Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Their feet sank into the water as they stepped onto the ground, their boots sinking in, blood clinging to the soles, as the surging crowd rushed toward the city wall.

Arrows and stones flew through the sky and fell, bombarding the city walls. Every now and then, fire arrows with flaming tails rushed up the walls, their burning arrowheads igniting everything. Black smoke meandered through the air, blurring people's vision.

The siege ladders were erected, and several wooden ladders with iron hooks were set up next to them. Qi soldiers, dressed in black armor, bit their swords and climbed up with large shields on their heads. The Song army also retaliated, throwing stones and logs down from the city wall.

The archer with the crossbow aimed at the approaching figure and fired an arrow. The moment the arrow flew, he himself fell from above, splashing blood at the base of the city wall.

Blood splattered on and around the city walls. Amidst the sounds of battle atop Shucheng's city walls, Wu Duan brandished his hand blade, smashing away black-armored soldiers who had scaled the walls. He roared at the men climbing the siege ladders in the distance, "Where are the archers? Send them down, quickly—"

The large iron shield was gripped tightly in the man's hand, and the arrows flying in made a thud as they struck it. Just as the sniper's fire stopped, a long spear thrust at him from behind the shield.

bang——

"what--"

The screams gradually faded into the distance, and a soft sound was drowned out by shouts from the city walls: "Hold on! The Qi army's fierce attack cannot last long!"

Cao Cheng, who had just lent a helping hand, shouted himself hoarse. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, noticed that the number of flags raised below was incorrect, and licked his dry lips: "Where did these reinforcements come from... This time it's really dangerous."

Below the city walls, behind the soldiers with shields, Lu Junyi, clad in iron armor, drew a horizontal sword and held it in his mouth, while holding a brand-new shield in his hand: "Charge again!"

One of the soldiers behind him spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, his expression eccentric: "We follow the general!"

"on!"

Lu Junyi's expression hardened, and he suddenly leaped up, grabbing the wooden ladder with one hand and climbing upwards, seemingly unaffected by the heavy armor.

"His Majesty is watching us! Charge onto the city walls! Fight for His Majesty! May Great Qi be victorious!"

A hysterical voice erupted, and behind him, countless black-armored soldiers, their eyes bloodshot, marched upwards, their voices echoing hundreds and thousands below the steps: "Fight for His Majesty! Victory for Great Qi!"

"May the Great Qi be victorious!"

Qi Jun has gone mad!

On the city wall of Shucheng, Cao Cheng listened to the battle cries below turn into frenzied shouts, and his expression turned somewhat grim. He glanced at the tense soldiers guarding the city and said, "Hold the city wall and push the men back!"

Many officers joined him in shouting, once again rallying the soldiers at the front to attack the enemy troops climbing up the city walls.

The shield, held at an angle, was dented from being struck by stones and logs. Lu Junyi gritted his teeth, his arm holding the shield as steady as a rock. The force of the impact was decreasing, and a ferocious smile appeared on his face. This meant that the distance was approaching, and even the tall ladder had an end.

Then, by straining his leg muscles, he sprang up.

"kill--"

The spear thrust out from the Song soldier's hand on the city wall. A flash of light streaked across the wooden shaft, and half of the spearhead flew into the air. The man's hand felt lighter, and the force of the pull caused him to take a step back, followed by a shadow.

The terrified face moved upwards, its gaze landing on the leaping black figure.

The imposing body almost completely filled the line of sight of the guards on the city wall, and then a sharp glint of a blade struck the man's neck.

puff--

The head flew off at an angle, and the blood gushed out like a fountain, reaching half a meter high.

"Drink!"

Lu Junyi roared and swung his left hand, sending the uneven shield spinning and flying out. Thump—it hit the face of a Song soldier next to him, who fell backward without uttering a sound.

The jade unicorn, having landed, leaped forward and forcefully shoved people aside, slashing three people with its horizontal blade, splattering blood all over its body.

