Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

The branches are laden with green fruits, which are not very big and do not put too much pressure on the branches. Occasionally, they make a rustling sound with a gust of wind.

The world seems to have fallen into localized chaos once again.

Heading north, a mixed army of three thousand infantry and cavalry escorted the two emperors and hundreds of women across the Yellow River, passing through Daming Prefecture and entering Enzhou.

Upon entering each city, Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan were immediately stripped of their fine clothes, dressed in sheepskin and adorned with sheep horns. They were led by soldiers, paraded through the streets and alleys with gongs and drums to attract onlookers, and their names were announced loudly at the entrance of the government office.

Many chivalrous men were outraged by this humiliating act and wanted to go to their rescue in secret, but they were ambushed by the army and wiped out by a barrage of powerful crossbow bolts. The few who managed to escape were also killed by the pursuing cavalry on the official road.

The martial arts world in the north was shaken. Many hot-blooded young talents and self-proclaimed heroes rushed to the counties and prefectures in Hebei where the two emperors were being escorted, raising the slogan of rescuing the two emperors and driving out the northern barbarians, and flocking to follow them.

To the west, Du Xue's army captured Zhengzhou and pressed on the Sishui River. Henan Prefecture urgently recruited young and strong warriors while contacting the Yongxing Army Road in the rear for reinforcements.

Unfortunately, the imperial court was already paralyzed at this time, and the Jingzhao Prefecture, having been defeated in the previous attempt to support Taiyuan Prefecture, lied that it lacked sufficient troops and refused to send troops, which made the officials in various parts of Henan Prefecture even more panicked.

To the east, Han Shizhong and Yang Zaixing marched out of the capital region and first captured Xingren Prefecture in three days. Then they pressed on Guangji Army. Hua Rong, the commander of the central army, led his troops to the scene and tried to persuade the villagers to surrender. The defending general refused, but Han Shizhong shot off the red tassel on his helmet with an arrow, and the general opened the gate and surrendered.

It was at this moment that Xi Sheng, the commander of the central army, received intelligence from his scouts that Zhao Gou was in Yingtian Prefecture.

……

JD.com, Yingtianfu.

The chirping of birds could be heard outside the window from time to time, and mosquitoes flew into the room, only to be driven away by a fragrant aroma.

Wang Boyan and Huang Qianshan sat facing each other, with military intelligence reports from the northern military prefectures laid out in front of them.

"The Qi army is coming, and it will be only a matter of time before they reach Yingtian Prefecture."

"We must not let the Ninth Prince or anyone else know about this, otherwise all our plans will come to naught."

Wang Boyan reached out and picked up a document, shaking it twice: "They have just captured Xingren Prefecture, and next they should occupy Dingtao, then go up the Guangji River, take Jizhou, and then plot against various places in the east of the capital. At this time, they are unaware of the situation in Yingtian Prefecture. Even so, Brother Huang should also plan for His Highness what to do next."

Huang Qianshan took a sip of tea, pondered for a moment, then turned around, went to the back of the room, found a piece of paper, and pushed it to his colleague opposite him: "Take a look at this."

Wang Boyan looked at him suspiciously, picked up the paper, and immediately sat up straight: "This is..."

On the small piece of paper were rows of blood-written letters, written in the slender gold script: "Our dynasty is in great turmoil and urgently needs a ruler to restore it. However, Huan'er and I have been captured by the northern bandits and we do not know if we will be able to return. From this day forward, we hope that our son Zhao Gou will succeed to the throne of the Song Dynasty, relieve the country from its perilous state, and end the suffering of his parents who have been sent north."

Below are two personal seals: one is the seal of the retired emperor, and the other is the seal of Zhao Huan.

Hua Hua——

The paper made a few crisp cracking sounds, and Wang Boyan trembled as he put it down: "How did you get this?"

