Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Chapter 1248 Jiangnan is shaken, this matter is worth three hundred taels.
Northwest of Lin'an, at the foot of Tianmu Mountain, the sound of cicadas gradually resumed after a period of silence. On the gentle slopes at the foot of the mountain, soldiers in scarlet uniforms looked up at the strange-looking dark clouds in the cold moonlight.

The cool evening breeze swept across the mountaintop, rustling the surrounding leaves. Occasionally, someone would crouch down and run through the woods. The thousand or so northern soldiers gathered nearby were on edge for a moment, but as they watched that figure disappear into the distance, they relaxed and resumed their vigilance while resting.

After the Battle of Lin'an, they emerged easily from the capital of the Song Dynasty, but they did not let their guard down. At this time, they were still in the interior of the Zhao Song Dynasty. In Jiangning Prefecture, there was Lü Yihao, the Song navy, and the troops from Jiangnan. Even if they were not afraid, it would still be troublesome if they were to get entangled with them.

"No one followed behind."

Yan Qing jogged into the woods and sat down: "We're safe for now."

The dark clouds parted, letting in the cool moonlight, where Han Shizhong, Xu Ning, Han Chang, Lu Junyi, Guan Sheng, Han Qing, and several other generals were sitting together.

"We still can't be careless; we haven't received any supplies yet."

Han Qinghe said something, then thought for a moment and looked at Han Shizhong, saying, "Tomorrow we might as well find food nearby and let the men have a good meal, and then we can continue on our way."

Han Shizhong lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Indeed, we cannot continue to delay. Now that Zhao Gou is in our hands, if it were me, I would definitely gather troops to search everywhere. I'm afraid we'll have to endure some hardship in the future."

"Wasn't it even more difficult when we came here?" Guan Sheng chuckled, stroking his long beard. "Back then, we didn't even know when we would achieve such great merit, but we were able to endure it. Now, it's not a big problem at all."

“General Guan is right. The journey here was much more difficult than it is now. Besides, with the Song emperor in our hands, even if they catch up, we will have to treat them with courtesy.” Lu Junyi nodded, pondered for a moment, and looked at everyone: “Speaking of which, those officials are useless. Why not use those officials to exchange for some grain?”

Han Chang straightened his back, looking at the jade unicorn with some surprise. After thinking for a moment, he looked at Han Shizhong and said, "It seems feasible."

Han Shizhong looked at him, then at the others, and saw that Han Qinghe and the others were hesitant: "Keep them for now. Giving these people away could easily reveal our whereabouts. If all else fails, we can break into two cities and steal some grain and supplies."

Then he crossed his legs and said, "In short, our priority now is to prevent the Song army from discovering our whereabouts. General Yan is meticulous. I will have Zhang Qi cooperate with you to conceal the army's movements."

Yan Qing nodded and accepted the order.

Han Shizhong looked at the starry sky and said, "Let's rest. We still have a long way to go."

Under the same starry sky, the prisoners being talked about not far away still had their eyes open. Anyone who suddenly falls from the clouds to the mortal world would be unable to sleep. Among those who were being guarded separately, whispers could be heard.

"Your Majesty should rest early. Tomorrow, this Qi army will definitely be on a long march. If you don't get some rest now, you will suffer again tomorrow."

The torchlight shone in this direction, where a seated figure sat with his head bowed and his hands clasped around his knees. Upon hearing this, Zhao Gou turned to look at Zhu Shengfei, who had a concerned expression on his face. His face was filled with sorrow, and he spoke softly, "Prime Minister Zhu, do we still have a chance to escape?"

Zhu Shengfei was stunned for a moment. He turned to look at the hundreds of Qi soldiers around him who were guarding the crowd with knives and crossbows. His lips moved several times, but in the end, he could not make a sound.

Zhao Gou seemed not to expect his answer, his voice somewhat hollow: "When I traveled south of the Yangtze River, I vowed to welcome back my father and brothers, but I never expected that all of this would end so soon..." He raised his head and looked at the dark clouds covering the bright moon: "Now, let alone welcoming back my father and brothers, I will even have to follow in their footsteps. No one in the world is more miserable than me."

Zhu Shengfei opened his mouth, but finally said, "This matter is not Your Majesty's fault. Do not be too distressed. I am still here, and there are many ministers in the court. They will also find a way to save Your Majesty..."

"Save him? The court officials in Lin'an are probably looking for a successor right now."

Zhao Gou interrupted him with a cold laugh: "Don't think I don't know what they're thinking. I was kidnapped, and they're probably already in a hurry to choose a new emperor to ascend the throne. Which of those members of the imperial clan still wants my father and sons to go back?"

Zhu Shengfei knew the truth of the matter, but he still tried his best to comfort Zhao Gou. The two talked incessantly. Not far from them, where they were being held captive, several figures tossed and turned on the cold, hard ground before finally falling into a deep sleep.

