Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Chapter 1128 No More Unbeatable Military Names in the World
Dark clouds filled the sky, shrouding Yizhou. Looking down at the city below, the view stretched out along with the densely packed crowds.

Arrows from longbows and crossbows rained down from the sky, splashing blood on people as they fell to the ground, howling in agony.

The millstone-sized stones crashed onto the stone path atop the city wall with a deafening roar. The heavy stones caused a tremor as they struck the ground, and many Changsheng Army soldiers standing nearby were hit by the flying stones, falling to the ground groaning in pain.

As the Qi infantrymen recklessly climbed the city walls, the Changsheng Army soldiers who had gathered around them gradually became powerless to resist the black-armored figures who had stormed the walls. Generals such as Ma Ling, Dong Ping, Huang Xin, and Hao Siwen took the lead and personally engaged in battle.

Occasionally, a gap would appear on the city wall, and black-armored soldiers would surge forward, carrying wooden shields and smashing through the figures blocking their way. Using their shields to protect their vital points, they would forcefully ram through the gaps, and with a loud bang, those who came to block the enemy could not fill the gaps in time and could only watch helplessly as more and more people jumped up.

Yuan Lang led less than two thousand cavalrymen to linger below the city, occasionally firing a volley of arrows to aid the soldiers who had climbed the walls. However, soon people took up positions on the north and west sides, and the figures of those fighting on the city walls brandished their weapons. There were fighting figures everywhere.

"Order Teng Kui and Teng Kan to join the charge and open the city gates as soon as possible to let the cavalry in!"

The messenger reined in his horse and turned back. Immediately, three hundred cavalrymen galloped out from the army. The imposing figures in iron armor jumped off their warhorses, carrying round shields and short weapons, and climbed up.

Not far away, Hua Rong saw this scene, glanced at the troops rushing around the city wall, and took a breath: "Archers, step forward twenty-five paces and hurl arrows at the enemy troops on the city wall to cover the soldiers who are attacking the city wall. While the blood in the hearts of the soldiers is still hot, let's break through this city in one fell swoop!"

With a spur of his warhorse, the silver-white figure galloped forward. Little Li Guang drew his bow and fired an arrow at the city wall. A figure tumbled down the wall, splashing blood on the ground.

"Beat the drums, cheer them on!"

The cavalry, mounted on warhorses, galloped through the army formation, their roars echoing below the city. Archers, their faces grim, advanced rapidly to the sound of drums. As they stopped, a volley of arrows shot from their hands, hurtling towards the top of the city walls.

Then screams were heard from above the city wall.

On the city wall, the Ever Victorious Army, under the fierce attack of more than 10,000 soldiers, was finding it difficult to resist. Since its formation, this battle, though not the most hopeless, was certainly the most dangerous.

Along the city walls that stretched out in all directions, the figures of Qi soldiers, under the supervision of their respective generals, formed small formations and then launched fierce attacks on the surrounding areas.

General Liu Shunren, braving the boulders hurtling down from afar, led his reserve troops over and charged at the Qi general who had tied two flags to his back.

A valiant general with two guns, a dashing nobleman with ten thousand households.

The two flags fluttering in the wind caught the eye of the sinister-looking man. He leaned closer, muttered under his breath, "Pretty boy, take this—", and lunged at the figure wielding two pistols with lightning speed.

Dong Ping was engrossed in the fight when he saw the blade flashing. He twirled his two silver spears, blocking and thrusting left and right with deadly speed. In just a few shots, he made Liu Shunren break out in a cold sweat.

As they staggered backward, the Qi infantrymen fighting ahead formed a shield wall and a forest of spears, fiercely rushing forward. Several Ever-Victorious Army soldiers, who were naturally afraid of the Qi army, immediately fell.

Then, Qiang Lin thrust his spear at Liu Shunren again, but moments later, Dong Ping pierced Liu's throat with a single thrust. The fair-skinned, handsome man wiped the blood splattered on his face with his twin spears: "Ugly bastards, I've wanted to kill you all for so long, and today I've finally got my chance..."

Squinting at his surroundings, he saw that quite a few infantrymen had already come up, and the sounds of shouting and fighting filled the air. On the north side of the city wall, half of it had been smashed down by hurled stones.

Guo Yaoshi, who was in charge of defending the city, stood in front of the ruins with a long spear in his hand. He had many knife wounds on his body from the fighting, and half of his iron armor was covered in blood: "The Qi army's offensive is very fierce. Tell the soldiers below to come up quickly!"

"General Liu just led his troops to the east..."

Guo Yaoshi turned his head and met the gaze of the speaker, pointing his spear to the west: "Who is that general over there? The Qi army is almost defending the city for him."

"It was General Zhen Wuchen. He was besieged by enemy generals Ma Ling and Huang Xin and had almost no power to fight back."

Guo Yaoshi took a breath, picked up his spear, and strode forward: "Let's go, give him a hand, and drive the Qi army that's coming up the city wall back down."

