bookrandom Chapter 152 Guan Dadao's Family Trapped, Hao Siwen Risks His Life to Cover Their Retreat
Chapter 152 Guan Dadao's Family Trapped, Hao Siwen Risks His Life to Cover Their Retreat
The waning moon disappeared behind the clouds, and the lanterns of the Yuncheng County government office swayed in the night wind.
Guan Sheng, known as "Big Sword," placed his Green Dragon Crescent Blade across his saddle. The hoof of Red Hare shattered the bluestone slabs, and the crisp sound startled the birds roosting under the eaves.
After breaking up with Li Hanxiao and others, he and "Jingmuhan" Hao Siwen rushed to his hometown of Yuncheng to pick up his family first.
After all, it wouldn't be easy for Yang Jian to capture the two of them, but it would be very easy for him to capture his wife and family.
Guan Sheng's wife was also a former soldier's daughter and had some family property. Since Guan Sheng's family didn't have a big house, they moved directly into his wife Fan's house after the marriage because the house was bigger.
His wife, Fan, had an older brother named Fan Rui, who was the same person as the Liangshan hero "Mischievous Demon King" Fan Rui, but with a different character. He was also a descendant of a military family and knew some martial arts. They lived together.
In the novel "The Complete Story of Yue Fei", it was Fan Rui who raised Guan Ling after Guan Sheng, nicknamed "Big Knife", fell off his horse while drunk in Daming Prefecture and died of illness. He also passed on the Guan family's traditional sword techniques to Guan Ling.
They were almost at Guan Sheng's brother-in-law's house when they saw a fire in the distance.
"Brother, look!"
Hao Siwen, nicknamed "Jingmu Han," suddenly reined in his horse and pointed ahead.
Suddenly, more than twenty riders emerged from behind the woods ahead. Their iron armor reflected the scattered torches. The leader was He He, the local cavalry commander from Yuncheng. He held an iron chain, and a meteor hammer jingled at his waist.
"Guan Sheng! Hao Siwen! You've indeed returned here. Dismount immediately and surrender to avoid being stabbed!"
Guan Sheng, nicknamed "Big Knife," and Hao Siwen, nicknamed "Well Wood Wolf," originally thought that their journey back to Yuncheng overnight to pick up Guan Sheng's family would be smooth sailing. However, they overlooked one crucial point: Yang Jian's orders were issued much faster than theirs.
His orders would reach Yuncheng in two and a half days if delivered by express courier, and in a little over a day if delivered by carrier pigeon or eagle.
Yang Jian didn't need to go in person; he only needed to deliver the message to the local government so they could arrest the criminals. Guan Sheng and his group had already wasted two and a half days on the road, and just then they ran into the government troops who came to arrest them.
"Big Knife" Guan Sheng understood that things had been exposed, but he forced himself to calm down and asked, "Hey, Captain, what crime have we committed? You'd better explain it clearly!"
"What crime? Have you already forgotten how you offended Grand Commandant Yang in just a couple of days? Stop wasting my breath and get him!"
He He shouted and ordered his cavalry to surround Guan Sheng and Hao Siwen and capture them.
"Brother! Kill them!"
Seeing that there was no room for maneuver, Hao Siwen, nicknamed "Wellwood Falcon," acted decisively, thrusting his spear with a "Azure Dragon Offering Claws" maneuver, slamming a cavalryman off his horse.
"Resist arrest! Kill them!"
He He shouted and smashed his meteor hammer directly at Guan Yu. The two constables of Yuncheng County, He He and Yan Xiaoqi, were both quite skilled and had strong martial arts. Guan Sheng, known as "Big Saber", raised his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, smashed the meteor hammer, turned around and slashed off the head of a cavalryman.
Thinking of his wife, he spurred his horse, brandished his sword, and charged out of the encirclement with "Wellwood Falcon" Hao Siwen, heading towards their home.
But back in his own backyard, Yan Xiaoqi, the infantry commander of Yuncheng County, was leading dozens of soldiers to surround Guan Sheng's house. The house was shrouded in lanterns and torches, making the night as bright as day.
"kill!"
As Guan Sheng, wielding his sword, charged towards Yan Xiaoqi on his horse, he shouted, "Brother, come out quickly! I'm back! Let's fight our way out together!"
Those inside heard Guan Sheng's voice, and the vermilion gate suddenly swung open, with Guan Sheng's brother-in-law, Fan Rui, rushing out carrying a broadsword.
Although Guan Sheng's brother-in-law was only in his early thirties, his swordsmanship was a true inheritance from the Fan family of Hedong. Sparks flew wherever the blade passed, and he forced three yamen runners down the steps.
"Brother-in-law, run!"
Fan Rui chopped off the door bolt with his backhand, and Guan Sheng's wife, Fan Shi, carrying the swaddled Guan Ling, leaped onto a mule cart that had been tied to the door for some time.
The baby slept soundly amidst the sounds of battle, completely unaware that several crossbow bolts were hurtling through the air.
Guan Sheng's Green Dragon Blade spun with a silver light, deflecting three crossbow bolts with the back of the blade.
