Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Chapter 1108: Victim
In the sky, an eagle screamed.

Below, the crimson ocean was filled with black reefs, rolling and crushing forward. Swords were slashed out in the hands of figures, and the cold light fell on people's bodies, bursting with blood.

"kill--"

There were fanatical roars all around. Countless black-armored figures were advancing forward under the cover of sword and shield soldiers. Shields collided violently with each other, "bang--". At the moment of collision, the Qi army soldiers bent over and huddled behind their shields and hit hard. The neat defense line in the front became messy, and the wall formed by large shields was staggered.

The long spears and iron spears from behind poked out from the gaps in the shields and pierced the scarlet figure. "Puff puff puff--" the sound of flesh and blood breaking continued to be heard.

"The enemy's center is in front, follow me and kill them!"

Shan Shiqi sat on a warhorse, surrounded by his personal soldiers, and cooperated with Chen Yun who was leading the troops forward on the other side, pushing the front line forward on the left and right.

The long spear whizzed down and the Song army's Yu Hou, who was fighting with the infantry in front, was hit on the head without paying attention. His head tilted and he fell sideways.

"Hold on, hold on! Damn it, charge forward, why retreat!"

In the Song army formation, Zhou Ang rode on a fire dragon horse and roared continuously with a red face at the front line, swinging the golden axe in his hand frequently. The Qi soldiers fighting in the front row flew backwards, some had their heads chopped off, and their bodies and heads rolled apart. The cold and hard ground was soaked with warm blood and frozen in the cold wind. The big feet in combat boots stepped on the mud.

More figures were fighting together around, swords and spears hitting each other desperately. The bang bang sounds were accompanied by the sound of flesh and blood exploding in the battle group. The originally neat battle formation was torn into gaps by the black figures, and then they became bigger and bigger.

Amidst the countless figures fighting, Shan Shiqi used his spear to knock away the Song army soldier who was blocking the way ahead. Looking at Zhou Ang charging ahead, he shouted, "I will die!"

As he rode his horse forward, a black shadow pounced on him from the side. Shan Shiqi pulled his foot out of the stirrup and kicked the opponent in the face. As a scream rang out, he swung the iron spear in his hand, smashing the attacking weapons one after another. The blood-filled knight rushed in front of Zhou Ang, and the blood-stained spear tip stretched out fiercely.

"Suffer death——"

The fire dragon colt spread its four hooves and swung the golden axe to split the mountain.

when--

The two riders collided fiercely, shouting loudly. The personal soldiers at the rear gathered together with their swords and spears, and suddenly burst into fierce shouts.

The sunlight was moving across the sky, and a chilly wind was blowing across the sky above the field where the killing had broken out, blowing the bloody air into the distance.

Qiu Yue was anxiously watching the battle situation in front of him from behind. The next moment, the crimson color in front of him was gradually eroded by the deep ink color. The general of the Qi army, waving a green dragon halberd in his hand and with a flag with the word "Chen" following behind, was leading his troops to kill him.

The soldiers in the front fell to both sides, the Qinglong Halberd flew, and the flashing light knocked the scarlet figures on both sides to the ground, and a panic spread towards this side.

"They are all trash..." he murmured with embarrassment, then Qiu Yue kicked the warhorse under his crotch and roared, "The evil general is rampant!" He swung his sword backwards in the shape of a water-grinded dragon swallowing its head and crescent moon, and the sword "bang!" hit the ground that was a blend of yellow, black and white.

The horses' hooves stepped out, and the blades of the swords cut through the cold and hard ground, flipping the dirt with ice particles to the sides. Seeing that they were getting closer, the instructor of the 800,000 imperial guards shouted "Hah!" and the three-stop swords cut through the ground and flipped up with a force of a thousand pounds.

The blade cut through the sand, sparks flew out, and the upturned blade slashed towards Chen Yun's figure.

"Aha--"

A roar erupted from Chen Yun's throat, and he swung the Qinglong Halberd towards the Santing Sword.

when--

There was a loud crash and flames burst out from the place of collision. Chen Yun only felt a great force coming from the opposite side. The muscles in his arms bulged and a "hmm" sound came out of his nose. The Qinglong Halberd was still pushed over.

But he still had his eyes wide open and stared at Qiu Yue, hoping that his personal soldiers from the rear would come up and kill him off his horse.

"My skills are limited..."

Qiu Yue's face was ferocious, and he grinned viciously at Chen Yun, who was struggling to speak.

"With such tricks... how dare you come to trouble me!"

Qiu Yue stared with his eyes wide open, veins popping out on the back of his hands. With a "Hey--" he lifted up the halberd on the opposite side, and as his horse turned, he crossed his hands and chopped down again.

"Protect the general!"

"Stop them!"

Amid the shouting, the bodyguards on both sides stepped forward and slashed with their swords and spears without regard for their lives. In an instant, several screams broke out in this small space.

