Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Chapter 1117 Plan
The mountains become distant at dusk, and the wind and snow arrive at the end of the year.

Zhang Jue had a very miserable twelfth month. First, he was attacked by the State of Qi from both the north and the south by land and sea.

There were not many navy troops in the south, but they first uprooted the villages and towns outside Macheng, and then took advantage of the situation to attack the city. Fortunately, there were enough soldiers and horses in Macheng, so the navy did not take the city away.

However, from then on Pingzhou was divided into two, with Luan River as the boundary. Qi generals Wei Zhaode, Li Bao and Huyan Qing each selected an area. The troops in the east were not allowed to cross the river to enter the west, and the troops in the west were not allowed to wade across the water to enter the eastern territory.

Meanwhile, Bian Xiang's army in the north launched a fierce attack. After taking Anxi City, they rushed down to attack Lulong and conquered it, causing him to lose two important towns in a row. Unfortunately, he was guarding Yifeng but could not even reach the nearest city.

Every time he tried to cross the river, his boats were either sunk by the navy or the pontoon bridge was set on fire. After more than 2,000 soldiers were killed or injured, he finally gave up crossing the river. It was not because too many soldiers died that made him sad, but because there were not enough supplies to cross the river.

But it wasn't all bad news for him. News came from Shicheng in the west that reinforcements of the Song army had arrived. Shicheng had received strong support, and a total of 40,000 troops had entered Pingzhou. It should be safe to guard the western border.

In front of the feng shui map, the burning candle illuminated Zhang Jue's somewhat tired face. He stretched out his finger from Lulong all the way down and pointed at the river.

Wangdu no longer expected to be able to stop Bian Xiang's offensive. Given the current situation, all the cities in the east were already lost. Did he still need to stay here?
After taking two steps, Zhang Jue pinched his beard and felt a little nervous.

He was surprised that Qi reacted so quickly. His plan to rely on Pingzhou's terrain to hinder Qi's troops did not work. There was no good news from Xiao Gan either. Danzhou was broken very quickly before, and he didn't know how long Jingzhou could hold out.

Zhang Jue paced back and forth and suddenly stopped: "Someone, someone, come!"

"Mr. Xuanfu." A guard came in from outside and saluted with his arms crossed.

"Send the scouts to find out the military situation in the north."

The guard was startled: "The scouts set out in the morning."

"Then send more people." Zhang Jue glared at him and said, "Send another person to contact Zhang Qing and ask him to find a way to persuade Xiao Gan to go south. Jingzhou is not a place that can be defended alone. It will be a bit difficult for them, the Xi people, to defend it alone."

However, within a few days, the news he received made Zhang Jue feel like he was falling into an icy cave.

Xiao Gan was torn into pieces by five horses and his head was hung on the city wall for ten days as a punishment. All his civil and military officials were beheaded and displayed to the public. Their heads were impaled on wooden poles and extended from the Zunhua official road to the direction of Pingzhou. The army led by Lu Bu had already marched halfway.

A figure with a look of disbelief walked forward, grabbed the scout by the collar and pulled him up: "Where is Zhang Qing? Where are the Pingzhou troops under my command?"

The scout's lips moved and he spoke with difficulty: "General Zhang Qing was also among those beheaded. This time, the bandit Lu was very murderous. Most of the generals were beheaded, and only 20% to 30% survived."

"Damn it!"

Zhang Jue pushed the man away, staggered back a few steps, and sat down on the chair. Before he could say anything, he heard footsteps outside, "Report--"

Zhang Jue raised his head, stood up unconsciously, and looked outside with a gloomy expression.

A personal guard ran in, crossed his arms and said, "Sir Xuanfu, Wangdu City has been captured by Bian Xiang, and the Qi bandits are now resting and will probably cross the river to attack us soon."

"You... so fast!" Zhang Jue sat down and murmured in a lost voice, then looked up: "Quick, gather the troops and go to Shicheng!"

"Yes."

The figure ran out of the provincial government office.

……

The news that Xiao Gan was defeated and torn to pieces by five horses had not yet spread completely, but several groups of fast horses had already galloped across the plains and rivers carrying this information, running wildly in different directions in Pingzhou, crossing the snow-covered forests and hills, crossing the wide Luan River, and extending rapidly.

By the time this news reached Liu Yanqing's desk, Bian Xiang had already safely crossed the Luan River. This news brought more trouble than he had expected. Yingzhou in the west directly surrendered, and Pingzhou now only had a stone city left in the hands of the Song Dynasty.

"General, the situation is not favorable." Xin Xingzong stood up suddenly after looking at the intelligence that was transmitted: "Almost all of Pingzhou has been captured by the Qi army. There are only one or two cities left that cannot resist at all."

"No." A veteran general of the Hebei Border Army named Zhao Long stood up and said, "If we retreat, we will gain nothing. We may even be pursued by the Qi army. The loss will be huge. I think we should stop the Qi army here and ask the Grand Tutor for help. Let him send more reinforcements."

