Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Under the gloomy sky, two thousand black-armored cavalrymen split into two groups, attacking the Song army on the plains from the east and south sides of the Song army formation.

In the fierce battle that brought them to near-zero distance, many infantrymen perished under the hooves of the Qi army's horses, while the soldiers behind them advanced under the orders of their officers.

However, the outcome was not immediately decided...

The sound of clashing weapons rang out on the battlefield. Iron spears and spiked clubs collided in an instant, striking enemy soldiers who rushed over from the side and creating a cloud of blood mist.

"Damn it, I'll smash you to death with this stick!"

The guards fell off their horses, and Qin Ming's hoarse roar rang out on the battlefield. He swung his arms, smashing, sweeping, and slashing with his spiked club, using all the strength of his martial arts skills.

"That scoundrel is full of boastful talk!"

Across from him, Yang Keshi's face was full of sarcasm. "Judging from your accent, you are from my Great Song Dynasty. Kneel down and surrender now, and I may spare your life!" He shouted repeatedly, his iron spear pointing, striking, blocking, smashing, and thrusting. The spears and clubs clashed, producing dull sounds, and sparks occasionally flashed in the air.

Thunderbolt was already a hot-tempered man, and upon hearing this, his anger flared even more. "I'll hammer you to death!" he shouted, swinging his spiked club with increased force. Yang Keshi met the blow with his spear, his face showing a relaxed expression.

"Captain, Captain, don't stop me... Ah!"

"Damn it, go warn the captain!"

"Kill them—"

Seeing Qin Ming so engrossed in the battle, merely engaging Yang Keshi in a tight space on horseback, the guards around him became extremely anxious and roared as they tried to rush over.

The Qi army did not send many cavalry this time. They charged into the formation at high speed. Qin Ming should have led the way away from the Song army's battle formation, creating distance and using the speed to launch another attack on their weak points. However, this Zhaolie Colonel was so enraged that he only fought with Yang Keshi and had no intention of leading his troops back.

Seeing this, Yang Keshi's soldiers naturally could not let him succeed. They roared and intercepted him. Bloodstained blades fell on the man's body as they swung their arms. Blood splattered on the ground along with the limbs. The lifeless figure fell to the ground, and the sound of bones breaking echoed under the hooves of the surrounding horses.

The voices of Qin Ming's personal guards were not very loud amidst the fighting and shouting. Yang Keshi and Qin Ming would occasionally let out a loud roar, making the sounds from the other side even more unbearable. Moreover, Yang Keshi was a highly skilled martial artist and a famous general in the army, so Qin Ming could not be distracted and focused all his attention on the person opposite him.

The crowd surged and the sounds of clashing weapons never ceased. Seeing that his elder brother had held off the opposing Qi general, Yang Kesheng quickly took over the command. The two brothers, one commanding the cavalry and the other the infantry, had always worked together seamlessly. Seeing this, he immediately ordered the infantry to surround them from the side.

Long spears and great axes rained down, killing many cavalrymen who fell from their horses in the midst of the battle. The army's military commanders and cavalry officers were extremely anxious, shouting repeatedly, "Retreat—!" "Fire a signal arrow! Notify Commandant Qin! Retreat, retreat quickly—!"

With cavalry providing cover, the military commander drew his bow and arrow, the sound of whistling arrows echoing through the air.

bang——

The spiked club slammed into the iron spear shaft. Qin Ming's slightly reddened eyes couldn't help but glance in the direction of the whistle-blowing arrow. Several black-armored soldiers on horseback fell off their horses amidst the attack from the crimson-armored infantry and cavalry, and their expressions changed instantly.

"Retreat!" Qin Ming roared, forcefully pushing the iron spear with both arms and spurring the horse's belly to retreat.

"Where do you think you're going, you incompetent wretch!"

Seeing that Qin Ming was about to retreat, Yang Keshi naturally refused to back down and, without holding back, raised his iron spear and thrust it out at Qin Ming like lightning.

The spearhead whistled as it thrust forward. Qin Ming instinctively dodged to the side, the spear passing under his ribs. Several armor plates flew out in the direction of the thrust, and a spray of hot blood splattered out.

"Uh……"

Qin Ming's facial muscles twitched with pain. He then saw Yang Keshi's expression change. With a "Hey—" sound, he suddenly twisted his hands, slammed the spear shaft against Qin Ming's wound, and fiercely pushed it in the direction Qin Ming was leaning.

"Ah—" Qin Ming roared, ignoring his injuries, he straightened his body with a sudden force, twirled the spiked club in his hand, and with a powerful parry and thrust, the long spear, stained with blood, rose into the sky.

Wuwuwu——

From the direction of the Song army camp, the sound of bugles rang out, followed by the thunderous sound of horses' hooves pounding the ground.

