Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

In spring, the sunlight is warm and the cloudless sky looks refreshing.

On the plain, the wind blew the endless flags, making a rustling sound. The black soldiers gathered into a group, and from afar on the Jizhou city, they looked like a ball of black water.

Countless horses galloped and slowly stopped. In the yellow dragon that was spreading, bright red cloaks fluttered. The leading golden-armored knight looked at the figures on the city wall and pinched his chin uncomfortably: "These Liao soldiers are really patient. I can bear it here and not go out."

"That's right." Han Shizhong, who was standing to the side, replied, "I discussed with Generals Yuan Lang and Wang De before and planned to make a detour to Sanhe City, hoping to lure the enemy out of the city and ambush them halfway."

Wang De, who was following behind, chuckled: "As a result, we waited outside in the cold wind for several days and didn't see any Liao soldiers coming out of the city. This is the patience."

Give a thumbs up.

"Forty thousand people..."

Lu Bu tapped his boots lightly with his whip, raised the whip and pointed: "It's really a big turtle, but I still have to find a way to break its shell."

The people around laughed softly.

"Your Majesty..." Han Shizhong opened his mouth and paused.

"If you have something to say, just say it."

"Although the defenders in the city are not as elite as ours, the casualties from such a strong attack are too great." Han Shizhong's horse approached and looked at the city ahead: "I suggest that we surround it but not attack it. Yuyang is not a big city, and the food inside is limited. The army and the people are consuming more and more food every day. They can't afford to waste time."

"We can't afford to waste time." Lu Bu thought for a while, then shook his head: "We can't use a strong attack, but I want to control all the surrounding towns. The detour to Sanhe you mentioned before is a feasible method."

The reins were pulled, and Red Hare neighed and turned around. The figure in golden armor waved his hand and said, "Let's go back." The horse's hooves started to run briskly. "I see, how can this city survive without the food supply?"

Dust covered the sound, and soon after, thousands of war horses galloped away, stirring up dust, and the large flag with the word "Lu" held high fluttered into the distance.

……

On the top of Yuyang City, several figures stood on the city wall, watching the cavalry going away. A tense and uneasy mood was transmitted on the city wall. A neatly dressed general stood in front of the parapet and hit the parapet hard.

"What a great opportunity! Lu the thief is right in front of us."

The bright spring light shone down from overhead, and several generals who were holding their iron helmets with their arms reflected some light on their heads. They looked at each other, and then turned their gaze to the young general on the other side.

The gaze pierced his face, and Wu Yanyanshou's eyes twitched. He turned his head slowly, his eyes gradually becoming excited: "Opportunity? Are you better at field battles than my father? Are you better at martial arts than my father? Or do you have more battlefield experience than my father?"

Each word was more passionate than the last. The generals and nobles who looked over naturally knew Wu Yanguang's ability. They murmured a few words and avoided his sight. However, not everyone was convinced. One general pointed out: "Just now, the thief Lu had at most 3,000 cavalry here. We have at least 7,000 cavalry. Although we have lost some infantry, we still have 240,000 to 250,000, which is several times his number. How can we not win?"

"Young General Wu Yan may have been so scared of being killed by the thief Lu that he has lost his courage as a general."

"Anything can happen on the battlefield. Lu Ze is also a mortal. How can there be no chance to kill him?"

The young general from Xijing was so angry that his face turned red. He pointed at a few people and said, "Do you think that Lu is just an ordinary rebel? That rebel was able to defeat my father in a field battle and personally led the cavalry in the battle..."

He took a breath and didn't want to say those words, but the anger in his heart made him unable to hold back. Just as he was about to continue, the young guard in the city named Xiao Wulila waved his arm and said, "Alright, Dashilin Ya left an order when he left that you are not allowed to leave the city. What, do you want to violate the military order now?"

"Don't dare."

The generals who spoke all bowed, and Wu Yanyanshou's anger subsided a little. Xiao Wulila turned his head to look at Wu Yanyanshou and patted him: "Although we should be careful of Lu the thief, we should not be afraid of him like a tiger, otherwise the anger in our hearts will be suppressed and our lives will end here."

Wu Yanyanshou looked into his eyes, moved his lips, and nodded his head to say yes.

The young commander saw that all his generals had calmed down, and then he turned around and looked at the place where the smoke was gradually clearing. "Send an order, and order the scouts to investigate the Qi bandits. I want to know all the movements of their army in the future."

The messenger behind him turned and ran down the city wall.

……

The war horses galloped into the camp.

As the daylight gradually approached the center, bonfires were burning between tents. Cooks were pushing carts inside and outside the military camp, which were filled with slaughtered and cleaned cattle and sheep. Soldiers cheered. The army was out in the field, and the conditions were difficult. Meat was what every soldier longed for, and they were naturally happy to see that they had something to eat.

The sound of the wolf riders entering the camp made many people turn their heads. When they saw the flag and the golden-armored figure in the front, the shouts of "Victory" boiled in the camp.

