Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

The clouds parted in several places, and sunlight streamed down through the gaps.

The air was thick with tension. Footsteps, wheels, and the occasional thud of weapons hitting the ground advanced rhythmically. As shouts of "Hurry up!" and "Keep up!" came from afar, the pace quickened.

The cold, hard ground produced little dust, and people's vision remained unobstructed. The cavalry, carrying the orders of their commander, galloped back and forth among the ranks, shouting and urging the troops to stay on the right path.

Banners fluttered in the wind, and flags bearing the character "Zhao" waved and rustled. In the rapidly advancing central army, Zhao Gou, with a fair complexion and a short beard, sat on a black horse wearing winter clothes and a cloak. On both sides, the generals, fully armed and carrying long spears and broadswords, guarded him.

He glanced around every now and then, his hand holding the reins trembling slightly, looking very nervous. This was the first time he had been so close to war. Even in Bianliang, he had never felt this intensely in the imperial city.

Ultimately, it was because there were no city walls protecting the area.

The thought flashed through Zhao Gou's mind, and he looked around at the soldiers and generals around him, becoming more and more certain that he was best suited to stay inside the stone-built city walls.

"Has Your Highness discovered anything?"

Yue Fei, mounted on his warhorse, glanced at Zhao Gou with some curiosity. He, Tang Huai, Wang Gui, Zhang Xian, and others had no complaints about the order to retreat, nor did they have any intention of fighting to the death with the Qi army in Xiangzhou.

With low morale and soldiers who were untrained and inexperienced in battle, if they tried to fight back now, they would likely lose their lives in a single charge.

He had some appreciation for Zhao Gou's determination to avoid direct confrontation, after all, he looked very young. Young people often make mistakes when they get carried away with their passion, but this was just right. Perhaps he could gather more capable forces and make it more likely that he could resist Qi in the future.

"...Won't the Qi army catch up? They're attacking from both sides. What if Anli's cavalry gets ahead of us? Wouldn't that be like walking into a trap?" Zhao Gou asked, his voice tinged with worry.

"Your Highness is overthinking it." Yue Fei smiled. "Although I don't want to say anything that would lower morale, if the Qi army breaks through Anli's army and enters Weizhou, their first priority will be Gongcheng. By the time they arrive, we will have already fled to Xinxiang. We can then cross the river and be safe."

Zhao Gou listened and thought it made sense, and his tense mood eased considerably: "General Yue's words put me at ease, and talking with you has indeed been beneficial."

Yue Fei repeatedly said he dared not, but seeing that Zhao Gou was in a good mood, he pondered for a moment and asked, "Your Highness, I haven't had time to ask you before, should we return to Bianliang to defend after we cross the river?"

Zhao Gou now commands an army of 20,000 and is just beginning to taste the power of authority. Moreover, he has other thoughts in his mind and is unwilling to go back and humble himself before Zhao Huan. However, he cannot say this directly, so he slowly shook his head and said, "I came out this time to recruit brave soldiers for the court. With only this many people, it is difficult to solve the crisis of the court. It would be better to find another place to garrison and recruit soldiers."

Yue Fei opened his mouth as if to speak, but then thought that these 20,000 men were not of much help to the court, so he nodded and asked, "Then where does Your Highness intend to go?"

“…Let’s go to Jingdong.” Zhao Gou pondered for a moment and then slowly said, “The waterways and land routes there are well-connected, and the people there are brave and fierce. It is the most suitable place to recruit soldiers. Once we have gathered the troops and sent them back to Bianliang, we can also defend against the northern bandits.”

Sunlight shone from the side of the young prince's face, and from one side, it seemed to have a golden glow.

……

Central Plains.

The snow under the sun began to melt, and water droplets dripped from the branches, landing on the shoulders of palace maids passing by below. The maid, who was carrying hot ginger soup, shivered slightly from the cold water, then quickly suppressed her instincts.

The door opened silently, and a cold wind rushed into the room along with the person. The burning charcoal glowed even redder. Zhao Huan sat behind the dragon desk, his hands trembling as he looked at the memorials. The papers rustled between his hands. After a long while, he couldn't help but throw them away.

"A pack of greedy jackals, who just obtained a large sum of money and land from me, are launching an attack without even waiting a day until the new year. They intend to destroy my Great Song Dynasty!"

