Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

The city gates opened.

More than three hundred six-armored divine soldiers, swaying their arms, hopped out of the city gate. Before long, they were a short distance outside the city, followed by more than seven thousand heavenly soldiers and generals arranged in a strange formation.

Boom boom boom——

"What's that sound..."

"cavalry!"

The galloping warhorses raised a cloud of dust. At the forefront, Generals Yang Zaixing and Wang Yin, both clad in silver armor and wielding long spears, looked extremely valiant. Wang De and Shi Bao, trailing behind by half a horse length, also appeared incredibly brave.

Naturally, this appears differently to the Six Armor Divine Soldiers.

"I am possessed by a divine lord, no one can stop me!"

More than three hundred people brandished swords, each slashing themselves with the back of their blades, and then shouted: "Heavenly soldiers have descended to earth, mortals, make way!"

They hopped forward.

The voice was loud and clear, mixed with the sound of horses' hooves. Yang Zaixing, Wang Yin, Wang De, and Shi Bao, the four generals in front, heard it clearly, and their eyebrows rose, showing a moment of hesitation.

Yang Zaixing, young and impetuous, suppressed his astonishment and twisted his gun: "Heavenly soldiers, huh? I've never killed one before. Come and fight!"

The warhorse beneath him suddenly accelerated, crashing into the Six Armor Divine Weapons with a loud bang. The two leading figures flew up in a spread-eagle pattern, spitting out a mouthful of blood in mid-air before crashing heavily to the ground.

Yang Zaixing looked at the corpse hanging on the gun with a hint of confusion in his eyes, then flung it away, his face contorted with rage: "Playing tricks!"

The spear splattered, blood mixed with white fluid, and cries of agony filled the air.

"kill!"

The thunderous sound of hooves echoed as warhorses charged in, leaving trails of blood in the crowd like plowshares.

Seeing this, Wang De had no choice but to shout, "Zaixing, seize the city gate!"

Yang Zaixing, who had been treating the "heavenly soldiers" like straw men, immediately shouted, "I know!" and thrust his spear repeatedly, cutting through the crowd in no time, and chasing after Wang De for ten zhang.

The two led their troops around the thousands of "divine soldiers and generals" behind them, but Wang Yin and Shi Bao crashed into them head-on.

boom--

Screams erupted from the collision, and the "divine generals" who were still holding their ground were thrown into chaos. They all turned around and ran, afraid of being caught if they were too slow.

On the city wall.

A gasp came from the crowd watching from the city wall. Guo Jing remained calm, flicked his long hair which was fluttering in the wind, and walked closer to Sun Fu and Zhang Shuye: "There are experts in the rebel army who have also used magic to break my spell. I need to go down and perform a ritual to break it."

Sun Fu, without suspecting anything, quickly cupped his hands and bowed his head, saying, "I entrust everything to you, Master."

Guo Jing calmly turned around, but after walking down a few steps, his view was blocked by a stone, and his expression immediately changed. He hurriedly went down the city wall, grabbed a warhorse, and galloped away in front of the guards.

As Song soldiers were closing the gates, fearing he would be trapped inside the city, he hurried a few steps: "Don't close them! Let me go out and perform a ritual to defeat the Qi army."

The dozen or so guards who were about to close the city gate hesitated for a moment. The officer named He Qingyan looked at his magnificent Taoist robe for a while, then waved his hand and said, "Let the master go out."

The soldiers quickly made way and opened the gate. Guo Jing did not hesitate and spurred his horse to gallop out. As he emerged from the city gate, his vision opened up, and the roar of galloping warhorses reached his ears. In the center, cavalry bearing the banners of "Wang" and "Yang" were rapidly approaching.

"Move over!"

Guo Jing panicked, his hair standing on end. He yelled and spurred his horse several times, galloping across the wooden plank bridge. Spittle flying, he shouted at the people running back, "Are you all fucking idiots?! Run to the side, hurry up!"

Those who were about to run onto the drawbridge were suddenly startled and hurriedly ran along the moat. Those behind followed suit, and soon a long line of hundreds or even thousands of people formed on the banks of the moat.

On the city wall, Sun Fu led a group of court officials to look down. As they watched the heavenly soldiers being scattered, the immortal on horseback rode away, whipping his warhorse and leaving a trail of smoke as he galloped off.

Sun Fu was immediately dumbfounded, reaching down with one hand: "A real... real person?!"

