Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Chapter 1183 Bandits in the Capital
The morning sun shines down, casting its light on the intertwined branches of the trees, and dust motes drift in the play of light and shadow.

A gentle breeze swept through the woods, and the man sleeping in his military uniform opened his eyes, sat up, and heard a few muttering sounds. Yue Fei turned to look and saw Wang Gui scratching his collar, muttering something, before turning over to change his position and continuing to sleep. Zhang Xian and Tang Huai, though not as dramatic, were also fast asleep.

The sounds of cicadas and birdsong filled the trees, and the events of the past two days replayed in his mind. He stood in the Xiangzhou government office, humbly and respectfully pleading with the prefect to send troops to aid Tokyo. But what did that man say again?

We have a duty to defend our territory. Now that the northern bandits are rampaging through the major military prefectures and cities of Hebei, we dare not leave without permission, for fear of losing land and failing our duty, thus failing the Emperor's grace above and the common people below.

How grand and imposing!

Yue Fei reached out and pressed his temples, looking somewhat dejected. He wasn't a three-year-old child who would believe a few words from someone. However, the other party was a governor of the Song Dynasty, and no matter how much he argued, he couldn't make someone obey his orders.

Damn!

The Qi army is almost at Bianliang, yet these people are still hesitant to risk their lives for their country. How can they possibly stop the Qi army, which is as fierce as a tiger and a wolf, if things continue like this?

With his mind a jumble of thoughts and his mood somewhat agitated, Yue Fei couldn't fall back asleep. He simply got up and looked around. The forest in the early morning was picturesque, with birds, squirrels, and even unidentified insects roaming about. Five of his cavalrymen were leaning against a tree trunk and had fallen asleep.

Let's go find something to eat.

Yue Fei sighed inwardly, but did not wake anyone. He went to his warhorse to get his bow and arrows, hung his protective sword at his waist, and walked into the distance, stepping on the green grass.

The bow is drawn, the arrow flies, and the bird falls.

After catching several birds and shooting a fat rabbit, and picking some wild fruit, Yue Fei finally headed back to the place where he had just rested.

rustle--

His footsteps crunched on the grass as he followed the marks he had made on his way back. The trees around him were tall and straight, and the grass and trees were lush and green. Yue Fei's steps suddenly stopped.

……wrong.

His gaze swept around, but the birdsong and cicada chirps that should have reached his ears were barely audible. Yue Fei put down the prey he was carrying, slowly drew the sword from his waist, and strode forward, his sharp eyes scanning the surrounding scenery.

"...Let me go."

"Boys, this is treason!"

"What the hell are you yelling about!"

A strong voice came from the front. Yue Fei stopped in his tracks. He could tell that it was Wang Gui and Zhang Xian's voice. The voices behind him were a little unfamiliar, but it wasn't hard to guess that they had encountered bandits.

House seemingly endless rain.

Clicking his tongue inwardly, Yue Fei cautiously approached, using the trees for cover. In his line of sight, more than a dozen burly men were escorting Wang Gui, Zhang Xian, and others in pairs, while others were leading their warhorses, patting their necks and laughing loudly, wishing them good luck.

A burly man stood in front of Wang Gui and the others, patting Wang Gui's face with his hand: "Kid, stop yelling. You're obviously defeated soldiers who retreated from the front and ran to these mountains because you didn't dare to go back to the camp. Perfect, your grandpa is short of men right now. As long as you join us now, you don't have to worry about being punished by military law. We can eat meat in big chunks and divide the gold by the scale. Isn't that great?"

"Yes."

"What's so good about being a soldier?"

The group of bandits raised their weapons and shouted at the person speaking, laughing as they spoke.

Seeing that they had their backs to him, Yue Fei's eyes flickered. He gently sheathed his sword, crouched down, and slowly walked towards the men who were guarding the warhorses.

Zhang Yong slammed his stick down with a loud thud, then pointed his thumb at his chest: "Brother Zhang Yong, the brothers around here have been kind to me. Following me, I've made a bit of money."

After running past several large trees, Yue Fei leaned against a tree trunk and paused for a moment.

"What future is there in working for you? You're just a bandit, what can you possibly do to the heavens?"

It was Tang Huai's voice. Yue Fei glanced at him slightly, but no one noticed him. A bandit turned to talk to his companion, who was facing his direction. He then quickly shrank back and leaned against the tree trunk.

"Why not?" Zhang Yong chuckled and looked at Tang Huai. "That emperor from the north seems to be the same bandit from Liangshan, right? Who knows if I can't become the next Lü Bu?"

"Exactly, who says we can't achieve anything?"

"Look at the pathetic state you're in. If you could really stop others, would you even be here?"

"The Qi army is about to capture Zhen Ding Prefecture. You bunch of bastards are truly useless."

