Chapter 12: The Clouds Disperse and the Sun Appears

  I didn't expect to run into the real Wang Xiaobo here, and I'm filled with regret. I'm thinking about how to deal with this scourge. Wang Xiaobo has always hated officials like them, whether it was Zhao Kuangyin in the past or Zhao Guangyi now. The lives of farmers in Sichuan are unbearable. There's no idle land under heaven, and farmers still starve to death. Land is distributed unevenly, and wealth is held by a few people. Wang Xiaobo only regrets that Huang Chao's rebellion at the end of the Tang dynasty didn't reach Sichuan. So he wants to be like Huang Chao himself. Over the years, he has been recruiting soldiers and roaming the four seas, with thousands of loyal followers by his side, waiting for the right moment to raise the flag of rebellion against the Song dynasty and give the people a prosperous life. He views the Song court as an enemy in his bones, so naturally, he won't give officials like them a good face. Therefore, when Qiu Hu said he was the head of the Bianzhou militia, Wang Xiaobo didn't say another word and directly welcomed him with a big knife.

  "Wang Xiaobo, you're incredibly daring! Your notorious reputation has spread far and wide in Jian'nan Xidao. The authorities have long been aware of your existence. Do you know that with just one order from me, this motley crew of yours will instantly vanish into thin air!"

  Qiu Hu brought only three hundred soldiers this time, two hundred of whom were infantrymen. Looking at the dense cavalry behind his opponent, he really had no confidence, but he didn't dare to lose the formation either. Unexpectedly, these words thoroughly enraged Wang Xiaobo, who turned pale and shouted to those behind him: "Brothers, did you all hear that? You are called a mob by Lord Qiu! Tell me, are you?"

  "No! Not!"

  "If not, then hand over the weapons in your hands!" Wang Xiaobo's long knife was raised again "Don't let one escape, kill!"

  These Pingzhou soldiers brought by Qiu Hu, relying on the advantageous geographical location of Pingzhou, had a good life and had never fought a hard battle. They could bully ordinary people, but at this moment, they saw a group of fierce bandits coming towards them, and they couldn't help but retreat in their hearts. Qiu Hu was furious, raised his big knife, and shouted: "You cowardly eggs, those who have the guts to rush forward and kill! " After that, he led the charge on horseback and clashed with Wang Xiaobo.

  This exchange, Qiu Hu couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. Wang Xiaobo was born with divine strength, and after just a few rounds of fighting, he already felt a stinging sensation in his tiger's mouth. Moreover, Wang Xiaobo's knife skills were vast and powerful, leaving him no room to breathe. Qiu Hu's heart was racing, and his knife skills became disorganized, several times almost being beheaded. After dozens of rounds of back-and-forth fighting, Qiu Hu gradually couldn't keep up, while the three hundred soldiers behind him were either killed or captured, leaving only him and Wang Xiaobo still fighting on the battlefield. Wang Xiaobo struck again with his knife towards Qiu Hu's neck, who hastily dodged, but unexpectedly, the wound on his leg from being shot by Baima earlier flared up, and under the intense pain, he failed to dodge in time, causing his entire right arm to be chopped off at the shoulder. He let out a blood-curdling scream as he fell off his horse. Wang Xiaobo sheathed his knife and ordered his men to bind Qiu Hu up.

  Qiu Hu and the remaining dozens of Bianzhou soldiers were all taken to the center of the crowd. Baima and Tang Song rode their horses to Wang Xiaobo's side, silently waiting for Wang Xiaobo to make a decision. Wang Xiaobo pointed at the group of captives and said to Baima: "The two of you, I have captured this impersonator, it's up to you to decide what to do with him."

  The white horse smiled and said: "The master's good knife skills, should I say the outcome? I think it's to eliminate future troubles..."

  "Don't kill anymore."

  Tang Song's face was calm and unruffled, but suddenly she spoke out these words, and everyone turned to look at her. White Horse furrowed his brow, about to persuade him, when Wang Xiaobo smiled brightly and spoke first: "This brother, today's grudge can be said to be irreconcilable. Although this General Qiu was captured by me, he will still settle accounts with you, so if you don't kill him today, aren't you afraid of being avenged by him in the future?"

  "This land, today is already stained with blood." Tang Song raised his head to look at Wang Xiaobo "The blood of the Cao family, their blood and your people, so many have died today, must they all die before it can end?"

  "Good-for-nothing, can't be reasoned with." The white horse listened from the side, getting more and more annoyed.

  Wang Xiaobo glanced at him faintly and asked: "Still haven't asked for the surnames of the two gentlemen."

  "In Natongliang, this is White Horse."

  "Tang brothers." Wang Xiaobo said "Today I have lost more than a dozen brothers, you say these people are not killed, how can I explain?"

  "This..."

  Wang Xiaobo ignored him and turned to look at the white horse, saying: "This young lady, I see that your horsemanship is quite skilled, you must not be an ordinary woman from a common family, I wonder if you are from which good Hanmen of the green forest?"

  The white horse smiled slightly, not daring to reveal his true identity: "I am not a Jianghu person, I was taught some kung fu by a passing Jianghu eccentric and work for the Cao estate."

  "What urgent matter does the young lady have with this Mr. Tang?"

  "To be honest with you, this person is actually the steward of the Cao Mansion. This time he went to Xia Zhou, it was an order to transport a batch of military supplies to Xia Zhou, which is also a life-and-death business."

  "Arms!" Wang Xiaobo's eyes lit up as he gazed at the carts of goods, muttering to himself: "If my men were equipped with these armors, what would we have to fear from those officials?"

