Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

In the twilight, the flags were stretched into full bows in the wind; the "pa pa" sound of the flags hitting the flagpoles mixed with the sounds of the soldiers talking and chewing.

Soldiers were carrying elm barrels and moving back and forth between the tents. The meat of dead horses was taken out and mixed with sand onions and rolled in a clay pot. The horse meat on the campfire was rolled over from time to time, and the grease splashed, making the campfire crackle.

A few veteran soldiers were roasting bread over the fire with the tips of their knives; the burnt smell was mixed with the coarse taste of earth salt.

Wang Zheng took off his iron helmet, shook his wet hair, and suddenly chuckled: "Li Zu said a vicious plan at that time.

It was said that they salted the captured corpses and threw them into the river source on the western grassland when no one was paying attention.

When the rotten water seeps into every puddle, the shepherds on the western grasslands may not even be able to keep their sheep for milking. "

A personal guard came over carrying barbecue. Yu Cheng reached out to take it, walked over to take the iron pot off the campfire, set up the barbecue, and took away the pot of soup cooked by Lu Bu.

This caused a fierce glare from his own emperor in the rear, but he said nothing helplessly.

Compared to the barbecue, the food I cooked just now was really not that good.

He pondered for a moment, stretched out his hand and pulled out a dagger, tossed it in his hand and caught it, then cut off a piece of meat, thinking non-stop in his mind.

The dagger for cutting meat was suspended in the air, grease dripped from the tip of the knife into the fire, and blue flames rose up with a "sizzle" sound.

When he raised his eyes, the bonfire burned two scarlet spots in his pupils, somewhat like the look of a tiger before hunting.

"The body was pickled and thrown into the river..."

Repeating these four words in your mouth, you gently put the meat into your mouth and chew it. The rich meaty flavor immediately fills your mouth, and a slight sweetness instantly climbs to your taste buds.

Lu Bu seemed not to notice and just mechanically chewed the piece of meat in his mouth.

Wang Zheng waited quietly. Even though he was somewhat hesitant when he heard about this plan, he also admitted that this was a good idea. It could at least guarantee the safety of one or two generations, although it was a bit unnatural.

The blowing wind stopped, and the smell of blood gradually spread in the air.

Lu Bu's nostrils twitched. He was not unfamiliar with this smell. Wasn't it the same smell on every battlefield?

He raised his head and looked around. Soldiers were sitting in circles around the campfire, talking and eating horse meat as rations.

Half of the soldiers of Zuo Wuwei were standing on guard at the outermost perimeter, waiting for their comrades to finish their meal and come over to replace them.

They are all good soldiers——

His eyes, reflecting the red light, narrowed, as if he had made a decision in an instant.

Lu Bu looked at Wang Zheng calmly, "Is there enough salt?" He reached out for the knife, cut off another piece of meat and put it into his mouth.

"It should be enough." Wang Zheng grinned. "After all, we have wiped out a lot of the tribe's manpower here. I think the garrisons in each city are insufficient. We just need to wait to capture the city and see how much salt is stored there."

"Do it cleanly."

Lu Bu said this, feeling a little emotional in his heart. If he were given another two years, with enough soldiers and full granaries of food, he wouldn't have to resort to such means.

After all, the Shangjing Road is vast. If one really wants to occupy it, the current soldiers and horses are not enough. One also needs people who know the way to lead the way into the depths of the grassland, and so on.

Various preparations need to be made; just one or two years is not enough.

The time is still too short!
A tiger who had just won a battle sighed in his heart.

In the distance, there was the sound of a large group of cavalry galloping. The soldiers who were having their meals all looked up, then soon sat back down and continued to eat their meals.

A big banner with the word "History" written on it soon appeared in everyone's sight.

"It looks like we will all be back soon." Picking up the water bag and taking a sip of water, Lu Bu smiled and looked at Wang Zheng: "It looks like we will be able to go back soon."

The sound of horse hooves gradually weakened. Many people had a string of heads hanging on both sides of their saddles, all strung together with human braids. The gold and iron earrings on the heads flashed with metallic light from time to time.

The soldiers who were eating didn't react when they saw this. They just raised their hands and greeted their familiar comrades, asking them to prepare the meal quickly.

Shi Wengong rode over on his warhorse, jumped off his horse ten feet away from the center of the army, threw the reins to the guards, strode over with dust all over his body, and knelt on one knee in front of Lu Bu: "General Shi Wengong surrenders the order."

"Get up." Lu Bu waved his hand, turned around and shouted to Yu Cheng, "Send some more meat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Shi Wengong smiled, stood up and took off his helmet, waited for the guards to bring him a stool and sat down. Lu Bu looked at him and said with a smile, "You are the one who came back the fastest this time."

Shi Wengong bowed slightly and said, "I am heading south. There are not many water sources and tribes there, so I will come back the fastest."

