Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

The weather was already getting a bit cold in late autumn.

People from Qicheng, Chenqiao Town, and Fengqiu in the capital region nervously pushed carts and carried loads on shoulder poles, swaying as they followed. The procession occasionally let out cries of being far from their homes. The people looked at the surrendered Song soldiers on both sides who were driving them away, their faces showing a hint of fear.

Since receiving the order last night, the soldiers in black in the city were fine, but the garrison and government officials who were originally stationed in the city were frantically urging them to pack their bags, regardless of whether they could take their belongings with them. They were just driving people out when the time came.

It's hard to leave one's homeland, but faced with the unreasonable local soldiers and yamen runners' sticks, none of them were stubborn anymore. After a beating of water and fire, most of them "understanding" would go out and join the group.

Even those who were unwilling, the friendly conversation of kissing the face with the scabbard would often make them understand the "persuader's" intentions better, and moved, they would "fly" into the migrating procession with bright red liquid on their faces.

So far, no one has gone to sleep because of disagreement, which is a pleasant surprise.

Five miles behind, banners blotted out the sky, and a vast army marched across the plains and forests. Zhao Huan's compensation included provisions, cattle and sheep, carts carrying weapons and provisions, and heavy armor. Young men walked among the infantry.

The air was filled with laughter and chatter. Cao Rong, Li Cheng, and other surrendered generals were especially cheerful. Although they hadn't captured Bianliang this time, they were still alive. Being alive meant they could gain merit in future wars against their former masters.

A large number of cavalrymen clad in black armor and riding warhorses lagged behind, with cavalrymen occasionally galloping past to deliver military intelligence.

As the fastest unit, their duty at the rear was to prevent Song soldiers from rushing forward in a daze, even though many generals in the army did not believe that those weak Song people would come out of the tortoise shell of Bianliang.

However, the punishment Yang Zaixing and others received for their mistakes a few days ago made these arrogant soldiers put aside their pride and, as was their usual practice, send out scouts widely and also send a portion of their elite troops to cover the rear.

The thunderous footsteps of the advancing army echoed, and the surrendered soldiers wore expressions of joy as they left the meat grinder-like battlefield. The emperor had once again kept his promise, allowing the survivors to register their households and bring their wives and parents over. If they could achieve merit on the battlefield in the future, they might be able to live a life of luxury in the State of Qi.

Behind them, a dozen or so fast horses were galloping rapidly towards them, the riders' faces full of vigilance.

Okay, okay, okay—

The horse galloped across the road and slowly came to a stop under the banners of "Wanyan" and "Shi". The mud kicked up by the horse's hooves fell to the ground. The rider pulled on the reins and said in a clear tone: "Reporting to the two generals, troops have left Bianliang. About 10,000 troops have gathered outside the city. Judging from the banners, they are from the Western Army of the Song Dynasty. The leader has the character 'Zhong' on his banner."

Wanyan Loushi and Shi Wengong exchanged a glance, their brows furrowed: "The Song people have actually left the city?"

"They actually have such courage. These people have come out and are returning. The most dangerous place must be the riverbank." Shi Wengong pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Wanyan Loushi: "Zhong... I just don't know if it's Zhong Shidao or Zhong Shizhong."

"I think so too." Wanyan Loushi nodded and ordered, "Order the scouts to keep a close eye on the Southern Barbarian army and report back immediately if anything happens."

"Here!"

The scout turned and rode away. Wanyan Loushi quickly wrote a military report and looked back: "Tudan Hexi, take your men to the central army and report the situation to His Majesty. Tell him that the situation is unclear and there may be another conflict with the Song army. In order to avoid any mishaps, please ask His Majesty to order the Wolf Cavalry to provide support."

"Yes, sir." The young guard behind him cupped his hands and led several personal guards away at high speed.

Shi Wengong had already ordered his men to search for Yang Zaixing, Wang De, Yelü Mawu, and Guan Sheng's troops, who were scattered on both flanks.

Wanyan Loushi thought for a moment and looked at Shi Wengong: "By the way, I just remembered something else."

"General Wanyan, please speak."

The famous Jurchen general approached the bald, middle-aged general and whispered a few words to him, then each led their troops forward slowly.

