Chapter 69

"Swear to fight to the death!!"

Immediately, a thunderous roar rose up, and the villagers of Xixi, who were surrounding Wang Lun, were all roused to a fever pitch, responding with loud voices.

But who among these people had not received the grace of Liangshan? If it weren't for Liangshan removing the corrupt village head, who could have lived a life of dignity and pride? Not to mention the grain and money distributed afterward, and today, they were escorting their own children back to the village, only to be ambushed by Chao Gai! Thinking that this leader Wang, who was not related to them, treated them like family, if they withdrew now, would they still be considered human? Not to mention there were over thirty of their own children on the front lines. As the saying goes, "Fathers and sons fight together, and brothers fight tigers together." In this time of crisis, if they abandoned their benefactors and their children, how could they face anyone in the future? Therefore, everyone was determined to fight to the death.

Moreover, those who had been evicted by Chao Gai, who had barely escaped a dire situation and seen a glimmer of hope, were now stripped of their last hope by Chao Gai, who showed no regard for his fellow villagers. Who could remain indifferent at this moment? They were all filled with righteous indignation, discarding the burdens on their shoulders, and drawing out their cudgels and wooden sticks, ready to fight the enemy who had driven them to this desperate situation at the first command.

Seeing the reaction of the villagers, Old Ma said emotionally, "Good! Good! Finally, I can stand tall before my benefactor, and I haven't disgraced the men of Xixi Village!" He then nodded firmly at Wang Lun and turned to shout, "Women and children, step back! If we die, you must collect our bodies!" The villagers also shouted, "Women, step back! Stand aside and watch your men's prowess!"

At this moment, the elderly, women, and children, urged by their husbands and fathers, reluctantly left the formation. Seeing their resolve, Wang Lun bowed to Old Ma and the villagers behind him, saying, "Wang Lun deeply appreciates the great kindness of the elders of Xixi Village!"

Old Ma laughed heartily and said, "I'm over eighty, with few days left to live. Seeing no way forward, I will accompany Leader Wang to the end! We all grew up drinking from the same stream. If the rascals from Dongxi Village dare to act arrogantly before us, will we be afraid of them!"

Everyone responded in unison, shouting, "We are all farmers, why should we fear them!" Five hundred men and Old Ma, armed with farming tools, stared fearlessly at the opposing group. A cold wind blew, scattering leaves in the air, creating a deeply moving and tragic scene.

"Mi Fei, Jiao Ting! Prepare for battle!" Suddenly, Wang Lun shouted. Mi Fei and Jiao Ting roared in response. Mi Fei shouted, "Infantry, form the front line!" Thirty armored warriors stepped forward, holding their spears high. Jiao Ting shouted, "Guards, draw your swords!" The sound of swords being drawn was crisp and awe-inspiring.

Seeing the Liangshan soldiers, though few in number, exude such spirit, the villagers were greatly heartened. Old Ma also shouted, "Villagers, raise your spirits, don't let the Dongxi Village rascals look down on us!"

Everyone responded with loud shouts, raising their farming tools and glaring at the front. The families nearby stopped crying and crouched down to gather stones and clumps of earth.

Seeing the determined and fearless expressions of the opposing group, Chao Gai's retainers exchanged glances. Although the other side was fewer in number, the resolve and determination in their eyes made them all hesitate. Was it worth risking their lives for a few less grain payments to fight this hard battle for the lord?

Seeing the situation, Wu Yong said, "Headman, make up your mind! They are already in a desperate situation, and the longer we delay, the more it will affect our morale! The government troops can only boost our morale, but to truly defeat them, we must rely on ourselves!"

Chao Gai was startled. He had been waiting for the government troops to arrive before making a move, but after waiting for one or two hours, not a single one appeared. Wu Yong's words now reminded him: Yes! He had been counting on the government troops, but they were probably also waiting to see the outcome before making a move!

