Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

The sounds of cicadas and insects were unsettling, and the river water splashed against the banks.

The two armies, totaling over 18,000 men, who had broken through the encirclement, stopped on the riverbank. Most of them were lightly wounded. A faint scent of herbs permeated the field, and a cacophony of voices rose from the crowd, with thousands of mouths talking in a chaotic cacophony.

Under the sky, the red plumes of helmets placed on the ground were moving as someone walked by quickly.

"Damn it, the Qi army has invaded, and they're really fast." Wang Gui rubbed his nose, sat down dejectedly, and his chest, exposed by his open shirt, was covered in fine sweat.

"General Liu is dead?" Among the seated figures, Li Qiong looked up at him.

“He’s dead. If he were alive, Hefei wouldn’t have fallen.” Wang Gui scratched his head, picked up his water bag, uncorked it, and took a few big gulps of water. He then poured the water over his forehead and caught his breath. “The Qi army has already reached Liyang in Hezhou, and the Wuwei army is also approaching Wuwei City.”

Li Qiong paused for a moment, sighed, and remained silent.

Zhang Yong looked up at him: "So you've caught up here so quickly? Nearly 100,000 troops couldn't stop the Qi army, and now only 10,000 men are left... Let's hurry up and get some wooden boats to cross the river to Wuhu, rather than staying here in fear."

Wang Gui ignored him and looked at Yue Fei: "Brother Yue, what should we do next? The brothers will listen to you."

Amidst the clamor of voices around him, Yue Fei looked up at the sky and said in a low voice, "I have ordered men to wait on the riverbank. They will beckon when they see our warships. Let's cross the river first." He paused, then glanced at the others and said, "General Liu died for us. Since that's the case, we must not waste his sacrifice."

Zhang Yong let out a sigh of relief, then frowned, glanced at Wang Shan over there, and saw that he was keeping his head down and not saying a word. His eyes moved, he pursed his slightly parted lips, and also lowered his head, listening to Li Qiong's voice.

"That's fine too. We can raise more troops after crossing the river. The court's reforms this time are still somewhat useful. At least we won't be easily defeated when facing the Qi army. If we have more warhorses, we might be able to achieve something."

“Commander Li is right.” Yue Fei finally smiled slightly. “This time, I will go back and write to the Emperor to find a place where horses can be raised. Otherwise, even if the South has many waterways that can defend against the northern cavalry, we will not be able to cross the Yangtze River in the future.”

A white bird flew past high in the sky, its gaze sweeping down. Someone rushed from outside into the seated crowd, running towards the armored man in the center: "Reporting to the commander, our warships have arrived!"

"coming?"

"coming!"

A few excited shouts rang out as Zhang Xian, Wang Gui, Li Qiong, and the others stood up and looked out over the river. Yue Fei, sitting down, turned halfway around and saw several tall warships sailing on the water, with the large "Song" banner fluttering in the wind coming into view.

"Order the entire army to assemble and prepare to cross the river back!"

Yue Fei's heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, finally settled. He stood up, gave an order, and then looked at Li Qiong. The two nodded to each other and headed towards the riverbank.

A messenger blew a horn, the long sound echoing across the plains. One by one, the seated figures stood up, and when they saw the boat approaching on the water, they all cheered. Then, at the command of the general, they gathered under the general's flag.

The tall ship docked under watchful eyes, with gangplanks and ropes lowered from above, and people dressed as generals disembarked.

Yue Fei and Li Qiong came forward to greet him. The general looked at the two of them, a smile appeared on his dark face, and he politely bowed: "I am Liu Menglong, the naval commander. I have come to meet you on the orders of His Majesty."

"General Liu, you are too kind. I am truly honored that you have made this trip in person."

The group quickly cupped their hands in greeting. It wasn't that the land and naval forces were as harmonious as one family; in fact, the Song court had never paid much attention to the development of its navy. In the past, those who ran on land were always looking down on those who swam in the water.