The enraged young emperor paced back and forth, shouting, "And what is Prince Kang doing?" He raised his hands and shook them twice, yelling, "What is he doing? I appointed him Grand Marshal of the Hebei Army to fight against the northern bandits, but instead, he ran away with his army!"

He turned and roared at the palace maid who came in, "She ran away! Whoosh whoosh whoosh..."

He was panting heavily, his arms propped up on the table.

The palace maid who entered paused, her whole body trembling slightly. She stood there, unsure whether to go in or back out. The eunuch serving beside her waved to her, signaling her to stand by the wall and wait.

The officials in the warm pavilion did not go to see her. Li Gang stroked his beard and looked at Zhao Huan: "Your Majesty, there is nothing to be angry about. King Kang only has 20,000 troops, while the Qi army has 40,000 to 50,000 troops on both sides. If he doesn't run away, I'm afraid even that small army will be buried in Xiangzhou."

Zhao Huan looked at him with unfriendly eyes.

Li Gang, seemingly unaware, said: "The best course of action now is to send one or two capable warriors to Hedong. There are still dozens of military prefectures there that have not yet fallen. Using them to resist should be able to slow down the Qi people's advance."

Furthermore, more troops should be summoned to the capital to protect it, and an edict should be issued ordering the people within the city to obey the court's commands in order to safeguard the safety of Bianliang.

“Where will we find so much money and supplies for the army?” Bai Shizhong frowned and spoke up from the side: “When the Qi army retreated last time, they took away countless gold, silver, grain, and children. The area north of the capital was deserted. Now we need local troops again…” He shook his head: “It’s not that I’m against Prime Minister Li’s words, but where will we find the money and supplies to make up for the shortage?”

"Immediately draw money and provisions from all directions to the capital." Li Gang was not angry: "The western, eastern, and Huaihe River regions can send supplies here the fastest via the Grand Canal. At the same time, order the Jiangnan region to send money to reward the entire army. If I am not mistaken, when all the land north of the Yellow River in Hebei and Hedong is seized, that will be the day when the northern bandit army presses down on the border."

His gaze swept over the somewhat fearful Zhao Huan, then swept over the somber-looking courtiers around him: "We still have time. As long as we act quickly, we can obtain money and provisions to resist the northern bandits."

The warm pavilion fell silent for a moment, and no one was watching. Sun Bo, the Minister of War, Right Vice Minister, and Associate Privy Councilor, sat in his seat with a somewhat unfocused gaze and an indescribable firmness on his face.

"Then...then..."

"Your Majesty!" Li Bangyan immediately stood up: "Last time, we fought against the Northern bandits using the same method, but as a result, we not only had to pay a large amount of money in compensation, but also had dozens of family daughters taken away from us."

Zhao Huan's body trembled, and he hesitated before looking at him.

"Our dynasty is now a vassal state of Northern Qi. It is only natural for a father to beat his son, but how can a father always bully his son? Why not send one or two eloquent men with a large amount of gold and silver..."

Zhao Huan slowly bent his hand that was supporting him on the table, then sat down again, looking thoughtful.

"nonsense!"

Li Gang, his hair standing on end, stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, do not believe these words. This is a policy that will lead to the downfall of the country." He glared angrily at Li Bangyan, saying, "Others have knives at their throats. How can they stop to give you a chance to breathe?"

The young emperor's gaze turned to Li Gang again, his expression hesitant once more.

Bai Shizhong was about to speak when Li Gang stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, this old minister recommends Zhong Shidao to go to Hedong. Most of the military prefectures and counties in Qinfeng Road and Yongxing Army Road have not fallen and can still fight. It is better than giving the entire north to the northern bandits for nothing.”

Zhao Huan's mind raced, and he immediately nodded: "Then... then we'll do as Prime Minister Li says."

He then wrote an imperial edict and handed it to the eunuch beside him: "Go to Zhong Shidao immediately and proclaim the edict, ordering him to leave the capital and return north to resist the Qi army."

Afterwards, the emperor and his ministers spoke for a while, and the impromptu meeting finally ended in a tense atmosphere. One by one, the ministers left the warm house and stepped into the cold wind.

Sun Fu deliberately lagged behind, and after everyone had left, he stopped, turned around, and walked back.