Guan Sheng, wielding a broadsword, glared with his tiger-like eyes. With a slanted slash, he deflected He He's meteor hammer. He He's cry was cut short as the constable was struck in the chest by his own meteor hammer and staggered backward.
If a real fight breaks out, "Big Knife" Guan Sheng alone could wipe out all of these guys; that's an indisputable fact.
Yan Xiaoqi suddenly pulled out a bamboo whistle from his pocket, the sharp sound piercing the rain. As the infantry captain of Yuncheng County, he was usually treacherous. He blew the bamboo whistle to call for reinforcements.
&34;Not good!&34;
Hao Siwen, nicknamed "Wellwood Falcon," touched the ground with his silver spear, the shaft bending into a full moon before suddenly straightening, using the momentum to leap onto the roof ridge and gaze into the distance.
At the end of the long street, torches blazed like dragons, and Yan Xiaoqi's guesthouse gleamed coldly in the rain. Two hundred yamen runners, acting as a reserve force, were closing in from all directions, indicating that the entire military force of the Yuncheng county government had been mobilized.
Fan Rui swept his broadsword across the horse's legs, and the two official horses neighed and fell to the ground. He grabbed the spear from the ground and threw it at Yan Xiaoqi, but Yan Xiaoqi knocked it to the ground with his sword.
"I'll take my sister and child and go first!"
Fan Rui shouted and used his body as a shield, charging straight into the spear formation. Fortunately, he was skilled in martial arts and managed to retreat unscathed after a few attacks.
Hao Siwen, nicknamed "Wellwood Falcon," used his silver spear like a white snake spitting out its tongue, piercing seven lanterns in succession. Now that it was dark, eliminating the light sources would prevent the enemy from effectively tracking him, and his thinking was completely correct.
Taking advantage of the time the two were fighting, Guan Sheng got the mule cart moving and handed the reins to his brother-in-law, Fan Rui, to drive. He then jumped onto the back of Red Hare.
Red Hare reared up, Green Dragon Blade cleaved through the rain, and led his wife and children in a mule cart toward the weakest point in the encirclement. Fortunately, the house was located outside Yuncheng City. Otherwise, if it were inside the city, the officials guarding the city gates would probably close them halfway, and they would not be able to get out!
"Come on!"
Just as Guan Sheng shouted, Hao Siwen's warhorse was hooked by Yan Xiaoqi's hind leg and thrown to the ground in the next moment!
"brother!"
Hearing the noise, Guan Sheng, nicknamed "Big Knife," was about to go back to rescue Hao Siwen, but Hao Siwen got up and single-handedly blocked the pursuers.
"Brother! Send sister-in-law and nephew off! I can't go! Hurry, hurry!"
Hao Siwen, nicknamed "Wellwood Falcon," charged into the crowd in the blink of an eye, dashing left and right, displaying all his skills, and was soon swallowed up by the crowd.
Guan Sheng knew that his brother had risked his life to buy time for his family to escape. Although he felt sorry for him, he dared not let his brother down. So he spurred his horse, brandished his sword, and escorted the mule cart away. Before long, the cart shaft brushed past the boundary marker, and the sparks that flew out illuminated the words "Yuncheng".
In the rain, the silver spear drew its last arc of light, and Hao Siwen, known as "Jingmu Han," leaned against the screen wall of the Guan residence, panting.
Twenty-seven bloody holes appeared on his body, including knife wounds, gunshot wounds, and scars left by various weapons.
Hao Siwen's left arm hung limply at his side, revealing the stark white bone at his shoulder joint, yet he still gripped the spear tightly in his hand.
Yan Xiaoqi's guesthouse was littered with sparks on the bluestone slabs, and Hao Siwen had just killed dozens of the two hundred yamen runners!
Now they have learned their lesson and are pressing forward step by step with rattan shields, preventing Hao Siwen from attacking and breaking through the shields to directly injure him.
"Hao Siwen, surrender! Why risk your life?"
He He peeked half her face out from behind the shield formation, her meteor hammer chains rattling loudly as she swung them.
His response was a sudden, explosive silver spear—Hao Siwen bit the spear tassel with his teeth, thrusting with his right arm, the spear tip piercing through three layers of rattan shield, pinning He He to the hitching post.
"kill!"
The battle resumed, and in the instant blood rained down, Yan Xiaoqi emerged from the shield formation like a poisonous dragon.
Hao Siwen bent over backward, the tip of the spear grazing his nose, but Yan Xiaoqi twisted his wrist, the iron hook snapping back and hooking onto his armor ribbon.
With a "rip," the chainmail scales flew off like snowflakes, revealing Hao Siwen's back.
"Here you go!"
Hao Siwen suddenly dropped his gun, grabbed Liu Kezhu with his backhand and used the momentum to jump into the air. In the instant his legs wrapped around an enemy's neck, two yamen runners slammed their water and fire sticks heavily into his waist, the sound of bones cracking being drowned out by the thunder.
Hao Siwen, however, used the excruciating pain to unleash her last bit of strength, biting her bloodied teeth into the enemy's earlobe and tearing the ear off.
In the chaos, someone threw a handful of lime. Caught off guard, Hao Siwen was hit in the face with lime, and his eyes burned with pain.
