Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

The sunlight shone on the city walls of Luoyang, where the black and red flags of the Qi army replaced the banners of the Song army.

From the outside, the city walls and gates appeared undamaged. Although the army defending the city was not brought by the Zhai brothers, it had the same problem as the soldiers of Yanshi City. The moment the Zhai brothers, the top generals in Jingxi and highly respected in the army, appeared, the army lost its fighting spirit. Yang Wei, who was standing right below the city, directly tied up He Zhitong, the governor of Henan who had rushed over after hearing the news, and surrendered.

The residents of Xijing, who lived in the city, were completely unprepared for the army that rushed in. They ran home in panic, and the streets were filled with cries of "Dad, Dad, Mom!"

"With the army entering the city, all soldiers and civilians, regardless of rank or age, should remain at home and are not allowed to leave or come out at will."

"The army has entered the city..."

The army slowly entered, with cavalrymen on warhorses and wielding long spears leading the charge, their shouts echoing from the streets to the alleys.

Troops bearing the banners of "Dong", "Huyan", and "Yuan" galloped along the city walls and main avenues toward the other three gates. Occasionally, hot-blooded soldiers tried to stop them, but were knocked into the air by their warhorses and fell back down barely alive.

"I thought we had taken Xijing, the most difficult city, just like that."

With the central banner flying alongside the escorting troops, Wanyan Loushi looked at the wide city gate of Luoyang and sighed, "As an ancient capital, I thought we would have to go through a fierce battle to get in."

A bugle call came from ahead. Several generals under the banner looked over. Du Xue tilted his head as he controlled his warhorse: "This time we really owe a lot to Li Cheng. If he hadn't forced Zhai Jin and Zhai Xing to surrender, we would have lost even more men."

Wanyan Loushi's gaze swept over the open space behind the city gate, where several figures stood. He nodded slightly and said softly, "Then why don't we let these two go to the government office for the meeting as well? We might need to use their names later."

Du Xue's body swayed slightly as the warhorse moved: "Very well. Someone, please ask these two to accompany the central army to the government office to report the matter."

"Here!"

Zhai Jin and Zhai Xing were talking with their nephews and nieces to old acquaintances from the army. When the army entered the city, they made way for them and watched as the warhorses and heavily armed infantrymen with swords and guns marched into the city. Their expressions were extremely complicated.

When they saw Wanyan Loushi nod to them, they subconsciously returned the nod.

"General..." a voice called from behind.

Zhai Jin and Zhai Xing turned their heads. The former was expressionless, while the latter frowned when he saw the speaker's face, but then relaxed.

Yang Wei glanced at Zhai Xing, then subconsciously touched his face: "Is there something on my face, General?"

"...It's nothing." Zhai Xing replied calmly, "Is there anything you want to ask?"

Yang Wei didn't seem to care much: "This humble general wants to ask how the Qi army intends to deal with us."

When Zhai Jin saw that his elder brother had spoken, he turned his head back and listened to Zhai Xing's voice: "If you surrender in battle, your official position will definitely not be very high, but the promotion in the Qi army is different from that in the Song Dynasty." He paused, then added, "As long as you have the ability, you will not be buried."

Yang Wei nodded, glanced back, and hesitated for a moment: "Then the soldier..."

“Select the strong and young to enlist, and send the rest back to their hometowns.”

"Wouldn't that mean much less money and grain..." Yang Wei murmured softly, then quickly pursed his lips.

“Don’t do such things again, it’s bad karma.” Looking at the face behind him, Zhai Xing lowered his eyes with complicated feelings: “Just do things carefully from now on. The Qi army gives more money and food than the Zhao Song army, three times more, and there are no arrears.”

The eyes of the generals and soldiers behind them immediately lit up.

A moment later, the sound of horses' hooves rang out in front of the group of officers.

A captain came and took away the surrendered Song soldiers. Zhai Jin and Zhai Xing were about to follow when they were stopped by guards from the central army. They exchanged a glance and then followed the large group of people toward the familiar government office.

As the troops marched forward, all the main roads in the city were quickly brought under control. The yamen runners and captains were gathered together by the surrendered officials, and half an hour later, they walked into the streets in high spirits, following the Qi army in the city to appease the people and inspect the city.

Inside the spacious and bright government office, the doors and windows were wide open, and the generals had taken off their armor, looking as if they had been pulled out of the water, their bodies soaking wet.

A huge geomantic map was hoisted up, and Du Xue pointed to it: "Our plans can't keep up with the changes. We thought there would be a battle at Mangshan, but we entered the city without any surprises." He then gave Zhai Jin and Zhai Xing a friendly look.

Generals Wanyan Loushi, Aliqi, Shi Wengong, and Xu Guanzhong also looked at the two men with a friendly expression.

The two former generals from Jingxi could only remain serious, their expressions unreadable.

Du Xue looked around and continued, "Our forces are different from Xi Sheng's this time. We will fight our way back to the west. Mengzhou is currently above us, connecting to the land in Hedong that we have not yet occupied. To the left is Yongxing Army Road. We lost a lot of troops in last year's battle and are already short of manpower."

