Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

The reddish sunset cast its rays across the rooftops, a few birds flew across the horizon, and a gentle breeze rustled the leaves.

The guards and officials in the government office watched the group of people walk by, then turned their gaze to the distance, occasionally glancing at the distant red glow of the sunset.

Lu Bu sat at a stone table in the courtyard, with clean fruit on the table and chilled drinks chilled with well water beside him. He was talking quietly with Wang Zheng while taking sips from time to time to cool off.

"The matter of Daming Prefecture will no longer be dealt with. The army will rest here for a day and continue southward."

Wang Zheng nodded and leaned on the table: "This is Beijing in Song territory. We can have Lü Sinong stationed here. The city is strong and the ground is flat, so we can leave some cavalry here."

"I have sent someone to contact the navy. The transport ships will arrive tomorrow. The siege equipment will be transported by water, which will speed up the march considerably."

"It's possible that the Song navy will block this side of the Yellow River."

"I still have confidence in Li Bao and the others."

After saying that, Lü Bu stopped feeding the cold drink and turned to look towards the door.

When Wang Zheng saw him stop moving, he followed his gaze and saw several familiar figures walking in from outside. They looked at the unfamiliar people with an interested expression.

Bian Xiang, accompanied by Lu Junyi and others, quickly approached, cupped his fists, and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty." Xu Guanzhong, following behind, also hurried forward, addressing himself as a commoner and bowing in respect.

The branches swayed slightly. Lü Bu straightened up and gestured with his hand, saying, "Please rise." He watched the unfamiliar man stand up, looked him up and down, and felt a sense of goodwill towards him upon seeing his handsome appearance.

"Back then, I happened to obtain a geomantic map made by you, which made my conquest of Liaodong much easier. In fact, the credit for taking Liaodong should be given to you."

"I dare not accept Your Majesty's words." Xu Guanzhong cupped his hands, but his face showed a look of joy: "The return of the North to Qi is all because of Your Majesty's bravery and the bravery of your soldiers. I have heard that Your Majesty has defeated the main force of the Liao army in several battles, leaving the Khitan without any elite troops to fight."

"Hahaha—" Lu Bu laughed loudly, "Sir, you are too modest." He gestured with his hand, "Please come closer and sit down."

Xu Guanzhong bowed and thanked him. Bian Xiang scratched his head. Lü Bu glanced at him sideways and chuckled, "What are you standing there for? Can't you come forward yourself if you're not invited?"

"Okay," Bian Xiang said, his face beaming as he sat down on the stone bench.

Seeing this, Xu Guanzhong looked thoughtfully at Bian Xiang and Wang Zheng, and smiled: "Your Majesty's place... is quite different from the court I know."

"I don't like overly serious atmospheres."

Lu Bu gestured, and a guard stepped forward to bring a porcelain bowl for cold drinks. He watched as the cool liquid was poured in and said, "We're all brothers who started from the same place. After spending so much time together, there's no need for so many formalities in private. It's just too formal."

Hui Koon-chung smiled, his expression showing more sincerity.

Bian Xiang first drank a bowl of cold water, wiped his mouth, and suddenly said, "By the way, Mr. Xu just said that he was also a martial arts champion."

"Oh?"

Lü Bu and Wang Zheng looked over at the same time, and the latter clapped his hands and laughed: "I didn't expect you to be so talented, sir. I wonder what your thoughts are on the Southern Dynasty?"

Xu Guanzhong saw Wang Zheng smiling at him after he finished speaking, and Lü Bu and Bian Xiang also turned their gazes to him. After thinking for a moment, he said, "It's a bit of an exaggeration to say that the people north and south of the Yangtze River are suffering, but it's common for most officials to plunder the land. The military is corrupt, with only one or two out of ten capable people. They also have to hold back the officials in the court. If there is no ruler who can restore the dynasty and spend more than ten years to reform it, I'm afraid it will be..." He looked at Lü Bu and continued, "swallowed up by His Majesty."

Lu Bu glanced at his ministers on either side of him and smiled, "Sir, don't try to flatter me."

"...That is the truth."

Xu Guanzhong sighed, his face somewhat somber: "When I was young, I was also ambitious and had a heart to serve my country. I wanted to dedicate my passion to the court, so after mastering my skills, I participated in the military examination, hoping to join the army and serve on the frontier. But who knew that the officials in the court were only concerned with vying for power and profit, or thinking about how to make money? Three months in the capital truly opened my eyes, tsk..."

His expression turned disdainful: "From then on, I gave up my desire to serve as an official in the imperial court. Over the years, I have traveled all over the country and witnessed too many things happening in various places. Most of them are about how corrupt officials use tricks and extortion to seize wealth. Of course, they are not as bad as the Southeast Treasury Bureau that caused the riots in the southeast, but they still make the people suffer unspeakably..."

He paused for a few moments, then sighed and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I couldn't control my emotions for a moment and said nothing but complaints."

Lu Bu sat up straighter, raised his bowl and smiled: "It's nothing, I can tell you've been holding back for a long time, sir."

