Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Sunlight poured down.

Lu Bu, mounted on his warhorse, stroked Red Hare's neck. The warmth traveled from his palm. Seemingly impatient from waiting, Red Hare suddenly shook its head and snorted.

"You're getting impatient..." Lu Bu chuckled, reached out and patted its head, causing the beast beneath him to let out another hiss.

"Give the order." Lü Bu raised his hand and waved it forward: "The army advances to attack the camp."

Beat the drums to cheer them on!

The messenger waved the flag in his hand, and the flag symbolizing the advance was raised.

The neatly arranged crowd moved slowly. Many veterans from the battlefield took out strips of cloth they carried and tied the hilts of their swords to their palms, then used their teeth to pull them into tight knots. From time to time, orders were given by cavalry galloping through the ranks. "The army is advancing, prepare for battle!" The military orders echoed with the sound of hooves, and the officers' orders to "advance!" were issued almost simultaneously.

Wuwuwu——

The horns continued to sound, the sound of horses' hooves came from the left and right of the army, countless banners fluttered, and the catapults behind were pushed forward by the soldiers. Soon they stopped within range, and the stones were pulled forward by the carts and stopped.

A fierce aura slowly emanated from the drummer, who was dressed in winter clothes. He raised his arms and the drumbeats quickened with the advance of the army. The soldiers marching to the beat of the drums also accelerated their advance.

In the Song army camp, the battle formations were stirring, and the presence of even more enemy troops than in the previous days was causing many soldiers from the Pingzhou army to waver.

"No probing, just a direct attack on the camp..." Zhang Jue's mouth tasted bitter. After the Qi army attacked Pingzhou, he faced immense pressure every moment. He had thought the Song court could share some of the burden, but unexpectedly, he was kicked out of the city to set up camp. As for the two people outside the camp...

The two large banners of Wanyan and Yang fluttered and rolled up in the wind in sight.

Zhang Jue smacked his lips. These two were unlucky. One was of barbarian origin and was naturally not taken seriously by the officials of the court. He was risking his life to stop the Qi army's attack. The other was at odds with the military commander Liu Yanqing and was ostracized to come here to die.

It would be a miracle if they could even fight!
I surrendered to the Song Dynasty, not to risk my life here with you all...

With his eyes slightly narrowed and a multitude of thoughts swirling in his mind, Zhang Jue began to search for a way out. However, he couldn't run away yet. If he left before the battle even started and it was revealed that he had fled as the commander, the army that was supposed to fight would collapse, and he would become easy prey for the Qi cavalry. He wouldn't do something so foolish.

He beckoned to the personal guard beside him and lowered his voice: "Go prepare the warhorses and the clothes for the ordinary cavalry, and do it discreetly."

As the guards were about to leave, Zhang Jue grabbed their hands again: "Wait, prepare more dry rations."

He nodded slightly, and the guard, seeing that he had nothing more to do, retreated to the back and, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, turned and left.

"Slow down your breathing, prepare for battle!"

"We've already gone through several battles, so get your spirits up!"

"Whirlwind cannons, get ready! Hurry, hurry, hurry—"

Countless roars echoed through the Song army's ranks. Several archers rushed up to each arrow tower, placing their arrows in convenient positions while nervously adjusting their breathing.

In the distance, a dense, dark mass of people surged toward them, the sound of warhorses pounding the ground gradually fading. Yang Zaixing raised his spear and pointed it forward: "Charge with me—"

The horse's hooves kicked up mud, and it charged ahead.

On the other side, under the banner of the character "王" (Wang), Wang De also raised his broadsword, spurred his horse and roared, "Kill the enemy!" The warhorse spewed white steam and vigorously moved its four hooves.

Long——

Several soft impacts were heard, followed by a whistling sound from behind. Shadows swept overhead, and several stone projectiles flew in arcs towards the enemy formation in front.

"avoid!"

Several officers shouted, and the neatly arranged battle formation was thrown into chaos in an instant. Some stones fell in front, while others crashed into the crowd. Blood and panicked screams rang out, and a cloud of mud that had been thrown into the air scattered and fell back down.

"Don't panic!" Yang Keshi roared, shouting to the army behind him, "The enemy gunners are calibrating, Erlang is preparing the troops, and the Whirlwind Cannons in the messenger battalion are to fire back!"

He turned his head and shouted, "General Wanyan, follow me to meet the enemy forces and prevent them from advancing!"

Wanyan Chanchun, standing nearby, responded and raised his long weapon: "Follow me!"

Behind him, two units of three thousand cavalrymen assembled. Yang Keshi, iron spear in hand, spurred his horse forward: "Charge towards their center! Kill!"

Countless roars and shouts shook the plains. The assembled cavalrymen each had their own thoughts: on one side were the elite cavalry who followed Yang Keshi and were willing to fight alongside him; on the other side were the Jurchen rebel cavalry who had no way to retreat.