Not long after, Tudan Hexi, who had gone to deliver the message, returned on horseback with the emperor's order. The two took turns reading the military order and pondered for a while. After Wang De, Yang Zaixing, Yelü Mawu, Guan Sheng and others arrived, they whispered among themselves before each leading their troops away.

……

Dust billowed, and the yellow sand that filled the sky eventually dissipated in the autumn wind. Zhong Shizhong, dressed in a scarlet embroidered shirt and armor underneath, frowned deeply as he watched the endless stream of troops leaving the city.

Li Gang's reinstatement as prime minister, and the restoration of his elder brother's official position, should have been a good thing. However, after learning that the Qi army had plundered the people of the capital region and moved north, Li Gang, the newly appointed garrison commander, strongly advocated pursuing the Qi army, a stark contrast to his previous attitude of plundering the entire city and giving all the wealth to the people of Qi.

It's common for someone to overturn the decisions of their predecessor when they come to power, but haven't they been a bit too capricious lately...?

Zhong Shizhong instinctively felt something was amiss, but he had no right to stop it. Besides, the duty of soldiers was to obey orders, and now that the court had made a decision, he would just do as it was told.

The banners of generals such as "Zhong", "Yao", "Zhe", and "Gao" emerged from the city one after another, and the assembled troops numbered 30,000. In front of the troops, his elder brother approached.

"Have you discovered anything? Where is the Qi army now?"

"There are many Qi scouts ahead, and our scouts are having a hard time engaging them. Few of them are able to get close to the Qi army."

The two brothers exchanged a few words, and Zhong Shizhong hesitated for a moment: "Brother, our troops are not in a superior position. If we chase after them now, we may not come out on top."

"I know." Zhong Shidao patted his shoulder and smiled wryly: "The imperial decree has been issued, and we are required to contribute. It's not something you or I can decide on our own."

Zhong Shizhong sighed, no longer continuing the topic, and looked at the "Yao" banner, saying softly, "Yao Pingzhong has disappeared. Has Yao Gu gone mad with anger?"

Zhong Shidao turned around, a gloating expression on his face: "A while ago, more than a dozen soldiers and officers in his army were beaten with military sticks, and seven or eight wine jars were smashed. I don't believe I'm not angry."

Both the Zhong and Yao families were leading figures in the Western Army. Although they both served in the Western Army, they were rivals. This time, Yao Pingzhong made a mistake, suffered a defeat, and fled, which naturally made the Zhong brothers very happy.

Just as the army was almost assembled, the sound of horses' hooves came from the southwest. The two men exchanged a glance and raised their eyebrows in unison.

Before long, cavalrymen bearing the character "Zhang" on their banners approached rapidly. Zhang Shuye, fully armed and ready, ordered the cavalry to stop as they drew near. He then rode forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Zhang Shuye, the commander of the troops outside the city, greets you generals."

Zhong Shidao and Zhong Shizhong exchanged a glance, then looked at Zhang Shuye again. They were puzzled to see that he was wearing armor and his beard was almost completely white.

I hadn't heard that this commander outside the city was quite old...

“It is General Zhang, I have heard of him.” Zhong Shizhong smiled, cupped his hands and said, “The army has been assembled. I would like to ask General Zhang to discuss how to proceed in a moment.”

"I am of limited talent and knowledge, and dare not claim to be an expert in military formations. I am willing to cooperate with General Zhong." Zhang Shuye's face was expressionless, but he simply cupped his hands in a calm manner. "However, in addition to these three thousand cavalrymen, I have ten thousand infantrymen following behind at full speed. They will arrive soon. Another fifteen thousand infantrymen will follow five miles behind as backup. I wonder what General Zhong thinks?"

"Have it."

The two were naturally satisfied with his attitude. It would be a headache if this person came up and tried to seize power. Now, Yao Gu in the army was too ashamed to compete for the command position because of Yao Pingzhong's matter. Others such as Gao Hanchong, Hu Chun, and Chen Xizhen were just commanders of the Imperial Guards. Li Gang was also in charge of the defense in the city. So, in the army, Zhong Shidao was the one who had the final say.

The two men then led Zhang Shuye to meet the other generals. After they had all met, a fast horse galloped out from the city, and several people entered the central army camp surrounded by imperial guards. Zhang Bangchang, Wang Xiaodi, and Li Zhu stepped forward and nodded slightly to the generals: "By order of the Emperor, the three of us are here to supervise the army. We hope that all the generals will do their best for the country."

