彩绸招展，旌旗猎猎，水泊梁山聚义厅外大军集结，气氛肃穆，杀气冲天。
Colorful silk banners fluttered in the wind, and flags snapped crisply as a massive army gathered outside the Hall of Righteousness on Liangshan Marsh. The atmosphere was solemn, filled with a palpable sense of impending slaughter.

“……当今武朝之世，上有奸臣当道，下有贪官作恶，士族豪绅，龌龊勾结，欺压良善，天下之人，积怨已久，方有豪雄揭竿并起，南有方腊，西有王庆，北出虎王，今我梁山豪杰于此聚义，替天行道！以伐天下不平——”
"…In this age of the Wu Dynasty, treacherous ministers hold sway above, and corrupt officials wreak havoc below. Gentry and powerful clans collude in wickedness, oppressing the good and honest. The people of the land have long harbored resentment, leading to the uprising of heroes. In the south, there is Fang La; in the west, Wang Qing; in the north, the Tiger King. Today, we heroes of Liangshan gather here to uphold justice on behalf of Heaven! To strike down the injustice of this world—"

一层层的台阶往上，中小头目一排一排，依次而站，看着“替天行道”的大旗猎猎而展，听着上方聚义厅中檄文的声音慷慨而出，回荡于空中。众人都能知道这声音来自于谁。“加亮先生”吴用，字学究。
Rank upon rank, lesser and mid-level chieftains stood on the steps, watching the banner of "Upholding Justice on Behalf of Heaven" ripple in the wind. The impassioned voice of the proclamation echoed from the Hall of Righteousness above. All knew the voice belonged to "Enlightening Gentleman" Wu Yong, styled Xuejiu.

曾头市之后，梁山这一年来的发展大势，皆操于此人之手。尽管也有朱武、席君煜等众人配合，但到得眼下，吴用在梁山的声势已是一时无两。外界甚传其再世诸葛之名，而此时居于梁山宝座上的宋江宋公明，因其仁义，也时有人以刘玄德喻之，刘备与诸葛亮的组合，也在某种程度上，提升着整个梁山的气势，引得许多绿林人士趋之若鹜。
Since the battle at Zeng Family Fort, the overall momentum of Liangshan's development over the past year had been in his hands. Though men like Zhu Wu and Xi Junyu assisted, Wu Yong's influence on Liangshan was now unparalleled. The outside world widely regarded him as Zhuge Liang reborn. Meanwhile, Song Jiang, styled Gongming, who sat upon Liangshan's throne, was often compared to Liu Xuande (Liu Bei) due to his benevolence and righteousness. This combination of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang boosted Liangshan's overall morale, drawing many outlaws to their banner.

“……今，梁山附近有两地，一名独龙岗、一名万家岭，独龙岗三庄，祝、扈、李，万家岭纪家，勾结官府为富不仁，欺压乡里怨声载道，众人苦之久矣！我等数度相劝，其人犹不悔改……”
"...Now, near Liangshan are two locales: one is called Dulong Gang (Solitary Dragon Ridge), the other, Wanjialing (Ten Thousand Family Ridge). The three manors of Dulong Gang—Zhu, Hu, and Li—and the Ji family of Wanjialing collude with the government, being rich but unbenevolent, oppressing their neighbors to the point of widespread resentment. The people have suffered for too long! We have advised them repeatedly, yet they remain unrepentant…"

那声音慷慨回荡，事实上，与其说这一战是专为独龙岗、万家岭，不如说是梁山接下来，对着整个天下最猛烈的一次摇旗。一年多以来一直蓄势待发的梁山，在眼下的实力确实是有史以来的最高点。如果说当初梁山打曾头市还颇为吃力，一年多以来的再次正式出兵，对上加起来都不如曾头市强大的这两处时，没有人会觉得这一战会有什么问题。
The impassioned voice reverberated. In truth, this battle was not so much for Dulong Gang and Wanjialing as it was Liangshan's most fervent declaration to the entire world. Liangshan, which had been building momentum for over a year, was now at its strongest point in history. If Liangshan had struggled somewhat during the battle at Zeng Family Fort, no one believed there would be any problems with this formal re-mobilization of troops against these two places, which together were not even as powerful as Zeng Family Fort.

