Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Flags bearing wolf heads were raised high in the sky, and arrows whistled through the air, flying back and forth in people's sight.

The earth rumbled and trembled, and the galloping hooves kicked up grass and yellow dust, while the iron plates embedded in the black armor reflected a cold light.

Behind them, light cavalry clad in leather armor drew their bows and arrows, their figures rising and falling like waves surging forward. To their sides and rear, infantrymen in black military uniforms advanced in formation.

"The Song army is retreating!"

"Don't charge! Scatter and circle around! Infantry first!"

Among the wolf riders, Shi Bao roared, earning a brief reply from Wang Yin: no cavalry had disobeyed orders.

Shi Bao responded with a "Left!" The knights running around him followed his change of direction, gently pulling on their reins and moving closer to him.

Wang Yin naturally pointed in another direction, and the wolf riders instantly split into two groups, leaving trails of dust as they sped away in arcs across the battlefield.

The battlefield ahead began to shrink, arrows whistled through the air, screams came from all directions, and the sounds of war drums and horns rose in the sky, the booming and wailing sounds tugging at the nerves of every soldier in the Song army.

Wang Shan felt his breathing becoming rapid and tense. The intensity of the war was beyond his imagination. In his memory, war was simply about killing your way in, taking out the enemy leader in the melee, and then the rest of the people surrendering.

What are we doing now?!
Nobody informed me that my first time on the battlefield would involve fighting on this scale!

With a scale of hundreds of thousands of people, it was nothing compared to the previous raids and sieges of cities in the state.

Wang Shan felt a bitter taste in his mouth, and kept glancing around to see if there were any areas that the Qi army couldn't attend to.

dong dong dong-

The sound of war drums came from behind, startling the man who turned around abruptly. Behind Yue Fei, ten burly men, shirtless, were lined up and vigorously beating a war drum that was taller than a person. Under the sunlight, each of them was covered in shiny oil, and beads of sweat could be seen dripping from their bodies as they faced the sun.

Wang Shan's eyes twitched, feeling somewhat disgusted. He beckoned to his trusted men who had been following him: "You all better watch yourselves. If you don't want to lose your lives, find me a safe place. This place isn't easy to deal with."

Several weasel-faced men exchanged glances and nodded to each other.

……

"Ahhh-"

Zhang Yong dragged his iron rod and ran madly from the front towards this side, glancing back every now and then. The banner with the character "Zhai" fluttered in the wind, and Zhai Jin, who was wearing iron armor, shot an arrow at him. Zhang Yong's running figure darted out diagonally.

whoosh-

The arrow grazed my arm and embedded itself in the ground, its fletching sticking out and swaying slightly.

"I'll fuck your grandma! You little bastard, if you've got the guts, get off your horse and fight your grandpa!"

Zhang Yong felt his scalp tingle. He ran and cursed, wondering what was wrong with that General Zhai behind him. Why was he chasing him so relentlessly through thousands of troops? He hadn't even touched his wife. Was he really that persistent? Were there several living people around who couldn't see him or what?

However, the battlefield gave him no time to think things through. He instinctively followed the people around him and ran backward. People were constantly being hit by arrows and falling to the ground, raising clouds of dust.

Ahead, Tang Huai and his long-handled axemen also hurriedly retreated. The retreating soldiers on the battlefield had just run across an open space when someone shouted "Hey?!" and stumbled, almost falling over.

Zhai Jin, who was chasing after him, spurred his horse and knocked down a man. Just as he spotted Zhang Yong's back, his warhorse made a "crack" sound. His vision suddenly changed, and as the yellow earth came into view, he used his waist and legs to lift himself up. He spun around in the air and landed. Before he could recover from the shock, his forehead was instantly covered with cold sweat.

Looking over, one of the warhorse's legs revealed its white bone, and blood was gushing out.

Zhai Jin quickly looked down at his feet and saw that the land was covered with small pits the size of bowls. Looking up, he saw that there were also iron caltrops on the ground. At the same time, many warhorses that had been chasing closely cried out and fell to the ground.

"Stop! Back off!"

The former top general of Jingxi, who reacted instantly, roared out, and his personal guards took the horn from the struggling warhorse and blew it.

The short, deep sound of the horn echoed across the battlefield, and the pursuing cavalrymen began to rein in their horses.

"Shoot, shoot, shoot! Shoot fast—"

In the midst of the battle, several Song soldiers commanding the archers and crossbowmen shouted, and a rain of arrows instantly poured down on the front of the formation. Many cavalrymen who were forced to dismount were caught off guard and screamed in agony.

The infantrymen following behind quickly stepped forward, hoping to pull the dismounted men back.

The change came too suddenly.

