Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

As the sunlight streamed in, the man on the bed opened his eyes and turned to look at the familiar yet unfamiliar girl beside him. Her pretty face, which had transformed from a girl into a woman the night before, still bore traces of tears, and her cheeks held the blush of joy from her change of status.

Lu Bu couldn't resist reaching out and touching her silky skin. The sleeping woman twisted her body, uttering a soft "hmm..." but didn't wake up.

He seemed exhausted.

With a slightly pleasant mood, Lü Bu got out of bed, put on his shoes, and went to the side to get dressed before going out.

As the morning sun shone in, Lü Bu, who had just emerged from the somewhat dim palace, squinted uncomfortably before regaining his composure and immediately looked at the two guards, Yu Cheng and Wei He, who were standing ramrod straight.

"Nonsense!"

Lu Bu glared at the two men and strode forward, saying, "Next time, don't do such things silently. You should explain everything to me first."

Yu Cheng and Wei He exchanged a glance, bowed their heads and replied, "Yes, sir!", then led their men to follow behind Lü Bu.

The morning temperature wasn't very high, and most of the guards in the imperial city were walking around wearing cloaks. Several eunuchs, who had been dragged out of their places of imprisonment, were sweeping the palace roads. When they saw people coming, they hurriedly knelt down in fright.

"Half an hour ago, a fast horse came from outside; it was someone delivering intelligence," Yu Cheng said quickly as he walked.

Lu Bu glanced at him: "What intelligence? Why wasn't it reported last night?"

“It was not a matter of great urgency, so I did not inquire about it, and therefore did not disturb Your Majesty’s sleep last night.”

Lu Bu nodded. All kinds of intelligence were classified according to their importance in the army. Unless it was an extremely urgent matter, the General of the Left Guard beside him would not go to hear about it or come to disturb his rest.

After mounting their warhorses on the main road outside the palace, the group quickly headed to the Chuigong Hall on the west side of the Qian Daqing Hall. They dismounted and entered the hall under the watchful eyes of the guards.

Lu Bu glanced at the bamboo tubes on the table. Wei He quickly stepped forward from behind, checked the seal on them, opened them, found the Yin Fu Book, wrote on another piece of paper, and handed it to the emperor who came from behind.

As Lü Bu lowered his gaze, a sentence appeared on the paper recording military intelligence: "Zhao Ji's ninth son, Zhao Gou, has retreated to Shandong and has gathered tens of thousands of troops. His whereabouts are unknown."

"...Zhao Gou?"

Lu Bu tilted his head, pondered for a moment, and then placed the general's expression on the table.

Yu Cheng and Cao Ning had already found a place to hang several geomantic maps high up nearby. Once everything was ready, they watched as Lü Bu slowly walked over and stood facing the maps.

A short while later, a voice came: "Issue an imperial decree, ordering Wang Zheng, Bian Xiang, and Xi Sheng to enter the palace."

"Here."

Some guards ran out quickly, called a few of their comrades, mounted their warhorses, and galloped out of the palace, scattering in all directions.

More than half an hour later, the civil and military officials who had been called upon rushed to the palace.

……

The light shines far into the distance, across rivers and mountains, to Jeju Island.

The warhorse galloped along the long street. The crimson figure jumped down, exchanged a few words with the guards at the gate, and quickly ran into the government office.

Along the way, many Song soldiers with swords and spears stood watching him enter. As soon as he went in, the voices inside stopped abruptly, and he bowed and spoke to the three pairs of eyes that were staring at him.

"Ninth Prince, I have received an urgent military report from 800 li away. Bianliang City has been breached, and the Qi army has taken Kaifeng almost without bloodshed. Now, tens of thousands of troops have entered the city, and the entire capital region has almost fallen into the hands of the enemy."

"what?!"

The young prince suddenly stood up, rushed over, grabbed the man's collar, and lifted him up: "Is the news true? There are still over 100,000 troops in the capital region, how could they have fallen into the hands of the enemy so quickly? What about the Emperor Emeritus? What about the Emperor? How are they? Tell me!"

"This..." The soldier gave a wry smile: "The messenger only said this one sentence, and I don't know the specifics. Should I go and ask?"

Zhao Gou's eyes were wide open, his hand gripping his clothes trembled slightly, and his head slowly lowered, obscuring his expression.

Following behind, Wang Boyan, the prefect of Xiangzhou, and Huang Qianshan, the former pacification commissioner of Gaoyangguan Road who had fled south, hurriedly stepped forward: "Your Highness, Your Highness, please do not be agitated."

Zhao Gou obediently released his hand and slowly retreated with Huang Qianshan. Wang Boyan waved to the soldier, who obediently retreated.

Once everyone was gone, the two scholars exchanged a glance and cautiously looked at Zhao Gou: "Your Highness, please don't be too sad."

"The State of Qi is powerful, and its fall was only a matter of time. Now it's just that the time has been shortened, so there's not much difference..."

