Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

The second month of spring, the year of Ji-Mao.

The Ministry of Rites was ordered by the emperor to go on a mission to the Song Dynasty to question the breach of the alliance and to settle the annual tribute. Yang Pu was extremely excited and once again requested to go south in person. He was accompanied by a thousand wolf riders as guards, with Wang Yin as the commander-in-chief and Shi Bao and Li Tianrun as his deputies.

Before the mission even set out, a messenger arrived from outside the city with news that Wanyan Loushi and Yelü Yudu had returned with Emperor Yelü Yanxi of Liao, and were willing to present the captives to the imperial palace with Jurchen honors to express the sentiments of the soldiers.

After all, it was the emperor of a country who was presented as a prisoner of war, and everyone in the court was very excited. The square in front of the palace had been cleared out long ago, and the left and right guards, dressed in black armor, lined up from the city gate all the way to the palace, watching the cavalry enter carrying military flags with holes in them.

The sound of horses' hooves and the neighing of warhorses mingled together, echoing amidst the buzzing of the crowd.

On the palace wall, Lü Bu, draped in a black cloak, stood with his court officials beside him, looking at the somewhat deserted street.

"According to the Jurchen custom, given the enmity between the Jurchens and the Khitans... it should be the sheep-leading ceremony." Wang Zheng, standing beside him with a hand warmer, shivered as the cold wind blew in. "I just don't know if Yelü Yanxi, at his age, can withstand this cold."

"Hmm?" Lu Bu raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Wang Zheng: "That name sounds familiar. I think I've heard it mentioned before."

“This ceremony is too humiliating. It’s not surprising that Your Majesty has heard of it.” Wang Zheng smiled faintly. “It is usually used when conquering an enemy tribe and humiliating the tribal leader. It means that you have captured him in body, mind and even soul. It is also the most solemn ceremony that Jurchen warriors perform for tribal leaders.”

Lu Bu nodded, and as he turned his head, he caught sight of Yang Pu in the crowd. Seeing this usually most critical man stroking his beard and looking down with great interest, Lu Bu couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Many things were different now.

As they spoke, shouts came from afar. People on the city wall looked in that direction, and some who knew what the day's events were about spoke softly to the people next to them. The buzzing of discussion spread across the city wall.

Before long, a group of black-armored knights galloped down the imperial street, carrying the banners of Wanyan and Yelü, which fluttered behind them.

Upon arriving at the Imperial Street Square, the figure on horseback jumped off his horse, took a few quick steps forward, knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist, and raised his dantian to proclaim in a loud voice: "This humble general, Wanyan Loushi (Yelü Yudu), has captured Emperor Yelü Yanxi of Liao and returned to report to Your Majesty."

"stand up."

Voices from the city wall drifted down, "Thank you, Your Majesty!" and more than twenty figures rose one after another.

Wanyan Loushi then stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting: "Yelü Yanxi has arrived in procession; Your Majesty is invited to observe the ceremony!"

The wind blew from the city walls into Yanjing, and many people tightened their fur coats. The common people standing behind the guards and constables kept gasping and discussing, "Is that Yelü Yanxi? Today we finally see him in person."

"Tsk, how tragic. He probably never imagined that his return to Yanjing would be in such a way..."

"It's retribution; it's letting him spend his days hunting and wandering around."

As soon as the words were spoken, the guards and constables standing in front, maintaining security, all turned their gazes toward the figure on the ground.

wow-

jingle--

Wanyan Zonghan walked ahead, the iron chain in his hand jingling from time to time. The chain extended backward, wrapped around Yelü Yanxi's neck, and a copper bell was tied below it, which jingled as it swayed back and forth. The former emperor had a numb look in his eyes and mechanically raised his arms to crawl forward.

Some elderly figures, their upper bodies bare, draped in sheepskin, with hemp ropes tied around their waists in a nine-turn death ring, crawled on all fours, their knee pads worn and bleeding, leaving two bright red marks on the smooth ground.

The sounds gradually faded behind him, and the streets became much quieter as he turned the corner. Yelü Yanxi raised his head with some difficulty, and familiar buildings came into view.

"This is the ritual of leading a sheep."

"To have the entire city witness it is somewhat humiliating..."

"It's only because we won. If we had lost, we probably wouldn't have been much better than that guy down there."

"...That makes sense."

The officials on the city wall began to discuss among themselves, many of them showing expressions of relief. Zhang Lin, Lü Siyan, Yelü Mawu, and others had complex expressions, while others were pleased. However, the former stared blankly at the banner with the words "Wanyan" below, seemingly lost in thought, perhaps conjuring up some unseen connection.

rustle--

Yelü Yanxi crawled slowly. Along the way, his palms were chafed raw, and the leather sheaths on his knees, meant to prevent him from falling too soon, had worn through. Suddenly, a pebble popped out from somewhere, and a sharp pain shot through his left knee. "Ah!" he screamed, and his body slumped to the ground.