“You don’t know, when we were in Jeju Island, I learned about two extraordinary people while we were working for His Highness the Ninth Prince.” Huang Qianshan smiled smugly: “One is Xiao Rang, who is good at imitating people’s handwriting. Even I can’t tell the difference between his handwriting and that of the real person. The other is Jin Dajian, who is good at carving marks.”

He leaned forward slightly and tapped the paper in front of him: "This is the masterpiece created by those two together. What do you think? Can you see anything wrong with it?"

Wang Boyan hissed, looked down and examined it carefully. After a long while, he shook his head: "No, even if the Emperor Emeritus were here, he would think it was written by himself."

He paused for a moment, then pointed to his personal seal: "But this chapter... is it inappropriate? Why not use the imperial seal?"

Huang Qianshan shook his head, somewhat helplessly: "The retired emperor and the emperor are in disgrace, where would they find an imperial seal? I already think the seal is fake, but if they don't have one, it would be even more fake."

Wang Boyan thought for a moment and slowly nodded: "That's fine. Having a private seal can also be said to be something that was carved from something else in a hurry to prove oneself."

He stared directly at the person opposite him: "Where are those two?"

"How can we let too many people know about this?" Huang Qianshan stroked his beard. "They're just two poor commoners. We'll get rid of them after we're done with them." He glanced at his worried colleague and said, "Don't worry, it was an accident. Besides, no one will think of His Highness at a time like this."

Wang Boyan was relieved: "Very good, then..." He looked down at the paper below: "This is the secret edict."

A few birds chirped, and the two people sitting opposite each other smiled.

……

Several warhorses galloped across the plains, their hooves kicking up specks of black mud as they sped along the wide official road, stretching for dozens of miles towards the military camps.

The horses galloped into the gate, the clamor of the market drowning out the sound of their hooves.

The galloping warhorse ran to the central command tent, and the riders dismounted and quickly ran inside.

Officials and generals from Hebei and the surrounding area of ​​Jingdong filled the tent, and occasionally one could see a few retired officials with white hair and beards, who sat opposite Zhao Gou, one in civil affairs and the other in military affairs. To the left and right of the head of the table were Wang Boyan and Huang Qianshan.

How is the training of the soldiers in the army going?

"I heard that the Emperor Emeritus and the Emperor have been sent to the north by the Qi people. What should we do..."

"We should march back to Bianliang and welcome the two emperors back to court."

The sound of whispering came from the mouths of the civil and military officials below. Several people quickly ran over from the side, clasped their hands in a salute, and said, "Your Highness, we have important intelligence to deliver."

The voices below fell silent for a moment as dozens of gazes fell on the knights who had entered. Several of them instantly stiffened and lowered their heads even further.

"What intelligence?" Zhao Gou straightened his back slightly, a serious expression on his youthful face.

The leading soldier stepped forward, pulled out a bamboo tube, and handed it over: "It is said that it was delivered at the risk of life by righteous men from the north, and it was written by the Emperor Emeritus."

creak-

The wooden chair creaked on the ground. Zhao Gou suddenly stood up, strode forward, and snatched the bamboo tube from his hand, his voice trembling slightly. "What did you say?! The Retired Emperor?!" he demanded, grabbing the man's shoulder. "Where is he? Is he doing well? Where is the Emperor? Speak!"

The man seemed frightened and just nodded blankly.

Huang Qianshan walked over from behind and said softly, "Your Highness, whether it is true or not, you'll know once you take a look."

"Oh yes!"

Zhao Gou took two deep breaths, twisted open the bamboo tube lid, and the sealing wax dripped out. The Ninth Prince turned the bamboo tube around, caught it with one hand, and shook it, and a piece of paper fell into his hand.

Hua Hua——

Zhao Gou unfolded the paper and carefully read it three times from top to bottom and left to right. His expression gradually changed from tense to sorrowful. He blinked hard, then suddenly covered his face with his hands, knelt on the ground, and cried out in grief, "Father! Your son is unfilial!"