"My plan is to split up with General Sun An and take two routes: one to Hezhong Prefecture and Yan'an Prefecture, and the navy led by Zhang Shun and Zhang Rong to take the Luo River. Then the main army will head west to capture Qingzhou."

"Another route westward: Li Bao led his fleet across the Wei River, stormed into Qin-Feng Road from Jingzhao Prefecture, seized the northwestern territories of the Zhao Song dynasty, and then..."

The key point is in the south of Western Xia: "They besieged Xingqing Prefecture from two directions and seized the foundation of Western Xia."

"Here!"

The deep voices blended together, making the hearts of those sitting there jump.

The brothers Zhai Jin and Zhai Xing couldn't help but exchange a glance, instinctively frowning as they wondered how Western Xia could be so easily conquered. However, they couldn't help but look at the confident general beside them and sigh inwardly.

Things are definitely different now.

"General Zhai Jin."

The voice that rang out made the Zhai brothers sit up straight: "General Jie."

"The matter of Mengzhou still requires your continued attention."

Du Xue looked at the two of them gently and smiled, "Later, I would like to ask you two, along with Generals Cao Rong and Yang Jin, to stay in Luoyang to prevent any fools from coming to attack."

Yang Jin?!
Zhai Jin's heart skipped a beat. He took a breath, forced himself to calm down, and thought for a moment: "General, my brother and I are fairly well-known in the western part of the capital. We are willing to lead our troops south and perhaps persuade others to join us."

Zhai Xing couldn't help but glance at him, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

The generals in the hall brightened up and looked towards Du Xue.

The standing commander pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "However, our army currently has no spare troops for you two."

"I know that, but I don't need many soldiers to accompany me." Zhai Jin stood up: "If I can persuade others, thousands of troops are useless to me. If not, I will return to Luoyang."

Du Xue raised an eyebrow: "That is indeed the case. How many men does the general need?"

Zhai Jin stood up and said decisively, "Only two thousand elite soldiers will suffice."

"good."

Du Xue, impressed by his words, laughed heartily: "However, you two generals should first help us capture this city in the northwest of Henan Prefecture. Then you can return to Luoyang and decide for yourselves."

Zhai Jin bowed and accepted the order.

Du Xue then summoned his personal guards to prepare a banquet to celebrate the victory of the westward advance and to introduce the newly surrendered generals to the other officers.

At that moment, the western army had a hearty meal in Luoyang and rested for several days, leaving Cao Rong, Yang Jin, and 5,000 men to guard Luoyang. Then they divided their troops into two groups. Sun An led Yuan Lang, Li Cheng, Dong Ping, Huyan Zhuo, Xu Guanzhong, Meng Bangjie, Zhang Shun, and Zhang Rong as one group, while also taking Zhai Xing and his son north to Mengzhou.

Du Xue led Wanyan Loushi, Feng Tai, Shi Wengong, Li Shixiong, Aliqi, and Zhai Jin and his son through Xin'an and into Mianchi. Then, with Dong Xian as the vanguard, they headed towards Xiazhou.

At the same time, it sends a clear signal.

—The northern lands were returned to Qi.

……

Despite the summer heat, the Qi army continued its conquests, and the battles in the western and eastern parts of the capital were proceeding smoothly.

After capturing Jizhou, Xi Sheng of Jingdong Road discovered that the resistance in various parts of Shandong was weak, so he simply let his generals attack the military prefectures on their own.

At that moment, Han Shizhong, Wang Bolong, and Han Chang marched south from Jizhou and captured Shanzhou, Xuzhou, and Huaiyang military prefecture within two months. They pushed their army all the way to Huainan East Road, capturing Huaiyin, Shanyang, and Yancheng in succession, thus locking the Song army in Huainan East Road in the north and preventing them from moving south.

Hua Rong and Yang Zaixing led their troops north, and together with Wei Zhaode, Ruan Xiaoer and Li Jun of the navy, they pushed the battle line along the Ji River toward the sea. Along the way, the various military prefectures either offered little resistance and then surrendered, or simply opened their city gates wide, allowing the Qi army to change the flags on the city walls.

Amidst these frequent victories, Mi Sheng, along with Qin Ming, Lu Zhishen, Pang Wanchun, and others, swept through the central region, encountering virtually no resistance as they entered Dengzhou.

Before winter, the Qi army captured parts of the Huainan region and the two routes of Jingdong.

Naturally, the news from here was relayed by the navy, who dispatched speedboats all the way down the Ji River to Bianliang.

The autumn rain fell in a light drizzle, the fine raindrops soaking the thick tree trunks outside the palace. Yellowed leaves were gently pushed off the branches by the rain and piled up on the ground.

Just as she was putting her daughter to a nap, Dalibo heard the sound of the water curtain falling outside and went over to sit next to the man.

"Why don't you take this opportunity to sleep for a while?"

"It's rare that my lord has no political affairs, so I'll spend more time with you."