"stand up!"

Wanyan Zonghan took a step forward, and the iron chain in his hand pulled him down. He glanced back, frowned, and with a jerk of his arm, Yelü Yanxi slid forward several steps.

"Wait, wait!" Yelü Yanxi, his face covered in yellow dust and looking extremely disheveled, pleaded tremblingly, "Let me catch my breath. I was once an emperor, after all."

"fart!"

Wanyan Zonghan sneered, looking at the man on the ground with great satisfaction: "You think you can be an emperor? Have you ever heard the Han saying, 'A fallen phoenix is ​​no better than a chicken'? Look at you, you're not even as good as a newborn lamb."

"...Yes, yes." Yelü Yanxi's face stiffened for a moment, then he immediately put on a fawning smile: "Please let me catch my breath. I still have to go to your emperor's presence, don't I? It wouldn't look good if I couldn't climb over there."

Wanyan Zonghan hesitated for a moment, while Wanyan Loushi and Yelü Yudu frowned in front of the palace gate.

"What happened?"

"They're probably exhausted."

"Useless!" Yelü Yudu narrowed his eyes, his face unfriendly. "We can't keep His Majesty waiting. I'll go and bring him here." He turned and headed towards his mount, leaping onto it in a single bound.

The warhorse galloped forward, its hooves clattering as it headed toward Wanyan Zonghan. As it drew nearer, Yelü Yudu pulled on the reins, and the warhorse reared up with a "hissing sound." It then turned and stood on its side, stretching out its large hand downwards: "Give me the chain. We can't delay."

Yelü Yanxi's pupils contracted, and his face showed great fear: "Wait..."

Wanyan Zonghan had already reached out and thrown the iron chain out.

"Don't give it to me!"

Gripping the chain tightly, Yelü Yudu's face lit up with excitement, and he spurred the horse's flanks: "Giddy up—"

The warhorse leaped forward.

"Ahhhh-"

As the dust rose, a series of screams came from behind. Yelü Yudu ran straight to the palace gate, pulled on the reins, and the figure behind him tumbled forward due to inertia. When he stopped, he was covered in blood and dirt, looking quite disheveled.

"Ah...hh..."

Yelü Yudu jumped off his warhorse, ignoring the screams of the people behind him. With a tug of his arm, he pulled the person forward a distance of ten feet before stopping. He then clasped his hands tightly in a salute and said, "Your Majesty! Yelü Yanxi has arrived."

Above the palace wall, Lü Bu looked at the figure writhing in pain on the ground and waved his hand: "General Yelü, you've had a hard time. Take him inside." He then turned to look at the others, his expression unchanged: "Let's go down and see that Liao Emperor."

Yelü Yudu lowered his head, then looked at Yelü Yanxi, who was groaning incessantly, and kicked him: "What are you yelling for? If you're not dead, get up and kneel down."

People have to bow their heads under the roof.

Yelü Yanxi endured the pain in his body and slowly got up, glancing at Yelü Yudu who was standing there: "I deeply regret that I was unable to kill you, you traitor, back then."

"Even on the verge of death, he's still so vicious." Yelü Yudu's face was contorted with rage, but he didn't make another move. He reached out and wrapped the iron chain around his palm again, then pulled the kneeling man forward, causing him to stumble. He quickly braced himself on the ground, and a trace of pain flashed across the face of the former Liao emperor.

"Let's go."

Wanyan Loushi stepped forward and spoke calmly to Yelü Yudu: "His Majesty is still waiting for us and..." He glanced at Yelü Yanxi with a mocking look: "...this emperor lying on the ground."

The figure pulling the iron chain let out a cold laugh, and the two walked side by side into the open palace gate.

Ahead, Lu Bu, who had descended from the city wall, stood on either side of his civil and military officials in the center, watching Yelü Yanxi climb in step by step with difficulty. The clanging of iron chains and the sound of bells around his neck mingled together, making the man appear even more desolate.

wow——

The chains tightened, and Yelü Yanxi lurched forward uncontrollably, quickly bracing himself with his arms to avoid crashing to the ground.

"According to custom, go forward and kiss His Majesty's golden boots."

Wanyan Loushi glanced coldly down at Yelü Yanxi, who shuddered and a look of humiliation flashed across his face. He then slowly propped himself up and continued crawling forward, covered in abrasions.

Lu Bu tilted his head and watched the person crawling over without saying a word to stop him. Back then, he had killed many foreign tribes on the border. Many people had even asked to lick his military boots in order to survive. Although they were all beheaded in the end, this was not the first time he had seen such a situation.

and……

As the person in sheepskin slowly approached, he lowered his head and gently kissed the leather boots on his feet.

Destroy their country, capture their ruler, and establish a new dynasty—that's what a true man should do!

"Is it safe to take?"

