Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Blood seeped through the white cloth, its crimson color glaringly bright, and the soldier sitting against the parapet groaned.

Their steps paused slightly before continuing forward. A cold wind occasionally blew, making them catch their breath. The feeling of the strong wind hitting their faces brought a bitter taste to the hearts of the Ever Victorious Army soldiers on the city wall.

Since the defeat of the Fanyang army, the four generals Yuan Lang, Hua Rong, Ma Ling and Dong Ping turned to attack Yizhou. As the garrison commander of this place, Guo Yaoshi naturally had no choice but to take on the responsibility. He used the city walls to block the Qi army's attacks on several occasions.

Compared to being almost helpless in open field battles on the plains, the Ever Victorious Army was much better off than other Song armies, thanks to the city walls. After all, the Liao region had been in chaos for the past few years, and these men had been fighting on the battlefield all the time, making them much stronger than the Imperial Guards who were living in comfort.

Yuan Lang and Hua Rong's offensive has continued for several days. Their cavalry and infantry commanders are all climbing and fighting, leaving the defenders on the city walls exhausted. Even in the freezing cold, they don't want to get up from the cold, hard city walls.

Guo Yaoshi gripped his sword hilt and leaned against the parapet, looking out of the city. The fluttering black and red banners caught his eye, and the muscles on his cheeks twitched a few times: "Has any news come from the rear? When will reinforcements arrive?"

Zhen Wuchen stepped forward, wearing a tattered cloak, and handed over an official document: "There has been no response yet, only a message telling us to hold on."

Guo the Pharmacist turned around, took the official document from his hand, and opened it under the cover of the parapet. The wind blew, and the loosely clenched part made a "whooshing" sound. After a while, he crumpled the document into a ball, raised his arm, and threw it on the ground: "Immediately recruit able-bodied men as reinforcements? Is this guy surnamed Tong joking? All those useless men under his command can't even slow down the Qi army's advance. At this time, recruiting able-bodied men is useless. Can't he conscript the elite troops to go north?"

Zhen Wuchen quickly turned his head and looked around. Seeing that they were all his own soldiers, he felt relieved and said nothing.

Guo Yaoshi's chest heaved violently: "The Song Kingdom doesn't only have these hundred thousand or so troops. If more local elites are brought up, even if they're exhausted, they can wear those black lumps down below to death by relying on the city walls."

"Commander, what do we do now?" Zhen Wuchen looked down anxiously. "We've suffered heavy casualties. Even if the lightly wounded can fight, about 30% of them will be gone..."

As the sky gradually darkened, able-bodied men, torches lit, went up the city wall and carried the wounded away. The Ever Victorious Army leader, his back to them, could not be seen, but after a long pause, his hoarse voice rang out: "The Song Dynasty has never wronged you or me. For now, we must hold this position. We hope our Grand Tutor can quickly send troops from Song territory, otherwise..."

He flipped his cloak and turned around: "If things don't go well, he won't have anything to say if we break out."

Busy figures climbed to the top, and people poured prepared sand and stones into the cracks in the city wall. A viscous liquid was then poured in, and the repairmen prayed in their hearts.

……

The night wind blew, and the burning campfire swayed precariously in the darkness. Banners and tents occasionally rattled in the strong wind. Soldiers carrying weapons and lanterns passed through the middle of the camp, and fast horses came from the northwest.

The central command tent was brightly lit. After dealing with the military affairs delivered by fast horse, Lü Bu pinched the bridge of his nose and looked at the commanding officer kneeling in the tent.

"...Generals Shi Wengong and Mi Sheng are besieging Gu'an with great urgency. They have already breached the city walls multiple times. The two generals say that the city will fall soon."

The figure kneeling to report held the bamboo tube sealed with sealing wax high above his head. Yu Cheng stepped forward, took it, inspected it, and bowed before placing it on the table in front of Lü Bu.

“If that’s the case, then going to Gu’an will be a wasted trip…” Lu Bu finished reading the military intelligence in the bamboo tube, stood up thoughtfully, and paced to the map: “Where are Dong Xian and Zhao Li now?”

Yu Cheng thought for a moment: "The message sent today says that they have crossed the Gaoliang River."

Looking along the winding river, Lü Bu nodded: "The two of them have come here from Xianghe quite quickly. I sent out a messenger overnight to tell them that they do not need to come and meet me. Instead, they should lead their troops to support Mi Sheng and Shi Wengong. Once Angu City falls, we will take Yongqing and drive the Song army back to the south of the Juma River."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Yu Cheng immediately agreed, then looked up at Lü Bu and smiled, "And Your Majesty, what about us?"

dong dong——

Lu Bu tapped the wooden board with the geomantic map on it twice with his fingers: "We still have enough food and supplies, and Wuqing is behind us. Order the infantry to march west according to the original plan, and the cavalry to follow me and press directly to the area below Yongqing."

boom--

Clap your hand on it: "Xin'an Army!"

