Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Chapter 1194 No Surrender
Flames illuminate the night, casting shadows of people into the darkness, making them blend into one with the darkness.

Soldiers who had thrown down their weapons fled in panic. The Song soldiers who were still fighting on the outer perimeter began to retreat when they heard the noise behind them. Warhorses charged forward, and there was a sound of screams and blades piercing flesh.

Cavalrymen carrying torches galloped past, and Wang Yin rode his Zhuanshanfei, blazing a bloody path as he charged toward the fleeing rout. On either side, corpses lay broken and twisted into a path. A fiery red figure charged past the soldiers blocking his way, and screams echoed as his halberd swung.

With a drawn bow, Wang Yin shot and killed a soldier who had foolishly jumped into the air. He brandished his spear and shouted, "Your Majesty, please stop! This kind of rough work should be left to me!"

The powerful halberd struck the fleeing soldier in front of him. Lü Bu glanced back at the rapidly approaching figure, then looked up at the figure running in the distance. His brows furrowed, he holstered his halberd, drew his bow, and fired an arrow at Zhang Zhongxiong's back.

As the arrow arced through the air, the Song general on his warhorse in the distance threw down his weapon and fell from his horse.

"Go check if he's dead." Lü Bu sheathed his bow, gripped his halberd again, and spoke as Wang Yin's warhorse caught up: "Bring him back alive."

"Yes!" Wang Yin breathed a sigh of relief, quickly gave a wink, left half of the wolf riders behind, and led his men to ride away.

Red Hare slowed its pace. Lu Bu originally intended to have the wolf cavalry follow Wang Yin to continue charging the fleeing soldiers, but then he thought that doing so would only make his men worry, so he decided to just leave it as it was.

"Follow me!" With a tug on the reins, Red Hare turned and continued forward: "Let's see how things are going with Wang De."

The wolf riders quickly pulled on the reins and turned around.

Before long, the thunderous sound of hooves caught up. Yu Cheng, Wei He, Cao Ning, and other guards broke through the Song army that was in their way. They were relieved when they saw the crimson figure, but they looked at the restless emperor with complicated expressions.

"Follow up!" Lu Bu ignored the thoughts of the guards and simply waved for them to follow. Yu Cheng and the others dared not delay and hurriedly stepped forward to protect them.

The warhorses continued along the original route of the vanguard. The fleeing soldiers had already heard the roaring sound behind them and cleverly turned and ran into the darkness. Those who were used to retreating with the main force were trampled over by the warhorses coming from behind.

The chaos continued, the air thick with the stench of blood, and the night wind carried a chill. The trees on both sides of the field swayed in the wind, and the sounds of fighting and screams echoed incessantly. From the north, the sounds of clashing weapons and shouts could be heard from time to time.

The fleeing figures gradually decreased, and the field of vision in front of the warhorses suddenly widened considerably. Two armies were fighting fiercely, holding torches, with the two flags of "King" and "East" constantly crossing each other, and louder sounds of clashing weapons could be heard.

The cavalry charged past an infantry formation, arrows raining down from both sides. Soldiers struck by arrows fell to the ground, and many shield-bearing figures in the front ranks screamed and rolled on the ground.

Dozens of cavalrymen in a wedge formation charged into the front line, which lacked shield-bearing infantry. Wooden shields collapsed and shattered, and spears and iron swords slashed and thrust incessantly. A forest of spears charged forward at the officers' shouts, forcing the troops that had just entered the formation to retreat.

With a robe of a hundred flowers fluttering, the figure clad in golden beast-face armor pointed his halberd forward, and the thunderous sound of hooves instantly arose. The front-row cavalrymen lowered their spears and iron lances and raised their torches high, while those behind drew their bows and nocked arrows. With a shout in unison, they accelerated forward.

"Reinforcements..."

"It's your Majesty!"

"Victory!"

Wang De's troops, who were fighting in the distance, shouted and swung their weapons even harder.

Upon hearing this, Tie Fangliang, who was blocking Wang De's offensive at the front of the formation, clenched his arms and forcefully pushed away the large sword in front of him. He shouted and launched a fierce attack, forcing Wang De to retreat slightly. He quickly turned his head to look at the south direction, where thousands of elite cavalrymen were rushing over with torches in hand.

Oops……

Tie Fangliang felt bitter. He had wanted to run away the moment he saw the defeated soldiers, but the Northern bandit general in front of him was quite capable, and his cavalry was even more elite. With only two thousand men, he was dragging three times the number of infantrymen, and he was stuck here, unable to retreat or advance. He almost broke into the enemy's formation several times, which was really frustrating.

As for now...

Glancing at Wang De, who was pointing a knife at him with a cold smile, Tie Fangliang gritted his teeth and grabbed the reins: "Stop him!"

Without waiting for his personal guards to reply, he spurred his horse forward, shouting, "The Northern bandit emperor is here! Kill him, and you'll be granted a kingship and a high-ranking position!"

