, letting Dong Ping and the others enter. Mo Zhen, He Ren, and Cao Hong were all killed by the rampaging troops. Corpses filled the marketplaces, and blood flowed through the streets. Niu Wenzhong, seeing that all the city gates had been taken, could only mount his horse, abandon the city, and, with Yu Yulin and over two hundred men, flee out the north gate. Before they had gone a li, out of the darkness burst "Black Whirlwind" Li Kui and "Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen—one a fierce general, the other a reckless monk—blocking their path. Truly, the heavens spread a net too tight to move, the earth raised a snare too high to escape. In the end, what happened to Niu Wenzhong and Yu Yulin? Listen to the next chapter for the explanation.