A pair of tiger-like eyes looked down, and the figure facing the blue brick ground trembled for a moment, not daring to raise his head. A muffled, obsequious voice came from below: "Your Majesty's martial arts are unparalleled. You have been invincible in every battle, surpassing me a hundredfold. I am convinced, truly convinced!"

"Hahaha--"

After laughing a few times, Lü Bu tossed his cloak and turned to walk back: "You enjoy hunting and do not associate with virtuous ministers. I hereby confer upon you the title of Duke of Bohai and you shall live fifty li away from Huanglong Prefecture."

He paused, then turned to look at Wanyan Loushi, whose face showed some excitement: "General Wanyan, you are in charge of guarding the people and the land."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Wanyan Loushi was overjoyed and quickly clasped his hands in a salute: "This humble general will certainly take good care of the Duke of Bohai, Your Majesty, please rest assured."

Lu Bu nodded, then suddenly remembered something: "Right, take this fellow to the Xiao residence and let that old codger Xiao Haili take a look too."

"Here!"

"Qiao Lie and Li Zhu, come with me. The rest of you may leave." Turning around, Lü Bu strode into the palace. The court officials behind him glanced indifferently at Yelü Yanxi, who was practically prostrate on the ground, before returning to their respective offices. They had enjoyed the show today, but had official duties to attend to later.

Yelü Yudu slowly squatted down. In his sight, tears were streaming down that familiar old face for some unknown reason. He reached out and slapped his cheek twice: "You wait, we have plenty of accounts to settle."

After saying that, he got up and left.

Yelü Yanxi didn't dare look at him, but her heart was filled with even more sorrow. Before the bitterness could turn into tears, Wanyan Loushi beckoned to her, and Tudan Hexi behind her understood and stepped forward, picking up the iron chain from the ground.

"Take the Duke to take a bath and change his clothes."

Wanyan Loushi looked at the figure on the ground with a smile, in a great mood: "We still have plenty of time to get to know each other."

……

The imperial carriage entered the warm pavilion. Lü Bu took off his cloak and handed it to Yu Cheng behind him. Qiao Lie and Li Zhu followed in and walked to a chair to the side at the emperor's gesture.

"Your Majesty, should I create some accidents later to make that newly appointed Duke..." Qiao Lie reached out and lightly brushed his neck.

"No need."

Lu Bu walked behind the table and sat down, waving his hand at Qiao Lie: "I have no deep hatred for him. It's just a matter of the victor taking all the credit. There's no need for that. I can still support a former emperor."

Qiao Lie and Li Zhu smiled and then took their seats.

The man with the golden sword stroked his beard: "Is there a reason why His Majesty didn't kill him, perhaps because of Yelü Ronghua?"

"I suppose so." Lü Bu remained noncommittal, looking at the two of them calmly and said, "I sent you two here so that you could develop yourselves more in Ji Province. There are many Han people here, and they should be of use to us."

"That's exactly what I was thinking." The two quickly agreed.

Li Zhu's heart skipped a beat: "Does His Majesty intend to send people into Song territory to gather intelligence?"

“The Zhao Song dynasty was not a people who respected etiquette and followed agreements.” Lü Bu nodded: “If you say that after their defeat in Ji Province they never again coveted Yan and Yun, I do not believe it.”

The two people opposite them exchanged a glance and nodded.

"The saying goes, 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.' Although you all come from Song, that was more than ten years ago, and some things have already changed."

Lü Bu leaned back in his chair and said calmly, "Gather intelligence from various regions and draw up geographical maps. These are my requirements for you."

"Here!"

The two agreed verbally, exchanged a few more words, and then left the warm pavilion.

Just a few days later, Yang Pu led a thousand wolf cavalry guards, escorted by Wang Yin and other generals from the southeast, and headed towards the border of the Song Kingdom.

Among the delegation were Shi Qian, who came from a scout background, and Shi Xiu, who worked at the You Shi Mansion. A total of two hundred people were mixed in with the group and walked down together.

……

Further east, there is Goryeo (Korea).

The firelight shone on Tuo Junjing's face, and the blood had dried somewhat under the heat of the fire. He reached out and wiped his face.

Footsteps approached from behind, and the top general of Goryeo turned around to look at the newcomer: "My dear in-law, has His Majesty abdicated?"

"The edict has already been issued." Holding up the edict in his hand, Li Ziqian smiled faintly and promised, "From now on, we will jointly govern Goryeo."

The general in front hesitated slightly: "I'm afraid it's just you and me..."

"What's there to be afraid of?" Li Ziqian handed the edict to his trusted confidant, clasped his hands together, and looked at the fire in the palace. "Have you forgotten that the one in the west once sent someone to befriend our country and had a good relationship with us? Now is the time to use him."

Tuo Junjing raised an eyebrow: "I heard that they have already defeated the Khitans."

“Indeed.” Li Ziqian spoke slowly, “They also need to become the new emperors of this northern land. Now, we go to pay our respects and request that Goryeo…” He reached out and shook hands, “It’s all in my hands.” (End of Chapter)