A series of running figures, their eyes glowing red, charged towards the black-armored cavalry surging from both sides.

"kill--"

Within a short distance, countless footsteps and hooves pounded the ground, and a furious tide of shouts of battle swept across the sky.

Under the bright sunlight, Zhang Jue and the generals in the Song army camp couldn't help but stare intently at the approaching cavalry formation ahead.

Zhang Jue unconsciously stood on tiptoe on the high platform, praying to all the gods and Buddhas in his heart. If possible, he wanted to defend this camp, which would surely bring him more support from the court in the future.

The black-armored cavalry, raising clouds of dust, accelerated. The two armies' cavalry approached in a triangular formation. The banner of the "Wanyan" army came into view, causing the soldiers' eyes to gradually become bloodshot.

"Kill the traitorous general!"

"Traitor, prepare to die!"

The vibrations on the plains hummed, and the fierce aura almost solidified on their faces.

Amidst the army formation, Wanyan Chanchun felt a chill run down her spine. Having heard the same sounds repeatedly, her eyes grew increasingly frenzied: "Come on! Come and kill!"

Wuwuwu——

The cavalrymen in the army picked up their horns and blew them.

The cavalry on both sides adjusted their charging postures, the cavalry groups galloping, shouting, and roaring, before colliding with each other in the most ferocious manner.

"Ahhhh-"

Countless hooves thundered, and the cavalrymen at the forefront had lost all thought, only letting out their most instinctive roars.

bang——

Long spears and iron lances clashed with the opposing force, and countless bodies flew off their saddles in the direction of the cavalry charge. Blood gushed from the detached weapons, and corpses fell to the ground.

Yang Zaixing's eyes were bloodshot. His spear whistled through the air as it pierced the body of the opposing cavalryman, and the muscles in his arms bulged to their maximum extent in an instant.

Ahead, the charging cavalry ignored the deaths and injuries of their comrades and continued to urge their horses forward. As their spears thrust forward, they swung their arms, which were holding corpses, and the corpses, along with the figures on the horses behind them, flew to the side. A black-armored cavalryman galloped past beside him, his hooves crushing something with a "crack".

More figures rushed past, no one had time to notice how many wounds they had. Everyone was wildly swinging their weapons, desperately stabbing and smashing forward, making the area in front of them seem even more empty.

In the chilly wind, thousands of people fought and shouted, their flesh and blood splattering across the earth. On the vast battlefield, the black-armored cavalry, after a brief pause, began to spread outwards in crimson ripples.

On the battlefield, the three armies began to merge into a triangular formation, penetrating into each other's ranks. Amidst countless hysterical shouts, Yang Zaixing, covered in blood, charged into the enemy cavalry formation, reaching a distance of several dozen feet. In front of him, a general wielding an iron spear was followed by a banner bearing the same surname "Yang," thrusting his spear diagonally.

"I am Yang Keshi of the Great Song Dynasty. State your name!" "In response! Yang Zaixing!"

With a loud shout, he swung his golden tiger-head spear, which clashed with the other side with a loud thud. The spear shaft and the lance shaft bent sharply and then straightened, while the spearhead and the lance blade wobbled as they thrust towards the other side.

Yang Zaixing's eyes lit up. He sidestepped the sharp edge of the iron spear, and with one hand, he thrust the gun forward, causing Yang Keshi to fall backward abruptly.

Clang——

With a clanging sound of metal, the shoulder armor with the beast-headed jaws flew backward.

"Good skill!"

Yang Keshi gritted his teeth and shouted, straightening his back and rising up. The spear was swung between the two men, bang—

The metal clanged, and sparks flew from the weapons.

As the two horses passed each other, Yang Keshi gritted his teeth and looked back. His arm, which was a little numb, swung back and thrust the spear, knocking the charging black-armored cavalryman off his horse.

The colors of the cavalry gradually changed, with black, under the command of their respective generals, devouring the crimson in front.

While running, Wanyan Chanchun thrust a spear at an oncoming Qi cavalryman, knocking him off his horse. He dodged a flying axe thrown by someone and, without caring that his personal guard had been struck on the head by the axe, swung his spear to smash away another charging knight.

As she ran, a glimmer of light flashed in her peripheral vision, and Wanyan Chan suddenly lowered her head.

when--

The iron helmet on his head flew off, and heat rose from his bald forehead. His two braids flew through the air for a moment. The Jurchen general turned his head and glared at Lü Fang, who was holding a halberd: "How dare you!"

With a flick of his wrist, he thrust his spear at Lü Fang, who met it with his halberd. The two were instantly entangled, hacking and slashing. The young Marquis Wen, clad in a scarlet battle robe, was quickly put on the defensive, gritting his teeth as he met the fierce force of his opponent.

