Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Chapter 1154 The Decision of the Dengzhou Clique
hum-

The bowstring trembled in Sun Li's hand. A dark shadow flew through the air as he continued to reach for his quiver, shouting angrily, "What are you standing there for? Shoot!"

As he spoke, his hands moved without stopping, the bowstring vibrating continuously.

The Qi general running opposite, dragging his staff, was startled and stopped abruptly, quickly falling to the side.

Whoosh whoosh—

Arrows pierced the air one after another, striking the soldiers following behind. Several men fell to the ground, ignoring their wounds, and scrambled to move aside as over a hundred arrows rained down from the opposite side.

humming-

The arrow, embedded in the ground, trembled incessantly as the protruding fletching remained visible.

"what!"

"Hiss—give me a hand!"

The sounds of pain and howling came from the ground. The Qi soldiers who were still standing stepped forward to help their comrades up, raised their shields to block the incoming arrows, and retreated in panic to find cover.

"Hey--"

As the rain of arrows fell, Lu Zhishen rolled a few times and quickly got up. His large body moved nimbly a few times, and with a thud, he crashed into the side of a house. Leaning against the wall, he looked down at himself and saw an arrow stuck in his abdomen.

The muscles on his fat face twitched slightly. "Tsk—", he lifted his leg, pulled a sharp knife from his boot, and slashed at the arrow.

thump—

The broken arrow shaft fell to the ground.

“Thirty years of motherhood has turned into childish brats…” He sheathed the dagger, glanced at the staff left in the open, and stroked his chin: “Why aren’t these cowards running away today? When did they become so brave…”

He peeked out and saw Sun Li directing his soldiers to defend the area tightly. He then pulled back down to look at the soldiers behind him and on the other side. There were only about twenty of them in total. He gestured and said, "We're too few men. Sound the horn and call for reinforcements!"

Someone took a short trumpet from the wounded soldier's hand, puffed out his cheeks, and blew it loudly. A soldier, seeing that he was unarmed, threw his sword at him. Lu Zhishen seized the opportunity to pick up the sword.

woo-

A deep voice rang out, causing a stir among the nearby Song soldiers.

“A bunch of bastards! Let me, Tie Niu, chop them down!” Li Kui frowned, picked up his two broad axes, and turned to Sun Li: “Commander Sun, give me a squad of men. While those bastards are hiding, I, Tie Niu, will chop them down one by one with my axe.”

"Don't move Tie Niu lightly." Sun Li waved his hand, glancing at Tie Niu's hands: "Your tiger's mouth is still bleeding, bandage it first." He then turned and walked away: "The Qi army is brave and fierce, you wait here and do not move rashly."

"It's just a minor injury, I'm fine..."

Before Li Kui could finish his sentence, Sun Li said, "Don't move!" and walked away. The burly man shut up, glared at Li Kui's back with some annoyance, looked around, and said, "Anyone who dares to come at me?"

The soldiers around them stared warily at the people hiding behind the building in the distance, their weapons held high.

"Damn it, you're all cowards." Li Kui glared at them and cursed, "If I hadn't given all my soldiers to Brother Song Jiang, I wouldn't even look at you cowards."

However, he himself did not dare to rush forward alone. Just now, Qi Jiang had smashed his hands with his staff, causing the tiger's mouth to split open. If he went to fight again, he could still do it if there were many people around, but Li Kui was not stupid to rush forward alone. He would not knowingly go to his death knowing there was danger.

As for the other party losing the staff...

There are still more than twenty knives over there.

"I don't know why Brother Song Jiang sent me to this place with that Sun guy. I'm so timid, it's so boring..."

Sun Li had no idea that Li Kui was muttering about him to himself, and even if he did, he wouldn't care. He quickly walked over to Sun Xin and his wife, as well as Le He and his wife, and glanced at them, saying, "Did you all hear that? The Qi army reinforcements will be here soon. We can't hold out for long."

The three exchanged glances, and Sun Xin tentatively asked, "What does Big Brother mean...?"

