The
Armoured Cavalry
It is one of the most
spectacular military episodes of the novel.
A cavalry of three thousand soldiers is set by Hu-yuan Zhuo, the skilled general of the Imperial armies sent to purge
the Liangshan Marsh and kill the outlaws. Both horses and men wear
chainmail. In addition, all horses are connected together with chains.
Invincible, the men all have bows that prevent the outlaws to come
close.
How to cope with this army none of Song Jiang's
captains can imagine except Tang Long,
the Gold-Coin Spotted Leopard,
who suggests that Xu Ning
is the only man able to forge a weapons that can help to defeat
the fabulous cavalry. These are barbed lances.
How to convince Xu Ning to join the outlaws, that is the theme of
a Beijing Opera named the Goose
Feathers Armor.
Xu Ning is the arms instructor of the Metal Lancers. Loyal to the
Emperor, he lives in the Forbidden City... His only weakness is
a matchless ancestral treasure that protects his family from evil
spirits : a Goose Feathers Armor.
Shi Qian,
aka Flea on a Drum, will steal it and, with the help of Dai Zong
and Tang
Long, will lure Xu Ning in
a trap.
Captured by Song Jiang's men, Xu Ning will join the
gang and will help to defeat the Cavalry.
The chapters