Lu Bu raised his Fang Tian Hua Ji on his warhorse in response, galloped all the way to the central army tent and dismounted. A guard stepped forward and took the reins of Red Hare, then looked down at the emperor and a group of cavalry generals walking past him.

He strode in with his combat boots stepping on the red carpet, and several civil officials in the big tent stood up.

"When I heard the soldiers cheering, I knew that His Majesty had returned."

"Everyone sit down and hang up the geomancy map."

Lu Bu waved his arm, took off his cloak and handed it to the guard who came forward. He walked to the upper part and sat down. He watched the civil and military officials sit down on both sides. A soldier hung the marked feng shui map on the hanging rod in front of Lu Bu.

"If the Liao army refuses to leave Yuyang, then let them stay in the city."

Lu Bu took the wine pot on the table and drank from the spout. Then he stood up, walked to the geomancy map, picked up a wooden stick and pointed at a few cities: "Sanhe, Xincang, Yutian, I want to see these three cities fall into my hands."

Then the stick moved: "The navy warships should not stay in Luanzhou any longer, all come over here. The river to the south of Jizhou leads to the sea, and the place it passes through is the canal. Keep an eye on Yuyang on the river for me."

He casually threw the stick aside and looked at the civil and military officials below him: "Over at Sanhe City..." He turned his gaze and looked at the generals below who puffed out their chests and thought for a moment: "Order Yelu Yudu and He Zhongbao to lead an army of 10,000 to persuade them to surrender if possible. If they don't listen to the advice, we will attack them."

"Order Wanyan Loushi to lead an army of 5,000 to take Xincang, and Bian Xiang to lead an army of 8,000 to take Yutian."

"The rest of you should retreat fifty miles with me. I want to see if Jizhou can still hold its ground."

At this moment, footsteps were heard outside, and a guard came in, clasped his fists and bowed: "Your Majesty, there is news from Zhuozhou."

Standing in front of the feng shui map, Lu Bu turned his head to look at Qiao Lie, then turned to look at his "uncle" Lu Sili, and then clapped his hands: "It seems that our ally has made new progress." Then he threw the wooden stick to the guards beside him, turned around and walked back to the table and sat down: "Let's listen to see if there is any good news."

The civil and military officials below were also smiling. After such a long time, they finally had news about the Song army.

Outside the big tent, a figure walked in. He had an ordinary face and saluted to Lu Bu before speaking: "I am a spy under the command of Youshifu. I pay my respects to Your Majesty." "The army is out in the open, so there is no need to be so polite." Lu Bu sat back and looked at the figure over there: "What news do you have from the Song army? Tell me."

The spy had a strange look on his face, as if he wanted to laugh but was forcing himself to do so. He secretly reached out and twisted his thigh, then said, "Your Majesty, when I left Zhuozhou, the Song army's western route had already been defeated, and more than half of the Song army was killed or wounded. According to the information gathered, at least 40,000 of the 100,000-strong army were left in Zhuozhou, and the captured prisoners were lined up..." He seemed to want to add to the tone, and held up two fingers, "enough to circle Fanyang City twice."

"puff--"

A mouthful of wine spurted out of Han Shizhong's mouth, and Wang De, who was standing next to him, took away his own wine bowl and said, "Splash it at Han Wu, where are you spraying it at?"

"Ahem..." Han Shizhong coughed twice, waved his hand to apologize to Wang De, wiped his mouth and apologized to Lu Bu: "I lost my composure."

Lu Bu just waved his hand at him casually and frowned: "How many troops did the Liao army dispatch? Can he mobilize so many troops?"

The spy couldn't help but curl his lips: "I heard that it was the Xi Army and the Yuan Army under the command of Xiao Gan, the Grand Tutor of the Fourth Army. I don't know the exact number of troops, but it is certain that it is less than 50,000."

Han Shizhong and Wang De looked at each other with expressions of disbelief.

Xiao Haili narrowed his one eye and leaned forward: "Then how did Xiao Gan defeat the Song army that was twice his size?" Then he pinched his chin and said: "No, it wasn't that long before and after, how did the Song army collapse so quickly?"

The spy was about to speak, but Wang De spoke first: "Yes, I heard that it was General Zhong Shidao who took command. He is a famous general in the Western Army. Why did he lose so quickly?"

Lu Bu looked at the spy and waved his hand: "Tell me what happened."

"The Song army ordered 'not to kill or injure any Liao soldiers', and the Song soldiers were tied up on the battlefield. If they hadn't been relying on each other at the last moment, poof——"

The spy couldn't help but burst out laughing, then quickly continued with a serious expression: "If they rely on large shields and wooden sticks to retreat from Zhuozhou, I'm afraid that the 100,000-man army will be captured by Xiao Gan."

The air in the big tent seemed to be still for a moment, and then
"Hahahaha!"