After a pause, he continued, "They are just nine medium-sized tribes with not many troops. I feel quite regretful."

"It's not the last battle, why should I feel regretful?" Lü Bu smiled and looked at the guards handing horse meat to Shi Wengong. He sighed, "After conquering the Northwest Recruiting Division, there are still large tracts of grassland to the west and the yellow-haired barbarians to the north. How can we be calm?"

"I have failed to consider this matter." Shi Wengong thought about it and nodded.

As they were all born as military men, Lu Bu naturally knew the urgency of these generals in making achievements. While shaking his head and laughing, his eyes suddenly swept across the campfires on the east side, where a dozen burly men were sitting around them.

He was startled for a moment, then turned his head to look carefully. Hundreds of men were sitting in a circle with their heads down, looking quite depressed. Their silence was obviously different from the others who were happily chatting.

“Heh—these guys…”

Lu Bu chuckled, and Wang Zheng and Shi Wengong listened and looked in the direction he was looking. They saw Yao Gang standing up and saying something with a sullen face.

Wang Zheng grinned and said, "The armored cavalry is useless, I'm afraid it has driven General Yao crazy. But if it were really these iron lumps that were to charge into battle on this grassland, I'm afraid the situation would be bad."

Shi Wengong nodded silently.

Lu Bu turned his head and smiled: "Forget it, just treat it as a training for a long-distance raid. They will have plenty of opportunities to use their skills when we go south to Nanjing and Xijing in the future."

"That is, in the wild." Wang Zheng laughed.

A relaxed and cheerful atmosphere permeated this small camp. Soon, faint roars were heard from several directions in the west. As the field of vision changed, several puffs of smoke appeared on the horizon. It was the appearance of a large group of cavalry marching.

"It should be General Wanyan and General Wang who are back." Wang Zheng thought for a moment and stretched his body lazily: "It's finally done."

Shi Wengong ate the barbecue in silence. Hearing this, he glanced at him and then looked in the direction of Lu Bu.

The emperor on the other side laughed loudly, turned around and told Yu Cheng: "The army is returning, tell the people below to prepare more barbecue."

Yu Cheng responded, and soon, several captured injured horses were taken away for slaughter. When the smoke and dust raised by the war horses slowly settled, the aroma of barbecue gradually filled the air.

Before long, the entire makeshift camp was filled with noisy voices. A general wearing iron armor and a cloak walked to the center of the army where the flag was, and his loud voice echoed in the air.

On that day, the soldiers who had been chasing the enemy for several days and fighting for their lives set up a simple camp in the wilderness, arranged the soldiers on duty, and slept in the wilderness that night.

The next day, the sound of trumpets blew across the fields. The soldiers, who had slept all night, had breakfast and mounted their horses, with the rumbling sound of hooves heading north.

……

Boom——

The bowstring vibrated, and a rain of arrows rose up, reaching the highest point in the sky, and then swirled down and fell.

More black clouds were reflected from the roar of horse hooves and the vibration of bowstrings.

With the sound of breaking through the air, the arrows hit the shields and brick walls.

The defenders on the city wall crouched down with their shields raised. When they stood up, they looked in horror as a black figure took the opportunity to jump up.

"die--"

Wang Jun wore a half-man-high iron shield on his left arm and swung his sword downward with his right hand.

puff--

The blade cut into the man's face. Wang Jun tried to pull it out but failed. He raised his foot and kicked. Blood with a rusty smell spurted out as the blade left, splashing Wang Jun's head and face.

"I'm the first to ascend this time!"

Without wiping the blood off his face, the deputy general of the Northern Frontier Protectorate smiled grimly, losing his usual simple and honest look, and rushed forward with a roar.

The Liao army on the top of the city shouted in panic. Someone bravely stepped forward with a gun, but Wang Jun blocked him with his shield held diagonally. He rushed forward and chopped the man's throat with a knife. As he turned his body, the downward blade swept over several legs.

A scream rang out from the top of the city wall, and several Liao army guards suddenly became shorter.

"kill--"

A roar came from the mouth of the Deputy Protector General of Northern Frontier who was climbing the city wall. Figures wearing black leather armor kept jumping up from the wall behind him, and the sounds of fighting and shouting suddenly became louder.

On the ladder more than ten feet away from Wang Jun, Su Ding climbed up with a shield in hand, pushing against the fallen rocks. "Bang, bang, bang--" the sound of rocks hitting the surface of the shield kept ringing. The man only paused for a moment, then went up again. His eyes behind the shield were red, obviously knowing that the credit for being the first to reach the top was gone.

"dash forward--"

Su Ding raised his head and shouted: "How can we, the Yulin Army, lose to the guys from the Northern Frontier Protectorate? Kill them, kill them!"

The resonant voice reached the ears of the figures surging below. Many officers' eyes suddenly turned red. They bit their knives, held their shields and struggled upwards.

The sounds of shouting and fighting from the city walls were heard from time to time.

below.