"I'm willing to follow the general!"

Thousands of infantrymen shouted in unison, "Kill!" Their shields and spears formed walls of shields as they watched the approaching cavalry with a hint of tension.

Seeing that Tie Fangliang had withdrawn, Wang De did not continue leading his cavalry in the charge. Instead, he turned his horse around and shouted, "Support His Majesty! Disrupt their rear!"

The trumpet sounded.

The cavalry were gathering, and the troops in front converged under the banner with the character "王" (king), making an arc, preparing to attack the Song army's position from the other side.

Arrows rained down from the sky, and the soldiers with shields on their backs endured the shock of the falling arrows. Then, at the command of their officers, they straightened up and watched their increasingly fast-moving warhorses tremble slightly.

Tie Fangliang issued commands from the ranks. Beside him, soldiers wielding powerful bows and crossbows repeatedly drew their bows and nocked arrows. The bowstrings and crossbow strings vibrated incessantly. The charging cavalry suddenly split into two groups in his sight, moving to the left and right. The falling arrows continuously eroded the morale of the army.

The thunder of hooves grew faster and faster as they circled around. Arrows were drawn from their quivers amidst the vibrations, and he, along with many other arrows, was nocked onto the bowstring by a strong hand.

ga-

The bowstring taut instantly, the sound of horses' hooves and shouts shook the earth, and a loud cry rang out: "Shoot—"

The fingers loosened, the bowstring vibrated, and it instantly soared into the sky. The air was filled with the sound of the bowstring vibrating. Arrows shot by infantrymen in the distance fell behind the horse, and occasionally the whooshing sound of arrows piercing the air could be heard.

In the Song army formation, a figure holding a shield raised his arm high. Above him, the sound of dense arrows hitting the shield rang out. Soon, the sound of raindrops falling stopped, and the shield bearer lowered his shield and breathed a sigh of relief.

"General..."

The shouts made the shield bearers of the central army turn around, and they saw Tie Fangliang move the weapon that was held in front of his face away. He glanced at it and saw that an arrow was embedded more than halfway in the wooden beam, and there was even a bulge on the other side. He was immediately shocked.

Although this weapon is strange, it is made by an old craftsman who makes spears. It is very tough overall, otherwise how could it have fought with swords and spears for so long without being damaged?

Who shot the arrow...?

Tie Fangliang's eyes darted around, looking at anyone holding a bow besides the cavalrymen carrying torches as a suspect.

The thunder of hooves grew louder, and a personal guard stepped forward: "General, the enemy cavalry..."

Tie Fangliang looked up sharply and saw even more torches appearing in the distance. His heart sank; the enemy cavalry had charged in all at once.

“Retreat—”

He forced out two words through gritted teeth and snapped the arrow stuck in the beam in half: "Retreat into the woods, quickly!"

"Order the vanguard to prepare to intercept the enemy cavalry charge; the rest of you, follow me!"

"Yes."

The messenger agreed and immediately ran forward. Tie Fangliang then took a breath, turned his horse around, and led his troops to retreat.

The formation shifted slightly, and Lü Bu, who was circling around it, immediately noticed. He spurred his horse, switched to his halberd, and his cloak made a soft rustling sound in the air. Red Hare had already turned around, and the words "Charge!" resonated in the air. The elite troops who had followed him for years immediately followed, rushing past like a tidal wave.

boom--

The formation, which had just been disrupted, split up in an instant, and a figure as fiery as charcoal rushed in. With a powerful lash of the halberd, two figures released their large shields and flew into the air. The sound of the wooden shields shattering rang out almost simultaneously with the screams.

"kill--"

With their forces converging, fierce generals like Yu Cheng and Wei He led their cavalry directly into the broken-off army. The troops, already harassed by the cavalry, began to fall into disarray. Many cowardly commanders, unwilling to fight to the death, immediately turned tail and ran, causing their soldiers to collapse.

The outnumbered formation was overrun by the cavalry, who charged in and slaughtered them. Many shield bearers, now unprotected, were cut down like chickens. Countless corpses lay dead on both sides of the cavalry, and soon soldiers began to surrender.

"Don't panic, form ranks and retreat!" The commotion gradually infected everyone. Tie Fangliang, who was riding his warhorse, was filled with regret. He shouted a few times with all his might, but when he saw his soldiers running and stopping, and becoming more and more disorderly, he was immediately discouraged.

Nothing more...

With a wry smile, the renowned brave general of Jingdong Road pulled on the reins and fled to one side. The guards behind him exchanged glances and also retreated in silence.

Visibility was poor at night, and the crimson and black were not very distinct in the darkness. Tie Fangliang and the others dispersed the fleeing soldiers to make way, which was only a small matter on the entire battlefield and did not attract the attention of many others.

