Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

The oil blazed fiercely on the water's surface, billowing black smoke, and the fire boat in front of the water gate suddenly collapsed.

A cheer erupted from the city wall. Li Gang finally relaxed his grip on the sword hilt, and when he opened it, he found it was covered in sweat. He wiped it on his body and took a breath: "Send orders to the four gates, beware of enemy sneak attacks."

Someone responded and ran away. He turned around, looked at Chen Xizhen, and nodded: "Commander Chen did a good job. Tonight's great victory deserves the greatest credit."

Chen Xizhen was overjoyed: "Thank you for your kind words, Prime Minister Li."

"You deserve it." Li Gang patted him on the shoulder, took two steps and looked back. A sea of ​​fire, with the occasional sound of boats sinking. He glanced at the guards behind him and said, "Let's go, go to the palace to report the good news."

……

As the ship retreated into the darkness, Zhang Shun ordered his men to lower a small boat forward to search for any soldiers who could escape. He himself stood at the stern, looking somewhat dejectedly at the distant light.

The loss of a flagship, the unknown fate of the elder brother, and the damage to all the ships that went to attack the city—this was the first time the navy had suffered such heavy losses since its founding.

The night wind blew, carrying occasional groans and shouts of "Medic! Hurry, this one is seriously injured!"

"Damn it, I didn't even get to eat the lamb, and I've gotten myself into all this trouble." Zhang Shun sighed, hands on his hips.

Before long, the sound of oars cutting through the water came from the boat, and birds chirped at the same time. He perked up and looked ahead while holding onto the wooden railing with both hands.

Several wooden boats came into view, and Zhang Shun quickly directed his men to hoist the injured water ghosts from the small boats.

"Ah..." "Hiss... Slower..."

Groans and cries of pain continued to emanate from the mouths of the people. Zhang Shun looked left and right, and suddenly saw a familiar face. His eyes lit up and he took two quick steps: "Jun-ge'er, can you see my brother?"

Li Jun, dressed in a black water jacket dripping with water, looked at him in the dim light of the boat, then turned and pointed down: "He's down there, seriously injured. I'll come up first to find a stretcher to put him down."

Zhang Shun was shocked and called out a few times. Soldiers brought a stretcher and ropes and lowered it down. Soon, they pulled up a figure. The figure was covered in charred black flesh, with no good pieces of flesh. The wounds that exposed red flesh were still oozing an unknown liquid and blood. However, he could be vaguely recognized as Zhang Heng.

Zhang Shun stood by the ship's railing, looking at Zhang Heng lying on the stretcher. His eyes twitched twice, and he turned to look at Li Jun: "This...this..."

Just as Li Jun was about to shake his head, a personal guard behind him spoke up: "The general was splashed with hot oil and then burned..."

"How could..."

Zhang Shun staggered back a step, shaking his head repeatedly in disbelief. The military doctor who had run over stood there hesitantly, unsure of what to do.

They were just military healers who treated external wounds; they weren't skilled at treating burns, let alone someone who was almost burned to death.

"Someone, escort my brother ashore and go find a doctor to treat him!"

……

As dawn broke, the flames burning on the water had long since died down, and the black smoke had dissipated.

However, there were many night owls in the city who hadn't slept yet. They had already realized from the alarms on the city walls that the Qi army was attacking the city. They gathered in groups and chatted amongst themselves. Fortunately, it was night, so the news didn't spread quickly.

By dawn, news of the victory over the Qi army's attack on the city the previous night had spread. Many people were overjoyed and began to trust Li Gang, who was in charge of the city's defenses. After all, many of them had grown up in Bianliang and would not want to leave their homeland unless absolutely necessary.

When Li Gang walked out of the palace, he looked up at the rising sunlight, closed his eyes, and exhaled. The emperor was pleased to learn of his victory, but he was more concerned about what to do about the upcoming large-scale attack by the Qi army.

How would he know what to do!

However, we should meet force with force and water with earth. If all else fails, we should just go to the front lines and kill the enemy. If this person is anxiously asking questions before the attack even starts, wouldn't that just reveal that he is not determined to resist the Qi army?
Forget it, let's take a step by step.

With a long sigh of relief, Li Gang roused himself and walked outside. He had secured a considerable amount of reward money for the soldiers of the Pengri Army who were defending the city, and he figured they would fight even harder if the enemy attacked the city again.

……

As the sunlight shone on the land in the heart of the Central Plains, the imperial cavalry, riding their warhorses, galloped back and forth. The central army, carrying a banner bearing the character "Qi," finally stepped into the territory of the capital.

When Lü Bu arrived at Fengqiu, the messenger carrying intelligence about the naval forces at the front rushed into the city.

"...He sent troops without authorization, suffered a defeat, and disgraced the country. What is Zhang Heng trying to do!"