……

The first day of Ji Qiu.

Rumors spread in Jiangnan that the emperor had been captured by the Northern Qi again. Zhang Jun, who was in Xiuzhou, returned with 3,000 troops to take over the city's defenses and the remaining soldiers, and also to capture any surviving accomplices of Miao and Liu.

The Lin'an court finally had a backbone and obeyed his orders. Zhang Jun sent out messages one after another, instructing several armies along the south bank of the Yangtze River to be on the lookout for any suspicious troops approaching, while also blocking the news of the emperor's capture. He also dispatched a thousand soldiers divided into ten teams to search for traces in various directions.

Upon hearing the news, Lü Yihao of Jiangning Prefecture was greatly alarmed. After discussing it with his subordinates, he immediately dispatched countless scouts to the banks of the Yangtze River in hopes of obtaining news of his emperor.

At the same time, he ordered Liu Menglong, the commander of the navy, to lead the navy to block the river.

However, Zhang Jun had already been defeated in Yangzhou and fled south. Mi Sheng was building more warships while sending Wei Zhaode, Ruan Xiaoer, and Li Jun westward.

Helpless, Liu Menglong could only gather more than half of his navy to the east of Jiangning Prefecture and engage in a back-and-forth tug-of-war with Wei Zhaode on the Yangtze River, hoping that his navy's gate would not be blocked by the people from the north and that the reputation of the southerners as good boatmen would not be lost on his side.

The remaining small portion of the navy consisted mainly of new recruits. Niu Bangxi led them down the river to monitor the situation. However, the river was both long and wide, and it was impossible to bring it all under his control. As the commander-in-chief, Niu Bangxi could only disperse his forces, dividing the navy into groups of three boats and setting up monitoring points every three to five miles. By relying on communication between the boats, they were able to barely monitor a portion of the waterway.

However, the further west they went, the less they could do. The Qi state's river-crossing fleet was growing in size, and they could no longer travel back and forth at will as they had before.

"The one from Lin'an has actually been captured."

On the warship, Fang Qifo, dressed in naval uniform, looked south with schadenfreude: "This is his third one, isn't it? If a few more come, there will probably be more than the royal family of the Qi Kingdom in the north."

“Keep your laughter down, you rascal.” Lu Shinang kicked him. “Not everyone on the ship is one of ours. If they hear us, it’ll be troublesome.”

"What's there to be afraid of? If someone talks too much, they'll be thrown into the river. At this time, nobody cares why a few people die." Fang Qifo puffed out his neck defiantly, but his voice was much softer.

"Brother Fang is just being stubborn." Chen Gutong chuckled, then narrowed his eyes: "But it's about time to contact the Qi army. Jiangnan is in complete chaos right now. If we don't strike while the iron is hot, when will we ever get another chance?"

Snapped--

Chen Gutong's hand gripped the wooden railing beside him tightly.

"I'll go find the one to the north." Fang Qifo suddenly perked up: "I've been waiting for this day for far too long."

Lu and Chen looked at him, pondered for a moment, and remained silent. The former rebel general immediately became anxious: "Why are you two silent now? What, do you think I can't even handle this little thing?"

“No, Brother Fang, don’t be anxious.” Lu Shinang shook his head: “That’s not what I meant. It’s just that if we need your help to control the other two warships, this is not a good time for you to go out.”

“Indeed.” Chen Gutong reassured him from the side, “Our three ships are approaching Wuwu Army. There are nine more ships to the west and even more to the east. If the Qi army comes from the west, we can intercept the fast boats here. Without your martial prowess, this would be impossible.”

Fang Qifo's expression softened slightly, and he nodded: "If that's the case, then I won't argue anymore. What do you say?"

“It would be better if I went.” Chen Gutong pondered for a moment. “Although I have some strength, I am not as strong as Brother Lü, and I can’t be of much help on the water. So it would be better if I went north.” Fang Qifo looked at Lü Shinang and saw him nod. “Alright, you can set off when it gets dark.”

Chen Gutong was stunned for a moment, then kicked out. Fang Qifo dodged to the side, then cursed and complained, "Damn you, you never say a nice thing."

……

It was getting dark.

The entire Jiangnan region was still reeling from the news of the emperor's abduction. The army stationed in Taiping Prefecture was among the last to receive the news. Most of the troops that had retreated from the previous war in Jiangbei were stationed here, so they were somewhat surprised that the Qi army had actually sent a force into Jiangnan during the war.

"...The invasion of Jiangnan was all my fault."

Yue Fei looked up at the clouds on the horizon, which were edged with gold by the sunlight: "If I had left an army to guard Wuwu Army, they would not have come so easily."

The sound of soldiers moving around came from behind. The tall and strong Wang Gui walked over and said, "Pengju, that's your problem. You always think that everything is your responsibility. How do you know that they crossed the river from Wuwei Army? Maybe they crossed the river from Hezhou or Yangzhou."