此时一战，只为检验梁山实力，而打完之后，水泊周围大小区域便能真正连成一片，梁山的声势便会籍着这一战如蛟龙入水、鲲鹏展翅，直接进逼郓洲、济州等地。此时武朝北伐正处于最关键的时刻，附近的武瑞营则早在梁山人手上吃了亏，无力攻伐，梁山也正是抓住了这个最好的时机，终于出手。
This battle was solely to test Liangshan's strength. After its completion, the areas large and small surrounding the marsh would truly become one, and Liangshan's momentum would ride this battle like a dragon entering the water, a roc spreading its wings, directly threatening Yunzhou and Jizhou. At this moment, the Wu Dynasty's Northern Expedition was at its most critical point. The nearby Wuri Camp had already suffered losses at the hands of Liangshan and was powerless to attack. Liangshan was seizing this best of opportunities to finally strike.

在梁山养精蓄锐了这么久以后，积蓄的力量，不止是可以攻伐独龙岗这些地方，甚至于真的攻打济州等地，眼下都可能将之打下来。
After such a long period of recuperation and buildup on Liangshan, the accumulated power was not only capable of attacking places like Dulong Gang; it could even potentially capture Jizhou and other such locales at this very moment.

只要朝廷再有一年半载无力顾及，梁山的声势，便能膨胀到与当初的圣公无异。这是眼下在梁山之中的众人，多少能够看得见的远景。
If the imperial court remained unable to attend to the matter for another year or eighteen months, Liangshan's momentum could swell to be no different from that of Sheng Gong (likely referring to a rebel leader). This was a distant prospect that many within Liangshan could foresee.

卧虎将行，便有精气狼烟。在这已达巅峰的气势之下，聚义厅中各种英杰济济一堂，在檄文读完之后，便由吴用开始分配各人职司任务，每分配一人，便发下令箭令符，森然肃杀，井井有条。
When a crouching tiger is about to move, its vital energy manifests as smoke and dust. Under this peak momentum, various heroes gathered in the Hall of Righteousness. After the proclamation was read, Wu Yong began to assign duties and tasks to each person. With each assignment, he issued command arrows and tokens, everything organized and in good order, filling the air with a chilling solemnity.

万家岭并非此战中心，领军统帅以“双鞭”呼延灼为首，“九纹龙”史进为副，朱武为军师，其下高手有“金枪手”徐宁，阮氏三兄弟，“丑郡马”宣赞，“井木犴”郝思文，“毛头星”孔明，“地火星”孔亮，“云里金刚”宋万等人，率军马八千余人。
Wanjialing was not the focus of this battle. The commanding general was "Twin Whips" Huyan Zhuo, with "Nine-Tattooed Dragon" Shi Jin as his deputy and Zhu Wu as military advisor. Below them were experts such as "Golden Lancer" Xu Ning, the three Ruan brothers, "Ugly Imperial Son-in-Law" Xuan Zan, "Well Wood Wild Dog" Hao Siwen, "Hairy Star" Kong Ming, "Earth Fire Star" Kong Liang, and "Cloud-Piercing Vajra" Song Wan, leading over eight thousand troops.

而由于这次战争的意义更大于难易程度，对上需要重视的独龙岗，梁山此次以宋江为首，吴用为军师，几乎已是精锐尽出了。
Because the significance of this war outweighed its difficulty, Liangshan deployed almost all of its elite forces against Dulong Gang, which needed to be taken seriously, led by Song Jiang and with Wu Yong as military advisor.

“大刀”关胜！“青面兽”杨志！“霹雳火”秦明！“行者”武松！“急先锋”索超！只这五人，在梁山之上，身手便是数一数二的，率领前军先行。
"Great Saber" Guan Sheng! "Azure-Faced Beast" Yang Zhi! "Thunderbolt Fire" Qin Ming! "Pilgrim" Wu Song! "Rapid Vanguard" Suo Chao! These five alone were among the best fighters on Liangshan, leading the vanguard.

而中军以宋江坐镇，吴用跟随，其麾下打头的便是“豹子头”林冲，“黑旋风”李逵，“花和尚”鲁智深，“小李广”花荣，“双枪将”董平，“没羽箭”张清，“病关索”杨雄与“拼命三郎”石秀等人。
The central army was commanded by Song Jiang, accompanied by Wu Yong. Leading the vanguard under their command were "Leopard Head" Lin Chong, "Black Whirlwind" Li Kui, "Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen, "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong, "Twin Spears General" Dong Ping, "Featherless Arrow" Zhang Qing, "Sick Guan Suo" Yang Xiong, and "Desperate Saburo" Shi Xiu, among others.