"Walk--"

Qin Ming roared, grabbed his spiked club, turned around, smashed through the Song army knights blocking his way, and his warhorse took off running.

Yang Keshi hurriedly spurred his horse to catch up, thrusting his iron spear forward from time to time. Qin Ming turned around and tried his best to block, but in just over ten feet, Thunderbolt in front of him suffered another new wound.

The roar of "Retreat!" echoed among the Qi cavalry. The black-armored knights turned around, and those who knew they couldn't escape roared and brandished their weapons as they charged towards the pursuing Song troops.

"Go, hurry up, and avenge me later!"

A desperate roar echoed through the battle formation. A spear pierced the black-armored figure, blood gushing from his mouth. He stared intently at his opponent and roared, "Ah—!" before throwing his weapon away. Both of them then fell to the ground.

"Don't leave, Qin Ming!"

Under the banners of the Song army, Wanyan Chanchun roared and spurred his horse forward, watching helplessly as countless Qi soldiers broke away from the battle formation and retreated back the way they had come.

Wanyan Chan, without a second thought, pointed her weapon at the figure behind her and shouted, "Damn it, chase after them—"

The warhorses galloped and the cavalrymen ran wildly, forming a long column of about four thousand Song cavalrymen chasing after more than a thousand Qi cavalrymen. The two sides shot arrows at each other from time to time, and people kept falling off their horses. The horses with empty backs ran forward a few steps, slowed down, and eventually walked back to the rear, looking down to search for their fallen comrades.

Blood blossoms bloomed on the ground, and the corpses of horses and men stretched into the distance, leaving a long, dotted line.

woo-

A long horn blast sounded, and Wanyan Chanchun, who was in pursuit, changed his expression. He looked up and observed carefully, then quickly raised his hand: "Stop chasing! Stop! Stop—"

In the distance, a square formation of black-clad infantrymen appeared, and the cavalry ahead had begun to consciously run and converge in that direction, clearly trying to lure the pursuers there.

"Stop—" Yang Keshi, who was in pursuit, was also looking at the infantry pressing forward. Behind a line of shields, spears protruded from top to bottom, clearly indicating that they were prepared to deal with the cavalry. The cavalry in front had been defeated but not yet routed, so it was not a good time for a solo charge.

"Retreat and wait for the enemy to arrive before deciding the outcome!"

With a tug on the reins, Yang Keshi glanced at Qin Ming's retreating figure, which had already galloped away, and snorted. He then turned his horse around and retreated, and his cavalrymen followed suit.

Wanyan Chanchun had already learned his lesson once, so he naturally didn't want to face Bian Xiang's troops in front of him. He shouted "Follow me!" and turned to run.

The sound of hooves echoed across the plains, kicking up mud as they galloped back. The excitement of the battlefield gradually subsided, and the figures riding back on their warhorses slowed their pace. The military commanders and cavalry officers at the front breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the main force, wiped the blood from their faces, reined in their horses, and dismounted to wait for Qin Ming to arrive from behind.

One by one, cavalrymen gathered together. The reality of the battlefield defeat left these young soldiers, who had suffered defeats in their youth, dejected and silent. Those who had lost relatives and friends wiped away tears on their warhorses, and low sobs echoed among the cavalry.

"Where is the military doctor? Where is the military doctor?"

From behind, the dull thud of hooves approached, accompanied by anxious shouts.

Several officers in the crowd looked in the direction of the sound, and two soldiers dressed as bodyguards escorted Qin Ming's warhorse over.

"What's going on? Why do you all look like that?" A rough voice came from behind. Lu Zhishen rode over on a warhorse and shouted when he saw that everyone's faces were filled with sorrow.

"General, please save my captain."

Qin Ming's personal guards were completely flustered. Upon hearing Lu Zhishen's words, they looked over and anxiously led their horses over.

Lu Zhishen tilted his head and looked behind him. His face changed immediately. He saw that the usually hot-tempered master was lying on the horse's back, his eyes closed, his life hanging in the balance. There were scratches on both sides of the back of the armor, and in some places there was a gaping hole. Blood was flowing down the cracks onto the horse's back, staining the horse's mane red.

"Send him to the rear; the army doctor is there." Lu Zhishen pointed behind him, then looked at the military commander beside him: "You and I go to the central army to find General Bian."

The two immediately turned and ran towards the central banner.

Before long, the entire battle formation retreated twenty miles to the rear and then set up camp.

……

The orange-yellow campfire swayed in the night wind, reflecting the ever-changing expressions on the faces of the soldiers on night watch. Their upright and moving bodies were silhouetted against the ground by the firelight, while the outlines of their warhorses were hidden in the darkness.

Near and far, people were talking in hushed tones inside and outside the military tents. Occasionally, the sound of crying could be heard, and the voices singing folk songs from their hometowns could be heard in the early night.

As the view extended outwards, the makeshift military camp was dotted with scattered campfires.

