Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

"His Majesty has visited such a small town?"

Wang Zheng stood not far away, gazing at the smoke rising from the city. He was somewhat curious. In his eyes, this place was merely a transit point convenient for water transport. Perhaps Chaohu Lake could be used to train the navy, but now it seemed that they could sail south by water and attack the areas south of the Yangtze River.

"It was here that I met Yang Bangyi and his son Zaixing."

Lu Bu chuckled and pointed to a spot in the city: "His house was probably around there back then. That kid only came up to my waist..." He gestured with his head down, then sighed with some emotion: "I never imagined that he would catch up to my height in the blink of an eye."

Wang Zheng, Yu Cheng, and Wei He exchanged glances, each with a smile in their eyes. Such a scene of reminiscing about the past was quite rare.

"It's a pity General Yang is attacking Hezhou, otherwise we should have called him over to see his old home," Wang Zheng lazily chimed in.

"This kid probably doesn't want to come here. This place is too small, and he's not used to living here anymore."

Lu Bu laughed heartily, the banners behind him fluttering in the wind, and the soldiers around him all smiled. In his field of vision, figures carrying spears and swords were moving inward, and generals were constantly shouting for their soldiers to guard the key passages.

The figure on the city wall looked up for a while longer before descending the stone steps. Just as he was about to mount his horse, the sound of hooves came from the city gate.

Yu Cheng and Wei He quickly stepped forward and saw a rider galloping over. The horse stopped in front of them, and the rider jumped off the horse: "Your Majesty, I am Liu Xing, the military commander under General Zhai Jin. Eight thousand seven hundred and fifty-three Song soldiers have surrendered to our army. The general claims to have been a commander under Liu Guangshi and is part of the Hefei reinforcements. His name is Li Qiong."

"Oh?" Lü Bu looked interested and took a few steps forward. "Have you arrived yet?"

"Yes."

The soldier nodded: "General Zhai Jin ordered him to come with me, and he is waiting outside the city now."

Lu Bu beckoned him over: "Please bring him here."

"Here."

The soldier went out and soon brought in Li Qiong, who was dressed in plain clothes and unarmed. Wei He gestured to Cao Ning, and the young man went forward to check him before letting him pass.

Upon seeing Lü Bu, Li Qiong stepped forward and bowed deeply: "Li Qiong, formerly the Pacification Commissioner of Chuzhou and Military Commander of Huainan East Road of the pseudo-Song Dynasty, pays respects to His Majesty the Emperor of Great Qi."

The group of people around them exchanged strange glances, and Lu Bu raised an eyebrow: "Your self-designation is quite interesting."

Li Qiong remained expressionless: "Your Majesty has conquered the northern lands, destroyed the Khitan Liao Kingdom, and now has even reached the Yangtze River. Your military achievements are truly remarkable. Compared to you, the Zhao Song Dynasty is nothing more than taking advantage of others' misfortunes and bullying orphans and widows. They can be called hypocrites."

"Hahaha--"

Lu Bu laughed for a while, then waved his hand and said, "Although it's flattery, it makes me feel good. Get up and speak."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Li Qiong breathed a sigh of relief, but stood up calmly, bowing her head respectfully to the side.

Lu Bu glanced at the man's figure; he wasn't among the most burly in his army, but he wasn't disappointed. He took two steps forward, gesturing for the man to follow: "You're here at the gates of Hefei too?"

The guards around him gripped the hilts of their swords, watching the man intently to prevent him from offending the emperor.

"Yes." Li Qiong took two steps after him, her heart skipping a beat upon hearing this. Although she believed that this emperor, known for his bravery, wouldn't sacrifice her as a sacrifice, what if...?

He hurriedly clasped his hands in apology: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I have offended the Great Tiger Army..."

call--

The swinging arm created a gust of wind, and Li Qiong's words faltered. Then she heard the emperor's voice from the front: "When two armies fight, each is fighting for its own master. Even if you hadn't caused too much damage to my army, or even if you had lost a few generals, I would not have blamed you for sending you here."

Turning back, Lü Bu smiled slightly: "I still have that much magnanimity."

Those who came to surrender felt relieved. Li Qiong composed herself and put on a smile again: "A few days ago, His Majesty's army almost surrounded and killed me under the walls of Hefei. If I hadn't run fast, I would be covered in straw mats by now."

"When war breaks out, there are no 'what ifs' anymore. It's your skill to have escaped." Lu Bu turned and walked away, and Li Qiong quickly followed.

"I am rather curious, you clearly left, so why have you returned?"

Li Qiong didn't hide anything and told everyone about Liu Guangshi's imprisonment and purge, concluding with a sigh: "I am not afraid to die on the battlefield, wrapped in a horse's hide, but if I were to die unjustly because of the court's purge..."

His face looked as if he was about to cry, and he sighed heavily: "I'm afraid that even if I go to the underworld, I will be unable to be reincarnated because of my overwhelming resentment."

Lu Bu paused, then stepped forward again: "At this point, would the Zhao Song court still punish you soldiers who fought on the front lines?"

