Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

The sunlight was gentle, but clouds appeared and a breeze picked up without us noticing.

The trees on the plains swayed, and banners fluttered in the air, unfurling and waving amidst the thunder of horses' hooves.

"Hurry up, faster! If we run too slow, the people in front will take all the credit."

"Speed ​​up, speed up! Whoever runs the slowest will have to wash the foot bindings of the entire army!"

Amidst the shouts, the cavalrymen unconsciously quickened their pace, none of them willing to fall behind the ranks.

A mighty cavalry column galloped past, with four identical banners bearing the character "Yelü" passing through the air one after another, followed by cavalrymen carrying banners bearing the characters "Niu" and "Dong".

The horses' hooves kicked up black mud, and the armor reflected the cold gleam of metal in the sunlight.

A sense of clashing swords and galloping horses filled the air.

……

On the battlefield.

A spring breeze swept through the air, and arrows flying through the sky, though slightly off-center, still managed to pierce people's bodies. Then, several flying axes followed, striking those who had peeked out.

"what!"

"help me!"

The continuous screams came from the soldiers beside Shen Ji, making the already tense man shudder.

In the midst of fear, the charging knights roared in, and the general under the banner of "King" stabbed men to death one after another with his iron spear, sending them flying into the air. As he charged forward on horseback, more cavalrymen rushed in from behind, their warhorses, arranged in a simple formation, churning up clouds of dust as they forcibly broke through.

"Charge! Fight them!"

Dong Cheng pointed his Wind-Splashing Blade, and Shen Ji also picked up his own dropped blade. "Alright, let's fight!" he shouted, but the four legs of his warhorse remained motionless.

Dong Cheng's cheek twitched: "Go!"

Shen Ji gripped the knife with both hands, his expression solemn, his forehead covered in a fine sheen of sweat: "Charge!"

"You son of a bitch! What time is it and you're still playing tricks!" Dong Cheng cursed loudly when he saw that Wang Yin didn't move. Without daring to delay, he raised his knife and charged towards Wang Yin.

Shen Ji saw a figure approaching. His eyes flickered, and he looked around. Black-armored cavalry were surging in from both sides like a tide, and more than half of them were enemy soldiers.

Damn it…

It's unlikely that one person can break through alone.

Gritting his teeth, Shen Ji shouted as he watched Dong Cheng's retreating figure rush forward, "I'm here!" and spurred his horse forward.

Hearing the voice behind him, Dong Cheng turned around, looked back at Wang Yin who was standing nearby, took a deep breath, and raised his Wind-Splashing Blade: "Dong Cheng from Hebei is here. State your name!"

Facing the direction, the fast horses kept moving their four legs, and the figures of people fell like crops in the blades. Blood, screams, and limbs were trampled and splashed under the iron hooves of the fighting warhorses.

"General Jianwu of the Great Qi Dynasty, Wang Yin!"

With a loud shout, the two horses approached, and the steel spear thrust forward with a bang towards the Song general's chest. Dong Cheng slashed downward with his knife, and a loud "clang" rang out. A series of sparks flew out from under the blade. The spear tip dipped slightly, but its momentum did not diminish, and it pierced into the general's abdomen with a bang.

"roll--"

Wang Yin exerted force, lifting Dong Chengyuan off the saddle with wide eyes. He stared at Wang Yin for a moment, then barely managed to turn his head to look at Shen Ji. Before he could see the man's face clearly, the iron cavalry swept over him like a tidal wave, and the sound of bones breaking rang out.

Shen Ji, watching from behind, stared wide-eyed, a slight pain in his eyeballs. As Wang Yin approached, he hastily slashed at him with his sword.

Wang Yin roared again, deflecting the slashing blade with his spear and thrusting it into the man's chest. The man was then thrown away and trampled to pieces by the charging warhorses, eventually turning into a bloody pulp.