Inside the tent, the candlelight flickered and cast long shadows onto the tent surface.

……

The snow on the mountain peaks had not yet melted, but the number of caravans coming and going was increasing, creating a lively scene.

Since the imperial army captured Zhuozhou, these caravans have been like sharks smelling blood, traveling from the south all the way into the northern plains, transporting all kinds of valuable furs, raw medicinal herbs, and northern pearls to the south.

Tea and cloth were transported from cities in the south, and various small items, rouge and face powder also began to become popular in the cities occupied by the Song army. It cannot be said that these merchants made a fortune every day, but at the very least they made a lot of money.

As a result, opinions on Tong Guan's Northern Expedition in the capital shifted from differing to quite critical. Most of those who benefited from it kept quiet and simply encouraged their merchants to go north.

The caravan stretched out in a long line, the packhorses in the caravan puffing out hot air, the wheels rolling over the muddy ground, occasionally making a "clunk" sound as large stones were thrown at them.

Caravan managers from all over the country gathered together, their voices, filled with laughter, carrying far and wide.

"I'll probably make a fortune this time. It's been a long time since I've had such a lucrative business."

“Who says otherwise? My tea, even if sold in various places for three months, wouldn’t earn as much as I did in just one trip.”

"I wonder how long this grand occasion can last..." sighed a merchant with a Gyeonggi accent.

What do you mean by that, brother?

"But is there any news?"

Several merchants from the south peered over.

Seeing the eager looks on the faces of the group, the man perked up and straightened his posture: "Let me tell you, I have a brother-in-law in the Imperial Guard of Yongqing. He told me that the war at the front is not going well. Since the war with Qi began, we have suffered several defeats, and several of the more renowned generals in the Imperial Guard have been killed—"

He slit his throat: "I heard the city is gone."

"No way..."

"Are the Imperial Guards really this incompetent?"

“Of course it’s true.” The merchant with the Jingji accent sneered: “Everyone in the capital knows that the Imperial Guards can build houses, play music for weddings and funerals, and buy and sell goods, but no one has ever heard of them being able to fight.”

The man with the southern accent slapped his thigh: "Didn't they say there was a Western Army here?"

"I heard that the Western Army went east to Pingzhou, but I don't know what the situation is there."

The men dressed in fur coats, gathered together, all frowned. After a long while, someone sighed, "If that's the case, isn't this just a one-off deal? If I had known this would happen, I would have sold everything I owned to get two more truckloads of goods."

"Who says it isn't true..."

The sound was buzzing, and suddenly someone stopped and turned around, frowning as they looked behind them.

"Brother Liu, what's wrong?"

Someone who knew the man asked, and the man turned around and stood there silently again: "Don't you feel like something's wrong?"

"What?" The man was taken aback.

"The ground is shaking..."

"A shock?" In the distance, the wind swept across the plains, stirring up a cloud of dust. Then, more and more people stopped in their tracks. A coachman with military experience stood up on the shaft of his cart, looked around for a long time, and suddenly shouted, "There are cavalry behind us!"

The long caravan seemed to fall silent for a moment, then erupted into chaos.

The booming sound grew closer and closer from afar. Amidst the rising dust, the black and red flags appeared and disappeared in the sand, and a black figure riding a warhorse could be vaguely seen.

"It's the cavalry!"

Where did so many cavalrymen come from?

"You idiot, you're naturally from Qi!"

In the ensuing chaos, many merchants scrambled onto the nearby carriages, shouting in panic, "Run!"

"My lord, what should we do with the goods?"

"Run! Your life is at stake!"

The driver cracked his whip, and with a crisp snap, the vehicle sped away from the scene.

Boom boom boom——

Hooves kicked up mud as the scout ahead turned back and ran towards the vanguard leader: "Report—General Yang, there is a Song merchant caravan ahead."

Yang Zaixing, holding his spear, glanced up at the panicked caravan and waved his hand: "Go to a garrison and detain them until His Majesty decides what to do with them."

He then raised his spear: "Forward, forward—"

The thunderous clatter of thousands of hooves kicked up dust from the ground, creating a deafening roar in the otherwise silent earth.

In early January, the Emperor of Qi led 8,000 cavalrymen south to intimidate the Xin'an army.

The inspector of Xin'an Army dared not go out, and fearing that he would not receive reinforcements, he could only pretend that the Qi army was large and hurriedly sent a message to Tong Guan, who was stationed in the rear.

The messengers changed horses one after another and galloped into the city, not even having time to catch their breath, and rushed into Tong Guan's temporary camp.

"Grand Tutor, the Qi army of 50,000 has marched south and is already at the border of our Great Song Dynasty. Please advise us on what to do."