Zhang Shuye grabbed him, his hair standing on end as he looked down: "Quickly, close the city gates! The Northern bandits are attacking!"

The roar grew louder as the city gates closed nearly halfway.

Sun Fu suddenly realized what was happening and looked terrified: "Send the order! Send the order! Close the city gates!"

"Sun Boye! There are no soldiers on the city wall!"

"Yes...yes!"

Reminded, Sun Fu turned around quickly, stumbled and almost fell, but Zhang Shuye helped him regain his balance. He hurriedly ran down the city wall, shouting at the top of his lungs as he went, "Close the city gate! Close the city gate now!!"

The soldiers pushing the city gate below heard the shouts and their faces showed disgust. They turned to look at the face of the guard general He Qingyan. The commander of the Imperial Guards, who had fought a bloody battle on the city wall under Li Gang, changed his expression. He neither urged his men to close the gate nor turned to welcome Sun Fu.

"I quit!"

One of the soldiers who pushed open the door stood up straight: "We fought to the death and didn't get a single penny. Look at what that charlatan was wearing and using. Everything he had was top-of-the-line. The court has money for them but not for us. A bunch of bastards!"

"That's true, this kind of court..."

"I'm not going to fight anymore. I'm broke anyway, so I might as well just throw my money away and go to jail."

The dozen or so men who had been pushing the door stopped what they were doing, turned around and looked directly at He Qingyan, and clasped their hands in a fist and palm salute: "General, please forgive us, we are unwilling to contribute to this battle."

"..."

He Qingyan nodded silently and waved his hand: "Open the door."

The soldiers at the gate froze, one of them stepping forward and asking, "What did you say...?" before shouting, "It's too late, run!"

He turned and ran first, and the soldiers reacted quickly and followed. The sound of horses' hooves came from behind like a death knell, and in almost an instant they were on the bridge over the moat.

……

"accelerate--"

Wang De's warhorse stepped onto the bridge, raised his sword and roared. The warhorse galloped faster and in a moment it reached the city gate. The gate was only a crack wide enough for three people to pass through. He clenched his fists, his muscles bulging.

To boost morale.

Swing a knife.

"Drink!!"

boom--

With a loud bang, wood chips flew out of the city gate, and one side of the gate, which required several people to push, slid backward violently.

Warhorses galloped by, their hooves pounding the bluestone bricks, echoing through the city gate.

"Seize the door!"

His voice was as loud as a bell, resonating throughout.

"kill--"

Yang Zaixing ran over and thrust out his spear.

With another loud bang, the city gates burst open, and countless iron cavalrymen rushed in.

……

As dawn broke, Sun Fu, who had run to the vicinity of the city gate, ran into He Qingyan, who was running out of the gate tunnel. He grabbed him and said, "Who told you to run here? Close the city gate!"

He Qingyan yanked his hand away, his expression cold: "It's too late. The Qi army is too fast; the city gates can't be closed."

As he spoke, several soldiers peeked out from behind him. Just as Sun Fu was about to reprimand them, a deafening roar erupted from the city gate.

Several Song soldiers nearby instinctively lunged towards the side of the city wall, away from the dark opening.

"Seize the door!"

The echoing roar then burst out of the city gate.

He Qingyan looked at Sun Fu strangely, a mocking smile on his face: "Minister, you'd better run."

“He’s no longer the Minister of War.” A soldier from the Imperial Guard got up in a flustered manner and chuckled, “He gave us the official position before we even saw the reward money.”

“You…you all…” Sun Fu pointed at the group of Imperial Guards who were sneering at him, his arm trembling slightly: “You’re all insane! Do you know why the Qi army entered the city…”

Before he could finish speaking, the horse's hooves thundered out of the city gate, the man like a tiger and the horse like a dragon.

The Song soldiers at the city gate looked over.

The Qi general on horseback looked over.

The men on horseback raised their weapons.

The riders threw down their weapons. Clang, clang—

"Don't kill anyone, we surrender."

"It's gone down! It's gone down!"

Wang De paused for a moment, then immediately realized what was happening. He pointed his broadsword forward and shouted, "The enemy has surrendered! Seize the key route! Inform His Majesty that we have succeeded!"

"Blow the bugle! Blow the bugle!"

Waaah, waaah—

Under the sunlight, the knight in black armor blew his horn towards the sky.

A figure removed their court robes and secretly slipped away from behind.

……

outside the city.