Seeing Chao Gai's realization, he no longer hesitated and shouted, "Everyone, charge together! Whoever can take Wang Lun's head will be rewarded with ten acres of land and one hundred strings of coins!"

Hearing this, Mi Fei was enraged and shouted, "Children, hold the line, protect your brother. I will go and take Chao Gai's head first!" He then wielded his large axe and charged into the fray alone.

Seeing this black giant come with such ferocity, everyone was on guard. Two men stepped out from Chao Gai's side. They were originally bandits from Hebei, who had fled to Shandong and taken refuge with Chao Gai, who had treated them well for a month. Seeing this black giant's insolence, they were all enraged. They exchanged a glance and came out to fight Mi Fei. Mi Fei, undaunted, shouted, "Come on!" and charged at them. He found an opening and swung his large axe at the man on the right. The man, seeing the danger, raised his knife to block, but Mi Fei suddenly changed the direction of his axe, slashing at the left man's leg. The man, unable to dodge, lost both his legs and fell to the ground. Seeing this, the man on the right was terrified and turned to run, but Mi Fei followed with another axe, ending his life.

Seeing this, Chao Gai and his men were all shocked. Xiao Rang and Jin Dajian exchanged glances and shook their heads. Li Kui, who had already stood up from under a tree, was also amazed, thinking, "These two men were not ordinary, and they were killed without even reporting their names. When this black giant fought me, did he hold back?"

Mi Fei, having killed two men, was in high spirits. Ignoring the man on the ground who was screaming in pain, he shouted, "Who else wants to come and die!"

Chao Gai looked at Han Bulong, but he avoided his gaze. Chao Gai sighed inwardly and looked at Xiao Rang and Jin Dajian, who lowered their heads and refused to meet his eyes. Feeling a sense of helplessness, he stretched out his hand, and his confidant quickly handed him a long broadsword, ready to join the battle.

Suddenly, a group of cavalry appeared from the side. Wu Yong turned to look and was overjoyed, shouting, "The county's chief constable Zhu Tong is leading the government troops! Everyone, charge together!"

Everyone was greatly invigorated. Chao Gai thought to himself, "Brother Zhu Tong is truly loyal!"

However, before Wu Yong's words had even finished, the first rider in the cavalry shouted, "Headman, run! The Liangshan bandits are prepared! Lei Heng has already been captured!"

Chao Gai was shocked and looked at Zhu Tong. Seeing that Zhu Tong had reported the news and then turned his horse to retreat with a few of his men, both sides in the confrontation were surprised. They soon realized that the cavalry was divided into two groups: the front was fleeing, and the back was pursuing. The Xixi villagers were overjoyed and shouted loudly, while Chao Gai's retainers were terrified and uneasy.

Seeing Zhu Tong and a few of his men retreating, a general with a leopard head and tiger beard, wearing a golden armor and wielding a long iron spear, spurred his horse and charged at Zhu Tong. They fought for about ten rounds, and Zhu Tong, realizing he could not win, tried to retreat. The general, however, did not let him go, and with one thrust, hit Zhu Tong's horse. The horse, hit in the back, fell to the side, pinning Zhu Tong underneath.

Seeing this, Chao Gai was shocked. Hearing Mi Fei laugh and say, "Chao Gai, you have fallen for my brother's strategy! Children, listen to the order, capture Chao Gai, and the reward is one coin!" Everyone laughed and shouted, "Capture Chao Gai, the reward is one coin! Capture Chao Gai, the reward is one coin!"

Chao Gai, hearing this, was filled with anger. Seeing the strong enemy in front and the pursuers behind, he was at a loss. Wu Yong quickly stepped forward and said, "The only way now is to fight to the death and capture Wang Lun. Only then is there a chance of survival!"

Chao Gai, a brave and fierce man, still had the courage to fight a decisive battle under the two-sided attack. He raised his broadsword and shouted, "Now, it's either death or victory. If we don't fight to the death, we will have no place to bury our bodies!"