The two generals who surrendered from Hebei had colluded with the notorious Hebei bandit Li Mian during his rebellion, and now they are indistinguishable from one another.

Wang Yin had no idea what the relationship between the two was; he simply spurred his horse and led his cavalry to break through the resistance formation.

Ahead, Shi Bao's general's flag was in sight. He quickly signaled his personal guards to sound the horn. A deep sound came from the horn, and the sound also echoed back from ahead and to Shi Wengong on the other side.

"Continue the assault on their defensive positions!"

With a roar, Wang Yin pulled on the reins and galloped towards the right front of Shi Bao. The formation with the banner bearing the character "Fan" was slowly retreating. Seeing the cavalry charging towards them, the general named Fan Yuming hurriedly shouted for his soldiers to defend the spot.

The sounds of the charge echoed in the daylight. Taking advantage of his warhorse, Wang Yin charged left and right through the Song army's ranks, his long spear moving with unpredictable speed. Soon, his warhorse was covered in blood. Fan Yuming, who was in command, quickly led his personal guards forward to try to stop him.

Wang Yin was still full of energy after fighting for a long time. He stepped forward and thrust his spear three times in a row, making Fan Yuming flustered. When the cavalry rushed over, the surrendered general from Hebei was obviously afraid for a moment. Wang Yin seized the opportunity, knocked him off his horse with one spear, and then killed him with another.

On the other side, Shi Bao was also charging into the ranks of Yu Deyuan, a general who had surrendered from Hebei. This general, who had originally intended to make a name for himself in the army, knew things were not going well after taking two blows from the other side. Seeing his soldiers fleeing in fear, he quickly made a feint and turned to run away.

At this time, Song soldiers were numerous. Shi Bao chased forward for a distance, but always encountered unexpected figures blocking his way. By the time he cut down or knocked down those with their backs to him, the fleeing figures were already several feet away.

"Chase--"

Shi Bao stared wide-eyed, bloodshot veins spreading from the whites of his eyes to his pupils, and with a shout, he chased after it.

Throughout the battlefield, the fighting between the two sides, numbering around 16,000 to 17,000 men, lasted for about an hour. The Song army, whose outer shield formation had been breached, had begun to expose its inner weaknesses.

The Qi army launched an attack from two directions, and the soldiers were forced to retreat. Large numbers of soldiers either obeyed orders to retreat or collapsed and fled. Some laid down their weapons on the spot and were then charged by the cavalry. Amidst cries and screams, countless soldiers died.

The banners of the three generals slowly converged from the east and west, arrows kept shooting out from the galloping cavalry, and the ferocious faces of the cavalrymen holding long weapons in front made the fleeing crimson figures move faster and faster.

Heading south, amidst the fleeing crimson tide, a cavalry battalion was pushing against the flow of people. The thunderous sound of hooves made the already frightened Song soldiers even more panicked. Finally, someone couldn't hold back his terror and roared, "Ahhh—!" before slashing at the person in front of him with his sword and running away.

"Damn it, get out of the way!"

Enraged by the rout of the fleeing soldiers, Mu Hong ordered the cavalrymen beside him to shout and led his own cavalry to charge forward. In his field of vision, behind a sea of ​​crimson figures was a banner with the character "Shi" on it.

"Sound the horn! Devour this cavalry! Charge with me!"

Those on the other side could see it, and Shi Wengong could also see the charging figure. He shouted and then ordered his personal guards to sound the horn.

Upon hearing the bugle call, Shi Bao and Wang Yin simultaneously pulled on their reins, and their two cavalry units drew an arc, charging from the side towards the Song army's cavalry.

Hooves flew as the cavalrymen charging towards each other increased their speed, ignoring the Song soldiers in the middle. Amidst a series of crashing and trampling sounds, the faces of the two cavalrymen came into clear view, like giant waves rising from the surging tide. They began to charge, their armor clanging and rattling as they moved dramatically.