The wolf riders' slaughter quickly came to an end. As the main cavalry force in this battle, they felt overly relaxed. Since the army was formed, today's battle was the easiest they had ever fought.

The most serious injury was to one of the wolf riders who swung his sword too hard during the fight, and his elbow was a little uncomfortable.

The sound of bugles came from ahead, and the wolf riders who were preparing to turn back to pursue Guo Jing, who was fleeing along the moat, were all taken aback.

Wang Yin and Shi Bao turned around and shouted almost simultaneously, "The vanguard has entered the city! Follow me and charge in! (The city gates have been captured! Enter the city!)"

"Sound the horn! Inform the army!"

A wolf rider picked up a bull horn from beside his saddle and put it to his lips. A desolate sound rang out on the battlefield. Then, cavalrymen carrying wolf head banners swarmed across the moat and galloped into the city.

The dust billowed into the eyes of the army behind them, causing a stir among the soldiers in black armor. Ma Ling, standing at the front, frequently looked back.

At the central command post, the large banner bearing the character "齐" (Qi) in black and red fluttered in the wind.

The figure on Red Hare almost reflexively issued the order: "Order Ma Ling to enter the city immediately and seize the key points on the city wall."

"Order all cavalry in the army to set out and assist the troops inside the city in occupying key roads and seizing the four gates."

"Order the left and right wings to follow, push the ladders forward, and climb up the city wall."

"The central army guards will leave only the Left Guard infantry, while the Right Guard cavalry and the Left Guard cavalry will enter the city first to cooperate with the generals in the army."

Dozens of cavalrymen galloped about, with flag bearers behind them holding two military flags, their arms waving wildly, the red and green colors alternating in the air, spreading a tense atmosphere.

The air seemed to grow tense as generals in the central command galloped on horseback, their armored figures shouting orders.

Amidst the mingled sounds, the thunder of hooves and footsteps arose, and the long-standing army formation began to move forward. Warhorses kicked up yellow dust, bursting forward and moving away from the parallel formation, roaring away.

As the figures disappeared one by one, the thick "dark cloud" thinned out.

The Left Guard soldiers, clad in iron armor and wielding spears, shields, and crossbows, gathered together to protect their commander and, under Su Yi's command, slowly advanced.

Ahead, ladders were pushed across the bridge, erected below the city walls, and placed atop the walls.

Heavy moat bridges were connected, and pontoon bridges were erected. Figures in black armor ran past and then rushed up the city walls on ladders.

The central army banner moved slowly forward, and in the distance, many soldiers in black armor were already running to both sides on the city wall. The shadows of arrows crisscrossed the sky, and the sounds of fighting and shouting could be faintly heard.

Okay, okay, okay—

Red Hare moved with light steps, its fiery red mane fluttering in the wind. Some sound seemed to have disturbed the beast, causing it to snort and shake its head in annoyance.

His large, dry hand stroked the fiery red neck. On horseback, Lü Bu stared blankly into the distance. After a long while, he spoke: "I have been preparing for the attack on Kaifeng for a long time. I even had the idea of ​​a long siege, waiting for the enemy to run out of food before I could break through Bianliang..."

He paused, looked at the civil and military officials beside him, including Wang Zheng, Li Zhu, Fang Xuedu, Li Ying, and Su Yi, and pointed to the city wall that Qi soldiers had climbed up in the distance: "Does this make me look rather foolish?"

The civil and military officials looked at each other, remaining silent. Li Zhu kept stroking his beard, while Fang Xuedu and Li Ying were speechless. Su Yi wanted to speak, but he was at a loss for words, scratching his head and not knowing how to start.

Wang Zheng, no longer appearing lazy, straightened up on his horse and looked at the black smoke rising from the city walls of Bianliang in the distance. He scratched his neatly trimmed beard, somewhat lost in thought: "I only learned today... uh... uh..." He tilted his head and thought for a long time before finally uttering a curse: "In a big forest, you'll find all sorts of birds."

"Yes."

Lu Bu turned his head and nodded to himself, muttering, "It's making me a little insecure now. It feels like all these years of fighting on the battlefield have been for nothing."

The others looked at him and all felt the same way.

Li Zhu suddenly laughed: "Back then, Fang La set up some kind of vegetable-eating demonic sect in the southeast, but I don't think it's as interesting as what's happening today."

Fang Xuedu laughed heartily: "If you say that, your colleagues from the Southeast will definitely cause you trouble."