Yue Fei turned his head and forced a smile: "You rascal..." Then he sighed: "No matter what, the Emperor has been captured, and I must take him back, otherwise I will be letting down the respect he has shown me."

Wang Gui blinked, walked over and slapped him on the shoulder: "I think the same thing as you, but now is not the time. You know the military intelligence coming from the river. The Northern bandits are building their warships very quickly, and I reckon they will be crossing the river soon."

Seeing his worried expression, she rolled her eyes and continued, "Besides, we don't even know where the Emperor is right now. If you lead your troops to look for him and you can't find him, and then this place is breached by the Northern Qi, won't you blame yourself for not defending this place well?"

“…You’re right.” Yue Fei let out a long breath and looked at the sky: “I still believe that the officials of the various military prefectures will be able to find the Emperor.”

"That's right." Wang Gui immediately showed his delight and pulled him towards the military tent: "It's getting late. Let's eat something to fill our stomachs first. Whether you're looking for people or defending the city, you need to eat your fill first, right?"

Yue Fei remained silent and could only let him lead the way. Along the way, the soldiers they encountered saluted and greeted the two of them. They gradually entered the depths of the military camp, leaving the hustle and bustle behind.

"See him? Still looking all worried about the country and its people." Wang Shan stood behind a military tent, tilting his head slightly to look at Zhang Yong: "What's your decision? You don't really consider him a brother, do you?"

Zhang Yong looked troubled: "...He was my neighbor before, and I even ate at his house before."

"You fucking drank here before," Wang Shan scoffed, glancing at him. "I didn't realize you'd soften over a meal."

Zhang Yong blushed immediately: "How...how can that be the same? His mother made it for me back then."

Wang Shan picked at his ear: "I poured that wine for you."

Zhang Yong fell silent.

From the nearby direction, the sounds of horses' hooves and footsteps reached people's ears, as groups of two or three Song soldiers gathered together on their way to the place where they would have their meal.

Wang Shan rolled his eyes at him for remaining silent for so long, and stepped inside: "Just be like this, kid, as long as you don't sell me out."

He glanced at the guards standing to the side and gave Zhang Yong a meaningful look.

"Wait!"

The sudden sound behind him startled Wang Shan. He thought he had been caught giving Zhang Yong a meaningful look, but after a moment's thought, he realized it was unlikely. He quickly composed himself and looked at Zhang Yong with a wary gaze: "What? You want to take my life for your neighbor?"

Zhang Yong looked at him, gritted his teeth, and said, "How could that be? It's just that we agreed on something, but I felt bad about selling someone. After all, we were neighbors for many years, so..."

Wang Shan frowned: "So?"

Zhang Yong lowered his head and said, "...Give me three hundred taels of silver as payment for the job."

"Hahaha, I'll give you five hundred taels." Wang Shan held up five fingers and gestured at him, then put his arm around Zhang Yong's shoulder: "Come on, let's go to my brother's place for a drink."

……

As darkness fell, boats were lowered into the night on the river. Soon after, several boats of various sizes rowed toward the boat moored not far away, and soon the sounds of fighting and screams rang out.

On the river, a small boat swayed and rocked its way to the north bank, heading straight for the Qi army's camp.

"who!"

Under the campfire, the soldiers guarding the watchtower noticed something amiss below and quickly lit a fire arrow, which flew across the river, illuminating two slender figures.

"My name is Chen Gutong. I have come to see His Majesty the Emperor of Qi on important business."

A voice came from the river below. Just as the soldier was about to make a sarcastic remark, he heard the voice continue: "I am acquainted with your generals Wang Yin, Shi Bao, and Li Tianrun!"

The soldiers were greatly alarmed and shouted, "Wait!"

It was already late, and most of the soldiers in the camp had gone to sleep. The soldier went to the rear to deliver the message to He Zhongbao.

Upon hearing the news, He Zhongbao dared not delay. He ordered his soldiers to let the people into the water fortress first, while sending out fast horses to relay the message to the rear camp.

Before long, a messenger galloped into the water fortress: "His Majesty commands that Mr. Chen be invited to the central army for a meeting."

……

"...The war against Western Xia is about to end. Li Bao and his navy are sailing downstream and will be able to come to help in a few months. At that time, the strength on the water will be increased."

"Send people to keep an eye on things over there in the grasslands, and send a message to Yanjing, ordering Deng Fei to assemble a caravan and keep an eye on that area for me."

The night was quiet, with the occasional chirping of insects. Flying insects flapped their wings and flew toward the torches in the main tent. A guard carrying wine quietly walked past, glanced at the emperor who was still discussing state affairs with Wang Zheng, Li Zhu and others, and then bowed his head and withdrew.

The figure who entered again clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Your Majesty, Chen Gutong has arrived."

(End of this chapter)