The Qi army's offensive, which was originally in the lead, was halted. After receiving a report from the returning cavalry, Lü Bu, who was in charge of the rear, quickly responded by ordering the cavalry to retreat and handing the front battlefield over to the infantry. At the same time, he ordered surrendered generals such as Lu Junyi and Xu Ning to lead their troops forward to support the front battlefield.

At the same time, Qiao Zhongfu under Liu Qi, Xu Qing under Yue Fei, and Li Qiong each led their elite troops forward to escort the retreating soldiers back into their formation.

On the battlefield, tens of thousands of troops from both sides once again faced each other. Lin Chong and Tang Bin, relying on their heavily armored troops, advanced to the front, only to encounter infantry sent out by Liu Qi.

Two heavily armored armies clashed and fought fiercely under the cover of leather-armored infantry. The clanging of metal against metal exploded between the two armies like popping beans.

The infantrymen, relying on their shields and armor, traversed the ground riddled with craters the size of bowls. Shouts, arrows, blades, and blood splattered from spears and lances covered the soil.

Charge and fight ensued, with soldiers on the front lines of the Qi and Song armies rotating several times. Generals such as Lu Junyi and Xu Ning personally led the charge several times, only to be shot back by the divine crossbow and the hard bow at critical moments.

In the afternoon, the infantry filled in the pits and cleared away the barbed wire. The sound of warhorses pounding the ground rang out again. However, the Song infantry, who had adapted to the intensity of the attack, held their line under pressure, preventing the advancing cavalry from breaking through for the time being.

Subsequently, Wang Yan, under Liu Qi's command, led over a thousand cavalrymen, including the Eight-Character Army and Yue Fei's forces, in a sudden attack, catching Guan Sheng and Suo Chao, who were charging into battle, off guard. Both of them led their troops in retreat.

Wang Yan and Yue Fei hurriedly returned to the formation, following the main formation to support the flanking forces that were being attacked by Niu Gao.

As dawn broke in the west, Lü Bu stared expressionlessly at the horrific battlefield before him, his heart undisturbed.

It is normal that the battle has only been going on for a day and the battle lines cannot be broken. It is common for tens of thousands of people to fight for ten days or half a month.

He glanced at the crimson clouds in the west, turned his head and whispered, "Order the troops to retreat." He pulled on the reins of Red Hare, and the warhorse calmed down. "The Song army seems to have changed somewhat, but they are still hampered by a shortage of warhorses. I wonder if today's battle has exposed all their weaknesses."

The sound of metal clanging rang out, and the sounds of fighting ahead gradually faded away with the clanging of metal.

Fang Xuedu rode his warhorse forward a few steps: "Has Your Majesty made a decision?"

"It's not really a matter of concern, it's just a matter of waiting for the Song army's morale to dissipate." Lu Bu smiled with narrowed eyes: "The Song army on this battlefield today may know that this is a critical moment, and their fighting spirit is much higher than usual. However, I wonder how long they can withstand this kind of morale under the iron hooves."

"One should strike while the iron is hot, but the momentum will wane, and the force will be exhausted." Fang Xuedu stroked his long, willow-like beard and chuckled. "Unless they also value military merit as much as our army, they will only be able to die here with regret."

“This time…” Lü Bu’s hand gripping the reins bulged with veins: “Cripple them!”

...The view of the sky and the earth dimmed, and troops retreated in all directions. The cavalry at the front gathered reports that the Song army had not pursued them. Some of the troops in the two separate groups carried white flags and collected the bodies of the fallen soldiers, transporting them back to their own side for burning and burying. Otherwise, in this hot weather, there would probably be a plague spreading here in a few days.

The daytime hustle and bustle subsided, and fast horses carrying various messages galloped about. The Song generals who had retreated back into the city removed their armor and looked at the battle reports in their armies in silence.

"Brother Yue, the situation is not good. The Qi army fought so fiercely on the first day, and we have suffered many casualties. If this happens again tomorrow, the morale of our troops will be in danger in a few days."

The words rang out in the hall. Yue Fei looked up from the battle report. Wang Gui, Zhang Yong, Tang Huai and a few others walked in, their sweaty smell hitting their foreheads: "General Liu still has Hefei to defend. If we lose, I'm afraid the Wuwu Army will be gone too."

Yue Fei's gaze flickered, then he closed his somewhat dry eyes: "Luzhou cannot be lost. It is a strategic location that military strategists must contend for. If we lose it, the mouth of the Yangtze River will be exposed to the enemy."

Zhang Yong looked at him and said, "But the Qi army is not just this one force; there are two other forces also advancing south. The situation does not seem optimistic."