"With so many troops concentrated in Shicheng, the consumption of food and fodder is huge. As long as the Qi army surrounds us and cuts off our food supply, we can just wait for them to collapse without a fight."

"Then we will just wait for death as you said."

"I didn't say that."

"I think you are trying to shake the morale of the army!"

"You fart!"

"You're the one farting!"

The sound of quarreling rang out in the military tent. Wanyan Chanchun looked at the Song army generals who stood up. On the left were all Hebei generals, and on the right were all Western Army generals. Now they were pointing at the opposite side and cursing harshly. Wanyan Chanchun could not help rubbing his temple, feeling a little dissatisfied.

Not only did this group of guys arrive later than the agreed date, but the guy named Liu didn't immediately send troops to help Zhang Jue in the west defend the city, causing them to miss the opportunity. Now Zhang Jue simply abandoned the city and ran over here.

Looking at the ugly face of the former Pingzhou commander, he did not feel a bit of gloating in his heart. We are all grasshoppers on the same string. Zhang Jue can't escape, and neither can I, Wanyan Chan.

When he glanced at Wensheng, who also had a changeable expression on his face, he couldn't help feeling resentful.

Is this the army of Song? I am so miserable!

"Generals, generals! Now is not the time to argue!" Wen Huanzhang didn't even notice Wanyan Chanchun's expression. He stood up and walked to the middle, waving his hands: "Our top priority is to properly arrange the city defense. The Qi troops in the north and west are ready to..."

"Shut up!" Xin Xingzong raised his eyebrows and pointed at Wen Huanzhang: "All those who are here are veterans in the army. How can a commoner like you have the room to speak?"

Wen Huanzhang's expression changed.

Zhao Long sneered: "In a military tent, as long as what you say makes sense, it's fine. We are all working for the country, so why do we have to be so meticulous? Could it be that the food you eat is grown by officials?"

"you……"

bang——

"enough!"

With his hands on the table, Liu Yanqing suddenly stood up and said, "The enemy is coming. What good will it do to make a scene? Can we make the Qi bandits disappear?"

The generals of Hebei and Western Armies bowed their heads.

Liu Yanqing snorted and looked at Wen Huanzhang: "But it's not easy for a commoner to stay here. Come on, kick him out."

Wen Huanzhang opened his eyes wide, and Zhao Long did not say a word. He spoke just to shut Xin Xingzong up, not because he had much respect for this surrendered scholar.

A personal guard entered the tent and without saying a word, he grabbed Wen Huanzhang and said, "Let go, I can walk, let go!" He shouted, and used his arms to try to break free from the people holding him. However, his strength was no match for those soldiers, and he was easily carried out by one of them.

As the shouting voice faded away, Wanyan Chanchun frowned, feeling more and more disappointed.

"Okay, now let's discuss how to proceed." Liu Yanqing frowned and looked at Zhang Jue: "Mr. Zhang, after all, Pingzhou is where you have been for many years. I came here late and don't know as much about this place as you do. I wonder if you have any suggestions?"

Zhang Jue's mouth twitched, and he stood up and clasped his fists: "What good strategy can a defeated general have? I am willing to obey the orders of the commander-in-chief. Please give me your instructions."

"Zhang Xuanfu is too polite." Liu Yanqing said, but did not insist on asking him to give advice: "I think there are many plains near here, which is suitable for a large number of cavalry to charge. Our army has few war horses, so we should focus on defending the city. In addition, I would like to ask General Wanyan and Zhang Xuanfu to build a military camp outside the city, so that we can form a pincer attack. If the Qi bandits come to attack, we can also support each other."

Zhang Jue and Wanyan Chanchun's faces twitched at the same time. They were unwilling in their hearts, but they had just said that they were willing to follow orders. If they refuted now, not only would they be embarrassed, but they would also be likely to be hated by this Liu guy.

He stood up reluctantly and clasped his fists: "Yes, I will obey your order."

Liu Yanqing smiled with satisfaction, and then discussed with everyone where to set up camp and where to deploy ambushes. When they finished the discussion, it was already dark, and the aroma of food began to waft through the military camp.

The Song army generals who came north to provide support had just walked out of the big tent and entered their respective tents.

"Brother, Liu Yanqing is thinking too well."

Yang Kesheng entered the military tent, took off his fur hat, and sat down: "We are alone in Pingzhou. If the Qi army comes, we will be at their mercy."

"Shut up." Yang Keshi shouted, opened the curtain, looked around, then closed it again, glaring at him: "Be careful with your words, if someone hears us, we will both be in danger."

Yang Kesheng was stunned, and nodded sullenly to indicate that he understood. His brother-in-law did not blame him too much, but just paced back and forth thinking about his own things. After a while, he stopped and said, "Go find Zhao Mi." He gritted his teeth and said, "We can't all die here. Hebei and Hedong defend the southeast and the north. If things get serious..."