Li Zhu simply patted the long sword at his waist and smiled without saying a word.

Fang Xuedu turned his head away and clicked his tongue, too lazy to pay him any attention.

Laughter erupted around them, and the atmosphere lightened.

……

On the walls of Bianliang.

On the east and west city walls, the Song soldiers defending the city were also keeping a close eye on the results of the heavenly soldiers' battle.

When the horn sounded, the city's garrison commander did not react much because of the order not to peek. It was only when court officials came running from both sides, crying and shouting that the Qi cavalry had broken through the gate that he hurriedly ordered his troops to go to the rescue.

However, the defending troops moved slowly today, and each of them seemed listless and weak.

Before they had even taken their positions on the city wall, Wang Yin and Shi Bao, who had led their troops into the city, dismounted with their wolf riders, grabbed their weapons, and swiftly ascended the stone steps. A volley of arrows shot down the approaching soldiers.

Many Song soldiers raised their shields to dodge the arrow rain, too lazy to even put up a fight, and turned to run away.

Wang Yin and Shi Bao did not pursue, but instead arranged for the wolf riders to guard both sides. Once Ma Ling's vanguard entered the city, they climbed the city walls to relieve the wolf riders. Then, He Zhongbao and Shangguan Yi led their troops to attack the city walls on both sides.

"Damn it, stop standing here like a corpse, charge forward!"

Chen Xizhen brandished his longsword and shouted at the soldiers who were supporting the Japanese army. These soldiers, who had fought bravely during Li Gang's time, were now like wilted eggplants. They took two steps forward, but were shot by a hail of arrows and were forced to retreat ten steps.

"Father, don't panic, let me go!"

Beside them, the well-proportioned guard spoke up, and Chen Liqing, disguised as a man, picked up her halberd and was about to fight.

Chen Xizhen reacted quickly, grabbing her and pulling her back to his side, growling in a low voice, "Are you crazy! How can you go up like this! Do you want to die?"

A look of confusion crossed Chen Liqing's fair face, and her large eyes revealed bewilderment: "What does Father mean?"

Chen Xizhen didn't speak. He glanced at the corner of the city wall to the north. The Qi soldiers who were counterattacking were led by a tall general who was wielding a three-pointed double-edged sword. Only a few Song soldiers went forward and were killed by swords and spears. Then, many people nearby shouted and desperately retreated. Some people threw away their weapons and lay down against the wall.

"It's no use. The court has refused to pay the reward money, and the men below have lost the will to continue fighting. No matter how brave you are, going forward now will only be suicide."

He pulled his somewhat stubborn daughter back: "Don't glare at people, relax a bit. Look, they're hardly resisting at all."

Chen Liqing hurried over to see what was happening. The soldiers in front began to throw down their weapons. Under the banner of "He", a black figure kicked away the weapons and gathered the soldiers together.

At the same time, on the other side of the city, the flag bearing the name "Shangguan" also encountered little resistance and advanced almost without bloodshed.

Dang clang——

Chen Xizhen threw down the longsword in her hand and pulled her daughter away: "Quickly, throw away your weapons!"

The woman listened to her father the most, and upon hearing this, she put down her halberd without hesitation and stepped aside with him. Only then did she remember to ask, "What if the Qi army recognizes us later?"

"Don't take yourself too seriously." Chen Xizhen rolled her eyes. "Who do we think we are? Why would anyone want to keep an eye on us?"

“But Hua Rong…” Chen Liqing began, but seeing her father’s face darken, she timidly stopped speaking: “Father, I didn’t mean to.”

Chen Xizhen knew his daughter was a bit dim-witted, so he snorted twice and said, "Don't say such things again. Your father is fine. Don't resist later, understand?"

"Oh."

As the father and daughter whispered to each other, the black-armored soldiers who had come along began to gather the weapons of the people on this side, tie them together, and as expected, they did not pay attention to who the father and daughter surnamed Chen were, and drove them off the city.

Below the city walls, cavalrymen carrying various flags galloped past.

The garrison here watched helplessly as the Qi army opened the city gates and soldiers carrying banners with the character "Han" entered.

Ma Ling, as the vanguard general of the northern city, led his personal guards to greet him: "General Han, you are late."

Han Shizhong dismounted and looked at the prisoners being held together, his expression puzzled: "How did the city fall? What happened on your side?"

Ma Ling chuckled: "It's a long story." (End of Chapter)