Zhao Huan looked up, puzzled, when he saw him return: "Why has Minister Sun come back?"

"Your Majesty..." Sun Fu took out a book from his robes and handed it over, "Have you read this book?"

"Hmm?" Zhao Huan looked at him with some surprise, then reached out and took the book, opening it: "This is 'Poems on Current Events'?"

“Yes, Your Majesty, if you feel troubled, you might as well take a look.” Sun Fu did not say much, but just smiled: “This was written by Qiu Jun, a scholar of Emperor Renzong. I think it is very interesting.”

Zhao Huan forced a smile: "Alright, I've got it." He placed his hand aside: "I'll read it in my spare time."

Sun Fu bowed and took his leave. ...

The world was thrown into turmoil by the decrees of the two emperors, one after the other.

Troops were mobilized, able-bodied men were on the move, and troops were marching through countless military prefectures, counties, and districts in the north and south. Countless banners and sails were unfurled, forming long, winding lines.

In the first ten days of mid-spring, the Northern Commander-in-Chief entered the newly captured territory, Han Tao entered Zhen Ding Prefecture, and Shi Wengong, Mi Sheng, and others headed south to return to Hejian.

Zeng Mi, who came with him, led his troops into Jingxing and controlled the passage connecting the Taihang Mountains to Hedong in Hebei. Peng Qi's troops advanced into Taiyuan Prefecture in the west, and together with his old partner, they connected the two areas from the east and west.

Xuan Zan, Yun Zongwu, Xue Can, Fei Zhen, Zeng Suo and others all entered Hedong, relieving the pressure on the Western Route Army.

At the same time, Du Xue and Sun An led their troops to attack Zezhou. The Song army in Jingxi was immediately on high alert. Under the command of Zhai Jin, the top general in Jingxi, and his brother Zhai Xing, they stationed themselves in Jiyuan and Mengzhou respectively to guard against a sudden attack from the north.

In mid-month, Zhong Shidao entered Yongxing Army Road, and the Song army assembled 50,000 troops to advance eastward, passing through Yonghe and entering Fenxi, arriving at Jinzhou.

Xuan Zan, the garrison commander of Longde Prefecture, immediately sent messages to various places and mobilized troops to garrison Liu. Soon after, Weisheng Army Fei Zhen was stationed in Qinyuan.

Du Xue then ordered Sun An to lead Yuan Lang, Zhao Li, and Dong Xian to march north from Qinshui to Jinzhou, while he himself remained in Gaoping to supervise Wang Bolong, Jing Chao, and others in continuing the attack on Zezhou.

In the same month, Xi Sheng attacked Xiangzhou and learned that the local troops of Xiangzhou had fled south with Prince Kang, Zhao Gou. He immediately sent a messenger to Bian Xiang's army to inform them.

Bian Xiang had already defeated Anli's army and was collecting provisions in preparation for attacking Weizhou. Upon receiving news from the north, he immediately set off westward without resting.

The cavalrymen Niu Gao and Yelü Ma Wu broke through the Song army's obstacles like a whirlwind, but it was too late. They could only look at the turbulent Yellow River and sigh.

Late mid-spring.

Xi Sheng's vanguard Dong Ping entered Weizhou from Xiangzhou. Bian Xiang, because of Zhao Gou's matter, took the lead in capturing the prefecture's capital, Ji County. Gongcheng in the north was caught in a pincer attack by Xi Sheng and Bian Xiang, and the county magistrate surrendered.

Early spring.

Zhong Shidao led the Song army to launch a fierce attack on Qinyuan from east of Huoshan. Fei Zhen defended the city for ten days, sustaining more than a dozen wounds. The Song army repeatedly scaled the city walls, but Xuan Zan came to the rescue in time. The attack was delayed until Yuan Lang, Dong Xian and others arrived. Under repeated cavalry charges, the Song army, which had more infantry, had no choice but to retreat. Zhao Li then successfully ambushed them on the way, and they retreated back to Jinzhou.

Zhong Shidao then submitted a memorial to the court, stating that the northern bandits were powerful and advising Zhao Huan to leave Bianliang to avoid the Qi army's advance. Bai Shizhong and others seized the opportunity to slander him, but Zhao Huan, as the young emperor, could not make up his mind to order him to return.