"Wh...what's wrong?" An official named Xu Jingheng stared blankly at Zhao Gou, who was kneeling on the ground and weeping.

Wang Boyan rushed over to the side, watching Huang Qianshan gently comfort Zhao Gou as he helped him up. He picked up the papers from the ground, exclaimed "Huh?!" and quickly handed them to his colleagues who were craning their necks to wait: "You all take a look too."

"This is……"

"A handwritten letter from the Emperor Emeritus?!" "It really is the Emperor Emeritus's handwriting!"

"Something seems off about this chapter. Why is a piece missing?"

"Given the harsh conditions, it's already remarkable that the statues of the retired emperor and the emperor could be carved."

The buzzing voices reached Huang and Wang's ears. The two remained expressionless, but their eyes met with a look of peace of mind. They helped Zhao Gou to sit in the commander's seat, one on each side.

After a short while, the civil and military officials below relayed the message. The crowd exchanged glances, silently conveying their emotions. Huang Qianshan and Wang Boyan stepped down from the front, faced Zhao Gou, and bowed deeply.

"Your Highness, for the sake of the nation, please inherit the throne!"

All the civil and military officials bowed and saluted in an instant: "Please, Your Highness, ascend the throne!"

Thump thump thump thump—

Zhao Gou felt his heart pounding faster and faster, and he could hardly hear what the people around him were saying. He quickly took two deep breaths to calm himself down: "No, what virtue or ability do I have to inherit the throne? Please choose another virtuous and capable person."

Huang Qianshan frowned and glanced at Wang Boyan. The civil official there pondered for a moment and said, "Your Highness, this is not the time to refuse. Qi is now launching a two-pronged attack to seize more military and state lands of our Great Song. If Your Highness does not step forward, the local officials will be disorganized and unable to fight against Qi without the imperial decree. They may not be far from the destruction of the country."

“This…” Zhao Gou paused, seemingly sensing that the current situation was somewhat different from the past.

In a short while, the bowing officials shouted in unison again, "Please, Your Highness, ascend the throne!"

Zhao Gou took a breath, thinking to himself that this was not the time to decline, and simply nodded: "Alright, it would be inappropriate for me to refuse again. I am willing to succeed to the throne and lead the people of my Great Song Dynasty to fight against the northern bandits."

The officials were overjoyed and bowed, shouting, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Zhao Gou suppressed his joy and raised his hand, saying, "Everyone, please rise."

Under the bright sunlight, someone rushed out to spread the news of Zhao Gou's ascension to the throne to all the armies. Countless soldiers cheered and brandished their weapons. Soon after, a multitude of different voices swept through the military camp like a torrent.

"Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Great Song Dynasty!"

In the late summer of Jia Chen year, Zhao Gou ascended the throne and changed the era name to Jianyan 1st year. Since Song belongs to the fire element and Yan is composed of two fires, it is said that the Song dynasty would be revitalized. At the same time, he granted a general amnesty and issued an edict to all military prefectures and states, summoning talented people from all over the country to the court and the army to fight against the Qi state from the north.

Not long after, the eunuch Shao Chengzhang submitted a memorial criticizing Huang Qianshan and Wang Boyan for misleading the country and was demoted. The news of the fall of Guangji Army in the north finally reached Zhao Gou's ears.

……

Boom boom boom——

Dust billowed from beneath the horses' hooves as cavalrymen, carrying various flags, marched south across the plains, their armor occasionally clashing with a dull thud.

A large flag bearing the character "Qi" fluttered in the air, surrounded by flags bearing the characters "Yang," "Niu," two "Han," and two "Wang."

More than 10,000 cavalry surged down like a torrent. As a sign of the importance attached to Tianfu, several of the army's most capable generals were deployed. Xi Sheng even changed the direction of the attack and led his army down as well.

These arrogant and fierce generals keenly realized that as long as they defeated the army gathered in the south, the two routes in Jingdong would be like fish on a chopping board, at their mercy.

