Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

In the last few days of the twelfth lunar month, Tian Hu, who was based in Luozhou, led his army in an attempt to escape south into Xiangzhou. Along the way, they burned and killed, and many villages were massacred by the bandits.

Liu Guangshi and Song Jiang pursued from behind, but this time Tian Hu led an elite force that was skilled at climbing mountains and crossing valleys, causing the government troops following behind to often lose track of them. Fortunately, there were people in the army who were good at tracking, and there were villages that had been massacred to point the way, so they were not left behind.

The Xiangzhou government also received warnings from the local authorities and dispatched troops to attempt to attack Tian Hu's bandit army from both sides, but they were defeated every time. For a time, people in various places were in a state of panic and dared not place their hopes on the government troops anymore.

Each village, town, and manor successively formed local militias, relying on their own built fortified villages and strongholds to defend against potential bandits.

"Brother Pengju, Brother Pengju—"

The roaring sound came from the foot of the mountain and continued all the way to a cemetery halfway up the mountain.

The door of the thatched hut in front of the tomb opened, and a wiry young man walked out. He had a resolute appearance, a dark complexion, broad shoulders and a large chest, and a powerful physique.

He smiled at the person running over and said, "Brother Wang, what's the matter?"

"I need your help." The young man who had run up the mountain stopped, a puff of steam rising from his head and dissipating in the wind. He grabbed the young man and said, "Come with me quickly."

I tugged at it, but it wouldn't budge.

"Don't rush, you haven't said what it is yet," God said, gesturing towards the nearby graveyard.

The young man glanced at the gravesite next to the thatched hut, realized what was happening, and quickly stepped forward to kowtow several times. Then he turned back to the young man with a wry smile: "It's because Tian Hu from the north has come here and destroyed several villages. The government troops in the prefecture can't control him, so we have to form our own brave guard to defend the village. My father and several high-ranking officials discussed it and decided that Brother Pengju is the most convincing. Besides, you previously served in the army in Zhengding Prefecture and are familiar with military affairs and training."

“My mourning period is not over yet, so it’s not appropriate…” The young man shook his head, then pondered for a moment and said, “But if you need anything, just come here to find me. If you need anything, I will never refuse you.”

The young man looked at him and sighed, "Alright, but Brother Pengju, you should be careful. It's not safe for you to be alone in this desolate wilderness."

After saying that, he turned and walked down the path. The young man behind him breathed a sigh of relief as he watched his retreating figure and raised his voice, "Wang Gui, please give my regards to Uncle Wang."

Wang Gui raised his hand and waved it behind him. Only then did the young man named Pengju return to the thatched hut. Outside, in front of the cemetery, several large characters on the stone tablet were clearly visible in the sunlight: "Tombstone of Yue Gong, a recluse of the Song Dynasty."

……

At the same time, in the north, in Pingzhou.

The battle between the scouts suddenly broke out on this day. Every moment, a large number of scouts were out on patrol and relaying messages. In the military camp outside, Zhang Jue and Wanyan Chanchun were the first to notice the difference and hurriedly increased the number of scouts, intending to suppress the Qi army's scouts in terms of numbers.

Even after nightfall, the restless military camp remained unsettled, with soldiers constantly moving about. The dim lamplight illuminated the tents, casting long shadows of imposing figures. Inside, the tents were adorned with swords, spears, axes, clubs, felt, and animal hides, exuding an aura of menace. The silent generals added to the oppressive atmosphere of the place.

“…According to military intelligence,” Wanyan Chanchun, dressed in a fur coat, spoke softly from the figure ahead, “the casualties among scouts have suddenly increased in the past two days, and Bian Xiang should be about to set off for battle.”

No one in the tent spoke. Zhang Jue looked around and said, "General Wanyan is quite right. If we set up camp here, Bian Xiang will be the first to see us when he arrives, and only then will he see the Song army in the city..."

He stood up and took a few steps forward under the gaze of more than twenty pairs of eyes: "Gentlemen, there is something I must make clear to you first. Given the current situation of the Song army, we cannot completely rely on them to come out of the city to help us."

Wanyan Chanchun's fist suddenly clenched.

"This time, regardless of whether you are prepared or not, it may be the most difficult battle for Pingzhou..."

Zhang Jue's eyes swept from the Pingzhou army general on the left to the Jurchen general on the right, his expression suggestive: "You should all have heard about the fate of Xiao Gan's troops, so don't harbor any illusions."

The surrendered general, his face grim, glanced subtly at Wanyan Chanchun in front of him. There was a strange emotion flowing in the eyes of the Jurchen who had always been defiant against heaven and earth, but he bit his lip tightly and did not speak.