"...I participated in the battle to annihilate Liangshan before, and I know that they are not easy to deal with. You have all seen today's battle. The huge city of Hejian Prefecture was breached in half a day. If we continue to be so stubborn, we will die."

Sun Li looked at the three of them expressionlessly and said softly, "Now our whole family is here. If we die, your sister-in-law and nephew won't live either. Then our family line will end, and we will all be sinners. We won't have the face to meet our ancestors in the underworld. My intention is..."

"Is Uncle going to surrender?" Sister-in-law Gu interrupted him, looking at Sun Li nodding, her brows furrowed: "But what about my brother..."

“He came back with Song Jiang, but did he ever consider us?” Sun Li said irritably. “We used every means to save him before, but now the two of them are close to Song Jiang and are even protecting him.”

The thunder of hooves echoed in the distance, and the ground trembled slightly. In the distance, people dressed in black armor kept running through the crack in the wall, forming several small defensive battle formations.

Sun Li paused, turned to look in the direction from which the sound of horses' hooves came, and said with some anxiety in his eyes, "Stop dawdling. The Qi army is gathering. When they rush over, it won't be just the twenty-odd men we had before. Our battalion can't hold them off. Besides, the Qi army has done well in the cities they've occupied so far, and there haven't been any reports of them being truly brutal."

"What should we do?" Lehe turned to look at Sister-in-law Gu: "Brother-in-law is right, and besides, our battalion is still short-staffed..."

Sun Xin didn't speak, and habitually looked at his wife. It was clear that both of them took her opinion as the standard.

The female tiger frowned and licked her dry lips, her face full of struggle. She listened to the increasingly clear sound of the warhorse galloping, and glanced at the men in front of her. She opened her mouth several times but no sound came out.

woo-

The sound of horns echoed from the corner of the long street. Warhorses turned out from the farthest building, and a general's flag bearing the character "Yang" appeared behind a general in silver armor. Dozens of cavalrymen behind him formed a wedge-shaped battle formation with him as the arrowhead, and the neighing of warhorses rang out.

Without further hesitation, Sister-in-law Gu blurted out, "Surrender!"

Sun Li's eyes lit up, and he turned around and shouted, "Change to the white flag, quick!"

The soldiers carrying the flags in the army were all trusted confidants whom Sun Li had trained over the past two years. Having already received instructions, they all lowered their banners upon hearing the order, took out the white cloths they carried, and used their spears to lift them up, shouting loudly: "We surrender! We surrender! Stop charging! We surrender!"

The sudden turn of events filled Li Kui, who was pacing in front of the army, with shock and anger. He was carrying two broadswords, ready to deal with the cavalry charge, when the shouts that erupted from behind made him turn around sharply. He saw white flags fluttering in the air as if mocking him.

"Sun Li, Sun Xin, you bunch of bastards, how dare you betray your brother!" Li Kui's teeth clenched, his eyes blazing with fury. He clashed his two battle axes together and pointed behind him: "I'll chop off your dog heads!"

Sun Li snorted, leaped onto the horse led by his personal guard, grabbed his spear, lightly kicked the horse's flanks, and charged towards Li Kui: "You filthy scoundrel, I've put up with you for too long!"

The Black Whirlwind was not afraid. Holding two broad axes, his burly body charged towards Sun Li. The soldiers in front quickly made way for them.

The moment the horse and riders approached, Li Kui ducked and rolled on the ground while simultaneously slashing upwards with his axe. Sun Li pulled on the reins, and the warhorse pushed off with its hind legs as it galloped.

call--

The horse cast a shadow on the ground, and a few horsehair strands floated in the air.
tread--

As soon as his warhorse landed, Sun Li turned his horse around and charged towards him again, while Black Whirlwind immediately got up to meet him.

"Uu——"

A short distance away, Yang Zaixing reined in his warhorse and raised his spear. The cavalrymen following behind him stopped, their horses pacing restlessly in place. The Qi general on horseback also turned his gaze toward the formation with the white flag raised, where a large, dark-skinned man was wielding two battle axes and fighting a Song general on horseback.

