Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Chapter 1026: Night Dispatch
The night covered the grassland. The walls of Hedong City, where the Protectorate was located, were crowded with people. The emperor who moved in not only brought soldiers from the Zuowuwei, but also re-invigorated the surviving warriors here.

After hearing the emperor's passionate words today, many people on the street were so excited that they could not fall asleep. They tossed and turned in bed. Finally, they simply put on their clothes, walked to the door, opened it and looked at the night sky. After a while, they shivered in the wind, but it could not extinguish the fire in their hearts.

Over the next few days, the troops in the city began to be rotated. Upon receiving Lu Bu's transfer order, the Jumu Ancient City and Jingbian City each sent a thousand infantry and cavalry troops to enter Hedong City, allowing the city, whose troops had been halved due to the war, to once again have the power to protect itself.

At the urging of the emperor's order, troops from various counties in the south, such as Cao Mingji, desperately led their troops to rush here, almost rushing to get here against the clock.

The military camp on the field has expanded a lot. The Wolf Cavalry and the cavalry from the five schools of the Northern Army have already moved in. Bonfires are lit in the camp. The camp seems unusually quiet tonight, and the soldiers on duty can be seen standing there motionless.

In the dark night, a large number of soldiers led their horses and quietly walked out of the camp gate. The flickering lights illuminated the narrow area in front of them. Wanyan Zongbing and Wanyan Zonghan were far away, and neither of them looked at each other. They were whispering to their trusted confidants beside them.

Wanyan Loushi, Wang De, Shi Wengong and other generals mounted their horses. Behind them were the Jurchen cavalrymen riding two horses each and the brave cavalry soldiers, who were silently and quickly forming a battle formation.

A knight was galloping on the dirt road from behind, his cloak fluttering in the night wind. The flickering light of the fire gradually dispelled the darkness, and on the red warhorse, Lu Bu's tough face appeared.

"On this trip west, we will take no prisoners and show no mercy. You can do whatever you want with me."

The eyes of the Jurchen cavalry in front were shining. If it were not for military regulations, they would have shouted loudly to show their excitement.

Soon after, as Lu Bu waved his arms, a group of 8,000 carefully selected cavalrymen began to run, led by the generals in front, as if they could see at night.

"Let's go too."

Lu Bu flicked his scarlet cloak, and generals including Du Fu, Niu Gao, E Quanzhong, Yelu Ma Wu, Guan Sheng, Han Chang, Shi Bao, Li Tianrun, Wang Yin and others, led the main force of 23,000 troops, marched across the plains and rushed towards the Liao army in the distance.

……

The temperature difference between day and night on the grassland is very large, and it is very cold at night.

For the soldiers and herdsmen of the various tribes of the Zhaotaosi who were accustomed to this kind of climate, they took off their fur coats and put on coarse cloth clothes during the day, and put them on again at night. They hid in the fur felt tents, tied their war horses together outside to keep warm, which could also block the wind vents. Then they sat on the wooden beds covered with wool felt and drank hot kumis.

In recent days, more and more tribal warriors have come here. The rapidly expanding number of people has given these newly defeated troops enough courage. They have all forgotten their embarrassing side, and they have been drinking until their faces are red, boasting about their performance on the battlefield.

Central tent.

Creamy white wool carpets were casually spread on the ground, people walked back and forth in cowhide boots, candles and oil lamps bought from the south emitted light, and the braziers set up made the temperature in the tent slightly higher. The tribal leaders and warriors toasted each other and ate golden roasted lamb.

Xiao Yixue sucked the mutton fat on his fingers, took a sip of tea to relieve the greasy feeling in his stomach, and felt a sense of impatience when he heard the leaders of various tribes talking about sending troops.

"Why does General Xiao look so worried? Are you worried about the emperor from the south coming?"

A wine bowl was extended to him, the wine swaying with the words he heard. Xiao Yixue turned his head and saw that it was Zu Bugudu.

Xiao Yixue raised his wine bowl and clinked it with his. "You guys don't take him seriously enough. He started from Liaodong, defeated the brave Jin Kingdom, and defeated all the armies in Shangjing and Zhongjing. He is not someone you can underestimate."

"The commander of the army doesn't need to be so fearful. In my opinion, this man is only good at attacking cities. In this place with mostly plains, he doesn't have that many cities to attack.

Moreover, Qi was a newly rising country, and it had to guard the cities of Shangjing Road and Zhongjing Road. How many troops could he freely mobilize? 20,000? 30,000?

There are now 100,000 cavalry gathered here. If he dares to come, he will only bring about his own destruction."

Seeing Xiao Yixue was speechless, Zhu Bugudu smiled and said, "Even if he doesn't come, we will go find him in a few days. If we capture him, the State of Qi will collapse in an instant. The court will reward us then."