The generals displayed a variety of expressions.

On that day, urged by their respective generals, the Song army pursued the Qi army ahead.

Zhang Shuye volunteered several times to lead the cavalry in pursuit, but was refused by Zhong Shidao. He had no choice but to follow the main force.

At dusk, Wanyan Loushi and Shi Wengong each led 5,000 elite troops in a surprise attack. However, the three veteran generals, Zhong Shidao, Zhong Shizhong, and Yao Gu, used the terrain to form three lines of defense with crossbows, crossbows, and bows, firing in rotation. They also used fireballs and rockets to block the cavalry's attack.

The two generals had no choice but to retreat regretfully. Just one hour after the Qi army retreated, news came from the rear of the Song army that Yang Zaixing, Yelü Mawu, Guan Sheng, and Wang De had ambushed Zhang Shuye's infantry, killing and scattering 15,000 soldiers. Several commanders in the army were killed in action, and the soldiers who had fled were now nowhere to be found.

Upon hearing this, the generals at the front exchanged bewildered glances. Zhang Bangchang and his two timid comrades immediately jumped up, saying, "I knew the Qi army was not to be trifled with in the open!" They pointed at Zhang Shuye and said, "Zhang Shuye lost tens of thousands of soldiers in the open last time. Why is Prime Minister Li not guarding the city properly and coming out here!"

“How could you possibly know what Prime Minister Li is thinking!” Zhong Shidao’s face was ashen. He glanced at Zhang Shuye, who was expressionless, but did not provoke him. He stood up and said, “The Qi army’s abduction of the people and children of the capital region and their march to the north is an act to weaken us and strengthen ourselves. If we do not react, the Qi army will act even more recklessly in the future. Wouldn’t that be even worse?”

“We can’t just chase after them like headless flies!” Zhang Bangchang straightened his neck and glared at him fiercely: “Even if I’ve never led troops into battle, I know that intelligence from scouts in the army is extremely important. Now we can’t even get intelligence on the enemy’s forces, so what’s the point of fighting? We might as well turn back.”

“A true man has things he will do and things he will not do…” Zhong Shidao was silent for a few moments, then spoke in a deep voice: “Pass on my orders, the army will proceed slowly, scouts will patrol the area, and be careful of enemy cavalry attacks.”

Not long after, the Qi army, having successfully ambushed the enemy, did not launch another sneak attack. It wasn't until sunrise that the Qi cavalry generals took turns leading their men to intercept them. Zhong Shidao, Zhong Shizhong, and Yao Gu, all of whom had fought against the Western Xia in the west for many years, keenly sensed that something was amiss.

However, the opposing Qi army had a large number of cavalry, so they dared not pursue them recklessly. They simply stayed together and continued until they passed Suanzao, when Wanyan Loushi and his generals launched another surprise attack.

Zhong Shidao and his generals sought not merit but to avoid mistakes, simply relying on the forest to defend the area. Wanyan Loushi, Shi Wengong, and others had no intention of fighting to the death, and simply rode in circles, shooting arrows, until dusk when the sky darkened before they retreated.

Hiding awkwardly behind the central army's shield, Zhang Bangchang listened to the sound of warhorses fading into the distance. Trembling, he pulled out a piece of plain silk from his bosom and threw it fiercely at Zhong Shi, saying, "This is the Emperor's decree. From now on, the army is under my command."

Raising his voice: "The army will remain here to defend and clean up the battlefield. We will retreat to Bianliang in a quarter of an hour. There must be no mistakes!"

Zhong Shidao picked up the imperial edict from the ground, read it once, sighed, cupped his hands and said, "This humble general obeys the order."

……

Yellow River.

The river surged eastward, meandering along, while soldiers clad in black armor constructed a makeshift defensive line three miles ahead of the riverbank.

Several figures clad in iron armor walked along the riverbank, watching the boats carrying people sail to the other side, their voices mingling with the sound of the waves.

"Your Majesty, the last boatload of people has been transported across the river. Thus, except for the remote villages, we have captured all the people here."