"Over there, follow me!" Cao Cheng was about to rush forward with his gun to provide support when he saw this.

Lu Junyi had already spotted the armored general there. He tossed his sword and flung it across the battlefield.

Cao Cheng reacted quickly, jerking to the side to dodge the flying blade. Those following behind were caught off guard and someone threw a weapon at them. One of them was stabbed in the eye socket by the blade. "Ah!" he screamed, grabbed the blade, and fell to the ground, rolling around until he gradually fell silent.

Lu Junyi stretched his hand to the side, and the horizontal sword hanging at his waist swayed.

With a slight twitch of his brow and a downward shift of his gaze, the Jade Kirin stepped onto the fallen Song soldier's spear. His eyes lit up, and he pulled back on the spear, causing it to bounce slightly. He then kicked forward with his foot.

call--

The spear flew into the air, and he grabbed it with a mighty grip. With a loud shout, he swung the spear, and two soldiers who had come close were instantly whipped away by the Jade Kirin who now possessed the long weapon.

"Damn..."

Seeing this, Cao Cheng immediately sensed something was wrong, knowing that a capable fighter had come up. Before he could even call for archers to provide support, Lu Junyi, skilled and daring, charged in the opposite direction. The spearhead with its red tassel rippled with the tension of his arm muscles, creating large, bowl-sized spear flowers, and then thrust forward with a fierce whoosh.

bump--

Cao Cheng blocked a shot, only to feel a jolt in his hands. The gun barrel of the other man jumped, and his vision turned red. The man reacted quickly, "Hey!" and abruptly turned his head away.

Chi-

The sound of the spearhead piercing the air exploded in his ears, and several of Cao Cheng's personal guards immediately brandished their swords and charged forward.

Lu Junyi shook his arms forcefully, and with a flick of his spear, he drew all of them into his spear stance.

"Follow General Lu!"

At the ramparts, figures kept leaping up. Yan Qing, with a sword in one hand and a crossbow in the other, saw Lu Junyi already fighting with the Song army the moment he popped his head up. He immediately felt a tightness in his chest and hurriedly shouted to follow, leading several fierce soldiers who had come up to join him.

The roars echoed from the city walls, and the soldiers fighting were slashed backward by the Qi army wielding broadswords.

Cao Cheng is under increasing pressure.

……

Footsteps and shouts turned into a cacophony. The Song army on the city wall felt the pressure increase as the enemy shouted their slogans. Several fierce generals led the way to climb up several sections of the wall. Xu Ning, Han Chang, and Han Qinghe led their soldiers to climb frantically, and the gaps in the wall were increasing.

Under the sunlight, the black smoke thinned and dissipated high in the sky.

Under orders, the Vanguard Battalion advanced. This time, Han Shizhong did not need to supervise the battle; he personally charged into the fray and stormed the city wall. The flashes of his blade created a continuous brilliance. The soldiers of the Vanguard Battalion swarmed forward, forming small battle formations of five or six men each, constantly widening the gaps between them to allow those behind to advance. At the same time, they connected with Han Chang's troops who were fighting bravely on the side.

Iron spears, long spears, and horizontal swords from both sides were wildly slashing and thrusting on the city wall. The vanguard soldiers with crossbows fired their crossbow bolts from the shield formation in front of them, blood splattered, and heads and limbs fell to the ground, with more blood squeezed out by the trampled boots.

On the city walls, the fighting intensified to a fever pitch.

"Ahhh-"

Meaningless shouts filled the air, blades flashed and guns gleamed repeatedly as they pierced flesh, blood splattered on the ground, pools of blood were trampled by combat boots, and then splashed haphazardly onto the people around them.

"Get them off! Get them off! Quickly, send in the reserves!"

Wu Duan forcefully pushed and swung his sword, breaking the collarbone of a Qi soldier. Through his blurred vision, he saw more and more blackness and roared at his personal guards beside him.