"Retreat first?" Yang Ke Sheng muttered softly.

Yang Keshi didn't say anything, just looked at his brother and said, "Just go find him."

Yang Kesheng nodded and left the tent.

The elder brother looked at the swaying curtains and let out a sigh after a while.

……

The mountains meandered southward, and the snow-covered roads were much more difficult to travel on than usual, so the army's marching speed could not be increased.

In the plains from Jingzhou to Pingzhou, there was no army marching, not even a single soldier. At this time of year, the number of people was still pitifully small.

Occasionally, there would be figures dressed in hunters looking for food in the snow. They would avoid this scene from a distance. A young man would curiously look out, but the old hunter who followed him would slap him on the back of his head and say, "You are looking at this deadly thing? Get out of the way right now."

In the distance, the sound of horses' hooves stirred up the snow. Several scouts on war horses galloped across the plain, verified their identities in front, and ran into the central army.

"Your Majesty, I and others are scouts under General Bian. Our army has now occupied Yifeng and Macheng. Yingzhou in the rear has surrendered again. Now, all of Pingzhou except Shicheng has returned to the court."

The huge "Qi" banner waved in the wind, and the sound of footsteps on the snow around them changed from "crunching" to gentle. Lu Bu took the information presented to him and frowned: "The Song army has arrived."

"Yes." The scout bowed his head and replied, "The Song army is quite large. General Bian has lost some soldiers along the way, and he has to garrison in various places. Now there are only 7,000 soldiers left in Yifeng City, plus the 3,000 soldiers of the navy, there are only a little over 10,000."

"The young master is tired... I understand. You go down and rest first."

Lu Bu waved his hand and asked the soldiers to leave first. Then he looked at the gloomy sky and breathed a sigh of relief: "It seems that we will have to spend the New Year in the wild."

"Order the army to speed up and enter Pingzhou as soon as possible."

……

The setting sun shone over the houses. A few sparrows jumped a few times in sight, spread their wings and flew away, and no one knew where they went.

After entering Yifeng City, things had not yet completely settled down, and many soldiers in the army were patrolling the city in the wind and snow.

The original provincial government office had been occupied by the Qi army. Soldiers in black armor were busy with dinner. Looking down from a high place, soldiers from the army were walking by far and near.

There was a brazier burning in the hall. Bian Xiang was sitting in the room with a big horse and a golden sword, holding a rolled up book in his big hands.

"Pingzhou will probably need a long rest before it can recover from this battle."

He threw the document in his hand onto the table, frowned, looked around the furnishings in the room, and muttered, "Is Mr. Zhang in a hurry or not?"

Lu Zhishen was walking in with a jar of wine, and he laughed when he heard what he said: "General, what's wrong with you? Why do you care about that bastard Zhang Jue?"

"I don't care about him." Bian Xiang laughed and stroked his three strands of willow beard: "This bastard ran away before I even crossed the river. I crossed the river and lived here. He moved all his things here and left it empty."

He pointed his thick fingers at the table and said, "Look, the files are not complete. That birdman is deliberately trying to make us unhappy."

thump—

Lu Zhishen walked over and put the wine jar on the table, picked up a few scrolls of documents, looked at them, and put them down: "When we catch him, I will help him beat him with thirty sticks."

"Don't do that." Bian Xiang came over cheerfully and sat down on a wooden chair. "One blow from you will kill him halfway. Two more will definitely kill him. It's better to just stay quiet."

Outside, the guards lit lanterns and hung them under the eaves. Bian Xiang looked at the sky and asked, "Where's Qin Ming? He hasn't come back yet at this hour."

"He's patrolling the city." Lu Zhishen took the bowl off the wine jar, opened the wine jar, and put it on the brazier to heat it up. "With his temper, he never has a moment to rest."

Watching the soldiers bring in meat and vegetables and place them on the table, he thought for a moment and said, "We are doing nothing here, just waiting for His Majesty to come?"

"Of course not. It's just that the soldiers are tired from the recent march and fighting. They need to rest for two days. I plan to meet the Song army in Shicheng in three days."

"Yes."

Lu Zhishen nodded and smiled: "As long as they don't hide in the city, we can give them a hard time with our troops."

……

On the same night, Liu Guangshi and Song Jiang, who were fighting very successfully in Hebei, recruited surrenders and rebels along the way. Many generals under Tian Hu defected to the Song army, which made Tian Hu very anxious.

"They are all a bunch of bastards. They all said nice things, saying they wanted to change the dynasty by infiltrating Bianliang. But when the government troops really came, they all became loyal and patriotic. Tut—"

Under the dim firelight, Tian Hu walked back and forth with his hands behind his back. A voice came from the opposite side: "Brother, the Song army is fighting very smoothly. We only have a few cities left. It's time to make plans..."

(End of this chapter)