"kill--"

"kill--"

Giant waves of black and red, coming from different directions, nearly crushed the earth. Riders on horseback roared hoarsely to vent their fear. Arrows shot out from behind the two armies, and the spear tips protruding from both sides gradually drew closer.

Boom! A tremendous crash echoed through the galloping cavalry. The crimson cavalry at the forefront were instantly thrown from their horses, and on the front line of the charge, the black-armored cavalry swallowed a crimson wave.

Generals Mu Hong, Lu Junyi, Xu Ning, and Lei Yingchun were momentarily stunned, but quickly regained their senses and thrust their weapons forward.

puff--

The spear pierced through the man's body, and the charging figure was violently thrown off the horse's back with a shrill scream. Spears and iron spears stabbed wildly in the air, and the sharp metal blades drew sparks on the armor. The jade unicorn turned its body slightly, its face showing astonishment, and then thrust out the spear with even greater speed.

puff--

puff--

The spear pierced into the flesh and blood of Lu Junyi effortlessly and then withdrew, a mournful cry emanating from both the man and the warhorse to Lu Junyi's left and right.

A blush appeared on the face of the first spearman from Hebei who had charged through on horseback. Before the fighting could continue, a halberd came crashing down from the left.

when--

The spear was raised to block, and the jade unicorn on horseback trembled. With a twist of his hands, he forced the halberd aside and thrust the spear back.

when--

The spear tip pierced the zigzag surface of the halberd, then a powerful force forced it to retreat.

"Huh?" x2
Two soft exclamations came from the figure on horseback at the same time. Shi Wengong sized up the general opposite him. The halberd that had just been blocked hadn't hurt him much, but the counterattack that followed had almost pierced him. If it weren't for his increasingly refined martial arts skills over the past two years, he probably would have been shot.

With a series of slashes and strikes from his halberd, Shi Wengong's eyes grew increasingly strange as he finally spoke: "This general is Shi Wengong. The Song general opposite me, please state your name!"

"Hebei Jade Kirin, Lu Junyi!" With his spear pointing, blocking, coiling, and entanglement, Lu Junyi's eyes gradually became excited. The person opposite him was highly skilled in martial arts, no less than himself, and was the opponent he had always wanted to find.

Shi Wengong glanced at him, his arms waving like the wind, but his eyes swept around, revealing a hint of mockery.

The two sides' warhorses were still charging at each other. One after another, the cavalrymen in crimson robes fell from their horses and were trampled into a bloody pulp. Some were so frightened by the deaths and injuries of their comrades that they broke down and ran wildly across the battlefield, pulling on their horse's reins. The entire formation was left with a huge gap after just one charge.

In the midst of this charging duel, Mu Hong, Xu Ning, Yan Qing, Lei Yingchun, and Zhang Yue'e could not spare any attention to protect their cavalrymen. They barely managed to protect themselves. With a wave of their weapons, they knocked the black-armored cavalrymen who approached them off their horses. Turning their heads, they saw the two people entangled together and immediately raised an eyebrow.

"Lord Lu, please wait a moment. Let's take care of this traitorous general first!"

With a loud roar, Mu Hong quickly grabbed the reins and called out, "Xu, Lei, and Zhang, come and help!"

Xu Ning, Lei Yingchun, and Zhang Yue'e, realizing the urgency of the situation, quickly turned their horses around with him. As for Yan Qing, he had already spurred his horse toward Shi Wengong before he even spoke.

"No need! I'll handle this myself! Anyone who dares to come up here, I'll kill them!"

Lu Junyi's eyes blazed with fury. He wielded his spear with incredible speed, the sparks of light from the spear colliding with the halberds drawn by the opponent. Amidst the clanging sounds, sparks flew up intermittently.

The metal clashed. Shi Wengong's face was cold, devoid of joy or sorrow. His eyes were fixed on the jade unicorn opposite him. If no one he knew was around, he would have looked at the jade unicorn with the expression of someone looking at an idiot.