The man quickly turned around, and then a commander led his troops up the stone steps from below the city and poured out from the stairwell to prepare for defense.

On the city wall where the battle raged, Han Shizhong watched the surging figures opposite him, sensed the change, and his face hardened: "Han Chang! Han Chang! Protect my side, kill that howling bastard first!"

Hearing this, the young, blood-soaked warrior in the midst of the fierce battle kicked away the figure charging towards him, brandishing his sword: "Come with me!"

The shouting figures charged forward, fighting alongside the fierce generals ahead. The stench of blood filled the air on the city walls. Black and red figures tangled together. Han Chang pushed the defensive line back, and the Song army's front ranks could not withstand the attack, leaving a gaping hole.

"Chop them up—" With his raised sword stained with sticky blood and bearing several nicks, Han Chang charged forward. The reserve soldiers who had just climbed the city wall were caught off guard and were cut down by him. Blood and screams rang out in the air. The horrified commander had just met his gaze when he saw him accelerate towards him and fiercely slash with his sword.

With just a few slashes, he sent the man staggering back several feet, and together with the soldiers behind him, they held off the newly arrived Song soldiers behind the battle formation.

……

Blades and gunfire were thrust at the heads of the shouting men, and blood spread around them.

Without the protection of his personal guards, Cao Cheng was wounded in just a few shots. His personal guards were alarmed and shouted, "Protect the general!" Ignoring the blade of Yan Qing that was slashing his back, they charged into Lu Junyi.

puff--

The spear veered to the left, the spear seized from the Song soldier piercing the chest of the charging man. Lu Junyi swept his arm horizontally, sending the corpse crashing towards Cao Cheng, and the two of them tumbled to the ground.

"Drink-"

With a step and a spin, Lu Junyi swung his spear in a circle above his head, and the surrounding soldiers, both enemy and friendly, who were unable to dodge in time were struck by the spearhead and the butt of the spear and fell to the ground.

sand--

The combat boots brought the momentum to a halt, and the bloodied spear tip plunged downwards with deadly force.

……

Clang——

As the knives clashed, sparks flew and tiny fragments the size of rice grains broke off from the blades.

Han Shizhong lunged forward, deflecting the oncoming blade and crashing into his opponent's arms. At the same time, he used the hilt of his sword to strike Wu Duan in the abdomen. The Song general, in pain, bent over, and his helmet was struck again.

bang——

A dent the size of a knife handle appeared on the helmet.

Wu Duan felt a sudden darkness before his eyes. Knowing that something was wrong, he still fell downwards uncontrollably. Han Shizhong flipped his wrist, pointing the blade downwards, and pressed his other hand on the end of the hilt, kneeling down.

puff--

The blade pierced through the back of the neck.

……

"Your generals are dead—"

call--

The spear, carrying the corpse, lifted a person and a half high.

"Surrender quickly!"

Upon hearing Lu Junyi's voice, Yan Qing immediately realized what was happening: "Surrender! Surrender!"

Holding a long sword, he looked around at the soldiers and said, "We are all of the same blood, but we are soldiers who eat rations. Now that you have been defeated, and our army has no precedent for mistreating prisoners, if you do not surrender now, when will you?"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding soldiers looked at each other, hesitant. Seeing this, Yan Qing glanced at the knife in the hand of the person next to him, and kicked him. The person felt pain in his hand, let go, and raised his arm.

Dang clang——

The iron knife fell to the ground.

The others followed the sound to the knife on the ground, seemingly unable to hold onto their weapons any longer. As they let go, a series of clanging sounds rang out.

Lu Junyi was overjoyed. He glanced at Yan Qing, who nodded in understanding and shouted loudly.

"You have been defeated, cease your attack—"

The shouts faded into the distance.

The sounds rose and fell, each one high-pitched and resonant.

……

The view shook violently, the scorching sunlight was blocked by rising black smoke, and the fierce fighting slowly came to a halt.