Qiu Yue did not stop, and slashed at Chen Yun who was at a disadvantage with his sword. All around, heads and limbs made a harsh sound under the horses' hooves, weapons clashed, blood and screams intertwined, and soon the black-armored guards suppressed the crimson figure.

"die--"

A loud shout was heard suddenly, and the black-armored guard who had the upper hand looked in the direction of the sound and suddenly felt his blood run cold.

The three-stopped sword brought up a ray of light, and a broken arm and the Qinglong Halberd flew into the air. Qiu Yue flipped his wrist, and the blade turned over and slashed upwards diagonally.

wow——

The blood that burst out covered his head and face. Qiu Yue opened his eyes and looked behind him with excitement, "Your commander has already..."

"Avenge the general!"

"kill--"

"We have friendly forces at our side. We will raise the bloody flag and fight to the death!"

Hysterical roars came from the mouths of the personal soldiers and the military commander in the rear. Qiu Yue, who was interrupted, saw these cavalrymen with red eyes, rushing towards him as if they were risking their lives. He quickly swallowed the words in his mouth and cursed inwardly, "These are lunatics!"

He swung the sword in his hand repeatedly, knocking the charging cavalry off their horses. Before he could give the order, a horn was blown in the distance, the sound of horse hooves came from the left wing, and a flag with the word "Yuan" on it fluttered.

Qiu Yue swung his sword and killed a cavalry guard who was attacking him. He looked at the blood-red flags raised one after another in the opposite infantry formation. His face turned pale, and he couldn't understand why the Qi army in front of him hadn't collapsed yet.

On the field, the originally crimson figure began to shatter under the impact of the black figure. The soldiers of the Song army could not withstand the brutal killing from the opposite side and were defeated one after another. When the war horses rushed over, the formation on the front line began to disintegrate.

In the crowd, Shan Shiqi was fighting Zhou Ang with a gun. The two were fighting hard. As he turned around, he saw Chen Yun's flag falling over there, and he felt anxious.

Seeing that he was in a hurry, Zhou Ang quickly showed a flaw. Shan Shiqi was worried about Chen Yun, and seeing this, he rushed forward to attack, but Zhou Ang pulled out his golden mace and hit him on the arm. He couldn't bear the pain and quickly fell to the side.

Zhou Ang wanted to give chase again, but the sound of horse hooves became louder and Yuan Lang, carrying two steel hammers and leading the cavalry, quickly rushed over.

"Damn it, retreat, go quickly!" The commander of the Right Yiwei Army did not dare to clash with the cavalry in this scattered infantry formation, and hurriedly pulled the reins to retreat.

It was his running that caused the surrounding soldiers to retreat. However, not long after, Yuan Lang's cavalry rushed in and the entire Song army began to retreat.

Blood and dead bodies, wailing and pleas for mercy, continued to retreat southwards. Some cavalrymen carrying battle reports flew away in the direction of Xijin Prefecture.

In the east, the battle between scouts reached its climax, and the scouts who went out to check suffered losses one after another. Feng Mei and Bi Sheng, who were marching towards Liangxiang, immediately realized that something was wrong and temporarily stopped advancing. After discussion, they retreated another 20 miles.

As night fell, the noisy military camp gradually quieted down. The dim lights illuminated the tent, and the black figures were cut out by the firelight and projected onto the tent wall.

Figures sat upright in the tents, with swords, spears, halberds and other weapons standing in the middle, and no other decorations. The silence seemed a bit depressing among the generals.

"The Qi army went out of the city to meet the enemy. According to the intelligence sent back, there are three armies." The burly Bi Sheng said loudly in the tent, "But the enemy's scouts are experienced, and our scouts suffered heavy losses. We can't find out the exact number. We can only estimate that there are 7,000 to 8,000 people from the dust raised by the marching army."

crackling——

Two crisp sounds came from the torches, Feng Mei stood up, and all the generals in the tents stood up soon after. The armors made a series of slight noises, and they looked at the Flying Dragon General in front of the emperor with eyes that were either calm or panicked.

"We are blocked by enemies here, and the same must be true for Qiu Yue and Zhou Ang." Feng Mei swept his eyes over everyone and said, "Everyone, the military order is to capture Liangxiang. Although we are retreating, it is for safety. Now that the enemy is approaching, I have already made plans. Previously, a scout mistakenly entered a place that is very suitable for an ambush."

He walked to the feng shui map hanging nearby and pointed somewhere on it: "Here, we will meet the Qi army here."

Everyone looked up and saw three black words on the drawing.

Wild Fox Valley.

……

Huang Xin and Hao Siwen rode in the team on horseback. The slight sound of weapons colliding with each other was audible, making the two generals, who were swaying on their horses, feel a little dazed.

From officers to bandits and back to officers, the two have experienced great ups and downs and countless bloody battles over the past decade. The original hostile forces have changed from the official army of the Song Dynasty to the Liaodong tribes, and from the Khitan troops to the current Song army. However, the mentality of the two has changed a lot at this time.