“It really has been quite a long time…” Xu Guanzhong chuckled self-deprecatingly, raising his bowl: “The more places I traveled, the greater my disappointment became. With emotions accumulating and nowhere to vent, it really made me anxious.”

“If that’s what you’re saying…” Bian Xiang interjected, “didn’t you ever think about killing a few corrupt officials to restore peace to the people?”

"The whole world is corrupt." Wang Zheng glanced at Xu Guanzhong lightly: "What's the use of killing one or two? It's just replacing one person with another to prey on the people. Perhaps they'll even impose miscellaneous taxes several times in a short period of time. Wouldn't that be even worse?"

Bian Xiang was no fool; he immediately understood Wang Zheng's meaning, paused for a moment, and then shook his head.

The four of them drank a bowl of cold drinks instead of alcohol right there.

Setting down the bowl in his hand, Lü Bu looked at Xu Guanzhong and leaned forward: "Let's not talk about those annoying things. I have never liked beating around the bush. I invited you here today because I have something to ask of you."

"I dare not." Xu Guanzhong's expression turned solemn, and he bowed slightly: "Your Majesty, please give your orders. This humble subject will certainly speak frankly and without reservation."

“Very good.” Lu Bu nodded, wiping the water droplets off the porcelain bowl with his fingers. “A geomantic map.” He stared at Xu Guanzhong and said, “The map you made is very helpful for the army’s operations. I hope you can join my army as my chief clerk for the time being and contribute to the march and battle. After the war, I will reward you for the work of the map you made earlier.”

He then smiled and said, "Of course, if you want to lead an army into battle, that would be even better. However, in our Great Qi, military merit is highly valued, so we cannot give you a high position right away. We can grant you the position of a fifth-rank lieutenant general, leading an army of two thousand men, which can be increased to five thousand in wartime. What do you think, sir?"

Xu Guanzhong did not hesitate. He stood up, took a step back, and knelt down: "I came to Daming Prefecture to change the world. I am willing to serve Your Majesty. If Your Majesty does not abandon me, I am willing to be your vanguard."

Lu Bu clapped his hands and laughed: "Good, good, good. Before I rose, I always wanted to see Guanzhong and ask him about the affairs in the north. Now that you have entered my court, you should not be stingy with matters of the south. Get up."

Xu Guanzhong stood up as instructed and smiled: "Your Majesty is benevolent. Even if you do not consider the people of Song, but think of my own future, I will certainly tell you the truth."

"Come and sit down." Lü Bu gestured for a seat. "I wonder what Guanzhong's opinion is on this battle?"

Xu Guanzhong sat down heavily: "Your Majesty's advance is unstoppable. Daming Prefecture has already fallen. If we move south and take Kaide Prefecture, we will control the key passage of the Yellow River. Then the area north of the capital will no longer belong to the Southern Dynasty."

He paused for a moment: "As long as Your Majesty's army captures Weicheng and Fengqiu, it can enter the capital region. At that time, how to break through the city will be entirely up to Your Majesty."

However, there's one thing: the two emperors of the Southern Dynasty won't sit idly by and wait for their doom. They've probably already issued edicts to come to the aid of the emperor, at which point troops will gather in the capital region, and a major battle will be inevitable first.

Wang Zheng raised an eyebrow, and Lü Bu nodded and smiled: "Minister Xu is indeed talented." He then slapped the table: "My spies in Bianliang have reported that tens of thousands of troops have already arrived in the capital region, and there are likely many more on their way."

Xu Guanzhong's eyes gleamed: "It seems His Majesty has long harbored ambitions; Guanzhong has certainly not chosen the wrong person."

Lu Bu and the other two stared at him for a long time, then burst into laughter.

……

The fiery clouds drifted in the west, dyeing the horizon red.

Li Cheng stood idly against the wall, listening to the sobbing sounds coming from the room behind him. He pursed his lips and thought to himself that all women knew were the tricks of crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide. He wondered if they would work on someone as straightforward as Suo Chao.

The crying continued for a while, and Li Cheng vaguely heard intermittent voices coming from inside: "No, I am from the Great Song Dynasty... how could I... from now on... it will be hard on my wife." He immediately frowned, cursed inwardly, but he knew in his heart that the vanguard in the room had not softened his heart towards his wife's tears as he had thought.

With his arms down, Li Cheng was pondering who else to ask to plead his case, completely unaware that the woman's crying had ceased inside.

Tsk, should we try tying up his mother and daughter?

No, no, if I provoke his stubbornness, things will go wrong.

...How about we go and ask Zhou Jin's parents to come over and try?
A glint flashed in Li Cheng's eyes. At this point, he no longer cared whether the methods he used were honorable or not; he only wanted to force Suo Chao to his knees and surrender so that he could fulfill his promise to the emperor.

"What did you say?!" A sharp voice pierced the air from the window frame and door crack, startling Li Cheng. *Snap*

"Hey, what are you doing..."

Bang!

"Ah! Hiss... Are you serious?"

Several thuds and the sound of heavy objects falling to the ground were heard. Li Cheng couldn't help but tiptoe a few steps toward the door and window, where he could clearly hear the thuds and curses.