Bursts of laughter came from Xiao Haili, Zhang Lin, Li Ying and others. The one-eyed Khitan man kept pounding the table. Even Shi Wengong's unchanging cold face curled up into a smile. He lowered his head, his shoulders shaking and he couldn't close his mouth.

Han Shizhong and Wang De's eyes widened, their faces were full of excitement. The former stared at the spy with his eyes wide open: "How could there be such an order!" Then he supported himself on the table with one hand and stood up slightly: "Is it the order issued by General Zhong?"

"No." The spy turned to look at Han Shizhong: "The intelligence said that it was the order from Song army commander Tong Guan."

"child……"

Han Shizhong let out a sigh of relief and sat back down, with a smile on his face that was hard to tell whether it was sarcastic or bitter. Then he raised the wine bowl and took a sip, looking at the people in the tent with some relief.

"This is really ridiculous!" Lü Bu smiled and leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. "I've never heard of such a military order before. Is there no one in the court of Song who can be used? They actually chose such a person as the commander."

"He's still a eunuch."

Li Zhu stroked his beard with a smile. Seeing Lü Bu looking at him with a frown, he reminded him, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten? It was this man who led the troops to burn down the Liangshan stronghold when we withdrew. Moreover, this eunuch has been in the northwest border for more than ten or twenty years, and all the orders of the Western Army came from him."

“It was this person.”

Lu Bu was somewhat stunned, and felt even more disgusted. He sighed, "The Emperor of Song is really fooling around by letting a eunuch lead an army of 200,000. Don't you know that eunuchs are treacherous and flattering, and they abuse their power. Once they monopolize power, it is easy to cause chaos, shake the government, and endanger the foundation of the country."

He smacked his lips, and then some memories came to his mind. He quickly shook his head to dispel them, thinking to himself that the situation back then was different from the current situation, and that person was not able to seize the military power...

The laughter in the big tent continued for a while, then died down. Wanyan Loushi, who was smiling, stood up suddenly and clasped his fists: "Your Majesty, the Song army is no longer sufficient to be part of our military strategy. Why don't we make some adjustments and exclude it from our strategy, and pretend that we have never joined forces."

"I (the humble general) second the motion." Wang Zheng, Xiao Haili, Wang De, Zhang Lin and others bowed in succession.

Lu Bu waved his arms: "That's right." Then he looked at the spy: "Any other information?"

The man nodded and said, "When I came here, the Song army on the east route was chasing Xiao Telie's troops all the way from Zhuozhou to Juma River. I don't know what the battle situation is like now."

"The Juma River..."

Lu Bu stood up and walked to the front of the geomancy map. He stood there and looked at it for a few breaths, with a half-smile on his face: "It seems that the Song army will be defeated along the way."

Wang Zheng stroked his beard, his face flushed from laughing, and cupped his hands: "Your Majesty, it looks like Yelu Dashi, Xiao Gan and others will return to Jizhou soon. We should make plans early."

Lu Bu turned around and looked at the civil and military officials present. "Then let's do it without further delay. After lunch, all armies will attack according to the previous military orders. If we find that Yelu Dashi and Xiao Gan's army are returning to Jizhou to support it, if Yuyang has not been taken, we are not allowed to engage in battle and must withdraw immediately."

He slapped the feng shui map on the side with his big hand and said in a high-pitched voice: "If something happens in Yuyang, block their way forward, and when the army arrives, crush them!"

"Here!"

……

Leaving this place where soldiers and horses gathered and heading far away towards Baigou River, the fighting had already begun.

Xin Xingzong of the Eastern Army joined forces with Song Jiang who was pursuing in the front. A total of more than 90,000 infantry and cavalry spread across the riverbed. The riverbed was muddy and some soldiers could not move. From time to time, some of them fell into the mud and screamed in fear, and were pulled out by people with long sticks.

Under such circumstances, the infantrymen of the Eastern Army did not dare to go into battle, for fear that they would go in alive but not come out alive.

However, the Liao army soldiers in front were like naked girls seducing the Song army.

Xin Xingzong was anxious and ordered his troops to move forward several times. Under pressure from military orders, the army had no choice but to continue pursuing in this unfamiliar river channel.

Just when the army was halfway advanced, Yelu Dashi, who was lying on one side, rode out on his horse. The troops in the rear that were still entering the river channel were suddenly thrown into chaos. The cavalry led by this hero of the Liao Dynasty broke into their formation. Spots of blood were sprinkled on the land along with screams, and the surging Song army was suddenly in chaos.

When Song Jiang, who was in the front, heard the chaos behind him, he immediately realized that something was wrong. He roared and ordered the rear team of the vanguard army to become the front army and turned back.

But it was too late. Yelu Dashi led his troops in a surprise attack on the shore. Xiao Telie, who was behind him, saw that the ambush had been launched, so he turned around and attacked the pursuing Song soldiers.

Soon, the Eastern Army was defeated at Baigou River. When they were retreating, Xiao Gan led the Xi cavalry and rushed into their retreating formation.

The whole army was routed. (End of this chapter)