Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

The cries of battle filled the wild fields in the night. The number of arrows had decreased. Occasionally, they would fly up into the sky under command and then fall down, causing screams to come from the places covered by the rain of arrows.

Blood spread on the ground. A Han soldier from Pingzhou holding a weapon staggered to his feet and pulled out the arrow from his shoulder. Outside his shaking sight, a fire appeared on the side, flying towards him.

"Cavalry!"

Screams rang out in the fight, and the desolate sound of trumpets pierced the night sky. The cavalry of the Qi army rushed over like a sweeping torrent.

"Block it, block it quickly!"

Zhang Qing was horrified when he heard the roar of horse hooves. He no longer cared to listen to Chu Mingyu's instructions to wait for an opportunity. He kicked the horse's belly and ran away. Dozens of Zhang Qing's personal soldiers followed him.

"General, wait... there are Qi troops over there!"

Chu Mingyu realized something was wrong when she heard the shouting. She turned around and watched Zhang Qing running away and shouted. When she reached out to catch him, the figure she saw had already ridden away for some distance.

"...Damn it."

Chu Mingyu held the reins and looked at Zhang Qing's back with a strange look in his eyes. After a while, he jumped off the horse and pulled a shield to cover his chest: "Quick, help me take off my armor."

His personal guards came over and ran beside him in a hurry, helping Chu Mingyu take off his armor. Someone took off the clothes of a soldier next to him and gave them to him.

Chu Mingyu didn't care to be picky and put it on randomly before she felt relieved: "Let's go, run to the south."

Hundreds of people immediately followed him, charging into the battle group with swords and guns in hand, hacking and killing with bangs, and running away with thunderous footsteps.

In the back, Zhang Qing was lying on his horse's back, riding away from the crowd. He was extremely annoyed that he had decided to follow Xiao Gan in the surprise attack. If he had known it was so dangerous, he would never have stepped out of the city gate.

What's the point of trying to gain military merit? With the help of my husband's connections, I might be able to get a high-ranking official position in the future. This is really crazy!

The galloping war horses were running wildly on the battlefield, and several arrows flew past his head. Zhang Qing was so frightened on his horse that he quickly lay down.

"There's a thief over there, shoot him down!"

"Stop him, quick!"

Excited shouts came from the nearby Qi army. Soldiers holding spears ran forward, raised longbows at their horses, and let go in the face of the horsemen's terrified expressions.

"Protect me!"

Zhang Qing screamed in surprise, and the personal soldiers who followed him roared and rushed forward, "Ahhh——" hysterical screams came from both sides, the tips of guns pierced into people's bodies, blood spurted out of people's bodies, and corpses were strewn all over the battlefield.

Zhang Qing didn't even look back, and regardless of the arrow that had pierced the horse, he raised his whip and whipped the warhorse twice. The horse felt the pain, neighed, and ran even harder.

"You're really good at running..."

With the arrow on the bowstring, Han Chang pointed it at the warhorse galloping past in the distance, held his breath for a moment, and suddenly let go.

The arrow passed by like a shooting star.

puff--

"Hey?"

There was a slight sound from the horse's neck which was so close to him, and warm blood splashed onto his face. Before Zhang Qing could react, the warhorse under his crotch suddenly fell down. He didn't know where to grab with his hands, and he screamed "Ah--" and fell with the warhorse.

"Ah-ah-"

The horse was huge and Zhang Qing was unable to pull his feet out in time, so he was pinned under it and slid forward for some distance due to inertia. Poor man, he had never suffered such physical pain before and he kept screaming in pain. When he stopped, he was already unconscious, with his eyes staring blankly at the empty scene.

The sound of fighting fell silent as Han Chang charged in. The general who wanted to come over to see if the enemy was dead or not jumped off his horse, drew his sword and walked over. Seeing the figure still breathing, he curled his lips and said, "He's not dead yet. He's really lucky."

He turned to look at the soldiers approaching and said, "Come here, capture him and present him to His Majesty after the battle."

A soldier came over, pushed aside the horse's corpse, and pulled out the person underneath. After looking at the bloody legs and feet, they didn't waste any time using the rope. The two of them each pulled one of Zhang Qing's arms and retreated.

Looking up from the sky, the figures of people fighting all around were moving. When a group of cavalrymen holding torches divided the battlefield in two, the soldiers of the Xi and Pingzhou armies, whose morale was already low due to the ambush, could not hold on any longer and those with horses or without them all fled in all directions.

Xiao Gan, Bai Yanjing and others who were in the rear relied on Alu's cover and hurriedly took advantage of the chaos and ran from the battlefield into an open area on horseback.