The big flag with the word "Du" fluttered in the wind. Du Fu, sitting on his horse and holding a horsewhip, turned his head from time to time and said something to the messenger.

Infantrymen kept running out at the shouts of officers and rushed towards the city wall ahead.

However, within a short time, a black figure gradually spread out like ink on the top of the city wall. The flag representing the Liao Kingdom was chopped down and fell down, and a flag with a black background and a red border was inserted into the city wall.

When the wind blows, the word "Qi" appears and disappears.

"Order the entire army to prepare to enter the city."

Du Yu adjusted his sitting position on his horse, stretched out his hand to pull out the Zhangba Snake Spear stuck in the ground, and curled his lips: "I advised you to surrender long ago, but you didn't listen, and let me waste so much time."

Soon, the city gate opened amid cheers, and soldiers in black armor swarmed in.

Late autumn.

The Qi army defeated the invading cavalry from the Zhubu, Dadan and other tribes, and divided its troops into two groups. One cavalry group pursued the fleeing enemy soldiers, while the other cavalry and infantry group crossed the Wugu Mountain to attack cities and seize land.

At the end of early autumn, Du Fu successively captured Khotun City and Fangzhou, and then took Zhenzhou.

At the beginning of mid-autumn, Lu Bu, who had killed most of the tribal leaders, went north to join Du Fu. The Liao officers and soldiers in Zhenzhou, led by the governor of the state, resisted for two hours. The city fell, the governor committed suicide and died for his country, and the rest surrendered.

The army then rested for a day in Zhenzhou and then marched towards Weizhou and Zhaozhou.

At that time, the news that the eastern city had fallen, the tribal leaders had died, and many tribes had been massacred by the Qi army had spread throughout the Northwest Route Recruiting Office.

Many tribes that lived by following the water and grass were frightened and dared not stay here any longer. They packed their bags, took their few cattle, sheep and horses, and migrated westward with their entire clans.

There were cries of grief all along the way, and many women and girls were crying and singing:
(The locust plague rolled over the top of the tent)
Black wind breaks the horse whip

(The white disaster extinguished the sacrificial fire)
Eagle feathers fall in front of the golden saddle

The roar of a tiger from Liaodong

Chewing up the green mountains and swallowing the rivers

Horse hooves trampled the bones of ancestors

The bell shakes the courage of the young man

Open your eyes, my God!

Wolves shed their wool and sheep jumped over a stream

The sound of the horse-head harp strings

Where are the water and grass to bury the swords and arrows?
Every word sounded like tears of blood, and the herdsmen, young and old, who had not been recruited along the way could not help but cover their faces and cry, but they still walked westward without stopping.

In early mid-autumn, Weizhou could not withstand the pressure of the Qi army, and the officials in the city opened the gates to surrender. At this time, Lu Bu put away his knife and persuaded them with kind words. He kept these officials and soldiers and sent Zhang Bang to post letters to calm the people.

While continuing to lead the army westward to Zhaozhou.

Zhaozhou officials had been in contact with Victoria for a long time, but they had never received a positive response from Victorian officials, and they knew that they were considering surrendering.

However, the governor of this province was a righteous man. On the one hand, he recruited young and strong men to mobilize the garrison, and on the other hand, he sent fast horses to ask for help in Wolodo City, where the palace of King Zubu was located. All the houses and government offices in the city were demolished and moved onto the city walls, ready for a fight to the death.

When the Qi army arrived, the defenders had been waiting for a long time. However, unlike what the governor of the state expected, the battle started in just a short while before the defenders on the city wall surrendered to the Qi army outside the city in an organized manner. The soldiers in black armor opened the gate and entered the city under the leadership of the foreign soldiers inside the city.

The governor of the state was shocked when he received the news and immediately slashed his own throat with his sword.

In mid-autumn, the Qi army captured the entire Northwest Route Recruiting Office. Lu Bu sent out fast horses to appease the nearby tribes, while at the same time transferring food and grass from the rear to reassure the people.

However, the situation at this time was much better than he had expected. More than half of the tribes north of Victoria fled, which indirectly saved him a lot of food.

At the end of mid-autumn, Lu Bu ordered E Quanzhong's troops to garrison the Recruiting and Suppressing Office, and the army, temporarily ending the campaign, began to return.

And in the State of Song further south, things were also happening.

……

Jump back to midsummer.

Song Jiang abandoned the Fangshan stronghold and dispersed his troops. Several trusted leaders, each with thousands of soldiers, decided on their own where to go.

The few Song soldiers guarding the foot of the mountain were unable to keep them, and immediately all the insects fled to the wilderness.

However, within a few months, news of banditry came from several military states in the northwest of the Song State. After careful counting, it was found that all the people with names and surnames were the leaders of Fangshan Stronghold.

The government office was very troubled by this and sent official documents to Bianliang. (End of this chapter)