But tonight, it seemed the heavens were not protecting this brave general. Wang De was harassing from behind, leading his cavalry in circles, when he saw that familiar figure and immediately realized who it was. He grinned, raised his broadsword, and said, "Hey, my love, where do you think you're going!"

The warhorse turned and charged forward with ferocious momentum.

Surrounded by his personal guards, Tie Fangliang's eyebrows almost met across his brow. He rallied his spirits, raised his unusual weapon, and shouted, "Get out of my way, you ugly devil!"

It hit him right on the head.

bang——

The blades struck the beam, and both men's arms jerked. Having fought for a long time tonight, they both knew each other was strong. Without a word, they changed their moves and attacked again. The cavalry around them and their personal guards rushed forward, and they immediately started fighting in a chaotic melee.

……

In the distance, Lü Bu circled his warhorse, glancing at the routed Song soldiers with a somewhat bored smirk. These men, if grouped together, might put up some resistance, but even if the main force from the rear came, he wouldn't order a full-scale attack due to concerns about casualties.

He himself was quite something, splitting his mind in two. Putting aside what he was supposed to do, it was unclear who issued such a brainless military order. If he didn't know that he didn't have a spy in the Song army, he would really think that one of his own people had become a general in the Song army and issued this order.

The sound of warhorses approaching grew louder, and the banners of Shi Wengong and Wanyan Loushi came into view. Lü Bu dismounted and watched the fleeing soldiers scatter with little interest, leaving his men to chase after them on their own.

Several sounds of clashing weapons rang out, drawing people's attention.

Yu Cheng leaned closer: "Your Majesty, it seems to be General Wang's side."

"Go and see."

Red Hare moved lightly, and thousands of figures rushed past.

……

The sound of hooves rose, slowed, and stopped, and the extra torches illuminated the battlefield.

"Everyone, get out of here!"

Fang Liang swung his arm, and the corpses piled up. In the firelight, only Dongfang Da remained of the Song army. The surrounding area was filled with the bodies of the fallen. His personal guards and a dozen Qi cavalrymen were spread out on the ground, forming an irregular pattern.

All around, people held bows and arrows, aiming at the figures on the battlefield. Warhorses galloped, and Wang De kept slashing and cutting with his sword. The Song generals on the other side were not to be outdone and resisted. Some sneak arrows were deflected by his hand or he dodged them. Only a few arrows were stuck in his body, leaving no trace of blood.

"He has some strength." After observing him for a long time, Lü Bu said admiringly from his horse, "Ask him if he is willing to surrender."

One of the guards immediately rode out alone, took a deep breath, and shouted: "Hey! You Song man, listen up! His Majesty pities your bravery and strength. Are you willing to surrender?!"

“Waaaaaaaaaaaa——”

With bloodshot eyes, Dongfang Da roared and forced Wang De away. He looked up at the other side, his chest heaving.

Wang De, also panting, turned to look at Lü Bu's figure and pointed eastward: "Young man, you're quite capable. It's a pity you're working for the Song Dynasty. Their court is full of those high-ranking officials who look down on us warriors. They'll use you when they need you, but when they don't, they'll turn around and beat you to a pulp. But our dynasty is different. His Majesty is also a warrior. He treats us all the same as those high-ranking officials. Why not surrender and serve His Majesty with me?"

"Bullshit!" Tie Fangliang's eyes widened. "I eat the emperor's food, I was born a Song person, and I will die a Song ghost! How could a shameless person like you understand?"

Wang De's face stiffened, somewhat annoyed: "What an ignorant fool!"

Tie Fangliang brandished his long weapon: "Enough nonsense, come forward and die!"

The sound reverberated throughout the surrounding area, and could be clearly heard.

Yu Cheng and Wei He also frowned as they looked at the emperor in the middle.

Lu Bu looked at the two men with admiration and said, "He is a loyal and brave man." He shook his head and said, "Well, it is indeed not suitable for me to persuade him to surrender. He wants to be loyal and it is not good to stop him. Go and see him off." He looked up at the moonlight and said, "It is indeed a bit late at this time."

Yu Cheng responded, and Wei He brandished his large polearm and called out, "Cao Ning, come here."

Upon hearing this, the young man raised his spear and spurred his horse forward.

The three rode out into battle, and Wang De had already brandished his broadsword, fighting alongside Dongfang Da. The moment the four charged in, swords, spears, and phoenix-headed axes all came crashing down.

The strange weapons met the attack, and amidst the clanging of the weapons, the spear pierced the abdomen from nowhere, and blood spurted from the middleman's body.

A mouthful of blood gushed out, and Tie Fangliang shut his mouth with a "uh..." as the strength in his arm dissipated.

"rise!"

Cao Ning frowned and glared, veins bulging at his temples. With a roar, he mustered all his strength and with a single flick, lifted the Song general sitting on his warhorse several feet off the ground.

"I...will not fail the Emperor's grace..."

(End of this chapter)