Since the object of their loyalty has changed, their families are all in the north, and they have thousands of elite soldiers under their command, they feel that being hostile to the former court is not a bad thing. Now that military merit is paramount, it is possible that the path to becoming a marquis will be much easier than before within the borders of Song.

"Report..." There was a drawn-out voice from the scouts ahead. Huang Xin and Hao Siwen glanced at each other quickly, then looked at the approaching war horses: "Captain, there are Song troops lined up in front of us, about 3,000 strong. I hope the captain will make preparations early."

"Three thousand people?" Huang Xin laughed, with a thoughtful look in his eyes: "Is there such a good thing?"

"It must be a trick." Hao Siwen pinched his beard and frowned. "They watched our army retreat and then sent troops to block the road. It's unreasonable to say that they didn't set an ambush."

"Is there any place nearby where we can set up an ambush?" Huang Xin shouted, "Is there anyone from Jizhou here?"

"Wild Fox Valley."

The scout blurted out, and then continued in front of the two generals' surprised eyes: "I was born in Nanjing Road. That place is connected to the mountains. There are two mountains sandwiched together. The bottom of the valley can only accommodate three horses. Because the cliffs are steep and there are many turns, the wind is like the sound of a fox."

Huang Xin and Hao Siwen looked at each other and said in unison: "That's it."

Huang Xin tapped the armor on his leg with his whip and ordered, "Report this matter immediately to the generals in the rear and ask them what to do. Go quickly and come back quickly."

Hao Siwen ordered, "All troops pause, form a battle array and be on guard." He looked at Huang Xin and said, "Brother Huang, why don't we continue to send out scouts to investigate."

Huang Xin nodded: "That's exactly what I meant. As long as we don't go too deep, they won't have any doubts."

The two men then called over 150 men and instructed them to spread out and conduct an investigation.

The Song army also had scouts investigating the situation here. When they saw that the Qi army had stopped sending out scouts, they knew that the other side might be setting a trap. However, the general in charge of the army had already received Feng Mei's instructions, so he also sent out more scouts to lead the other side in the opposite direction of Yehu Valley.

Between the two armies, in the fields and dead forests, scouts ran back and forth delivering messages. Battles broke out from time to time, and the sounds of fighting could be heard sporadically.

The flags with the words "Hua" and "Shi" on them came over here surrounded by the army, and they smiled as they saw Huang Xin and Hao Siwen leading the troops here.

"Well done." Hua Rong's gentle voice reached the ears of the two. Seeing their searching eyes, he understood and smiled: "General Ma Ling will lead the army from the side, which should give the Song army a surprise."

The two generals then showed delight.

The leader, Shi Wengong, was wearing a new set of armor, with silver fish-scale armor on his shoulders, which was black and shiny in the sun. He raised his Fang Tian Hua Ji and said, "Forward!"

At the sound of horns, two armies of nearly 5,000 soldiers marched slowly forward.

Ahead, in the withered forest, the Song army was relieved after receiving the news from the scouts. The general named Zhang Xin turned his horse around and shouted, "Go, lead them into an ambush!"

The scarlet figures retreated in groups with panic expressions, fearing that they would fall behind if they ran one less step. Flags, swords, and shields were thrown all over the ground. Zhang Xin wanted to comfort them, but then he thought that this scene could be compared to a real defeat and would not alert the enemy.

He kept silent and just kept urging the men to hurry up.

The roar of footsteps and horse hooves was like a tide in the back, flowing along with the black-armored soldiers. Hua Rong lowered his head to look at the "residues" on the ground, frowned for a moment, and then relaxed: "Leave two hundred people to clean up this place. Don't waste the supplies you picked up for free."

He turned his head and looked at the big flag with the word "Shi" in the back: "Tell General Shi that our battalion will go ahead. Please ask him to protect the left and right wings."

He immediately issued an order, asking Hao Siwen to lead 1,500 men to advance half a mile first, while he and Huang Xin would lead the troops behind, forming a V-shaped formation towards the ambush site.

On the hillside, figures were lying down with their heads lowered, quietly feeling the coolness of the ground, breathing in the fishy smell of earth through their mouths and noses. From below came the sound of soldiers and horses marching in a hurry.

Feng Mei and Bi Sheng, who were lying on the ground, looked down. The latter breathed a sigh of relief: "It's Zhang Xin's troops. It seems that the Qi army has fallen into the trap."

"Something seems wrong." Feng Mei frowned: "Why are there still so many people? It seems that nothing has changed. There was no sound of fighting just now."

"No way..." Bi Sheng's expression froze, and he murmured, "Don't tell me this guy ran away before the fight even started."

“Hmph—” Feng Mei’s face turned pale: “It seems that this is the case. I will settle the score with this damn bastard later. Now…”

The whistling cold wind blew, and a strange sound came from the mountain gorge. The Flying Dragon General stared at the "Hao" flag that came in, clenched his fists and said, "Let's greet the people below first."

The hand slowly raised up, and the man holding the gong pulled the drumstick away.

(End of this chapter)