"General, we should retreat. Yizhou is practically an isolated city and cannot be defended."

Guo the Pharmacist paused for a moment, then continued westward: "I'll take a few more brothers with me!"

The guards exchanged a glance, then gripped their sword hilts tightly, raised their shields to protect their commander, and surged forward.

As he turned to leave, two similar-looking faces leaped onto the city wall, wielding three-pointed double-edged swords and carving out a clearing. The brother wielding the tiger-eye bamboo whip rushed forward and began smashing the Changsheng Army soldiers who had lost their support. Several heads were smashed open like watermelons, with red and white splattered all over the ground.

"Erlang, west! Head west!" Teng Kui, looking around, cried out, "There's a giant tiger—"

"where?!"

Teng Kan's eyes lit up. He kicked the soldier in front of him to the ground and ran away. Teng Kui cursed after him, "Idiot, you're running the wrong way! You can't tell things apart!"

The figure wielding the tiger-eye bamboo whip nimbly turned around: "Bullshit! Who said I'm stupid? I'm smart!"

He pounced like a whirlwind, a whip striking a man's chest, the sound of bones cracking echoing, before the blade swept across the battlefield.

Guo Yaoshi fought fiercely at the front, pushing a struggling Qi soldier with his spear. His eyes were fixed on Zhen Wuchen, who was being slaughtered by a horizontal scalpel and a greatsword, and he was drenched in sweat. He was completely unaware that his own head was also being targeted.

"Don't panic, my five subjects, I'm coming!"

On the crowded front line, Guo Yaoshi charged forward, throwing the man off his spear and kicking the oncoming wooden shield, sending both man and shield tumbling over.

The personal guards behind him also charged forward, hacking and slashing, forcing the surrounding soldiers back for a moment. Guo Yaoshi stepped forward, raised his hand, and thrust his spear at Ma Ling.

"It's Pharmacist Guo!"

Ma Ling raised his sword and slashed at the spearhead. Amidst the clang of metal, he was forced to take a step back. People kept falling around him. Guo Yaoshi didn't even look around. He shifted his legs back and forth, raised and lowered his arms, and thrust a long spear after Ma Ling.

Huang Xin brandished his Death Sword, wanting to step forward and help Ma Ling, but Zhen Wuchen wouldn't let him go. He had just been humiliated by being hacked down by the two men; if he hadn't had more soldiers around him, he would have been killed on the spot. So he swung his iron sword, and the sound of metal clashing rang out several times. Huang Xin gritted his teeth and was already at a disadvantage.

The two brothers, who were rushing from behind, made good progress. There were many Qi soldiers who had climbed the city wall. The two brothers were also highly skilled in martial arts. With their swords at a distance and whips at close range, the Changsheng Army soldiers who were fighting with their men were killed and forced to the side without warning.

With fewer obstacles, the black-armored soldiers unleashed their fury, quickly forming a sizable torrent behind the two men, surging and rolling forward. The Ever Victorious Army soldiers, seeing no leader, screamed at the top of their lungs.

"Commander, run! Enemy attack!"

The shouts grew louder as they approached, prompting Guo Yaoshi to turn around. He saw the two brothers, relying on their strong armor, making little defensive move and simply charging forward, followed by dozens of men. Whenever the two, acting as the spearheads, sensed a threat, they would slash and knock their attackers away. The soldiers following behind would then hack them to pieces on the spot. This group was incredibly fast, and in a short while, they were only a few feet away from him.

good chance!
Seeing that Guo Yaoshi's gun had slowed down, Ma Ling took a step back, pulled out a gold brick from his waistband, and threw it out violently.

Guo Yaoshi missed his target with his spear and realized he had been distracted on the battlefield. As he turned his head, he caught a glimpse of a golden light out of the corner of his eye and instinctively wanted to duck and dodge.

bang——

The gold brick slammed into the iron helmet, and the huge impact made Guo Yaoshi dizzy and involuntarily stagger back two steps.

Ma Ling narrowed her eyes, darted forward with incredible speed, and slashed at his neck with her knife.

Guo Yaoshi was also experienced in battle. Although he was dizzy, he tried his best to keep his eyes wide open and stare at Ma Ling's figure. When the knife came down, he gritted his teeth and moved the spear shaft towards the path of the blade.

bang——

The spear flew out of his hand and crashed against the parapet with a clang, bouncing back onto the city wall.

Teng Erlang, wielding a bamboo whip to protect his eyes, had already rushed close, his right hand held horizontally, the iron whip resting against his left shoulder.

The blade flashed across the breastplate, leaving a trail of sparks. Ma Ling stepped forward and kicked, causing Guo Yaoshi to stagger backward. At that moment, Shenjuzi gripped the knife with both hands, raised it diagonally above his head, and delivered a vicious blow to the neck.

bang——

puff--

The iron whip swept across, striking the back of the head.

Blood splattered, the blade pierced the neck, and the two hideous faces were stained with blood.