Listening to the words of the King of Zhubu, Xiao Yixue narrowed his eyes and raised his wine bowl: "It's better to be careful."

Zubugudu was even more disdainful in his heart. The Liao nobleman next to him had been frightened. It seemed that after this battle, the four Zubu tribes could also try to break free from the control of the Khitans.

He picked up the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp. A blush flashed across his round face and his shining eyes looked at the other leaders of the Zubu tribe who had been separated.

First, we have to subdue them...

While he was thinking, a guard from the tent came in, knelt on one knee, clasped his hands and said, "Commander-in-chief, scouts outside reported that the Qi people in Hedong City are mobilizing their troops."

The noisy voices stopped, and the tribal leaders and warriors stopped drinking and eating, and all looked at the guards who walked in.

Even though the next move had not been determined, attention was paid to intelligence. Every tribe and even the Liao army sent scouts to monitor the Northern Frontier Protectorate.

They had already known the news that Lu Bu had arrived with his troops two days ago, but there were only about 20,000 troops, so they thought they had more strength and did not take them seriously. However, they also sent out more people. There were scouts set up almost every five miles to pass on the news. The reports they came to report at this time meant that the Qi army had already started moving.

As they looked at each other, a leader's surprised voice rang out: "Leaving the city?"

"What are you going to do out of town at night?"

"Then the Emperor of Qi will not go to war, right?"

Some of the newcomers laughed out loud, but Xiao Yixiu suddenly felt his heart sink and he was somewhat panicked. It was just as Zu Bugudu thought, he was frightened by the Qi army.

The three cities that were occupied now were all taken down by the enemy with swords and guns. Facing the Emperor of Qi who had outstanding martial arts, he felt that it was normal for him to feel uneasy.

"Sending troops at this hour... I think there is something wrong." Zubu Gudu put down his wine bowl and looked at the other chiefs.

……shit.

Xiao Yixiu glanced at him but said nothing. The dozen or so tribes present had sent out troops dozens of times more than the Liao army under his command, and they had already shown a tendency to resist being controlled.

It's not that he doesn't want to teach these leaders a lesson, but the current situation requires him to use these people to buy the court a chance to catch its breath. Let these people make their own decisions. With so many people gathered together, they will not retreat without firing a single arrow.

Picking up the wine bowl, Xiao Yixue glanced at the faces at the banquet.

Fight, and fight vigorously. Whoever dies between you and Lu Bu will be good for the court.

He raised his arm, and the palm-sized wine bowl concealed the malice in his eyes.

"We are marching at night and the scouts will see us. This will attract our attention."

"You want to lead us out?"

"They only have so many people, what can they do if they really lure us out?"

The chieftain on the side paid no attention to the Khitan commander present and kept talking loudly. A figure stood up and swayed, which showed that he had drunk too much and could not hold his liquor.

Zhubugudu looked at them, took a breath and opened his mouth. A voice came from the left: "Since they are coming, we cannot avoid fighting, otherwise the warriors of the various tribes will think that we are afraid of fighting even though we have 100,000 people, which will affect the morale of the army."

Which idiot interrupted me?!
Zubu Gudu looked over angrily. The man had a sullen look on his face. He was the leader of his old enemy, the Uliya tribe. He glared at him unhappily and slammed the table, attracting everyone's attention. "Uliya Heqie is right. We suffered a loss at the foot of Hedong City a few days ago. If we avoid fighting again, people will think that our warrior spirit is gone."

Zubogudu stood up, his fat body like a small mountain: "This is grassland. Even if it is not our respective pastures, it is definitely not the city that people in the south are familiar with. Let those sheep in the south see the people of the gods running on the grassland."

"That's right, the galloping warhorse never stops!"

Someone stood up and waved his clenched fist vigorously. Many people in the tent wanted to fight in the first place, so they immediately threw down their wine bowls and meat-cutting knives and waved their arms.

"May the gods protect us and show the people in the south that the swords and spears of the grassland people are just as sharp."

"Trampling the corpses of the Qi people under the horse!"

Zubugudu was the first to move out: "Let's go, let's go. We are the unruly people of the gods. We will not yield to anyone. Tie up Lu Bu and burn him as a sacrifice to the gods. Who knows, our pastures will return to their former lushness."

The leaders in the tent immediately recalled the unhappy things in their hearts. Some of them remembered what the witch in the tribe said about the anger of the gods, and immediately agreed: "Yes, if you want to appease the anger of the gods, then Lu Bu is a good sacrifice."

"How can the people in the south compare to our Dadan tribe in terms of horseback riding and fighting on the grassland? The sacrifice is ours."

Xiao Yixiu sat in his seat and watched the reactions of the leaders with satisfaction. Although he wished that these people would be taught a lesson, he hoped even more that they would consume the military strength of Qi. With such momentum, they would be more than enough to go to the battlefield.