In a daze, I heard a child crying and mistook the sound of rain for the loud crying of a bell.
In that moment of distraction, three spears pierced his thigh simultaneously. The dull thud of the iron spears entering flesh jolted him back to his senses, but it also brought about his final outburst.
"what!"
Hao Siwen, nicknamed "Jingmu Han," swung his spear around with one hand, using it as a club to sweep the three constables in front of him to the ground. The spear, already overburdened, broke in the process, leaving only half of it in his hand.
"Where are you going?!"
Yan Xiaoqi held out his hand like a venomous snake, and Hao Siwen threw the broken spear backhand. He was a very cunning man, unlike He He. He would not directly attack unless he was sure of victory. It was this habit that allowed him to survive, while He He was killed.
The broken spearhead pierced through three constables, its momentum undiminished, and embedded itself in the brick wall.
In that instant of hesitation, the iron hook had already pierced through Hao Siwen's left shoulder. The "Wellwood Falcon" was a long spear with a barb at the end, specifically used to capture enemies alive. The iron hook stuck on Hao Siwen's collarbone, making a teeth-grinding friction sound.
"Brother Guan...you've gone far enough..."
Despite the immense pain, Hao Siwen actually grinned, his mouth full of blood dripping onto the broken silver spear, startling Yan Xiaoqi in front of him.
"Tie this guy up and take him back to jail to await trial!"
Yan Xiaoqi did not draw the "Stay-at-Home" weapon, fearing that "Wellwood Falcon" Hao Siwen might have run away, or that he might have some other tricks up his sleeve.
At this moment, the mule cart was leaning precariously among the broken tombstones in the mass grave, and Red Hare was pacing restlessly.
Guan Sheng stroked the mark on the hilt of the Green Dragon Blade for the third time, the blade reflecting his wife's tearful eyes—Guan Ling, who was awakened by the thunder in her arms, was clutching half a piece of chainmail and crying.
Looking at the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, Guan Sheng recalled the life of his ancestor Guan Yu, known for his unwavering loyalty and righteousness, and couldn't help but stand up.
"Brother Hao is surely suffering in the enemy's hands! He covered our family's retreat; if I cannot rescue him, it would be against all reason and justice. How could I dare call myself a descendant of the Righteous and Valiant King of Wu'an!"
Guan Sheng suddenly swung his knife and cut down the old locust tree, startling all the crows in the tree. Guan Sheng's wife had just tried to stop him from going to his death, but Guan Sheng refused to listen.
Fan Rui's broadsword supported his swaying body, blood seeping from the bandage on his shoulder: "Brother-in-law, look at this rain!"
He suddenly yanked open the carriage curtain, and the rain lashed against Guan Sheng's bronze armor, making a clanging sound.
"With the rain so heavy, and those hundred or so constables, with their bows and arrows, if you were to charge into the death row alone, wouldn't that be tantamount to suicide? As long as the green hills remain, there's always hope."
As a member of his maternal family, Fan Rui indeed had no connection with Hao Siwen, nicknamed "Jingmu Han". He was definitely thinking about protecting his sister and nephew first, since he was already injured and who knew what other disasters might follow. Without Guan Sheng's escort, it would be absolutely impossible.
"No! I will never do such an unjust thing! I should have stayed and died with Brother Hao Siwen!"
Two lines of tears streamed down Guan Sheng's cheeks, as if he was regretting his decision.
Before the words were finished, two cold stars flashed behind the ruins in the desolate countryside, and two figures emerged from the straw.
"Who is it!"
Guan Sheng warily stepped in front of his wife, children, and brother-in-law, and asked cautiously.
The newcomer, wielding two swords, lifted the bamboo hat that covered his face, revealing his features. The person behind him did the same, except he was still biting into half a pancake.
"If Inspector Guan is going to his death, he might as well give me this Red Hare."
Emerging from the shadows were two familiar faces: Shi Xiu, the "Desperate Saburo," and Le He, the "Iron-Willed Scout."
"Why are there two brothers?"
Guan Sheng was quite surprised to see the two. Shi Xiu then explained that Li Hanxiao was worried about their family and secretly sent them to follow and protect them. However, due to the heavy rain, they were a step too late and only arrived at the location after Hao Siwen was captured.
"Chief Li is very kind. Gentlemen, would you be willing to come with me to rescue them?"
Guan Sheng asked.
With a smile, Lehe said, "There's a dog kennel on the west wall of Yuncheng County Prison. Yesterday, the bricks and stones were washed away by the rain, and we've already gone to check it out."
Shi Xiu then tossed over a blood-stained yamen runner's uniform: "When the third watch gong sounds, set fire to the west side of the yamen, then begin rescuing people."
He wiped the rain from his face and looked at Guan Shengdao, "We must rescue them, but we don't need to fight to the death. Chief Li told me that intelligence is better than strength; we need to use our brains. Wouldn't a night raid on the government office to break them out of prison be more worthwhile than three people fighting head-on?"
Guan Sheng nodded upon hearing this and said, "Concern leads to confusion, indeed, concern leads to confusion!"