Behind him, Teng Kui, wielding a three-pointed double-edged sword, ran past the two men who were sheathing their weapons. "Colonel Huang, do not worry..." He leaped to the side of Huang Xin's battle group, shouting, "Teng Kui..." and swung his sword down. "Here he comes!"

Huang Xin was using his greatsword to parry Zhen Wuchen's iron blade. Having gained the upper hand, he couldn't help but look up, and a chilling slash came down with a whistling wind.

His body bent as he landed, his hands gripping the long handle of the three-pointed, double-edged sword, blood still dripping from the blade, his face flushed from the violent movement.

There was no scream. The next moment, blood gushed from the part of Zhen Wuchen's head where the upper half was missing, and a dark shadow fell from mid-air.

thump—

Wearing an iron helmet, half of his head rolled on the ground a few times, leaving a trail of blood.

Behind them, Ma Ling used a knife to cut off Guo Yaoshi's head and held it up, saying, "Guo Yaoshi has been beheaded. Why don't you all surrender now!"

His voice was as loud as a bell, drawing attention from all directions.

Teng Kan, holding the iron whip, looked at Guo Yaoshi's corpse, then at the head that Ma Ling was holding up. He moved his lips twice and said in a muffled voice, "I also deserve some credit for killing this bastard. You can't renege on your promise to me."

The Qi soldiers around them shouted, and the sound gradually spread into the distance. The sounds of fighting gradually stopped. Some of the Ever Victorious Army soldiers looked at the familiar faces, swayed a couple of times, and their weapons fell with a crisp clanging sound.

Huang Xin turned his head and saw the Ever Victorious Army soldiers around him put down their weapons. He breathed a sigh of relief, as if all the strength in his body had been drained away. He suddenly went limp, staggered a few steps backward, and leaned against a wall, panting heavily.

Teng Kui brandished his sword and said, "Quickly, go down and open the city gate, let General Yuan and the others in."

After saying that, he turned around and led his men down. Teng Kan pointed at Ma Ling's head in his hand and said, "Don't forget that I deserve half the credit!" He then took off running after his brother, glancing back at Ma Ling every now and then, as if afraid that the steed would run away.

One after another, figures clad in black armor followed, their footsteps echoing loudly on the bluestone path.

Ma Ling stood there, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He shook his head, casually handed Guo Yaoshi's head to a guard beside him, and stretched his shoulders: "Captain Huang, stay here and guard. I'm going to lend a hand to Captain Dong and Captain Hao."

"General, please go ahead. There's no need to worry about me." Huang Xin nodded, panting, knowing that Ma Ling had kindly allowed him to rest here. He roused himself and stood leaning on his sword.

Ma Ling brandished his sword: "Go, suppress those on the city wall who haven't abandoned their weapons."

The order was given, and people around followed, running towards the place where the fighting and shouts were still coming from.

Not long after, a fierce battle erupted below the city walls, with hundreds shouting "Discard your weapons and we will not kill!" The sounds of clashing weapons and curses continued for a while before the gates slowly opened with a creak.

The sound of horses' hooves echoed from outside the city into its heart; occasionally, a stubborn person would let out a roar, only to be quickly suppressed.

On the day of Gengshen in the first month, the Changsheng Army resisted the Qi army in Yi County for a long time before the city fell. Commander Guo Yaoshi was killed in battle, and three generals, Zhen Wuchen and Liu Shunren, were killed in battle. Only the cavalry commander Zhao Heshou, seeing that the situation was hopeless, prostrated himself and surrendered.

On the third day after the fall of Yi County, the rumor that Zhang Jue had been abandoned by the Southern Dynasty spread like wildfire, arousing the indignation of countless surrendered soldiers. At the same time, news also spread that the Song army retreating from Yongqing had been caught up and annihilated by the Qi army cavalry.

The common people were overjoyed to see that the troops entering the city had not caused any harm. They came out of their homes, delighted that a benevolent army had come. Countless Han Chinese from the north clapped and cheered.

Since the Song army marched north and captured Zhuozhou, the people in the city have been living a hard life. Not only were their grain and fodder forcibly requisitioned, but countless fertile fields outside the city were also seized. Furthermore, the "return silver" tax fell on the shoulders of the Han people.

The Ever Victorious Army was like a living devil in Yi County and was very unpopular. So when the Qi army captured the city, they issued a proclamation to reassure the people and reduced taxes by 30%. The contrast between the two immediately attracted the support of the people.

……

The west side was ablaze with the afterglow of the fire, and flags bearing the characters "Song" and "Zhai" fluttered atop the new city wall. Few pedestrians were on the factory street, and soldiers in crimson uniforms walked out of the tavern, kicking aside the waiter who had chased after them.

Fast horses galloped into the city from the east and west, and the soldiers who dismounted handed the news to the top general of Jingxi, who was sitting in the hall.

“Brother…” Zhai Jin held the letter in his hand, his expression uncertain: “We need to make a decision quickly.”

(End of this chapter)