Zhao Gou slowly raised his head, his expression indescribably strange, as if all the flavors of life—sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and salty—were mixed together.

The two standing men exchanged a glance, their worries largely dispelled, and they both sat down at the lower end of the table.

After composing himself for a while, Zhao Gou slowly spoke: "I am preparing to lead a large army to Bianliang to rescue my father and brother from this predicament. What do you two think?"

“Your Highness,” Huang Qianshan stroked his beard and said, “I believe this matter cannot be rushed.”

Looking at Zhao Gou's gaze, he said, "Your Highness only has 40,000 to 50,000 troops under your command. The other deputy commanders of the Eastern Route, Zhu Shengfei, the commander of the Imperial Guards, Liu Guangshi, the commander of the Imperial Guards, Yang Weizhong, and the commander Yue Fei all have their own troops. If we go south to Bianliang, although Your Highness will be in charge, will these military commanders obey your orders?"

Zhao Gou frowned: "I have spoken with Yue Fei, and he is a man who is wholeheartedly devoted to the country."

Wang Boyan nodded: "General Yue and you are indeed on the same page, but does Your Highness have the confidence to make the others obey orders? If they are outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant on the battlefield, the consequences would be unimaginable when facing the Qi army, which is skilled in fighting tough battles."

Zhao Gou hesitated for a moment: "This..."

Huang Qianshan, on the other side, seized the opportunity to speak: "Your Highness, let's not talk about the battlefield. Let's just talk about Bianliang now. Since the Emperor Emeritus and the Emperor have fallen into the hands of the rebels, the Qi Kingdom will definitely not just imprison them in the city and wait for them to be rescued. It is certain that they will be transferred. When you rush there with great effort, they will not be there. Where will you find them?"

At the head of the table, Zhao Gou slightly opened his mouth, looking at the two people speaking, his expression changing repeatedly: "But my father and brother are both emperors of the Great Song Dynasty. If we don't save them, wouldn't the court and the country be leaderless?"

Wang Boyan and Huang Qianshan exchanged a glance, a slight smile playing on their lips: "Your Highness, who said there's no leader among the dragons?"

"Huh?!" Zhao Gou's heart skipped a beat. He looked over with a puzzled expression and said in an almost flat tone, "What do you mean?"

"Without a leader, what are the civil and military officials gathered here in Jeju?"

Wang Boyan stood up, walked to Zhao Gou's side, and slowly bowed: "Your Highness, you are here."

Huang Qianshan also walked over from the other side, leaning his head close to Zhao Gou: "Your Highness, as things stand now, you are the leader, the head of the thousands of soldiers and civilians who hope to protect the Great Song Dynasty."

Thump thump— Zhao Gou's vision went black for a moment. He took a deep breath with some difficulty. The sincerity in the eyes of the two faces in front of him was visible to the naked eye. He reached out and waved his hand: "Wait, wait."

Seeing the two men stand up, Zhao Gou took a few deep breaths: "With my father and brothers still alive, it would be illegitimate for me to succeed to the throne at this time. I should send troops to rescue them."

The two scholars exchanged glances, unsure whether the Ninth Prince was serious or just trying to save face. After a moment's thought, Huang Qianshan spoke first.

"The army of millions in the north has been defeated by the State of Qi, and large swathes of military prefectures have been annexed by it. It is not the right time to send troops to fight them now."

“Brother Huang is right, Your Highness. The best course of action now is to find a place to store grain and train troops. The current army is indeed quite vulnerable, and there are many disputes among the generals. Your Highness needs to step in and mediate.”

“We understand Your Highness’s desire to save your father and brothers, but if we go to save them, it will mean a full-scale war with Qi. It would be best if we could first contact the righteous people in the center of Hebei and Hedong who are loyal to the court. In this way, once the troops are trained, and with the help of capable people, we can ensure that we can advance swiftly and be invincible.”

The words echoed in Zhao Gou's mind. The young Ninth Prince pondered for a long time before nodding: "I will act as you two say. I..." He gritted his teeth: "Let's recruit more soldiers first, and then we'll talk about other things."

The two felt much more at ease.

……

As they walked out of the government office, Wang Boyan and Huang Qianshan, each with their own plans, entered a roadside restaurant and spoke at the same time.

"Brother Huang..."

"Brother Wang..."

They fell silent again, then both revealed a smile. Huang Qianshan stood with his hands behind his back and said, "I'll go see Chief Steward Yang Weizhong later. We were colleagues in Hebei and had a very good relationship."

“Then I’ll go find Liu Yuhou.” Wang Boyan stroked his beard and nodded. “I have some connection with his father and can exchange a few words with him.”

"There's no time to lose, let's get moving."

The two talked and ordered some food and drinks. After quickly finishing their meal, they headed towards their respective destinations.

……

In late summer, Jizhou learned that the Qi army had captured Bianliang, and Zhao Ji and his son Zhao Huan had been taken captive to the north. Upon hearing the news, Zhao Gou wept bitterly in public and shouted the slogan, "Reclaim my father and brother, and return the capital to Bianliang!" Everyone who heard it was deeply moved.

