"Yang Zhi, you all have your own skills, so I won't teach you any routines. Today, I'll teach you some unarmed combat techniques. When you join the army, you can pass these techniques on to the soldiers to enhance their combat effectiveness." After finishing their meal, Yang Zhi and the others cleaned up and burned the corpses. Wang Han then called everyone to the courtyard and began to speak.
Upon hearing this, Yang Zhi and the others immediately lined up and waited with utmost attention for Wang Han's instruction.
“Let’s start with the easiest one. First is the Spartan kick, a hand-to-hand combat technique used by soldiers from an alien nation. One kick can shatter an enemy’s wooden shield. If you have enough strength, you can even break a large tree.” As Wang Han spoke, he walked to a large tree, quickly raised his right foot, leaned back slightly, and kicked the tree at waist height.
"Crack." With just one kick, the tree snapped in two.
"This kick primarily utilizes the combined power of the heel, ankle, and calf, applying the strength of the entire body. Using the other foot as a base, the heel strikes the target. An ordinary soldier can deliver a kick with around 1000 jin (approximately 500 kg) of force. With extensive martial arts training, it can reach 2000 jin (approximately 1000 kg) or even more. Of course, you've just begun learning it, so you need to practice more to unleash its true power. In combat, this kick can essentially incapacitate most of the enemy in a short time and can also counter their shields. (Not kilograms; in reality, the Spartan Kick can deliver nearly a ton of force.)"
“Next up is the forearm hammer,” Wang Han said, swinging his right hand back and then suddenly lashing it out, striking the broken tree stump hard with the radius bone of his forearm. With one blow, the stump was smashed into pieces of wood flying everywhere.
"This move involves swinging the arm from behind, using the radius of the forearm to attack vulnerable or fatal areas such as the enemy's chest, neck, shoulder, and head. Because it involves a large swing like a punch, the wrist can have extremely fast speed and force. The radius of the forearm is about the same strength as a fist, so this strike can produce tremendous destructive power, like being hit by a large iron hammer."
“Next is the back kick, specifically for defending against enemies from behind,” Wang Han said, turning around and suddenly bending over and rotating ninety degrees to kick the tree stump behind him. This kick directly pushed the stump out of the ground. “This move requires a certain degree of body rotation to maximize its power. Strike the enemy with your heel, enough to break ribs or even injure internal organs.”
"Have you memorized everything?" Wang Han asked after the explanation.
"Got it!" Yang Zhi and the others shouted loudly upon hearing this.
"I'll teach you these three things today. Practice them first," Wang Han said, turning and walking back into the temple's main hall.
After Wang Han left, Yang Zhi and the others immediately began to find something to practice on.
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Meanwhile, three days after Wang Han left, Song Jiang returned. Wu Yong, who had already joined the Liangshan outlaws, had been waiting for Song Jiang's return. Following Wang Han's instructions, Wu Yong immediately began plotting against Song Jiang. He sent Liu Tang to deliver a letter and some valuables to Song Jiang, waiting for the charge of colluding with the Liangshan bandits to be established before they would abduct Song Jiang to Liangshan and solidify the charge.
Meanwhile, the magistrate of Yuncheng also began plotting against Song Jiang. After Song Jiang returned, the magistrate had someone secretly steal Song Jiang's personal dagger. He then claimed that Song Jiang had just returned from a long journey and must be exhausted, so he granted Song Jiang a three-day leave. Only one night later, early the next morning, while Song Jiang was not at the county office, a woman came to file a complaint, accusing Song Jiang of murder and presenting his personal dagger as evidence.
"The evidence is conclusive and irrefutable. Go find Song Jiang and arrest him once you find him." The magistrate of Yuncheng pretended to be troubled and instructed the two head constables. The implication was that if they found Song Jiang, they should inform him to run away and return saying that they had not found him.
"Yes." Upon hearing this, the two head constables understood the meaning of the magistrate of Yuncheng, responded, and went to arrest Song Jiang without taking anyone with them.
The two then went to Song Jiang's old residence, put on a show, and finally told Song Jiang that a woman had accused him of murder, with conclusive evidence, leaving Song Jiang completely baffled.
“There’s no truth to this. I must have been framed. If I run away, wouldn’t that be considered fleeing from justice?” After the two men explained, Song Jiang spoke frankly and had the two head constables take him back to the county office.
Seeing Song Jiang brought to the county, the magistrate of Yuncheng was also at a loss. However, he had to do what Wang Han had ordered. On the one hand, he pretended to try his best to exonerate Song Jiang, but in the end, due to the irrefutable evidence, he still framed Song Jiang for murder that same day and confirmed the crime. No matter how much Song Jiang cried out for innocence, it was to no avail. Afterwards, he pretended to be a righteous and compassionate person. Song Jiang should have been sentenced to death for murder, but in the end, he was only exiled.
Originally, Song Jiang thought that would be the end of it. Although he had been wronged and exiled, he was unwilling to bear the crime of murder and thought he would collect evidence to clear his name. However, no sooner had the verdict been handed down than someone came to the county government office to file a complaint, saying that they had seen Song Jiang colluding with the bandits from Liangshan and accepting their gifts.
"Bring out Song Jiang's belongings and let's see if it's true." Upon hearing this, the magistrate of Yuncheng was secretly delighted. This way, Song Jiang would suspect that the people of Liangshan had plotted against him. He immediately ordered his men to search Song Jiang's belongings, but deliberately didn't search Song Jiang's house, still acting as if to exonerate Song Jiang, implying that if it wasn't on him, then it wasn't there. In fact, the magistrate of Yuncheng knew in his heart that the items must be in Song Jiang's official bag.
Song Jiang's heart skipped a beat, because there really was one, right there in his briefcase. He hadn't even had a chance to put it down before he was arrested; the evidence was truly irrefutable.
Well, that's it. The letters and money were all found. Upon opening the letters, the magistrate of Yuncheng confirmed Song Jiang's crime of colluding with bandits. This time, Song Jiang didn't protest his innocence. However, the magistrate of Yuncheng still only sentenced Song Jiang to exile, then added forty strokes of the cane, seemingly trying his best to protect Song Jiang. See? I'm doing everything I can to protect you.
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That night, after tattooing Song Jiang's name on his back, the magistrate of Yuncheng ordered two constables who were on good terms with Song Jiang to disguise themselves as thieves and kidnap him from the prison. The officials would cooperate and secretly overturn his case later.
Unfortunately, he was out of luck. During the prison break, the three Ruan brothers and Liu Tang also came to break in. Not only did they run into each other, but Liu Tang also killed several prison guards. Now, Song Jiang had no choice but to leave, even if he didn't want to. Several prison guards had died, and if he stayed, even if the magistrate of Yuncheng protected him, he couldn't escape the death penalty. The crime of colluding with Liangshan was a fact, and no one could save him; he had no choice but to go to Liangshan.
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