Amidst the sarcastic remarks, Yue Fei quickly leaped several feet forward, then peered out and saw the bandits busy mocking Tang Huai. He quickly turned around the tree trunk and ran a few steps forward.

The sound of boots running startled the people ahead. The bandit leading the horse instinctively turned his head, and just as he uttered a soft "Huh?", a dark figure galloped over and leaped up.

bang——

With his buttocks on the saddle, Yue Fei kicked out and struck the man in the face. He gave a light shout, pulled his foot back and hooked it, and obtained the Li Quan Divine Spear. He then squeezed the horse's belly with both legs.

Herod——

The warhorse neighed and charged forward.

Zhang Yong was listening smugly to his companions when he suddenly saw a dark figure leap onto a horse, raise a long spear, and utter a "Hey?" The horse galloped off.

what happened?

Anyone else?
The thought had barely crossed Zhang's mind when he gripped the stick in his hand and roared, "Someone's here!" The warhorse opposite him had already knocked away several guards and was charging towards him. The distance of a few feet was covered in an instant.

"That guy!"

Seeing that he couldn't dodge in time, Zhang Yong shouted and swung his club at the warhorse. On the warhorse, Yue Fei slammed his spear down and met it with his club up.

state--

With a muffled thud, Zhang Yong felt a sudden ache in his arm and a stiffness in his legs. Before he could react, the muddy combat boots loomed large in his vision.

bang——

Zhang Yong felt a sharp pain in his nose, and was kicked backward, flying onto his back and falling to the ground.

"Stop!" Yue Fei pulled on the reins with one hand, and the horse reared up. As it put down its four hooves, Zhang Yong recovered from the dizziness of being kicked down. However, Yue Fei immediately thrust his hand forward, and the sharpness of the spear stopped an inch in front of him. A little further and it would have pierced his throat.

Zhang covered his nose with his hand and remained motionless, blood flowing from between his palms.

"I am Yue Fei, the righteous general of the Great Song Dynasty! Release them all!" He glared at the surrounding bandits, and their courage vanished at his glare. No one dared to continue holding Wang Gui and the others, and they all unconsciously let go.

"Damn it!" Wang Gui seized the opportunity and immediately got up, punching the man to the ground: "I'll teach you to cause trouble while I'm sleeping."

Seeing the man lying on the ground showing off, he kicked him again: "You blind fool!"

Yue Fei ignored Wang Gui's venting of anger and instead turned his gaze to Zhang Yong, whom he had cornered, and sighed, "Brother Yong, it's been a long time. How did you become a bandit?"

"Hmm?" Zhang, who was on the ground, let out a sound while covering his mouth with his hand. He looked the man on horseback up and down, then his mind raced. Remembering what the man had just said, he suddenly widened his eyes and pointed to the back of the warhorse with his bloodied hand: "Yue... Yue Fei? You are Brother Yue?"

Yue Fei lowered his eyes slightly and said, "It's kind of you that you still remember me, a fellow villager."

Zhang Yong relaxed at this moment, simply lay there spread-eagled, and chuckled: "So it was you. Then I didn't lose unjustly."

Once freed, Zhang Xian, Tang Huai, and the rest of the Song army took up arms and tried to capture the bandits who dared to provoke them. The other side, of course, refused, and the two groups faced off.

Zhang Yong paid no attention to his men's plight, his gaze fixed on the familiar figure on horseback: "Didn't you go to Cizhou to join the army? Why are you back?"

"It's a long story..." Yue Fei sheathed his weapon, kicked off his horse with ease, and looked around. "Have your men lay down their weapons first." He paused for a moment, then added, "You know my martial arts skills."

"Tch..." Zhang Yong curled his lip, tilted his head and shouted, "Put down your weapons, everyone. These are people I know, don't worry!"

"what?"

Hearing this, Wang Gui turned his head and glanced at the scene. Seeing that Yue Fei wasn't pressuring Zhang Yong and that he was nodding, he muttered, "Damn it, they've suffered a huge loss, and they still want to get revenge."

The two sides immediately split into two distinct groups.

Yue Fei stepped forward to help Zhang Yong up: "Let's talk over here."

The bandit leader, whose nose was bleeding, nodded slightly.

……

As Zhao Huan handed over the power to defend the city, troops arrived from all directions.

The Western Army, a backbone force of the Song Dynasty, also rushed to the aid of the brothers Zhong Shidao and Zhong Shizhong, who were summoned back by the imperial edict.

The two veteran generals, who were initially in low spirits, were overjoyed to hear that Li Gang was defending the city and that he had declared his intention to fight a bloody battle with the Qi army. They came to visit him, and after learning of his plans, they decided to first clear the area around Bianliang City, so that the Qi army would have nowhere to borrow food or replenish timber.