At this point, Xiao Gan was also panicked. The sudden outbreak of fierce fighting consumed his energy. He looked around with the big knife in his hand, and then he noticed the slight footsteps coming from behind him. He turned his head suddenly and pointed the knife over.

In the dim light, the majestic figure over there was moving. Looking at the figure over here, he quickly shook his hands and ran over: "My king, it's me, it's me!"

"Cao Mingji?" Bai Yanjing had good eyesight. He tightened his grip on the reins and nervously looked at the battleground that he could vaguely see behind him. "Where's General Alu?"

"No, I don't know."

Cao Mingji ran out of breath. His horse was shot dead by a volley of crossbows at the beginning of the battle. God knows how much effort he put in to catch up with those people riding four-hoofed beasts. He ran to the front of several people and supported his knees with both hands: "Huhuhu... When I... When I broke through, I saw... Ha... The Qi cavalry rushed over."

Bai Yanjing was stunned: "This..."

"Damn it, let's go!" Xiao Gan pulled the reins and turned his horse's head: "Leave here, go back to the city, quickly!"

Thinking of something, he looked back at Cao Mingji and said, "Take General Cao with us." He squeezed his legs on the horse and ran forward.

Cao Mingji panted, looked at Xiao Gan with gratitude, then got on the horse of a personal soldier, and the two rode away together.

……

The sounds of fighting gradually faded away, and the voice of "Kneel down and you will not be killed!" gradually spread on the battlefield, forming a huge sound wave. The fleeing figure threw away the weapon in his hand, bent his knees, slid forward and knelt half a foot away, then lay on the cold and sticky ground waiting for someone to tie him up. The chasing figure ran twenty or thirty feet out of the light and then stopped and turned around. A large number of cavalrymen wandering outside began to hunt, leaving the corpses of the enemy on the field.

The wind blew through the dead trees on both sides. Han Shizhong had received news from the scouts not long ago. Then he looked into the dark distance, pondered for a moment, and called for the messenger.

"Order all the troops to assemble, let the men below work harder and dig a big pit. By the way, tell them to string the captives together and bring them back to be surrendered." The sound of the horn rang out in the night, drowning out the howling of wolves in the distance. The message was also passed on to the other three people. The crescent moon passed through the middle of the sky, and the light of torches reflected on the ground littered with corpses.

Han Chang looked at Zhang Qing, who was lying on the horse's back with a broken leg, and then looked at Yang Zaixing, who was beaming with joy in the light of the fire. He reached out and scratched his chin, his face full of contemplation.

When we saw Lu Bu, it was already dawn.

……

One hundred and fifty miles west of Pingzhou.

Several war horses spewing white mist approached the crimson team. Many pairs of eyes looked over. Under the big flag, Yang Keshi, wrapped in a cloak, sat up straight on his horse and frowned at the people running over. As the information on the ground came into his eyes, the brave general of the Western Army slapped his thigh.

"Come here, pass the order to speed up the march. I want to see the gate of Stone City by tomorrow evening at the latest."

He lowered his voice and almost shouted.

The information in his hand shook in the wind.

The words Anxi and Macheng appear vaguely.

……

The sky in Jingzhou is as bright as spring, and when the cold wind blows, people can't help but shiver.

The Qi army immediately set out according to the original plan at sunrise. Some of the soldiers who fought hard last night sat on their horses with their heads lowered, and the infantry marched with heavy steps. Fortunately, they could move a little slower, but they had to arrive at the same time as the rear army.

Yelu Zongyun, Zongdian and the other two followed the wolf riders forward. Along the way, they could see part of the battlefield where fighting had taken place last night. The blood of the dead had dried up and turned into dark-colored bloodstains that were eye-catching. There were also broken weapons that had fallen to the ground, occasionally reflecting light.

"Damn it, we were not called to the battle last night, and I haven't fought since I joined the army." Yelu Zonglin looked at the traces left over there eagerly, smacked his lips, and squinted at his three brothers: "Are you three holding me back and preventing His Majesty from seeing my bravery?"

Next to him, Yelu Zongyun, who was walking side by side, had a blank expression on his face. He was too lazy to even spare a glance at his brothers. He let his mount carry him along with the army, as if what he had just heard was just someone's fart and had nothing to do with him.

bang——

On the other side, Yelu Zongdian, who was a little further away, couldn't help but draw out the sword at his waist and knocked his brother's helmet with the sheath on it: "What nonsense are you talking about? Do you want me to embarrass you in the battle?" He smiled coldly: "You are so brave, but I'm afraid you will become a bear once you enter the battlefield."

