Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

"They've retreated..."

Watching the enemy retreat from one side of the city, the soldiers blocking the way sat down one by one, exhausted. After only a short while of fighting, the Song soldiers, who had at most quelled bandits, felt like their souls were about to fly away.

Li Shixiong breathed a sigh of relief. If it weren't for the archers sent by Zong Ze who forced back the Qi army, this section of the city would have been in danger. He glanced at the people sitting on the ground and frowned: "Get up! The enemy has not retreated, how can you rest on the ground?"

Before he finished speaking, several soldiers suddenly leaped up from below, wielding their cold-gleaming iron swords and slashing down.

"Help!"

"what--"

"Help me, help me..."

Blood spurted out with each scream. Li Shixiong cursed inwardly, shouting, "Crossbowmen, advance and shoot them! Quickly—"

Someone in the midst of the hacking and slashing glanced in their direction.

Li Shixiong grabbed one of his guards and said, "Go tell the Prime Minister that the enemy's offensive is fierce and tell him to quickly send up more reserve troops."

Stones flew overhead, making impacts inside the barbican and the inner city wall, accompanied by faint screams. The surrounding area was filled with the sounds of fighting and shouting, and a sharp whistle blew in the distance, a signal for help.

Li Shixiong looked over and saw that the Qi army attacking the city was being led by a huge figure wielding a crescent shovel, and the number of scarlet figures who could stop them was getting smaller and smaller.

"Damn..."

As he murmured softly, the archer beside him pulled the trigger of his crossbow, the bolt whizzing through the air, a powerful arrow flying past.

Within range, the figure in black armor pulled past the opponent, turned around, and stood in front of him to block.

"Uh……"

The body trembled a few times, and the man with wide-open eyes looked at the soldiers in front of him. He lowered his head, and several Qi soldiers held the corpse in front of them to block the view of the opposite side and cover the figure climbing up from behind.

Li Shixiong could no longer concern himself with the soldiers fighting on this side. He turned around and saw soldiers running towards him from behind. He shouted, "Go forward and hold them off!" He raised the hard bow in his hand and said, "Archers, come over there with me."

Upon hearing this, the crossbowmen and archers beside him immediately ran forward after him.

Boom, boom——

Li Shixiong ran two steps and shot an arrow, while dozens of archers behind him drew their powerful bows and crossbows, firing in the direction his arrows flew.

Arrows are like rain.

In the midst of the chaotic battle, Lu Zhishen had just swung his staff to send the commander flying when suddenly an arrow flew past his ear. The piercing whistle made the hairs on his body stand on end, and his plump body nimbly lunged to the side.

A dozen or so crossbow bolts shot past where he was standing.

"Keep going, don't stop!"

Sweat beaded on Li Shixiong's forehead as he drew his bow repeatedly, directing the archers and crossbowmen to fire in succession. He paid no heed to the occasional groans and curses of his own men who were struck by arrows, focusing solely on rapid fire to drive them off the city walls.

The stench of blood permeated the city walls. Zong Ying watched the fighting taking place all around the walls, seeing the Qi soldiers on the walls fiercely fighting against their own men. She gained a new understanding of the ruthlessness of the Qi army.

Snapped--

A hand gripped his shoulder.

"Um?!"

The young man shuddered, then turned to look at his father's face before letting out a sigh of relief. He heard his father's instructions: "Go and get another batch of reinforcements from below the city. Also, go to the treasury and get five thousand strings of cash to carry up to the city wall. Make sure it's a lot, and be quick!"

"understood!"

Zong Ying responded and immediately turned and ran with two of Zong Ze's personal guards.

Zong Ze turned to look at his guards and said, “Shout after me: I am Zong Ze, and reinforcements will be here soon!”
Whoever kills one enemy today will be rewarded with five strings of cash!
"Whoever kills a general will be rewarded with a hundred strings of cash and promoted three ranks!"

The guards beside him shouted loudly, and the soldiers on the city wall perked up immediately. They became even more ruthless and for a time they fought fiercely against the Qi army on the city wall.

Seeing this, Zong Ze breathed a sigh of relief and instructed his men: "Send men to the east and west city walls to spread the same message."

Several figures rushed out.

Soon after, another battalion of reserves, having received orders, quickly went up the city wall to replace their wounded comrades, which immediately boosted the morale of the Song army on the city wall.

……

The shouts of battle echoed from the city walls into the city. Zong Ying rode his packhorse at breakneck speed through the streets. The once bustling roads were now deserted of civilians, filled with soldiers and able-bodied men rushing about.

He led his men at breakneck speed to the warehouse entrance, ignoring the soldiers guarding outside. Zong Ying rushed in, taking three steps at a time to break through the open warehouse door.

"Huh? Du Liushou."

Zong Ying stopped and looked at the other figure inside, panting.

The person who turned around was also full of surprise, then forced a smile: "It's Young Master Zong, what brings you to the storeroom?"

"Stay put." When it came to business, Zong Ying quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "My father wants to send five thousand strings of cash to the city wall to boost morale."

"Five thousand?" Du Yun's eyes widened, his voice sharp: "Giving away so much money, what is the Prime Minister thinking? Tens of thousands of troops in the city can't even hold a few walls?"