"Commander-in-chief, shall we send out troops as well?" The Liao army general in armor came closer behind him, leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"Go, why not?" Xiao Yixue put down the wine bowl, and stood up majestically. He turned around and looked at the general who stood up and respectfully gave way to the side, and whispered: "Let our team go at the end, don't rush to the front."

He glanced to the side and said, "Since they want to capture the Emperor of Qi, just let him go. We will support them."

"Yes."

……

Dark as ink.

The cold moonlight obscured the starry sky. In the dark wilderness, the dull and dense sound of horse hooves rumbled.

One hundred thousand cavalrymen, that was an unimaginably huge scale, like a devastating torrent leaving the huge camp, spreading eastwards, swallowing everything in the raised dust.

Along the way, scouts wearing fur coats, carrying only bows and arrows, and riding fast horses kept passing on messages, keeping the flow of information between the tribes.

Although there is moonlight, it cannot be used as sunlight after all, and it still has great disadvantages for the army.

The cavalry marched eastward like a tide, and at some point, fighting suddenly broke out in front of them.

On a plain more than a hundred miles away from Hedong City, the three thousand cavalrymen of Dadan's tribe first encountered the two thousand cavalrymen of the five schools of the Northern Army led by Guan Sheng, Yelu Ma Wu, and Wanyan Huo Nu.

Amid the shouting and yelling of fighting, arrows were almost invisible in the night sky, occasionally knocking people off their horses. Sparks of weapons clashed between the horses passing each other, and more often there were screams and broken limbs flying into the air.

"Turn around, don't get entangled."

"Keep some distance, keep some distance!"

In the fighting in the dark night, generals such as Yelu Ma Wu and Guan Sheng shouted with full energy. Soldiers in black armor changed direction under the leadership and supervision of the captain and the military commander. They turned around from time to time to shoot arrows, went forward to fight with the opponent, and then began to retreat slowly.

Back and forth, over and over again.

On the battle line that stretched for more than ten miles from north to south along the Luqu River, there were still many Qi cavalrymen fighting with the tribal cavalrymen of the Northwest Route Recruiting Division.

Before the establishment of the Qi army, many of its soldiers had fought with others in Song. After coming to the north, they spent almost every year in war. Even if there were new recruits, most of them were elite soldiers who survived the Liao and Jin captives.

Later, the good family boys were strictly disciplined by the veterans of each army. They were as good as others in riding skills, fighting techniques, and formation movement. Moreover, their military achievements constantly stimulated the desire of these soldiers, and it was common for them to fight tenaciously.

The various cavalry columns fought in turns, and from time to time they kept a distance from the tribal cavalry. This provoked the leaders of various tribes to become excited, and they roared and ordered their herdsmen and tribal soldiers to move forward.

If it were broad daylight, these people might have noticed something was wrong, but at night the visibility was limited and they could not see that the cavalry were luring them to a fixed location.

A tactic to lure troops during war.

On the other side, the 3,000 wolf riders, Shangguan Yi and Han Chang who were left from the five schools of the Northern Army, Yu Cheng and Wei He, the left guards, and their respective subordinates were all on standby here.

"Take 16,000 cavalry to lure the enemy..." Lu Bu turned to look at Wang Zheng, who was full of energy at night, and said, "Your plan is a bit risky. If the enemy catches up and attacks from behind, Niu Gao and Wang Jun's troops will not be able to defend against it."

"Your Majesty, if you want to defeat the 100,000 cavalrymen in front of you and take over the Northwest Road Recruiting Office, you will need at least 150,000 troops, but we don't have them now, unless Your Majesty can endure for another two months and recruit the troops from Tokyo Road and Zhongjing Road."

Wang Zheng's eyes sparkled: "The darkness at this moment is our best defense. Unless the opponent is also a risk-taker, most people would choose to overwhelm him with overwhelming force and attack from the front.

However, the larger the army, the more problems it has. It is fine in peacetime, but once a war breaks out, everything will certainly not run smoothly, unless there is a figure like the Marquis of Huaiyin in his Recruiting Department who can use troops."

Lu Bu gently patted Red Hare's neck, looked at him, and smiled: "I don't believe it either."

"Then let's wait for a while." Wang Zheng narrowed his eyes: "Wait until they are defeated."

Amid the calls, a considerable amount of time had passed since the troops set out to attack, and the sounds of horse hooves and people shouting could be faintly heard ahead, gradually spreading towards this place, as if they had reached the lured position.

Suddenly, someone shot out a barrage of crossbow arrows in the darkness, and a rain of arrows shot forward in the darkness.

Suddenly, there was a chaos in front of people and horses, and the commander of the Dadan tribe who led the troops shouted anxiously.

"There's an ambush. Shoot, shoot!"

"General, we have no more arrows..."

"I don't have any either!"

The sound sent a chill down one's back.

(End of this chapter)