"...Internal strife?"

Yang Zaixing muttered something to himself. Footsteps came from behind him. Lu Zhishen came over with his sword. He didn't rush to pick up his monk's staff. He smiled and said, "Young Yang, what brings you to my side?"

"General Lu." Yang Zaixing held a gun in his hand and pressed one hand down in a fist salute. "Just in time to support the siege here, we led our troops in as soon as the city gates opened after hearing the signal from the central army."

He looked up and gestured to Sun Li and Li Kui: "General, do you know what's going on over there?"

"How could I know? It's just a matter of one side wanting to surrender and the other not giving in." Lu Zhishen touched the armor on his abdomen, his fingers tracing the severed part of the arrow shaft. "But it seems that big black guy can't command the people here. What a pity, he's a man who dares to go against me." As the two of them were talking, Sun Li attacked Li Kui with one spear after another. The Black Whirlwind, whose hand had been injured by Lu Zhishen earlier, met the spear with his axe. After only a few blows, the wound on his hand, which had just stopped bleeding, reopened, and warm, sticky blood flowed out.

"Ahhhh!"

The pain and trauma caused Li Kui's eyes to turn red. He recklessly swung his arms, hacking and slashing with his axes. The open space was small, and Sun Li, unable to move on his warhorse, could not fully utilize his strength. At this moment, he regretted coming to kill this brute on horseback. He thought it would be a one-shot kill, but he never expected it to drag on until now.

“We can’t just watch Uncle fight alone here.” Sister-in-law Gu gripped her iron knife and turned to the side: “Let the skilled archers go up and shoot that madman with a few arrows.”

His usually gentle eyes were now filled with malice: "Since you've decided to surrender, let's use his head as a stepping stone."

Sun Xin and Yue He responded and immediately dispatched archers. The group held their breath and stared intently at the two people in the arena.

Sun Li, sitting on his horse, had a high vantage point and a wide view. He slowly adjusted his position, while Li Kui, with bloodshot eyes and a crazed look, recklessly rushed forward to kill him, disregarding everything around him.

The two gradually turned half a circle. Sun Li faced his brother, while Li Kui had his back to him. Several archers' eyes lit up as they spotted an opening and suddenly released their bowstrings.

Puff puff--

"Uh!"

Li Kui's body trembled as several arrows pierced his back.

Fortunately, he was wearing armor and had thick skin, so the attack didn't kill him.

Sun Li's eyes narrowed, and he thrust his spear into Sun Li's chest.

"Drink!"

With a swing of his axe, Li Kui deflected the spear, but before he could advance further, Sun Li steered his horse to the side, jumped off, grabbed the bamboo-jointed steel whip from the saddle, and brandished the whip and spear at Li Kui.

"mean!"

Li Kui, his eyes bloodshot, glared at the archer and Sun Li.

"How can there be anything despicable about military operations? Are you out of your mind?"

A cold voice came from the sick Yuchi, who remained motionless. Sun Xin and Le He also grabbed their weapons and pointed them at him, while Gu Dasao directed the archers to step forward.

"I'll fight you bunch of bastards to the death!"

Li Kui roared, crossed his battle axes with both hands, and Sun Li remained still, took a breath, and Sun Xin and the soldiers behind him stood on guard.

With his combat boots stomping on the ground, his tall and powerful body spun around, and he dashed like a whirlwind toward the Qi army a shot's distance away.

"What are you doing..." Sun Xin stared dumbfounded at the Black Whirlwind who turned and ran away.

Sun Li also withdrew his stance, watching his retreating figure and muttering, "Has this guy gone mad?"

"Fire!" Sister-in-law Gu shouted hurriedly, and several archers immediately fired arrows at him. However, the black-haired man was extremely fast, and with the sound of arrows hitting the ground, only three arrows were stuck in his back.