Originally, they were not going to be stationed here today, but the defeat of the cavalry during the day made Bian Xiang abandon his plan to attack the Song army immediately.

"...Qin Ming isn't some young man who gets carried away with passion and doesn't care about anything. He's over forty. I gave him two thousand cavalry, and he only left me with a little over thirteen hundred men. With so many losses, I think he doesn't want to do this anymore!"

bang——

Bian Xiang slammed his hand hard on the table, and the pen holder and pen holder jumped up instantly.

"General, please calm down." Lu Zhishen looked at Bian Xiang, whose anger had not subsided, and smiled bitterly: "It's just a minor defeat, it won't affect the overall situation. Once the impact of today's defeat has subsided, we'll fight back."

“How could I not know…” Bian Xiang sighed, “I originally thought Qin Ming could lure the other side out and take the opportunity to annihilate some of their forces, but in the end, he did lure them out, but he himself was killed.”

He wiped his face and said, "Let's proceed cautiously from tomorrow. Our army has relatively few cavalry. The enemy originally thought that only Wanyan Chanchun was capable of fighting, but they didn't expect that there was another capable Song general."

"General, the military doctor is here."

A voice came from outside, announcing something. The curtain of the central command tent swayed slightly, and several middle-aged men with goatees entered. Bian Xiang looked up at them and asked, "How is Qin Ming's injury?"

"Reporting to the General," the leading military doctor said with his hands clasped, "Captain Qin has seven wounds, three of which are quite serious, but none of them will kill him. He just needs to rest for half a year and take some blood-nourishing medicine to recover."

Bian Xiang and Lu Zhishen breathed a sigh of relief. The former scratched his head and said, "That's good. Tonight, I will send someone to escort him back to Yifeng. You can send one of you to accompany him."

A military doctor cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Yes, sir."

Bian Xiang nodded, took out another piece of paper, weighed it down with a paperweight on the table, wrote a letter, dried it, found some stationery, sealed it, and called over his personal guard: "You go back with me tonight. Give this letter to General Wei of the Navy and ask them to send some reinforcements as soon as possible. Also, find some doctors for General Qin to see and prescribe some blood-tonifying prescriptions."

"Here."

The guard accepted the order and turned to leave.

Bian Xiang looked at Lu Zhishen, stroked his beard, and slowly said, "Tomorrow, General Lu will lead the vanguard. I hope that you will not be greedy for merit and advance."

Lu Zhishen nodded his big head up and down, which was considered his agreement.

"Inform the entire army that we will break camp and advance westward tomorrow."

……

In Shicheng, the firelight illuminated the banners fluttering in the night wind. The news that the Qi army's cavalry had been driven back by Yang Keshi's troops was subsequently sent into the city by Yang Keshi and Zhang Jue.

Yang Keshi was actually cautious about the Qi army's fighting strength. After all, although he had defeated Qin Ming's cavalry, he himself had suffered considerable losses. After taking stock, his forces were only 20-30% smaller than the Qi army's, which was a dangerous sign. He reminded Liu Yanqing to be more careful.

This was still due to the fact that they had a large number of troops while the Qi army had a small number of troops and their generals were hot-blooded and incompetent in command.

Zhang Jue, on the other hand, did his best to praise Liu Yanqing, writing a lavish battle report that was full of praise for Liu Yanqing's skillful leadership and the bravery of his soldiers in fighting for the country, while glossing over Yang Keshi's contributions.

"She's quite a remarkable person."

Liu Yanqing handed Zhang Jue's document to Xin Xingzong, who was standing to the side. He then picked up Yang Keshi's document, curled his lip, put his hand into the brazier, watched the paper gradually burn, and snorted: "Our army is isolated outside, and morale is the most important thing. This guy surnamed Yang won a battle but didn't know how to publicize it to boost the morale of the whole army. Instead, he kept saying that the Qi army was strong and diminished our own prestige."

He raised his eyelids and looked at Xin Xingzong: "This kind of brute can only be used, not commanded by the army. Otherwise, he will live in fear every day. Wouldn't he collapse on the battlefield?"

wow——

Xin Xingzong put away the document, looked at Liu Yanqing, nodded and smiled: "The General is right. Why don't we spread the word tonight and let those wavering cowards in the army see that the Qi army is not some man-eating tiger?" He raised an eyebrow: "Ah, no, even if it were a tiger, the General could kill it with him here."

Liu Yanqing smiled and said, "You flatter me. Lü Bu is quite capable. I was defeated by him once before. I will be more careful this time and try to bring his head to my son's grave to pay my respects."

Xin Xingzong stood up and cupped his hands in greeting: "Then this humble general wishes the General a swift and successful campaign."

"Don't flatter me." Pointing at him, Liu Yanqing threw his head back and laughed loudly: "Hahaha—" (End of Chapter)