With a smile on his handsome face, Dalibo poured some hot drinks and took a sip with Lü Bu: "Judging from your happy appearance, my lord, you must have received good news again."

"You guessed right." Lü Bu smiled at her. "I just received news from Jingdong Road that Dengzhou has surrendered."

"So fast?" Dalibo stared wide-eyed in surprise, then pondered, "It seems that Zhao Gou took away a lot of troops from Shandong."

“He practically emptied them out.” Lu Bu didn’t deny it, nodding: “Not only the army in Jingdong, but also the officials, money and provisions, that kid took everything he could, and the rest are just a bunch of scoundrels.”

He chuckled and sat back, stretching and raising his hands: "Fortunately, he can't take the population with him. As long as there are people, that's enough. It's actually better if those softies from JD.com leave."

Dalibo chuckled: "I wonder if Zhao Gou will be so angry after hearing what you said that he'll want to fight you to the death."

"If that's the case, it saves me a lot of trouble."

Seeing that he was in a good mood, Dalibo thought for a moment and asked, "How about General Du Xue? Is everything going smoothly there too?"

"It went very smoothly."

Lu Bu's smile remained unchanged: "We have now arrived at Fengxiang Prefecture. What surprised me was the newly surrendered people. They actually persuaded half of Jingxi to surrender. It's a pity that the court's previous strategy was to conquer the north first and then the south. Otherwise, we might have been able to mobilize a large army across the Yangtze River and take Xiangyang into our hands as well."

Dalibo smiled and said, "In that case, it will be much easier to go south again in the future."

Lu Bu didn't speak, but his face showed agreement as he took a sip of his hot drink.

The woman glanced at him a few more times, her eyes flickering slightly: "Then... young master, have you been talking to the Zhao family's daughter recently?"

"Hmm?" Lu Bu swallowed a mouthful of sugar water. "I've been busy with official business these past few days, but I've been to her room a few times. I didn't go into much detail. What's wrong?"

“This…” Dalibo hesitated for a moment, unable to speak.

"What's the matter with such hesitation?" Lu Bu, however, became curious and smiled, "I'm not a man-eating tiger, just say what you have to say."

"Then...then I said, you are not allowed to get angry."

Lu Bu smiled bitterly and pointed into the room: "My daughter is all grown up now, why should I be angry?"

“You had his father and brothers bow to you along the way.” Dalibo bit his lip and finally spoke up: “Hmm… I know you dislike being mocked, and I know her father and brothers are extremely rude. But it must have been hard work to travel through so many cities. Besides, I’ve heard that many martial artists want to take this opportunity to make a name for themselves. If too many people are injured, it will be a loss for us.”

Lu Bu paused for a moment, then took a closer look at Dalibo and realized that this woman probably felt the same way.

This woman became soft-hearted after giving birth...

He murmured a few words to himself with some emotion, then thought of the battle report he'd received from the north a few days ago. A large number of bandits had attacked the escorting convoy; the escorting soldiers had suffered few casualties, only about fifty men in total, but…

It doesn't seem worth losing soldiers for these two scoundrels.

Lu Bu frowned in thought, a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

Seeing the man frowning in thought, Dalibo's bright eyes flickered, and he leaned forward slightly: "If you are still angry, sir, why not let them do their thing in the major cities of Yanjing, Dading, Linhuang, and Liaoyang? We can leave the smaller cities in front of us alone."

For a moment, no one spoke in the room. Dalibo looked at the person in front of her with some expectation. Perhaps the silence had been too long, making her a little uneasy. Just as she was about to speak, she heard a voice say, "So be it."

Lu Bu glanced at her and casually poured out a hot drink: "As you said, it's a bit slow that we haven't reached Yanjing after all this time."

Dalibo smiled excitedly: "I knew you were kind-hearted, so I'm sure Sister Zhao will be grateful for your devoted service."

Lu Bu thought of the girl's alluring figure and laughed: "You can't say that. I agreed to your request, so consider it a favor you owe me."

He reached out and grasped her delicate hand: "Tonight, after Yun'er falls asleep, you will serve me."

"What did you say, sir?" Dalibo blushed and slapped the man.

Lu Bu chatted with her for a while with a cheerful smile, until Yu Cheng hurriedly came from outside and asked someone to knock on the door, at which point the two stopped talking.

Lu Bu stepped out of the room, the earthy smell of the rain filling his nostrils. He followed the maid leading the way to the front hall, frowning at Yu Cheng, who was covered in dampness: "What's wrong? What's so urgent?"

"News from the north indicates that General Wanyan Zonghan and Minister Qiao led troops to fight 50,000 Goryeo troops at Baozhou, and won the battle. They have now pursued them into Goryeo territory."

"I didn't expect it to be so fast..."

Lu Bu raised an eyebrow, took the battle report from Yu Cheng's hand, and pondered for a moment: "Send a message to Qiao Lie, that Ruan Xiaoer, Ruan Xiaowu, and Huyan Qing's naval forces be mobilized by him."

He paused for a moment, then added, "JD.com can deliver grain."

"Yes, sir!" (End of Chapter)