Yue Fei's eyelids twitched. He could imagine what the other two battlefields were like: infantry slowly advancing, with large numbers of cavalry roaming on both sides, bursting in when they saw an opening, and soon cooperating with the infantry to rout an army. Then the cavalry would pursue and kill from behind, trampling every fleeing person under their hooves, blood flowing like rivers, and corpses piling up like mountains, stretching all the way towards the banks of the Yangtze River.

"...We are facing the Emperor of Qi."

Yue Fei suddenly opened his eyes and looked down at the exhausted generals in the hall: "His presence greatly boosted the morale of the Qi army. Conversely, the Qi army is even more concerned about this emperor."

“If he is held up here for too long, the other two Qi armies will likely turn around and come this way because of him.”

Tang Huai's face fell: "Wouldn't that be even worse? If more than 200,000 people gather along the north bank of the river, Luzhou will be like a boiled egg, smashed in an instant."

Wang Gui looked at him and said, "I think it's just thin slices of meat that's been fried in hot oil. They'll be charcoal by then."

The two looked at each other and smiled bitterly.

Yue Fei shook his head: "It's not that there's no chance." He then noticed several people looking at him: "The Qi army has many soldiers and is fighting against the Western Xia in the Northwest. I've heard they're still fighting against Goryeo in the Northeast. If another battlefield opens up here, the logistical pressure on them will be enormous."

wow——

His hand holding the battle report suddenly clenched into a fist: "If we can drag this out until their supplies run out and there is widespread discontent within their country, we might be able to force them to retreat."

Wang Shan opened his mouth and murmured, "But they have obtained a lot of money and grain from Bianliang. When will they be able to run out of it?"

Before Yue Fei could speak, Wang Gui snorted, "Brother Yue, how could you not consider this? You don't understand, so don't talk nonsense and disrupt the morale of the army."

"Brother Wang!" Yue Fei stopped him, looking at Wang Shan with a gentle smile: "What you said makes sense, but they are fighting on three fronts, so the cost is much higher."

Wang Shan forced a smile.

Seeing this, Zhang Xian quickly changed the subject: "I wonder if that general surnamed Wanyan will contact us again. If he turns against us on the battlefield, we can have an easier time."

Wang Gui laughed and said, "If you ask me, it would be best if he could chop off the head of the dog emperor of Qi in one go."

Tang Huai also added, "Even if they come to escape with their troops, that would be fine."

The two looked at each other and burst into laughter, overshadowing Zhang's quiet remark, "I don't see any banners bearing the name of Wanyan."

"Alright." Yue Fei waved his hand: "Stop thinking about these things. Let's prepare for the tough battle to come."

"Yes," the group replied emphatically.

They then walked out together, and Wang Gui called out, "Brother Yue, come to my tent for a meal later."

They agreed, and then he called out to Zhang Xian and Tang Huai. The three of them turned and left side by side.

Behind them, Zhang Yong and Wang Shan exchanged glances, their eyes meeting at some point. Suddenly, they felt they understood each other's gazes and lowered their eyes at the same time.

"Brother Zhang..." Wang Shan hesitated for a moment, "Why don't you come and sit in my tent?"

"Alright." Zhang Yong chuckled. "I'm quite hungry, so let's eat something together."

……

at the same time.

The large banner bearing the character "Li" swayed gently in the night wind, and groans of pain echoed from the wounded soldiers' camp. Every now and then, someone was carried out of the tent and taken aside to be wrapped in a straw mat.

"Commander, we don't have enough medicine for our wounds."

Someone rushed into the central command tent, sweat streaming down his temples.

"How could that be?" Li Qiong couldn't help but stand up. "When we set out for the expedition, didn't General Liu prepare everything? How could it be insufficient?"

The man wiped the sweat from his face: "The army doctor just opened the medicine packet and found that most of the medicine was sand and dirt. I'm afraid..."

He didn't dare voice his guess and lowered his head.

"...It seems he's been switched." Li Qiong said with a blank face, uttering what the other person hadn't said, then slammed her fist on the table: "Going to war for the country...how dare he!"

He took a few deep breaths, then raised his head: "Go quickly and find General Liu and Commander Yue, and ask them to spare some medicine for us."

He gave a wry smile: "Humble yourselves a bit. We're all brothers in the army. Whether we live or die depends on you."

"Yes."

The man responded and immediately turned and ran.

Seeing the person run far away, Li Qiong seemed to lose all her strength, plopped down in a chair, and vigorously rubbed her face with both hands.

"You managed to sell this for money, that's really impressive..."

……

Night fell over the sky.

The lights in Hefei had already been extinguished. Liu Qi, dressed in light clothing, was writing something at his desk. After a while, he looked up, blew on the ink to dry it, and put it into an envelope: "Someone come here."

"General."

"Quickly deliver the letter to the officials." (End of Chapter)