后军坐镇入云龙，朱仝，穆弘穆春等人。军队加起来有几近两万人马，在战书下后，要以碾压之势，朝着独龙岗杀去。
The rearguard was commanded by "Dragon in the Clouds" Zhu Tong, Mu Hong, Mu Chun, and others. The armies totaled nearly twenty thousand troops, who would crush Dulong Gang after the declaration of war.

战船载着大军，离开水泊之后，方才准备两路分兵。预备分开是在万家岭与独龙岗之间一个名叫将军岭的地方，众首领在山间聚集，漫天红霞卷起，宋江将军队交托给呼延灼，举起酒碗。
Warships carrying the army left the marsh and then prepared to split into two routes. The planned separation point was at a place called General Ridge, between Wanjialing and Dulong Gang. The chieftains gathered in the mountains, the sky filled with crimson clouds. Song Jiang entrusted the army to Huyan Zhuo and raised a bowl of wine.

“此战只是我等聚义之始，此后再取郓洲、济州，替天行道，伐天下不义之人。战事，众位兄弟多费心了，打完之后，我等再来此地大碗喝酒，大块吃肉，只望谁也不要落下！”
"This battle is only the beginning of our righteous alliance. Afterward, we will seize Yunzhou and Jizhou, upholding justice on behalf of Heaven and striking down the unjust of the world. I ask all brothers to put their hearts into this war. After it's over, we'll return here to drink wine from large bowls and eat large chunks of meat. I hope no one is left behind!"

“定不负公明哥哥所托！”
"We will certainly not fail Brother Gongming's trust!"

“他们那种庄子，我们过去，便要杀他们个屁股尿流！”
"Those kinds of manors, when we get there, we'll beat them until they piss their pants!"

“可能还来不及打便投降了！”
"They might surrender before we even get to fight!"

“哈哈哈哈……”
"Hahahaha…"

众人应和声中，黑旋风李逵举起酒坛，哈哈大笑：“那还用说，公明哥哥……我们兵强马壮啊——”
Amidst the echoing responses, "Black Whirlwind" Li Kui raised a wine jar and laughed heartily: "Needless to say, Brother Gongming… we have strong soldiers and sturdy horses!"

笑声之中，漫天遍野的旌旗与士兵，举起手中的刀兵号呼，刹那间，杀声震动大地。
Amidst the laughter, flags and soldiers filled the sky and land, raising their weapons and shouting. In an instant, the sounds of battle shook the earth.

如此的朝气，隐约的，就像是一个新时代的开始，至少在这一刻，站在山上首领间的席君煜，是这样想的。
This vitality, vaguely, felt like the beginning of a new era. At least, that was what Xi Junyu, standing among the chieftains on the mountain, thought.

从苏家出来以后，落草为寇，于他而言，像是完全放弃了以前的生命，找不到归宿，然而渐渐的，他才发现他是走到了一个新的世界里，这个世界，比之之前的江宁城，商人之间的些许狡诈、心机，大了不知多少倍，什么事情在这里都有可能做到，纵然不久前在江宁受了小小挫折，他心中还是觉得，那片地方太小了。
Since leaving the Su family and becoming an outlaw, it felt to him as if he had completely abandoned his former life and could not find a home. However, he gradually realized that he had entered a new world, a world many times larger than the former Jiangning City, with its small-time merchant cunning and scheming. Anything was possible here. Even though he had suffered a minor setback in Jiangning not long ago, he still felt that place was too small.

他举起酒碗，一饮而尽！
He raised his bowl and drank it down in one gulp!

铁甲如潮，蔓延开去……
Iron armor flowed like a tide, spreading out…

同一时刻，独龙岗的呼声，就显得有些单薄。
At the same moment, the shouts from Dulong Gang seemed somewhat thin.

“哈哈，那帮家伙终于******来了！是时候让天下知道我独龙岗祝家的威名了！”
"Haha, those bastards have finally come! It's time to let the world know the prestige of the Zhu family of Dulong Gang!"