  The white horse suddenly felt uneasy, as if it had seen her worries. Wang Xiaobo laughed heartily and said: "Haha, don't be afraid, miss. I, Wang Xiaobo, am not a greedy person. How about this? I'll escort you to Xia Zhou, ensure your safety on the way, and when we arrive in Xia Zhou, you can give me half of these military supplies?"

  "You'd better ask Tang, I'm not in charge." The white horse glared at Tang Song with a fierce gaze, and Wang Xiaobo also looked over at him.

  "Three tenths." Tang Song raised his head and said, "At most three tenths, any more would ruin our plan."

  "Three out of three, then." Wang Xiaobo rubbed his forehead and said, "I hate haggling with you businesspeople the most. Damn it, I wasn't cut out for this since I was a kid. Oh, to show my sincerity, I won't kill this Lord Qiu. Those who are willing to join me will also be spared, but those who aren't will have their hands chopped off and be let go. And these horses, I'll take them all."

  Tang Song heard this and opened his mouth, but didn't say anything else.

  They let go of Qiu Hu and his dozen or so armless guards, and Tang Song took stock of the remaining people and goods before following Wang Xiaobo on the road. Not a single cart of goods was missing, but there were only thirty or so people left. Along the way, Tang Song remained silent, exchanging hardly any words with White Horse. On the other hand, White Horse and Wang Xiaobo got along famously, riding side by side and chatting and laughing all the way, hitting it off quite well.

  "Big Brother Wang, I heard that when you went to beat the drum and cry injustice, the county magistrate immediately packed up his family and ran away. It's really laughable."

  "Haha, that time I really did intend to report the official, but the official was gone, so I had no choice but to sit on the platform myself and hold court. That good-for-nothing, at the time he was executed on the spot by me."

  "It's right to deal with evil people in this way."

  "I said White Horse Girl." Wang Xiaobo glanced at Tang Song behind him and asked quietly, "Tell me the truth, is that Manager Tang your husband?"

  "Ah, ah, no way, how is that possible." The white horse couldn't keep up with his abrupt change of subject and was momentarily stunned.

  "It's all right, it's all right." Wang Xiaobo said with a self-satisfied smile, "I think that Tang Guan Shi has a dignified air about him, but he's too soft-hearted and has a short life span. If you followed him, that would be a waste of your talents. A woman like you is best suited to a heroic outlaw like me."

  "Is your heart kind and your hands soft?" The white horse savored these words, suddenly coming to a realization and saying "Brother Wang, what did you just say?"

  Wang Xiaobo's old face turned bright red, like a pickled radish, and he stuttered: "I mean, I and Bai Ma's daughter hit it off immediately, and we're very compatible. Why don't you finish this task and then come back to Qingcheng County with me? I'll make sure everything is done properly and openly, with eight large sedan chairs, and marry you into the Wang family's old mansion..."

  "Stop, stop." The white horse finally realized the bandit leader had taken a liking to him and hastily said, "Brother Wang, I regard you as an elder brother. How could you have any improper thoughts about me? Absolutely not, absolutely not."

  Wang Xiaobo let out a slightly disappointed sigh and said, "I know too, it's just that I've really enjoyed our interactions over the past few days. Now that we're about to arrive in Xiàzhōu, we'll be parting ways soon. There are some things bottled up inside me that are hard to say, forget it, I won't mention them again."

  The two of them were chatting and laughing, unaware that Tang Song behind them was staring with eyes blazing with anger.

  These past few days, Baima has been intentionally keeping his distance from him. Wang Xiaobo looked down on his womanly benevolence and didn't pay much attention to him either. In his eyes, these two people were a female demon who killed without batting an eye and a bandit who viewed human life as worthless grass, they were quite well-matched. However, for some reason, seeing Baima being very close with the other party, he felt a surge of inexplicable anger in his heart. Could it be that I also have a liking for her? Impossible, Tang Song immediately eliminated this thought. This woman has repeatedly committed murder in front of me, how could I possibly like her? Moreover, the only person I've loved my whole life is Mu'er alone. Ah, it must be because I ate too much garlic yesterday during dinner, it's giving me heartburn. Dammit, how many times have I said not to treat garlic as a meal, these bandits still don't understand.

  Like this, Tang Song followed them like a henpecked little daughter-in-law, watching them laugh and talk. Two days later, the group finally arrived at the border of Xiazhou. Wang Xiaobo ordered everyone to stop their horses and said reluctantly to White Horse: "White Horse sister, from now on is Li Jixian's territory in Xiazhou, it's not convenient for my people to go further. You can enter Xiazhou city in half an hour, we'll meet again someday..."

  The white horse snorted and said: "Brother Wang, why speak as if it's a matter of life and death? Don't worry, once this is over, my younger sister will definitely go to Qingcheng County to thank Brother Wang in person."

  "Cough, cough" Tang Song couldn't bear to watch anymore, so he walked forward and bowed, saying: "Thank you, Master, for escorting us all the way. These fifteen carts of military supplies were promised beforehand. I also gift these horses to Master. I wish Master's future military endeavors will be prosperous."

  "Ah, Manager Tang is too polite, I'm embarrassed. Li Shun, go receive the horses." Wang Xiaobo was overjoyed after hearing this and happily took his leave after receiving them.

  After Wang Xiaobo left, Baima looked at Tang Song with suspicion and asked: "Hey, you stingy fellow, how could you bear to give away so many horses to others?"

  "Hmph!" Tang Song let out a cold snort, naturally unwilling to say that he didn't want the White Horse gang to owe the Horse Bandits a favor.

  "This is knowing the favor and repaying the kindness, you understand what." After finishing speaking, he rode his horse to the front of the vehicle team.

  "Hum, big fool." The white horse rolled its eyes and followed after him.