Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

hum-

Powerful bows and crossbows fired arrows backward, and a hail of arrows fell fiercely on the Song army, who were completely unprepared.

"The Red Heart Army has rebelled!"

"Rebel...aren't we the ones rebelling?"

"Defense, defense!"

A chaotic cacophony of shouts erupted from the Song army's battle formation, interspersed with cries of agony. Almost every arrow falling from the sky hit its mark, and the wounded and the dead fell to the ground, their blood flowing and quickly pooling into small pools.

"They kidnapped the officials!"

A scream rang out, and Zhang Zheng, a trusted general of Miao Fu, shouted, "Forget about the officials, hurry and save the commander!"

Miao Yi, standing to the side, also drew his knife: "Follow me..."

Before he could finish his sentence, dozens of flaming balls were thrown from the Qi army's advancing ranks. They landed on the ground with a series of clattering sounds, and plumes of murky smoke rose up. A series of coughs and vomiting sounds echoed among the Song army.

"Poison smoke bombs!" Miao Yi gritted his teeth and shouted, "The rebels are trying to escape! Stop them! Fire arrows! Fire arrows!"

Soldiers behind them quickly drew their bows and nocked arrows.

The charging crowd surged forward like a raging tide.

Arrows shot out in a chaotic manner, falling into the waves and splashing up a few sprays of blood. The crazed figure ignored the arrow wounds he had sustained, his surging footsteps sweeping over the arrows embedded in the ground, and he charged towards the panicked Song soldiers with his blade drawn.

Right behind them, archers wielding crossbows unleashed another barrage of arrows, instantly causing the unprotected Song archers to scream in agony.

"Hahaha--"

"I'll teach you what murder is!"

A Qi soldier laughed wildly and jumped up, grabbing a Song soldier and stabbing him hard with his hands behind his back, piercing the panicked man's chest. The next moment, he crashed into the corpse, using the dead body as a cushion as he fell, flipped over and stood up, his hand blade already striking the head of the Song soldier beside him.

puff--

Blood splattered as Han Chang rode his horse through the blood mist, his face, which bore a ferocious smile, smeared with blood. He thrust his spear forward, killing several people in succession, and appeared in front of Zhang Zheng with a murderous aura, thrusting his spear down.

"what!"

Before Song could dodge, he was stabbed in the right chest. Immediately, the general scanned the area, used both hands to forcefully throw the man aside, and Miao Yi, who was about to turn around to avoid the blow, was hit squarely.

"Ouch!" A cry rang out as the two men were crushed to the ground by the corpses. The charging Qi infantrymen trampled over them, and the repeated trampling caused the survivors below to scream in agony before their cries subsided.

Several of Liu Zhengyan's trusted generals and relatives rushed into the army with knives in hand, but upon seeing the frenzied scene before them, they immediately stopped in their tracks, filled with horror.

Turning his head to look behind him, he saw the central army, with its banners bearing the character "Song" fluttering, spreading out to protect the troops behind them, with several long spears pointed at Zhao Gou, Miao, and Liu.

The commanding generals exchanged glances, their eyes filled with despair: "How can we stop them..."

……

Their gaze swept past the Qi army and reached the palace wall at the rear. The sudden hijacking below stunned everyone, who stood there dumbfounded, watching one group of rebels turn and charge at another, covering a distance of more than ten feet in an instant.

"Are the rebels really that good at fighting?"

"Wait a minute, weren't they in cahoots? How come both the official and Miao Fu were arrested?"

"Idiot, these are clearly three groups of people!"

"You old fool, who are you calling an idiot!"

A murmur of doubt and debate arose from the crowd. Then Ye Zong'e, the military equipment inspector, suddenly realized what was happening and jumped up, shouting, "Stop talking nonsense! Go save the emperor!"

"Oh, yes, yes!"

"Ye Jian is absolutely right, hurry and save the Emperor!"

A group of ministers immediately became excited, until Kang Yunzhi, the prefect of Hangzhou, asked, "Who will go?"

The city wall fell silent for a moment. The officials looked at each other in bewilderment, then turned their gaze to the side where the imperial guards should be standing. The blue stone bricks were exposed to the blue sky, and the officials slowly raised their heads.

In their line of sight, the last figure was turning past the inner wall and disappeared at the top of the stone steps in an instant. Only the ministers, who were tilting their heads to look, remained on the not-so-wide city wall. A gentle breeze blew by, and the wide sleeves of their robes fluttered twice.

After a long pause, someone hesitated before speaking: "They...went down to seize the government office?"

Kang Yunzhi stroked his beard: "The knife is already at the Emperor's throat, what are we going to take it from him?"

"Hey, you special brew, run! What are you standing around for!"

The outburst of sound instantly jolted the group of ministers awake.