……

The pale, cool light of the crescent moon hung against the black sky, occasionally disappearing behind the dark clouds.

In the stillness of the night, the stone city was stirred by the sounds of soldiers carrying torches pulling fire dragons through the city. The sound of wheels rolling could be heard from the streets. The able-bodied men forced to work at night carried boxes of goods out of the warehouse and piled them onto the safe carts.

Flames leaped from the copper basin placed outside, crackling and popping as Liu Yanqing, wrapped in a mink cloak, walked among the busy figures. He patted the wooden box forcefully, listening to the dull "thump-thump" sound, and a satisfied expression appeared on his face.

A moment later, the man strolled into a room next to the warehouse. The burning charcoal turned red in an instant. The figure sitting there heard the noise, looked up and turned around. In the firelight, there was Xin Xingzong's arrogant face.

"General," he stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and watched as the door behind him closed before continuing, "Can the goods be transported out?"

"The Qi army won't arrive until tomorrow at the earliest." Liu Yanqing rubbed his face, walked over and sat down. "Tonight's shipment is the last batch. We'll transport it to the rear so that when we get back, our trip to the north won't have been in vain."

After speaking, he sat down, and Xin Xingzong quickly poured him a full glass of warmed wine. Liu Yanqing picked it up and took a sip: "I thought it was a good job, but I didn't expect to have to work so hard. Tsk, those Xi people and Zhang Jue are both useless."

“They are indeed useless, otherwise these fields and lands would also be ours.” Xin Xingzong nodded in agreement, and picked up his wine cup: “I also acquired some properties for the Grand Tutor in Zhuozhou, but I haven’t sent them out yet. I wonder if the General has made any preparations.”

Liu Yanqing glanced at him and chuckled, "Of course we've made preparations, General Xin..." He narrowed his eyes slightly, "We're ordered to defend Pingzhou, so don't even think about leaving first."

“Uh…haha—” Xin Xingzong laughed a few times and quickly waved his hand: “General, you misunderstand. I have no intention of leaving. The Qi army is smaller than ours. We might be able to take this opportunity to gain some merit and go back.”

"Hehehe—" Liu Yanqing just laughed at him and didn't continue the topic. He changed the subject: "I'm afraid the troops in the camp outside the city alone can't stop Bian Xiang. Commander Xin, do you have any candidates to lead the troops?"

"Commander Yang Keshi can serve as reinforcements."

"Good, that's him."

In the still of the night, the city gates were wide open, and carriages, urged on by soldiers, entered the darkness.

……

A strong wind swept across the land of Pingzhou, and amidst the fluttering of countless banners, soldiers in black armor dressed in winter clothes marched westward toward Shicheng, led by their battle flags.

Having anticipated this, Wanyan Chanchun personally led two thousand cavalrymen towards Bian Xiang, intending to slow him down with their attack.

The two sides engaged in fierce fighting about 110 miles from Shicheng. Wanyan Chanchun failed to break through the coordination of Bian Xiang's infantry and cavalry, and was instead chased by Lu Zhishen and Qin Ming, almost being left behind on the front lines.

They had no choice but to retreat with over three hundred cavalrymen, leaving behind a scene of devastation on the plains.

The news of Wanyan Chanchun's cavalry being driven back spread throughout the vicinity of Shicheng in an instant. The tension in the military camps outside the city was at its peak, with almost everyone checking their weapons. Liu Yanqing in Shicheng was also issuing orders, strictly forbidding anyone from taking the initiative to go out of the city to engage in battle, urging only Yang Keshi to lead troops out of the city to aid Zhang Jue and Wanyan Chanchun.

Compared to the dilemma of sending troops, many generals sensed that Liu Yanqing's behavior was almost identical to their previous actions, and their expressions changed one after another, with many generals considering retreat.

Under the dark clouds, a cold wind blew across the lifeless field.

On the ground, warhorses, struck by arrows, crashed heavily onto the icy ground, their strong legs occasionally twitching. Scouts from the Western Army scrambled to their feet and galloped across the ground, arrows whizzing past their ears with a whoosh.

He suddenly changed direction, and a flying axe flew over from the corner of his eye. He quickly ducked.

woo-

The sharp axe flew past, and his head felt hot and wet. Before he could start running again, two crossbow bolts shot over one after the other. The impact came from his shoulder and neck, and he fell to the ground.

On the deserted plains, a scout dressed in black rode up, cut off a man's head, tied it to the horse's neck, hastily covered the body, mounted his horse, gave a signal to his companion, and then continued on in the direction in which the scout had been found.