However, now that the emperor has moved to Lin'an, the center of the court has shifted south, and the Yangtze River has naturally become an insurmountable barrier. This highlights the importance of the navy. Not to mention a kind-hearted person like Yue Fei, even rough men like Wang Gui and Zhang Xian are very polite to him.

When asking someone to ferry you across a river, how can you be impolite, even if you're afraid of feeding the fish and shrimp?
Liu Menglong, on the other hand, was very amiable: "Generals, you are too kind. We have brought enough ships this time, so it would be best to board them quickly."

Looking down at Li Qiong, who gestured for him to speak, he didn't stand on ceremony: "First, send the cavalry across the river. There are still over five thousand cavalry left, and they are all treasures."

"It should."

"As it should be."

Li Qiong and Liu Menglong nodded. Now that the land north of the Yangtze River has been completely seized and the horse farms have been almost entirely destroyed, these five thousand cavalrymen, even if they are new recruits, are still precious assets, let alone after more than a month of bloody fighting.

The sunlight pushed aside the floating clouds in front of them, shining on the soldiers below as they slowly boarded the ship. Yue Fei and others nearby did not rush to follow the cavalry onto the ship and leave, but were talking quietly with Liu Menglong.

"I wonder if anything has happened in the court recently? We are in a mess here in Jiangbei because of the Qi army. They have cut off our eyes and ears and we know nothing about what is happening in Jiangnan."

Upon hearing this, Liu Menglong first sighed, "The imperial court is not having an easy time either." His expression was somewhat melancholy, "Not only has Hefei been lost, but most of Yangzhou has also fallen. The rebel generals are advancing by land and water, and General Zhang Jun could not withstand them and has retreated to Jiangdu to defend it to the death."

Li Qiong and Yue Fei looked at each other, while Wang Gui, Zhang Xian, and Tang Huai also had worried expressions on their faces.

Liu Menglong glanced at the group, his gaze lingering on Li Qiong for a moment: "Aside from the unfavorable situation in Jiangbei, the biggest matter for the court must be investigating General Liu Guangshi's desertion without a fight."

Li Qiong's face twitched, and Yue Fei frowned as he looked at Liu Menglong: "The court has dismissed him from his post?"

"He's in jail." Liu Menglong laughed with a hint of schadenfreude. "Several censors are investigating his cronies, and his military generals are all under investigation. Several have already lost their heads."

Li Qiong's expression changed drastically. Wang Gui, Zhang Xian, and Tang Huai instinctively looked at him with pity. Yue Fei also immediately looked at his face: "Commander Li, there is no need to worry. Your desperate resistance against the Qi army on the battlefield for more than a month is enough to prove that you and General Liu Guangshi are not on the same side. I will also explain this to the Emperor."

Li Qiong's eyelids twitched several times in quick succession. She couldn't help but press them down with her hand, forcing a smile, "Thank you, Commander Yue..." before lowering her head and falling silent.

Seeing this, Yue Fei sighed inwardly. Although the court had treated them military men much better now, it was hard to say what their true intentions were. Especially during factional struggles, if someone fell into trouble, they would be relentlessly pursued and attacked until death, wishing they could exterminate the other party.

Although Liu Guangshi came from a military family and wasn't exactly a leading figure in the court, his family had been favorites of Tong Guan back in the day. Tong Guan had also caused a lot of trouble in court, so it was possible that someone in the court might take their anger out on Liu Guangshi, following the practice of those officials who implicate others...

Without thinking too deeply, Yue Fei forced a smile and said earnestly, "Of course, I will definitely speak up for you, don't worry."

Li Qiong nodded, then stood there staring at the ground, seemingly lost in thought.

Seeing this, Liu Menglong simply smiled and looked back at the warships that were frequently coming and going: "You two commanders, please restrain your troops from boarding the ship."

A breeze blew from the riverbank, and the clouds drifted by, obscuring the western sunlight. Upon hearing this, the generals who were standing together all turned their gaze to the river. The flags on the boats were waving erratically, and they were almost at the shore.