"I don't know, but I dare not gamble." Li Qiong smiled bitterly: "The officials in the court have never shown any mercy to their enemies. There are precedents for impeachment, military punishment, and coercing political enemies. Even if I fight bravely on the front lines without fear of death, if I return to Jiangnan, it will only take one or two minor officials to arrest me."

"In that case, you shall serve at the front lines." Lü Bu turned to the surrendered general, whose face lit up with joy. "Would you be willing to tell me the news from the south?"

Li Qiong clasped his hands in a fist salute: "This is my duty." He paused for a moment, then added: "I'm just worried that the imperial court might make some changes to the local military forces."

“That’s fine.” Lu Bu turned and strode away: “Unless Zhao Song changes the location of the city, no matter how it’s changed, it won’t make much difference.”

Li Qiong clasped her hands in greeting and hurriedly followed.

The group quickly entered the state government office in Wuwei City. As darkness fell, hundreds of cavalrymen carrying military intelligence galloped out of the city and headed towards the front-line troops.

In late autumn, a Song general named Li Qiong followed Ma Ling and Di Lei through Hezhou to join the campaign against Jiangnan, heading towards Zhenzhou.

Meanwhile, the Qi army in Wuwei and Hezhou were building warships, requisitioning ships, and preparing for the river crossing battle.

……

Anji, Jiangnan.

The golden sunlight of summer shone through the forests of the mountains and fields, and wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys. Soldiers dressed in crimson Song Dynasty uniforms sat together, boiling water and watching as people put dry rations and dried meat into an iron pot, then threw in two lumps of salt. The unpleasant smell made the people nearby sniff and look helpless.

Under the banner bearing the character "Song," Han Shizhong squatted in front of a geomantic map, biting into a naan bread in his hand, and pointing with his other index finger: "Go a little further southwest, and you'll reach Zhao Gou's temporary capital." After thinking for a moment, he added: "That should be where the imperial palace is now."

Guan Sheng glanced at the sky and said, "Let's not worry about anything else for now. The army's food supplies are running low, and the warhorses have started to lose weight these past two days. If we don't reach Lin'an soon, they'll probably starve to death."

Han Qinghe raised his eyelids: "Just bear with it a little longer and it will pass." He looked at Han Shizhong: "I wonder if we can intercept the Song court's grain supplies like we did the other day."

"Disaster……"

Han Shizhong paused for a moment and shook his head: "Recently, Zhao Gou's court has been mobilizing troops. We pretended to be Song soldiers and managed to intercept the supplies once, which has already revealed our whereabouts. If those officials take it seriously, they are probably already searching for us. It is not advisable to cause any unnecessary trouble."

"General Han is right."

Xu Ning's round face had thinned out a bit. Hearing this, she said, "It's only a two-day journey to Lin'an anyway. Let's hurry up and get there quickly."

"Why don't we rob the nearby villages?" Han Chang's face was somewhat sinister. "As long as no one escapes, no one will know we were here."

The sounds of eating filled the air. Han Shizhong blinked and slowly chewed his food. "If we had been far away a few days ago, I wouldn't have minded eating the enemy's food. But now that we're closer to Lin'an, doing so would expose our whereabouts, which is inappropriate." Lu Junyi and his servant Yan Qing exchanged glances but remained silent.

Han Shizhong stuffed the naan bread in his hand into his mouth and chewed it vigorously. After a while, he finished eating, wiped his mouth, and said, "That's enough for now. We should be careful with the army's rations these two days. Once we get there, we'll have a big meal, and then we'll have a meal in Lin'an City."

The generals exchanged glances, then nodded in unison.

"That's all we can do."

"As General Han said."

In the woods, the clamor kept the surrounding animals away. Each person had a different expression, yet they all carried a certain expectation, their eyes burning like flames against the backdrop of the red sunset.

……

Lin'an.

The sound of the night watchman's gong echoed through the quiet street. The alley was pitch black, with only the watchman carrying a lantern walking along. Occasionally, he would call out weakly before lowering his head and continuing on his way.

"It's past midnight..."

Under the lamplight, two figures sat drinking, their faces flushed. Suddenly, a man in military uniform slammed his fist on the table: "That scoundrel Wang Yuan insulted you too much today. He only did so because a few eunuchs are the Emperor's confidants, causing you to lose face at court."

The figure opposite him froze for a moment, then reached for the wine bowl in front of him and took a sip: "Being late and missing the court assembly is my fault..."

“But there’s a reason for that.” The general, who had slammed his fist on the table, stood up and said, “He didn’t care about such a big matter as the loss of grain a few days ago, but now he’s making a big deal out of the fact that the commander was a little late and he’s determined to dismiss you from your post. How harsh.”

Anger gradually rose on the face of the person opposite: "I'll settle this score with that brat Wang Yuan sooner or later."

