Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

As the sky shone, the smoke and dust diffused in the bright light and gradually faded away.

The horse's hooves finally stopped outside the arrow's range. The foreign general in silver armor stepped forward, holding the reins. His muscles were knotted under the fish-scale armor, his cloak fluttered behind him, and he held the reed spear upside down: "Hey! People on the city, listen up, I'm Yuan Xiangwen Aliqi, and now I'm the Shunyi Captain of the Great Qi."

The silver-fisted horse snorted angrily and moved forward restlessly. Aliqi tightened the reins and the warhorse turned around. The figure on the horse continued to shout at the city wall as it turned around: "You know what's going on in the city, and I know it too. You should know my reputation for bravery. Now that I have surrendered to the Great Qi, I have received the great grace of the emperor and have come to teach you how to distinguish between obedience and rebellion!"

The spear pointed at the top of the city wall: "Who of you is capable of fighting me? Leave the city now. I will catch you here. If you can defeat me, I will let you live. If not, you'd better surrender early, otherwise you will all become wandering ghosts when the army arrives."

The more than one hundred black-armored cavalrymen in the rear did not make a sound. They just stood on their horses with their spears drawn, and looked quietly ahead.

The sound of the flags fluttering on the city wall reached the ears of everyone on the city wall. Some soldiers on the city wall turned their eyes to Yelu Xinile, while others lowered their heads and looked at the people below with no expression.

The expression of King Jin, who was holding onto the parapet, kept changing. He stared at Aliqi, who was wearing silver armor. Xiao Daoning looked down from the side, his eyes flickering: "Your Highness, there are not many of them..."

"Stay in the city, and do not leave without my order!"

Yelu Xinile gritted his teeth, stood up and said, "Follow me!", and quickly went down to the top of the city wall with a group of personal guards.

Xiao Daoning opened his mouth, scratched his helmet and murmured: "I just want to remind you to be careful of fraud. Where did I say I was leaving the city..."

The footsteps were hurried, and Yelu Xinile naturally did not hear the voice of his own guard, and went straight back to Prince Jin's Palace.

Tuk-tuk-tuk——

The sound of the wooden fish in the Buddhist temple spread out of the door with a unique rhythm.

click -

The wooden door suddenly opened inward, and a small sandalwood hammer was suspended above the wooden fish. A simple hand placed the hammer on a velvet tray beside it.

"The Qi army is coming?" Zhao Zhaorong slowly stood up and turned to look at her son.

"…Aliqi has surrendered."

Yelu Xinile had a complicated look on his face. The battle reports from the army were brief and to the point. Most of them were about the rebels leading the way, which city surrendered today, which city fell tomorrow, and the flags of the Qi army's commander and generals. As for the existence of Aliqi, it was not known whether it was the negligence of the scouts or the omission of the spies, so he did not report it.

"Aliqi?" Zhao Zhaorong frowned, thought for a moment and suddenly realized: "Is it the brave general under Wu Yangguang's command?"

"Yes." Yelu Xi Nilie nodded, and added: "Most of the remaining soldiers in the city are former subordinates of Wu Yanguang."

"What does my son think? Is he determined to fight the Qi army outside the city?"

Zhao Zhaorong smiled at the hesitant young man in front of her, and reached out to touch the dust on his shoulder armor: "No matter what choice you make, I will support you."

"I...I want to ask you to write a letter to the commander of the Qi army outside." Yelu Xinile took a breath and said, "As long as the Qi generals Du Fu, Sun An and others agree not to harm you, I will surrender."

"it is good."

Zhao Zhaorong did not refuse and went straight to the desk in the Buddhist hall to copy scriptures. Yelu Xinile hurried forward to grind ink for his mother, watched the beautiful words appear on the paper, stamped them, and after writing, he blew the ink dry and watched his son hand it to him silently.

Yelu Xinile took a breath, took it with both hands, lowered his head and said in a low voice, "Mother, have a good rest. I will not let the people from Qi disturb you." Then he turned around and strode out.

Zhao Zhaorong didn't say anything, but just calmly watched her son disappear from her sight. Then she turned around and knelt in front of the Buddha again. The sound of the wooden fish "knock knock knock" continued to echo in the Buddhist hall.

Yelu Xi Nilie walked quickly to the study, sat down and wrote a letter. He blew it dry, put the two letters into the letter paper, called the guard, and threw him his token: "Take this order and leave the city, find Ali Qi Na Ni... Find him and ask him to lead the way to the Qi army camp."

The guards were stunned for a moment, then nodded and retreated. Yelu Xinile stared blankly at the birds flying in the sky. The shade of the trees in the courtyard swayed for a while, and said bitterly: "Someone come——"

"Your Highness." A eunuch came over and stood with his body hunched.

"...Notify the princess to seal up the things and prepare to move." A desolate voice came out, and Yelu Xinile slowly closed his eyes.

The eunuch trembled, looked up with some sadness, and then obeyed the order and left.

……

creak-

When the sunlight shone through the gap in the city gate, which was open enough for one person to leave the city, a figure dressed in the uniform of the royal guards immediately ran out.