"The Qi army is fierce and has scaled the city walls multiple times. If we don't boost morale, the city may fall at any moment..."

Zong Ying quickly said something, then paused, raising an eyebrow: "By the way, the city is under attack now, why isn't Commander Du in the government office directing the soldiers and able-bodied men in the city? What is he doing here?"

Upon hearing this, Du Yun's expression froze, and he solemnly replied, "I am here because I have important business to attend to. Let's not talk about that for now. Five thousand strings of cash, is that right? Then let someone come in and take it. I will record it in the ledger later."

Seeing that he had agreed, Zong Ying didn't have time to think and simply said, "Thank you." She then turned and waved to the young soldiers who had followed her in, saying, "Come in and move it."

Noisy footsteps entered.

They then moved outwards at an even faster pace.

……

The thunderous sound of horses' hooves echoed in the distance as the cavalry, having deliberately taken a longer route, sped towards Daming Prefecture under the leadership of their commander.

……

The banner with the character "齐" was displayed below.

Lu Bu frowned as he watched the soldiers descending from the city wall again. The city's commander seemed different from the ones he had encountered before. His forces had been driven back from the city walls several times, so the commander seemed quite capable. He tapped the armrest a few times and suddenly asked, "Who is the city's commander again?"

Wang Zheng, standing nearby, spoke up: "According to intelligence, it is Zong Ze, the Pacification Commissioner of Hebei, Du Yun, who is stationed there, and Li Cheng, the Military Commander, who is also a person with real power."

"Oh……"

Lu Bu nodded and said nothing more, but looked thoughtfully at the city wall: "Too slow. Tell Bian Xiang to persuade the defenders on the city wall to surrender. Those who surrender will be rewarded with a thousand gold pieces, a fifth-rank general title, and Zong Ze will be offered a third-rank position. He can choose between civil and military positions."

"Yes, sir!" The messenger was about to leave.

"Wait," Lü Bu called out to him. "If the Song army doesn't know what's good for them and doesn't agree immediately, let them continue their attack. Don't give them a chance to catch their breath. Go."

The horse galloped swiftly. ...

As the daylight moved westward from midday, Lu Zhishen, who had just finished his shift in the attack, was shirtless, his chest embroidered with peonies exposed to the air. He took a bowl of wild vegetable porridge with dried meat and drank half a bowl in one gulp, while the army doctor next to him operated on the arrow that had pierced his arm.

"The Song army's damned divine crossbow is indeed hard to stop. Damn it, which idiot made it back then?"

Grinning as he watched the army doctor working on his arm, Lu Zhishen's face darkened, and he complained with considerable annoyance.

"You scoundrel... I bet you didn't think this way back when you were hanging out with the Song army."

Bian Xiang glanced at him with amusement, then looked at the city in front of him and stroked his chin: "The walls of Daming Prefecture are also thick. I wonder which part is weaker. If it were like those of Hejian Prefecture, it would be much better to blast a hole in them than to have them like this."

Dang clang——

The unearthed crossbow bolts fell into the dish, and the army doctor quickly bandaged Lu Zhishen's arm.

The monk stood up, raised the porridge of vegetables and meat to his mouth with one hand, and drank it down. He watched as golden liquid was poured down from the city wall and poisonous smoke balls were thrown down. A chorus of coughs and screams rose from below the city wall. He raised his staff and said, "I'll charge again."

"Wait!" Bian Xiang called out to him, "You and Wen Zhongrong should rest and recover from your injuries first. Don't rush. Qin Ming, Han Shizhong, and Xu Wen are ahead. There's no need for you, an injured soldier, to risk your life. What's the rush?"

Lu Zhishen straightened his neck: "I'm so anxious watching this!"

Just then, a messenger rode up on a warhorse. Bian Xiang turned his head to look, and the man quickly stepped forward and loudly relayed the order.

Bian Xiang nodded to the messenger, clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, then beckoned to dozens of loud-voiced soldiers in the army, taught them the words, and then ordered the swordsmen and shieldmen to cover him as he moved forward.

At this moment, Qin Ming's soldiers and the Right Guard were taking turns to attack. Hundreds of burning rockets flew up the city wall in orange arcs, embedding themselves in the city wall and the soldiers. Flames rose up and black smoke billowed everywhere.

Zong Ze directed the defenders on the city wall to extinguish the fire, and also continued to adjust and replace the defenders. The hysterical fighting shouts and the sounds of ballistae and catapults echoed each other.

"Listen up, Song soldiers on the city wall—"

A flurry of blades pushed forward, squeezing the Song army's spears that were defending the city, causing them to stagger and fall backward. They barely managed to hold on with the help of reinforcements.

"His Majesty sees that you are all capable and is willing to promote you. As long as you are willing to surrender, you can be exempted from being prisoners of war and directly join the army. Major generals can be appointed as fifth-rank generals, rewarded with a thousand gold pieces, and promoted five ranks. If Zong Ze is willing to surrender, His Majesty will grant him the title of seventh-rank duke, and he can choose any third-rank official position!"

