Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

"Get up."

Lu Bu slurped up a mouthful of vegetable porridge, picked up some pickled vegetables and put them in his mouth, instantly getting some flavor in his mouth: "This group of people sneaked in from the front last night, killing many sentries along the way."

He poked at the bowl with his chopsticks: "Now that I think about it, the fact that we were only discovered by the patrol when we were almost at your camp means that the general who led the raid must have been a capable commander. Although it was unexpected that we suffered a loss, it was also reasonable. I am not unreasonable and will not cut off your heads."

Bian Xiang stood up, a bitter smile on his face, and the voice in his ear continued: "Therefore, this time you and Xi Sheng of the vanguard will share the thirty lashes, and each of you will be fined a year's salary as punishment."

Bian Xiang's face grew even more bitter, but upon hearing that Xi Sheng was also involved, his mood improved considerably.

Lu Bu then turned to Yu Cheng, who was standing to the side, and instructed him, "Have someone bring in another breakfast."

He gestured to the side, then walked over and sat down before asking, "What were the losses during the night?"

“A camp was burned down, 837 people died, more than 1,300 were injured, and…” Bian Xiang lowered his head and said in a muffled voice, “Nie Gong was killed in action. I heard that he was killed by enemy cavalry when he was leading his soldiers to escape from the fire.”

Lu Bu paused in his eating, and after a long while, continued eating: "The body has been found?"

"Place it in the camp."

"A proper burial." After quickly finishing what was on the table, Lü Bu wiped his mouth and looked outside with his bloodshot eyes: "Send word that the army will prepare to attack the city in one hour. Order all generals to come to the central camp after finishing their breakfast."

"Here!"

Yu Cheng lowered his head and ran out quickly. Soon after, the sound of warhorses galloping away could be heard outside, indicating that a guard had gone to deliver the order.

The sounds of people and horses rang out in the early morning. Niu Gao and Yang Zaixing, dressed in full armor, entered the central command tent, stepped forward, and bowed with their hands clasped: "Your Majesty, we have come to report your orders."

“Last night, the enemy did not move out of the area we were on guard.”

"Understood." Lu Bu pointed to the seat next to him: "Sit down first. We're preparing to attack Daming Prefecture later, so we don't need to go back."

The two agreed and sat down to the side. At that moment, the armor made a slight scraping sound. Outside, Yu Cheng instructed someone to prepare breakfast and bring it in.

Bian Xiang nodded to the two men, and soon soldiers came in to bring breakfast.

The sound of bugles rang out continuously in the early morning, and one after another, civil and military officials from the central army entered, bowed to Lü Bu, and then talked with those they knew.

The sound of warhorses galloping quickly stopped outside the tent. Those inside looked out and saw Wanyan Loushi walking over, his upper body armor stained with blood: "Your Majesty, Wanyan Loushi has returned from pursuing the enemy."

He paused for a moment: "After the Southern army attacked my rear camp, they fled in two groups. I led my troops to pursue the cavalry, killing 270 enemies, capturing 39, and seizing 154 usable horses. Enemy generals Yue Fei and Suo Chao took the opportunity to escape with their remaining troops. I pursued them for 20 li but failed to catch them and returned."

In another part, Wanyan Zongbi pursued and encountered the enemy, killing 512 men. Wanyan Zongbi fought the enemy general Zhang Xian in the midst of battle, injuring his right arm. Zhang Xian broke through the encirclement and escaped. Wanyan Bendu took his place in pursuing the enemy but returned unsuccessfully.

The tent fell silent. Lü Bu looked at Wanyan Loushi and asked, "Oh? It seems there are quite a few fierce generals in the Song army... Did you find out how many men attacked the camp last night?"

"Two thousand three hundred men, of which less than eight hundred were cavalry, and the rest were infantry." Wanyan Loushi said softly with his head down: "When I was pursuing them last night, it was too dark. But judging from the sound of the horses' hooves, I think there were no more than four hundred cavalrymen when we were pursuing them, and the number of cavalrymen who escaped was about one or two hundred."

Boom, boom——

Lu Bu tapped the table lightly: "In other words, the one leading the army..." He looked at the Jurchens over there.

"Yue Fei," Wanyan Loushi reminded him.

"Yes, Yue Fei retreated immediately after his first attack failed. If his troops hadn't been so few, the losses might have been even greater."

Bian Xiang blushed and quickly stood up, saying, "This humble general is guilty."

Xi Sheng, who had come from the vanguard, also stood up: "This humble general should also be punished."

"Alright, I've already stated your punishments. Go and receive them in a bit." Lu Bu waved his hand, leaned back, and casually placed his hand on the table: "You've worked hard all night, take a rest."

"Yes!" Wanyan Loushi respectfully clasped his hands in greeting and walked to an empty seat to sit down.

Lu Bu glanced at the somewhat somber faces below and smiled: "When marching and fighting, you can't expect everything to go smoothly. Just remember the minor setbacks."

If we keep thinking about it every day and constantly dwelling on it, how can we continue fighting this war?

Below, the faces of the civil and military officials finally relaxed.