Generals Yang Weizhong, Liu Guangshi, and Yue Fei were moved by this and cut their fingers with their swords, dripping blood into wine to swear an oath to defeat the northern bandits and welcome the two emperors back to the old capital.

In early summer, Wang Boyan advised the Ninth Prince Zhao Gou that Jizhou was too small to be suitable for the gathering of troops from all over the country. He suggested that they go to Nanjing Yingtianfu to stay temporarily, as it was the place where Emperor Taizu rose to power and the place where the emperor's army was established. It was more suitable for the gathering of the imperial army at this time than Jizhou in Shandong.

Zhao Gou readily agreed and led his troops south in early summer.

At the same time, in Bianliang.

Troops moved about, banners fluttered, and bugles and drums sounded deafeningly.

The Qi army, with Han Shizhong and Yang Zaixing as the vanguard, Wang Bolong and Han Chang as the left wing, He Zhongbao and Ma Ling as the right wing, and Xi Sheng as the commander of the central army, led the army to join forces with Mi Sheng and dozens of generals. The navy, led by Wei Zhaode, Ruan Xiaoer and Li Jun, sailed along the river, and the army of 100,000 marched eastward to attack the capital.

Within three days, Du Xue once again took command, with Wanyan Loushi as the vanguard, Yuan Lang and Li Cheng on the left wing, Shi Wengong and Li Shixiong on the right, and Sun An as the rear guard. The navy, led by Li Bao, Zhang Shun, and Zhang Rong, sailed across the river, along with dozens of generals and 80,000 troops, to attack western Beijing.

Warhorses kicked up yellow dust. In the somewhat warm weather, Lü Bu stood on the city wall with his hands behind his back, watching the troops depart. His expression changed slightly.

In his nineteen years in this world, this was the first time he had not led the troops in a large-scale battle. He felt somewhat uneasy. He turned around, walked through the passageway on the city wall, mounted Red Hare, and rode all the way back to the palace.

As he walked into the backyard, he saw many guards, eunuchs, and palace maids bowing to him from afar. He didn't pay any attention and pushed open the door of the Imperial Study. The next instant, a figure suddenly darted out and pounced on him.

As the muscles gripping the sword hilt tensed, a familiar laugh reached his ears. Then, as he relaxed, Lü Bu quickly released the hilt, and half of the gleaming sword fell back into its sheath.

A warm body embraced his waist, holding him tightly. A small head kept turning on his belly, lifting its head and saying, "Daddy, we're here! Aren't you surprised?"

It was her eldest daughter, Lü Wen.

And then, his children, who were standing behind him, came running over with their short legs, hugging his legs and grabbing his clothes: "Dad, we're here."

The bookshelves, piled high with books and historical anecdotes, cast their tall shadows on them. Smoke billowed from the bronze incense burner, gradually filling the room with a rich fragrance.

"...A surprise, an unexpected surprise." Lu Bu forced a smile, controlling the pressure of his hand as he stroked his daughter's head. "But next time, please tell your father first, okay?"

Lu Wen tilted her head and said "Oh..." before releasing his waist, making room for her younger siblings, and turning to look at the "ethereal" imperial study: "It smells so good... why is there so much smoke?"

The entire room was shrouded in a thin layer of smoke, making it difficult to see inside.

Lu Bu's eye twitched. He looked down at his children, then turned his gaze to the steaming bronze stove used for heating: "...Where did you light the incense? How much did you light?"

"what!"

"Oh no, we ordered too much!"

"Lü Qun, you idiot!"

A child's innocent voice emerged from the smoke. Lu Bu didn't scold his children; instead, he quickly patted one and nudged the other, saying, "Get out, get out quickly, you can't keep people here."

The four children and the eldest hurriedly fled the room, looked at each other, glanced back at the Imperial Study with smoke billowing out of the main gate, exchanged a look, and burst into laughter.

"Where is your mother? When did she arrive?"

Lu Bu waved his hand, signaling Wu Wei to find a eunuch to handle the matter, and then looked at the younger ones.

“We arrived this morning. You went to the military camp then, so you didn’t send anyone to look for us,” Lu Wen said with a smile on her beautiful face. “Mother and the others went to find that Zhao Duofu.”

Lu Bu's expression froze slightly, then he smiled and nodded: "Alright, I understand. Come on, I'll take you to see this palace."

The four children, being at a lively and active age, naturally did not refuse and shouted "Yes!" as they followed Lü Bu out of the courtyard. Yu Cheng and Wei He followed far behind, suppressing their laughter as they watched the monarch wander around the palace with his four children.

As the early summer breeze blew by, the fragrance of flowers in the courtyard wafted into the noses of the figures, big and small, as the branches swayed. Gradually, the group approached Funing Palace, where Lü Bu usually stayed.

That's also where Zhao Duofu is currently located. (End of Chapter)