"You heartless bastard, you want to leave your old mother and young child behind? You want to die? I don't need to wait for Qi Jun's sword to chop off your head, I'll beat you to death right now, and then take your bedridden mother and daughter with me to die!"

"No, I... Ah!"

"Hide? You're willing to risk your life, why would you hide from a few slaps? You spend all day at home cursing the injustice of the court, and now you're eager to be a loyal minister and martyr? Bah! What's the difference between what you're doing and those prostitutes in brothels who are ridden by thousands and forced to stand up for themselves?"

"Don't hit my face... Ah! I was wrong... Please... Ah!"

"I'll let you..."

Li Cheng's expression outside was incredibly interesting. He could clearly hear the crisp slapping sounds from inside the house, but even so, it didn't stop Suo Chao's wife from cursing inside.

Li Cheng unconsciously walked to the door and peered through the crack in the door.

I didn't see anything with my left eye.

The right eye can see normally.

Damn it, why don't you guys stand in the middle and fight? How can you even see the egg from here!

Cursing under his breath, Li Cheng adjusted his posture, pressed his ear against the door to eavesdrop, and kept stroking his beard with one hand. He heard the crackling sound getting faster and faster, mixed with Suo Chao's screams. His face, which had been somewhat miserable, gradually became beaming with joy.

"Stop hitting them!!"

Suo Chao roared from inside the house, seemingly startling his wife, then yelled, "You long-haired, short-witted woman..."

"What did you say?!"

A scream rang out, and Suo Chao inside immediately shouted, "Stop!"

Then a frustrated voice came: "I surrender..."

"real?!"

"Of course it is."

"Great!"

"You've really ruined my life..."

Li Cheng, standing outside the door, narrowed his eyes slightly, covering his mouth to stifle his laughter, though his shoulders trembled as he clearly struggled to hold it in.

Footsteps suddenly entered the room, and Li Cheng, who was secretly laughing, changed his expression. Before he could stand up, the door was suddenly pulled open.

The door frame in his line of sight suddenly changed into the threshold and the floor inside the room, and Li Cheng froze before his expression could change.

His eyes darted slightly toward the room, past a somewhat dirty white shirt, and his gaze moved upwards inch by inch until a pig's head with a thick beard came into view.

Suo Chao's face was swollen and round from the slaps, with a crystal-clear appearance. His eyes were bruised and purplish, and his eyes were squinted, leaving only a slit. Blood was hanging from his left nostril and the corners of his mouth.

Li Cheng: "..."

What to do? I've been caught red-handed eavesdropping...

Suo Chao: "..."

What to do? Someone overheard me getting beaten up...

With a heart full of despair, Suo Chao looked at the former military commander who was bending down to approach him. His lips twitched, and perhaps because it aggravated his injury, warm water flowed from his right nostril.

Suo Chao instinctively touched it with his hand.

Blood was smeared across the philtrum.

"Pfft..." A sound escaped from between Li Cheng's fingers as he covered his mouth.

Behind him, Madam Su saw that her husband hadn't moved for a long time, so she raised her hand and slapped him near his temple, causing the burly and strong man to stumble to the side.

"Why are you standing there like a fool? There's no nest for you to build here." He turned his gaze to Li Cheng, quickly put on a smiling face, and bowed and scraped as he said, "General Li, my husband has agreed to surrender. I hope you will understand."

Suo Chao stared blankly at Li Cheng, whose eyes were curved into crescents. A muffled sound came from the hand covering his mouth: "It's alright, it's alright. This general has already... pfft... I know, I'll go now... heh... I'll inform His Majesty. Madam, please wait a moment... hmm... I'll be right back."

Without waiting for the woman's reply, he turned and ran, his speed suggesting that five thousand iron cavalry were chasing him, and he disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Behind them, Madam Su stretched out her arm and waved her hand, saying, "I entrust everything to General Li."

A burst of laughter came from ahead.

Suo Chao leaned wearily against the door frame, his body limp as a noodle, looking as if he could collapse at any moment.

I feel inexplicably tired...

Or perhaps it's better to serve one's country loyally.

As night approached, someone went to the prison, and then a burly figure emerged from the moonlight, head bowed and armor drooping.

Ahead, a woman carrying a lantern walked forward. The lantern illuminated Suo Chao's face, and the woman spoke softly: "Congratulations, young master, on your safe return."

Early mid-autumn.

Qi's transport ships arrived along the river, and Lü Bu ordered all the firearms battalion to board the ships, with some of the whirlwind cannons receiving the same treatment.

Within Daming Prefecture, Xu Guanzhong selected two thousand men from the recruited army and troops from the Qi Kingdom, while also sending three surrendered generals, Li Cheng, Li Shixiong, and Suo Chao, to lead eight thousand soldiers from Daming Prefecture southward with the army.

As for city defense, Lü Yan, who was appointed Minister of Agriculture, led a thousand infantrymen and five hundred cavalrymen to garrison the area.

The year of Ji Hai.

The sound of bugles echoed in the early morning as Lü Bu's army, having finished their rest, prepared for battle.

Go south. (End of chapter)