The battle report was tossed aside. Cao Ning, who was standing nearby, quickly bent down to pick it up. Seeing that no one else had moved and that Wei He was glancing at him sideways, he let go of the report and let it fall to the ground.

Wei He's eye twitched. He silently stepped forward to pick up the report, handed it to Cao Ning, and whispered, "Give it to Military Advisor Wang."

Cao Ning then realized that the glance he had given was directed at Wang Zheng, so he quickly went over and respectfully handed him the battle report.

Lu Bu ignored the subtle actions of the people behind him and only looked at Yang Zaixing and Han Shizhong: "Didn't he contact you two to provide reinforcements from the land?"

Han and Yang looked at each other, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly shook their heads.

"Humph……"

Lu Bu paced back and forth a couple of times with his hands behind his back: "Issue an imperial decree ordering the imperial physicians in the army to go and treat that scoundrel's injuries. If he survives, his official rank will be reduced by three levels, and his title will be stripped by three ranks."

The generals looked at each other and understood that Lü Bu had spared Zhang Heng's life out of consideration for their past relationship. If Zhang Heng had died, his current official rank and title would likely have been his last honor, with no possibility of further promotion or posthumous conferment.

Lu Bu exhaled a long breath: "What's the situation in Bianliang now?"

"Your Majesty." After a moment of silence, Han Shizhong stepped forward and said, "We received a message from the spies in the city that Zhao Song has Li Gang as the commander of the expeditionary force, who is in full charge of the city's defense. Later, the brothers Zhong Shidao and Zhong Shizhong came. Based on their status and achievements, we don't know what the current situation is."

"Um……"

Lu Bu nodded, walked back behind the long table and sat down. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Are the people in the city still safe?"

“They have already evacuated Bianliang.” Yang Zaixing said, “Now the four gates of Bianliang are locked and heavily guarded. If they don’t leave, it will be difficult for them to leave later.”

Han Shizhong then spoke up: "There is a military camp outside the city, mostly composed of local Song troops. Zhang Shuye is in charge of guarding it, and I've heard there are several other capable commanders and military supervisors, but they've been keeping their hands clasped together, so we haven't been able to find out anything." The civil and military officials below remained silent for a moment. Lü Bu pondered for a while, then glanced at Wang Zheng. The young man over there, seeing this, stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, given the current situation, why not go forward and probe them, to see just how the Song court is."

He paused for a moment, then said, "If they are indeed difficult to deal with, perhaps we should retreat a bit and see how they respond."

Han Shizhong glanced at him, thought for a moment, and then lowered his head again.

Lu Bu was looking at the crowd. Seeing him like this, he said, "Good minister, if you have something to say, just say it. There's no need to keep it to yourself."

"...This humble general only thought it was a good idea after hearing the strategist say so." Han Shizhong cupped his hands and pondered for a moment: "This humble general does not know anything about Li Gang, but I come from the Western Army and know the two generals very well. These two can be said to be the pillars of the army and the anchor of the Western Army. If the Song court is left to do nothing, they will inevitably develop resentment over time."

The surrendered generals, including Li Cheng, Li Shixiong, and Suo Chao, who were standing in the hall, looked at each other. The first two nodded, while only the vanguard sighed and remained silent.

"...That's it."

Lu Bu tapped the table with his finger, somewhat tempted. Seeing this, Wang Zheng spoke up: "Your Majesty, what General Han said to me can only be implemented after the siege fails. Now that our army has arrived, if we do not move, the soldiers in his army will surely unite as one and fight against the enemy. In that case, there will be no room for maneuver."

He paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Furthermore, if our army can capture the city in one battle, then we don't need these calculations; we can just break through the city and enter directly."

“That makes sense…” Lu Bu nodded thoughtfully, then stood up, took a few steps, and stopped: “Let’s find the navy first and see where Li Bao sent the cannons. Once the cannons arrive, we’ll test the land defenses of Bianliang before discussing anything else!”

"Here!"

The generals clasped their hands in a fist salute and bowed to receive their orders.

Following the orders of the officers and soldiers, the troops began to build military camps. The able-bodied men of Fengqiu were driven out of the city by the surrendered soldiers to join the camp construction team. The surrounding counties and towns had already been subdued by Yang Zaixing and Han Shizhong, who sent even more laborers.

Under the daylight, not only were the towns to the north expanding their military camps and strongholds, but also, seemingly in response to the arrival of Lü Bu's army, more reinforcements arrived outside Bianliang City. More than 150,000 troops gathered outside the city, with camps stretching far into the distance, creating a magnificent sight.

In the middle of the many camps was a spacious tent, with the Song Dynasty flag on the top fluttering in the wind. Soldiers in scarlet armor stood outside the tent, their swords and spears reflecting the sunlight, creating an atmosphere of war and strife.