In the middle of spring, Du Xue captured Jincheng, leaving Jing Chao to defend the city, while he, along with Feng Tai and Wang Bolong, led cavalry back to reinforce the city, also passing through Qinshui to enter Jinzhou.

In late spring, the two sides fought fiercely for ten days again at the border between Jinzhou and Weisheng Army. Du Xue took the opportunity to attack from the rear, and the Song army was defeated and fled in all directions. Sun An took the opportunity to seize the land east of Fen River and ordered his men to garrison there.

Around this time, Weizhou was captured by Xi Sheng and Bian Xiang, and Lingchuan in Zezhou was isolated and helpless, and had no choice but to surrender to the Qi army.

……

Dang clang——

"Summon Master Zhong back!"

Zhao Huan bit his nails as he looked at the battle report in front of him, the feeling of being crushed by Mount Tai growing clearer in his heart: "What kind of fighting is this?"

Li Bangyan, Geng Nanzhong, Zhang Bangchang, and others exchanged glances and stepped forward to speak.

"Your Majesty, the Qi army is overwhelming and cannot be resisted. If we follow the previous plan and fight again, I'm afraid we will all become prisoners of the Qi army."

"The best course of action now is to seek peace and offer more wealth and beautiful women. I believe the Emperor of Qi will not make things too difficult for Your Majesty."

Zhao Huan loosened his grip on his nails and looked up blankly: "So, the Northern Qi will withdraw their troops?"

Just as Geng Nanzhong was about to nod, Li Bangyan spoke up, "Of course not."

Ok?
Geng Nanzhong and Zhang Bangchang's smiles froze, and they both looked at their colleagues.

Li Bangyan didn't look at the two of them, but stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, think about it. We send people to sue for peace while summoning local troops to the capital, and we also let Li Gang, who advocates war, take charge of the city's defenses. How would you feel if you were in our shoes?"

He spread his hands, looked at Geng Nanzhong and Zhang Bangchang beside him: "Do they still think we are genuinely seeking peace?"

"Yeah!"

"That makes sense."

Geng Nanzhong and Zhang Bangchang realized what was happening and quickly chimed in, "If things continue like this, even we would think that we are just stalling for time in order to gather our troops for a counterattack."

Zhao Huan opened his mouth, looked at the three people in front of him, and asked, "Then... what should we do?"

"Dismiss Li Gang."

"Order that local troops not enter the capital."

"Li Gang was demoted and banished from the capital."

After each of the three finished speaking, they exchanged glances, then looked at Zhao Huan simultaneously and said, "Demote Li Gang out of the capital, and order the local troops to return!"

For a moment, no one spoke. Zhao Huan stood frozen in place, his eyes darting around, before finally speaking: "Prime Minister Li is diligent and conscientious, devoted to the country. He shouldn't..."

"Your Majesty!" Geng Nanzhong stepped forward: "Do you still remember the last time the imperial students and commoners stormed the palace?"

Zhao Huan was taken aback: "Of course I remember, why is Minister Geng bringing this up now?"

"I have a secret report that it was Li Gang who instigated this that day. His aim was to restore the prime minister. If it weren't for the palace guards' diligent work, Your Majesty might have been harmed by those treacherous villains with wolfish ambitions."

Zhao Huan immediately flew into a rage: "Is what you said true?"

Li Bangyan also spoke up: "Li Gang is stubborn and nepotistic. He uses the pretext of resisting the Qi Kingdom to exercise his power. If this continues, when his cronies are spread throughout the court, where will Your Majesty's position be?"

"Your Majesty," Zhang Bangchang said carefully, seeing Zhao Huan's gloomy expression, "How can an emperor not hold military power, but instead entrust it entirely to his subjects?"

bang——

Zhao Huan slammed his hand on the table: "Stop talking!" His face turned pale and then red: "What you said makes sense." After thinking for a moment, he took a deep breath: "Li Gang has made great contributions, so it's not good to push him too far. Let... let him be the governor of Yangzhou. It's a good place."

The three were overjoyed. They watched as Zhao Huan had someone write the edict, affix the seal, and send someone to summon Li Gang to read it aloud. Only then did they feel relieved and take their leave.

Within half a day, everyone in Bianliang knew that Li Gang had been demoted to Yangzhou, and cries of sorrow filled the air. (End of Chapter)