Under this sky, scouts were constantly chasing, fighting, and scouting, and small-scale battles, almost entirely silent, were becoming more frequent.

……

The sky was overcast and not bright.

Yang Keshi and Yang Kesheng led their troops toward Zhang Jue's camp. The atmosphere in the winding army became tense as they marched back and forth. Scouts returned victorious, and the news they brought made everyone who heard it feel somewhat depressed.

"Qi only has seven thousand men, how dare he?" Yang Keshi frowned as he looked at the distant military camp.

A large banner with the character "Song" fluttering in the wind came into view. The gates of the military camp opened, and a dozen or so riders galloped out, beckoning Yang Keshi's brothers' troops to approach.

On the east side, something seemed to emerge from the horizon. Some soldiers began to clamor, and the atmosphere in the army suddenly changed. They stopped in their tracks, and a strange atmosphere spread and moved towards the front and back of the ranks. The army was sensitive to unusual atmospheres, especially during wartime when these people's nerves were on edge.

Yang Keshi suddenly turned his gaze in that direction, his pupils contracted, and he quickly shouted the order: "Face east, form ranks—"

As the bugle sounded, the winding ranks quickly began to change formation and converge.

As the sound of running footsteps merged into one, the earth seemed to tremble and shake. Yang Kesheng stood up slightly on his warhorse.

Ahead, a large number of cavalrymen came into view, their banners fluttering and billowing, a surging crowd rapidly approaching.

"It's Qi cavalry!" Yang Keshi hurriedly said to the general who was greeting him, "Quickly go back to camp and tell General Zhang and General Wanyan that when I start fighting the Qi army, they should take the opportunity to attack the rear of the Qi army and leave these cavalry behind."

"Yes."

The welcoming general's smile vanished. He glanced nervously at the approaching cavalry in the distance, yanked on the reins, turned his horse around, and left with the words, "General Yang, please be careful in everything you do."

"drive--"

"Enemy attack——"

"Prepare for battle—"

Amidst the complex and piercing sounds, a large number of soldiers gripped their weapons tightly and hastily formed a formation to meet the enemy. Meanwhile, the Qi army moved even faster, and the sounds of horns of varying lengths filled the air, both near and far.

The ground tremors became even more violent and intense, and the white breath exhaled by the warhorses seemed to be visible. The battle formation in front shouted loudly, "Draw your bows!" "Raise your shields!" and whistling arrows were shot in other directions, ordering the rear guard to quickly change formation and fill in the areas where the whistling arrows were fired.

The overall quality of the Western Army was among the best in the entire Song army. Yang Keshi himself was also a fierce general, and his soldiers were influenced by him to some extent. After the initial panic, they gradually calmed down. However, this was also when the cavalry rushed over.

The frantic, relentless hoofbeats drew closer, followed by a hail of arrows and throwing axes. The Western army retaliated, and figures, both standing and mounted, fell one after another after the initial shock.

The iron spear that peeked out from under the horse's head was less than two zhang away from the iron shield.

"I'll smash you all to death, you hammer-wielding bastards!"

Boom boom boom——

The cavalry charge, advancing in a straight line, crashed into the infantry ranks the instant Qin Ming finished speaking. Shields shattered and scattered, and spears, now unobstructed, pierced through armor and into bodies, pushing the corpses and squeezing the wave of people behind them.

Blood splattered and sprayed everywhere, and the bodies of warhorses and men all shone with the same color and sound at that moment.

"Smash it with me!"

Qin Ming was extremely excited. He switched a spiked club from left to right, and the figure next to him was sent flying backward, with blood gushing from several wounds.

"I will stop them."

The heavy hooves pressed down on the mud, kicking up mud splatters. Yang Keshi spurred his horse towards Qin Ming, his precious spear in hand. As they drew near, he thrust his spear, piercing the oncoming Qi cavalryman with a soft thud. Blood splattered into the air as he roared like thunder: "I am Yang Keshi! You Qi general, dare you reveal your name!"

Qin Ming was swinging his spiked club when he heard the shout. He spurred his horse and charged towards Yang Keshi, yelling, "What's there to be afraid of! I am Qin Ming, the Thunderbolt!"

The cavalry from both sides adjusted their direction and charged.

And ahead of them were figures who considered themselves fierce generals.

Yang Kesheng commanded his troops from the rear, looking ahead with a worried expression as his long-handled mace clashed with an iron spear.

bang——

Sparks flew as the weapons clashed, and the muscular arms bulged. "Hey—" "Hmm—" sounds of breathing came from their mouths and noses.

They then simultaneously jerked forward, deflecting the opponent's weapon, and swung it again. (End of Chapter)