Censor-in-Chief Zheng Jue was still nodding in agreement: "Yes, at this moment, the dragons are all..."

A large hand reached out from behind, grabbed his shoulder, and pulled him back: "Get out of the way."

"Hey, you..." Zheng Jue staggered, trying to see which colleague had pulled him, but before he could regain his balance, he was bumped into and stumbled again. Then he felt a pain in his foot and jumped up: "Ah! Damn it... who stepped on my foot!"

More figures rushed past him, knocking him to the ground.

"Ah! Slow down, don't step on it, wait... ah!"

The pitiful cries echoed from the city wall, merging with the screams and cries below, becoming barely audible.

……

On the battlefield, so close at hand, the sounds of weapons and shouts assaulted everyone's eardrums. The Song army, which was already lacking in fighting spirit, was ruthlessly slaughtered and immediately fell into chaos.

What they did today was to force the emperor to abdicate. The troops inside and outside the city, except for the palace guards, were all their men. Who could have imagined that a ruthless person would suddenly appear and arrest the three leaders from both sides and take them to the army? Many people were shocked and at a loss for what to do.

Han Chang took the lead, his spear slashing and killing several Song soldiers who were unsure whether to advance or retreat.

Those in front immediately parted to make way, and after running for several feet, they were all as fast as hot knives slicing through butter, not even bumping into anyone. Looking around, they saw Song soldiers who were confused and unwilling to retreat. They immediately shouted, "Get out of the way if you're not going to fight! A good dog doesn't block the road!"

"A good dog doesn't block the way, get lost!"

The Qi soldiers following behind shouted in unison to drive them away.

Many of the Song soldiers around turned and ran instantly. Those who hesitated turned and ran after seeing others run away, and the road in front of the palace became much clearer in an instant.

Han Chang swung his spear, and bloodstains splattered on the ground. The young general curled his lip and said, "Hesitating and dawdling, just like your leader. You've already raised an army to remonstrate, yet you're still dawdling at the emperor. Tsk, no wonder you're incompetent."

As they spoke, the troops marched forward, and the two thousand men broke away amidst the watchful eyes of thousands. Liu Zhengyan's confidants watched the departing troops, their faces changing color. Finally, Wang Shixiu stamped his foot and shouted, "What are you all standing there for? Follow them!"

Amidst the exclamation of "Huh?", Wang Shixiu looked at the group of generals staring at him in surprise: "Stubborn fools, don't follow too closely and get killed. We should at least check where Commander Miao and Deputy General Liu went."

The rest of the crowd realized what was happening, and dozens of them quickly set off to follow.

The brief chaos of fighting had passed, and the palace gates slowly opened. But now, no one cared about the people inside the palace; everyone was worried about how they would cope in the future.

The person who came out of the palace gate looked around and, seeing that no one paid attention to him, quickly chased after the Qi army in the direction they had left.

...As the troops marched forward, laughter erupted from the crowd. Zhang Kui, Ma Rouji, and Wang Junfu, riding their horses, swayed back and forth, their voices rising among them.

"With Miao's successful control this time, we should take another step forward, and our position can also move forward one more step."

"At least he can become a commander-in-chief, so we people should be able to get our positions as commanders."

"I would like to seek a post outside the capital, at least as a regional governor."

"You're so clever."

The three looked at each other, then burst into laughter. Ma Rouji, who was on horseback, heard something and suddenly stopped talking, looking at the two of them in confusion: "Wait, there seems to be a sound."

Zhang and Wang immediately fell silent, and then they heard sounds coming from both sides in the distance. Before they could send someone to investigate, a warhorse turned the corner, followed by more figures.

"Ok?"

"what's the situation?!"

Ma Rouji and Wang Junfu were taken aback when they saw figures carrying knives and guns constantly emerging from the street corner, and within moments, over a hundred people came into view.

"Go and ask what happened." Zhang Kui had just given the order when the first general who rushed out drew his bow and shot an arrow.

puff--

Wang Junfu was struck in the face by an arrow. "Ah!" he screamed and fell off his horse.

"enemy!"

"Where did it come from?!"

Zhang Kui and Ma Rouji were startled and each drew their swords and spears.

Another arrow came flying from the opposite side. Ma Rouji quickly dodged, but felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He hissed and gasped as the arrow, with its gray fletching, pierced his flesh.

At the same time, more and more troops appeared ahead, and Zhang Kui quickly pulled on the reins: "Retreat!"

He turned and ran back with the hundred or so people.

Han Changzai brandished his spear and shouted, "Let's go to the city gate!"

The sound of running echoed down the long street. Zhang Kui and Ma Rouji looked back as they ran, and only then did they see the faces behind them clearly. Zhang Kui cursed, "Damn bastards, it's those outsiders from before!"