The direction of the Great Banner.

Lu Bu, dressed in silver armor with a white cloak fluttering in the breeze, sat slightly bowed on his warhorse, his gaze calm yet fixed on every section of the battlefield atop the city walls, as scouts continuously relayed messages back from the front.

Regardless of whether it was good news or bad news, he would listen quietly. Several hours had passed since the start of the battle, and the city walls were still locked in a tug-of-war.

However, he knew this was a sign that the city was about to fall. If it happened quickly, it would happen today; if it happened slowly, it would happen tomorrow. This small city would fall under the offensive of his fierce generals.

"Your Majesty, the Song flag on the city wall..." Wei He, who was standing beside him, pointed at something.

Lu Bu shifted his gaze and saw a flag fluttering down, while excited roars erupted from the city wall, the sound of "Victory!" echoing from afar.

With a smile on his face, Lü Bu reached out and gently stroked Red Hare's fiery red mane: "Alright, Shucheng is secured."

Wei He smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "It is all thanks to His Majesty's boundless blessings."

"Stop flattering."

Lu Bu chuckled, urging his mount forward and pointing to the city wall: "This city has already been fiercely attacked by Han Shizhong. If he hadn't had so few capable men, I'm afraid he wouldn't have been able to leave this city to me."

His words carried a slight hint of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing regret, regret, and a sense of melancholy): "But it's not too late now."

As they spoke, they gently nudged Red Hare, and the beast suddenly darted forward, heading straight into the city.

The gates of Shucheng had already been opened, and the dejected Song soldiers stood in a corner, while soldiers holding bows and crossbows stepped forward to keep watch over them.

Cavalrymen galloped through the city, shouts of pacification were heard, and small-scale conflicts occasionally broke out. These were mostly groups of die-hard loyalists who were unwilling to accept their fate, but they were wiped out by the Qi army soldiers who stormed into the city.

Red Hare galloped through the slightly chaotic city and entered the county government office, where Han Shizhong, Han Chang, and others were waiting.

"No need for formalities." Lü Bu waved his hand to stop them from bowing, dismounted, and strode forward: "Your next task is to attack Wuwu Army; there's no need to seize cities and territories..."

Han Shizhong and the others followed the fast-moving figure, listening carefully to the orders given in front.

"...Find a ferry and cross the Yangtze River directly to disrupt their rear." Entering the hall, Lü Bu took off his cloak and tossed it to Wei He, then sat down: "How you fight is none of my concern. All you need to do is create chaos within the Song people's ranks."

Han Shizhong thought for a moment, then cupped his hands in a respectful gesture: "Your Majesty, if I were to directly march on Lin'an..."

Lu Bu glanced at him and said, "As long as you can come back alive, you can go all the way to Lingnan." Then he slammed his hand on the table and said, "But you all must remember that once you enter the Song army's territory, you will have no reinforcements, only these 10,000 men at your disposal."

Han Shizhong glanced at Han Chang, then chuckled at Lü Bu: "Your Majesty, rest assured, this humble general understands."

In the tenth year of Jianwu, it was a sweltering summer.

Song general Liu Qi blocked the Qi army's western route at Hefei. The Qi emperor personally led reinforcements to Shucheng to support the detachment. The soldiers were greatly encouraged by the emperor's personal expedition. They captured Shucheng in one day, then marched into Wuwei Army, and rushed into the mouth of the Yangtze River. They crossed the Yangtze River north of Tongling and disappeared without a trace.

In late summer, Tian Shizhong of Taizhou was trapped for a long time, and the city was running out of food and supplies. He fought desperately to break out of the siege, and Hailing was captured.

In Sizhou, Xi Sheng, commander of the central army, received an order from Lü Bu: Wang Bolong would first capture Xuyi, the prefectural capital, and rest for a day, leaving 5,000 troops to defend the city. He would then lead the main army south, their advance aimed directly at Chuzhou. (End of Chapter)