Zong Ze, Wen Huanzhang, Li Shixiong and others' expressions changed, and the sounds of fighting seemed to weaken slightly.

"On the city wall..."

The shout rang out again, and Zong Ze immediately turned and yelled at the archers, "Fire the arrows!"

Some archers glanced at him hesitantly, then raised their bows and shot.

Zong Ze felt a chill in his heart, and then he heard shouts coming from behind: "Father, Father, the money is here!"

"Perfect timing!" Zong Ze was overjoyed and quickly shouted, "Pour out the box of money and scatter it in an empty space!"

Zong Ying was out of breath from running, not knowing what had happened, but she didn't dare to delay and quickly directed people to pour out a box of copper coins.

The copper coins strung together by the rope fell to the ground, some scattering and rolling in all directions.

The nearby soldiers immediately widened their eyes.

Zong Ze took a deep breath: "The Qi army is ruthless. Don't be fooled. The reward is here; whoever kills the enemy will get it!"

Zong Ying quickly grabbed a few strings of cash, looked around, and had the soldiers stack the two wooden boxes on top of each other. He then stood on the stack and held the money high in his hand, saying, "Here's my reward!"

"Long live the Prime Minister!"

One of the soldiers cheered, turned around, picked up a stone, and threw it down hard.

More people cheered, and howls of despair echoed from the city walls. The sudden surge of morale caused the siege to falter, and the attack was temporarily halted.

Li Shixiong turned to look at Zong Ze, then at the soldiers fighting bravely, his face changing color. A personal guard approached him and said, "General, are you tired? You've been fighting for half a day, why don't you rest and have something to eat to replenish your strength?"

“…Alright.” After a long silence, the general nodded and retreated under the protection of his guards. Zong Ze, seeing him retreat, assumed he was exhausted and quickly dispatched fresh troops to replace him.

The group retreated to the rear of the city. Li Shixiong, with his head down, glanced expressionlessly at the people beside him and said in a low voice, "It seems that we will have little chance of being apprehended this time."

The guards who were busy around him stopped what they were doing. Several of the closer ones looked at each other and came over: "Why do you say that, General?"

"Zong Xiang has only been in Daming Prefecture for a short time and is unaware of the details of the army's situation. This silver incentive is only temporary. If this morale is broken, all we need to do is for the Qi army below to attack the city walls again and slaughter for a while."

Li Shixiong leaned forward and frowned: "I observe that the Qi army below the city is full of fighting spirit. The newly appointed siege generals are equally adept at deployment and brave in their fighting, no less capable than the previous two generals."

Several guards exchanged glances: "The general means to surrender...", pointing outside.

Li Shixiong paused for a moment, then nodded: "Zongxiang is a good official. If he had come to Daming Prefecture a few years earlier, I would have been willing to die for him today."

Unfortunately, first Liang Zhongshu's excessive extortion, and then Du Yun's unfair treatment and unclear rewards, even if we retreat from Qi, I will still have to put up with the rudeness of those bigwigs, so don't blame me..."

"That's right. Liang Zhongshu celebrates his birthday twice a year, and his wife celebrates hers twice a year. The birthday gifts alone amount to a lot throughout the year."

"A few years ago there was also Cai Jing..."

"Du Yun is a scoundrel. He always suppresses the general and prevents him from being promoted. Now that he's the garrison commander, he even makes the general pay his own bonus."

Several guards chattered amongst themselves as Li Shixiong leisurely raised his head to look at the sky filled with black smoke, listening to the shouts of battle from the other side. At a certain moment, he lowered his head and said, "Two of you go and check the situation on the east and west sides first, and then we'll make a plan."

Two trusted confidants exchanged a glance: "I'm willing to go."

He then got up and ran quickly toward the city walls on both sides.

Li Shixiong looked at the remaining people and said, "Let me make this clear first, this matter is a matter of life and death, so keep your mouths shut and wait for my orders."

The group exchanged glances and nodded in unison: "General, rest assured, we will not say anything more."

Li Shixiong smiled with satisfaction, then ordered them to prepare a white cloth and wait for the food to be brought. They ate while waiting for news from the two personal guards.

……

West of the city.

The Qi army's offensive was like a tidal wave, crashing down one after another. The Song army on the city walls was under immense pressure from the siege, with no chance to catch their breath. Half of the three thousand reserve troops prepared below were pulled up, and even the able-bodied men running up and down the walls began to feel weak in the knees.

Li Cheng gripped the knife, his face covered in soot from the smoke. The beliefs he had held onto that morning had long since vanished, and he could only lament that the sun in the sky hadn't set yet.

If it weren't for the fact that the city walls here are high and wide enough to accommodate a large number of soldiers, allowing him to barely hold the city, his troops would most likely have scattered like birds and beasts on the plains.

"Hold on! The Prime Minister has taken out the reward money. I hereby promise that I will not take a single penny. How much you receive depends entirely on you!"

"The Commander is truly impressive!"

The nearby soldiers began to shout, and gradually their shouts carried far across the city walls.

Li Cheng breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing the shouts, but suddenly, he heard shouts coming from below as well.

"Listen up, Song soldiers on the city wall..." (End of Chapter)