"Brother, you are jealous of me." Yelu Zonglin rolled his eyes and looked at the white clouds in the sky. "If I were here last night, I would have been able to fight the enemy back and forth. If His Majesty is happy, he might reward me with a title of marquis."

The sound of horse hooves around them merged into one, and amid the dull roar, Yelu Zonglei couldn't help but lean over to the other side of Yelu Zongdian and said, "I think you can do it. Let's go buy a gong tomorrow. I'll beat it and you can play it."

Yelu Zonglin pointed at him and said, "Hey, Third Brother, your insults are so ugly."

The figure who was speaking over there rolled his eyes at him and said, "The truth hurts the most."

"That's enough." Yelu Zongyun was annoyed by the quarrels of his brothers, and quickly waved his hand: "There is no chance to fight, why bother thinking about this." He turned his head and glared at Zonglin: "Be careful with your words. Our family is already walking on thin ice, don't let your broken mouth ruin it."

Yelu Zonglin shrank his neck and said, "My mouth is not broken, but there is no air leaking out."

"Is that what you mean?" Yelu Zongyun kicked him from his horse and said, "But brother, what Sanlang said is true. If you stay in the army all the time, how can you achieve any merit?"

"Not many people are going to fight this time, there will always be a chance for us to take a turn." Yelu Zongyun nodded and said, "Xiao Gan has been beaten to a pulp this time. If he still refuses to surrender when we get to Zunhua, there will always be a time for us to take action."

A few people looked back and saw that there were about 4,000 captured Xi people and Pingzhou soldiers. Their hands were tied with ropes, their armor was stripped off, and they were only wearing slightly thin clothes. They followed the army tremblingly.

Yelu Zongyun murmured, "Then he must not surrender, otherwise we will not have a chance to show our face."

None of the four brothers spoke for a while. The sound of people hurrying on the road reached their ears, and occasionally there was a light sound of metal. After a while, someone said, "...Xiao Gan's personality is such that he won't surrender."

A cold wind blew, dispersing the flying dust. The large banner of the central army burst with a bang. In the center of the black-armored guards, several generals on war horses followed behind the fiery figure. A war horse carrying Zhang Qing, who was tied up, followed behind at the side. There were cavalrymen of the Wuwei following at his side, one on the left and one on the right, pressing on his back with spears.

"...Since the arrival of the Xiao army, Zunhua City has 20,000 soldiers and horses capable of fighting. Xiao Gan has mobilized 15,000 soldiers and horses to snipe your army, including more than 6,000 cavalry and 9,000 infantry."

A weak voice came from the figure lying on the horse's back. Zhang Qing raised his head with great effort, and felt a pain. He took a breath with a hiss, and then lowered his head again. "I found your scouts last night. Xiao Gan decided to attack at night, but he didn't bring all his troops, only 3,000 cavalry and 4,000 infantry."

Xu Wen rode his warhorse over and said, "In the early morning, the scouts went to the place you mentioned and could not see Xiao Gan's army. Where did he go?"

"This... I don't know." Zhang Qing said in a muffled voice, then tried to raise his head, with a flattering smile on his red face: "General, can you change your position? I'm lying like this, with the blood rushing to my head, it's really uncomfortable."

Xu Wen ignored him and just stared at him with a frown: "You really don't know? Didn't he tell you where else is suitable for sniping?"

Zhang Qing shook his head like a rattle, "Really? I swear, he only said he wanted to stop your army at the border of Jingzhou, and didn't mention any other plans."

Xu Wen stared at him, then rode his horse forward, leaving Zhang Qing alone on horseback, shouting, "General, General, help me, my head is really heavy and unbearable."

Boom boom boom——

The sound of horses' footsteps mixed with the sounds of the marching army. Lu Bu's ears moved, and he turned his head and looked at Xu Wen who was approaching: "I heard it all."

Xu Wen reined in his warhorse, not surprised, and lowered his head to ask, "Your Majesty, would you like to order the army to move slower and explore the front first?"

"No need." Lu Bu shook his head and pointed with his whip: "Send more scouts, and the army will move forward as usual."

The flags above his head fluttered in the wind, and Lü Bu's cloak fluttered. "I was not afraid of Xiao Gan when he was at his peak. Now that he has only a remnant of his army left, how can I be afraid?"

Around them, Yu Cheng, Wei He, Yang Zaixing and others laughed, and Xu Wen also laughed: "Your Majesty is so generous."

"Stop flattering."

Lu Bu glanced at him, turned his head with a smile, and then raised his hand: "Pass the order, the army speeds up."

The horn sounded in the army, and the smoke and dust gradually increased. (End of this chapter)