Ma Rouji clutched his shoulder in surprise and looked at him: "Are these guys the government's reinforcements?"

“Should…” Zhang Kui turned around and said, then immediately opened his mouth wide and straightened up.

Ma Rouji, unaware of what was going on, turned to look. In just one glance, her eyes widened and she stared blankly.

In the distance, an armored knight led his cavalry at full gallop, with dust billowing behind them, indicating the approaching number of troops.

Zhang Kui nearly dropped his knife: "The Qin... the Qin King's army has arrived so quickly?"

"I...I don't know." Ma Rouji looked somewhat dazed and turned to look at him. "What should we do?"

Zhang Kui dismounted with a cold expression and threw down his knife. Ma Rouji hesitated for a moment, then, seeing enemy soldiers in front and behind, he also dismounted and put down his weapon. The Red Heart Army soldiers who followed the two turned pale and threw down their weapons.

As the two armies drew near, Zhang Kui stepped forward and shouted, "My Red Heart Army was misled by Miao Fu and has no intention of rebelling. Please..."

puff--

The voice stopped abruptly as an arrow pierced through his neck.

On horseback, Han Chang put down his bow and glanced at him with disdain: "Blocking my way!"

"Zhang Kui!" Ma Rouji cried out in grief and indignation, shouting at the soldiers rushing towards him, "We were coerced! Why are you killing us? I want to see the Emperor! I want to see the Emperor!"

The approaching warhorse slowed down, and Han Chang, who had intended to stab someone with his spear, withdrew it and looked at him with a strange expression: "He actually has such a request..." He looked around and said: "Men, take him away and we'll grant his request in a moment."

At that moment, several Qi soldiers came over with strange laughter, grabbed the man, and ignored the dumbfounded Chixin soldiers, and escorted Ma Rouji forward.

"Wait... what are you going to do?!" Ma Rouji immediately struggled.

"Behave yourself!" someone kicked him. "We'll let you see your officials in a bit."

After speaking, he ignored him and followed Han Chang forward.

Ahead, Lu Junyi reined in his horse and nodded to Han Chang, who was approaching: "Thank you for your hard work, generals. Deputy General Zhang captured the city gate before we could enter. What is the military situation? Where is General Han Shizhong? Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Zhang Qi has done a great job this time." Han Chang said with emotion, pointing behind him: "They're all behind us. General Lu, please be patient. They probably have no more battles to fight. We were lucky this time and managed to capture this little emperor of the Zhao Song dynasty."

Seeing Lu Junyi's surprised look, he chuckled and said, "You haven't seen how stupid the Song army is. Now they are afraid to fight, and they can't retreat either. They are stuck there like wooden stakes."

Lu Junyi blinked, then looked up at the sky and laughed heartily, his face beaming with joy: "This is truly good news! General Han, you go ahead first, I will stay here to cover the rear."

Han Chang did not refuse. He bowed to him, spurred his horse, and galloped toward the city gate.

One figure after another ran past Lu Junyi. The Jade Kirin sat on his horse, holding a long spear. After all the people entering the city had passed, he coldly watched the dozens of figures chasing behind him.

Seeing the hesitant figures over there, neither daring to advance nor retreat, he chuckled and turned to look at Yan Qing: "This is the Song Dynasty now."

The handsome rogue behind him chuckled, "Fortunately, our master is already a citizen of Qi."

"Call me General." Lu Junyi laughed heartily, patting Yan Qing on the shoulder. "The Jade Kirin of Hebei and the Prodigal Son are long gone. Now there is only General Yangwu Lu Junyi and Lieutenant General Yan Qing." He glanced again at the hesitant figure in the distance, then pulled on the reins. "Let's go!"

Yan Qing glanced at the Song army figures over there, then at Lu Junyi's back, turned his horse around, and with a shout of "Giddy up!" led his men to follow.

The booming sound receded towards the city gate and soon passed through the city.

……

The sun was setting in the west, and thick clouds covered the sky.

On the walls of Lin'an, ministers such as Kang Yunzhi, Ye Zong'e, and Shi Ximeng stood together with Wang Shixiu and other rebel generals, watching the departing army outside the city with complicated expressions.

"The Emperor has been kidnapped again, what should we do?"

"You're asking me? Who the hell am I supposed to ask..."

What if the frontline commanders find out?

"I suggest we let the prince succeed to the throne?"

"Too young, perhaps we should find someone from the royal family..."

"But there don't seem to be many people of marriageable age..."

The commotion came from the court officials. Wang Shixiu glanced coldly at the group of people discussing the matter, pondered for a moment, and then quietly retreated.

Seeing that no one was watching him, he quickly turned and ran, and heard a faint voice behind him sneer: "A bunch of idiots, of course they should all surrender now."

In the gloomy light of dawn, horses galloped out of Lin'an city. (End of Chapter)