Li Qiong looked at Yue Fei expressionlessly: "Brother Yue, I will go and gather the troops. You should board the ship first."

Yue Fei had no suspicions and simply said, "Okay."

He then looked at the generals leading the troops, Wang Gui, Zhang Xian, Tang Huai, Zhang Yong, and Wang Shan, and said, "Let our men board the ship first." He then looked at Liu Menglong and said, "Thank you for your trouble, General Liu."

"Don't mention it, it's my duty."

Liu Menglong chuckled and replied. Seeing the people here change their expressions because of his message, he felt quite satisfied. He looked up at the sky and said, "It's getting late. I'll go on the boat with you and keep an eye on things. These lazybones slow down when no one is watching them. If this continues, we won't be able to get off before dark."

Upon hearing this, Yue Fei and his men merely smiled. Li Qiong bowed to Yue Fei, then turned and mounted his warhorse, leading his trusted men towards his own troops. As the ships approached the shore, squads of elite soldiers strode towards the vessels. Most of Yue Fei's troops were already en route to board.

Wang Gui, Zhang Xian, and Tang Huai directed their men to board the ship quickly, ignoring Zhang Yong and Wang Shan who were dawdling behind them. Yue Fei went over to the two men and said, "The naval brothers have worked hard. You two should hurry up and take your men aboard."

Zhang Yong and Wang Shan reluctantly agreed. They exchanged a helpless glance with Yue Fei as he turned around, and then stepped onto the platform under the watchful eyes of Yue Fei's troops.

……

The river was cleaved by the ships, and the flat-headed warships smashed the water to pieces, with white foam chasing after the ships in the distance.

Li Qiong watched the departing naval ships with an expressionless face. He turned around without making a sound and saw that everyone was happy to be able to return to Jiangnan. His expression changed slightly. He slowly looked at his trusted generals on the left and right, as well as the commander in front of him, and raised his voice: "Listen up, I have some bad news to tell you. The choice is in your hands."

The army in front of him stirred for a moment, and several commanders and officers stood in front, looking at him with some confusion: "Commander, what is it?"

Li Qiong glanced at everyone and said, "General Liu Guangshi has been imprisoned by the court, and many generals in the army have had their heads chopped off by the ministers in the court."

He paused for a moment, and seeing the change in everyone's expression, he continued, "Now you have two choices: one is to go back and wait to be found fault with and killed by the ministers in the court, and the other is to come with me and I will find a way to save your lives."

"This……"

"I wait……"

The generals before him were momentarily flustered, exchanging bewildered glances, unsure of what to say. The foremost commander finally spoke: "We are fighting to the death for our country; surely the officials of the court will not make things difficult for us..."

Upon hearing this, Li Qiong sneered at him: "How do you compare yourself to Liu Ping during the Kangding era? How do you compare yourself to Duke Wu Xiang?"

The general's expression immediately changed. He first replied, "I cannot compare," and then he asked hesitantly, "Now that the Qi army is pressing us so closely, the court will not... do... anything excessive, will it?"

The sound grew fainter and fainter until it was barely audible.

Li Qiong turned to look at the ships transporting troops and sneered, "Di Wuxiang probably thinks the same way you do. Have you ever seen any of the officials in the court show any remorse for his passing?"

Then, with one hand on his hip and the other outstretched, he said, "I don't have time to argue with you all. Now that we're all on the same side, those who are willing to surrender with me and risk their lives for a chance to be promoted to a high-ranking official stand on the left."

He then pointed to the right: "Those who are unwilling, stand on the right. But don't blame me for not reminding you, if you all surrender, I'm 90% sure you'll live. Go back!"

He swept a cold smile across everyone's faces: "I don't know if I'll survive."

After a moment of hesitation, several of the generals in the army immediately moved to the left.

“I trust Commander Li. Wherever you go, the brothers will follow you.”