After walking across the somewhat damp fields, Lu Bu stopped at the riverbank, glancing at the sky dyed red by the setting sun. He then turned his head slightly to look at Li Zhu, Fang Xuedu, and Wang Zheng behind him.

Li Zhu stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Majesty, the Song army is pursuing us. Why not take this opportunity to annihilate them all?"

“There’s no need to be so impatient.” Wang Zheng rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “These past few days, General Wanyan and the others have been looking for an opportunity to break through the Song army, but this time the commander is very cautious and is defending against the forest. Without infantry, it is still quite difficult.”

"No need to be anxious." Lü Bu took a deep breath of the cool air, which carried the scent of the river. "War is nothing more than money, food, and people. Now, the Song Dynasty has paid gold, silver, silk, and women as compensation, and we have also plundered tens of thousands of people from three cities. This is the biggest loss. As for the army behind us..."

He waved his hand and said, "You're nothing but chickens and dogs; you can kill me anytime you want."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of galloping hooves approached from afar. Wanyan Loushi, Shi Wengong, Wang De, and others, who were riding their warhorses, slowed down as they entered the defensive line and dismounted: "Your subordinates have returned to report our orders."

Wanyan Loushi clasped his hands in a salute: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I failed to defeat the Song army in the rear."

"The purpose of this mission is to have you harass the Song army. Kill them if you have the chance, otherwise forget it." Lu Bu looked at the generals with a smile and pointed to the sails in the distance: "See? It is thanks to your harassment that these people have been able to enter the rule of my Great Qi. After some time, they will become my citizens and will become our help."

Wanyan Loushi then smiled and said, "As we rise, they fall. Sooner or later, our national strength will surpass that of the Southern Dynasty."

"I think so too." Lü Bu waved his hand, smiling as he looked at the returning troops: "When the navy comes up in a while, you cavalry will go first, followed by the infantry. After a few trips, you will all cross the Yellow River."

Fang Xuedu stroked his beard behind him and said, "We'll see if the Song navy comes to harass us then."

Lu Bu nodded slowly, and everyone looked to the west. The river was swift, and the surface of the water reflected the red sun in the sky, creating a dazzling red glow.

……

Under the same sky.

"The scenery at Liangshan is indeed the best! Look at these mountains, look at this water, it really makes me nostalgic, hehe..."

Dong Kai, hands on his hips, pointed at the shimmering, orange-red water below, then whirled around and grabbed the man behind him by the collar: "How did they manage to hijack the ship?! Damn it, His Majesty and the others have only been gone from this wretched place for a few years, and someone dares to do business here without any investment?! There's gold on the ship that Zhu Fu gave me! Gold! How am I supposed to explain this to him?! Speak up!"

The one who had been captured was a spy who had been with Dong Kai. Upon hearing this, he didn't dare wipe the spittle off his face and gave a bitter smile: "This... I thought the waterside was safe, so... I went to grill fish with some people. Who knew that someone would sneak onto the boat? By the time I realized it, the boat had already headed into the water..."

"Hmph—" Pushing the man away, Dong Kai's chest heaved as he glared at him fiercely: "You didn't go after them?"

The scout lowered his head in shame: "This... there seem to be quite a few people on the boat. They're hoisting the sails and rowing, and I can't keep up."

"Tsk!" Dong Kai spat out a mouthful of phlegm. Behind him, a woman with a child looked at him timidly: "My lord, it's all my fault. If I hadn't insisted on coming here, this wouldn't have happened. What should we do now?"

"What brings you here, Madam Guan?" Dong Kai turned around upon hearing this, forcing a smile. "Everyone agreed to come to Liangshan. Even if you hadn't said anything, we were already thinking of returning to this old place. We just never expected that we'd be the ones getting pecked in the eye by the goose that pecked us all day long..."

Then he turned his head and said, "Although this place is now deserted, there are still places to rest, so don't worry."

The woman managed to regain her composure. Dong Kai stepped forward and glanced at the dozen or so men following him: "Go find them. Anyone who can steal a boat must be from a nearby fishing village. Go and inquire in the village. They're all seasoned thieves. Don't embarrass me or give yourself away and get tied up by the villagers."

The dozen or so spies looked at each other, patted their chests, and said, "Don't worry, if anything goes wrong again, we'll be too ashamed to work under you." (End of Chapter)