Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Inside Shicheng, the various military commanders and officers were in chaos. The Qi army was closing in from outside, and news was spreading that the commander-in-chief inside the city had fled first.

On the city walls and in front of the city towers, figures dressed in crimson battle robes were running everywhere, and many figures clad in armor gathered together, shouting loudly.

"We cannot leave the city. To leave now would be like becoming a target for the cavalry; what outcome would we have but death?"

"Then, as you say, we'll leave them all inside the city. Putting aside the situation inside the city, what if the Qi army blocks the roads outside? Once the food inside the city is all eaten, are you going to eat dirt?"

"That's still better than being chased by four-legged beasts in the freezing cold!"

The arguments came from the generals of Hebei, Hedong, and Xijun, who argued until their faces were red and their necks were thick, as if they wanted to crack open the skulls of others and carve their words into them.

Several imperial guards generals looked left and right, hesitantly extending their hands, then pulling them back and picking their lips twice. After a long, awkward silence, they murmured, "Actually, we could also surrender to the Qi Kingdom, since the commander has already run away..."

"Bullshit!" The hot-tempered Zhao Mi turned and kicked the man to the ground. With a clang, he drew his long sword and roared, "We are the pillars of the army, standing in the court and the military by the Emperor's grace. Anyone who dares to speak of surrender..."

He glanced around, then slammed his sword down hard on the city gate: "I'll chop him down!"

Several generals couldn't help but take a step back, bowing their heads in unison without saying a word.

"Stop being so aggressive!"

Among the Western Army generals, Wang Huan stepped forward and said, "The most urgent matter is to decide whether to defend or retreat. If we argue to our hearts' content here, the Qi army outside the city will not wait for us to finish arguing before rushing over."

Upon hearing this, the generals immediately turned around and saw that next to the "King" flag, there was also a "Su" flag. The sudden increase in troops made the faces of those who had just seen it darken.

"We should still hold on..."

"Running away is the best policy..."

"..." The voices of the generals silenced everyone again. They looked at each other and sighed, "How can we fight when our minds are not on the same page?" This sigh left almost everyone feeling powerless.

"The people are not united, let's retreat quickly." Several generals who advocated retreat turned around first: "If we dawdle any longer, we may be wiped out in this city."

"This is the only way..."

"It's all because of... him. If he hadn't left, the soldiers and horses in the city would still have been able to work together with one purpose."

Amidst the cursing and swearing, Zhao Mi, Wang Huan, and several other generals breathed a sigh of relief as they watched the black-armored figures outside the city. "Go!" they shouted, turning around and quickly descending with their sword hilts pressed against the ground.

The cold wind blew the flags on the city wall, making a whooshing sound. Rows of local soldiers were driven up to the top of the wall to replace the Song soldiers standing there. They looked nervously at the Qi army outside. Fortunately, they had been granted permission to surrender, and no one caused trouble at this time, allowing the Song army to descend the city wall smoothly.

The sound of running footsteps echoed through the city streets. Countless soldiers dressed in scarlet robes rushed past, some kicking open houses and grabbing valuables before fleeing. Behind them, a woman cursed, "Damn it!" and tried to chase after them, but was knocked to the ground by a spear.

Zhao Mi and his generals rode past on their warhorses. Seeing the chaos, Zhao Mi frowned slightly, leaving behind the words, "Have someone restrain them and get them out of the city as soon as possible." He then spurred his horse and galloped quickly towards his troops.

Before long, the west and north gates of the city swung open, and troop after troop of soldiers rushed out of the city, running for their lives without stopping. This infuriated the commanding generals at the rear, who shouted repeatedly, "You bastards! Gather yourselves!" "Don't panic, form ranks!"

However, his troops continued to flee for their lives, without stopping, and were on the verge of collapse.

……

The wind picked up, and in the sloping open fields east of the city, Wang Yin sat on a protruding rock, his brows furrowed as he stared at the swaying figure in the distance.

"What happened on the city wall?" Su Yi stood beside him, tiptoeing to take a look.

“…Just now, Li Tianrun sent a message that more than three hundred cavalrymen had escaped from the north of the city. They must be high-ranking officials in the city.” Wang Yin looked at him and stroked his chin. “If that’s the case, the Song army in the city is not a concern. I’m only worried that their generals and officials will be influenced by that official and abandon the city.”

Su Yi paused for a moment, then said, "Wouldn't that be a good thing?"

"Everyone's run away..." Wang Yin helplessly spread his hands: "Who are we supposed to take credit from?"

“Uh…” Su Yi opened his mouth, a faint white breath drifting from his lips. “That makes sense.” Then he scratched his cheek: “But if we capture the city because of this, we will still have some credit.”