"We have already witnessed the strength of the Qi army, and I will follow suit."

Several voices rang out, stabilizing the faces of those who had been hesitant. They then stepped forward, and the commander who had spoken took a deep breath: "Before the selection... Commander Li, are you really sure that the Qi army won't blame us for what happened in Luzhou?"

Li Qiong said calmly, "If anyone is to blame, it is me, the head of the command, and has nothing to do with you who are just following orders."

Upon hearing this, the commander's eyes darted around, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "I believe you," before walking to the left.

In a short while, the left side was filled with officers of all ranks. Seeing this, Li Qiong smiled with satisfaction: "Good, there's no time to lose. You go and explain to the people below. Let's head back now."

These generals made their choices without hesitation, turning around to relay the message to their subordinates. The army was momentarily thrown into disarray as the officers shouted and cursed a few words, and then the nearly ten thousand soldiers gathered there turned back.

From behind came the sound of a horn.

……

Woohoo——

"Stop bragging."

Liu Menglong, looking irritable, waved his hand to interrupt the messenger blowing the horn, stroking his beard with one hand and twirling his hair with the other: "What is that guy surnamed Li doing? Why is he running back?"

From behind, a general named Niu Bangxi approached with a fawning smile: "Could it be that you discovered enemy activity and turned to meet them?"

"Bullshit!" Liu Menglong turned around and kicked him. Niu Bangxi staggered back two steps and stood still. Ignoring the stiff smile on his face, he pointed to the horizon: "Look over there, there's not even a speck of dust. How can we find any trace of the enemy?"

"The Commander-in-Chief is right." Niu Bangxi nodded and bowed hastily, but inwardly he was furious. He thought to himself that it was better when Commander Gao was in power. Back then, if you didn't bow and kowtow three times when you saw me, I would throw you into the river to feed the fish!

Liu Menglong, unaware of his thoughts, stroked his beard and pondered for a moment: "Send an order to stop the ship and send a small boat to scout ahead."

Immediately, a messenger signaled from a high vantage point, and dozens of warships slowly came to a stop on the river, with a small boat being lowered and set off into the distance.

Liu Menglong stood at the bow of the boat, watching the boat pass by. He didn't know how long it had been, but the setting sun dyed the western clouds red. Someone ran back to the small boat from the shore, rowing back with all his might.

Someone lowered a rope from the flagship, and a sailor climbed aboard the small boat, bowing to Liu Menglong: "Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, the troops on the shore have left. General Li Qiong left someone behind, instructing me to tell Commander Yue that if he doesn't die, we'll be enemies the next time we meet. I hope he takes care of himself."

Liu Menglong's expression suddenly changed. He looked into the distance for a long time, then sighed, "Never mind, let's go back."

The ship turned back, and Yue Fei, seeing that no soldiers had disembarked, immediately realized what was happening and hurriedly went forward, still unwilling to give up, to look behind Liu Menglong: "Where are they?"

"...I'm afraid they've surrendered to Qi." Liu Menglong's expression was somewhat unpleasant. "It was my fault for being so talkative; I said those things by the river." He cursed inwardly, thinking that he should have saved those words for when he said them here, as they would have been far more interesting than what he said over there.

Yue Fei, unaware of his thoughts, paused for a moment, then sighed, "How can we blame General Liu..."

Not knowing what to say next, he remained silent for a while, then bowed to Liu Menglong in thanks, returned to his own army, and began to turn back.

As evening approached, the wind gradually picked up, and the boats returned along the same route they had come from. On the warship, three burly men gazed silently at the western riverbank. After a while, one of them spoke up: "I wonder when the Qi army will attack."

The other two stroked their beards, and after a long while, one of them said, "Be patient, it should be soon."

……

On the city wall of Wuwei Army, the character "Qi" fluttered in the wind. Lü Bu stood with his hands behind his back on the wall, looking into the city. After a long while, he chuckled and said, "It seems that nothing has changed here." (End of this chapter)