As the sky gradually brightened, Lü Bu watched the people below relax. Inadvertently, images of his overly harsh treatment of those below during his time in Xuzhou flashed through his mind. He quickly put those images aside; some things were in the past, and it was enough to remember the lessons learned.

Now, in a certain...

It's probably not a complete reversal; perhaps it's gone too far.

Under the brightly lit sky, faint shouts could be heard entering the tent; it was the sound of the army setting up siege equipment and pushing it out.

The thought only flashed through Lü Bu's mind for a moment before he stood up, walked to the enlarged map of the area surrounding Daming Prefecture, and addressed the generals below in a loud voice: "Gentlemen!"

His voice wasn't loud, but as a monarch, his every word and action naturally attracted attention, and the civil and military officials in the tent immediately stood up.

The Book of Rites states: "To give without receiving is impolite; to receive without giving is also impolite." The Song army sent us a great gift last night, so naturally we should repay them properly.

"Today, during the siege, all generals fought bravely. The first to scale the walls will be promoted one rank and allowed to stand in a military salute at the gate of their residence to boast of their martial prowess. The one who captures the city's generals will be promoted two ranks and permitted to wear a sword and shoes in the imperial court."

Below, several generals' eyes lit up, and they looked at each other with excitement on their faces.

"Half an hour later, assemble your troops and attack the city!"

"Here!"

The sound shook the large tent, and horns could be heard blowing outside.

……

Herod——

The warhorse let out a mournful whinny, and the military horse, foaming at the mouth, knelt down on the ground.

The disheveled cavalryman fell to the ground, sliding forward several feet with his cheek on the ground. When he turned over, his face was covered with a dense array of abrasions.

"stop!"

Yue Fei's eyes were full of exhaustion. He dismounted and helped the man up. Looking back at the weary troops, he sighed, "Let's rest for a bit."

The soldiers around sighed and dismounted, sprawling on the ground in a very unseemly manner.

"General Yue, this place is not safe either."

Suo Chao came over, reached out to support the injured soldier on the other side, and helped him sit down. Then he looked at the woods full of trees and said, "Although this place is far from the Qi army camp, if a grain transport convoy departs from the city to the north, it will most likely pass through here."

"...There probably won't be any grain transport teams coming down anytime soon." Yue Fei paused for a moment before asking, "How far is this place from Daming Prefecture?"

"Given our current situation..." Suo Chao smiled bitterly, "We probably won't be able to reach the South Gate until after noon today."

Yue Fei glanced at the group of over a hundred men, remained silent for a moment, and said, "Take a good rest. We need to get back to Daming Prefecture as soon as possible. I have..."

Looking up at the bright sky: "A bad feeling."

……

Ding, ding, ding—

The golden bell on the city wall was struck incessantly, its sound echoing throughout the city. Under the daylight, pedestrians hurried home, while soldiers in the city ran through the streets in formation, spears in hand.

"The Qi army has attacked the city?"

Zong Ze put his brush on the brush holder in the government office, stood up and was about to leave when Wen Huanzhang and his son Zong Ying hurriedly followed him out.

The shouts came from outside into the courtyard of the government office. The old man who came out didn't pay any attention and ordered, "Prepare the carriage!" Zong Ying hurriedly ran to the back.

"Prime Minister, don't be hasty." Wen Huanzhang looked nervous and glanced around. "The Qi army has a large force, and it will take some time to coordinate the attack."

Zong Ze nodded: "I understand." Then he sighed: "But judging from this, Pengju probably failed last night. I wonder how he is." "Bingyi Lang is a lucky man, blessed by good fortune..." Wen Huanzhang said, then fell silent again, remembering the ferocity of the Qi army.

The cart pulled by pack animals arrived quickly. Zong Ze and Wen Huanzhang got on, while Zong Ying outside hurriedly called out to drive the cart to the North Gate.

The alarm bells echoed in the sky, and soldiers on and below the city walls ran up and down in a panic. Zong Ze, along with his son and Wen Huanzhang, ran up the city walls from the inside of the stone steps.

Li Shixiong's general was directing his troops to deploy defenses when he saw him coming up. He hurriedly ran over and said, "Prime Minister, the Qi army has assembled and is about to attack the city."

Zong Ze took a breath, walked to the parapet, and peered out. A dark mass of soldiers stretched out in a straight line, and under the billowing dust, towering siege weapons moved slowly toward them like giant beasts.

bang——

“Pengju!” Zong Ze pounded the stone brick, his old face showing pain. Behind him, Wen Huanzhang and Zong Ying looked at each other and stepped forward to gently comfort the old man.

Li Shixiong stared expressionlessly at the marching soldiers outside, his fingers unconsciously tapping the scabbard at his waist.

"Quick, put the stone here!"

"Bring up more of the 'golden juice,' quickly, quickly!"

The sound spread from the city walls down to the city below, reaching into the city and mingling with the sound of the golden bells.

Outside, the array of large square blocks was already clearly visible.

……

Boom boom boom——

Under a clear blue sky, dust and smoke spread.