"Where?" Tong Guan suddenly stood up, looking at the messenger below in disbelief.

"Thirty li north of Xin'an City, the Inspector General dares not send troops out of the city to start a war lightly. I would like to ask for your instructions on what to do."

“Yes, we must not start a war lightly.” Tong Guan nodded first, then walked around in place for a couple of seconds, and pointed at someone: “You, go back and tell your patrol inspector to guard the city and not let a single Qi cavalryman cross the border.”

"Yes," the messenger replied, eagerly awaiting Tong Guan's next words.

The eunuch at the head of the table, seeing that he didn't move, said somewhat irritably, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and go back!"

But you still haven't said what to do...

The messenger opened his mouth, but ultimately said, "I'll take my leave."

He turned around and ran out.

Tong Guan stood there, his eyes darting around, then shouted repeatedly, "Guards! Guards!"

Dong Yun rushed in: "Master, what happened?"

Tong Guan strode forward and grabbed him, saying, "Prepare the horses, quick, back to Bianliang."

Seeing his advisor's surprised expression, he spoke somewhat helplessly: "The Qi Kingdom has invaded. Lü Bu has personally led 50,000 men south and has already reached Xin'an Army. Wouldn't it be fatal to stay here?"

Dong Yun was taken aback: "How is that possible? There's no battle report from the front yet."

Tong Guan waved his hand and said, "Why not? This fellow came from Pingzhou. He doesn't need to go through the front line. He can go straight to the rear."

He paced back and forth nervously with his hands behind his back: "Our military strength is insufficient, and Xin'an Army will definitely not be able to hold it. If Xin'an Army is lost, the Qi army will directly lead its troops to attack. If the north is lost, the Qi army can move south at any time. Once they cross Hebei, they will be in the capital region. At that time, the Emperor will be in danger. Yes!"

He stopped and looked at his advisor: "How can that scoundrel Gao Qiu lead the Imperial Guard to resist the Qi army? I must hurry back to the capital to protect His Majesty and ensure his safety. I cannot allow him to be in danger."

“Uh…” Dong Yun opened his mouth, and after a long while squeezed out a sentence: “The Minister of Rites of Qi is still here, so why would Lü Bu attack regardless of his life or death?”

"That fellow was a thief by trade, how could a thief care about so many things!" Tong Guan roared at Dong Yun, "That Yang Pu was probably sent to make us lower our guard, but that guy surnamed Lü still came!"

"Who's coming?"

Wang Anzhong's voice came from outside the door. Tong Guan quickly rubbed his face, let out a long breath, and made himself look no different from usual.

The civil official who rushed in first gave a casual bow, then took two steps forward and asked, "Grand Tutor, I've heard that the Qi army has marched south?"

"The news spread so fast?" Tong Guan was taken aback, then nodded: "That's right, Lü Bu personally led an army of 100,000 south and has already reached Xin'an Army."

Dong Yun glanced sideways at her boss's back, thought for a moment, and realized that she must have heard 50,000 just now. She then pursed her lips to avoid making any inappropriate noises.

Wang Anzhong was taken aback and couldn't help but take another step forward: "Then does that mean... war could break out at any time within the borders of our Great Song Dynasty?"

Tong Guan nodded, his face ashen.

“This…” Wang Anzhong gasped, his face visibly turning grim: “How can we possibly withstand such a large number of troops?”

Tong Guan didn't say anything, but his eyes kept glancing outwards, clearly indicating that his mind was no longer on this matter.

For a moment, no one spoke in the hall; only the sounds of eunuchs and guards moving about outside could be heard.

"Grand Tutor, you say..." Wang Anzhong stroked his beard, thinking for a long time, "That traitor Lü came here, could it be because we haven't handed over Zhang Jue and Liu Yanqing yet, so..."

As he drew out the words, his flickering gaze fell upon Tong Guan.

"Hmm?" Tong Guan first uttered a syllable in confusion, then came back to his senses and thought about it seriously. "What you said... is not impossible." He rubbed his short beard with the pad of his index finger and slowly said, "Call that Yang Pu over and talk to him. We can hand over Zhang Jue and ask him if he can keep Liu Yanqing."

Wang Anzhong immediately understood and quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "In that case, I will go and discuss this matter with him first."

Tong Guan nodded and waved, watching Wang Anzhong walk quickly out of the room. He then looked at the advisor beside him and said, "Prepare the carriages. We're going back to the capital."

The staff member on the other side quickly bowed and accepted.

On the day of Xinhai in the first month of the lunar calendar, Song official Wang Anzhong met with Qi envoy Yang Pu. The two sides discussed the matter for a long time, and Zhang Jue, a former Liao official, was transferred to the Qi envoy delegation. (End of this chapter)