身骑骏马，手挥钢枪，祝彪在校场上的哈哈大笑虽然豪迈，但真正应和的人，是不算多的。对于独龙岗的庄户们而言，这样的战争无论如何都是无妄之灾，大家为了守住自己的家全力战备，但不见得都有高昂无比的战斗意志。眼下的三个庄子，大伙儿都在行动，肃杀又忙乱。祝家庄这边，栾廷玉看着弟子的兴奋，面容平静，这样的狂热有助于接下来的战斗，但在他的心里，其实是有些忐忑不定的。
Riding a fine horse and waving a steel spear, Zhu Biao's hearty laughter on the drill ground was indeed bold, but there were not many who truly echoed it. For the villagers of Dulong Gang, such a war was an unprovoked disaster, and while everyone was making full preparations to defend their homes, not everyone necessarily had extremely high fighting will. The three manors were all taking action, both grim and chaotic. At Zhu Family Manor, Luan Tingyu looked at his disciple's excitement, his face calm. Such fanaticism was helpful for the upcoming battle, but in his heart, he was actually somewhat uneasy.

梁山……很强大了。
Liangshan… was very powerful.

去年曾头市被攻击的时候，他离开祝家庄，前去相助史文恭，便已见识到了梁山当时的高手阵容。曾头市后来被屠杀，他一人之力，无力回天，身受重伤濒死，伤势稍好之后，其实是不想再回来祝家庄的。
When Zeng Family Fort was attacked last year, he left Zhu Family Manor to assist Shi Wengong and witnessed Liangshan's lineup of experts at that time. Zeng Family Fort was later massacred. With his strength alone, he was powerless to reverse the situation and suffered serious injuries, nearly dying. After his injuries improved slightly, he actually didn't want to return to Zhu Family Manor.

只因为在当时他就已经看了出来，梁山膨胀以后，与独龙岗这些安于一隅的小庄子寨子，必有一战。梁山这一年的发展，也正好印证了他的想法。但是当战斗的气氛真正汇聚起来的时候，他还是忍不住回来了。
Because he had already seen at that time that after Liangshan expanded, there would inevitably be a battle with small, secluded manors like Dulong Gang. Liangshan's development over the past year had only confirmed his thoughts. But when the atmosphere of battle truly gathered, he couldn't help but return.

然后……事情便真的来了。
And then… things really came.

独龙岗，或可守一时，然而想要跟梁山耗到对方不再想打的地步，很难。
Dulong Gang might be able to hold out for a while, but it would be difficult to wear down Liangshan to the point where they no longer wanted to fight.

但尽管如此……他握紧手中的八角混铜棍，睁开眼睛……也只能尽人事、听天命了！
But despite that… he gripped the octagonal mixed-copper staff in his hand, opened his eyes… and could only do his best and leave the rest to fate!

*******************
When Dulong Gang was fully mobilized, Ning Yi was sitting on the roof of the small market at the outer fork, holding a string of agate beads in his hand, watching the few merchants and travelers leave in a panic. The situation had been like this since last night, and today, it was almost deserted. Even the owner of the inn was planning to hide in the manor.

The entire small market had become a rather desolate scene, except for his group, there were only villagers from the three manors occasionally running back and forth for defense.

Wang Shan Yue was watching this scene on the other side of the roof. He was silent for a long time, and Ning Yi opened his mouth over there.

"Wang Shan Yue, why don't you come over and chat?"

In the past, they had been measured and restrained in their conversations. Wang Shan Yue was a year or two older than Ning Yi, so he should have addressed him as "Brother Wang", but at this time, although Ning Yi's tone was calm, it also carried a sense of formality and seriousness. Wang Shan Yue looked over for a moment: "Chat about what?"

Ning Yi stood up on the edge of the roof: "The thing you've been considering these past two days, I thought you would speak first, but if you don't ask, I can only say it."

"What am I considering?"

"Forty people against fifty thousand, if I say I'm very confident, I'm lying to you. Plans often can't keep up with changes, but if you have any thoughts, you can ask now." Ning Yi said, "If we say these words after we go inside, it will really cost people their lives."

He looked at the womanly handsome man over there. Wang Shan Yue looked over coldly, and after a long time, slowly opened his mouth.