The dust raised by the cavalry stopped, and Han Shizhong, Yang Zaixing, Niu Gao, Han Chang, Wang Bolong, and Wang Dezhong walked through the army, inspected the appearance of the soldiers around them, and then sat down on the ground.

"I never expected that Zhao Gou would actually run away from Jizhou to our territory."

Han Shizhong broke off a piece of naan bread and stuffed it into his mouth: "Does this guy have a dog's nose? He ran away as soon as we left the house."

Niu Gao gulped down a mouthful of cold water: "We can't underestimate Yingtian Prefecture. After all, it's Nanjing. With so many troops gathered here, it will be difficult to attack."

"Uncle Niu, you're mistaken." Yang Zaixing was in high spirits, waving his hand with a grin: "Don't let it be like Bianliang, where they fell before we even had a chance to seriously attack them."

“Those cases like Bianliang are probably rare,” Wang Dechou said with a smile. “Not many people would hire a charlatan to fight during wartime. No matter what, Yingtian Prefecture should have received news from Bianliang by now. It shouldn’t be like before.”

Han Chang and Wang Bolong exchanged a glance and smiled: "If that's the case, it would be much simpler. We wouldn't have to risk our lives to get some credit back."

"Ha ha ha ha--"

Laughter erupted from the group of generals, drawing the attention of the outer soldiers who looked inward. Indeed, the cavalrymen relaxed considerably, easing the tension before the great battle.

Not long after, the six men, having finished their simple rations, took out a geomantic map and examined it for a while before shouting and mounting their warhorses.

Squads of soldiers from the north remounted their warhorses, and with a shout of "Proceed! Slow down!" the horses began to trot.

Further north, a large army of infantrymen descended the mountain path. He Zhongbao, Ma Ling, Hua Rong, Mi Sheng, and Xi Sheng, each on horseback, issued orders to their soldiers.

The early summer breeze swept across the mountains and hills, causing the tree branches to sway.

It appears to be a farewell to the massive army below.

……

Birds soared across the azure sky, and banners fluttered in the military camp.

Zhao Gou paced back and forth in the central command tent, occasionally glancing at the geomantic map before sighing and walking back to the table to sit down. He closed his eyes, and you could see his eyelids moving with his eyeballs.

Outside, hurried footsteps could be heard.

"Your Majesty, are you asleep?"

"I can't sleep!" Zhao Gou suddenly opened his eyes, looked at Wang and Huang who walked in, stood up abruptly, and pointed to the side: "The Qi bandits in the north have already marched south, how can you expect me to sleep?"

That's the west...

Wang Boyan's lips twitched slightly, then he pursed them tightly.

Huang Qianshan stepped forward: "Your Majesty, do not worry. Even if the northern bandits march south, it will take them many days to reach Yingtian Prefecture. We still have time."

"Time?!" Zhao Gou jumped up: "Yingtian Prefecture has been in disrepair for the past few years. How can we possibly have time to defend it now? It's not winter, so water won't freeze like in the books!"

Huang Qianshan looked at him strangely: "Your Majesty, why must we meet the enemy in Yingtian Prefecture?"

"Uh..." Zhao Gou was speechless, his anger subsiding by three points: "You mean..."

As the soldiers patrolled in formation outside, amidst the rhythmic footsteps, Wang Boyan approached and spoke in a low voice: "Your Majesty, what we need to do now is negotiate peace with Qi. Why not send officials to Bianliang, still acting as the puppet emperor, allowing Qi to gain some nominal advantage? Then, we can divide and rule them using the Central Plains as the boundary, and we will also be one country."

Zhao Gou had a thoughtful expression on his face.

Wang Boyan and Huang Qianshan exchanged a glance, then bowed respectfully, saying, "Your Majesty, we are unaware of Your Majesty's grace in the south. We humbly request Your Majesty to tour Nanyang." (End of Chapter)