On the field full of wooden stakes, soldiers in black armor walked slowly, their mighty army trampling the green grass flat, revealing the land beneath.

The rows of weapons reflected the sunlight, illuminating the armor. Occasionally, the neighing of warhorses could be heard, and an aura of clashing swords and galloping horses filled the air. Riders moved back and forth, relaying orders from above within the massive battle formation.

Lu Bu was talking to someone, occasionally correcting his orders. The messenger horses galloped past him to the various formations. He would occasionally look up at the sky: "Send an order to Mi Sheng in the west of the city, instructing him to attack the city wall over there as appropriate. At the same time, send an order to Shi Wengong in the east of the city, instructing him not to interfere if anyone escapes from the south gate. Letting such troops return to Song territory will actually be beneficial to the upcoming battles."

He paused for a moment, then thought for a moment: "Keep an eye on whether Yue Fei has returned to the city. If his banner is there..."

He clenched his fist: "Leave him here!"

"Here!"

A moment later, the troops came to a stop within the range of the artillery.

……

The infantrymen stood in a line behind the parapet. Zong Ze, who was not wearing armor, looked very conspicuous. A soldier ran over with armor and put it on him right there on the wall.

The atmosphere grew somewhat somber as the distant troops came to a halt. Li Shixiong stepped forward, looking at the troops in the distance with a puzzled expression on his face.

Beside him, Zong Ze, who had his arm outstretched, glanced at him and said, "Something's not right. Why is it stopped so far away? It's not even within the attack range of the whirlwind cannons on the city wall..."

Wen Huanzhang's cheek twitched. Zong Ying hesitated for a moment, then whispered beside him, "Could it be that the Northern bandits know we have Whirlwind Cannons on the city walls and dare not come over?"

“No.” Zong Ze shook his head: “The Northern bandits are always fierce and brave. If it were just a matter of the Whirlwind Cannon, they wouldn’t be so concerned, unless…”

His tone stopped, and Shang Ziming's bright eyes looked at the army formation that had split open, with several passages appearing as someone pushed something up.

Li Shixiong kept recalling the intelligence about the Qi army he had read before. As he looked at those things, he suddenly remembered something and blurted it out.

"Qi army artillery!" x2
He then shut his mouth and looked at Zong Ze, who had also shouted out.

Zong Ze glanced at Li Shixiong, who was speaking, and nodded approvingly: "General Li and I have the same idea." He took a breath: "I have always heard that the Qi army's cannons have a long range and great power, making them powerful weapons for sieges. Let me see what they are all about."

He turned his head and said, "Ying'er, prepare to record the situation here, and then send it to the imperial court."

"I understand." The young man behind him quickly found paper and pen, preparing to record what he had seen and heard that day.

Li Shixiong watched from the side without intervening. There were too few battle reports from Hejian Prefecture, and today was a good opportunity to see what this new thing was all about.

……

Sunlight poured down.

The separated armies regrouped, and many soldiers were wiping their palms with cloth, watching the people in front of them adjust the iron lumps, talking to those around them from time to time, and writing something while looking down.

At the rear of the central army camp, Lü Bu stepped onto a cart frame made by skilled craftsmen in the army, stood on it, held onto the wooden fence in front of him, and lightly tapped it with his finger.

In the distance, a guard who was keeping track of time approached and bowed with his hands clasped: "Your Majesty, the time has come."

Lu Bu subconsciously looked up at the sky; the azure sky was cloudless. He then drew his Han sword from his waist and pointed it forward: "Pass on the order—"

The civil and military officials and soldiers beside him looked over.

"Siege!"

woo-

Several trumpeters brought their horns close to their lips and blew out deep, resonant sounds.

The order was given to the cavalry to gallop through the formation.

Ahead, Ling Zhen made a final adjustment to the cannon's angle, took the torch handed to him by Kou Xi, and murmured softly, "This is Daming Prefecture, so I should fire the first shot."

He lowered his hand, and the flame engulfed the wick.

hiss--

Sparks ignited with a soft pop, the long fuse shortened, and the sparks entered the hole.

Boom——

……

bang——

wow-

The stone struck just inches below the three characters "Damingfu," and the shattered pieces fell downwards instantly.

Zong Ze's pupils contracted, and he suddenly leaned out of the city wall, looking down at the falling rubble.

Gumbling—

Wen Huanzhang swallowed hard, almost falling off the city wall, before Zong Ying quickly pulled him back, saying, "Professor, be careful."

"That's a cannon?!" Li Shixiong only saw a flash of light in the distance, followed by a tremor beneath his feet. A breach appeared in the city wall. What if that cannonball hit the gate...?

"Quickly! Release the sluice gate!"

Zong Ze turned around and gave an order. The soldiers behind him were stunned for a moment, then scrambled and ran towards the winch at the back.

“…There are twelve more of these on the other side.” Li Shixiong murmured as he looked at the opposing formation.

Zong Ze suddenly turned his head, and a flash of fire entered his pupils.

Boom boom boom——

A series of cannon shots rang out. (End of Chapter)