The spear thrust out, and the halberd rose and slashed down.

Yan Qing went first, using his spear as a club, knocking several Qi cavalrymen off their horses. As he approached, he heard Lu Junyi shout and immediately pulled on the reins, his face filled with anxiety: "Lord Yu, this is not the time for one-on-one combat, we must..."

He heard the sound of horses' hooves galloping past behind him. Eager to prove himself, Lei Yingchun charged ahead, raised his sword, and shouted, "Traitorous general, prepare to die!"

A dozen or so Qi soldiers surged forward from all sides. Behind him, Mu Hong, Xu Ning, and Zhang Yue'e quickly helped him block the cavalry. These Qi cavalrymen were all fierce soldiers who had fought countless battles. Even though the three of them were proud of their martial arts skills, they were momentarily overwhelmed by these fearless men and had to slow down.

The blade flashed, reflecting the light from the sky, and descended like a streak of lightning.

The spear suddenly withdrew, and the halberd spun in the air before swinging upwards.

when--

The broadsword was smashed high into the air by the halberd. Lei Yingchun looked down at Lu Junyi in astonishment, only to see Shi Wengong twist his hands, the halberd paused in the air, and then fell down with a whoosh, the crescent blade slashing into Lu Junyi's neck.

puff--

Fresh blood gushed from the wound.

"The head of the family——"

Behind her, Zhang Yue'e let out a miserable scream and charged forward like a madwoman, brandishing her Po Feng Blade. She completely ignored the spears and iron lances thrusting at her from the side, and immediately suffered two more wounds on her body.

"Lu Junyi! You..."

Mu Hong called out, and Xu Ning, shielding himself with his golden spear, also looked at the jade unicorn with a complicated expression on his round face.

"You have……"

Shi Wengong withdrew his blood-stained halberd, watched the corpse fall from its horse, his lips moved slightly, and he softly said, "What I mean."

"I'm going to kill you!"

The Blade of the Wind slashed fiercely at Lu Junyi, but the Jade Kirin did not sit idly by. It swung its spear and sent Lu Junyi flying several feet away.

All around, the sounds of fighting and shouting continued, and the black cavalry were devouring the crimson in large numbers.

Shi Wengong looked around, his expression growing increasingly strange. The Song cavalry beside him were struggling to hold their own, while the fighting here was chaotic and disorganized, which was somewhat unsettling for someone who had commanded troops in the Qi army for a long time.

The ground trembled slightly, and the sounds of fighting were accompanied by the thunderous thud of horses' hooves. The banners bearing the characters "Stone" and "King" flew swiftly from one side.

"Master, let's go!"

Yan Qing had been keeping a close eye on his surroundings. He was already anxious because his side was outnumbered. When he saw the enemy reinforcements coming, he roared and smashed the charging Qi cavalryman off his horse with his club. He didn't finish him off, but quickly stepped forward and forced Zhang Yue'e back with his spear. He shouted to Lu Junyi, "The enemy reinforcements have arrived!"

Lu Junyi frowned and pulled on the reins, causing his warhorse to gallop off to the side: "You surnamed Shi, let's settle this next time."

Yan Qing quickly protected him, and the master and servant turned and ran away.

"Where do you think you're going?!"

After a moment's pause, Shi Wengong's facial muscles twitched. Even with his extensive experience, being a veteran of both the martial world and battlefields, he was still somewhat stunned by these people.

The warhorse turned, and Zhang Yue'e gritted her teeth, glaring at Lu Junyi: "You bastard surnamed Lu, I... uh..."

With a spurt of blood from her mouth, a stream of thick blood dripped down her body. She barely managed to turn her head, staring intently at the Qi army general behind her.

The tip of the halberd protruded from the chest of the beautiful figure ahead. Shi Wengong tossed the corpse aside and spurred his horse towards Mu Hong and Xu Ning. A cold voice echoed through the air: "What's wrong with you all?" (End of Chapter)