A dozen or so military horses galloped into the camp. The figure riding the warhorse jumped down in front of the main tent, walked quickly into the tent, and clasped his hands tightly: "Dongfang Da, the military commander of Tai'an Prefecture, and Yan Shude, the military supervisor of Qing Prefecture, greet Commander Zhang."

Inside the military tent, the figure who was working on military affairs at his desk looked up, revealing a slightly flushed face. The commander, named Zhang Shuye, stood up to greet him: "I have long heard of the illustrious reputations of the two generals. Your arrival today adds two more fierce generals to our army."

The two men looked at each other and bowed respectfully at the same time: "We dare not accept Commander Zhang's praise. Now that the northern barbarians have invaded our dynasty without cause, we are willing to die for the court and swear to kill the northern barbarians."

Zhang Shuye smiled and said, "Good, you two generals are very generous." He paused and said, "It's not that I don't want to welcome you two, but this morning I received military intelligence that Lü Bu of the Northern Dynasty has led his army into the capital region. You two should go and reorganize your troops first. We don't know when the battle will start, so I hope you two can rest well and kill as many enemies as possible."

The two responded in unison and then stepped forward. Yan Shude walked out of the military tent and looked at the man beside him. He noticed an iron square beam hanging from the hook of the man's victorious warhorse. After thinking for a moment, he clasped his hands in a fist and asked, "General, are you the hero known as the Iron Square Beam? How come I've never heard of your great name?"

"It's down."

Dongfang Da quickly returned the greeting, and smiled wryly at the other party's curious gaze: "My name was given to me by my elders when they dreamed of three dragons soaring into the sky at the time of my birth. Unfortunately, not many people know it, and this name is often avoided. Even I rarely mention it myself. Over time, no one knows it anymore, and they just call me by this nickname."

“Oh…” Yan Shude blinked, unable to figure out which character it was, but he didn’t dwell on it and laughed: “In any case, I feel close to the general as soon as I meet him today. Please take care of me on the battlefield.”

"Don't dare, don't dare."

Seeing that he spoke respectfully, Dongfang Da hurriedly returned the greeting, and the two immediately mounted their warhorses and rode out to return to camp to reorganize their troops.

Not to mention the two of them were busy outside, Zhang Shuye inside the tent was also extremely busy. Reinforcements kept arriving, and just figuring out how to provide food, drink, and shelter was a difficult task.

Fortunately, he wasn't the kind of person who only knew classical Chinese. Although he wasn't exactly adept at managing an army of 150,000, he was able to keep things afloat with the help of his staff and officers.

But now he is increasingly eager for the war to start, as the daily expenditures are enormous and alarming.

Outside the military camp, the tent flap was lifted and a figure walked in. Zhang Shuye looked up and saw that it was his son, Zhang Bofen. He couldn't help but stop writing and frown again: "What brings you here?"

"General, this is a letter from Prime Minister Li."

Zhang Bofen said something, took out the letter, and handed it over. The father stood up, took it, looked it over, and then slammed it down on the table.

"Father, what did Prime Minister Li say?" Zhang Bofen asked, looking at him curiously.

"The Qi army has cut off the roads to Suanzao, Yangwu, and other places." Zhang Shuye took a breath: "The battle should begin in the next day or two..."

Outside, the sounds of soldiers moving about and neighing drifted in.

……

Under the same sky, Du Yunzheng sat smiling in the bandit's tent named Yang Jin: "Captain Yang, it's settled then. You will lead your troops north to support our generals in conquering Junzhou. If you succeed, His Majesty will certainly not be stingy with rewards. Money, women, power, whatever you want, you will have."

The muscular, wheat-skinned man opposite Du Yun smiled and said, "It's no problem. I, Yang, have long admired His Majesty and wished I could have served by his side a few years earlier. Now that I've joined, it's as if my wish has come true."

Du Yun raised his wine glass: "Well said, we should toast Commander Yang. Don't go back on your word, or I'll be in a real bind."

"Hahaha—" The man on the other end laughed and stood up: "I, Yang Jin, may not be good at much else, but when I speak, I always keep my word. Don't worry!"

……

"Tch... Don't worry, I met Wang Shan when I was traveling the world. He's a man who cares about his country and its people. Pengju, as long as you go there, you'll definitely be able to have a good chat with him."

The warhorse trotted lightly, and Zhang Yong, who was following behind, couldn't help but move a little distance away. He had been talking to it all the way and was almost full of dirt.

"Really?!" Yue Fei turned to look at him with a skeptical expression.

Zhang puffed out his chest and patted it hard: "We're all neighbors, when have I ever lied to you? Besides, following you is related to my future."

Yue Fei looked him over carefully, then said, "I hope so," before turning to the others and instructing, "Detour north and visit that Wang Shan." (End of Chapter)