Sweat streamed down Li Kui's dark face, and blood dripped onto the ground as he ran. He raised his arms and roared hoarsely, "Hey you pretty boy, come here and take my axe!"

Knowing there was no chance of survival today, and unwilling to surrender, he realized that killing Sun Li and the others would not be easy. Just now, as he was turning around, he saw that the Qi army's vanguard general looked young and thought he could take one of them down with him before he died, so he rushed over.

"asshole--"

The riders behind Yang Zaixing roared and were about to draw their bows to shoot him, but Yang Zaixing swung his spear to the side to stop them. "Just as General Lu said, he is a real man..." He pulled on the reins and charged toward Li Kui: "I'll send him on his way."

As the warhorses galloped up, Sun Li, fearing that his archers might accidentally injure the Qi generals on the other side, quickly stopped them from firing.

In their line of sight, the warhorse gradually accelerated, its silver armor reflecting the light of the sky as it drew closer.

“Haaaaaa—”

Li Kui roared, his eyes fixed on the spear opposite him, his muscles tensed, ready to dodge at any moment.

Yang Zaixing took a deep breath and suddenly let out a loud roar: "Hey!"

The thunderous sound made Li Kui's heart skip a beat. At that moment, his warhorse suddenly accelerated by three-tenths of an inch. The figure on the horse leaned outwards, lowered his body, and extended the golden tiger-head spear.

puff--

The spear pierced the broad chest. "Hey—" Yang Zaixing exhaled and sat up straight on his horse. The corpse was then lifted up by the spear. Li Kui's bloodshot eyes stared intently at the young man on the horse. A series of bloodstains dripped from the wound and fell to the ground, leaving a winding blood trail.

Then, his head lowered.

Clang, clang—

Two axes fell to the ground.

Okay, okay, okay—

The warhorse stopped in front of the surrendered soldiers' formation, and Yang Zaixing, holding the corpse, scanned the figures below.

Sun Li inhaled and loosened his grip: "Put down your weapon!"

A piece of metal fell to the ground with a thud.

……

bang-

pop-

"Huhuhu..."

He ran all the way into the house that had been prepared in advance. Wu Yong closed the door, clutched his chest and gasped for breath, his nose and eyes wrinkled together.

"Ouch, ouch, whew..."

After bending over and supporting himself with his legs, panting for a few moments, the strategist finally straightened up. In his line of sight, he saw three figures sitting in the house, looking at him.

Wu Yong took a few deep breaths until the feeling of his lungs about to burst subsided. He glanced at the warhorse tied up in the courtyard, wiped the sweat from his brow as he walked toward the house, and said, "Gentlemen, it's time for the next step."

The three figures inside remained motionless. After a while, one of them got up and walked out of the dimly lit room. In the sunlight, Yan Qing's face was revealed.

Standing at the door, the prodigal son cupped his hands in greeting and asked softly, "Mr. Unknown Ryo, what are your next plans?"

Wu Yong smiled and wiped away the sweat that had broken out again with his sleeve: "I had planned everything beforehand, with crossbowmen lying in ambush to snipe at the Qi army. However, this was just a means to provoke them and make them lose their minds and pursue us."

He stopped and looked into the room: "There is another elite force waiting for Commanders Lu and Xu. Next, it will be up to you two to kill the pursuing generals so that we can reunite with Chief Steward Song."

Yan Qing frowned, glanced at Wu Yong who was drenched in sweat, then looked at the still-sitting figure inside the room and couldn't help but speak up: "Mr. Jia Liang, please forgive my bluntness, but given the current situation in the city, we are already at a complete disadvantage. Even if we can kill a few Qi generals, we will still end up dying on the battlefield."

"I understand." Wu Yong nodded, looking at him earnestly: "However, we are now paid by the Song Dynasty. We should be loyal to the country and live and die with Chief Eunuch Song to show our loyalty. What is there to fear about life and death?"

Inside the room, the two figures who were sitting stood up.

(End of this chapter)