Wang Yin chuckled softly but remained silent.

Not far away, a fast horse was galloping towards them. Wang Yin glanced at it, got up from the rock, and mounted his warhorse as his cloak fluttered. "Something's up," he said, lifting the reins and spurring the horse forward a few steps. Su Yi, seeing this, quickly mounted his horse and followed.

"Report!" A fast horse galloped in, bringing with it a chilling aura: "The west gate is wide open, and the Song army is fleeing."

Wang Yin immediately perked up: "Quickly, head west of the city and see if we can capture some of the more important ones." He then turned around and called out, "General Su, we await the arrival of the main army from the rear."

"drive--"

The warhorses galloped out, followed closely by over a thousand wolf riders. Dust rose as they roared along the city wall.

"Damn it, they're taking advantage of me not bringing any cavalry." Su Yi rubbed his nose sullenly, glanced at the dwindling figures on the city wall, and thoughtfully turned to the captain of the Left Guard, saying, "What do you think... we should go over there and challenge them to a duel?"

Several captains and military commanders of the Left Guard exchanged glances. They were all from the Vanguard Battalion and were used to fierce battles, so they were naturally not afraid. They all nodded firmly and said, "We will obey the general."

Su Yi immediately took the halberd from the Victory Hook and pointed it towards the Stone City: "Forward!"

The troops, mainly composed of the Left Guard and supplemented by other infantry, ran forward. Soldiers carrying large shields ran forward, raising their wooden shields in front of their chests for protection. When they got close enough to be within range, no arrows were shot down from above. Immediately, many people exchanged glances.

Having fought their way through countless battles, how could they not know that there was a problem with the troops above? Su Yi took a few more steps, put down his large shield, spurred his horse forward, and raised his halberd: "Hey! Song soldiers on the city wall, listen up! You have broken the treaty and violated our borders. This is a path to death!"

Your camps outside the city have been breached, your generals are dead, and your commander-in-chief has been captured. This city is now isolated, and many have fled. What use are you standing on the city walls? Do not resist stubbornly. Open the city gates as soon as possible to save your lives!

Otherwise, break…

Before he could finish speaking, someone poked their head out from the city wall: "General, we surrender! Open the gate now, don't be impatient!"

"When the city is in session..." Su Yi's imposing manner suddenly dropped, and the halberd he was holding swayed. "Uh..." He adjusted his helmet with his hand, looked at the military captain next to him who was trying not to laugh, and his face darkened: "What are you laughing at? Hurry up and prepare to enter the city!"

"Here!"

The captain quickly straightened his face, responded, and led his troops forward, with the infantrymen carrying large shields and long spears walking slowly.

Su Yi watched helplessly as the troops advanced to the city wall, the gates opened, and they entered in an orderly fashion. Soon after, a captain poked his head out from the city wall: "General, it's safe! There are no soldiers here; the Song army has fled!" "Men!" Su Yi's spirits lifted, and he turned to his cavalry, shouting, "Quickly return and inform the main army! The Song army has fled Shicheng; our army has entered the city!"

"Here!"

The rider, beaming with joy, bowed and accepted the order, then spurred his horse and galloped quickly away.

……

at the same time.

On the northern plains, Li Tianrun roared and swung his spear, pulling a man off his horse. Looking at the figure already out of sight, he let out a resentful "Ahhhhhh—" before turning to look at the wolf riders behind him and pointing in a direction: "Go, chase after them that way!"

The sound of hooves rang out, and the wolf riders galloped forward at an even faster pace.

Below, the second group of Song cavalry, who were covering the rear, laid a path made of corpses along the route that these nearly one hundred riders had come from.

Liu Yanqing eventually slipped out of his sight.

……

The vast plains were covered with withered grass exposed to the sun, and flags of all sizes fluttered in the wind as the troops marched by.

The cavalrymen carrying black and red banners were the first to reach Shicheng. Following the direction of the soldiers in the city, they spurred their horses and galloped forward at breakneck speed.

Dust drifted out from below the city with the wind, and a group carrying a large banner with the character "Lü" came into view. Su Yi quickly led the generals of the army down to the city wall and lined up in front of the city gate to wait. When the fiery red figures came to the front, Su Yi took the lead and saluted with his hands clasped.

"Your Majesty, we have lived up to your expectations and finally captured this stone city."

Snapped--

The whip tapped lightly on Su Yi's iron helmet: "You talk as if you've gone through a fierce battle." Lü Bu chuckled and kicked him on the shoulder with his boot: "Zhang Jue caught?"

Su Yi straightened up and shook his head: "No, I saw several Song cavalrymen running past where I was lying in ambush. To avoid alerting them, we did not take them down."