"Aren't you trying to kill me? Come on—"

Wanyan Chanchun spat out a few drops of saliva as his personal guards, wielding spiked clubs and maces, fought fiercely with the approaching Qi army, both sides trying to break through.

However, Wanyan Chanchun, who was already furious due to extreme fear, had the intention of killing someone to take down with him, and kept his weapon close to the vital points in front of Lü Fang.

"How dare you rebels act so presumptuously! I'm here!"

A roar came from one side, and Wang De, who was following behind with his banner, charged forward.

"Come on—" Wanyan Chanchun drooled.

……

The cavalry fighting was just one aspect of the battle, which spread to the entire battlefield, with stones flying from both sides hurling at each other.

The advancing infantry scattered, and the stones that had been hurled down landed on the open ground, bounced up, and crashed into the figures behind them, sending screams of agony. The figures, now unrecognizable as humans, fell to the ground, and the stones continued to bounce backward, only to be dodged by the prepared figures.

"shoot--"

Shouts came from the Song army ranks in the distance. On the high arrow tower, soldiers raised their powerful bows and crossbows and fired a swarm of arrows. With a "whoosh, whoosh" sound, the arrows pierced the ground where the infantrymen were standing. A shield shook as a crossbow bolt struck it squarely.

As Han Shizhong moved forward, he drew his long sword from his waist and pointed it forward. The crossbow bolts, modeled after the Divine Arm Bow, emitted a buzzing sound, and a dark cloud of arrows formed irregular shapes in the air before falling like rain.

"Raise the shield—"

With a roar, the burly Yang Kesheng raised his large shields at an angle, the sound echoing the falling raindrops.

"First storm the camp, attack—"

Over here, Han Shizhong roared as the distance closed in, and the figures holding large shields in front of him immediately began to move closer to each other. The scattered formation began to solidify into square formations, with spears raised to the sky behind the shields.

Amidst the thunderous footsteps, two bright red flags rose high from among the banners. The heavily armored Vanguard Battalion silently marched on both sides of the formation. As the Vanguard Battalion suddenly accelerated, they drew the short pistols carried on their backs, raised them diagonally with one hand, and then hurled them forward.

call--

"Be careful--"

Yang Kesheng's pupils contracted sharply. After shouting, he quickly turned around and yelled, "Quickly send a message to Zhang Pifu, tell him not to stay foolishly in the camp. If he doesn't want to face the Qi army alone, he should hurry up and provide support!"

Before the messenger could run away, he turned back and roared, "Shoot! Shoot! Archers, shoot!"

Hundreds of short guns fell, eliciting screams of agony. Some men were pierced through the body by the gun barrels, their corpses propped up on the ground. Soldiers holding shields had their wooden shields pierced by short guns, clutching their wounds and screaming incessantly.

Yang Kesheng took a breath, drew his sword, and pointed it forward: "Prepare for battle—"

War drums and horns sounded from both sides, and the vanguard troops, rushing forward, kicked up mud under their feet. The swordsmen and shieldmen at the front maintained a steady pace, braving the arrows shot from the front, and as the distance closed, they charged forward fiercely.

boom--

Shields clashed with a series of sounds, and blades and spears flashed as they struck the bodies of both sides. Han Shizhong coldly ordered, "Charge!" He urged his warhorse forward, thrusting his long spear, shield, and man away. His warhorse charged into the enemy lines, his arms swinging, deflecting the incoming spears.

"Follow me, kill!"

"kill--"

Countless vanguard soldiers roared, those behind their shields exerted all their strength, bowing their heads and uttering "Hey—" sounds, as the stalemated front line advanced toward the Song army camp.

"The reserve team, advance..."

Seeing the front line falter, Yang Kesheng was startled. He had just given an order when two blood-red banners appeared in his sight, accompanied by a booming sound.

Yang Erlang, turning his gaze, watched as shields held by his own soldiers flew into the air, while a large axe was raised overhead on the opposite side, the reflected sunlight entering his eyes before the axe fell.

bang——

Blood splattered.

……

To the south, Xiangzhou.

A cold wind blew across the undulating foothills, and someone ran quickly along the mountain path, white breath constantly exhaling from their mouth and nose.

As they approached a mountain hollow, several figures emerged from their hiding place, made a few hand gestures to the approaching group, and a voice replied, "We've found the village." They then quickly ran inside.

Before long, Tian Hu and Tian Biao led their less than a thousand men down the hill and followed the scouts they had sent out, running quickly toward the village.

Before long, the sound of a gong rang out in the village, and villagers dressed in cloth, carrying sticks, ran out following three young men on horseback.

"Hey! Wang Gui is here! Who dares to cause trouble here?!" (End of Chapter)