He then placed the various armies at their respective gates and deployed the Nanjing navy into the Grand Canal to guard against any potential naval forces of the Qi army.

Just as the civil and military officials in the capital region were racking their brains to prepare for defense, news of the fall of Huazhou arrived, immediately making everyone even more anxious.

In autumn, the Qi army, relying on surrendered soldiers, captured several cities in Huazhou, taking more than 5,000 prisoners. The vanguard generals Han Shizhong and Yang Zaixing ordered the advance to continue.

Cao Rong, Li Shixiong, and Suo Chao immediately led their troops from the north into Fengqiu. Although the local garrison commander had previously received Li Gang's order to defend to the death, he still considered surrendering in the face of the vast Qi army with its banners covering the sky.

After resisting the siege for a morning, the defending general, feeling he had fulfilled his duty, ordered the city to be opened and the city to surrender. The Qi army's land forces advanced to the sight of the people of the capital.

The first to receive this news were naturally the two generals Han and Yang in the vanguard, followed by the two Zhang brothers who came by canal. They were not very clear about the situation in the capital region. Upon hearing this news, they assumed that there was no longer any obstacle in the north. They first sent people to investigate, and after receiving definite information, the two summoned all the generals to gather at the flagship.

"What are you hesitating for? Our navy is faster and arrived first, so we should naturally go forward and test the waters. We can't let all the battles be fought by the cavalry and infantry, and end up with nothing."

Zhang Heng remained hot-tempered. Along the way with Li Bao, the navy, apart from fighting a few battles at the beginning to seize the river, did not gain any merit. They only helped the army transport supplies and protect the towns along the river from being attacked by the Song army.

Meanwhile, Wei Zhaode, Hu Yanqing, and the three Ruan generals, who also led the navy, had already occupied Cangzhou, the largest city at the junction of Hebei and Shandong, and were reportedly still advancing southwards. How could he not be anxious?

"General Zhang is right. We should take this opportunity to fight and see how well Bianliang is defended now, and whether there is any chance to take advantage of the situation."

Tong Wei chimed in at the opportune moment, sharing his own thoughts.

His brother Tong Meng nodded in agreement: "Brother is right. We came by water and didn't encounter the Southern Dynasty's navy. If the defenses of Bianliang are lax, we can catch them off guard and achieve surprising results. Even if they are prepared, we can retreat in time."

Zhang Shun and Li Jun exchanged a glance, their faces showing a thoughtful expression. During this time, they had been listening to their comrades report their victories, and as the naval force, they had felt somewhat unbalanced. Now that they had arrived in Bianliang as the vanguard of the navy, how could they not be able to hold back?
"Why don't we give it a try?" Li Jun looked at the people in the cabin and suggested in a low voice, "Fengqiu is just to the north. If anything happens, we can notify the infantry to come over. Besides, General Li is pulling the cannons and other equipment slowly behind us. It would be good for us to go up and attract the attention of the Song army."

Zhang Shun stood up, looked at his brother, and nodded: "As the vanguard of the navy, we should go forward and try to take him down, just like the land forces."

"Then it's settled." Zhang Heng laughed heartily, looking at the figures in the cabin for a moment in a daze: "Let the heroes of Jieyang's waters test their skills against the capital."

Zhang Shun slammed his right fist into his left palm: "Tonight's operation!"

"Here!"

A gentle breeze blew, and the river water splashed against the side of the boat, making a gurgling sound.

……

The capital region was teeming with various armies, and together with the original Imperial Guards, the total number reached 150,000 to 160,000.

Around Bianliang City, several military camps stood up, forming a formidable defensive position with the city, giving the impression that it would be difficult to attack.

Li Gang, dressed in light leather armor, ran quickly across the city wall with several military officers. Some people saw him arrive and hurriedly bowed. The figure, who seemed to have little interest in anything, waved and ran past, muttering something under his breath. Someone behind him wrote down what he said.

Subsequently, his orders were sent into the city from time to time, and more defensive supplies were being transported to the city.

Scouts in the north were exploring everywhere, while scouts carrying messages were frantically returning south. Behind these scouts were spies from the north and an army further away, harboring even greater malice.

The atmosphere in Bianliang City had become eerie after the fall of Daming Prefecture. Now that Fengqiu had been captured, the imperial palace, the capital, and the people and wealthy households inside and outside the city were in an uproar.

However, those responsible for defending the city no longer wanted to let go of any potential laborers. Instead of ordering them to be sent out, they closed the four gates and issued an order to kill anyone who dared to trespass.

As the daylight shifted, dusk lost its last glimmer of light and warmth, and a deep, azure hue swept across the land.

(End of this chapter)