Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

In autumn, the leaves turn yellow quickly and fall to the ground with the chilly autumn wind.

The army fighting in the northern border entered the area of ​​the Baoding army, and the scarlet flags connected together, as if a red firework was ignited.

The connected military camps extended beyond the original military camps. Ten miles north of the city, there was a bustling atmosphere. The official road from Guixin City to here was filled with small carts pushed and people running back and forth.

"Dad, this time the old man Zhong Shidao was defeated, which is really gratifying." Liu Guangshi was very happy on his warhorse. He looked at the young and strong civilians marching around him and touched his nose: "You are the commander-in-chief this time, and it seems that you can't escape the credit for the success of the Northern Expedition."

"Stop talking nonsense." Liu Yanqing wanted to scold his son with a straight face, but he couldn't suppress his smile. He could only advise: "The Grand Tutor is willing to use me again, which is a compliment to me. Besides, this time the Grand Tutor has changed the strategy and allowed the armies to fight freely."

He raised his hand holding the reins and twisted the reins around his hand a few times: "This time, with a hundred thousand strong troops at my side, we will be able to fulfill the Grand Master's long-cherished wish by charging into the northern border again."

As the war horses passed through the woods, the field of vision gradually expanded, the noisy sounds became louder, and what came into view were the fallen leaves and dry grass of autumn. Countless laborers were transporting food and fodder into the camp, and teams of imperial guards wearing crimson armor were walking with their heads held high, moving crookedly like earthworms crossing the ground.

Liu Yanqing frowned subconsciously. The Song army had many spies who knew that the Liao Kingdom was beaten to a pulp by the Qi army. Even if the imperial guards were not very elite, facing the almost crippled Liao army, they would not expect anything to go wrong...

However, the queue over there was becoming more and more irritating. He glanced at his son and his trusted general talking animatedly, and finally snorted, turned around and told his trusted general: "Send the leader of the Imperial Guards over later. I have something to tell you."

The man agreed, and soon the war horses approached the military camp. Liu Yanqing did not go in immediately, but just looked around.

The military camp was built according to the standards in "Wujing Zongyao", which was a "square camp" with three layers of trenches on the outside and sub-camps on the inside. The passages in each camp were five meters wide, which was also used for the turning and transportation of arched crossbows.

Liu Yanqing smiled with satisfaction. After all, the military camp looked somewhat presentable. While thinking, he entered the central military tent.

The news of his father and son's arrival was naturally conveyed to all the camps in the army. Qiu Yue and Zhou Ang had already received instructions from Gao Qiu that the commander-in-chief of the army this time would be Liu Yanqing. He also promised that if they made meritorious deeds in the northern border, the Grand Tutor would recommend merits for the two of them, perhaps they could win the honor of being awarded titles for their wives and children.

The horses trotted through the military camp. When they arrived, the two chief and deputy instructors of the 800,000 imperial guards dismounted and quickly walked into the central army tent. They clasped their fists and bowed, "Left (Right) Yiwei Imperial Guard Commander Qiu Yue (Zhou Ang) greets the commander."

Liu Yanqing nodded and sat back a bit: "Thank you for your courtesy, Generals."

The two instructors of the imperial guards looked at each other and felt that Liu Yanqing was not difficult to talk to. They immediately breathed a sigh of relief, bowed and said, "Thank you, Marshal Jie!" and stood up straight.

Liu Yanqing looked around and extended his hand, "Please take a seat, both of you."

Seeing the two men sitting down, he pondered for a moment and then said, "When I came here today, I saw the imperial guards walking around in a relaxed and casual manner. I am very happy that the morale of the soldiers in the army is so high. However, we will soon enter the northern border to fight against the Liao people. What is needed is strict discipline and a courageous heart. I hope the two generals will cooperate with us."

Qiu Yue and Zhou Ang were also veterans in the officialdom. Upon hearing this, they looked at each other, then stood up and clasped their fists together: "This is the negligence of the young generals. When we go back, we will definitely enforce military discipline and tighten the skin of these unpresentable people."

"Thank you very much, Generals."

Liu Yanqing smiled upon hearing this and leaned back. "Before I came here, the Grand Master told me that you two coaches are so brave that no one can stop you. This time, we will have to rely on your bravery in the Northern Expedition. I will recommend you two for your achievements when the time comes."

After a pause, seeing the two men's delighted faces, he smiled and said, "Last time it was because of Zong Shidao's failure in command that we suffered a great defeat. The Liao people are indeed rude, but they are also mortals and will die if they are hit by swords and spears. As long as you and I are of one mind and work together to achieve this unprecedented feat, we will surely be able to show off in front of the Grand Tutor, and then we will surely be able to have our wife and children ennobled. As for whether we can move forward..."

He looked at the two of them with some amusement: "It depends on you two."

Qiu Yue and Zhou Ang looked at Liu Yanqing on the commander's seat, took a breath, knelt on one knee and clasped their fists: "General, rest assured, we two young generals will definitely follow your lead in the future." Liu Yanqing then stood up, walked out and helped the two up: "No, we are all soldiers under the Grand Tutor, and we must obey the Grand Tutor's orders."

The two generals nodded repeatedly: "General Jie is right. We will definitely follow the Grand Tutor as our leader."

"Okay, okay." Liu Yanqing smiled so much that his eyebrows were not visible, and pulled the two of them: "I and the two generals hit it off right away. Why don't we have a banquet together at noon."

"Everything is up to the commander."

The two generals were also happy, knowing that they were being treated as confidants, and they agreed at the same time.

Soon, Liu Guangshi came in with his personal soldiers carrying wine and drinks.

……

The autumn wind was getting colder and colder. At a certain point, the towering woods lost their dense leaves, and the ground was covered with a thick layer of yellow leaves.

The Liao army's military strength was shrinking. Although the generals in charge did not get along with each other, they tacitly agreed not to mention those troublesome things. They stationed troops around Xijin Prefecture and guarded the place like an iron barrel.

The situation was clear for Liao Qi, but the undercurrent was becoming more and more turbulent. Some people were visited by soldiers and their entire families were arrested and thrown into prison. Soon, heads of people with full black hair were hung on the city walls to warn the officials and people in the city.

In the wild, there were also people and horses running fast, traveling between cities, conveying their respective messages.

Pharmacist Guo walked into the mansion with a chill in his aura, frowned at Zhen Wuchen who came to greet him, and asked, "Why are you looking for me so urgently?"

"...Someone is coming from the east." The general who came closer whispered.

Pharmacist Guo's pupils shrank, he turned his head to look around, pulled the man's arm and walked inside: "Let's talk inside."

They found a quiet place and stopped. Pharmacist Guo ordered his soldiers to guard the area and then looked at his confidant: "From Qi?"

"Yes... uh, no, uh..."

Pharmacist Guo frowned: "Is it true or not?"

Zhen Wuchen had a complicated expression: "It's hard for me to say. The man who came here is a Han Chinese from the north. He also said he came from the east. I think he is from Qi, but I still feel that he is a little strange."

Pharmacist Guo raised his eyebrows and asked, "Is he in the mansion?"

"In the largest hotel in the city, I have someone watching him secretly." Zhen Wuchen hesitated and looked at him: "You said last time that this was not an opportunity to surrender to Qi, so I didn't bring him here. Do you want to meet him now or not?"

Pharmacist Guo narrowed his eyes and thought for a while: "Why not? Let's see what kind of monster it is." (End of this chapter)