Turning to look inside the city: "As for the city, I sent someone to the government office. According to the officials there, the troops inside the city had long intended to leave. Liu Yanqing was the first to run out of the city, and then the troops in the city ran out. As for Zhang Jue, there was no trace of him."

"So they ran away." Lü Bu lashed his boots with his whip in frustration and snorted coldly, "After all, they are surrendered Song people. I want to see where they can run to!"

He spurred his horse's flanks and declared, "Follow me into the city!"

The surrounding soldiers responded and spurred their horses, heading towards the city.

As dusk fell, troops gradually returned. About 7,000 Song soldiers who were supporting Pingzhou were captured, while the rest scattered and disappeared. It was only because the Qi cavalry was numerous that they were able to keep up the chase. However, many cavalrymen arrived late due to the battle at the front, otherwise more than half of them could have been saved.

……

The weather was slightly cool, and the warhorses were exhaling large puffs of white breath in the darkness. Liu Yanqing stopped his horse, glanced back, and looked up at the dim moonlight.

"Let's find a place to rest." He pulled his cloak tighter, looked back at his remaining followers of no more than a hundred, and felt a sense of relief: "It seems the Qi army won't be able to catch up. But to avoid any accidents, no fires are allowed later."

He pointed to the hill to the side and said, "Let's go rest over there."

……

A morning breeze swept across the city walls, and golden sunlight rose into the clouds. On the stone city walls, figures in black armor were changing shifts. Groups of soldiers walked into the streets, and from time to time, people carried notices and walked through the streets and alleys, shouting words of reassurance to the people.

People struggling to make a living took to the streets, lit stoves, and the aroma of food wafted out, attracting many hungry people. However, things were not as good as before, and the scattered customers meant that the vendors could only barely make ends meet.

The cavalry that had been pursuing the Song army had all returned, and Shicheng, as the last city in Pingzhou, was finally connected to the rest of the city. The prisoners brought back also brought some relief to the civil and military officials of Qi, who had lost their workforce.

"It's hateful that the key figures are gone." Bian Xiang sat in his seat, drinking a steaming bowl of hot soup. "That Song army commander is so shameless. He ran away before the army even arrived. Is this guy born in the Year of the Rabbit? I don't know what Ande was thinking when he chose him as commander."

“He’s a favorite of high-ranking officials. Whether he’s capable or not, it’s easier for him to get the commander’s position than for others.” Wang De wiped his mouth and sneered, “Although I haven’t been in the Song army for long, I’ve seen a lot.”

Han Shizhong, holding his bowl, glanced at him without saying a word, but his expression showed some resentment.

The brazier blazed as it was turned on, and then warriors in boots adorned with gold patterns stepped inside.

"Don't worry, they can't escape." Lu Bu entered along with the words, glanced at the general who was about to stand up and waved his hand: "Sit down, it's not like we're attending court."

He plopped down and beckoned to the guards standing there: "Go and get me some hot soup too."

"Your Majesty, what do you mean by that?" Han Shizhong's eyes flashed as he looked at Lü Bu and asked, "Could it be that you know the whereabouts of Zhang Jue and Liu Yanqing?"

"No, not at all." Lü Bu sat back with a swagger, a smile on his face. "It's just that the Song army's defeat this time will surely cause a stir in their capital. I have already written an edict of culpability, and I will have someone take it to the Song Dynasty to ask them for Zhang Jue."

His fierce eyes swept across both sides: "If Zhao Song hands over the people, fine, but if he doesn't..." "Bang—" He slammed his hand on the table: "I'll beat him until he hands them over."

"This feeling is good."

Bian Xiang, Wang De, and the others laughed heartily: "We were just worried that we wouldn't be able to earn enough merit to be ennobled. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could continue fighting!"

Everyone in the room laughed. Han Shizhong said quietly, "I'm just afraid that Li Ying will come looking for me to settle accounts later."

"Hmm? Hahaha—" Lu Bu threw his head back and laughed: "That's quite possible."

At the end of the year, the Song army in Pingzhou lost the war like an avalanche. Commander Liu Guangshi abandoned his troops and fled south. About 30% of his troops returned to Song territory, while the rest disappeared without a trace.

Meanwhile, the battle in Zhuozhou was drawing to a close right under the noses of the Song people. Hua Rong, Shi Wengong, Ma Ling and others besieged Zhuozhou for several days and launched several attacks. The Song soldiers inside the city were in a state of panic. At the end of the month, they opened the city gates and several generals broke through the siege and escaped.

After a brief rest following the capture of Zhuozhou, the troops, under the command of several generals, split into two groups and marched towards Gu'an and Yizhou.

The news reached Bianliang, causing a stir in the court. (End of Chapter)