Upon hearing this, the general immediately became excited: "Commander Miao, you have made many contributions to His Majesty's southward journey. You arranged all the boats and ships along the way. What merits does Wang Yuan have to wield such power? This fellow relies on his official connections to cover for him and amass wealth, plundering the people's hard-earned money. It's hateful that His Majesty has been blinded by those eunuchs and can't see who is the pillar of the state and who is rotten wood. Let that Wang fellow, a roughneck from the Northwest, control the government, use the emperor's orders to look down on others. Even my soldiers are often conscripted and dispatched by him. I am very dissatisfied with him."

With one foot on a wooden chair, he leaned over to look at the person opposite him: "If there's anything the Commander can do to help me..." He straightened up and patted his chest: "Liu Zhengyan would gladly die for him."

The seated man gulped down his wine: "Very well, if you are willing to help me, I, Miao Fu, swear to heaven that I will share wealth and honor with you."

Liu Zhengyan was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly sat down again: "Since the commander has made up his mind, let's act quickly. I have a trusted man who used to be a mountain king. He is very skilled in martial arts. I admire his bravery and recruited him into the army. His name is Wang Shixiu. Let's have him lead the troops to help us. We will surely succeed."

"it is good."

Miao Fu didn't waste any time. He immediately found a few trusted confidants and gave them a warrant to travel at night. Before long, a burly man walked in with the others: "Wang Shixiu greets Commander Miao and Deputy Commander Liu."

"General Wang, please rise." Miao Fu reached out and pulled him up, finding him quite heavy. He was immediately pleased and spoke in a gentle tone, "General Liu said you are a trustworthy person, is that not true?"

The man looked directly at the two men and said, "Whom does the commander want to kill? Give me a name, and I will bring his head at dawn."

"Hahaha--"

Miao Fu laughed loudly and exhaled: "So you want to kill someone, and you're the Privy Councilor, do you dare?"

Wang Shixiu's expression remained unchanged: "Where is it?"

Liu Zhengyan smiled smugly at Miao Fu: "How about that? I told you he was a trusted confidant."

Miao Fu nodded repeatedly: "He is indeed a trustworthy person." He pulled Wang Shixiu to sit down: "General Liu and I have decided to kill Wang Yuan. Come closer and listen."

Wang Shixiu leaned closer, and a low whisper sounded in his ear. Then Miao Fu got up to pour him wine, his expression serious: "After the matter is accomplished, there will be a generous reward."

Wang Shixiu took the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp: "I beg the general for a generous reward!"

"Hahaha--"

Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.

……

As dawn broke, the morning sunlight bathed the world.

As dawn broke, the streets and alleys gradually became lively. A fast horse galloped through the city streets, and a secret report of a rebellion was placed on the table of the eunuch Kang Lu.

"...Tianzhu Temple... Commander Tian Ya, Commander Jin Ya?"

The eunuch, whose expression was somewhat grave, stood up: "Isn't that the name of the Miao and Liu families?"

"Quickly, come with me to see the Emperor." Kang Lü waved the official document in his hand: "Also, go to the Privy Council and get the roster, and see which two are surnamed Miao and Liu."

Someone hurriedly left, and the eunuch stumbled and ran into Zhao Gou's study. Soon after, another eunuch summoned Chancellor Zhu Shengfei and Wang Yuan.

"Your Majesty, the key word is 'ya'. So, the field belongs to Miao Fu, and the gold belongs to Liu. As expected, it must be that scoundrel Liu Zhengyan. He is closest to the former."

Kang Lu held the list of generals in his hands, then looked at Wang Yuan beside him: "You should know what you mean by the Privy Councilor Wang's statement about 'thieves in the suburbs,' right?"

Wang Yuan nodded with a livid face, then bowed to Zhao Gou, whose expression was equally unpleasant: "Your Majesty, please send troops to my aid. I will ensure that not even a fly can escape from Tianzhu Temple!"

Zhao Gou nodded: "Sure, how many soldiers do you need?"

Wang Yuan squinted and thought for a moment: "Tianzhu Temple is not a large temple, and these two cannot hide many soldiers. I have five hundred elite troops, which is enough."

Zhao Gou readily agreed, and soon after, a battalion of 500 Song soldiers, led by their commander, entered the palace to await orders and the opportune moment.

……

Dust billowed as a massive, crimson mass converged into a torrent, as warhorses and soldiers from the north traveled through the Jiangnan region in broad daylight for the first time.

On his mount, Han Shizhong looked up at the sunlight and smiled: "Damn, I've been traveling at night these days, and seeing this sun now feels kind of familiar."

Han Chang smiled and touched his face, saying, "I feel the same way now. When I go out at night these days, my skin feels much whiter."

Han Shizhong glanced at him sideways and suddenly laughed: "No matter how fair-skinned you are, you can't be a gigolo. You'd be better looking with a dark complexion."

Han Chang rolled his eyes: "You're not necessarily any better looking than me."

"Damn it, you little brat..."

Han Shizhong raised his leg on his horse as if to kick, but Han Chang pulled on the reins and rode away with a grin.

As the army marched forward, merchants and travelers passing by frequently saw the troops. Most quickly stepped aside, not daring to cross the road with such a large army. After the army had passed, there were many whispers and sighs about the unfavorable situation ahead, before they dispersed dejectedly. (End of Chapter)