"I... don't ask for a foolproof plan. Since you're betting your life on it, I'll ask one question: do you really think there's a chance of success in such a far-fetched situation?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll follow you." Wang Shan Yue nodded. "We'll talk about the other things after we go inside."

After saying these two sentences, he didn't speak again. Ning Yi had originally prepared some explanations, but at this time he was a little surprised, and then shook his head and smiled.

"...Alright, it's time to get to work."

Not long after, at the entrance of Zhu Family Manor, when Zhu Chaofeng was directing the Zhuang Ding to build defenses, he saw that young Master Lei was coming towards him under the guidance of the steward.

"Boss Zhu!"

"Young Master Lei, you haven't left yet?"

"How can I leave? There are more than a dozen carts of goods outside. Now everyone is making a fuss, what if they are robbed on the road? Besides, we are Jianghu people..." The nouveau riche young master put his hands on his hips, looking around, "Boss Zhu, how many Liangshan people are there? Why is it such a big deal?"

Zhu Chaofeng's face was complicated: "We don't know the exact number."

"Bullshit, isn't it… Boss Zhu, you have three manors here, and there are more than 10,000 fighters. What's there to be afraid of… Don't be afraid, my Lei family also has connections. Just now I wrote two letters, one to Liang Zhifu of Yunzhou, and one to Commander Zhang of the Wuri Camp. They will definitely send troops, and then they will sandwich the Liangshan people from three sides. We Jianghu people must help each other. If you need anything, Boss Zhu, just say so. I just came here to open up the situation, and I will protect your Dulong Gang and Wanjialing... Now I can't leave easily. On one side, those Liangshan guys are killing people, and on the other side, there seems to be a Zheng Demon King killing people. I have more than a dozen carts of goods, Boss Zhu, I'll stay here with you recently, is that okay?"

Zhu Chaofeng thought to himself that Yunzhou and Wuri Camp would come, that would be a miracle. But at this time, anything that could give Liangshan a little pressure was a good thing. On the surface, he was naturally overjoyed and agreed to arrange a courtyard for him in the manor: "...War is dangerous, Young Master Lei, please don't walk around. Zhu Family Manor will definitely protect Young Master Lei's safety."

The Lei Gongzi, who had made a great name in the Jianghu, still looked tangled: "I actually encountered a war... Cough, I mean, it's good to participate a little bit. If Boss Zhu needs anything, don't be polite... Oh, some of my goods are Jinchuang medicine, which can be taken out and used when fighting..."

So on the afternoon of May 26th, the Lei family, who had come to do business, moved into the inner courtyard of Zhu Family Manor. It was wartime, so Zhu family had some defenses, but the forty or so people were safe and did nothing. Only the Lei young master would occasionally run to the outer periphery with the guards and Zhuang Ding to look at places that were not sensitive.

The Zhu family had become accustomed to the existence of Lei Gongzi. Occasionally, they would clasp their hands and greet him. After the initial anxiety, Lei Gongzi became more confident in Zhu family's defense, and then he began to continue to express various unreliable defense opinions, such as when the Liangshan army attacked, he would let people feign defeat and lead the Liangshan bandits into the mountain valley narrows to use fire attacks, but unfortunately there were no such ideal narrows near Dulong Gang.

On May 27th, the Liangshan army appeared near Dulong Gang, and on the morning of May 28th, they began to attack. Ning Yi no longer appeared on the battlefield, but quietly stayed in the courtyard, deducing the development and results of the war from the information passed on by others.

Relatively speaking, Wang Shan Yue no longer had any worries now that he was in this situation. He paid attention to the development of the situation, and occasionally went to the outer edge of the manor to see the progress of the war, and at the same time speculated about what this guy named Ning Liheng, who had bet his life on it, was going to do. Even after many years, the war that was happening now made him sigh with emotion.

Before this, he had been staring at Liangshan in Shandong for several years, watching it grow step by step in the chaotic situation. In the early summer of Jinghan's tenth year, it had developed to its peak. From the beginning, the war against Dulong Gang was heading in a direction that everyone could see without much suspense. Although Dulong Gang had fought hard in the first few days and almost reached a tie, everything then took a sharp turn for the worse as expected, and even many people saw the gray atmosphere that might belong to defeat. All of this, until the young scholar who had been quietly sitting in the courtyard playing with his agate beads finally made his move.

Then, everyone saw a strange and terrible… war of humanity.