Alichi and others had already dismounted to conserve their horses. Seeing the city gate in front of them open, these cavalrymen, some sitting and some standing, jumped on their horses.

The horse moved, was pulled by the reins, turned half a circle on the spot and turned back, a fast horse ran out of Datong Prefecture at a high speed.

The black-armored cavalrymen on horseback were all stunned and looked at the foreign general in front of them.

Aliqi's face was puzzled for a moment, but then he relaxed. He was familiar with the Liao army in Datong Prefecture. Even if they were mobilized after leaving, they could not leave the nearby city. He felt that no one within a hundred miles could stop the gun in his hand, so he just watched the approaching cavalry coldly, wanting to see what the other side was planning.

The monotonous sound of horse hooves brought up a trail of dust. A figure approached without a weapon. He stopped his horse three feet in front of the cavalry and said, "I am Xiao Yixin, a former guard of the Imperial Guard Department serving under the command of King Jin, Yelu Xinile, who is staying in Xijing. I have been ordered to deliver a letter to the commander of the Qi army. I would like to ask General Aliqi to introduce me to you."

The wind blew everyone's battle robes. Aliqi's eyes flashed. He looked at the Liao flag erected on the top of the city wall, suppressed his emotions, and nodded: "Okay, follow me."

He pulled the reins and said, "Gee--" and hurriedly headed towards the distant military camp with more than a hundred people.

The soldiers standing on the top of the city looked at the cavalry going away below, they all breathed a sigh of relief, and then their faces relaxed.

It is better to live a miserable life than to die a good death.

In the distant military camp, figures were busy moving around. When they heard the sound of horse hooves, a soldier guarding the gate aimed his crossbow outside. He looked at the approaching figure, slowed down his horse, dismounted, and negotiated.

Having just lifted the antlers that were blocking the way, Alichi entered with his personal guards. The figures in black armor were preparing for battle.

From time to time, patrolling soldiers passed by, making the figure who had just entered the Qi army camp nervous for a moment. Aliqi quickly entered the central army, jumped off his horse, and clasped his fists: "Please tell General Du that there is a messenger from Datong Prefecture."

……

The wind grew stronger in the evening, and the setting sun cast a red curtain in the west. The army was gathering in the field, and they walked briskly through the city gate and to the side, throwing down their weapons and armor, and standing in a designated area.

The black-armored soldiers of the Qi army quickly covered the city walls, and the soldiers with white armbands rode their horses and galloped through the city. The shouts of "The army is entering the city, the people can rest assured..." spread from the four gates into the city.

Yelu Xinile was wearing a robe and tied with ropes. He stood in front of the Prince of Jin's Palace with a group of officials from Datong Prefecture who had tied themselves up like him. There were eunuchs standing beside them with their heads lowered, holding official seals and royal robes.

Du Fu and Sun An rode on war horses, accompanied by a team of armored guards, approached amid the sound of thundering horse hooves. They saw a bound figure in front of them jump off the horse and walk towards them step by step.

"I, the guilty minister Yelu Xinilie (Yelü Naye...), am honored to meet the general of Qi. Please forgive me if I have offended you."

The tied figures all shortened their bodies, and the eunuchs holding the seals and robes also knelt down quickly. They kept their mouths shut, not daring to interject at this time to draw attention to themselves.

"Yelü Xinilie..."

Du Fu and Sun An looked at each other, then narrowed their eyes. The latter squeezed the hilt of the sword, then loosened it. Du Fu then spoke: "For the sake of your mother's relationship with Yelu Ronghua, we will not kill you for now, but your life is still at the mercy of His Majesty."

"...Xi Nilie understands." The kneeling young man nodded and forced a smile: "I heard that your country's emperor is a hero and a powerful person, so I am not worried."

Du Fu nodded, looked at the Prince of Jin's Mansion behind him, and lowered his head: "You should also take off the ropes on your bodies and follow me inside."

Yelu Xinile stood up and let the eunuch untie the rope from his body. He stretched his shoulders and then made a gesture of invitation. He took a breath, suppressed his emotions, and smiled: "Please let me lead the way and introduce you."

Du Fu and Sun An had no objection, and followed the figure in front of them into the room along with a group of generals and their personal guards.

Yelu Xinile naturally knew that these people did not come for a visit, so he led everyone to the backyard. The monotonous sound of the wooden fish in the Buddhist hall faintly reached his ears.

Du Fu, Sun An and other generals looked at each other before walking over. The moment they opened the door, the "knock knock knock" sound of the wooden fish stopped for a moment and then continued to be beaten.

Du Fu looked at the figure kneeling in front of the Buddha statue in silence and walked in. He had also seen Zhao Zhaorong when she was still in the Imperial City of Shangjing. He walked over to take a look at the woman's face from the side and saw that it was indeed the real person. He hesitated for a moment, not knowing how to start.

Benedict!
The small wooden hammer stopped on the surface of the wooden fish, and the crisp sound became muffled. The kneeling figure turned and looked at him: "General, can you allow me to finish reading the sutra before leaving?"

