Chapter 18: Han Ying’er Sends Her Brother to Battle, Song Gongming Asks His Brother to Die

This auxiliary officer’s name was Han Ren. He was the older brother of Han Ying’er, the concubine of Wang Wende, the vanguard officer and garrison commander of Jingbei and Hongnong.

Wang Wende had previously followed Gao Qiu to attack Liangshan. One day, while strolling through Jizhou City, he happened to encounter a few soldiers harassing Han Ying’er.

Wang Wende was furious and rescued Han Ying’er. Seeing that Wang Wende was tall and handsome and a military officer, Han Ying’er, to repay his kindness, offered herself to him and became his concubine.

Wang Wende’s family was far away in Bianliang. He was lonely in the army, so he agreed. He bought a small courtyard called Youxiangyuan near the south gate of Jizhou City and settled Han Ying’er there, hiring an old woman to take care of her.

He lived a comfortable life, but Han Ying’er knew that Wang Wende was only following Gao Qiu to attack Liangshan and would soon leave Jizhou. She feared that she would be abandoned.

One night, Wang Wende rushed to the courtyard, wanting to make love to her, but Han Ying’er locked him out.

Wang Wende was anxious outside the door, but Han Ying’er refused to open it. She cried and sobbed inside, refusing to let Wang Wende in. Wang Wende pleaded with her, promising to grant her any request in the future, before she finally opened the door.

After all that trouble, Wang Wende, who had finally entered the room and gotten into bed, was unwilling to let Han Ying’er off easily. He naturally used all his skills and strength, fighting for three hundred rounds before surrendering.

Han Ying’er couldn’t take it anymore and fainted several times. When she came to, Wang Wende asked her what she wanted. Han Ying’er smiled charmingly, her face flushed and her voice soft, “If I had let you in easily, would you have been so eager to please me?”

Wang Wende, a rough man, couldn’t resist such teasing. They made love again, and then Han Ying’er revealed her true desire.

She wanted Wang Wende to take her brother, Han Ren, under his wing, arrange a military post for him, and if he could achieve merit, it would be a way for him to bring glory to his ancestors.

Wang Wende readily agreed and arranged for Han Ren to join his army. Using Han Ying’er’s connection, he appointed Han Ren as an auxiliary officer of the ninth rank, the lowest rank in the Song Dynasty army.

Although it was the lowest rank in the Song Dynasty army, it was still a legitimate government official. As long as he stayed by his side and reported a few military achievements, he could at least become a local militia commander or a supervisor.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Han Ren joined the army, Gao Qiu was killed, and the imperial army was defeated. Han Ying’er complained a lot, and Wang Wende suffered as a result.

Fortunately, Tong Guan returned with a vengeance, and the battle against Liangshan resumed. Wang Wende quickly called Han Ren to his side, hoping to help him gain more opportunities for promotion.

Today, Han Ren had killed Wang Ying, and Wang Wende was overjoyed. But then Hua Rong appeared, and he was afraid that his brother-in-law would be defeated. He quickly ordered his troops to charge forward.

Hua Rong, who had charged out of the formation, saw that Han Ren had not only killed Wang Ying but had also cut off his head. He was furious. His steel spear moved like a gust of wind, attacking Han Ren with hundreds of blows like raindrops.

Han Ren was full of killing intent and was not afraid at all. He met Hua Rong’s attack head-on!

His two strong arms twisted like a rope, wielding the long spear flawlessly. He fought Hua Rong evenly.

The two of them fought for more than ten rounds, neither gaining the upper hand. But Wang Wende led his troops to charge forward. Hua Rong had to create an opening and retreated towards his own camp.

In Han Ren’s eyes, Hua Rong was his path to wealth and glory. How could he let him go so easily? He chased after him with his spear.

Wang Wende knew that Hua Rong was an excellent archer and was afraid that his brother-in-law would be at a disadvantage. He shouted, “Don’t chase after them, you scoundrels! Be careful of their hidden arrows!”

However, these words did not wake Han Ren up, but they did alert Hua Rong.

Hua Rong turned around, took his bow and arrow from his saddle, nocked an arrow, and drew his bow. But just as he was about to release the arrow, Han Ren charged forward on horseback and knocked the carved bow out of Hua Rong’s hand with a single spear!

In a flash, Hua Rong could have shot Han Ren through the throat. Fate! Hua Rong was startled!

He galloped towards his camp, shouting, “Fire arrows! Fire arrows!”

Inside Liangshan’s camp, thousands of arrows were fired at once, driving back the relentless Han Ren.

Hua Rong narrowly escaped back to camp. He immediately ordered his soldiers to set up barricades and deploy spiked carts, sealing the camp gate. He also urgently deployed shield-bearing soldiers and spearmen to form a defensive line.

Wang Wende saw that Liangshan’s camp was protected by a rain of arrows, barricades, spiked carts, and shield-bearing soldiers and spearmen, forming three lines of defense. He knew that a frontal attack would be futile, so he ordered his troops to feign retreat while fighting.

Liangshan’s troops, inspired by their leader Hua Rong’s determination to die, fought like fearless warriors, driving back the imperial troops for several miles.

If Hua Rong had stopped there, it would have been a small victory. However, Song Jiang had demanded a decisive victory, and Hua Rong dared not stop easily.

He had lost Wang Ying in the previous battle. If he only drove back the imperial troops in this battle, without killing any generals or capturing any prisoners, it would not be considered a decisive victory and would not meet Song Jiang’s requirements.

So, Hua Rong steeled his heart and decided to continue the pursuit. However, he had fallen into a trap set by Wu Lin!