Du Fu lowered his eyelids and said, "Of course, I am not an unkind person. You can recite the sutra here with peace of mind and don't worry."

Then he looked up at Yelu Xi Nilie and said, "I will give you five days. After five days, I will send troops to escort you to Zhongjing Dading Prefecture to meet Yelu Ronghua. This is the greatest kindness I can give you."

"Thank you, General!" Yelu Xinile hurriedly bowed, his face full of joy, without any trace of the nervousness he had just felt.

Du Fu nodded, then turned and walked out of the Buddhist hall. The sound of chanting sutras and reciting Buddhist scriptures could be heard faintly behind him. He looked at Feng Tai and said, "Encircle the Prince of Jin's mansion and do not allow anyone to enter or leave at will."

"Here!"

Then Du Fu looked at Sun An and said, "Below Datong Prefecture, the cities to the west will be captured by Aliqi and General Sun. I will stay here and prepare for the march south."

Sun An naturally agreed, and then a group of people walked out of the Prince Jin's Mansion in a mighty manner.

As the sky darkened and the night covered the entire horizon, torches lit up the streets of the city, and moving figures dispelled the loneliness of the night.

……

Song, a heroic state.

The military camps stretched across the east and west, the bonfires illuminated every detail of the tents. The soldiers who had finished their dinner were either standing or sitting and talking in low voices. After several months of recuperation, they were no longer depressed as they were when they were defeated, but their morale was still not very high. When talking about the war in the north, many people would subconsciously shudder.

Away from these people who were just getting by, the soldiers in the southeast military camp seemed different from those in other places. They had a bit of rogue spirit. Occasionally, a patrol team would pass by, and the soldiers who had nothing to do would stretch out their hands and feet and laugh, scold and play with them.

"You have a night watch day too."

"I'm going to get up at night, so stay away from me."

The sounds of noisy laughter spread out. Inside the larger tent, a fair-skinned woman sat on a mat with legs apart. Her already unfriendly expression seemed even more ferocious.

"I've had enough!" Duan Sanniang glanced at Duan Er, Qiu Xiang, and Fang Han. "The imperial court is still going to attack Yanyun. It's clear that place is not easy to deal with. Many people have died there. If I go there again, I'm afraid I'll be buried there with my skin and bones."

"...Everyone knows what Sanniang said, but we are now in the army with nowhere to go." Fang Han frowned and glanced at the back of his hand. There was an earthworm-like scar going deep into the cuff. It was caused by the Liao soldiers during the last ambush. His arm was almost split in half.

Duan Er touched the scar on his face and spoke sadly: "Who said it wasn't true? If we could have run away, we would have run away long ago. Not only are we surrounded by the imperial army outside, but we also have Song Jiang, Wu Yong, and Wang Wenbin, three sons of bitches, inside. If the brothers wanted to run away, there would be nowhere to go."

Duan Sanniang snorted, looking at Qiu Xiang who was keeping his head down and silent, and ignored him: "I am not crazy, I am not going to run away now, but we have to make some preparations, wait for the next opportunity to escape on the way to the Northern Expedition, and let those who want to become officials and make a fortune fight on their own, I don't want to serve you anymore."

"... Easier said than done." Fang Han smiled bitterly: "If we go out to fight, there will be eyes everywhere along the way. Where can we hide with 1,800 people? If we are discovered... Oh!"

Duan Sanniang and Duan Er frowned at the same time. Fang Han was right. On the way to the expedition, there were scouts and sentinels coming and going all the time. If they wanted to run away, it would not be easy.

"Damn it, those bastards in the court may not have a easy time defeating the Liao people, but they can beat three of us alone." Duan Sanniang scratched her head in annoyance, and her jet-black hair was instantly made into a bird's nest shape.

The tent fell silent for a moment, and the faces of the few people who had second thoughts were filled with annoyance.

"Maybe there is a way..." Qiu Xiang, who had been keeping his head down, suddenly spoke to break the silence in the tent.

"Hmm? Are you willing to give up your brother Song Jiang?"

Duan Sanniang glanced at him, but Qiu Xiang was not annoyed. He just looked up and said expressionlessly, "I was feeling depressed and confused a while ago. I heard that someone wanted to use the river in the north to escape from the Northern Expedition Army. Why don't we go there?"

"...Who?" The other three instantly perked up. Duan Er's eyes flashed, "Great! There are many rivers in the north, and not many soldiers know the way. Let's go find them. Even though there are more people, more people have their own advantages, and fewer people have their own advantages."

Duan Sanniang's face was full of smiles. She stretched out her arm and grabbed her cousin. "Old Second is right. Boy, tell me, who is it? Li Jun? Or Wenren Shichong?"

"Let go, it hurts!" Qiu Xiang took a breath, patted Duan Sanniang, opened her hand and said, "It was Li Jun. I overheard Shi Quan and Hu Yong, his subordinates, drinking in the tent."

Duan Sanniang, Duan Er, and Fang Han looked at each other and then smiled. (End of this chapter)